Hall of Mirrors

Aug

2015

Review – Who Shall Wear the Robe and Crown?

So, who shall wear the robe and crown? I mean really?

Background

For a prompt about famous last words, the idea of Empress Hoshi‘s final words being ridiculous was a hard one to shake.

Plot

Hall of Mirrors

It is, actually, the canon launch date for the NCC-1701 Enterprise.

The scene is a sumptuous bedroom.

The Empress isn’t doing so well. Her family surrounds her. However, as would befit someone of her age, she doesn’t always remember who’s who. She grouses about Ubvelwev, the Calafan boyfriend for her son, Takeo. She claims that Takara‘s husband, Charles Tucker IV, is polluting the Sato genome with inferior blood. Arashi is ordered to run the treasury. And she verbally abuses Izo as well.

As she lays dying, Jun and Kira agree, again, to co-rule after her death. She’s trying to say something meaningful, in Latin (the Empress is, of course, a former linguist). But the reality, in the end, is far different.

Music

The story’s title comes from a lyric in a song I first heard in the Coen Brothers‘ film, O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Story Postings

Rating

The story is Rated K.

Upshot

I really loved giving the Empress her final comeuppance. I’ve used a lot of occasions to make her look ridiculous. From the mice in Brown to the changes that are made at the end of the Times of the HG Wells series, Empress Hoshi has been the butt of some jokes and often does not get what she wants. This is the last of such times.

Like this page? Tweet it!

You can find me on Google+.

Aug

2015

Portrait of a Character – Christian Harris

Christian Harris is a hero.

Origins

In order to cover a fuller spectrum of sexuality, I decided to bring in someone who would be on the asexuality end of things. When I first wrote Doug, there was an early victim named Harris. Plus I needed an extra pilot for the E² timeline, as Melissa isn’t a part of those stories. And so Chris was born.

Portrayal

Chris is played by actor Hunter Parrish. I really liked the idea of a good-looking guy who would have no interest in anyone.

Portrait of a Character – Christian Harris

Hunter Parrish as Christian Harris

I like that this is a young actor trying to take some risks with his career. Being a part of a show about dope dealing is sure to offend someone. But it does not seem to have made an affect on Parrish’s career or his appeal.

Personality

Hunter Parrish as Christian Harris

Pleasant but kind of aloof, Chris is more of a background player than almost anything else. He fills in when others, such as Travis Mayweather, are ill.

He is somewhat self-sacrificing, and is well-aware, particularly during the E² timeline, that a guy like him is somewhat valuable. After all, as a guy not interested in any of the limited women on board, he’s not a threat. As a skilled pilot, he’s in some demand. When suicide missions are on the table (in both timelines), he’s selected to go. He doesn’t object to this.

Relationships

Chris has no known relationships, in any timeline or universe.

Mirror Universe

The Mirror version of Chris, also asexual, is Doug’s second victim, killed by an illegal below the belt hit during an impromptu boxing match. I barely show him, and he does not speak.

Mirror Chris (Hunter Parrish)

Quote

“Next wannabe pilot!”

Upshot

I really never got a chance to give Chris a lot of depth, although I’d like to. He’s one of those characters that hides from the writer.

Like this page? Tweet it!

Jul

2015

Portrait of a Character – Judy Kelly

Origins

This character is canon, although she only has a first initial. She is seen during the Vox Sola episode. For the E² timeline, I wanted her to be in the first and semi-unexpected relationship.

Portrayal

As in canon, Judy is played by actress Renee Goldsberry.

Renee Goldsberry as Judy Kelly

In addition to Star Trek: Enterprise, she has also been on soaps. The Memory Alpha image in particular does not do her justice (the garage mechanic-style unis were not flattering to a lot of the actors). In Reflections Down a Corridor, I have Chang lump her with other women he considers to be ugly – Patti, Susie, and Lili. Hence it was a bit of an unexpected twist to put her into the first marriage on the ship after the first kick back in time.

Personality

Friendly and approachable, Judy is reliable but mainly stays out of the spotlight. I do not give her promotions, commendations, or any sort of authority. But not everyone becomes captain, or even ensign. There are those who quietly serve, and Judy is one of those people.

Relationships

Michael Rostov

In canon, they are friends. In the E² timeline, I wanted them to be a lot more than that. In Reflections Down a Corridor, they are the first new couple to get together (technically, Tripp and T’Pol predate them).

Mirror Universe

Renee Goldsberry as Mirror Judy

There are no impediments to Judy existing in the Mirror Universe. Empress Hoshi will only hold onto female crew members if they are very competent or are not serious sexual competition, preferably both. Judy fits the first criterion but not really the second.

But Goldsberry, for real, is a singer. In the Mirror Universe, singing would be a viable career even for the oppressed women of the other side of the pond. Because I write artistic Mirror Universe denizens as being elites, Judy could even be wealthy.

Quote

“I don’t need other prospects.”

Upshot

Minor characters, with nearly no screen time, can still have rather rich lives in fan fiction. Judy is one such character.

Like this page? Tweet it!

You can find me on Google+.

Jul

2015

Recurrent Themes – Criminals and Prisoners

Background

Criminals and prisoners matter. They creep into all of my series, except for Mixing It Up (and D’Storlin is possibly telling his story from custody, anyway). Their fates have varied rather dramatically.

Appearances

Eriecho, Saddik, and H’Shema

In the Eriecho series, as is explained in Release, she is born on a prison transport as Saddik and her parents (who are both killed on that transport) are framed for crimes they did not commit. In Double Helix, H’Shema’s mother, L’Culturra, reveals that her daughter was a drug addict and likely was in Canamar Prison for good reason.

Daniel Chang, Tristan Curtis, Neil Kemper, Victor Brown, Brooks Haynem, Gary Hodgkins, and Sandra Sloane

During the E² timeline, all sorts of bad behavior occurs. During The Three of Us, the men are responsible for an attack on Patti Socorro as Sandra takes note of the law of supply and demand and rents herself out for cheap.

Polloria, Baden, and Chawev

In Reversal, the former two conspire to kill High Priestess Yipran. Chawev is the only one who hesitates, and Polloria chides him for being too squeamish.

Jeff Paxton

The real perpetrator is not revealed until just about the end of Shell Shock.

Marisol Castillo, Anthony Parker, Von, Helen Walker, and Milton Walker

Of the villains in The Times of the HG Wells series, only Anthony Parker is at all decent, and that’s only in an alternate timeline, when he has a chance to help Otra get out of Milton Walker’s prison. As for Marisol, she’s a psychopath, eager to kill whoever she can.

Arnis and Rechal

In Take Back the Night, Arnis blames Mistra for the death of the elder Inta. Rechal, a physician, takes a bribe and helps him frame her in exchange for research funding. In Flight of the Bluebird, because Rechal’s ideas have assisted Trinning and the other researchers find a cure for thylacine paramyxovirus, he is allowed out of jail and is released into Trinning’s observational custody. Arnis (who I wasn’t sure whether I wanted him to be alive or not) complains to his second son, Trinning, and is told that it’s a good thing he’s staying in prison as Daranaea is changing and he won’t fit in anymore.

Mack MacKenzie

Planted with Etrotherium against her will while on Keto-Enol, Mack is framed for the drug problem on that planet.

Upshot

Without villains and criminals, stories have few drivers and little to recommend them. Prisons provide great fodder for storytelling and drama. I know that I will go back to these themes again.

Like this page? Tweet it!

You can find me on Google+.

Jun

2015

Portrait of a Character – Oscar (Osh) Tiburón

Osh had an unlikely origin.

Origins

In the E² timeline, I wanted to show the first pregnancy as being utterly unplanned. I needed a heterosexual couple for this, so I created Trace and Osh.

Portrayal

Oscar is played by actor Javier Bardem (who I also have playing filmmaker Carlos Castillo).

Barking Up the Muse Tree | jespah | Janet Gershen-Siegel | Javier Bardem

Javier Bardem as Oscar (Osh) Tiburón (image is for educational purposes only)

As is the case with the Carlos Castillo character, I wanted a versatile actor of Latino descent.

Personality

Taciturn and maybe a little shy, Oscar is even more of a strong, silent type than Jay Hayes, his commanding officer. He is also a semi-lapsed Catholic, insisting on a full Catholic mass for his wedding on the one hand, but also engaging in premarital sex on the other. So he is a bit conflicted.

In Shell Shock, he is a part of the group that runs after, and eventually apprehends, the perpetrator. This act exonerates Malcolm.

Relationships

Tracey Carter

Tracey pursues Oscar rather aggressively, giggling like a schoolgirl over him when discussing his finer points with her roommate, Maryam Haroun. She is an Engineering crewman and so their schedules do not always mesh. Once their daughter, Amanda, is born, Oscar is a bit overwhelmed. Amanda is a rather loud crier and is not, at least at the start, the easiest child to raise.

Mirror Universe

Oscar could exist in the Mirror Universe; there are no impediments to him doing so.

Barking Up the Muse Tree | jespah | Janet Gershen-Siegel | MU Osh

Javier Bardem as MU Osh (image is for educational purposes only)

For a strong and fast MACO, there are opportunities on the other side of the pond. Some are regular work opportunities, but others exist in serving the Empress Hoshi Sato directly. I created the character after I had written the main In Between Days books, so Oscar does not appear there. But there is no reason why I can’t retcon him in.

Quote

“It would only be right if we were to marry.”

Upshot

Whenever I need a fast runner, Oscar will be there.
Like this page? Tweet it!

You can find me on Google+.

Jun

2015

Portrait of a Character – Carlos Castillo

Carlos Castillo has a mixed origin.

Origins

For Doug‘s confession to Lili (in the Star Trek fan fiction book, Fortune) to be at all credible, there needed to be a history behind each of the fourteen men he had killed in the Mirror Universe. Furthermore, just like the death of the Mirror Norri, I wanted at least one of those murders to be for the flimsiest of reasons or at least be hard to take because the person would scarcely be remembered.

Then, when writing the 2013 ficlet flash dance story Conversations With Heroes, I needed a filmmaker. Carlos works for both.

Portrayal

I see Javier Bardem for this character.

Barking Up the Muse Tree | jespah | Janet Gershen-Siegel | Javier Bardem | Carlos Castillo

Javier Bardem as Carlos Castillo (image is for educational purposes only)

I wanted an intelligent, versatile actor. It was also important to me that he be of Latino descent.

I also liked the idea of someone who has played both heroes and villains, as Carlos has a place on both sides of the pond.

Personality

In the Prime Universe, Carlos the independent documentary filmmaker is essentially looking for an easy paycheck. He is given an assignment to speak with the crew of the NX-01 and get their personal takes on the end of the Xindi War. While he does talk with everyone, he only records the following in the story: Jonathan Archer, Maryam Haroun, Lili, Jennifer, and Malcolm, who talks about Jay. For the first and last chapters of the piece, it is Carlos’s own words about the film and also about the people he interviewed. While he remains somewhat neutral, he is far from unaffected. At the end of the piece, he ends up angrily and frustratedly pitching his coffee cup against a wall.

Relationships

There are no known relationships, but there had to have been someone for Carlos, as he is Marisol‘s ancestor.

Mirror Universe

Barking Up the Muse Tree | jespah | Janet Gershen-Siegel | Carlos Castillo | MU Osh

Javier Bardem as MU Carlos (image is for educational purposes only)

Carlos is barely even known by name in the Mirror. Doug did not know his name until after he was killed. During wartime, Doug grabs the person closest to him and uses that person as a human shield. That unfortunate person turns out to be Carlos, who Doug never knows and never talks to.

Quote

“But it’s hard to not be affected, or to see what could have happened if one thing, or another, was different. These people certainly see it that way. And the reality is that this is, for the most part, just a ship full of damaged people. I know that there are those who are happy and excited about the conclusion of this war. I can’t say that I haven’t felt my own sense of relief, for I most certainly have. But I think we, as humans and citizens of Earth, I think we need to keep these people’s thoughts and aspirations and guilt and personal pain in our heads as we wave our flags and sing the United Earth anthem. We need to remember that these heroes come complete with consciences, and miseries and regrets. This victory did not come without a price. Thank you.”

Upshot

At some point, I would like to find another place to showcase Carlos, as there has got to be a spot for a filmmaker. I will try to bring him back.

Like this page? Tweet it!

You can find me on Google+.

May

2015

Spotlight on Dark Matter Flare

A dark matter flare was a fun idea. Dark matter, by definition, is mysterious.

Spotlight on Dark Matter Flare

Background

In order to resolve the issues in Temper and bring everyone back to the correct side of the pond, I needed for there to be some way to signal Richard Daniels.

I particularly wanted to make the technology not look like anything special, and have it potentially work in other areas of Star Trek fan fiction, in case I ever needed it again. I am not a big fan of technobabble, so I wanted the technology to not turn into something that the typical reader would not understand. While it is not necessarily the most plausible piece of fictional technology out there, it is certainly easy to understand without having to go into any long, drawn-out explanations.

An Idea for a Dark Matter Flare

Dark Matter Flare (really a black Christmas cracker)

Hence I hit upon the idea of Christmas crackers, except these would be black.

Doug is given a pair of these before he and Lili are sent forward in time and to the Mirror Universe. The first one is a signal to Rick Daniels to bring them from the Mirror to the Prime Universe and also back from 2178 to 2166. The second dark matter flare used is to signal Rick to bring the family back from 2166 to 2161. However, in the second instance, the only traveling is in time. This is because the family is already on the correct side of the pond.

Upshot

I like the idea of something so small and simple. Adding to the dramatic tension is the tiniest sound of snapping. Lili and Doug can barely hear it, and it almost feels as if it did not work. But Rick senses it with his far more sensitive instruments. These little devices get the family home.

Now I am wondering where I can possibly use them again.

Like this page? Tweet it!

You can find me on Google+.

Apr

2015

Review – Gilded Cage

Gilded Cage came about because I needed to bridge a gap between Together and Temper on the other side of the pond. For a prompt about being trapped, I decided to write about a Mirror Universe trap.

Background

Hall of Mirrors

The most likely candidate for being trapped, who would also (in some ways) be a sympathetic character, was Aidan MacKenzie.

Plot

On January 7, 2161, in the Mirror Universe, the Empress confines Aidan to quarters. So it’s just before Temper, and the Empress Hoshi Sato is looking to get her act in gear and start pushing to get more advanced ships like the ISS Defiant. And she can tell that the star ship will not last forever. As she contemplates her next move, Aidan has had enough. Furthermore, five children already exist. And Hoshi is pregnant with Izo, the last one. And so Aidan then complains that he can’t keep up with it all, and makes the mistake of referring to Hoshi by her first name. However, this simply will not do. The Empress will not stand for it. Angrily, she demands that she only be referred to by her title by him, the Royal Babysitter.

So in a move toward independence, Aidan picks up Kira (who he refers to as Kirin) and threatens to leave, telling her that he’s quitting. As the Ready Room door opens, Shelby Pike, Chip Masterson, and Lucy Stone give him quick sympathetic glances; however, Travis Mayweather and Gary Hodgkins do not. And then Hoshi orders Josh Rosen and Tristan Curtis up, to move the bassinets into her quarters, as Aidan and the royal children will be confined there.

Yet Aidan goes willingly, as he has no choice in order to assure that his toddler son will not be harmed.

Story Postings

Rating

The story is rated K.

Upshot

So the menace of the Mirror is back (because it never really left), and I like how it foreshadows Aidan’s resentment and in particular Chip and Lucy’s urge to leave as soon as possible.

Like this page? Tweet it!

You can find me on Google+.

Share this:
Tweet
Share on Tumblr
Reddit
Email
Print
Like this:
Like Loading...

19

Dec

2014

Review – He Stays a Stranger
Review – He Stays a Stranger

He stays a stranger works as a bookend to The Stranger, because Rick never really gets to know anyone until Milena.

He Stays a Stranger

Background

Back when I was originally putting together a wholly original time travel fantasy series, I came up with the story lines for A Long, Long Time Ago; Spring Thaw; and this one. The idea of Goodman, Schwerner, and Cheney being saved, only to be lost again, was a sadly compelling one.

Further, I needed a way to complete the time travel series. The title was perfect.

Plot

As the previous book, Shake Your Body, ends, Rick Daniels has been wiped from existence. The imperfect state of the Master Time File means that he, personally, stays and survives, but no one knows who he is. Rick is almost stateless. Hence it’s as if he is thoroughly cut off from everyone else. The most painful moment for Rick is when his own mother doesn’t know him, and his sister, Eleanor, screams for Security.

How it all works out, and what happens to Milena Chelenska, and the rest of the gang at the Temporal Integrity Commission, can be learned by reading the book, of course. However, I’ll admit I am not thrilled with the ending for Carmen Calavicci and a few others, like Polly Porter. I essentially just ran out of space.

Music

First of all, Johnny Rivers’ Secret Agent Man

Chad and Jeremy’s A Summer Song

Also, The Supremes’ Where Did Our Love Go?

Ronny and the Daytonas’ Little GTO

The Beatles’ Can’t Buy Me Love

Lesley Gore’s You Don’t Own Me

Finally, Jackie DeShannon’s Put a Little Love in Your Heart

Story Postings

He Stays a Stranger on Ad Astra

Also, He Stays a Stranger on Fanfiction.net

In addition, He Stays a Stranger on Wattpad

He Stays a Stranger in Times of the HG Wells context

Rating

The story is Rated T.

Upshot

I like the overall feel of it, particularly as it disperses the darkness of the series and brings it back to light. In particular, with the incredible longevity of Branch Borodin, it feels like my characters, in a way, will never die. Because I often have troubling letting go of characters, that ‘fact’ made it a lot easier to end this series. Although there are sequels because I can’t keep my hands off stuff!

Like this page? Tweet it!

You can find me on Google+.

Share this:
Tweet
Share on Tumblr
Reddit
Email
Print
Like this:
Like Loading...
Posted by jespah in Fan fiction, Hall of Mirrors, In Between Days series, Review, Times of the HG Wells series, 15 comments

21

Nov

2014

Portrait of a Character – Erika Hernandez
Portrait of a Character – Erika Hernandez

Origins

This canon character was a part of the fourth season of Enterprise.

Portrayal

As in canon, the character is played by actress Ada Maris.

Ada Maris as Captain Erika Hernandez

I am not the only person who enjoyed the portrayal of this tough, no-nonsense character.

Personality

Strong but fair, Erika was the perfect captain for Daranaean first contact in The Cure is Worse Than the Disease. The Daranaeans do not know what to make of a smart woman who is in charge of anything more daunting than a large household.

However, by the time of Take Back the Night, Erika has to go back to deal with those sentient marsupial canids again, and she is none too happy with having to do that.

Relationships

Jonathan Archer

So the only relationship anyone knows is the canon one, with Jonathan Archer. The way I write it, Archer pursues her a bit in More, More, More! But otherwise they drop the relationship. Neither of them try very hard.

Mirror Universe

Ada Maris as the Mirror Erika Hernandez

The Mirror Universe version of Erika shows up in Dishing it Out, a crossover collaboration story written with FalseBill. We decided that she would be the only slightly competent chef for the Empress Hoshi Sato. By the time of Temper, Erika is long gone.

Quote

“The troubling thing about the Daranaeans is their treatment of their females. Casual sexism is tossed around just as readily as are vapid discussions about the weather. I was privy to two rituals engaged in by the females, which centered on pregnancy and birth. Within these rituals are subtle distinctions among the castes which serve to promote Prime Wives and denigrate the last caste women, while walking a thin line when it came to the secondaries. In addition, we learned that a last caste child of perhaps three or four years of age was not permitted to join in with the home schooling that the other children enjoyed. Whether this was by law or custom or both, I do not know. When asked, we were merely informed that that caste “did not believe” in education – a statement that I find difficult to believe.”

Upshot

Erika Hernandez always should have been more than she was in canon.

Like this page? Tweet it!

You can find me on Google+.

Share this:
Tweet
Share on Tumblr
Reddit
Email
Print
Like this:
Like Loading...
Posted by jespah in Fan fiction, Hall of Mirrors, In Between Days series, Portrait, 5 comments

Posts navigation

← Previous page 1 … 3 4 5 … 11 Next page →