I may have posted this already, but here's another web-based usenet
reader to try.

https://www.novabbs.com/arts/thread.php?group=alt.toys.transformers

On Thursday, December 28, 2023 at 6:40:41 PM UTC-5, Travoltron wrote:
> I may have posted this already, but here's another web-based usenet
> reader to try.
>
> https://www.novabbs.com/arts/thread.php?group=alt.toys.transformers

Hey that's neat.

Swivelbot

On Thursday, December 28, 2023 at 4:40:41 PM UTC-7, Travoltron wrote:

> I may have posted this already, but here's another web-based usenet
> reader to try.
>
> https://www.novabbs.com/arts/thread.php?group=alt.toys.transformers

Oh, wow. The formatting and font kearning are positively vintage. Like the old-timey bulletin boards. I kind of like it. I might use this. Thanks for the link!

Zob (kickin' it old school since 1996)

On Friday, December 29, 2023 at 10:43:37 AM UTC-7, Zobovor wrote:
> On Thursday, December 28, 2023 at 4:40:41 PM UTC-7, Travoltron wrote:
>
> > I may have posted this already, but here's another web-based usenet
> > reader to try.
> >
> > https://www.novabbs.com/arts/thread.php?group=alt.toys.transformers
> Oh, wow. The formatting and font kearning are positively vintage. Like the old-timey bulletin boards. I kind of like it. I might use this. Thanks for the link!
>
>
> Zob (kickin' it old school since 1996)

I love this! It might become my interface of choice as of next month.

Which means, we may need all make a decision, soon - are we sticking with Reddit, this, or something else? Given our collective size, I'm not sure if we can afford to split among platforms...

JB

(Happy New Year to each of you!)

I want to stay here as long as possible.
Usenet was awesome and I think it's fun keeping its legacy alive.

Joseph Bardsley wrote:

> On Friday, December 29, 2023 at 10:43:37 AM UTC-7, Zobovor wrote:
>> On Thursday, December 28, 2023 at 4:40:41 PM UTC-7, Travoltron wrote:
>>
>> > I may have posted this already, but here's another web-based usenet
>> > reader to try.
>> >
>> > https://www.novabbs.com/arts/thread.php?group=alt.toys.transformers
>> Oh, wow. The formatting and font kearning are positively vintage. Like the old-timey bulletin boards. I kind of like it. I might use this. Thanks for the link!

I like the old school feel. This is better than Google Groups.

>>
>>
>> Zob (kickin' it old school since 1996)

> I love this! It might become my interface of choice as of next month.

> Which means, we may need all make a decision, soon - are we sticking with Reddit, this, or something else? Given our collective size, I'm not sure if we can afford to split among platforms...

> JB

There doesn't seem to be much appetite for Reddit engagement, unless I'm wrong. And this allows us to stay on Usenet, just with a different interface. I vote for NovaBBS and staying on ATT, but would happily migrate to Reddit as well.

> (Happy New Year to each of you!)

Happy New Year to all!

Sound did we all agree ATT will continue on with this tool? I’m partially posting to see if it works!

-Banzaitron (Nova is delightfully antiquated, it’s perfect!)

You've got my vote for NovaBBS and the continuation of ATT.

On Thursday, January 4, 2024 at 10:10:12 AM UTC-8, CodigoPostal wrote:
> You've got my vote for NovaBBS and the continuation of ATT.

Yep, concurred. Now I need to figure out this new platform!

Will we all be here on Google Groups until the bitter end, or are folks transitioning now?

Happy Sunday, all,

JB

Joseph Bardsley wrote:

> On Thursday, January 4, 2024 at 10:10:12 AM UTC-8, CodigoPostal wrote:
>> You've got my vote for NovaBBS and the continuation of ATT.

> Yep, concurred. Now I need to figure out this new platform!

> Will we all be here on Google Groups until the bitter end, or are folks transitioning now?

I've been using NovaBBS since Travoltron proposed it - it's a great interface and I would have used it earlier instead of Google Groups had I been aware of its existence!

Yeah, I know I've not been around. I've had no ADHD meds for months, and it's doing a number on me. Been too crabby to post. But thanks, Travoltron, for suggesting this... I'll definitely be making the switch and figuring out NovaBSS.

Velvet Glove (whose brain has been more into reading than writing lately; somebody else post some damn fanfic)

On Tuesday, January 16, 2024 at 1:08:36 PM UTC-8, Velvet Glove wrote:
> Yeah, I know I've not been around. I've had no ADHD meds for months, and it's doing a number on me. Been too crabby to post. But thanks, Travoltron, for suggesting this... I'll definitely be making the switch and figuring out NovaBSS.
>
> Velvet Glove (whose brain has been more into reading than writing lately; somebody else post some damn fanfic)

Velvet Glove, I was actually just thinking of you in terms of fanfic (also, in the context of posting another TF Fanfic Reading Club item here).

Have you / has anyone here read, or do you remember "Chosen", by Brandie Tarvin?

This was a 1997 epic focused primarily on the Season 3 cartoon universe, diving deep into Hot Rod, as a character, and exploring his feelings around not only being the Chosen One, but then having that same responsibility / opportunity taken away from him in the wake of "The Return of Optimus Prime".

The story also explores the complexity that is Hot Rod - Arcee - Springer, with a rather grand subplot involving Unicron and his heralds (Hook, Line, and Sinker, from the comics) as the backdrop. It's layered, powerful writing that brings to mind the best of Bobbi Carothers, who I feel also really understood these characters.

It's about 65 pages, so - a good read. It may be too long to post here, I am happy to email a copy to anyone who would like one.

And - yes to NovaBBS!

JB

On Wednesday, January 17, 2024 at 3:22:30 AM UTC, Joseph Bardsley wrote:

> Have you / has anyone here read, or do you remember "Chosen", by Brandie Tarvin?
>
> This was a 1997 epic focused primarily on the Season 3 cartoon universe, diving deep into Hot Rod, as a character, and exploring his feelings around not only being the Chosen One, but then having that same responsibility / opportunity taken away from him in the wake of "The Return of Optimus Prime".
>
> The story also explores the complexity that is Hot Rod - Arcee - Springer, with a rather grand subplot involving Unicron and his heralds (Hook, Line, and Sinker, from the comics) as the backdrop. It's layered, powerful writing that brings to mind the best of Bobbi Carothers, who I feel also really understood these characters.
>
> It's about 65 pages, so - a good read. It may be too long to post here, I am happy to email a copy to anyone who would like one.

I've definitely heard of it, and I feel like I must have read it at some point, but I don't remember, so a revisit sounds good! You've got my email, right?

Velvet Glove (Also happy to read on the newsgroup. Not afraid of walls of text!)

On Wednesday, January 17, 2024 at 2:05:53 AM UTC-8, Velvet Glove wrote:
> On Wednesday, January 17, 2024 at 3:22:30 AM UTC, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
>
> > Have you / has anyone here read, or do you remember "Chosen", by Brandie Tarvin?
> >
> > This was a 1997 epic focused primarily on the Season 3 cartoon universe, diving deep into Hot Rod, as a character, and exploring his feelings around not only being the Chosen One, but then having that same responsibility / opportunity taken away from him in the wake of "The Return of Optimus Prime".
> >
> > The story also explores the complexity that is Hot Rod - Arcee - Springer, with a rather grand subplot involving Unicron and his heralds (Hook, Line, and Sinker, from the comics) as the backdrop. It's layered, powerful writing that brings to mind the best of Bobbi Carothers, who I feel also really understood these characters.
> >
> > It's about 65 pages, so - a good read. It may be too long to post here, I am happy to email a copy to anyone who would like one.
> I've definitely heard of it, and I feel like I must have read it at some point, but I don't remember, so a revisit sounds good! You've got my email, right?
>
> Velvet Glove (Also happy to read on the newsgroup. Not afraid of walls of text!)

Thanks for this!

Just tried to copy and paste, and Google disallowed it owing to length. Email may be the best way.

I don't actually have your current email, VG - if you could let me know (joe.bardsley@gmail.com), happy to send this to you as a Word doc.

JB

Joseph Bardsley wrote:

> On Wednesday, January 17, 2024 at 2:05:53 AM UTC-8, Velvet Glove wrote:
>> On Wednesday, January 17, 2024 at 3:22:30 AM UTC, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
>>
>> > Have you / has anyone here read, or do you remember "Chosen", by Brandie Tarvin?
>> >

> Just tried to copy and paste, and Google disallowed it owing to length. Email may be the best way.

> I don't actually have your current email, VG - if you could let me know (joe.bardsley@gmail.com), happy to send this to you as a Word doc.

Where did people post fanfic back in 1997? Does it exist in the Google Groups archives? Did Ms. Tarvin move it to one of the more current places that I may or may not know of?

JB, I'd love a copy too if you wouldn't mind.

VG, hope you're feeling better - really enjoyed your fanfics. They really breathe life back into the world of TF and spark the imagination in a way that most officially-sanctioned fiction fails to do.

Gustavo, I did a search and it seems that Brandie Tarvin may have removed her fanfics in an effort to get them published officially:
https://www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/looking-for-some-missing-stories.146148/

(JB, was that your thread? Did you ever find all the missing stories you were looking for?)

Officially trying out NovaBBS for posting this... This is the second attempt after the first attempt got eaten. Oh, internet forums, never change.

JB, I've emailed you. Are you going to start a thread somewhere for people to comment on it?

Codigo, thanks for the kind words! Back before the world decided to decrease its supply of ADHD meds, I had started a story, and I'm thinking I might turn the first act into a standalone fic, just for the sake of posting *something*. Maybe it might trigger the brain into proper full on writing, but I'm not holding my breath.

Velvet Glove (But really... would love to read other people's stuff.)

On Thursday, January 18, 2024 at 11:00:17 AM UTC-8, VelvetGlove wrote:
> Officially trying out NovaBBS for posting this... This is the second attempt after the first attempt got eaten. Oh, internet forums, never change.
>
> JB, I've emailed you. Are you going to start a thread somewhere for people to comment on it?
>
> Codigo, thanks for the kind words! Back before the world decided to decrease its supply of ADHD meds, I had started a story, and I'm thinking I might turn the first act into a standalone fic, just for the sake of posting *something*. Maybe it might trigger the brain into proper full on writing, but I'm not holding my breath.
>
> Velvet Glove (But really... would love to read other people's stuff.)

Thanks for this!

Velvet: email received! Thank you. Story en route to you now. :)

Codigo: happy to add you on this message. And yes - good sleuthing! That was me, many years ago, and I have happily found most of those great stories since then. But, you ring a memory bell for me - I think that this is why this particular story has become so scarce over the years.

If anyone else wants in on this reading adventure, let me know! Would be delighted to propose a sort of 'book club' conversation, perhaps, in a couple of weeks, once we've read.

Gustvao, I would say that tons of fanfic was posted here back in the day - as well as at Lexicon, the Padded Cell, attf, and a few other spots.

Chat soon -

Joseph

Joseph Bardsley wrote:

> On Thursday, January 18, 2024 at 11:00:17 AM UTC-8, VelvetGlove wrote:
>> Officially trying out NovaBBS for posting this... This is the second attempt after the first attempt got eaten. Oh, internet forums, never change.
>>
>> JB, I've emailed you. Are you going to start a thread somewhere for people to comment on it?
>>
>> Codigo, thanks for the kind words! Back before the world decided to decrease its supply of ADHD meds, I had started a story, and I'm thinking I might turn the first act into a standalone fic, just for the sake of posting *something*. Maybe it might trigger the brain into proper full on writing, but I'm not holding my breath.
>>
>> Velvet Glove (But really... would love to read other people's stuff.)

> Thanks for this!

> Velvet: email received! Thank you. Story en route to you now. :)

> Codigo: happy to add you on this message. And yes - good sleuthing! That was me, many years ago, and I have happily found most of those great stories since then. But, you ring a memory bell for me - I think that this is why this particular story has become so scarce over the years.

> If anyone else wants in on this reading adventure, let me know! Would be delighted to propose a sort of 'book club' conversation, perhaps, in a couple of weeks, once we've read.

If Brandie Tarvin deliberately removed her stories from everywhere she could, it feels a little weird to circulate them. Likely no harm done at small scale, but it leaves a tiny bit of ick in my mouth. On the one hand, the internet is forever, and it can probably found on the way-back-machine, but on the other hand, she might want to bury her earlier work that she doesn't think is up to par, or which plays fast and loose with IP in a way that she thinks would hurt her career as a writer.

From her livejournal:
https://brandietarvin.livejournal.com/110267.html

---
Sometimes when I get stuck on a writing project, I write a little fanfic to keep my instrument in practice and to get my inner editor to shut up. As I set up to work on Shadowrun, a little Doctor Who flash fiction bit hit me upside the head. I don’t own Doctor Who. I have no claim on any of its trademarks. As a tie-in writer, I shouldn’t even be publishing this. But it is short and cute and hopefully the Beeb will take it in the spirit it was intended (light-hearted fun not meant to violate any copyrights).
---

(And then there's a paragraph or two, and the link to the full story goes to a page on a domain that is no longer really active...)

I'm not saying don't pass it around and do the reading and comment on it, but I'm a little glad your effort to post the entire thing failed, and I would encourage people not to quote huge chunks.

VelvetGlove wrote:

> Back before the world decided to decrease its supply of ADHD meds, I had started a story, and I'm thinking I might turn the first act into a standalone fic, just for the sake of posting *something*. Maybe it might trigger the brain into proper full on writing, but I'm not holding my breath.

Does no meds hurt your writing?

I'm not diagnosed, but I have a lot of the same problems my nephew who is diagnosed has had, and I find that my more scatter-shot-minded periods create ... well, Kup Tales and weird digressions that make almost no sense and the entire thing becomes a shaggy dog story.

For instance, seeing you say that you were considering trying to write encouraged me to try to write, and this came out.

---

"After I retired, I took up painting for a while," Sparkplug began. "And I really liked animals, so I spent my time painting pictures of animals. I knew Carly -- that's Spike's girlfriend -- was working in a lab with possums, trying to teach them to communicate or something, so I painted a picture of a possum and gave it to her, and she put it up in the lab. Almost overnight the possums started getting anxious and tearing out their fur. It was just possum body-horror.

"Funny thing about the possums," Sparkplug continued, "all the time that Carly was trying to teach them to communicate, they were trying to teach her to communicate. That was before the possums left the Earth, obviously. Took everyone by surprise, a large spherical ship rose from the middle of Yellowstone, filled with possums and a complete biome inside. The President scrambled fighters to intercept, but then the possums sent out their first and last message to mankind, 'We mean you no harm, but we just don't like you. If we stayed any longer, we might not be able to control ourselves. Please just let us go.'

"I always wondered if my painting was the cause."

Hot Shot had heard the story before, but from the possum's perspective. They had entered the galactic society a few years ago, and never told anyone where they came from, just that the other dominant species on the planet were kind of assholes who needed a few more million years before they would be acceptable and it would be better for all if they were left alone to either evolve or kill themselves. The possums were a little stuck up, but were also revered as peacemakers on Tellus, Porktopia and Koola. Hot Shot really wasn't sure of what to make of the situation.

---

Now, obviously this had nothing to do with whatever I intended to write, despite my love of possums, but if you tie enough things like this together I think that never getting to the plot of the story is almost a good thing.

As I liked to say when I worked at a book-related-website, "Everyone has a book inside them, but sometimes it is an absolutely awful book and all that writing is just an exorcism to get the damned thing out so you don't have to carry it around with you."

But now I want to get back to my capybara painting. (That's a painting of capybaras, not painting on capybaras or painting with capybaras -- the latter two would be silly)

On Saturday, January 20, 2024 at 2:35:31 PM UTC-8, GustavoWombat wrote:
> Joseph Bardsley wrote:
>
> > On Thursday, January 18, 2024 at 11:00:17 AM UTC-8, VelvetGlove wrote:
> >> Officially trying out NovaBBS for posting this... This is the second attempt after the first attempt got eaten. Oh, internet forums, never change..
> >>
> >> JB, I've emailed you. Are you going to start a thread somewhere for people to comment on it?
> >>
> >> Codigo, thanks for the kind words! Back before the world decided to decrease its supply of ADHD meds, I had started a story, and I'm thinking I might turn the first act into a standalone fic, just for the sake of posting *something*. Maybe it might trigger the brain into proper full on writing, but I'm not holding my breath.
> >>
> >> Velvet Glove (But really... would love to read other people's stuff.)
>
> > Thanks for this!
>
> > Velvet: email received! Thank you. Story en route to you now. :)
>
> > Codigo: happy to add you on this message. And yes - good sleuthing! That was me, many years ago, and I have happily found most of those great stories since then. But, you ring a memory bell for me - I think that this is why this particular story has become so scarce over the years.
>
> > If anyone else wants in on this reading adventure, let me know! Would be delighted to propose a sort of 'book club' conversation, perhaps, in a couple of weeks, once we've read.
> If Brandie Tarvin deliberately removed her stories from everywhere she could, it feels a little weird to circulate them. Likely no harm done at small scale, but it leaves a tiny bit of ick in my mouth. On the one hand, the internet is forever, and it can probably found on the way-back-machine, but on the other hand, she might want to bury her earlier work that she doesn't think is up to par, or which plays fast and loose with IP in a way that she thinks would hurt her career as a writer.
>
>
> From her livejournal:
> https://brandietarvin.livejournal.com/110267.html
>
> ---
> Sometimes when I get stuck on a writing project, I write a little fanfic to keep my instrument in practice and to get my inner editor to shut up. As I set up to work on Shadowrun, a little Doctor Who flash fiction bit hit me upside the head. I don’t own Doctor Who. I have no claim on any of its trademarks. As a tie-in writer, I shouldn’t even be publishing this. But it is short and cute and hopefully the Beeb will take it in the spirit it was intended (light-hearted fun not meant to violate any copyrights).
> ---
>
> (And then there's a paragraph or two, and the link to the full story goes to a page on a domain that is no longer really active...)
>
>
> I'm not saying don't pass it around and do the reading and comment on it, but I'm a little glad your effort to post the entire thing failed, and I would encourage people not to quote huge chunks.

Thanks for this, Gustavo. I appreciate your candor, and your thoughtfulness here.

You are, of course, right. Yes, the Internet is forever, and yes, this story is nearly 30 years old, but if Brandie made efforts to remove this story from active circulation back then, she clearly and evidently had her reasons.

My discussions of the story, and sharing it here were and are only motivated by enthusiasm for it, and for Brandie’s work on a whole. I agree that sharing it publicly isn’t the best idea, and so will not. Having reflected o this a bit, I apologize for any perception of ill intent on my part, and for not being more mindful of Brandie’s goals as an author.

Thanks again, Gustavo,

Joseph

GustavoWombat wrote:

> Does no meds hurt your writing?

Funnily enough, it's more indirectly than directly. Everybody's experiences will vary but my ADHD has very little impact on my ability to plot out a story, probably a little worse when it comes to actually sitting down and writing it. The real impact comes on my mental health, because without the meds I get more overwhelmed by day to day stuff and that leads to depression and anxiety, and *that* is what's been interfering with my writing and posting. I think it's more about the dopamine hit--writing a TF story hasn't been scratching the right itch for me so to speak. Honestly, the past few months I've spent most of my leisure time reading romance stories, despite never having the faintest interest in that sort of thing before. But dear god, the dopamine hit of impossibly-perfect-man-whose-sole-mission-in-life-is-to-dote-upon-an-average-woman? That hit is real. I feel like a cliche of my demographic, but I will never mock the romance genre again (at least not without affection.)

But having an unfinished story is bugging me.

> I'm not diagnosed, but I have a lot of the same problems my nephew who is diagnosed has had, and I find that my more scatter-shot-minded periods create ... well, Kup Tales and weird digressions that make almost no sense and the entire thing becomes a shaggy dog story.

Kup Tales are great, and I don't want to cut off our supply, but I would recommend trying medication if you think you've got ADHD. I figured I had ADHD for about twenty years before I was diagnosed, but I also didn't think it was worth doing anything about it. It was only after my diagnosis that I understood just how many parts of my life it affected, including my mental health. It took a couple of tries to find the right medication for me, but it made a massive difference,. (Not a miracle cure. I'm still scatter-brained, but it helps.)

> For instance, seeing you say that you were considering trying to write encouraged me to try to write, and this came out.

> ---

> "After I retired, I took up painting for a while," Sparkplug began. "And I really liked animals, so I spent my time painting pictures of animals. I knew Carly -- that's Spike's girlfriend -- was working in a lab with possums, trying to teach them to communicate or something, so I painted a picture of a possum and gave it to her, and she put it up in the lab. Almost overnight the possums started getting anxious and tearing out their fur. It was just possum body-horror.

> "Funny thing about the possums," Sparkplug continued, "all the time that Carly was trying to teach them to communicate, they were trying to teach her to communicate. That was before the possums left the Earth, obviously. Took everyone by surprise, a large spherical ship rose from the middle of Yellowstone, filled with possums and a complete biome inside. The President scrambled fighters to intercept, but then the possums sent out their first and last message to mankind, 'We mean you no harm, but we just don't like you. If we stayed any longer, we might not be able to control ourselves. Please just let us go.'

> "I always wondered if my painting was the cause."

> Hot Shot had heard the story before, but from the possum's perspective. They had entered the galactic society a few years ago, and never told anyone where they came from, just that the other dominant species on the planet were kind of assholes who needed a few more million years before they would be acceptable and it would be better for all if they were left alone to either evolve or kill themselves. The possums were a little stuck up, but were also revered as peacemakers on Tellus, Porktopia and Koola. Hot Shot really wasn't sure of what to make of the situation.

> ---

This is 100% a Kup tale (just with the crusty old human character), and I love it. It feels like a side gag in Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, along with the dolphins and mice. It feels a little off seeing Carly doing something with biology, but maybe it was a course requirement and she hated the entire project. And Sparkplug's picture.

> Now, obviously this had nothing to do with whatever I intended to write, despite my love of possums, but if you tie enough things like this together I think that never getting to the plot of the story is almost a good thing.

This is the internet. Sometimes all people want to read are the side-gags. You've written longer stories which I love, but you're also very good at the shorter stuff. I tend to struggle with that... maybe it's a dopamine hit thing again (maybe dopamine is the wrong hormone; I'm not a biologist either)--it's like my brain wants to hit a certain length or amount of plot structure, otherwise I won't enjoy it.

> As I liked to say when I worked at a book-related-website, "Everyone has a book inside them, but sometimes it is an absolutely awful book and all that writing is just an exorcism to get the damned thing out so you don't have to carry it around with you."

I like this.

> But now I want to get back to my capybara painting. (That's a painting of capybaras, not painting on capybaras or painting with capybaras -- the latter two would be silly)

Painting with capybaras sounds like some hipster activity to do after the yoga with goats and before the coffee with cats.

Velvet Glove (who is excited when she can do something *without* either the cat or the dog)

JB, you're clearly motivated purely by enthusiasm and love for the work, and certainly you have the right to repost the story for posterity's sake (just as you have the right to weigh our collective perception of Ms. Tarvin's feelings about her fanfiction in 2024 and refrain from posting). I wonder if anyone has a relationship with her and could reach out to her about engaging with the community about her work. It would be fantastic to hear her perspective as a fan author turned published author, and her thoughts on fiction, TF, fandom, etc.

VelvetGlove wrote:

> GustavoWombat wrote:

>> Does no meds hurt your writing?

> Funnily enough, it's more indirectly than directly. Everybody's experiences will vary but my ADHD has very little impact on my ability to plot out a story, probably a little worse when it comes to actually sitting down and writing it. The real impact comes on my mental health, because without the meds I get more overwhelmed by day to day stuff and that leads to depression and anxiety, and *that* is what's been interfering with my writing and posting.

I used to get that way, but right now I am in the letting everything slide until it is a crisis as that's the only way it gets exciting enough to engage me. How do dirty dishes become enough of a crisis that it gets exciting you might ask? Don't ask.

> I think it's more about the dopamine hit--writing a TF story hasn't been scratching the right itch for me so to speak. Honestly, the past few months I've spent most of my leisure time reading romance stories, despite never having the faintest interest in that sort of thing before. But dear god, the dopamine hit of impossibly-perfect-man-whose-sole-mission-in-life-is-to-dote-upon-an-average-woman? That hit is real. I feel like a cliche of my demographic, but I will never mock the romance genre again (at least not without affection.)

One summer I worked in the Women's Fiction department at a large publisher, and somehow got the task of reading the first chapter of the unsolicited manuscripts. It was somewhat hellish.

We sorted them into three piles:

- Things someone might want to read. (Something actually interesting, with characters that seem to have motivations)

- Things no one should ever read. (Does it use the phrase "scepter of his manhood?")

- Things the local police should read. (A 16 year old girl's coming of age story where she falls in love with her step dad)

The joke was that if someone ever submitted Lolita, we would have to make copies, as someone might want to read it, it uses the phrase "scepter of his manhood", and it's about a teenaged girl and her step father.

Anyway, I think romance is about 40% of book sales, so I doubt that 40% of people are that completely wrong. Surely there must be something worthwhile in the genre.

> But having an unfinished story is bugging me.

>> I'm not diagnosed, but I have a lot of the same problems my nephew who is diagnosed has had, and I find that my more scatter-shot-minded periods create ... well, Kup Tales and weird digressions that make almost no sense and the entire thing becomes a shaggy dog story.

> Kup Tales are great, and I don't want to cut off our supply, but I would recommend trying medication if you think you've got ADHD. I figured I had ADHD for about twenty years before I was diagnosed, but I also didn't think it was worth doing anything about it. It was only after my diagnosis that I understood just how many parts of my life it affected, including my mental health. It took a couple of tries to find the right medication for me, but it made a massive difference,. (Not a miracle cure. I'm still scatter-brained, but it helps.)

But what if I lose my *sparkle*?

When I can be bothered to work, I make my living with my mind, with my jumbled up thought processes analyzing technical solutions and listening for the tiny sounds of some thought dragging or caught on something, which is usually a sign that there is a problem, or at least a barely-known unknown, or a conclusion based on a low-confidence assumption.

Turning down the turbulent maelstrom and getting it organized might leave me unemployable. What if I had to depend on skills like showing up, being on time and working hard?

> This is 100% a Kup tale

Most Kup tales are random digressions from something else that don't fit because of tone, that are then cannibalized, flushed out a bit, and then get completely bogged down in a different random digression.

>> But now I want to get back to my capybara painting. (That's a painting of capybaras, not painting on capybaras or painting with capybaras -- the latter two would be silly)

> Painting with capybaras sounds like some hipster activity to do after the yoga with goats and before the coffee with cats.

Oof, I was thinking about using the capybara as a brush. Get the roller, put in a nice coat of paint, gently press the animal against the canvas... But I guess just having a capybara next to me would be good too.

> Velvet Glove (who is excited when she can do something *without* either the cat or the dog)

I am in the process of training my cats to expect treats somewhere other than near my desk, the first step towards me getting a job. The incessant meowing would make remote interviews hard.

Joseph Bardsley wrote:

> Thanks for this, Gustavo. I appreciate your candor, and your thoughtfulness here.

> You are, of course, right. Yes, the Internet is forever, and yes, this story is nearly 30 years old, but if Brandie made efforts to remove this story from active circulation back then, she clearly and evidently had her reasons.

> My discussions of the story, and sharing it here were and are only motivated by enthusiasm for it, and for Brandie’s work on a whole. I agree that sharing it publicly isn’t the best idea, and so will not. Having reflected o this a bit, I apologize for any perception of ill intent on my part, and for not being more mindful of Brandie’s goals as an author.

I don't think anyone would assume any ill intent.

And, barring any more clear statements, I'm not sure she would object to things being privately shared, and then publicly discussed in a completeley out of the way forum. I'd just recommend keeping quotes small.

And maybe, before sending copies, adding a reminder to the top of the story to not share widely because we don't know her feelings of late, just so in three years no one mistakenly posts it very publicly when someone is looking for it.

I kind of figure that the internet is kind of forever, and the most she can hope for is that her work remains rare. And this would fit the bounds of that expectation/hope.

Or I just make excuses. Who can tell?