I understand your concern.
Bringing forth these characters and their situated settings took tremendous amounts of work from you and Phreaky: you do not want them portrayed as just anything. I understand.
First of all, let me reassure you, at least in one way: I do not possess the knowledge for computer graphic design; therefore, no artwork is involved here. These scenarios, or short stories, are merely written ones.
I guess, if we get right down to it, the heart of the matter would be how well you’d be comfortable with allowing for the characters, that you both have created, to face a different paradigm.
Would you be ok with someone picturing them becoming involved in stories where they could be choosing a different path…or having them deal with a different set of circumstances ?
You might simply say A) ‘’Heaven forbid !!!’’ B) Heaven forbid ! Welll…unless it’s tastefully done, maybe I could go with that. But the stories have to be good, and my characters portrayal be credible. But I must strictly approve ALL that shall be presented to the public C) I’ll give some leeway…as long as I don’t fundamentally object, I’ll allow it.
What would be your stance ?
See, it’s all about a shift in conceptualization…and it’s what alternate storyline fiction is all about.
There are numerous examples in popular culture :
(To the administrator and the moderators, I know that I’m straying here, but if I may, to better illustrate my point…Thanks !)
We’ve all seen TV sitcoms in which a character reminisces about when they were younger, or what’ll be when they get older. Sometimes, it’s about ‘’what if ?’’
- There precisely used to be a comic book series named like that by Marvel comics, where superheroes each had a different turn in destiny.
- Other times, it’s about an actor, portraying an important character, who decides to leave the set, then later has second thoughts. So the writers brainstorm together to find ways of bringing them back because they were so popular e.g. Bobby Ewing, portrayed by Patrick Duffy, on ‘’Dallas’’
- Same dilemma, different genre, again in Star Trek: The next generation, the character of Lt. Tasha Yar was killed off rather pointlessly. Several years later, in the episode ‘’Yesterday’s Enterprise’’ actress Denise Crosby reprises her role, her character, alive in an alternate timeline. Having being made aware of how her other self in the original timeline met her demise, faced with imminent danger, this Lt. Yar vowed to die a heroic death if need be.
- In the Doctor Who episode ‘’turn left’’, character Donna Noble is confronted by how her life – and those of others – would have been different had she simply taken that other turn at a road junction, as she was heading for a job interview.
- In the Stargate SG-1 episode ‘’Point of view’’, an alternate-reality Samantha Carter (who is a civilian Dr., not the original storylines Capt. Sam. Carter) is surprisingly shocked to find that the original storyline’s Colonel Jack O’Neill is still alive (In her own reality, he had recently been killed by the enemy). This is like a renewed chance for her. But the original Jack O’Neill doesn’t know what to make of this, and although sympathetic, he feels terribly uneasy with the whole thing; all the while Dr. Carter has enormous difficulty with letting go. Very poignant.
The concepts of Alternate-reality, Parallel Universes and Alternate timelines have often been revisited in science-fiction. Of course, Star Trek pioneered them. Here is a demonstration:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcDjnYxzfss Stargate SG-1 also had many episodes where they were applied. Here is how they see it :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=at4Nq8Ik64k (Quite similar theories, don’t you think ?)
Here is an explanation excerpt from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parallel_universe_%28fiction%29 ‘’Typically, parallel universes fall into two classifications. The first may be more accurately called a "diverging universe" whereby two versions of Earth share a common history up to a point of divergence. At this point, the outcome of some event happens differently on the two Earths and the histories continue to become more different as time elapses since that point. (E.g. Parallels (Star Trek: The Next Generation). The second type is where despite certain, often large, differences between the two Earths history and/or culture, they maintain strong similarities. In such cases, it is common that every person in one universe will have a counterpart in the other universe with the same name, ancestry, appearance, and frequently occupation but often a very different personality. (e.g. Mirror, Mirror (Star Trek: The Original Series).’’
There is also the concept of ‘’Alternate history’’, where some events are depicted as having not taken place, or did take place, but with different outcomes, or something else took place altogether differently.
In the movie ‘’Gladiator’’, as Russell Crowe’s character, fatally wounded, dies,
he arranges for the political power of the Roman Empire to be transferred (back) to the senate. Of, course, it didn’t happen that way, but his foe, Commodus, and that one’s father, Emperor Marcus-Aurelius, did exist.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCKJmJNNrbM On the lighter side, who could forget these scenes from ‘’Forrest Gump ’’ ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSEdBNslGOk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjMVlGvCt3QSo you see, Tlaero, there are many, many instances were the reality (or factualism) of an original storyline is altered or modified in some way.
Often, if done right, it makes for terrific stories.
I emphatically emphasize and assure you that those I have elaborated are tastefully done, and although the first one of them isn’t as polished as the other two, they introduce unique character traits (lots of them; lots of dialogue), as they go through occurrences (planned or otherwise) that are unfolding.
They are realistic, filled with human-like interaction and emotion, and rich in character history and development.
In short, Tlaero, the dignity of your characters is respected, and your work is praised. It is simply followed upon.
You do not have to endorse them, but, these conditions expressly pledged, please consider permitting them.
Thank you,
QcBern
P.S. If you have further inquiries, please let me know (you may PM me also)