Date: 23 Oct 2011 04:51 Title: Chapter 1
A soft Garak is not exactly what I expect to see.
I'm also not sure he was thrown into the past, or it was just a vision, but I suppose from Garak's perspective it doesn't really matter, because whatever it was, it helped him understand something. He probably knew it all the time, but hid it well from himself.
But if it was only an illusion, Ziyal never experienced that moment...
[Report This]Date: 06 Oct 2009 09:00 Title: Chapter 1
Wow! Just... wow!
I thought you wrote this beautifully. You really captured the depths of sadness Garak felt and it was wonderful to see him get a chance to say goodbye. The way you described his alienation during the funeral, but also the fact that he went anyway because of Ziyal...
A truly wonderful story. I loved it!
Author's Response: Thank you. Funerals can be difficult and alienating, particularly if you don't share the beliefs of the departed and the family of the departed. Garak was already an outsider anyway, which didn't help. I wanted him to have a good-bye that wouldn't conflict with canon. This great challenge by Kes7 was a good opportunity for that. I really appreciate the feedback, and I'm very glad it resonated with you on an emotional level. Thank you again!
Date: 29 Sep 2009 19:55 Title: Chapter 1
I liked that. When I read the bit about the orb I was like, dang, gonna have to rip up my story, but you went a different way. Garak, distant and aloof, opening up.What a concept. Good job!
Author's Response: I'm glad it didn't make you have to ditch your story! Thank you. Usually, the most aloof people have deep reasons underneath for keeping the world at arm's length.
Date: 29 Sep 2009 02:56 Title: Chapter 1
I must say, the tolerance of your Vedek is really amazing--he seems like he must be an admirable person, to be welcoming of a Cardassian and not simply toss him out on account of his being a) a Cardassian and b) a nonbeliever, especially after the rather disdainful things Garak said at first.
My one question is--you say this was the Orb of Contemplation. Is this encounter intended to be analogous to the ones Sisko and Dax had? Or were you thinking of the Orb of Time instead, like what Kira experienced in "Wrongs Darker Than Death and Night"?
I wonder, do you intend this encounter to be one of the things, perhaps, that sets him on the path towards accepting the Oralian Way? (And of course, if you accept all parts of A Stitch in Time, you would recall he's had visions in the past, too.) It certainly seems to have given him at least one small moment of openness...
Author's Response: He's the station Vedek, so he does know who Garak is. He also saw him at the funeral, and I imagine that Ziyal sometimes spoke to him about Garak. It's not just a case of being tolerant, but also of honoring Ziyal's memory.
I was thinking the Orb of Contemplation. It's the only one kept on the station. I wanted to leave it up to the reader as to whether they decided to take a literal interpretation, that Garak went back in time, or that it was all in his head.
I didn't intend this to be specifically something that would set him on the spiritual path. I saw it more as something that could show him that being open doesn't always mean certain doom and destruction. It's a lesson he learned far more thoroughly after the Dominion War.
Date: 28 Sep 2009 18:15 Title: Chapter 1
Wonderful, really simply wonderful. For such a sad tale the reader is left with a warm glow. I think in part Garak's getting to say goodbye and more importantly admit his love to Ziyal. She really was his rescuer in terms of reaching him where others failed. And of course, the ending with Garak reaching out to Bashir, finally able to have that talk.
I also really liked the feeling of interloping that Garak feels when he finds himself in the Bajoran Temple. Grappling with the Bajoran beliefs and his own past produces a strange mix of guilt and scorn and all mixed in with his grief for Ziyal.
A great way to meet the challenge.
Author's Response: Thank you. Strong (positive) emotion is something I wrestle with in writing, probably one of my biggest issues, striking the right tone, not going too far, or the opposite, not going far enough. I saw this facet in Garak in addition to his brutality and efficiency, no less and no more part of the sum that makes the man. Ziyal brought it out in him, Bashir to a lesser degree.
A Cardassian in a Bajoran temple struck me as an uncomfortable image, but it was part of Ziyal's life, therefore something he couldn't fully reject. Thank you for the review! All of the reviews mean a lot, but they particularly help on the stories where I'm not on comfortable ground.
Date: 28 Sep 2009 11:07 Title: Chapter 1
I loved this! I think it was a good way to meet the challenge; I never said how the person had to time travel. And re: your concern about it being sappy -- sometimes love is a little sappy, but I don't think this was saccharine or anything. It was a nice peek into the softer side of Elim Garak, and it was believable. Good job!
Author's Response: Thank you. That was my biggest concern, whether it was believable or not. In the context of "A Stitch in Time" it definitely is. As for what we saw in the show, perhaps not as much, but the show went to great lengths to keep his inner workings a mystery. Thanks for the review and coming up with a cool challenge!