Showing posts with label J. Michael Straczynski. Show all posts
Showing posts with label J. Michael Straczynski. Show all posts

Friday, December 7, 2018

Babylon 5, the Lady or the Tiger are Analogies to the Life Decisions We Make

In high school, our class read a short story called: The Lady or The Tiger. I won't  discuss much about the story, but the end. It is not much of a spoiler. The main character is posed with a choice of two doors, One door has a lady behind it. The other one has a tiger. 

His decision is either life or death. 

The story struck me because that was the end. We, the audience, were not informed by the writer which one of the two doors the character chose.

That pretty much sums up our life choices. When it comes to making a decision, each of us have to weigh our options. Do we pick the door with the lady. Or, do we choose the tiger? 

Sometimes we decide to take the lady and really we end up with the tiger.

So what does Babylon 5 have to do with this line of inquiry? Comet TV is replaying the old episodes from start to finish. The third season has just concluded and a day long marathon will commence on December 25th. 

One of the most dissatisfying subplots in the whole series is that of the relationship between Susan Ivanova and Marcus Cole. Fan outcry led to the creator and writer of the series, JMS (J. Michael Straczynski) to pen a short story reuniting these two characters. The fans were not amused. 

Actually, a good portion of fandom still dislikes the story to this day. 

Then I thought of the story from high school: The Lady or The Tiger by Frank R. Stockton. We all have choices. Our decisions affect the world around us. What if... Marcus' sacrifice to save Susan had a significant consequence on the evolution of our species? What if... love is more powerful than death itself?

In the end... why should love be unrequited? 

This fan fiction piece delves into the longing, questioning, and confusion caused by expectation, accident, and suicide. Survivor's guilt... how can we go on knowing our love is gone? But does love ever truly leave us? Or do we convince ourselves we are just unworthy of her?

Although I am not blessed with love in this lifetime, I cannot face creativity without the hope of love for someone. That is why I strive to bring love to characters. Why I also wrote this Babylon fanfiction. 

Love should win out the day... even ten thousand years later. 

I guess it is just the hopeless romantic in me. 

Circles We Find Ourselves In, Part I will make an appearance here on Undawnted... Stay Tuned!

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A writer at heart, Undawnted's own creative spark, DL Mullan, began writing short stories and poetry before adolescence. Over the years, Ms. Mullan has showcased her literary talents by self-publishing several collections of her poetry. She also writes novels, designs apparel, and creates digital art. Ms. Mullan‘s creative writing is available in digital and print collections, from academia to commercial anthologies. As an independent publisher, she produces her own book cover designs as well as maintains her own websites. She is an award-winning digital artist and poet. This year, DL Mullan has begun sharing her knowledge via A Novelist Idea Newsletter. If you too want to become a Fearless Phile, then subscribe to her newsletter on Substack.

Her innovative style teaches writers how to reach their creative potential, and write more effectively.

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