Date: 07 May 2015 08:47 Title: A Confederacy of Decembers
I don't get it. Sorry. You had something here-but I'm lost.
Author's Response: As Patrick McGoohan said: "It means what it is."
It's my characters, those I write anyway, brought together. They have no particular family and so they have each other. From my imagination they are gathered together. They have no one but each other. So they have family of a sense.
Date: 04 Jan 2015 17:17 Title: A Confederacy of Decembers
Sweet. Neat to bring all your characters together like that, and the ending was unexpected. Nicely done.
Author's Response: thank you, it sort of was off the wrist this one.
[Report This]Date: 04 Jan 2015 16:17 Title: A Confederacy of Decembers
Nice to see your family of characters interact.
A sweet little story that shows two can be a family. Top Job.
Date: 01 Jan 2015 20:33 Title: A Confederacy of Decembers
These three are all familiar to me, so for me, it made perfect sense. And in a way, all three are your family, for you've breathed renewed life into each of these minor characters. Nice to see them have a chance to hang out together, even for just a little while. ;-)
Author's Response: thank you, I'm glad you liked it. It made sense in my head.
Date: 24 Dec 2014 16:38 Title: A Confederacy of Decembers
A strange gathering in the mists of December. It took me a bit to figure this out, but I like it.
Author's Response: It made sense in my head, but then most of my stuff of late does. It was the best on short notice unfortunately.
Date: 24 Dec 2014 03:27 Title: A Confederacy of Decembers
Aw, Beverly got her holiday wish!
Date: 27 May 2014 04:35 Title: Deep Silence (November Challenge entry)
Bravo Mac! This was a wonderfully written piece full of raw emotions. I actually felt like I was there with Beverly, seeing her go through her own private grief on the anniversary of Jack’s death. I felt like I was seeing through her eyes, going what she was going through. The pain she has to go through every year mourning the loss of her husband as if it had just happened yesterday is very real. Loss is something that everyone deals with at various levels. Beverly is one of those people that would rather keep to her own thoughts when grieving. That is clearly stated throughout this whole story. I applaud you for writing this piece. Emotional and riveting. Thanks for sharing. :)
Author's Response: You do me a great disservice and you're most kind :) It was a tough one to write but somehow it came together. I always figured deep down, what you never saw on screen, was this pain. I also figure she's a strong character in her own right or she wouldn't be CMO of the biggest ship.
But it worked. :)
Date: 26 May 2014 06:49 Title: 4th and Market
This story was amazing on so many levels. Where to begin?
I enjoyed all the descriptions of San Francisco, having a combination of antique and more modern characteristics. Glad to see some appreciation for the historical significance of the city. And it gives a nice perspective of the role that churches play in a society that doesn't believe in a divine power.
The whole narrative does provide some pretty good exposition of the families of both Jack and Beverly. Jack sure has quite "a live for the moment" attitude, first springing a spontaneous church wedding idea on Beverly. The sudden second wedding may have overkill knowing what Beverly knew. Then again, who can blame him considering his long absences?
Finally, I enjoyed the explanations of 24th century land transportation. Using the transporters or higher-speed hovercraft may be less time consuming, but those don't allow one to appreciate the continent's natural beauty. That gives them a more enjoyable honeymoon.
Author's Response: Glad to hear it went down a treat. My descriptions of SF are conjecture of course, I sort of figured that by the 24th Century it has been half 'modernised' (as you see in ENT mostly) and yet much of 'old' SF is kept. The novel "Best and the Brightest" gave me that idea. I've never been and always wanted to.
I also figure Jack was that live for the moment chap and as it turned out he ended up dying on a mission. Make the most of life when you can.
The land transport stuff was again mostly inspired by a novel, "Traitor Winds" where Chekov uses maglev to get around. Another novel by John Vornholt (Mind Meld) had big transporter centres for cross-country...Part of me likes to think trains and even ships are still in use in spite of advances.
my thanks for the review :)
Date: 25 May 2014 16:14 Title: 4th and Market
I remember doing the beta on this when you first posted it and I love it as much now as I did then. You know I'm a TOS girl, so Beverly was one of those characters I knew peripherally, but I've really come to know and love thanks to your deft handling of her.
I absolutely love how you seamlessly blend your locations with your stories, making them a character in their own right. I could easily picture the little centuries-old mission, dwarfed on all sides by contemporary skyscrapers, feel the rain on my face in Seattle, smell the sea in Barnstable. Your knack for describing locations you've never seen in person will never cease to amaze me.
I loved the premise of this story, too - as with most members of the military today, so much that happens is due to the whims of service and postings. It rang so true that Jack would want to get married before he shipped out, as opposed to waiting until he got back.
You also captured that feeling of young love very well - tenacious, desperate, unable to bear the thought of being apart, even for an instant. Jack and Beverly's friends seemed to sense that as well, as they were willing to drop everything and attend the impromptu wedding at 4th and Market, as well as the 'official' one in Seattle several months later.
You really do have a way with Beverly, bringing a two-dimensional character into her own right, making her someone we identify with, and care about. It sure worked for this TOS girl. ;)
Author's Response: I doth blush. That stuff about the church I remember googling churches in SF then using Streetview and stuff (the effort I put in is stupid). Until someone from SF says otherwise, I'll plug away (I think Terilynn told me years ago on OS she's from SF). Of course it's done to you that this stuff gets out there and I'm appreciative for it.
Date: 25 May 2014 15:08 Title: 4th and Market
What a wonderful story. We have some majorly talented writers here on Ad Astra, who constantly astonish me by the breadth of story that can be told using the Star Trek universe. And 4th and Market is definitely up there alongside those other stories.
I really enjoyed seeing these two events in the Crushers' life, both of which were extremely romantic. The sudden decision to marry in San Francisco seemed to fit the character of Jack Crusher, as did his later desire to "do things properly" for his family. You did a great job describing Beverly's feelings about these two events, her initial reticence that and the way she then gets into the spirit of things and enjoys herself.
You also did a great job with location. You painted a picture of an Earth that is both familiar and yet different, bringing in elements of the past while making it clear that they have changed, evolved and been replaced through the many years since our time. I have never visited either San Francisco or Seattle, but you did a great job of bringing them to life, always in very small, subtle touches, which are generally the best in any written work.
A nice use of pre-existing characters, including Keele, though I was hoping to see Picard at one of these weddings! :) Also liked the way you used the old uniforms since this was set during the Lost Years.
As I said above, this does a great job of showing just exactly how much can be done in fan fiction - it doesn't all have to be wish fulfilment or epic storylines, it can also be used to tell real life, touching stories that can speak to us all.
And a huge final lol for Jack's reaction to Beverly's announcement!
Well done!
Author's Response: Humbled by your review. I've never visited San Francisco and much of what I do with it here in Trek is conjecture (you get some glimpses in ENT and so I assume much of it is modern but a lot of 'old' SF remains). I've never visited Seattle. Heck, never visited the USA or anywhere else bar Nice in France for two days :)
I figured Picard wasn't that big a part of Crusher's life just then. Thank you for reading.
Date: 28 Mar 2014 08:33 Title: Dreams of Greater Things
Another wonderful story! I'm liking these series of fics! You put a lot of thought and emotion into this! Thanks for sharing!
On to read some more!
Author's Response: You're most kind. I've always had a certain emotion and it tends to come through when writing Crusher. Fleshing out Big Red has been ongoing for a while now.
Date: 28 Mar 2014 01:48 Title: Something of a Miracle, in Haight-Ashbury
Lovely story you have here! You kept everyone in character. I look forward to more from you!
Thanks!
Author's Response: thank you very much. I have a fair bit for Crusher hereabouts but hopefully there'll be more in time.
Date: 14 Dec 2013 03:19 Title: Something of a Miracle, in Haight-Ashbury
You already know what I think - I love it. A sweet, slice-of-life story about a young couple in love, trying to find a way to make the holiday special for them. I so love it that even though Beverly had a star that belonged to her mother, she found a tree-topper with Jack, one to start a tradition in what would soon be their own family.
This fully encompasses the spirit of the challenge, and I would hope and imagine that this angel will hold special meaning and significance for Beverly after Jack's death, and will somehow make her realize that his spirit is with her and Wesley, even if he isn't.
Truly a beautiful piece.
Author's Response: thank you most kindly. Warms the cockles to see people getting more from a story than I sometimes think. Truly a writer's curse. I half did think of Deep Silence when writing of this new ornament. Perhaps it's back on Earth rather than Enterprise and if that was the case, it being on Enterprise, she rescued it from the wreckage. Thanks again
Date: 12 Dec 2013 22:08 Title: Something of a Miracle, in Haight-Ashbury
That’s is an excellent little story.
The Crushers first Christmas, and their hunt for the all-important tree-topping angel. As always a good prose, which was easy to read and Beverley voice ring clear and true as usual. Glad you managed to get the dancing doctor bit it and the kissing under the mistletoe at the end.
Author's Response: my thanks. Oddly I've not hinted at her dancing past much even though supposedly she did it at the academy. My Beverly seems to be an introspective person so writing Jack is a bit odd.
Whether San Francisco will still have cubbyholes in 2347 is another matter.
Date: 10 Dec 2013 22:00 Title: Something of a Miracle, in Haight-Ashbury
Awww, sweet and definitely a favorite thing!!
Author's Response: thank you. I confess it started off as comic then I feared it'd veer into dark but though not the best it did the trick. :)
Date: 10 Dec 2013 20:27 Title: Something of a Miracle, in Haight-Ashbury
I loved this piece. You stay so true to Beverly's personality. A beautiful holiday story of a couple just starting out in life. I feel privileged to have shared the moment with them.
Author's Response: Bless you indeed, I'm glad it went alright to the end. I'm sure the 24th Century would be a little different if not vastly but maybe for a new couple some things don't change.
Author's Response: Bless you indeed, I'm glad it went alright to the end. I'm sure the 24th Century would be a little different if not vastly but maybe for a new couple some things don't change.
Date: 20 Jul 2013 18:10 Title: Dreams of Greater Things
As always you've done a great job with Beverly. The story feels right and flows well, McCoy speech seems right both for him and to the fresh-ensigns, plus the private one in the 602 bar afterwards.
Plus the quotes seem to be part of the story rather than added on afterwards.
Author's Response: thank you most kindly. Just a little effort to put the blocks in for her life. I've assumed McCoy had a big part to play or maybe even a continious series of small parts in cadets' lives and maybe he did with Beverly.
As for the quotes, I always try to match them to the story but it's something I've done for years after reading one too many book :)
Date: 28 May 2013 20:43 Title: 232 and One
Simply beautiful piece Mac. After reading the ficlet piece about the crash this is a wonderful follow up for me. Serendipity to read them that way. Beverly's insights and feelings are nice. I like how you use Ogawa at the beginning using a canon minor as opposed to Deanna who you would imagine would be eslewhere.
It is nice to have a little sense of what may have happened afterwards, after the crash and between seeing the rescuers come and leave the planet. Simply done we get small pictures that give the sense of the work being done.
Also then seeing how the loss of the ship is going to a hard hit on them all. We see it first with Geordi here and in the movies between Picard and Riker. Perhaps Picard for all his attachment had his Stargazer to fall in love with but for the likes of Riker, Geordi and Crusher the D is the one they fell in love with. Beverly admitting that it originally did not do it for her but the ship grew on her, after all it was the place she called home and raised for a time her son, made friends and retouched with Picard. So of course, this ship would come to mean something for her.
Very nicely written and creates a fantastic insight to the story of Crusher.
Author's Response: You're most kind. I took the opening from a deleted scene from Generations that featured Ogawa and Crusher, the dialogue is more or less taken from that. The rest is conjecture. The only book I ever knew that tackled post-crash was Shatner's Return. As you say this was their ship, Riker's on down. That scene in Way of the Warrior when Worf and O'Brien muse on the ENT-D sums it up. Stands to reason that Beverly, despite being a doctor -someone whose interest is people then ships- cares for her home. bless you for your words and my thanks
Date: 28 May 2013 19:59 Title: Out of Control
An excellent piece Mac. The sense of danger and urgency is palpable. The ship trembles and screams as it goes down. Beverly has to be panicked, frightened as to what is going to happen, whether they will survive, has to worry for her colleagues, her patients and her friends too - those working on the bridge to try and rescue a situation, who have had to make this mad gamble to try and survive, to make this desperate call and among it all she knows that Picard is not there, that he should be that she probably worries for him too and yet
...and yet despite everything, she has to be focused, to be assuring, a leader, an example, to get her patients and charges to safety, to flee her medical bay which has always been her sanctuary, her place of expertise, her place of work and certainty, and it is being abandoned, is to explode and she has to scramble everyone to some safe spot in the saucer section. So much to try and convey, so much that has to be in her mind and your piece works so well as to get me thinking about Beverly's perspective, to apprise her in continuous new light, to see her as more than the mere few glimpses we do get and see there's so much more there under the surface. Super ficlet piece and sums up the perfectly brilliant job you have done throughout to illuminate and cast new light, new fondness and affection for a character who never quite did it for me first time round but who I now see through new eyes thanks to your stories.
Date: 27 May 2013 13:31 Title: 232 and One
This is a scene which should have been added to Star Trek Generations, it is that good. Finally I take it that the dead 'person' was the Enterprise-D right?
Date: 27 May 2013 13:24 Title: Out of Control
One of Star Trek Generation's most awesome scenes was the crash-landing of the Enterprise-D, and with this small scene you've done it some real justice! And added a little bit more to Beverly's character!
Date: 27 May 2013 13:17 Title: Encounters Over Farpoint
Bonus points here for bringing up some of the more quirkier aspects of TNG season 1. The computer which is our Captain obvious, I loved that little bit where Beverly practically rolls her eyes at the computer's painful obviousness!
You also brought up some of the contradictions of Counsellor Troi's uniform. So she's going around in rather provocative attire and she could be talking to children and parents. Hmm... Again, kudos to you for bringing up these flaws and for Beverly noticing them to!
Date: 27 May 2013 13:08 Title: The Doctor is Out
Nice a little expansion of Beverly's backstory and I'm glad someone is writing for Beverly Crusher, she had some potential what with her ties to Picard and the trauma of losing her husband, plus she could be bad-ass when need be!
Also Beverly was one of those more normal characters, she didn't have any special abilities or any particular fame or reputation (something which I call the O'Brien quality), so I'm looking forward to seeing how you develop this character!
Date: 26 May 2013 16:44 Title: Out of Control
This was heart-pounding, Mac. You really captured the urgency, the need to get everyone to safety, and to protect the children and injured as the saucer section plunged out of control to the surface of Veridian III.
I imagine it would be just like that. Others are responsible for piloting the ship, ensuring that the landing is as safe and soft as it can possibly be. And as CMO, Beverly's responsibility would be for the people contained within. Very, very nice.
Date: 26 May 2013 10:44 Title: 232 and One
Again, a great glimpse into the aftermath of this key event, nicely portrayed through the eyes of Doctor Crusher. I especially liked her moment with LaForge, who must have been feeling soo guilty right about then. Good stuff!
Author's Response: thanks. If a captain cares for his ship than a chief engineer moreso. Oddly I'm thinking of the Chief in Das Boot but there you go :)