Date: 31 Oct 2012 09:45 Title: Chapter 1
I just watched this episode tonight, and I knew the exact place where this story should have been inserted! I had to come back and read it. This story shows what I love so much about Kirk...his sheer force of will. Even if Spock has greater mental powers, Kirk has this unimaginable will power that can enforce itself on any situation. That is, of coruse, why it's so unbelievable and unimaginable at the end of Wrath of Khan, when he doesn't save Spock. How can he not just will Spock to be saved one more time? But in this story, we're a long way from that, and his will is once again victorious. Wonderful and moving.
Date: 06 Aug 2012 08:42 Title: Chapter 1
I love it when you tie episodes together like this! I wish TOS did more of that. You always make it so believable--like it was all going on behind the scenes the whole time and you're just pointing it out. This is a powerful look at two tragic events in Jim's life, and I appreciate the glimpse into his character. I think the ending, especially, was a perfect characterization of him.
Author's Response:
Thank you much. I like dotting the I's and crossing the T's that were often overlooked in the series. This is but one example, and lends weight and understanding to why Kirk found the solution of destroying Deneva so horrifying - beyond the obvious one, of course.
[Report This]Date: 06 Apr 2009 19:52 Title: Chapter 1
Well, now I see what all of the fuss was about. You really capture the horror of Kodos's actions and the paramount struggle Kirk is going through with his conscience. An excellent story!
Author's Response: Thank you for the kind words. This is a story that's close to my heart. I'm glad that it conveyed the moral dilemma in the way I intended. I can't even begin to imagine how difficult that would have been for Kirk, given his history, if he had had to exterminate the Denevan colonists. Just another layer to our enigmatic starship captain. ;-) Thanks for reading, and taking the time to review - it means a lot! Cuppy
[Report This]Date: 22 Mar 2009 12:30 Title: Chapter 1
Bloody hell that was a great piece of writing. I've never seen a better illustration of the difficulty, no, that is too light a word...trauma? of command. You've done a fantastic job here of working within established canon to explain exactly how Kirk came to his decision and why. You've managed to tie a movie and two episodes together seamlessly and defined Kirk's commanding characteristics in such a clear way as I've never read before.
This is the first fic I've read here, and the first fic of yours I've seen. If this is just the beginning, then I'm in for a serious treat.
Thanks so much for writing.
Nutty
(newbie here)
Author's Response: Wow! I'm floored by your response. All I can say is thanks! The morality of command and the choices someone might have to make if they were thrust into that situation is a topic near and dear to my heart. This is the first fic of mine you've seen, because I'm a newbie, too - thank Anna and Steff for the inspiration and gentle nudge to try my hand at this...
Cuppy
[Report This]Date: 18 Mar 2009 06:44 Title: Chapter 1
Reposting from elsewhere:
At the risk of being accused of blasphemy, I still maintain that James Kirk is one most commonly mistreated character in fanfiction. For some reason, everyone seems convinced that they know him. In point of fact, hardly anyone does. Hardly anyone bothers to look beneath the surface and at least acknowledge that he’s a very complicated character, certainly not simply a power-obsessed womanizer, blind and deaf to the needs of others, as he appears in many stories. That is why I find it absolutely smashing that you show such remarkable will to dig deeper, to really know what makes him tick. This story is incredibly insightful and realistic, and very true to Jim. Thank you for sharing this.
Author's Response: Thank you,Anna. I was worried that people would find this Jim Kirk too insecure and unsure, but I believe that's a large part of his character - he's just become an expert at hiding it. ;-) And thanks again for the inspiration. Our discussions of the morality issues in chapter 23 of AH led directly to this story. Who'da thunk it?!
Date: 16 Mar 2009 17:29 Title: Chapter 1
I really enjoyed reading this. You've given a lot of depth, in your portrayal of Kirk, to a character that is very easy to reduce to a mere caricature, and I really felt like you did justice to the background that was given to him. Witnessing an event like that as a child--or really at any age--leaves an indelible mark on a person and I think that was something that failed to really come through in TOS. The way you portrayed his reaction was right on the money: something so deep it was even physical in nature.
I don't know if it was an issue of Shatner's acting or the scriptwriting or what it was, exactly, but here you do a much better job of creating a character I can empathize with than sometimes happened on the show.
Author's Response: I find your praise incredibly humbling. I must confess, I was very worried about how this story would be perceived. I figured Kirk fans would want to lynch me! ;-) But seriously, I do think he is a very complex character, and unfortunately the series only scratched the surface. Maybe you're right - maybe it was Shatner or the writers who wanted to portray an infallible hero. I think we see much more of Kirk's insecurities in the early episodes (Balance of Terror springs to mind, where he asks McCoy 'and Bones, what if I'm wrong...'). He's very good at covering that insecurity with bravado and machismo. Frankly, I prefer to see what's underneath. Again, thanks for the kind words. I'm really new at this, so every little bit (be it good or bad) goes a long way to helping me improve. :-D
Date: 16 Mar 2009 03:17 Title: Chapter 1
Very nice; a strong vignette that fits perfectly in with the episode! I can't wait until you write some more, you have such a wonderful knack for it.
Author's Response: Thanks, Steff. I was a little unsure if it would come off the way I intended. Thanks for the vote of confidence!