Hello everyone!

So, I am returned from L.A. and I had an amazing, frantic, wonderfully busy time. However, the fact that I was busy with other things meant that I didn't edit the next couple of stories as I was hoping to do in my downtime. So, I'll need this week to catch up, meaning that the NEXT NEW EPISODE WILL NOW POST MARCH 1ST.

Do not panic! Beginning Of Line is not going by the wayside, which is why I'm taking the time to update the blog and let you all know what's going on. Also, I was considering posting on a day later this week, but I'd really like to keep the new posts to Tuesdays, so that even if we have to take a week or two off, there's always the consistent day for people to check back for new content. BOL - providing consistency, you know, the way SyFy didn't. /snark

As for the video contest, I am EXTENDING the deadline by a week! Videos are now due to me by FEBRUARY 28th. We will also be skipping reader voting and going directly to Sasha Roiz without passing "Go" and collecting $200 so as to stay as close to the timeline for debuting the new opening credits sequence as possible.

So, if you're interested in entering the VIDEO CONTEST, email me at beginningofline[at]gmail[dot]com and I will send you the theme song you'll be working with so you can get started!

Oh, and just because this moment filled me with squeeing, fangirl delight, check out the HIGHLIGHT OF MY TRIP. :)

See you next week! And in the meantime, there are FIVE stories to catch up on over here. If there are any friends of yours who loved (or are currently getting to know) Caprica who haven't stopped by the site,

Your Guatrau,
Teresa

Two important announcements, kids!

1) The window for entering the BOL "Opening Credits" Video Contest is now CLOSED. Thank you to everyone who entered! If you entered via email on or before Feb 11, you should now have an email in your inbox from me explaining how to proceed. Your finished videos are due on FEBRUARY 20TH and reader voting begins on February 21st!

2) BEGINNING OF LINE IS ON HIATUS THIS WEEK! Your faithful Guatrau will be in L.A. this week, and so won't be able to update the page. BUT, this gives you the perfect opportunity to catch up on all the stories you've missed, as well as to get new readers over to the page! :) The next all-new Caprica story will post TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22ND.

Try not to wreck the place while I'm gone! ;

After a good part of the day down, Weebly finally got its act together and Beginning of Line is back.

And I've finally put my money where my mouth is. :) Episode 5 is the first part of a 3-part story I've got planned called "Safe Journey." This first one is called "Safe Journey: Hypatian's Bluff." I hope you enjoy it. If you don't enjoy the story, at the very least you should enjoy the GORGEOUS illustration of Sam and Tamara Adama submitted by the super-talented ABBY GEIGER! 

This episode is also the premiere of a new feature at BOL! Composer Bernard Kyer has volunteered to do "Previously on Caprica" videos for us, for which he composed another short piece of music! I love that we attract such a talented group of folks! :)

Enjoy! And I'll see you in the forums! :)

Your Guatrau,
Teresa

Hello everyone!
As you can see on several tabs of the site, we're a bit out of sorts here at Beginning of Line. Weebly's experiencing some kind of a glitch, and so formatting isn't saving and links are going wonky.

As Episode 5, which is my story (of course!), is a bit dependent on certain things being properly italicized, I've decided not to leave the story up, as you wouldn't be reading it the way I intended it to be read, and in general, I'd hate the site to be up in a half‐assed way. There's also been some issues with links, which is why the Contributors page is now down, as well as the Story Archive.

I'll be out all day today at Social Media Week, and so won't be able to even address the issues until later this evening. But please know that the second Weebly's working properly again, I will have this week's episode up.

Thank you for your patience, and for visiting Beginning of Line! I hope you'll come back soon!

Your Guatrau,
Teresa Jusino

It's 5 to midnight on the East Coast as I type this, so technically it's still Artsy Monday! Sorry this is going up so late, but I was out all day at Day One of Social Media Week. Lots of fun, but I came home to much work! :)

You might know JUANITA MARTINEZ as the author of "Prototype," but she's also a very talented artist! Not only did she illustrate her own story, but she provided a lovely sketch of Amanda Graystone for the second part of "Vengeance is Mine!" As you've read the answers to several of the usual Artsy Monday questions as part of her Friday Five interview, here are her answers only to the art‐specific questions. Enjoy!

1) What do you enjoy about fan art?
Fan art is great because it's sort of like cheating. There are lots of topics and images available to choose from, so much of the thinking is already done for you.  When I create fan art, I already know I'm going to love the end result regardless of how technically good it is. I've made some regular art that has given me negative reactions, so much that I have cried about it. True story - I almost quit painting forever because of my last painting of some high waves crashing on a beach. I guess it disturbed me. It seems this Caprica art has brought me back.

2) Least favorite/most difficult thing about creating fan art?
Well there is always a flip side to the coin. There is a pressure of creating something super good for the fans. I feel that, unlike original art, fan art doesn't belong to the creator, it belongs to the fans, and you want to give them something worthy of the subject which they love.

3) How do you decide on an element to focus on? Is it motivated by characters you enjoy, a storyline you enjoy, both?
I am glad to approach both the fan fic and art from any possible direction, it depends on where the inspiration starts. For the Amanda portrait, the inspiration came from a beautiful scene in "The Shape of Things to Come" where Amanda is holding Zoe on the couch and caressing her arm. The mother finally has her beloved daughter back. I paused the video to contemplate this. They are both watching Daniel on TV. I took some screen shots of this and printed them out so I could study their faces. Once I drew Amanda's face, I felt that Zoe, who was resting on her neck, wasn't necessary for this drawing. I drew Amanda because she is very beautiful as well as intelligent. Her hair is blond and soft, and I love her glasses. As drew from my printout, I realized how serious her expression was. She is not smiling or squinting. The lighting was harsh and her clothes are plain and she is holding her attention to what is in front of her. To me, it's not just a portrait it's a glimpse at her soul and her experiences. Her look is classic. This could be a portrait of any woman generations before her or after. So for this drawing, I was motivated by the character, not necessarily the scene she was in. This is why it works for this weeks story.  In contrast, the art I did for my story "Prototype" was motivated by the scene. It is strange because the story was originally motivated by Amanda operating the Zoe regeneration in "The Shape of Things to Come" (giving birth a second time?), so Amanda was at the beginning of it all for this drawing too. In starting this artwork I knew I wanted to draw Leah and Megan in the moment of truth of regeneration, mostly I wanted to capture Megan's soul as she is watching it. I felt that this landmark experiment needed lots of witnesses and helping hands, so Dr. Susan Murphy's character was created as I drew her. Her chosen hairstyle is one of my top favorites, Lady Gaga's hairstyle on the cover of Rolling Stone holding her bra guns. In summary, the Amanda portrait for "Vengeance is Mine pt. 2"  was motivated by the character and the "Prototype" drawing was motivated by the scene I invented, while Susan's character was motivated by the drawing itself as well as something completely unrelated. Sometimes art just happens, so it's really important to just let it but its just as important that you don't force it as I did with my Ocean painting. There is no color in these drawings because that would be forcing it for me. However, I know full well that the observer of my art may focus on something else and not see my motivation, but that's OK because they may be seeing something I missed.

The Friday Five is back! And this week, we shine a light on the writer responsible for the two-part story, Vengeance is Mine. Say hello to RHESA SEALY!

1) If you had to choose ONE, what's the most important thing people should know about you?

I’m a movie buff. I firmly believe popcorn and movies go together. I love genre and action movies the most, but I’m also a big fan of the classics. I’ll take a good Alfred Hitchcock movie any day of the week. When I hear the word Duke, I think John Wayne. When I see Tiffany’s, I think Audrey Hepburn and Breakfast at Tiffany’s. I love [everything from] the hard-boiled stuff to the funny classics. I sometimes wish I were around for that era of movies. From Bogart to Bacall to the Hepburns, I love classic Hollywood movies. I’ve got the fast growing collection of DVDs to prove it. :)

2) Favorite thing about writing fan fiction?

My favourite [thing about] this was writing it. This was my first attempt at fan fiction. I knew it was out there, but Caprica was the first show that left me sad and wanting more. So having the chance (thanks by the way for it) to write my story and having it up on BOL was my favourite part.

3) Least favorite thing about writing fan fiction?

Well for me, it was trying to stay true to the characters and their voices. After all, the fans have these set characters already in their head; from Sasha Roiz to Eric Stoltz playing these amazing characters from a show they love. So I found it difficult. I kept having to imagine and look back and say to myself do they sound like these characters? So that part of writing was tough for me.

4) Of all the characters on Caprica, why did you choose to focus on The Adamas and the Graystones in this way?

I was really surprised when they killed Tomas off and I felt like I barely knew him. Tomas was very charismatic and even though he was on for a short period I thought there should be a more Tauran resolution so I paired the Adamas and the Graystones back up.  I had always liked the interaction with Joseph and Daniel and what little interaction Sam and Amanda had, so I thought I’d double up and give them a common threat. Also, it helped to set up Matthew Zarek’s mini story line (shivers) and advance the BSG thread I had within the story.

The Adamas and the Graystones are so interesting and complex and I always felt that from the beginning their destinies were intertwined. The first season started showing some of that, so I wanted to solidify it in my own way. They are such opposites from their culture, to religious thinking to family, but they have a few similarities and I wanted to show how they band together as Adamas, Graystones and the Adamas and Graystones. I think it worked out better than I imagined.

5) If the technology were available, would you want to be resurrected as a skin-job cylon?

I don’t think so. That’s probably why I’m fond of the Adamas and the Tauran ideology. I like the idea of having one life and doing the best I can with it. I’ll be okay returning to the soil when my time comes. I’ll just keep living as best as possible. Knowing if I had the option would be nice, but I don’t think it’s for me.

Welcome back for an all-new episode here at Beginning of Line!

This week, we have Part 2 of Rhesa Sealy's "Vengeance Is Mine," in which we discover who exactly is behind the Tauran-centric mystery of Part 1. Episode 4 also features new artwork from Juanita Martinez, as well as another hilarious ad from Janice Orlando. Go check it out by clicking our CURRENT EPISODE link!

Also, don't forget about our VIDEO CONTEST! Email Beginning of Line by February 11th to enter and receive the theme song you'll be using in your video! And remember, Sam Adama himself, SASHA ROIZ, will be selecting the winner from our Top 3 entries after a reader vote, so let's make these good, people! :)

Lastly, don't forget about the AVENGING ANGELS link! I'm going to be more active about suggesting loans to support in the coming weeks, but I'd love to be able to say that Caprica fans get behind more than just supporting their show. So say we all!

Your Guatrau,
Teresa