CHASING TABOO :: A FXXKED UP LOVE STORY :: AN ONLINE NOVEL BY LINDSAY PENN

Yes, that’s right. That means there have been two updates since the 7 month hiatus. Not one, oh no, but two.

Considering how many breaks I’ve had to take, my new philosophy is, if the inspiration and the time is there, then write. For the love of God, write!

Hope to see all of your comments soon. They make all of this worth it.

Chapter 15

(Sorry there wasn’t an email this time. My internet is down at home, where the mailing list is, so I had to do this at work.)

In the words of the immortal Lee Jung Hyun… I’m back! 

Chasing Taboo is making its comeback with Chapter 14, and get ready – the very first sentence reveals a shocking twist.

You, me, and Chasing Taboo have been through a lot together. From file corruptions, hard drive crashes, to long unexpected sabbaticals, but we are still trudging onward. Thank you all for your continued enthusiasm. For a while there, I didn’t think I would ever get back into this story, but your stubborn and unyielding support has inspired me so much. I can’t believe that I’m still spotted at cons, still sent fan mail, and after all this time, I can’t believe so many of you are returning and commenting, anxious for another update. Do you realize I haven’t updated in 7 months? And yet you all still come back and check! Unbelievable! I hope I don’t let you down. I don’t deserve you guys!

Get ready, because I fully plan on returning to my old rhythm (before we start shooting my film next month). This chapter is a nice calm before the storm, but prepare for a real shock when chapter 15 comes around! Also, I have rewritten the outline for the rest of the story (the one that got eated ) so there shouldn’t be another slump in updates. Not ever again!

Word to the wise: It’s been 7 months (sowwie) and you guys may not remember what happened in this story anymore. If I were you, I’d go back and reread the beginning to get caught up, if you have the time. If not, should I write a chapters 1-13 synopsis? If that’s what you guys would like, let me know.)

(Note, I had to reassemble the mailing list… again… so if you no longer want updates, let me know. This time I’ll delete you from the backup as well)

Since you guys are waiting so patiently I thought I’d fill you in on my status. The new chapter is done-ish.

Normally once I get to around 10-13 pages I stop, clean it up, and post. Problem is this chapter so far is a reworking of three events that happened in the original CT, and it’s already reached 11 pages. Remember how the original CT was very, very long? What we have right now is three scenes that are very long and dialogue driven, but nothing *really* happens., it’s just long. I want to condense these moments into about six pages and get some more action into the chapter before I call it done.

It’s been a while, but you guys may recall that the last chapter ended with Olivia leaving home and she’s about to move in with Hero. Prepare for a chapter that is “the calm before the storm.” Hero and Olivia need to be happy for a bit before the shit hits the fan, and the shit is going to hit the fan HARD.

Thanks for waiting. I’m working hard!

I miss you all so much.

I’m in pre-production of a film loosely based on my TVXQ fandom right now, and it’s keeping me very busy.

I plan on writing the next chapter of CT this week.

I’m still here, I swear.

If you’re still here, too, holla at your girl. The more comments I get, the more motivated I will be.

Sorry for the delay.

Before I can dive back into Chasing Taboo, I need to rewrite the outline and reassemble the mailing list. It’s a lot of work, and school plus my production company has made it impossible.

Oh yeah, I also edit and direct for a production company now. http://www.storiedproductions.com

Since Chasing Taboo is just for fun, school and video production have taken a higher priority, not to mention ALL of my non-physiological-need-satiating time.

Moby – Wait For Me
(A contest entry, I was director and editor)

“Someone For You”
I was primary editor for this. It won the Denton Video Vacation competition.

I really miss Chasing Taboo and I hope to get back into it in June. Thank you for your patience.

The Gods of technical error have eaten my Chasing Taboo outline and the upcoming chapter.

Neither item exists.

I

Have

To

Start

All

Over.

…

*dies*

You have no idea.

My internet/computer situation at my new apartment isn’t totally stable. The wireless here is free, but it’s not the most reliable, and I can’t afford to get better service at the moment. Right now I’m on my laptop, but my sister and I are working at getting my desktop in tip top shape. My stuff is in piles behind me.

This weekend I’ll be working at the Thin Line Film Festival, so once again, not a lot of CT. I’m freaking out, because I am SO excited about the upcoming chapter and I want to share it with you all so much! Prepare yourself for a couple of major moments from the original story.

Once my situation over here settles down, my bedroom looks like a bedroom (at the moment, lol, no bed!) I’ll get a stable routine and start writing again. Thank you all for your patience.

So my sister and I got an apartment. Wee! That means there’s going to be a lot of, well, moving. Computer switching, software installing, all the while trying to stay afloat at work and in school. CT has been moved to a low priority.

The new chapter has been reworked a few times, and I’d say it’s 2/3 done. The outline for the new story has been tightened and completed, and I’m excited to see what you all think of the new story.

Thanks for your patience!

So it occurred to me today that you all can’t read my mind, so from your perspective, it may look like I’ve pretty much abandoned CT. I swear, that’s not the case.

I was starting to feel like CT has ‘lost its way,’ so I’ve been spending the bulk of my free time re-reading the original Chasing Taboo fan fiction story. It’s been so long since the original version, that my sister and I agreed that the new one may be headed in a direction that somewhat loses the charm of the original.

The upcoming chapter is (or I should say was) done, but it contained a big turn in the plot that may have been too early. I’m in the middle of book 2 of the fanfic at the moment and I don’t want to post my new chapter without the best elements of the original story fresh in my mind.

Also, some of you may remember that I’m a film major, and I’ve been working on some of the best self-contained moments of CT and adapting them into screenplay format. At the moment, I’m planning on shooting at least three scenes and using them to edit a faux trailer for the book. Wish me luck! I hope this works out.

Thanks for sticking with me. I’m not quitting until this thing is done!

So I recently had the displeasure of enduring James Cameron’s preachy unoriginal over-indulgent sci-fi brain rapist, Avatar. I’d like to shake the hand of the netizen who named it Avatar: The Last Samurai of the Ferngully Who Dances With Wolves.

This is a movie about the evils of corporate greed… that cost 200 million dollars to make and has a promotion partnership with McDonalds, of all places. This is a movie that glorifies the triumph of a technology-free existence… that’s about seventy percent CG. But beyond the ideological inconsistencies, let’s look at the filmmaking.

The villains were poorly defined. The only thing that fleshed out their motivations was this generation’s mass delusion that anyone who wants money or war is inherently evil. And let me clue you in on something. Truman did not giggle fiendishly after Hiroshima and Nagasaki alright? We fought for a reason, and the villains in this film should have had a reason too.

In the movie the Na’vi had something that the humans wanted, inventively named unobtainium, so they blindly and ignorantly rain their tyrannical terror over the innocent blue townsfolk, but there were no active attempts to trade with the Na’vi in this whole film. Jake comments that the human race had nothing that the Na’vi could ever want, since the Na’vi were so ‘enlightened.’ Bullshit. Like the Na’vi had no use for our helicopters? Our communication gadgets? Or even our weapons, surely to God they could have used a bow and arrow upgrade.

But no… they had harmony! You know who else had harmony? The Borg.

I don’t understand why our culture geeks out about its latest iPhone apps, shares its ideas across oceans with resources like YouTube, and still propagates this idea that we’d all be better off frolicking in the forest in loincloths. Human beings have done great things. My computer, my car, and my air-conditioned home are all amazing, and I applaud the technological innovation involved. And I’m sick of Hollywood using resources created by the very people they condemn to spread these guilt-mongering messages.

Yes, the movie looked great. But my sister put it best when she said it was like getting yelled at by a beautiful, desperately stupid girl for three hours. She might be good for a one night stand but are you really gonna call her again?

We don’t have to feel guilty for being successful you guys. Don’t let James Cameron make you believe you have to renounce your humanity to be a hero. Human beings are amazing. Tell that pontificating, hypocritical motherfucker to go live in a tree after he’s done counting his Avatar cash.