READ ME, BITE ME

Okay, so, I'm Bluelinote and here I am publishing for the first time and already breaking a rule.

I'm really sorry about that. I won't do it again. Please, bear with me.

Tthis introductory note is there only so that I don't have to repeat this at the beginning of each chapter :

This story was written in French by KaoriSolaris. It is available on her profile here at FF. She had started translating it in English but had stopped after the 5th chapter for lack of time. That was my cue. I proposed to review her translation and to go on with it down to the last chapter. She accepted.

So here we go:Mea Culpa

What you're about to read has become, over the passing of so many studious hours and a few sleepless Cullennian nights, more of a fanfic-of-a-fanfic than a mere translation. I'm afraid I got a little carried away along the line(s) and added a few things of my own. KaoriSolaris is generous enough to be okay with my transgressions, and the only reason why she has not yet kicked me out her story is that I've kept true to its spirit and its characters. I did not alter the what-happens's, who-does-what's, when's and why's. I did not tweak the story line. My additions have everything to do with metaphors and images, internal rhyming, rhythm, assonances, laying it thick on the atmosphere of the moments. Most of the fairy-tale/Alice through the looking glass/black-hole/other dimension effects are mine along with some sub dialogue lines (you'll see, when you read, I don't want to be a spoiler!) So, if you think the style sometimes goes overboard, blame it on ME.

Chapter Headings and Story Within the Story

This has been my first transgression: I've over-translated the chapter headings so that they can be read independently from the story. On the one hand, each one announces or sums up the chapter it is attached to; on the other hand, by twos and threes, more rarely ones and fours, the headings link up into sentences and self-sufficiently tell a parallel summary on the surface of the story as it progresses. This is a Blue addition to Kaori's work. I have tried, when possible, to keep her words in the new versions of the headings. This story has 23 chapters. I'll upload the full Story Within at the very end.

Disclaimers and notes

In the notes, at the beginning of each chapter you'll find:

– 2 disclaimers; the translation of the Author's original and the one from the translator

– some Author's notes (AN):translation of Kaori's original notes.

– and BlueNotes (BN), i.: mostly for added on literary references.

AN and BN notes will just appear as numbers in the text [1,2,3,...] and will be associated to the Author or Blue as they come.

TransNotes dealing with more technical translation problems or adaptation, will appear as [TN 1,2,3...] in the text and will be found at the end of chapters.

SONGS (Author's note)

This fiction is named after Don McLean's song, Starry, Starry Night (Vincent). It sustains the general atmosphere of the whole EPOV story.

Similarly, a song is associated to the general atmosphere of each chapter.

All the songs in the EPOV are in English. Those in BPOV, HIM, What Becomes of the Broken Hearted (see Kaori's profile) are in French.

A playlist and illustrative links are available on KaoriSolaris's FF profile.

So, thanks for putting up with me so far.

Now, on you go. Read on Lovely Reader, read on.

Reviews are welcome, of course.