In Between Days series

Dec

2019

Progress Report – Third Quarter 2019 and Fourth Quarter 2019

Progress Report – Third and Fourth Quarter 2019

How excellent were the third quarter 2019 and the fourth quarter 2019 for Star Trek fan fiction?

Posted Works

First of all, on Wattpad, I posted Reflections Down a Corridor. I also posted Entanglements and The Three of Us. So currently I am not posting anywhere else. So as you can see, this report is kind of sparse.

Milestones

See the Stats page for individual read and review counts.

WIP Corner

Nothing! Everything is basically ready. So I’m probably never going to complete These Are the Destinations. And Paradox depends on a co-writer for me to write it. So that is hit or miss. Plus, I will be the first person to admit, it feels … weird.

So what that also means is that this blog may very well be coming to its logical conclusion. After all, once the last of the E² stories shows up in Wattpad, unless I put something on Ad Astra, then there will be no news. So that’s pretty wacky, eh?

But then there’s the Barnstorming series. Perhaps that one will see the light of day on Ad Astra?

I Hate this New Editor with a Passion

So seriously, it’s awful. I never, ever asked for this. It’s like writing for two-year-olds. So if I could go back, I would be a lot happier. Do you hear that, WordPress? Your new editor SUCKS! Yeah, I really and truly mean that.

Prep Work

Once again, nothing! So unless something changes rather drastically, I am done. And as I said above, yeah. It is kind of strange. So be it.

This Month’s Productivity Killers

Work, but that is something which anyone should expect. Because I am done with writing Star Trek fan fiction anyway, the truth is, it kind of does not matter any more.

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Oct

2018

Review – Inside Information

A Nostalgic Review of Inside Information

Inside Information brings the In Between Days Series in line with Star Trek: Discovery.

Background

On the Discovery, a young crewman knows something no one else does. His ancestors have visited him in his dreams, and they have told him there’s a way to get home. And this young crewman is Douglas Malcolm Beckett. But he’s changed his name to Hayes.

Douglas Jay Hayes Beckett (Steven Culp) – image is for educational purposes only

Plot

For the ghosts of Douglas Jay Hayes Beckett and Charlotte Lilienne O’Day Beckett, it’s irresistible. Their descendant is in peril and he’s afraid. So they enter his dream state and they comfort him. But they also let him know that he can get home if all else fails.

For one of the great patriarchs and one of the great matriarchs of an enormous dynasty, the chance to help one of their own will always be on the table. And so Doug and Lili arrive, in mists and clouds and mystery.

Family Tree

Doug the younger is the son of Jay Hayes Beckett. Jay is the son of Joss, who is Doug and Lili’s first born. Doug the younger is also of interest because he’s born on December 3, 2229, giving him the same birthday as Douglas Jay Hayes Beckett. The difference, though, is 127 years.

Doug the younger’s sister, Lilienne Melissa Beckett, is born in 2230. In Fortune, Q shows her to Lili.

But the tree goes on and Doug the younger also connects to Barnstorming. In 2265, he marries Penny Webb. Their son, Steven Hayes, is born in 2270. He marries Lucy Kimura. Steven’s daughter, Lilienne Charlotte Hayes, is born in 2309. During Play, Time Out, and Overtime, Lilienne is one of the thirteen living descendants of Doug the elder.

Barking Up The Muse Tree | jespah | Janet Gershen-Siegel | Lili| Naomi Watts | pregnant-Inside Information

Lili (image of Naomi Watts is for educational purposes only)

Their son, Jay Neil Hayes (born 2307) has a daughter, Sheilagh. She marries Don Porter. Their daughter is Tamsin Jennifer Porter, another of the thirteen.

The Thirteen

Doug the elder’s thirteen living descendants in 2379 are:

Douglas Daniels, born in 2305 (also Lili’s descendant via Malcolm Reed)
Michael Daniels, born in 2341 (also Lili’s descendant via Malcolm Reed)
Lilienne Charlotte Hayes, born in 2309 (also Lili’s descendant)
Ariana LaForge, born in 2337 (also Lili’s descendant, via both Doug and Malcolm)
Edward LaForge, born in 2322 (also Lili’s descendant, via both Doug and Malcolm)
Geordi LaForge, born in 2335(also Lili’s descendant, via both Doug and Malcolm)
Misty Dana MacKenzie, born in 2329 (Melissa Madden‘s descendant)
Martin Douglas Madden, born in 2322 (Melissa Madden’s descendant)
Jay Neil Hayes, born in 2307 (also Lili’s descendant)
Sheilagh Hayes Porter, born in 2331 (also Lili’s descendant)
Tamsin Porter, born in 2354 (also Lili’s descendant)
Tina Reed O’Connor, born in 2291 (also Lili’s descendant via Malcolm Reed)
Kevin Reed, born in 2344 (also Lili’s descendant via Malcolm Reed)

Story Postings

Inside Information on Ad Astra
Inside Information on Fanfiction.net
And Inside Information on Wattpad

Rating

The story has a K rating.

Upshot

Doug the younger even refers to The Human Pioneers of Lafa II, neatly bringing Norri into the fold. It was a quick story, tossed off fast. But it ties the story together even more, and the family lives on, from generation to generation, and from series to series.

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Sep

2018

Review – Time Out

A Pretty Harsh Review of Time Out

With Time Out, I abandoned the sports theme completely and instead did some personal head canon repairs. That is, I had put characters into an alternate temporal scenario and then I needed to get them back to the prime timeline. And I had to do this without destroying the continuity I was creating in the Barnstorming series.

Background

At the time I first wrote this story, I was even more burned out than before. I was absolutely running out of things to say, and so I shuffled the cards, big time. This also rather neatly plugged a hole in the Times of the HG Wells series. Now, that was a hole that only I could see. But I do like to be consistent.

The hole in the Wells timeline had to do with Dana, who hooks up with Rick. Once I realized I would rather she was Marty’s great love, she would have to somehow not fall prey to Rick’s charms.

Plot

Time Out stepped outside of the sports theme entirely for a very new story line. Instead of being a coach, Mack MacKenzie, is now called Dana, and she is the Tactical Officer on the Enterprise-E. As before, Martin Madden is still the First Officer. However, other players are in new places. And it’s all because of the accidental firing of a pulse shot.

At the same time, Marty is investigating an odd phenomenon which seems to directly relate to the O’Day-Hayes-Beckett-Digiorno-Madden-Reed family. New relatives show up, including the exceptionally annoying Tamsin Porter. Much like in the prime timeline for this series, Porter has the hots for Madden, and the radiation band cycling phenomenon still exists. It is one of the drivers of the plot.

Story Postings

Time Out on Wattpad
Time Out on Fanfiction.net

Rating

The story has a K rating.

Upshot

One thing this story did well was show just how hit and miss so many of the time travel missions should have been during the Wells series. It was also a chance to showcase an earlier Rick, one who hasn’t yet met the Becketts. Hence for him, the time frame for the story is pre-Temper.

In addition, it brings up one interesting point. For the temporal and spatial dislocation in Crackerjack, it’s due to the remnants of a pulse shot. Originally, I had wanted it to be a post-Temper leftover of Empress Hoshi‘s doings. But what if it was due to experiments by Szish, the Gorn who built Mack’s ship, the Cookie? With the other references to the Crackerjack dislocation, this could be a way to wrap that up as well. I am currently trying to wrap up the final book in the series, so I might use this insight.

But I was flagging, and it shows.

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Nov

2017

Portrait of a Character – M’Roan

Origins

M’Roan is a Caitian. Of course a Caitian character would be in full makeup, so adding an actor seems a bit absurd. However, won’t you humor me a bit?

Portrayal

M’Roan is played by actor Jason Alexander. I like this funny but also overly nervous kind of an actor.

Personality

Loquacious, a bit servile, and courtly to a fault, M’Roan cannot help but to charm the first humans he meets – the first humans any Caitian ever meets, for that matter – Lily Sloane and Zefram Cochrane. Sharp-eyed viewers will also spot a Derellian bat amidst his possessions, although he treats the bat more like a colleague/pet than a healing tool or medicine.

However, this begs the question: why is this somewhat charming and certainly lonely individual traveling alone? Because I doubt I will pick this one up again, the answer will most likely never come. Although it would be something to, perhaps, explore if the opportunity presented itself.

Relationships

M’Roan has no known relationships. In fact, I suspect he has none, as he seems a little too eager to just up and travel around with Zef.

Mirror Universe

There are no impediments to M’Roan existing in the Mirror Universe. All of the males I write in the MU are tougher, but a Caitian would not sport the Y Chromosome Skew. In addition, if M’Roan were to meet Lily and Zef, he might shoot first and ask questions later, a scenario which comes up with Cochrane himself in the In a Mirror, Darkly ENT episodes. I recall seeing that opening sequence for the first time, and it proved rather shocking. In other words, perfect.

Quote

“I was curious and now I have seen far too deeply into your life. I am so sorry. But this is, in a way, how friends can be made, yes?”

Upshot

One thing I really enjoyed about this one was not just to create a brand-new First Contact story, but also to christen the Jersey Lily and connect Archer to Cochrane, and even to the TOS Metamorphosis episode.

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Nov

2017

Portrait of a Character – Varelle

Varelle came about as a means of kicking off the queasy feeling you should get when reading The Cure is Worse than the Disease.

Scottish Wolfhound puppy representing Varelle (image is presented for educational purposes only).

Origins

First of all, Varelle is a medical character, and he is one of the first Daranaeans ever seen. Furthermore, his refusal to treat an ill Libba (because she is a second caste female) sets not only the plot of The Cure is Worse than the Disease in motion, it also helps to set off the entire Emergence series. Hence, by definition, Varelle is a rather important character.

Portrayal

As is the case with nearly all Daranaean characters, no one really ‘plays’ Dr. Varelle.

Personality

Overly superior and more than a little bit smug, the doctor won’t sully his furry hands treating the lower classes. Just like with Thessa, his behavior helps to really drive the point of the plot home. He is less of a healer and more like one of those people who gets into medicine solely for the purpose of making a lot of money.

Relationships

Dr. Varelle has no known relationships. However, like any other wealthy Daranaean male, he would take a wife from each of the three castes.

Mirror Universe

There are no impediments to this character existing in the Mirror. Daranaeans don’t have the Y Chromosome Skew. However, a doctor could potentially have cachet and be able to afford three wives.

Quote

“Well, she was purchased for nine hundred and thirty Stonds. As for the other one, well; you get what you pay for.”

Upshot

Finally, this character works well and has no redemption like Dr. Rechal does in Flight of the Bluebird. Why? Because some people just plain stay evil.

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Oct

2017

Review – Third Worth More Than First

Third Worth More Than First? Maybe so.

Background

Third Worth More Than First was a Daranaean story written by FalseBill when I ‘accidentally on purpose’ allowed others to play in my universes.

Plot

FalseBill went with the idea of a second, failed contact between humans and Daranaeans, and he decided it would end in a tragedy. In February of 2160, the Columbia makes second contact with the Daranaeans. And as a result, the hierarchy of Daranaean wives ends up costing that species a ship and everyone on board it. Because the third caste female has no say in what is going on, her wise counsel ends up being ignored. Much like slaves and other submissives, no one gives a damn about anything she has to say. And as a result, the Daranaeans all lose their lives.

Story Postings

Third Worth More than First on Ad Astra

Rating

The story is Rated K.

Upshot

Because the Daranaeans really have to be written in a particular fashion, I do not get too excited when anyone gets them ‘wrong’. After all, the hierarchy and the complexity of their relationships can prove daunting to even me. And I’m the one who created that species in the first place. Furthermore, the concept is sound, that a third caste female would be ignored and that could have tragic consequences. My main quibble is that it breaks my own fan fiction ‘canon’, seeing as the second contact technically comes from Take Back the Night.

However, if I see the story as taking place after Take Back the Night, then the timeline works out. Again, the Daranaeans are really a particular species to write, and I am pleased that FalseBill took the chance and tried to write them.

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Oct

2017

Portrait of a Character – Kathalia

Kathalia came about as a counter to Thessa. Not all Daranaean Prime Wives would live as passive-aggressive villainesses.

Image of Italian greyhound dog as Kathalia (image is provided for educational purposes only).

Origins

Because wealthy Daranaean men marry three women, the Emergence stories need a ton of female characters. Furthermore, I loved the euphony of this name, a kind of mix of Katherine or Kathleen and Thalia.

Portrayal

Like the vast majority of Daranaean characters, Kathalia isn’t really ‘played’ by anybody.

Personality

Bubbly, beautiful, and maybe a little overly privileged, Kathalia might have it too easy. Yet that constitutes precisely the idea, that Prime Wives get all of the perks. However, she also has a kind heart, and includes her half-sister, the secondary, Morza, when visiting Cria and in all of her other activities.

Relationships

Trinning

Trinning loves all three of his wives equally, and it shows. While Jamae loved him first, he gives Kathalia and even his third case wife her due. A model of how a loving Daranaean home really should be, Trinning gives this lovely character a truly wonderful life.

Mirror Universe

There exist no impediments to Kathalia existing in the Mirror. Daranaeans don’t have the Y Chromosome Skew, but she probably would not receive different treatment at all. A Prime Wife would do well on either side of the pond.

Quote

“Humans? How interesting. My father says they fought together with us when he battled the Klingons. I am sure they helped him. I should thank them for keeping Father safe.”

Upshot

Delicate Daranaean beauties who can cook will always have advantages. And if they’re also Prime Wives, then the deck is stacked rather heavily in their favor.

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Oct

2017

Review – The Golden Lady and the Knave

The Golden Lady and the Knave came about as a result of a poetry challenge on Wattpad.

Background

First of all, the Golden Lady and the Knave was the poetry from Intolerance, stripped bare. I wanted to introduce people on Wattpad to the In Between Days series and a little poetry contest provided the incentive.

Plot

While the plot does not exist, the poetry adds some color and substance. However, without the background of who the participants are (Malcolm Reed and Dr. Pamela Hudson), the poetry, while lovely, falls kind of flat in places. Since the characters were not introduced, a curious reader cannot learn how dysfunctional their relationship ends up being, or why he writes what he does. And the reader cannot know how the damages Pamela suffers from, or why she closes herself off so very completely.

Story Postings

The Golden Lady and the Knave on Wattpad.

Rating

The story is Rated K.

Upshot

Because I do so love the poetry, the story does get something of a pass. After all, it was never truly meant to be a story without the additional trappings of the Intolerance novel. Furthermore, it does introduce readers to my poetry. However, Wattpad is a hard place to break into when it comes to fan fiction writing. The issue is the overabundance of non-Star Trek fan fiction on that site. Those other stories drown out pretty much anything Star Trek unless the reader makes it abundantly clear they are writing within the Kelvin timeline and, quite frankly, it’s really only Kirk slash which goes over (semi-)big. Kirk’s partner, inevitably, ends up as either Spock or McCoy.

And since I am not writing any of that, subtle poetry really gets lost.

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Sep

2017

Review – Soldiers’ Marriage Project

Soldiers’ Marriage Project, an early effort, showed me how well I can change the tone of a narrative.

Background

First of all, Soldiers’ Marriage Project came about so as to add a bit of romance to the Romulan war. The idea borrowed a lot from the standard ‘soldier going off to war’ narrative. As a result, a slight World War II vibe attaches to the piece.

Plot

Hence in Soldiers’ Marriage Project, a group of soldiers get married, all at the same time. My inspiration came from the old Unification Church mass weddings. As a result, this story marked the first appearance of Rona Moran, who plays a prominent role in Flight of the Bluebird. Because she helps to finance (and raise even more money for) this massive effort.

As for the soldiers mentioned by her in her report, neither of them make it to anywhere else in my fan fiction. I just wanted them to be archetypes, somewhat similar to how Rona herself treated the story line. Hence the couple don’t really have faces or descriptions (the above image mainly serves as a placeholder for this blog post).

Music

The music is Ain’t No Mountain High Enough by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell.

Story Postings

Dispatches from the Romulan War: Soldiers’ Marriage Project on TrekUnited

Rating

The story is Rated K.

Upshot

While I like this story, I had virtually no control over the final product and the direction of the overall anthology. Hence, there could have been more done with it. Alas, such was not to be! However, that might not be so bad, as the couple remain a mystery and Rona comes across as her usual wacky yet ultimately extremely well meaning self. And that foreshadows later stories nicely.

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Aug

2017

Portrait of a Character – Q

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

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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Progress Report – Third and Fourth Quarter 2019

Posted Works

Milestones

WIP Corner

I Hate this New Editor with a Passion

Prep Work

This Month’s Productivity Killers

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A Nostalgic Review of Inside Information

Background

Plot

Family Tree

The Thirteen

Story Postings

Rating

Upshot

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A Pretty Harsh Review of Time Out

Background

Plot

Story Postings

Rating

Upshot

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Portrait of a Character – M’Roan

Origins

Portrayal

Personality

Relationships

Mirror Universe

Quote

Upshot

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Portrait of a Character – Varelle

Origins

Portrayal

Personality

Relationships

Mirror Universe

Quote

Upshot

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Review – Third Worth More Than First

Background

Plot

Story Postings

Rating

Upshot

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Portrait of a Character – Kathalia

Origins

Portrayal

Personality

Relationships

Trinning

Mirror Universe

Quote

Upshot

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Review – The Golden Lady and the Knave

Background

Plot

Story Postings

Rating

Upshot

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Review – Soldiers’ Marriage Project

Background

Plot

Music

Story Postings

Rating