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Hey. This is the second re-make of the original Black Winds! Since I can no longer edit the posts on the older thread, I decided to re-make the thread... again.
So, this story was originally posted on RSB on July 18, 2006, and was finished on April 18, 2007. It's an insanely long 82,610 words (not including the Epilogue). Don't let that scare you away from reading this story, though... It'll most likely be worth your time. I have certain things set up in these 279 reserves that will lessen the load of this novelistic story on your eyes.
There are *240* story posts in this story (that's with the Epilogue). For all you record-chasers out there, that's the number you need to beat!

24-Nov-2007 07:28:24 - Last edited on 27-Nov-2007 07:24:47 by Parakarry267

24-Nov-2007 07:28:32 - Last edited on 01-Jul-2008 08:42:10 by Parakarry267

~ A Guide to Reading Black Winds
Alright, so if you're planning to read this but don't have the 4+ hours needed to get through the whole thing in one sitting or the patience or the attention span, here's a little guide to help you.
If you noticed, there are 14 Bliss Bookmarks in the Table of Contents that separate the story into fifteen parts. Also, in the Table of Contents, you'll notice that there are Segment Markers above each piece of the Table. Each tells you which segment of the story that the following parts of the story belong to. For example, S1 (Segment 1) looks like this...
S1
====
7 - 11 -- 1, 2 -- Prologue
12 - 15 -- 2 -- Chapter 1
16 - 20 -- 2 -- Chapter 2
21 - 3 - Bliss Bookmark #1
The segment marker lists all the parts of the story that belong to it right under it. It always ends in a Bliss Bookmark (except for S15, 'cause that's the end of the story), where you can stop reading if you want, or just go on.
I put the Segment Markers there for a reason. You can read a segment a day (advisably, combining segments S14 and S15 together because it finishes the story a little more smoothly). That way, you can finish the entire thing in fifteen (or fourteen) days if you read a segment a day!
Cool, right? I hope it makes your reading experience better, 'cause just dragging on through a story isn't very fun.

24-Nov-2007 07:28:38 - Last edited on 27-Nov-2007 06:29:44 by Parakarry267

~+~+~+~+~+~|~ A Record of (arguably) the Longest Single Story on RSB ~|~+~+~+~+~+~
If you're at any point in this novel, whether it be the very beginning, the middle, Chapter 12, or the very end, you're probably wondering why this story is so long.
Well, let me start by saying that when the Prologue was written, it was at around 3:30 AM on a forum that isn't this one. This was before July 18, 2006, when Black Winds was posted for the first time.
Now, the story hasn't changed too much when I switched from my old thread to this one. But if you notice, my chapters gradually get longer and longer until Chapter 12, which doesn't seem to ever end until it finally does at Chapter 13.
I was sort of stubborn on that count; I wanted there to be exactly 13 chapters in this story.
In the course of nine months, my writing style has changed (and so have I, but that's a story for another day). That explains the difference between Chapter 1 and Chapter 8, and the difference between Chapter 8 and Chapter 12. I never expected this story to get past 150 story posts at one point -- but I ended up having nearly 250 by the time it was finally finished!
The sequel is also alive, but not here. It's retired, and I guess if I ever feel like reviving it (or get the demand for it), I'll bring it back.
Speaking of BW2, I want to make it to the point where reading this story is not completely necessary to understand the sequel.
This is mostly due to the insane length (otherwise I'd bother you all to read this before reading BW2 ), but it'll make it easier on anyone who's actually *finished* BW1, so remembering all the characters and events is not all that necessary (though it definitely would enhance the experience!).
Did I mention that after this story was completed, authors have chased after its record length, trying to beat it out? I think that's pretty cool...

24-Nov-2007 07:28:43 - Last edited on 25-Jun-2008 09:59:10 by Parakarry267

24-Nov-2007 07:28:49 - Last edited on 24-Nov-2007 23:03:35 by Parakarry267

~ The "Record" Deal
Well, as you might have guessed, there *are* stories who have been or are candidates for beating this story's length. To honor those stories, I'll post their QFCs here along with a little description of the deal concerning the record length.
-- Pyrotechnic, by Lordofdraken (simply known as Draken):
This story is 258 story posts, which would make one think that it had beaten this story's length, but after some careful evaluation, it turned out that I had more words/characters than Draken. It's a great story, and was written a heck of a lot faster than this was -- in three months!
Story located at: 49-50-297-5048699

-- War's Finale, by Chuklz (hates that name, would rather be called Chuk)
The newest candidate for the Record Deal, with a length of about 108 story posts and 32,200 words at the time of this edit. Chuk says he'll have 500 story posts and 150,000 words by the time he's done. But like all lengthy tasks, it takes patience and perseverance to get to such an end. Let's see if he can get to 82K first, and then we'll see about 150K.
Story located at: 49-50-675-54807496

Think you can beat the record? Check the info below:

***If you have a *single* story that you think can beat out this one, post on this thread, with a title and/or QFC to your thread. You have to have *at least* 100 story posts on your thread at the time of your notification, and your story must show signs of being as long as around 240 story posts by its ending.***
***Word and character count will be used in the final determination of your story's length, as was done with Draken and Pyrotechnic.***

24-Nov-2007 07:28:55 - Last edited on 24-Jun-2008 19:24:57 by Parakarry267

24-Nov-2007 07:29:01 - Last edited on 24-Nov-2007 23:07:51 by Parakarry267

24-Nov-2007 07:29:07 - Last edited on 24-Nov-2007 23:08:34 by Parakarry267

24-Nov-2007 07:29:19 - Last edited on 24-Nov-2007 23:09:18 by Parakarry267

24-Nov-2007 07:29:25 - Last edited on 24-Nov-2007 23:10:13 by Parakarry267