06/17/2007
The next update is scheduled around early next month, as I will be out of town next weekend and have work on the following weekend. So, plenty of time for you to work on your new submissions and send them in!
//Ebony
NEW STORIES:
+ THE ART OF PARLAY by Scurvy Davy Jane, You/Jack
+ CABINBOY by She Dreams of Jack, You/Jack
+ SHIPMATES by She Dreams of Jack, You/Jack
UPDATED STORIES:
+ L'HOMME DE LA MER by AngelsLullaby7, You/Jack
+ THE SMELL OF THE OCEAN by Saralonde, You/Jack
06/01/2007
My apologies for the long wait again with the updates. I have been swamped with work and other real life inconveniences lately. But as summer draws nearer, I should have more free weekends and time to work on the site more. I'm also hoping to take the time soon to create entirely new layout for the site in honour of AWE.
While I understand that waiting for updates is annoying and tiring, I can only offer you the same reason as before; it's quality over quantity in OM. Yes, we are picky with what we publish, because we want to maintain that steady quality in the stories archived. If that's not your thing, I'm certain there are other sites you can go to for daily updates. Also, we all do have lives outside running this site and we all do this on our free time, and sometimes it is extremely scarce - none of us have the freedom of living in the same situations than we used to three years ago when we started out. We also can't urge the writers to update their stories faster simply because we want updates quicker. Sometimes there are less updates, sometimes more, and if there are just a few I normally like to wait a while to get more before I update the site.
I'd also like to remind you that when submitting stories, please remember to properly subject your e-mails! There's so much incoming spam in our inbox that if you do not type in any subject for your submission e-mail, or just put in "Hi" or something like that, I most likely mistake it for spam and delete it. So, please make it clear yours is a submission mail, for example typing in "OM", "new submission", or the title of your story. Thank you!
//Ebony
UPDATED STORIES:
+ THE LESSON LEARNT by Becca, You/Sands (Once Upon A Time In Mexico)
+ NO QUARTER GIVEN by Ebony, You/Jack
+ THE SMELL OF THE OCEAN by Saralonde, You/Jack
OTHER UPDATES:
+ Story BREATHING BEGETS DROWNING was removed due to the author's request.
02/11/2007
The overhaul is now more or less complete and the stories we felt had to be removed now have been deleted. Mainly, we removed old stories that hadn't been updated in ages, as well as fics with erronous characterization - mainly Jack's. Also, some authors wanted their stories removed either because of lack of time to write, diminished interest in the stories or for other reasons. From now on, we will be keeping an extremely close eye on the characterization of the (canon) characters in new submissions, and there will likely be more declinations in the future.
Apologies for the overly long wait with the updates. They will be coming up frequently again. ;)
NEW STORIES:
+ MANNER OF LUCK by Captain Cheesehead, You/Gibbs
+ THE SMELL OF THE OCEAN by Saralonde, You/Jack
UPDATED STORIES:
+ GHOST OF A GOOD THING by Captain Cheesehead, You/Jack
+ GHOST TOWN by Lady Anaranė, You/Jack
+ A PIRATE'S LIFE INDEED by FireValkyrie, You/Jack
+ YE OF LITTLE FAITH by squaredancer, You/Jack
OTHER UPDATES:
+ Updated the CREW -page.
+ Updated SUBMISSION GUIDELINES - everyone please read them.
12/27/2006
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT TO ALL VISITORS:
Opportune Moment has not - although it's understandable people might think so - been abandoned!
The crew of OM has been planning for some changes for the site, and these changes have been worked upon during these past months. Our timetable has been lagging behind grossly, and for this we apologize profusely. But unfortunately, real life got hectic and unforgiving for the crew a while back, and we're still trying to pick up the slack. But there's a light at the end of the long dark, and things should be improving soon.
To start from the beginning, it was agreed upon severals months ago among the administration and maintenance of this site that something had to give, regarding our somewhat lax submissions policy. When we started out in 2004, we were a tiny site struggling to keep up in the torrents of the Ocean that is fan fiction. From day one, we - meaning both the writers and the followers, the fans - were the underdogs in the world of writing. We enjoyed stories written from the second person point-of-view, a genre that is notoriously scoffed and looked down upon by many. It is often not even regarded as "real" writing. Just because of our preference in POV, we have to fight twice as hard as the other writers do to prove that our stories are just as compelling and just as seriously-taken as theirs are. And for this reason, if we are ever to even try to be a site that hosts fiction that is well thought-out, well written, and most of all, well characterized, the stories currently on the site have to be gone over with a fine comb. Also, our submission guidelines have been tightened considerably since our site was lauched a couple of years ago. As it is, our archive does have some stories that do not currently meet the guidelines as they are now.
For all of these reasons, the crew of Opportune Moment has started to go through all the stories hosted on our archive, and pick out the ones that do not meet up with our current submission guidelines.
We understand that this will cause feelings of resentment and malcontent, and we sincerely apologize for that. But this is to ensure the stories on our site are of good quality - and remain so in the future! - and to not give false information about the submission guidelines to new users. One of the reasons this site was created was to establish a place greatly different from www.fanfiction.net, where the submission guidelines were indefinitely more lax and the notable stories were buried under the less-than-adequate. Good grammar, reasonable plot, characters that stay true to the personalities they have been given in the movies, and overall, flowing writing are what make a story excellent, and that is what we wish for everyone to find when they go through our archives.
All the stories are being reviewed by the crewmembers - yes, this includes any possible stories the crewmembers themselves have on the site. No crewmember reviews their own stories, they are given to someone else for checking - and they will write down the points that possibly need revisement in the stories. When all the stories have been reviewed, the stories that we feel have to be edited will be removed entirely from the site. The authors of these stories will be notified via email, and receive the reasons as to why the story was taken down. After that, the author can fix whatever it is that needs fixing in the said story and re-submit it to us later if they so wish. However, re-submitting does not mean the story will be automatically published on OM again. For example, if the plot of the story keeps making the characters act out-of-character even after the editing process, the story likely will not be accepted back.
At the moment, we still have a few stories left to review. There were over one hundred stories to check, and only half a dozen of crewmembers to do this on our scarce free time, after all. Also, as stated before, real life threw one curveball after another for many of us. But we are getting there, slowly but surely! I'm hoping we can start the year 2007 with up-to-date archives and all new updates to read. We're working hard to make this happen!
For any questions regarding this matter, all the crewmembers are more than happy to answer. In the meanwhile, enjoy your Dead Man's Chest DVD's. OM will be sailing again as soon as possible!
//Ebony & the Crew of OM
08/23/2006
We have a new layout that is heavily Dead Man's Chest -oriented. Comments on the new look are much appreciated! From now on, the front page will have a list of the new updates for those who want to skim by them quickly or look for particular update. The list of updates will also continue to be presented here on the Updates page, but any notes, announcements and such will only be available on this page instead of the front page, because of the limited space. On the front page, we also have a little space for "Featured Story", under the update lists. There we will put a small snippet from a randomly selected story on our archives that will change each update time. Perhaps you'll find a story you haven't already read this way.
As always, feedback is valuable to the authors. If only you have a moment to spare, please drop by our Review Board from the links at the end of each story and leave a review for the author whose story you liked; even a short note encourages them to write more.
NEW STORIES:
+ BROKEN RULES by xBuffyxSparrowx, You/Jack
+ LIE TO ME by Lil'Runaway, You/Jack
+ THE OUTCAST by xoxthedreamer, You/Jack
+ PLUNDERING THE CAPTAIN'S TREASURE by Charli, You/Jack
UPDATED STORIES:
+ GHOST TOWN by Lady Anaranė, You/Jack
+ LADY OF THIEVES by cr8zee4rum, You/Jack
+ NO QUARTER GIVEN by Ebony, You/Jack
+ STARSHINE by cr8zee4rum, You/Willy Wonka (CatCF)
08/13/2006
Apologies for the delay in updates, mates. I've been working on a new layout and I thought I'd finish it first and then update, but it turned out to be more time consuming process than I'd thought and will take me several more days, I believe. Perhaps I'll get it done in time for the next update which I've tentatively scheduled around 21st - 22nd of August. So get your updates in before that! Also, a big thank you everyone who've visited us, affiliated us and submitted stories to us: since yesterday, it has been two whole years since Opportune Moment started sailing the choppy seas of fanfiction. :) We have a nice bunch of updates this time around, let's give a warm welcome to our new authoresses!
//Ebony
NEW STORIES:
+ ALL OR NOTHING by Nikki, You/Sands (Once Upon A Time In Mexico)
+ BACKDRIFTS by Katla, You/Will
+ CALAMITY JACK by The Flaming Mint, You/Jack
+ A FEAR OF COMMITMENT by Charli, You/Jack
+ LADY OF THIEVES by cr8zee4rum, You/Jack
+ L'HOMME DE LA MER by AngelsLullaby7, You/Jack
+ MOLTA AMORE by Charli, You/Jack
+ ON MY OWN by Incubi Priestess, You/Jack
+ THE SWEETEST WHISPER by Charli, You/Jack
UPDATED STORIES:
+ IRELAND by Captain Cheesehead, You/Jack
+ THREE'S A CROWD by Charli, You/Jack
07/21/2006
Our Submission Guidelines have been updated once more due to continuous submissions that fail to meet our requirements; we urge everyone to please read through them carefully before sending in your story to us. We'd also like to ask those writers who already have stories submitted to the site to read them through as well, for the guidelines have been tightened and you may not automatically get your story added to the site despite having previous works here. We apologize for any inconvenience, but these changes are made simply to ensure the quality of the fiction on our site stays good. Thank you!
NEW STORIES:
+ DARE by Ellie, You/Norrington
UPDATED STORIES:
+ IT'S NOT HARD TO FALL by Nicole297, You/Jack
+ NO QUARTER GIVEN by Ebony, You/Jack
+ SOMETHING ABOUT BAD BOYS by Sparrows Mistress, You/Wade "Cry-Baby" Walker (Cry-Baby)
+ STARSHINE by cr8zee4rum, You/Willy Wonka (CatCF)
+ THREE'S A CROWD by Charli, You/Jack
+ YE OF LITTLE FAITH by squaredancer, You/Jack
+ YOU MAKE ME LIVE! by Bangshangalang, You/Jack
06/09/2006
Before tackling the new updates, a few announcements. First of all, we urge everybody submitting their stories to OM - especially those submitting for the first time - to please read through our submission guidelines first. They've been updated due to the fact that we've gotten increasing amounts of stories that for one reason or the other are not acceptable. We do not automatically publish each story sent to us, just as we have stated in our guidelines. Secondly, it would be greatly appreciated if you would indicate whether or not your story continues when you send it in. Simply write "TBC/To be continued" or "The End" at the end of your submission - this to help prevent any misinformation on the site about the stories.
Also, there are a few new buttons and banners on the Links page, big and small ones - and there'll be more to come soon. If you enjoy our site, you can support us by saving a button of your choosing and placing it on your website or on your blog and help spread the word about us. Thank you kindly!
And last, but certainly not least: Happy 43th Birthday, Johnny Depp! Stay brilliantly mad in your work, we thank you for creating such unique and interesting characters during your career!
NEW STORIES:
+ ADDICTION by Calliope Sparrow, You/Jack
+ THE CONVENIENT FRIEND by Sparrows Mistress, You/Jack
+ A DEAFENING SILENCE by Charli, You/Jack
+ A FRAGILE ADDICTION by Charli, You/Jack
+ OLD FEELINGS by Sparrows Mistress, You/Jack
+ SOMEONE'S WATCHING YOU by Sparrows Mistress, You/Sands (OUaTiM)
+ YOU MAKE ME LIVE! by Bangshangalang, You/Jack
UPDATED STORIES:
+ GHOST TOWN by Lady Anaranė, You/Jack
+ STARSHINE by cr8zee4rum, You/Willy Wonka (CatCF)
+ THREE'S A CROWD by Charli, You/Jack
+ WHEN THE OCEAN CALLS, YOU MUST ANSWER by Willow Rose, You/Jack
04/26/2006
There is still a few days time to vote for Brilliantly Mad Awards, Opportune Moment's first annual awards for favourite fanfiction. The last day of voting is this Friday, April 28th. Here's your chance to vote for your favourite stories archieved on our site! The voting categories and further instructions on how to cast your votes can be found on this thread here. Note that you do not have to be a registered member on the OM Review Board in order to vote. Check it out and send in your votes if you already haven't!
NEW STORIES:
+ BLIND EYES AND DEAF EARS by Charli, You/Jack
+ SOMETHING ABOUT BAD BOYS by Sparrows Mistress, You/Wade "Cry-Baby" Walker (Cry-Baby)
+ WHERE'D YOU GO? by cr8ee4rum, You/Jack
UPDATED STORIES:
+ EVERYTHING YOU WANT I HAVE by OrlandoJohnnyLover, You/James, You/Jack
+ GHOST OF A GOOD THING by Captain Cheesehead, You/Jack
+ THREE'S A CROWD by Charli, You/Jack
04/08/2006
NEW STORIES:
+ FINDING LOVE, FINDING YOURSELF by Sparrows Mistress, You/James Barrie (Finding Neverland)
UPDATED STORIES:
+ BASIC PRINCIPLES by cr8ee4rum, You/Jack
+ THE LEGEND OF THE FIRE TOPAZ by Calliope Sparrow, You/Jack
+ NO QUARTER GIVEN by Ebony, You/Jack
+ STARSHINE by cr8zee4rum, You/Willy Wonka (CatCF)
03/26/2006
NEW STORIES:
+ BESTING THE CAPTAIN by Sparrows Mistress, You/Jack
+ ENFIN CONCLUSION DU CIEL by Sparrows Mistress, You/Jack
+ STALEMATE by Katla, You/Will
+ STARSHINE by cr8zee4rum, You/Willy Wonka (CatCF)
+ WITHOUT THE WIG by Ebony, You/Norrington
UPDATED STORIES:
+ GHOST TOWN by Lady Anaranė, You/Jack
+ THE LEGEND OF THE FIRE TOPAZ by Calliope Sparrow, You/Jack
+ THREE'S A CROWD by Charli, You/Jack
+ UNDER THE CARIBBEAN MOON by Sparrow's Mistress, You/Jack
+ Earlier Updates...
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