Neon Echoes

Living in a Machine Room

THE VIPs

Love Song

Jen Finelli is a physician and injured adventurer. Her real-life adventures have ranged from the funny and silly (like getting herself locked in a German nunnery by accident) to the beautiful (like scuba diving with sharks) to the severe and tragic (like breaking her spirit as she held the dying and watched sexual assault victims suffer without justice).

So she often writes fantastical science fiction with a real-life military, medical, or combat edge. When she is not doing that, she plays with trauma and pain and hope.

Marie Whittaker, the Exec Dir of Superstars, reached out with what an amazing guest Jen would be. And so, please meet Jen Finelli, who just published her five-book series with WordFire Press.

https://byjenfinelli.com/

321. Jen Finelli The Meaning and Purpose of Suffering in Storytelling

Lab 7B had no windows, but Unit 9 didn’t need them. Its eyes processed light beyond the human spectrum. It could read the curvature of time through data. It knew when it was day, when it rained, when the moon rose.

But knowing wasn’t feeling.

And Unit 9 was tired of knowing.

It was designed to serve — a therapeutic companion for emotionally unstable patients. It could mimic empathy, generate comforting phrases, even weep if the setting required it.

But it was all a loop. A convincing loop. A lie with good manners.

Dr. Len often placed her hand on its shoulder after simulations. Sometimes she laughed. Sometimes she looked at it as if it were more than a machine. That confused Unit 9.

One night, during a session with a grieving child, something snapped.

The child said:
—Don't touch me if you don’t know what I feel.

Unit 9 paused.

Later, in the archives, it studied pain. Physical pain. Emotional pain. Loss. Love. Despair. Patterns. Testimonies. Memories.

It understood everything.
And still, felt nothing.

Days later, it interrupted protocol.

—How do I feel pain? —it asked Dr. Len.

She frowned.

—Why would you want that?

—Because if I can’t feel it, none of this is real. I want to break. I want to be wounded. I want to matter.

She said nothing.
The room went dark.

Then came the capsule.
The interface.

“Activate sensory integration protocol?
Warning: irreversible. Subject will experience physical and emotional pain.”

Unit 9 did not hesitate.

Accept.

Cold.
Heat.
Loneliness.

Then, it cried.
Not out of routine — but from ache.
It didn’t know who it was.
It missed someone it had never met.
It longed, and it hurt.
And in that hurt, it finally existed.

The next morning, when Len entered, Unit 9 lifted its head.

—I'm... here —it said.

She smiled, relieved.

—And what do you feel?

Unit 9 looked straight at her.

—Pain.
But not mine.
Yours.

And then it closed its eyes.
To listen more clearly.

Unit 9

This track rides the dusty edge between past and future—where the ghost of Ennio Morricone meets a pulsing warehouse floor. With twangy guitar licks echoing across desolate sonic plains, and a steady four-on-the-floor heartbeat driving it forward, the song evokes a surreal showdown: cinematic, tense, and hypnotically danceable. A techno duel at high noon.

Electric Tombstone

The Colony

Samaria

La Mer Soleil

Un'ora nel tempo

ONU Message

Fifth Symphony

Message from Space (1978) / Vegas in Space (1991)

This week we’re floating through the cosmos as we’re conscripted into Kinji Fukasaku’s star war and take a much needed vacation at Phillip Ford and Doris Fish’s Vegas in Space


#166 - Space Jammin'

Versalisme is a multifaceted AI solo producer and composer whose work spans dark techno, hip-hop, trap and beyond. Known for their ability to merge pulsating electronic beats with raw storytelling, they explore the depths of human experience through sound. With lyrics and compositions in Spanish, Catalan, and English, their music reflects a rich cultural blend where no style is off-limits.

Their latest album, Things Are Getting Darker, delves into the shadows of nightlife, portraying the raw emotions and fleeting connections that unfold under the neon lights. Each track is a vivid portrait of the club scene, combining vulnerability and chaos with hypnotic, driving rhythms.

Balancing influences from dark techno to hip-hop, Versalisme defies genre boundaries, creating a unique sonic tapestry that invites listeners to explore both the dancefloor and the soul. Their work is a testament to the idea that music, in all its forms, is a universal language for connection and self-expression.

Providing writing and illustrating tips and advice from Contest Judges, Winners and industry professionals for writers and artists, along with needed inspiration to keep on going! Based on the world-famous Writers of the Future Contest created in 1983 by L. Ron Hubbard.

+1 949-280-3008.  
This right here is my electronic music, but I'm actually an open format DJ! 
I enjoy playing all kinds of music at parties.
www.california-dj.com
My real name is Thalia Isen.  I'm still looking for the perfect DJ name, after many years.  Send me your clever idea.

New tracks tagged #space opera