C James

Actually, I'll use this as an opportunity to thank Shadowgod for one other first; For the first time, I can actually say that I've had some of my characters in a chapter with a cliffhanger (DnCW5). In fact, it was fun! Actually, I liked it so much that, thanks to Shadowgod, I might just try and write a cliffhanger of my own one of these days!

Ahh, Eric and the SPiCE of life. Eric is indeed the middle brother. However, right at the start of the story, we had Eric mentioned by Chase as having a penchant for multi-way sex. Chase said something along the lines of Eric, a few years prior, decided to make his first time "special" by having.. a five-way. Jon, too, has a penchant for 3-ways, though apparently not so much as Eric does. He's a teen guy who is in the unusual position of being able to have sex as much and as often as he wants, due to the groupies. Its a very different dynamic. He does seem to relish the accomplishment, though. Perhaps I shouldn't mention this, as it could be seen as a spoiler.. But, when the Echidna is away, the goat will play! So, I'll say that we learn a great many things about Eric in "Don't Tequila the Eric."

Helen was upset about the tequila, not the kiss, but Cody had no way of knowing that. Poor Cody! This may be true. It has been noted that it was Eric, and not Cody, who initiated the kiss. Yep. Lol. Now, however, there is a grave matter that must, regrettably, be brought to the attention of SPiCE. Earlier in the story, SPiCE vehemently objected when Jerry shared a friendly drink of Tequila with Eric. True, Jerry was actually fishing for some information, but nothing further. However, in LTMP 34, we have someone who knowingly gives Eric Tequila, and then under its effects makes sexual overtures! So, for the consideration of SPiCE, I must ask; Should Cody be considered just a little worse than Jerry, or far worse than Jerry? Actually, it isn't fair to blame Cody at all, and I shall fully exonerate him by pointing out that he is (for the moment) under the control of the Dark Deity (Shadowgod). PErhaps SPiCE and the Cody Liberation Front should focus on a common threat: Shadowgod?

It's mentioned early in the story (first couple of chapters) that all the Carlisle's have blue eyes. However, it was an offhand reference (Brandon sees three sets of blue eyes looking back at him). It's also mentioned (Great catch, Lissa!) that Eric has brown hair, but if you imagine him with black hair, he could have it; maybe he dyed it and it just wasn't mentioned? There is, actually, a reason why my character's physical descriptions are often a bit vauge, and rarely repeated in the text. As a reader, I've often found myself shaken out of a story when the author interjects a physical description that does not mesh with how I see the character. Therefor, I try and let the reader decide what the character looks like, and just give a few descriptions early on, though not a total description. And, ummm, yes, Tequila is one of my favorite drinks. In fact, I was doing shots of it at a party right before I sat down and wrote "Three for Jake" while still quite drunk. I had no idea Shadowgod has a liking for it though (you did call it the Devil's nectar, right?) Ahhh, yes, SPiCE. I wonder why it is that SPiCE seems favorably disposed to Cody? Hrmmm, so, let's be clear on the groundrules here; if someone merely brings Eric tequila, and offers him a drink, that person is ok, right? Thank you, kind sir, for this defense of Jerry. As for Helen and Eric, well, that may be many things, but it isn't a cliffhanger! Jerry faxed a resignation letter for Adam Creston (the old road boss) and it's only been a few weeks. Assuming he was single, it would be a while before anyone started looking, and it's only been a couple of weeks, so that hasn't raised too many eyebrows, yet. However, Cody came awfully close to sharing Adam's fate. Sticking one's nose into Jerry's buisness is often not a healthy option. Jerry is prone to getting a bit agitated. He's just a guy who prefers to be left to his own devices. :nuke: Lissa, GREAT catch, and WELCOME TO THE FORUM!!! But, don't worry about cliffhangers... It's often said that I never use them at all. Cody could have gone on tour with Eric, and in so doing he'd have left his stress-filled world of Dreams & Cliffed Wings behind, for the much safer and happier world of LTMP. However, I don't think His Shadowyness is willing to abandon his Dark Designs for Cody, just yet. We shall see. Tiger! Would I ever do such a thing as that? Actually, to be quite honest, I originally had LTMP 34 ending when the door to the closet opened (but not revealing who it was). However, I continued it a bit to avoid having a cliffhanger.

This is the first time I've ever tried using another author's character, and it was quite difficult in many ways. One of the trickiest parts was making Cody read as a free-standing character in LTMP for those who are unfamiliar with DnCW. However, it was also one hell of a lot of fun, and I'm very glad His Shadowyness came up with the idea. BTW, We had so much fun that I've offered to do it again, including letting Shadowgod pick from a list of my characters should he want them to make guest appearances in DnCW: Jerry, Dimitri, Reverend Thadius, Blackheart from FTL, and lets not forget The Muse... Hrmm, and maybe Big Tony from "Jake" . Or, of course Eric... (the one from FTL, if he goes back to his old ways). I always endeavor to be helpful. Overall for the chapter, it was good. The story didn't advance exactly in this chapter, (there wasn't any bomb finished or primed,,,) but we can just see that it set up things for upcoming chapters. And what about poor Eric, being cruised by a guy.. Cody did find the best way to have it his way,,, daring him to kiss him, that was just genius... maybe if Helen hadn't arrived at that point, Cody could have dared him to do some more,,, The second amendment ref was one of my favorite bits in the chapter, too. It was fun, and just seemed to fit Eric. There were some major things in the chapter, but they aren't obvious, yet. I'll give a clue to one of the major ones: What was Jerry so keenly writing?

Actually, His Shadowyness is all for Eric + Tequila.

Hrmmm! What is truly shocking here is that 5 people think the forum name should be Cliffhanger Kingdom!!

What? Would I fib? And, ummm, nice? What an odd thing to say about Satan! Now, if you want nice and misunderstood, there's... Who? Me? And whats this "Let the Megolomaniac Play" buisness? Hrmmm? I'll let ya'll in on a little secret; Shadowgod does no like one of my characters, and persists in saying nasty things about him. I think His Shadowyness is being unfair and judgmental; sure, the character he dislikes has a few rough edges, but who doesn't? Mainly, he just wants to be left to his own devices... He's also under a great deal of stress right now, which surely brings out any unpleasant traits, but once he's finished his little placement project, I'm sure he'll mellow out a little. Now, now, it is often said that I never use cliffhangers, so how could that be? Besides, I freely acknowledge that I could never top LiS 26, the Mother of ALL Cliffhangers. No cliffhangers from me! Hrmmmm, So far, we have one Nuke sequestered in Dodger Stadium. There are five subwoofer cases; one contains the remaining nuke and three contain mock-ups. Any speculation on why Jerry is hauling around mock-ups of his nukes which include a tiny scrap of plutonium? Oh, and one other thing to consider; Helen and the band worry incessantly about bad PR, such as from a potential outing of Brandon and Chase. Does anyone think their might be negative PR potential related to the fact that Instinct's Road Boss is using Instinct's gear to ship and plant nuclear bombs, such as at their concert venue in L.A.? CJ

That might be a little difficult to implement, becuase I wrote LTMP 34 over a month ago. LoL. Besides, Shadowgod gets that title... He did, after all, write LiS 26, the Mother of all Cliffhangers. I, on the other hand, have been endeavoring to keep the chapter endings in LTMP non-tense. Actually, it is His Shadowyness who is being evil to me here. He knows I can't explain until after the chapter is posted, too. He's evil!!! However, he is after all Satan, so I guess his penchant for the dark side should come as no surprise.

But "when Worlds Collide" fits both so well, don't you think?

Stolen? Now, now, Evil one, as I recall the title was your idea. And, hrmmm, my chapter takes place in San Francisco...

The Scar did indeed, shall we say, arrange for the disappearance of said neighbor. The fact that the neighbor was gay was merely coincidence. Joe is blaming the neighbor, and becuase the neighbor happened to have been gay, he hated gays. Maybe he knows that Shadowgod lives in CA? Or he could just have a desire to sing; I left my heart bomb, in San Francisco... OK, today is Friday, so it is time to announce the title of the next chapter: When Worlds Collide

See? He's evil, I tell ya, Evil! He also admits to being in league with the Devil! (He did claim Shadowgod's help, remember!) Let me tell y'all what he did.... Joe turned my website literally upside down, then he put in a filter which changed any instance of "CJ" to "The Queen Goat". He also re-named my forum and edited my forum rules! ACK! And me? Since when would i ever try anything sneaky?

I hereby acknowledge that the most EEEvil JSmith has won. Final Score, JSmith 5 The Queen Goat 3 (Edit: One of Joe's mean tricks; a filter to change my name to what you see to the left) Yes, I have succumbed to his eevil and unfair tactics. I should have listened to the motto of an old Army Officer; don;t get into a duel with an Artillery Officer (which is kind of a corollary to "Don't pick fights with people who buy ink by the barrel" ) So, I hereby concede this battle. Joe won. The Goat

Wildone, I like "MOJO". And, um, Joe, you are in league with His Evil Shadowyness?!?!? Uhoh, a true Axis of Evil!!

ACK! All i can say is, Joe is evil, picking on me like this... He's mean, i tell ya, mean! All I did was try and honor Joey... His resignation letter shook me up so bad that I just had to find some way to let all future new GA members get to know the real Joe... I mean, the way he's acting, you'd think he didn't appreciate having a website in his honor?

Ahhh, but don't forget one of the specs of the bobs; they cannot radiate. Cell phones, when in service, do indeed radiate becuase they must communicate with the cell towers, even while not actively making calls. Yes, Jerry has, I admit, not been the most attentive of fathers. He's been preoccupied with his buisness ventures. Indeed; he has a tempter, and when rattled he reverts to form. But it must be remembered that the poor guy is under a lot of stress. Also, planting the bomb was a great deal of work, plus his job as Road Boss is running him ragged. Maybe he will calm down and relax once the second U.S. bomb is in place. BTW, per the text, Instinct's next concert is in San Francisco. Could Jerry have that in mind as a location for the bomb? Is it significant that Eric mentions that Candlestick Park was the venue for the Beatle's final concert? ROFL!! Poor, Jerry, as if he didn't have enough stress. Great catch on the bomb, Kevin, and you're right. As for the quoted text, I happen to agree with Kevin, sort of. I believe that people, including celebs, have a right to keep their private lives private, but I also agree with Kevin's points. However, Brandon and Chase are starting to feel the same way, per the text; sick of lying and hiding. To FrenchCanadian, yes, I agree, but in Instinct's case the fan demographics are all wrong for them to come out without major damage to the group and its income. As a hard-rock group, they aren't in as easy a position as, say, a pop singer. What we have here is a conundrum; the hiding is beginning to grate, but coming out could seriously hurt the band. They are, at the moment, (per some of the stats mentioned in the Rome chapter) pretty much on top. Give them a year or two and they'll all be set for life. That's one heck of a compelling reason to stay closeted, but the cracks are beggining to show, both in them and the veil of secrecy. BTW, the "gay neighbor" Joe mentioned... The way i saw it, the neighbor really was gay, but he did dissapear, very permanently, right at the time of the murder of Joe's mother, thus becoming a natural suspect for the police. I'd say this set of circumstances was very convenient for the person who did garrot mrs. Clump. Could it have been more than a coincidence?

Well, I have to admit, the "Roast Goat" was Graeme's. A while back, I was bugging him to send me LTMP 24. This was before I'd sent it to him, actually before I'd finished it. I figured he's always saying he's a day ahead, so why can't he send me a beta back the day before I send it to him!?!?!? Well, he sent back the Roast Goat scene, and I knew I had to have it. I knew I couldn't use it until later in the story, so I kept is, and then adapted it for use in this chapter. Thanks Graeme! So, now we have a clue as to what happened to Joe's Mother; she was garroted. We also, per a prior chapter, know this occured right after she twigged to The Scar's real occupation. Did anyone find it odd that The Scar hit his 5 y/o son for crying, after the kid had found his mother's body? (and a garroting does not leave a particuarly attractive corpse). Is Jerry thus ineligible for the Father of the Year award?? Also, any thoughts on the bomb placement method? Those bombs are heavy, so Jerry really had to struggle. Also, remember how they are made; they have a thermocouple attached to the plutonium, to keep the batteries from running out. The Scar's specs called for a ten-year shelf-life. And now, we also know that Mario is in the US, and in the same city as Instinct.

Indeed, The Scar has stress issues. I worry about him too; he's gotta learn to unwind. At least we got a glimpse of his carefree, fun-loving side in a recent chapter; his delight in the irony of what he intends to do with Helen's donation. However, he's in a high-stress situation, which can't be easy for the poor guy. He's got a critical shipment and has to cope with people snooping around the shipping containers. It's bound to raise his blood pressure a bit. Is anyone else concerned for his health? CJ

Thanks for starting the thread, and for the heads up on the announcement, BK! I've fixed it.

Benji! Don't you know by now? A goat would never have anything to do with a cliff! Now Jan, why would you want to harm sweet, innocent me? Wildone, that was a great post! I can't comment on any of it or the Echidna will get me, but it's really googd. And Your Shadowyness, I can't imagine why you would be concerned when Jerry is around the band? They just hang out, have a good time, drink a little tequila, and relax! Jerry especially need to relax; he's so darn tense!

Well if that isn't a loaded question then i do not know what is, so in all interest of fairness and not misleading your poor readers ( you cause enough emotional turmoil as it is), I am going to have to abstain from answering the question as it stands. If they want the real answer they can feel free to PM me and I will of course give them all the filthy details (yes I do still have that pdf file ) The truth of the matter, I think, may just surprise them Frustration? Me? Would I ever do such a thing as that? And you are very welcome! I have really become addicted to writing, and I love it. And why would I ask a loaded question? It was such a simple and direct question, needing only a yes or a no. ROFL! That was only a slight exaggeration, I am chagrined to admit! I've been working on that issue, but I do seem to use complex sentences, for some reason, not entirely sure why, but I do, and that means commas, often anyway. Seriously though, I think you will find that the next chapters to appear in your inbox aren't quite as bad in that regard. And Emoe! I have no idea what you could possibly mean by that remark about my perfectly straightforward question! Hi Steve!! Welcome back!! You bring up a very good point; my frequent release schedule is hard on the team. This was even more true when I fell behind due to my 5 week vacation late last year. I'm currently writing a few chapters ahead which helps a little, but it's still a very large volume of text for them to deal with. It's only due to their dedicated work that the frequent release schedule is possible. Bondwriter, as I have oft told him, amazes me. English is not his first language, yet in spite of that he commands a keen eye for grammar and punctuation, as well as spelling. I find this nothing less than astounding.

I'm totally against DST. I find it mainly useless and a considerable annoyance. I also not that the tinkering with the dates this year in the US, another brainchild of a singularly witless congress (please note, that's not political; I'm slamming both sides as both were involved) was intended to save energy, and has proven useless in that regard, though it has caused many glitches with automated DST-changing systems and other headaches as well. I live in a state that, thankfully, does not have DST. Here in Arizona, I'm delighted to say, we get along just fine without it. I'm definitly voting on DST.

Thank Jan! They do a fantastic job. Thanks Sacha! BTW, I've mentioned it on here before, but quite some time ago. So, I'll do so again; My team has much to put up with... I'm Dyslexic, and I'm also a poor typist. Word's spell-check helps, but I'm still bedeviled by look-alike incorrect words. As a dyslexic, I have trouble seeing letter sequences in the right order, so words of similar spelling and length often slip through. For example, my most common errors are be instead of by. out instead of our waived instead of waved. bought instead of brought I do proofread as well as spell-check, but some invarialy get by as I'll often see what I think should be there instead of what is there. I also tend to speak in complex sentences, so I have too much of a tendency to use them in my writing. I also often forget to put things in the text. I envision it and then write it, but often I forget little details that I can "see" but forget to show the reader. For example, I'll forget to show the reaction of one or more of the people present at an event. Thank you Gary!!! And thanks too for the acknowledgment of Shadowgod as our cliffhanger-adder. I think I can clarify the cliffie-adding issue. I hereby challenge Shadowgod to give a one word, yes-or-no answer to the question: "In the course of our beta relationship, have cliffhangers ever been added during beta?" Shadowgod won't lie outright, so he will have to answer "yes". And remember, your shadowyness, you need to give a one word answer. Yes, or No. Thanks Mike! They indeed do a fantastic job. And for this writer, having support and help isn't one of the most important things, it's THE most important thing. Never used an evil cliffhanger? You most certainly have! Several, in fact! CJ

This thread is for discussing the problem with viri, trojans, etc. Please keep the Mac Vs. PC wars out of this thread as the subject is important, especially to the first poster who is asking for your help. I think there are Mac vs. PC threads around here, and if not, or not current, they can certainly be started, but please keep this thread on-topic so we can help lesfeuxdemoncoeur, plus any others with similar issues. I'll weigh in with some advice; Ditch Limewire. That is likely one of the sources of the adware, and the adware (Spyware, mallware, I consider it all much the same) is, from the sound of it, causing much of the trouble. There are plenty of other sources, of course, but Limewire is a known route. I've heard some claims that if limewire is obtained directly from the company, it is no longer (which means they once did, and may again) bundled with maulware. Any program that auto-updates is a potential security breech. With an auto-update, the people behind the program can install anything on your system. I don't let any program, including windows, auto-update. Get a decent firewall. These help a great deal. I very much like both Adaware and AVG. Good luck. CJ