The Uber Abode : Talk with the Authors

** FILTER75 just joined
SOBBIE> hi
FILTER75> hey
STACIASEAMAN> wow, did everyone else tank too?
SOBBIE> i dont know what happened
FILTER75> it took a few minutes but lets see who we can get
STACIASEAMAN> joann,
STACIASEAMAN> I know a bunch of people probably have offered,
STACIASEAMAN> but if you ever need a beta, give me a shout
KOACHON> About damn time
** MICHALSALAT just joined
ROCSHADOW> I'm back finally
KETHRY77> what happened?
MICHALSALAT> hey hey!
STACIASEAMAN> welcome back!
SOBBIE> I dont know what happened
KETHRY77> you're still here!
ROCSHADOW> WB
KOACHON> Good sex will do it every time
MICHALSALAT> i think the whole system overloaded
STACIASEAMAN> lol koachon!
KETHRY77> it just got too damn hot and blew up!
ROCSHADOW> where were we?
MICHALSALAT> so things were just hotting up
STACIASEAMAN> they certainly were!
FILTER75> Roc, Michal always asks me and i always say, "the sex scene?"
KETHRY77> we were talking sex - 23 pages of it!
FREDDIE999> Hi everyone - having a few technical difficulties here
ROCSHADOW> yeah but we all enjoyed it ;)
SOBBIE> freddie i think we all just had tech difficulties
MICHALSALAT> i had no concept of how long that was gooing on until i reread the edited version
FILTER75> so i think people were saying they want more sex? or there is too much?
MICHALSALAT> then i was rather proud  lol
STACIASEAMAN> I honestly didn't notice it was that long
STACIASEAMAN> seemed just right to me :-)
KOACHON> Michal: Just got swept up in it all eh?
KETHRY77> will that be sent to us?  or can we get the entire transcript from the web?
ROCSHADOW> I loved when A said "when you got that itch"
MICHALSALAT> well i was just putting in everyting that needed to happen
FILTER75> Oh i remember..it was in the first batch i got...and my mouth dropped
MICHALSALAT> and that applies to the whole story
FILTER75> i shoulda know then it would be an epic
STACIASEAMAN> roc: exactly! It was like A was getting a dose of what she gave out in the beginning, if you'll pardon the phrase
MICHALSALAT> wb red
ROCSHADOW> yes stacia
REDORCHID> YYYAYYYYY! It's working now!
STACIASEAMAN> hi red, glad you did't go back to sleep!
REDORCHID> Thanks!
KOACHON> My, aren't we all tenacious.
REDORCHID> Stacia: No way!
MICHALSALAT> we're like the shipwreck victims all floating onto the shore of the island
STACIASEAMAN> i've been listening to the big supreme sing don't walk. Getting old.
KETHRY77> we're only children AND stubborn!
FILTER75> survivor?
STACIASEAMAN> kethry: I'm one of 10 kids!
KOACHON> You think we rocked the boat too much Michal?
MICHALSALAT> could be   lol
KETHRY77> well then you're a survivor!
KOACHON> Satcia: OMG!!!
MICHALSALAT> joann talked me down from morgan having like 15 brothers and sisters to just the 6  ;-)
STACIASEAMAN> congrats, rach, ya made it back!
SOBBIE> wb rach
REDORCHID> Stacia: Geesh! I'd hate to give birth to that many!
STACIASEAMAN> redorchid: try babysitting them!
REDORCHID> MIchael: LOL!
ANGELITOC> wow, i thought the server was down...
KOACHON> I thought only litters came that size.
FILTER75> i talked him into making H an only though :-O
STACIASEAMAN> 10 is a lot.
MICHALSALAT> i knew a family with 13
RACH5> I'm glad to be back
KETHRY77> onlys are good, joann
REDORCHID> Filter75: But at least the breakdwon allowed me to have a cup of tea ;-)
MICHALSALAT> lol
FILTER75> LOL
STACIASEAMAN> the volume increases until the 'rents get to the right name
FILTER75> i rotated my wrists
MICHALSALAT> you need to ice them jo
STACIASEAMAN> they've got only one grandchild, there's a shocker!
FILTER75> :::hoping that is not taken the wrong way in this room::::
ANGELITOC> ok guys, my computer is going crazy on me, so i'll say goodbye...can't wait to read more, congratulations Michal and Joan...adios
FILTER75> not right now dear
STACIASEAMAN> lol joann!
MICHALSALAT> so writing Marina as an only is a lot easier
FILTER75> bye angel
KOACHON> Bye Angel
KETHRY77> bye
STACIASEAMAN> bye angel
MICHALSALAT> thanks angel
MICHALSALAT> write us
STACIASEAMAN> Marina's also very interesting
STACIASEAMAN> very aware of what's going on around her
MICHALSALAT> glad you think so
REDORCHID> Stacia: She takes after her mother ;-)
FILTER75> smart kid...just like we were..LOL
KETHRY77> kinda like her mom?
MICHALSALAT> she will be coming more into focus
MICHALSALAT> stop that kethry!  lol
REDORCHID> Heh
STACIASEAMAN> I'm also curious to see what goes on with Bobbi
KETHRY77> okay okay
FILTER75> who else does everyone like?
STACIASEAMAN> I love Brenda!
REDORCHID> The cat!
FILTER75> good one stac
KETHRY77> i like julie
STACIASEAMAN> Cuban Pete!
FILTER75> aww the cat
REDORCHID> LOL, I have one myself and can totally relate to Cuban Pete :-)
KOACHON> Can't beat Cuban Pete.
KETHRY77> it's great to have a friend that you can tell all to
MICHALSALAT> LOL
FILTER75> i have 3
STACIASEAMAN> Frieda kitty scratched the crap out of me when I tried to scent mark her back
SOBBIE> I have 4 and they love to dance on the keyboard
REDORCHID> I laughed my head off when Adrian was placing stuff on him New Years Eve, LOL that was such a cute little scene.
KOACHON> Cracked me up with the line about having 'normal' pets.
KETHRY77> VERY cute scene
MICHALSALAT> i love cuban pete.  he'sa hybrid of variously maimed and astute cats i've known
STACIASEAMAN> I also love Mavis
STACIASEAMAN> I have a bullmastiff, almost got a Rhodesian though
FILTER75> yeah we need more mavis!
FILTER75> write that down michal ;-)
KOACHON> Goldens are more my speed.
MICHALSALAT> red that was drawn from life, my ex's cat let us do that
KETHRY77> mavis....mavis....mavis
REDORCHID> Michael: That's a toughie, because I find that cats have as differnet personalities as humans - with their own little habits.
MICHALSALAT> we would laugh so hard that finally everything would be shaken off of her
STACIASEAMAN> I'm going to cry if anything happens to Dauphine
KOACHON> Stacia: Me too.
FILTER75> be quiet michal
MICHALSALAT> more mavis, okay, gotcha
FILTER75> lol
MICHALSALAT> Yes dear  ;-)
STACIASEAMAN> michal: we did that to some of my friends in the dorm!
REDORCHID> Michael: Really? How funny! I doubt my cat would lie still long enough... She's only a little over a year old now, so the kitten is very much in her...
STACIASEAMAN> redorchid: she must be so cute!
MICHALSALAT> well Butch was 17
STACIASEAMAN> 17?!? Damn.
FILTER75> its all in how they are trained..i can do anything (like dance) with jack but luna will not let me near her when the stereo is on
MICHALSALAT> i'm glad folks are weighing in fo Brenda and Julie
FILTER75> they like brenda?
STACIASEAMAN> Julie gets more interesting every update
MICHALSALAT> Thelonius Monk had a cat that could use the toilet.  there's a recent biography with a priceless photo of it on the can
KETHRY77> yes, more julie too!
KOACHON> I taught one of my cats to roll over. She's never stand for having stuff piled on her.
MICHALSALAT> someone liked brenda    lol
REDORCHID> Stacia: Oh she's absolutely adorable :-) She's this mix of a Tabby, and an angora - she's got a white belly with black dots and some orange in her fur as well - a totally cute mutt ;-)
STACIASEAMAN> my cat uses the toilet
FILTER75> stac mentioned bobbie...go figure!
STACIASEAMAN> I didn't say I liked her,
REDORCHID> Koach: Mine bites in everything, she even eats cardboard - and I feed her well!
MICHALSALAT> oh yeah - bobbie.  what about her stac?
STACIASEAMAN> I'm just curious where she fits in
FILTER75> oh i know...but not many have picked up on her
STACIASEAMAN> what she's going to do,
STACIASEAMAN> is she going to make trouble for A
FILTER75> she;s right up there with lorraine
MICHALSALAT> yeah she's intentionally shadowy
STACIASEAMAN> and if so, will be it involve Harper
REDORCHID> BTW, do you ever get any ideas from the feedback you get from people?
KOACHON> Figures. More trama
FILTER75> mostly we get confirmation of where we are going/doing
KETHRY77> oh, please don't let her get her hands on harper
FILTER75> this really is solidly laid out
KOACHON> It shows.
KETHRY77> yes, it does
MICHALSALAT> red occasionally insightful fans will extrapolate correectly but we are already pretty much written i nstone
STACIASEAMAN> I really don't want Adrian to back
STACIASEAMAN>  off from Harper 'cause Bobbi threatens her
STACIASEAMAN> that would about piss me off, but it is the chink in Adrian's armor right now
REDORCHID> Michal: So you did in the beginning then?
FILTER75> fasten your seatbelts
KOACHON> Amen Stacia. A has to won it.
KOACHON> oops own it.
MICHALSALAT> stacia did A's story of what happened to Sonia register with you?  i'm just wondering
STACIASEAMAN> Definitely
MICHALSALAT> cool
STACIASEAMAN> I thought it was very well done, especially the bit where Adrian compared her feelings to having a puppy
MICHALSALAT> i was concerned that it was sort of under the radar
STACIASEAMAN> that's as much as she's been able to open up to Harper, really
FILTER75> yes red....not every scene...but major points were always known to us
STACIASEAMAN> and it seems like she's willing to open up, just not able
STACIASEAMAN> does that make sense?
FILTER75> yes stac
MICHALSALAT> yeah stacia
REDORCHID> Filter75: Thanks for answering.
STACIASEAMAN> is that what you're going for?
MICHALSALAT> i was just thinking earlier tonight that H is the first thing approximating a "real" relationship A has ever had
MICHALSALAT> it's all new teritory for her
KOACHON> Stacia: Nicely put
FILTER75> stac yes, and even the smallest details have their purpose
STACIASEAMAN> michal: it seems that harper is the first person in a long time that isn't looking for something from adrian
STACIASEAMAN> well, other than adrian herself
MICHALSALAT> yes and she's not used to that
REDORCHID> Michael: That's my interpretation of it too - even if she did have one with The Black Perl (sorry, can never remember her name), the relationship with Harper seems like nothing she's ever had before.
SOBBIE> but she was looking for something at least in the beginning
FILTER75> H is the first person in a long time seeing something in adrian..the real her, and accepting of it regardless
FILTER75> where others see what they want in her
STACIASEAMAN> michal: Adrian relies on that
STACIASEAMAN> doesn't she? She knows she can give people what they want
STACIASEAMAN> Harper she's not sure how to handle
REDORCHID> Unconditional love.
REDORCHID> Very A/G-ish.
REDORCHID> Sorry, X/G.ish!
MICHALSALAT> stacia what's "doesn't she" referring to?  lost in the crosstalk
STACIASEAMAN> I meant that Adrian takes comfort, almost, in the fact that people want something from her that she can give
STACIASEAMAN> sex, or drugs, or even protection
FILTER75> yes adrian knows that she can give people what *they* want
STACIASEAMAN> she's not quite sure how to deal with harper,
MICHALSALAT> it's not so much comfort as that it's a role she can understand
REDORCHID> Filter75: Does Adrian even know herself, what she wants?
STACIASEAMAN> cause harper wants more than just that role
KOACHON> Exactly. H wants the 'real' A if A can figure out what that is.
FILTER75> oh yes, i think so...adrian is very smart..its what she will allow herself
KETHRY77> yes, yes - what will she allow herself!
REDORCHID> Filter75: Ah, but isn't she really deluding herself?
MICHALSALAT> so much of this all hinges on the things that are yet to come
KETHRY77> oh just tease us!
STACIASEAMAN> It seems to me that Adrian is desperately trying to regain control by making sure she still plays that role wiht people other than Harper
KOACHON> They hold all the cards don't they.
SOBBIE> teasing is part of the fun
FILTER75> she may be deluding herself about what she can withold, but not about what she would like to have
STACIASEAMAN> so she can make sure that she's still able to maintain that distance
STACIASEAMAN> problem is, it isn't working!
KETHRY77> stac:  yeah those walls are crumbling
FILTER75> lol
MICHALSALAT> kethry i just mean that it's difficult to talk about  in clearer terms w/o giving things away. all the things you all are bringing up are perfectly valid and astute observations based on what has been revealed so far.
REDORCHID> Filter75: So she just doesn't feel herself worthy of what she wants yet?
FILTER75> yes red
ROCSHADOW> hell yes,  about time!!
MICHALSALAT> and as more unfolds, it will all come even more into focus
FILTER75> the whys will be further exposed, though hints are there
STACIASEAMAN> joann: it makes sense, so far
MICHALSALAT> now i have to scroll up and read what i missed while i was typing!
FILTER75> LOL
ROCSHADOW> I'm sure it will be worth the wait
STACIASEAMAN> I can think of 3 people that were hurt, or worse, on A's watch
REDORCHID> Filter75: Okay then, I'll just hope I have enough Fontex meanwhile, LOL!
FILTER75> thanks
ROCSHADOW> ;)
MICHALSALAT> stacia who are you thinking of?
STACIASEAMAN> Madame H, Sonia, and --
STACIASEAMAN> this is a wild guess -- Teresa
STACIASEAMAN> she was able to help Erica
REDORCHID> How about Adrian herself?
STACIASEAMAN> after the fact, though
MICHALSALAT> how many of us are left here?
STACIASEAMAN> 11, i think
FILTER75> 11
REDORCHID> 11 people
SOBBIE> about 11 michal
STACIASEAMAN> am I way off on this, michal and joann?
FILTER75> wait and see
FILTER75> its coming soon
MICHALSALAT> oh that's a lot!  we wouldn't want to spoil that many!
REDORCHID> (we're all listening carefully ;-)
STACIASEAMAN> ok, I hate you now...
FILTER75> and its good!
SOBBIE> god you sound like a mother joann
FILTER75> ROFL
MICHALSALAT> ROFLMAO
REDORCHID> Michael: Right! LOL!
FILTER75> sure give michal ammunition
MICHALSALAT> HA!
KETHRY77> well, i'm looking forward to this bumpy ride.  can't wait
SOBBIE> and the transcript will be up soon so
ROCSHADOW> me too
KETHRY77> how do we get the transcript?
STACIASEAMAN> joann - you never answered the question about tattoos and piercings, did you?
FILTER75> oh yeah...that was when there were way to many things being said
SOBBIE> I will post it on the uberabode talk page
MICHALSALAT> brb while jo fields that one
STACIASEAMAN> well? ::taps foot::
KETHRY77> sobbie:  thanks
FILTER75> i have a tat i want to get...but right now i am ala Harper a blank canvas
REDORCHID> Stacia: LOL
REDORCHID> Filter75: A tat?
STACIASEAMAN> what do you want to get?
SOBBIE> tat is short for tatoo
REDORCHID> DOH! Sorry for being so dense... But hey, I'm entitled to in this wee hour..
FILTER75> a reproduction of salome by a french painter..who' name escapes me right now
STACIASEAMAN> wow, that sounds impressive
FILTER75> gonna ask me where now stac?
STACIASEAMAN> why the hell not. Where?
SOBBIE> where
FILTER75> ROFL
REDORCHID> Filter75: Of course! LOL
KOACHON> Must be somepkace large.
ROCSHADOW> yeah where?
MICHALSALAT> jo's bathroom is 4 ft from her computer.  i have to run a 10 yard obstacle course in the dark
STACIASEAMAN> lol koachon!
REDORCHID> Filter: how big is it gonna be?
STACIASEAMAN> michal: she DOES live in nyc!
SOBBIE> singing "tiny bladders......"
REDORCHID> LOL sobbie
KOACHON> Sobbie: LOL
KETHRY77> LOL
STACIASEAMAN> ::taps foot again waitng for joann's response::
MICHALSALAT> :-P
REDORCHID> Hmm, is that a male thing BTW?
REDORCHID> ;-)
FILTER75> she lives in brooklyn....big apartment
MICHALSALAT> no it's a coffee thing
STACIASEAMAN> joann: you're in brooklyn?
STACIASEAMAN> i was just there.
FILTER75> tempted to take suggestions
FILTER75> yes
MICHALSALAT> jo the apt is big but your chair is still 4 feet from the bathroom
FILTER75> lol
REDORCHID> Michael: Well, my bf seems to "suffer" from the same thing, only it doesn't matter whether it's coffee or beer...
KOACHON> ::taps::where will the tat go?
FILTER75> there are 3 cats in there though
SOBBIE> hmmmmmm the temptation to sugest is just soooooo
FILTER75> tempting?
STACIASEAMAN> ::stands next to koachon and begins chorus line::
MICHALSALAT> let's play pin the tattoo on joann!
REDORCHID> LOL!
KOACHON> I'm game
ROCSHADOW> LoL
KETHRY77> go for it!
FILTER75> okay...on my leg between my thigh and hip...i think...last week it was on the small of my back
MICHALSALAT> too bad penumbra isn't here  ;-)
STACIASEAMAN> mine's on the small of my back
SOBBIE> lol
STACIASEAMAN> oooh, michal, ain't that right
FILTER75> michal remember you need to work with me honey :-)
REDORCHID> Filter: Ouch, doesn't that ... hurt??
KETHRY77> she'd have a suggestion i'm sure
SOBBIE> inside or outside joann?
FILTER75> penumbra is in spirit
MICHALSALAT> LOL sobbie
FILTER75> outside
SOBBIE> wimp
FILTER75> ROFl
REDORCHID> No to go totally off topic, but did Penumbra stop writing?
FILTER75> hey its my first
MICHALSALAT> P's really really busy these days
STACIASEAMAN> joann, I'm not even gonna say it
FILTER75> she is working on something...but has been disenchanted with the show
FILTER75> oh say it stac
MICHALSALAT> i'm currently betaing an uber conqueror sort of story for her
STACIASEAMAN> nope, the moment is past
FILTER75> why did you want to know if i am in brooklyn?
FILTER75> wimp
REDORCHID> filter: okay I thought one on the inside would be more painfull too.
STACIASEAMAN> 'cause I visit there fairly often
ROCSHADOW> well gguy I hate to leave but it's way past my sleep hour take care and good barding.
KOACHON> Bye Roc
FILTER75> see ya roc...write us
MICHALSALAT> actually inside with more, um, sorry, fat would be less painful than on the hip where it's bonier
STACIASEAMAN> bye, roc!
REDORCHID> Filter: Thanks, well I can't say that I blame her..
MICHALSALAT> thanks roc, 'night
ROCSHADOW> you see I'm losing my sight already
REDORCHID> Michael: Shows what I know about tats...
ROCSHADOW> good night
MICHALSALAT> today i was looking at one of the tv guide pics of lucy in that sparkly white dress and thinking, Something's missing....where are the tattoos?
STACIASEAMAN> michal: good eye!
STACIASEAMAN> joann: are you from nyc?
REDORCHID> Michael: LOL, airbrushed, airbrushed away!
FILTER75> god...thinking how much more we still need to write
FILTER75> yes stac
MICHALSALAT> LOL
MICHALSALAT> stop it jo!
SOBBIE> does lucy have tattoos?
FILTER75> momentary panic attack
MICHALSALAT> no
FILTER75> um no
KETHRY77> breath deeply
STACIASEAMAN> breathe, joann, breathe
FILTER75> lol
MICHALSALAT> smoke, joann, smoke
SOBBIE> ok sorry i thought I had lost it again
FILTER75> LOL
STACIASEAMAN> lol!
MICHALSALAT> <ducks>
REDORCHID> Stacia: Don't worry I'm sure some uf us knows CPR ;-)
REDORCHID> LOL!
STACIASEAMAN> does that work in cyberspace?
REDORCHID> Stacia: Hmmm, well I suppose?
SOBBIE> probly as well as Xena's form of it
FILTER75> only if we wish it
KOACHON> Sobbie: LOL
STACIASEAMAN> xena can resuscitate me anytime
MICHALSALAT> so what spoilers can we give these loyal readers, jo?  hmm?
KOACHON> Stac: stand in line, baby.
SOBBIE> oh yeah staci
FILTER75> i am trying to think of Qs to ask
REDORCHID> All 11 of us...
STACIASEAMAN> bite me. I'm first in that line!
SOBBIE> but i'd settle for gab
STACIASEAMAN> nope, gotta be xena
KOACHON> Stac: Where?
STACIASEAMAN> koachon: uh...figure of speech...
KOACHON> Stac:
STACIASEAMAN> ::blushes and hides face::
KOACHON> Stac: Damn!
STACIASEAMAN> SPOILERS!
MICHALSALAT> so who thinks Harper will or should get a tattoo?  we're curious
STACIASEAMAN> I actually don't think she should
KETHRY77> yes!  one lovingly applied by Adrian
FILTER75> of course the decision has been made...LOL
KOACHON> I want to say yes, but I can't quite get there yet.
FILTER75> lovingly...LOL
SOBBIE> with lots of pain involved keth?
REDORCHID> Michael: Dunny you should ask, I was wondering about that. If Adrian was the one to apply it, yup, would think so.
MICHALSALAT> LOL sobbie
KETHRY77> sobbie:
KETHRY77> oh yeah.....
MICHALSALAT> how about if Tim of Rox did it?
STACIASEAMAN> Navel ring, maybe
REDORCHID> Michael: But I haven't thought of a motif...
FILTER75> too conventional stac
KOACHON> No! If she were to get one, it should be by Adrian.
MICHALSALAT> navel ring's been done to death  ;-)
STACIASEAMAN> but this IS harper
REDORCHID> Michael: Nope, not Tim or Rox, Adrian all the way baby!
SOBBIE> or at least a piercing somewhere stac
FILTER75> hey touba
TOUBA> Peace and Blessing all.
KOACHON> Don't even go there sobbie.
STACIASEAMAN> It just seems to me that Harper sees how Adrian's tattoos are almost like scars
STACIASEAMAN> she uses them almost to remind her of her failures, of her life
SOBBIE> um why not koachon?
STACIASEAMAN> and I wouldn't think Harper would want that for herself
MICHALSALAT> that's an interesting observation stacia
FILTER75> nice point stac
FILTER75> she's an editor!
KOACHON> One word sobbie: PAIN
STACIASEAMAN> lol!
FILTER75> H likes pain kids
MICHALSALAT> but she (H) also has this ting about wanting to reclaim things
SOBBIE> lol but she likes pain
STACIASEAMAN> yes, she does
KOACHON> Yes, but I don't.
REDORCHID> Stacia: Yep, but question is... Adrian's already left her mark on Harper, hasn't she?
MICHALSALAT> kethry you got a revolving door there?  ;-)
FILTER75> how so red?
STACIASEAMAN> yes, Adrian has left her mark on Harper
STACIASEAMAN> and it seems that we've already seen Adrian leave a physical mark on a friend through the hummingbird on Sal Monfredi
STACIASEAMAN> so we've seen how doing a tattoo can affect Adrian, how she puts herself into it
KETHRY77> hi cyberfemm
MICHALSALAT> hiya cyberfemm!
FILTER75> hi cyber
MICHALSALAT> glad you found us
STACIASEAMAN> so seeing that with Harper is almost overkill
CYBERFEMM> hi, honey!
REDORCHID> Filter: Well, at least inside - I think Adrian's affected Harper in a way no one else has, that's what I mean about Adrian having left her mark on Harper.
CYBERFEMM> hi, michal!
STACIASEAMAN> hi, cyberfemm!
KOACHON> hi, cyber
FILTER75> gotcha red
CYBERFEMM> greetings, everyone!
CYBERFEMM> sorry i am joining so late, but i am on a business trip. so business before pleasure.
STACIASEAMAN> Oh! another question"
MICHALSALAT> red, to be honest there are so many other themes running through this that the seemingly obvious one, of scars and marks of experience and ownership, hesn't been at the forefront of my thoughts
FILTER75> so do you think you could ask something that would not be too spoilerish so we could try to answer it
STACIASEAMAN> how DID Adrian know Harper's astrological sign?
REDORCHID> Filter: I'm not talking about the physical stuff, but more the impression it's given Harper afterwards.
STACIASEAMAN> did she run a check on her or something?
FILTER75> lol
SOBBIE> ahhhhh but we like spoilers
MICHALSALAT> lol stacia
STACIASEAMAN> I'm dead serious
STACIASEAMAN> for some reason that detail stuck with me
FILTER75> thanks for coming even after business
MICHALSALAT> well that's one sort of mary sue element
FILTER75> it was off camera
MICHALSALAT> i seem to be a leo magnet
REDORCHID> Filter: LOL!
SOBBIE> ok I am a dork, but what the hell is a mary sue element?
STACIASEAMAN> LOL! Just got an image of Michal buried in lion's manes!
MICHALSALAT> i am surrounded by them, hounded by them, can't shake them
FILTER75> we have to assume that they have some info on each other off camera...ages, details about life, jobs, etc
SOBBIE> well I am not a leo
STACIASEAMAN> me neitehr
REDORCHID> Me neither...
MICHALSALAT> and i can usually spot them.  so i thought A could have a measure of observation like that
STACIASEAMAN> fair enough.
FILTER75> i know too many saggitareans
MICHALSALAT> i know one too many   ;-)
STACIASEAMAN> And, by the way, I like Sal too
FILTER75> LOL
SOBBIE> I'm not sagitairian either
MICHALSALAT> MY DAD, jo!  down girl!
REDORCHID> LOL, let me guess Joann? ;-)
STACIASEAMAN> nope, me either
FILTER75> hey i laughed
MICHALSALAT> thanks stacia
MICHALSALAT> sal is so much fun to write
FILTER75> yes red...but i do know many...at work, friends
REDORCHID> Sal is very interestingly written!
KETHRY77> will sal find love again?  like adrian has?
FILTER75> sal is a wise old soul
MICHALSALAT> a couple of ppl have said they were surprised about his wife, they thought he was a big ol fag
REDORCHID> Michael: LOL, I never saw him like that.
CYBERFEMM> would he have been a fag without his wife?
FILTER75> he's a big ol fag that happens to be straight
MICHALSALAT> but that's how i always thought of salmoneous, he's so queeny, until that Herc ep where he got the girl
STACIASEAMAN> Another thing that stayed with me was Adrian getting together with Jack
STACIASEAMAN> is that gonna have a long-term effect on that friendship?
FILTER75> no stac
STACIASEAMAN> good
MICHALSALAT> stacia you mean between adrian & jack?
STACIASEAMAN> I hoped not
STACIASEAMAN> michal: yes
STACIASEAMAN> I latch onto strange things, I konw
STACIASEAMAN> knwo
STACIASEAMAN> damn! know
FILTER75> you're good
MICHALSALAT> i think of it as cementing a friendship but on adrian's terms, which jack understood before it happened
REDORCHID> Stacia: Yes, that I noticed too, I felt she had sex with him because she'd taken Harper to his cabin.
STACIASEAMAN> well then, I did read too much into it!
STACIASEAMAN> I thought it was that she wanted to be with someone she really knew and trusted
STACIASEAMAN> because she was a bit freaked out over Harper
FILTER75> more like that...A does not think in those terms Red
CYBERFEMM> could it also be she just wanted an uncomplicated fuck and jack was handy?
STACIASEAMAN> cyberfemm: seems to me she could do a lot less complicated than jack!
REDORCHID> Stacia: Of course also because she was freaked about the emotions it brought out in her when they were there.
MICHALSALAT> no cyber it wasn't really uncomplicated
MICHALSALAT> they're friends and she values that, she didnt do it casually
STACIASEAMAN> I kinda thought she picked jack because it was ok for her to want to be really close to him
STACIASEAMAN> like she does with harper
STACIASEAMAN> and she didn't want something casual 'cause then she'd think of harper
MICHALSALAT> you're getting closer to it stacia
STACIASEAMAN> which would ruin the whole thing
REDORCHID> Stacia: but she'd never done it with him before then...
STACIASEAMAN> Red: but he's a close friend
STACIASEAMAN> the emotions were there before the sex, which is rare with Adrian
MICHALSALAT> her going with jack that night was really isolated from her stuff with H
STACIASEAMAN> it was kind of her way of getting some comfort
REDORCHID> Stacia: That's what made me think it was a mixture of a thank you fuck and a "I don't feel anything specifially about Harper damnit!" sorta thing.
MICHALSALAT> it wasn't a reaction to H, is what i'm trying to say
STACIASEAMAN> she's really good at compartmentalizing, isn't she?
MICHALSALAT> it was more a picture of how the better part of Adrian operated in the time before H came along - that it wasn't all using and mindless fucking
REDORCHID> Michael: So why did she chose to have sex with him the first time in all the years, AFTER she brought Harper to his cabin?
STACIASEAMAN> 'sides, the Stewball isn't really a gay bar, is it? what kinds of choices did Adrian have that night?
REDORCHID> Stacia: Seems to me she had all kinds of options, gay bar or no ;-)
FILTER75> it just happened to have happened in that timeline
STACIASEAMAN> red: I stand corrected. this is Adrian, after all!
REDORCHID> Filter75: Bad timing! I was furious...
REDORCHID> Stacia: Yup ;-)
MICHALSALAT> definitely falls under the omnisexual umbrella  ;-)
STACIASEAMAN> I liked the timing, I was just curious if it would come back later
FILTER75> she was in that moment and went with it cause it came up...we used it to show H seeing her go off with someone, but it was not small time, or cheap, or flip
STACIASEAMAN> it also gave you a good way to get Harper and Tim to talk
STACIASEAMAN> and Harper had some built-in empathy 'cause she'd heard about Jack
FILTER75> Red, your reaction was what we wanted...the readers need to be dramatically involved
MICHALSALAT> the thing is (things are) that 1) A really didn't know H was there at the stewball that night, and 2) we don't know what A & J were talking about
STACIASEAMAN> but also it poured fuel on her ltitle fire!
REDORCHID> Filter: I felt it was just another fuck for Adrian, not anything that meant something - and I felt it was something she did because she got scared about her own feelings for Harper.
MICHALSALAT> that's our MO stacia!
STACIASEAMAN> I've noticed that, Michal.
MICHALSALAT> :-)
SOBBIE> what were they J and A talking about?
FILTER75> reread it red and concentrate on A and Jack apart from the fact that H is there
STACIASEAMAN> I spend way too much time sorting out which cigars are just cigars!
KETHRY77> LOL
FILTER75> its not important sobbie
MICHALSALAT> oh and red......
FILTER75> in other words, we don't even know
SOBBIE> lol
REDORCHID> Filter75: Yeah, yeah <grumple> I know she wasn't aware of Harper's presence )at first I really thought she did it on purpose to hurt Harper, but found out later that wasn't so)...
MICHALSALAT> ...ignore the little blooper that has A sitting on his lap out of the blue  ;-)
FILTER75> lol
MICHALSALAT> she's not supposed to be, that slipped by us
STACIASEAMAN> Well, in a crowded bar, I figured she'd take any seat that was available
STACIASEAMAN> and he does have his own chair
SOBBIE> lol
REDORCHID> Michal: Ah, okay ;-)
FILTER75> although it shows they were comfortable and in a moment of their own for whatever reason
FILTER75> and they are friends
FILTER75> and Adrian treats her friends very well...LOL
STACIASEAMAN> As I said, I liked it. It supported her later statement that sex, even for her, can be special
MICHALSALAT> btw, for jack, picture palaemon
SOBBIE> I wanna be adrian's friend
REDORCHID> Filter75: Yeah and I know her Adrian treast her "friends"... <grumple>
STACIASEAMAN> I felt bad for Harper though
FILTER75> and that was early on
STACIASEAMAN> palaemon?!? as in, the guy that later played Pompey!
REDORCHID> how even..
MICHALSALAT> yeah him
STACIASEAMAN> eeps.
MICHALSALAT> yeah a couple <g>
STACIASEAMAN> ::grumbles to self that michal has blown her own picture of Jack out of the water::
FILTER75> stac just forget it
SOBBIE> well at least you dont have to picture jack as joxer
REDORCHID> How would Adrian react if Harper did the same BTW? I've often seen the most jealous people to be the biggest cheaters themselves.
FILTER75> ROFL
MICHALSALAT> exactly sobbie!
KETHRY77> eowwwwww!
KOACHON> sobbie: lol
FILTER75> i don't see him as pompey at all
REDORCHID> sobbie: Oh please!! What an image... ewwww!
MICHALSALAT> HA!
SOBBIE> sorry
SOBBIE> not
KETHRY77> good one sobbie
MICHALSALAT> now that you've squicked us all, sobbie....
FILTER75> who are you saying is the jealous and the cheater, red?
STACIASEAMAN> well, Adrian didn't react too well to Harper's date
REDORCHID> filter: I am just pondering if Adrian (who is a majort cheater in my humble opinion) would be jalous if Harper was doing the same thing.
FILTER75> A is not cheating on Harper though
MICHALSALAT> exactly
REDORCHID> Filter: Huh?
STACIASEAMAN> no such thing as cheating, the way it's set up, is there?
FILTER75> i was answering stac
FILTER75> not for A at this moment
SOBBIE> at least A doesnt see it as cheating
REDORCHID> Oh I know Harper has "accepted" their relationship, but I still see it as cheating.
FILTER75> they are in no way together and H knows that
MICHALSALAT> cheating implies an exclusive relationship to be betrayed and they don't have that
FILTER75> i can see that point red
MICHALSALAT> am i the slowest typist here?
FILTER75> they are just being lesbians....LOL
SOBBIE> yup
REDORCHID> Okay, I'll rephrase it to "sleeping around" then ;-)
MICHALSALAT> ROFL i was waiting for you to say that!
FILTER75> LOL
STACIASEAMAN> but that's what Adrian does!
FILTER75> exactly
SOBBIE> does being lesbian imply sleeping around
STACIASEAMAN> If Harper does get a tat, I almost want it to be a scorpion on a frog's back
SOBBIE> and around
MICHALSALAT> ROFLMAO
FILTER75> but she did regret that circumstances put H in the other woman's hands
FILTER75> not that she tried to change that
FILTER75> no sobbie
REDORCHID> Stac: Yes but fer heavens sakes, she must be doing it for a reason (other than liking casual sex)??
MICHALSALAT> stacia i know we said we don't use readers' ideas but that's one i'd consider!
STACIASEAMAN> woo hoo!
MICHALSALAT> LOL
FILTER75> gotta get it by my though ;-)
FILTER75> me
SOBBIE> thank you joann I was going to have to turn in my L card
FILTER75> though some make me really wonder
STACIASEAMAN> joann: Adrian regretted the circumstance, but wasn't she kinda torn between being hurt and wanting things to work out for Harper and someone else?
MICHALSALAT> we aren't even touching on the real life ins and outs of dyke drama in this story
STACIASEAMAN> for Harper's sake?
STACIASEAMAN> 'course, then the story would have ended and you and Michal would have been lynched...
FILTER75> i actually found the scene when H was with the other woman as one of the sadest and most sympathetic for A
STACIASEAMAN> I did too!
SOBBIE> um being a dyke myself..... what is dyke drama?
REDORCHID> Filter: Which of the scenes? ;-)
FILTER75> yes stac....we seem to be forgettin that she is selfless...not intentionallu hurtful to anyone let alone H
MICHALSALAT> sobbie, a generic term for all the melodramatic relationship stuff that happens in small or particularly incestuous communities
SOBBIE> oh ok
STACIASEAMAN> oh dear lord, he mentioned the "i" word...
MICHALSALAT> heh heh
CYBERFEMM> michal, do you feel like you would have written this story if you had never seen xwp?
MICHALSALAT> hell no, cyber!
STACIASEAMAN> joann: that's what makes Adrian so fascinating to me
SOBBIE> well since my community here consists of one I guess it is incestuous
REDORCHID> Micchal: Sounds like the description of life in an everyday small town to me ;-)
CYBERFEMM> lol! just had to ask
MICHALSALAT> wouldn't even have occurred to me
STACIASEAMAN> and Harper seems to have caught on fairly quickly, which makes her equally fascinating
FILTER75> we never would have met!
CYBERFEMM> really? but you're a bard at heart.
FILTER75> LOL sobbie
STACIASEAMAN> hell, even brooklyn is incestuous.
MICHALSALAT> maybe, but none of y other ideas and fragments ever had this kind of dynamic
STACIASEAMAN> michal: do you think that's because of X:WP or do you think it's because of the collaboration with Joann?
CYBERFEMM> the latin derivative for 'softball team' is incest....
STACIASEAMAN> not to put you on the spot or anything...
FILTER75> LOL cyber
FILTER75> oh lord
REDORCHID> Yes, do fess up ;-)
STACIASEAMAN> ::raises eyebrow::
MICHALSALAT> stacia i had the germ of the idea, about an uber X character, when jo and i met
FILTER75> oh wait...i thought the Q still ahd to come
FILTER75> LOL
STACIASEAMAN> I wasn't even going to ask about anything THAT personal, Joann!
FILTER75> LOL
MICHALSALAT> it was actually more ficused on her and Tim at that point (this was like 3 paragraphs, no more)
SOBBIE> yeah right stac
STACIASEAMAN> Like who wrote the sex scenes!
FILTER75> M does
STACIASEAMAN> by "her" you mean Adrian, right?
REDORCHID> Michal: Is Tim based on Ares BTW?
MICHALSALAT> yeah
FILTER75> yes
SOBBIE> and did you act them out?
FILTER75> ROFL
MICHALSALAT> :-PPPPP
FILTER75> yes with the cats
MICHALSALAT> yeah via fax
STACIASEAMAN> OUCH!
FILTER75> lol
STACIASEAMAN> OUCH AGAIN!
SOBBIE> lol
FILTER75> michal had a great idea...i filled it in...we have always been really on par as far as how we see them
STACIASEAMAN> Oh, my. Tim just got MUCH more attractive.
MICHALSALAT> i have actually choreographed sex scenes with the aid of my non bendy action figures
REDORCHID> Stacia: LOL, well that's how I pictured him ;-)
KETHRY77> the true story of xena dollies in love
MICHALSALAT> i figure if THEY can do it, A & H can defiitely do it
FILTER75> talking back and forth kept getting us further into every scene, details, all the reasoning , progression, etc
SOBBIE> but if they dont bend......
STACIASEAMAN> weebles wobble...
KETHRY77> but they don't.....
STACIASEAMAN> fall...
MICHALSALAT> see above sobbie  ;-)
MICHALSALAT> down
REDORCHID> Michal: Well, a good test is to always do it yourself I'd think ;-))))
SOBBIE> lol
MICHALSALAT> not going there red!
FILTER75> wait
REDORCHID> ROTFL!
FILTER75> tim is not ares
MICHALSALAT> what hon?
FILTER75> we got cross typed
MICHALSALAT> oh i missed someting vital i think!
STACIASEAMAN> Tim just got a lot less attractive
SOBBIE> michal is the wimp now
REDORCHID> Filter: not even looks wise? That's how I thought it.
FILTER75> hang on all
MICHALSALAT> yeah  emergency!
REDORCHID> (tea time)
FILTER75> no....Michal someone asked if tim was ares, and your next line to something else was es
KETHRY77> is time really ares?  or not?  the answer coming up
FILTER75> yes
FILTER75> no he is not
MICHALSALAT> where?
REDORCHID> Yes, no he's not , LOL
SOBBIE> huh?
KETHRY77> LOL
FILTER75> Michal just answer them
STACIASEAMAN> Tim is getting less attractive by the moment
FILTER75> ROFL
MICHALSALAT> oh gods no i was answering a different question entirely!
REDORCHID> I asked if Tim was based on Ares.
REDORCHID> LOL
MICHALSALAT> i had to go find the problem!
FILTER75> Kevin smith is too old to be tim
REDORCHID> (lookswise)
STACIASEAMAN> Kevin Smith is the perfect age for me.
STACIASEAMAN> How old is he?
SOBBIE> isnt tim the same age as A?
MICHALSALAT> no no a thousand times no, tim is not ares
REDORCHID> Filter: Okay, I hear ya, he does look much older now too.
FILTER75> are you typing Michal?
MICHALSALAT> yes, same age
STACIASEAMAN> oh, this is too funny!
REDORCHID> Michal: Gotcha.
STACIASEAMAN> but isn't Kevin Smith about the same age as Lucy Lawless?
REDORCHID> Stacia: Nope
STACIASEAMAN> he isn't? How old is he?
MICHALSALAT> hes ot a touch of borias in that tendency towards lovestruck goofiness
REDORCHID> I dunno exactl how old, but I'd guess him to be at least over 40
SOBBIE> you know I just figured out why it takes so long between updates
STACIASEAMAN> mmmm, Borias....
STACIASEAMAN> how is it that the only men I like exist in the XenaVerse?
KETHRY77> sobbie:  LOL
SOBBIE> michal takes too long to type
MICHALSALAT> but really he's just this beautiful man who used to ride the bus with me in the mornings
FILTER75> he's more a young, whitebread guy
MICHALSALAT> KS is late 30s
REDORCHID> Okay, just wondering..
FILTER75> Brendan Fraser
FILTER75> ROFL
REDORCHID> Michal: He is????! He looks much older...
STACIASEAMAN> Now that I think about it, i like just about all the brunettes in the XenaVerse.
MICHALSALAT> yes, think brendan fraser with wavier hair
STACIASEAMAN> Brendan Fraser?????
STACIASEAMAN> EWWWWW!
SOBBIE> too bad lucy is a bottle brunette
REDORCHID> (who's Brandan?)
FILTER75> or whoever you want!!!!! but not ares!
STACIASEAMAN> that's fine, I don't mind
MICHALSALAT> ok stacia, think, um......jodie foster with a penis?
REDORCHID> Brendan, sorry-
FILTER75> ROFl
REDORCHID> ROTFLMAO!
MICHALSALAT> i'm trying here  lol
SOBBIE> hmm now I can deal with that (without the penis)
FILTER75> Red he is an actor who was in The Mummy
REDORCHID> And the night is till young!
STACIASEAMAN> michal: oh there's a struggle...
KOACHON> I'll take Jodie w/o the ...
REDORCHID> Filter: Oh, him the good looking hunk?
STACIASEAMAN> I'll take Jodie with a ::clamps hand over mouth::
FILTER75> yes
SOBBIE> jodie with clamps?
MICHALSALAT> ok stacia  lol
STACIASEAMAN> that too, sobbie
REDORCHID> Filter: Okay. Not bad... ;-D===
FILTER75> i can't wait for these transcripts
FILTER75> whew!
SOBBIE> oh god
MICHALSALAT> LOL
FILTER75> i need to smoke
MICHALSALAT> if you're too mortified i have some disk space sobbie
FILTER75> ;-)
SOBBIE> (boy its a good thing no one ever reads to the ends of these things)
REDORCHID> LOL!
FILTER75> ha!....but thats where the sex is
REDORCHID> Filter: Sex, sex, sex is that all you think about? ;-D
SOBBIE> you havent read any of the other transcripts have you joann
MICHALSALAT> so no one has talked about tim until now
STACIASEAMAN> I beg to differ...the sex is more toward the beginning of Speed, innit?
SOBBIE> thats what I thought stac
CYBERFEMM> guess i have to ask, how difficult are the sex scenes to write?
KOACHON> Beginning, middle, end?
FILTER75> sex in the next section!
STACIASEAMAN> more sex!
SOBBIE> lots more
REDORCHID> YES! YES!! YE.. eh, uhm, I mean, cool..
MICHALSALAT> they vary cyberfemm
FILTER75> well not in the next section
SOBBIE> :(
CYBERFEMM> none of us will ever look at crisco the same again....
SOBBIE> when is the next section anyway
STACIASEAMAN> does tim get to have sex in front of us ever?
FILTER75> try editing them!
REDORCHID> ROTFLMAO! Stacia!!!
SOBBIE> yeah but dont get the buttery kind
STACIASEAMAN> just asking...
KETHRY77> oh, the crisco scene!!!
MICHALSALAT> LOL  stacia if that's a request, i'll write a DJWP-patented "secret chapter" just for you!
REDORCHID> "in front of us" LOL!
SOBBIE> oh please michal
STACIASEAMAN> Woo Hoo! ::prints out section so as to be able to prove that Michal said so::
MICHALSALAT> crisco really is best for that sort of thing if you're not relying on latex
FILTER75> hey M has enough to write!
REDORCHID> Sobbie: "Buttery kind"? Somehow that made me think of someone getting smeared in butter.. Sorry!
MICHALSALAT> gods this is fun
STACIASEAMAN> crisco is good stuff
SOBBIE> ahh you're just whining cause you have to edit it joann
FILTER75> try to edit sex for grammer!
MICHALSALAT> red there is an actual butter flavored crisco.  not quite Last Tango stuff, but close
SOBBIE> red there is a butter kind of crisco
KETHRY77> stac:
KETHRY77> crisco does me proud every time
REDORCHID> Michal: I don't even know what crisco is??!
FILTER75> we;ll send you some red!
MICHALSALAT> oh  oops
MICHALSALAT> it's a solid shortening of vegetable oil
MICHALSALAT> sort of a vegetable based lard
FILTER75> oh thats sexy
SOBBIE> crisco is a brand name for a vegitable lard kinda thing
FILTER75> americans seem to like to cook in it
REDORCHID> Oh... And you say it comes in falvours too huh? Interesting ;-)
REDORCHID> flavours.. damn typos.
STACIASEAMAN> joann: that is so true! I always have to re-read sex scenes five or six times before I can focus on the actual editing.
FILTER75> take walks, drink water
KOACHON> Stac: sure , that's why.
SOBBIE> lol stac you just wanna read em over and over again
MICHALSALAT> i knew crisco was going to come up eventually
FILTER75> lol
REDORCHID> Filter: I'll give you the addy later so you can send me some, thanks - LOL!
STACIASEAMAN> not the ones involving two men, I don't!
FILTER75> i will too
REDORCHID> Michal: heheh
STACIASEAMAN> 'sides, I'm worthless when it comes to, uh, mechanics on those
SOBBIE> want some instructions stac?
REDORCHID> Who knew this chat would be educational as well ;-)
STACIASEAMAN> for man on man sex scenes? No, thank you, sobbie.
FILTER75> "i think there should be a comma between that leg and that 'ugh'"
MICHALSALAT> lol
SOBBIE> learn somethin new every chat
REDORCHID> sobbie: well this is my first author chat actually...
STACIASEAMAN> joann: exactly!
FILTER75> lol
KETHRY77> and now some of us have learned about crisco.
SOBBIE> sorry stac i got confused and thought you were talking the mechanics of lesbian sex
REDORCHID> Keth: I'll say...
FILTER75> just don't cook with it!
REDORCHID> LOL!
KETHRY77> LOL
STACIASEAMAN> sobbie: I don't know nearly as much as I'd like to about that either.
REDORCHID> I wouldn't dream of it! ;-)
FILTER75> choreography is the toughest thing
REDORCHID> Joann: Exactly, and describing it must be too...
STACIASEAMAN> OH, come on, Crisco has its culinary uses as well
SOBBIE> does that have to do with the bladder dance we talked about before?
STACIASEAMAN> can't make biscuits without 'em
FILTER75> olive oil only for this italian
FILTER75> oh yeah you're southern
STACIASEAMAN> HEY!
FILTER75> i'll give for fried chicken
STACIASEAMAN> I don't eat that
REDORCHID> Filter: Are we talking food or both? LOL, I've tried both but really prefer olive oil when cooking...
FILTER75> hey i love southern food
STACIASEAMAN> I almost died when Harper served her version of frito pie!
FILTER75> olive for cooking....crisco is thicker so better for sex, i think
CYBERFEMM> do you plan on writing another story after 'speed'?
MICHALSALAT> yeah jo and i had some words over that stacia
STACIASEAMAN> crisco holds up much better for sex
FILTER75> speed will never end
REDORCHID> Filter: sounds right :-)
STACIASEAMAN> never tried olive oil...
STACIASEAMAN> for sex, that is
FILTER75> i don't remember frito pie right now
FILTER75> i see
MICHALSALAT> dog doo dip!
CYBERFEMM> well, i hope it doesn't. will you publish it?
STACIASEAMAN> what did you call it, doggie doo
STACIASEAMAN>  or something?
FILTER75> oh yeah
FILTER75> LOL
FILTER75> nope cyber
STACIASEAMAN> heart attack in a pyrex dish
REDORCHID> stacia: It's got a good effect but I don't like the smell and taste too much..
SOBBIE> I am not much on the smell of dog doo either
STACIASEAMAN> for the record, I usually cook with olive oil -- extra virgin, even
STACIASEAMAN> lol sobbie!
REDORCHID> Michal: LOL, yup that dog doo dip sounded delish, LOL, but seruiously, a lot of food looks like sh*t but taste like heaven...
FILTER75> well i don't like the real stuff either
SOBBIE> she said the V word
FILTER75> hey moderator is this chat censored?
KETHRY77> hey everyone....i'm gonna say goodnight to everyone.  michal and joann - thanks for sharing some time with us.
MICHALSALAT> no cyber, we're very much against publising fanfic
FILTER75> see ya keth...thanks for hanging
REDORCHID> stacia: Okay, this has always puzzled me - the EXTRA virgin about olive oil... LOL, what's extra about it?
MICHALSALAT> so long keth
MICHALSALAT> thanks
FILTER75> its as pure as it gets
FILTER75> like whole milk
REDORCHID> Michal: I was wondering why you didn't want to publish it? Do you think too many FF authors speculate on that and then it overshadows the story itself?
STACIASEAMAN> red: they do different pressings of the olives
STACIASEAMAN> the first press stuff you get in greece is awesome!
FILTER75> michal can answer that for you red
REDORCHID> Filter: ah, okay then (about the oil)
FILTER75> LOL
FILTER75> yes?
REDORCHID> Stacia: Well, I always buy the coldpressed virgin olive oil.
FILTER75> is michal still typing?
MICHALSALAT> red i think profiting from fanfic - and uber IS still fanfic - flies in the face of the spirit and tradition of fandom
MICHALSALAT> i also think it's if not legally copyright infringement, then certainly thefy of intellectual property for profit
MICHALSALAT> i'm always still typing
REDORCHID> Michal: I see what you mean. Sorta like if a grass-root movement suddenly became a company with profit?
STACIASEAMAN> like ben & jerry's?
MICHALSALAT> yes that's part of it
REDORCHID> Michal: And of course the spirit wouldn't be the same.
FILTER75> plus being in the business, i think the organizations that publish this stuff are not "real" publishers
KOACHON> Michal: Where do you draw the line with Uber characters?
MICHALSALAT> perhaps even more important than that though is that i think it sets upan artificial perception among less sophisticated readers ofa division between bards who are "good enough" and the rest
REDORCHID> Filter: How so?
STACIASEAMAN> do the places you write about in Pitt actually exist, do you base them on real places, or are they made up?
FILTER75> the caliber would need to rise way higher and credit would need to be given where due..like the sanctioned xena stories
STACIASEAMAN> joann: I agree with you there.
STACIASEAMAN> the acquitisions process is completely ifferent
STACIASEAMAN> different, even
REDORCHID> Good points.
MICHALSALAT> koachon my line is at whether a reader gets a real sense of very close and direct parallels to X & G
REDORCHID> It builds a barrier.
MICHALSALAT> stacia 95% of them are real
FILTER75> they are short of vanity presses...and why would i charge for peopel to read when you can all print it out on your own fro free
STACIASEAMAN> red: I think that people often assume that "published" stories are better written than the others
STACIASEAMAN> and that's simply not true
STACIASEAMAN> the editing process isn't as rigorous as it should be, at least not in my opinion
MICHALSALAT> right stacia, far from it
FILTER75> they are not publishers, more like printers
MICHALSALAT> LOL   yeah
KOACHON> What do you think about what S. King did with charging for downloading on the honor system?
REDORCHID> Stacia: You're right, that's not true at all. I've even found some great stories I'd never even heard about, just found them by chance.
STACIASEAMAN> I just read SK's book on writing and it's quite good
FILTER75> the honor system is questionable, but the book world will eventually be one big download
FILTER75> stac eventually yes
STACIASEAMAN> joann: he puts a strong emphasis on knowing grammar and the mechanics of writing that really impressed me
FILTER75> i already have authors wanting their material avaliable in that way, interactive, downloadable, and cd-rom oriented
REDORCHID> Michal: Really? Didn't know that..
STACIASEAMAN> he's so good with idiomatic writing and dialogue, I never paid much attention to his mechanics
FILTER75> what a novel idea, stac
FILTER75> i commend him
MICHALSALAT> yeah i just read his "on writing" and apart from his dissing adverbs, i was quite impressed
STACIASEAMAN> Michal: true. They're dying out quickly enough without his assistance
FILTER75> lol
STACIASEAMAN> joann: we do all of our stuff in electronic versions as well
STACIASEAMAN> and the contracts are getting more complex every day.
KOACHON> I fear that with more and more downloads, that good editing will go by the weigh side.
REDORCHID> Micahl: So people could be supporting that organization financially without even knowing it - man, that's low!
FILTER75> its a generational thing and whereas we may not see it in out professional lives, it will move that way
STACIASEAMAN> koachon: some of the most popular writers are the most in need of editors
FILTER75> books on palm pilots
STACIASEAMAN> plus with online stuff, there's not that cost issue
KOACHON> stac: Exactly my point.
FILTER75> oh god we're on our editorial soap boxes
STACIASEAMAN> so people don't necessarily trim their stories as much as they should
REDORCHID> Well, I'm kinda old fashioned, I want to read paper, not screen...
STACIASEAMAN> me too, red
MICHALSALAT> <lighting matches under the soap boxes>......
FILTER75> LOL
REDORCHID> LOL!
SOBBIE> but isnt Speed already wwwwwaaaaaaayyyyyy past the trim issue?
FILTER75> its a serial
STACIASEAMAN> sobbie: but there's nothing that's not related to the plot
MICHALSALAT> i love paper but not the garbage these vanity cyber presses are putting out
STACIASEAMAN> it's all relevant
STACIASEAMAN> nothing too tangential
REDORCHID> Well, there's just something about holding a book, flipping through the pages and it doesn't need electricity!
SOBBIE> I'm not complaining about the length really.... I like long stories
REDORCHID> michal: I haven't bought any, so I wouldn't know ;-)
STACIASEAMAN> I'm talking about the stories that are one pointless scene after another, with a very, very loose plot
FILTER75> if you took took the total works of some other bards and added up pages, it would not be any longer, we just put it all in one story under one title
STACIASEAMAN> and I'm like, where's the conflict?
SOBBIE> but I have found that most of the books being published in the big houses seem to cut out alot
STACIASEAMAN> why should I care about these characters?
REDORCHID> Stacia: Lots of those around.
STACIASEAMAN> that's not the case with Speed.
REDORCHID> When that happens I usually put the story away.
STACIASEAMAN> red: exactly.
FILTER75> if this where to be published by a real publisher it would need a lot of cutting
MICHALSALAT> sobbie i think once it's all out there and we go back through it for a final pass, probably 10-20% will be trimmed away
FILTER75> hell i woulda been fired already!
REDORCHID> It's the "kissing a lot of frogs to find the prince" principle...
SOBBIE> yeah but you say that everything right now is relevant
STACIASEAMAN> Sobbie: I said that!
SOBBIE> but the big house would cut out a lot
SOBBIE> sorry stac
STACIASEAMAN> just...don't cut out too many of the sex scenes, 'kay?
MICHALSALAT> evrything is but there is still room for compacting
FILTER75> they would...we are a soap opera and consciously detail a lot of stuff that could be intmiated but not shown
SOBBIE> I guess I just have a problem with most of the stuff published
FILTER75> i am losing my typing ability
FILTER75> intimated but not shown
SOBBIE> so much of it is formula and not anything new
MICHALSALAT> i have an unrelate dpiece that i've been playig with for close to ten years and it keeps getting distilled and, i think, better
FILTER75> yes Michal is right, in once sense, this is a first draft
FILTER75> :::shivers running through me:::
MICHALSALAT> to them   lol   to us it's the 15th
SOBBIE> sorry I am not attacking you or your story
MICHALSALAT> not at all
FILTER75> its okay...i don't think you are...its a debate on writing/publishing
STACIASEAMAN> michal: I think sometimes you can't really fully edit a piece until you've finished and put some distance betwen yourself and the pice
SOBBIE> i just have a problem with trying to find anything worth reading that is coming out of the "big" publishers lately
STACIASEAMAN> piece
FILTER75> and we take it more seriously than a lot of bards....people forget that some folks do this only fo fun
FILTER75> and they should not be thought of any less at all...if their pieces are short, long, about something or just full of sweet moments
STACIASEAMAN> well, *I* only do it for fun, but if my name's attached, I want it to be as good as I can make it, you know?
FILTER75> bad grammer is an issue i have though
SOBBIE> dont get me wrong... I do appreciate the work you do
STACIASEAMAN> there are some great vignettes out there, too!
FILTER75> Sobbie here is a suggestion....read Publisher's Weekly...their forecasts
MICHALSALAT> disney fingers
REDORCHID> It usually shows in the story, whether or not people care about it - or whether it's good or badly written. Some people have the ideas but are not cabable of putting it down right.
FILTER75> they have synopsis of lots of new work
STACIASEAMAN> The bards I feel bad for are the ones who are almost stuck with the same characters, story after story
STACIASEAMAN> it's like they're locked in
MICHALSALAT> :-)
SOBBIE> it just seems that the fiction that has come out lately has been mundane
STACIASEAMAN> 'cause of their fan base
FILTER75> and not only the big publishers have good titles on their lists
MICHALSALAT> what did i miss?
STACIASEAMAN> so who is Connie based on?
FILTER75> oh he's typing
SOBBIE> lol
FILTER75> he's gonna kill me
MICHALSALAT> stacia yes you're right, for one's own work you have to have some space and distance
SOBBIE> ahhh but you love it joann
MICHALSALAT> hey i don't know touch typing!  i have to look at my hands!
FILTER75> this is why opur "meetings" take so long
REDORCHID> Joann: It's good to see a fellow perfectionist ;-)
STACIASEAMAN> do you always have to watch what you do with your hands?
FILTER75> thanks red..what do you do? i i may ask
SOBBIE> lol
FILTER75> if
REDORCHID> Filter: I'm a web designer/webmaster - and I absolutely loathe mistakes in the HTML or design.
FILTER75> god you come from the land near Penumbra!
MICHALSALAT> oh we need to introduce her to penmumbra!
REDORCHID> Filter: Yes :-)
SOBBIE> (uh oh I'm not gonna tell red when the transcript is out)
FILTER75> lol
FILTER75> ROFl
MICHALSALAT> they can nitpick together
REDORCHID> What?? ::looks around innocently::
MICHALSALAT> and they're in the same time zone
REDORCHID> Michal: She's in England, right?
STACIASEAMAN> finland, no?
FILTER75> i am glad there are people like you Red
FILTER75> so i don;t have to do it
MICHALSALAT> no, finland.  even geekier!  ;-)
REDORCHID> They're an hour later or earlier than us Danes ;-)
FILTER75> i have no idea where she is
FILTER75> right now
STACIASEAMAN> have you seen the picture of penumbra and alexandra tydings? the signature? ooof....
MICHALSALAT> oh yeah
SOBBIE> (not gonna show this to Penumbra either)
FILTER75> LOL
REDORCHID> Filter: Likewise! Though I do take pride in writing myself (hate typos and misspellings)
FILTER75> all she did when she was here was laugh at AOL and that it said goodbye to me
REDORCHID> Okay, if there's
STACIASEAMAN> michal: I think sometimes you can't really fully edit a piece
REDORCHID>   until you've finished and put some distance betwen yourself and the pice
REDORCHID> filter: Exactly!
REDORCHID> Michal: Hey, I haven't had breakfast yet, must be too strong lemon tea..
FILTER75> i am sleeping so late...today
MICHALSALAT> oh, right,  sorry :-)
STACIASEAMAN> actually, red, one of my faves is Danish, Smilla's Sense of Snow
SOBBIE> I havent had breakfast either and its almost 1130
FILTER75> where are you sobbie?
SOBBIE> Oregon
MICHALSALAT> oh do the math jo!  :-P
FILTER75> it's 2:18 here and i am looking at my chinese leftovers
REDORCHID> Stacia: Really? "Frøken Smillas Fornemmelse for Sne" heh, the Danish title :-) That was a huge success here.
SOBBIE> that is sorta near California
RACH5> she's a night person
STACIASEAMAN> Dammit, Michal, she's an editor, not a mathemetician!
FILTER75> Michal are we forgetting who is still recovering from her office x-mas party?
MICHALSALAT> ROFL  oh i know that
FILTER75> thanks stac
SOBBIE> yeah well I got up before noon today rach
STACIASEAMAN> glad to help, joann
REDORCHID> Filter, well it's 8:19 AM here and I'm sooooo loking forward some breakfast - whatever it'll be...
STACIASEAMAN> red: great book.
FILTER75> want some chinese food, red?
RACH5> sobbie:  That's really eary for you
REDORCHID> Filter: sounds delish, why don't we have any food replicators yet BTW? That's something really lacking methinks...
SOBBIE> yup but I actually went to bed before 8 am this morning
MICHALSALAT> so - honest question here, not wanting to trash - are there other stories that have disappointed you or left you feeling "that was supposed to be uber?"
STACIASEAMAN> I say we send red a tub of crisco and some frito pie
FILTER75> better than palm pilots
FILTER75> LOL
REDORCHID> LOL
STACIASEAMAN> michal: I'm not sure I understand?
FILTER75> oh bad michal
REDORCHID> I'd hate to set my teeth in a palm pilot!
SOBBIE> hey I would be lost without my ebook
KOACHON> We use Palm pilots at work. They're great when they work.
STACIASEAMAN> I just don't want to mention any titles and then have this transcript show up....
MICHALSALAT> i'm really flabbergasted by some of what's called uber and wondering what ppl who read us think about it
STACIASEAMAN> the ones I dislike, in general, set up these great characters
STACIASEAMAN> with the closed-off brunette and the warm, open blonde
STACIASEAMAN> lots of tension between them
STACIASEAMAN> then they have sex and bam!
STACIASEAMAN> sequel after sequel, but no more tension
STACIASEAMAN> things happen to them, but I dont' care anymore
STACIASEAMAN> it's like watching 100 hart to hart episodes back to back
FILTER75> you know there are people that like that stuff and thats okay for them
MICHALSALAT> hmmm.  so the ongoing tension is the important dynamic to you
MICHALSALAT> ROFLMAO
REDORCHID> stacia: I know what you mean, it's as if the first encounter they act as if they've been married for 30 years or more.
MICHALSALAT> even the episode with martina?
FILTER75> lol
STACIASEAMAN> it obviously works for a lot of people, but not for me
STACIASEAMAN> people grow and change, and that's evident in their relationships
REDORCHID> I don't mind those stories, as long as they keep the tension - there are stories that can handle it.
KOACHON> Must there always be tension?
STACIASEAMAN> and couples argue, there's give and take, it's not all sunshine and roses
FILTER75> depends on your definition of tension
STACIASEAMAN> I just mean that the walls come down too quickly sometimes
FILTER75> there is good tension
MICHALSALAT> i'm more disturbed by characters that bear only the most cursory resemblance to X & G but the writer clearly has no take on the complicated dynamic between them
STACIASEAMAN> huge, stilted declarations of love and everlasting devotion
KOACHON> All my friends look to my relationship as "No trauma"
REDORCHID> koach: I think it's a big part of it, but if the plot sucks, they can have all the tension in the world and it'll still be uniteresting.
STACIASEAMAN> and ANY dialogue that involves one character calling the other "my soulmate"
MICHALSALAT> LOL
STACIASEAMAN> I mean, who the hell says that?
REDORCHID> LOL!
KOACHON> um...
FILTER75> i don't like when characters lose their inner traits because they've found love
SOBBIE> gab did in the last ep i saw
STACIASEAMAN> that too
STACIASEAMAN> I just think that, if you're going to take the time to set up these complex characters,
STACIASEAMAN> see it though
KOACHON> I'm with y'all. What's with loosing your own identity?
MICHALSALAT> and i have to address one thing that just about killed me
STACIASEAMAN> make the relationship complex
STACIASEAMAN> don't just end it
STACIASEAMAN> with sex and "the end"
FILTER75> well lesbian bed death followed that so...
KOACHON> Stac: are you a trauma magnet?
STACIASEAMAN> koachon: ??? don't understand the question?
SOBBIE> well starfish need love too
REDORCHID> Stacia: And they lived happily ever after... LOL, yeah I hear you.
FILTER75> ROFL
KOACHON> Do you need trauma in your life to feel alive?
FILTER75> :::Shaking head:::: sobbie, sobbie, sobbie
MICHALSALAT> i was following one ongoing uber with great interest, until....well, you simply do not under any circumstances humiliate your characters, and uber  X was just made to look like a moron, and i haven't been back since
FILTER75> god i am picturing that as a bumper sticker
SOBBIE> lol
MICHALSALAT> starfish need love too    ROFLMAO
STACIASEAMAN> koachon: no, not trauma, or fights,
STACIASEAMAN> just realism
SOBBIE> hey you guys coined the phrase
KOACHON> Cool.
REDORCHID> Michal: Can you whisper the title? ;-)
STACIASEAMAN> michal: which one is that? I think I might know, but?
STACIASEAMAN> does it involve a couch?
FILTER75> no he can't
FILTER75> a couch?
STACIASEAMAN> never mind
FILTER75> digging through memory
KOACHON> Don't they all involve a couch at one point or another?
STACIASEAMAN> well, yes, that's why I retracted the question
STACIASEAMAN> wow, everyone's on a messaging frenzy or something
REDORCHID> How about those stories that are basically copies of Xena epsiodes, hell they even name them after the characters from the show...
FILTER75> those i don't mind since they have a basis
REDORCHID> filter: But I find them sooooo boring...
FILTER75> but i like when they take an ep a step further
REDORCHID> I like rewritten episodes, but they're not ubers.
KOACHON> I like ubers to be, well, more uberish.
MICHALSALAT> there's a turn of phrase
REDORCHID> Koach: Exactly. I don't mind having to guess on my own which character is which.
FILTER75> i think people are trying to figure uber out and got into it because they were lost with the
STACIASEAMAN> I like classic X / G stories that fill in the gaps
FILTER75> downward turn the show took
STACIASEAMAN> and I like some mel and janice stuff
KOACHON> I stopped liking to be spoon fed....well, you get the idea.
REDORCHID> Filter: Yes, and season 5 definitely spawned a lot of uber stories - as well as rewritten episodes of course.
MICHALSALAT> spoon fed - that's the crux of the biscuit koach
STACIASEAMAN> the other ones that bother me are the classic eps that aren't about the show at all, but about the author's private agenda
KOACHON> Be original, as original as you can be when writing an uber. Don't just keep feeding the same old crap.
STACIASEAMAN> some of them work, but others just dont'
MICHALSALAT> i think uber is best when kept very simple
MICHALSALAT> WHAT IF X & G lived here, or in this time?
MICHALSALAT> that's the genesis of Speed
KOACHON> Someone mentioned Heart to Heart earlier. Funny, I was thinking of writing something not tooooo similar to that, but along the lines of mini murder mysteries.
REDORCHID> Koach: I couldn't agree with you more - I think an original idea is alpha omega for plots in general.
STACIASEAMAN> right. it's about the dynamics of the relationship more than the setting
KOACHON> Stac:
KOACHON> oops. stac: Right. If the characters are good, you can place them anywhere.
STACIASEAMAN> I also like that Speed has avoided the Common Uber Names trap
STACIASEAMAN> although Harper is a bit overused now
MICHALSALAT> this could be X & G in their first incarnation or their 200th
STACIASEAMAN> not your fault, though, you were first :-)
FILTER75> to play deveil's advocate i will say that i think poeple want them together asap because on the show most feel they have been dragged through 6 years of them never being together
MICHALSALAT> <AHEM> we harpered first!
STACIASEAMAN> no sh*t! It's worse than the x-files!
FILTER75> you had to go there stac!
STACIASEAMAN> I said you were first. scroll up a bit. see?
STACIASEAMAN> where? I didn't go anywhere. I'm right here.
RACH5> bye all.....I've got to go.  Thanks Michal and Joann.....love your story
KOACHON> I think there's a contest on who can come up with the best character names. It's kinda hard to beat Xena in my book.
STACIASEAMAN> bye rach!
MICHALSALAT> ok i'm multitasking very badly here
FILTER75> bye
STACIASEAMAN> ok, there are only 4 of us...can we be spoiled now?
KOACHON> Where the heck are the controls to make this screen bigger. I'm tired and I can't read that quickly anymore?
REDORCHID> Filter: I think that's a very valid point - teasing is all right - for a while, then it gets tedious.
FILTER75> what are we spoiling about?
STACIASEAMAN> whatever you want.
FILTER75> lol
MICHALSALAT> i dunno, what do they want?
REDORCHID> Stacia: Oh I am. Now I'm not so thrilled about having to miss Season 6 though...
SOBBIE> do they live happily ever after (toghether)
STACIASEAMAN> I'm unspoiled for Xena and X-Files this year, ya gotta help me out
FILTER75> thats too much
MICHALSALAT> they deserve a reward for hanging on into the wee smalls
STACIASEAMAN> spoil me for SOMEthing
FILTER75> michal shut up
FILTER75> lol
REDORCHID> LOL!
MICHALSALAT> yes dear
KOACHON> No michal, keep talking.
REDORCHID> And how long have you to been married did you say?
FILTER75> just think of the drama and anticipation they will be missing
STACIASEAMAN> do we find out what happened to, what's his name, Gus?
FILTER75> i feel like good cop/.bad cop
STACIASEAMAN> ooooh, where are the handcuffs?
MICHALSALAT> guess who's the good cop?
REDORCHID> But the keyword IS cop? LOL
FILTER75> i keep ther cuffs
FILTER75> the
STACIASEAMAN> ::holds hands out::
REDORCHID> LOL
SOBBIE> as in COP a feel?
MICHALSALAT> you'll find out what happens to pretty much everybody
FILTER75> okay like i said....if someone asks something that is interesting but not an all out spoiler we will answer
STACIASEAMAN> promise us one thing:
FILTER75> yes?
STACIASEAMAN> if you decide, for whatever reason, not to finish this,
FILTER75> and sobbie needs to cut it out of the transcript
MICHALSALAT> oh now they're getting demanding
SOBBIE> dont even go there
MICHALSALAT> ;-)
STACIASEAMAN> SEND ME THE OUTLINE DAMMIT! DO NOT LEAVE ME HANGING!
KOACHON> Me too.
FILTER75> stac, do you really think we won't finish it?
STACIASEAMAN> I've been hoping not!
STACIASEAMAN> that you wouldn't give up, I mean
FILTER75> you want it to go on an on
FILTER75> oh
MICHALSALAT> i just had a pretty good physical.  barring a total breakdown i should be good for the duration
REDORCHID> The thought never crossed my mind. I do know people almost thought that after the long break though ;-)
FILTER75> and what would the fun be if you knew the ending?
STACIASEAMAN> things change, you know, people get too busy to finish their stories
FILTER75> oye the break
REDORCHID> I don't wanna know the ending...
STACIASEAMAN> and I'd hate to see this one just fade into oblivion
KOACHON> The ending will come in due time.
REDORCHID> ::hiding eyes frantically::
STACIASEAMAN> that's what I meant
FILTER75> it will be finished i promise
STACIASEAMAN> phew!
MICHALSALAT> yes koach, at the end
FILTER75> i never would have started and not finished
STACIASEAMAN> double phew!
FILTER75> i couldn't
FILTER75> you see, we really want to read the end too
KOACHON> Good. I feel better now.
STACIASEAMAN> do we ever get to hear about Harper's first time?
FILTER75> then i will clock michal over the head with the whole damn thing
FILTER75> yes stac
STACIASEAMAN> lol joann!
MICHALSALAT> though i sometimes feel like dick cheney when dealing with jo  <g>
REDORCHID> LOL
FILTER75> with a woman?
MICHALSALAT> clutching my chest.....
FILTER75> you're saying i'm George W?
STACIASEAMAN> has Harper ever been with a man? I didn't think she had.
KOACHON> Won't that cause a concussion?
STACIASEAMAN> oh, joann, don't go there. The bush jokes are just too tempting!
FILTER75> yeah she has
STACIASEAMAN> she has?
REDORCHID> Newsflash, Harper lost her virginity.. twise! BWAAAHH!
MICHALSALAT> yeah back in her college days
FILTER75> LOL
FILTER75> no in savannah
STACIASEAMAN> Never saw that coming.
FILTER75> michal wake up!
FILTER75> when she was young...some of us have
REDORCHID> Oooh, you have to write something about that...
FILTER75> we will
FILTER75> some day
MICHALSALAT> oh lord
STACIASEAMAN> is that why she was so cagey when Adrian asked her?
REDORCHID> LOL
FILTER75> Michal its in the outline
MICHALSALAT> Harper & Adrian: The Early Years
FILTER75> no she was cagey cause A was with her
STACIASEAMAN> ah
FILTER75> she was playing...being very bag like with the lots of Qs
FILTER75> gab
STACIASEAMAN> I'm still trying to imagine losing one's virginity freshman or sophomore year in high school....
MICHALSALAT> oh no not that early  ugh
SOBBIE> that would have been nice stac
STACIASEAMAN> Adrian did
FILTER75> earlier? later?
STACIASEAMAN> later, much later
SOBBIE> it's possible to do it much earlier
STACIASEAMAN> I started high school when I was 13 and can't imagine it
MICHALSALAT> a bit later
FILTER75> followed quickly by a girl
FILTER75> lol
MICHALSALAT> no in fact this whole matter of increasingly young onsets of puberty has been on my mind while writing this
REDORCHID> (and in a few secs we're all talking about how and when we lost it, LOL)
FILTER75> LOL
STACIASEAMAN> red: you definitely don't want to go there...
FILTER75> he's european!
STACIASEAMAN> michal: scary, isn't it?
REDORCHID> Stacia: Is this the part where I don't say: Try me?
FILTER75> lol
MICHALSALAT> i can't imagine baing a parent right now.  i have enormous sympathy and concern for theresa
STACIASEAMAN> you go first, red
FILTER75> yeah red
STACIASEAMAN> She's a good ma, though
STACIASEAMAN> she's growing up with Marina, really
REDORCHID> Filter: Okay, what's that got to do with anything? ;-)
SOBBIE> um how do you get increasingly young for puberty...... some of us are not kids anymore
FILTER75> you're all much freer than us here
MICHALSALAT> she is but she's worried half to death when her classmates are hitting puberty at 9 and 10
STACIASEAMAN> sobbie: 7 and 8 year olds are showing secondary sex characteristics
STACIASEAMAN> really scary stuff
REDORCHID> Filter: oh, right I forgot.. sorta ;-) That doesn't mean we hump around at the age of 14 though ;-)
MICHALSALAT> it's largely due to additives in meat & dairy products
FILTER75> it does in italy
SOBBIE> i know that but that is not a new issue
STACIASEAMAN> have A and H stopped playing with toys?
FILTER75> no
STACIASEAMAN> We just don't see it, then?
FILTER75> that's coming up too
STACIASEAMAN> woo hoo!
SOBBIE> I will be 39 this month
REDORCHID> Filter: hahah, nice wording there ;-)
FILTER75> there has been no sex and its not been needed, but it will be back
FILTER75> :-)
STACIASEAMAN> Chapter 122: Comes With Toys
REDORCHID> filter: Ooooh yes, it's been needed! I've missed it much.
FILTER75> lol
REDORCHID> And my FF reading partner have missed it too BTW ;-)
FILTER75> there are 2 interesting situations coming up
KOACHON> Do tell.
REDORCHID> Now you got our full attention ;-)
MICHALSALAT> sitting back curious as to what jo's dishing out
FILTER75> what all would you peps like to see?
STACIASEAMAN> before Michal finds the NO! keys
REDORCHID> (Is is Christmas yet??!)
FILTER75> well these spoilers are not crucial
STACIASEAMAN> (close enough)
REDORCHID> Stacia: Yup, it's December!
FILTER75> :::stomping foot waiting::::
KOACHON> why are you stomping?
MICHALSALAT> hannuka's closer - give out 8 interesting situations!
STACIASEAMAN> for us to shut up, or for us to ask?
FILTER75> lol
FILTER75> to ask
FILTER75> tell
FILTER75> i asked
STACIASEAMAN> WHAT THE HELL ARE THE INTERESTING SITUATIONS?
REDORCHID> Filter: damn, this is like a kid in a candy store! Are you asking for our favorite fantasies her or did it just sound like it?? ;-)
STACIASEAMAN> You
STACIASEAMAN> Are
STACIASEAMAN> A
STACIASEAMAN> Tease
FILTER75> no i am asking just that..what do you want to see
REDORCHID> Well, I really liked the one in the kitchen and in the chappel.. For apparent reason now that we seem to know each other, ehem..
FILTER75> all will be considered..and you might gues whats in there too
FILTER75> oh yeah red
FILTER75> and think about it with crisco enhanced
REDORCHID> ROTFLMAO!
STACIASEAMAN> oh my dear lord
STACIASEAMAN> and I'm supposed to SLEEP after this?
REDORCHID> You're bad Joann!
FILTER75> i've been told
FILTER75> no ideas?
REDORCHID> Hmmm, okay how about Harper taking Adrian with a toy? Have we seen that yet?
MICHALSALAT> i'm staying out of this, i have no idea what she's up to
STACIASEAMAN> so someone's going on a trip?
MICHALSALAT> must be her 4th espresso
REDORCHID> (boy that sounded clinical, didn't it? LOL)
REDORCHID> Or would that be totally out of character?
FILTER75> eventually that dynamic might come into play, red, not sure if we will show it
STACIASEAMAN> Harness + Adrian = Tasty
SOBBIE> why not?
STACIASEAMAN> ok, so presumably Harper's at least considering the NYU offer
REDORCHID> Stacia: yup!
FILTER75> yes stac
MICHALSALAT> yes stacia that's a fair bet
STACIASEAMAN> And Adrian's more concerned than I'd thought about her past catching up with her,
STACIASEAMAN> given that she's got that whole alternate persona
FILTER75> explain stac
STACIASEAMAN> I didn't realize she had a whole second legal identity
STACIASEAMAN> Never occurred to me
FILTER75> right
STACIASEAMAN> She's opening up more to Harper to have told her that
REDORCHID> Stacia: yes that was a surprise.
FILTER75> yes
STACIASEAMAN> and to have let her see all that went on at the jail that one night
FILTER75> go on
MICHALSALAT> it's also partly about her wanting to keep her family at a safe distance if anything happens
STACIASEAMAN> Harper is, as Scully would say, unfolding like a flower
STACIASEAMAN> I'm also interested in that
MICHALSALAT> awww
STACIASEAMAN> and how she'll react when she finds out that Harper's been hanging with Theresa
FILTER75> :::rolling eyes:::
FILTER75> okay
STACIASEAMAN> I've been wondering if her distance from her family is solely her trying to protect them,
STACIASEAMAN> or if they bring back too many memories,
REDORCHID> Stacia: Yes, would she feel betrayed, and if so how would the reaction be..
STACIASEAMAN> or if she just feels too guilty about something she did when she left...?
FILTER75> is this a statement or a Q?
STACIASEAMAN> bit of both
REDORCHID> Stacia: That's why I think Mariana is her kid, she left her with Teresa to protect her from herself and her influence.
STACIASEAMAN> it doesn't seem like she's angry or hateful, she just needs to keep that distance
REDORCHID> Stacia: In order to protect them.
MICHALSALAT> nope red, think about the timeline
STACIASEAMAN> and who had the breakdown, Adrian or Theresa? or her mom?
STACIASEAMAN> Wasn't marina born after Adrian left?
MICHALSALAT> A left home 15 years ago, M is 10
MICHALSALAT> breakdown stac?
FILTER75> stac you're onto a lot, so you're spoiling yourself....and you can beta for us anytime..LOL
STACIASEAMAN> Woo Hoo!
MICHALSALAT> really!
FILTER75> but its not all that neat
REDORCHID> Michal: Hmmmm, I always thought Mariana was born after she came home, apparently not, dang...
STACIASEAMAN> Although other bards have told me that I'm overthinking and ruining it for myself
STACIASEAMAN> Adrian just seemed so upset at Harper's comment about going crazy
FILTER75> other bards have told you you are overthinking this story?
STACIASEAMAN> no, other stories I've beta read
STACIASEAMAN> I tend to ask questions about the future to make sure they're going to address what I think are loose ends
MICHALSALAT> you're just being an observant reader
MICHALSALAT> the difference is that all the answers aren't already printed in the book in your hand
FILTER75> well thats a great editor and they should be thankful for your eyes
STACIASEAMAN> and, michal, sometimes I don't want to see those answers
STACIASEAMAN> sometimes I like to come up with my own answers
STACIASEAMAN> makes the characters more real to the reader
MICHALSALAT> oh yeah you really sound like you don't want them!  ;-)
FILTER75> what most writers (not michal) do not realize is you need to plan..you can't backtrack
REDORCHID> LOL
FILTER75> you can make up as you go along, but it shows
STACIASEAMAN> Yeah, Michal, didn't you read Misery?
MICHALSALAT> it's been a while but yeah  lol
STACIASEAMAN> ::runs and hides behind her dog::
FILTER75> we should have called this Misery
MICHALSALAT> oh stop!
FILTER75> or the slow beat of my heart
STACIASEAMAN> but, seriously, I was wondering if maybe Adrian really, really lost it after Madame H died
STACIASEAMAN> maybe not clinically, but bigtime shell shock, if nothing else
FILTER75> in what sense?
FILTER75> well we know she was not happy, lost when she came home to pitt
MICHALSALAT> it was a major turning point for her
STACIASEAMAN> was in such tremendous pain that she didn't
STACIASEAMAN>  think she'd ever come out of it
REDORCHID> Michal: Certainly sounds like it affected her much.
STACIASEAMAN> she just seems like too much of a survivor for that
FILTER75> still hasn't
MICHALSALAT> there are different kinds of surviving
STACIASEAMAN> shut down and go on, you know?
FILTER75> get out of my head!
MICHALSALAT> :-)
REDORCHID> Filter: That's my impression too - she needs a shrink!
FILTER75> its called existing
REDORCHID> Or Harper...
MICHALSALAT> well yeah
REDORCHID> Can Harper help her with all that I wonder...
FILTER75> there will be no shrinks or hospital scenes in this story that remains to be seen red
STACIASEAMAN> I don't know that Harper can help her deal with her shit,
STACIASEAMAN> but she can convince her that it's worth trying to deal with it
MICHALSALAT> i was clamoring for X & G to see a couples counselor two years ago!
MICHALSALAT> adrian is very much third and 4th season xena imo
STACIASEAMAN> is Bobbi gonna go after Adrian at all?
FILTER75> you have not mentioned Bobbie in the exposition of your theory, stac
STACIASEAMAN> Damn, them's some big words, joann
FILTER75> its late
STACIASEAMAN> ah
FILTER75> michal never understands me (at all) at this hour
STACIASEAMAN> there had to be a reason for that scene with Bobbi scopin' the streets,
STACIASEAMAN> and I've been trying to figure out where that will go
FILTER75> B has been in many scenes
REDORCHID> Michal: I thought as much, but it still made me think of that experience ;-)
STACIASEAMAN> yes, but in the past B's scenes have been centered on Adrian's reaction to her
STACIASEAMAN> this was the first one without Adrian
STACIASEAMAN> right?
MICHALSALAT> yes stac
MICHALSALAT> oh yes stac thanks
STACIASEAMAN> so I thought this was a prelude to more B involvement in the storyline
STACIASEAMAN> ok, so more B
STACIASEAMAN> More angst for A
FILTER75> so is B a good villain?
FILTER75> you want more Bobbie?
STACIASEAMAN> I like Bobbie
FILTER75> okay
STACIASEAMAN> I like what she brings out in Adrian
FILTER75> oh yeah
MICHALSALAT> oooooh
FILTER75> good evil stacie
STACIASEAMAN> and I like that she reminds me of what Adrian was, and what she is now
MICHALSALAT> like in the parking lot at the black rose?
STACIASEAMAN> oh, man, that was intense
MICHALSALAT> :-)
FILTER75> :::happy dance::::
MICHALSALAT> yay
REDORCHID> Speaking of which, anymore fantasies for Speed?
STACIASEAMAN> all right then
MICHALSALAT> believe me you will
STACIASEAMAN> I'm intrigued by Lorraine coming back
FILTER75> no i said there are 2 really good ones...i want more from you guys
STACIASEAMAN> and what that means...
MICHALSALAT> votes for a cameo appearance by Mr Rogers?  yes or no?  it's perfectly plausible.
STACIASEAMAN> she's not gonna make trouble for harper at pitt, is she?
REDORCHID> Situations, positions, the works? ;-)
STACIASEAMAN> I also love it when Harper gets her southern up!
FILTER75> damn...she jumps around
MICHALSALAT> like a bean
FILTER75> yeah she needs to do more of that
KOACHON> Well, what do you expect when you're so hard to pin down.
FILTER75> lorraine will be a pill somehow
STACIASEAMAN> well, that goes without saying
MICHALSALAT> just wait til she gets with cushing and can double team whoever bugs her
REDORCHID> Interesting...
STACIASEAMAN> lorraine and cushing? Oh, I get it now.
REDORCHID> I never thought much about Lorraine.
MICHALSALAT> no, harper and cushing
FILTER75> no Cushing and Harper
STACIASEAMAN> she seems like a petty, vindictive person, Lorraine does
STACIASEAMAN> and I can see her going behind Harper's back about something or other,
FILTER75> isnt Cushing from Stac's country?
STACIASEAMAN> either at Pitt or NYU if she hears about that
STACIASEAMAN> yeah, Cush is one of us
MICHALSALAT> not quite, she's from roanoke
STACIASEAMAN> I've spent a lot of time in Roanoke
FILTER75> send the details to Michal
STACIASEAMAN> had homemade mac & cheese out of guvmint cheese in a double-wide, no less
FILTER75> ;-)
MICHALSALAT> which i just love to say, by the way.  roanoke.  it's a marvelous word
FILTER75> god save that last line michal
STACIASEAMAN> what else...
STACIASEAMAN> do we ever get to see erica strip at honey pie's?
FILTER75> you don't forget any detials do you stac?
MICHALSALAT> we might see her strip someplace
MICHALSALAT> if we have room
FILTER75> in tims bed?
STACIASEAMAN> how do you write stripping though? This is why I ask
FILTER75> we have no room!
STACIASEAMAN> that works, joann
REDORCHID> Joann, oh come now, I'm sure you squeeze it in somewhere ;-)
MICHALSALAT> that's the sort of thing that's fun to write solely through other people's reaction
REDORCHID> sorry, I meant you COULD squueze it in,, eeh.
STACIASEAMAN> lol red!
FILTER75> sorry i went away for a sec
REDORCHID> Sometimes I really shouldn't be talking/writing, LOL
STACIASEAMAN> would adrian ever consider leaving pitt?
FILTER75> yeah i squeeze things in many places
STACIASEAMAN> if, say, someone she cared about moved away?
REDORCHID> filter: That never occured to me.
FILTER75> i don't think its somthing that would not corss her mind, but right now, na
STACIASEAMAN> good.
REDORCHID> Stac: Oooooh, interesting question!
STACIASEAMAN> that house is too nice to leave
FILTER75> lol
MICHALSALAT> it would take a lot of incentive.
MICHALSALAT> exactly stacia
FILTER75> which she mmight have eventually
MICHALSALAT> right
FILTER75> but the house is her sanctuary
STACIASEAMAN> so, the question is,
STACIASEAMAN> would that incentive be positive,
MICHALSALAT> BTW the house is real
STACIASEAMAN> meaning she wanted to be with someone,
STACIASEAMAN> negative, meaning she had to get away,
FILTER75> maybe, if the situation were presented to her
STACIASEAMAN> or indifferent, meaning a debt was called in and she had to go back somewhere to repay it?
STACIASEAMAN> where's the house, michal?
FILTER75> or if she were being chased...although i do not see her running from thos problems
MICHALSALAT> she's so sneaky jo!  now you're gettign specific again stacia
FILTER75> not really
STACIASEAMAN> I'm not so much asking you as thinking through the possibilities here!
FILTER75> and as Adrian said, I;m not saying that much
REDORCHID> LOL
MICHALSALAT> stacia the house is right where it is in the story, pretty much.  belongs to some people i knew.  it's not fancy, very earthy, but perfectly suited to A and her needs
FILTER75> the questions might be, does she ever have a chance to even contemplate that decision
STACIASEAMAN> and if she left at an inopportune moment, would that sway Harper's decision about NYU, becuase lord knows Adrian isn't going to explain to her why she's leaving
FILTER75> stac we are not going on a road trip
STACIASEAMAN> oh, I'm very happy now
MICHALSALAT> well some people are, but it's different <g>
FILTER75> why? LOL
STACIASEAMAN> the house sounds great
STACIASEAMAN> I love stone houses
FILTER75> you don't like road movies?
MICHALSALAT> the stairs are very complicated
STACIASEAMAN> no, it's just that with your level of detail, a road trip would take years to write
FILTER75> ha!
MICHALSALAT> :-)
STACIASEAMAN> those stairs freak me out
FILTER75> the place where my company had the x-mas party had a spiral staircase to get to the bathrooms
MICHALSALAT> oy vey, i have to set myself a 4:15 limit here and start saying goodnight
STACIASEAMAN> good idea, I'm sleepy!
FILTER75> now Michal imagine me in the state i was trying to get down them
REDORCHID> Joann: Sounds like quite the challenge...
MICHALSALAT> i was
FILTER75> i could see them annoying H at some moments
STACIASEAMAN> and my dog is sitting by the door with her little legs crossed
FILTER75> awww
MICHALSALAT> LOL
REDORCHID> LOL
MICHALSALAT> i know that look
STACIASEAMAN> thank you both for talking to us
KOACHON> The dog's not the only one with crossed legs.
FILTER75> you're going out there now stac?
STACIASEAMAN> yup, gotta take her out
SOBBIE> singing "tiny bladders......."
FILTER75> lol
MICHALSALAT> am i the only one who's gone to pee in 5 hours?
FILTER75> LOL
KOACHON> Hey, it's been 9 hours, hon.
STACIASEAMAN> negative, michal
REDORCHID> Nope, I was sneaking out..
MICHALSALAT> good
FILTER75> so stac anymore Qs?
SOBBIE> thank you Joann and Michal for coming and talking with us
STACIASEAMAN> joan, tons
STACIASEAMAN> joann, rather
REDORCHID> Yes, it's been a pleasure!
MICHALSALAT> sobbie, thank you so much for your patience!
STACIASEAMAN> but not tonight!
FILTER75> lol...please do e-mail me so that we can talk editing
REDORCHID> And very enlightning too :-)
STACIASEAMAN> it was nice "meeting" everyoe
KOACHON> Thank you both so very much, very good time spent.
REDORCHID> Stacia: I'll second that :-)
MICHALSALAT> this was a blast, really
FILTER75> thanks all for the support and company
SOBBIE> we do this about once a month so please feel free to join us again
SOBBIE> just watch the uber abode to know when cause it changes every month
FILTER75> ciao alll!!!!!
MICHALSALAT> bye
FILTER75> pooooooof alll!!!!
FILTER75> - signed off -
MICHALSALAT> - signed off -