aumsworld

Grateful Eulogies (ie. Long Boring Entry)

I'm seriously considering taking a break from stories.com. I still don't know whether I want this break to be definitive or just temporary, the time to get my thoughts, my life, and my writing a bit organized; but, as I've said, I'm considering taking a good and a healthy break - at least a couple weeks, but probably more. So, as I think I've mentioned in my bio block: if you have any matter of life and death to discuss with me, please do so within the next seven days, or before this portfolio ultimately self-destructs :)

(And no, that's not true - I won't be deleting my account, my portfolio, or any of my writings (phew! or should I say eek!?) - and I may even still be hanging around a little, checking my email every so once in a while, saying hi to friends, and maybe even adding an occasional entry to this little journal. I probably won't send much emails, comment or review on public writings, surf the website, add to forums, enter contests, and such, though, and I certainly won’t log in on a very regular basis. That's the truth of it...)

So, anyway, before I go on whining and ranting like a martyred saint, I'll get to business. I noticed that, in this journal, I have a tendency to complain a lot about dumb, mean, evil, etc. people, for example hypocritical Christians, lousy friends, idiotic preps, hate-mailers and -raters, and the likes; and so, for a change, I decided I'd write an entry about the NICE people I've met in this world. However, since I don't think any of you would be interested in hearing me ramble about the eternal love and devotion I feel towards my mother, I thought I'd speak only of those people here on stories.com that have really made my stay here a pleasure. Those are all the people I mention in my bio block: the friends, the angels, the heroes, the fans, the editors, etc . I’ve been wanting to do this since a while, actually, but so far I’d been too lazy to get off my ass (hm, that may not be the right expression, but you get the general intention) and do it. Now seems like the ideal time. So here goes!

(Warning: some sentimentalism ahead, in case you’re not fond of that type of thing… )

Friends, Angels, and Knights
These are the people to whom I am most indebted… My friends and my benefactors, the ones who shared love with me when I was feeling down, and with whom communication really was more than (forgive the cliché) a one-way street.

At the head of my friends’ list, of course, I just have to mention my beloved Publius … I met this guy three months or so ago, when I saw a certain poem of his ( I think it was The Pied Piper of Munchausen - that’s a must-read, by the way) in the “Read a Newbie” section. I reviewed most of his works, and he thanked me and reviewed ALL of mine, before telling me that I was the most interesting character he’d ever met on stories.com, and that he wanted to know a bit more about me. Well, I emailed back, one thing led to another, and soon we were exchanging online epics at the rate of one or two a day. He recently wrote a poem destined to cheer me up (that’s

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) and sent me a trio of adorable gargoyles, which he made himself, over mail… No one’s ever done anything so thoughtful for me, and I’m immensely grateful (I actually burst into tears when he wrote the poem.) Now, I couldn’t say it enough; go read this guy’s portfolio. Publius is a truly wonderful romantic poet - I can say, in full objectivity, that he writes the best love poems of the entire site, and in perfect Elizabethan English, too! - he has a wonderful (if sometimes a little unpredictable) sense of humour, and he’s an absolute sweetheart. I’ve seen him dark, I’ve seen him down, and I’ve seen him upset, but I’ve never seen him lose his temper at anyone, including me - which is quite a feat. Hon, you rock my world!

And then, there’s fadedvisions whom I met very recently, although we still had time to become e-pals. Apparently, I bring the goofiness out of Stu, which is a good thing - trust me, nothing pleases me more than to help someone discover their own insanity. And, well, what can I say? Stu’s a wonderful guy, a wonderful reader, and a wonderful poet, and he’s going through some pretty harsh times - a friend of his has just discovered a cancer - and so I’m sure he’d appreciate all forms of support. I’m praying for you, Stu - in my own abstract, heretical sort of way, of course - but I hope that’s enough.

I also want to mention ethos5 , who knows me here as the “Devil of the Red Pen.” Alan dislikes spell-checkers, while I’m manic about them myself; you’d have thought we’d hate each other, but, oddly enough, we don’t. He’s a real sweetie, who likes to clog my inbox with “useless sentimental crap,” as he calls it (although to me it’s far from useless), and he doesn’t mind my evil, hard-hearted reviews of his gripping, but, alas, slightly misspelled urban fantasy epics. You’re an awesome writer, Alan; don’t ever let anything I might say make you think otherwise.

peacenlove is my little sister! She’s amazingly talented for someone her age, especially considering she only began learning English two years ago. Her stories are ten times more complex than mine were at her age. She won’t be reading this, since my online journal is off-limits to her (or at least, I dare HOPE she won’t be reading this, although who ever knows?) But I’ll say it all the same: keep on writing, hon, and never mind those nasty critics!

And then, there’s a girl who’s been - woe and sorrows! - deleted by the staff, due to what seems to me like an unfortunate mistake. Arielle, whom some of you might remember as a proud and intelligent Christian-turned-Jewish teenager, zevavrahambn ‘s sweetheart, and an all-around angel, was also my benefactor; she’s one of the two purveyors of my current upgrade (Publius’s the other) and she’s the one who got me promoted to my current yellow portfolio. I support you, Arielle, and hope you’ll be back here soon enough…


Fans, Heroes, Editors, and other Acquaintances
These are the people with whom my relationship may not have been close or tight-knit at all - in fact, I hardly ever spoke a word to many of them - but, in one way or another, they influenced the way I write, or the way I perceive my writing. I’ll only be mentioning the fans and editors that commented on more than one of my works, and the heroes of whom I’ve reviewed more than one piece of writing; if your name isn’t here, and if you’ve given me positive feedback or have received some from me, that doesn’t mean I don’t value you. We just may not have spoken enough :) Go and review more of my works, or ask me to review yours (hint, hint) and I’ll be sure to add your name to the list.

First of all: someone who’s a hero, an editor, AND a fan of mine! KURT is a truly brilliant satirical editorialist; I can’t believe he could waste any time browsing through my works, but, apparently, he did, and enjoyed most of them. Receiving one of his reviews was always extremely flattering to me, and I enjoyed reading his own columns and stories, even though I’m afraid they were often too mature for me to understand them fully.

Circe ‘s writing, and mine, have a lot in common; we’re both obsessed with the possibility of good and evil being interrelated, and we both love vampires, angels, demons, and other creatures of darkness. It’s thrilling to find such a lot of similar themes in someone else’s writing; I have the feeling I’ve found a like soul!

Jay's debut novel is out now! is a fantastic, nearly professional writer, even though she’s only - what is it? Eighteen years old? *jealousy* Check out her constructive criticism forum; it hurts, but you (or at least your writing) will get out of there changed.

I love insaneclown ‘s attitude! He says things the average people won’t dare to even think to themselves, and does so with brio and style. After having read my short biography, he told me he’d marry me even if I looked like a horse’s ass; I take that as a compliment, and a pretty damn flattering one at that!

devo wrote me one of the most inspirational comments I’ve ever received, after having read my now-deceased Candy Journal. If I ever become a professional writer (not that I have any illusions, but I can always dream) it’ll be in part thanks to him.

sherye gave me my first contest award for “The Pilgrim,” and she loved my crappy but beloved little semi-gothic, semi-epic fairytale Albany . That’s enough for my entire life to be in her debt :)

gm_pierce is a terrific writer! Check out her Laurie and Evelyn stories, and you may understand why I’m such a devoted fan of hers.

ronkevred is a truly professional poet - probably one of the best this site has on display. His fantasy-style writings are particularly striking.

{user:outlaw poet} writes the type of twisted poems I would write, if I had the skill and talent to do so…

Verm and I used to be rather fond of exchanging reviews… Notice her handle sounds peculiarly similar to mine; she took hers from the same source as I did - that is, the Buddhist religion.

AnderClunk is a lot of fun…

… and so are Silma , Willow and amawitch

Need I say why I admire NaNoNette ? I think you’ve all heard of her personal tragedies… She’s such a strong person to have survived them all.

tommync1 is one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met. Although I’ve never posted in any of his forums, I used to visit them and read what everyone else wrote, mostly because it was all so full of the old peace n luv…

enigmatized is a guy I know from an old writing club of mine, which I used to moderate then. Although he claims to be crazy, I have a feeling I may have been too unstable for even him to handle; in spite of all that, though, I always thought him to be pretty damn cool.

ladyandpen is a little cutie, and amazingly mature for her age! Her writings are deeper than mine will ever be.

lockender has a mild obsession with religion that’s strikingly similar to mine.

shadowe likes pilgrims as much as I do… Or almost.

CactuarJoe is my hero.

j.v.b. rocks, for such a young writer. She’s only fourteen!

phil1861 ought to be published - that is, if he isn’t already.

Gayle ♪♪♪ spreads the love…

rangeric got me discovered, and I owe him one. His journal is one of the most thought-provoking I’ve read on this site, and trust me, I’ve read a lot of journals.

me_meow should be promoted. Best wishes with you-know-who, Sarah…

Fairy is Albany’s favourite fan.

colleen writes such twisted and clever little fairytale parodies!

carmelkisses moderates what is, in my humble opinion, the best online writing club on the entire Internet. If you don’t believe me, check out her TROLA folder.

And then there is, of course, the ubiquitous anonymous, to whom I owe part of my upgrade, my costumicons, and a few of my best (and worst, but let’s not go there) reviews.

I never said I would leave forever, but if I do… Man, I’ll miss you guys.

(Is anyone still reading this anyway?)

Peace N Luv,
Aum

(p.s. In case you care, I left for a couple of months, but I'm back now. Someone bought me an upgrade... I feel so special )

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