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Folks,

I have good news! I have just finished polishing and submitting (to the fan fiction mods) part one of a two-part fan fiction that will knock your socks off (I hope)!

This fan fiction, which I hope will be accepted by the fan fiction mods for entry into a new fan fic gallery for me, will be a crossover combining the cartoon universes of Balto and Lady and the Tramp!

Here, from the story itself, is the preface (this is not a short story, so expect it to be several pages...I also needed to set things up a bit, so the preface was a little on the long side. Another fan fic I'm working on promises to be much shorter). I should point out that part two of this crossover fan fic should be completed and submitted in a few days at most!

Enjoy! And please be watching! I'm eager to get your feedback! (If you're all interested, I'll post Chapter 1, but no more than that! I don't want to put too much here! I'd rather leave the best for my fan fic gallery!

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Nome Meets Snob Hill, Part 1

By Earl J. Aversano (BaltoSeppala)
([email protected])

This story was inspired by the movies Balto (1995, © Universal Pictures and Amblimation/Amblin Entertainment), Balto II: Wolf Quest (2002, © Universal Cartoon Studios), Balto III: Wings of Change (2004, © Universal Cartoon Studios), Lady and the Tramp (1955, © Walt Disney Productions), and Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure (2001, © Walt Disney Television Animation, Walt Disney Pictures), as well as the real history of the Great Serum Run of 1925.

The original Balto cartoon characters which appear, or are referred to, in this story: Jenna, Nikki, Kaltag and Star, Rosy, and the cartoon version of Balto are copyrighted property of Universal Pictures, Universal Cartoon Studios, and Amblimation/Amblin Entertainment, respectively. The original Lady and the Tramp characters which appear, or are referred to, in this story: Tramp, Lady, Jim Dear, Darling, Junior, Jock, Trusty, Reggie, Tony, Joe, Scamp, Annette, Collette, Danielle, Buster, Angel, the Dogcatcher (the version from L&T II), Mrs. Mahoney, Mooch, Sparky, François, and Ruby, and location names: Snob Hill and Tony’s Restaurant, are copyrighted property of Walt Disney Productions, Walt Disney Television Animation, and Walt Disney Pictures.

Neither this story, nor any part of it, may be reproduced in print, or posted on a web blog, message board, or other electronic medium, without the permission of the author.

PREFACE
This story is a melding of fictional milieus of the Balto cartoon universe, and the Lady and the Tramp universe. It also blends with elements of the real events experienced by the real Balto and his team after the Serum Run of 1925. This is going to take some explaining, so that you understand the setting. If you don’t want to read it, then don’t. But I recommend that you do. I felt it was necessary. The story itself is made up of many short chapters, meant to break up the action into segments, more in keeping with the flow of a cartoon rather than that of a book. I did this on purpose. It is also broken into two parts, to cut the apparent length down a little.

I would like to credit the following MySpace members, who are character role-players, with contributing to this story. They are the best at representing their characters on the entire MySpace community: http://www.myspace.com/jenna_and_balto4ever (Jenna), http://www.myspace.com/57951863 (Tramp), and http://www.myspace.com/jimdearanddarling (Lady). Without their participation in the role-play scenario which led to this story, I probably would not have turned out a story half as interesting and entertaining. And even though this story is not a word-for-word reconfiguration of the role-play, it is based substantially upon it.

In this story, we find Balto and his team (including Nikki, Kaltag and Star), and their musher (even though the name of the team’s musher was never identified in the Balto cartoon movie, I have designated him Gunnar Kaasen, as in the case of the real-world musher of the real Balto’s team) touring the United States during the latter half of 1925. It is fall, and now almost eight months since Balto’s team arrived in Nome, carrying the life-saving diphtheria anti-toxin. In the early summer, the team was invited to come to the U.S. by Hollywood producer Sol Lesser to make a short movie about their experiences. After that, the team was convinced to go on a tour of the states by train, taking part in vaudeville shows across the country. Balto was now a bona fide national celebrity, and people wanted to see this heroic dog who had led his team through blizzard and treacherous terrain on their errand of mercy.

Accompanying the team is Jenna and her master, Rosy’s father. Being better-traveled than Gunnar Kaasen, he has offered to assist as a liaison, and brought Jenna along as an after-thought (which pleased her and Balto greatly).

The team has spent the entire summer touring the United States, starting in Seattle, Washington and working their way across the country. Now, with the advent of autumn, they find themselves entering New England. It is late September, and the leaves on the trees are turning a dazzling array of colors…brilliant red, yellow, pink and orange. It’s something to which the team is not accustomed. In Alaska, the seasons turn so suddenly (and usually harshly), that there is little chance for such a marvelous display.

They have just completed a visit in Boston, Massachusetts, when they are diverted to a small town nearby. Some wealthy citizen has arranged a parade, to include a ceremony and picnic in his posh community, and managed to exert enough influence to convince Rosy’s father to commit the team to an appearance.

Snob Hill is a rich neighborhood in an unspecified town in New England. Fans of the Disney movies “Lady and the Tramp” and “Lady and the Tramp 2: Scamp’s Adventure” have often speculated that it is either in Boston or New York. However, this has never been officially documented…and I have not tried to pin it down here. It’s best left to the imagination. Snob Hill, which sits on the “right side of the tracks” from a rough-and-tumble working-class neighborhood, is a mixture of beautiful Colonial, Victorian and Edwardian homes with preened lawns and gardens, wrought-iron, stone, brick or white picket fences, and fine iron and brass gas lamps lining concrete and brick-lain walkways and cobblestone and paved streets. The business district is inviting and decorative, and in between this are expansive, bucolic municipal parks, again, bordered by wrought-iron fences polished off with brass fixtures. It is as far removed from the simple frontier gold mining town of Nome as any neighborhood could be. An exact or even approximate date was also never indicated in the Lady and the Tramp movies. However, given the setting, the types of vehicles in use, and the clothing people are wearing, we can assume that it was meant to be set either in the 1910s or the 1920s…but certainly not before or after.

This story is meant to be taking place in late September of 1925, approximately eight months after completion of the Serum Run. For the purposes of the Lady and the Tramp movies, I have set this after the first one, but before the second. Scamp and his sisters are still much younger than they appear in Lady and the Tramp 2, though some familiar characters from that movie will appear.

Here’s a final note concerning my use of colloquial English. I have tried to stick strictly to the characters and the way they spoke in their respective movies…including any regional accents or regional grammar. To those reading this, for whom English is not their native language, it may appear a bit odd (especially with Nikki, Jock and Trusty)…especially where English words or colloquialisms are purposefully misspelled in order to make the spoken accents of the dogs stand out on the page. I hope this doesn’t present too much of a problem. Remember that Nikki speaks with a heavy Brooklyn/Bronx accent (that of a working-class New Yorker). Jock, the Scottish terrier, speaks with a Scots accent and colloquial manner. And Trusty, the old blood hound, speaks with a southern drawl, of course…and the colloquialisms of the old South.

I'd ALSO like to point out something I'm VERY proud of:

1. THIS fan fiction (indeed, ALL of mine) is Rated G. It's fit for kids as much as it is those who are "kids at heart".

2. I have been respectful of the original characters from both cartoon universes, and not twisted their characters around to suit my own personal tastes...just to tell a compelling story. However, my personal tastes actually dictate that beloved children's characters should not be turned into violent, blood-thirsty freaks, or sex objects (heterosexual OR homosexual). That, to me, does a great and terrible disservice to the characters. And to those of you who may think I'm being a prude or else unfair to the other fan fic writers, well, that's just something you're going to need to deal with. I won't apologize for my attitude, and I won't accept harrassing criticism about it. The way I see it, I am being humble and respecting the characters. EVERYONE should.

You were'nt joking when ya said 'long' were ya? lol, sounds awesome Seppala...even though it may take me a month to read the whole fic.

Have you seen some of the fan fics? LOL! I've seen some that are eighteen pages long! So far, Part 1 of this fan fic is just over ten pages (in Microsoft Word anyway). LOL

Still, a good story is worth reading, no? What I'm doing is essentially a prose version of a movie script, after all. Heh heh. I always felt it would make a heck of a Balto IV!

Rock ON! Part 1 posted! Thanks, Lonewolf (et. al.)!

LOL - thanks, Arctic Wolf! Sometimes longer stories are fun to read! =) Especially if well-written! And I've received nothing but positive feedback from those who have read it (and I am grateful for that!).

Of course, like I said, I've seen some real doozies out there! Much longer than mine!

I know a lot of fan fics online tend to be short...but come on folks. Do any of you actually sit down with a good book anymore? No matter what the title and subject matter? Even a magazine or newspaper? LOL!

Just finished reading it and i have to say you did a great job on it Seppala, i'll be looking foward to part 2

LOL - thanks! I'm really glad everyone enjoyed Part 1! But now that I've got the characters' introductions and the set-up out of the way, the MEAT of the story is about to come forth! Heh heh.

The action will turn up several notches, and there will be a nice romantic ending too. I think we just might be seeing a return visit to Tony's (you simply have to know that I couldn't leave Tony and Joe out of the story! )

News update! Part 2 of my "Nome Meets Snob Hill" crossover story (Balto/Lady and the Tramp, with smatterings of the real Balto's history) will be posting for approval sometime tonight! Which means, I hope anyway, that by tomorrow (Sunday) it should be available for reading! WOOOO!!

On the heels of that one, I should be posting another fan fic I'm working on about the final days of Togo...in that fan fic, I've placed a cartoon version of him into the Balto cartoon setting, in the year 1929 (post Balto 3). Will tell more about that later!

Cool! I can't wait! I thought there would be Tony's resturaunt in there some time... and I commend you for being one of the only people I know who want to stay true to the charactrers! YES! I FINALLY KNOW I'M NOT ALONE! Heh, heh, sorry, couldn't be helped. I do hope that the fic hurries uyp. I can't wait!

Heh heh. Thanks, Kelev! Well, I just submitted it. It just has to be approved, and then I'm sure we'll see it posted! I'm hoping to see it posted sometime early Sunday!

However, I am patient! If nothing else, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief! it's done! (I had several periods where writer's block hit me on this...I wanted to do a good job, and improvised on much of the latter half, which has not been role-played in my group!). Today, however, I had several moments of inspiration which cleared things up for me...and enabled me to complete it.

Be watching! I really can't wait for feedback! I know you're going to love it!