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May 12, 2023Liked by C.J. Stone

Another interesting chapter, all leading up to some difficult times ahead for Sapphire Angel. This is certainly not your average gang. This is like taking on an army, and I imagine they will have a plan for her, like they do everything else. We will see how she deals with them. Sounds like the first confrontation may be coming sooner than later, we will see.

The only down side to this cadence of releasing chapters is I end up wishing my weekend away, so we can get to Mondays release. :)

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Thanks! I’m glad you look forward to it. Yes, this is not your typical gang. Closer to a brute-force corporation, maybe, or, as you said, an army. Action is not too far around the corner.

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May 11, 2023Liked by C.J. Stone

Ahhh, interesting! So we get a bit of an update on Chief Rando---though I’m assuming he won’t last too long---and a little bit of what made Savage the man he is today. Not much to go off of at the moment, though, but he still seems to have been experienced with violence from the very beginning. I don’t know whether that helicopter having the American flag symbol on it meant that they were with the Americans, or if they were for a different, opposing faction and were just stealing a helicopter that belonged TO the Americans. It was chilling how his gang just went around and wiped an entire village of huts without even bothering to spare the young ones or even just giving them a chance to explain; then again, we aren’t exactly sure if THEY did anything to Savage’s gang to warrant their own attack. More Middle Eastern rep, too, with Afghanistan and all that, in addition to Mantis, Amal Nassar, Majid Azari, and the ILA. They’re all villains, though, which unnerves me a little. Not everyone from there is bad.

That violin concert sounds SO high-class; definitely something I’d like to go to if I had company! If you were doing chapter titles (like I am), I would totally recommend the title “Resorting To Violins”. Not sure if puns are your thing, but it’s just an idea at any rate.

For once, I actually have reservations about Sapphire springing to action to stop Rocco Lynch and co.’s attack on the violin concert. This is supposed to be a night she spends with Conner, a night where they’re supposed to get along and improve their relationship, which hasn’t been doing well BECAUSE of her superhero activities. Conner might not take it well if that happens, but maybe if he physically sees the Savage Gang up close, it’ll change his mind. Maybe he can fight them as well, or at least help in getting the bystanders to safety.

I know they’re just there for a prized violin and all, but would the Savage Gang perhaps be interested in abducting Lena Erb? Sounds like she’s at least a little popular, and if expanding their influence and making the population fear them is what the Gang is focused on, I don’t see why not. There could be a fight inside the hall and the violinists could provide the background music, or something. And the Gang just doesn’t attack them because they’re THAT good.

I have a feeling this concert’s about to become something that no one will forget for a LONG time. Better brace for an imminent attack!

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What I was trying to convey here, and will be clearer later, is that Savage was in the U.S. military or some other official U.S. service, and did some pretty horrible things. And yea, I realize I’ve made the Middle Eastern characters out to be bad so far. I wrote some of this long ago, so I definitely need to get away from the stereotype we’ve had in our media for too long. Although in this one, it could be said that the U.S. forces were the bad guys.

The tension between Conner and Beth concerning her alter ego could turn into a recurring theme.

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