And you've almost gotten the last chapters pretty close to being done, correct? How long does it take you to finish a chapter anyway? I mean some authors can slam out like 2-4K chapters a week with no problem while others seems to prefer to go for the big updates rather than submitting smaller chapters.

1116720 I'll probably be done by 6am tomorrow, and the epilogue will be done by the next day. I pretty much just have to wrap up the cliffhanger and the remaining loose threads. I was kind of thinking about doing a welcome back chapter, by turning this story on it's head. Tinman is flying overhead and finds out that he frozen in space. The camera pans out and it turns out Discord is watching TV, and turns the chapter into a pseudo episode of The Twilight Zone/The Outer Limits with Discord narrating. You know the barrier and the story that magic kills humans, its all lies. Dr. J. DeLancie using the LHC discovers how to create wormholes and manages to tunnel into Equestria. The NAU and other governmental bodies when they find out the truth are pissed and guess which PMC gets the contract to enter Equestria to stop the expansion of the magical barrier with extreme prejudice? Halliburton! Tinman is part of the first wave sent in to deal with those Equestrian pukes using any all means necessary, I think I'll call it The Conversion Bureau: The Big Lie. I envision a massive battle where Celestia sends her finest and gets sent packing, until shes finally crushed under Tinman's metal claws for Truth, Justice, and the NAU way.

1116780 Sounds good to me. I'd definitely read it since almost no TCBs ever address the barrier itself. It's never studied in detail and every human is just expected to take it at face value that it causes horrific death and to go ahead and ponify.

1116819 Well it would mainly be a joke chapter, and outside the stories main continuity. Mainly as an excuse to get back in the maniacal murder machines mainframe so to speak. And at the end of the story I'll probably throw in some line from one of the classic twilight zone episodes, like perhaps after expending all of his ammo, he has no way of getting any more and his last line as his guns go click click click "Its not fair, there was finally time now to kill them all." and the camera pans out to a shot of Discord drinking a glass of chocolate milk and closing his narration before turning off the TV and going back to where the story left off.

And now I have another 79 words on my estimated words read statistic.
Good to see that you haven't dropped what is among my favorite stories.

I wait, expectantly, because I love this story.

GAY

long have we waited in the shadows, preparing for this glorious day. i look forward to this and the book of water

The good!
>Robots and cyborgs and AI, oh my
>Black humor (Well. "Openly homicidal cyborg" falls under the aegis of black humor, right?)
>Intrigue - will Tinman actually fall?
>Hellacious levels of research for writing.

I did come to this story late, and I'm sorry I didn't find it sooner. Only things that rub me the wrong way are the odd typo, and your affection for italicizing measurements and bolding brand names. (It makes me think there's hidden messages.)

1210975 Thanks for your comments gentlereader. I decided to do the italicizing of measurements and bolding the corps as a way to bring attention to them. With as much tech talk I'm using, I find they help catch the eye when dealing with a large paragraph.

As far as coming too late, nonsense your here now. So sit back and enjoy The Conversion Bureau: The Big Lie and then when that reaches its end enjoy as I bring you many large helpings of robot action.

As far as whether Tinman's rather unique outlook on life could be considered black humor, all signs point to it being a comedy of errors. I think the most intriguing thing is whether Tinman will embrace what Equestria represents especially Sugar Pie. Or will he remain steadfast to who he has always been, a weapon of war? As far as the research is concerned, I think that's what actually made me burn out. I wanted to write more but the format I was going for required some sort of background piece at the beginning of the chapter. I found the siege of Fort Ricks emotionally draining, and the Soldier of Fortune HWS article mentally fatiguing.

as always gentlereader thanks for your comments. Until next time!

1813110 Thank you for your comments gentlereader, I know the conversion bureau setting isn't for everyone. But The Reluctant Cyborg is less about how humanity sucks, and more a story about finding redemption, what it means to really be human, and a simple story about a pink pegasus a jaded war machine and their mutual love for muffins.

1825087 Thank you for your comments gentlereader, I had no idea my stories were considered popular. Where exactly did you come across it?

I hope this story returns, one day.

2300267 Thank you for reading my my story gentlereader, I've made several attempts to resume writing the story and have found it difficult to get back into Tinman's mind so to speak. Once I finish my current story The Book of Water: The Marriage of the Slave King I hope to finally resume writing the story. In the mean time if you want to read more about Tinman, I can suggest reading a side story staring our titular out of work cyborg in The Conversion Bureau: The Big Lie.

2300297
Oh why, thank you. I'll take a look.

With the nearing completion of The Great Slave King I will be able to devote the proper time this story and you the gentlereader deserve. So please accept my sincerest apologies for dropping the ball so to speak. Until next time, which I hope will be sooner rather than later.

You, sir, are a liar. The Great Slave King has been finished since August and pretty soon it will have been a full-year without you fulfilling you promise to your readers. Instead of continuing this story like you said, you instead started a whole new story and promptly dropped it as well. You've dropped the ball hard enough to punch through the earth. The part that gets me the most is this part:

I will be able to devote the proper time this story and you the gentlereader deserve.

So apparently your readers don't deserve a thing. As an author who makes promises and promptly breaks and forgets them, it's the other way around.

I had high hopes for this story, but it's clear this was just a passing fancy to you.

2321768 Thank you for your comments gentlereader. When I first read your comments I was tempted to reply in haste, with some boorish insult offering to refund you your money or some such. However, on reflecting on what you've said, I accept your legitimate criticism and acknowledge that I'm entirely at fault here for not at least posting something before allowing the story to lie fallow for a year. As such, I'm pausing my other writing projects and will attempt to publish some additional chapters. Hopefully the product won't be of dubious quality, and will do justice to my previous efforts. Thank you for your consideration.

2322592 Thank you for taking them seriously and not dismissing it in anger. I will admit I was a bit more incendiary than I usually like to be, but last night I was culling unfinished stories that had real potential from my fave list and so my ire was definitely in play when I wrote that. Still stand by it. Humorously, I got so tied up in typing that post, that I never un-faved the story as had been my original intent.

so are you going to update this story soon maybe

2971434 Yes, I'm writing it. Now that the Book of Water is done, I'm working on it now.

oh thank you
you know what i like about you . you always respond to a question that is askedthat show dedication

More

Still nothing, eh?

2300297 You've finished The marriage of the slave king, Do you plan on continuing?

7009988
i hope so he does