ok, that was truly wonderful. adored too many things about it to list, but it was great, the whole sad, funny, tragic, insightful lot of it. really enjoyed the spiderman mention, for some reason . . . but really, really good. um, more coherent remarks later. tired . . .

Thank you. :-) And I couldn't resist Spidey. He had to be the last of the Marvel cameos. Hope you got some sleep. (G)

It was great! I loved everything, but the Spidey scene most of all, I think. (Scott serenading Jean is a close second.)

Now I have to finish checking lab reports. (It's just 4:00 p.m. over here at the other side of the world) :-)

Cathleen

Thank you! Several folks seem to have enjoyed Spidey. I'm glad. :-) Having one superhero invade another's "universe" is sometimes iffy, but they both belong to Marvel.

And Scott serenading Jean is one of my own personal favorite bits. LOL! (Er, hmm, is this where the author admits to using personal experience? My husband used to sing for me, when we were dating -- though usually he did it with a guitar. It was cute.)

Min, I am completely BLOWN AWAY. Everything in these last two chapters was completely worth waiting for, and this story is just amazing. I can't gush enough over how great this was.

Specific things that I would like to mention - the scene in the epilogue with the cross was beautiful. Also, thank you for the afterward, it was interesting, and the third question was very helpful.

Gaaah, so good! I'm going to read it all over again.

You liked the cross? Cool. :-)

And I'm glad someone read the Afterward and found it interesting. LOL! I love writing that kind of stuff, but I figure that (realistically) it's probably boring to most readers. :-)

your story was amazing!!! totally worth the wait and so satisfying for scott/jean shippers! the only thing i am confused about is how jean returns after x2...but other than that i am so impressed!!! please keep on writing!

I was specifically vague about how Jean returns. I'm not sure if you're familiar with the comic background for the character, but the ending of X2 is a set-up for the arrival of "Phoenix," or Jean reborn, and the probably into Dark Phoenix -- though how they'll handle that is anyone's guess. I wrote the epilogue to exist somewhere outside time in the general "future" of the X-Men film franchise. The likelihood that this novel which actually survive X3 (or X4) without major conflicts is probably dim, but I didn't expect it to survive X2 so well. Ergo, I was deliberately vague about the how and when of Jean's resurrection to (theoretically) fit in with X3. The events of the epilogue take place after X3, and possibly X4 (we presume). So it presents a "coda" on the rest of the novel, taking place several years from when Chapter 21 ends. :-)

Does that help?

Jean's family made my stomach churn with fear and anger. Been there, done that. Not the money, but the controlling condescension masquerading as love was very familiar.

Along the edge of the clipping, Erik Lehnsherr had written, "Ich annehme dich nicht weiß nichts über grosses grüne Monstrum, Charles? Oder grosses blau eins, die jedem der beiden Fälle?"I don't suppose you would know anything about big green monsters, would you, Charles? Or big blue ones, either? Then, in English, he'd added, "Fascinating machine that Dr. Banner built. I'd love to see the schematics."

LOL! This never even occurred to me. Of course Eric would want to know aobut this machine. and tying it in with the movie - you're briliant!!

Whee! Spiderman. "Hey, at least it's not banana yellow." LOL!!!! Wonderful comic relief.

the proposal - Awwww! Very sweet, plus him being so nervous that she thought something was wrong was adorable. :)

I especially liked this - "This is our wedding," Jean had said two months ago when they'd flown out to Los Angeles to plan the ceremony with Jeremiah. "Nobody is giving me away; I give myself. And we're going into this together, so we'll walk down the aisle together, not just walk out." :)

How crazy is that I want to t take the Scott from LTaW and have him read the epilogue and say to him, "See. It isn't so bad."

Ummm, that *is* the real Jean Grey in your epilogue, right? Not a clone, or what ever?

BTW, are you planning to put up a complete text version of it to make it easier for people to save it?

Thank you so much for writing this! I'm in awe, not only of your talent, but of how much time and hard work went into this. You are a terrific writer. Most writers have weaknesses that aren't that difficult to spot - either in plotting, character, desription, dialogue, at least one area is usually weaker than the others. You handle it *all* superbly. You've given me many, many hours of pleasure with it. Thank you!

Jean's family made my stomach churn with fear and anger. Been there, done that. Not the money, but the controlling condescension masquerading as love was very familiar.

You know, the ironic thing is -- Elaine is based very much on my aunt (by marriage), mother of my favorite cousin. Not so much in terms of money, or such, but the way she goes about things. Brenda escaped her just as soon as she graduated high school, and Sandy always wondered why. (ugh)

LOL! This never even occurred to me. Of course Eric would want to know aobut this machine. and tying it in with the movie - you're briliant!!

(bows) Thank you.

How crazy is that I want to t take the Scott from LTaW and have him read the epilogue and say to him, "See. It isn't so bad."

LOLOL! Of course, they're somewhat different Scotts, too; this one doesn't mind being the center of attention quite so much. But yes, writing the wedding here is kind of amusing, given Scott's fits over there.

Ummm, that *is* the real Jean Grey in your epilogue, right? Not a clone, or what ever?

Ha! Yes, it's Jean.

BTW, are you planning to put up a complete text version of it to make it easier for people to save it?

I've been doing it on mailing lists. The problem with a text version is that I tend to go back in later and make corrections to typos (or whatever) directly on the .html files. (Yes, I do still 'tweak' bits of it later.) Though the idea of a .txt file isn't a bad one, zipped perhaps.

Thank you so much for writing this! I'm in awe, not only of your talent, but of how much time and hard work went into this. You are a terrific writer. Most writers have weaknesses that aren't that difficult to spot - either in plotting, character, desription, dialogue, at least one area is usually weaker than the others. You handle it *all* superbly. You've given me many, many hours of pleasure with it. Thank you!

(blush) And thank you for the compliment. And thanks also for the rec in your LJ. :-)

Pity my poor husband, who burst into the office this morning while I was reading the epilogue and got the full anger of a woman interrupted while reading the wedding scene. I think he's still a bit stunned ;)

::happy sigh:: What a wonderful, wonderful book, and it's too bad we can't publish the darn thing, since it's so much better than the movie novelizations. (Okay, granted you probably had more time to write it than they did ::grin::.)

I've been trying to figure out how to explain why I loved this so much, when I'm generally not that big a fan of prequels. I think it's the emotion, the genuine feeling that I'm following these characters up and down and around the emotional scale. I laughed my ass off at some points, I cried at others, I giggled at cameos, I felt for everyone from Jean to Scott to the Professor to EJ...

I have an inkling of how much work this required over the last year and a half and I thank you for it. Since this is the only paycheck you'll get, I thank you giving us an amazing tale of Jean and Scott :)

Thanks, Mara. Hopefully, it made your day a bit less grumpy. (g)

I'm glad people enjoyed it. I think one of the problems of prequels -- or at least, that I found in writing one -- is the temptation to view it as "incomplete," as if it doesn't have a story of its own, but is just a "set up," in which case, it feels more like early chapters than a story in its own right. It's kind of the reverse of the sequel syndrome, which is often simply "more of the same" and (unfortunately all too often) a weaker rendition. The only time sequels really work is if they were either planned at the beginning with a large story-arc that works as an umbrella over the whole, or they aren't really "sequels" so much as "another story set in the same universe."

Anyway, that's how I see it, but it is a real trick to write one, and made for an interesting challenge, to try to make it fit organically with X1, but still be its own story.

Wow, Min, wow!

What a fantastic ending! This is the most satisfying Prequel for Moververse I have read. Great tying together of the treads. I loved the way you tied the events of X2 in (and captured Wolverine's character in a, what, 3 line cameo).I loved the fact that Scott didn't invite him to the rehearsal dinner! LOL

Other people have touched on the nifty Spiderman cameo, Warren and Bruce Banner, so I just want to say a few words about how you handled 9/11.

I'm a New Yorker who works 10 blocks away from what is now called Ground Zero. I was at work that day and saw the first Tower fall. The rest of the day was spent trapped in the lobby of my building and then trying to get home. You handled using the event in a piece of fiction in a very sensitive and non-exploitive manner. After I got home and for the week following, before my company was allowed back into our building, the footage of the planes hitting the buildings were every where. While I was actually eager to get back downtown to work, after 3 days, I stopped watching or reading anything about the attacks. I was damned if I was going to let it make me afraid to live, but on the other hand, I have avoided dwelling on the images.
While the section on the attacks was emotional for me to read, it felt real and never just added into the story for shock value. I really feel that only a writer of your caliber could have pulled that off.

Thanks again for a fantastic read! Have a wonderful vacation, if anyone had earned it, you have!

What a fantastic ending! This is the most satisfying Prequel for Moververse I have read. Great tying together of the threads. I loved the way you tied the events of X2 in (and captured Wolverine's character in a, what, 3 line cameo).I loved the fact that Scott didn't invite him to the rehearsal dinner! LOL

(GGG) Originally, Scott's explanation of that ran a bit longer, but I thought it knocked out the punch of, "He wasn't invited." LOL! They can't appear to actually like each other, after all. :-)

While the section on the attacks was emotional for me to read, it felt real and never just added into the story for shock value. I really feel that only a writer of your caliber could have pulled that off.

I'm very glad to hear that. Naomi, of course, also read over it, but I was curious how it would be received by New Yorkers. I debated somewhat as to whether to include it, but I felt that not including it -- since the time frame of the novel itself ran right over it -- would be a glaring ommision. And it fit into the theme of the book remarkably seamlessly. And yes, I dislike including things purely for shock value. I spent a lot of time reading the first-hand accounts of people who'd survived and people who'd witnessed, so I'm relieved I was able to capture some of that.

Well, all I can say is it was sure worth the wait! Thank you for writing such an amazing story. I'm at a loss for words right now, which is why I'm not saying anything particularly eloquent or inspired. ;)

As an aside, maybe Mara's hubby and mine can get together to discuss their traumas. This morning Dave came into the living room as I was reading the Epilogue, and he made the mistake of asking me if I was "planning on getting ready for work sometime this year". I nearly ripped the poor boy's head off.

Thanks again, Min! You truly are a wonder.

~Jen

P.S. Hey look - I finally got a LiveJournal account! It took me bloody long enough. Many thanks, Renny!

Yeah! Welcome to LJ and the Hive Mind (and I love your Stitch icon). And thanks for the kind words. :-)

That was the ending that I always dreamed this novel would have. The curtain call of characters in the final scenes was one of the most fantastic things I've ever read. And there's the fawning you were talking about. How can I resist?

I'll have you know that I'm cheerfully going off to the dentist with a dopey smile and a spring in my step because of this.

It was well worth the wait - now about this "writing hiatus"... ;)

That was the ending that I always dreamed this novel would have. The curtain call of characters in the final scenes was one of the most fantastic things I've ever read. And there's the fawning you were talking about. How can I resist?

LOL! I never mind fawning. :-D

No, seriously, I'm glad you enjoyed the ending. With such a long novel and such a large cast of secondary characters who played important roles at one point or another, but then faded into the background (because life is like that), a "curtain call" is (imo) always a nice thing, and a wedding is a good excuse to both give the novel the "traditional" Romance ending and parade some of the characters back through with a sort of "Where they are now" summary, and not have it look entirely shoe-horned. And I am a bit of a sucker for "Whatever became of ..." at the ends of books or films of this type. :-)

Well, the hiatus isn't really all that long. And it's just from writing itself. I need some space to do some plotting, and get caught up with some external deadlines. I'll still be around (obviously).

Congratulations, I shall be reading it soon.

Rob

Oooh, Min! I am gasping for air! I don't think I breathed the entire time during those last two incredible, awe-inspiring, heart-wrenching, knuckle-biting, hair-tearing chapters!

The dinner with the Greys had me gritting my teeth. What a scuzzy family! Probably has something to do with the fact that my family has similar background to Scott's, but I wanted to do what he said! Yergh! One cannot measure wealth with money!

Oh. My. God. 9/11

Now THAT one got to me. I was working as an intern on Capitol Hill on the day of that disaster, and you've really captured the emotional impact of that day; my heart was pounding and my throat was completely dry. I had wondered how you'd bring Warren and the gang some closure (being the flag-waving Warren fangirl that I am) but boy, I never imagined THAT! I was confused about what Frank said, and then I saw where Warren's office was and--oh God. You've got a lot of courage, tackling that event, but you succeeded brilliantly. I had a lump in my throat reading Scott's talk with Spiderman. The helplessness of Superheroes...Min, how DO you do it? With just a handful of characters, I think you captured every single reaction that people had to that attack, and so beautifully.

And I shall comment more presently, but Im sneaking this in at work, and the boss is calling! I'll be back with more thoughts!

Now THAT one got to me. I was working as an intern on Capitol Hill on the day of that disaster, and you've really captured the emotional impact of that day; my heart was pounding and my throat was completely dry. I had wondered how you'd bring Warren and the gang some closure (being the flag-waving Warren fangirl that I am) but boy, I never imagined THAT! I was confused about what Frank said, and then I saw where Warren's office was and--oh God. You've got a lot of courage, tackling that event, but you succeeded brilliantly. I had a lump in my throat reading Scott's talk with Spiderman. The helplessness of Superheroes...Min, how DO you do it? With just a handful of characters, I think you captured every single reaction that people had to that attack, and so beautifully.

Thank you. As I was telling Linda, I wasn't too sure about tackling it, but given the scope of the novel, and that it ran right over it (time-wise), NOT addressing it would have been rather obvious. So I'm glad it worked for people. I imagine some people won't be able to read it, and just aren't ready (at least one mentioned it already to me), but I'm glad it worked for those who did.

I loved it.

Thanks. :-) I like that top hat!

I don't know if I can add anything that hasn't already been said except that I figured Frank saw 9/11 (but not how you would handle it). I truly enjoyed it a lot more then I thought I would (esp because I didn't think I'd like it). I don't think I can pick out a point or even a scene that made me think this, or even one that doesn't stand out, only that I enjoyed the whole thing so much.

Thanks for writing this!
~Kate

I truly enjoyed it a lot more then I thought I would (esp because I didn't think I'd like it). I don't think I can pick out a point or even a scene that made me think this, or even one that doesn't stand out, only that I enjoyed the whole thing so much.

I'm glad it worked, then. (I assume by not thinking you'd like it, you meant the 9/11 stuff specifically?) As noted, it was one of those things you go into wondering if you should -- which may be the only way to do it, with due "fear and trembling," since it's something close and tender to so many people. There are still Sioux, who over 100 years later, will walk out of the room when someone (not Sioux) brings up Wounded Knee.

Beginnings are hard to write, but endings are even worse. Way to tie all the threads together, Min, and even introduce (and resolve) a few new ones, all in time for the closing credits.

For me, the best parts of these chapters were in the details, from Erik's interest in certain schematics to the fact that Scott stole his 'yellow spandex' line from Spiderman. It's that kind of thoughtfulness that not only ties the tale beautifully to both X1 and X2, but brings the story to life.

Amazing job. :)

-blue

Beginnings are hard to write, but endings are even worse. Way to tie all the threads together, Min, and even introduce (and resolve) a few new ones, all in time for the closing credits.

Thank you! :-D And yeah, the wrap up is the hard part, both making sure the necessary threads are tucked in and that the climax/ending is sufficient for the length of the story, and suitable.

For me, the best parts of these chapters were in the details, from Erik's interest in certain schematics to the fact that Scott stole his 'yellow spandex' line from Spiderman. It's that kind of thoughtfulness that not only ties the tale beautifully to both X1 and X2, but brings the story to life.

Thanks. (G) I had GREAT fun with the yellow spandex bit, plus bringing in Spidey.

You've just given birth yet again, Min! And it's a bee-yootiful, five-pound ... er, five-hundred-pound, baby ScottJean! You should be proud.

Oh, and BTW, the Spidey cameo was worth the wait, and very well-done. I kind of envisioned a bit of the alley scene in my "Loners" fic, as it was rather similar. It was definitely cool.

The wedding was great, as was the way you tied Jean's Phoenix-ness into the end. Great stuff, yo.

Wyze

I figured you'd enjoy that cameo, and yeah, actually, I did sorta think of "Loners" as I was writing that up. Slight sense of deja-vu. (g)

More seriously, I'm glad you enjoyed, and yes, Spidey got the capstone Marvel cameo, but did you catch #5? You're one of the few who might recognize her. I figure she's the most obscure of the bunch.

congratulations!

I have to admit I haven't read any of it, yet (I'm slightly intimidated by the length!), but that's such a huge project to finish.

I imagine you're not the only one intimidated by the length. Most fanfic is rather shorter. (G)

But thanks for the well-wishes.

Excellent pacing, totally groovy writing and more than expected ! you did a great job as always .thank you.

Sam

Thank you!! :-)

I am utterly and completely clueless about anything X-Men, but I peeked at it just out of curiosity (and because it's a big accomplishment, after such a long time of working on it!)

I am now beginning chapter 2, and I'm really enjoying it! (Who knew?) I don't know if I'll be able to follow it as it goes along, but so far I'm just enjoying the premise and the characters as they are presented.

Anyway, since your opening notes said it would be understandable for those not in the X-Men fandom, I figured I'd let you know that thus far, it's working for me.

(In fact, I wanted to save it to my Visor to take with, but I'm enjoying the pics and the pretty pages as well, LOL.)

Ooo, this is an interesting experiment, then. :-) You'll have to tell me how you find it. It should explain itself as it goes. There are some inside jokes that require knowledge of not just the film, but the comic universe, but really, they're tangential and won't matter.

But you'll have to let me know how it works out for you. :-) I'm quite curious. :-)

*cough* Yeah, isn't my subject heading original? *cough*
Anyway...
Wonderful, simply wonderful! I really enjoyed reading this (and I'm sad to see I've reached the end). As with all books, I can't wait to finish (this was the case here too with the length but I found that it was harder to actually *want* to finish in between waiting for the releasing of chapters!), but once you reach the end, it's sad that you now have to put it down.
The best part of 'Accidental' for me was all the little details (references and comic appearances; although I think I'm the only one who didn't like Spidey's appearance... probably because I don't particularily like Spider-Man ;) Blame it on the movie.) and also, the detail you put into descriptions. Emotions and events and the way they all tie together with the use of a good analogy. ;)
I think it's the mark of a good writer [let's see if I can pull this off without sounding stupid or arrogant ;)] to be able to capture readers into actually feeling emotions alongside the characters of the story. The very fact that you made (probably) every one of us hate the Grey family because of that dinner is brilliant on your part, lol.

-Cindy [if this post doesn't make sense, grammatically and whatnot, don't blame me, blame you because it's 4AM and I just *had* to finish it... lol! ;)]

*cough* Yeah, isn't my subject heading original? *cough*

It gave me a grin. :-)

Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed the story, and particularly the details, as that's something I make some effort toward, though I still make errors in them sometimes. (g) But yeah, the details are what construct the world and draw in the reader (one hopes). Research, research! :-D

I laughed, I cried, I stayed up all night reading it. It has been a long time since a published novel, let alone a work of fan fiction has done that to me. Okay so maybe that sounds like a newspaper quote from the cover of a book, but it doesn't make it any less true.

I am by no means adept at literary criticism, but I am a connoisseur of good narrative, and this story had me enthralled from the beginning to the end. This is particularly impressive if you realize I am much more comfortable reading things on paper, rather than from a computer screen and add to this the fact that recently I have had the attention span of a five year old after a box of Oreo cookies.

I loved the cameos of various characters, I loved the way you dealt with 9/11, I love the way I believe every one of the characters (even if Toby Mcguire has somehow replaced Dan Gilvezan as the voice of Spiderman in my head)

I will not fill up your journal with more of my ramblings but I did have to point one thing out. The second last picture of Chapter 18 has James Marsden standing in front of the CHUM/City building in Toronto, unremarkable except that it is a mere block from the Bishop and the Belcher, home to the (in)famous Dexcon, and slightly more than a two blocks from the place where I accidentally wandered on to the set of the first X-men movie.

I laughed, I cried, I stayed up all night reading it. It has been a long time since a published novel, let alone a work of fan fiction has done that to me. Okay so maybe that sounds like a newspaper quote from the cover of a book, but it doesn't make it any less true.

Ah, maybe, but especially the first line is music to an author's ears. (g)

and add to this the fact that recently I have had the attention span of a five year old after a box of Oreo cookies.

That sounds like me of late, actually. 8} But seriously, thank you for the very sweet words. I'm flattered, Gerg.

The second last picture of Chapter 18 has James Marsden standing in front of the CHUM/City building in Toronto, unremarkable except that it is a mere block from the Bishop and the Belcher, home to the (in)famous Dexcon, and slightly more than a two blocks from the place where I accidentally wandered on to the set of the first X-men movie.

LOL! I knew that was in Toronto (not NYC), actually, but didn't realize it was nearby to Dexcon. (G) Ah, I wish I could get there this year. Next year. Of course, I said that last year.... (sigh)

Minisinoo,

I just want to say that this is absolutely brilliant!!! The entire novel is just wonderful. It's so beautifully written--there are some sentences that were so magnificantly poetic that I practically melted (A pink-ash cloud continued to drift over lower Manhattan, making the sunset red behind a wounded skyline.--is a particular favorite)! And I find your version of Scott and Jean--while slightly different from my own--to be totally engaging.

It works beautifully as a stand alone piece--but more importantly it works fantastically as the fanfic it was meant to be and that is at times much more difficult to achieve. The characters--each and every one of them--behave, act and react, as the characters in the movie would have done. You have managed to capture their essence and that is the backbone of an honest fanfic and a very talented writer. You also attributed Scott and Jean both with backgrounds that are utterly believable considering the "person" that they've become.

I have to say one of my favorite parts from the last few chapters was the proposal--most especially the "toy" ring. That was utterly charming! While I got to pick out my own, the hubby did not think to produce a prop to go along with his proposal and I think I may have to harp on him about that now (g).

I also thought the events of 9-11 were handled beautifully. It was realistic and yet tendered with care at the same time--a line few would have been able to walk.

Honestly, I didn't "need" to have the epilogue but it was a sweet little treat all the same. It was great to see what had "come of" the earlier characters--E.J, Clarice, and Lee (perhaps my favorite original character)--and I love the idea of Scott and Jean walking down the isle together.

There is however one little thread I would have liked to have seen given a bit more closure and that is the one concerning Jean's dyspareunia. I know they finally discussed it and that was certainly a hurdle -- probably one of the most difficult to overcome, but I would have also liked to have seen them make love once without the pain--maybe the first time it occurred or something. There could have been some discussion over the fact that it hadn't miraculously disappeared and that intervals of reoccurance were likely--but at least we'd get the idea that it was a problem that did have a happy ending.

But honestly this was a fantastic work--it is one of the most impressive fanfics I have read in a very long time. I hope to write a few of my own (not that they would be nearly as long--one experience in that realm was quite enough for me) but at the moment I'm entirely too intimidated (vbg).

Oh and I forgot before but I just wanted to add that the photo manipulations are fabulous as well. Pugui does a fantastic job and the two of you make a great team!

Cyndi

Chiming in a little late here.

I just finished it. Wow. Throughout this whole thing you've painted a picture of a number of very real, very human people that you could meet any time. Well, minus the mutant powers.

Just extraordinarily well done. :-)

(g) Thanks, Adon. And really, I don't think there's a time frame on this one. LOL! It's a bit, er, long, so I imagine there are plenty of people who still haven't finished it, or who just got started.

But seriously, thanks. I'm glad you found the characters 3D (both the canon ones and the original characters. :-)

Dearest Minisinoo,
That was (if you would pardon my language) bloody brilliant! There is something to be said about professionals, and that it that they're BLOODY BRILLIANT!

Ahem. Yes, I've calmed down now. No, I really don't need a sedative. Really.

Min: I loved it to pieces, and I'm looking forward to read more by you. But take all the breaks you need. An exhausted author is a bad author, and although it would take a lot of exhaustion to make you bad, I really don't want to take any chances. This novel has given me many hours of entertainment; the kind of entertainment that comes when you're reading something very, very good, and can't wait to get to the end (+ at the same time wanting it never to end). Thank you, Min.

(And on that note: have you all kissed your favourite writers today?)

Only one thing that irritated me a little: we never get the resolution on Jean's problem with sex, and the German you have is kinda bad (sorry). It would be more correct to say (and I'm not promising it's perfect, because it's not): Ich anneheme dass du nichts über grosse grüne Ungeheuere wissen wollte, Charles? Oder grosse blaue, auch?

Thank you for a very good experience, Min.

Love Sofie,
Denmark


Ps) A kiss for Minisinoo.

:-) Thanks. I'm glad you enjoyed.

As for the sex thing. Someone else asked about that, too, but there's a reason more isn't done with it, a two-fold reason actually. First, I see it as only one aspect of the relationship and by having them discuss it, it does show that they're dealing with it. I suppose it comes down to the fact that although it's "billed" as a Romance, the real story is about the X-Men with the S/J romance providing the axis. Also, I've actually dealt with this elsewhere and dislike repeating myself. (g) The story in question is "101 (and not Dalmatians)". There are a few differences between it and ACCIDENTAL, but it's the same basic idea, and that story is 'about' sex. Anyway, hopefully that will answer any remaining questions. (G)

On the German, I've had about 3-4 very different translations offered. The one I have there now was done by a professional translator. :-)

Min,

I have to say that I rarely post coments or reviews. Not because I have nothing to say but because I usually don't know how to say it. But finishing this wonderful story after so much hard work deserves recognition. I was never really a fan of either Scott or Jean in fanfiction(and I'm still not) but I've read all the stories on your site and loved every single one of them. I think the reason that I don't like Scott and Jean fiction is that they always seem to be card board cutouts of the characters. Scott as the stick-up-his-bum, stoic leader and Jean as, well, a bitch. Your works however make them real people, with real lives; and though they have flaws its because they're real, 3 dimensional characters. I've been folowing this novel since it first began and never once did I come off the high of enjoyment. I especially liked Scott-the college years, and your handling of the age and social differences. Thank you for a wonderful story (as well as all the others I read but didn't coment on)and I'm so glad that I stuck in for the long haul.

Bravo,

Nur

our works however make them real people, with real lives; and though they have flaws its because they're real, 3 dimensional characters. I've been folowing this novel since it first began and never once did I come off the high of enjoyment. I especially liked Scott-the college years, and your handling of the age and social differences.

Thank you. :-) We'll make a Scott and/or Jean fan of you yet. (cackling maniacally)

More seriously, I'm glad I'm able to bring the characters to life in such a way that you can empathize with them, and find them appealing, and in more than just one story. So thanks.

For almost a year I have followed "Accidental" and found it to be quite a good read. I'm a big Cyclops fan and collected the comics back in the day, but stopped and resumed again after x1 came out. It was this time that I read a whole of of fanfic but comic and movievereses, but then stopped again, hehe. Until one boring day last summer, I started to read up and I managed to find "Accidental" and absolutely loved it. The length didn't daunt me as there were only a few chapters and from the start I was hook. So with the last 2 chapters? I'm not sure if i like it or not. The resolution with Banner didn't sit with me that well, though I may be bias'ed cuz the film left a sour taste in my mouth. I guess since Jean and Scott are already together, but I don't know. However, I did like the tie-in with Banner's machine and X1, great SET-UP.

Then there's the whole Sept 11 thing. I live in New Jersey, right across the river from the WTC. Having a real life event, (a very DRAMATIC event to say the least) played out in fanfic, I just didn't know. I read fanfic to get away from reality and I do like it when authors incorporate things from the real world into their work, but 9/11 seemed to an important event to play it out. My other qualm was the timing, I thought the whole novel took place before x1 came out, meaning before 2000 and that events in the novel took place in the 90's up until the start of x1. (Also i think the WTC is seen in x1 hehe). But I read some comments on it and your response to why you included it, so it kind of helped me accept the scene. But what I liked resolved from it was the Warren/ Scott thing. Although I would've liked to see them resolve their differences in another matter, it was still good.

I anticipated a bigger role for the characters in the beginning of the novel, Scott's friends in Cali, BUT it was great to see them at the end. I hope you don't think I'm saying it sucked, i did enjoy it but I guess I like the previous chapters more than the last two. Some things I did like was the wedding, original, didn't think of that, on the docks with Scott escorting Jean down the isle, and the vague references to x2 and phoenix. Jean's family dinner scene was also very enjoyable to read.

Overall the novel is great ! I expected to be taken back to the beginning of the novel when Jean accidently runs over Scott, that warm fuzzy feeling, in the end it didnt get so warm for me but always fuzzy. A truly great read, I thank you for the ride !! :)

Well, obviously, the Hulk material in Accidental is completely separate from the recent film. I have assumed the Spiderman film and X-Men are in the same "universe," but I ignored Hulk. As you gathered from the machine, I already had my own plotline for Banner long before the film came out. :-)

As for the timing, it's probably somewhat easy to lose, when reading through it in parts, but there are several date hints throughout the novel that indicate that I take the "in the not too distant future" to mean the events of X1 did not take place in the same year that it came out. So (towers in the distance or not), I placed the events of X1 around 2004/05. There are a few clues here and there as to what year it is. I tried to drop them in, e.g., the New Year's Eve 2000 celebration in Scott's 3rd year at Berkeley, etc., but again, these may be easy to miss (or simply forget) if you're reading over it a chapter at a time.

In any case, with the time frame I'd given the novel, I was faced with a choice -- deal with 9/11, or ignore it. I thought ignoring it would be worse so I opted to deal. But yes, I knew there would be some who'd either not be ready to read it, or not want to read it (hence the warning on that chapter). I think you hit on one key to different people's reactions when you said, I read fanfic to get away from reality. Some want more reality in their fiction and some want less. I have a tendency (carried over no doubt from a background in mainstream) to tackle "real life" issues a lot. I've done a short story on the Holocaust ("Letters and Papers from Prison"), did Climb the Wind, which dealt with POW trauma, and Special which deals with prostitution, and even the Heyoka series which deals with divorce (in essence if not in literal fact) as well as racial issues. Accidental is actually among the more light-hearted longer pieces I've done. :-D

In any case, I'm glad that you enjoyed the majority of it, even if the ending wasn't quite what you expected.