Star Traks: Howlers

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Re: Star Traks: Howlers

Post by Star Traks »

"Senior officers to the conference room. We have a new, furry development," he said. He closed the channel, then turned to Belis, "A disobedient Howler is a major problem. A pregnant one, on the other hand, is Dr. Wolfman's dream come true."

Bundle of Joy in the Works? Reminds me of The Incredibles movie with two jack jack attacks

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Chakotay: [referring to injury] Do you always harpoon the local wildlife?
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Re: Star Traks: Howlers

Post by b-guy »

Star Traks: Howlers - #5 What's the Frequency? is now on the Traks Unleashed page.

The sound you are now hearing is trouble as the Howlers come up against a force even they can't deal with. The search for answers leads to more questions that they may not want to be asking.

http://www.star-traks.com/unleash/unleash.html
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Re: Star Traks: Howlers

Post by b-guy »

New Star Traks: Howlers!

It what has to be a new record for 'Longest Wait in a Traks Series', Howlers 6 is now available on the Star Traks Nexus.

Yes, eight years have passed since Howlers 5, and we've TOSsed (ahem) Brendan just a bit of side-eye over the delay. But for the Howlers, things are picking up right where they left off.

A new mission, a new target and a brutal assault by an angry pussycat are just the start of the Howler's troubles this time around...things aboard the USS Farkas are heating up, and Mayle and Travs are about to learn that the existence of the Howlers isn't the only secret being kept...
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Re: Star Traks: Howlers

Post by b-guy »

Comments - Howlers 6 - Pieces

Wow. Eight years. Yes, eight years between stories. And probably six or seven actually spent writing it. I don't even remember when I started it...that opening scene in Mayle's quarters with the cat has been sitting in my Dropbox for so long...

I hit writer's block hard with this story. Brick wall, full stop, do not pass Go, do not write 200 words. When I originally started it, I had an ending in mind for the mini-series that was very different than the ending I have planned now...it actually would have involved the Howlers going on a mission into a super-secret, broadly-implied-to-be-Section-31 facility to break into the wreckage of the USS Vilkas in search of the cure to the Howler Virus. The introduction of the box of sensor jamming nano-bots was supposed to be one of many tools they would acquire in order to go up against a technologically advanced foe instead of their usual criminal scum.

But I'm not doing that. It might be a sort of cool idea, but it wouldn't solve what I've come to view as the ultimate problem of this story arc...and I'm not ready to reveal what that is just yet. :lol:

What did stay the same from my original idea for this story through to the final version was that I needed to get some resolution around Travs' pregnancy. That little twist is the classic example of a 'gotcha' moment that seemed really good when I wrote it at the end of Howlers 4, but as my ideas for the ending of the mini-series coalesced, it turned into more of a problem. A problem that ties into my very long rant on the Nexus post/blog about how our sense of what's funny evolves over the years. I could think of several ways to work a Howler pregnancy and even a Howler baby into the story, but none of the ideas coming to mind seemed funny. They seemed heartless at best, cruel and exploitative and worst.
Spoiler
So that's why Travs' pregnancy had to end. Originally I just wanted to get the fetus out of her and into a stasis tube...something I could pack away like Felix the cat, and have it return when and if it were needed. But now I have something else in mind...
I came back to Howlers 6 several times over the years, managing to write a scene here, a scene there. I finally managed to sit down and finish it a month or two ago. Howlers 7 was supposed to be the final story, Mayle would spill the beans to the Howlers about the USS Vilkas and the other group of Howlers and things would be set in motion! Well, spoiler alert, but that didn't happen. What started as a throw-away intro scene to Howlers 7 quickly turned into an opportunity for some much-needed character development. And BOOM! While Howlers 6 took years of slow, pain-staking progress, Howlers 7 poured out in a couple of weeks. I don't think Howlers 8 will be that easy, but hopefully it won't be a multi-year slog either.

Back to Howlers 6 though. It's probably been a long time since anyone read the previous Howlers stories, but in #4 I start hinting that maybe the Howlers have at least one ally aboard the Farkas. Maybe. And I think at some level, although it fit the story, the treatment of the Howlers has really bothered me. And it's definitely very much against the vision of humanity that Gene Roddenberry wanted to show with Star Trek. Of course, this sort of thing is common in Trek...see the trope of the evil, corrupt Admirals and their loyal followers. But it also makes Howlers darker as a series. However, as we get closer to the end of the series, it's finally time to start revealing that there are more Howler allies aboard the Farkas, and that they've been quietly laying in wait. As the series wraps up, it's going to be fun playing with all the pieces of the puzzle and revealing who the good guys and bad guys are.

Speaking of things that didn't go as planned, I originally didn't intent for Paulson and her boyfriends to be a thruple. Having her fool around with one of the males on her team was just a cheap excuse for me to make a 'switching teams' joke, stemming from Canadian military policy. If two members of a troop or platoon start a relationship, one has to move so they're in separate chains of command. Then it evolved into more cheap jokes with a few different Howlers hooking up...and I didn't like how that was going. Sure, when you have an isolated group like that people will absolutely pair off and fool around. But especially with Syl getting involved, it just felt like there would be more emotional involvement.

Anyway. Back in two weeks with Howlers 7. Whether or not this turns into a story run that ends the mini-series is still up in the air...I haven't written much of 8 yet, and the original plan was to sneak Howlers 6 and Great Bird 5 in before Anthony starts his TVG run. So we'll see how much he's willing to let me screw up his posting schedule. :wink:
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Re: Star Traks: Howlers

Post by cmdrajd »

I enjoyed this one. Despite having not read a Howlers story since the previous one (Wow, it doesn't seem like 8 years ago), I fell right back in with the characters and the situation. You were really juggling a bunch of things in this one and handled them all really well, I thought. The story is paced well, works in a solid action sequence in the middle, and then has a fairly tense, suspenseful bit near the end (I'm being quite vague, since this was just posted a couple of days ago). My favorite scene was probably the messing with the transporter operator one. It was a quieter section, but it made me chuckle.

After reading your comments, I can honestly say that I had no idea that the story was written over so long a period. It all flows well, and there's no sense that a storyline has been changed.

I really like that the whole crew isn't on board with how the Howlers are being treated. It adds layers to things and will be interesting to watch play out over the rest of the series.
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Re: Star Traks: Howlers

Post by b-guy »

New Star Traks: Howlers! #7 - Holidays of Yesteryear

It may have been a record-long wait between Howlers 5 and 6, but #7 sure has come out at a rapid pace!

Counsellor Tomillo decides that maybe the Howlers have been under a little bit too much pressure, and a cancelled mission provides the perfectly opportunity for them to sit back, catch their breath…and maybe do some long-overdue reflection…
Last edited by b-guy on Sun Apr 10, 2022 8:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Star Traks: Howlers

Post by b-guy »

Comments for Howlers #7 - Holidays of Yesteryear

The first comment I have for this one is "Holy crap, that story came together fast!" After the years it took to write Howlers 6, I didn't expect 7 to pour out in less than two weeks. The opening scene with Tomillo's group counselling session was just supposed to be the introductory scene, with a laugh or two. But it morphed into a chance to take a deeper look at the Howlers themselves, and from there, I realized there were a few specific stories I wanted to tell:

The first was something linking back to family. As the mini-series progressed, I really wanted the family separation to be a bigger deal, but it kept getting overshadowed by the issues in the stories. So it stayed on the back-burner, even as it became more and more obvious that the people in the Howler's situation just would not mange to be separated from their loved ones this way. So this started as Vanheath's flashback to the last time he saw his family...but it built into the final scene of the story, where Belis reveals just why the Howlers haven't been so concerned with their isolation. This little plot twist wasn't planned, but I felt like I needed a reason why the Howlers were so...accepting of their situation.

With Nacht and Morreth, I had two things in mind. I wanted to show a friendship as opposed to a family connection, but I also wanted to plant the seeds for Morreth to come back to the pack, so to speak. I mentioned in my comments for 6 that my plans for the ending have changed considerably, and with them so has Morreth's role. But I wanted his return to feel a bit more...reasonable. I also wanted to make a reference to Dice Funk, a D&D comedy podcast I listen to. Hosted by Austin Yorski (hence the Yorski Pavilion.) I also wanted to look a bit at how Morreth just isn't your average Klingon, but in a way that implied he really wanted to be. He doesn't live up to the stereotype, but part of him wants to. First by role-playing these strong, brave warrior types, and then being a Howler. It is something that has sort of become like a security blanket for him.

I'm going to skip over Paulson, Porkshop and Syl for a minute, as I suspect I'll have more to say there. But for the final flashback I wanted to address something that has also been left unsaid for too many stories: In some ways, being a Howler is awesome! That ability to become a wolf, to see the world through new eyes, to feel with a different heart...all the things the female Changeling tried to explain to Odo. But also the pain at how those abilities have been perverted into instruments of death. And finally, the pity towards Mayle, who they feel should be able to change, but just...can't. They don't want to tell him about all the wonderful aspects of being a Howler, because they don't want him to feel left out or pitied. But those feelings are there. And Travs flashback finally gave me an opportunity to put them into words.

OK, finally, the thruple. Oh boy. Where to start. OK, let's start by saying that Star Trek, up until Discovery, has been horrible in its portrayal of LGBT persons, LGBT relationships, non-traditional relationships, and queer relationships & sex. And TBH, where Trek went, Traks followed. I could do a whole blog post on this, all of our series clearly reflect the mentality of white men who grew up in the 90s/00s and were influenced by the stereotypes of the time. So although Paulson, Porkchop and Sly started off as a cheap gag about people banging in the Jefferies tubes, it very quickly became an opportunity to introduce...all sorts of stuff. The notion of thruples or group relationships is something we've seen in some other sci-fi (Caprica, The Expanse, Marsbound come to mind), but not really in Trek. So it was really interesting for me to not only introduce that in Howlers 6, but now to go back and look at how their relationship actually started.

I'll admit to a lot of struggling with these scenes. On the one hand, this story takes place in the 24th Century. Humanity has evolved, moved past our differences. The struggles we have today with toxic masculinity, harassment, assault, women being afraid to walk the streets alone...all that is gone. And yet to not at least acknowledge it would mean that I risk coming across as naive at best, moving on to creepy or worse. Paulson shouldn't have to have any concern with going off to a secluded part of the ship with two males, but I'm sure any female reading this story today would have their alarm bells going off. And it's so frustrating that that's where we're at. I wanted to show three people coming together, but it was very difficult to do it in a way that didn't come off as a) creepy, b) threatening, c) pornographic. No wonder Roddenberry struggled with the portrayal of sex in Trek in the 70s. (Anyone else read the novelization of TMP?)

It might have been easier to write this as an established couple inviting a third into their relationship, but that left two choices: a gay couple inviting a female, or a heterosexual couple inviting in a male. Porkchop and Syl aren't gay. I know, a lot of males today, if they read this, would laugh and say 'They banged, they're gay. You heavily implied one of them likes to take it up the...' Ahem. You get the idea. But they're not gay. Guys fooling around to get their rocks off isn't a new concept, not by far. As a gay man, I can assure you that there are a lot of straight men who like to engage in homosexual activity, even though they are fully hetero-romantic and only interested in relationships with women. But I digress.

I thought having the two males who identified as completely hetero-romantic but sexually ambiguous was far more interesting. I'm not sure if they would both be fully bisexual...Syl, maybe? Just where do they fall sexually on the spectrum between 100% hetero and 100% homo? I think Porkchop doesn't know, and they're both questioning/exploring that side of their sexuality. Or you can call it "hetero-flexible", if you like. I would think by the 24th Century, no one will care who you bang, or who you date. And I think today a lot of people don't realize that romantic and sexual feelings/desires/orientations can be different.

So yeah. I thought Paulson sort of crashing the quiet evening between those two was a more interesting situation. The eventual revelation that they have been in a 'friends with benefits' relationship, but aren't dating, have no interest in dating each other, but do have an interest in her was fun to explore. So at this point, I could have let them hook up then maybe put them into a sort of polyamory, where Paulson dated the two males separately, at the same time. But I also thought it would be really interesting to position her as, like I say in the story, the catalyst that allows a relationship to form between the two males. Whether it's because having a female in the relationship means they can give themselves permission to fall in love, or whatever. I tried to make it clear with the dialogue that there was already chemistry between them, even if they denied it. Or perhaps just didn't notice it. These are still young people, after all. And though we as a society are getting better at understanding and recognizing new types of relationships, hell just figuring out a traditional heterosexual relationship is tough for young people!

You may notice I use the word 'male' instead of 'men' when discussing this situation. That's a whole other story. I won't go into it here, unless someone asks, lol.

OK, end of the story: Belis' little meeting. As I said in 6, I want to start showing who aboard the Farkas is on the Howlers' side. But also that they're pushing, trying to make things happen. I really hope 8 will be the end of the series, and that I won't need 9 to wrap it up. But we'll see. Sadly, you'll probably have to wait until after Anthony's Vexed Gen run for more Howlers. I'm shopping for a house, and it's both stressful and time consuming.

Wish me luck...
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Re: Star Traks: Howlers

Post by b-guy »

New Star Traks: Howlers! #8 - Pack-aged to Go!

It's taken about a year longer than I had planned but the first half of the Howlers finale is now up and live!

Things finally come to a head aboard the USS Farkas as plans are put in motion to give Travs, Mayle and the rest of the Howlers a slim chance of escape! The stage is set, the pieces are in place, it's time for the Howlers to take action! Or...just sit around waiting to take action? C'mon guys, do something! *Anything!*

https://www.star-traks.com//side-traks/howlers/

PS: #9 has been written, but I'm not sure when it will go up. I want to change a few things, and add a scene. But I haven't gotten around to that yet...
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Re: Star Traks: Howlers

Post by cmdrajd »

I'm very late is responding to your comments on #7, but I really wanted to address what you said about "our series clearly reflect the mentality of white men who grew up in the 90s/00s and were influenced by the stereotypes of the time." Um...yeah. I can't argue with that at all. Speaking for my own stories (which is really all I can do), there's a definite default heterosexuality in the romantic relationships I portrayed. Considering that it's been 15 years since I was cranking out stories at any kind of pace and how much things have changed since then (in some ways), I'd like to think I'd do a better job now than I did back then.
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Re: Star Traks: Howlers

Post by b-guy »

cmdrajd wrote: Wed Jun 14, 2023 11:52 am I'm very late is responding to your comments on #7, but I really wanted to address what you said about "our series clearly reflect the mentality of white men who grew up in the 90s/00s and were influenced by the stereotypes of the time." Um...yeah. I can't argue with that at all. Speaking for my own stories (which is really all I can do), there's a definite default heterosexuality in the romantic relationships I portrayed. Considering that it's been 15 years since I was cranking out stories at any kind of pace and how much things have changed since then (in some ways), I'd like to think I'd do a better job now than I did back then.
It's not just you buddy, lol. Jall was a walking gay stereotype when I first wrote him, and everything about him being closeted seems absolutely ridiculous today. Both in terms of present-day North America, and in how new-Trek has openly presented queer relationships. Even in later stories he never had romantic relationships, just sexual ones...which TBF may just be him. Any other relationship I attempted to write was very hetero. So trying to write a thruple has been a very interesting challenge.

It's also really go me thinking about Lt Stoneryder in Halfway to Haven. When I wrote him back in 2011 (FML), I gave him a porn star past as a gag. But today, after watched series like 'Toy Boy' and movies like 'Magic Mike' I have some very different ideas about how I'd write a Starfleet officer with a background not only in porn, but potentially escorting or sex work. I imagine holograms dominate the business...hmmm.
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