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Disclaimer thingy: The idea of the Pretender doesn't belong to me, but Madeline does and I am proud of it! Cassandra belongs to Rebeckah, and Katia belongs to TBA... Tons of thanks to TBA and Rebeckah for helping to make this part rock!
Pretender Payback
PART 27: ~Untitled Light~
by Danielle : - ), with help from The Bad Angel and Rebeckah
11-7-99
Danielle : - ) was diligently (yeah, right! ;-) doing her Intuitive Geometry homework when a voice behind her made her jump, "You're not really going to do that to me, are you?"
"What?" Danielle : - ) asked Madeline, her pride and joy, the character she created in order to express her ideas and desires (remember now, it's pronounced "Danielle Smiley-Face" and she is a hugely obsessed Pretender fan...).
"Oh come on!" Madeline scoffed, "You're thinking about writing a third version of my series! You've been thinking about it for a while, but "Past Shadows" and what Lyle did to Catherine started you thinking about it even more!"
"Well, yes, but-"
"No buts! You want to make me suffer through Park's death AGAIN, and then be kidnapped by Lyle! And I know how in Psychology, when Professor Frost was talking about the area of the brain that controls sight being at the back of the skull, you were thinking about how a nice hard blow to the base of the neck would probably cause blindness! Weren't you?! *Weren't you?!* WEREN'T YOU?!"
Danielle : - ) blinked because Madeline's accusations sounded eerily like Jarod's "didn't you?!’s.
"Yes..." The writer mumbled, "but I was only thinking temporary blindness!"
"So?! It's still blindness! Haven't you put me through enough? I mean, on top of everything that happened before I came to live with Park, you kill her AND leave me at the mercy of that psychopath Lyle!"
"It's only ideas, hon. PLUS I was thinking of that storyline going along with the series, so that Miss Parker wasn't really dead and would eventually come save you, most likely with Jarod's help because I'm a romantic!!! Besides, a) I barely have time to write the fics I need to finish let alone take on another one! and b) I couldn't be *that* mean to you and c) I don't even know why I bother writing sometimes." Danielle : - ) finished on a not-so-smiley note.
"Why?" Madeline asked curiously.
"Because most of the time when I post things to PFic no one says anything so it feels like I'm being ignored. And I *know* people have to be reading my fics at Nicolette's, but only one in a couple hundred readers write to tell me they liked what they read! I mean, I'm a busy person, I- I don't know how to put it, but I guess it's like 'why should I make time to write if no one seems to care'? OH!! *Plus* after my computer crashed last week and I lost my List and-"
"List?" Madeline asked.
"Yeah, I had this little List for people that I send updates to when new fics are posted. Anyway, I was really depressed after the Crash because I just lost so much and when I got back online I told everyone to email me if they wanted to be on the List and no one has."
"No one likes me?" Madeline's lower lip trembled.
"Maybe no one likes *us*..." Danielle : - ) suggested sadly.
"I enjoy your stories." A voice from the doorway spoke up.
"Hey you!" Danielle : - ) was surprised that her friend from school, known around the Internet as The Bad Angel, was at her house. The Bad Angel -referred to as TBA for short (since she's kinda lazy)-
"Hey!" TBA yelled, "You wanna hear the nice things I have to say about your writing or not?"
Danielle : - ) most definitely did, so like we were saying... TBA made herself at home on the floor before speaking, "You're a great writer! You convinced me to write my fic even though I was nervous because Miss Parker slash is like, nonexistent."
"Miss Parker slash?!" Madeline cried out in disbelief, but was ignored- TBA kept right on talking.
"And you're a great proof reader... And you created Madeline!"
"And you did a great job with her too." Came another new voice from the doorway.
"Rebeckah? How’d you get here? I thought you lived on the West Coast?" Danielle Smiley-Face was confused, but Madeline’s gray eyes narrowed ominously.
"This is a Pretender Payback, anything’s possible here." Rebeckah answered calmly. "And I really think you might want to reconsider the blindness thing."
"Yeah!" Madeline breathed, her irritation temporarily forgotten.
"Definitely." A third new voice sounded in the doorway and a petite, dark haired woman carefully tapped her way into the room.
"Cassandra!" Exclaimed three surprised voices. TBA simply looked curious, never having had the good fortune to read Rebeckah’s fiction.
"Being blind is no fun." Cassandra continued with her customary composure.
"And at Madeline’s age it would be even more traumatic than it was for me when I was little."
Madeline went to give her friend a hug, both in welcome and gratitude that she was backing her up with her author.
"As I was saying." Rebeckah interrupted firmly. "You are a fine writer, Danielle. You need to learn that most writing is done simply for the love of it, not for the feedback. Most of our readers never will tell us what they think, unless, of course, they don’t like something. Then I’m sure you ’ll hear plenty!"
"Flamers!" Danielle : - )’s face bore no trace of a smile now.
"The question is, do YOU like your stories? Do they say something you need to say, or make you feel better about something, or let you vent?" Danielle nodded her head slowly, but her face showed doubt.
"Really, dear." Rebeckah said maternalistically, which she tended to do no matter how old the person was. "If you have the writer’s itch you’ll write regardless of feedback. Besides, I’ve told you you’re good, Nicolette’s told you you’re good, and----"
"And maybe I should stick with the feedback I get from the people I know and respect?" Danielle : - ) asked with a small smile.
"There you go!" Rebeckah cheered.
"Okay, then, speaking of feedback," Danielle : - ) began, a mischievous smile on her lips. "Then I’d like to give you some about your plans for Cassandra."
"What plans?" Cassandra demanded instantly. (Unlike Madeline, Cassandra was not privy to her creator’s thought processes. Possibly because she wasn ’t much like her creator in most respects.)
"Well," Rebeckah began slowly, glaring at Danielle : - ).
"She’s thinking about killing you off!" Danielle : - ) explained stubbornly.
"Danielle!" Rebeckah exclaimed.
"Kill me?!" Cassandra squeaked.
"But we just became friends!" Madeline shouted, stomping her foot angrily.
"What IS it with you people? Do you, like, have a pact to make my life hell, or what?!"
"Hey, I haven’t decided yet." Rebeckah defended herself weakly. "I was considering giving her her sight back too, you know."
"Kill me?" Cassandra repeated disbelievingly.
"Well, you’re in a really bad situation, you know. What with that HE person and everything. Danielle, I’m going to get you for this!" Rebeckah threatened, before she poofed out of existence. Danielle : - ) grinned unrepentantly. "Just make sure I get some more feedback from you. And hurry up with the next part of the story!" She called out cheerfully.
"Kill me?" Cassandra muttered one last time, before she too poofed out of existence.
"See?!" Danielle : - ) told Madeline triumphantly. "I could be much worse!"
"Hah!" Madeline returned, patently unconvinced. "No blindness! And keep Lyle away from me if you want him to keep all of his body parts!" With this threat, and a last foot stomp (which she found strangely satisfying) Madeline disappeared.
"Well," TBA’s voice drew Danielle’s attention around to her. "That was certainly interesting. You allow your characters a lot more leeway than I do mine, that’s for sure." She grinned slyly at the girl who seemed more than a little shell-shocked.
"Keep writing, and don’t let the flamers burn you." She advised Danielle: - ) sagely, cocking a finger and thumb at her and making a firing motion. "Gotta go---I just got the greatest idea for Miss Parker and Katia!" Like the Cheshire Cat, TBA’s smile was the last part of her to vanish and Danielle : - ) was left alone, wondering if she was happier or more frustrated than before.
by Danielle : - )
PART 27: ~Untitled Light~
by Danielle : - ), with help from The Bad Angel and Rebeckah
11-7-99
Danielle : - ) was diligently (yeah, right! ;-) doing her Intuitive Geometry homework when a voice behind her made her jump, "You're not really going to do that to me, are you?"
"What?" Danielle : - ) asked Madeline, her pride and joy, the character she created in order to express her ideas and desires (remember now, it's pronounced "Danielle Smiley-Face" and she is a hugely obsessed Pretender fan...).
"Oh come on!" Madeline scoffed, "You're thinking about writing a third version of my series! You've been thinking about it for a while, but "Past Shadows" and what Lyle did to Catherine started you thinking about it even more!"
"Well, yes, but-"
"No buts! You want to make me suffer through Park's death AGAIN, and then be kidnapped by Lyle! And I know how in Psychology, when Professor Frost was talking about the area of the brain that controls sight being at the back of the skull, you were thinking about how a nice hard blow to the base of the neck would probably cause blindness! Weren't you?! *Weren't you?!* WEREN'T YOU?!"
Danielle : - ) blinked because Madeline's accusations sounded eerily like Jarod's "didn't you?!’s.
"Yes..." The writer mumbled, "but I was only thinking temporary blindness!"
"So?! It's still blindness! Haven't you put me through enough? I mean, on top of everything that happened before I came to live with Park, you kill her AND leave me at the mercy of that psychopath Lyle!"
"It's only ideas, hon. PLUS I was thinking of that storyline going along with the series, so that Miss Parker wasn't really dead and would eventually come save you, most likely with Jarod's help because I'm a romantic!!! Besides, a) I barely have time to write the fics I need to finish let alone take on another one! and b) I couldn't be *that* mean to you and c) I don't even know why I bother writing sometimes." Danielle : - ) finished on a not-so-smiley note.
"Why?" Madeline asked curiously.
"Because most of the time when I post things to PFic no one says anything so it feels like I'm being ignored. And I *know* people have to be reading my fics at Nicolette's, but only one in a couple hundred readers write to tell me they liked what they read! I mean, I'm a busy person, I- I don't know how to put it, but I guess it's like 'why should I make time to write if no one seems to care'? OH!! *Plus* after my computer crashed last week and I lost my List and-"
"List?" Madeline asked.
"Yeah, I had this little List for people that I send updates to when new fics are posted. Anyway, I was really depressed after the Crash because I just lost so much and when I got back online I told everyone to email me if they wanted to be on the List and no one has."
"No one likes me?" Madeline's lower lip trembled.
"Maybe no one likes *us*..." Danielle : - ) suggested sadly.
"I enjoy your stories." A voice from the doorway spoke up.
"Hey you!" Danielle : - ) was surprised that her friend from school, known around the Internet as The Bad Angel, was at her house. The Bad Angel -referred to as TBA for short (since she's kinda lazy)-
"Hey!" TBA yelled, "You wanna hear the nice things I have to say about your writing or not?"
Danielle : - ) most definitely did, so like we were saying... TBA made herself at home on the floor before speaking, "You're a great writer! You convinced me to write my fic even though I was nervous because Miss Parker slash is like, nonexistent."
"Miss Parker slash?!" Madeline cried out in disbelief, but was ignored- TBA kept right on talking.
"And you're a great proof reader... And you created Madeline!"
"And you did a great job with her too." Came another new voice from the doorway.
"Rebeckah? How’d you get here? I thought you lived on the West Coast?" Danielle Smiley-Face was confused, but Madeline’s gray eyes narrowed ominously.
"This is a Pretender Payback, anything’s possible here." Rebeckah answered calmly. "And I really think you might want to reconsider the blindness thing."
"Yeah!" Madeline breathed, her irritation temporarily forgotten.
"Definitely." A third new voice sounded in the doorway and a petite, dark haired woman carefully tapped her way into the room.
"Cassandra!" Exclaimed three surprised voices. TBA simply looked curious, never having had the good fortune to read Rebeckah’s fiction.
"Being blind is no fun." Cassandra continued with her customary composure.
"And at Madeline’s age it would be even more traumatic than it was for me when I was little."
Madeline went to give her friend a hug, both in welcome and gratitude that she was backing her up with her author.
"As I was saying." Rebeckah interrupted firmly. "You are a fine writer, Danielle. You need to learn that most writing is done simply for the love of it, not for the feedback. Most of our readers never will tell us what they think, unless, of course, they don’t like something. Then I’m sure you ’ll hear plenty!"
"Flamers!" Danielle : - )’s face bore no trace of a smile now.
"The question is, do YOU like your stories? Do they say something you need to say, or make you feel better about something, or let you vent?" Danielle nodded her head slowly, but her face showed doubt.
"Really, dear." Rebeckah said maternalistically, which she tended to do no matter how old the person was. "If you have the writer’s itch you’ll write regardless of feedback. Besides, I’ve told you you’re good, Nicolette’s told you you’re good, and----"
"And maybe I should stick with the feedback I get from the people I know and respect?" Danielle : - ) asked with a small smile.
"There you go!" Rebeckah cheered.
"Okay, then, speaking of feedback," Danielle : - ) began, a mischievous smile on her lips. "Then I’d like to give you some about your plans for Cassandra."
"What plans?" Cassandra demanded instantly. (Unlike Madeline, Cassandra was not privy to her creator’s thought processes. Possibly because she wasn ’t much like her creator in most respects.)
"Well," Rebeckah began slowly, glaring at Danielle : - ).
"She’s thinking about killing you off!" Danielle : - ) explained stubbornly.
"Danielle!" Rebeckah exclaimed.
"Kill me?!" Cassandra squeaked.
"But we just became friends!" Madeline shouted, stomping her foot angrily.
"What IS it with you people? Do you, like, have a pact to make my life hell, or what?!"
"Hey, I haven’t decided yet." Rebeckah defended herself weakly. "I was considering giving her her sight back too, you know."
"Kill me?" Cassandra repeated disbelievingly.
"Well, you’re in a really bad situation, you know. What with that HE person and everything. Danielle, I’m going to get you for this!" Rebeckah threatened, before she poofed out of existence. Danielle : - ) grinned unrepentantly. "Just make sure I get some more feedback from you. And hurry up with the next part of the story!" She called out cheerfully.
"Kill me?" Cassandra muttered one last time, before she too poofed out of existence.
"See?!" Danielle : - ) told Madeline triumphantly. "I could be much worse!"
"Hah!" Madeline returned, patently unconvinced. "No blindness! And keep Lyle away from me if you want him to keep all of his body parts!" With this threat, and a last foot stomp (which she found strangely satisfying) Madeline disappeared.
"Well," TBA’s voice drew Danielle’s attention around to her. "That was certainly interesting. You allow your characters a lot more leeway than I do mine, that’s for sure." She grinned slyly at the girl who seemed more than a little shell-shocked.
"Keep writing, and don’t let the flamers burn you." She advised Danielle: - ) sagely, cocking a finger and thumb at her and making a firing motion. "Gotta go---I just got the greatest idea for Miss Parker and Katia!" Like the Cheshire Cat, TBA’s smile was the last part of her to vanish and Danielle : - ) was left alone, wondering if she was happier or more frustrated than before.
by Danielle : - )
