Hey there! So, um, I forgot that I had to do one of these. :) But as every other writer so far got to do this, and will continue to do this, I thought I'd get mine in, too. My story is complete now, after all. :) So, without further ado:

1) If you had to choose ONE, what's the most important thing people should know about you?
That I am tolerant and open-minded. I am very, very reluctant to judge anyone based on what they believe, the lives they lead, etc. I don't know if it's the writer in me, or the fact that I used to be an actor - but there's something in my make-up that makes me always want to understand people on their own terms rather than form an opinion of them. I think this is why I liked Caprica so much - the characters were so fascinating even when they were morally questionable. Also, Atticus Finch will always be my hero. :)

2) Favorite thing about writing fan fiction?
Getting to actually put down in words what is usually going through my head when I'm watching the show anyway! :)

3) Least favorite thing about writing fan fiction?
Wishing I'd come up with characters and stories this good myself!

4) Of all the characters on Caprica, why did you choose to focus on Tamara in this way?
I'd always sort of resented the focus on Zoe during the show, when there were two daughters in V-World. I was always compelled by Tamara, because she seemed to accept V-World in a way that Zoe didn't, and I found that fascinating. What kind of person accepts existing only as an avatar? It struck me as a really Zen position, and something that wouldn't necessarily occur to a teenager. Zoe seems like a typical teenager, just always defiant. Tamara, despite her girlish, high voice and  her more demure style of dress, seems to me like the more mature of the two. It also seemed like a grounded way of being that was informed by her culture and upbringing. Had Caprica gone on, I would've been curious to see what kind of life she would've made for herself in V-World. Would she have continued on with Zoe? Would she have gone back to her life as the heroine of New Cap City - half of the Avenging Angels? Or, would she have done something else entirely? I chose the third option, and I think that I came up with something that was both true to her character and true to where she ended up at the end of Caprica. I hope people enjoyed it!

5) If the technology were available, would you want to be resurrected as a skin-job cylon?
Definitely. I really, really enjoy being alive. Unlike several respondents to this question, I actually do believe in God, even if I don't know what God is. I don't believe we just stop. The thing is, I believe that this world, this universe, our bodies, our hearts, are minds are here for us to enjoy the hell out of them. And I plan on enjoying all of that for as long as I can. And if that means my consciousness has to be contained in a synthetic body, then so be it! It probably wouldn't be forever. After all, I'm sure there comes a point after a couple hundred years where you just wanna stop. But it'd be nice to know that I could decide when that point was and not have it decided for me by my failing body.

Your Guatrau,
Teresa

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.

Well, you've had a couple of days to read the intriguing story, "Prototype," which served as Caprica Episode 2 here at BOL. Now, you can get to know its author a little better! Below is this week's Friday Five with "Prototype" author, JUANITA MARTINEZ!

But before that, an important message:

Editor's Note: I did not say that I have NBC's "permission" to proceed with the site, as per Juanita's interview below. Merely that NBC has no reason to take this down, as they generally don't mind free fan fiction on the web, and nothing here is being sold, so there's no infringement on anyone's intellectual property. Originally, I had the idea for a book of Caprica fan fiction that was shot down by NBC, because it was a clear violation of copyright and it would've been too difficult/costly to get the necessary permissions. If NBC/Universal suddenly decides that my site is a threat to someone somewhere and asks me to take it down, or change elements of it, I will. I'm easy enough to contact (beginningofline@gmail.com). My intent is not to conflict with someone else's intellectual property, merely to keep a story alive that would otherwise flounder into oblivion.

Please note that, as a writer myself who hopes to make a living with her work, I don't mind this at all. I understand the importance of protecting people's intellectual property, particularly where profits are concerned. That being said, do I think that the copyright system as it stands now is totally flawless? No. Am I looking to fight that with this site? Also, no. :) This site is about fun, nothing more. The day it stops being fun for me is the day I take it down. (But I don't see that happening for a long, long time!)

End of line. :)
- Teresa

And now, on to Juanita's interview:

1) If you had to choose ONE, what's the most important thing people should know about you?
I am an Athiest Agnostic and I do not follow a religion. I hope by knowing this, my readers will have a richer understanding of my stories with respect to those topics. Caprica and BSG tell a story about humans, not about "something out there". I believe it's all right here, and it always has been. That doesn't make it any less wonderful. It's great to ask questions and seek the truth, it is what makes us human. I believe our divine creator is ourselves and we continue to create ourselves. It is amazing, a miracle. Of course I could be wrong, that is why I am Agnostic. No self respecting scientist would be so bold as to assume their theory is right without the proper experiments. However, by definition "God" cannot be tested. I hope to stay true to this in my writing. So there is no way for me to say that a belief in God is wrong, because I don't agree with that.   Some of my characters may say it, others will disagree with them. It is the human story.  All I am doing is asking questions, from my own point of view and belief system and I hope others will do the same. Religion is another matter and I just ran out of space here.

 2) Favorite thing about writing fan fiction?
Sharing it with others. I wouldn't do this unless someone will read it. I certainly enjoy watching the movie or the TV, but writing a story and paying homage to the characters and the actors gets me involved on a deeper level and I really like sharing this with people who are also looking for more.
 
3) Least favorite thing about writing fan fiction?
I don't own the characters or the worlds and so there are legal limitations to what you can do with the stories and images and how you can share them.  It actually breaks my heart to know this. Fortunately, lots of people are able to get away with it and we are able to see their content.  Actually a few years ago, Myspace shut down several of my profiles which contained blogs and blogs of stories all written by a large group of RP-ers. We used some real characters from Star Trek, Doctor Who, Stargate, BSG and others, and we invented some characters too, and we had them all interact. One of my favorite scenes we created was a on an a self-aware Star Trek vessel and we had a character based on Admiral Helena Cain trying to hijack the ship in order to destroy it. Neelix (I think) was the only one on board and was locked in sick bay. He disabled the hijacker by injecting her in the neck with a sedative as soon as he could get close to her.  Copyright violation was their reason for taking it all down I suppose, but they never warned me, and they wouldn't restore my profiles.  My bubble was burst and I couldn't imagine investing any more love into it for fear of it all being taken away from me. Then I heard Teresa was starting up BOL, and she told me she got permission from NBC to proceed, and I got back into it. I do have an original story idea developed, and I have written a few "episodes" for it. I wanted to cast John Malkovich as the lead character. The story is written out in a Myspace blog, I haven't logged in for ages because of what happened, I should go take it out before they delete John Malkovich. My ego tells me it's ready for a major motion picture. I like daydreaming.

4) Of all the characters on Caprica, why did you choose to focus on Daniel Graystone?
Actually I didn't really choose to focus on him, he just won't allow himself to be ignored! I chose to focus on Leah and Megan and the first regenerations, and he came along for the ride. Honestly, he just took over and I didn't realize it till you asked me this question. That bastard. Amanda and I will take vengeance next time.

Daniel is an amazing character.  He appears to be quite cold hearted at times and all business. However,  I think I can see he has a reason for everything. He looks at the big picture. He does what he has to in order to survive. If he and his company doesn't survive, he wouldn't be able to accomplish what he really loves which is taking technology to a whole new level.  Will he sacrifice anything to do this? Does he really love his family or is it all for show? Stay tuned! I'm excited to see what the other contributors might come up with.

 
5) If the technology were available, would you want to be resurrected as a skin-job cylon?
Most definitely.  Actually, I remember the day last month or so that I made this decision and I told everyone about it. Dying sucks, it probably hurts, and you get nothing when its over. I'm sorry, I know some people may faithfully believe otherwise, and actually look forward to it. Maybe some people will want to put some special significance on my life as a complete package, beginning middle and ending, or let me live in "memories". Heck no! I want to be there, and its my life and my ending. Yes I know all the sci-fi stories of immortal characters suffering in their own suffering....aww boohoo. Visit a shrink and get a life.  In reality, I'm quite sure that when I die, I'll be completely through, I don't believe there is an afterlife. Darn.

Hello everyone!

Well, four days in and already Beginning of Line has gotten so much love and support from all over the place! To those of you reading and spreading the word, thank you so much! Don't forget that we're on Twitter, as well as Facebook. I'd love to see you there, too.

So, in an attempt to build a sense of community 'round here, and also because I'm nosy, I've decided to start a feature here at BOL called The Friday Five, where I'd ask the same 5 questions every week to that week's writer! As Pema Newton, writer of "Are You Alive?" was our first writer, she gets to be our guinea pig! Take it away, Pema!

1) If you had to choose ONE, what's the most important thing people should know about you?
That I'm a sucker for a good story, well told. They are what I love to read, to watch and to write. I think one of the reasons I have a yen for long form Sci-Fi dramas is because they lend themselves to the telling of complex stories about serious subjects, with arcs that can take years to play out and characters that can totally transform over time.  

2) Favorite thing about writing fan fiction?
It's fun. Who doesn't want to play with other people's toys!  In my case, it was a great sandpit to play in while I developed my plotting, character development, world building and the writing craft. I'd written a first draft of a crime novel while I was living in India, but it had kind of got bogged down. I'd got stuck at 80,000 words and couldn't see a way to land that plane. So, I started writing some stuff online with a group, involving original characters in a DS9 season 8 world. It was really freeing to write for fun, to put stuff out there on a regular basis and have people respond to it. It gave me confidence to pull out the bogged down novel and take it to a Post Grad writing course at university .... an MA and some years later that novel is still in the bottom drawer but the next novel found a publisher and I'm now working on the next in a crime series. (And yet, I STILL have a DS9 tie-in novel rattling around inside my head - beware the power of the sci-fi verse!)

3) Least favorite thing about writing fan fiction?
Eventually you want to be able to take your work to the next level. And that means you need to be able to create original fiction. As much as it's freeing to plunge in and play - it can also let you fall into bad habits (sloppy control of shifting points of view is a trap for young players!). It's good to push the boundaries if you are really looking at writing seriously. However, there are many writers who have made the leap from fan-fiction, Liz Williams writes original sci-fi and Una McCormack writes DS9 tie-ins. In the glory days of Trek on TV there were a lot of writers on those shows with "fan" backgrounds *cough* Ronald D Moore *cough*.  So, if fan fiction is as far as you want to go with your writing, then I'd say, have at it and enjoy. If you hope to write for publication, then don't settle in and get too comfy, keep pushing yourself to write original stuff as well.

4) Of all the characters on Caprica, why did you choose to focus on Fidelia and Clarice?
Simple answer, they were the characters that best served the story. The development of the religious mania of the cylons (as seen in BSG) was, for me, the real hook in Caprica. So, in the finale, seeing Clarice getting her prophecy hat out in front of a congregation of cylons, well, who wouldn't want to get stuck into that!  Clarice is a fascinating piece of work. I never saw her power-crazed lust for power as being mutually exclusive to her having a genuine, (if really frakked up) faith. I imagine she and Lacy will be engaged in a heavy hitting long running internecine war. So, between Zoe, Lacy and Clarice, those cylon kids had a seriously conflicted family life! I wanted to explore the direction Clarice was taking with her religious ambitions. She is far too narcissistic to ever admit her vision of apotheosis was a mistake, but really, it was an absurd idea! There are much more potent ways to gain religious converts, as our own long history of proselytising on the back of missionary work to the desperate, the hungry and the poor has shown. Seeing Clarice working "smarter" had a lot of appeal.  As for Fiddy, well, the Taurons seemed to me to be the least likely to embrace the whole concept of an "eternal" life in a V-heaven. In fact they don't seem fond of the whole V-world fad, the last Guatrau's experience with a holoband didn't end well, after all. Joseph, Sam and Evelyn only ever entered V-world for work reasons - not pleasure. Above all, the Tauron desire to "return to the soil" implied an acceptance of the finality of death.  So that begged the question of what would tempt a Tauron to want to upload an avatar? I think recognising the vulnerable and offering them salvation is the genius of Zoe/Clarice/Lacy's new and improved apotheosis, achieved by working with menial cylon labourers - and a Tauron was the perfect subject to demonstrate its effectiveness.  I reckon Fidelia, The Guatrau, would be appalled were she ever to discover that she had been manipulated by an old lover in such a way.

5) If the technology were available, would you want to be resurrected as a skin-job cylon?
No. But that's easy to say now, isn't it? Ask me again when I'm old, in pain, or facing a serious illness...what would it take to tempt you to upload?


Thanks, Pema! And if you haven't already checked out her story, "Are You Alive?", what are you waiting for?! It's right there on the CURRENT EPISODE page! :)

Your Guatrau,
Teresa