SILVER LINING #8

_{This is a complementary series for the Steemit-exclusive, original novel A Day in the Clouds. Be sure to check out the latest chapter before you read this post to avoid spoilers.}

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<< #7

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_{Cloud Image Source}

What is up, Cloudheads? (The sky is the answer, btw. It wasn't a rhetorical question.) Finally, a chapter not broken up into parts! (And then the crowd goes wild!) Hold the applause though, some more chapter division is in the cards, but it won't be for quite a while I think. By my estimation, there are 3 to 4 more chapters that need to broken into two parts. Hopefully, by that time, my soul is ready for the split.

First of all, I'd just like to give a shoutout to @j3Dy and to @steemvoter for giving my previous SILVER LINING chapter the biggest vote count I have received to date! (LINK) To put things in perspective, my biggest vote count was 384, which is a little over half of the votes it received. I was hyping that chapter up before I put it up saying that it's one of the meatiest chapters in the series, but I never expected to haul in such a huge number of votes. Granted, the majority of that was auto-votes, but still, seeing that kind of number really shines a glimmer of hope. It has set a lofty ceiling which I doubt I'd be able to reach again anytime soon.

With that being said, my biggest takeaways are: make sure to follow @j3dy, an awesome person who analyzed every post that he curates, putting in read times and such, and register for @steemvoter so that you won't miss out on voting on the posts of your favorite authors! I hope you get the chance to read this @j3dy, I really can't thank you enough. You are a huge boon to the community, and I wish that you become recognized for all of your efforts here and rewarded appropriately.

Oh, and another thing. Just to clarify, in case there is any confusion all the earnings from A Day in the Clouds and SILVER LINING are transferred to my cousin and mental health charities (the 50% STEEM goes to @zeppelin, while I will match 50% STEEM Power to give directly to the charities I chose). Please refer to the introduction post for more information. You can check out my transfers for a complete list of all my transactions. As you can see, I have dutifully transferred every earning both series make. I haven't been able to donate to the charities, because I want to accumulate a substantial sum before I do so. I don't want to go around giving $1 donations after every post (because that's how much most of my posts make). With that being said, I'm actually losing, not just time, but money for this series. I can't stress it enough how important this advocacy is to me, but I know that most people wouldn't even read this.

If you have spare STEEM or SD, and would like to help a differently-abled young boy live a comfortable life, feel free to transfer any amount to @zeppelin. I know that donations have been flying around all over the site for different causes, and I don't think that one cause is greater than another, but I just wish that the love is more spread around. I would just like to reiterate that this is not a scam, nor do I have access to that account. Zepp's parents have full control of @zeppelin and I've been urging them to create an introduction post to verify the authenticity of that account. They've been very busy raising three children, and they don't have a lot of free time, so they haven't been able to get to my request. I hope they would be able to before the end of the story.

A typical day lasts about 24 hours, so if my calculations are correct, we've just past the first one-third of the story. Thanks for sticking around! I mean that with all of my heart. It really means so much to have your support.

Now, we deal with the unfortunate fallout of his re-capture. I really hope that you weren't disappointed by Chapter Seven. Whenever we're overwhelmed by fatigue, our body eventually gives in from all the strain. This is prevalent even up until now. Not being able to move freely while suffering from the flu was one of the worst feelings I've ever had to suffer through when I was a child. I remember being stuck inside my own head because I could speak or move or do pretty much anything.

From the outside, it's even worse. Looking at a child suffering through sickness is always so painful. With all the advancements in medicine, we can only do so much. Feed him, give him medicine, try to keep him as comfortable as possible. If I could just take the sickness out and transfer it to me, I would, every single time. Maybe that's why fate didn't lead me to a career in Medicine, as it might mean an early death for me.

Looking back gives me a greater appreciation for my parents. Shout out to all those parents who have had countless sleepless nights while taking care of their children! I just want you to know that you are real heroes. For all those of you whose parents are still alive, hug them tight because without them you wouldn't be where you are now.

Really though, there's not that much to discuss in this chapter. I just wanted to portray both sides in this situation, even though I'm only telling it through Ledd's lenses. The escape from the previous chapter definitely elicited blame and disdain for one another, but I don't want to get into personal details. While Ledd thinks that his escape was just some foiled attempt, the fallout suffered by the people around him was huge. As I mentioned previously, even though I didn't witness the escape, I have a first-hand recollection of the fallout. It's tough to explore all the emotions of the other characters especially from the viewpoint of a character who has trouble recognizing emotion. So, I made do with what I had. Was it translated effectively or did it fall far from expectation? Leave your comments down below. I'm happy to discuss your reaction, whether it's positive or negative.

Have you ever had to deal with runaways ever in your life? There would undoubtedly be tension and awkwardness immediately after. How did you deal with it? How did everyone react? Did you ever run away from home? If so, what were your reasons? A lot of questions linger in my head, so I hope you would be able to take the time to chip in and leave your thoughts.

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Lastly, since I got my 200th follower recently (shoutout to @therealpaul), I want to give a shout to all those people who continually support the story and take the time to leave encouraging messages and insightful feedback. If you're an author in need of a boost, these are the people you want need to befriend. Aside from that, they also put up excellent quality posts. Make sure you follow each and every one, and, most importantly, engage.

I can't stress this enough: comments are key. Don't just reply to comments on your posts, leave thoughtful comments on other people's posts. I branch out whenever I can, making sure to leave encouraging comments. I'll try to comment for 2-3 posts of that person, but if my posts don't hear back, then I stop supporting that particular person. Why would anyone spend time supporting someone who doesn't give support back, right?

List of awesome people to follow (in no particular order):

@dreemit (fiction), @naquoya (fiction, poetry), @meesterboom (fiction, food), @fisteganos (fiction), @verbal-d (music, poetry), @ryivhnn (art, fiction), @lukestokes (life, philosophy), @sykochica (technology, @steemittalk), @ken-and-jane (music), @j3dy (stories), and, of course, @ezzy (fiction. We miss you on here, brother!)

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Thanks for reading! Follow me, @jedau, if you want to live.
Leave this post a feedback, and I'll be sure to return the favor!