Wapsi Square Forum

Just finished re-reading for the I-really-don't-know-how-many-timeth and was (again) delightfully entertained. Well composed, artfully crafted and completely satisfactory, it was a wild ride with tight moments and great humor, deep insight and some lovely vignettes- your work is quite impressive. The mark of good literature is how well it is read more than once- this certainly qualifies as such.

lake_wrangler wrote: ↑Tue Sep 20, 2022 9:25 pm Faux-outrage/indignation aside, I do like the way you write your fanfics: even as you are making stuff up, you are "keeping it real", so to speak. By transposing this fictional universe into ours, and including names of real places, streets, highways, and so on, it makes your make-believe even more believable... In your travelogues, people who have been in the area you are describing will nod their heads and think: "Yep, that's what it's like, over there..." Meanwhile, people who have not been there are able to "follow" you with Google maps, and see the same scenery you describe, via Street View, leading them to think things like, well, no wonder Ms. Clara had some difficulty with Cobequid Pass, and so on.

Thank you!

I am thnkfully very well-traveled, and that comes into my writing. I've been lots of places on this beautiful blue marble, and one of the joys of writing is sharing that with my readership - which by extension means all of you and the many, many lurkers out there given that the counter for these story threads are up in the many thousands.

There is also as you say a certain veritas to writing as I do. I absolutely despise writers who don;t set a scene - for example, what would the dinner table conversations at Alexander be like if we couldn't 'see' it? Never mind the great rooms at new or old Alexander, or Building 2 with its exposed brick and white painted lower walls? Even to costuming - the mechanics and Ari wearing white coveralls and the old man wearing on occasion his flight suits.

Even in fiction it is blessedly important to write what you KNOW - or research it till you do know it. Be consistent, be logical, and indulge in magic where it FITS not because you're too damn lazy to figure something out.

RE: Harmful: You choose not to be - and that is a Good Thing. You do not want an elderly Brit, or worse an annoyed centaur dam, to be paying you a visit.

given that the counter for these story threads are up in the many thousands.

Most are in the tens of thousands, several in the hundreds - plural - of thousands.

Heck, even those two pictures I found - "when a man loves" and "another place for clothes shopping" are up in the thousands.

Warrl wrote: ↑Tue Oct 04, 2022 6:34 pm Most are in the tens of thousands, several in the hundreds - plural - of thousands.

Holy s***. I haven't looked at them in a good long time. That....is interesting, and humbling.

I wonder how much of that is search bots and how much real people?

Just Old Al wrote: ↑Wed Oct 05, 2022 8:33 am

Warrl wrote: ↑Tue Oct 04, 2022 6:34 pmMost are in the tens of thousands, several in the hundreds - plural - of thousands.

Holy s***. I haven't looked at them in a good long time. That....is interesting, and humbling.

I wonder how much of that is search bots and how much real people?

Well,given the number of times I've re-read them, I suspect much of it is real people.

--FreeFlier

FreeFlier wrote: ↑Wed Oct 05, 2022 6:06 pm Well,given the number of times I've re-read them, I suspect much of it is real people.

--FreeFlier

I...need to start writing again.

*twitch*

Yes, yes, you do.

--FreeFlier

Just Old Al wrote: ↑Thu Oct 06, 2022 8:56 pm

FreeFlier wrote: ↑Wed Oct 05, 2022 6:06 pm Well,given the number of times I've re-read them, I suspect much of it is real people.

--FreeFlier

I...need to start writing again.

... as do I...

The peanut gallery gives an enthusiastic "thumbs up" sign.

I just did some minor revision on the second-to-last entry... and will begin to finish this Charley-Foxtrot with a few more entries. The story about giving my Commanding Officer the "Kiss of Judas" during a tactical exercise and punking the FBI- THOSE ACTUALLY HAPPENED!

I figured it out!

lake_wrangler wrote: ↑Sat May 14, 2016 2:48 pm

Just Old Al wrote:THanks - I'll fix those. I posted that this morning so folks could have a finish to it.

I have heard "TA GUELE!" used in that manner. Really, all he's doing is making a loud noise to get their attention.

Thanks!

Like I said, I'm not sure "Fermez vos gueules" is actually something that would be used. But still, "gueule" does take two 'u'.

And I concur, about the loud noise aspect, which combined with something that is associated with a not-so-polite "request" for silence, it would definitely work.

It is indeed very likely that some people may have used "TA GUEULE" to quiet down a group of people. Of course, they were wrong in doing so... "Ta" is absolutely and definitely singular. And like I said, I'm not sure "Fermez vos gueules", while grammatically correct, is something that would be said by people. However, shortening it to "VOS GUEULES!" might work, seeing as "vos" is plural.

But in all honesty, the simpler form "LA FERME" would actually work best. It is impersonal, does not care about singular or plural, and would be just as effective as "TA GUEULE", while also being grammatically correct.


That is all. Thank you.

lake_wrangler wrote: ↑Tue Nov 01, 2022 10:00 pm It is indeed very likely that some people may have used "TA GUEULE" to quiet down a group of people. Of course, they were wrong in doing so... "Ta" is absolutely and definitely singular. And like I said, I'm not sure "Fermez vos gueules", while grammatically correct, is something that would be said by people. However, shortening it to "VOS GUEULES!" might work, seeing as "vos" is plural.

That is all. Thank you.

Would you like some cheese with that whine, or are you lactose intolerant?

You do realize how long ago this was written?

And my first-year high-school French teacher (from Paris - that was the last year she taught French, after that she was strictly an English teacher and for 2nd year I got a Canadian lady who hadn't studied French at all before college) told us it was formally (or plurally) « taisez-vous » and informally+singularly « tais-toi ».

Warrl wrote: ↑Wed Nov 02, 2022 5:58 pm And my first-year high-school French teacher (from Paris - that was the last year she taught French, after that she was strictly an English teacher and for 2nd year I got a Canadian lady who hadn't studied French at all before college) told us it was formally (or plurally) « taisez-vous » and informally+singularly « tais-toi ».

In proper French, yes, that is correct.

In joual (Québec slang), please refer to the comments above about "ta gueule" and so on. This is very informal, and downright rude: "gueule" is the noun used for an animal's mouth...

Just Old Al wrote: ↑Wed Nov 02, 2022 8:42 am

lake_wrangler wrote: ↑Tue Nov 01, 2022 10:00 pm It is indeed very likely that some people may have used "TA GUEULE" to quiet down a group of people. Of course, they were wrong in doing so... "Ta" is absolutely and definitely singular. And like I said, I'm not sure "Fermez vos gueules", while grammatically correct, is something that would be said by people. However, shortening it to "VOS GUEULES!" might work, seeing as "vos" is plural.

That is all. Thank you.

Would you like some cheese with that whine, or are you lactose intolerant?

You do realize how long ago this was written?

Yes, yes I do realize that. However, you will notice that I re-read it this year (viz. comments about the location of the town, again). And just as it had bugged me upon first reading, it was bugging me again this time around. Then, a few days ago, it came to me as I was driving the bus, and I just had to share...

lake_wrangler wrote: ↑Wed Nov 02, 2022 9:23 pm

Warrl wrote: ↑Wed Nov 02, 2022 5:58 pm And my first-year high-school French teacher (from Paris - that was the last year she taught French, after that she was strictly an English teacher and for 2nd year I got a Canadian lady who hadn't studied French at all before college) told us it was formally (or plurally) « taisez-vous » and informally+singularly « tais-toi ».

In proper French, yes, that is correct.

In joual (Québec slang), please refer to the comments above about "ta gueule" and so on. This is very informal, and downright rude: "gueule" is the noun used for an animal's mouth...

Rather like the German "Klampst Du MAUL!" ("Clamp your MUZZEL!")- VERY derogatory. You will need either the status or the fists to back that one up...