Date: 28 Dec 2013 19:57 Title: Auld Lang Syne
So Daniels has to baby-sat a historian at a 1999 party and clearly it put him in a reflective mood, I mean it seem unlike him to focus on the mission and not the woman.
I almost forgot about the whole Y2K bug thing and the fun we had when it didn’t really materialize.
Still nice to see you give the H G Wells series a little outing as a treat for the rest of us.
O that was an interesting 1999 play-list you have there.
Author's Response:
Many thanks - I had wanted to wrap this up and of course that's New Year's. And what's the ultimate New Year's? The millennial switchover.
Date: 28 Dec 2013 08:52 Title: Comfort and Joy (TOS universe - gift to Mackenzie Calhoun, Strider, Gatekeeper and Lil Black Dog in particular)
I really enjoyed this! First of all, I loved seeing my name mentioned as part of the TOS world--yay! I liked the implication that Uhura's kindness somehow provoked Spock's ultimate act of compassion for Captain Pike.
I also like seeing Uhura portrayed as skilled and competent, so her being able to decipher Morse code and use it to communicate with Pike seemed very true to the character we don't get a chance to see much on TOS but we know must exist for her to hold a place of such high authority on a starship.
And it was funny and sweet to see Pike surrounded by a table full of beautiful women, even as Spock was laying his career (and perhaps his life) on the line for him. The juxtaposition was powerful and amusing--a hard combination to strike!
Through Uhura, you treated Captain Pike with dignity, and I appreciated that a great deal. Thank you for this beautiful piece!
Author's Response:
Aw, my thanks to you; this review was a wonderful gift!
I always wondered about what would have happened to Pike if he didn't end up on Talos IV. His mind seemed to be completely unstimulated (more or less an accurate depiction of how things were for the severely disabled in the 1960s). I had the story "When Johnny Got His Gun" very much in mind as I thought this up, and of course the way John communicates in that story is through Morse code. Pike would certainly know this, and Uhura would be able to interpret it.
To allow him to have just a semi-normal kind of a time, listening to a ton of women laughing and telling jokes and eating, even just to hear them ask each other to pass the salt would be an amazing moment for someone so damaged and so ignored and neglected. And, as you said, in the meantime Spock is giving his all. Spock succeeds; Uhura kind of represents the fall-back here.
Date: 26 Dec 2013 10:58 Title: Tell Me Your Troubles and Doubts (Ce Jay’s universe)
Excellent work. Pretty much exactly where I would have expected Colburn to end up after that whole mess at Internal Affairs.
And now he meets a somewhat kindred spirit who lean on each other to make the most of what otherwise would have been rather lonely holidays for both of them.
Awesome and thanks for writing this.
Author's Response:
Oh, I thank you. I didn't want to see it end the way it had - the guy had to have all sorts of fall out. All I wanted was for someone, however unlikely, to understand.
Date: 25 Dec 2013 15:09 Title: Tell Me Your Troubles and Doubts (Ce Jay’s universe)
Another great Christmas scene, tint with sadness and yet the Christmas still spirit shines through between a human and a Xindi.
Author's Response:
Thank you!
Date: 23 Dec 2013 16:40 Title: The Master of Disguise (Trekfan’s universe)
Brilliant Jespah, that last line is just a perfect ending.
Author's Response:
Aw, many thanks!
Date: 22 Dec 2013 01:49 Title: Anger Management (FalseBill’s universe)
thanks Janet. Very nice little vignette.
Author's Response:
Thank you! :)
Date: 21 Dec 2013 22:32 Title: The White City (thebluesman’s universe)
interesting tale, and it does fit well into a trek Christmas for bluesman's detective.
Author's Response:
Thank you; I went a bit Twilight Zone-esque. :)
Date: 20 Dec 2013 02:20 Title: Comfort and Joy (TOS universe - gift to Mackenzie Calhoun, Strider, Gatekeeper and Lil Black Dog in particular)
Thanks so much, Jespah. I love this story. I always felt for Captain Pike, and as Communications officer, it seems natural that Uhura would want to communicate with someone who might not be able to do so, in a conventional sense, and would want to be sure he was included and engaged.
Author's Response:
Oh, I'm so glad! It was just so sad to see him that way, and know that he was so shut-off from things. Without the Talosians, his life would have been rather bleak indeed. I wanted there to be some way that someone saw through to the real Christopher Pike.
Thank you for reading.
Date: 20 Dec 2013 02:00 Title: Comfort and Joy (TOS universe - gift to Mackenzie Calhoun, Strider, Gatekeeper and Lil Black Dog in particular)
A nice little TOS story, some good name checks from season one.
Another nice little story that shows Nyota good side, and what makes the crew of the Enterprise special.
Author's Response:
Thank you!
Date: 19 Dec 2013 17:14 Title: Comfort and Joy (TOS universe - gift to Mackenzie Calhoun, Strider, Gatekeeper and Lil Black Dog in particular)
Thanks, jespah, you nailed Nyota beautifully. I did always get the impression over the years that she was mother to the ship, looking after her brood very subtley and unobtrusively. It just seemed natural that she would be drawn to Pike, and would do all she could to make him feel comfortable, accepted and engaged in the world around him.
Very nice piece showcasing the spirit of the holiday season, and our capacity for goodwill toward one another.
Author's Response:
I thank you. I also felt that, for her, she would find a way to communicate with Pike. That's so much of TOS, that they seek to communicate with those who really can't in any conventional sense. Pike in TOS would be one of those people. It's also about how the actions of one person can change a lot of minds. I do hope Pike was cared for properly before going off with Vina, but in canon you never see any attendant, no one really engaged with him. Without the Talosians, his life would have been rather bleak indeed. I like to think that someone noticed that, and cared enough to try.
Thank you for reading.
Date: 18 Dec 2013 01:08 Title: For a Moment (Enterprise1981’s universe)
Another nice little story,
Well done.
Author's Response:
Thank you.
Date: 17 Dec 2013 22:38 Title: For a Moment (Enterprise1981’s universe)
Nice work, jespah. Kozar isn't always that contemplative but still a nice short piece that neatly ties into one of my recent challenge entries. It's funny how seemingly trivial and replaceable items seem to hold some sentimental value.
Author's Response:
Oh, thank you - I was thinking, one day per year, he might have some thoughts, or even regrets.
Date: 17 Dec 2013 16:59 Title: Unexpected Artistry (Kes7’s universe)
This is so sweet. Even without knowing what year it is, or what is going on in their lives, it feels very true to the three of them. You very much captured the dynamics between them in a lovely way. Thank you.
Author's Response:
Oh, my pleasure. I was thinking of some earlier time on the Tesseract for the time period.
Date: 15 Dec 2013 19:13 Title: In Space, No One Can Hear Bells (Captain Sarine's universe)
Now that line “miss being a child, and believing in things, even though they seemed illogical" seems to capture the spirit of the season well.
Still i can see how it would be a hard sell to a Klingon lover. Another excellent ficlet story in this series.
Author's Response:
Aw, many thanks. You're too kind.
Date: 14 Dec 2013 23:12 Title: Unexpected Artistry (Kes7’s universe)
Wow Jespah you’ve knock the ball out of the park with this one. You’ve managed to capture Icheb voice and reasoning so well, it only matters to him as it matters to Maren. Still the choice of song from Icheb and the Dickens quote hidden in the wordpuzzle were pitch perfect to me.
Author's Response:
Aw, thanks. It's my favorite-ever carol.
Date: 11 Dec 2013 22:23 Title: The Way of All Darkness (SLWalker’s universe)
Another excellent story, Scotty and Nurse Chapel are an interesting combination. Another well done from me. The hidden meaning of aye shows Nurse Chapel intelligence.
Author's Response:
I always liked her, maybe because she's a woman of a certain age; I don't know. I thank you!
Date: 11 Dec 2013 20:02 Title: The Way of All Darkness (SLWalker’s universe)
Oh wow. Lovely; neat and introspective, anti-cliche and well spun. Thank you so much!
Author's Response:
Thank you so much!! This time of year is dark; someone needs to acknowledge that.
Date: 11 Dec 2013 18:50 Title: The Way of All Darkness (SLWalker’s universe)
This is really lovely. It's so cool to see people bringing their A game to other people's universes, a real holiday treat. :) I love how you know that when Scotty says "aye," it means a whole hell of a lot more than just "aye."
Author's Response:
Thank you very much. You never see them together; I think they're both lonely people and are kind of loners, too.
Date: 11 Dec 2013 01:59 Title: I Wish They All Could Be California Girls (Templar Sora’s universe)
Very nice Jespah,
another fine story from your keyboard, nice to see Sonia get his come-up-ance, even in a dream.
Author's Response:
Thank you! Stay tuned - there will be a new one tomorrow!
Date: 10 Dec 2013 00:04 Title: Anger Management (FalseBill’s universe)
*facepalm*
I dunno...I think a Vulcan psychiatrist would just make me angrier, not help with my anger management. Unless they started teaching techniques. But until then, yeah, that'd be frustrating. I'd probably be right there with her.
Author's Response:
Yeah, I'd probably do the same, truth be told.
Date: 09 Dec 2013 23:58 Title: I Wish They All Could Be California Girls (Templar Sora’s universe)
AH! lol That was awesome...love seeing the Seymour love.
Thank you so much! That was great! You got him perfectly. I love it!
Author's Response:
Oh yay! I'm so pleased. :)
Thank you for writing such an easy character to make uncomfortable. ;)
Date: 09 Dec 2013 21:53 Title: I Wish They All Could Be California Girls (Templar Sora’s universe)
The ending to this made me laugh a lot. Something tells me Sonia's about to use some of that suntan lotion where the sun don't shine.
Author's Response:
OMG!
Yeah, erm, good thing their laundry is now automated ....
Date: 08 Dec 2013 19:26 Title: Anger Management (FalseBill’s universe)
:-D
A very nice short story thank you Jespah.
Yes I’m sure Lily can seem to be utterly incorrigible to Vulcans,
Author's Response:
Thank you! And all I could think of was how annoyed I would be by a smug Vulcan trying to teach me anger management. ;)