OK, no! Mickey has had nothing but shit in his life so far, do you understand how difficult it is to read from a reader's POV. Not ONE good thing has happened so far. I understand the whole 'protagonist has to overcome hardships' thing but that's too much. Bullied, mentally abused, thrown in jail, raped...
Mickey can't be the only one who's had ambitions so why is he the only one being put down so hard for it? I mean, because he wanted to learn he ends up in jail? The fact that no character other than himself is a decent human-being is too unrealistic.

I think this story is great. Does start off slow and I think I can guess the kind of problems you're having with it but the characters really do draw you in and make you want to keep reading.

so I know it has been 5 years since you last updated this but I love it so much. please let me know what happens to Mikey and Jacinto. Please! I love all your works, they are so beautiful and heart wrenching. And I always cry. Hope to see the next installment of this. Great job!

Jacinto is such a brat, getting angry because Mickey doesn't want to be a sorry case. He is, though, he is. Poor Mickey, please be alright.

Excellent, how Mickey's alienation is handled without giving too much away. They always think they finally understand, but in the end it turns out they don't have a clue. Wonderful. And the line about the girlfriend and the 'cant afford to fight you to prove it', hilarious. Damn I can't get enough of this. Also I have a compulsion to play Zip Zap Zero even though I don't think it exists.

Mickey is amazing as he storms out, seething. He's got so much personality carefully packed away behind that blank facade. What would it be like to see a happy, bubbly, excited, daring Mickey. There is so much to this character.

This breaks my heart every time I read it (and I can't seem to stop reading this story) The stress Mickey must be under...
Another detail I hadn't previously taken notice of: the living walls. That's fantastic.

I can honestly say this is one of my favourite pieces of writing that I have found on this website, it's brilliant! I have always hoped that eventually a random update would pop up, it hasn't yet but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I read this story quite a while back and it still sticks with me enough to come back and reread it and hope there has been an update. Great story please continue someday!

What's brilliant about this story is that it starts out (in the first few chapters) making you believe that what's happening to Mickey is the norm. You're so caught up in the workings of Gate that, when finally he enters the 'real world', it seems as alien as Gate -should- have felt. Our perception has been twisted, but in such a subtle way that we didn't feel it happen. I LOVE THIS STORY! And the talented author who wrote it:)

Wow, this story hurts. In a good way, of course. I hope you continue, but thanks for what you have posted already.

this story is just AMAZING! i couldn't stop reading ) i do hope that you'll find the inspiration to continue, but if not, i don't regret reading it; especially since mickey isn't in trouble right now.

i love stories about freedom and integrity and this one is just so damn good xD i love how mickey is so bound but dreams of studying birds )

i found the way you described how mickey and the group got along very realistic; the misunderstandings and the frustrations from both sides. it made me really happy when they actually started to understand and like each other. i must say i would like to see more of jon, though. he seems like a really nice guy.

jacinto..i like him, but i also find him quite insensitive at times...i get that he really likes mickey and that he isn't really used to the kind of problems he has, but asking to share a bed with a rape-victim? sometimes i just wanna shake him! i'm glad jon has some sense ) love the tension between jacinto and mickey and how obvious jacinto is )

if you do continue writing this i am very curious of how everything will go and i'm subscribing, just in case p

Instantly I love the world you built in this first chapter. Your weave in the culture, the social interaction, the school/work system, a little bit of geography and even the mysterious birds in such a way that is very interesting and not monotone at all.

Alright I'll mosey on and read the rest of the story.

don't worry. your world building is just fine. its actually really clear due to my being able to read so many chapters available, but it may have been frustrating for those who read it earlier and didn't gain so much at once. anyhow, its been quite a story starting from our protagonist's young years spent in an entitlement haze and getting to the highly damaged yet still intelligent goods he's since become. and before you think i'm heartless, i really did want to feel bad for Mickey, but i couldn't. just don't have very much sympathy for people who make the same mistakes over and over - and especially not someone who's good at seeing patterns. so, now that Mickey's life isn't turning into a failed game of zip-zap-zero, i am properly invested. all this to say: engaging read. i'll be checking back for more.

I had not even realised this had updated. I love this story still. Then again, I love all your stories. Just the way you handle such a serious topic and flesh out each of the characters, no matter how minor. The little details, especially the patterns of dialogue, add wonderful depth.

...and now that I'm done gushing, I look forward to seeing how things will change for Mickey now.

The world you created is growing on me. This story is the last one I read, so I'm not really reading them in the right order. After EH III I stopped for a while. Not knowing what to think of them and where you were heading. But I'm glad I read on. And I do hope very much that you will complete them all. Your writing and describing skills are getting better, especially in describing how an individual needs to find his way in an alien surrounding.

I can believe this one is a difficult story to write. I don't think it is easy to write about abused young children and how they go on in life. And Mickey was young. At some point in his life when he was still very young he stopped growing (mentally). And even now he is still busy surviving. I don't really get what Jacinto sees in Mickey. There is no real growth nor real understanding between them and it can't be only looks and sex. Not for such a period of time, I think. Jacinto story still needs to be told (maybe when Mickey comes with him in the break?).

In a way I think that Cary, at least at this moment, is a better match for Mickey. You've made him as someone who honnestly likes Mickey, only he has a sick way of showing it. But not per se because he is a sick person himself. They do understand each other on a more instincual level. Would their circumstances be different, they might be able to grow up together in a good way despite what has happend.

In any case, I like your writing and the pace you keep very much. This (these) story('s) are no action story's. Their all about development en multicultural mingling en misunderstanding. Not easy to write, but I trust you to find a way through it. Your very good.

I love this entire story. There are a few minor typos, but those can be easily fixed. The story is amazing and well put together - it really tugged at my heartstrings! And of course there was just the perfect touch of a corrupt society that really made me think about society and education. Often times in fiction, mistreated main characters come off as overly sensitive or dependent, but Mickey is actually realistic. The fact that the science talk is coherent and engaging makes this story so much more alive, as opposed to how this element could have easily been superfluous.

Overall I love this story and I can't wait to read the next update!