Posted in Original Writing, writing

Writing Wednesday!

I am starting a new recurring post series called Writing Wednesday, which as you can imagine is a writing exercise I will undertake every wednesday. For now, I am using This Blog as a prompt giver, but I do accept prompts in the comment sections. I can’t guarantee I’ll use all of them, but if you have a prompt you would like to see me use, feel free to give it.

I’ll take the prompt and write it directly into the blog. Sometimes I may give myself a time limit (Today’s is 15 minutes) to tell the story. Today’s story is probably scientifically unsound, but I wrote it in 15ish minutes and no time for prep like research. Also hasn’t been edited beyond basic listening to the spell check.

Prompt: You look up in the sky and think that you’re seeing things for a moment. But you’re not. There are two moons above you.

Story (507 words):

 Krysta opened her eyes slowly.  The ache in her head was slight but still present.  The room however was not well lit, the only light coming from the window where moonlight filtered in.  Blinking she looked around the room, trying to access where she was.  It was unfamiliar to her.  The walls were made of thick stone,  although she couldn’t be certain in this lighting. The only decoration was the curtains, which moved with the slight breeze entering through the window.

She sat up in her bed, moving to get up and walk to the window.  The bed was surprisingly large, with four tall posts at the corners. The covers were thick, and as she removed them, the air felt colder on her exposed body.  She definately wasn’t in California anymore, where the temperatures had rarely gone under 80 the past week.   THe bed was also high, her legs not reaching the floor when she sat on the edge.   

She slid to the floor, flinching at the cold of the hardwood, and made her way to the window.  Her window looked over an ocean, a rocky shore in the mid-distance.  The waves crashed against the rocks, and she could hear the distant sounds of the movement.  There was nothing however to tell her where she was.  

It was then that she looked up at the moon and found it to be different then she had ever seen it.  For one, there were two moons in the sky, one the size that she was used to, and another far closer far larger. 

“Ah, you are awake.”  She turned around, surprised by the appearance of another person.  “I apologise for startling you.  It is not often we have guests here.”  She frowned – how did that effect surprising people.  She went to ask but found herself without her voice.  The man standing the doorway looked at her in concern, and then sympathy.  “It will return,” he assured her.  “The method of travel is safe, but it does take some time to recover.  We haven’t quite figured out why it affects your people’s vocal cords, but it seems not to linger too long.”  He placed a tray on a table she hadn’t noticed before in the corner near the door beside the bed.  

“I’ve brought you some food.  Keeping your strength up with help you adapt more quickly.” 

Adapt to what?” She thought. 

“Adapt to the planet’s differences.”  He glanced over at her and caught her wildeyed look.  “No one explained this to you?”  She shook her head.

“Despicable.” he muttered under his breath.  “You have been taken to Laroux, a planet about 15 light years away from your home planet,”  he continued in a louder voice.  “For the most part, Laroux is not much different than Earth, but it has a higher gravity, two moons which of course cause more radical tides, and a longer day.  It won’t take long to adapt.  Most of what you have to recover from is the stasis you were put in for the journey.

Posted in general

Temporary Hiatus

This blog is not going to be updated this month. Several things have happened in my life that make it hard to keep up with the updates and what I had planned for this blog. I hope that May will be a much easier month on me personally and I’ll be back to updating regularly.

Posted in Television shows, tv reviews

Review: The Orville 2×06

 Episode Title: A Happy Refrain
Original Airdate: January 31, 2019 (watched Later via Hulu)
Grade: B-
Notable Guest Stars/Directors:

Actually, this episode is remarkably stuck with its main characters and reoccuring ones.   I suppose, after looking at the Trivia section on IMDB a special mention should be made for Mark Graham who is the music director for the show and has a brief acting credit as the conductor at the symphony.

Notable Quotes:

Lt. Gordon Malloy: We are, without a doubt, the weirdest ship in the fleet.

SPOILERS BELOW

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Posted in Star Trek, Television shows, tv reviews

Review: The Orville 2.05

Episode Title: All The World is Birthday Cake (2.05)
Original Airdate:  January 24, 2019 (watched later via Hulu)
Grade: B
Notable Guest Stars/Directors:

Robert Duncan McNeill (Director)– Star Trek Alum.  He’s been a director for years on many good programs, but on screen you may remember him as Tom Paris, the navigator/pilot of Voyager.  He always seems to do a good job, on screen and as a director.
Ted Danson (Admiral Perry) – This show loves to have random well-known actors show up as Admirals.  Ted Danson is known for a lot of things.  Most recently perhaps CSI, but also Becker, and the film Three Man and a Baby.
Jennifer Landon (Ukania) – I know her best from As the World Turns as  Gwen Munson , but she is also known for roles on House and various other television shows.  She also happens to be the daughter of Michael Landon, so acting runs in the family.
John Rubinstein  (Prefect) – He’s appeared as minor characters on various television shows I watch,  but I know him probably best from Star Trek: Enterprise where he played Minister Kuvak.   He also played on House and Becker so he probably worked with several of the other notable co-stars in this episode.
Nico Nicotera (Rokal) – I didn’t recognize him, but apparently he played a recurring character on Sons of Anarchy (one of my sister’s favorite shows).  
Jessica Szohr  (Lt. Talla Kaylai) – She’s a new main character for the series, coming in as Alara’s replacement.  She’s also known for her role as Vanessa Abrams on Gossip Girl.  I enjoy her work so far.

Notable Quotes:

Lt. Cmdr. Bortus: It is much easier with an egg.

Capt. Ed Mercer: You had big shoes to fill, and I’m not kiddin’. And as far as I’m concerned, you filled them and then some. So, from here on out, you’re officially allowed to punch me.

SPOILERS BELOW

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Posted in Television shows, tv reviews

Review: The Orville 2×04

 Episode Title: Nothing on Earth Excepting Fishes
Original Airdate: January 17, 2019 (Watched via Hulu 2/27)
Grade: A

Notable Guest Stars/Directors:

Yul Brynner (King of Siam) – okay, so its not really him so much as its a clip from Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The King and I, but I love that movie so I’m going to point out that Yul Brynner is here.
Patrick Warburton (Lt. Tharl ) – recurring character.  I’m not entirely sure, but I think this might be Tharl’s last episode for awhile.
Michaela McManus (Lt. Janel Tyler) – According to IMDB she’s known for being in Aquarius, but I know her from One Tree Hill as Lindsey Strauss, Lucas’ fiance in season 4.  She’s also been on the Orville before – both in the season opener for this season and a episode in season one.
Chris Johnson (Cassius) – recurring character.  

Notable Quotes:

Well, this scene from The King And I

SPOILERS BELOW

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Posted in Star Trek, Television shows, tv reviews, Uncategorized

Review: The Orville 2.03

Episode Title: Home 
Original Airdate: January 10, 2019 (watched later via HULU)
Grade: A


Notable Guest Stars/Directors:
Robert Picardo (Ildis Kitan) – Best known as the Doctor on Star Trek: Voyager, he’s also been on Stargate, my favorite TV show franchise.
John Billingsley (Cambis Borrin) – Another Star Trek alum, Billingsley played Dr. Phlox on Enterprise.  He’s also been on quite a few TV series as a one-off character.
Molly Hagen (Drenala Kitan) – She appeared recurrently as Mike’s mother on Jane The Virgin.  SHe also appeared on Star Trek DS9
Kerry O’Malley (Floratta)  – She appeared on Hart of Dixie which is one of my sister’s favorite shows.  I had to search for both her and Molly Hagen because while I recognized them from somewhere, it wasn’t till I went through IMDB that I figured out where and why.
Patrick Warburton as Lt Tharl (recurring character)
Jason Alexander (Olix) – He’s known for his role in the 90s comedy series Seinfeld
Candice King (.Solana Kitan) – known for her role on Vampire Diaries as Caroline Forbes

Notable Quotes:
Apparently none stood out to be this episode in particular (I’m writing this off of notes I took while watching, and no quotes were listed).

SPOILERS BELOW

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Posted in Television shows, tv reviews

The Orville: Primal Urges

Episode Title: Primal Urges (2×02)
Original Airdate: January 3 (watched via Hulu at a later date)
Grade: B-

Notable Guest Stars/Directors:
Kelly Hu (Admiral Osawa) – I recognized her as China White, a recurring villain on CW’s Arrow
Gavin Lee (Henry Park) – He is a recurring character that for some reason I thought was dead.

Notable Quotes:
“You have had enough injections” – Klyden
“I see.  It is pertinent that you are in therapy.”
– Issac

SPOILERS BELOW

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Posted in book reviews, bookit

Bookit Review: Perfectly Clueless

Title: Perfectly Clueless (Book 3 in the Bayfield High Series)
Author: Madeleine Labitan
Publication: September 19, 2018  (115 pages)
Edition:  Kindle (via Kindle Unlimited)
Genre:  Teen Romance
Rating:  C-ish
Bookit 2009 #6

This is the final released novel in the Bayfield series.  I’m not sure if this is the final novel, or if Ms. Labitan plans on writing more.  Like its two predecessors Truth or Dare and Kiss and Make Up,  this is more of a novella then a novel at only 115 pages.  Its the longest of the three, but oddly enough not the best one.  I believe the first novel felt the most complete, even if it was short and could have used some development.

I think my main problem with this one is that there was no build up in the novel.  We are supposed to believe that Dylan and Bianca have been in love for awhile but Dylan has been in denial but its not really there in moments.   Side characters are finding it so obvious but it doesn’t seem as obvious as we are supposed to believe.  Perhaps if it was drawn out into a full novel we could have gotten more moments where we could see that Dylan is feeling it too outside him being a jerk to Bianca’s dates.    This story might also have worked better if the characters were a little older.

I also have an issue with romances that decide to make the character who is the competitor in the one character’s affections somehow a horrible person in order to make it okay that the main characters did whatever they did.  I find that unnecessary.

My final grade is C-ish due to it feeling its unfinished and also because of the troublesome bits.  This author shows promise, and I look forward to what she writes in the future, but I’m hoping that with experience in writing will come some more depth to the novels they write.

Posted in Television shows, tv reviews

Orville Review: Jo’loja

Episode Title:  Ja’Loja  (2×01 Season Premiere)
Original Airdate:  December 30, 2018 on FOX (Watched on Hulu on January 20)
Grade:  A
Notable Guest Stars/Directors: 

Jason Alexander as Olix:  Alexander is most known for his role on Seinfeld. On Orville, he plays Olix the mess hall bartender.

Notable Quotes:
John:  Always go with one zipper more than what your comfortable with.


SPOILERS BELOW

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Posted in book reviews, bookit

Bookit Review: Kiss & Make-Up

 Title:   Kiss & Make Up (Part 2 of the Bayfield High series)
Author: Madeleine Labitan
Publication:  June 11, 2018  (86 pages)
Edition:  Kindle (via Kindle Unlimited)
Genre:  Teen Romance
Rating:  C-ish
Bookit 2009 #5

This is the sequel to Labitan’s debut novel Truth or Dare,  and continues to take place in Bayfield High school.  This time around, the star is  Madison Cooper, the girlfriend Adam dumped for alleged cheating in the previous novella.  As Kenzie and Sean learned in that one, Maddie had in fact not cheated on Adam, and he spends this one trying to win her back.

This story is remarkably shorter then the first.  I’m wondering if perhaps all three novels were supposed to be a collection together rather than sold separately.   It takes over more time within in the novella, although it doesn’t have much of a driving plot other then “Adam tries to win Maddie back.”  Many of the minor characters aren’t developed enough to be interesting, which is fine as they don’t have anything really to do.  I wish the author could have the characters from the last novel in this one a little bit more to develop more of a connection and flow in the series.

I feel like this would have been better set as the b-plot in a combined novel.  Both the other novellas in this series were longer and had a bit more depth to them.

I ended up giving this a C-ish grade because I feel it could have been developed into a deeper story, or added to fill out one of the other novels.  It wasn’t horrible, just quick and lacking the development in full-length novels.