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Unofficial Literary Challenge#20 Discussion Thread

marcusdkanemarcusdkane Member Posts: 7,439 Arc User
edited February 2016 in Ten Forward
This is the discussion thread for Unofficial Literary Challenge #20: "Coming Around Again".

As usual, be honest, polite, and supportive. As I noted last month, it is your contributions, not only as a writer, but most importantly, as readers and as reviewers, which make these challenges appealing and worth participating in. So if you enjoy something you've read, please take a moment to let the writer know B) LLAP \\//_
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    jonsillsjonsills Member Posts: 10,366 Arc User
    edited February 2016
    #2 actually does speak to me - but I'm gonna need to Treknobabble the TRIBBLE out of that premise, because there's no meaningful way in which the planets of three separate solar systems, thousands of light-years apart, can "align". I'm thinking something more along the lines of a Lovecraftian "the stars are right" sort of thing...

    Edit: Interesting. Italicize a word the filter disapproves of, and it'll replace it with asterisks - but it will put the asterisks in italics.
    Lorna-Wing-sig.png
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    marcusdkanemarcusdkane Member Posts: 7,439 Arc User
    jonsills wrote: »
    #2 actually does speak to me - but I'm gonna need to Treknobabble the TRIBBLE out of that premise, because there's no meaningful way in which the planets of three separate solar systems, thousands of light-years apart, can "align". I'm thinking something more along the lines of a Lovecraftian "the stars are right" sort of thing...

    Edit: Interesting. Italicize a word the filter disapproves of, and it'll replace it with asterisks - but it will put the asterisks in italics.
    I figured what with the recent potential discovery, it was a somewhat relevant topic, and the idea of something beyond the typical realm of Trek appealed to me. A little along the lines of how Meridian was essentially Brigadion-in-Space, but given the rumors of Probings, maybe something more like the aliens in Night Terrors, rather than a necessarily truly literal interpretation of the allignment B) I'll definitely look forward to seeing what you come up with B)

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    grylakgrylak Member Posts: 1,594 Arc User
    So..... many...... ideas!

    Aww dammit, where's writing time when you need it. I've got ideas for all these prompts. Heck, the Nibiru one, I've got a massive crossover with all my captains going. And some inspiration from Doctor Who's The Silence. Or at least what I thought they should have been. AAARRRGGGHHHHH!!!!!


    Right. This month, I'm going to force myself to sit down and write prompts for all of these.
    *******************************************

    A Romulan Strike Team, Missing Farmers and an ancient base on a Klingon Border world. But what connects them? Find out in my First Foundary mission: 'The Jeroan Farmer Escapade'
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    marcusdkanemarcusdkane Member Posts: 7,439 Arc User
    grylak wrote: »
    So..... many...... ideas!

    Aww dammit, where's writing time when you need it. I've got ideas for all these prompts. Heck, the Nibiru one, I've got a massive crossover with all my captains going. And some inspiration from Doctor Who's The Silence. Or at least what I thought they should have been. AAARRRGGGHHHHH!!!!!


    Right. This month, I'm going to force myself to sit down and write prompts for all of these.
    :D I'm likely going to use the redux option to do the genealogy prompt I wanted to write last month, but never actually got round to sitting down to :D

    Looking forward to seeing what you come up with B)

    With regards Nibiru, and jonsills' thought:
    jonsills wrote: »
    #2 actually does speak to me - but I'm gonna need to Treknobabble the TRIBBLE out of that premise, because there's no meaningful way in which the planets of three separate solar systems, thousands of light-years apart, can "align". I'm thinking something more along the lines of a Lovecraftian "the stars are right" sort of thing...

    Edit: Interesting. Italicize a word the filter disapproves of, and it'll replace it with asterisks - but it will put the asterisks in italics.

    An idea has come to me, which I'm going to make an 'editorial suggestion' about:

    The planets within each system are aligned with the planets within that system, rather than being aligned with themselves and the planets in the other systems. I'd guess that could leave three 'cosmic lines', which could then form the points of a 'cosmic triangle' (when viewed from a certain point of view ;) )

    Of course, everyone is welcome to tackle the prompt as they feel best, I just thought that I would make that suggestion as it came to me B)
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    antonine3258antonine3258 Member Posts: 2,391 Arc User
    edited February 2016
    jonsills wrote: »
    #2 actually does speak to me - but I'm gonna need to Treknobabble the TRIBBLE out of that premise, because there's no meaningful way in which the planets of three separate solar systems, thousands of light-years apart, can "align". I'm thinking something more along the lines of a Lovecraftian "the stars are right" sort of thing...

    Edit: Interesting. Italicize a word the filter disapproves of, and it'll replace it with asterisks - but it will put the asterisks in italics.

    The suns of the three systems are going to be equidistant from two separate pulsars - their meeting point, combined with warp traffic and subspace damage from Iconian gateways, causes a portal to the mysterious planet to form.

    Or its three ancient calendars coinciding, sort of a Sharper than a Serpent's Tooth scenario


    For the prompts - definitely reduxing a sequel to my Odd Couple contribution back in 13.
    Fate - protects fools, small children, and ships named Enterprise Will Riker

    Member Access Denied Armada!

    My forum single-issue of rage: Make the Proton Experimental Weapon go for subsystem targetting!
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    rllaillieurllaillieu Member Posts: 351 Arc User
    Why are there two ULC #20 posts on the forums? Like, there are two for the challenge and two for the discussion... what
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    marcusdkanemarcusdkane Member Posts: 7,439 Arc User
    rllaillieu wrote: »
    Why are there two ULC #20 posts on the forums? Like, there are two for the challenge and two for the discussion... what
    You'll have to ask starsword ;)

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    takeshi6takeshi6 Member Posts: 752 Arc User
    Hopefully I'll be able to get in some redux stories this month - still have a few pieces I need to finish which would certainly work.
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    marcusdkanemarcusdkane Member Posts: 7,439 Arc User
    takeshi6 wrote: »
    Hopefully I'll be able to get in some redux stories this month - still have a few pieces I need to finish which would certainly work.
    Looking forward to seeing what you've got cooking B) I'm going to post one in the not too distant future B)
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    marcusdkanemarcusdkane Member Posts: 7,439 Arc User
    This was a piece I wanted to write for last month's ULC, and which pretty much came to me whole, but the idea of having Marcus interacting with the character he was inspired by, was too much to resist, so this idea was shelved. It touches on a character aspect I've been interested in exploring for several years, but never found the right outlet to do so till now... Please enjoy Past Lives...

    --

    Meliden Bowen - Eve Myles
    Heath Fletcher - Simon Baker
    Zeda (Deltan) - Timothy Olyphant
    Bradh (Ferengi) - Simon Helberg
    Idina Seban - Jenny Agutter
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    starswordcstarswordc Member Posts: 10,963 Arc User
    marcusdkane wrote: »
    rllaillieu wrote: »
    Why are there two ULC #20 posts on the forums? Like, there are two for the challenge and two for the discussion... what
    You'll have to ask starsword ;)

    Yeah, that was a mistake, I didn't see Marcus' redux thread.
    "Great War! / And I cannot take more! / Great tour! / I keep on marching on / I play the great score / There will be no encore / Great War! / The War to End All Wars"
    — Sabaton, "Great War"
    VZ9ASdg.png

    Check out https://unitedfederationofpla.net/s/
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    marcusdkanemarcusdkane Member Posts: 7,439 Arc User
    edited February 2016
    starswordc wrote: »
    marcusdkane wrote: »
    rllaillieu wrote: »
    Why are there two ULC #20 posts on the forums? Like, there are two for the challenge and two for the discussion... what
    You'll have to ask starsword ;)

    Yeah, that was a mistake, I didn't see Marcus' redux thread.
    No worries, I had everything ready, and did email you Friday as I still hadn't seem you posting much, so when no reply to the email, I figured you were still busy, so thought best to post what I had :D No harm done B)

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    antonine3258antonine3258 Member Posts: 2,391 Arc User
    marcusdkane wrote: »
    This was a piece I wanted to write for last month's ULC, and which pretty much came to me whole, but the idea of having Marcus interacting with the character he was inspired by, was too much to resist, so this idea was shelved. It touches on a character aspect I've been interested in exploring for several years, but never found the right outlet to do so till now... Please enjoy Past Lives...

    Well that spiralled from amusing to Mad Max to yikes That's a lot to suddenly live with.
    Fate - protects fools, small children, and ships named Enterprise Will Riker

    Member Access Denied Armada!

    My forum single-issue of rage: Make the Proton Experimental Weapon go for subsystem targetting!
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    marcusdkanemarcusdkane Member Posts: 7,439 Arc User
    antonine3258 wrote: »
    marcusdkane wrote: »
    This was a piece I wanted to write for last month's ULC, and which pretty much came to me whole, but the idea of having Marcus interacting with the character he was inspired by, was too much to resist, so this idea was shelved. It touches on a character aspect I've been interested in exploring for several years, but never found the right outlet to do so till now... Please enjoy Past Lives...

    Well that spiralled from amusing to Mad Max to yikes That's a lot to suddenly live with.
    That was the aim of the piece ;) It would have been too easy for Meliden's ancestor to have been some famous archeologist or First Cardassian Woman in Space (and perhaps another of her ancestors was ;) ) and given that the reports were generated by 'most referenced indicidual', it made sense that someone with a hand in the occupation would be a more contemporarily researched/referenced individual... Happy Endings all round are never guaranteed ;)
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    cmdrscarletcmdrscarlet Member Posts: 5,137 Arc User
    @marcusdkane - Nice little piece there. I agree the move from amusing to shock was appreciated. I particularly enjoyed the banter up front. Using Olyphant for the Deltan makes great sense too (I enjoy that actor)!
    Kathryn S. Beringer - Endless Excelsior - Veritatum Liquido Cernerne - a proud off-meta build
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    marcusdkanemarcusdkane Member Posts: 7,439 Arc User
    cmdrscarlet wrote: »
    @marcusdkane - Nice little piece there. I agree the move from amusing to shock was appreciated. I particularly enjoyed the banter up front. Using Olyphant for the Deltan makes great sense too (I enjoy that actor)!
    Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it B) I remember a comment by Quentin Tarantino speaking about the ear-cutting scene in Reservoir Dogs, in so much as he used the humor of the music and the dance to relax the viewer, before hitting them with the BAM of the razor to the face and hacking the ear off, by which point, the viewer is allready 'in on it' for enjoying the dance, and find that an effective tool, or, as my mother in law often says about Only Fools and Horses, it can make you laugh one minute, then make you cry the next... And glad you approve of the casting, Olyphant's a very versatile actor B) The true joke is not so much Heath getting rolled as a chump, but the unnamed Daimon Bradh having to attend Mind, Body, Spirit fayres to sell his wares ;)
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    grylakgrylak Member Posts: 1,594 Arc User
    Wow, that... errrr.... that turned really disturbing really quickly. Nice job on drawing us in with the start before you threw the punch. Though as a Cardassian, maybe she should have exercised a bit more caution in researching history files....
    *******************************************

    A Romulan Strike Team, Missing Farmers and an ancient base on a Klingon Border world. But what connects them? Find out in my First Foundary mission: 'The Jeroan Farmer Escapade'
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    antonine3258antonine3258 Member Posts: 2,391 Arc User
    edited February 2016
    Well, history changes - Andrew Jackson's currency's probably pretty low in the future and he'd probably be pretty heavily referenced for a human, for instance.

    On a side note - have we had any good LCs for a char being hunted? I'm working on an Odd Couple follow-up, but Thraak's story had a plot bunny about one of those marauding raids the Klingons did before we became all friends again.
    Fate - protects fools, small children, and ships named Enterprise Will Riker

    Member Access Denied Armada!

    My forum single-issue of rage: Make the Proton Experimental Weapon go for subsystem targetting!
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    marcusdkanemarcusdkane Member Posts: 7,439 Arc User
    grylak wrote: »
    Wow, that... errrr.... that turned really disturbing really quickly. Nice job on drawing us in with the start before you threw the punch. Though as a Cardassian, maybe she should have exercised a bit more caution in researching history files....
    Thanks B) To be fair, Idina did offer to cancel the search... ;) Mostly, I was inspired by a TV show called 'who do you think you are' where various celebs explore their family histories on camera, and sometimes the results aren't always what they expect... ;)
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    marcusdkanemarcusdkane Member Posts: 7,439 Arc User
    antonine3258 wrote: »
    Well, history changes - Andrew Jackson's currency's probably pretty low in the future and he'd probably be pretty heavily referenced for a human, for instance.

    On a side note - have we had any good LCs for a char being hunted? I'm working on an Odd Couple follow-up, but Thraak's story had a plot bunny about one of those marauding raids the Klingons did before we became all friends again.
    I'm not sure if there are any in here, but by all means throw it in a suggestion B) Thinking about it, something the LC's haven't featured in a while, is a totally freestyle prompt...

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    antonine3258antonine3258 Member Posts: 2,391 Arc User
    Man, been a while since I looked at the thread - Origin might work, I'm thinking a tale in the early days. Or maybe run it separate since it's more generic than the challenges.
    Fate - protects fools, small children, and ships named Enterprise Will Riker

    Member Access Denied Armada!

    My forum single-issue of rage: Make the Proton Experimental Weapon go for subsystem targetting!
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    marcusdkanemarcusdkane Member Posts: 7,439 Arc User
    edited February 2016
    antonine3258 wrote: »
    Man, been a while since I looked at the thread - Origin might work, I'm thinking a tale in the early days. Or maybe run it separate since it's more generic than the challenges.
    Well, the prompts are literally just prompts, there have been times when I've literally just used a title, not even followed the prompt B) If you wanted to do an origin prompt, Enter the BOFF could technically cover that topic B)
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    shevetshevet Member Posts: 1,667 Arc User
    The "Enter the BOFF" prompt gave me an idea, actually... about a guy with what might be one of the toughest jobs in Starfleet.

    "Put your analyst on danger money, baby." - Zaphod Beeblebrox.
    8b6YIel.png?1
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    jonsillsjonsills Member Posts: 10,366 Arc User
    edited February 2016
    Danger money isn't enough. That poor man needs combat pay! :D
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    grylakgrylak Member Posts: 1,594 Arc User
    Well, there be one for the redux.


    Cast list:

    Talaian Kazzur: Sharon Stone (Total Recall era)
    Ttorkkinn: Michael Ironside
    Saarish: Voiced by Jim Cummings (using his Robotnik voice)
    Graven: Ian Lavender
    T'siz: Alyson Hannigan
    *******************************************

    A Romulan Strike Team, Missing Farmers and an ancient base on a Klingon Border world. But what connects them? Find out in my First Foundary mission: 'The Jeroan Farmer Escapade'
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    marcusdkanemarcusdkane Member Posts: 7,439 Arc User
    shevet wrote: »
    The "Enter the BOFF" prompt gave me an idea, actually... about a guy with what might be one of the toughest jobs in Starfleet.

    "Put your analyst on danger money, baby." - Zaphod Beeblebrox.
    I really enjoyed that entry, and am definitely looking forward to seeing what Counsellor Hihl makes of the crew as time progresses B) I especially liked the resurgence of Leo's Ferengi snuff movies :D
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    marcusdkanemarcusdkane Member Posts: 7,439 Arc User
    grylak wrote: »
    Well, there be one for the redux.


    Cast list:

    Talaian Kazzur: Sharon Stone (Total Recall era)
    Ttorkkinn: Michael Ironside
    Saarish: Voiced by Jim Cummings (using his Robotnik voice)
    Graven: Ian Lavender
    T'siz: Alyson Hannigan
    That was a good one ^_^ I would have been interested to have seen the reactions of Ensign Wurz's family, but I really enjoyed that, thank you B)
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    xanchaxancha Member Posts: 65 Arc User
    edited February 2016
    I am writing one for #1 a redux for my Romulan hopefully it will be done with in the week. it be my 1st in the ULC.
    Post edited by xancha on
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    grylakgrylak Member Posts: 1,594 Arc User
    Thanks. I thought about also writing in the meeting with the family, but thought this was a case where less is more. Did they agree to it from the start? Did one say yes and one say no? What did Talaina say to them? All good questions that could have gone any number of ways, so I decided to leave that unanswered.
    *******************************************

    A Romulan Strike Team, Missing Farmers and an ancient base on a Klingon Border world. But what connects them? Find out in my First Foundary mission: 'The Jeroan Farmer Escapade'
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    marcusdkanemarcusdkane Member Posts: 7,439 Arc User
    xancha wrote: »
    I am writing one for #1 a redux for my Romulan hopefully it will be done with in the week. it be my 1st in the ULC.

    Welcome to the ULC's, I'll look forward to reading your entry B)
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