Date: 24 May 2015 22:14 Title: A Friday Well Spent
Aww. sometimes, when we get flashes and glimpses like this, I wonder why it took this pair so long to work it all out. Like why it even took so long for him to realise his feelings and everything. But life is like that, little things and then big things compile and serve to distract, divert and change life plans and goals.
Here it is interesting too to see a less confident and assured Hank, slipping almost into a morose mode (which he can be guilty of later in life) but Bethany serves as his buoy and keeps him afloat. She's his little constant, a bright beacon. And I felt this a very genuine moment in a young man's life, weighing up being social and getting out and plain wanting to bum out and relax and no better person to do it with that your bestie (and soul mate).
Date: 29 May 2014 01:22 Title: A Weighty Matter
Hee, hee. That was fun. It was a delight to read happy Hank and Bethany. Ad the courting, flirting, playful nature of this despite the fact it is a time when they are long together. I guess that adds to their longevity if they keep things as fresh as this and 'exercise' so much. I wondered at the start if Bethany was about to realise she was pregnant or in denial about it or something but instead it's an ordinary everyday relationship scene - albeit one fraught with the potential for a diplomatic disaster if Hank had said the wrong thing. However, Hank (like his author) can all too often pull it out of the bag with a winning line.
Date: 15 Apr 2014 00:15 Title: First Meeting
I'm not familiar with the characters, but it's a nice story and very well written. It makes me want to learn more about the blue-skinned girl. Half Andorian? No wiggling antennas were mentioned. And definately a human name--one that I like and have used for a girl in my own series.
Date: 29 Dec 2013 01:27 Title: Bed Time Stories
Glad to know Hank found a normal life after his ordeal with Maria. A sweet little ficlet.
Date: 16 Dec 2013 22:46 Title: Oh Baby
Great one, TF. Love how Hank recognizes McCoy form hearing him say "I'm a doctor,not a -" Awesome.
Date: 14 Dec 2013 23:02 Title: Through Thick and Thin
trekfan, what an excellent short story.
You build up Harmony guilt and angst, as we see how she views her parents and siblings over the Christmas meal. So when Beth asks the bombshell questions, I want to know as much as the other Harrison family what she was worry about.
The announcement surprised me but in its own way made sense. The scene when the junior siblings stop the in-fighting to join her outside and try to show what ever decision she made, they still family and will support their big sister.
Then the final moment when her parents join them outside and Hank gets over the surprised and confirms his love for her feels so real and while hard earned it’s a excellent piece of storytelling.
Date: 11 Dec 2013 09:25 Title: Moments
*sniff*
I know...I'm not supposed to look at the end of the story first...but this was very well done. So incredibly heart breaking and yet so very uplifting and encouraging. It wouldn't be easy to listen to something like this, and good on Hank trying to joke and make her smile. Very beautiful.
Date: 08 Dec 2013 23:15 Title: Such a Chore
Another tale that read so true, and one that I can see from both sides. Having a sibling six years my junior, I was often tasked with 'keeping an eye on my baby sister' when I was a kid (read as being forced to let her tag along whenever I was doing stuff with older friends). Like Harmony, I resented it at the time, found that it stifled my freedom and independence, but it did help to prepare me for the role of mother in later years. And in spite of Hank's pep talk, she may not realize or accept the truth of that statement for years to come.
And there is something to be said for being the oldest sibling. It instills in that child a sense of responsibility that is sometimes lacking in their younger brothers and sisters.
Date: 08 Dec 2013 23:02 Title: A Misstep
Nice job, trekfan. This smacked of realism, and of the insecurities we as women experience as we have children, grow older, and know that no matter how hard we work, we won't have the same body our teenage self had.
But I like Hank's response here - yes, he can still be attracted to the physical beauty of another (hell, he isn't dead), but what he shares with Bethany transcends that, in spades. People who are only together based on physical attraction alone seldom survive the long haul. Good to know that won't be the outcome for Hank and Bethany.
Date: 08 Dec 2013 22:48 Title: Alien of the Week
Wow, very nice description, trekfan - not just of the crystal mountain and the harsh, unforgiving alien world the class is visiting, but of Bethany's discomfiture, and her friend's willingness to help ease that burden. It seems that even in the future, teenagers will be teenagers, right down to the boys ogling Bethany and her desire to have that jacket, climactic conditions notwithstanding, in an effor to 'fit in,' to emulate the trends the other teenage girls adhere to, even if it's not right for her. I'm glad she was able to distance herself from that crowd, and enjoy the pristine beauty of the planet as the field trip participants were meant to do.
Date: 29 Oct 2013 00:26 Title: The End of All Art
O great last line trekfan. Another of your short stories that I found a pleasure to read and yet another insightful view into the Mind Of Hank and what makes him such a special person and commander.
Was a good choice to redress a modern argument that all contemporary art/music is just a poor cousin to what gone before. Still good job having hank make the point that rock and roll wasn’t welcome when it first emerge.
We all get old and prefer the music of our youth but, the next generation must innovate and create something that is truly there music even if the older generation don’t like it.
Top Story – well done.
Date: 20 Aug 2013 09:59 Title: Alien of the Week
First off, poor Bethany. Jess sends hugs her way; she knows that same feeling very well.
But wow, that was an absolutely beautiful mountain/cave you came up with. I could picture the molten center of the crystal glowing and flowing all around her, maybe even dulled to a somewhat purple color by the blue crystal (which makes the image even more surreal and amazing). Pretty awesome job! I might have to ask to steal - err, borrow - that planet, lol.
And yes, totally worth it.
Date: 21 Jul 2013 00:58 Title: Hank's Proposal
This was a great little scene to bookend Bethany's running scene. And Hank is absolutely right - it all does not matter that much if you have to do it all alone, and without someone to love.
Sometimes, the greatest explorations, and the most important discoveries, are the ones that come from within the self, and in a beloved's eyes.
Beautiful, poignant, and utterly believable.
Date: 21 Jul 2013 00:53 Title: Bethany Runs
For Bethany, the sweetness of this moment is that Hank is her safe place. Even though, understandably, she does wonder just a little bit at the end. After all, she is alone with a boy, in a house. Good on her for diverting away from a movie. She was right; that could have its own baggage attached.
Date: 18 Jul 2013 01:12 Title: Bed Time Stories
"All right ... but when your Grandma comes in here you take the fall."
Oh, God, Hank. I am laughing my head off here, because that was so damned adorable. You do the domestic so well. And I love the story, too, whether it was a tall tale or not.
Date: 18 Jul 2013 01:10 Title: Moments
I'm so glad he left her a last message. Even as it's wrenching to listen to it, some closure is definitely a good thing. A goodbye. Well crafted, if, you know, still absolutely wrenching and heartbreaking.
Date: 18 Jul 2013 01:07 Title: Hank's Funeral
These are killing me. Just so you know.
Date: 18 Jul 2013 01:04 Title: Truth and Justice
Aw, Hank. I don't want him to do it. I understand why, but I still don't want him to. At least he had a long, good life, and I suppose I can understand the urge he has to go out with his chin up and boots on.
Date: 18 Jul 2013 01:01 Title: The Last One
Man, do I get that. It's hard even sometimes just sending them off with their grandpa or to visit their Dad. I'll be at a loss just like Bethany is when it comes time for them to move out. Well portrayed, and the ending was so very sweet, too.
Date: 17 Jul 2013 07:26 Title: A Somber Spring
Aw, talk about a tough spot. I think I'll probably be a total wreck when my kids go off to live their lives; I had a hard enough time just sending them to kindergarten! I love Hank's sensitivity here. And his gentle nature remains even into grandfatherhood.
Author's Response:
Yep, Hank is indeed the nice guy. Time away from command of a starship (where he has to make tough choices) really gives his nice guyness a chance to shine. Thanks for the review :)
Date: 17 Jul 2013 07:23 Title: One Goal
Oh, nothing like a bit of sibling rivalry. Especially after what she did with the not-chocolate! I'm glad to see them come to a grudging understanding by the end of it, though, and even though the fences probably aren't what anyone could consider 'mended', it's something more than what it would have been.
Author's Response:
Sarah and Brian's relationship is a dynamic and complex one. Out of all the Harrison children, these two really have their moments where they absolutely cannot stand one another, yet grudgingly respect one another. They're also linked in the future as the two get into a bit of a competetion to see who can make captain first. Sarah wins that because Brian realizes he doesn't want it, not like she does, but there is a lot of history between these two. Thanks for the review :)
Date: 17 Jul 2013 07:20 Title: Tech Failure
Hm. I am rather 'uhhhhhhh...' on this one. For many a reason; one, writing a little boy who got labeled defective even though he was both a product of nature and nurture and paid too high a price for that labeling. Another for the fact that I fear for my own son. Yet another for the fact that I don't hold a whole lot of stock in TNG-era tech, or their philosophies, some of which are downright terrifying. I sure hope Sarah gets a say in all of this. I don't think Hank would be able to make himself go to any screwed-up places, but it's amazing what you can convince parents to do to their own kids, supposedly for their good. Or what parents can convince themselves to do, for that matter.
Should be interesting, if nerve-wracking, to see where this goes.
Author's Response:
This one was a tough piece to write initially and I really debated whether to include it or not in the series. It could have easily been lost as it didn't really get that much love when it was first posted, but Sarah was like "it's official" and so it is. Even in the 24th century tech isn't perfect (though by the time this happens, we're in the early 25th century) and it misses things. It missed something here. Sarah has her issues and this is a major arc in her young development, but suffice it to say that the end result of this arc is very ... Sarah. She doesn't get forced into anything nor does she have anything done to her that's crazy like. Sarah's childhood years are rough, things get a bit easier as a teenager, and when she gets into the Academy she really starts to blossom. Thanks for the review on this one, really appreciated.
Date: 17 Jul 2013 07:12 Title: Chocolate Pudding
Hot damn, Sarah. Clever, though. The girl should be an engineer, methinks. It's not the least bit surprising where Hank wanted to amuse with his tale, the child takes it as an instruction manual. I like her lots, I think. I hope she learns to be nicer to her brother, but her streak of attitude and cleverness reminds me of my oldest; she's like a cute, if terrorizing, blend of the two.
Author's Response:
Oh, Sarah. Yes she is clever and yes, she is very much the two parts of her parents that make them, them. She was inspired by Hank in more ways than one with this. Thanks for the review :)
Date: 17 Jul 2013 07:01 Title: First Berth
Ah, and the grunt work job. It's pretty much like any grunt job, wherein you find that life can, indeed, be a grind. Even so, I like your Caitian and think that they, as a species, aren't utilized nearly enough in Trek.
Author's Response:
I love the Caitian species and I really liked this piece. Young Starfleet Bethany doesn't get a lot of showtime, not as much as Hank, but her development as an officer and learning how to operate within the fleet is a really nice one to write. I liked her a lot in this piece and I liked the Caitian, too. He may show up again in the future. Thanks for the review.
Date: 17 Jul 2013 06:48 Title: All About Sarah
Okay. Bethany, I love you, but you are SCREWING IT UP. Lord in Heaven, when your little daughter is apologizing, she ALREADY KNOWS that she shouldn't have done it, you don't need to bunny hop on her about it! There were a number of things about this piece that tripped all my Mommy triggers, especially given that I'm going through exactly this kind of thing with my son. He is beautiful and sweet and smart, and yet stubborn as a mule with a temper and a heck of a time in school. Even so, you'd think by the twenty-fourth century, people would know better how to handle gifted if high-need children. Then again, they screwed the pooch on that in the twenty-third century, so I suppose the even more naive twenty-fourth wouldn't be much better.
Even so, I really feel for Sarah and think Bethany needs a kick in the shin right now.
Author's Response:
Bethany and Sarah's relationship is a tough one. The two are very much alike, but Sarah, being the last of the daughters, has her sisters expectations of what she should be kinda thrown on her as a younger child. Her sisters were angels, as we see here, and Bethany expected Sarah to be that sorta here, but she was not. Sarah is very much her own person. Bethany also thinks a lot of this is a repeat of her childhood in a way, a fear she carries throughout the time she's raising the children with Hank. The relationship between the two gets a lot better later on, past nine or so, but as a younger child things are difficult for both of them. Thanks for the review. :)