Half of the Stairs are Missing

[Vincent L]

(On another note, people still use MSN? I thought that was dead…)

 

[Twisted Tails]

(On another note, people still use MSN? I thought that was dead…)

What is MSN?

BTW: I love your latest avatar, that is so adorable!

 

[Vincent L]

What is MSN?

BTW: I love your latest avatar, that is so adorable!

MSN stands for The Microsoft Network. We're talking about MSN Messenger, an IM service.
And I'm glad you like my new avatar, but sadly it's a special holiday avatar for Northern Territory Picnic Day, so I'm changing it back when Aug. 6 ends.

p.s. we're going off topic again…

 

[Twisted Tails]

MSN stands for The Microsoft Network. We're talking about MSN Messenger, an IM service.
And I'm glad you like my new avatar, but sadly it's a special holiday avatar for Northern Territory Picnic Day, so I'm changing it back when Aug. 6 ends.

p.s. we're going off topic again…

You;re right! This like wow emotional rollercoaster of a story reminds me of the song, "Halway Down the Stairs" I thought was one of Jim's favorite songs.

 

[Hubert]

LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!! (Why do I feel like Oliver Wendall Douglass right now?) How could you have stopped writing this? I NEED MORE!!!!!!!!

I basically spent my whole day today reading this story! And I love it! I love it to pieces! I love it! I love it! Did I neglect to mention that I love it?

Honestly, everything about this is teeming with absolute greatness. Your writing style, your choice or words, your ability to carry on a complex plot, your ability to manipulate our every emotion! It's amazing!

So now that I've read the whole thing, I'm gonna make a handy dandy bulleted list or everything I love about it, and some other notes:

• A return appearance of Amy? I love it. And that the penguins were willing to look after her. Too perfect.
• All of the lines and inspiration teeming out of this is terrific. The thought and workload you must put into this thing...
• I love how you keep relieving the pressure and tension valves, whether it's newsflashes, Pepe and Rizzo wisecracks, or even something else sprinkled in here and there.
• Which, by the way, Pepe and Rizzo's lines are spot on! Fact, everyone is spot on. There's not a thing you had someone say that I couldn't imagine that character saying.
• Did I mention I just want to give Leaper a punch in the face? I know she's struggling through her son's accident, but she is just being a bit too stuck up and pushy.
• I'm really feeling for Jimmy right now, he's stuck in the middle of a bunch of friends who don't want Robin die, and his ex-wife, who want's to just take him off all the machines.
• The remote stuff was good. Real good.
• As was the newsflash.
• And was Bobo coming out of his room with the towel and scrubbrush. For some reason, that just cracked me up. I can so see that happening.
• Also, one of my favorite things of this whole story would be when Rowlf took the phone away from Kermit and left the message. That moment of Rowlf knowing how Kermit was feeling, and when Kermit tried to explain, Rowlf's "I know" was just too perfect.
• Did I mention how I love your sense of description? I can see every scene and room spot on.
• One of my other favorite moments would be when Leaper was in Robin's room, and then Rowlf comes in. Which, if you haven't noticed by now, I love all Rowlf scenes.
• And all the little things. Sweetums throwing the car. Fozzie's hat. Kermit's comment about how he needs a new one.
• The ball. Always at Robin's side. Except when Kermit sticks in in Leaper's face.
• The friendships that you made evident were great. Rowlf and Kermit. Sweetums and Robin. Jimmy and Kermit. Fozzie and Kermit. Gonzo and Fozzie.
• Oh the references! Though I'm still trying to figure out the significance of 396.

Might I also mention that this is one of the best things, if not the best thing, I've ever read in my life? I'm gonna have to start working my way through your other fanfics.

To sum up this whole post, please post more as soon as you can.

 

[Vincent L]

If this continues, maybe Robin will have some company in that hospital bed.
(prepares penguin cannons to fire at Lisa)

 

[TogetherAgain]

Thanks for the review, Hubert! I'm glad you like the story so much. I will get back to this one, eventually... I promise! I just don't know when.

As for 396... Well, I do hope you're prepared for a long-winded explanation.

I'm a casual fan of Hebrew Numerology, where each letter of the aleph-bet has a corresponding numerical value, and you can do various math things to add up different words and form random cool symbolic connections. For instance, the Hebrew word for "life" is "chai." Chai, in Hebrew, is spelled with the letters chet (ח) and yud (י), which correspond to 8 and 10, respectively. Add them together, and "chai" = 18 = life. I like to weave a little chai into my stories. For example, if you notice the tildas I use to mark scene changes, there are always eighteen of them. If you've read Swamp Call, one of my other stories, a character spends a little time in hospital room 218--and yes, they have a second chance at life. (Although technically, in hindsight, it really should have been room 418... but I digress.) If you're reading one of my stories and come across the number 18, or a multiple of eighteen, or something that can be multiplied to get eighteen... it might mean something. Or, it might just be me playing cheerleader... or it might be a complete coincidence, as happened in one of the more recent chapters of Heart of Gold.

The other number to look for is 17. 17 is bad. I don't have a real explanation in terms of Hebrew Numerology, except that it's one short of life... but it's also a prime number. Also, the 17th of the Hebrew month Tamuz is a day when lousy things tend to happen to the Jewish people--although not as bad as the 9th of Av, but to me 9 is a good number. 9 x 2 = 18, which is good. And 9 is also three 3s, and 3 has always been a good number for me, what with me being the third daughter of a third daughter, born in the third month of the year...

17, though. I don't like 17. If you see 17 in one of my stories... you should maybe worry. What I said before about the 17th of Tamuz? Here's the 17th of Tamuz I remember most vividly: It was the summer of 2006, and I was in Israel. We were supposed to go to Haifa and then to Tsfat, but our organization got a security notice that changed our plans. We instead went to some place called Atlit, and then to Haifa. On the bus to Atlit, we said a prayer for some Israeli soldiers who had just gone missing. Then when we left Atlit, the bus broke down, and we were stuck for a while before we got a new bus to take us to Haifa. Meanwhile, two rockets hit Tsfat. We spent maybe an hour in Haifa, and pretty much right after we left, we got a notice that it was no longer safe for us to be in Haifa... and an hour later, there were rockets hitting there too. Suffice it to say, it was the start of a bad time for Israel--and the reason that if you read Flippersteps through the Sand, partway through the thread you will find comments about "Does anyone know where is Israel Lisa is? Does anyone know if she's okay?"

But ANYWAY, that is all a VERY long-winded way of saying that I hate choosing random numbers, and numbers therefore tend to have some kind of significance in my stories... but you may have to do some math to find it.

And now, if you'll excuse me... <eyes Vincent and the penguin cannons> I have a rock to hide under.

 

[Hubert]

Aah...very interesting explanation.

And now, if you'll excuse me... <eyes Vincent and the penguin cannons> I have a rock to hide under.

*slides typewriter under rock*

 

[Beauregard]

*slides typewriter under rock*

*slides dynamite under typewriter*

 

[Vincent L]

Wait, if you kill Lisa, there will be no more stories! And one frog in a hospital bed is quite enough…