Indy's Ranger Artifacts for the week of 1-27-02...week eleven winner, story announcement, and more...

Salutations, Rangerphiles!

Well, it's been a busy week here at Ranger Central and come to think of it a busy January. Yep, the month's almost over and we haven't even gotten used to saying 2002 yet! There's lots to talk about, so let's get to it.

Before going further, let me acknowledge all the great writers putting work out right now at the Story Board. Nelson, Brian Walmer, Sturch, 8-Bit, PacersFan, Rennod--great work, and for those whose stories haven't premiered yet, keep working at 'em!

Who's this week's caption winner, you ask? Well, that would be Kevin Sharbaugh! Congratulations, Kevin, and thanks to everyone who submitted a caption this week. It was hard to pick, as usual. This week, we return to Gadget as she meets up with Lahwhinie. What are these lookalikes saying to each other? I'm sure it must be interesting.

Okay, story announcement time! Chris Silva and I have been up to our creative endeavors again, and we've written a short story that we think all Ranger fans will like. It's called "Rescue Rangers and the A-Team: Dale On the Jazz". You'll find it on my newly-restructed fanfic page (a much overdue project, I admit). I'll be putting the new stories on the main page as always, but older stories are now categoried on their own pages as short fics, novel-length fics and those not about the Rangers. The link below will take you to the new yet familiar-looking fanfic page.

Okay, that's the new business. Now, for the week that was...

On Monday, Ruslan regaled us with the new and highly improved CDRR portal! I must admit, this is one of the more impressive overall sites to come out since the Foxglove Feature. The sheer amount of Ranger material is awesome, and the orginization of it speaks of the many hours of hard work put into it. I heartily salute you, Ruslan, and all the Russian Rangerphiles whose talents made this possible!

Also on Monday, Damon Togath asked if anyone would be interested in starting up an RR MUCK with him. All interested Rangerphiles should contact him. Who knows--it could be fun!

Jaleel dropped in on Tuesday, and again wowed the crowd with two new Foxglove pics by new artist Sue Katowich. She even stopped by to say hello! Thanks for dropping in, Sue, and we hope to see a lot more out of you! I'm sure there will be no shortage of requests.

Ray Jones also alerted us to thirteen new pics by Morgan K. on Ray's site. I couldn't access the last three of them, but the ones that I saw were so creative it'd be hard to pick just one as a favorite--although I did lean a little toward the one of Widget as a Borg. That really does seem a possibility for her.

The Fictator popped in on Wednesday, wondering what the Rangers would have been doing after the show was cancelled--assuming we're talking a Roger Rabbit type universe. That was the sort of thing that inspired Chris Silva and I to write that RR-Animanacs crossover (I promise I'll get that one added to the short fics list this week!). I think they'd go looking for other work at other studios, but like so many other actors they're all typecast as the Rangers so it'd be really hard for them to do other roles.

Brian Walmer wondered what the reaction would be if Disney replaced our beloved Deborah Walley with Kellie Martin (the voice of Roxanne in "A Goofy Movie") as the voice of Foxglove. I think Kellie could do a decent job, but there would be obvious differences. I'd rather them get an unknown whose voice sounded a lot closer to the original, rather than choose someone for name value, personally.

James returned on Wednesday with a great drawing of Dale. This one reminds me of the famous "Gadget Reclining" pic, and has a lot of great character. Thanks for sharing, James!

On Thursday, DumpsterSide gave us an update on his Ranger movie script, asking our opinions about whether Chip and Dale's voices should be altered to reflect character changes in them for the movie. I think I liked Julie's last suggestion the best--just tell the voice actors how they would need to play the characters now, and give them a chance to evoke those changes themselves.

Aiva also had the sad news to bear that he's been forced to take down the RR comic scans he had put up for us Rangerphiles. Somehow, word leaked out and they got listed on a major comic listserv and the demand became too high for Aiva's comfort. Hopefully, Aiva, you'll be able to bring the scans back. Maybe a private e-mail of a new site to us only? Whatever you think is best, in any case.

Also on Thursday, Julie put up several photos of old Ranager creations she'd done. I can see you're much more creative when it comes to building than I am, Julie. This stuff is great, and I'm sure it must've been real satisfying seeing the finished products when you did them. That reminds me--I've got some things from the early Rangerphile years to compile and post. I'll be doing that over the next few weeks.

MatthewK on Friday wondered what Gadget's favorite TV show would be. There was much speculation, and I think a good point made was that Gadget might watch TV for escape rather than to find out info about inventing or machines--though she could. I think she'd be a real Trekker, and would love watching Trek shows for all the portrayals of advanced technology.

Chip ID chimed in on Saturday, wondering if there were fanfic universes that could easily be "linked" to other fanfic universes in terms of crossover characters, etc. I think there are several that could be done that way. In fact, it could be interesting to see two universes like that clash together--sort of the "mirror universe" type thing that happens in Star Trek.

This day, Loneheart posted that he has a story called "Gadget in Chains", a prison-type story, and hasn't had the inspiration to finish it. After reading your reply to KS, I wonder if your problem could be in the area of character development. If you're telling the story through characters other than the Rangers (or along with them), and they're not well-developed, that's the easiest way to get bogged down.

My advice to any aspiring writer is to know your characters better than they appear in the story. For the story to flow, you've got to be able to tell it through them--and if you can't feel what they feel, and know how they'd react in every situation then maybe it's time to stop and examine your characters. One or two minor changes can make a great deal of difference.

Charity returned to the Cafe (hi, Charity!) today, noting an obscure Ranger reference in Peter David's Psi-Man #3 - Main Street D.O.A. I know Peter David's work from Star Trek, so I'm sure the story's a good one. Interesting--maybe he's a closet Rangerphile!

And last but certainly not least--wow, this was a busy week!--Ares just announced the new Ranger Poll. Looks like a good one, so head on over!

That's that for this week, Ranger fans. Until next time, remember that you're only as old as you feel--after all, they're about to make a new Indiana Jones movie! YEE-HAW!

Nick:	Indy (MB Admin)
Date/Time:	Sunday, January 27, 2002 at 11:16:01 PM CST
Browser/OS:	Microsoft Internet Explorer V6.0 using Windows NT 5.1
Subject:	Indy's Ranger Artifacts for the week of 1-27-02...week eleven winner, story announcement, and more...
Message:
Salutations, Rangerphiles! Well, it's been a busy week here at Ranger Central and come to think of it a busy January. Yep, the month's almost over and we haven't even gotten used to saying 2002 yet! There's lots to talk about, so let's get to it. Before going further, let me acknowledge all the great writers putting work out right now at the Story Board. Nelson, Brian Walmer, Sturch, 8-Bit, PacersFan, Rennod--great work, and for those whose stories haven't premiered yet, keep working at 'em! Who's this week's caption winner, you ask? Well, that would be Kevin Sharbaugh! Congratulations, Kevin, and thanks to everyone who submitted a caption this week. It was hard to pick, as usual. This week, we return to Gadget as she meets up with Lahwhinie. What are these lookalikes saying to each other? I'm sure it must be interesting. Okay, story announcement time! Chris Silva and I have been up to our creative endeavors again, and we've written a short story that we think all Ranger fans will like. It's called "Rescue Rangers and the A-Team: Dale On the Jazz". You'll find it on my newly-restructed fanfic page (a much overdue project, I admit). I'll be putting the new stories on the main page as always, but older stories are now categoried on their own pages as short fics, novel-length fics and those not about the Rangers. The link below will take you to the new yet familiar-looking fanfic page. Okay, that's the new business. Now, for the week that was... On Monday, Ruslan regaled us with the new and highly improved CDRR portal! I must admit, this is one of the more impressive overall sites to come out since the Foxglove Feature. The sheer amount of Ranger material is awesome, and the orginization of it speaks of the many hours of hard work put into it. I heartily salute you, Ruslan, and all the Russian Rangerphiles whose talents made this possible! Also on Monday, Damon Togath asked if anyone would be interested in starting up an RR MUCK with him. All interested Rangerphiles should contact him. Who knows--it could be fun! Jaleel dropped in on Tuesday, and again wowed the crowd with two new Foxglove pics by new artist Sue Katowich. She even stopped by to say hello! Thanks for dropping in, Sue, and we hope to see a lot more out of you! I'm sure there will be no shortage of requests. Ray Jones also alerted us to thirteen new pics by Morgan K. on Ray's site. I couldn't access the last three of them, but the ones that I saw were so creative it'd be hard to pick just one as a favorite--although I did lean a little toward the one of Widget as a Borg. That really does seem a possibility for her. The Fictator popped in on Wednesday, wondering what the Rangers would have been doing after the show was cancelled--assuming we're talking a Roger Rabbit type universe. That was the sort of thing that inspired Chris Silva and I to write that RR-Animanacs crossover (I promise I'll get that one added to the short fics list this week!). I think they'd go looking for other work at other studios, but like so many other actors they're all typecast as the Rangers so it'd be really hard for them to do other roles. Brian Walmer wondered what the reaction would be if Disney replaced our beloved Deborah Walley with Kellie Martin (the voice of Roxanne in "A Goofy Movie") as the voice of Foxglove. I think Kellie could do a decent job, but there would be obvious differences. I'd rather them get an unknown whose voice sounded a lot closer to the original, rather than choose someone for name value, personally. James returned on Wednesday with a great drawing of Dale. This one reminds me of the famous "Gadget Reclining" pic, and has a lot of great character. Thanks for sharing, James! On Thursday, DumpsterSide gave us an update on his Ranger movie script, asking our opinions about whether Chip and Dale's voices should be altered to reflect character changes in them for the movie. I think I liked Julie's last suggestion the best--just tell the voice actors how they would need to play the characters now, and give them a chance to evoke those changes themselves. Aiva also had the sad news to bear that he's been forced to take down the RR comic scans he had put up for us Rangerphiles. Somehow, word leaked out and they got listed on a major comic listserv and the demand became too high for Aiva's comfort. Hopefully, Aiva, you'll be able to bring the scans back. Maybe a private e-mail of a new site to us only? Whatever you think is best, in any case. Also on Thursday, Julie put up several photos of old Ranager creations she'd done. I can see you're much more creative when it comes to building than I am, Julie. This stuff is great, and I'm sure it must've been real satisfying seeing the finished products when you did them. That reminds me--I've got some things from the early Rangerphile years to compile and post. I'll be doing that over the next few weeks. MatthewK on Friday wondered what Gadget's favorite TV show would be. There was much speculation, and I think a good point made was that Gadget might watch TV for escape rather than to find out info about inventing or machines--though she could. I think she'd be a real Trekker, and would love watching Trek shows for all the portrayals of advanced technology. Chip ID chimed in on Saturday, wondering if there were fanfic universes that could easily be "linked" to other fanfic universes in terms of crossover characters, etc. I think there are several that could be done that way. In fact, it could be interesting to see two universes like that clash together--sort of the "mirror universe" type thing that happens in Star Trek. This day, Loneheart posted that he has a story called "Gadget in Chains", a prison-type story, and hasn't had the inspiration to finish it. After reading your reply to KS, I wonder if your problem could be in the area of character development. If you're telling the story through characters other than the Rangers (or along with them), and they're not well-developed, that's the easiest way to get bogged down. My advice to any aspiring writer is to know your characters better than they appear in the story. For the story to flow, you've got to be able to tell it through them--and if you can't feel what they feel, and know how they'd react in every situation then maybe it's time to stop and examine your characters. One or two minor changes can make a great deal of difference. Charity returned to the Cafe (hi, Charity!) today, noting an obscure Ranger reference in Peter David's Psi-Man #3 - Main Street D.O.A. I know Peter David's work from Star Trek, so I'm sure the story's a good one. Interesting--maybe he's a closet Rangerphile! And last but certainly not least--wow, this was a busy week!--Ares just announced the new Ranger Poll. Looks like a good one, so head on over! That's that for this week, Ranger fans. Until next time, remember that you're only as old as you feel--after all, they're about to make a new Indiana Jones movie! YEE-HAW!
Link:	Fanfic page