Ghost-of-a-Chance

@BronxWench, thank you so freaking much! I’m FINALLY logged back into my account!  I can finally update my stories here. Thanks for your patience and determination. 💜
Give the grumpy corgi a chin scritch for us. (“Us” being myself, and my kitties Woozle and Heiferlump.)

@BronxWench, thank you so freaking much! I’m FINALLY logged back into my account!  I can finally update my stories here. Thanks for your patience and determination. 💜
Give the grumpy corgi a chin scritch for us. (“Us” being myself, and my kitties Woozle and Heiferlump.)

@BronxWench, thank you so freaking much! I’m FINALLY logged back into my account!  I can finally update my stories here. Thanks for your patience and determination. 💜
Give the grumpy corgi a chin scritch for us. (“Us” being myself, and my kitties Woozle and Heiferlump.)

I’ve email you a new link for the password reset. It should work this time—the password reset links are being somewhat temperamental, rather like the disapproving corgi frowning at me from her favorite recliner.

On this archive (or AO3), always, always list trigger tags.  While yes it’s technically a spoiler, you don’t want to surprise your readers  with a “surprise” rape scene or something.

Just a quick word. I’m putting writing on the back burner for a while. When I started this topic last night, I didn’t expect to get word this morning that my parents lost another furbaby. I grew up with that particular furball, and I’m devastated.
I’m going to spend a few days just hugging my cats. I’ll come back to this when I’m less likely to cry. This was the last thing I needed right now.

Just a quick word. I’m putting writing on the back burner for a while. When I started this topic last night, I didn’t expect to get word this morning that my parents lost another furbaby. I grew up with that particular furball, and I’m devastated.
I’m going to spend a few days just hugging my cats. I’ll come back to this when I’m less likely to cry. This was the last thing I needed right now.

Just a quick word. I’m putting writing on the back burner for a while. When I started this topic last night, I didn’t expect to get word this morning that my parents lost another furbaby. I grew up with that particular furball, and I’m devastated.
I’m going to spend a few days just hugging my cats. I’ll come back to this when I’m less likely to cry. This was the last thing I needed right now.

My question would be what sort of weaponry X is being trained to use along with the special abilities. If the guardian spirit is piggybacking on X, then learning the cues from the spirit isn’t going to take as long as learning how to fight with a bladed weapon with reasonable proficiency. Learning to use a projectile weapon is faster since it doesn’t require building both skill and muscle memory.
As far as physical conditioning, if the training is daily and intense, X might make it to badass in under 300 days given X is starting out as fit and healthy. Kickboxing and daily runs implies a seriously good foundation to build on.

Or make the training/fight itself a seven book series… (cough, cough… JKR)
More seriously, some episodes to the training might be realistic, portray an evolution from that elliptical wanna-be of the local fitness gym to the badass you want them to be.  Some mishaps along the way?   Is their life at a complete standstill?  Perhaps take something like… early on, being unable to open the pickle jar at the family reunion, to smashing the glass to shards toward the completion of their bad-ass training?

Simply put, my character X is fit-healthy—she kickboxes weekly, runs with her dogs daily, and has a regular routine—and she’s getting dragged to another world to be made into a badass for plot-identifying purposes. Part of that process will include possibly learning to harness some abilities imparted by a guardian spirit piggybacking on her like she’s the neighbor’s wi-fi. X will be trained by people of a much stronger species and there aren’t any shortcuts. 
How many days would be reasonable to allow for building X from fit to badass? I’m leaning toward between 400 and 600, but considering I’m comfortably chunky and too old and decrepit to care, it’s like a vegan offering opinions on steakhouses. We also have to keep in mind that the world keeps spinning while she’s gone; too long, and she’s likely to come back and find her bank account empty and all her shit on the auction block.
…anyone got any advice?

Simply put, my character X is fit-healthy—she kickboxes weekly, runs with her dogs daily, and has a regular routine—and she’s getting dragged to another world to be made into a badass for plot-identifying purposes. Part of that process will include possibly learning to harness some abilities imparted by a guardian spirit piggybacking on her like she’s the neighbor’s wi-fi. X will be trained by people of a much stronger species and there aren’t any shortcuts. 
How many days would be reasonable to allow for building X from fit to badass? I’m leaning toward between 400 and 600, but considering I’m comfortably chunky and too old and decrepit to care, it’s like a vegan offering opinions on steakhouses. We also have to keep in mind that the world keeps spinning while she’s gone; too long, and she’s likely to come back and find her bank account empty and all her shit on the auction block.
…anyone got any advice?

Thank you, both for taking the time to answer and for fighting the good fight against the hacker spawn. I can be patient. Best of luck!

It’s due to the site being in read-only mode, most likely.  From what I can see, your email is only registered once. 
Bear with us. We’ll get the site secured and live again, and get this all sorted for you.
 

My rule is usually pretty simple – is it a fucking stupid name? If so, I’ll probably use it.

My process varies depending on what exactly I’m writing. For some of my original fiction, I tend to use a blend of “words from nature,” “elaborated words from nature,” and “take parts of actual words or names, mash them together with other syllables from other words and names, and boom, insta-name.” It’s gotten some pretty interesting results like Anabreth, Kessenjer, and Benekeed. It fits for a fantasy-setting culture in another world but it would not fit for most stories.
Fanfiction and other fiction? That process is more...complicated. Sometimes with some characters, a name for them literally just pops up as I’m building the character and sticks. Other times I scour baby name directories, popular media, and websites, and choose what works best for the time. Usually I follow a precedent my family (unintentionally?) set: “Every girl needs an adult name and an old lady name, and one of those names needs to be adaptable into a cute nickname for when they’re kids.” Some fandoms (or families) also have trends for naming – characters in a lot of anime have names based in nature, especially food, and sometimes families follow naming customs passed down. Heck, I know of a person who has several kids, all of whom have an X or Y somewhere in their name. (Yes, he’s white.)
Overall, I think, if you’re worried your OC name will sound Sue-ish or too unusual, there’s an easy way to figure it out. Imagine you just met a new friend and you’re introducing them to someone. Could be your parents, your Nana, or even just that fusty granny who lives next door and always gets up in your business. Imagine yourself saying the character’s name to this person. Did they cringe? Did their eyebrows disappear into their hair? Did they snort under their breath, imitate a codfish, or otherwise react impolitely? If so, the name’s probably going to stand out and maybe too much. Sometimes having an outlandish name can be a good thing – ie, recurring jokes or character reactions to their names – and likewise for excessively bland names.
Whatever you choose, just be sure you make it work.

There’s only so much an automated spelling and grammar checker can accomplish; sometimes their ones and zeroes get crossed and they suggest incorrect corrections. If you know already that your work is correct in that instance, it’s easy enough to just delete the flag and move on, but what about when you’re not sure? What about when you actually start questioning whether the checker’s suggestion, wrong as it sounds, might be right?
I give you the “am I wrong or is my grammar checker an idiot?” thread. Here you can post your spelling and grammar questions and – I hope! – get answers. For clarity’s sake, try to follow this form:
The sentence: Write out your sentence in its entirety.
The problem: Describe what part of that sentence has caught your checker’s attention, the proposed correction, why you think the checker might be wrong, and if possible, why it might be right.
 
Good luck, and I hope this thread becomes a valuable resource for those of us about to go round an’ round with our grammar checkers!
 

There’s only so much an automated spelling and grammar checker can accomplish; sometimes their ones and zeroes get crossed and they suggest incorrect corrections. If you know already that your work is correct in that instance, it’s easy enough to just delete the flag and move on, but what about when you’re not sure? What about when you actually start questioning whether the checker’s suggestion, wrong as it sounds, might be right?
I give you the “am I wrong or is my grammar checker an idiot?” thread. Here you can post your spelling and grammar questions and – I hope! – get answers. For clarity’s sake, try to follow this form:
The sentence: Write out your sentence in its entirety.
The problem: Describe what part of that sentence has caught your checker’s attention, the proposed correction, why you think the checker might be wrong, and if possible, why it might be right.
 
Good luck, and I hope this thread becomes a valuable resource for those of us about to go round an’ round with our grammar checkers!
 

If your gonna us it in another book, don't explain it at all, other than he knows her somehow, let people wonder why she crumbled so easily until your ready to tell them - it'll drive people nuts hehehe

Bruce Springsteen?

Surely I’m not the only one who wonders “is this medically possible or am I exposing my n00bitude?” Alas, I couldn’t find a thread devoted to such a thing! So...uh...I guess if you find yourself with questions regarding injuries, illnesses, and other such junk...ask here?

Ladies, it looks like this thread needs some Troll-Away.tm

Ignore the fine print. Can I interest you in a case?

Ladies, it looks like this thread needs some Troll-Away.tm

Ignore the fine print. Can I interest you in a case?

Ladies, it looks like this thread needs some Troll-Away.tm

Ignore the fine print. Can I interest you in a case?

Ladies, it looks like this thread needs some Troll-Away.tm

Ignore the fine print. Can I interest you in a case?