First of all, this is not really what I usually write. In other words, it has no real point. There’s no moral to this story. It’s not even really a cohesive story, even though it is roughly in chronological order. I suppose you could say the last part is the real story and the others are the stories leading up to that.

As I mentioned briefly in the author’s notes, I was kinda writing this to bemoan the inconvieniences of being 17 in an adult world.  I mean, I was trying to get a library card and the librarian told me she technically wasn’t allowed to give me a card unless my parents drove 200 miles to look over my shoulder. Thankfully, I still got the card, but I had to wait a good year before I could sign my own consent forms. Yeah, it’s annoying.

But this story is about Star Trek, not me. This is, of course, because Star Trek is a very good movie, and I like the way they did all of the characters. I had to do a double take when they turned Chekov into a genius, though. I guess, in retrospect, it made sense. And everyone was a whole lot smarter in this movie than in the original series, as my sister remarked. They pretty much have to be; hand waving and muttering about antimatter just won’t cut it these days. (Not that any of the phony physics I use in here would cut it, either. To the average reader it might sound okay, but it would get laughed out of any of my classes. Though the supernova collapse timescale is correct. I did my homework )

Anyway, so those two factors combined gave rise to this story. And I quite like the first sentence, too. Speaking of which, I decided that was the best way to explain just what Chekov was doing on the Enterprise (not as a cadet, evidently, or if he was, it wasn’t clear) and as an Ensign. I’m not quite sure how Starfleet Academy works – the Wiki articles weren’t that informative – but if it’s like any other military academy, cadets should graduate as Lieutentants (but how Uhura got that title in the movie, after just being a cadet, is still a mystery to me). So I decided that the regular enlistees are the yeomen and such, and the NCO’s start at ensign. Having Chekov drop out also makes it more believable, I think. A fifteen-year-old in college is uncommon but not unheard of, but any younger (especially in a military academy) would be pretty absurd. Especially boys – they wouldn’t even know how to do their laundry, much less survive in competitive academia.

Hmmm.. other comments. Oh, yes. On the movie website, it says Chekov was the youngest cadet to win the Starfleet Academy Marathon. Obviously whoever wrote that probably doesn’t know how long a marathon is, much less what kind of people win them. He (or she) probably just took a look at the actor, said, “Oh, he’s skinny, let’s pretend he’s a distance runner!” (no offense to Yelchin if he actually is) and wrote that in the bio. HA HA HA HA HA. What rot. Even in a field of 18-23 year old cadets, you’d probably have to get under 2:30 to win. Which is pretty fast. And unless you’re Ryan Hall or Sammy Wanjiru, I don’t think you’d manage that at 17. The only reason I used that part of the bio was because I thought it might be interesting. But that was definitely a FAIL on whoever put that in in the first place.

Oh, and I’m definitely not encouraging underage drinking and whatnot. But people do tend to be kinda funny when they’re drunk. I was debating whether or not to keep the scene, but decided that I liked it enough even though it’s not like stuff I usually write. It makes up a little for the lameness of the scene before, which was pretty heavy handed. At that point I was trying to showcase different reactions to the ‘how old are you’ question and decided that, for a teenage boy, violence should be included. But I really am not to fond of that scene. I could go back and rewrite it, I suppose, but I’m lazy and this is all an experiment anyway.

And unless you want a rundown of all the physics I used in the last parts and what’s real and what isn’t, I guess that’s all I’ve got to say. Except that this is the first non-evil Russian I have written about. And I still can’t explain why I write about Russians so often. I wonder if Yelchin would make a good Yassen Gregorovich, though…. anyway….irrelevant…that’s a topic for another day.

I know that reading fanfiction can leave scars. Stumbling upon a particularly rancid piece can keep me disgusted for hours. But I didn’t really think, until recently, about how it has affected my ability to enjoy regular fiction.

Maybe part of the reason is that I now read fiction critically, thinking about plot and characterization and how effectively the author is or is not using them, instead of just enjoying the story. I realized this when I read Eragon the other day and found that I could neatly sum it up as ‘Lord of the Rings, with dragons and a touch of Star Wars’. No offense to the author intended; it’s still an incredibly well-written novel for such a young author. Even though the characters are a little flat and don’t really change at all. (On a side note, I really want to see the movie now just because the actor who plays Ba’al in Stargate is in it. He is the classiest alien villain ever!)

One more little recent story and then I’ll get to the point. Today I asked my little brother why I should read the Septimus Heap books. He rattled off something about wizards and seventh sons and the Darke side and time travel. I thought, Harry Potter meets Star Wars meets Artemis Fowl? Is anything original anymore? Why does everything eventually end up sounding the same?

Once again, no offense to the author. But this, along with trying rather unsuccessfully to come up with some spectacular Alex Rider-esque stunts for a chase scene across London (which may or may not end up happening), made me think: do I really write original stories that leave my readers gasping? Do I take my characters on grand adventures with new twists and turns, or do I just combine old elements in slightly different ways?

From the mathematical perspective, chances are that I haven’t really written anything new. And not just because I’m writing fanfiction. I mean, there’s only a limited number of elements you can have in your story, and usually they follow the ‘build up conflict then resolve it’ pattern. So that’s even more limiting. True, there’s a very very large number of combinations that still make sense, and creativity is (in theory) unlimited – but then how come so many stories are, when you look past the different characters and worlds – the same?

I once read somewhere that there were only 44 (or maybe 17, I can’t remember) types of stories you could write. Not very encouraging, that. So maybe while no one has taken the particular characters I use and put them in the situations I create, at the heart of it all it’s about adventure or discovery or love. That doesn’t sound too bad, to be honest. But sometimes it frustrates me that whatever stunts I try have probably been done before and whatever plot twist I think is clever was really the same as someone else’s idea years ago.

So I apologize if none of my stories are truly new or spectacular. I suppose if they were, I would be getting paid to write =)

Happy New Year! Long time no see. But now I’m back. I’ve got a plot bunny that’s running wild, and I’m chasing it as fast as I can.

It’s Alex Rider this time, and it’s going to be good. And, in a word, epic. Three days old and already 15,000 words!

It’s set after Snakehead, and is almost my version of Alex 8, only with an additional main character – Yassen Gregorovich. Yeah, what is it with me and my fascination with Russian supervillians (see the Tempest)?

Oh well – at least I have finally discovered the benefits of all the poli sci classes I’ve taken. They give you great ways of making up plausible plots to take over the world. This one involves, of course, a Russian supervillian, Chinese chemists and Iranian oil. Add stunts, fight scenes (and I will say I do write good fight scenes), poisonous snakes, assassins, and two people rediscovering their pasts, and you get…. Balance Point!

On other fronts, I’m finally publishing There Be Dragons, which I started in the summer, and an update to Flash. I also want to finish the Fanfiction Letters before the summer: there’s only 3 chapters to go!

But anyway. I’m super excited about this Alex fic and just hope I have enough time to finish it.

Well – summer is finally here! And I’m amazed at how much time I have now. That means I’m finally able to get back to reading, reviewing, beta-ing, and even writing! So what’s in the works?

I’m going to write a Mary-Sue fic. Who me? Yup. And I’m not ashamed to say so. It will be stereotypical, containing all the essential elements of Sue-ness and Suefics. The basic purpose of it will be to see if it’s actually possible for a canon character to fall for Mary Sue. If you’re interested in this little experiment of mine, I’ll post a link as soon as I actually post the story/study. I’m kind of excited about this – it will satisfy my curiousity, and also give me an excuse to write a Suefic

And I’ll finish writing up my SG-1 western, now entitled The Eyes of Texas Are Upon You. Which is, by the way, the first line of the University of Texas’ fight song. I thought that was funny, and for lack of a better title I used it.

Anyway, that’s what’s happening with me and fanfiction for now.

Well, in case anyone was wondering, I’m still alive. Haven’t had any time to write at all this year, though I have been posting bits of The Walls Between. I will have at least one new story before the summer (probably due to the fact that one of my final papers is writing an Arthurian romance) and hopefully will be able to do more writing then.

In the meantime… I’m doing some beta work (extremely slowly, unfortunately) and reviewing what few fanfics I read. Sorry about not keeping up with the new Narnia fic – reading and reviewing is rather time-consuming and I haven’t had the time for any recreation reading at all, much less fanfic. But if I do read something on a whim, I’ll review it for you.

Less than two months until Prince Caspian comes out!!! Who’s excited? I know I am…

Take care,

Val

Wow…. it’s done. The Tempest is finally posted, packaged, up and ready for download. Can’t believe it…

 If you do download the text, please let me know if there’s any typos, etc. I’m pretty sure there are some mistakes in it… I’m not too organised when it comes to cutting and pasting things. And also leave a comment if you download it…I’d like to know how many people/who is actually reading this stuff.

And, if you’re a regular reviewer/reader, look for you name in the acknowledgements page!

Well, I’m back. What was I doing on my week off? Heh heh. Not telling. Since it had nothing to do with fanfiction, I’m not writing it here. Suffice it to say that I’m back now, with a few plans.

 1) Finish the last few chapters of The Fanfiction Letters.

2) Finish posting The Tempest.

3) Do final edits on The Walls Between, and start posting it agian (it’s been 40 days since I posted – I think!)

4) Decide whether I want to finish the SG-1 western (which is a lot more likely now that I’m finally able to watch som Stargate) or start the Star Wars piece.

5) Finish formatting the story download page so that it actually looks nice and works.

 6) Survive at school…

And that’s about it. I’ll still try to read and review most of the new Narnia fiction (unless it’s slash, incest, MarySue, etc) but I can’t guarantee I’ll follow a story. Unless you happen to be Andi Horton, elecktrum, or my sister (hint hint).

Since music is such an integral part of my writing, I’m now posting the links to the songs… mostly on YouTube. I don’t like some of the video that goes with them… but it’s the song that matters.

The Tempest:

Fang’s Theme: Falling Inside the Black, by Skillet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=–j402Bmvxs

Tanya’s Theme: The Steward of Gondor, by Howard Shore: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2KrhjfFslo

Part II Theme: Whispers in the Dark, by Skillet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_ct6RiJDyQ

Part III Theme: The Last Night and Yours to Hold by Skillet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzOmZ-L4UkM&feature=related and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUitFjcsW44&feature=related

In the A/N: Dive, by Steven Curtis Chapman: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=098PwlqHD-o

In the Story: On My Own, by Barlowgirl (with Narnian pics!): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5vcgzQYNNw

Narnia Quartet:

Night’s Song and Knight’s Song: Whispers in the Dark, by Skillet (yes I love this song but not the vid): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_ct6RiJDyQ

Knight’s Song: A Narnian Lullaby, by Harry Gregson-Williams: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5QAXcF_hmc

Sun Rise and Son Rise: Ready to Fly, by FFH: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dv7uc_REkSI

The Walls Between:

To Be Announced (evil grin). Send me your best guesses.

Perspectives:

Perspectives, by Kutless: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OONh8MTgcHI

Many other fics are likely to be inspired by this amazing, amazing song.

And yes, most of my fics are written while listening to my ‘favorites’ playlist – which consists mostly of Skillet (no! you’ve got to be kidding), Kutless, Barlowgirl, and Switchfoot. Oh, and did I mention Skillet?

Well, it’s Boxing Day, so I’m going to pull out the categories and try to cage up these plot bunnies.

Here’s what’s (hopefully) in store:

Narnia:

Prequel to The Walls Between:

The story of how Narnia was lost to the Witch. Told in true high epic style – I hope.

Death Knell or something similarly dreary
This is the song of a nation – the story of Calormen, a poem of two brothers, of love and hate, of pride and passion, of a family destroyed and the treachery of a woman – and the rebirth of a demon.

Cor/Corin fic:

No outline yet – just crazy twin brother stuff, probably. With Aravis, most likely.

Yeah, that crazy one I’m doing with ED…

A POTC/Narnia crossover:

We all know the Telmarines were pirates who settled down on islands and fell through to Narnia – what if  these pirates were the same ones we all know and love/hate?

and

Undisclosed Giftfics

Depending on what I want to do after I finish Walls Between, I’ll either start on the prequel, the Calormene one, or take a brief break for a few one-shots and other fandoms.

Stargate: SG-1

I’ll finish posting Such a Time as This and The Uncanny, then get back to work on …

The Western

SG-1 goes to Texas! They meet up with Ba’al, the Ori, rattlesnakes and rodeos. Yee-haw!

and also

Wait for the Beep

Sam is never at home – she’s busy working with Orlin to save the earth from the Ori plague. But matters get worse when she finds her neices have tested positive! Also, meet Recarter – I like her/him/it so much I may have to copy right her/him/it/ whatever.

Then, depending on how much Season 10 I’m actually able to watch, I may or may not have more to write.

Star Wars:

Yes, I’m going to be writing for Star Wars! I’m so excited! Because I made the grand mistake of reading the Thrawn Trilogy (and I absolutely love the character of Winter) I’m going to be writing this:

As-of-yet Unnamed Spy/Action Thriller:

So, we all know that Mara Jade tried to assassinate Luke Skywalker during the episode at Jabba’s palace – and she failed. Why did this happen? Here’s the real story – involving massive spy vs. spy and of course, good vs. evil. Starring: the usual gang, plus Winter, Mara, and possibly Rogue Squadron and OC’s.

I can’t wait – it was mentioned in the Trilogy that Winter did intelligence work, but it never went into details – and guess how much fanfiction there is about Winter? Maybe four or five, and all romance. Bleah. Waste of a great character.

Lord of the Rings:

Nothing much here – I may finish up a short one-shot I haven’t looked at for months, and unless the Teitho prompts spark any inspiration, I probably won’t do a lot of writing here.

Maximum Ride:

Finito! No more! Booo, James Patterson! You killed what started out as a perfectly good series – I hope you’re happy.

I will finish posting The Tempest, of course.

Original Fic:

Nothing planned at the moment. If and when I’m in the mood (and more likely so if money is offered as a prize of some sort) I’ll write.