Date: 16 Feb 2012 21:57 Title: Eighth Stage – Rituals
Nice continuation of the story. I expected it to end with stage five, but I like seeing it go on. :)
Just wondering, is Azetbur supposed to be the same one from Star Trek VI, or just a Klingon named after her? Other than that, good work!
Author's Response:
I went with naming after her, mainly because I was at a loss for a female Klingon name that didn't start with a K. :)
Thanks; I enjoy writing them but they don't always call to me and tell me they want a story written. But I thank you - it's your RR that originally inspired the Klingon Brady Bunch, as it were.
Date: 21 Aug 2011 01:40 Title: Seventh Stage – Ice Cream
Wow! I didn't realize there was a new chapter!
I love these tentative first steps indeed. :-) A lot of people skip over this kind of stuff in a relationship, but it works very well.
And a butcher...what an interesting occupation for a Klingon. And I also liked what he said about treating the animals honorably. We don't often see such applications of Klingon honor principles, but it seems fitting. (It also seems he must've read the works of people like Temple Grandin.)
Author's Response:
Now I need to Google Temple Grandin.
I was thinking a bit of some aboriginal cultures where the hunter apologizes to the prey before dispatching it. I have a friend, a very sweet person, who is a fishmonger. He's this nice, gentle guy who also, every day at work, kills lobsters. But I also wanted it to be a way for Kit to be a gentler kind of a guy. He's been around humans, he realizes that sometimes even language bothers people, and he has learned to not play rough with beasts. Also wanted the contrast of, he ends lives every day, but does so with respect and honor and as much kindness as he can muster. I think with human-Klingon relationships, there kind of has to be something gentling the Klingon a bit. Otherwise, it seems like the human would really get knocked around, and not just between the sheets. I would think that in such a relationship, the Klingon would be dominant in other ways, and Gina is too much of her own person to allow herself to be subjugated like that.
Thank you, as always! :)
Date: 21 Aug 2011 01:37 Title: Sixth Stage – Healing
As I mentioned back in the prompt thread, I think this was a wonderful response, and I would love to hear more about her and Kittris someday. :-)
Author's Response:
Thanks! This is the MU version of this stage:
http://forums.adastrafanfic.com/index.php?topic=821.msg21185#msg21185
Date: 21 Aug 2011 01:36 Title: Fifth Stage – Acceptance
Wow...I am amazed to see that the square was named after a "regular" civilian. All of these lives are so important; I'm glad to see he was honored.
Author's Response:
Oh, thank you!
As for the square - here in Boston and in surrounding areas, there are town squares named after all sorts of people. I have no idea how you actually get a square named after a loved one but I am thinking they have to have either been in major league politics or a war hero of some sort. The YMCA nearby has a dedication plaque to a guy named Robert Rufo who died some time during WWI. There's no mention of him doing anything heroic, just that he passed when he was something like 21, 22 years old.
I wonder if you have to request it, or what. In the story, I'm having it that she has to ask for it. So it opens up a wound but it also is a way to give some meaning, for her, to his death. I used to work in a place where they had lost 4 people on 9/11 (Twin Towers; this was a temp agency with offices all over the US) and I recall reading the plaque at Home Office. These were regular folks, most likely just checking email or grabbing coffee or the like and then, suddenly, that's it. I was impressed then that they were remembered by their coworkers - their fellows in the trenches, as it were. I've been approaching Hold Your Dominion as very much a 9/11 story, and as the 10th anniversary looms it serves as a reminder and as inspiration.
Date: 21 Aug 2011 01:34 Title: Fourth Stage – Depression
At least the Vulcan woman made some sort of attempt to be decent. She's probably the first one in this story that I've seen actually do something useful for her here. She may not have socialized, but I think that her act, without questions, was the best thing anyone here has done thus far.
I guess the neighbors are trying...but it's easy to feel how cold it comes across to her, deep in her depression.
Date: 21 Aug 2011 01:30 Title: Third Stage – Bargaining
Oh, boy...this is the make-or-break point for a person of faith right here: will she be angry because the bargain didn't work, or will she come to a different conclusion instead?
She definitely drives a hard bargain with the Ferengi, for sure. Something tells me she has experience in those things, to even be able to pull it off when I know she's in a very unpleasant mindset.
Date: 21 Aug 2011 01:27 Title: Second Stage – Anger
And the insensitivity parade continues. "It must be morning sickness." Boy, I hope that woman gets her ass kicked.
I'm curious, though...were there any men in this "family section"? In the 24th century, I would think that it would be more than just a gaggle of women...
Date: 21 Aug 2011 01:25 Title: First Stage - Denial
I don't know if you've ever seen the movie We Were Soldiers, but the insensitivity the pilots showed by landing on the tree reminded me a lot of how the first few notices were delivered from the Ia Drang offensive (before the military wives on base took over the notifications process). Apparently they've learned nothing from even the 20th century.
You can definitely see how distraught she is. With the way that was presented--no wonder she's in denial!