The Saga of Emiko Station - Complete

[KAL 9000]

Good luck! I don't mean to inquire, but what job do you have currently?

[Just Jim]

3 hours ago, KAL 9000 said:

Good luck! I don't mean to inquire, but what job do you have currently?

Ahhh, therein lies the problem. I don't, and can't, have a job anymore. I've written it on here before, but I'm not sure where. In a nutshell, my back is messed up really bad. The technical term is "Spondylolisthesis" if you want to look it up. Simply put, my bottom vertibre, L5, is out of place and pushed about 10mm forward and down from where it should be, along with the rest of my spine sitting on top of it. Here's a pic from one of the MRI's they did on me:

The real problem is the discs and such around it are all squished, and the nerves are pinched, which makes my leg go numb, and I walk with a funny limp and a cane. And the more I try to do, the worse it gets.

I went thru workman's comp and all that, and was seen by some outstanding Dr's, including one named Tedder, who is well known around here as the doctor who fixes up broken bones for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers football team (you should see his office... wow). They all said the same thing, it's probably not fixable, and there is more than a 50/50 chance it could just make things worse. You see, I hurt it at work, but a couple unrelated X-rays from years earlier also show it, and it appears I've had this all my life, and what happened work only made it worse. So if they tried to yank it in place with rods and pins, but it was never right o begin with, the result could be really bad.

In the end I went before a really nice judge and a couple more doctors, and a couple people I didn't know... probably comp lawyers. And this judge took his time and asked some very good questions, and actually listened to my answers. And in the end they agreed I'm a mess, and benched me, so to speak. No more work for me, like it or not. Plus, if I tried to sneak back to work and workman's comp found out, and someone entered my name into their computers, they would probably light up like a red alert on the Star Ship Enterprise. There is no way comp would take the risk and allow someone to hire me.

So as much as I want to go to work, I'm stuck here at home. 

Edited November 3, 2016 by Just Jim

[GDJ]

Oh poop. That does not look good Jim.

[Mister Dilsby]

9 minutes ago, Just Jim said:

So as much as I want to go to work, I'm stuck here at home. 

To be clear, I don't "like" this situation, I just like you   Hopefully all this writing does turn into some sort of "side hustle" that can supplement the workers comp

[GDJ]

Maybe it's worth looking into publishing all this into a comic book?

Not the craziest idea there is here.

[Just Jim]

55 minutes ago, Kuzzter said:

To be clear, I don't "like" this situation, I just like you   Hopefully all this writing does turn into some sort of "side hustle" that can supplement the workers comp

WHAT???  

No, just kidding...   I know what you meant.  

 

55 minutes ago, GDJ said:

Maybe it's worth looking into publishing all this into a comic book?

Not the craziest idea there is here.

It's not the format, it's the copyright issue. @SQUAD owns the rights to the game, and in a way the universe, in which Emiko takes place. The two are just too much intertwined, and @SQUAD would have every right to come after me if I tried to do it without their co-operation and support.

Also, in all fairness, if I was to switch it to a comic format to get it published, then @Kuzzter also needs to be published!  

[KAL 9000]

1 hour ago, Just Jim said:

Ahhh, therein lies the problem. I don't, and can't, have a job anymore. I've written it on here before, but I'm not sure where. In a nutshell, my back is messed up really bad. The technical term is "Spondylolisthesis" if you want to look it up. Simply put, my bottom vertibre, L5, is out of place and pushed about 10mm forward and down from where it should be, along with the rest of my spine sitting on top of it. Here's a pic from one of the MRI's they did on me:

The real problem is the discs and such around it are all squished, and the nerves are pinched, which makes my leg go numb, and I walk with a funny limp and a cane. And the more I try to do, the worse it gets.

I went thru workman's comp and all that, and was seen by some outstanding Dr's, including one named Tedder, who is well known around here as the doctor who fixes up broken bones for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers football team (you should see his office... wow). They all said the same thing, it's probably not fixable, and there is more than a 50/50 chance it could just make things worse. You see, I hurt it at work, but a couple unrelated X-rays from years earlier also show it, and it appears I've had this all my life, and what happened work only made it worse. So if they tried to yank it in place with rods and pins, but it was never right o begin with, the result could be really bad.

In the end I went before a really nice judge and a couple more doctors, and a couple people I didn't know... probably comp lawyers. And this judge took his time and asked some very good questions, and actually listened to my answers. And in the end they agreed I'm a mess, and benched me, so to speak. No more work for me, like it or not. Plus, if I tried to sneak back to work and workman's comp found out, and someone entered my name into their computers, they would probably light up like a red alert on the Star Ship Enterprise. There is no way comp would take the risk and allow someone to hire me.

So as much as I want to go to work, I'm stuck here at home. 

Aw, that sucks for you, I feel terrible for asking . I assume that you get paid (at least) minimum wage anyway from compensation? Anyway, I really do hope you get back on your feet. I'm sure that @SQUAD would be OK with publishing Emiko if you asked, you'd probably just have to put a notice in the book saying "The Kerbal 'universe' and the Kerbals themselves are from the video game 'Kerbal Space Program', used with permission."

[Mister Dilsby]

45 minutes ago, Just Jim said:

It's not the format, it's the copyright issue. @SQUAD owns the rights to the game, and in a way the universe, in which Emiko takes place.

Specifically, Squad owns the "Game Content" and asserts that copyright here. The agreement does grant license for non-commercial "derivative" works based on the Game Content (such as this story, and pretty much 90% of everything else in Fan Works) provided appropriate notices are included AND it's not published for "commercial purposes".

I think it's not on topic for this Mission Report thread to discuss exactly where that "Commercial Purposes" line is... e.g. is a Youtube series that gets revenue due to ad linkage OK? How about a "Donate" button? But anyway there's the link to the actual agreement in an attempt to head off wild and uninformed speculation on exactly what one can and cannot do...realizing that there will inevitably be several posts doing exactly that...

And now, back to my day job as my company's intellectual property manager (yes, really)...

[adsii1970]

In truth, I'd contribute to @Just Jim to continue on Emiko if there were a PayPal button enclosed... I am sure there are others that would, as well. I see no difference in that than contributing to mod builders

[Just Jim]

33 minutes ago, Kuzzter said:

I think it's not on topic for this Mission Report thread to discuss exactly where that "Commercial Purposes" line is...

Agreed, this has already been brought up, and I didn't mean to derail things again.

Let me settle the publishing issue this way. It's a fun idea to think about, but honestly, this legal stuff is way over my head, so unless someone from Squad e-mails me and says "Let's do this", I'm not going to even attempt it.

Now, back to the story... how would y'all feel if I made Sanny the ghost a main character???

 

[KAL 9000]

13 minutes ago, Just Jim said:

Agreed, this has already been brought up, and I didn't mean to derail things again.

Let me settle the publishing issue this way. It's a fun idea to think about, but honestly, this legal stuff is way over my head, so unless someone from Squad e-mails me and says "Let's do this", I'm not going to even attempt it.

Now, back to the story... how would y'all feel if I made Sanny the ghost a main character???

 

Do it! Did you take her from @Geschosskopf's Outer Planets Traveling Circus?

[Just Jim]

30 minutes ago, KAL 9000 said:

Do it! Did you take her from @Geschosskopf's Outer Planets Traveling Circus?

Yes, @Geschosskopf graciously let me borrow her, and it occurred to me the 1.2 update gives me an amusing way to bring her smack dab into the middle of everything.

Edited November 3, 2016 by Just Jim

[adsii1970]

@Just Jim: May I borrow one of your images from your story?  I'd love to tell you why, but if I did...

[Just Jim]

3 minutes ago, adsii1970 said:

@Just Jim: May I borrow one of your images from your story?  I'd love to tell you why, but if I did...

Be my guest, especially if it's a surprise... 

[adsii1970]

Oh, yeah. You'll see its usage in the next chapter... but in an unexpected way!

[Flow]

8 hours ago, Just Jim said:

I have three ideas right now that might work.
One is sort of a Victorian steampunk adventure. My take on the classic idea of going back in time and stepping on a bug, but with a twist.
Another idea is more realistic, and based loosely on something that happened to me when I was in the Army. But it deals with a very delicate subject, sort of like Tom Clancy meets Breaking Bad and Apocalypse Now, and it could potentially offend a lot of people. So I'm not sure if I want to do it or not, and if I do, I'd have to handle it with kid gloves, so to speak.
The third one... the third one.....  
This one has been rolling around my head for many, many years, and is the most complete. But it's very, very dark sci-fi horror. On the level of Brian Lumley. For those who don't recognize the name, Brian Lumley is my second favorite horror author, just under Lovecraft, and not for the faint of heart. If any of you check him out, I would recommend starting with the Necroscope series. But do so with extreme caution. Many of my friends have not gotten past the first few pages. My third idea is based a lot on Lumley's works.

 

I really like steampunk in general and also time travel crossovers and would therefore highly recommend you take a read at Mark Hodder's "Burton and Swinburne" series (especially "The Strange Affair of Spring-Heeled Jack"). 

But honestly, I think you should go for that third idea. What I have seen in Emiko Station so far points to the fact that you have a real talent for sci-fi horror. Most mentionable is the intense atmosphere that generates a subtle dread in the reader that something inexplicable and horrifying might happen at any time. 

On the other hand, I have long thought that at some point, @SQUAD would extend the Kerbal franchise by publishing novels set in the Kerbal universe (similar to what has been done to the Mass Effect franchise by Bioware), especially since they never got the chance to implement some kind of storyline into KSP. And to be honest, If they actually go ahead with that idea, I don't think there would be anyone more qualified for this than you. 

[Just Jim]

3 hours ago, Flow said:

But honestly, I think you should go for that third idea. What I have seen in Emiko Station so far points to the fact that you have a real talent for sci-fi horror. Most mentionable is the intense atmosphere that generates a subtle dread in the reader that something inexplicable and horrifying might happen at any time. 

Thank you, it is my favorite thing, and honestly, I've had to hold myself back doing Emiko from making things too dark. But that's what I grew up on: sci-fi and monster movies, and why I like scary cliffhangers. Blame the cliffhangers shows like Lost in Space... or Dark Shadows.. there's a great classic I absolutely loved as a kid. The one and only true horror-soap opera... lol. In the 60's and 70's sci-fi and monster movies really went hand in hand, and many times the genres merged into classics, like the original Alien... one of my all time favorites. But having said that, I'm not a fan of most "slasher flicks". Just trying to invent different ways to kill off a band of unfortunate teenagers gets boring fast. That's why I prefer to mix the two. I want something scary, but also inventive and intelligent and original as possible.

3 hours ago, Flow said:

On the other hand, I have long thought that at some point, @SQUAD would extend the Kerbal franchise by publishing novels set in the Kerbal universe (similar to what has been done to the Mass Effect franchise by Bioware), especially since they never got the chance to implement some kind of storyline into KSP. And to be honest, If they actually go ahead with that idea, I don't think there would be anyone more qualified for this than you. 

Wow, thank you. But if I was in charge of something like this, and it's a set of books, then I only want one of them. The rest I would give to everyone else on here. My buddy @Kuzzter first. I am a huge fan of his, and on subject of being published, there is no-one on here that deserves it more than he does. Just in terms of numbers, I don't come close to the number of views or followers that his comics has. And speaking of comics, his stuff is already formatted, and as good or better than many graphic novels already in print. And perhaps most important, his first two novels: "Eve: Order Zero" and "Duna, Ore Bust!" are finished! OMG, all you have to do is send them to the print shop and viola'... done! I don't know why @SQUAD hasn't reached out to him yet.

I am also a huge fan of @CatastrophicFailure's "Whispers of a Kraken". @CatastrophicFailure is a master of action drama, and really reminds me of Tom Clancy. I seriously wish I could write a chase scene as good as his recent ones! He gets one of the book series as well.

And there are so many more of you I could list... the hardest part would be deciding who to pick.  Perhaps there could be a poll to decide?  

Edited November 4, 2016 by Just Jim

[Mister Dilsby]

That's way too nice, thank you Jim. One of these days I may yet approach Squad with a project  

[adsii1970]

I would love to see SQUAD publish @Just Jim's and @Kuzzter's fan fics... I'd buy them!

[GDJ]

55 minutes ago, adsii1970 said:

I would love to see SQUAD publish @Just Jim's and @Kuzzter's fan fics... I'd buy them!

Yeah I could dig that.

[Just Jim]

Well..... I thought I was going to do screenshots today, but when I fired up the game... well, this happened.

Not sure what's wrong yet. Steam updated me to 1.2.1 automatically this morning, and the only mod that I got a notice about needing an update was kopernicus, which I did. But then this happened, which is so not right. The screenshot is Ovok, but Minmus and Ike are also doing it, so it's not just OPM bodies.

Not gonna panic, just watch and see what happens. I'm not sure if it's kopernicus or OPM that's causing it, so I don't know who to tell yet. I'll wait and see if anyone else runs across it, and go from there.

Edited November 4, 2016 by Just Jim

[KAL 9000]

What craft is that? I have OPM, too, and I didn't get that. Of course, I downloaded the patch from the website 'cause I didn't use Steam for KSP, so maybe it's a Steam thing? Copy the save and mods over to a website download and see if that works.

[Mister Dilsby]

Dude you have GOT to take it off auto-update, you're just asking for a broken S.A.V.E. ...

[adsii1970]

What @Kuzztersaid, x 2!

Edited November 4, 2016 by adsii1970

[Just Jim]

46 minutes ago, Kuzzter said:

Dude you have GOT to take it off auto-update, you're just asking for a broken S.A.V.E. ...

 

44 minutes ago, adsii1970 said:

What @Kuzztersaid, x 2!

 

53 minutes ago, KAL 9000 said:

What craft is that? I have OPM, too, and I didn't get that. Of course, I downloaded the patch from the website 'cause I didn't use Steam for KSP, so maybe it's a Steam thing? Copy the save and mods over to a website download and see if that works.

I know, I thought it was!  All I can think is when I updated to 1.2 I forgot to turn it back off, and now I'm kicking myself for it. 

But I'm not sure it's the save that's broken. I started a new sandbox and it's still doing it.

The ship is one of my stock explorer satellites, so that shouldn't be the problem. And I don't think the steam update would be any different than the other one, or everyone and their brother would have this. I'm still pretty sure it's mod related, so I'm going to double check them and see if I goofed up something. Or wait and see if it's a bug.

 

 

Edited November 4, 2016 by Just Jim