"Happiness is neither virtue nor pleasure nor this thing nor that but simply growth.  We are happy when we are growing."
~~William Butler Yeats



Hi all,

Woo hoo!  We're getting so close to Spring!  I can't wait!  But for right now... there's still snow on the ground here and, thus, my concentration is pretty much shot.  (Too long winters have that effect.)  So enjoy this short, easter egg-less issue.

God bless,
Jenni

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So here's just some random questions that have come up about JABB.  Or questions I foresee coming up.  ;-)


Ask a JABBer

1.  Why do some of the Dyeland stories not match up perfectly with or even contradict what we saw on Touched by an Angel?


The short answer: The two stories aren't about the same characters exactly so, naturally, they wouldn't fit together perfectly.

The long answer: Unlike most fanfiction which is set in the world of the show it's derived from, the Dyeland stories are set in a separate reality.  For the characters in the Dyeland stories, TBAA was a much loved show that turned out to have been inspired by the lives of actual angels.  So the Andrew in the Dyeland stories is not exactly the same Andrew as is on TBAA.  Think of something like the musical 1776.  It's based on the founding fathers of the U.S. but liberties were taken.  Surely John Adams didn't try to persuade the others to sign the Declaration of Independence through song and dance.  But the creators of 1776 took that real story and altered it to fit into a musical format.  So there's the real John Adams and there's the 1776 John Adams.  So the Dyeland stories are supposed to be about the "real" Andrew and not the TBAA Andrew.

Because of this, the angels may even act a little differently.  For reasons of keeping as much viewership as possible, TBAA largely observed the Jesus Taboo.  The characters in Dyeland stories don't because they're supposed to be real people, not actors and writers trying to stay on the air and get good ratings.  Therefore, they'll speak in a way that people would in every day conversation.  And in every day conversation, most Christians will at some point reference Jesus by name.  The angels will then respond to the characters as best they can, sometimes also referring to Jesus by name.

This shift also means certain continuity errors on TBAA will be completely discarded in Dyeland stories.  For example, the TBAA episode "The Face on the Barroom Floor" completely contradicts other episodes.  So while it never really comes up in Dyeland stories, if, say, Max asked Andrew about the time he went searching for treasure with Monica and a con artist, Andrew would just laugh and say that didn't really happen.  Admittedly, sometimes I'll alter things just because I didn't like how TBAA did something.  Monica's promotion in the Dyeland stories is different from what we saw in "I Will Walk With You Part II" because I thought Zack was super lame and chilly.  So in "The Coffee Summit," the "real" version of that scene is depicted with a much less stilted Jack/Joshua in place of the Zack character.

2.  Is there a way to search the JABB web site?


Not directly through the site.  However, Google has a setting for that.  In the search box enter "YOUR SEARCH TERM site:onthisside.net".  So if you're looking for, say, references to Joshua then you would enter "Joshua site:onthisside.net" (without the quotes).  Please note that it won't pull in any of the password protected stories.  Most of those are password protected specifically because I didn't want search engines picking them up.

Eventually I would like to look into some sort of search option specific to the web site but I've not gotten around to that yet.

3.  Why are the screenshots from TBAA's 1-4 seasons on the Photo Gallery so small compared to later seasons?


Poor planning on my part!  I didn't realize just how much web space we really have.  Therefore, I was trying to conserve space by using smaller files.  But, in reality, we have loads of web space left.  So, when time allows, I will be redoing the galleries with small photos.  That being said, the earlier galleries will never be of as good a quality as the later ones simply because the video quality of TBAA improved as years went by.

4.  Is there a way for a new member to catch up on the Dyeland stories without actually reading all of them?

Yep!  The Detailed Dyeland Timeline covers the entire span of the Dyeland stories.  As I re-read stories, I enter more specifc details about each one.  But what's already there is at least a good start and, of course, you can always ask me.  Then to see if I remember.  ;-)

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One of our recurring features, this section is meant to be tongue-in-cheek and doesn't actually represent the views of anyone on JABB or in Dyeland.  Just goofing around!

Ask a Stupid Question, Get a Stupid Answer: The St. Patrick's Day Edition

Question:  How much does it cost to get a pint of green beer in Dyeland?

Answer: There's none to be had.  All Irish-themed alcoholic drinks were banned in Dyeland in recognition of the "Danny Boy incident of 1999." ::glares at Monica::

Question: Wouldn't it be, like, so cute if Andrew serenaded Monica with "My Wild Irish Rose"?

Answer: Sorry, I'll have to get back to you later.  Arthur and JenniAnn just started screeching unintelligibly.  Don't know what that's about... 

Question: Are there leprechauns in Dyeland?


Answer: There were but all the sappiness drove them into hiding.  Also, they had to go find their magically delicious cereal.

Question: Well, what about unicorns?


Answer: Only the decor in Violeta's bedroom.  Where she also has a life-size poster of Hugh Jackman.  Andrew isn't sure if he should be concerned...

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This newsletter is dedicated to John Dye for keeping this half-Irish heart of mine in thrall.  Go raibh maith agat.



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(Photo Credits: The photographs used on this page are from Touched by an Angel and owned by CBS Productions, Caroline Productions, and Moon Water Productions. They are not being used to seek profit.)