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At The Bright Empire....

04 Jul 2015 16:28 #43008 by brantley
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The third set:

Pictures of an Expedition:
www.brightempire.com/Pictures.html

Throne of the Gods:
www.brightempire.com/Throneofthegods.htm

--Brantley

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04 Jul 2015 16:29 #43009 by brantley
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The fourth set:

Options:
www.brightempire.com/Options.htm

Encounter at Westfold, Parts One and Two:
www.brightempire.com/Westfold.pdf
www.brightempire.com/Westfold-2.pdf

PASSION PLAY, now in progress, is an overview of her life, but also fills in some of the gaps between the other stories.

--Brantley

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04 Jul 2015 20:46 #43016 by Woodclaw
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Thanks Brantley.

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05 Jul 2015 13:41 #43026 by brantley
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Happy reading, Woodclaw, and -- hopefully -- others!

--Brantley

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07 Jul 2015 11:30 - 07 Jul 2015 11:31 #43051 by brantley
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We're on the eve of Comic Con, which I'm not going to, but which we all know will be the occasion of a PR blitz for the new Supergirl series on CBS this fall. So I'm taking the occasion to weigh in on the possible significance of the show to the culture generally and to our little corner of it:

www.brightempire.com/SG-CBS.htm

A few other minor changes to PASSION PLAY and "Moment of Truth," as mentioned on the What's New page. And a reboot of a really old story (from way back in 2002), "You, and Each of You." which needed to be reformatted.

www.brightempire.com/You.htm

--Brantley
Last edit: 07 Jul 2015 11:31 by brantley.

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08 Jul 2015 16:01 #43067 by brantley
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And a bit of explanation about the genesis of PASSION PLAY:

www.brightempire.com/behind_stories.htm

--Brantley

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29 Jul 2015 19:55 - 29 Jul 2015 20:51 #43420 by brantley
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Besides updating EMPRESS OF THE DAWN III, I have it in mind to take up another uncompleted story:

www.brightempire.com/Walking.htm

This was started by Jordan “Ultragirl” Taylor way back in 2005, and was inspired by the movie WALKING TALL. But Jordan moved on a few years late.I finally finished another story we’d started, THE POPCORN WAR, in 2013. Just the other day, I came across an old e-mail that gave some details of what she’d had in mind for WALKING TALL::

<<They will talk about what has been happening a bit. Carla won’t say too much though. She may be cryptic even.

The next day will be the football match. Patricia will say it’s a game she learned in the Legion. That’s where she’ll meet her old school rival.

Her rival is actually selling off-world weapons to the locals to make money under the pretense that they will need protection when the Arions invade. Really, she is selling them for the Arions who obviously won’t be affected much by the weapons. Patricia’s first hint of this is from her uncle. She dismisses it.

Patricia comes home one night to find her uncle dead due to gambling debts. She finds evidence of the use of the off-world weapon. Obviously, she wants them out of her town.
Her first step is finding the main dealer though the pushers. This will involve the thorough destruction of a gang’s hideout.

Another scene will have her being visited by the local authorities, who are also in on it. They’ll want to search the house, she won’t let them. I have some good pics for Shadar to enhance if he will do that.>>

I don’t have any idea what those pics would have been. But I came across a soft-corn porn video starting Patricia Ford, the very model Jordan had chosen for the heroine, and it co-stars a guy who actually looks nice (male porn stars tend to be grungy), and there are scenes that are sexy in a fun way instead of a gross way:

kulakustash.blogspot.com/2010/11/patricia-ford.html

I figure the guy can be Patricia’s boyfriend in the story.

--Brantley
Last edit: 29 Jul 2015 20:51 by brantley.

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04 Aug 2015 16:57 #43480 by brantley
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www.brightempire.com/Empress-3.pdf

It's been three months since I've added anything to Empress of the Dawn III, and the reason for that is that I've found it very hard to make the transition from one stage of the story to the next. Jumping from the exile of Alexius to the climactic war with the Aureans, as I had originally planned, was too abrupt. I had to do more to set the stage – in terms of Kalla's personal angst over the loss of her lover and the tangled web of secrets and lies she has been engaged in, the procrastination of Velor and the Scalantrans, and the troubled progress of Andros itself.

--Brantley

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18 Aug 2015 19:16 - 18 Aug 2015 19:17 #43692 by brantley
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www.brightempire.com/Walking.htm

www.brightempire.com/Popcorn.pdf


Walking Tall is a story that was begun way back in 2005 by Jordan Taylor, who also began The Popcorn War in 2003. It was inspired by the 1973 movie about a former professional wrestler turned lawman in Tennessee, but here the protagonist is Patricia Ortiz, a veteran of the Velorian Legion who returns home to her planet, Alguna Parte, after serving on Novo Recife in the earlier story.

The first chapter was posted ten years ago, and a missing chapter three years ago. By then, Jordan had long since retired from writing, and I thought there wasn't any way to continue the story – although I did manage to finish The Popcorn War in 2013 after several setbacks. But I recently came across some old notes and correspondence of Jordan's and decided to take a stab at Walking Tall. That involved giving Patricia a family besides Uncle Teo and his son Rick, and providing an identity for her old boyfriend Reynaldo, not to mention taking note of the strange reaction of Clara, an old friend, to her return.

All this, plus giving a bit more of a background to Alguna Parte and its culture, and Uncle Teo's business there, are just part of the setup – the main story is yet to come. There are also some changes to The Popcorn War and earlier postings of Walking Tall itself to clarify the internal chronology of Patricia's life on both worlds.

--Brantley
Last edit: 18 Aug 2015 19:17 by brantley.
The following user(s) said Thank You: SHTL

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31 Aug 2015 15:00 #43984 by brantley
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Working on some revisions and updates to FIRST PROTECTOR. The situation has been confusing to readers because it's now split into two Books (There will ultimately be three), but with an older version of what became Book Two included in the first. I've also noticed some errors of continuity between FIRST PROTECTOR and HOMECOMING III, and have been working to straighten out the cross-references.

--Brantley

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02 Sep 2015 12:30 #44017 by brantley
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www.brightempire.com/First-1.pdf

www.brightempire.com/First-2.pdf

Readers may be understandably confused/annoyed by the status of First Protector. Two chapters of the original version appeared in 2006 at Shadar's AUOW site, but that was all. In 2013, he and I collaborated on a longer version, which went through some minor edits. But then Shadar reconceived the story as three books, and was going to work on Book One while I worked on Book Two. Only, part of what became Book Two, posted earlier this year, was already embedded in Book One, and the new version alluded to a new villain, Mal'kar, who hadn't appeared in the original version. We had a working draft of the new version of Book One, to which I had added a brief allusion to Mal'kar, and I referenced him in Book Two. The full story of his involvement with Vespyr is yet to come, but to give readers a sense of the overall story I have uploaded the draft of Book One and updated Book Two.

--Brantley

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15 Sep 2015 22:33 - 15 Sep 2015 22:36 #44173 by brantley
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www.brightempire.com/Walking.htm

A short but important update to Walking Tall] today. Nothing of great import has been happening on Alguna Parte up to now, and certainly nothing to change the life of returned Legionnaire Patricia Ortiz. But now the shit has hit the fan, and from now on the story will follow the spirit if not entirely the letter of what Jordan Taylor had in mind,

--Brantley Thompson Elkins
Last edit: 15 Sep 2015 22:36 by brantley.

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18 Sep 2015 20:48 #44200 by brantley
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Winter is icumen in -- NOT!

But I probably won't be able to do any further updating of FIRST PROTECTOR until then, because I want to await further input from Shadar, because where he lives outdoors is a lot more fun than indoors until the weather changes. Will concentrate on other things until then...

In the meantime, maybe somebody else can design that flamebird icon outfit for Protectors...


--Brantley

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18 Sep 2015 22:17 #44205 by Woodclaw
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brantley wrote: Winter is icumen in -- NOT!

But I probably won't be able to do any further updating of FIRST PROTECTOR until then, because I want to await further input from Shadar, because where he lives outdoors is a lot more fun than indoors until the weather changes. Will concentrate on other things until then...

In the meantime, maybe somebody else can design that flamebird icon outfit for Protectors...


--Brantley


I'm not expert designer, but I might be able to cobble something together, any specific idea or input?

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19 Sep 2015 17:46 #44218 by brantley
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Well, attached is the image Shadar created or found somewhere for the flamebird. The trick would be to tweak it enough to go on a uniform (which wouldn't be flat in front, obviously), which in turn would have to be put on a model (for Vespyr in First Protector, that would be Kate Bosworth).

--Brantley

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19 Sep 2015 17:47 - 20 Sep 2015 09:32 #44219 by brantley
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Well, attached is the image Shadar created or found somewhere for the flamebird. The trick would be to tweak it enough to go on a uniform (which wouldn't be flat in front, obviously), which in turn would have to be put on a model (for Vespyr in First Protector, that would be Kate Bosworth).

--Brantley

Last edit: 20 Sep 2015 09:32 by Woodclaw.

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20 Sep 2015 09:33 #44224 by Woodclaw
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brantley wrote: Well, attached is the image Shadar created or found somewhere for the flamebird. The trick would be to tweak it enough to go on a uniform (which wouldn't be flat in front, obviously), which in turn would have to be put on a model (for Vespyr in First Protector, that would be Kate Bosworth).

--Brantley


That's the Warhmmer 40k Imperium banner, which I don't think it's that useable for a public production, I'll try to tweak it a tad more if possible.

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20 Sep 2015 17:20 #44225 by brantley
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Thanks a bunch for going to the trouble!

--Brantley

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21 Sep 2015 16:31 #44237 by brantley
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Here are the top ten items clicked on yesterday at The Bright Empire:

1. /Tanznight.pdf 3,954 28 2.09%
2. /fit.htm 17,493 19 1.10%
3. /Empress-2.pdf 6,342 15 5.91%
4. /Empress-3.pdf 2,102 14 7.08%
5. /Rescue.pdf 4,233 13 2.84%
6. /new.htm 47,312 13 4.42%
7. /AFewReal.html 9,734 10 0.08%
8. /Homecoming-1.pdf 4,485 9 1.52%
9. /au_history.htm 6,876 9 0.07%
10. /Peril.htm 12,213 8 0.28%

"Fit for a Supergirl," which has been accessed nearly 17,500 times since it was posted in 2012, usually comes out on top. I figure people must find it by Googling "Supergirl," and hits on it have increased with all the publicity about the coming TV series. But why would a bunch of people suddenly be interested in Tanzrobian Nights and the Empress of the Dawn sequels or The Rescue> Darned of I know.

--Brantley

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15 Oct 2015 15:08 #44578 by brantley
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Something quite unexpected today: the completion of Passion Play.

www.brightempire.com/Passion.htm

It was in the process of writing a new chapter about the birth and naming of Lillith Liddell, the daughter of Andre and Alisa, that I realized that this could be the occasion for introducing Andre's family, which had never been seen before, and to say something about his relations with them -- which are impacted by his relationship with Alisa, of which they had known nothing before his disappearance (seeming death) and strained by the fact that he and Alisa could tell them nothing about what actually happened, the events of the Rostran expedition being under seal.

But then I realized that being part of Andre's family as well as her own would change her outlook, and even help shape her world view and sense of purpose. And both the birth of Lillith and the nature of her unexpected christening ceremony hark back to themes in the early chapters and resonate with them. The circle was complete, and the further outcome had already been told in "Options," subject now to some minor tweaks. (www.brightempire.com/Options.htm)

An update to Walking Tall was comparatively routine; it sets the stage for the story of Patricia's quest for justice/vengeance after the murder of her beloved Uncle Teo. The quest itself has yet to be written, or any of its details worked out.

www.brightempire.com/Walking.htm

--Brantley Thompson Elkins

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03 Nov 2015 10:31 #44961 by brantley
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Supergirl, the new hit series on CBS, has been getting rave reviews in the mainstream media, and from superhero comics.movie fans. I wish I could share their enthusiasm in my own review, which I wrote last week after the premiere and have edited a bit for my 74th birthday update. But while I find the concept and the characters appealing, I think the way the story has been developed has been clumsy and unconvincing. I don't think my criticisms will win me any friends here or elsewhere in the superhero genre film and TV community. So be it.

www.brightempire.com/SupergirlTV.htm

I wouldn't want that review to be the only thing I have to show for myself on my birthday, so I've also put up another chapter of Walking Tall, the story begun a decade ago by Jordan Taylor about Patricia, the Velorian Legionnaire who has returned home to Alguna Parte after serving on Novo Recife – and discovers that all is not well. Her stepfather Teo, who has expanded his business with help from her, has since been murdered, after having been unknowingly drawn into a plot to manufacture alien weapons. Now the man who was her boyfriend before she joined the Legion and is now her step brother-in-law has more bad news for her – and a idea for how she can help his agency expose the magnate behind the conspiracy. But there are also family secrets and complications as Patricia's kinfolk prepare for the funeral of their father.

www.brightempire.com/Walking.htm

--Brantley Thompson Elkins

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03 Nov 2015 12:58 #44965 by Raa
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Happy BIrthday.

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25 Nov 2015 10:18 #45369 by brantley
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www.brightempire.com/Delphic.htm
www.brightempire.com/Justice.pdf
Off today to celebrate Thanksgiving with kin tomorrow, but I didn't want to leave before offering holiday "food" for entertainment.
“Delphic Obstacles” features a character we've met before, the Keslsorian Peter Durgin, who was introduced 12 years ago in “Alisa’s Story,” and whose career has had its ups and downs since then – as detailed in Shore Leave. It also features a locale we've met before, Delphi, a planet in the Reigellian system that was introduced by Shadar ten years ago in “Blind Justice.”
The story lines of Kelsor 7 and Reigel Five have never figured together before, but in "Moment of Truth," Naomi Kim'Vallara had advised Durgin to try to find a new life on Delphi – no longer a prison colony since the Revolution at the end of The High Cruel Years but still a source of high-grade ores that can bring prosperity back to Reigel Five – only the mining is still so dangerous that it has attracted expatriate Velorians and Aureans, and can offer a fresh chance to Durgin, enhanced in Shore Leave and thus made an alien on his own homeworld -- but he still has to make something of it.
To rationalize the background of "Delphic Obstacles," I have made some tweaks to "Blind Justice" that relate to the background and some of the characters in the new story. I have also gone through all three parts of The High Cruel Years to eliminate typos that I somehow missed when I first posted that serial back in 2005-6.

--Brantley Thompson Elkins

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07 Dec 2015 15:52 #45556 by brantley
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Have no idea why, but the number of clicks yesterday for the Bright Empire website suddenly jumped to 2,501 from 606 Saturday and a range of 497 to 892 over the month before that. Evelyn York's "Fit for a Supergirl" led as usual, with 31 (total 18,990), but second was Velvet's "Rocky Mountain High" at 21 (total 2,514 since Jan. 31, 2010) and third was "Walking Tall," the Jordan Taylor story I've recently been continuing, at 13 (2,870). Four other stories got at least 10 clicks, and 35 got seven to nine clicks. Is this just a fluke or have I finally been Discovered by a larger audience?

--Brantley

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07 Dec 2015 19:56 #45558 by cbaby
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I've always wondered where to start wrt to the stories? Is there one particular one to start with or recommended?

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