Amalasthuna
Terron Volmash had been a paranoid man.
His tunnels ran endlessly beneath the fallen city of Thallos. It seemed to me that a thousand thoughtless days and dreamless nights passed while we trudged those dim corridors, my strange family and I.
I was given fixers and water, medicinal wafers and an emergency ampule of wine. Glory worked in the dark beside me, milling about in a Fellcorp Mercy first-aid pouch. "So this fornicated bird is the faecal thing?" she asked.
"Yeah."
"Thought it'd be bigger...you know -- badder."
"Common mistake," I assured her. "It seems, however, that this Volmash character had quite a thing for birds."
Dear readers,
It's finally happened: the free version of this science-fiction novel has been taken offline in order to make room for the hard-cover printed edition from Ephemera Bound Publishing, on sale in stores and online beginning Valentine's Day, 2008.
I regret any disappointment. I kept the free version available as long as I could. Pleasure be sure to check out the new edition! See Cheeseburger Brown.com for more information and updates.
Love,
Cheeseburger Brown
P.S. You can read more of my free fiction via my weblog or in the complete story achives.
posted by Simon of Space at 10:35
58 Comments:
Another brilliant chapter, CBB. I can't help but sense that the story is winding down, however, and just like with The Darth Side, I think my heart will break just a little...
Wow. I am constantly amazed at your vision.
Word Veri: gqbbzre
Fourth comment! And dang, I was pretty close to the truth :)
word verification: niotf
reminds me of the "boy band" episode of the Simpsons: "yvan eht nioj..."
Sorry, double post (why isn't anyone else commenting yet?).
I just noticed that the Google ads, which do a wonderful job of matching the content in any given episode, are now advertising "Free Rectal Bleeding Info".
The narrative in this chapter is great. I wish it didn't have to end.
Cheeseburger Brown,
I definitely like the pace of these episodes that follow great revelations. It slows down and returns to character. It is the pace of the early episodes.
Little criticism is warranted, but as you have requested it: with few exceptions, each revelation is carried out by a series of monologues and or very quick moving conversations. You have suggested this yourself when Blighton refers to his quick explanation for all his plans. You are artful in many ways, including working a great deal of philosophy and multi-level thematic elements into your writing. You are consistently strong in establishing both a physical and emotional setting, character development and telling a story both through dialogue, exposition and action. But it seems many of your revelations are accomplished by having two or more characters have a very fast paced conversation, at times when chaos around them conveniently stops. A good example just occurred when Blighton’s and Olorio’s secrets are exposed and then they are summarily dealt with in one very tidy scene. Its all very convenient and seems rushed. You can see reflections of this in the comments that have been made recently by posters missing the ‘diary days.’ The transitions just seem rough, and often as a result the character development – aside from Jeremiah and Simon who are now central in each scene – takes a back seat and sometimes seems like story holes. This is an amazing story and you are writing it in a very unusual and faced paced manner. I just wonder, given the time, if you wouldn’t alter the pacing of the turns.
Ok, all nitpicking aside, this continues to be tops on my list of things to each day. I will be one of those who beg you to write again. I’ll comment in a later post about the details of our current episode.
Critically yours,
DoD
veri word fun: ihlpt
what your toddler says when asked what she did after spilling milk and Grandmothers, “I helpt”
side note – lets get a little secret mathematic together to help the folks on the US Gulf Coast
Should have added this to the last chapter, but the comments were pretty much wrapping up -
One thing about the description of the Fellcorp Mercy uniforms- an open red hand on white- I'm not a trekkie or anything, but good movies are good movies- the best among ST is Wrath of Khan - After Khan's first strike on the enterprise, Kirk was in the the sick bay with the young and mortally wounded engineer, who clutched at Kirk's open jacket and left his bloody handprint on the white inner fabric. It's a pretty effective symbol of mercy -to be with someone while they shed their last blood, and not be revulsed by it when they cling to you.
If not movie, per say, I would love to see this in CG. But then, Episode 3 was so CG, the special effects were the live action shots.
Another excellent chapter. -Rob
I love it. "It has been a long day." so we never really did get away from the diary idea, it was just...the longest day? sorry.
criticism: DoD is right, it is a bit rushed, but honestly, i love it that way. it's a bit soap-opera-ish, and simon's sense of humor in the face of almost certain death (i.e. "You're Grounded") lends to it perfectly.
best feature of SoScrack: it's a tie. the amazing detail on the one hand. you have a way with words that i can only pray my own stories are blessed with that lends a perfect visual picture to anyone who can get through the amazing vocabulary employed flawlessly. on the other hand, the philosophical musings of Jeremiah and Simon primarily, interjected with the ideologies of the various supporting characters/nemeses, is nothing short of amazing. i myself like to philosophize on all manner of topics myself and i find SoScrack to be a welcome addition to my thoughts, feeding not only my sense of adventure and drama, but also my mind's eye and my soul. continue please! and by the way, do we see something wicked at all ever? not even in this story, but are you going to write a sequel? a simply yes or no will suffice.
much admiration,
TRH
WordVeri: oocetms. what you say when a hot chick walks into the room: "Ooo, see 'at miss?"
A brilliant chapter that only felt a bit rushed when they landed at Callicrates. It just felt like they were passing reality at a whim there.
Still, full of drama and unexpected surprises. Thank you for it.
the Trek reference seems a little tenuous(sp?) The first thing I though of was the red hand of ulster (irsh thing not sure of its significance I'll loo it up though and get back to you)
Other than that great episode. Nearly time for the deadwood version.
Word Veri: vlaca, n. someone who vlacs
Well, another girl he's going to have to boink *LOL*
Ok, a few typos:
"Isn't the Navy in our side?"
Should be ON our side
The human executive power structure in entrenched."
Should be IS entrenched
I thought we lost her the ship exploded."
Seems like it should be "When the ship..."
And finally, I believe Simon IS Terron Volmash:
"You have done just that," said Jeremiah. "For if Terron Volmash can be redeemed, anything is possible."
"You are probably the only person in the universe who has elected for his own existence."
All in all, a good chapter CBB..
Word Blurb: csyiia
Brilliant is the word...
After all that intense action and revelation, this episode takes us right back to the graceful beauty of the chapters that we fell in love with at the beginning of this story.
Bravo... and a midweek post... what a treat. Thank You CBB.
Tech Details so far:
301 Pages (12 point MS Word, expanded margins)
76 Paragraphs
14,613 Lines
130,421 Words
602,694 Characters
WordBlurb: amwfxf (I want a new one, this one stinks!)
Dear DoD,
I set out on this exercise in part to see whether I could write through thick and thin, according to a schedule rather according to artistic temperment.
During the experience I have probably never had a rougher time with an episode than I did with "The Clouds." I pounded it out at an average of a thousand words per hour, without any kind of mental previz whatsoever.
As I have mentioned, my life is thick right now. I have been afforded none of the time for contemplation I had won for myself near the beginning of this adventure. I now find myself more often than not pecking out a passage or two while between frenzied telephone calls about production problems, or while waiting for a sequence of animation to render, or while babysitting a two-and-a-half-year-old whose current fad of delight is wall-to-wall contrariness.
My wife is pregnant again. I'm trying to pick up the housework where her exhaustion leaves off, but I'm a draftee not a career man for so my efforts sometimes leave something to be desired. And the dishwasher keeps leaving spots on the dishes, no matter how much fluorescent blue crap I pour into the little "no more spots" well. What's up with that?
There has been peripheral family strife. My father-in-law is a rageaholic with the victim of a brain injury. He's been a nuissance of late. We've also played host to various temporarily alienated (or self-aliented) kin, while things on their own homefronts cooled down.
So...I wanted to know if I could spit out a story under pressure. Well, I got my pressure.
(*That* part of the plan worked out just fine.)
At any rate, I'm not listing these...distractions...in order to gain sympathy for poor writing. I appreciate and absolutely require the criticisms. Don't stop.
About a weak episode like "The Clouds" I find myself thinking, "Man, if only you could, you know, think this shit out ahead of time -- wow. It would rock." And then I think, "Imagine if one could go back later, after thinking on it, and actually change shit. That'd be so cool!"
And then I realize: oh yeah. That's how books are usually written.
I am so-o-o-o-o ready to write a real novel now. It'll be a bloody cakewalk compared to this, in many respects.
Like Blighton, I adore improvisation. It can have a freshness and a spontaneous zing that more meditated output lacks. On the other hand, when my mental resources are overwise overtaxed the result is obvious in the prose.
So I passed Hurdle #1: keep writing when the pressure's on.
Now I keep to work on Hurdle #2: keep writing WELL when the pressure's on.
Thanks for hanging in with me.
Love,
CheeseburgerBrown
CBB - You Rock. Congratulations on the new baby on the way!!
I don't know how you do it. I know how busy it can be. My new baby is here, and My daughter just turned two... (yeah, I read your story on that)... and I said "OH TOTALY- so TRUE".. "wall-to-wall contrariness" EXACTLY.
... and the dishwasher thing... I feel your pain. Stupid dishes, we're switching to paper and plastic. ;)
Thanks for the fun!!
Once SOS is over, I'll be waiting very impatiently for you next work.
- Devoted Fan
Jeff S.
I think you should name the new baby *Pish. :)
CBB, this was a wonderful chapter in a fabulouse story. You've done remarkably well, and trying to cram everything that you did into The Clouds was a Herculean effort. Keep up the great work!
Nice to see some of Simon's memory coming back. I just hope he doesn't have one of those "Oh Shiite" moments on Callicrates when he realizes he shouldn't have gone there in the first place.
CBB:
I have to say that in all the hundreds of books that I have read i have never been in tuned with the sifi narration. sticking more with romance or horror.
But, by far this has to be the most enjoyable peice of work that I have read in a long time.
But what I am getting at is that I have this weird feeling that the end is near and I have this uncanny ability to slow my reading down so the ending doesn't come so quick. SO, if you need more time for the next chapter you have my thumbs up to do so.
I don't want this story to end. Take your time. All great things are not made in a day.
sanna
Jeremiah stopped and faced me. "You will go, because it is your burden to bear."
"And you?"
The night darkened around us. "I will go so that you do not have to go alone."
"You have my axe!" said Gimli.
"And my bow!" ...
pshaw.... if you have enough time to make babies, you have time to write! *LOL*
If you think having a baby in the house is fun, you REALLY should read "Irony Central, The Story About the Baby" here:
http://www.ironycentral.com/babymain.html
This guy also writes well, and it's HILARIOUS!
Follow it up with the story of the toddler, if you can still brathe from laughing too hard!
One last question, other than bugging you for a new post, is there ANYTHING any of us can do to help?
Peace
WordBlurb: zvyoe(again, a loser)
"...if this is the will of the Council, then Gondor will see it done."
Again, great work CBB. I'm glad you are able to do this even with life carrying on as it is. I appreciate your efforts.
And don't think my criticism is in any way angry. I like your work and see feedback as a way to improve it, as you yourself have said.
I think "The Clouds" wound up the way it did because it was such an important point in the story and you are under such pressure. You might want to keep this in perspective when you hit another big spot in the story...do you actually have the time to sit and think and write about it the way you want...
I'm also glad I can point things out for you to wrap up. The story is getting so long now that I'm having trouble remember all the lose ends...but as I remember/find them, I will post for you...
Cheers and have a beer (or two) this weekend to chill.
Word of the Day: lbwpxy
Light weight Pixy?
CBB,
You are obviously a full pound burger because your plate is so full - bad bad pun, but I couldn't resist. And since you don’t want our sympathy, will you at least accept our empathy?
Congratulations on the impending bundle, plastic seems to spot less than glass/stoneware, and I have found no solution for relatives short of intoxication or the witness protection program.
In this reader’s opinion you haven’t just passed hurdle #1, you have set a new Olympic Record. Before attempting to set the World Mark we may need to test you for performance enhancing drugs. And not just the kind favored by Kerouac.
You are indeed “so-o-o-o ready for a traditional novel” (I like ‘traditional’ instead of your choice of ‘real’ cause baby, this is more real than most of the tripe people are getting paid to put on dead trees) and will likely pound it out in record and award winning form. I see it published like LOTR in three simultaneous sections perceived as a trilogy instead of like Robert Jordan who no longer has a clue when or how the damned thing will end.
And if in an antiquated form you ever chose to retell Simon’s adventures, tell us the story of Zoran and the destruction of Sol, use the travels of the first strain as a back drop for a series, or the countless other story lines SoS has hinted at, fine by us. We’re buying.
But me thinks such a creative mind has much more in store. One good thing to come from the closing stages of Simon’s adventure is the anticipation of your next saga.
And I still wonder if the philosophies and societal views/criticisms in Simon’s tale are the views of the author, or simply plot devices.
Hap Hap Happily yours,
DoD
Veri word fun: ajollmo
a-hol’-mo: A Castilian idiom meaning ‘high water pants’
And one other question Cheeseburger Brown: when you are down after a long day, after a client has told you instead of the metaphor that artfully ties a car to the human pursuit of truth they want more T&A, do you come to this board and feel the love?
No Need to answer - ever - you my friend are too busy.
veri word fun: lxjskta
overheard in answer to the question of how to get to the center of a tootsie pop, just prior to the speaker breaking down and biting in "Licks ... just gotta .."
ADAMA: I forgive you.
ROSLIN: Thank you. But I didn't ask for your forgiveness.
ADAMA: Well, you have it anyway.
CBB, you don't ask for our sympathy over the chaos you're pushing through. But in my case, at least, you have it anyway. And despite all that, you still manage to produce a masterwork! Applause, Maestro!!
Veri word fun: dqmpb. Not much you can do with that, other than noting that the second half is an exact mirror of the first.
Hi CBB,
I think it's great that you're writing this story in a serial form. It really adds a nice element to the tale. Since you're feeling rushed and ready for a "traditional" novel, maybe you should consider editing SOS a bit before you publish it in dead-tree format. I think a lot of people here would be interested in seeing how you would clean it up after improvising the first version.
Once again, great work. Keep it up!
-- Don
Jeremiah said that Simon had the fixers within him to fix him up.
How do the fixers leave the body??
word ver: wfrck
my meaning= WHAT THE FRICK!!(in nicer words)
I say that in saying I WILL buy SOS in dead tree format if ever avaliable. Either the improvised blog version or perferably a revised, re-edited, special edition with new parts not realized because of time and distractions.
I've written some short stories but never all at once! I have great respect for such a 'maestro' able to do such unbelieveable fiction on the fly [distractions or not].
I believe that Jeremiah believes that Simon is Terron but whether or not that is true remains to be seen.
word veri: "onijcw"
Oni in japanese is devil - so "juice devil"...
Wow. Great post. I actually got a little choked up when Simon didn't want to leave Pish behind.
To me, creating a universe and populating it with characters readers care about is one of the greatest things a writer can do. More than the battles and the sorcery, that's what I loved about Lord of the Rings.
You may have borrowed certain elements from other works, but that's not what matters. Tolkien did not invent goblins, trolls, or elves, either. It was where he put them, and what they said and did, that made it a great work of art. I dare say that you, too, are creating a great work of art here.
As others have said already, this definitely would make for a great novel if you decide to revise it. How could you not after all you've put into it thus far? I'm pretty sure you've got some editors here who will work cheap.
Phy, your "neuromotor/buttsex syndrome" comment had me laughing out loud up here at work.
word ver: gfsjrrfi
Goofs Jerfy, sidekick to superheroes everywhere
oops, someone posted before me.
word ver: vnmppy
Venom Puppy, enemy to Goofs Jerfy
CBB, congrats on the pending arrival! i hope to raise a flock of my own one day, and holy camoses dude! still writing amidst all this! reminds me of J. K. Rowling, she wrote the first three or four books of the HP series on a schedule, hated it, went to unsceduled work, took her a few years longer, but she loved it, and i thought the books were better anyways after that. characters have started fleshing out, etc., which i would like to see happen again.
if a physical copy does come into existance, i will buy all the ones w/ fancy covers, all that. by the way, do you have further illustrations, like the one of Jeremiah on the TOC? cause, what with the rich detail and amazing views simon keeps coming across, i think a few posters of SoS would sell uber fast...i know that i'd buy every single one. that's where the real money is anyways, in the merchandizing.
by the way, i'm in a new apartment and the walls are bare, so the poster thing, yeah, i seriously would buy like five. of each.
TRH
by the way, i keep seeing familiar names leaving comments, like DoD, and i think Sheik Yerbouti had some comments before too. we should have a convention or something...
wordveri: cjlkeshw. cage lake show. outdoor adult entertainment, in minnesota.
Anonymous asked:
"How do the fixers leave the body??"
Um, I would assume the same way everything else leaves the body.
CBB:
I agree with one of the many anon's in that I will gladly purchase this novel, revised or not. This has been an incredible ride, and to handle it so gracefully amid other challenges in life is a hurculean task.
I have a feeling of impending loss now that we all feel that SoS is coming to an end. I hope that we're all mistaken, and that SoS is only getting started. Keep up the great work!
Signed - Too lazy to register
CBB: We are sooo ready to read it.
I think clouds is has enough events for two entries. Cut off Minotaur just before entering the Doom cannon chamber. Clouds 'A' would run rom there, untill Olorio's revelations, then Clouds 'B' would reveal Blighton, and run through to where Clouds ends now.
Amalasthuna is golden. Although I'm still confused about who Utopia is
----
Faeces! So Glory IS going to raise Pish? At least he'll be well educated!
But what happens to Simon?
And don't we sti have at least one more planet to go?
Dude. :)
Please DO publish this? Please?
I will buy several copies... one for me, one for each of my friends and family!
I can't believe the quality you have maintained while under all of this time pressure! And while crap is going on, family-wise!
If I ever am able to write half as well as you do, I will be VERY pleased with myself. :)
Wow, this is so much fun. It's always a "yes!!" moment when I see that a new episode is up.
CBB, I know you've done this as a writing excercise, but please do consider revising it for actual publication. The story is simply too good to leave as a rough draft. I don't think it will take a whole lot, but you've indicated that you think some tweaking is needed. So, do it. So many books are just formulaic crap any more. Modern literature needs you, and sci-fi is no longer the exclusive domain of misfits and nerds.
Regardless of your reasons for writing this, it's a damn fine story. Perhaps you can re-write it story-wise and turn it into a screenplay at the same time. Because Hollywood also needs you desperately; they've been out of ideas for years.
And the universe you've created has a lot more storytelling potential to it. I still think the SciFi Channel could get interested in this story, and others set in the same milieu.
Word verification: fxhlel. Well, not too much to do with that one. Maybe it's a mid-Eastern dish popular in the Matrix?
I set out on this exercise in part to see whether I could write through thick and thin, according to a schedule rather according to artistic temperment.
Well, that's what's called "professionalism" and it's clear that you have it.
During the experience I have probably never had a rougher time with an episode than I did with "The Clouds."
Well, I liked it just fine, even the Aristophanes references. A blast from the past. :-)
My wife is pregnant again.
Writing is important, but I'm glad you've had time for a little fun. :-)
. png
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
I still want to know if Glory did the wild and nasty with Oliver!
I have a feeling there's at least 3 or 4 more episodes coming..
And if I didn't say it before, I'd buy a dead tree version for sure.
Congrats again CBB on the impending fatherhood again.. and keep up the great work (pun intended)
Word blurble: wgdgq
weal good doggy (spoken like Elmer Fudd)
Hey...
what about Duncan Menteith? where's he at? i've been rereading the first few chapters (gotta pass the time somehow until the next one comes out) and i dunno if you've been going back and editing, CBB, but yeah, there's some real foreshadowing going on in the beginning.
examples: halfway through chap. 7 (Statue Garden at Duncans Bliss) it is revealed that Jeremiah is the property of TV. this was mentioned before. in the same chapter, duncan says to simon, "You can borrow time, but you can't take back the past. No one can, not even you, Mr. Fell. You'll one day have to reckon for what you've done, too." seeing as what we now know (Duncan is Simon's Creator's Father) and we know what simon has done (fired the nightmare cannon not only as TV but also as Simon) and how he intends to atone for it (see to it that pish is raised right, heal glory, destroy the nightmare cannon, restore order and balance to the force), i think this is an incredibly prolific phrase. and as such, i sure as heck hope that Callicrates is not our last planet. i hope and halfway suspect that Samundra will be seen again, because Duncan remains unaided, and i like to think that Simon would want to see a good man like that freed. besides, we still haven't found out what he did yet. fathering a monster does not make one a monster. it is our own choices, as Simon has so eloquently taught Jeremiah and the rest of us, that decide who we are.
faithfully addicted,
TRH
Wordveri: vikwonbz. vick won the bees. free honey for vick.
I think they were after Simon in the first place not Duncan.
Maybe Duncan sacraficed himself 'cause he knew Jeremiah and Pish needed to be with Simon.
To complete the "mission".
word ver: BIZZBEES
What the teacher said to the other teacher as they were watching the kids run around "we got some busy bees this year"
Amalasthuna- This is the chapters title. I don't know ow most are pronouncing this but I got
AM A LAST HUN droping the a for some reason.
But anyway, I was thinking (bad idea I know) if you take the hun off and changed it to one it would say AM A LAST ONE..
word game= wmazz
It's been a long time since I posted a comment here. I've been away for some time, but I cought up all the chapters in one day. It feels so much like a real book now.
All the characters have developed into my head, and in stead of comparing them to other fictional characters, I actually manage to do it the other way around.
I've never been touched by so much complexity, never been horrified by words. Their backs arched in torment, the tops of their skulls removed and a garden of instruments sunk into the dried brown lumps within.
Or... thanks to Google:
AMALASTHUNA is a crater on Venus.
"Amalasthuna",-11.5,-11.5, 342.4,342.4,"IAU-APPROVED","CRATER
Or... an Ostrogoth queen (498-535A.D.)
:0
Word: mulfaz -- why yes, I did go through a MULlet FAZe in high school.
For you Darthside fans -- Michael Sheard, the actor who played who played Admiral Ozzel in "Empire Strikes Back," passed away on Wednesday.
Word verification: itgyvilx
"It give a licks..."
????
Pretty quiet around here. I was hoping we'd get a new episode before everyone went off for the long weekend. No one is clamboring for one. Is everyone now dreading the end of the ride?
While we're waiting, why not speculate on which will be the final world (since Callicrates is by CBB's own words the penultimate destination)? I've said I think it'll be Maja to fulfill the promise to Omar, but Samundra is a good guess, too. It depends on if Duncan or Omar are already at Callicrates. I'm thinking Duncan will be there.
Anyone else?
Word: jtcfryr - JeT-powered Chicken Fryer - Duncan probably has one in his kitchen.
I'm in no hurry for the end... but that's just my opinion!
I for one think CBB should take his time, and wrap SoS up in style, if we are indeed approaching the final scenes.
I am certain Duncan will show up before the end. There are still a few unanswered questions and I hope CBB takes the time to tie up all of the plot threads neatly into a satisfying conclusion.
BTW: congratulations CBB on your wife's pregnancy. However, I fear the news does not bode well for your literary fans, at least for the next few years! As you yourself have noted, writing requires both time and money, both of which are inversely proportional to the number of children you have. Actually, I believe the relationship between time available and # of kids is logarithmic! ;-)
I would like to see the number of non-unique hits caused by the faithful looking for a new epsode and for fresh comments during these "silent" times
veri word fun: ohwjcw
"Oh, woulda see W?" Said Cheney's Chief of Staff as he attempted to keep the lobbists from bothering Dick Cheney while the (V)P tried to run the country.
I for one think that we will definitely see Duncan again, and somehow, Simon will get to eat great food again. I also think that we will see Omar once more, but you never know. I figured on seeing the Annapurnese lawyer again, but that hasn't happened yet either.
Edmund,
My first thought was Maja too, but Simon's promise to Omar could easily be handled with a "and now I head back home to fix my friend. The End" sort of line (albeit with about 1000x more escritorial panache).
Then again, he may want to settle there... but I'd bet on seeing Duncan before we leave Callicrates.
Jim,
Unfortunately, you're just about right. I have two girls, 3y and 10mo, and man, it's hard to work three jobs so I can have money while I position myself for what I really want to do. What's up with that?
Oh, and sleeperg... "Heartbush" was Ting's little nickname for Dr. Pemma after the nude bomb went off.
Hopefully we won't kill off any more cool characters; I likewise agree that A.B. may make another appearance.
</ramble>
Oh, and if I had to guess, I'd say Duncan's crime has something to do with helping his son evade justice.
It makes sense for the way he talks about it and the kind of person Duncan is.
Word Ver: lmrcmrw
Lemur -- cook'em raw.
So Sheik,
If you only had one job, what would it be? We might be able to help you find it. You seem a clever enough fellow to me. I'd like to help you out.
WV: yvxsy - you very sexy - it's what Jeremiah says to the mirror every morning!
"I can't do it," I decided, releasing Utopia. "I'm too fornicated up, Jeremiah. Everything hurts."
Jeremiah nodded. "Carry her," he repeated. "This pain you have earned."
Executives just can't stop teaching, can they? Harsh but fair, I suppose.
Line of the day: "Dear diary," I said wearily, "it has been a long day."
To call that an understatement would be an understatement of epic proportions.
----------
Man alive, this has turned into something special. I'm nostalgic for something that hasn't even finished yet.
Publish away.
weevee: zdvfs
Someone already caught all the typos I was gonna type. I actually liked the pace of this episode. While I'm enjoying Simon's adventures andcan feel the end coming, I'm not saddened by it. We'll always have Simon of Space even without new and fantastic adventures. What's more important to me, now after the Darth Side and Simon of Space and MFDH and CBB and all the wonderful stuff that Mr. Brown has given unto us, is that he *continue* to write. Creation is CBB's calling (it seems to me) and that's what he's doing. I can only ask that he does what he's doing :)
Thanks for all of this, CBB.
Word: gpzmzti: "gaps, miss t.?"
A question asked when guessing the brand name of someone's jeans, when that someone's surname begins with the letter T.
Thanks,
Seemant
Hmmm Google ads decided that Irritable Bowel Syndrome was the phrase of the day lol.
word veri: gsaamvp
Giant Squid Aerobics Association MVP
In addition to some of the character wrap-ups others have mentioned, here are some questions, some nagging and some stories, I wouldn’t mind seeing answered that may have nothing to do with the final denouement:
Is the fire Simon has just seen in the orb related in anyway to the synthetic fire recalls from his birth?
When Simon emerged from the portal sans memory, had he just been Jazzed at his point of origination on Amalasthuna?
How/why was Duncan and Pish within 25 miles of the hospital on Sumandra, particularly given that Duncan seems genuinely ignorant of Simon’s true(?) identity?
Did Duncan purposely not remove the transmission device from the diary? He checked and removed tracking or added disguise to the other two pits in Simon’s possession – why wouldn’t he have checked the diary?
Why didn’t Jeremiah intervene at Duncan’s house?
How did Jeremiah know so soon that Simon was needed by Pish?
How did Simon lose his leg?
Did Oswald work alone?
Is Jessem related to the story – one of the disappeared Fell Corp Execs - or just a buddy from the Hospital?
Did Duncan, with all his obvious expertise, invent the Nightmare Canon? Is that his Los Alamos past he feels he must face? If not that, what?
Did Duncan know Jeremiah was an Exec? Duncan claimed Jeremiah was a court robot from Eridini and no other voice module was available; does the ruse include Duncan or is it for his benefit?
Who was the friend on Thaumus Duncan told Simon to contact?
What happened to the gangsters after Simon for killing their monkey on Sprockets?
Were any of the birds in Chapter One significant outside of foreshadowing?
Was Duncan aware Pish was an exec, and exactly why did Jeremiah kill the original? It seems hard to believe it was a mistake given the precision of the Secret Mathematic.
What are the Colonel’s secret ingredient’s that make you crave it fortnightly?
That’s really just the questions from the first 10 chapters – more to come?
Inquiringly yours,
DoD
Veri word fun: jrhdm
What you did when you’ve laid out $150 for a ticket and Jerry Seinfeld launches into an old bit from the show – jeered him.
Remember the old theory tha Simon was a product of the secret math?
The gates seem to be based on the secret math. Jeremiah said Simon was on his way to see the queen when he lost his memory (or was it shortly thereafter?)
This is not the end. The Wizard of Oz is going to send Dorothy to fetch a broom. The tin man will come along.
Must... read... next... installment... where... but... NEED MY FIX!
This story sort of reminds me of The White Plague by Frank Herbert, where the scientist develops a virus which decimates the world, then goes mad and goes on a pilgrimage to find a cure for his own creation.
They are obviously totally different stories. Just the similiar theme. Men trying to redeem themselves for atrocities they aren't even aware of committing.
If you haven't read it, It's a god book.
good* book.
Yeah, I could see Duncan as an Alfred Nobel type... possibly.
So it only destroyed one tenth of the world? That's not so bad, right?
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