-=/\=- Liis knew that the time left for talking was short. This was the way it had to be; they both had their jobs to do. The moment had come to shake his hand, turn around, and walk away.
Frantic words screamed through her mind as she contemplated following through on that plan.
*I can't. I just can't do this to him.*
She felt the tremor rising in her from the soles of her feet upward, and she began to shake as she was forced to face reality.
She stood in silence for several seconds, thinking. Making a deal with herself- giving herself one last chance to stop the momentum at work here.
*If he doesn't look up at me now when I speak...if he avoids my eyes or if there is no discernable response in his at hearing me say his given name, then I will keep to the plan I've rehearsed since the moment I left Vox' office. *
*Yes. If he looks away, I will leave well enough alone.*
Finally, she spoke.
"Keiran."
O'Sullivan jolted.
Though it was obvious that it hurt him to do so, he looked up and into her eyes, questioning.
In that instant, the sorrow she saw in him made her final decision for her. She knew for certain what she had to do to set things right.
She drew a long, slow breath inward.
"Sixteen, and three."
She glanced up, away into the foliage of the tree that sheltered them. She allowed the palm of her left hand to rest against the rough bark of the trunk for support.
The leaves overhead rustled softly in the early evening breeze, in their own way gasping in response to her remark.
Keiran O'Sullivan's heart seemed to beat backward.
"What did you say?"
"Sixteen and three." Liis droned, finally allowing her eyes to meet his again. "The number of rules and sub-sections of the code of conduct we broke under this tree."
Keiran's throat constricted as his mind and heart railed against the meaning of her words.
*God, no. It is not possible-*
"This is where the arbor was." She pushed off from the tree, taking several paces forward and to the West before stopping at the appropriate location.
She looked back at him sadly, over her shoulder. "It was warm, just like it is now, the night we were married here in that variant of 2380."
She felt gutted by the sight of the shock, horror, and finally the heartache that was etched across his handsome face.
"The house was just over there." She gestured into the distance with an open palm. "The wall facing the garden, that was where our bedroom window was." She had tears in her eyes. Her hand elevated and began twisting the chain of her earring.
"You set it facing that direction on purpose. So I could watch the sun set every night." Her voice dropped to a mere whisper. "The rising of the moon as the stars came out."
"Oh my God. Liis." Keiran staggered forward, his hands taking hold of her shoulders. His eyes flashed at first confusion and then desperation as he began to grasp that she remembered so much more than she had allowed anyone to believe up until this point.
"Do you think he bought it?" She asked softly, gracefully wrapping her arms around herself to try to stop the shaking. Her hands came to rest on opposite shoulders, atop his as they remained where he'd placed them.
"Vox?"
She nodded.
"God, yes. You gave a consummate performance, I..." he paused, "Even I believed you."
"Good." Her jaw set defiantly as she stared through him for a moment, to some unknown, unseen point in the distance. "These things belong to us, Keiran. You and I and no one else."
-=/\=-
Notes on Zanh Liis:
Character originally created...February, 1999
Original Rank/Position: Ensign, Flight Controller- actually an undercover position Liis was working for Temporal Investigations.
Original RPG/Ship, USS Independence, SOULTREK
Reason for her creation: Simply this: because I had killed off Lair Kellyn.
Though, Liis was always very different even from the beginning and as it turned out- ended up being the means by which Kellyn was retured.
Excerpt from the first official Zanh Liis post I ever wrote:
Meanwhile, the Captain was in his ready room, talking over the upcoming mission with Admiral Kelly. At the end of the conversation, the Admiral shifted to a different topic.
"Did you notice the last minute addition that I made to your crew? Just before you left the station?"
"I haven't had a chance to look at the new personnel logs, Admiral. Aside from welcoming Commander Holland..." Morris said.
"Well there is one more new officer for your bridge crew. Her name is Zanh Liis. She is trained to handle the helm, and then some. She was a test pilot for Starfleet Research and Development for five years. I thought she might be useful to you. Her file is in front of you now."
Morris looked at the service record in front of him.
"Hmmm...she graduated how low at the bottom of her academy class? Looks like an underachiever. Are you sure she belongs on the flagship? My ship?"
"Look at the notations. Look at her piloting record." The Admiral replied, and Morris did so. He looked back at the image of Kelly on the screen.
"Interesting." Morris said.
"One word of caution, though. You wouldn't know it to look at her at first but she's kind of...well..." Kelly began, then stopped.
"Kind of what?"
"Well...it's in the report. I shall contact you soon regarding any other matters you need to discuss as you proceed. Good luck, Captain Morris. Admiral Kelly out."
The communication channel closed, and Morris began to wonder. He picked up the PADD again. Reading down the page, his eyes got wide.
"Though Ensign Zanh is never outwardly disrespectful to authority, she has reacted strongly at times when her skills were being put to the test. One incident that is on her permanent record occurred as follows: A Doctor from Research and Development accompanied her on a test flight for a new shuttle/fighter hybrid. Things got rough as the model ship started experiencing problems, and Zanh was forced to pilot it on manual control. For a moment, artificial gravity was lost, and the Doctor, who's restraining device had come loose, hit his head on the ceiling. When he complained of his injury, Zanh, who at the time was still struggling with the rigid controls on the prototype she was flying, was quoted as having said to him: Suck it up, Sir, you're whining like a pansy."
Morris dropped the PADD.
Rebel, Time traveler...Starfleet Captain?
It's still quite unbelievable to me that I ever ended up 'captain' of an RPG starship- with this character or any other. Unlike the vast majority of RPG writers I never aspired to a leadership role- I always ever only wanted to be 'one of the writers'. In fact, it was my wish to be XO to one particular Captain- a role I held for a short while but one that was not meant to last. In the end, it was that "Captain" who pushed me into the role of at first "Acting Captain" - and that led to my becoming the CO of the Serendipity when we formed Star Trek Alchemy.
So I must say thank you to Admiral Kelly- for all lessons learned.
The truth is, I asked Salvek- repeatedly, to take the post. To let me be his XO.
He insisted that it had to be Liis- and since everything I do here at the end of it all, I do for him- I decided I'd give it my best shot. I have to say, I think that she and I have taken to the role over time and now it feels right- for her, and for me (though I still don't know why anyone would want to follow me anywhere).
In various moments of panic as real life has become increasingly challenging for me physically, leading to seemingly insurmountable writer's block I have thought of taking the old girl out --only the crew wouldn't hear of it.
I am very glad about that. Thanks, guys.
Since I never envisioned Liis as ever becoming a Captain, needless to say her route toward that eventual position has been colorful and varied. She's not your average Starfleet CO- but then, this isn't your average Starfleet crew, either.
A lot of her development really took off as far as me figuring out her past and history with TI when I brought her out of retirement for Unity Fleet and I have to tip my hat to Captain Sacul for allowing me such complete creative freedom there to explore her- he's an amazing writer and person and writing with him made me, without a doubt, a better writer. Thank you, Chris.
Writing with the people I am blessed to work with here, at Alchemy- I truly have never worked with a more talented group of people and I can honestly say I've stopped setting the bar- they set it, continually higher with the quality of their work every mission, and I'm inspired just to try to keep up with them. No Captain could ask for better.
Like a bolt of lightning
I never intended to marry Liis off. Ever. She was not intended to be the marrying type. Her long-term relationship with the Vedek had been passionate, for sure, but always troubled by one thing or another as they both seemed constantly fighting to go in opposite directions. That worked fine- until everything about Liis was suddenly rewritten- a change that even as her creator and also the creator of the character who would cause those changes to take place, Keiran O'Sullivan, I never expected to happen.
As a shadowy storyline came together in my head in vivid Technicolor over the course of one summer afternoon last June- but still with no eventual outcome in mind at the time- I thought how cool it would be if not only had O'Sullivan worked with Zanh at TI but if they'd been so-called Jump partners (Jumping- a TI term that I coined along with the lore of temporal compasses and the Polaris a decade ago- are all part and parcel of Liis as a character and with so little cannon to go on where Temporal Investigations is concerned- I've worked hard to build up our specific TI mythology. I will be posting a webpage concerning my concept for the agency and how it's been fleshed out over the years as soon as I can).
The greatest revelation was the moment I realized- as I was typing a Keiran post- that not only had they been partners, that they had once also been lovers.
Then, immediately after, I realized much to my shock as I stared at the keys and had an internal conversation in my head with this O'Sullivan character demanding to know if what he was trying to 'tell' me was true- that they had also once been married.
That was the moment when everything changed.
The idea was to make Keiran the tragic hero- to kill him off was the plan at first but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Then the plan was to send him off on the prototype ship he named Perseids, back to Temporal Investigations and out of Liis' life for good.
But I wasn't happy with that either.
Deciding I had to follow through on the original plan and kill the character off I wrote it. Those posts, meant to stand as the character's exit, his funeral, were harder to write than anything else I've ever done- including posts that had direct non-fictional roots in my life, translated into fiction. I can't explain why.
After reading those posts, Salvek looked at me and said "You can't leave it like this." and I said that I couldn't imagine how to bring him back at that point- and so Salvek ended up writing it for me in the post The Force Behind It All.
Observe- Liis' monologue from the second post in the funeral series of five posts, called All I Know.
Believing she was finally alone, she slid slowly down the tree and sank into the grass, holding her head in her hands.
She took a moment to look up at the beautiful twilight sky, remembering all the times they had done so together when this was the yard of the home he'd built for her with such great care and attention to detail.
She drew in a deep breath and slowly released it.
"You had some nerve. Teasing me about my Tennyson." She spoke to the open sky, wondering which of the stars overhead now represented the life that Keiran O'Sullivan had lived, and given, in the service of others.
"But you were even worse about Ralph Waldo Emerson. Always, always Emerson."
She shook her head slowly from side to side. "Your beloved Emerson wrote 'When it is darkest, men see the stars.' Well it's never been darker for me, and I see them now, Keiran, but they are meaningless to me. What purpose do any of them serve if their light will never again be reflected in your eyes?"
She allowed her head to fall forward again as she reached around her neck and pulled a chain out from beneath the collar of her dress.
Dangling from that chain, falling just beside her heart, was his signet ring. She'd offered it, along with his mother's rosary to Mary Clare, but seeing the look in Zanh's eyes when she regarded the ring, the young Nun had immediately decided that Liis should certainly keep it, especially considering that Keiran had left instructions that he specifically wanted her to have it.
Liis insisted in return that Mary Clare take the rosary though, and she was grateful to have it.
Knowing how bitter Carrick currently was, she promised to keep it for him, until such a time as he would truly want it.
"All you ever wanted was to come home, Keiran," Liis' chin quivered, tears scalding her eyes anew. "So I brought you home. I only wish," She stopped, sighing again. "If you're in that Heaven you believed in so faithfully, I can only hope that you're at peace now, with everything. That even though I couldn't save you that somehow you know,"
She shook, sobbing softly. "That you understand exactly what you meant to me. What you will always,"
She looked up suddenly as she heard a soft gasp from behind her. She jumped to her feet, and saw Carrick just over her shoulder.
"I knew it," he whispered, "Tell me the truth, Zanh Liis." He placed a hand on either of her shoulders. "Tell me that you loved him."
-=/\=-
She did, and I did, and I couldn't stand to let the character go, even after trying at several points since to write him out again because I thought it best at the time. I found myself simply unable to say goodbye to him because without him, I found that I could no longer write Liis at all. She simply went silent, and had nothing more to say.
Because suddenly all the things that had made no sense about Liis for more than ten years when you looked at her overall, came together and made complete sense if you added in O'Sullivan's influence on her, and her life in past timelines. Fencing. Coldplay. Coffee. All of it.
It all fit together- when I go back and read his very first meeting with her in the current timeline in the Arboretum and all the posts afterward it looks intentional, what ended up being written for them. Even the titles of posts and bits of dialogue that I wrote considering them completely random at the time, every piece fits flawlessly when the work is viewed now as a whole picture.
Maybe on a completely unconscious level I was trying to figure her out and only finally managed to do that through him- I don't know. But all I can say is that is the most amazing part of the writing process- when your own characters, even one you've known for ten years like Liis- can shock you, as you act as their voice to tell the story.
The choice in the end came down to either writing them out together- which I actually drafted and is up on the central archives site as an alternate ending- or keep them together.
By popular demand, the decision was made to keep them both, and I am glad every time I sit down to write a post that this is so. It was very gratifying to know that I wasn't the only one invested in not only one or the other, but the pair of characters together- it meant and still means a lot to know that.
I'm told by some that they can't picture the Sera without Liis, which is sweet and very flattering.
But the truth is, I can't picture the Sera, or Liis, without Keiran.
Another idea that came to me out of the blue that I can't imagine ST: Alchemy without now: If I had never written the funeral posts, there would be no William Lindsay...unthinkable, especially the way that Mr. Dengar writes him now.
This page is still under construction:
Coming soon- Notes on some of my other characters:
Lair Kellyn: The first Trek character I ever created: Twelve years ago this month.
February Grace : The Anti-Dax
and Keiran O'Sullivan: Hero, Poet, Hopeless Romantic: The Steady Hand to Victory
USS Serendipity Crew Interview
2010 Edition
Zanh Liis O'Sullivan
-=/\=-
2010 Edition
Zanh Liis O'Sullivan
-=/\=-
1. Okay, so this might be a personally motivated question but I'm curious nonetheless. Say, for some reason, you found yourself sightless for a week (I couldn’t stand the thought of inflicting it on any of you for longer than that, believe me.) You can't read, write, drive, do any of the things that you would normally do for that week. What would you do to pass the time?
ZL: So, yeah, as you have all probably guessed this was my question but since you may wonder after answering it yourselves what I did when I was without sight for much longer periods of time (and most recently in December when I couldn't wear any correction of any kind for a week and so light and color perception only) I'll answer it.
What I did was...go even more insane than I previously was.
Not being able to write or read was just maddening even if it wasn't the most practical of all problems going blind presents.
My iPod really saved me. You know how I felt about music already, but I relied upon it even more heavily when I couldn't see and didn't feel up to even listening to TV after surgery (I had to listen to really dumb TV when I did listen because I fell asleep a lot due to effects of say, anesthesia or pain meds).
Besides listening to music and occasionally TV though believe it or not my favorite thing to do was to replay in my head things we've all written together.
Yes, I really do remember words you've written with me two years or longer back enough to recall them and I spent a lot of time 'reading' them again in my head when I couldn't see. So thanks everyone for keeping me entertained when nothing else could.
Oh, and I want you to know too that the first thing I did after I received a surprise- a very cool Amazon Kindle for Christmas- (after of course being able to read again) was start emailing posts to it in Word document form so I could upload them and have them anywhere I want to take them.
Yup. 300,000 + books in the Amazon database, and I wanted your words more than anyone else's. True story. Soon I hope to have all 1000 posts on it so I can have them with me everywhere.
I can access the blog from it too but it's much nicer to read them as they'd be on a printed page. Which makes me even happier now that I made you guys italicize all those ship names *rofl!* It looks so nice.
I hope that tells you all more than anything else could just how much I value your talent, and your work as writers.
2. The Enterprise-D crew bonded by playing poker. Is there a "tradition" for bonding you would like to see our crew adopt? (We have discussed Euchre in the past but it has yet to be written.)
ZL: I still vote for Euchre! But maybe that's because it's a card game I actually know how to play (I'm still learning Poker and note to Ryn, yes, I do play Gin Rummy, and since I taught Arie I never win anymore) Of course, there's always shooting pool (which I love to do enjoy and learned to do as a kid on a 9 foot Snooker table) and table tennis.
I think Reece still has a ping-pong table in his lab but if we're going to play we'd better move it out first. Don't want to spill any beakers in that room, or you might find you've turned into a cow and no if that happens you can't go home. (obscure Disney reference inserted here though I know Vol and Salvek will get it. If you're curious you can go to this video and start it at about 5:45 and watch until 6:20 or so- though the whole segment is funny -the whole movie in fact- I love it's one of my all time favorites and was in fact referenced in my interview last year extensively.)
We got a neat board game for Christmas called Exago that could be fun too. It's a simple game for up to six people I think. Simple but it basically comes down to who makes the first mistake. So I'd lose pretty quickly. I often do.
3. Uh oh! The cops are at the door and looking for your character. If your character ever got arrested, what would they most likely have done?
ZL: Zanh Liis would get arrested for slapping somebody powerful.
Kellyn for punching somebody powerful. (or hitting them over the head with a bottle of Frankenmuth Pilsner)
Bru could only get arrested for being too damn cute which I understand is a punishable offense on some planets including in some places on this one.
Dane would get arrested for something he didn't do, and Jonas Vox would NOT get arrested for something he deserved to get arrested for.
As for Keiran- he'll never get arrested, he's far too much a man of the law. (Lair Arie asserts, however, that O’Sullivan would get arrested for “beating up anybody who so much as looks at his wife funny.” *laugh *)
Landry might get arrested for chewing gum in a prohibited location. That's about all I can think of for now.
4. I've often heard the question "what piece of Star Trek technology would you most want?" I'd like to know what alien ability you would most like to have, and why... and NO Saying Q-omnipotence....that's too easy. (Examples: Betazoid telepathy, Founder shape-shifting, Vulcan mild meld, Vulcan nerve pinch, Borg hive mind, be a "living ship" like Gomtuu, exist as a hologram like The Doctor, exist with the wisdom of others inside of you as a joined Trill.)
ZL: I think that the Vulcan nerve pinch would be a really handy thing to know how to do. Especially with Dabin Reece around (kidding, Reece, I'm kidding).
5. What is the most important thing you have learned in the last year?
ZL: Couple of things: I learned to make coffee while legally blind. Seriously. It is not easy even making instant. It's hard to know when the cup is full but I've learned to tell by listening and so can still make it when I'm forced to go without correction if I have to.
Still it beats the hell out of being totally blind all the time!
I've learned my eyes have a daily usage limit and that's why I don't write as much as I used to (or answer emails as rapidly) and so I hope you can all forgive me the lag time, it's part and parcel of this whole partially sighted deal. There are days when the spirit is willing and the eyes demand 'no more'.
The scary thing I learned in December is that the sight I've regained could be in jeopardy in the future and even lost in an instant and without warning; and so I really have to appreciate every single day that I can see and all the sights I can see in each day.
I learned that the experience of losing your sight changes you, but not nearly as much as the experience of getting it back.
The former changes the way you see the world.
The latter changes the way you see yourself.
6. What is the passage of prose or dialog you've written in the past year here on the Sera that you're proudest of? Why is it your favorite?
ZL: From The Parting Glass
"Mrs. O'Sullivan, you're a hell of a guy."
"Thomas, that's just about the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me." She didn't smile, but her eyes showed the warmth of feeling that came from her affection for the man. "Safe trip home. I'll see you in a day or so."
"Zanh Liis."
She turned back.
"It's an honor. To serve with you. Both."
She lowered her eyes thankfully, knowing that she didn't have to tell him that the feeling was mutual.
Thomas Cassius Blane stood beneath the Poplar tree on his Captain's land, listening to the whisper of the leaves as he stared intently at the solid ground beneath him.
He lifted one boot and stomped it down against the surface of the Earth; feeling for a certainty that it was untouched. It was whole, and it was alive. It had not been violated to create a six foot deep hole- and his friend had not been buried inside of it.
He caught sight of that friend now, in fact, with the light from the porch lamps behind him; illuminating the darkness as he stood at the edge of the steps but did not venture further.
Keiran O'Sullivan waited, instead, for his wife to join him where he stood. He nodded slowly, saluting the figure in the distance- the man he recognized well as his wife's Second Officer, and her friend.
Their friend.
TC nodded in return as he reached into his jacket, removing the flask within. How much better, he thought, it was to drink to this moment than to the one he remembered.
He watched as Zanh Liis rushed up the steps and into Keiran's arms, nearly tackling the man and taking him by surprise as she kissed him fiercely. Blane averted his eyes respectfully at first but then looked up again, feeling her eyes upon him once more.
They shared a long glance; a moment of understanding and, Blane hoped, one as healing for her as it felt for him.
He raised his flask in a silent toast to the pair of them, and he could see Zanh's eyes take on a shimmering haze as she lowered her head, and then lifted it again.
Keiran waved a hand in welcome to Blane inviting him in, but TC knew that he'd done what he'd come to do this day, and it was time for him to go home.
Blane shook his head, and O'Sullvan understood and accepted his choice.
Gently, the Irishman led his wife forward.
Liis clung to Keiran with both arms clasped tightly around his waist as they moved into the house.
TC watched until the door closed lightly behind them.
Then he lifted his flask once more, this time to his lips. Just before it touched them, he softly spoke.
"Goodnight, and joy be to you all."
I love the above because it paid tribute to one of the best posts ever written for Alchemy, namely TC Blane's The Last Sip and also was such a powerful, solidifying moment in the friendship between TC and Liis. I have to say that given how it was received and how I still feel about it looking back on it now (and this is cool because I am always dissatisfied with what I write no matter what I do to it) that this is just about my favorite post I've ever written on my own, anywhere at any time.
I can't think of any other RPG where you'd find posts like this one because we have the freedom here to really let the characters live, and we trust each other so much.
I remember asking TC if he wanted to JP this with me and sending him half the post and he read it and told me not to stop, to just keep writing- and in the end he gave his approval of the finished product which meant the world to me because the post was really more about TC than anyone else.
That's what I value most about what we do here: how we inspire each other to write, and what we are capable of writing together. It's magic.
7. What is your earliest memory related to Star Trek?
ZL: It's of my father watching TOS in reruns on TV, and trying to sneak up behind him on the couch so I could watch them too (My mother always yelled at him to turn them off because "those ugly faces will give the girls nightmares!").
8. How did you first get involved in Star Trek online role-playing?
ZL: Beginning of 1997. Salvek introduced me to it, and I was hooked immediately. He had no idea the monster he was creating *laugh*.
9. When you are not writing for this game (or bothering the captain with something inane), what is it that you actually do for a living?
ZL: I bother the captain more than anyone else does :~D I spend all my time going back and forth between all of my doctors, that's really what I do for a living. Other than that I guess you'd list my job title as "Mom". The hours are rough but the benefits are unmatched.
10. What is your dream vacation? (Both a real one and one set in the Star Trek world)
ZL: As long as we're dreaming, that's easy. In the real world: A two-week stay in a concierge level room at a resort on the monorail track at Walt Disney World. Star Trek world...hmm... Camping on lovely Sibalt. LOL Kidding. The weather on that planet is even worse than it is here but not by much.
Somewhere pretty, with mild weather and lots of natural sights to see from the balcony of your hotel suite while you eat room service. Actually I think that place the crew stayed on Betazed for Vol's would-have-been wedding sounds pretty good. It sounded really lovely, with the pretty sparkling gemstone covered rock faces. Yeah, what was it, the Inn at Lake Cataria? I'm too tired to look it up but that sounds about right.
11. For those of you who write more than one character in this game: how do you get in the mindset of each character and how do you differentiate each one?
ZL: Oy. I write so many *laugh* I find that the quickest way to get into the proper mindset for a character is to listen to a song that reminds me of them (or drink coffee in ZL's case. Lots and lots of coffee).
Each one is such a different person to me that I don't really have a hard time differentiating between them. Writing, for me, is at its best moments rather like taking dictation. I hear the character in my head and I just type it all out as they tell me the story. When I've got writer's block, then I have to try to get to them in there but it's much easier on everyone if I can just seize an idea the moment it hits me and write it out. I'm no good at remembering ideas for later even if I make notes- some of my favorite posts are ones where I had to physically get out of bed at 3am and type it out because I couldn't risk letting it get away.
12. Who would win in the following grudge match: Star Trek Federation fleet versus Star Wars Imperial fleet?
ZL: I so should have anticipated this question.
The Vogons would win. After all, bypasses have to be built...
Okay, I know, that's not an acceptable answer.
I'd have to put my money on the clear underdog because it's what I do. I vote for the Federation because I think we have more free thinkers for creative strategizing (Does the Empire have Dabin Reece? I don't think so. Does the Empire have Rada Dengar? I know not.) and I also know we have the Bajorans and they're a force to be reckoned with, or so they tell me.
*smirk*.
Actually, this battle has already been fought in an alternate timeline and the victor recorded. I could tell you who we're all working for now, but then you'd have to be resequenced and I really don't recommend it.
13. By this time everyone here has a fair few written words under their belt. What and when was the first thing you remember writing as a writer (as in a short story, a post or even a poem)?
ZL: The first thing I clearly remember writing was for a school assignment in the fourth grade. My teacher sent me to the library to use the projector to do an extra-credit writing program where you saw a short movie of part of a fairy tale and then had to rewrite the ending. If I remember correctly (and I wish I had them now) it was either The Frog Prince or the Princess and the Pea that I rewrote first. I know that I did eventually rewrite both, and if I remember correctly I wrote that the chick who couldn't sleep on all those mattresses with the one little pea beneath it really needed to be less picky and quit complaining (a child's way of thinking somebody was way too high-maintenance *laugh* )
14. For those of you who can remember that far back, what was the first post you wrote for an RPG? For those of you who can’t, what was your earliest that you can remember?
ZL: I think the very first RPG thing I ever wrote was a guest appearance as Maquis Ro Laren for one of the first RPGs Salvek was in, The USS Atrius of Tangofleet.
I still have my first ever Lair Kellyn post in hard copy, that was from March of 1997 I believe. Wow. Long time ago. I remember she walked into Engineering, there was a Founder threatening to ignite the Warp core and yet even with all that going on, upon seeing her Salvek promptly looked up and hit his head *laugh* (that was actually in the follow up post that Salvek wrote, I did not write that myself).
15. It’s easy enough when you first start writing for a character to have a set idea in your mind of what you’re going to do with them but it’s often not nearly as easy to make them actually go along with it. Have you ever had a character you’d written for taking a direction you hadn’t intended? If so, what happened?
ZL: Oh, yes, it's happened more than once as a writer in and out of Alchemy but never quite so shockingly and definitely as what happened with our friend Keiran O'Sullivan.
He went from the faintest shadow of an NPC who was supposed to die off as soon as I found another writer to take over the CSO spot (which I'd never written before him, neither had I ever really written a fully developed male character before- I always wrote as women) to my favorite character of all that I've ever written, anywhere and at any time.
Not just because I love the character (which I'll admit, I do, how could you not? He's got such a great soul) but because everyone else always writes such amazing posts involving/with him.
Not to mention the domino effect he created: all the other characters that now exist because of him. William Lindsay, Gem Lassiter, Gira Lassiter, Azalea Adams. Even little Mary Clare O'Sullivan the Irish nun, the evolution of Dane Cristiane and the full realization of Ashton Ledbetter (an NPC I invented to be Liis' partner back when we were in Unity Fleet that Salvek has now taken over writing for much to our amusement), all owing to Keiran.
Finally figuring out Liis after ten years writing her too...that happened because of Keiran as well. So I'm very glad in the end that he simply refused to follow directions.
He's here to stay now. I honestly think that he'll be the very last character I ever write when it's time to turn off the lights on my RPG career someday (hopefully not for a long, long time though I'm still having too much fun).
16. I imagine theme parks in the future will be a lot more high-tech and that the rides will be so far advanced that they surpass any imagination possessed by one from the 21st Century. Be that as it may, if you character(s) were set loose upon one of today's theme parks, which ride do you think they would do first? Teacups? Water slide? Haunted House? Rollercoaster of DEATH? Any reason you can elaborate upon?
ZL: With her bad back, Liis would look for the nearest coffee shop and then likely prefer riding the Monorails all day to take in the sights.
Keiran would go where Liis went but he'd also talk her into taking in the scenery, and then if he went on any rides it would be something calm and relaxing as possible (Like the Tomorrowland Transit Authority in WDW's Magic Kingdom). His TI career has given him more 'thrills' than he would want for a lifetime so he doesn't need rollercoasters for an adrenaline rush *laugh*.
Kellyn would best love a ride in EPCOT called Test Track which is based upon the General Motors proving grounds (which I LOVED and I generally hate 'thrill' rides and coasters in real life: but sadly, no more Test Track for me at all now, not with my eyes as fragile as they are that'd be the end of my retinas right there).
Bru, of course, ever the flygirl would love one called Soarin' that simulates hang gliding over California that is very cool (also at EPCOT). And Star Tours, the Star Wars ride at Disney's Hollywood Studios.
Dane would try the Rock 'n' Rollercoaster in the same theme park on a dare and hate it and Landry Steele would make fun of him when he lost his lunch after riding it.
Gira would surprise everybody and prefer Pirates of the Caribbean in the Magic Kingdom over all the others. Drink up, me hearties, yo ho!
17. In Star Trek: The Next Generation, Data had Spot. Worf was briefly seen with a warthog of sorts, and Tasha also had a pet cat. Besides our famous dog owned by the O'Sullivans, there are no other pets that I'm aware of. Do you think your character would murder any living thing, or have you considered giving them a pet? If the latter, what and why?
ZL: Liis' puppy Sneachta was a gift from William Lindsay as a joke mostly- but she does and will love her even though she never imagined herself as an 'animal' person.
Sneachta is pronounced Shhnah-tha and the running gag will be that Liis can't say her own dog's name. It means 'snow' in Irish. She is a West Highland White Terrier, those dogs are just adorable to look at though I know from living next door to one as a kid that if they're lonely they can get pretty yappy. They say you can't really have just one male one or they're unhappy (maybe that was Bucky's problem when he lived next door to us, he was lonesome) but the females do okay on their own that's why Sneachta is a girl.
Oh, and TC Blane does own a Collie called Sunshine. He rescued her during the Takesian Plains disaster on Bajor.
I loved that post and still love the dog. She played an amusing part in one of my all time favorite TC/Liis posts- the one from the Independence days that set the tone for their entire relationship at the beginning- the one at the dinner after the medals ceremony on the Independence where TC kicks the chair out toward Liis when she asks if she can join him at his table.
I swear, I remember I didn't really know D yet back then, and when he did that- when he wrote that- I just sat back in my chair and started laughing. I thought "so, this is how it's gonna be?" I knew it was the beginning of a beautiful friendship for the characters and also for the writers. And it has been, and it is.
So yeah, the dog is great *laugh*. Actually I think those posts may be on the archives if they are I'll link them here...and here they are.
Oh, man do you know what I love? I love when I go back and read something I wrote with one of you almost three years ago and still love it as much as I did the day it was finished. I still love this. D, I salute you. You guys really are the best there is at this.
As far as Liis' first 'pet', Bob the Bajoran Tree Lizard (a joke that goes back to ZL’s earliest days) is now living in the school room so they tell me since she got the dog- Other than that there’s Grace’s cat, Sparrow who is based of course on our real cat and that sums up the menagerie I think- no wait, doesn’t somebody else have pets on the ship?
None of the rest of my characters can have pets because they all have to take turns watching the Captain's dog when she's busy. Especially Dane. Poor Dane. It's far too much fun abusing that poor character.
18. From my own personal experience, characters are predominantly facets of ourselves, at least in the beginning. The longer our characters live, the more distant they become and the more they begin to form their own traits. In many ways, I guess, they're like real life children in this sense. Has there ever been a character you played that started off wonderful, but turned into a strained relationship? Such as something abhorrent developing in the character that you strongly disagreed with? If not, is there a character in your past or present that you respectfully disagree with on some matter?
ZL: Because I write so many there are definitely ones that have traits I disagree with- especially Gem Lassiter and Jonas Vox. Though he was never in any way a facet of me, that guy gets to me especially when he's cruel to Keiran.
Of course, I cannot condone Gem's behavior toward her daughter, either. It's not right even if it may be human on some level. At times I really wanna slap her.
But as far as the worst 'strained' relationship I've ever had, it would have had to have been with a character I wrote years ago called Jaine Hood (she was Reece's significant other before February). I wrote Jaine on and off for the better part of a decade but never really liked her. She was very dark from day one and I never really got her out of it. I never really felt attached to her in any way and in the end I was happy to 'retire' her for good. I don't miss writing for her at all, which says a lot.
19. You’re the star: Is there a plot arc that you’d like to specifically see any/all of your/our characters involved in this year?
ZL: So much has been done with my characters the past few years I'd like to see everybody else's characters star for a good long time to come.
Still, knowing that the captain usually does get a fair amount of attention in most Star Trek series on TV I guess if I had to pick a plot arc for Liis this year it would have to either be something with helping Will Lindsay track down the corruption at Temporal Investigations or with her taking Keiran to Bajor to meet Vedek Timal (who raised her at the orphanage) I think either of those could provide opportunities for some interesting writing.
Honestly though, I'd rather support your characters' development for a good while to come.
Last minute note: now that I see everyone else's interviews and was surprised to see that February has a fan club of sorts going (I was previously unaware of her popularity *blush*) I should do something with her this year as a bit player in a bigger plot that involves a shuttle mission and a couple other folks or something. That could be fun.
She kind of got neglected last year so I'd like to write her more often in 2010 even if exclusively in her supporting role on the bridge. She's back in the driver's seat now, maternity leave is over!
20. Recently, Lair Kellyn was forced to rely on the seemingly least likely member of the crew to save her life, Jamie Halliday. (By the way, thanks, Jamie for that *laugh *) If your character had to rely on one other member of the crew to save their life, who would be your first and last choice and why? (To make it interesting, I'm immediately disqualifying the captain as an answer to this question- it's my question so I can do that- and also no fair just defaulting to Ashton cause nobody wants to be saved by Ashton *laugh* ~ZL).
ZL: I cannot answer this question *laugh*. Sorry! I know it's my question but I still can't answer it because it's like asking a mother to pick her favorite child. Some captains may be able to do that but I can't. Well, I can answer it this way: I'd trust any character on our crew to save any of mine any day of the week and that's the truth. I wouldn't allow a character on our crew that I wouldn't trust my characters to. Not for long anyway!
21: Through the miracle of time travel (My TARDIS is double parked) transporter or Infinite Improbability Drive (your choice) our entire crew of writers shows up unannounced on your doorstep (yep, all seven of us in one place... imagine that…) We’re starving and ready for a good time. Where in your local geographical area would you take us to eat dinner, why would you choose that particular location and what would you recommend from the menu?
ZL: I think I'd take you to The Olive Garden (for those of you outside the US that's a chain of Italian restaurants we have here) because we have the best one in the world about a twenty minute drive from here.
The menu is varied enough that I think everyone could find something that they'd like, (The XO likes the Tour of Italy which has lasagne, Fettuccini Alfredo and chicken parmesan) and I usually get the Chicken Scampi or the Linguini Marinara (though their cheese ravioli is great too) my favorite part of the meal though is the salad: they keep bringing it until you beg for mercy and the dressing is wonderful. I always have to take at least half of my entree home because I eat so much salad while I'm there.
Lair Arie appropriates all of the black olives from the salad (and has since she was about two) which is fine by me because they're the thing in the salad I like the least (I'm also not too big on raw tomatoes). Tomato middles are slimy *shudder*.
Speaking of Arie, I should mention this is her favorite restaurant. She swears by the Black Tie Mousse Cake which is about as evil (in a good way) as it sounds but the thing on the menu I would have to recommend most for dessert would be the Lemon Cream Cake. It's absolutely unreal how delicious it is, it defies description but I'll try.
It's a light, slightly lemony angel food type cake with a layer of mind-blowingly amazing sweet but not too sweet lemon filling (like a custard I suppose) in the middle and a wonderful crumble topping of sorts instead of frosting, dusted with Confectioner's sugar...mmmmmm.
Oh, and they have really good coffee...without which, as you all know, I'd be, "completely incapacitated" (quote: Rada Dengar; added here by suggestion of the XO to define just how bad off I really would be without it.)
Sad, yet so entirely true.
-=/\=-
90225.17
Well, I guess I should have seen this coming… *laugh*
This... is going to take awhile.
My XO just presented me with a list of twenty questions, submitted by my crew.
Here, the abridged version of my responses.
Thanks to the crew for their frustrating and fabulous questions- you made me think, damn you!
Our XO didn't tell me who asked which question so I apologize for not responding to each of you directly. He says he put them in random order up until the last two which he saved till the end on purpose...so here we go...
The Crew Interviews...the Captain: Part One
-=/\=-
Question: Well, obviously one of us will have to ask whom Captain Zanh would like to be stuck in a Turbolift with, though I think I already have a pretty good idea.
ZL: Oooh. My own question turned against me *laugh*. Okay. I had a series of faces enter my mind...
Then I thought I had my final answer: I’d love to be just about anywhere for an hour with my crew of writers and/or their alter egos *laugh* Just to stand back with my arms folded and watch what happened. But seeing how we did say one person and it was my damn question to begin with and you all played fair, I will too (and finally actually answer)
Final answer: The late Dr. Randy Pausch; virtual reality pioneer, Disney Imagineer, and a professor at Carnegie Mellon University.
If you haven’t seen The Last Lecture: Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams- take the time and watch it- you can find video of the whole speech online.
It had a profound effect on me. It’s time well spent. And he was a Trekkie, on top of it all and even talks about it a lot. He even has a cameo, I hear, in the new Trek film and I will cry when I see him in it.
Trust me. Reading the book isn't the same. Watch it.
Yeah. I’d like to spend an hour with Randy Pausch, cause I really feel cheated that I never got to meet him.
2. If you could pick any person, living or dead, to write on the Sera, who would it be and why?
ZL: Really? Really??? *bangs head on screen * This is torture. Um. Wow. I’d say Douglas Adams but we already have Dengar, so, we're good there.
Can I say who I don’t want instead?
I honestly can’t think of any writer whose work I enjoy more than that of our writers... and I mean that sincerely.
I often think about how different the outcome of our first year on the Sera would’ve been if any one of the four of you guys (Salvek, Blane, Dengar, Tryst) hadn’t been a part of it and I can’t imagine it. So I guess I have to answer the question by saying…I want that great writer out there, somewhere, in the world that we haven’t met yet.
If you guys were out there and I didn’t know it two years ago, then someone else that is nearly as amazing could still be out there too. That's who I want. Though I'm quite happy as things are, actually.
3. Which book/books has/have had the most impact on your life both personally and as a writer?
ZL: I’d say the Bible has had quite an effect on my life. But not in the way most people would think.
As a child, the book The King’s Procession by James and Ruth McCrea had a very profound impact on me.
The story of the humble stable boy, Pipin, who wouldn’t give up his dear old donkey even when the king offered him a beautiful, new white pony so that the crowds wouldn’t ridicule him when he went through town riding with the King's procession…it just reached right through to the heart of me. It spoke of love, loyalty, and the value of things lying far beneath their surface. When something, or someone- is old and worn you don't just throw them away.
I even had to write it into the Sera’s storyline- it was that meaningful to me. The artwork is gorgeous too.
A Bear Called Paddington introduced me to humor with an English accent when I was very small and my Paddington bear was my constant childhood companion- I still have him though he's threadbare.
When I was sixteen, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy showed me (also with an English accent) that science fiction could be funny- and dear Douglas has stayed firmly fixed in my heart ever since. The underlying messages in the book stayed with me too.
As a writer, I’d have to say that aside from Hitchhikers, the book that has influenced me the most is Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, because that was the book that caused me to fall in love with the art of and elegance of the English language- even when Shakespeare's works didn't seem to move me much at the time.
I was fifteen when I read it for the first time- I was mesmerized. I would never look at a sentence the same way again. Why refer to the look on someone’s face when there are words like countenance to use instead? Thank you, Charlotte.
I could go on for days about poetry. Tennyson. Emerson. Yeats. If you've read ZL, you know how I feel about them.
4: We all have a general idea of how much coffee you drink...but what about ZL? And what is her preferred brew?
ZL: *laugh* She drinks far more coffee than I do- except during NaNoWriMo when it was literally flowing through my veins. But then, Starfleet issue coffee cups are smaller than the ones I have.
I’ve been told, however, that the justification that the cup is large when the accused crime is drinking too much coffee will not gain me any future jobs as a defense attorney.
She takes it like I do- a medium blend (Dunkin' Donuts coffee is my all time favorite) with lots of cream. No sweetener. And I will drink Mocha Lattes- but not made with espresso. If I drank espresso, I’d be on the ceiling like the nervous cat in those Warner Bros. cartoons.
Sadly, I have been caught eating coffee beans right out of the bag- but my family made me stop.
(Note from Salvek: I kept telling her I really thought she wasn't supposed to do that.)5. Zanh Liis has the “Do what is right” attitude. How much of that is reflected in the person you really are?
ZL: Hey now. Did I ask you guys questions that were nearly this hard? * laugh *. Payback is a real...
How to respond…*deep breath *
I believe…that doing the right thing is the right thing to do- period- and is/should be its own reward.
I don’t believe someone should do anything anticipating an expected pay-off later, be it an all-expenses paid trip to the afterlife of their choosing, or some more tangible reward in the here and now.
I think kindness matters.
I think that integrity matters.
I think that keeping your word and being authentic- the same person with everyone you know- matters; I can’t abide hypocrites.
I try to do the right things- but I'll be the first to tell you, regretfully, that I’m the most flawed person I have ever known. So there you go.
6. I noticed that you tend to write Bajorans and Trills as your main characters. Is there a particular reason why?
ZL: Oh, my. This question should have a label that says ‘can of worms’.
In order that I don’t keep you here for days- I’ll say this.
Bajorans won my heart because of their passion, and fighting spirit. They keep getting kicked when they're down but they don’t give up, they keep going. The women, especially, are portrayed with a strength (even if they’re otherwise hopelessly flawed) that reached out and grabbed hold of me at a very difficult time in my life. Borrowing a page from Mr. Blane's book of quoting dialogue, I offer you this:
PICARD
In an age when their technology
should be able to feed and clothe
all of them... that they should
have to live like this...
RO
I couldn’t. And I wouldn’t.
That’s one reason why I ran away.
They are lost... defeated...
I will never be.
Ro's 'never give up' sentiment has gotten me through some rough times.
About our spotted friends, the Trill...
February Grace is actually the first Trill I’ve ever written- and she was a Trill for only one reason in the beginning: Dabin Reece was in retirement from RPG and I missed him. I wanted to make her the anti-Dax- the Trill version of Ugly Betty. Gawky, unsure of herself, clumsy- a true geek and fine with it.
Bru is goofy and so people don’t always seem to notice that there is some weighty stuff going on beneath those blonde highlights. But that's cool.
Of course when I invented her I had no idea she and Reece would end up together. In fact, when Reece came aboard as a temporary guest star on the ship we were writing for at the time, I said to him (Salvek, also Reece's writer) hey, wouldn’t it be funny if they knew each other’s past hosts? I knew Deveral Grace was a bad boy rock star so I thought- that’s it! He broke the previous Reece’s heart! Then it went from there.
As it happened I was sitting there typing the post after the zhian'tara where Reece was going to say goodbye and leave- then they ended up nearly kissing each other and I called Salvek over and said “Look at this. It just wrote itself.” And he said “Wow.” And that was it. We couldn’t part them after that.
I’ve explored some pretty dark themes with Liis and Kellyn over the years- but not as much as with Bru- sometimes through previous hosts.
I'm especially proud of the posts we've done concerning the Reece/Grace Reassociation and its consequences. Those posts clearly illustrate something I've found to be true in my own life: that sometimes you have to give up everything you think you want to get what you really need.
7. We all know how important music is to you and your writing process. When did you first develop your love of music and how different do you think your characters would be without it?
ZL: My grandparents both loved music, and influenced me with that love though neither of them really sang or played any instruments.
My older siblings took piano lessons and when I was about three I started playing whatever they’d learned after their lesson was over, by ear. The teacher asked if she could try teaching me for free, just to see what happened. She was a sweet and patient, tiny little lady named Ida and I loved her.
I could repeat what I heard played and still can pretty much. I've been told I can carry a tune.
To me, music is like breathing. I have to have it- I can’t live without it.
How would my characters be different without music?
They would be very flat and one-dimensional without music. I see stories in my head when I hear songs.
Keiran O’Sullivan (whom I am prouder of actually than any other character I've ever created...I share authorship of him now) exists as he does today because of one specific song.
I was listening to it one day while working around the house and contemplating my next post- and I stopped in the middle of what I was doing, sat down and wrote six posts without stopping.
In the span of one afternoon I ended up setting into motion the complete revision of Zanh Liis through those posts -and she’d been around for a decade. I didn’t even see it coming. That's what music can do for my writing.
Music is life to me, as words are. The way my brain works, they are inextricably connected.
8. What type of shift would the universe experience if the replicator could not make coffee for ZL for 24 hours?
ZL: Okay, did LT. Ryn ask this question? LOL Cause she teases me more about coffee than anyone else on the crew.
Um, I think that the timeline would be corrupted beyond redemption- necessitating a lengthy series of Jumps and causing seriously bad paradoxes, and dangerous...Cascade...thingies.
In other words, Engineering better keep the freakin’ replicators on line- cause I don’t have my compass anymore, I can't Jump.
9. If you could visit any planet in the Federation in real life, what would it be and why?
ZL: You want to know the truth? This answer came to me very quickly and may surprise you. I want to visit Earth of the 24th century- Federation Earth.
Know why? Because I want to see what it could be like if mankind would just stop killing each other long enough to get something accomplished. Long enough to be sure everyone had food and a warm, safe place to sleep. Long enough to cure cancer. Long enough to learn tolerance and put aside hate and racism once and for all.
I want to see what our world could be, if there was no suffering. That’s where I’d want to go.
10. How much do you love your crew?
ZL: How much time do you have?
Seriously though- you know the answer to that already. This crew has my heart.
11. Is there a time period, past or future, you wish you could travel to see, and why?
ZL: Well I kinda answered that with the planet question but if we’re talking for fun and tourism, I’d say it looked like they had some pretty nifty gadgets in the 29th century where the EMH’s emitter came from. I wonder how many songs my iPod would hold in the 29th Century? Cause my Nano is filling up fast.
Far as past goes, I would say that I’d want to visit the time of knights and chivalry but unless you were born into royalty it sucked to live back then and even if you were, the women didn’t often fare well. That and hygiene and medical care left a hell of lot to be desired...
12. If ZL were in a situation where death was likely imminent and she had to save herself McGuyver style, but of course with Star Trek amenities, how would she go about doing it?
ZL: Oohh! She actually did this once! She tried to escape captivity by starting a fire using the Ferengi equivalent of an X-box, a drinking glass, material from a silk bathrobe and the utensils from her dinner tray. That was one of the earliest posts for the Sera and I don’t think I could write another such scenario any better than that turned out- (so I'm told, the reviews were kind though I generally dislike anything I write after it's done). So that would have to be the answer to that. Great question!
Of course, she’s no MacGuyver...well you can read it if you're curious how it ended *evil grin *
13. You’ve written for various RPGs for over a decade. What is it that keeps you so passionate about it?
ZL: The desire to work with others who are just as passionate about Trek to create stories that stand the test of time- not just sending in 'yes sir, firing phasers!' types of posts. The chance to get to know and write with people like my crew.
In short, you guys are what keeps me passionate about it.
You challenge me and my writing in ways I never imagined- and I’m grateful for that, every day. My characters change and grow as yours influence them- and that's an experience you just can't have writing alone.
14. What is your favorite Trek series and character, and why?
ZL: Wow, I’d have to say as much as I love TNG, that DS9 is my favorite and not just because of all the Bajorans, though that does factor in.
Funny thing was, I hated it when it first aired. I hated seeing Kira and Sisko argue. I hated the conflict. I hated…the darkness of it. But as time went on, I came to appreciate the intricacy of the storylines as they unfolded- the friendship of Bashir and O’Brien is a favorite of mine.
I loved how those two bonded over time- and I loved the…fable-like quality of many of the episodes- with a moral to the story. Not as light weight as TNG could be at times though it did have a wicked sense of humor all it’s own…yeah. DS9.
Character? That is a killer. I’d have to say Ro Laren- the first Bajoran ever featured on Star Trek- has been the most influential to me personally. But as far as my favorite? I did have a soft spot for Vedek Bareil...but...
This shocks even me- if forced to choose just one (and Spock almost won this) I have to say The Doctor from Voyager. Because he had such consistently great dialogue and perfect comedic delivery.
Over the years I really came to appreciate Julian Bashir too- he evolved so much over the course of DS9. And O’Brien, for the reasons Mister Blane listed in his interview.
And you didn’t give me the Captain question so I’ll throw that in: Benjamin Sisko. That’s because he was a man who showed his emotions and felt them deeply- an Idealist who truly struggled to do what was right, because it was right, not because it was expected. He tried so hard to look after everyone- I just loved him.
15. If you had a million dollars to give away right now, who would you give it to, and why?
ZL: Oh, it all has to go to one charity? I can’t begin to imagine choosing only one. I know this- it would be a charity related to helping children.
If I could divide it up, I’d send a bunch to Make a Wish, and a bunch to the doctor who is matching up throw-away widows in India with war orphans: elderly ladies with all the love in the world to give who have been turned out by their families being matched up with children who need all the love in the world but have no one to give it?
Sounds like a plan to me.
(Note from Salvek: The entire Yensul plot line was actually inspired by the story of the widows in India...)
ZL: Yeah, that's right. I was so enraged by what I read about them, that I had to express my anger somehow.
Back to the donation...there are the children’s hospitals like St. Jude… so many AIDS orphanages in Africa…so many causes. A million dollars just wouldn’t be enough to give.
16. You’ve made it clear how proud you are of the work we do here at the Sera but is what we write and how we write it anything like what you expected when you first started RPG writing all those years ago?
ZL: Yes I am- very proud! But to answer the questions, No, and no. * laugh * Let me explain.
I have some posts from 1997 from the first ship I ever wrote for- in hard copy. Why are they in faded hard copy and I haven’t typed them up to have them on the computer, you ask? Because it’s impossible to type them out.
Half the people wrote in script format, the others in standard ‘novel’ style and it was very confusing. In addition, fully half the Starfleet crew was Klingon. They’d post extended stretches of dialogue in Klingon- providing no translation. Try following up a post like that. You don’t know if they told you to shut down the warp core before it breaches or complained that you were standing too close to their gagh.
Time went on and I have written over the years with some very talented people. But I never dreamed that any RPG could write so many posts of such high quality, in such a short span as you all have done for the Serendipity.
You all know that I don’t sleep much- and often when I’m too tired to do anything useful I will pick out a random post from our archive and start reading. Hours later, I’m still reading.
You’ve all created a complete little world here- and I find I truly care about your characters and I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen next.
That I could be any part of such a work in progress as the Sera- continually amazes me. How lucky am I?
17. What would ZL’s alternate universe personality be?
ZL: February Grace * laugh *
18. If you had to pick one episode of Star Trek, any series, for your child to watch, which one would it be and why?
ZL: She’s seen so many this is a very hard question to answer!
Wait- I know- and she actually hasn’t seen this yet- we just got the dvd. TNG: The Inner Light.
Because it tells an important story- of how life is fleeting, and things, people that we think will always be there can be gone in an instant. A lot of Star Trek episodes teach valuable lessons, but I would use this one to illustrate a point to my daughter that I believe with my whole heart- that the greatest crime we can commit against ourselves is wasting time, and our lives, as if they are infinite.
Picard’s character, Kamin (from which our Vedek chose to take his first name, btw- with a spelling alteration) addressing his daughter Maribor:
“I can only say... Live now, Meribor. Always make "now" the most precious time. "Now" will not come again.”
Important lesson for everyone to learn, in my opinion. Don’t ever put off saying today how much you care about the people you love. Or you may not get the chance to say it later.
Everything could be different tomorrow.
19. Taking advantage of your love of all things Disney, could you think of a Disney character that best represents each writer for the Sera? (Including yourself)
ZL: OMG! VOL, I love you- LOL This has to be you asking me this.
Okay…hang on to your remarkably stylish hat, I’ll give it my best shot. Do they have to be animated ones? Because you know…Zanh Liis’ compass never did point North * LOL*
Now I warn you- this is something that I will get very carried away with…Knowing our writers as I do, I would assign these (you didn't specify animated, so I'm assuming they have to be) Disney characters to their personalities…
Salvek's Writer: Wall-E Hardworking without a single complaint, gentle, smart, witty, and very loyal.
Blane's Writer: Bob Parr/Mr. Incredible- with the specification that I mean after his makeover/ return to the superhero gig. The takin’ names, kickin’ butt Mr. Incredible. That's our TC.
Dengar's Writer: Lewis/Cornelius from Meet the Robinsons. – because he is such a bright guy, he might just invent a working time machine someday.
Tryst's Writer: Peter Pan- because he has a magic about him that simply defies description.
Ryn's Writer: Belle, from Beauty and the Beast, because she’s got it all, looks and smarts!
Me...(Zanh Liis, et.al) Ugh. This is so hard. I had to go away from this one for awhile and come back to it.
I’d love to say Mulan- but I think that would be too egotistical. I have no prayer of saving my own soul- let alone China.
In the final analysis- it’s not glamorous as say a princess or a brave and beautiful heroine- but I think I have to say Eve, from Wall-E.
She has a low frustration tolerance, but is very dedicated to her work, (“Plant!”) and when she shuts down, Wall-E looks after her very faithfully until she's up and running again.
It took Eve a long time to learn- to realize that she was loved. I can relate to that, too.
20. Imagine a fresh new USS Starship, manned by... Disney Characters?! You are the ranking Admiral in charge of staffing the USS (provide name), so take some time to think of all the Disney character you the senior positions they’d fill.
ZL: Oh man. I so love this. I swear, Vol, someday we are going to spend a day in a Disney theme park together. We’d have so much fun- I would love to give you the grand tour of the Magic Kingdom (Provided I can still see to do it, of course. Otherwise the XO will have to point out all the sights to you).
Do you know I’ve spent more time on these two questions than the whole of the rest of the interview? *laugh*
I’m Admiral Roz- so you’d better remember to file your paperwork...
Welcome aboard the…USS Forward
Reason for the name? This quote:
“Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we're curious...and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." ~Walt Disney
Captain: Cobra Bubbles, from Lilo and Stitch- no question. (I think he was really a TI agent- or at least Spec Ops)
First Officer: James P. Sullivan (Monsters Inc) Top Scarer- and natural born leader.
Second Officer: Mike Wizowski- of course- He and Sullivan are a team (I keep wanting to type an O’ at the beginning there) If they can handle a human child on the loose, they can handle anything.
You know, now that I think about it, I had the HQ for Monsters Incorporated in the back of my brain somewhere when I wrote that description of Temporal Investigations headquarters…
Communications Officer: Sgt. Tibbs, (the only cat in 101 Dalmations) If he can translate the Midnight Bark properly- then he can handle it when the Universal translators go on the fritz.
Chief Medical Officer: Fairy Godmother, from Cinderella. Bibbidy, bobbidy, boo! *waves wand* You're all better! Now run along on your mission dear, but don't forget to be back by zero hours, because the USS Fortune will turn into a pumpkin. That's about the only thing that hasn't happened to that damned shuttle yet *laugh*. She was almost beaten out by Rafiki from the Lion King though- because there's nothing like a doctor who will hit you on the head with a stick to distract you from the fact you broke your toe or something. Then he'd tell you that none of it mattered because it's "in the past..."
Chief Science Officer: Dr. Lucille Krunklehorn from Meet the Robinsons. Consider the following...
Mr. Willerstein Dr. Krunklehorn, I know you're very busy at Inventco Labs. And we're just so happy to have you as a judge.
Lucille Krunklehorn: It's my pleasure, Mr. Willerstein. Hey, you never know, one of your students may invent the next integrated circuit, or microprocessor, or integrated circuit. Oh wait, I said that already. Well, I just don't get out of the lab very much. Is that a bowtie? I like bowties. I haven't slept in eight days!
Mr. Willerstein Uh, well then, can I get you a cot or something?
Lucille Krunklehorn: Nope, I have the caffeine patch. It's my invention. Each patch is the equivalent of 12 cups of coffee. You can stay up for days with no side effects. Ahhh! Sorry. Barium! Cobalt! Einstein! Kool-aid!
Chief of Security: Tarzan. Quiet, strong, and a good protector. Though the loin cloth is not up to Uniform code.
Chief Engineer: Elastigirl/Mrs. Incredible. Cause she’s a Super and she is a mother- multi-taking is her forte.
Counselor: Edna Mode, from The Incredibles “You are Elastigirl! My God, pull yourself together!”
BONUS: As this ship would be for the Federation, and therefore ‘good guys’, feel free to make an opposing ‘Evil ship’ manned by Disney villains.
ZL: *scary music inserted here*
Meanwhile, aboard ship called Power Monger...
Captain: Yzma from The Emperor’s New Groove
Yzma: It's not my fault that you don't have- uh, what was it again?
Peasant: Um...food?"
Yzma: Ha! You should have thought of that before you became peasants!
First Officer: Kronk From the Emperor’s New Groove "I'm well versed in all the woodland creatures."
Second in Command: Randall Boggs, from Monsters Inc: "Empty! It'll be empty, you idiot!"
Communications Officer: Iago, from Aladdin, because his voice is so freaking annoying that anyone they hail would be likely to surrender just to get the damned bird to shut up.
Chief Medical Officer: Jafar, from Aladdin. Cause he's evil enough to take kickbacks from the pharmaceutical industry.
Chief Science Officer: Jumbaa, from Lilo and Stitch. Evil Genius Scientist for Evil Genius Starship! (and yes I’m doing the accent over here)
Chief of Security: Shan-Yu, from Mulan. Cause damn he's scary.
Chief Engineer: Stitch. Though he'd destroy more than he repaired.
Counselor: Scar, from The Lion King. Nothing like a good guilt trip to keep you coming back to your therapist…If it isn’t one thing, it’s my mother…
And just for the hell of it...my take on...
Established Sera Characters as Disney Characters:
TC Blane: Tie: Buzz Lightyear/Little John from Robin Hood (“Stop moanin’ and mopin’ around and just marry the girl!” or, in our case “…just marry the Irishman!” )
Salvek: Rabbit, from Winnie the Pooh. Efficient, tidy, and a tad high strung.
February Grace: Dory, from Finding Nemo “Bad Squishy!”
Zander Blakeslee: Woody, from Toy Story- because he keeps all the other toys safe and looked after * smile *
Rada Dengar: Milo Thatch, from Atlantis
Keiran O'Sullivan; Pacha, from The Emperor’s New Groove "Don't shake (hands) unless you mean it."
Dane Cristiane: Emperor Kuzco. "I was the nicest guy in the world and they ruined my life for no reason!"
Jamie Halliday: Tigger
Lair Kellyn: Audrey, from Atlantis
Milo: Say, Audrey. No-no offense, but how did a teenager become the chief mechanic of a multi-million dollar expedition?
Audrey: I took this job when my dad retired. But, the funny thing was, he always wanted sons, right? One to run his machine shop, another to be middleweight boxing champion. But, he got my sister and me, instead.
Milo: So, what... what happened to your sister?
Audrey: She's 24 and 0, with a shot at the title next month.
Dabin Reece: Pleakley, from Lilo and Stitch-- no doubt.
Vol Tryst: Peter Pan- sorry for the duplication, Vol, but the character, like the writer, is magic to me :~) All it takes is faith and trust...
Jariel Camen: Prince Philip from Sleeping Beauty: Poor man has had to slay more dragons in his time for love than any man ever should.
William Lindsay: Gill, from Finding Nemo
Wren Elton: Ariel, The Little Mermaid
Fleur Le Marc : Colette, from Ratatouille
CMO Lance Hartcort: Tramp, from Lady and the Tramp
Ashton Ledbetter: Sir Hiss from Robin Hood "Creepy? Buster? Long one? Who does that dopey Duke think he is?"
Gira Lassiter: Gisele, from Enchanted "You're not a very nice old man!"
Landry Steele: Jessie, from Toy Story Two "Say that again..."
Lair Arie: Violet, from The Incredibles
Thomas and Johannes Blakeslee: Chip from Beauty and the Beast- times two
Tam Elton: John Darling, from Peter Pan
And lastly…Zanh Liis –believe it or not, is closest- I'd like to think anyway- to Disney’s Robin Hood. (another favorite from my childhood)
Robin: "You hear that Johnny? We've just been pardoned!"
Little John: "That's a gas! We ain't even been arrested yet!"
I guess that makes Keiran Maid Marion… * laugh *
If I was forced to go with a female character, I’d say Chicha, From The Emperor’s New Groove and not just because she was Pacha’s wife. If you’ve ever seen the movie- you would expect the character to have nose ridges. She IS Bajoran.
Her reaction when Pacha tells her that the Emperor was too busy to see him after he’d traveled all that way after being summoned- is very Liis.
Chicha: So, what did the emperor want?
Pacha: You know what? He couldn't see me.
Chicha- Couldn't see you? Why not?
Pacha- I don't know.
Chicha- Well... Well, that's just rude.
Pacha- Well, he is the emperor. I'm sure he's busy.
Chicha: No, no, no, no. No. Emperor or no emperor, it's called common courtesy.
Pacha: Honey...
Chicha: If that were me, I'd march right back there and demand to see him, and you know I would. I'd give that guy a piece of my mind. That kind of behavior just-just... (she snorts in frustration) I gotta go wash something.
--------------------------
I wonder if she went to Deuterium Control. That's where Liis went when she needed to scrub something. *laugh*
Thanks, everyone. That was fun. Now you know more about me than I'm sure you ever needed or wanted to.
It's safe to wake up now, That's the end.
-=/\=-
