I'll do more, as well - I don't leave stuff unifinished, just occasionally it takes awhile, with MS and buffynighting and novel deadlines and all (except that I'm a year ahead of deadline schedule, not behind, so all I can use as an excuse there is the fact that I'm ripping through the current one and don't want to break the flow if possible....)

If you want to know where your ability to meet deadline went, it's Deb that stole it.

All your deadlines are belonging to me.

Plei, I like that very much. Of course my usual clarion call: more, please. It would be nice if you'd finish the others so we (okay, I) could read them in order.

I have a question. Deb, in the above (which I like lots and lots and lots too -- she's an intriguing character, your Amanda) you use "normality". I've seen that a lot, lately. I could have sworn that the proper word was "normalcy" and that normality was the one someone made up when they couldn't remember normalcy. Only, Dictionary.com has both as perfectly appropriate uses. My question, I guess, is why one word choice over the other and does anyone else blink when they see the word "normality"?

normality was the one someone made up when they couldn't remember normalcy.

fwiw, normalcy, like gotten, is an archaic word which is no longer in use in UK English. We just have normality. I was under the impression that normalcy was something that had been made up by you wacky Colonials, until Bill Bryson set me straight in one of his books. (forget which. Could have been Made in America. ?)

"normalcy" is no longer used? Surprise.

We just have normality. Allegedly, anyway. (ducking, running, fearing being chased by UKistas)

What Fay said (old Oxford/Goldsmiths hanger outer tutor here). It's like "gotten", that's precisely the trigger word for me, on the US/UK differences. Gotten? What on earth is "gotten"?

I've always used normality, I think - but truly, I never stopped to consider it. Just the word my family always used. Normality.

There will be more Amanda. BTW, can someone save me a shitload of research and tell me whether I'm talking out of my ass when I call Rupert's daddy Richard? I mean, does anyone know of an already-existing name?

I really need to finish II, because it has what is right now my FAVOURITE scene ever ever ever near the end. (For which I spent several hours researching WWII history, just for one stinking simile.)

Allegedly, anyway. (ducking, running, fearing being chased by UKistas)

not pissed off, but puzzled.

I wasn't being snarky or trying to imply that it was archaic in the US. Just that it fell out of use in the UK a while ago. We have (myriad) different English dialects worldwide that draw mostly on the same roots - I'm not all about the One True English Language vibe.

Hope I didn't give the impression that I meant the usage was archaic full stop? 'Cause I only meant archaic in the UK. Ditto "gotten" and various other things. The flip side, of course, is that all the cultural/linguistic crosspollination is reviving archaic terms and forms, because the US is The Daddy and we all want to be like you, with your power and wealth and shiny happy culture. So I find myself saying "dude" and "word" and other such ridiculous things, and kids grow up on American telly and movies and regurgitate language from the silver screen.