Legion World Forums LEGION OUTPOST Bits o' Legionnaire Business The Writers' Discussion/Ideas Thread

Thanks, Lardy. And "Time Leaves Its Scars" is the very first Bits fic on my to-read list.

I just caught up, Larry! wow! it was great seeing Lardy's reaction to the loss of Legion World and the LMB. also great seeing all those original characters again - Lolita, Kalla, Britney...

Can't wait for the next installment. and i'm all the more eager to see Time War unfold in earnest

Thanks, Ibby!

I don't think I would have particularly used Abin's characters in the way that he had if he hadn't passed. Though the general story ideas had been percolating for quite some time, the details of what characters would appear were fluid. I knew from the start that Cobie would be missing--that was my original inspiration. Then, I added Ex because I knew he would be central to the Time War and Peebz because he was/is the LMB leader. Abin was then added because I wanted to include him after Chuck had just passed, and I found a logical role for him.

I had to then use Lolita because of her huge bond with Cobie--someone that Lardy could naturally share his loss with. And I just love writing her! I never actually wrote Space Ranger and Everyday Girl in a scene, but I felt the references to them were pretty spot-on.

And Kalla---Kalla, after Lardy, is the best character I ever created, so I knew including her was a must. I also dropped some references to other LMB characters, including what I thought might be an appropriate fate for Lon/Timber Wolf. This is a time alteration story, so there may be some wiggle room, here. In any case it feels great to utilize the LMBverse again and craft a story that builds from the lore.

It's an odd coincedence that Cobie himself has been sparse lately! I'd be curious to know what he thinks about all the liberties I took with his stuff! I've a feeling he would approve, but I can't know for sure! I really just ran with it!

Ack! pardon the earlier typo Lardy! stupid autocorrect!

your allusion to Everyday Girl seemed spot on! and having Abin brought a smile to my face.

I'm still hopeful that Time War will have a happy ending... but who knows for sure.

It's great to have an active LMB story! And who doesn't love a good Time War and all the attendant anomalies? Like Ibby, I hope it has a happy ending with the eventual return of Cobaltus and the crew - but so far thing's have been working out pretty well for Tony & Kalla....

Every time I read "Ggrrgg" I get a laugh - and the variation on "make Ggrrgg great again" made me smile.

It's a wonderful tribute to Abin in the sense that his spirit inspired you to write this and his characters live on in your fiction.

Thanks! I didn't know if I could accurately portray Chuck's speech pattern for EDG, so I kinda side-stepped it in a way I thought appropriate.



Well, technically, Time War did NOT have a happy ending according to this story, as that's the whole motivation for the story. But I see what you mean!

Yep, it pretty much has.....so far. If you re-read the opening chapter, there's a small clue that troubled times may be ahead.



I worked with what I had! But to have Lardy become a big part of something that is of Cobie was a major motivation for me.



I had to have some of his characters play some role in this thing, especially because I feel he inspired me to finally write it. I don't know if I could ever do justice to a true Quank Family story, but I just had to include them somehow.

BTW, I hope Ex completes "Long Klordny" some day. He uses EDG and especially My Whee Fem masterfully in it.

I just wrote the first of 2 sequences in the next chapter! It was...very emotional...in a way that really connected with some RL personal experiences that will be apparent when you guys see it. I hope I can do the other sequence after dinner and have it ready to post! <fingers crossed>

you can do it, Lardy! Looking forward!

...Trix are for kids?

I love Trix, therefore I am still a kid

Great new installment Lardy! Sweet little Victoria... her birth was a great moment

EDE! and Fanfie! and thanks for the shoutout, happy that Blaze and I are out there somewhere

nice job setting us the moral dilemma. reverse the effects of Time War, but risk losing what happened after. who gets to make that choice? and i can feel the weary desperation of everyone still remaining.

Thanks for the kind words, Ibby!

I knew this chapter would begin how it did, but the visitation was one I struggled with for a while. I think it was always going to be EDE, but originally, he was going to visit in the flesh. Ultimately, this way seemed to work better for what I've been building and am building toward.

Another part of the difficulty was figuring out where EDE was and what he was doing. You kind of unwittingly helped provide the answer by giving me some feedback and making me think about what your character might be up to in this stage in his life. Somehow, the idea of you and Blaze being married and operating in a humanitarian role really worked for me. I hope you liked the idea.

In hindsight I'm surprised that I didn't think to use IB earlier in the fateful scene involving Legion World and their last-ditch effort to win the Time War. In a way maybe Abin ended up serving the role IB might have played in that scene. I think, though, as Security Chief, IB may have been helping Jerry supervise the evacuation, probably with Blaze helping. I'll never have this story answer every single question to where this LMBer is or that LMBer is--it would hurt the focus and turn the story into something else--but as it serves the story, I'll probably reveal more.

I had to kind of restrain myself from making the EDE visit too much of an info dump. To avoid that, I left out some details, like a reference to Lash and what happened to him in-continuity (at least in this timeline) and reconciling EDE's power-set as hinted at in this story with what we've seen him do before. I may yet find a way to do those things, but it was just too much and would have hurt the flow in this scene.

Victoria gives me a little bit of wish-fulfillment as a writer. I have 2 boys, so part of me yearns for a girl. The reality is we just don't want more children, biological or adopted, but there's always a little ache there that writing about Lardy getting to raise a daughter helps me express. Also, I've seen both of my children born, so it's nice to share and relive this experience in prose. (For the record, I did actually cut the cord with the first son but declined with the second because I was a little in shock at how he came out so quickly compared to the first.)

I'm glad the depth of the dilemma comes across. In a way Lardy has finally gotten everything he's ever wanted, while knowing that dear friends have been lost in the process. Plus, there's another war approaching which threatens all he's built, regardless.

So I'd say this is probably about the middle of the story. I've set up the status quo and all the things that happened to get it there. Now, we're at the tipping point.....

My pleasure! I agree that EDE visiting "remotely" worked better, it helped highlight the dire straits the universe is in at the moment - people spread apart across large distances, communication is sporadic, and all that. It highlights the difference between then and now.

After I read your opening scene, I also got to thinking about what Ibby and Blaze and many others might have been doing then. I thought that as Security Chief, Ibby would be off where he was needed most - which could have been with you and company, but could easily have been elsewhere. Lots of room for us to work that in when the time comes

And I love the whole idea of me and Blaze finding a safe haven for rescued orphans. Pretty cool, I imagine I would enjoy teaching those that have their own metapowers...



Your writing choices worked out really well. I felt the flow of your scene was spot on!

Writing is also a bit of wish fulfillment for me, so I completely understand. It's nice to use writing to explore what could have been, or what could be!

It must be nice to have watched your sons be born! (from social media I know they're great kids )



You definitely articulated Lardy's reasoning well, both here and in the earlier scene with Lolita. Lardy's right in that life is going on for many now, and there is always the possibility that reality will never be restored - and someone should be prepared for that eventuality. It's a bit of a two-pronged approach here, and that works very well given the uncertainty.

I'm super-excited for the next bit!

I definitely think the Scars of LMB story is really coming along. Even though I came in pretty recently to this site, it is nice to see the history and friendship in these stories. It has also reignited an idea I have had for a long time regarding Earth-5/Earth-S and the LMBverse, and who knows maybe I will end up working on that story. I have tried a couple of times to flesh out the future of my characters, but never got to the point of finishing a story.

Thanks for the compliment! There's no bigger flattery than one's work inspiring someone else to do something creative themselves!



I don't know if it's clear, but the pocket dimension they're using contains a large number of refugees, not just orphans. But Ibby and Blaze have taken orphans from that group who have no living family and are raising them as their own.



Thanks! I think so, too!



My latest chapter underlined that inherent conflict even more by showing it come between Kalla and Lardy. I mean, it's not about them choosing realities, but a lot of what Lardy objecting to what she wants to do comes from his having embraced reality as it is and wanting to make sure their home grows into the kind of place his daughter can live happily in.



Hope it was worth the wait!

Nice last installment, Lardy! Victoria is such a dear.




I don't know if it's clear, but the pocket dimension they're using contains a large number of refugees, not just orphans. But Ibby and Blaze have taken orphans from that group who have no living family and are raising them as their own.

[/quote]

Oh, thanks for clarifying. I read it again and I wasn't quite sure if there were other refugees besides the orphans. But it makes sense it would be more of an "everyone we can find, we rescue" kind of thing.


Just read the latest bit, and you capture the ongoing dilemmas quite well! Both Kalla and Lardy clearly love their current world and reality, but they disagree on how best to protect it. It takes some time, but Lardy does realize where Kalla is coming from and why she has a different point of view.

Thanks! I'm kinda in love with my fictional daughter!

I enjoyed using the "bedtime story" format to also reveal whatever happened to Zee the dragon. It seemed an appropriate way to do it!




Lardy has always understood where Kalla is coming from. But he also doesn't want New Ggrrgg to follow the same path its mother planet did, a path that ultimately led to its destruction. Also, Kalla has a pretty dark past. He's afraid she could fall back into some bad habits. Ultimately, he decides to relent because: a) he wants to keep his marriage and family intact by putting their conflict behind, and b) he knows that they can't just be defenseless, no matter the long odds they would be facing.

There's a moment in the opening chapter, which is a flash-forward that I'm slowly building toward getting back to, that might imply the choice did not resolve everything.

That last chapter had quite a lot of impact; quiet, but a big turning point. After spending some time on the Great Darkness Saga and thinking about the Fourth World, it did remind me of Highfather's decision to set aside war for peace. Lardy does the same and settles down to a peaceful, rewarding life with his Kalla and his little princess. Yet the time comes when he can't live in a bubble and pretend all will be well, he has to set aside his ideals to protect/defend his family, home and the people of New Ggrrgg. A tough decision to finally have to take, especially if he fears Kalla might be sucked back into the dark side.

Approximately half and hour ago, I experienced, if not an epiphany, then definitely a valuable revelation RE: writing --

I enjoy plotting stories, brainstorming with other creative people, coming up with alternate timelines, and reinterpreting past sagas.

I am good at writing, and I am very proud of quite a bit of my fan fiction work...but I finally admitted to myself that I don't enjoy doing it.

So, from this point on, what I am most likely to post in this forum are alternate chronolgies, specifically the complete chronology of the Earth-7.5 universe, the one where the troublesome highly challenging Legion/New Gods/Superman Family fan fiction saga takes place.

Some of it will still be fully-formed stories, especially the sections dealing with the Legion.

But those will probably be the last fully-formed fan fiction stories I will ever write. I never say never, but...I'd call it a 99% probability that I won't.

And I will certainly continue to read and comment on other people's stories and art in this forum.

Dear Poster Formerly Known as Fanfic Lady:

I know that you and I have very different tastes as far as literature goes, especially fanfiction, but I just wanted to say:

Ever since coming back to the States, I have been suffering from deep, dark, black depression. So I identify with former pleasures suddenly seeming unpleasant.

If by one-chance-in-a-million, you are inspired to return to sharing your writing, please do not hesitate a moment.

James Thurber: File and Forget (Audio Only; 14 minutes)

They Might Be Giants: Hopeless Bleak Despair (Audio Only; 3 minutes)

Klar, your kind words are greatly appreciated. And thanks, too, for the links. Will listen to them this weekend.

And I don't think our tastes are quite so different. I will always treasure this beautiful and thoughtful review you wrote about one of my Ao3 fan fics.

I want to ask a general question regarding fan characters that are by members who are either inactive or no longer among the living. Are their characters considered free to use or do I have to go through certain people in order to use them in my stories? I have been hesitant to do so in the past because it felt funny, but I am in a position where I kind of need to use them.

Well, I’ll take a shot at this, as long as I’m here.

Miracle Max: There's a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Mostly dead is slightly alive. With all dead, well, with all dead there's usually only one thing that you can do.
Inigo Montoya: What's that?
Miracle Max: Go through his clothes and look for loose change.

The joke works because of the cultural taboo against stealing from the dead.

On the other hand, if you knew the decedent well enough to know that they would be pleased to see their characters live on, by all means borrow.

I, for one would be happy for anyone to repurpose any of my characters or plot ideas.

However, from a literary standpoint, it is probably unnecessary, or even counter-productive. Remember that Fifty Shades of Gray grew out of Twilight fan-fiction, and Twilight grew out of Harry Potter fan-fiction. J.K. Rowling herself did plenty of borrowing from her favorite authors.

Take a character you like change his or her name, or even gender, and alter the backstory to more seamlessly fit into your personal Paracosm. The results will almost surely be superior to a simple cut-and-paste.

“My son,” said Rabbi Elijah, the Gaon of Vilna, “You must face the stern realities. If you with to become a writer, you must be resigned to peddle your books from house to house, like a vendor of pots and pans. Furthermore, you must learn suffer from hunger until you’re forty.”

“And what will happen after I’m forty?” asked the young writer, hopefully.

Rabbi Elijah smiled encouragingly. “By the time you’re forty, you’ll be used to it!”

Hey, all,

Last night, as I was doing my usual creative brainstorming, I had an idea for a new kind of Bits thread -- JAM THREADS.

No, not as in fruit-flavored bread spreads. I mean as in musicians getting together and just playing together in a loose, semi-improvisational, free-association kind of way. (I actually got the idea when I was thinking of a musician friend I'd chatted with on Monday night, who told me he was planning to jam with some other musicians after our chat.)

Now, yes, it's closely related to the Tag Team threads, with a crucial difference. Tag Team threads are actual stories. Jam threads would basically be an extended plotting-slash-world building session.

Most importantly, anyone can contribute at any time. No pressure to keep the thread going, or to pick up where one poster leaves off.

For example: I was thinking the first one could be something like, "Let's Do a Back-to-Basics, From-the-Ground-Up Re-Imagining of the DCU" (because, at the risk of sounding like a heretic, I don't think the idea behind the New 52 DCU was bad in and of itself -- it was the execution which was botched by a combination of unfortunate occurrences.)

Another possibility: "How Might the 5YL Legion Have Played Itself Out If Erin Instead of Blok Had Died?"

Thoughts?