A Band of Trolls

[mahrundl]

You're doing well, Dandelion.

One note on the last paragraph: there's a grammar error in the third line:

Ah well, they all that their own ways of coping.

[dandelion]

Thanks, Mahrundl. All fixed. I hate when that happens.

And here's Chapter 8, where things get a little hairy for Khayd'haik:
www.livejournal.com/users/hai_kah_uhk/630162.html

[dandelion]

That's high praise indeed. Thank you very much. I wore myself out writing the scene, but it was worth the effort. It's the kind of scene that makes me love to write. (Not just having written and being published. *grin*) And thank you for the exaltation as well!

You may have to forgive Mahrundl for his defense of the name 'Astuk'. He invented it, after all. (Although, I went back yesterday and discovered that his suggestion was 'Anstuk' and I inadvertently spelled it wrong. Now I'm wondering if I called her 'Anstuk' toward the beginning. I'd better check.) I like it a lot, and it fits the character, and the primary reason why I chose to change Aiydn's name instead was because it was easier to change. The two names together, with their same initial and similar length, threaten to confuse the audience. Confusing the audience is bad! But no one seems to be confused, so I'm happy to keep both names.

I'll be more descrptive in the futue, but I really ought to go back and insert some better descrptions in the beginning, which you've already read. If I do it cohesively, i.e. inserting a new paragraph between two old ones, I'll repost it somewhere where people who've been following along can read it without having to reread the entire story.

[mahrundl]

Heh. I'd actually forgotten that A(n)stuk was one of my suggestions.

By the way, I've decided that for me, Aiydn's name fits her well, regardless of whether it's 'Trollish enough'. I can 'see' a teenage Troll maiden called Aidyn from the story, and it distinguishes her in my mind from some of the other characters.

[dandelion]

The band hits the road again:
www.livejournal.com/users/hai_kah_uhk/630486.html

[mahrundl]

dandelion said:

The band hits the road again:

It's a Trollish marching band!

[dandelion]

I finally managed to write enough for a new installment. I'm starting to lag, and also to not find as much time to write. Whew.
www.livejournal.com/users/hai_kah_uhk/630851.html

[dandelion]

It's Arrth the stone troll against two overwhelmed and angry young mothers.
www.livejournal.com/users/hai_kah_uhk/631437.html

This one's a shameless gift to Khenn, and one last peek at a character we left behind.
www.livejournal.com/users/hai_kah_uhk/631580.html

And this one is about Merganser.
www.livejournal.com/users/hai_kah_uhk/631992.html

Kharesh tells the forbidden story.
www.livejournal.com/users/hai_kah_uhk/632437.html

The wrong bridge, and some fish:
www.livejournal.com/users/hai_kah_uhk/633331.html

Even trolls crack under pressure:
www.livejournal.com/users/hai_kah_uhk/633449.html

Merganser is too hungry to be afraid:
www.livejournal.com/users/hai_kah_uhk/633926.html

[dandelion]

So it seems I gave up. Bummer. Oh well. Humble apologies to Khayd'haik and whoever else said they were enjoying it. Especially to Khayd'haik, though, because something really good was going to happen to your character. (As I'm sure you could tell by the setup I gave him.)

There's always next year. And maybe next year I'll do something properly comedic. This one was far too dark. I hardly ever do dark! I have no idea what happened.

[mahrundl]

That's very disappointing, Dandelion. The story was going well, I thought.

Are you likely to continue it outside of NaNoWriMo? I for one would be very interested in how it ends.

[dandelion]

I doubt it. I'm exhausted and discouraged, seriously thinking that instead of piling on the creative endeavors, I should concentrate on getting some sleep and taking care of myself. I'm not a big finisher of things anyway. Each time, I promise myself that I'll actually get to the ending this time. But once I lose my drive, there's not much I can do about it.

The ending is that all the trolls except one arrive at North Camp safely. And then, I dunno, they learn to become a matriarchal society.

[mahrundl]

Certainly take care of yourself first, Dandelion. The story must not come before that.

If you don't feel able to finish it, then so be it. It's your story, after all. Thank you for sharing it with us. And in case it wasn't clear, the disappointment I mentioned in my previous post was over not seeing the ending. It was not, by any stretch of the imagination, disappointment at you. You did a great job; rest now.

Consider yourself Exalted for your efforts.

[dandelion]

I... hm. Yeah. Ogre be all inarticulate. Heh.

I dunno.

I'm disappointed enough in myself to cover everyone else's, so, I mean, what do I mean?

I may have to worry about this later. Thank you guys for being kind and supportive and interested. I don't know what to think; maybe it's worth the effort after all. I'm having a tough time... um... Yeah, this is real coherent! Sorry about that.

[Vin Ahrr Vin]

dandelion said:

So it seems I gave up. Bummer. Oh well.

It seemed like you were on a roll and then *whap* you stopped. It was a great storyline and I'm sorry you have lost interest.

I hereby EXALT you for your efforts as well!

[dandelion]

Thank you, Vin. Yeah, it was kind of abrupt. It's because I was on a roll and then *whap* my health took a nosedive. I actually did write a few sentences yesterday, but I can't think so well through all this pain. Head all cloudy. I'm having an articulate moment right now, at 5 AM, so I figured I'd pop in before it went away again.

But, I figure, there are worse things in the world than writing a 37,146 word fanfic that ends before it ends. Even worse things than writing a 37,146 word fanfic and still not placing in the top ten TVP. *grin* I'm deeply disappointed, but I've forgiven myself for much worse.