Mommy Says Enough Already

[d8rkmessngr]

Okay, this is a tad more prissy than usual. Let me apologize ahead of time.


Thank you for those who had let me know what's been going on about my LJ. Please know I do appreciate everyone looking out for me, even more so, I'm humbled that people still want to read some of the affected older fics archived here.

What I don't appreciate, however, is the irate, cranky PMs, a total of fifteen this past two weeks, complaining that I 'screwed up' my formatting and that they 'don't have patience' for this and I'll 'lose readers' if I don't fix it now. Too many to reply to each one, and honestly, a little too miffed now to apologize any more.

I have recoded 17 chapters so far, but there's still 738 more pages to go in hand coding. And no, I can't just use LJ's Rich text function because that's what I'd used before and why everything got messed up now. So I am going back and doing this right, but I only have one working hand and pounds of laundry and chores I need to do daily. So, please, mommy's sorry, but I am working as fast as I can.

I also can't really do the following:

1. I can not change the style of my LJ to a lighter background: there's no guarantee it'll fix everything and may muck up all I've recoded already.
2. Can't use Rich text function because ____ See above.
3. Can't post it on another LJ because I still need to recode everything first and since I'm doing that, I might as well post to here and share the link because it's faster
4. I can't format and combine into a PDF: 1003 pages, all piece-mealed and not in a single file because you know what? Mommy's an old, grouchy mommy who didn't know tech and used all sorts of software and laptops to write this so yeah, a little disorganized. My priority needs to be with my lovely LJ siblings first. So LJ first, formatted PDF and whatever ebook thing you insist I should do later.
5. No, I can't move everything to Dreamwidth because again, must recode first. Starting over on a totally new site would take longer.
6. No, I can't stop writing STXI. Yes, it might be distracting me from all the recoding, but frankly, I need the breather from the death!angst and the follies of LJ. Trust me, I'm less cranky towards TW this way. It's like hubby on the couch. No, children, mommy and daddy aren't getting a divorce, mommy just needs a time out because daddy was being stupid today. LOL.

Okay? That's it. I'm taking down the PM function today once I figure out how because reading mentioned gripes is only slowing everything up. I rather be posting to st_xi_kink, pleading for hugging fics than read about how I messed up my formatting on LJ.

Rant over. Sorry everyone. Again, this is not towards you all. Just the PMs who apparently think just because I'm a housewife, I have all the time in the world. If I lose a few readers because I'm 'taking too long to fix this', so be it.

Comments

[ohinyan.livejournal.com]

I'm very grateful to people who write great fanfic as I have tried but I cant write for toffee myself. I will wait patiently for the next oncoming storm series whenever you are ready.

[d8rkmessngr.livejournal.com]

:) Thank you.

[bbm-got-me-good.livejournal.com]

If someone wants to read your stories in a different formatting, all they need to do is add ?style=mine (so they get: http://d8rkmessngr.livejournal.com/69070.html?style=mine) to the url and they have it in their own LJ style. I do it like that because I'm blind as a bad and need huge letters on a light background.

I could try getting it into PDF file because I do it with fics I like anyway, although 1000 pages seem daunting so I can't promise anything :)

[bbm-got-me-good.livejournal.com]

what i meant was "blind as a bat" :P Sorry

[d8rkmessngr.livejournal.com]

LOL, s'okay, me blind as a bat too. Butterfingers when it comes to typing.

[d8rkmessngr.livejournal.com]

I could try getting it into PDF file because I do it with fics I like anyway, although 1000 pages seem daunting so I can't promise anything :)

Thank you for offering but really, its probably better all the recoded, reformatted stuff is up first. Thank you for the offer though. :)

[lukita.livejournal.com]

Trolls are idiots. Take as much time as you need. ♥

[d8rkmessngr.livejournal.com]

:) Thanks, hon!

[aluinnsearlait.livejournal.com]

I've never commented, but i just wanted to give you a hug, and a cup of e-tea, because wow, people aren't nice sometimes.

also, I personally love your Star Trek fics, and have yet to delve into the Torchwood (i'll get there, but right now i can't bring myself to -- just, guh.) so please (in the least pushy way possible -- like, as if a cloud were just ever so slightly nudging you) never stop writing them :D

So, in short, thanks for being totally amazing, and one of my favorite fic writers ever, even though I just stumbled across your work.

i hope you have a better day today!

[d8rkmessngr.livejournal.com]

i hope you have a better day today!

After this? Everyone just being so great? Oh, my day gets better and better each day!

[hab318princess.livejournal.com]

I wasn't going to comment, cause I'm rather late to the party (as per usual)

*hugs*

and if they can't read it, there is (on a paid account anyway), the option to read anything in your own blog's style...

don't let them get you down!

[d8rkmessngr.livejournal.com]

:) Thanks!

[kehlana-miyu.livejournal.com]

I can't believe the nerve of some people!

As many people before me I advise you not to care about mannerless morons like that and remember that most of people visiting your journal honestly love your work and don't care about coding as long as the still can read your amazing stories. I count myself among them.

As to PDF, I made a version of Oncoming Storm in that format, but it was before you started improving it and reposting. I can send it to you or make a new one when you upload all the chapters after revision. I'm going to do that anyway for myself, cause I want to print it and have on my shelf. So if you want me to send you one of these versions, just let me know.

[wolf-were.livejournal.com]

For those people who complain about the dark background: copy and save it to the word processing program of your choice, and then format it however you want to make it readable for you. Plus, then you can save it to your hard drive and read it whenever you want, rather than worry that the lj's owner is going to delete it.

Sorry you're getting problems from ranters. Good luck formatting, and as much as I enjoy your Janto work, I also really like your STIX fics as much.

[wolf-were.livejournal.com]

Oh, and, it's my experience that adobe acrobat, at least, will let you make big .pdfs from many other .pdfs. I recently made a 700+ page file by combining 25 smaller files. If you really felt like it, you, or someone else (I could do it, but I'm sure there are many people you know better who are already clamoring for the job) could do it a chapter at a time.

bless

[(Anonymous)]

all i have to say is that after the depression inspiring COE your fic has kept me from slashing my wrists with all the despair. so i thank you for saving my life! sorry the formating is giving you such a headache - i re-read your whole thing over the weekend and it only made me happy not frustrated. THANK you and i cant wait for the new work. xo s

Re: bless

[d8rkmessngr.livejournal.com]

Thank you for coming out to tell me this! You guys keep reminding me it's not all bad! :)

[(Anonymous)]

People are all offering some good solutions but that's a lot of hassle to do every page. The story better be worth it for all that fuss.

[d8rkmessngr.livejournal.com]

I hope so. :)

[indusnm.livejournal.com]

I love your Trek fic!

Oh, I have a question about the rich text--you're not the first person who has said that messed things up... but I don't get it. Doesn't rich text just mean you don't have to code things? Sorry for sounding like an idiot, but I'm getting a little nervous that there's something wrong with all the stuff I posted- I always use rich text and it looks all right to me, but is that because I've been lucky, I don't write long stuff, or is it really bad and it just looks okay from my account because of some settings I have?

Please ignore this if you don't have time to answer, you sound busy! I'm totally hijacking this post and asking for YOUR help, which is completely rude, but I'm so tech UNsavvy that your post has shaken my confidence in rich text!

[d8rkmessngr.livejournal.com]

Doesn't rich text just mean you don't have to code things? Sorry for sounding like an idiot,

Usually, but for some reason cutting and pasting on some docs like from Word just doesn't translate. Often, it becomes all italics or none show, I lose my paragraphs or the text becomes all one chunk. It's inconsistent for some, brilliant for others. It's been a crap shoot for me.


you sound busy!

Nah, just ranty. :) I'd been staying away from LJ because oooh, there's so many trolls I can delete. I tried making a new setting but apparently that only works with new posts.

*Hugs you*

[tolerik.livejournal.com]

*Hugs you*
I would read your stories even if it made my eyeballs bleed; they're just that good :)

Anyway, this is far from the hardest to read. I've had to stagger away with my eyeballs almost literally bleeding from sites where people have done black backgrounds with red or purple font, oh and vibrating lime green once *yum*. And others where out of place symbols appear mixed in with the normal font. But the sites that play music are the scariest by far *shudders*.

Take your time, hon. Some people seem to forget that a lot of writers have real lives too.

Re: *Hugs you*

[d8rkmessngr.livejournal.com]

I've had to stagger away with my eyeballs almost literally bleeding from sites where people have done black backgrounds with red or purple font, oh and vibrating lime green once *yum*.

Ack, okay, I'm trying to avoid those but sigh, LJ doesn't always cooperate...

[veta-black.livejournal.com]

Just wanted to say sorry about the drama - just got back from Comic-Con/California so I didn't have a good way to comment til now.

[d8rkmessngr.livejournal.com]

-hugs- It never matters when, hon. Just that you're here.