|
|
Personality Conflicts:
This fic was originally intended to be a stand-alone... guess that
didn't turn out quite as planned, did it? I had never planned on Lita getting
such a big part, either... she kind of surprised me. The idea started with
my ruminations on the different personalities of Tommy, depending on his
powers, and went from there.
Dr. Lita Kino: A double joke/reference. Lita is the name given to Sailor
Jupiter in the DIC dub of Sailor Moon. Kino is the family name of the original
Japanese character, and is often used as Lita's surname for those writing
DIC-based Sailor Moon fanfic.
Cousin Mako: Kino Makoto is the original Japanese Sailor Jupiter. Yes,
Lita's little cousin IS, in fact, Sailor Jupiter herself, not just a reference.
Why all the Sailor Jupiter references? Because her main color is GREEN,
which I thought appropriate for the main plot.
Fathers and Sons:
I wanted to use Lita in this story, too, and hence a series was born.
Detective Trevor Park was inspired by Adam's father in Bruce Venne's "Veni,
Vidi, Verti." That version of Adam's dad was a police detective who developed
an antipathy for the Rangers, an idea which caught my attention. Trevor
started out as an adaptation of Batman's Harvey Bullock, but absorbed some
of Adam's traits until he became the man I wound up putting in the fanfic.
As for the commando stuff... that just sort of came out of nowhere.
Title: A reference both to the DH Lawrence book of the same name, and
the photo book "Father and Son: The Bond," which some of you may recall
features Jason David Frank and his son Jacob.
Trevor's background: Once I had decided Trevor was an ex-commando,
his background is pretty much that of Travis Cornell, the hero of Dean
Koontz's book "Watchers." It's one of my favorites, and influenced my writing
style to some degree.
The Maze: Basically taken from "The Goonies" and the Indiana Jones
series.
Shadow Dancers: Lots of quotes here... I think I went overboard. Still, "The Lotos-Eaters" and "Ozymandias" are some of my favorite poems. This was also the fic where I really began planning the events of "Dying of the Light."
Dying of the Light: This was originally supposed to be a VR Troopers
crossover... I think I'm glad it turned out the way it did. I wrote this
around the time my dad went into the hospital, so mortality was heavy on
my mind. And "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night," is right up there
on my favorite poems list.
Father Callahan: Name of the priest in Stephen King's "Salem's Lot."
"And maybe the horse will learn to sing:" That's the punchline to one
of my dad's favorite jokes. It's about a guy who has a year to teach a
horse to sing, or he'll be executed. When asked why he's bothering with
such an impossible task, he says "A lot of things can happen in a year.
The king could die, the horse could die, I could die. And who knows? Maybe
the horse will learn to sing."
Things Left Undone: In this fic, I introduced my first Mary Sue. Whoops.
: )
Serena Kyle: Lita's long-suffering blond secretary is a double joke.
First, she's a reference to Serena, the DIC name of Sailor Moon. Second,
she's a reference to Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman. Serena is a blond, as is
Selina Kyle in "Batman: The Animated Series."
Turbo Heroes: I was feeling self-referential that day. So sue me. :
)
Ignatz Hill, owner of the antique store: Don't ask me how, but this
guy became Dr. Seth Hazlett from "Murder, She Wrote."
Crystal's Shadow, Crystal's Light: This was originally supposed to be
two stories, but it wound up smushing itself into one. I think it turned
out much better.
Parker O'Neil: I combined the names of two fictional reporters, Peter
Parker and April O'Neil. Lillian O'Neil was originally the name of a Ninja
Turtles role-playing character.
Lillian's powers: The activation phrase "Shadow Ribbons, Strike!" is
patterned after the activation phrases in the DIC Sailor Moon. The Shadow
Ribbons themselves are patterned after Sailor Saturn's "Death Ribbon Revolution,"
and her transformation is a joke on Darien's first on-screen transformation
to Tuxedo Mask.
Morphinator: Yes, this monster and the method of its defeat are blatant
Terminator 2 rippoffs.
Two of Hearts:
Kensho: A guy who gets the crud beaten out of him in the first Ninja
Turtles movie.
Dark Lady: This is a joke on a story-based role-playing game I followed
called the Future Sailor Cabinet. Dark Lady was the evil, grown-up version
of their Chibi-usa character.
Crystal Blue Persuasion: I wrote this in the span of a day and a half,
with about another day of plotting. My dad was in a coma up in Buffalo,
so I plotted it on the way up and on the way back, and then wrote it the
next two days, trying to distract myself. I think it worked...
Crystal Blue Persuasion (Title): The title of an old song. I think
it was about sailing.
Rocky's "That's one" to Muktar was taken from an old Batman: The Animated
Series episode. Batman let this guy get away with hitting him twice, because
he needed him, but the third time, he kicked the dude's butt.
By the way, Muktar is the first appearance of the Fel'hari race in
my fics. Most of them are much nicer, though.
Revelations:
The title comes from the Bible book of the same name. I thought it
fitting, because it deals with what seems to be the end of Tommy's world.
Gyroid's Vertigo Beam was stolen from an episode of SWAT Kats.
Dark Mirror 1: Tiger, Tiger
The title is a reference to William Blake's poem "Tyger, Tyger."
Chronos and Kairos come from reading the "A Wrinkle in Time" series
too many times.
When Rita tells Tyler about the "Cardinal Rule of Villany," (Six heroes
are a lot easier to kill than ten,) the line is stolen almost word for
word from the movie "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."
Skull saying that dead people don't wear plaid is a reference to the
Steve Martin movie, "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid." (Obviously. :)
Skull's exchange with Jason ("How long were you guys there?" "Long
enough") comes from "The Goonies."
Dark Mirror 2: Through a Glass Darkly
The title is a reference to a quote from the Bible, but I'll be danged
if I can quote it now.
The woman trying to give Tommy a freshly dressed chicken is a reference
to the "Media Montage" scene in "Ghostbusters," where a Chinese/Japanese
butcher's shop owner is giving Bill Murray the same thing. Of course, Bill
accepts his. :)
Dark Mirror 3: Heart of Darkness
The title is a reference to the Joseph Conrad novel of the same name,
which was eventually made into "Apocalypse Now."
Clark Lane and Lois Kent- Do you really need these two explained? Ronald
Jacobs is basically J. Jonah Jamieson from Spider-Man.
The kirin's on Trini's formal dress are a reference to the fact that
her ThunderZord was actually a kirin, a Chinese Unicorn, back in DaiRanger.
Rita's curse "The nine levels of inferno" is a reference to Dante's
Inferno, which has nine circles or levels.
The More Things Change: I admit it, I seriously ripped off the Turbo
Movie. But I thought it had such POTENTIAL... Sigh.
The magic that protects the Morphin Warriors' identities is a direct
steal from Sailor Moon, where the identities of the Senshi are protected
in the same way.
The whole scene in the ICU, especially the kids' experiences with the
nurse, are taken from my attempts to get in to see my grandmother while
my mom was off talking to a doctor. If you're a kid, they treat you like
a moron.
Tommy's destruction of the volcano by leaping into it is taken from
"The Black Cauldron."
Except for UCLA, the American colleges that the Rangers are heading
for were all places I applied to. :)
Who You Gonna Call: My first fic involving the Ghostbusters. I think
I created a monster... but I truly love these guys. Especially Peter.
There really aren't any jokes in this one, just stuff that happens
on the cartoon show or in the movie.
Inner Demons: This fic started, of all places, in the bathroom at a
rest stop. I get VERY bored on car trips. This fic was originally supposed
to be a lot darker, involving Rocky getting beaten up in a public bathroom
(don't ask) and a trip to the hospital for poor David Trueheart. Obviously,
things didn't turn out that way.
The idea and format of this fic are blatantly ripped off of Stephen
King's "It." Sorry about that, Steve.
Worlds enough and Time: I did this fic to explain Billy's false memories
(which started out as simply a way to retcon in the movie,) and also because
I needed someplace to stick the armor, just to make Jeremy Logsdon happy.
The title is a reference to the poem "To His Coy Mistress," by Andrew
Marvell.
Serena is eating a meatball sandwich because in the DIC Sailor Moon,
Serena/Sailor Moon is nicknamed "Meatball-Head," for her unusual hairstyle.
The naming of the Rangers in the other universe (Tricera Ranger, etc)
is a reference to the Zyuranger method of naming.
Thicker than Water: This actually started out as an idle musing on why
Jason appeared partially Korean when both his parents were very American.
Things went from there.
Skull's katana teacher is none other than the Highlander himself. :)
Yes, Lillian IS talking about Ryan Steele, leader of the VR Troopers.
The Grinch is my favorite Christmas special, so it demanded a cameo.
:)
Family Ties: It was in this fic that I realized- Eileen Park is my mother
with a black belt.
The title is a reference to the sitcom that introduced me to Michael
J. Fox.
Riley Collins' cousin is Sam Collins, the main character of "Superhuman
Samurai Syber Squad," which is set in the town of North Valley.
"The Monster Squad" is a reference to a movie by the same name. One
of my favorites.
Skugs are the footsoldiers in VR Troopers.
The Green-Eyed Monster
Fred's "Anybody got any ideas who or what THIS is?" is word for word
Leonardo's first line upon seeing the Shredder in the first Ninja Turtle
movie.
Tasha's line "I feel like I'm in a bad episode of Sailor Moon!" refers
to an episode where Serena manages to heal Darian of his control by the
bad guys, only to have him snatched up again before she can blink.
The scenes of friendship that Tasha is remembering are a reference
to the final episode of the first season of DIC Sailor Moon, where Serena
draws on similar memories of her friends to help her defeat Queen Beryl.
Final Frontier
The title to this, obviously, is a Star Trek reference. It means space.
The scene with the energy dome blotting out the sunlight is a reference
to the alien ships doing the same thing in Independence Day.
Peter's "I have GOT to get me one of these!" is quoting Will Smith
in Independence Day.
Crane Chemical is a reference to a Batman: The Animated Series episode-
the first one with the Scarecrow.
Blows So Red: I have this thing for roses, so I figured it was about
time I wrote a fic using them. I absolutely LOVE roses, and all the flowers
I mentioned are real. I used Irish names for the villain and three of Andros'
teammates because they sounded alien.
"What a brave new world that has such people in it." Dark Specter is
quoting "The Tempest."
Serena Kyle's boyfriend Darian is a reference to Darian, AKA Tuxedo
Mask, Sailor Moon's love interest. The cat Serena refers to is Luna, Sailor
Moon's guardian cat.
Ciaran's line "Regular or extra crispy?" is a quote from a Darkwing
Duck episode.
Second Star to the Right: Who knew? I thought it was gonna be a three-part
arc, 'til I started writing it! Really!
The title is a reference to the directions to Never Never Land. "Second
star to the right, and straight on until morning."
The Leader of the Blue Senturion squad swears by the Matrix. That's
the repository for the Sparks of deceased Transformers, kind of like heaven.
Chris Sterling's last name is a double joke, both on sterling silver
and Max Sterling, a very GOOD pilot from the Robotech series.
TJ's siblings all have jokes for names. Kris Carter is a joke on the
creator of the X-Files, Howie Carter is a joke on Howard Carter, who discovered
Tut's tomb, Dina Carter is a joke on country singer Deana Carter, and Ginny
Carter is a reference to Jimmy Carter, former US President.
Straight On til Morning.
The title completes the reference begun in the last story.
Ashley's "Fly, yes. Land, no." is a quote from Indiana Jones and the
Last Crusade.
Chris's crashing anything he flies is a joke on Launchpad McQuack from
Duck Tales and Darkwing Duck.
Rocky's joke about a tie on the doorknob is from "Love Story."
When Chris says that the Megaship isn't Veritech, he's referring to
the fighter technology from Robotech.
The Gunstar is from the movie "The Last Starfighter."
Split Decisions
Jason's line "Let's plow the road" is a reference to the same line
spoken by Bill Pullman towards the end of Independence Day.
Adora, the Starrunner leading the anti-boarding team, is a reference
to She-Ra's secret identity.
Jayce, the kid TJ was talking to, was the main character on a show
called "Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors" back in the '80's.
Presto, the radar operator, was from "Dungeons and Dragons," also an
'80's cartoon.
Lana, the comm operator, was the Princess on "Captain N, the Game Master."
Bugsy, Bubba, Bruno, Buck, and Benny were the main characters on a
syndicated cartoon called T-Rex.
Shadow Hearts
Parker's line "Reminds me of Hoth, but without the ice" refers to the
Rebel base in "The Empire Strikes Back."
Zack's "He's lucky this isn't a horror movie" is a reference to the
"rules" in Scream.
The Black Falcon is a humanoid version of Duke L'Orange of the Mighty
Ducks.
Gracchus, Blue Morphin Master, is a reference to one of the Neosapiens
in the cartoon Exosquad.
Titania was the Queen of the Faeries in "Midsummer Night's Dream."
Bagh'ra is a reference to Bagheera of "The Jungle Book."
Talyn Al'Falqa is a joke on Talyn, from Skeleton Warriors, and Al'Falqa,
a human/falcon mutant from the Archie Ninja Turtle comics.
The Waiting Game
The various nobles of the planet Danata are based to one extent or
another on the Lords Holder of Pern. Hey, I love Anne McCaffery, what can
I say?
Larad is a direct steal of Larad of Telgar, and Melchor is pretty much
Meron of Nabol.
Lt. Montoya is from Batman: The Animated Series.
The small town in Indiana which had a larger ley nexus than Angel Grove
is Eerie, Indiana, which briefly had its own show.
Ashley's Ninjetti uniform is a Sailor Moon outfit.
Though the Heavens Fall
The provinces of Triforia are Rioro (Rio Oro, River Gold, Spanish,)
Kinyama (Golden Mountain, Japanese,) Auratha (Aurum, Gold, Latin,) Midian
(Midias, Greek Myth) and Verdemar, (Green Sea, Spanish.)
Darkonda's race, the Mephistans, come from Mephisto, from Marvel Comics.
Dragon Borg's name comes from Sean Connery, who his voice is an imitation
of, and Drake, meaning dragon.
Shadows of the Future
Blue Senturion's entrance was stolen from the Terminator movies.
Rocky's line "Where's Kurt Russel and Richard Dean Anderson when you
need them?" refers to the teleporter's similarity to a Stargate.
Phantom Quest
Daartha worms are from The Pirates of Dark Water. Nasty things, too.
"Those aren't Zords! Those are the Village People!" This was my first
reaction to the Rescue Zords.
Mirror, Mirror: The introduction of Zhane, which I'd been planning since
I came up with Chris! And the Neji Rangers, who are basically how _I_ would
have done the Psycho Rangers concept.
The title comes from the old "Mirror, Mirror, on the wall..." bit.
The language "Diabolae," the language of evil sorcerers, is from the
word "Diabolical," meaning "devilish."
The Mobius Dimension, where the Neji Crystals came from, is a reference
to the fact that nejire means "twisted" in Japanese. So is a Mobius strip.
The name "Tenebra" for the planet where the Sword of Darkness was sent,
comes from the word "tenebrous," meaning "shadowy."
Serena's brooch is a reference to Sailor Moon's transformation locket,
which contains the Ginzouishou (Silver Crystal) that gives her power.
TJ reading a mystery novel on the bridge of the ship is a reference
to how much I've been turning him into Winston Zeddemore recently. Winston
loves mysteries.
Costumes: Chris is Launchpad McQuack, pilot to Darkwing Duck. TJ is
the Masked Mallard of Mystery himself, mainly just because I like the show.
Andros and Zhane are of course Men in Black, and Jade is dressed as the
Julie Newmar version of Catwoman. Carlos' vampire costume is a reference
to "Carlos and the Count," and Ashley is Buffy because that's where Jeff
Pruitt now works.
Firebird Run: I wanted a chance to show off my Japanese. :)
The sentai series that the third season of Turbo Heroes is based off
of is Nezuman. "Nezumi" means Rat. It was a sneaky season.
"Kaiju" is a Japanese imp.
"Hitori" is Japanese for "Firebird." "Akama" means "Red Horse."
"Aerin" was the main character in "The Hero and the Crown."
The gas tank and the flare are from "Broken Arrow."
The bad guy landing in the fertilizer is from all three Back to the
Future movies.
Teddy's landing the motorcycle on a river ferry is from an episode
of "James Bond Jr."
Non PC-
Final Farewell: This idea came about because of one of Derek Smith's
insightful (if somewhat depressing) posts on Tommy's personality and psychology,
and because I had heard the rumors about JDF leaving the show. Derek's
stuff wound up mainly being expressed in Tommy and Jason's conversation
at the end.
The planet Lycos 9 is named after a well-known search engine. :)
Blue Eternity: Not sure where this came from...
The title was inspired by another fic by Trey Cash, called "Blue Infinity."
Julia Vargas was originally created for a round robin fic, in which
I had her down as Billy's childhood physician.
Ashes to Ashes: This was written as a response to finding out my father
might have cancer. It's also one of the fics I'm most proud of.
The title comes from the words heard at most funerals- "Ashes to ashes,
dust to dust."
This fic is the first appearance of Angel's Rest Cemetery, a place
that keeps showing up in my work.
This fic also marked the emergence of the idea that Angel Grove's Homicide
squad was underworked, something which eventually lead to the Monster Squad
in PC.
Comes The Dark: Hey, I like vampires! So sue me. This story had originally
started as a Justin vehicle, but I decided it would work better with Adam.
The title comes from a line of poetry by Wordsworth, "At one stride
comes the dark." I liked the cadence.
Alpha's calling the Tengas "Six-foot turkeys" is a reference to the
kid's appraisal of a Velociraptor skeleton in the movie "Jurassic Park."
Green Magic: This started as a challenge from April Richards, and was
quickly snapped up by my horror-novel-abused imagination. Bloodier than
I usually do, but it was kind of fun.
For story purposes, I borrowed April's idea that Tommy's dad was Chief
of Police, although I left his name the same as in all my other fics. This
is the ONLY fic in which Daniel Oliver is the Chief of Police. In all the
others, he's a middle school English teacher.
The thing that jumped Tommy is a terror dog, one of the monsters from
"Ghostbusters."
Billy's trial is stolen from one of my favorite Batman episodes, the
first one with the Riddler. "The key of A has two sharps. The key of D
has three. But the key of C has no sharps."
Midnight Sun: This story was actually inspired by Jenny Hunter. I wondered
how the Rangers would react to someone who didn't WANT to be friends with
them.
The title is a reference to my favorite Pfaltzgraff china pattern.
:)
Kelly's locket is one that I have around my own neck, a gift from my
dad. I never take it off- it reminds me of him.
Yes, capoeira is a real fighting style.
The pentathol derivative is similar to the stuff they were going to
give me for my wisdom teeth. It's a powerful sedative.
Phoenix Rising: This story was inspired by a sketch I did of Tommy, one day when I was bored, plus my ruminations on just how appropriate his Zeo Zord was for him.
Blue is the Color of Mourning
Justin's scene where he remembers his father while practicing is a
blatant rip-off of the opening to VR Troopers.
The line about Dune Star and Desert Thunder constantly burning out
their brakes comes from a joke on the newsgroup.
Irresistible: This started as a death fic, but it changed halfway through.
I like it better this way, I think.
Adam's green Taurus is a joke on his Ranger color and Zord.
I always wanted to have Kat rescue Tommy... :)
Shadow of Fear
The handprint is a reference to an X-Files episode in which a serial
killer left similar marks on his victims.
The muse statue in Billy's lab is of Urania, muse of Astronomy.
The Running Ranger
The Mako reactor is from the game Final Fantasy VII.
Billy's lecturing Kat about the modifications he's making to the laser
is a third MacGyver reference. Mac used to lecture the audience in the
same way, via voice-over.
For Want of a Nail
Raymond's last name is a reference to Blair Sandburg, the anthropologist
character on "The Sentinel." I'm setting up for a crossover. :)