Comments (Page 121)

In Space No One can Hear You Rip-Off Dallas & Lost.

I personally have the opinion that anytime you fall back on the 'it was just a dream' idea without some really good ideas involved...you are giving a huge middle-finger to your Fandom.

EG; Dallas with Bobby was an act of sheer desperation, and LOST...well, Lindelof isn't that talented, so he ripped off DALLAS because he wanted a quick and easy/lazy way out.

'It was just a dream' is Simplistic, Lazy and Insulting to a franchise's fandom.

Now, if you do the 'dream' thing, and one then expounds off it as it was a form of foreshadowing, then you're okay...still not doing great though.

THIS however comes far, far too-late in the game for it to be anything but a huge and intentional 'F-You' to the Fandom.

Unless...they use it to launch into a new age, say, Ripley is having 'Dreams' about horrors to come for her daughter, or Grand Daughter, or someone else she is connected to in her life.
Then it fits...Ripley has horrible dreams, and she's out in the interstellar wastes, unable to do anything to help, apart from wake up due to the system detecting significant neural distress, sends a desperate message to Network thinking that 'yeah just bad dreams but at least it'll make me feel better', then all she can do is go back to sleep...
Thus, Continuity is preserved, and a New Storyline can be launched to continue the franchise.

Taking a stab at it, but likely I'll prove unable to explore or reach the depths you visit regularly in contemplating such things, still here we go... 

Angels/Cherubin; Weyland might we have designed the logo himself, and/or some trusted person in the Company took heavy inspiration from his preferred motif of Divinity/Egyptian influence?

That said, they might represent Weyland employees/Synthetics acting a Guardians of Humanity's future and worlds?

The Worlds;

Those most likely represent the worlds Weyland has already opened up to Humanity as well as showing/inferring that The Company will never stop seeking and opening worlds to Humanity.

The name 'Covenant';

It might mean the agreement and bond between the Colonists and The Company, the name symbolizing that The Company will support them and not simply send them out alone, that there is a bigger plan and more to come in the development of the Origae-6 colony?

As big as the ship was, it was simply too small to carry anything more than a 'Pioneer' mission, to kick things off.

....and this makes me think I really need to make the effort to design and describe what 'Manticore' ship patches look like....and thank-you for kicking that idea off in my mind, BigDave :D

BigDave

You are most welcome!! :D

Sorry to hear about the Lost Ideas, I know how that feels--I think every human being on Earth can relate to that in direct or related ways--and it's not a good feeling.

Perhaps try keeping a small notebook with you, I did and still do and always will to grab ideas that pop up so they can't slip away without me at least capturing their 'footprints'. :D

The way I work, and this might give you some ideas on directions to try, is I do a synopsis that's at most a couple paragraphs. I note down or point-form the main story, plot points and key elements--such as critters, important character aspects, etc..

Dialog, I let that happen as I write...I tried planning and scripting out dialog, ended up tripping all over myself.

I keep things loose enough that I have plenty of room to wander and roam while writing yet have my Notes and such to ensure i don't lose track of important things.
I keep all the above simple, as I have found simpler is better, for me at least.

Thank-You for the compliments, praise and well-wishing!! I hope your condition improves or can be made less troublesome. ((HUG))
Life is certainly less-fun with significant health issues involved.

I am continuing on with stacking odds in my favor, and the day of Engagement vs. The Enemy is coming, things are looking good, but the real test will be the actual results of the R-Treatments.

In the meantime, I continue on writing as best I can and staying in the game without over-doing it and pushing myself to far even though I have Good help to rely on. :)

I Certainly think you have to look at WHY they would Pursue such a Folly regarding the Xenomorph.

Beyond a Bio-Weapon as they ARE (Invasive Species/Killing Machines) then INDEED there are a Lot of Applications/Traits you could Obtain from the Xenomorph.

Regarding what THIS Project could be about... i think with David Giler and Walter Hill they did seem to have a Interest More in the W-Y Company as far as Agenda and their Role in the Franchise but also regarding A.I too.

Lets just HOPE they dont try and throw us a CURVE-BALL that could be Upsetting to Fans in regards to the ALIEN Franchise being ALIEN... 

For example a W-Y Mind Control Project.

I still think THIS is the Project that is in the Works and in 2022 we will see the ALIEN V see the Day of Light.

It seems that it would be about Ripley and Reveal that some of the Ordeal she has been through are Merely Dreams/Nightmares...  but its a CASE of HOW MANY?

Revealing the Xenomorph is something that DOES-NOT even Exist and is either a Figment of Ripley's Nightmares.... or a Nightmare Vision that Weyland-Yutani would INPUT into Peoples Consciousness would UPSET the Fans just as MUCH as the David was the Creator Plot.

Thank you for this Blackwinter-witch

I will have to Read some of your Works ASP..

I have had many ideas for Stories within Sci-Fi and Horror Genres but all i seem to do is make a say 6-8 Page Large Synopsis/Plot Points and then FLESH OUT some Key Scenes to what they Contain inc some Dialog and then i dont seem to Progress Past that :(

I had Lost works in the Past and while i have Loads of Ideas all the Time, i do need to Write them down as i FORGET a LOT buts due to a Condition.  Which kind of Stops me giving it MY ALL on many things.

Once again thanks for Sharing your Works, i will have to Read them, and Hopefully your Health Improves so you can get back to what you LOVED as you Certainly are a Talented Writer.

 great!!!

dk

NP, I understand fully! I am more grateful than I can say about the efforts for better exposure!!

The monetization I see being very problematic as this is after-all Fan Fiction.

While I do and will retain all rights and control of my Unique and Original Properties/characters, etc. within these fan-fiction works...the rest of it, the 'chassis' is entire owned by Fox/Disney as we all know.

In the end, even if I only end up getting a teensy bit more exposure, and manage to satisfy the craving for decent stories in a handful more Fandom members, I'll be happy with that.

In the end, I just want to give the Fandom some good stories to enjoy, to the best of my ability, that don't leave them trying to overlook major continuity and canon issues or mediocre storylines.
...Stories that show them and comfort them that this franchise, this universe, is alive and well no matter what The Industry tries with it in the future, and that people (like the other Authors and Authors-to-be around here & other locales/sites) care enough to write for them, and make the effort to keep it alive.

The monetization...I will not even dare dream about, I remain on the 'we will see what we see when we see it' school of thought about such.

No expectations, but no despair...a Balance-Point wait-and-see. 

There is some activity afoot to try to get better exposure and possible monetizing, but it's slow since this is a new process for those involved. We are fortunate to get this for free, but the works deserve proper compensation. Not trying to be coy or cryptic and there are no promises, but efforts are underway.

SuperAlien

Thank-You!! You are most welcome!! :D

NP on Issuu, to be able to allow folks to download from there I have to pay a subscription-type fee...pondering it, looking things over to see if I'll get my money's worth from Issuu.

But for now, the Google Drive method seems to work well enough for people, and if they're not experiencing issues with downloading my works, then all is good. :)

I am doing all I can to gain any and all advantages over The Enemy, and better days are ahead...getting to them will be a challenge, but then again people crossed the atlantic ocean in storm season in wooden ships.

Thank-you also for the general well-wishing to all the Fandom. (HUG)

I am and will. I have a nw Vignette in the works, it's Tricky...it needs to be done Just Right, but it's coming along nicely.

The Sequel and tie-in short have NOT been forgotten, but right now some review is being done to Ensure adherence to established Continuity and Canon.

Quality-Control, so to speak. :)

Blackwinter-witch I have downloaded all your works, with many thanks for your kindness to give them all for free.

I have downloaded them from Google Drive, not ISSUU, probably other did the same, so if you don't see too much activity on ISSUU do not worry, it is not relevant as long as you provided links to Google Drive.

Thanks again and I pray for your better days ahead.

Take care, you are in our hearts, brothers and sisters from the Alienverse.

Keep writing, you have a gift for that!

While we wait for the episodes 8, 9 and 10 of the hit show 'Raised by wolves', i have a souvenir for my fellow marine comrads, the comic series 'Aliens: dead orbit', of James Stokoe. 

Here's the link,

https://getcomics.info/other-comics/aliens-dead-orbit-tpb-2018/

I Raptus

Thank-You and I am glad you enjoyed it!!

These Vignettes are fun to work with and help me flesh-out ideas in small steps that I can integrate and compile together later.

Little ideas and small events too tiny for a book or even a traditional short-story...kind of like culturing something in a Petri-Dish or test tube I guess, so to speak. :D

dk

Good point, very good point.

I gotta say, I do miss my old 'oxcart' now and then.

Excellent work Blackwinter-witch. For a short story it is deep in thought and detail, and endless in scope. Covers a lot of ground in those few pages :) 

Thanks for sharing it dk :) 

Windows 7. If it ain't broke, don't try to fix it. 

dk

Looks Good to me!

5 years, that should mean you're still in modern up-to-date OS country like WIN 8, 8.1 and 10, yes?

dk

Thank-You for the visual reference pic!

Makes things a lot clearer for people.

It seems with MY efforts to try to organize things, chaos clings to my efforts, and I often end up confusing things even more. lol

Organization just is not one of my top-five strengths.

When it's all said and done, it looks like this is how one should read off line:

My PC is about 5 years old. It took a little doing, but I think it is set up properly now:

dk

AWESOME and Thank-You!!! ((HUG))

I have the .rtf files, so I'll post them up just to keep any other folks covered if they are running outdated systems and software.

I did a copy/paste of the text and sent to BigDave via PM. Not the best way to read, but it's all there.

BigDave

I will upload an RTF version of my works for you to my Pen-Name Google Drive.
When done I will be Updating the Topic Main above so you can be sure of finding them.

I can TOTALLY relate as my self-Retired computer was dated back to 2007, running WIN XP and I know the frustration of working with Outdated hardware and software.

RTF format should work for you as it's Universal...unless I can find an Older .pdf format conversion tool, I'll have a look around and see. 

But I think .rtf is safest and likely the best option.

Thank-You and I think you will enjoy it! :D

dk

Exactly! Being an 'Experimentalist' is a true double-edged sword. But, nowadays, more and more as we're seeing with the non-Hollywood 'Extra-Industry' streaming services and productions things are opening up more.

Still, it does come down to The Choice as you mentioned.

I'm happy leaving it up to the Audience, only they are can be the true evaluators of a work, look at all the films that did poorly in the Box Office and became Cult Faves, right?

RBW is another example, and so is Firefly, along with many others...time and the Audience determine things, not The Industry.

In my ALIEN works, I try to correct what has annoyed us all; The Lack of Care for the franchise, continuity, canon and the Fandom. An 'Experiment' to be sure, but one I am enjoying doing, you folks enjoy riding along with and we'll see what the greater response is in the future as I work out what other platforms to get exposure for them on.

Time Will Tell, as is said. :)

Cant seem to get it to work but my OS is like 13+ Years Old ;)

I will see if my again Outdated Smart Phone after can Access it ;)

I have No Doubt it would be a Splendid Read ;)

I am something of an experimentalist...there's The Rules.

...and I challenge them.

I imagine that can be both a blessing and a curse for independent writers. A curse since they may have to compromise to bean counting executives to make more money, or a blessing to really do what they want and are okay with maybe taking a financial loss to put his/her vision out.

If one has no financial or contractual stake, GO FOR IT! Rules are self imposed as far as I can see. The public can hash out what they like/dislike.

dk

You're quite welcome! The main thing is you enjoyed them, and know you know the chrono-ordering, your brain will shuffle things into proper alignment automatically. I've seen that with a LOT of fellow sci-fi fans across other franchises. :)

Well, at least now the lack of a guide has been corrected and can be easily updated as time goes by.

I have to say, with the Blade Runner short I am roughing-out as ideas come, it'll make the chronological timeline make more sense, give it better bedrock and explain a few things...and give some plausible insight into Weyland's comments to David at the opening of ALIEN: Covenant.

...and give folks something to read while Hoping for a third BR movie. :D

Michelle Johnston

Thank-You very much for the kind words, praise and seeing what I am trying to do! :D

I am something of an experimentalist...there's The Rules.

...and I challenge them.

I don't want to do what has been done before, I want to try to do something new, in however small a way.

I suspect RS is tired of fighting the Industry...cannot blame him, but I and everyone else can pick up the fight from where he left off.

ALIEN: Covenant had a LOT of potential...then Hill and Giler (as always) horned in and made an unholy mess of things. Same as they did with PROMETHEUS, and the rest of the ALIEN franchise aside from ALIEN itself.
Hill & Giler work according to 'formula'...one that's absolutely Outdated and just plain doesn't work anymore, also they have no genuine care for the franchise or fandom.

I will never let them near any property of mine, ever.

RS--by himself--I would LOVE to work with, it would be my ultimate Dream Come True.

Thanks. Although I read and enjoyed two, I see I was way out of order! But the chronology listed in the OP is helpful and probably will be for others as well.

dk

Good point...a VERY good point.

I will be adding an appendum to the Topic Main itself, which will list things In-Order...

Again I should have thought of that a LONG time ago....if I had, it'd have saved everyone some confusion.

That's my error, but one I can correct now, and will.

TY for mentioning it, it'll save people from trying to figure things out on their own...some authors like to do that. I prefer to give a Guide and then let people choose for themselves if they wish to follow it or not.

@Blackwinter-witch

Very very clever. You recognise the themes and then invert them and of course, in my humble opinion, your diagnosis is exactly right. That is exactly what is missing. 

It makes me think is Ridley incapable of "it" or is that the rule book "it" must be excluded. 

Just imagine if Alien Covenant had been written with three couples one husband is burned and you had two surviving couples and put that up against the surviving pschyopath that would have been a monster plot. You would have so owned their survival. 

Great writing great thinking I was there.   

I seem to be reading out of order. Honestly, Manticore is pretty long and I have avoided it because of that. I think when I do read it, I will have maybe read the back stories first (Prequels in a way) and maybe not scratch my head when taking on the epic story.

dk

You're welcome and Ty in-kind!! :D

Actually I wrote it because I felt I owed it to the character as she didn't get to see much 'action' in the first story.

Also, I've been working on her backstory, and from the point of 6 years old, she was all on her own...that doesn't usually make for a 'girl next door' type. lol

I also wanted to clearly demonstrate just how Lethal and Dangerous even a pre-adult, Untrained Chimeran is...this is meant to contrast vs the reactions Chimerans have to The Alien, as we see in ALIEN: Manticore.

It's one thing if your fellow Humans are scared of The Alien.

When your resident genetically-engineered Bioweapons are feeling the hairs on the backs of their necks rise up when seeing The Alien...

Well...

Speaks for itself, I think. ;)

Nice and well organized layout of your works. Thank you!

Paranatural Selection. Brutal short. You're not angry about anything are you?

dk

My father showed me some coffeetable books about science fiction concept art as a kid, and I fell in love right there. 
I love Cobb's work, he is in my top-rank alongside Angus Mckie...I think I spelled that right?? and others equally respected but whose names esacpe me right now.

I found this pic of the bridge a few years back searching for all manner of stuff related to ALIEN as inspiration to get a 'grasp' of how i wanted to try to convey how things look in my head.

ALIEN: Isolation...

Oh...just wait.

The story of The Zeta-One Reticuli 'Incident' isn't over yet. :D

What Manticore's crew has to deal with makes ALIEN: Isolation seem like a carefree stroll out in a shopping mall.

Blackwinter-witch I didn't know about Cobb until I saw the news. Your pic looks almost straight out of Alien Isolation. It was tense trying to creep around that place undetected.

dk

SuperAlien

Roger G

Thank-You is such a woefully inadequate set of words, but I trust the sentiment carries through their inability to frame how I feel about this!!

I'm going to start a new topic for the convenience of people here so that I have a Central and Fixed Point yet one I can easily update as to where to find all my works.

The latest Vigennet is done, and I'll be making it available within the hour.

Also, I just want to say, please consider my works as a form of expression of appreciation to all of you and this forum, creating stories, making them available, I like to think it helps keep this forum alive as well the essence and spirit of our faverite space critter.

Yes, problems with spelling and finger operations/typing...sorry, but at least it's semi-legible and gibberish-free...best I can manage at-present.
My works, never thought I'd love spell-check...but gotta say, really handi thse days.

Farewell Mr. Cobb, and Thank-You for the wealth of work you left behind.

Below; Mr. Cobb's concept for Nostromo's bridge, which I very happily used very directly for Manticore's bridge.

Roger G That is what is cool with fan fiction- it can recall memories of other works. I encourage checking BWW's works out. A basic search around here will cough up the goods.

I think her works are here. Enjoy:

https://issuu.com/rlblackburne

Great story Blackwinter-witch. 

Thanks for sharing dk.