Fan fiction

29
Aug
2017

Progress Report – August 2017

Progress Report – August 2017

August 2017 was another slow month. Heat, plus an incredibly busy month working as a freelancer, meant I did little but work and sweat! At least, that was how I saw it.

Posted Works

Barking up the Muse Tree | Janet Gershen-Siegel | jespah | Quill | August 2017
First of all, on the G & T Show forums, I posted nothing, as the spam situation is still up in the air.

And on Fanfiction.net, I posted He Stays a Stranger. Because the HG Wells series is winding down there, I will add the Deep Future stories and then, most likely, whatever I have from Barnstorming, even without a lot of editing. Otherwise, there is not much left to go there.

Finally, on Wattpad, I started to post The Point is Probably Moot.

Milestones

See the Stats page for individual read and review counts.

WIP Corner

Right now, the only WIP is for original work. I have works going into two (maybe it’s three?) separate anthologies. Because they are at various stages of completion, and some of them have been going on for quite a while, I am not 100% certain which is which! For a cancer anthology, I wrote something new, called The Playback.

The Hub of the Universe trilogy is going very slowly. Some of that is a fleeting and fickle muse. However, it is also a direct result of my being so damn busy. I often add a line or two in writing and then fall asleep. No lie!

Prep Work

I started to create draft on Wattpad for the next story in the series, Shake Your Body.

This Month’s Productivity Killers

Work and work and more work! I was incredibly busy, which had its start back in I believe May. While it is good to have my freelance writing business taking off, it leaves very little room or time for anything else. I desperately seek balance. If anyone sees it, please return it. Thank you.

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Posted by jespah in Fan fiction, Progress, 0 comments
25
Aug
2017

Portrait of a Character – Q

Portrait of a Character – Q

Q, a canon character, works well for all sorts of deus ex machina.

Q

John de Lancie as Q (gif is provided for educational purposes only)

Origins

First of all, this canon character ended up helping showcase, in Fortune, some very important information. Because he gets to show just what happens to the Digiorno-Madden-Beckett-O’Day-Reed clan in the near and deep future. In addition, the vehicle ended up being the canon episode, The Q and the Grey, which I expanded significantly.

Portrayal

As in canon, Q is portrayed by actor John De Lancie.

Personality

More or less omnipotent and omniscient, Q easily becomes bored by the likes of you or me (or my characters). However, even he has limitations. As a result of needing a good plot device and a means of making him at least a little bit relatable, I made it so he won’t get into the heads of people. And in particular, that meant it took a lot of doing before Lili could convince him to allow her into Kevin Madden-Beckett’s head at the moment of that infant’s untimely death. Because the contact gets cut off, the question of whether there is life after death is not answered in Fortune, and I waited until Equinox, The Three of Us and Everybody Knows This is Nowhere to make the final determination that, yes, there is life after death.

Relationships

Q’s only known relationship is with the female Q, who I have called Joy in my fan fiction. Because Q has issues and wastes time pursuing Kathryn Janeway, I had Lili give him some help in terms of connecting with Joy.

Theme Music

While Q doesn’t really have theme music, per se, he does try to persuade Lili to show him the ways of human sex and sexuality by playing Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get it On, a song he describes as ‘foolproof’.

Mirror Universe

Because Q does not seem to be 100% from our universe, I suspect he flits between the two all the time. And he may go to other universes, such as the 49 centimeter radiation band.

Quote

“Oh, that’s right. You don’t know about Kevin.”

Upshot

Because this character has so many gifts, he can be hard to relate to. In addition, even in canon, I feel the writers sometimes didn’t know how to handle him. They made him obnoxious and overly obsessed with humans. Instead, I decided to give him doubts and hesitations.

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Posted by jespah in Fan fiction, In Between Days series, Portrait, 0 comments
22
Aug
2017

Review – Appearances

Review – Appearances

Appearances matter.
Appearances

Background

First of all, the story came about as a means of getting into Captain Sarine’s universe and his characters.

Plot

Furthermore, written for Captain Sarine and taking place in his Redemption universe, Damien gets serious about Kalara. Because issues might arise when a human writer and a Klingon officer date and then, eventually, wed. Hence, the way I wrote the story, even our future characters might have some lingering issues with mixed and interspecies marriage. And while prejudice does not exactly rear its ugly head, such is an implied back drop to the story.

Because Star Trek has always addressed social issues head on, the story could have had a real impact. I could have dealt with humans’ history with Klingons or even John Frederick Paxton’s Terra Prime. Instead, the story ended up being far too short and shallow for that kind of intelligent and introspective treatment. More’s the pity, as that would have made this story so much better.

As a permitted dip into another’s universe, the execution could have improved. However, as I recall, my time was already stretching thin. Therefore, I did not do enough research on the characters and their backgrounds. And, unfortunately, that shows.

Story Postings

Rating

The story is Rated K.

Upshot

Because the story is so short, very little goes on. Hence the plot suffers from thinness. Furthermore, I did not know his characters that well. Hence both characters get rather sketchy and sparse treatments and the background ends up being minimal. Therefore, if I ever decided to revisit this universe and a story such as this one, it would be told with a lot more depth and a lot more obstacles for the lovers. While not every mixed relationship needs or attracts conflict, stories really do need it.

I count this one as a missed opportunity.

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Posted by jespah in Fan fiction, 0 comments
18
Aug
2017

Recurrent Themes – Killers

Recurrent Themes –Killers

Killers drive plots, and even create them. For many victims, someone has responsibility for their ends.

Doug Beckett, one of the killers

Doug Beckett, one of the killers (image of Steven Culp is provided for educational purposes only).

Background

Murdering, of course, appears in canon all the time, from the numerous red shirt deaths in the originalBarking up the Muse Tree | Janet Gershen-Siegel | jespah | DNA | Killers series to the end of Tripp Tucker‘s life in the execrable and otherwise forgettable These Are the Voyages.

 

Appearances of Killers

Douglas Jay Hayes Beckett

Doug’s crimes have been outlined before in this blog. The Mirror Universe ends up being quite the ruthless place when I write it. And his crimes come to life in Fortune when Q shows them to Lili. The final killing, of Deborah Haddon, is an accident seen in Reversal.

The Empress Hoshi Sato

In order to consolidate her power, Hoshi leave a trail of bodies in her wake in Throwing Rocks at Looking Glass Houses. And in the case of Dr. Phlox and Malcolm Reed‘s demises, she uses Crewman Elizabeth Cutler as the agent of destruction.

Verinold

The incident happens quite by accident, when trying to steal a shuttle during the E2 time frame (second kick back in time). Hence the Ikaaran, Verinold, ends up as a killer. He drags Daniel Chang into space without a pressure suit. As a result, Verinold ends up banished to the tiny, dim world which Sandra Sloane has named Speakeasy.

Upshot

While all higher-up Mirror Universe denizens become pretty much murders by definition, I wanted to make it so their actions would have some meaning. And in particular, that makes Doug’s crimes all the more horrific, as so many of them occurred due to some of the flimsiest excuses.

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Posted by jespah in Fan fiction, Themes, 0 comments
15
Aug
2017

Review – Razor

Review – Razor

Razor
Razor, a tiny drabble, does not really need much of a review.

Background

First of all, Razor was written in response to a drabble prompt of the same name.

Plot

In addition, like the vast, vast majority of drabbles, Razor simply does not have much of a plot. Instead, it offers up a view of Tripp Tucker’s life and date with someone – probably a human, and certainly not T’Pol or even an alien guest – and a time at the movies. Hence this quick drabble shows a possible date between Tripp and a human woman, and it’s possibly Amanda Cole if they had gone further than one kiss. It was prompted on The Delphic Expanse;  the prompt word was the same as the title.

Real original, right?

However, it’s possible the prompt writer did not consider horror films when creating the prompt. So there’s that. Small comfort.

Yes, it’s possible to not enjoy your own work. I see no reason to expand on this one at all.

Story Postings

Rating

The story is Rated K.

Upshot

In addition, most drabbles suffer from length and depth issues, and this one provides no exception. Furthermore, the story breaks canon and does not even dovetail well with my own fan fiction timeline. So while it does fit into the In Between Days timeline, that is just barely the case. Hence I do not pretend to be much of a fan of it and I have only posted it one place for good reason.

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Posted by jespah in Fan fiction, In Between Days series, Review, 0 comments
11
Aug
2017

Portrait of a Character – Mestral

Portrait of a Character – Mestral

Mestral ended up as a rather useful plot device in Multiverse II.

Mestral

J. Paul Boemer as Mestral (image is provided for educational purposes only)

Origins

Because Mestral is canon, his origins are well known. However, this character was used to a rather different effect in Multiverse II.

Portrayal

As in canon, Mestral is played by actor J. Paul Boehmer.

Personality

Driven and possessed, the only Vulcan on Earth ends up being rather dangerous indeed. When he finally breaks free of Chilo possession, Mestral becomes a formidable ally to Otra and then Donald Janeway.

Relationships

Mestral’s only known relationship is with Maggie. And that relationship is canon; it factored in his decision to stay on Earth.

Theme Music

Mestral’s song is Nick Lowe’s “I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass”.

Mirror Universe

There are no impediments to Mestral existing in the Mirror Universe. Because Vulcans do not have the Y Chromosome Skew, he would not have such fierce competition for a mate as a human (Terran) male would. Furthermore, this would be before the rise of the Empress Hoshi Sato and even before the mirror Zefram Cochrane kills the first Vulcan he sees. Hence the Vulcan species would be free and technologically advanced.

In addition, if Mestral exists in the mirror, then the potential exists for him to have influenced the Cochrane behavior. Maybe in the Mirror Universe, he could experience self-loathing or want revenge on someone? The idea intrigues.

Quote

“Jobs to do.”

Upshot

Because Multiverse II never ended, we never got a chance to write his endgame. I like to think he would have contributed to the Phoenix project. And I believe others have felt this as well. The character certainly had the knowledge, the motivation, and the proper placement within the overall timeline.

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Posted by jespah in Fan fiction, Portrait, Times of the HG Wells series, 0 comments
08
Aug
2017

Review – Prison Break

Review – Prison Break

Prison Break
Prison Break exists in the Dispatches from the Romulan War universe. Hence it dovetails well with In Between Days.

Background

First of all, I wrote Prison Break as a kind of homage to World War II prison break films such as The Great Escape. However, the Romulan War served as the backdrop.

Plot

Hence the concept behind Prison Break consisted of showcasing, from a journalist’s perspective, how some captured humans had gotten out of a Romulan prison. Therefore, this marked the first time I wrote about Berren Five, a location I have used in the HG Wells stories.

In addition, the original plan meant no one had survived an original attack. However, I convinced the series runner to allow for this kind of a different story. Therefore, the former prisoners detail everything from using ration packets to shore up tunnels to how they got rid of the dirt (a nod to The Great Escape, one of my favorite films, ever).

Story Postings

Rating

The story is Rated K.

Upshot

Because a prison escape story can feel rather uplifting, the intent also involved giving hope to the families and turn the series around a bit, as it had stagnated and had gotten rather negative. While that may be expected with war stories, it just seemed a tad too much, and nonstop. Hence the escape story and the reunions of the former POWs with their pleasantly surprised families had a purpose. It evoked the same sort of hope and positivity that can happen in the midst of any war.

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Posted by jespah in Fan fiction, In Between Days series, Review, 0 comments
04
Aug
2017

Portrait of a Character – Theo Carter

Portrait of a Character – Theo Carter

Theo Carter came about to give Eriecho a platonic human friend.

Theo Carter

Wesley Snipes as Theo Carter (image is provided for educational purposes only)

Origins

Because Eriecho is an ex-convict, I felt she would have trouble making female friends. Furthermore, she would potentially enjoy sports as a reminder of some of the few semi-positive aspects of her incarceration. Not that prison life was fun for her – far from it! Rather, it would have been the only thing she had ever known. Hence sports would be familiar.

Portrayal

Theo Carter is played by actor Wesley Snipes. I like this intelligent action hero type of actor.

Personality

Athletic, loyal, and military in bearing, Theo is a soldier who could use a friend. He and Eriecho become cordial. I haven’t quite figured out who was cordial first, however. Although at this point in time, it hardly matters.

Relationships

Theo has no known relationships.

Mirror Universe

Because I am not convinced Nero would have gone back in time and the planet Vulcan would have been destroyed twice, I do not believe anyone in the Kelvin timeline can exist in the Mirror Universe.

Quote

“They’ll want guest rooms, too. She’s going to want to have her father over, that sort of thing. Maybe even the surrogates and the kids when they come. Who knows? If it were us, it would just be complicated, but not horrible. For them, though, I bet it’s mortifying, if they think about it too much, and look at it too closely.”

Upshot

I like Theo, and I particularly liked the idea of a human and Vulcan having a platonic relationship that would not quite work in canon because they would act differently.

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Posted by jespah in Eriecho series, Fan fiction, Portrait, 0 comments
01
Aug
2017

Review – Oh My Darling

Review – Oh My Darling

Darling
Oh My Darling ended up being somewhat similar to Smells in plot and tone.

Background

Oh My Darling was a chance to return to Multiverse II and its improbable lovers, Rita Spinelli and Donald Janeway.

Plot

Since Multiverse II didn’t really end properly, I had nowhere to send these two characters. In addition, I really liked the idea of them, that they would almost be the flower growing in the desert or even amidst the radioactive rubble. Because Rita is rough and an ex-addict, and Donald had worked with Colonel Green, their love had an improbable air to it. Furthermore, while Sky (Rita’s daughter) had already made it into the story, the other children were barely hinted at. Hence I needed a place for them and wanted to revisit them and give them a kind of home.

Music

The music is, of course, the old standard, Clementine.

Story Postings

Rating

The story is Rated K.

Upshot

Aside from Detroit Rock City, A Single Step, and Hub of the Universe, I had not written too much in the pre-canon, pre-Enterprise time period. Hence the story helps to set up the future in ways that other stories of mine just can’t. Furthermore, almost like a phoenix (and the reference to the Phoenix, Zefram Cochrane‘s ship, is not accidental), Donnie and Rita rise from the ashes with this story.

The story even predates Lili and her family, although it does come after some interphased sections of some stories, such as Day of the Dead, Crackerjack, and, of course, Concord.

Hence I was happy to showcase a bit of their lives but also hope in the darkness. Because that’s why Sky Spinelli is really named Speranza Memoria, e. g. Hope and Memory.

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Posted by jespah in Fan fiction, Review, Times of the HG Wells series, 0 comments
25
Jul
2017

Review – New Toy

Review – New Toy

New Toy is, unfortunately, a failed story.
New Toy

Background

First of all, New Toy never really had much of a plot. Because the concept behind it was to try to get people to donate to Ad Astra and give them more story if they did so. However, it sadly backfired. As a result, there is very little story and a lot of going to nowhere. While the concept is of interest, it never really got off the ground and now, I am certain, it never will.

Plot

Hence the main plot of New Toy, such as it was, consisted of a kind of enemy creating a brand new weapon. And here’s all I’ve got, sorry: In August of 3110, the Chilo try out a new temporal weapon that threatens the multiverse.

Therefore, Carmen has to send HD and Marisol. And so Boris threatens HD (hence HD’s song).

Because I was looking to get people to donate, any number of disparate extra plot elements were thrown. Meet the kitchen sink of short stories!

Yeah, that is just never, ever a good idea for plot development and story lines, okay?

Music

The music is Lena Lovich’s New Toy.

And HD also sings Joe Jackson’s Is She Really Going Out with Him?

Story Postings

Rating

The story is Rated K.

Upshot

While it might have been a good idea at the time, it just plain isn’t anymore. This one will (highly likely) never be finished. I have no plans to pick it back up again, and I have little doubt that no one is exactly clamoring for it these days.

Ah, well. They can’t all be good ones. Hey, at least I tried something new!

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Posted by jespah in Fan fiction, Review, 0 comments