Date: 03 Oct 2014 20:43 Title: Chapter 1
Has to be very frustrating being on a ship with such a terrible ratio of women to men. And I think I'd echo what LBD said, was she hoping he'd find someone else maybe? Or maybe she just needed some time to finally come to grips with the reality she was now facing. A neat look at this "lost era" of ENT lore
Author's Response:
I think in some ways they don't know what to expect, or to do. I write that era as depression just galloping around the ship (why wouldn't it? They can never see their home and families again, the ratio stinks, and their sole purpose is to have some form of the crew's future survive to the 2150s and the Xindi War). I think that would even happen to people considered 'desirable'. Julie needs to have it reiterated by Lili that Travis is a pretty awesome choice when you start to really look closely at everyone else who remains.
Poor Lili. I write her as the last one chosen.
Date: 28 Sep 2014 18:40 Title: Chapter 1
A cute little tale that fits the challenge to a tee. I just hope that she isn't making Travis wait in the hopes that in the meantime a better offer might come along, or that given the circumstances, Travis might choose someone else in the interim...
Author's Response:
The ratio is rather lopsided; it's about 1/3 female, 2/3 male. I write the ship as having 4 gay men and 1 lesbian so that changes the numbers a little but the straight women are collectively in the catbird seat. But it's not easy to choose, particularly when you're practically forced to. For this first generation, I figure there also has to be pressure to couple up and have children as they need to have people to run the ship and make the over one century-long transition. Julie and Travis (and everyone but T'Pol) know that their children won't live long enough to see the 2150s. They have to instill in them, and in themselves, that it's all worth it.
Thanks for reading!
Date: 28 Sep 2014 17:55 Title: Chapter 1
This was a really sweet tale. I like Julie's struggles, and how the whole group is forced to adapt to the "new normal" when they find themselves at the mercies of a drastically altered set of circumstances. Nice work!
Author's Response:
Aw, thanks! It's kind of a fill-in scene. I wrote this group and it is definitely a struggle. A lot of people write the E2 timeline as being a kind of big party. I don't see it that way at all. People would be depressed, some of them clinically so. And they'd be looking for comfort anywhere. Julie just wants to be sure she's not settling, and Lili gives her some perspective.
Date: 21 Sep 2014 17:13 Title: Chapter 1
So it is another trip to your very interesting E2 kickback Era. Still I think it was a wise choice of setting and the use of MACO Julie McKenzie viewpoint to help to explore the crews mindset and the problems of being a out of time generation ship was a good setting for this taking it slow promise. I did like you focusing on the lady who was more focus on work than friends and husband hunting force to find she had an unexpected admirer.
Still I can understand why Lili would be seen as the ship secret agony aunt and Lili free speaking and helpful example was a little touch answer that was enough to open up to Julie and let her follow her own course, in her own time scale.
As always your prose and work use help with the immersion into this story.
Author's Response:
Aw, thanks! I think Julie needs to see and live by a word that has 'promise' in it - compromise.