Smiley Town, Episode II: Attack of the Grin [Now with over 1.5 million page views!]

[mattbcl]

Brian: See, it seems like a joke, but in fact I do get annoyed when I pass from the waking world into sleep, because just enough of me is aware of it happening that it gets me incensed. Then typing somehow becomes an automatic thing. My hands keep going. Maybe I should try to save instances where that happens... I can recall three separate cases this past year where my hands were typing out a description of what I was seeing in the dream I was having. For the life of me, I can't figure out why I didn't keep it!

Gavin: Drinking is a prevalent activity where I live, because it's a middling town for size and people who drink excessively justify it by saying, "There's nothing else to do here!" Total BS, of course. But among my circle of friends, there's absolutely no pressure, which I love.

You mentioned peer pressure, and I did experience that for a long while - from my co-workers, of all sources. One in particular was quite adamant that he was going to see me consume a beer before the end of his employment. (He never did. I've never had a drink.) Then he got the axe for calling in sick all the time... dude couldn't hold his liquor. There's a certain poetic justice here, and it only served to reinforce my resolve.

[mr_pikachu]

Brian: See, it seems like a joke, but in fact I do get annoyed when I pass from the waking world into sleep, because just enough of me is aware of it happening that it gets me incensed. Then typing somehow becomes an automatic thing. My hands keep going. Maybe I should try to save instances where that happens... I can recall three separate cases this past year where my hands were typing out a description of what I was seeing in the dream I was having. For the life of me, I can't figure out why I didn't keep it!

...You're actually able to accurately sleeptype? I thought you meant that your fingers kept hitting keys, forming a long string of fggngggggggggghghghhghhhggggggggggggg. How do your hands even stay in the right positions on the keyboard?

Also, I never remember falling asleep. My memory stops at a point that I assume is the beginning of my fade-out period. I have had some rough I-didn't-mean-to-fall-asleep experiences, though... some of the worst were the ones where I was playing Pokemon in bed, I hadn't saved for awhile, and the battery died before I woke.

[classy_cat18]

I always hear Americans talk about wine coolers in movies and stuff - what are they?

I'm guessing there'll be a similar term in Australia for them.

They're basically a mixture of alcohol (wine or malt) and fruit juice. Just enough alcohol to make the majority of Adult Swim shows funny.

[Gavin Luper]

Hm. Sounds completely different to anything we have here.

The "girly" drinks here would be Vodka Cruisers or Passion Pop or something like that.

[mattbcl]

...You're actually able to accurately sleeptype? I thought you meant that your fingers kept hitting keys, forming a long string of fggngggggggggghghghhghhhggggggggggggg. How do your hands even stay in the right positions on the keyboard?

Yeah, I can do it, but I'm not sure I would consider it a talent. As for how my fingers stay where they're supposed to, I wish I had a proper answer for you there. The best I have to offer is I did take a couple classes that attempted to, for lack of better terminology, teach our fingers how to remember where they are on the keyboard. Home keys and all that nonsense. Plus, the more tired I get, the more my fingers cling to specific locations on the board... might not be all nonsense after all.

[Shadow Wolf]

Brian: Oh my, you've just triggered my memory lane with that experience. It would be annoying to capture a legendary (after wasting 60 ultra balls), fall asleep without saving and on the next day, plug the GBA, attempt it again and only waste 5 Ultra balls to capture it.

Matt: What an amusing paradox you have there. Have you tried writing a novel while falling asleep? *is serious when asking*

[mattbcl]

Matt: What an amusing paradox you have there. Have you tried writing a novel while falling asleep? *is serious when asking*

Well, I've been in the middle of writing when I got so drowsy that I started to sleep-type, yes (I think that's what you asked). I've never tried compiling anything I write that way, though. Maybe I should do that for a NaNo project next year, just put together everything I wrote while snoozing and try to weave it all together in a massive mosaic of WTF'ery.

[mr_pikachu]

It would still make more sense than The Life of a Headless Mole! Not that being more rational than Jimm should necessarily be the goal -- nor that it's necessarily a good thing, as he certainly knew how to draw the laughs from me with his inanity -- but it would undeniably make more sense.

[mistysakura]

Hm. Sounds completely different to anything we have here.

Fruit punch, no?

[Gavin Luper]

Fruit punch, no?

^_^ Well effectively I guess, but I thought wine coolers were like commerically-sold bottles of stuff, kind of like vodka cruisers but like wine instead of vodka and fruit juice instead of syrupy stuff.

Americans, help to clarify?

[classy_cat18]

^_^ Well effectively I guess, but I thought wine coolers were like commerically-sold bottles of stuff, kind of like vodka cruisers but like wine instead of vodka and fruit juice instead of syrupy stuff.

Americans, help to clarify?

They are commercially sold. My favorite brand is Seagrams.

[Gavin Luper]

I think that clears it up then. They are like commercially-sold alcoholic fruit punch.

[Gavin Luper]

[Charles Legend]

Gavin your hilarious...

Anyways I have decide that before I start writing a new story, that I should map out the locations all the locations my story that way no one freaking bits my head off about them when they show up in it. The only problem is I can't find a Pinwheel Forest tile set...

I wanted to use the trees as the entrance to the forest makes sense considering the fact most of the maps I plan are going to be loosely based off maps from Legend of Zelda but have a Pokémoness look to them despite the fact there well be a ton of references to the Legend of Zelda, thought I do plan to use tiles from other games such as Zombies Ate My Neighbors if only for some of the tiles namely because I was thinking of having one of the gym leaders is a mad scientist.

I'm debating with myself whether or not to have the story actually take place in the land of Hyrule or just a region Loosely based off of it...

Pro: Most of the maps of the maps I plan are locations based in Hyrule. however I only chose Hyrule do to the fact it's some what based of Europe...

Con: if I go with the Idea that it takes place in Hyrule then I would most likely have to stick with only the canon locations lest the Zelda fans bite my head off if I were to add non canon locations...

~Charles Legend

[Shadow Wolf]

THIS IS THE MOST VIEWED THREAD ON TPM

Woot! Not even ASB has achieve that.

Anyway, I've been thinking of making a fiction based on one of my favorite games: Borderlands. However, to be honest, it will be the first time I'll make a fiction (yes I do poems, but the idea of having a big story with a lot of chapters kinda intimidates me). Plus considering that I have grammar problems here and there.... well, I'm a bit afraid to take the chance, to be honest.

On a rambling note: I'm feeling a bit frustrated about my little brother. I don't complain that he talks (argues) on the phone with his girlfriend almost all day... I don't complain that most of the time I have to clean the backyard alone when my dad sends both of us to do it... I don't complain that I lent him my car and, because of his iron foot and his hollow pocket, my car is now broken... but what I DO complain is that sometimes, even though I am right in my reasoning, my mom or my dad defend him.

-This morning, for example, he took my mom's car to university because his "buddy" didn't picked him up. His buddy has done this since the last week. If he's doing that since last week, then you should find an alternative way to go to university (Either contact your friend and talk about it or find another one who takes you there until we can fix the car). He did nothing all day (this is without taking into consideration that he sent my mom to do his homework, which has me very angry too) except talk to his girlfriend on the phone (oh, and before mom did this, he wanted his girlfriend to do it....). He didn't contacted his "buddy" either. And today, he tried to call him at 5am to see if he could take him to university. Of course, he wasn't picked up, and in the end, as I stated earlier, he took my mom's car. What made me mad out of all this is that my mom was defending him, saying that his buddy was acting like that and that he couldn't do anything about it....

I would probably follow all of this with a lot of cursing and swearing, but I know I will achieve nothing by doing this... so I prefer to just write it down somewhere and see if someone has gone through the same situation, so I can feel like I'm not the only black sheep in my house. [/end of rambling]

[mattbcl]

You're not alone here, Louis. I know what it's like to live in the realm of extreme unfairness, and someone being defended when they shouldn't be.

A few years ago, I had a good friend share my apartment with me over the summer. At least, that was the intention. He ended up being the worst sort of deadbeat you could have for a roommate. He threw his trash everywhere but the can and never helped pick up around the house. He used all my dishes, never washed any of them, and broke a couple (they were inherited from my passed-away grandparents). He ate all the food I bought and left me nothing, then always somehow found the money to treat himself to Dairy Queen - but when he invited me along, he always said he only had enough cash for himself. He didn't pay rent the entire time he was here, and he spent almost all his days sitting half-naked in the game room playing World of WarCraft. He didn't even bother trying to find a job - and I prodded him about that repeatedly - until I threatened to kick him out, because I had absolutely no money and he was offering no assistance whatsoever. Five weeks of nagging him to take a full bin of soda cans to the recycling center saw him finally do it - then he used the trade-in money to buy himself a nice big meal at Dairy Queen before I got home from work that day.

He got a job and I confiscated his first paycheck to go towards his 3-months overdue rent. I got his second one, too. He complained I wasn't leaving him anything to enjoy. Well, duh. And the whole cycle still continued; he was still the worst slob. August came around and he went back to his mom's house, which he hated living in because she's very controlling. I didn't get even half the rent money back, never mind all the grocery money I spent on the guy. Financially, I was still floundering. I wrote a letter explaining the situation to his mom. She turned into a mother grizzly on me over the whole mess, defending her poor baby boy from his terrible friend. She did eventually offer to pay me the rent money back, and I accepted - a little is better than nothing. But we didn't so much as say a word to each other for a year.

We hang out now and again, but I've learned my lesson. I get him one gift on his birthday, one on Christmas, and otherwise, he doesn't get a dime from me. And I stay away from where he lives.

[Gavin Luper]

You're not alone here, Louis. I know what it's like to live in the realm of extreme unfairness, and someone being defended when they shouldn't be.

A few years ago, I had a good friend share my apartment with me over the summer. At least, that was the intention. He ended up being the worst sort of deadbeat you could have for a roommate. He threw his trash everywhere but the can and never helped pick up around the house. He used all my dishes, never washed any of them, and broke a couple (they were inherited from my passed-away grandparents). He ate all the food I bought and left me nothing, then always somehow found the money to treat himself to Dairy Queen - but when he invited me along, he always said he only had enough cash for himself. He didn't pay rent the entire time he was here, and he spent almost all his days sitting half-naked in the game room playing World of WarCraft. He didn't even bother trying to find a job - and I prodded him about that repeatedly - until I threatened to kick him out, because I had absolutely no money and he was offering no assistance whatsoever. Five weeks of nagging him to take a full bin of soda cans to the recycling center saw him finally do it - then he used the trade-in money to buy himself a nice big meal at Dairy Queen before I got home from work that day.

He got a job and I confiscated his first paycheck to go towards his 3-months overdue rent. I got his second one, too. He complained I wasn't leaving him anything to enjoy. Well, duh. And the whole cycle still continued; he was still the worst slob. August came around and he went back to his mom's house, which he hated living in because she's very controlling. I didn't get even half the rent money back, never mind all the grocery money I spent on the guy. Financially, I was still floundering. I wrote a letter explaining the situation to his mom. She turned into a mother grizzly on me over the whole mess, defending her poor baby boy from his terrible friend. She did eventually offer to pay me the rent money back, and I accepted - a little is better than nothing. But we didn't so much as say a word to each other for a year.

We hang out now and again, but I've learned my lesson. I get him one gift on his birthday, one on Christmas, and otherwise, he doesn't get a dime from me. And I stay away from where he lives.

Jeez, he sounds like a douche. I would've kicked him out, personally.

And Louis, that sounds rough that your parents don't see him for what he is. I know people who are like that, too, and I find it incredibly difficult to get along with them without calling them out on their shit. These days, I usually end up doing it: my anger will serve me better by being assertive and letting them know how I feel, rather than holding it in and bottling it up and eventually giving myself an ulcer or something.

Even if everyone thinks you're wrong and defends the other person, it's okay to express how you feel. Although I respect that it would be different if you're actually living with the people involved, since you can't remove yourself from that situation if you need to.

[classy_cat18]

I had a roommate I hated too. She was in a sorority so she had a few buddies on our floor she was friendly with. But I wasn't on their level at all. In fact, I was more like...well, you'd think that being dorm roommates would mean there'd be some friendliness but there wasn't. Every thing I did annoyed her. I had to turn on the light when I got ready for my morning classes because my desk lamp wouldn't work, but she reported me for that because she was trying to sleep. Meanwhile when it was the other way around, she had the light on and had the TV on MTV. She'd complain about my making noise while drinking tea. She'd leave stuff on my end of the room. She was completely cold, and didn't want anything to do with me.

I'd rant about my brother but that'd take all day.

[Crystal Tears]

Odd question… have any of you ever had a fan that actually turned you off writing a certain story?

I’m only asking because I just watched the trailer for the installment of STARCRAFT II, and it reminded me of my fic I was writing based on it. I actually stopped writing it because of this one guy (who will go unnamed) on fanfiction.net. Though he claimed to love the fiction, nothing I wrote was ever good enough. It wasn’t even real things to critique, it was nitpicking over decisions I made *in the game*. Most of the things he’d complain about it, it wasn’t worth reading. I don’t know why though I took it somewhat personally (probably because it was constant).

Now, for those of you who don’t know, when I started writing this story, my sister got very sick and I didn’t exactly feel inspired to write. Anyone here would surely understand the reasoning behind my writers block/lack of inspiration. So, when I finally did put together the next chapter (taking me around 6 months), he decides to complain about it (both the chapter, and the gap between chapters) despite him reading my ff.net profile page thing that explained that I was terribly busy, uninspired and overall just not wanting to write.

I sucked up it, attributing it to me being sensitive. My love for the fic dwindled, and then, right when I felt like writing a bit more and maybe resurrecting my inspiration, he sends me a PM.

And tells me, fans (more specifically him) expect to wait just 1 – 14 days for a chapter.

ARGH.

Anyways… Just needed to vent about it, I suppose. Toodles~

[Gavin Luper]

Odd question… have any of you ever had a fan that actually turned you off writing a certain story?

I’m only asking because I just watched the trailer for the installment of STARCRAFT II, and it reminded me of my fic I was writing based on it. I actually stopped writing it because of this one guy (who will go unnamed) on fanfiction.net. Though he claimed to love the fiction, nothing I wrote was ever good enough. It wasn’t even real things to critique, it was nitpicking over decisions I made *in the game*. Most of the things he’d complain about it, it wasn’t worth reading. I don’t know why though I took it somewhat personally (probably because it was constant).

Now, for those of you who don’t know, when I started writing this story, my sister got very sick and I didn’t exactly feel inspired to write. Anyone here would surely understand the reasoning behind my writers block/lack of inspiration. So, when I finally did put together the next chapter (taking me around 6 months), he decides to complain about it (both the chapter, and the gap between chapters) despite him reading my ff.net profile page thing that explained that I was terribly busy, uninspired and overall just not wanting to write.

I sucked up it, attributing it to me being sensitive. My love for the fic dwindled, and then, right when I felt like writing a bit more and maybe resurrecting my inspiration, he sends me a PM.

And tells me, fans (more specifically him) expect to wait just 1 – 14 days for a chapter.

ARGH.

Anyways… Just needed to vent about it, I suppose. Toodles~

He sounds like a douche, and he's not the kind of fan you would really want, although I know that writing fanfic means most of us will take anyone we can get. Nonetheless, I'd put him in his place: you don't deserve to take that kind of crap. If he gets offended and abandons the fic, so be it. If he reigns in his behaviour and stays on, then it's a good outcome. Either way, I'd suggest it's probably better than what's happening right now. You shouldn't have to put up with that shit and personally, I wouldn't. You don't need to be overly confrontational, just direct.

This hasn't happened to me before, although in my years modding here I have seen it happen to other writers and fans (I won't name them). It produces a toxic kind of environment and doesn't make either the writer or the reader feel good. I would just say something directly and tell him its your creation, not his, so if he wants to keep enjoying it, he should back off the nitpicking and show some damn respect.

Hope that advice helps?

[Lady Vulpix]

I had a similar problem once, with someone who used to say he loved my writings. There was a moment when he started scaring me, by saying he worshiped the ground I stepped on (I should have paid more attention to that huge hint that the guy was sick, but I didn't want to believe it). That didn't last long, anyway, and he soon began to say really hurtful things about everything I wrote. That was when we both stopped reading each other's fics (he threw away his own fic around that time anyway because he stopped liking Pokemon). After that, it took me over a year to get back to writing, and I was only able to do it when I realized that he was the one who had a problem, not me.

[Gavin Luper]

I had a similar problem once, with someone who used to say he loved my writings. There was a moment when he started scaring me, by saying he worshiped the ground I stepped on (I should have paid more attention to that huge hint that the guy was sick, but I didn't want to believe it). That didn't last long, anyway, and he soon began to say really hurtful things about everything I wrote. That was when we both stopped reading each other's fics (he threw away his own fic around that time anyway because he stopped liking Pokemon). After that, it took me over a year to get back to writing, and I was only able to do it when I realized that he was the one who had a problem, not me.

That's pretty messed up, Gabi. Glad that experience didn't put you off writing altogether, though!

[Lady Vulpix]

Thanks, Gavin. I'm glad about that too, writing is very important to me.

[mattbcl]

When I try to discuss various ideas I have regarding stories I want to write with certain friends and acquaintances, they seem to inadvertently hijack the idea and twist it all around until it bears little resemblance to the original concept I meant to present. Consequently, I tend to get turned off to writing said tales and the original idea just languishes somewhere in my brain, gathering dust and cobwebs... pretty depressing.

Has anyone else had this experience? If so, what did you do about it?

[Lady Vulpix]

I used to do that back when I thought no one other than me could possibly like my stories (it was mostly due to some destructive criticism from a family member, who years later admitted that she simply didn't like the fantasy genre). But then I found someone who was interested in them and encouraged me to write them, so I gave some of them a shot. After that I had both good and bad experiences, but I don't regret it, and I'll keep writing whenever I can. Just because someone doesn't like my stories it doesn't mean they're not worth writing, and there's sure to be someone out there who can enjoy them.

[Gavin Luper]

Gabi, that's sound advice - and Matt, yes, I've felt that, too.

I tend to avoid talking in depth about the novels I want to write for a number of reasons. One of them is just wanting to keep my ideas close to my chest. But another is definitely the fear that my explanation of a story will be a disservice to the story itself: when I say to someone "oh, it's an action-adventure tale about xyz", I'm not giving them the most comprehensive picture of that story and so I'm putting it out there to be criticised and judged for something less than it is. My story becomes "some action-adventure tale" rather than something rich and nuanced. So when I summarise my plot, people see it in a different light than I intend, because they will have their own frame of reference.

In any case, you're not alone in not wanting to explain your story to others for fear that their interpretation of it will be inaccurate. However, despite not liking this, I tend to not let it get to me: even when someone gets the wrong end of the stick when I'm explaining a story, I just stick to my guns and know that my original idea is still solid and isn't changed by their skewed perception. Maybe just convincing yourself of your original idea's value and worth isn't the most mindblowing tactic, but it works for me.

[classy_cat18]

I tend to refrain from talking about my stories in real life period. It's all fanfiction and they're not going to be published, so no one I know in real life will know or care about what I'm working on.

[mattbcl]

Normally I might adopt that viewpoint, Shonta, and it'd be easy to dismiss fanfiction as an ultimately meaningless exercise, except it was my fanfiction authorship that led to several lasting friendships and two serious romantic relationships with "real life" people. I've learned, sometimes the hard way, not to share it with a few folks who I know won't care or who would want to offer unsolicited alterations, but I like bouncing ideas off friends. For that matter, it's hard for me to make friends at all, never mind establish romances, so fanfiction - whether publishable or not - will always have a special place in my heart and life for being the in-road that connects me to others.

[Gavin Luper]

That's pretty good, Matt - who would've thought Fanfiction could lead on to such positive real-life things?

For me, I keep writing LTL (a Fanfic) because I promised myself and my readers I would finish it, but also because I'm invested in the story and the characters: I have this deep need as a writer to complete it.

But the reason I still write this fanfiction is because, everything else aside, it gives me a great training ground for when I write actual novels. I've gleaned a wealth of knowledge about making and fixing plot holes, planning certain events, how to foreshadow plot twists and drop hints and clues into the narrative without readers noticing upon first read, developing characters, how important it is to have a clear idea of a character's attributes before writing, etc. So, personally, writing fanfiction is teaching me a lot of the things that I otherwise wouldn't learn until I started the first draft of an original fiction novel. And I'm hoping that I will have learned enough here so that, when I complete LTL, that first draft of a novel will then be that much stronger for the years I spent honing my craft here.

[The Blue Avenger]

So! Quick question! I'm stepping into e-publishing, and I was wondering:

Is it acceptable to make a topic in the Writers' Lounge for my book? My gut said no, then I saw another topic that basically did the same thing, so I thought I'd ask.

[classy_cat18]

Your book? I don't see why not.

[Lady Vulpix]

I don't see why not. As long as you're providing some information about it and encouraging discussion, rather than just asking people to buy it.

[Gavin Luper]

I've been thinking. I remember being at a local writing awards night when I was a teenager, and the guest speaker (some published author, I suppose, whose name I can't even think of) rambled on about how being a writer was such a lonely, sad life to lead, blah, blah, blah. It was all doom and gloom and I was determined to prove him wrong, and I definitely feel he was way off-base by saying being a writer is all depresso.

So I thought since this is Smiley Town, and we're mostly writery peeps here, we could try a new challenge with this thread:

The Smiley Town Challenge

Every single day, at least one person has to post in this thread and write about something that made them smile/made them laugh/made them happy in some way. Can be absolutely anything, as long as it doesn't break the forum rules: something that happened on the forum, at work, with a loved one, on a TV show, with mates, within your own thoughts ... anything.

Multiple posts from many people each day is even better, and we can all still discuss serious/sad stuff here, but as a group let's aim to ensure that at least one person keeps the thread alive every single day of the year with something upbeat. What do you guys reckon?

+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

I'll start: Today I cracked up because I watched this clip:



Any other Aussies familiar with this movie?

[classy_cat18]

SNOW! IN ALABAMA!

...I dunno about you guys, but that always makes me smile.

[Crystal Tears]

I was at the hospital filling things out before I could see a specialist. I hadn't slept nearly enough (I had about a rough hour) before I woke up and had to go. After I finished the sheet, my mom asked me to check on the back to make sure I hadn't missed anything.

So I flipped the clipboard over and said 'no, there's nothing' without realizing my error. My mother broke out into laughter and I quickly followed when it occurred to me what I had done.

Oops?

(side note: there was actually nothing on the back of the piece of paper, so I wasn't completely wrong!)


@Gavin: HA. I like it. >w>

@Classy: Snow is always awesome. It's too cold here at the moment to snow, so... all we get is wind-chill and frostbite. Wtfffff I'm jelly of you. D:

[Blademaster]

Today came.

I woke up to see it.

[Crystal Tears]

Uhhh, play halo with friends... My sister and I punched each other out.

Fun times.

Still playing too. :3

This feels like spam but this is what the challenge was. XD

[mattbcl]

Dungeons & Dragons with good friends. Lots of pizza, coffee, orange juice, fumbled dice rolls, and inappropriately flatulent players.

[Gavin Luper]

Graduated from my Honours degree last night and had a bunch of family with me to celebrate!

[mattbcl]

Congrats, Gavin, that's awesome! Your hard work is paid off (at least, I hope it is!).