Travis's back story and the Horizon

[Rigil Kent]

Actually, that doesn't fit my definition of the MRB, although it is a subset. The MRB that bothers me the most is when everything that just happened is undone and no one has any memory of it, and thus learns nothing. In your case, T'Pol retained her memories through the meld with the older T'Pol, thus learning something.

[blacknblue]

Well, if she hadn't learned something from the older T'Pol, it would have defeated the whole point of my Finale Fix.

[Distracted]

I apologize, gentlemen. I stand corrected. It just burns my butt when people accuse me of killing off Trip. I didn't do it. The writers on the show did. Then they came up with the lame-ass excuse that he faked his own death because he was really a double-nought spy, despite the fact that there was NEVER ANY INDICATION in ANY episode that he EVER had a connection to section 31. So now, after the fact, I get people accusing me of wanting Trip dead when I'm a charter member of the NOT.DEAD. REVOLUTION. I've spent TWO YEARS of my life continuing TnT's adventures, and now I've got readers telling me that they "don't know if they can read my finale" because I'm "killing off Trip"??!!

Bullshit. I'm making lemonade out of the moldy, rotten, dessicated lemons Berman and Braga handed us, just like every other TnT fanfic writer. If you want to ignore "Charlie", go ahead. It's not integral to the storyline. If you end it with episode nine of season six then you can imagine whatever ending you want after the war is over.

BnB, you're entitled to read what you want to read. You're also entitled to express your opinion. So am I, and here it is. Your attitude hurts me, especially since your opinion is valued by others on this site. If I have no readers then what the hell have I been doing for the past 2 years?

[CX]

So what if no one reads? People reading and enjoying your work is just a cherry on top. Writing is just one way to express yourself, and I would hope anyone not getting paid for it is doing it because they enjoy it. Sure it kinda sucks if no one appreciates the fruit of your labor, it bums me out too when no one reads my stuff, or at least no one comments on it. But what are you going to do?

Thing is, you have to understand that with what TPTB did to Trip, people are going to react negatively to Trip dying in someone's fan fic. I don't care how you kill him, the fact still remains that Trip is dead, and people are automatically going to think of that steaming pile that TPTB insisted was a "valentine" to us. So if you do a story about it, yeah, you'll get some negativity. It's up to you whether you roll with the punches or if you let it kill all enjoyment you derive from writing.

[Rigil Kent]

Uh ... no disrespect, CX, but I think you've missed what she's saying. She's ending her virtual series as the E/R War heats up. She's not writing a fic where Trip dies. Berman and Braga already did that with their so-called finale.

I don't get why people are necessarily accusing her of killing him off. She's not the one who wrote that last televised episode that assassinated all of the characters on the show.

[CX]

Same difference. She's including it as a part of her series. Kind of like VENT.

[Distracted]

Thanks, Rigil. I didn't think anyone understood what I was trying to say.

[Rigil Kent]

Same difference. She's including it as a part of her series. Kind of like VENT.

So freaking what? I can name four or five others that do the same, all of which turned out to be enjoyable to me. Whether we like it or not, the ENT finale is canon. Everything else, whether its the Relaunch or fanfic or whatever else, is not. Do I like that fact? Of course not. I loath the fact that two washed up, has-beens felt it necessary to kill off one of the most interesting characters on the show in such a useless and contrived manner, all in a failed attempt at "shock value."

Frankly, I salute Distracted for having the balls to do what she did in Charlie. Would I have done that? Probably not, but simply based on my fics, I don't tackle a lot of controversial subjects, mostly because I'm a simple man who likes to blow shit up and shoot people instead.

It's further annoying that she's pointed out point-blank that one does not have to read her finale fix following this next installment. She's ending her virtual series before the E/R War heats up and has given us her reasons. Insert your own final scene afterwards if you want to.

Finally, do ya'll not recall Dis stating some weeks back that she was having to ramp back her internet activity and writing due to Real Life? Seems to me that its better to end on a high note, than to go out with a whimper. Pity the Beebs didn't learn that lesson.

So do what you've gotta do, Dis.

[CX]

Look, I'm not criticizing, I'm just pointing out why some people might react negatively or choose not to read. I use VENT as an example because frankly that's the first that comes to mind. There were a few people from this community who read it, but stopped as soon as it came out that they were holding *the_abomination* as canon. It's not a frakking attack to point that out, and I don't appreciate being treated as if I was attacking Dis or her stories.

[Rigil Kent]

I have nothing further to say on this subject and stand by my previous comments. Any offense to anyone was unintentional.

[CoffeeCat]

[blacknblue]

Holy shit.

Miscommunication. But not nearly as amusing as the fic by the same name.

I am sorry Dis. I never intended to hurt your feelings. And how the hell I am supposed to have any influence is beyond me. Most of what I say provokes people if anything.

What I meant to say in my earlier post, badly, was that I was sad at the thought of your series ending. AND. I was even sadder that you were going along with the abomination. I did not know (and still don't know) exactly what you are going to include in your series finale or how you plan to wind things up. You wrote a wonderful series that gave me and a lot of other people many wonderful hours of pleasure. I re-read every story you wrote AT LEAST twice. Even Charlie, which I don't like. But I read it twice just to make sure I gave it a fair chance.

As far as Trip's death being canon, horsecrap. I can drive a Mac truck through the holes left in that holo-novel. We saw him going into the machine. Then we see people talking about him being dead. And it is all in a two hundred year old holo-novel. A holo-novel that has a warp 2 capable vessel catching and overtaking a warp five warship. And boarding her without resistance, and successfully capturing her captain and chief engineer without resistance from the most experienced security officers in Starfleet, etc. etc. etc. ad bullshiteaum.

HOWEVER

Since you said you accept Trip's death as canon, I expected some reference to it to be included in your series finale. Apparently I was wrong about that. I am sorry. That was the part that I just couldn't stomach. If your finale doesn't actually include Trip's death, I will almost certainly read it, although I will hate to see your series end.

[Distracted]

Thanks, BnB. Sorry I overreacted.

[evcake]

Looking forward to reading it with great anticipation. You always do a super job. And I really enjoyed Charlie.

[Dinah]

Distracted, I have to give you a lot of credit. You're a realist. You face life, accept what you cannot change and deal with it. Maybe that goes hand in hand with being a doctor.

I, on the other hand, watch television or read books to get away from the demands life places on me. I have seen the abomination exactly once. I agree with BnB; it was riddled with so many holes that it was almost as if the writers wanted to give fans a reason to doubt its veracity. I understand that the episode is canon. I also know that it's a television show. When bad things happen in my own life, I know that they can't be changed. I can't rewrite an illness, a death in the family or a serious accident and give it a happy ending. When I write a story, however, I can take fate in my hands. For a brief moment, I can shape the destinies of the characters to fit my needs and desires. I do not have to accept things as final if I can envision a way to write my way out of a tragic situation.

I enjoy Trip and T'Pol. I enjoy discussing them with my friends. I enjoy writing about them. I don't want it to end -- and end it must if Trip dies such a pointless, empty death. I started out to write a story with a tragic ending and I couldn't do it. There is enough stress and unhappiness in the world. I wanted at least a tiny glimmer of hope that my favorite charaters could ultimately find some happiness.

Will I read a story that accepts the abomination as canon? Sure. Why not. Our stories take our favorite characters in many different directions. Would I have the courage to write a story like that? Probably not. I think Distracted deserves a lot of credit for taking the road less traveled.