Tevun-Krus #100

Captain's Spotlight & Interview - @PhonerionBallznevsky

Today, we celebrate the 100th issue of Tevun-Krus. This means 100 collections of science fiction awesomeness in the name of Ooorah.

Now, while Tevun-Krus is the brainchild of one AngusEcrivain - supported by PlanetaryFlex and parishsp, there is one guy who can be called the godfather of this child. We're pretty sure he lost more than a drop of sweat to bring his protégé to where we are today. Let's ask him a few questions about his time with Ooorah!

Hey, PhonerionBallznevsky, how are things going for you?

As I type this, I'm listening to some Megadeth in a state of complete and utter exhaustion. I've done some long days in a row at work. Somehow I manage to stay alert without the use of highly illegal narcotics.

How did you get to know and became involved Ooorah?

It goes back to the very first issue, First Contact. I stumbled across the issue when it was first posted and found my Wattpad tribe. There was a contest in that first issue and I submitted an entry—however, there were no winners. Post-Apocalyptic, the second issue, came out a few months later with parishsp controlling the Ooorah mothership alongside AngusEcrivain. There was another contest, and that one I did win. My drabble was featured in the third issue, SteamPunk. After that, I was asked if I wanted to write an article for issue four, Space Opera. I tried my best to write an article, but it ended up becoming a fictional story with a lot of footnotes.

Then we jump to the CyberPunk issue, number seven, which featured my first Tevun-Krus epic. And it started a long line of submissions, quite a few of them the token epic for their respective issue. As of now, I believe the number of stories I've written for Tevun-Krus is in the mid-seventies. I've slowed down a lot, mostly because of real life getting in the way. I also made a decision to try and focus on building a writing career, which unfortunately meant sacrificing TK, given what little time I have to write these days.

We imagine as a godfather, you are mostly proud of your protégé. What were your best moments in ten years of Ooorah and 100 issues of Tevun Krus?

Definitely a lot of good times. I would say the contest entries that started me off on my TK journey were important. Also a high point was when I had a couple really productive years, and I was submitting at least one story for literally every issue. Finally, I'd have to say the milestone issues. I'm talking TK50, the first time we did an International issue, and now TK100. Years in the making.

Any bad memories?

Only one. I do believe the amount of time I spent stressing about TK stories during my sparse latter-day period was an unproductive use of my time and contributed not only to my lifelong struggle with depression but also helped spur on the end of my relationship. I wanted to be a valued contributor to Tevun-Krus, always, even when it was hurting me. There are so many stories from this period that never got finished. Some of them were close to completion. Every so often I get an urge to work on them. I do intend on finishing them, so don't be surprised when you see something from the back catalogue being updated.

And something really embarrassing?

Nothing comes to mind, to be honest.

Is there anything you would do differently next time?

I wouldn't have burnt myself out after moving to New Zealand. I would have taken a break and worked on a novel.

Any words of wisdom for the next hundred issues?

Keep fostering new talent and being supportive of each other. Everybody has something to offer.

Do you want to give a shoutout to any partners in crime who helped Ooorah become what it is today?

Just take a look at any of the contributors for all 100 issues so far, and anyone who contributes going forward. Also, shoutout to BobJan70 for overhauling the covers way back in TeslaPunk.

What is your all time favourite issue of Tevun-Krus? Or is there a particular story that stood out from all the others?

TK50, because it was an amazing way to look back on how far we'd all come. And it featured people's favourite stories, both by themselves and by others. You can't beat fifty classic Tevun-Krus tales.

Any features that give you that warm fuzzy feeling and that you would like to see going on forever?

I've always been in favour of more stories. The more stories the better. However, I do think the little things like poems and articles help fill out the issue and make it more magazine-y.

Can you give us three songs to launch the party for 100 issues of Tevun Krus?

Megadeth - Super Collider

XTC - Making Plans for Nigel

alt-J - Bloodflood

And one final wish for the future?

I'd love to see Wattpad formally recognizing the effort put into Tevun-Krus.

Thanks a lot for stepping by, Mike, may the force be with you, always, and inspire you to write an infinite number of great stories! Ooorah will always be happy to feature you!