Date: 02 Oct 2009 15:06 Title: Blaze of Glory
Crikey! Quite an action packed instalment and one that shows just how and why Tain earned the formidable reputation he did. That was cold and as precise as could be given the quickly unravelling situation. Killing Ocek was something else. I did not doubt that he would kill her, but I figured he'd show some reluctance or compassion about the act. He didn't! It makes tain all the more cold-bloodied and equally kinda makes me 'admire' him all the more. Terrific.
Author's Response: The only compassion he could afford in the situation was to make it quick and try to insure she wasn't afraid before the act. I think the one thing that keeps Tain from being a full blown sociopath is that he takes no pleasure in these things, rather recognizes them as a necessity of the job. He does feel. He can empathize. It just doesn't stop him. It's not the sort of ethic I possess, but it's an ethic I can understand. Thanks!
Date: 28 Sep 2009 18:47 Title: Blaze of Glory
If there was any doubt Tain is a ruthless m**********r, he just cast away all of it. Killing the others was cold-blooded enough, but terminating Ocek gave it that extra-creepy edge.
Heavens help Rogol when Tain gets home. He's been set up in order to kill a patriot, and has had to kill a friend's child in the process of completing his mission.
Go get 'em, Tain.
Author's Response: That scene bothered me. I actually put off writing it for two days, because even the thought of writing it bothered me. It was an uncomfortable place to go, and I was glad to get away from it as soon as I could. Yes, for Tain, it all just got personal.
Date: 31 Aug 2009 13:52 Title: Blaze of Glory
Well, that was an intense chapter! He's quite the killing machine. It's really impressive that you can write such an unredeemable character as a real person and not a cardboard villain, without resorting to excusing or justifying the evil he's done. Despite the fact that he really deserved to succumb to the gas, I found myself holding my breath to see if he'd make it. It's a really compelling characterization you have going here.
Author's Response: This was a really hard chapter to write, because I had come to like some of the people he wound up killing, and it was all just so brutal and matter of fact for him. The day I wind up feeling he's justified or making excuses for him is the day I should probably hang up writing about Tain, because that's letting him in my head just a little too far. Thanks so much for the feedback!