Issue 8: Star Trek Adventures ttrpg writing and so much short film pre-production!

Well! What a shitty couple of weeks it’s been, especially for the trans community.

But if there’s one thing that keeps us sane through all of this, it’s writing and creating and making art.

So let’s talk about what’s goin’ on with us Bridgeseseseses!

 
NEW STUFF

This was actually the first official Star Trek writing we ever did, and in fact we started working on it before Tilly’s name had been legally changed. Which meant all the paperwork had to be in her deadname, but all credit to Modiphius and Star Trek Adventures project manager Jim Johnson, because they had absolutely zero problem with (or issues implementing) a payment to one name and an actual credit to another. We love to see it.

Which means… okay, no, this isn’t “new.” But stuff that’s newly released or recently happened doesn’t occur all that often, even though we’re always working on things (creating things take so so so much longer than releasing and experiencing them does!). So this is maybe new to you! And if it’s not, PRETEND IT IS. HUMOR US. WE ARE VERY TIRED.

Anyway! This was our first project for the STA ttrpg, and it came about because we were actually huge fans of the game itself. Tilly’s been running two different STA games for over five years (they share a universe and have big crossover games!), and the game was so much fun and preserved the feel of Trek so well that it was like getting to live inside an episode for a few hours.

So we sought out the people who made the game on social media, just to tell them how much we loved it and what a great job on adapting the franchise to a role-playing game they did, and in the course of talking they learned we were writers, and one thing led to another and Jim Johnson asked us if we’d like to contribute. And we absolutely jumped at the chance.

A few issues back we talked about later contributions we made to the Second Edition rulebook for the game, but this one was our very first. It was directly inspired by the “Disaster” episode of The Next Generation, as we felt it was so much like the game (or vice versa). Just a bunch of Starfleet officers doing the best they can in tough, bad, and/or comical situations, and figuring out how to work together to do good and help each other.

The good news is this game supplement is FREE! So you can go get a pdf copy of it right now, you have no excuse not to! We named multiple ships and characters after friends of ours, and even if you don’t know anything about the Star Trek Adventures game, we think it’s a fun little read of episode ideas. Imagine your favorite Trek casts running through these stories and you’ll have a lovely afternoon.

WHAT WE’RE WORKING ON

Remember all those comic pitches we’ve been talking about for multiple installments of this newsletter? Yeah, we’re still working on those, but we’ve got updates!

One pitch was finalized and the editor took it to The Deciders, and they came back saying… “hey let’s revise this a bit.” So we spent some time discussing which new avenue to explore with the editor, and so we’ll be revising that in the coming weeks. And that’s a little sad, sure, but it’s also just the nature of things. Especially when this is a pitch for an established IP (intellectual property, for those not in the biz – an existing franchise or universe with pre-existing characters).

Our short one-paragraph concept pitches (these were requested pitches) also went past The Deciders, who definitely decided and we have a clear winner. This pitch is officially picked up!! We’re going over the contracts now, and the editor is checking with The Deciders on if our villain of choice is available (there’s so many reasons they may not be… the franchise is using them for something else already, they don’t want to feature X or Y right now for various reasons, maybe they don’t think X or Y are the right fit for the story or marketable in the way they want to market this book, etc). Again, this is all just part of the gig.

In any case, this one is targeting a 2026 release! And if you remember (or if you’re new to these, hi and welcome!) the two graphic novels we wrote last year are likely also coming out in 2026! We Bridges ladies are gonna blow up the comics scene next year. It’s… well it’s actually damn cool, we tell ya what. 😊

The other pitch we previously mentioned, that an editor at a different publisher loved but asked for the story to be fleshed out a bit more, is also progressing. We expanded it, she again loved it, and now it’s just a matter of waiting until it’s presented to The Deciders and they Decide. She says we should hear back sometime this month or in March. This one is a Tilly & Susan original, so it’d be creator-owned and it’s very near and dear to our hearts. Cross those fingers, babes!

And on top of all that, our short film is really steamrolling through pre-production! We’ve got the filming location locked in, and we’re shooting the entire thing in one twelve-hour session, from 8 am – 8 pm, on March 31!

The producers have also decided to crowdfund this, not just so we can pay the cast and crew (crew is all locked in btw! Casting is up next and we may have some exciting news on that front, cross more fingers and toes!), but also so people can help us tell this important trans story at a time when it’s so badly needed. There should be some really fun reward incentives for people who support the project, and maybe even some cool stretch goals.

And these past couple weeks we had our first experience doing storyboards! And compiling shots for use in a lookbook! We’ll be talking about that in the Process section of the paid version of this newsletter, so… see below, and/or sign up for that and support your most favorite married Tilly & Susan on earth, if you wanna.

TRANS TUESDAY UPDATE

2024 Trans Rep in Media part 2: TV part 1, and 2024 Trans Rep in Media, part 3: TV part 2 rounded out the rest of the massive, yearlong report, cataloguing every trans or nobinary actor, character, and joke at our expense in over 30 movies and 40 seasons of television.

We also then compare the totals to the 2022 Trans Rep in Media and 2023 Trans Rep in Media reports that we did, to look at trends. Spoiler: it’s not good.

Representation is more important than ever, though. It’s so often the first (and only) way so many people learn about folks from marginalized communities who are different from them. Art can change the world, and it can change attitudes on trans rights if you’d only put us in your shows and movies, help us get hired writing and directing shows and movies, and stop doing harm with horrible, damaging portrayals that confirm every lie that bigots say about us. Phew.


RECOMMENDATIONS

Season two of Severance just started on AppleTV, and it’s as much of a mysterious, delightful, thoughtful trip as season one was. It’s such an inventive and fascinating show, and we love the way it explores why we are who we are… and who we’d be if we didn’t have the baggage and expectations of society weighing us down. (it’s a very trans premise, actually!)

We also really enjoyed the Wicked movie (part 1)! Don’t want to spoil it for anyone but there are some really fun surprises for fans of the original play, and it’s somehow even more prescient about our politics now than it was when the musical first hit it big on Broadway. Also it’s sadly still so rare to see anything, much less a huge blockbuster, starring two women, but it’s not like that should’ve changed long ago because we’re living in the far-flung future of 2025 or anything…

THE DIRTBAG DISPATCH

Occasionally… not often, but once in a great while… these two weirdos either align on when they want to be near each other, or are too sleepy to notice and do something about it.

Look, their butts are almost touching!

But then! We discovered what may be a universal truth… when the vacuum cleaner comes out, all squabbles are put aside and they’ll even share a box because we must get away from the evil noise machine.

So heartwarming.

WHAT’S IN THE BIG TIME?

In Issue 8 of the Big Time version, we talk about storyboards and lookbooks and how absolutely bananas directing a short film is. And we haven’t even directed anything yet! Pre-production is wild, yo.

Also the Big Time includes the first page of another of our earliest bits of comic work… Cannibal Planets! How could you not be intrigued with a title like that?

You can support us and sign up at birdguestbroadcast.com!

THE END

The trans people in your life need you. And yes, there are trans people in your life, even if you don’t know they’re trans. They might not know they’re trans yet, or they might not know you’re a safe person to come out to. So please, make it known.

If you weren’t aware, the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention issued a warning two years ago that what’s happening to trans people is genocidal. Yes, really. Yes, it’s that bad.

Don’t wait until it’s too late. We need your support so badly. We need to know you have our backs, and that you can see what’s going on and will help fight it.

We need you if we’re going to get through this.

And hey, never forget that we love you.

SOCIALS

Tilly’s Bluesky
https://bsky.app/profile/tillybridges.bsky.social
Susan’s Bluesky
https://bsky.app/profile/susanlbridges.bsky.social
Writing website
http://birdguest.com