I'm so glad that you're still writing these fun stories for us. The apocalyptic world that Dan and Valerie is something you need to be in the mood for. Maybe imagining Dan and Valerie having a romantic quarantine would cheer you up? Congratulations on being 3/4 to your goal! A Karma update sounds good, just write what you feel inspired to, and don't pressure yourself for productivity - you given us 75 chapters of Dark Gray goodness!

I like how this merges the sixteenth century jousting with the modern day elements. It's fun seeing Dora, Nathan, and Technus, and how well these characters blend into the two worlds. It's interesting to think about how Dan and Valerie would fare as two humans in a world without ghosts. Seeing them team up to take on Pariah (and Vlad by proxy) remind me of Karma.

Vlad is very interesting, with his red nymphs standing in for Maddie. The whole point of the Ren-Fair is to live out his fantasy of a King surrounded by beautiful women (like Tucker in the Egypt episode). He antagonizes Dan the same way he did Danny: pitting him against his enemy-to-lover, Valerie. Valerie does it for money, and Dan does it to prove themselves. Dan's betting for Valerie deals with both of these motivations that keep them dependent on Vlad.

I also think about the significance of red in the story. Valerie as the Red Jouster, red haired women symbolizing Maddie, and red as the color of blood and lust. The red rose, a flower that can feel very generic in romance, feels so interesting when symbolizing Valerie and Dan. The way the shift being beating the shit out of each other, to having sex, to proposing marriage - they are a very intense couple. Vlad clearly doesn't take them seriously and thinks their temporary. Dan may take them seriously, but his behavior and the motivations leave some mystery. Valerie seems assured this is casual, but Dan may be able to convince her of something else.

Stay safe and healthy,
JadeliketheGem

I'm glad to see this story still going on. I can't believe it's been 9 years since you started writing it and it's still going on and us fans are still here reading and reviewing. I agree that at this point you should be able to make it 100 chapters. I understand completely about trying to find inspiration in this difficult and uncertain time we're experiencing in the world. This new chapter was interesting. Can't wait to see what happens next. As always I eagerly await the next update.

Hey this was a good one shot. I also understand urge to hold back on writing stories because of what is happening. (I have a story that was dealing with a world wide disease and when fiction became reality I stopped) But at the same time since a lot of people are stuck at home I try to write when I can to give them some form of new entertainment.

This was not expected by definitely enjoyed!

I neeeeeeeeeed a sequel to this! Please oh please! Please with all the things on top! I love this story!

This is as loveable as unexpected AU. Thank you for writing this dear LS.

Great Chapter as usual!

Woohoo! Man, 75 chapters! Way to go! Congrats getting this far & I'm sure theres loads more to come darling!

I enjoyed the chapter, it was cute! Unexpected, but cant complain! I was just glad to read something from ya. Understandable with being hesitant about the dark universes. Crazy how things changed this year in the world, especially the US. But I'm keeping the faith things will be semi-normal before the end of the year. Anyways, yeah update Karma! Its certainly been a long time since we read about it. Take care & God bless.

Thanks for the chapter! This was a nice change of pace. I know very little about jousting, yet your take on it had a good pacing during combat.

Update what feels right to you! Stay safe!

I can only say that this certainly showed that you don't mess with a strong woman like Val and much less someone who cares for her, Dan may hsve a love hate relationship with her but he certainly knows how to play the game.

Invader Johnny Signing Off.

I was actually re-reading one of the oneshots when I got an email alert. On finishing reading, I looked to see what the email was, and it took a few seconds to figure out why the email subject matched the page I was just on. ...hm, I never did get around to reviewing last chapter. I'd meant to re-read it later when I could review easier (and proceed to beg for a Karma update). Though, at the time, I was also frustrated with the site no longer giving PM alerts, and I just quit talking to anyone.
Vlad just randomly creating a jousting guild. It's kinda crazy and makes perfect sense at the same time. Also, is Dan's armor all black? It sounds so foreign to me, though whether it's the color or just the thought of him wearing an armored suit, I'm not sure. I think my imagination wants to see some glowing white. :P But him being human means more black.
Wait, is a bull's eye three points or four points? Valerie got three, but Dan got four—plus another for splitting Valerie's (which doesn't seem quite fair if Valerie didn't have such an opportunity).
Oh, hey, Technus is here.
After Nathan was with Dan, I was expecting Paulina or someone to be with Valerie, but Dora seems like a good choice. Wouldn't be right to leave Dora out of such an event, would it? I wonder what other familiar faces might be seen.
Valerie 's king being Vlad is a little surprising. Kinda draws my mind back to the main cartoon and her fighting for him there. ...But, after that, there's the thing about Vlad's own son fighting for the other kingdom.
Kinda amusing to have a line about Dan being mean but Phantom being okay. Hmm... what's Valerie's horse's name, Huntress?
Aww. I wonder what happened to his mother. ...Wait. Orange-haired women? Is Dan's mom Maddie? And... I guess I should've realized earlier that Vlad's girls are probably this world's version of his holograms.
This is only a preliminary for fighting Pariah Dark? With how bad these injuries sound, it seems dangerous to keep going that way.
Valerie's father's job again makes me think of the main show (we're in the real world, and not an end-of-the-world stronghold), but him missing an arm is kind of interesting.
The win was so sudden. A little disappointing in a way, like I'd blinked an missed it. But that's probably how it goes in these jousting things. More build up than actual action.
"in according to the renaissance etiquette"—I don't think you meant to say that. Maybe 'accordance '?
Don't lose on purpose, Valerie.
What in the world is Vlad talking about with a secret side to the jousts? He's sounding particularly dark and creepy.
"my shoulders smarts"—Dan can't seem to decide whether one or both shoulders hurt. Also, Dan seems to be... a mix of a good and dark here. I suppose that's pretty normal for him, really, but it kinda leaves me uncertain of his personality/position in this AU. He kinda reminds me of him from the Caution Hot AU, I suppose, but not exactly. He seems to have a sense of innocent fair play like Valerie. But he's also been around Vlad too long.
Despite preferring more canon stories, the ending leaves me entranced and wishing to continue to tarry in this world.
...But I'd still like more Karma. About the coronavirus and that future, have you ever thought of doing a story in Danny's time? Like if the future Valerie were to find herself ten years in the past? ...Actually, that could make a pretty cool, actiony time-travel related fic, where she has to figure out how to stop the initial incident causing the start of the end of the world—but that would mean making Dan, and everything she knows, never exist. Throwing a subtle Valerie (if that's even a thing) into Dan's attempt during TUE could be interesting.

This was very uplifting during this time, and thank you for that. When I saw that you had updated Deliverance, it didn't matter what was a update, and I am thankful for a lovely chapter done by you. Stay safe, and stay well.

This was so good! I’m sorry about everything that you’re going through. Thank you for updating despite that. I really really enjoyed this AU and if you decide to continue it I will definitely be reading it! Along with anything else you post!

OH MY GRACE AND GRIEF.

I FLEW HERE BY THE POWER OF SHIP.

I couldn't read it immediately cuz I had a bit to read for an assignment-BUT BOY WAS THE WAIT WORTH IT.

Jousting Rivals and romantic ties abound! Yes I love it! I'm glad that this is focused on the After of them getting together, but showing that it isn't happily ever after just yet, they gotta come clean and into the light about what they are (of course that was his proposal jfc dan). I like the idea of raising Dora up as her sponsor, like the Good Queen or something. Nice way to include Nathan, a man willing to face Dan's abrasive nature all to see Val up close.
He is not a smart but, but he's got balls, gotta give him that.
Will Paraiah be sponsored by like The Observants?
I wonder what shady deals they are into. Ren Faires cost a pretty penny just to enjoy, let alone sponsor. Maybe money laundering via the shops? Or maybe there are some legit magical items getting smuggled, idk but I'm curious!
I hope you and your friends/family stay safe and healthy during this time!

Happy Valentine's Day! It's so funny that Dan's butt keeps coming up (just got a flashback to Cancelling the Apocalypse). I also like Valerie's quip about alcohol and inhibitions, referencing Blackout. I like that Dan and Valerie's conversation about deliverance and redemption, stemming from your Author's Note in the last chapter. Also, Dan fearing that he will die in an unmarked grave can reflect his fear of dying a "commoner's" death, not being the King and Ruler he aspires to be, but that can also mean he fears dying with no one to love him or miss him.
Their flirting was cute, but I suspect that Damon already knows Dan's identity. I'm glad that Paulina now has a horde of nameless Dark Gray shippers to join her in her antics, but I'm glad that they are presented as a threat due to living in the Apocalypse and needing food. I like the mixture of gain and lose when it comes to tech in the future. And the emphasis on "We're meant for more" is not only for Dan and Valerie evolving past the cat-and-mouse game of rivalry, and humanity evolving past squalor.
I hope this past month has been treating you well. I can't wait to see your next installment! Thanks for writing these.
- JadeliketheGem