C James

But Graeme, if y'all don't believe me when i say I never use cliffhangers, why should we believe you when you say you have no interest in absconding with Shadowgod's exalted title? Speaking of Shadowgod, he's been missing lately so he hasn't been around to announce the title of chapter 18, which he named. (As I've often said, he adds things to the chapters). So, it looks like there will be no announcement of the chapter title this time. But, the chapter should be posted today.

ACk!! I am not a prolific poster, and I never use cliffhangers!! I was offline all day Sunday, too, due to work as well as snow. That sounds like fun... Except for the freezing rain. I was offline all day Sunday and most of saturday. As for the chapter schedule, I'll get to that later in this post, but you're right, it's time. I was kind of snowed in erlaier in the week, so I had to do extra work this weekned to make up for it. Ch 18 is actually due Monday, as I recall, and then next week we return to our usual Tuesday posting (and Tuesday is Christmas day!). And, uh, Today is monday, so I better get the chapter formatted and into Joe's mailbox! It should be online soon. If I said Saturday, I goofed. I was trying for an "eight day week" to split the difference and get us back to Tuesday postings. It's today.

Happy Birthday, Jan!!!! Best wishes on you special day, and I hope you get to do some coaster-riding.

Very good indeed! Telepath stories aren't my normal thing, but I liked this one. For one thing, you captured the "everyday difficulties" such as seeing the thoughts of others when you don't want to, and how troublesome that can be in some ways. Ok, ONE thing here Ieshwar. That ending. Yes, you know what I mean. It's a CLIFFHANGER!!!

Paramnesia by york366 :nuke: :nuke: Spoilers Below!!! :nuke: :nuke:

The Unbearable Heaviness of Being by Menzoberranzen :nuke: :nuke: Spoilers Below!!! :nuke: :nuke:

I remembered it as being six months, but you're right, they now claim it never expires. MAybe it changed?

But Graeme, What are we going to do? This line of reasoning that you are pursuing can only serve to fuel the scurrilous rumors that calim that I (shocking, isn't it?) do use cliffhangers@! That could cause false expectations! Wouldn't it all be so much easier if we just blamed Shadowgod? Or, hrrrrm, maybe we should blame you? I do recall one particularly devastating cliffhanger in Heart of the Tree, that the author himself said was like mowing down the reader with a machine gun (or words to that effect). Hrmmm, and you did object to Shadowgod's coronation as King of Eeeevil cliffhangers, so perhaps that was due to you seeking the title yourself? Hrrrrm....

Ack!!! Graeme, don't you trust me? I'd never use a cliffhanger... Well, I do agree that we shouldn't discuss LTMP here without Shadowgod's ok.. Umm, Shadowgod, is it ok? Ahh, well, he hasn't answered so that must mean no. Ok, so, therefor, your post isn't valid at all. Hrmm, Graeme, you have raised a valid point: Should I credit shadowgod, in the chapter credits, with any cliffhangers appearing in said chapter? I wouldn't be saying there are any, just paying due homage to the King of Evil Cliffhangers, Shadowgod. I think that's an excellent idea you have there Graeme... And Graeme, what could possibly be a better definition of a cliffhanger than the one I posted? And now, in honor of Shadowgod been as we are in his forum, I give homage to, The King of Evil Cliffhangers, Shadowgod!

Aww, Steve, don't tell me that you doubt me too? Now, hrmm, is it a spoiler to say a chapter isn't a cliffhanger? (said while eying the Echidna's spines warily...) I really don't understand why you guys don't believe me when i say I never use cliffhangers. Why, I can point out posts in this forum where it's said that I never use cliffhangers... I'm definitly cliffhanger adverse, am I! ACK! But, but, but... Let's not forget the factor of Shadowgod adding, enhancing, or otherwise creating cliffhangers during the beta! We must, after all, always remember and never forget that Shadowgod is the :king: King of Eeeevil Cliffhangers :king: !! This is, after all, the same Shadowgod who gave us LiS 26, the Mother of all Cliffhangers! And of course, countless cliffhangers before and since! Now, do y'all remember (for those of you who have read it) FTL 37, where Steve is out having a friendly chat with his old pal the sheriff? Well, of course you don't, because instead, he's in the process of being executed, which, I do admit, could be construed as being somewhat... tense. Now, how did that happen? I think rule #1 pinned at the top of the forum covers it very well indeed.

ACK!!! Echidna!! You are neglecting the "Shadowgod sneaking in cliffhangers during the Beta" situation!! For proof, I'll cite the Shadowgod Cliffhanger at the end of LTMP 17! I mean, he darn near signed it! However, as I mentioned before, only Shadowgod has gone three out of three on the above cliffhanger definition.

Echidna!!! :o :o How could you doubt me so?? :o :o Aww, come on, why don't you believe me? Have I ever been anything less than 100% forthright?

My current vehicle, an SUV, is an automatic (I prefer automatics for offroading) but I've driven sticks very often. I love 'em in smaller vehicles. Also, there's a practical side; it often costs more to rent an automatic overseas, and you don't get as good a gas milage. One of my cousins in the UK used to work in a car rental office, and he said the employees used to call the higher prices on automatics the "Yankee tax" becuase so many Americans can't drive a stick. LoL. Recently, I drove a stick in Italy, and it was sort of interesting; I was rusty (hadn't driven one in over a year) and had jet lag, and was dealing with traffic in Rome, all at once. I survived though. LoL They take a little getting used to, but what took me a while to learn was shifting with my left hand (for right-hand drive vehicles). The pattern is the same as for left hand drive, but that means that you are coming towards you for higher gears instead of away, plus you have the clutch on the same side (your left) as the gear stick. It always takes me a few minutes to adapt whenever i rent a car in the UK for that reason. It's just a little strange at first, but no big deal. I strongly recommend that everyone learn how to drive a stick; it's real limiting if you can't, and they can be fun. There's nothing like 'em for sports cars, for one; and automatic in a sports car is an abomination IMHO.

But Graeme, are you implying that you don't believe me???

I do ude Tinyurl in my sig sometimes, LoL! But, it's only good for six months... And anyway, I think the quote, as it stands, is so much more meaningful.

As to your spoiler spaces, exactly! Yes indeed, he left us hanging. Bear in mind the two-out-of-three rule for defining a cliffhanger: #1 There must be something left unknown at the end #2 The chapter is written by Shadowgod (the King of Evil Cliffhangers) #3 The ending is extremely tense, involving peril in some form. So, as long as you have two out of those three, it's a cliffhanger! (and often, in Shadowgod's stories, he goes three out of three, which is something no other writer can claim!)

Ahh, but did you know that the HTML code and the full URL count towards the character count? That's actually over 100 characters, just for the link you proposed! I really don't see why you object to an accurate, verbatim quote being buried in an obscure lurker's sig??

Thanks!! Hanging off a cliff? I wouldn't do such a thing as that.... But, the next chapter should be online in just over 48 hours, and I'll let it speak for itself. BTW, anyone have any speculation on just what, exactly, is motivating Steve? Graeme!! You know I never use cliffhangers!!!

That's a good one! It's true, too: if you try and please everyone, you end up pleasing no one, yourself included.

Ahhh, but I plan on resuming my old practice of announcing and linking my current chapters in my sig. I also sometimes use to to plug GA events such as the Anthology. So, that leaves no room. And, ummm, Graeme, your scurrilous accusation regarding my post count cannot go unchallenged! (err, could somebody challenge the Echidna on this, please?) Surely you wouldn't call into question my precious reputation as a quiet and shy forum lurker?

Ahhh, but I'm a lurker, so there's nothing to fear from me...

Shhhh...

Ahhh, but LiS was set in Southern California, where they have all manner of bizzare things, including, but not limited to, pink lemonade. (Lemonade in the US isn't clear, fizzy stuff like 7-up. It's non-carbonated and actually made from lemons. Would you call that "Lemon squash"?) I do think it's a mystery from LiS though. Indeed, I recall declaring it a cliffhanger in that chapter.

Huh? But, but, but, I can't! There's a limit on how many characthers you can have in your sig, and so I'm very limited in what I can display. Besides, isn't this a bit of a tempest in a teapot? I mean, we're talking about a lurker's sig... It's not like anyone ever sees it... Sort of like complaining that color of something that's to be buried underground.

The colloquial phrase "all of the sudden" which has another variant, "all the sudden" are regional corruptions of the English phrase "all of a sudden", so I'd use the latter in dialog UNLESS I was trying to illustrate a strong regional dialect (which would need to be illustrated in the narration, I think). I don't think I'd use either phrase in narration, as I'd go with "suddenly" Or "before I could react" or in a heartbest" or some other illustrative term. That's just my opinion, anyway.