TC Pilot - Yeah, he kinda did. I'm surprised you weren't castigating Bataczes for revealing the whole plot! :rofl:
Deamon - I'm glad someone got that joke! My bf missed it when he was proofreading...
Tommy4ever - The Persians are doing a smaller version of Sulieman's 1161 invasion almost a hundred years later. Its rather amazing that despite the Empire being infinitely larger, this invasion (only about half size) is as great a strategic threat simply because the Empire is so far flung, and loyalties are so... dubious...
Vesimir - Only the Holy Manuel Inquisition can truly define a heretic, and currently the Inquisitor is out to lunch.
As for Andi telling Albrecht--definitely hubris. What remains to be seen is if Albrecht detests what the boy has become enough to undo all the work he's put into putting the boy on the throne and training him to think deviously. After all, if there's no Andronikos, then who? Gabriel or his heirs are out of the question. Konstantinos? One of the more remote Komnenid branches? We'll have to see if Andronikos was calculating correctly that Albie won't do anything with the info. He definitely could, and could spell the doom of Andie's reign...
Frrf - Considering the crowd, that's a hefty prediction to make.
Andi's
got the tools to be another Manuel, that's for sure, but will he. Manuel was cocky, to be sure, but was he ever cocky enough to take on at least three different opponents at once? We can't call Andi cocky yet though--he's cocky if he fails. If he succeeds, he was merely "self-confident."
Zzzzz... - in our timeline, the West's opinion of the Byzantines varied. Early on, they were viewed as "the Roman Empire," the legitimate continuation of the Eternal Empire. About the time of the Crusades, this perception changed (partly from many in the West seeing the weakness of the Empire first hand). Manuel Komnenos OTL was the last Byzantine Emperor who was universally acknowledged with that title. After that, coloquially the Empire became known as the "Kingdom of the Greeks."
SplendidTuesday - Andi's definitely got a fat head, and the sociopathy to match "the Gardener." As for writing, the best advice I can give you is if you want to get better,
keep writing! Write as often as you can--its truly a skill where practice makes perfect, even if perfection is impossible. I still find tons of flaws and things that make me say "mrrph!" when I reread my writing. Just gotta keep at it!
Qorten - It's certainly got all the ingredients for a clash of the ages--youth versus age, equal legitimacy, brains versus brawn... though the latter, we shall see, isn't as clear cut as we thought...
FlyingDutchie - Albrecht is an interesting case, and a true test of Andi's skill. If Andie is smart, he'll find some way to use Albie's skills. If his pride wins out, Albie will likely meet some unfortunate end. In an ideal world, Albie would be an advisor of some sort, but considering the opinion they both have of each other, that's not especially likely...
RGB - If Gabriel was Genghis, or Tamerlane, that WOULD be the strategically wise move. Arguably, it'd still be the best move in his position. But he's a Komnenos, and a Komnenos who feels his birthright
is Konstantinopolis. Burning the city and breaking the Empire is an idea so foreign to him it probably hasn't entered his head. It likely hasn't entered the heads of his sons, either. The Persian Komnenids are still Romans at heart... they haven't become assimilated enough to contemplate that.
Yet.
Enewald - Thank you for the kind words, and for being such a supportive reader for
so long.
Saithis - It's a turkey! (Bowling term) I saw you updated your AAR too. Glad to have you back among us in earnest!
Oh, and I have to following to say about Mr. Connery:
"Look what I did!"
"Damn you and your Daily Doubles, you brigand!"
"Buckfutter!"
Next update hasn't been started yet, but that's mostly because I've been busy working on graphics. First, are two reign banners I'd long intended to do, but only got around to now finishing--one for the joint reign of Manuel and Zeno, the other for Basil's reign. Once I have regular internet service back, I'm going to put this up. For now, what do you all think?
And before I go, I thought I'd also drop one little spoiler--Andronikos' stats once his education is finished: