Whiskey in the jAAR - Part Deux-twa

[Macavity116]

Correct me if I misunderstood, but are you saying Dune 2 should have been 5 hours and 45 minutes long instead of 2 hours and 45 minutes?

Having just seen Dune 2 a short while ago, the Signalman attempts to join in the conversation.

Dune 2 already felt longer than three hours without actually being so, there was just so much going on in that movie. I'm almost terrified to ask what was left out of the book. I'll admit, I was very surprised to see how short Dune Messiah is in comparison to the first book in the series. It anything, the relatively brief nature of the second book would justify a three-hour runtime for the next movie.

---

The Signalman's phone beeps. He looks down to find a text message from an unfamiliar name. He reads the message twice:

"Was erwartest Du?"

Attempting to conceal an expression of alarm, he slowly he stands and packs up his belongings. As he heads for the SolAARium passageway, he calls out to one specific member of staff.

"It's starting early." He tells her.

"We're not ready." A tall and skinny blonde replies.

"No choice." The Signalman replies. "You get out of here. Head for the UP and don't leave the safehouse until I come for you. Don't open the door for anyone."

The Signalman stands aside, allowing Erin Bowie to leave the bAAR. She runs across Jefferson Avenue and throws her cell phone into the Detroit River. Then she gets in her car and flees the scene. The Signalman takes one last look at the bAAR.

"I hope I get to come back here when this is over..." He sighs.

The Signalman steps into the passageway leading to the SolAARium, leaving the bAAR. He detours into one of the branch pathways, following the signs pointing towards CKIII AARLand. He is soon out of sight.

---

Macavity116 has left the bAAR.

The experimental fourth-wall breaking metafiction "The Broken Gates" is now underway.

 

[Chac1]

The ancient one gathers his robe in the chill Detroit night and makes his entrance into the bAAR. Saturday night after 11 local time, this should be a prime hour for drinkers, discussion and the bAAR. But the cozy hangout is deserted. Highlights of the major basketball games of the day are flashing on the screens and no one is watching. (The ancient one called them the modern hoop games. He recalled the old style hoop ball games he watched many times in his youth in his home city. These games were quite different, and not played by warriors.) Only the staff member who knows @Macavity116 can be seen. The ancient one rubs his bald head, thinking for a moment, then he waves at her beckoning her over to his usual spot in the corner of the main barroom. She looks up from her phone where she is alternating between texting a friend and playing a video game and she notices him.

"If I can trouble you for my usual please, but please make it the good mezcal this time. Neat, please," he requests as he settles on the bar-stool and adjusts his robes around him.

She sighs at the ancient one, not saying anything but serves him as he pushes some cash and a generous tip across the counter top. She takes the cash and goes back to where she was standing before, in the employee entryway to the barroom. She begins playing on her phone again (or as the ancient one referred to them: the magical tablets).

It was apparent from the other magic screens (or video monitors) that the ancient one consulted that no one had been here for more than two weeks. He knew the reason. But he didn't want to think about that now.

There was this.... this was news to him... but he was still the newest person who had dared to venture into this space.

He cleaned off a few spills to the counter with the fabled Dirty Rag (TM) and smiled to the patrons, "It's great to see the room filled. But I'm not a bAARtender anymore. I'll get you a drink, but it has always been first come, first serve."

That was certainly news. On many previous occasions, @coz1 had appeared behind the bar and poured him his mezcal. He very much appreciated that. More so now that he realized @coz1 was just being friendly.

"How does the place function?" he thinks. "If there's no bartender is it any wonder the staff is so listless?" He didn't care if others or the staff could read his thoughts. He had his opinions about why the bAAR had become a hit or miss proposition. The lack of life, especially on a big Saturday night, was notable.

"Maybe they've all gone off to watch the eclipse," he says aloud to the televisions flashing scores and highlights. But his comment is only met with silence. He thinks about that: the amazing technology of the age. He knew that if people in his home city had seen such an event, if would have created panic. The priests and astronomers would be arguing. People would have thought it was the end of days. (Well, maybe not the astronomers.) He was surprised the American entrepreneurs hadn't figured out a way to sell tickets to such an event. But this was all a digression.

He ponders the situation. He has to admit it. He loves the new AAR that @Macavity116 was telling. However, @Macavity116 had literally taken all the energy and interest out of the bAAR when his new story started. The evidence was staring the ancient one in the face on the magic console.

He shakes his head. He could not blame @Macavity116 . But anyone reading the comments between chapters of that AAR (and a few others too) realized the true spirit of the bAAR existed there for the moment. The ancient one starts thinking about solutions to this, but he has no answers. It was good that the spirit of the bAAR at least existed somewhere in AARland. "No doubt, this is akin to the 'psionic energy' that @Macavity116 often writes about," he mutters.

More news to pass along, he thinks. Then in his mind he begins telling the story for folks to read later on the magic screens.

"Folks probably don't know but @Lord Durham and I reached out to @Qorten about ways to enliven the bar. @Qorten suggested to us that we post items here that may be of general interest, so that's what I'm going to do."

The ancient one takes a sip of the mezcal and he lets it burn slowly down his throat. Then he gets up off his stool and takes a piece of paper out of his robe. The paper has various brush marks that he had carefully made in his best calligraphy. He marches up to the bulletin board on one side of the bar. He pulls down the old notices. Then he pins his new notice there. He shuffles back to his spot to sip his mezcal and think a bit more.

The new notice reads:

"To those who are unaware, here are some items happening in AARland that may be of interest to you:

1) Voting for the quarterly ACAs, hosted by @Nikolai , has begun. Please promise to vote or just vote now. You can post your ballot in this thread.

2) Paradox has launched Millennia and that new game already has a short AAR by @Olden Weiss . Worth checking out.

3) In his last posting in Avon Las Observes, @Midnite Duke mentioned various new AARs, some by new writAARs. (Very thankful of the supportive community who greeted me with my first AAR when I arrived here so I like to return the favor when possible.)

4) There aren't many video AARs that have connected with me, and it appears not many folks have checked out this CK3 video AAR by @Lelling . However, folks are missing a good one as there are various amusing parts.

5) Speaking of amusing, @Peter Ebbesen has brought back his professor to teach a course in how to play Stellaris. Tough course but quite a bit of fun. Be mindful of the professor's rules though and you may need to ask to audit if you don't play Stellaris.

6) Feel free to post other notices in the bAAR if you notice happenings in AARland that are worthy of attention and discussion.

No requirement, but it's suggested that you have some fun and interact with others in AARland."

After contemplating what he had done, the ancient one gets up and goes over to the new jukebox. He snaps his fingers and the fire lights in the cozy sitting room next door to the main bar. (The ancient one said he always felt the place was damp when it was empty. Also, he liked manipulating the magic in this place too.) Then he inserts the proper amount of coins in the jukebox and he selects the song that meets his mood. Perhaps this one hits the right note for an empty writers bAAR on a Saturday night, hours away from close. He thinks about nursing that mezcal as he listens to the song and wonders: "How long will it take? And if not long, can we get the bAAR humming and chattering again?"

 

[coz1]

coz1 smiles at the musical choice provided by the Ancient One known as @Chac1, "Damn that takes me back to the 90s and college/post college...Smashing Pumpkins are awesome and I applaud the selection!"

Pouring himself a fresh two fingers of Bunnahabhain, he gets to reading what has been suggested. Then looks up, "Yes indeed vote in the ACAs. Check the dates, but there is no lack of AARs from which to choose."

 

[jak7139]

Jak wanders over and looks at what @Chac1 has posted.

"Even if the baar seems dead, there are many things always going on. Thank you for bringing some of these to my attention. I'm terrible at Stellaris, so @Peter Ebbesen 's AAR might be just what I need."

He nods at something else the Ancient One said, "I think I agree that the spirit of the baar is with @Macavity116 at the moment. People are excited to see where the story goes. And that excitement builds on itself, inciting more people and new people to comment."

 

[Chac1]

"Good to see you @coz1 and @jak7139 . Good to have some company in the bAAR tonight," @Chac1 said, then he took a sip of his Rey Campero. "Nice to have some folks helping me keep the place warm. I'm not asking for much. A friendly watering hole only needs a few friendly faces and some basic service. And this bAAR has quite the stock to drink."

He nods at something else the Ancient One said, "I think I agree that the spirit of the baar is with @Macavity116 at the moment. People are excited to see where the story goes. And that excitement builds on itself, inciting more people and new people to comment."

"Personally, I think it's great fun, but I'm now worried we are driving @Macavity116 a bit nuts," Chac agreed. "It's a rare treat when the commenting crew seem to take over for a page or more in between chapters of any AAR. Look, the bAAR can't hope to compete with multiversal collisons, CK3 meets Stellaris, and fourth wall-breaking meta commentary. We just need a good topic in here to chew on from time to time while we nurse our drinks. Could be related to writing. Could just be about how the earth spins. I will say I hope the Signalman doesn't get too exasperated with us as we pull apart his grammar and debate whether historical accuracy matters in a science fiction/historical fiction mashup with fantasy elements."

coz1 smiles at the musical choice provided by the Ancient One known as @Chac1, "Damn that takes me back to the 90s and college/post college...Smashing Pumpkins are awesome and I applaud the selection!"

In another life, the Pumpkins were one of my grad school bands, Chac thought to himself. Then he pulled himself out of his fantasy thoughts, and thought he'd best be a bit more polite. "Thanks for noticing @coz1 . Certainly put some thought into that one."

Then he got up and went back to juke box. He pondered what would be a good song for tonight before he put his coins in the slot and made a selection.

 

[Lord Durham]

LD wanders into the bAAR from the backrooms, yawning and scratching his a... head. "Oh. People. I thought I heard some chatter. And some music." Jerking a thumb over his shoulder, he continued, "I swear this place is bigger than the Tardis. There's some nice, cozy beds down the hall. Decided to crash after tinkering with the Inkwell and catching up on some AARs."

Shuffling over to the coffee machine, he poured a steaming cup of black gold, then found a vacant stool. "I heard @Chac1 mention @Peter Ebbesen's Stellaris AAR: Galactic Pacification for Dummies. Great, informative read, though the Professor is crankier than a mosquito in a mannequin factory. By the way, the aforementioned Professor should not to be confused with the GOAT Neil 'The Professor' Peart, may he rest in peace."

A few sips of coffee later. "Sticking with Stellaris, Nations of Steel by @Darknotez is a good read, then moving on to CK3 there's Broken Gates by @Macavity116, which is quite popular, and then Mead and Blood by @The Kingmaker, aka Alexander Primus. Slipping over to CK2 there's a couple by @Chac1: The Lost Saga and Lost Seasons of the Danes - A Viking AAR. Excellent work. And of course Avon Las Observes by @Midnite Duke. Crazy fun."

Catching his breath, and some more coffee, he said, "Next, on to EU4, there's the wonderful Rex Germania - A Brandenburg to Prussia Strategy AAR by good friend @Rensslaer. And finally The War of the Roses by another old friend, @coz1. There are more to come, some I've started, but I'll get to them later." Setting down the empty cup, he glanced up at the lone TV screen. "We need more of those. There's baseball season starting, hockey and basketball playoffs coming soon. F1 and Indycar. Yeah, we need more screens."

Sliding off the stool and ambling back to the lounge, LD stopped and spun around, executing a perfect 'Colombo'. "One more thing. There's rumours that Jack Shit Studios is looking at securing the rights to The War of the Roses if they ever become available. Of course, it's just rumour. If it doesn't pan out, there's talk they may go back into production, but only if there's enough backers and interested people to make it worth while. Money talks, after all." Pausing, scratching the back of his head, LD drifted back behind the bar and produced a bottle of scotch. "Time for a drink, I think."

 

[Chac1]

The ancient one was pleased. He very much appreciated the appearance of @Lord Durham ; now there were four in the bAAR. That was a positive sign, he thought.

He extended his glass of mezcal across the bar and tapped it lightly against LD's bottle of bourbon. A smile spread across his face, wrinkling his brown wizened appearance even more than usual. "Great to see you here, LD," @Chac1 greeted him. "Appreciate all the additions to the conversation too."

The ancient one took a sip of mezcal. Starting early today, before the writing quota was finished, but he knew he'd get back to it in time, he thought. He wasn't worried. Seeing the friendly faces in the bar warmed him more than the mezcal.

"I know we usually have an arm wrestling match to determine who is older," Chac started again after savoring his drink, "but I don't think you're fully awake yet, LD. Or perhaps both of us need to get our vision checked. But the bAAR is filled with television screens. One might even argue there's too many of them. How many magical screens does this age need to be hung on a wall?"

The TVs are all proper football. Most are tuned to a team in maroon and gold playing a team in green. The greens look tired and out, and it's only the fifteenth minute. The score is even, but you get the feeling it won't be for long. The maroons start a promising drive from a reset in their own half.

Behind the bar is a short woman with asymmetrical hair, elbows resting on the shining wooden surface. Her eyes only briefly glance over at your entrance, but otherwise remain fixed on the game. Nearly three dozen taps stand tall in front of a wall of spirits that would make even the most seasoned connoisseur blush. You make your way to one of the many empty bar stools...

Or maybe my eyes got damaged in the eclipse, and I'm only imagining the multiple televisions mentioned in this first post, he thought.

"I swear this place is bigger than the Tardis. There's some nice, cozy beds down the hall. Decided to crash after tinkering with the Inkwell and catching up on some AARs."

"It truly is a magical place," Chac responded. "By the gods though, I wish I knew about the magical hallways where the beds are located. This is definitely like a proper club. On the times when I have stayed over, I must say I just slept here at the bar, on the counter. The staff never bothered me. Truthfully, the staff sometimes don't appear at all. For days on end, if you can imagine that."

"Sticking with Stellaris, Nations of Steel by @Darknotez is a good read

"Yes, one of my new favorites too," Chac noted " @Darknotez has a style influenced by graphic novels, which I appreciate quite a bit. Not sure if that style has been attempted before but he and I share it for the moment. Perhaps others will take up that way of presentation. And maybe he'll deign to venture into the bAAR to chat about his inspirations sometime."

Slipping over to CK2 there's a couple by @Chac1: The Lost Saga and Lost Seasons of the Danes - A Viking AAR. Excellent work.

"Thanks for that," Chac nodded. "Much appreciated. Thanks for mentioning them."

There's rumours that Jack Shit Studios is looking at securing the rights to The War of the Roses if they ever become available.

"Now that would be something!" Chac gave his enthusiastic endorsement. " @coz1 was right here. Perhaps he has something to say about that? His work is on my list but the length of it has stopped me at the moment. The film version might be my only hope in the near term."

By the way, the aforementioned Professor should not to be confused with the GOAT Neil 'The Professor' Peart, may he rest in peace."

"Oh, I have a way to fix that," Chac chuckled as he slid off his stool, straightened his robes and headed for the jukebox. "Only one of the great drummers of all time and definitely a great band."

 

[jak7139]

His work is on my list but the length of it has stopped me at the moment. The film version might be my only hope in the near term."

"Same here. I'd like to read many of the older, grander AAR's out there, but when I see the 93 pages for War of the Roses or the 345 for Butterfly Effect I balk. I guess the solution is to take it one page at a time."

 

[Lord Durham]

LD set down his drink and rubbed his eyes. Only then did he see all of the screens. "Damn. Where'd they come from?"


Note: Guess I should have gone back to the early posts to find this nugget. All I remember is one screen televising a football game, if I remember right .
Note-note: Just re-read Chac's post. The answer was there all along. Too tired... need sleep...

 

[filcat]

You check for the spelling errors, they are glaring now beyond being considered as mistakes, grammar, punctuation, semantic, repetition, excessive, even typographical, your patience drains, but you read one more time, and one more, and one more, then the structure, the format, the causality, and after all this chaos, in the end comes the consistency of the objective, now you have to check if the text is able in delivering the intended meaning.

You yawn, and immediately start writing irrelevant yet different to ease out the tired neurons transmitting the signals from one cell to another in billions with the rate of around two meters per second. The sentences sprawl, the words travel beyond the perceived reality, the meaning diffuses with the possibilities, the night falls yet the page shines, -

- and you hear some voices.

Click.

The table light reveals you sitting with the mess of papers, books, notes, back at the corner of the bAAR. You stand up, walk to the counter, reach for the glass drawers, take out one, and two; you pause, and another one, then upon grabbing the fourth, you stop, three will suffice you think, put the fourth back to the drawer, and bring the three to the tap. Guinness; one, two, three, filling and putting and cleaning up any residuals.

You grab the first one, before drinking it you pass a quick look at Chac, coz, jak, LD, and: "Cheers."

You leave the empty glass on the counter, grab the second one, finish it up, without pause. The second empty glass is left next to the first, then grab the third one, but take only a sip, and look around for the trails of the voices, and you find the one.

"Ah yes, the lists, I promised right?" and another sip, then leave it on the counter away from the others, "Hold the beer."


"The kingdom of ck3 has been a bit lonely for some time now. The juggernaut-class stories of The Lions of Olomouc by Revan86 and Crowns of the Levant by Werther are finished up their runtime. Fortunately the former had started another one, Das Bieſt im Oſten, but it is still pending due to another story in eu4, understandable; about the writing, no need to say anything further, it is a Revan.

"For the latter, I mentioned long ago before the authaar started posting also in the english-forum: there are Les Couronnes du Levant and L'Empire byzantin in the french-forum. Do not get intimitated, get a dictionary, and start reading; they are excellent stories.

"I do not have much interest when the story leaves the ck3-era, but fortunate it is that here is the birthplace of numerous megacampaigns; Russian Path of Gamov_Andrew, with excellent visual presentation and writing format, and Postcards from Eternity of Cycle, a very different story than usual fiction with historical setting. Yeah, -what are they about-, you may ask, I can answer, go and read.

"Now, a land of many beautiful stories, the kingdom of ck3 is, but unfortunately that are either on hiatus, or abruptly discontinued, else in unknown status, yet it would be a mistake to skip them; A Kingdom at the Crossroads by Darumaka was by its setting a fresh-breeze in these lands of the words; Clash of Paths by Silverio90 had an interesting structure for its narration; The Chronicle of Black and Gold by Twilight Array 17 had a very good start; Anqa Awakens by Gawquon3 had a setting distinct than the most; and also no story can match the level of the details in We Hold the Pass, of course by Revan. All those words, glimmering in the night, unknown to those staring at, if they have life on them. Even Born to Breed of Peter Ebbesen seems quiet nowadays.

"And by the way, there had been awards for the graphics made and-or used by the authaars, but I find many of the votes confusing, yet I do not question who likes what; then again, you have not seen apparently the Regnvm Romanvm by Simmy93, or the one-shot family tree of The Gutnavian Adventures by castlera, or wonderfully modest and superbly intact format of presentation in 1066, House Crovan by Fou Lu; it is a pity that these are also on unknown status, if not decided to be discontinued.

"The modded games I also do not care much about, but the stories are worth every attention; there had been Peake Restoration by ImNoOne, bringing the agot mod to the kingdom of ck3, but has been sadly silent for long time; though for more stories with that mod, one has to travel to the kingdom of ck2.

"Yeah, The Dragons Realm by streaker77 and Breaker of Chains and Mother of Dragons by Thaiga are current frontrunners of agot mod in ck2; there is a new one by AxolotlKnight, though I prefer the authaar's first one A History of the Iron Throne.

"But when you are in the kingdom of ck2, then you should read To The Strongest by Eludio, though currently on hiatus; and bookmark immediately The People of the Forest by Dunaden, though completed.

"It has more traffic, owing to its age, the kingdom of ck2 is from eons ago; still there are many of high interest, not only by their writing, but their settings of the story: Tales of the Void Ring by Swopy Time, a thankfully unique addition to the aar library, but truly the most strange to many is Sagaria Invicta of Sriseru, a megacampaign that run its course without much attention from the aarlanders," and you finally stop.

Taking back the glass, you briefly continue, "Yeah, brief list that is, and I have more, there is the empire of i:r, and the galaxy of stellaris, and the hall of vic2 but not much on that, and yeah, the palace of eu4, difficult but not going to dismiss that, but -" and you drink the third, wait for a second, give a silent burp, then leave it on the counter, " - but it is getting late."

"Oh - and by the way; I gave links but not the name-tags of the authaars; after a number of tagging, the forum renders it null so no mentions are sent, a measure of spam-protection; so all those tags at the awards, lists of names here and there and everywhere in aarland, never received by any of the addressees, you all do know it, right?" and you clear your throat, look for the tap, but confirm once again that three is enough, "anyway, cheers."

You walk back to your table at the corner, sit, give a sigh, then sort out the mess a bit, find one paper, take the pen, and continue writing, calculating, drawing, analysing, designing, experimenting, comparing, discarding, commenting on the results, endless they seem.



The table light slowly fades into oblivion.



Edit: Corrected grammatical, repetition, semantic mistakes.

 

[DensleyBlair]

and the hall of vic2 but not much on that

– Working on it!

shouts DB, without so much as glancing up from their papers, typing away on a laptop keyboard while furiously downing lime-and-sodas .

 

[Chac1]

"This is going quite well," @Chac1 thought to himself. "A tremendous appearance from @filcat with quite a few great links and @DensleyBlair has appeared without disappearing immediately. Progress. But I do wonder why @filcat left without leaving one of his usual audiovisual displays behind. Oh, well."

"But in all the hubbub, I think @coz1 must have walked outside or disappeared. Maybe down that secret hallway, where the cozy bedrooms can be found," Chac mentioned while looking all around the main barroom. "I did hear his voice echoing up from the SolAARium not long ago, so maybe he went down the secret passageway over there."

The ancient one waved his empty glass in the air, signaling to the worker who @Macavity116 knows that he was out. She gave him a look, rolled her eyes, put her phone away and strolled over to give him a refill of the Rey Campero.

"Gracias, senorita," Chac said.

She looked at him with some disdain while taking his tip and payment. Then she walked back to the place where she seemed permanently planted in the doorway of employee's entrance. She took out her phone and began texting furiously.

"I know she thinks I'm a lost old geezer, but I do like some service when I come to an establishment and I'm willing to spend my coins there," he thought. "At least she didn't see me embarrassing myself in @Macavity116 's new AAR. I've done enough of that in here with the Signalman."

The ancient one then looked at @jak7139 and @Lord Durham at the bar. "Well, gents, what will it be? What else is going on in AARland? And any reactions to the great speech by @filcat ?"

Then like LD he had a Colombo-inspired moment. "Hold those thoughts," he requested. "I'm overdue to pick a new song for the jukebox."

 

[filcat]

"Uh, right - the inkwell."

The sound of the button is heard, the current of the electricity is carried, the light of the table back at the corner is turned on, and you are there. Again.

"Fascinating effort, to provide the compilation of all those works, and to list all those entries, fantastic, loving it since its launch back in the day," you raise your thumb up, left hand, accompanied with nodding head, eyes down.

"But I would like to point out the signatures of the authaars around, those that have longer than three lines, so it prompts toggle signature function on the ui: Most provide the links for their works, and also add a link for the complete list in the inkwell thread," you pause, and re-check if it is clear enough.

"And these inkwell links on the signatures are usually written about the end of the available space. Unfortunately these lines also coincide with the toggle signature function, therefore they are not accessible," and you pause again, and re-check again, and find it insufficient.

"I will give a couple examples: LD, mate, your signature is one such; your inkwell link is inaccessible, as it is around the toggle signature ui:

"So for example, the link to [1] The Case of Galloway Eidolon is fine, but [2] The Ink Well link is down around the toggle signature function, and it blocks the cursor when hovering over it to click on.

"The last lines are not usable, to summarise, thus it is advisable to avoid using the last lines in the signature area. Some more quick examples, it is good that Macavity cleared out his own, as it was as such condition before; the blog-link of coz is inaccessible; the last line of DB about an inside-joke is barely functional; the inkwell link of Wraith is almost out of reach, one has to hover the cursor a bit above it."

You re-check, again, correct some parts, again, re-write some parts, again, and... then you realise, it becomes too trivial, the words lose their meanings, the raging instinct returns, you want to clear, delete, abort, remove, erase, and -


Well, you click on the post reply, before it overwhelms you.

And then, darkness.

 

[jak7139]

The ancient one then looked at @jak7139 and @Lord Durham at the bar. "Well, gents, what will it be? What else is going on in AARland? And any reactions to the great speech by @filcat ?"

"I'm fine for the moment @Chac1, thanks for offering."

Jak scratches his chin and thinks over @filcat 's speech, "Filcat has given me..." he counts on his fingers, "thirteen new AAR's to follow. It's always nice to see which stories have slipped through the cracks. I checked out the family tree on The Gutnavian Adventures and I have to agree it is very well done."

"I suppose I could add a few to the list as well. Superior Arguments by eoncommander has started up again. One of my favorites. The recent summary post provides a good starting point for those who want to catch up. There's also the beginning EU4 portion of Lithuanian History by ardsss. It's first gameplay-focused update was posted yesterday. There has been one update so far for A Throne of Blood and Iron in Victoria 2 by goldbugbite. Hopefully that story continues. Same for Shattered World Redux by firezatswill9."

Jak adds his notes to the message board, then notices that filcat has found a strange quirk:

"And these inkwell links on the signatures are usually written about the end of the available space. Unfortunately these lines also coincide with the toogle signature function, therefore they are not accessible,"

"I never noticed this, but I checked LD's signature just now. Filcat's right. Although I don't get the toggle signature button for DB. So his is still clickable. It could be due to screen size whether someone's signature becomes broken or not."

Jak moves over to one of the chairs by the fireplace. He grabs a spare newspaper and pen, then flips to the Sudoku.

 

[Lord Durham]

LD drums his fingers in irritation on the distressed wood of the bar and sighs. "Good catch, @filcat. I'm sure it never used to be this way. Software update at some point, maybe? Regardless, the rules for signatures stipulate no more than 10 lines, though it looks like any links can be no more that 6 lines before triggering the Toggle Signature message, making any subsequent links useless. I'm not sure if the Powers That Be are aware of this. Maybe I'll mention it to an Admin. I still know a couple. Maybe as a Public Service Announcement we should let other authAARs who may have this issue know about it."

With that said, LD adjusts his signature. All this angst called for a refill...

 

[coz1]

"Hmm...all of my links works except for the blog even if covered up initially by the toggle sig," coz1 shrugs as he sips at his scotch and then turns to @Chac1, "You'll find, old boy, that I never leave this place. I may not say much sometimes but I'm always here."

 

[DensleyBlair]

the last line of DB about an inside-joke is barely functional;

Although I don't get the toggle signature button for DB. So his is still clickable. It could be due to screen size whether someone's signature becomes broken or not.

– I admit, I thought I’d judged mine so that it didn’t need to be expanded. It should only take up five lines. Shows up fine on my screen—

DB stops themself mid-thought, then adds:

– though most of the time I’m on my phone anyway, so it doesn’t show up at all!

 

[Chac1]

"Even more progress here tonight," @Chac1 says to no one in particular and actually everyone. He takes his first drink of mezcal for the night and let's the drink both warm and soothe him. The ancient one had spent most of the day tucked away behind a comfy chair with his notes, drawings and magic tablet, pulling together his latest. "Now, it was time to relax," he thought. If he was going to work in the bAAR on writing projects then he was also going to interact with the other writAARs and authAARs who came to this spot for a variety of reasons.

"Even though he has blinked in and out as he often does, we should acknowledge the public service @filcat has performed," he again spoke to no one in particular and everyone (or anyone who cared to listen). "Between him and @jak7139 there are about 17 different stories to read and my backlogged list was long already. But investigations will proceed. Most definitely."

Maybe as a Public Service Announcement we should let other authAARs who may have this issue know about it."

With that said, LD adjusts his signature. All this angst called for a refill...

Edit: Appears to be 6 lines...

"Perhaps as I've suggested to one admin," Chac responded. "There should be a post outside the pinned area, and maybe it should be labeled Public Service Announcements where all types of items go. But until that is welcome we can just post items on the bulletin board here as suggested. Or maybe hijack the Inkwell post as I've done once. Hope there are no repercussions for that."

Chac pauses and sips on the mezcal. Somehow it tastes better after a long day of writing.

"Oh, by the way, @Lord Durham , your signature looks quite nice but it appears as five lines on my monitor. I think this is monitor dependent as @DensleyBlair also notes."

coz1 shrugs as he sips at his scotch and then turns to @Chac1, "You'll find, old boy, that I never leave this place. I may not say much sometimes but I'm always here."

"Hmmmm," Chac hums a bit to himself and then thinks: "This place must be much larger than I can imagine filled with secret corridors, passageways and backrooms. Because I've gone hunting for @coz1 when I mistakenly thought he was the bartender and I couldn't find him. Quite stealthy."

– Working on it!

shouts DB, without so much as glancing up from their papers, typing away on a laptop keyboard while furiously downing lime-and-sodas .

Jak moves over to one of the chairs by the fireplace. He grabs a spare newspaper and pen, then flips to the Sudoku.

"This is starting to have the feel of a very cozy club," Chac again spoke to himself and everyone at once as he sat in his favorite spot at the bar, sipping his favorite drink. "We've got DB puzzling out storylines and Jak working on Sudoku. I hope folks don't mind if I change the song on the jukebox."

 

[Lord Durham]

"Perhaps as I've suggested to one admin," Chac responded. "There should be a post outside the pinned area, and maybe it should be labeled Public Service Announcements where all types of items go. But until that is welcome we can just post items on the bulletin board here as suggested. Or maybe hijack the Inkwell post as I've done once. Hope there are no repercussions for that."

LD nods. "Feel free to use the Inkwell Updated thread for the nonce. Damn, I'm starting to sound like @coz1 ."

"Oh, by the way, @Lord Durham , your signature looks quite nice but it appears as five lines on my monitor. I think this is monitor dependent as @DensleyBlair also notes."

LD rubs his temples, searches for a bottle of Tylenol. "There may be something to that. I'm not sure. I've been playing around with my signature trying to find any logic. So far, for me, if the signature is single spaced, I can get 9 lines of workable links. The 10th line triggers the Toggle Signature function. If I use double space, then I'm getting 5 or 6 lines of workable links. Sometimes 5, sometimes 6. Don't know why the difference. Must be something to how the code is triggered. Hence the bottle of Tylenol. Think this calls for a break."

 

[Chac1]

The ancient one detects the relative quiet in the bAAR as he returns from a break.

Hence the bottle of Tylenol. Think this calls for a break."

"No doubt, the folks who are still here are being respectful of LD's headache. Understandable," he thinks to himself.

"LD, isn't your medication of choice the scotch?" he asks quietly and respectfully. But he can see DB and Jak giving him side-eyed glances from their spots in the adjoining room. It is a Thursday night, and the bar has been hopping and enjoyable all week. "What's one quiet evening of introspection?" he thinks.

"I'm going to put some meditation music on the magic music box. Maybe that will help everyone's head," he announces.

Then he marches quickly to the jukebox and makes his selection before anyone can stop him.