Date: 05 Jan 2010 15:07 Title: Chapter 5 And We Come Full Circle
Thank goodness they made up. Cass' faith is restored in her father and all for the better. However, I'm now even more intrigued as to what Cass' tipping point is/will be. Great chapter in their lives and a fantastic insight.
Author's Response: There is a trigger - I promise. I hope you enjoyed this exercise. Cass is a joy to write - unlike Bill who's been a real pisser. He's damn ornery really. But Cass is very clear cut for me. She's very particular and has a keen sense of black and white and what she perceives as right and wrong. As always MF - thank you so much for reading and commmenting!
Date: 05 Jan 2010 14:57 Title: Chapter 4 A Woman with a Funny Hat
Oh wow, oh wow, oh wow. This seems like an incredibly important development. And it seems that Guinan recognises in Cass the same as in Picard. Oh wow. Loving this.
Date: 05 Jan 2010 14:29 Title: Chapter 3 And Now the Pegasus
That was just ... Picard breaking down and going over that ordeal. It's truly painful and horrible. A violation and one that will never end in his guilt ridden heart. In ways I want to slap Cass for demanding it of Picard and chastising him so, without any real comprehension. But at the same time you can see where she is coming from too. And in many ways, where Beth learned at Picard's feet to be a better person and commander, to be diplomatic to find another way, Cass learned to be more like Picard. To hold a standard and a line. A right and a wrong. It's what makes Picard quite a controversial figure. He had a firm sense of what was right and wrong and even when it pained him, even when it was wrong, he held to that sense. Cass, maybe unfortunately, has inherited that. But I think this experience is part one that might shape her to believe that the side of right and the Federation, Starfleet, are not necessarilly the same thing and might not even be compatible in ways. I love your stuff [in case it ain't apparent] and I'd say it is because it makes me think in terms of these cahracters and how they view their world.
Date: 05 Jan 2010 14:16 Title: Chapter 2: One Thing Leads to Another
First off, crikey that Picard would alter course of the Enterprise to talk to Cass. But after losing his family he knows the cost of ignoring problems. Not to mention he sees himself in Cass. If we think of how much Picard was able to cut himself off from his crew, his staff, his friends, and really only because of Q's actions in All Good Things did he learn to lower his barriers; then it is not hard to imagine that Cass could indeed cut herself from all others. Never mind that in terms she already is cut off in a way because of her condition. It marks her as very different. We've seen she sees herself as flawed. And with no telepathic abilities or the ability to be read, she can in part relish the ability to lie convincingly but also I imagine she values truth and honesty. And so far in her life she has been led to believe everything that came out of people's mouths. Only she has begun to see that is not the case and then the history program reveals that those closest to her have lied to her. And lied is how she sees it. In fact, I dare say for all the indignation the Rikers feel at Cass' eventual betrayal, she herself has felt betrayed from this time to her very core. She worries that her life, her family, the values and principles of the Federation are all based on a lie. That is both traumatic and revelatory.
Date: 05 Jan 2010 14:06 Title: Chapter 1 Wolf 359
Flip. After the intense senes of the Vulcan Borg program, I imagined all hell must have reined in the Riker household. It really is strange to think of the children being raised in with a curricula that includes their parents and so many of their extended family. Understandable too why Riker and Troi did not want to discuss these matters. Very dark memories and somewhat explode the one big happy family picture. But as Tuvok states, they do need to learn of it and it goes to show the emotions Vulcans do have deep down to take such care with exploring this chapter of history.
Now, maybe not the intention, but I'm left intrigued as to why Guinan is not mentioned and why her parents have not talked of her to their children in any direct way. You'd imagine she would be a part of the big extended family. Hmmm ... it's almost as if she left their life after something and I have another little intriguing thought. But just as in Book One, I'm not going to say anything but read on to see how this plays again.
Date: 29 May 2009 10:34 Title: Chapter 1 Wolf 359
A potent example of the future's youth discovering the horrors of the past. Tuvok was treading on thin ice with that display, but it was important for Cassidy to understand what was done, what was sacrificed, and at what price.
A troubling yet moving piece.
Date: 21 Feb 2009 07:17 Title: Chapter 1 Wolf 359
Pretty cool concept here..on my way to Part two..(though, I am one who believes Picard didn't do enough to save the sensitive material that Borg used inside of his mind to defeat the fleet at wolf359)
I like Cassidy Riker..the name actually sounds cool too...
Rob
Author's Response: Thanks Rob - This was an exercise for my Heritage series wherein I surmise the Rikers had 3 kids - Beth & Bill (twins) and their younger sister Cassidy. I figured that Riker and Troi would have named Beth for their respective mothers and Bill would be the "Jr" of course - but since most other names had already been used in canon (including Riker's use of Jean-Luc for Barash in Future Imperfect) that Troi would have fallen back on her love of the American "Ancient West" literature and named her for Hopalong Cassidy. :)
She's definitely my favorite Heritage character as she has many, many layers. She's a real skeptic...I adore that about her. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy the follow up exercises.
Date: 03 Feb 2009 03:07 Title: Chapter 1 Wolf 359
I think I commented on this over on the OS. But! I did add Cassidy's character tag to the Expanded Universe section. ::grins::
Author's Response: Coolness thanks!