About my stories

"Jarin and the Legacy of Nartara" - Sequel to Jarin and the Riders of Berk. When Riders ended there were loose ends that needed tying up, and at the same time it felt like a good stopping point. This deals with the emotional bond of characters and how they deal with a coming potential crisis. It explores the degradation of sanity in those who cannot forgive. It deals with taking responsibility for all that is important even though you may want to run away from it. What Gelbrun did to Stoick is something that cannot be ignored. Stoick has to retaliate. This story will deal with that retaliation as well, and will tie up the lose ends. I don't think I'll be continuing Jarin's story beyond this one. I may, but if I do, things will be quite different. You'll understand when you've read how this one ends... As it stands now, I am in the process of writing Chapter 8, which will be called "Distant Thunder"... It starts in Toram's point of view detailing the preparations for the Nartaran resistance against Gelbrun and will rejoin the main characters as they set out on the raid. I'm taking my time with the rest of this story, as I want to be satisfied with it. I won't publish it until I am sure it is ready...

"Jarin and the Riders of Berk" - I had some requests to turn "Nightmare" into a series. It was always intended to be just a one-shot. However, that did not stop me from thinking, "What if?" In this case, "What if a badly injured Monstrous Nightmare washed ashore on a beach while Hiccup and Astrid were enjoying a quiet moment with each other?" Of course, that right there is a loaded question, because I needed to be able to explain how the dragon got so badly injured, where it had come from, who did it to him, how might he cope with his recovery, how would the people of Berk react to him, How would he react to the people of Berk, What would happen when his past catches up with him? I also wanted to use an original character for lasting change. The sort of thing that would allow me to take creative license with the story without directly stepping on established canon. So Jarin, Tarina and Gelbrun are my own characters who I can do whatever I want with. Anything can happen with them. When I use the HTTYD characters, I will always do my best to write them as they are presented in the movie and the shows.

"Nightmare" - This was the result of a random thought I had about Toothless dreaming that he killed Hiccup. Originally, it was just going to be the scene starting with where Hiccup discovered the Night Fury alive and was going to kill him. But then I thought, what if I also offered a take on Toothless' point of view at the start of the movie. Then I got an idea for some of his background to go along with it, so it in effect has him remembering while dreaming. Regarding Graycloud, Toothless' mate, I intentionally left her species undisclosed. I thought it would be good to leave that up to the readers to fill in for themselves. I'm sure that more often than not, that blank is filled in with another night fury. Some probably envision her as a Nadder or even a Monstrous Nightmare. I'm sure someone has even pictured a Gronckle in that role. So what species was she? Even I haven't decided on that detail. To Toothless, she is but a memory. A whisp of smoke. A gray cloud floating on the breeze of destiny. Some have commented on the abruptness of the ending, and I just wanted to say that it ended exactly as I wanted it to, with Toothless waking up from his nightmare at the sheer horror of what he dreamed that he had done, then realizing that it was just a dream, and his dear friend Hiccup was alive and well, and resting just across the room. I once dreamed that I did something that inadvertently caused the death of my cat. I don't remember what I dreamed that I did, I just remember jerking awake in horror, only to find him curled up on the bed near my feet, and to be flooded with relief that it was just a dream, my subconscious mind playing a cruel trick on me. And then to reiterate the bond of friendship between Hiccup and Toothless, I ended it with them flying together at night.

About Me

First off... I am a guy. I am 40 years old. I like to write. I like CG animated films. I work a job that has very little activity towards the end of the day, which can be very boring. I choose to spend that time while waiting for calls writing stuff. When I found this site I was content to pass time reading other people's stories set to my current favorite CG film, How to Train Your Dragon. Then I decided to try contributing.

I have a novel of my own that I am working on, set in a fictional environment of my own.

So why write fan fiction?

To me, Fan Fiction is like working out in a gym. In a gym, you exercise to keep your body in shape. In Fan Fiction, you exercise to keep your writing skills in shape. It can be a nice diversion to play around with a world and characters someone else has created, so long as the distinction is made that you don't own the rights to anything having to do with that world and those characters, even original character you create to play around in that world.

Other things I want people to know about me.

I am a Christian. I am not ashamed to say it, and I will have words with anyone who suggests that I should be. My faith influences my writing. This means that I will not be writing smut content on any of my stories here. And in my own original works, I will not be delving into detailed play-by-play of the physical interactions of my romantically involved characters. The mind has great potential for imagination, so I will take things just so far, and trust my readers to be intelligent enough to figure out where it goes from there and fill in whatever blanks they think need to be filled for themselves. It is my intent to write stories... not porn. If you seek the latter, then I couldn't care less if you read my work or not. If you seek the former, then I promise to do my best to provide. And to be clear, I am not trying to disparage the work of any other author on this site, who may have the opposite position. Every author reserves the right to write how he or she wants. It is the choice of the reader to decide whether or not to read. My personal choice is to keep a clear line drawn and not cross it. I may dance right on the edge of it from time to time, but there will always be a counter element to keep things "clean".

An example to this is how I write the HTTYD character Hiccup's thoughts concerning Astrid. He wants her. But he sees the value and moral correctness in waiting. The way the character is originally portrayed in the film is as someone who in spite of being beaten down constantly by the world around him, stands on his own two... erm... one foot and does what he knows is morally right. Mercy. Understanding. Trust. Forgiveness. These are all moral themes forming the foundation of the movie adaptation of HTTYD. And while fan fiction allows us to do what we want with someone else's characters, I believe if the established characteristics of those characters are broken in the process, then something special is lost. One of the reasons why HTTYD is my current favorite CG film is because it is a fun movie for everyone regardless of age. It is positive family-oriented entertainment, which I firmly believe there is not enough of. So I treat that with reverence as I write my fan fiction.

I was brought up with values that the world tries to discount as being old-fashioned or outdated. So long as I draw breath, they remain relevant to me. I will not judge others who have abandoned those values for whatever reason. But I also will not allow them to seduce me away from the foundation I have built my life on. So there it is. In black and white, and as clear as crystal.

Be blessed...

G. B. Jackson's Forum