StarAndrea + Fic = Love

This is the eighth story in steering you home, and actually sort of pre-Boston wtf. There will probably be eating in the next one, because this is me and RPM and that's how we go, but then Boston after that? ::ponders:: Like, actual Boston, not post-apocalyptic Boston. I'm getting enough apocalypse from Supernatural fic right now ♥

( 8. solved )

This is the sixth story in steering you home, and it takes place the night after "Prisoners" ♥ I was going to make some icons of the last RPM episode too, but I couldn't figure out how to contain it in one-inch by one-inch form. So if you want some silly "And... Action!" screencaps, I posted a few here at the_morphin_grid* and also the tale of the action sofa at my own journal.

*I just typo'd this as "the morphin grin," which is so awesome.

( 6. the one in the know )

"I'm out of control like a runaway train
With the wheels barely touching the rails
I'm in a tornado, in a hurricane, got a tiger by the tail"
--Susan Ashton, "Breathless"

YAY I FINISHED TEAM BUILDING! I literally cheered when I finished this epilogue! A lot, actually. I didn't really mean to write this story in the first place, but I always thought it was important, so I'm glad PRAU came along and was all inspirational. Grand credi and muchos gracias to everyone who cheered and loved this story on! ::hearts::

(1. Though the Dragon Waits, 2. The Seduction of Schuyler Tate, 3. Team Building with Jack Landors. If you want to read Team Building alone, easy: Sky and Jack are dating, A Squad is in rehab, and when Jack gave up his B Squad position to Sky, he took Charlie's A Squad morpher instead and filled in temporary replacements for the rest of her team.)

Extra note: if you read the prompts below from top to bottom, paying no attention to the way the cut tags are numbered, they will be in the right order. (Following against all odds.)

( 47. parents )
( 45. attitude )
( 36. destruction )
( 50. robot )
( 43. deaf )
( 41. hopelessness )
( 42. blind )
( 44. reluctant hero )
( 48. life )
( 46. what has gone before )
( 49. leaving it all behind )

There are, of course, fifty more prompts in the complete prompt table. It is not impossible that I will come back and write the second half of the table into a follow-up story; I just have some other things to do first. A thirty-first century revolution to plot, a novel to finish, that sort of thing. In the meantime, it seems only appropriate to wish you a happy holiday! Ithabise!

So, in Team Building with Jack Landors, the original members of A Squad were released from containment on Cruger's order and are undergoing voluntary rehabilitation. Charlie has refused reassignment as A Squad Red unless her entire team comes with her. Rose and Don have both asked to return, but Des' family wants him to resign and Miguel has gone back to his home planet indefinitely.

This scene follows missing (in which Jack is accidentally caught in a base-wide lockdown), and the full PRAU prompt table is here. (Other references: why Japan and when they're going.) ♥

( 38. against all odds )

You guys are so fantastic! ♥ I posted a poll about DVD commentaries (preceded by a post about why their appeal is mysterious to me) and some people tried to explain what is or is not interesting for them in commentaries they've seen and why. Then I tried to do/write one myself.*

Well. Let me tell you, I now have way more respect for the actresses/writers/assistants who get conscripted to do the commentaries on season box sets and so forth. Staying on track = NOT EASY. Also, picking a story from ten years ago had the unexpected problem of the author not being able to remember what it was about.

Luckily Marci volunteered to help me, so grand credi to her: she is in fact the only reason this got done at all. Lynn wandered through and agreed to participate (she's like the Torri Higginson of this scene), so extra credi to her for being a good sport.

( First Kiss ~ in which the Astro Rangers spend their summer vacation in space, as commentaried by *Andrea and Marci who actually set out to do it, and Lynn who happened to wander through while it was playing. Uh, being read. )

*Andrea: The funniest thing about this commentary is how it's a massive failure to commentary anything at all.
Marci: But it's good.
*Andrea: That's true.

THANK YOU MARCI AND LYNN FOR HELPING, AND EVERYONE ELSE FOR POLL-TAKING AND POLL-COMMENTING AND JUST GENERALLY BEING ENCOURAGING. I LOVE YOU ALL!

( Ryan vs. Jeremy, redux )

*This is a first attempt at DVD commentary, representing one particular type (the unrelated to the story type, mostly). I'm hoping to try a couple other styles with different stories, just so I get a range of exposure to the phenomenon. Several people have mentioned specific stories they'd like to see be test subjects, so I'll be using those for future attempts ♥

I really, really love the concept of RPM. I feel about it the way I felt about Lost Galaxy: it's so brilliant, why are they wasting time on guns and gas guzzling machines?! (I mean, in Lost Galaxy it was guns and girls' skin, but same idea.)

I love the idea that Venjix is a conscious computer code born of human desperation, I love that the machines they're fighting are a reflection of them, I love that Venjix is in their city on their team and they're able to make the distinction between individuals and the actions of a population.

I also like to think that the RPM team supports each other more than we see on screen. Because if any Ranger team ever needed bigger hugs and better pancakes, it's this one. So here are some Indigo Girls' lyrics with pictures (and sometimes people ask me if they can use the screencaps in these ~ the answer is ABSOLUTELY YES). ♥

"Come On Home"
"The team you're hitched to has a mind of its own
But it's just the forces of your past you've fought before
Come back here and shut the door
I'm stacking sandbags against the river of your troubles"
--Indigo Girls

This story is the twelfth story in Last Bell, and it's mostly about Mike Corbett and Ali Carter in the newly established Terra Venture colony on Mirinoi. The planet was de-stonified by Kerone and an improvised team of new Defenders (Mirinoi's oldest Rangers): Mike, Maya, and Ali, plus a couple of ghosts who were still hanging around for whatever reason.

Terra Venture is currently racing through space with an unlivable city dome and no engine power to speak of, so it's been mostly evacuated except for a skeleton crew still hoping to save it and bring it home to the New World (now Mirinoi). Getting the dolphins out of the ocean dome was something of a challenge with just the Megaship, so Aquitar sent a special water ship to ferry them all to Mirinoi.

Carlos ended up being the one to bring the special ship. He also brought his daughter and her favorite babysitter (apparently Sylvie's summer job is to babysit Coral) and has so far managed to complain less about this than anyone else, despite the fact that Ashley, Andros, Zhane, and Kerone actually volunteered to go help Terra Venture, and they have a full-time nanny to watch their kids. (Thanks Aoife!)

Finally, Tessa's bachelorette party is tomorrow night, which isn't mentioned, but that's why they have to get back to Earth. Yay not having the party the night before the wedding!

( 12. Splashdown )

This story is, as Alexander Key once said, "dedicated to all those who love the starlight, and wonder about other places and other people." It's the eleventh story in Last Bell, and the first half was written in conjunction with the pictures for Two Worlds, One Family. wildforce71 reprises her role as Aoife, funkyinfishnet appears briefly as Joy, and (completely unrelatedly) purplestripe66 made me laugh with Sunshine Days.

luellon inspired the second half of this story with her love for Trini and our conversations about Cam's family, oh so long ago now, and punkpinkpower kept me writing with her fabulous video, I'm Not Always Like This, which I watched at least six times this past week because I love it so ridiculously much to get in character. Also, marcicat helped me cut my hair, which made me feel all bold, so ONWARD: just keep writing!

( 11. Where the Heart Is )

Thanks, marcicat, for talking Gem and Gemma through with me! ♥

For previous entries tagged "steering you home,"
click and scroll down (reverse chronology).

( 3. vitality )

Scott: Look, guys, this is everything the go-onger camera got on those flying... zord things.
Summer: What are those things; where did they come from?
Flynn: Ghosts, maybe?
Ziggy: ...Ghosts?
Flynn: What?
Ziggy: How can you go from this to ghosts? We let this guy drive!
Flynn: Oh, what, you've got a better explanation, then, do you?
Ziggy: I could say anything right now, anything! And it would, no matter what comes out of my mouth, have to be a better explanation than ghosts!

( because dr. k and dillon were adorable in the van, and the look dillon gives ziggy after his ghost rant is just as icon-worthy )

Plus this amusing note from powerrangercentral ~
"Engine Cell #6 is Croc Carrier. Gold is the sixth Ranger but his number is 7 and Silver is the seventh but her number is 8. Get over it."