Ghost-of-a-Chance
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Everything posted by Ghost-of-a-Chance
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Oh, I forgot – in case anyone’s wondering “does it really matter if the title fits the theme,” the answer is YES. The previous arc – “Absolutes,” Amber’s return to her world to clean up her messes and tie off her loose ends – also had a theme and a similar setup: Intro chapter – Secrets, Solutions, Certainty Crossing Worlds is Impossible The Living Cannot Hear the Dead Parallel Worlds Do Not Collide The Dead Do Not Rise Conclusion chapter – The Choice Between Darkness and Light The four main chapters related things which are supposed to be absolute laws, but each of these is explored and disproven in their titular chapter. 1, Amber and Kimber crossed worlds, though by no choice of their own, and Amber and her S.O. managed to return to her world of their own accord. 2, During Amber’s visit to her world (where she is dead) she continually ran into people who knew her in life. 3, Despite all logic pointing to the opposite, evidence abounds that Amber and her S.O. were interacting despite their separate realities for many years, and that may be the reason behind her being dumped in that world after getting herself killed. Lastly, Amber died once before and lived again in another world, found her way to her old world only to start dying again without any injury. TL,DR: Yes, it’s important. I’m a symbolism nerd. Stuff.
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Looking for some advice for a chapter title...or, more specifically, how to word said chapter title. There’s a particular theme I’m using for this set of chapters and a specific message I want to get across with this chapter title but I’m having trouble with the wording...and ReverseDictionaryDOTorg thinks the word for “someone who has had wrong done to them” is “Virgin.” No help there. (No, I’m not joking. I took a screenshot.) Incredibly Vague Explanation: Chapter in question is part of a 4-5 chapter arc unofficially entitled “Reclaimed Honor.” Setup: “Kimber” both screwed up her life and had her life screwed up by others, then unintentionally bit the dust before she could make amends and fix her shit. In another reality, “Amber” died of TBI and was yoinked out of her afterlife and dumped in Kimber’s recently-vacated corpse. (long frickin’ story) Over the time since waking up and starting over, she has paid for Kimber’s wrongdoings, was targeted by Kimber’s enemies and former friends on account of being mistaken for Kimber, and nearly died again, more than once. Kimber, meanwhile, was dumped in another empty human body in Amber’s reality and told “don’t screw up again.” Currently: In the previous arc, Amber found a way to her home reality, met Kimber, and after spending too long there, nearly died of the same injury which killed her before. After going over the facts, timeline, and details, Amber’s S.O. hypothesized there might be a time limit on how long someone can be in the world they died in without dying a second time, but none were willing to test the theory. Kimber, upon finding out Amber nearly croaked, volunteered. During this arc Kimber returns to her world to intentionally risk her life to prove or disprove the S.O.’s theory, all to make amends and fix her shit. She apologizes to people she’s hurt, finally takes responsibility, makes good on promises she didn’t keep, etc. Atop of that, she finally stands up to the person who sent her down her destructive path in the first place and was responsible for her going into hiding, and thus indirectly responsible for her untimely death. The chapters in this arc are all titled for feelings Kimber’s finally admitting and lessons she’s learning. A Matter of Honor – intro – feeling: she’s risking her life to reclaim her honor. I Slipped Along the Way – feeling: she’s finally admitting to herself “Wow, I fucked up good, huh?” and realizing she really needs to fix her shit. [CURRENT CHAPTER]: - Lesson. (This is the one I need help with) Redemption is a Process – (projected, may be combined with previous instead if [current chapter] comes out too short) – Lesson: redeeming yourself isn’t something that happens overnight; it’s a process that can take years of effort. So here’s the problem. The title is a much-condensed version of a lesson sometimes taught in abuse, assault, and trauma recovery: The beginning of the title is, and needs to remain, Forgiveness is for the, but the last word/words are what I’m struggling with. The initial idea (and the one that’s stuck with me) was Wronged but it sounds weird to me for some reason. Other ideas are Victim or Victimized but those aren’t a very good fit. Kimber isn’t an innocent party here in the slightest. She’s done wrong to other people and had wrong done to her; she’s both forgiving her unrepentant transgressors and being forgiven by those who have paid for her transgressions. This chapter is a two-way street and using a word like victim in the title sounds (to me) like it’s supposed to be one-way. Does anyone have any synonyms for “person who has had wrong done to them” which would work for this title, or should I just stick with “wronged?”
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For the first time in his life, Leon was entirely, utterly alone, and with no end in sight. Unbidden, he recalled his brother’s final words to him: it was always you or me...now it’s just you. Yet again, he wondered what Norton meant by that; yet again, he wondered if, in some backward way, it meant only one of us will survive this life, so I’m choosing you to do it. The suspicion always left a twisting, burning, aching feeling in his gut—something somewhere in the messy middleground between resentment, heartache, and resignation. That middleground was nothing new – before Norton’s sudden and grisly death, it was where Leon’s heart inevitably landed after any length of time around him.
...and that, Leon admitted if only to himself, was what hurt the most.
Excerpt from A New Lease on Life – 61: Forgiveness is for the Victimized (WIP)
Sometimes when I read back over what I’ve written, it feels like I just vomited up words on a page, swept it into a pile, and called it good. Other times, like this, I wonder if I carved them out of my chest and walked away without realizing a piece of my heart was missing.
All I meant to do was get into the groove of the chapter and I stabbed myself right in the feels.
*From a WIP/rough draft, no checking done yet – expect mis-comma-ing all over the place and maybe a spelling/grammar error or two.)
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Grammarly had a blonde moment.
Grammarly identified “blonde” as two different incorrectly spelled words somehow jammed together.
This is why you always, always, ALWAYS either do your own proof-reading or have a beta proof-read your drafts instead of just running them through spellcheck and accepting all corrections. Grammarly’s free checker is, so far, the best I’ve come across, but it works best in combination with proof-reading. No checking program can replace proofreading.
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I’ve had similar mishaps. Been using grammarly for ages. It’s helped me become a much better proofreader well that and microsoft word having an audio function where it reads whatever you wrote back to you.
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Ah, that makes sense. Thanks for the explanation! I’ll try to keep that in mind from now on, WillowDarkling. Thanks again for your advice! Y’all are a blast! -
…? I take it I missed something? Was this flagged, or reported, or did I unintentionally bugger something up? I’ve been down with a migraine all day (it’s still trying to bounce back up from headache to pickaxe pulverizing my frontal lobe) so this is the first I’ve heard or seen about anything. I’m confused... I’m still new to this forum so apologies if I misstep. The one I used to work with is...let’s just say less than reasonable, entirely unhelpful, and crawling with irrational kidults looking for a punching bag. (...stay away from FFnet’s “Writers Anonymous.” Just stay away.) When posting a question I always try to include the relevant information and keep it brief – or at least summarized and formatted for easy reading – but different opinions on relevance are a hurdle. Every attempt on W.A. got answers of TLDR, try Google and not enough info I must know everything about your story and characters including each protagonist’s blood type and pet’s maiden name or I absolutely cannot help you with anything on the exact same post. Once in a while I was lucky enough to merit a dunno, ask Jeeves. When hours and even days of searching and reading didn’t get me the answers I needed, the only way I ever managed to keep the too much and not enough repliers happy was by including snippets for context...or offering cookies and begging for intruding upon their space. The character Saschelle is being abusive and antagonistic to character Rowan so the slur is very much intended as a slur there; at least in my previous experiences, bullies don’t generally pull their punches. Glad I was able to get the attitude across there. I recalled reading that the polite term was gaikokujin, hence the exaggerated pause between syllables – a sudden and emphasized jump from feigning manners to blatant insult to throw the recipient off-kilter. I’ve gone through the lists of sites and article links in my fan-writing Notebook (thank goodness for OneNote!) but for the life of me, I can’t find the article I got my G-word info from. If this instance follows other recent ones, it means I bookmarked the article on my old computer and forgot to add a link in my Notebook. My dear old Betsy effectively went battery-up recently and has been replaced. I can’t access my bookmarks until I get Firefox working and updated on the replacement computer…or until I can manage to get Betsy working again long enough to save my research bookmarks. I’ve searched the internet but haven’t found the article again, only other sites and articles referencing similar answers. (“It’s horribly offensive and considered a slur” and “It’s not always used as a slur, it’s just a word meaning foreigner. Even sports leagues use it for foreign teams.”) No idea of how to determine which sources are accurate besides good ol’ “avoid wikis, Wikipedia, and social media sites.” Without the article I referenced I have no way to be sure but I feel like I remember something about the writer being affiliated with a college or university perhaps, maybe connected to a language or cultural arts program…? So basically using -san would be the way to go? Basically, Saschelle is using the word with a title to compound the insult - like a certain relation of mine who calls people “Mister Jackwad” and “Little Miss Bitchfest” when he’s offended by their very presence. ...crud. Now I’m not sure if the word we’re talking about is a noun or adjective. My head hurts and I need some wine.
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Specifically, I’m trying to find a suffix which would be considered intentionally rude and insulting for a situation involving bullying. Beware, long post to include all relevant details. The story in question (Shifting the Paradigm - WIP, don’t recall if I’ve posted it here yet) portrays a fair amount of culture clash between Western/Japanese cultures and Earthling/Alien cultures, and racism (both ways) is touched upon and implied. These conflicts are a vital part of the story’s character-building and required for certain characters’ growth, and they foster a feeling of mutual-unbelonging within the human/alien pairings. (Dragon Ball Z fanfiction, knowledge of it shouldn’t be required to answer this question.) I’m going to try to keep this as concise as possible but I’m a bit scatterbrained on a good day. Background: characters “Rio,” Sierra, and Cordelia Stone have a Latinx American mother (call her E) and Japanese-born father (call him T) in southern/midwestern America. (specifically Missouri. It doesn’t really fit with either region culture-wise.) The family bounced back and forth between E’s hometown in Missouri and T’s hometown in Japan while he finished his schooling and built his career. In her mid-teens, Rio became an underage mother. (messy complicated situation, skipping the details here) T urged for abortion and shamed Rio, while E insisted keeping or aborting was Rio’s choice and the family needed to support her, not condemn her. Rio chose to keep and raise her daughter and named her Rowan. Rio dropping out to provide for her kid (and, specifically, her parents’ inability to agree about how to handle it) was the last straw in E & T’s strained relationship. After the divorce, Rio, her sisters, and Rowan remained in Japan with T because his income was more stable and capable of caring for four kids, and they spent school breaks in America with E. Rowan and her aunts all have dual citizenship though they’ve (permanently) settled in Japan. The character in question, Rowan Stone, attends a traditional Japanese high school with a few canon characters and is finishing up her last year. She doesn’t fit in with her peers in appearance or behavior, and she’s gotten into some trouble, one of which incidents resulted in expulsion from her previous school in her second-to-last year. As a result, Rowan has undergone various amounts of bullying, exclusion, and harassment. Rio hasn’t encouraged Rowan to fit in – if anything, Rio’s got a “we’re different, they can suck it” attitude which is just as toxic/exclusionist as “you’re different so we don’t want you” – and Rowan hasn’t yet felt much inclination to make friends or socialize. Her only goal at the moment is to finish school, get the heck out, and take up full-time work. She’s still very much finding herself as the story progresses. Finally, the scene in question takes place from the POV of a neutral Canon peer just now noticing Rowan. I’m including the scene [with a few non-vital bits redacted in a belated attempt at brevity] below. No spelling/grammar checking or proof-reading has been done yet – this is a rough draft. There will be too many commas and grammar mistakes. Canon characters, Bullying OCs, sentence in question.) SO. What suffix would be the most insulting and offensive in this situation? According to what I’ve read, the word Gaijin can be seen as A, an innocuous social descriptor, B, a compliment to a foreign associate, or C, a racial slur depending on the situation, tone, and context, and the personal beliefs and biases of those involved. I believe the article said it means roughly not one of us or not Japanese. I don’t know the accuracy of these statements and have done as much research as I can to determine what I can. In this case, Saschelle is trying to provoke Rowan to retaliate (and thus get in trouble) by using the word as a slur, and she’s adding an honorific to cast doubt among the rest of the class that maybe she isn’t using it as a slur. (Obviously it didn’t work; the others’ reactions show they recognize Saschelle’s bullying for what is) Rowan and Saschelle are the same gender, grade, roughly the same age, etc; I think using -kun would thus be more insulting because it would insinuate Rowan is of a lower class/inferior to Saschelle on account of her non-Asian ancestry. What I’ve read indicates -kun is used by upper-classmen referring to lower-classmen and, in the workforce, superiors referring to their inferiors...but I’ve also read that -kun is normally just used for male persons outside of the workplace. The other option I’ve considered is -chan which can seen as childish or affectionate. Saschelle isn’t denoting affection, she’s a stereotypical mean girl spewing nastiness from behind a superiority complex, but that might emphasize her pretense of I’m actually sweet and nice, you’re the one with a problem. So. I’m honestly trying to keep this socially and culturally accurate instead of just spewing out what feels right. Do I go with -kun, or -chan, or is there something entirely different which fits better? Anyone got an answer? This question (and the proofing) is the only thing keeping this chapter from being complete and posted.
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The difference between this site’s forums and FFnet’s forums is...uh...what’s a good solid word for “incredible?” There’s no doubt which of the two is better.
FFnet forums are plagued with simple, honest, non-aggressive questions which are subject to aggressive dogpiling, bullying, retributive reporting, and immaturity from users who don’t comprehend that you can disagree with someone without that disagreement making them a horribly nasty and evil person AND without being an utter dickbag about it. I’ve seen questions about site functions and guidelines turn into cyber-bullying sessions that have made people log off for weeks to recover; many of these times, I’ve given up on getting my answer to track the bullied user down and reassure them only to find out they were brought to tears and considering deleting their accounts entirely. The immaturity and bullying on that site is appalling, and even more so that it’s allowed to continue without repercussions.
AFF forums? I’m looking for a thread to get answers from; instead, I just found a topic titled “Uses for a pet demon” and sprayed hot tea out my nose. No attacks in the replies, just people having fun with the idea and being – GASP! – rational human beings! Even more, users replying are – if you can believe it – JOKING about it! I feel like a kid who heard “Detention” but instead wound up at Disney World for the week. Plus, I can say someone’s being a dickbag without being reported for profanity, and I can write “this hit me hard” without the censors leaving only “me hard.” That's always awkward.
I love this site, and I love its users. Y’all are awesome. If only the site was easier to navigate and use on my tablet and if only it had better log-in security, I’d love it twice as much. Either way, it’ll be a while before I bother with FFnet’s forums again.
Now I just need to find a thread for language research & resources...
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We have some language research and resources tucked away in here: http://www2.adult-fanfiction.org/forum/forum/86-unofficial-guides/
But you know, I love the forums here, too. That’s what really sucked me in, and I wound up joining the staff because, well, why not?
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I think that’s the very place I wound up posting a new thread with my question, BronxWench.
Much appreciated!
Honestly, if I have to choose between people who have a sense of humor and people who clutch their pearls over someone saying butt in the forums when not referring to cigarettes or weapons...uh...I’ll go with fun people every time.
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Listening to Loreena McKennitt….because only in Celtic folk music do people respond to finding a drowned woman by making a musical instrument from her corpse.
“The swans swim so bonny, oh.”
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I’m confused here. I got a ‘disclaimer’ review on one of my older stories (Denial) from mod PIPPYCHICK. It includes this text:
ExpandYour disclaimer doesn't have one of the two parts we need to see. It must say that no money/profit is made. Saying that it’s just for fun or just for entertainment purposes is not enough.
BUT! my disclaimer for that story states just that. I double-checked, and the disclaimer has these words exactly:
ExpandI do not own TMNT, Hellboy, or any mentioned music, movies, etc; I make no money from this. I DO own Alesha, Maggie, Dante, the Willows, and Amber...and coffee. LOTS of COFFEE.
This is the basic disclaimer format I used for that series of stories with the exception of the word “story.” (I think maybe I ran out of characters…? I dunno. It’s been a while since I even thought about that story or series. Anywho, I replied to the email immediately upon receipt of it but haven’t gotten any answer yet. (I can't recall if replying to the email will do any good. In my defense, I’ve been oscillating between fine and suddenly retching most of the day.)
Was this an error? Does acknowledging ownership of my OCs throw the rest of the disclaimer into question? Was my dorky joke about owning lots of coffee the problem? Or does “I make no money from this” translate to “Dude! I’m totally getting paid for writing this story!” and somehow, I’ve never noticed before?
I’m so confused right now. (...or am I queasy? Or is it both? ...both. Both is good.)
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I took a look and the disclaimer as it is right now is fine. The no-profit statement you have there is more than sufficient for our needs. I’ve updated our records to show it’s correct, so your story won’t be hidden.
And I’m on grand jury service until the end of January, so I’m confused, queasy, and occasionally out of my mind
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Oops… I am so sorry! I am moving, mostly in secret, and so this week has been a bit of a daze.
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Hey, Folks! I’m not ignoring y’all like a brat. I’ve tried replying to this post several times but my tablet browser keeps eating the replies when I click ‘post.’
Pardon the mental image but Kindle’s “Silk” browser is about as useful as bollocks on a heifer.
Basically no worries because real life ALWAYS comes first and it always should come first, and I greatly appreciate the help.
WillowDarkling, thank you for posting that link – I couldn’t find it before I posted the original status, probably because I was stuck in a sick-fog. (I was worried I wouldn’t be able update fix the disclaimer within the time allotment on account of said sick-bug. It was doing its darndest to take me down and keep me there. Next time something like this comes up, I’ll be sure to follow that link.
BronxWench, very much appreciated! Also, you never fail to make me grin. You’re a hoot. Hope the jury duty went well!pippychick, eh, no worries. Mistakes happen, especially when you’re stressed and busy.
I spend half my days in a daze and I don’t have your excuse so you’re doing just fine. I hope the move is going well…?
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There’s nothing in the world like going from a long night of white noise to the day’s first song. It’s a shift from ennui to enlightenment – tense stillness to sudden and flurried movement.
The only comparison I can ever come up with, odd as it sounds, is standing on the edge of a bald drop-off, staring down into the early morning fog seeping through the treetops, and watching the rising sun slowly burn through the mist. No matter how beautiful the sunset may be, no matter how the clouds swirl or the fog swoops in as dusk falls, nothing the rest of the day will ever match up to that first moment of burning elation. Delay never weakens it; urgency never strengthens it.
Blindness, I could maybe learn to tolerate. Silence, more likely. Losing all ability to hear? That, I’m sure, would slay me outright. Thus why this afternoon, I’m blaring “After the Rain” and grinning like an idijt for no reason whatsoever.
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Not meaning to sound impatient or anything, but I wanted to let you know the problem’s resolved. I saved then deleted chapters back to the first missed one and am reposting everything in the correct order. Now that I have a computer which isn’t outrun by drunken half-dead snails, reposting a few chapters an hour is possible. (My old “Betsy” was, I believe, a 2011 model if that says anything. It’s her time. She needs to be allowed to rest.) BronxWench, thanks for your time and for trying to help. I much appreciate it.
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"Something Wild" - Lindsey Stirling & Andrew McMahon In the Wilderness
I’m not sure where I was first introduced to the musical style of Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness – was it “Rainy Girl,” maybe, or “Canyon Moon?” – but I’m falling for it harder every day. I’m rarely brought to tears by contemporary music with vocals but AMitW is, so far, a frequent exception. I never would have associated something as intense as “Something Wild” with Disney had I not heard it myself in Pete’s Dragon. ...and cried. ...like a baby.
Good grief.
My eyes are burning, my skin’s buzzing, and my heart’s a gooey, fluttery mess. This...this is beautiful and it hits all my frisson-triggers in just the right order. If y'all haven't heard anything by this artist, please, for the love of all that's good and bright in this world, fix that starting by playing this video and listening.
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In our going-on ten years together, I’ve lost count of all the wonderful things Cold has earned my gratitude for. He’s saved my life and my heart. He’s brought me out of my shell and supports me when I inevitably crawl back into it to recoup. He’s broadened my interests, made me feel more confident in myself, and taught me that it’s okay to be who I am.
On top of all of that, he’s introduced me to music I would previously have never given a chance. The very idea that I would have lived the rest of my life without ever once hearing AFI’s “Synesthesia” is, to say the least, horrifying. I’ll have to bake this man a potpie sometime soon...after I’m done stabbing the replay button to death yet again. If I ever find somewhere I can buy the song, I might just cry from happiness and embarrass Cold to bits. Alas (or rather, fortunately for him,) the song seems to be unavailable for sale and was released as a hidden track on an album we own.
Replay button, brace yourself – it’s gonna be a while.
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Recently, someone asked me “What do you want to accomplish in the next ten years?” They probably expected something entirely different than what I answered. Some folks, surely, must answer that question with “I want to be promoted in my job” or “I want to get married,” or even “I want to own my own home and not have to deal with my bitchy landlady anymore.” My answer perplexed this person, and honestly, it confuses me, too.
I want to be truly finished with pieces after I’ve written them. I don’t want to spend hours, days, weeks, and even months and years wondering how I could have improved them. I don’t want to wake up in the middle of the night and realize I left a huge-ass plot-hole somewhere, spelled someone’s name wrong, or got chapters out of order. I don’t want to go back, read over my stories, think “My GOD that’s crap,” and spend the next several months agonizing over how I can improve the crap. I want to write, proofread, make final edits, and be done with the piece, able to move on without worrying I’ve made some horrible mistake...and no, I’m not just worrying for nothing. I do make horrible mistakes and find them months down the line, frequently enough that it’s given me some nasty recurring writer’s block.
Improving your craft can make you so much more critical of yourself. When I first started writing (we’re talking single digit ages here) I never looked back. Now I have decades of experience and years of education behind me, all geared toward improving my writing...and I can’t stop looking back long enough to look forward.
Maybe it’d be more realistic to say “I want to win the lottery without ever touching a ticket.”
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- BronxWench and JayDee
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Thank you very much. I’m finally starting to get embarrassed about this mistake. Took a while, huh?
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Um...any news? ...it’s starting to look like I’ll have to go back and delete chapters.
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It’s been over seven years since RUSH released Clockwork Angels, and nothing has changed. I still fall into an all-encompassing, skin-prickling, lung-stilling, and soul-rending state of ecstasy every time I hear “The Wreckers.” The problem? My hubby has crazy-narrow tastes in music and can’t comprehend how I can love that song so much. It’s true, but I feel like telling him “it makes my ears jizz themselves” would be poorly received by someone who only enjoys music with screaming in it.
Seriously. My ears need a smoke after the song’s over. It’s that freakin’ good.
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- BronxWench and JayDee
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JayDee – I’m happy to have introduced you, then!
As a Rusher it’s almost physically painful for me to admit it but I was overall disappointed with the music on Clockwork Angels. The lyrics ranged from “up to par” to “above average” and the concept was great but the sound...uh...yeah, it may just be my ears have gotten spoiled but most of the music came across poorly balanced and, on some tracks, borderline cacophonous. Despite a moment of excessive rhyming repetition at the climax The Wreckers is the only exception I’ve noted on the album. It’s everything I’ve come to expect from Rush and more. The rise and fall of the tempo and pitch, the melodic build and fade, it all evokes the scene being described perfectly. The first time I heard this song, I was so moved by it I cried; even after all this time, it never fails to send chills down my spine and goosebumps scattering over my arms and neck. It hits every single musical frisson trigger in my brain and in just the right order.
Also, for any uninitiated: Clockwork Angels is a concept album based on a steampunk reimagining of Voltaire’s Candide, and Rush’s FINAL studio album.
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- JayDee and BronxWench
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It’s also a book, which Elderspawn dropped on my desk when I was playing The Wreckers. Pool reading for the win!
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BronxWench – you’ve had the honor of reading the book?!
OMG, I can barely contain my envy and the intensity of my geek-out! You lucky, lucky woman!
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Oh this is hilarious. I’ve once again buggered the buzzard on posting chapters and have reached out for help...and the ad on the thread, last I checked, is for something called Ghost’s Dilemma.
My pen-name varies from site-to-site due to various site restrictions on logins, but the name I go by online is Ghost Chance. Thanks for the publicity but I kinda feel called out.
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Thank you, for both the morning giggles and for the plug. I’ll have to remember not to call any future books in the series “Ghost’s Chance.”
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Eh, no sweat if you do, BronxWench. I took my penname from a RUSH song so it’s not like I can copyright it.
I take it you’re the mysterious author? Kudos, Hon!
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Oh, I’m not entirely mysterious, just not being terribly prolific lately!
They’re sweet and silly little stories, nothing terribly dramatic, but I like my characters, so I’ll write more for them. Eventually. I have the bones of the third in the series, plus a sort of prequel that’s not nearly as gentle. We’ll see how that goes over, if I ever finish it.
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You’re officially awesome.
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Oh? Would that be on account of my natural snark, or my awkward tendency to attempt simple online tasks, fail in ridiculous ways, and laugh about it while begging for help? (Either way, thank you!) That’s definitely one way to go. I spent too many years as a ‘summer blonde’ for my hubby Cold to accept insanity as a possible answer...although he may be tempted to change that tune at this rate. Thanks for your advice. So...uh...technical noob here...do I message/email this lovely admin you tagged, or was the tag itself some sort of Bat Signal calling her to the thread? (Yes. I suck at technology that hard. It’d be embarrassing if I actually had an ego.)
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Okay, so this one’s either the result of: Updating while half-conscious from pain medicine while awaiting extraction of a particularly painful wisdom tooth, or The consequence of several mini blonde moments combining into one super-mega blonde moment. Apparently while updating A New Lease on Life I...missed...a couple chapters...and I just realized they’re missing...roughly twenty uploaded chapters later. If I hadn’t noticed that the numbers in the titles and on the chapter list were matching up even worse than usual, I may never have noticed. (I include a short Prologue with long-haul stories like this one so the chapters always run a number or two behind the automatic site numbering, but the discrepancy here was clearly off.) I completely missed those two chaps, or perhaps they didn’t upload properly because I fell asleep at the keyboard...again. Yeah. Not one of my finer moments as a writer, but fortunately, it’s not one of my worst, either, since the word “moist” didn’t come into play. Anyway, I’ve gone back, edited the two missing chapters in Word, and uploaded them to the site, but they automatically uploaded to the end of the list and I haven’t found a way to reorder the chapters. It’s possible I’m just missing the option (I’m severely under-rested and equally under-caffeinated) and I wanted to ask around before resorting to deleting EVERYTHING back to the missing chapters and re-uploading everything one-by-one. Is there a way to get my chapters back in their proper order quickly and painlessly, or is the delete/reupload thing my only shot at fixing this? (Not gonna lie – if that’s my only option I’m probably gonna need a nap and a drink first...and it’ll take a week or longer...and I’m probably gonna cry like a ninny from frustration before I’m done.) Story in question: A New Lease on Life - http://cartoon.adult-fanfiction.org/story.php?no=600095128&chapter=1 [ automatic numbering – actual chapter number: Title ] Chapters uploaded in correct order: 1 – Prologue through 23 – 22: Borrowed Words Missed Chapter: – 23: The Truth Can Hurt Uploaded in correct order: 24 – 24: Plans and Promises and 25 – 25: Loyalty Wears Many Faces Missed Chapter: – 26: Renovation, Revelation, Realization Uploaded in correct order: 26 – 27: A Taste Without Tears through 47 – 48: Did I Have a Dream, or Did the Dream Have Me? The two missing chapters have uploaded at the end of the chapter list; I’ve marked them with “OOPS” in the titles. If anyone can help me fix this foul-up or advise me on how to do so, I’d be most appreciative. ...off the record, my naturally blond husband wants to bleach my hair to give my “blonde moments” some legitimacy. I’m far too brunette to get away with them when he never has any.
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Things which literally never happen to me:
- Hearing Nuvole Bianche without mentally melting into a blissful rapturous puddle
- Seeing “Woozle” snoring with his mouth open and his little tongue hanging out without snickering
- Smelling an old book without the urge to huff it like a lunatic regardless of who’s watching
- Tasting a well-prepared quality tea without being thankful for life in general
- Feeling Heiferlump step on me with her pointy little toes without shrieking in pain then apologizing for startling her.
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- BronxWench, JayDee, GeorgeGlass and 1 other
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Ah, my wee corgi lass has ideopathic epilepsy. It’s been over 4 years since her diagnosis, and we’re managing to keep it to one or two big episodes a year, so that’s something. And for 99% of the time, she’s our sweet, lovable bundle of happiness, so it’s all good.
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I’m honestly really glad to find out about the book-huffing club. I remember going to the library and just loving the smell. I always thought I was really weird.
I mean, I know I’m weird (I talk to the bugs I pick up to take out of the house), but you know, at least it’s not for the book smell thing.
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InBrightestDay, I regularly argue with my older cat...and lose. She can’t speak English but I still lose. Compared to that, demanding bugs stay out or pay rent isn’t that weird.
Also, libraries always smell DIVINE to me. Or, at least, OTHER libraries smell divine to me. Our local library stank of dirty feet and unwashed underwear for the last few years; now that it’s moved into the new building it just smells like paper and fuckboy. Fit to make a body cry, it is. The college library, though...WHEW! It’s a book-huffer’s dream come true – one step through those doors and your nose needs an after-fun cigarette.
First rule of Book-Huffing Club: You don’t talk about Book-Huffing Club.
Second Rule of Book-Huffing Club: There is no Book-Huffing Club.
Third rule: If you find a good one, don’t be greedy - SHARE IT with fellow Book-Huffers.
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BronxWench – yes, I was able to get the chapter reposted with edits done in Word. Thank you for your advice. I also restarted after the crash because my computer was running slower than our landlady during office hours. (Read “It was basically just sitting on its butt and getting paid for it.”) It doesn’t surprise me that the chapter loss was probably related to the crash; I had a feeling it was. The situation happened because I had Spotify open, one of the cats decided he needed Mommy-time right now so hand it up, he plopped his tush right on the keyboard, and somehow he managed to click the touchpad on the obnoxious ad I’d muted. This opened a new tab in the browser, (already open) the tab froze, the other tabs froze and stopped responding, then the browser crashed completely. Chances are there was nothing malicious about the ad or site – my computer’s a ‘12 or ‘14, if I’m remembering correctly, and tends to not tolerate gifs and videos worth a lick, and my antivirus hasn’t made a peep. The page probably just had too many of those new-fangled moving talking pictures on it and ol’ lady Toshiba said “No witchcraft here.” Geez, JayDee, that stinks! Hate having to rewrite things entirely, and for it to be a long review? That had to be so frustrating! Honestly, I was lucky in this instance–I’m importing these chapters from another site and editing before posting, not typing them directly into the post box. Sure, I lost a lot of corrections, formatting, and scene expansions, but the chapter itself was already backed up. Since this, I’ve been doing edits in Word (like I should have all along, TBH) and posting them after backing them up. If I’d lost the chapter completely, as in without any backups? Yeah, I’d probably be a lot more upset. (like “Where’s my Scotch, I’m about to start cussing a blue streak” upset) As it is, a cup of tea and cuddling the cat was enough. No, “Woozle” didn’t get in any trouble for sitting on the keyboard – he got a treat. It was my fault for being on the computer instead of spoiling him. I’m a good people-servant.
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So it’s not likely a site/content issue, then. Maybe related to the previous crash... Dang it...I was afraid of that. Had a feeling, honestly. There’s a reason we’re not supposed to make edits directly into the post box on writing sites. (Again, knew better, still made the mistake, won’t make it again.) Good thing I started the edits over in Word. For the record, I use Firefox exclusively and keep it up-to-date. Chrome makes my computer crash and IE and Edge were even worse. FF has its problems, yeah, but so far it works better than the other options I’ve tried. Thanks for taking the time to help me.
