Legendary Book of Sun-Moon Swordplay

[Melanie]

Ah, I should be thanking you for writing and sharing. From experience, I know the pains of trying to put all your ideas into words. It's hard labor, but earn $0.

I so want to pick your brains for the rest of the story. It's gonna be a long time before the next update . But no worries, I will still be hanging around . Can't miss Ekin trying to win the fair maiden's hand. So exciting

Tweety, thank you for thanking me. I will say that your words are very true; it is very hard to put ideas into words, not to mention time-consuming and anxiety-provoking because I never know how the readers will receive each chapter. Not being naturally talented with creative writing, I take extra long with each chapter, wondering if I am describing each scene correctly, if I am clear and coherent enough, if each chapter is exciting or boring to read. So I thank you (and each and every one of you reading this story) for reading and posting a comment.

This is just a thought... What if Ekin doesn't win the competition for Kristy's hand in marriage??? I wonder who will attend the competition and who will win?!

[Melanie]

Hey Mel,

You finally updated. Tension and Humor, me like

Why so tame? Hey, a wildcat don't hammer! If am Suk Yu, I poke Lap Chun's arse with the sharp claws!

Hi author! I haven't seen you around for a long time! I have to admit I kind of miss your macho Yang Guo and spirited Wang Yuyan in The Kingdom. Too bad your story ended, but I had a fun time reading about them.

Remember, Suk Yu is lady-like and dignified, too dignified to poke at Lap Chun's arse. Now, if the scene involved Chi Chi (Gigi Lai) and Sai Chung (Kevin Cheng), then I have no doubts that Chi Chi would slap his arse, several times, in fact.

[tweety365]

This is just a thought... What if Ekin doesn't win the competition for Kristy's hand in marriage??? I wonder who will attend the competition and who will win?!

Darn it, I should not have shown my excited anticipation for the impending nuptials. Now you have this twisted idea to ruin this lovely couple.

Of course, it will be quite interesting, but disappointing if Ekin lose in the competition. Of course, nothing beats my total devastation at Vincent's death . Thought I forgot all about your cruel treatment to my beloved man, huh

Anywho, hope you don't have writer's block anytime soon and will quench my thirst for your story.

[Melanie]

Darn it, I should not have shown my excited anticipation for the impending nuptials. Now you have this twisted idea to ruin this lovely couple.

Of course, it will be quite interesting, but disappointing if Ekin lose in the competition. Of course, nothing beats my total devastation at Vincent's death . Thought I forgot all about your cruel treatment to my beloved man, huh

Anywho, hope you don't have writer's block anytime soon and will quench my thirst for your story.

I'm full of twisted ideas. It doesn't matter whether or not you showed excitement for Kristy's impending nuptials. My twisted ideas just burst forward, regardless. I like to separate couples! I like to kill couples!

Oh, tweety! My dear, I've forgotten about Vincent! Hahahaha! I can't believe you still remember that I killed him off! This was years ago! This is too funny!

[tweety365]

I'm full of twisted ideas. It doesn't matter whether or not you showed excitement for Kristy's impending nuptials. My twisted ideas just burst forward, regardless. I like to separate couples! I like to kill couples!

Oh, tweety! My dear, I've forgotten about Vincent! Hahahaha! I can't believe you still remember that I killed him off! This was years ago! This is too funny!

I have a very good memory where Vincent is concern . I had such high hopes for him too . Alas, his untimely demise was very saddening.

Can he have a bigger role in your next story? Pretty please with a cherry on top?

[Melanie]

I have a very good memory where Vincent is concerned. I had such high hopes for him too. Alas, his untimely demise was very saddening.

Can he have a bigger role in your next story? Pretty please with a cherry on top?

Tweety, sometimes your undying devotion to Vincent reminds me of Yang Guo.

When you mentioned Vincent, I suddenly had an insane urge to go back and read your old comments on the winglin site regarding my cruel killing of Vincent. They were quite funny.

These were your old comments to me:

October 2002 - How's it going Melanie? I wasn't expecting to comment so soon after posting my last long message, but after finishing chapter 11, I felt the need to express my shock and utter disappointment at finding out that you have killed off Vincent Enjun. This totally ruins the notion of a side story for him and Ada . I mean, it was sad enough that you made him a lowly lackey, following orders from Louis, but to kill the poor guy off after only a few appearances was uncalled for. After watching Heroine of the Yangs I and II, and other series Vincent starred in, I'm quite fond of the guy. I was waiting for more of his appearances and hoping that you might make him a good guy and that maybe he is working for Louis because he is doing undercover work. Hey, a girl can dream, right? Just wanted to express my grief. Sorry if I come off sounding too strong. This is after all your story and it is up to the writer to decide. I don't think I should make any more suggestions, since I don't know what you have planned for the plotline and my ideas might go against your story. I see that everyone has favorite guy for Annie to be with (Gilbert, Benny, and Louise) and reading all the debate on who she should end up with is quite entertaining. Since you already have her prince in shining armor in mind, I don't think it makes a difference that I think her love interest should be Gilbert. You have the last call. Somehow, I sense that you will pair them up, since Annie seems to be the heroine of this story and Gilbert is of course your main leading hero. Well, just wanted to get this pain off my chest. Since Vincent is dead (soft crying), it might take me awhile to comment again. I have to set a period of mourning. Hehehehehehe. That's a good excuse not to comment, isn't it? Best of luck on your story and with all the support you've been receiving, be sure not to let your readers down. ^_^

Jaunuary 2003 - How are you Mel? Busy with another chapter I hope. Well, just leaving my 2 cents' worth. I love the new chap, but too bad it's so short (not really short, but I can't seem to get enough) ^_^. And would you please bring back Vincent and hook him up with Ada? Pleasssssssssssse. I'll even give you ideas on how to incorporate him into the storyline! Oh yeah, love the details and fight scenes. Makes me feel ashamed of mine. You are definitely one of the masters (bowing to the great one).

March 6, 2003 - Vincent - Remember I told you how happy I was to find him in your cast way back in the beginning? Well, I know I've stated this many times before, but You cruelly murdered my second favorite guy in the story!!! He didn't even go out with a bang, more like a whimper! Oh the horror. This is getting too painful

March 3, 2003 - And where's my Vincent? You promised to bring him back. Oh can't wait for his entry. As always, great chapter, but it would be even better if Vincent is alive and well. (hint hint)

*******

Wow, going back and reading those old comments at winglin really bring back lots of good old memories. I had forgotten how much you talked back then, tweety! Such long, interesting comments! Your comments used to dominate an entire half page on the comment board at winglin. And remember Katie Le and Hannah(HMT)? I came across their old comments at winglin. I wonder where they are right now and what they are doing. And remember cow pie? Hahaha! I never figured out who cow pie was, but he tagged along and bothered us like a grade school boy making a nuisance of himself in front of the girl he liked. And remember SwisherR? He was and still is so sweet. I remember how Hannah made me my first poster for my story, then you made me one. Then HaoMei joined in and volunteered to make me two more. You girls are all so nice! Then, there are comments from a bunch of relatively new readers - Tran, Reverie, Crystal. Wow, there are so many old comments to read through. I am afraid that, one day, the winglin site will shut down, and I'll lose all my readers' comments. That would make me very sad, as I often go back to those old comments and re-read.

Tweety, I suddenly feel old and tired. Must go and hug my big pooh bear.

[tweety365]

OMG, that is indeed quite funny All those postings sure do bring back fond memories. Wow, I sure typed long comments back then. Was younger and had more energy back then, hehehehe. But Vincent's death is no joke. I was and am still very much devastated that he's out of your wonderful story. Oh well, life is unfair sometimes .

You know, you could copy all your comments from the winglin site and paste them on a word document. That way, you won't lose them . No problem on the poster. It didn't take too long to make and it was fun. When I'm not so busy, I'll try to make another one for you. If I was better with editing videos, I would make a fanfic video for your story. But alas, I lack the software and skill to accomplish such a feat. Plus, after the incident at youtube (my music video got deleted due to copyright issues), I've lost my interest in making videos.

And how are you old? You're younger than me (I think). Either way, don't mention that word. Depresses me even more cause I don't got a pooh bear to hug

[Melanie]

Really, tweety? I didn't realize you were (and still are) so affected by Vincent's death in my story. I guess I did make him quite a lackey, didn't I? I'm sorry. If I had known that you liked him so much, I would have given him a larger role, purely because you have been such a loyal reader, one who has stuck with me through thick and thin. But too bad I had already killed him off before I knew of your obsession for him. And I would promise to give Vincent a larger role, if I ever start another story. But I'm still having problems finishing this current story. Hey! I have a better idea! Why don't you write a martial arts story with Vincent as the lead?! I would read and comment on your story if you do! And please add Wallace Chung in there, too. I've also recently finished watching Safe Guards with Steven Ma Chun Wai. He was wonderful in there! Too bad Steven only has a minor role in my story, but maybe I'll find a way to expand his role.

You're right! I'll set aside some time and copy all my old readers' comments onto a word document.

Thanks in advance for making me a poster in the future! I really appreciate it! If you have time and the means, please do make me a video of this fanfic! Nobody has ever volunteered to do that for me before! It would be so cool to see what a fanfic video of Legendary Book is like! By the way, what youtube video incident? Is it the one I've seen long ago? What happened to it? Plenty of videos on youtube use clips from series, and they don't get deleted. How come yours got targeted? I quite liked the Heroine of the Yangs video you sent me for Christmas.

As for my age... Ah, multiple people have asked. I will keep quiet, only because it's fun to let everyone keep guessing. I could be 80 years old, you know.

[tweety365]

Yes, I have been a very loyal and devoted reader. All these years and I'm still hanging around. Not sure if that is a good thing or not, but at least I got some bonus points with you . I would love to sit around and write fanfics, but other priorities are taking up my time. Hmmmm, Wallace is a good choice and he's so hot in ancient attire .

Yes, my MV of the tragic couples in the 80s got deleted. I also don't know why I was targeted . There are thousands if not millions of videos on youtube that lasted for years. They also used copyrighted songs and clips from movies. It took me a freakin long time to find and edit all those clips. Good thing I still have it saved on my computer. But still, I was very disappointed and upset about it.

But I will see about making another poster. At least that won't be deleted .

[Melanie]

Gee, I'd be disappointed and upset if my youtube video was deleted (not that I have any). Sometimes, I think production companies and actors and singers should be flattered that audiences like their dramas or actors or songs enough to use them in youtube videos. It is also free publicity. Countless times, I have watched a youtube video and then searched for and watched the particular drama featured in the video.

No need to rush on your next fanfic. I will be waiting. I'll have to say I was quite sad when you stopped writing your fanfic with Annie and Kevin (with Gilbert as a cool side character). I really enjoyed it. I keep wishing you would have enough time to write a short wuxia story, even a few pages. There are only a few fanfic authors whose works I truly enjoy, and you're one of them.

And thanks for making me a poster! Take your time. And your years of devotion to this story is just simply...amazing. Even I am speechless at how long you have continued to stick around, given my very slow rate of updating. I can only say a sincere "thank you" and hope that you continue to stay until the very end of the story. I don't think anyone has hung around for this long, except for you. I believe Crystal (WhiteHairedMaiden) has been around for a long time, too, following the story, but I think she started reading a couple of years after you.

[Suet Seung]

Hi Melanie,

Now that I have a better schedule, I'm going to carefully read your fanfic from the beginning to current chapter. Yep! All 70+ Chapters and I will write feedback comments and let you know which characters I like.

Once I am caught up, I will definitely, trust me on this, chase after you for updates and will kindly suggest you kill off some annoying character in order to save another character's life.

I think I made comments years ago, but I forgot when and where. But let's start over from the top, kay?

Warning: Mel, I am going to be very honest with my comments. Please don't be angry at me. Please take them as constructive criticisms.

Comments on Chapter 1-4

I noticed some awkward syntax and structure. You might want to go back to do some editing, Mel. I think some of your descriptions are very vivid and pretty, but sometimes, you need to leave subtle implications more than telling the readers what everything the characters are doing and thinking. You do know what I mean by subtle implications? Sometimes while reading the first few chapters, I feel your descriptions add too much extravagant details or rather you use too many descriptive words. For example, when you say Yin Yuk is breathtakingly beautiful, you don't actually stop at breathtakingly beautiful, you tend to add more descriptions. In other words, you kind of overload when you describe the characters and some of their actions. I mean it's okay to have beautiful characters, but you just describe them as the most beautiful person in the whole wide world, it just too perfect for me. Just that Annie's character is so beautiful but she' s like a damsel in distress with a lot of issues. I'm sure there's more to her character.

Give me some time, I'll get use to your writing, it just seems a bit raw when it's my first time really reading your fanfic from the beginning. Perhaps when I read the latest chapter, I'll notice how your writing has changed and improved.

Some of the dialogue between the characters seem a bit too modern for an ancient wuxia story. Brothel bouncers? I'd call them pimps, w-h-oremasters, or wh-oremongers. I know it's kind of hard to have an English equvilvalent for the chinese word.

Chi Chi (Gigi) is so bubbly. I think I have to imagine Gigi Lai as when she was in Heroes of Shaolin or some other series from the 1990s. It's hard to imagine her as a cheerful teen nowadays.

I like the poem in the foreword about the sun and moon swords. Sounds interesting and it's a good way to start a story.

So let me see...Gilbert or Yik Lun is the emperor's biological son, but his half siblings are Kristy, Frankie, and Gigi? There's so many names and also actors and actresses in your story. I'm surprised you don't have my favorite actress in your story.

So far, I look forward to the coupling of Yik Lun and Sui Han.

[Melanie]

Hey, SS! Imagine how pleasantly surprised I was to find your lengthy comment here! First, thanks for reading, of course. I never thought you would actually read, given your busy schedule. But I guess you proved me wrong. Second, I appreciate your honesty with your comments. Compliments are always nice, but I am not so thin-skinned to be angry with constructive criticism. Besides, I am already well aware of the faults and loopholes in my story, so your comments do not come as a shock. In fact, when I do go back and read my early chapters, I do feel that they do need some brushing up. Unfortunately, I won't have time for editing anytime soon. Whereas you now have more time in your life, I now have less free time. I will still continue with this story, at a painstakingly slow speed, though.

When I first started writing this story, I never thought it would spiral out of control with so many characters and subplots and chapters. I initially intended it to be a fun project, a short story where I could give Gilbert Lam his much-deserved spotlight. Therefore, the chapters were clumsily slapped together, as I invented my storyline, one chapter at a time. Now, going back and patching up all those loopholes will be a bit hard, not to mention time-consuming, for me. Perhaps, one day, when I no longer have to work and study, I can finally devote more time to my writing hobby. But for now, I ask you, and my other readers, to please bear with my clumsy efforts. Constructive criticism will be much appreciated, of course.

(Off Topic - On the flip side of having to work is that now I have enough money to afford nice bags such as Coach, Fendi, Prada. I use a lot of cheap bags that cost under $20. I was ok with that until one day my mother asked me to please buy a nicer bag, for my tattered $8.47 handbag embarrassed her whenever she went out with me. And ever since she mentioned my bag, I started to feel self-conscious with my inexpensive bags when my colleagues sported designer ones. Anyway, this is getting off topic, so back to Legendary Book...)

Thanks for your compliments regarding the poem in the Forward. It took me a while to come up with it.

I guess it's hard to imagine a young, playful Gigi now. When I first started the story eons ago, she was a lot younger then.

By the way, who's your favorite actress? My favorite actors and actresses have changed since I first started this story. I'm really into Wallace Chung and Qiao Zhen Yu recently.

[tweety365]

let me venture a guess at Suet Seung's favorite actress... is it Vivian/Noel Leung?

And Mel, I thought you posted an update

[Melanie]

let me venture a guess at Suet Seung's favorite actress... is it Vivian/Noel Leung?

And Mel, I thought you posted an update

Ah, Vivian Leung... I should have guessed... I totally forgot about her. What is she doing these days? I haven't seen her around lately.

And sorry, tweety. I try to not randomly post in this thread for fear that I'll disappoint you with a "non-chapter posting."

[tweety365]

Ah, Vivian Leung... I should have guessed... I totally forgot about her. What is she doing these days? I haven't seen her around lately.

And sorry, tweety. I try to not randomly post in this thread for fear that I'll disappoint you with a "non-chapter posting."

Noel is one of my favorite actresses. Not only do I find her beautiful in ancient attire, she is also such a versatile actress. Plus, she has chemistry with most of her male co-stars, which makes watching her series all the more enjoyable. I believe the last series she was in is Huang Yin Shen Zhen (co-starred with Yubo), but I'm not sure. I'm just happy that she is happily married with a child (I think she had a boy).

LOL, it's ok to post in your own thread, Mel. Any activity in here raises my hopes of an update, so it will be hard to spare me the disappointment.

[Melanie]

Ha, I almost forgot this is my own thread. I just got back from Australia, and then I jumped right back into work again. So I didn't have time to write. I'll get to the next chapter as soon as I can! Thanks again, tweety, for constantly hanging around this thread and popping in and out so often to cheer me up.

Vivian Leung is married with a kid? I didn't know that! I like her, though I can't really think of a memorable series where I absolutely LOVED her (unlike Annie Man's case in Heroine of the Yangs). I do think she's cute, like Annie Man.

[Suet Seung]

Melanie:

I'm glad to finally get the chance and time to read your fanfic. Before when we both began our fanfic, I didn't want to read other people's fanfics much for fear I might absorb some of the ideas unconsciously. And that I had a lot of school work and limited time to just work on fanfic writing alone.

Yeah, loopholes. I understand. I'm in the process of rereading Tales of Vengeance to compile chapter summaries and look for undeveloped characters or subplots. Plus it would help both Charby and me to remember where we're headed. Thanks for not sending hate mails to us. I know it's been a extremely long time since we've updated. We also intended to write a shorter story, but I guess the story just takes long to develop. Fanfics or novels take a long time to complete. I don't know how Jenny or what's his name, that has a great record of churning out many fanfics, get so many fanfics written?

Who do you have paired up with Vincent? Cuz' I don't see Amy in your list.

[Ren Wo Xing]

Hey melanie, could you do me one favor? Would it be possible for you to 'translate' some of the names from Cantonese to standard Mandarin pinyin spelling? I've been trying to read some more of it, but it's hard for me to form a connection with the characters when I don't speak Cantonese and can't figure out how the names should even sound

[Melanie]

Suet Seung - Yes, actually, I'm still waiting for updates on Tales of Vengeance. However, it's been such a long time that I don't remember much of what was going on in that story. I do remember the scholar. He's my favorite character. Whatever happened to Goofy? I thought you, charbydis, and Goofy were co-writing that fanfic?

Ren Wo Xing - Hi! Hey, thanks for leaving another comment. I'm going to be very honest with you. My spoken Mandarin skills are very minimal, probably nonexistent almost. Then, to top it off, I don't know how to read or write Chinese. This has been a constant embarrassment to my parents. I know Cantonese a lot better because I grew up watching a lot of Cantonese TVB dramas and was surrounded by Cantonese-speaking friends. Therefore, while I would love to "translate" the character names in the story to the Mandarin pinyin spelling for you so that I can keep you as a reader, I am afraid that I don't know how. I am so sorry, Ren Wo Xing. I won't take any offense if you leave in a huff. Thank you so much for attempting to read my story, though. Thank you.

[cherrie]

hello melanie! haha! it turns out that it's been 4 months since i last checked in for updates! omg! so andy's the master?! you really gave me such a shock on that! but i totally love the twist! poor frankie and kenix though...
the way you wrote about the master's ruthlessness, gosh u really gave me the creeps. he's really a purely evil person! or should i say, he's a monster. somehow he's really a psychopath huh? very charming, very manipulative, and the process of hunting before killing gives them ultimate pleasure...yes, he's really a serial killer. gosh creepy!