Watching a couple games this week, I thought of this word: Sideline

Okay, is it just me? Am I the only one who had to google to figure out what Amethyst meant by connecting 'games' and 'sideline'? In any case, this is what I thought of. ***** Luscious Lips Cosmetics. Jun frowned as she looked at the two-page spread in the glossy fashion magazine. The advertisement featured a large, feminine mouth, its lips painted with a soft, bubblegum pink gloss and posed in a perfect pout. There was just something so familiar about that look... Could it be? No! Never! But still... Just in case, Jun decided to notify Dr. Nambu. If Berg Katse was indeed running a side line of business, the ISO needed to know. At he very least, perhaps they could cut off some of Galactor's external funding.

Nice work TJ. Wonder what his color selection is! (And gee, is Katse a "Summer" or a "Spring"? ) *Yes I knew what Amethyst was referring to...

Teeheehee...love the name of Katse's business! He could have called it "Galactor Glam", but that would have been too obvious! LOL!

Originally posted by Springie Teeheehee...love the name of Katse's business! He could have called it "Galactor Glam", but that would have been too obvious! LOL!

Instead of looking like a "Cover Girl", Katse could say: "Look like a 'Galaxy Girl' with Galactor Glam--for out of this world style that's deadly." *Yes, mixing BOTP & Gatch terminology together I know.....

I've watched so much football lately, I had to ask myself how to incorporate G-Force into a football game. That's funny, TJ. But it worries me that Jun is that familiar with what Katse's lips look like. Is she jealous of those red smackers? RB - I could see Joe tacking that advertisement up on his wall to throw shuriken at it.

Originally posted by Becky Rock I've watched so much football lately, I had to ask myself how to incorporate G-Force into a football game.

How about a Thanksgiving Day football game? Maybe a Turkey Mecha is attacking the football stadium and they get the call during dinner. LOL.

Originally posted by Becky RockRB - I could see Joe tacking that advertisement up on his wall to throw shuriken at it.

Totally!

*hack* *cough* *cough* "No way!" Mark grumbled as he sat up in bed. "The Chief can't put me on the sideline just for a little cough!" Princess placed an index finger on his chest and gently pushed him back down onto the pillow. "Not so fast, Mark," she ordered. "This is more than just a little cough. You have Pneumonia, and none of us are going to let you jeapordize your health just for a little patrol!" "But..." "Forget it, Commander. You need your rest. However..." Princess scanned the room and then produced a small electronic tablet from her purse. She turned it on and handed it over to the patient. "It's connected to the bridge of the Phoenix. You can grace us with your virtual presence if you really want to." Mark coughed a few times and smiled as he gazed at the screen. "Have I told you lately how much I love you?" The Swan smirked and kissed Mark on his hot, damp forehead. "You can show me when you get better." Then, she transmuted and hurried out for her mission.

Becky, I would think that the Team was familiar with Katse's mouth as it is the only really visible part of his face. I know when I was a kid I spent a lot of time staring at Zoltar's lips, because they were so freaky! Springie, I love the story! And you even got a little 'shipping in there. Perfect!

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Springie: Poor Mark! Very much like him to want to be on board the Phoenix with the rest of them, even when sick. Great pic! KT: Nice use of the prompt! Can't wait to see what Ken & Ryu have planned for the production line. I'm thinking everything will end with a BANG. Heh, heh.....

TJ - i think Katse has found the perfect second job, if he ever got fed up of leading Galactor into the path of the Science Ninja Team! Springie - aww, but I think there are plenty of Mark's fans here who are more than willing to kiss him better....

KT - I am not sure I would be one of those, I wouldn't want to catch Pneumonia or what ever he had first to give it too him, but I WOULD be willing to watch over him and provide comfort while Princess is away. Grin

KT, very clever! Ken found a way to get in on the action without actually fighting. Hope they make it through the mission unscathed! CD- I'm sure there are many of us who would line up to watch over Mark while the team was away!

Springie - Mark needs to get better before Jason shoots too many bird missiles. KT - so far so good. Hope they don't run into trouble so Ken doesn't have to fight. Cloud - I love your new avatar!

KT - Oh no... if I recall, Katse is onto them! They need to get out of there!

Originally posted by Becky Rock Cloud - I love your new avatar!

Thank you Becky. Since there are not many fan pictures made of the Owl, I figured I would switch to the real thing. My other option is to go back to some of the avatars I have used before, but I like to use something new as well.

Originally posted by Becky Rock Cloud - I love your new avatar!

It's very pretty!

Oh, CD...I may have a few that you haven't seen before...I'll PM you with them. If you don't feel like using them, you can just add them to your collection. (But I love the snowy owl picture, too!)

Thank you Springie. And thanks for the pictures, I will decide which one to use in a couple of weeks (when I get tired of the Snowy owl.)

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Well isn't he awfully polite! Wait, is this a dig at Canadians? Um, Kanatians?

No, TJ, it's not a crack! In fact, this story idea came from a comment I'd made a few years ago -- I'd said that I wouldn't be surprised if the Canadians finally got fed up with American stupidity, came down & took control overnight...but it would take a few weeks for the rest of the world to believe it, since Canadians are known for being just so darned nice!

Good one EW!

Originally posted by ElectricWhite I'd said that I wouldn't be surprised if the Canadians finally got fed up with American stupidity, came down & took control overnight...

Might be a nice idea, but I don't think Canada would wish to undertake that kind of nightmare. LOL.

I seem to remember at some point in the last twenty years, the Queen of England threatened to take the US back under her control if we didn't get our act together. I can't remember what was happening at the time, but I thought it was hilarious.

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Phew, now that I've posted, I can read the thread (I don't like to read the thread until I've done my bit). TJ: I got it. Maybe I'm more sports savvy than I thought. Yeah, that lipstick Katse always seemed to wear just kind of begs a mention! Springie: Smart Swan, giving the control freak the ability to check in! (watching over Mark sounds fun but I bet the team makes for terrible patients!) KT: Yeah, right, like Ken's just gonna stand aside if a fight breaks out. EW: Why do I have the feeling this bigwig is gonna be trouble?

Chris, Ken certainly does seem screwed up... like he's not right in the head. Some kind of psychological messing in his mind when he was a kid would definitely explain it!

Like I said, I knew I needed to explain a hyper-cheery Ken.

Oh dear, Ken seems a bit...unbalanced! Perhaps there is more to the reason why Nambu wanted everyone to believe he was dead! Curiouser and curiouser..... Looking forward to more, Chris!

"A screwed-up Ken? Must be one of Chris's stories ..."

Originally posted by ChrisW "A screwed-up Ken? Must be one of Chris's stories ..."

But you do it so well!

Originally posted by Redbird But you do it so well!

It's a calling, hehe ...

Originally posted by ChrisW "A screwed-up Ken? Must be one of Chris's stories ..."

Aaaaaaah! So...many...comments...running through my head...at the same time....*gasp!*

Ditto. I like Joe's reactions. I'm surprised he didn't slug Ken just on principal.

Originally posted by ElectricWhite

Originally posted by ChrisW "A screwed-up Ken? Must be one of Chris's stories ..."

Aaaaaaah! So...many...comments...running through my head...at the same time....*gasp!*

Now I wanna know what they are. (love your .sig, I've been there!)

Originally posted by Becky Rock Ditto. I like Joe's reactions. I'm surprised he didn't slug Ken just on principal.

Well that option's always in the cards. *grin*

Hi guys! Taking a break from NaNoing -- it's not going very well this year, either I'm more tired or less inspired or whatever. Anyway, I'm writing the comments as I read the stories, i.e. not having read the whole thread, so I apologise if I repeat some things that have been said before.

TJ -- it was bound to happen, with the amount of lipstic Katse uses... it IS a nice colour, though, isn't it? ' Springie: wouldn't be interesting if the "little patrol", as Princess calls it, turns out to be their most important mission? And Jason gets the chance to lead it (said the Condor fan)?

KT: I agree with RB -- one of the next installments is going to be a very loud one! I like how you bring everyone together slowly.

EW: Son? SON? Jun must've freaked out when she heard this! Eek!

CW: Are you sure Ken's just not smoking a bit of dope? Sure sure? Seriously, though, I loved the dialogue in this installment -- it rings so true! I also loved the little touch about Jinpei and the pet shop. I wish I could have the same attention to detail!

Originally posted by Daniella T CW: Are you sure Ken's just not smoking a bit of dope? Sure sure? Seriously, though, I loved the dialogue in this installment -- it rings so true! I also loved the little touch about Jinpei and the pet shop. I wish I could have the same attention to detail!

Now I wanna have Joe come across him while he's smoking a joint, hehe. (or just smell pot on him) I don't tend to write characters smoking, though, it grosses me out so much. I'm glad the dialog worked! I don't know why I was having such a hard time with this one. My brain was just not firing on all cylinders. Usually I can "hear" them speaking, especially Joe, but that's no guarantee that it's gonna work. One thing I really took on board from a writing workshop is that characters see a place through their own experience filters. As time goes by, those experiences add up, and that place will have a different feel to them with different memories. When I'm writing sometimes these little things just pop into my head. Jinpei's one of the easiest to think of colourful stuff for, really, being the most outrageous of the team.

Originally posted by Daniella T CW: Are you sure Ken's just not smoking a bit of dope? Sure sure?

The "good boy" straightlaced Eagle smoking a joint!? (Err...except CW's Ken doesn't seem to be such a boy scout! LOL) It would make an amusing tale though. (However, I did read the "Cookie" fic over on the Gatch fic site, where the gang raids Joe's trailer and eats his pot laced cookies. It had me crying it was so funny...)

Originally posted by Daniella T I also loved the little touch about Jinpei and the pet shop.

I noticed that too DT. It was a nice touch Chris!

Originally posted by Redbird The "good boy" straightlaced Eagle smoking a joint!? (Err...except CW's Ken doesn't seem to be such a boy scout! LOL)

To take this literally and be pedantic for a moment, Mark is more of a "boy scout" than Ken in canon. That said, Ken takes his role very seriously and in canon I can't see him smoking a joint on purpose during the war unless something extreme happened. (I've also read "Cookie" and it was quite funny!) I really like exploring how small or big changes for an alternate universe changes the character. Thinking it out helps me identify what I see as the core, immutable nature of a character and what it would take to make them behave very differently (while keeping that core). It makes me a better writer with my own characters. Again, I think it in part comes from writing workshops. There's an instructor (Donald Maass) who really works for me and his "Writing the Breakout Novel" book and workbook are filled questions and "assignments" that get you to push yourself and really figure out your character. Things like "What's the one thing your character would NEVER do? Now, figure out what would make them do it, and have them do it."

Originally posted by ChrisWTo take this literally and be pedantic for a moment, Mark is more of a "boy scout" than Ken in canon. That said, Ken takes his role very seriously and in canon I can't see him smoking a joint on purpose during the war unless something extreme happened. (I've also read "Cookie" and it was quite funny!)

Yes, you're right. Mark is definitely more of a boy scout than Ken. To an extent I've always pictured him as more "by the book" than Ken is.

Originally posted by ChrisWI really like exploring how small or big changes for an alternate universe changes the character. Thinking it out helps me identify what I see as the core, immutable nature of a character and what it would take to make them behave very differently (while keeping that core). It makes me a better writer with my own characters.

I never really thought about writing in that way. You always offer great advice/thoughts about how to approach writing, Chris.

Originally posted by ChrisWAgain, I think it in part comes from writing workshops. There's an instructor (Donald Maass) who really works for me and his "Writing the Breakout Novel" book and workbook are filled questions and "assignments" that get you to push yourself and really figure out your character. Things like "What's the one thing your character would NEVER do? Now, figure out what would make them do it, and have them do it."

Well, I'm definitely not writing a novel (no mental focus for it--I'm just writing for fun), but I'm going to check out those books you mentioned. I like the ideas of breaking down the characters and thinking outside the box/getting them to do something you think they wouldn't normally do. Sounds like character studies and Psych 101 rolled into one.

Originally posted by ChrisW

Originally posted by Redbird The "good boy" straightlaced Eagle smoking a joint!? (Err...except CW's Ken doesn't seem to be such a boy scout! LOL)

To take this literally and be pedantic for a moment, Mark is more of a "boy scout" than Ken in canon. That said, Ken takes his role very seriously and in canon I can't see him smoking a joint on purpose during the war unless something extreme happened. (I've also read "Cookie" and it was quite funny!) I really like exploring how small or big changes for an alternate universe changes the character. Thinking it out helps me identify what I see as the core, immutable nature of a character and what it would take to make them behave very differently (while keeping that core). It makes me a better writer with my own characters. Again, I think it in part comes from writing workshops. There's an instructor (Donald Maass) who really works for me and his "Writing the Breakout Novel" book and workbook are filled questions and "assignments" that get you to push yourself and really figure out your character. Things like "What's the one thing your character would NEVER do? Now, figure out what would make them do it, and have them do it."

I've got that Donald Maass book also and haven't had time to read it. He actually wrote it about ten years ago. I'm curious to see if what he says changed any due to the technological changes we've had the last few years.

Originally posted by Redbird I never really thought about writing in that way. You always offer great advice/thoughts about how to approach writing, Chris.

Thanks. I've attended a ton of writing workshops. Sometimes it rubs off, hehe.

Well, I'm definitely not writing a novel (no mental focus for it--I'm just writing for fun), but I'm going to check out those books you mentioned. I like the ideas of breaking down the characters and thinking outside the box/getting them to do something you think they wouldn't normally do. Sounds like character studies and Psych 101 rolled into one.

That's exactly it. The point is to find depth and make them feel real.

Originally posted by Becky Rock I've got that Donald Maass book also and haven't had time to read it. He actually wrote it about ten years ago. I'm curious to see if what he says changed any due to the technological changes we've had the last few years.

He regularly teaches at an annual writing conference in my area. Due to how many workshops he teaches, his focus does regularly evolve, but it's usually around the topic of raising your writing game in one way or another. It helps that he's a writer as well as an agent/reader. He's written more than 14 books including fiction. Under pen names he's actually written romance novels and a Nancy Drew. I'd say any of his materials are still relevant. He's an interesting person and I hero worship him a wee bit, I confess, but I know that different people do best with different instructors so I typically tell people to check out his work and see if it speaks to them.