Okay, first of all, I get to "Mother Died", and I start
tearing up, and I make sure I don't actually cry, b/c
my roommate's in the room and I'm not sure how I'd explain
it to her. And then I find out that Spock's still alive
and I swear, b/c he's suffered enough and now he has to
go through more.
"Boy, you could become a stand-up comedian, and I
would still be proud of you. I’d be confused over why
would you ever do such a thing -- because let's face
it, you’d be horrible at it -- but I’ll always be proud
you.” LOL!
**He was quite certain that when he was a father,
he would make much more sense to his children. ** You
know, everyone always says that.
**He had formed a vision of sweeping his around her
shoulders based on McCoy’s stories of gallant behavior.
Except such thoughts were illogical. Of course T’Qet
would have a cape. And he would be chilled without his**
Hehehe. Clearly, the Romance books don't have high sales
on Vulcan.
Wow. That was a good story. Made me cry. And since
it's a cliffhanger, you need to continue it b/c I want
to see what happens when Spock realizes Saavik's actually
alive, and I want to see what T'Qet and Setik do, now
that they have a family history to deal with.
I thought it was a nice set up, and nice pacing. Everything
flowed well. Moremoremore!!
This is just a beautiful work, Erin. Powerful emotion--more
by the tight binding of it than by its release. You've
caught them.
Starting this off with such grief is perfect. It sets
the tone for his drive to suddenly and massively change
his life--to dare to win T'Qet. The details of his body,
his robes, the sun, the state of the home all adds a
peculiar beauty to the opening scene.
As ever, you have the gift in "merely introducing"
someone which instantly makes the reader love her/him.
In just a few strokes, you've utterly caught T'Sha,
his cousin's, essence, who she is and what she will
do.
"Setik stopped outside his parents' room and almost
entered. In the end, he walked away, never crossing
that threshold." These two lines are perfection itself.
All the loss, the grief, the loneliness, the feeling
of being an orphan too quickly, all of it is caught
in the simple image of a pause and then a turn away.
It is beautiful in its hurt, in the power of the emotion
presented unemotionally. And it is Vulcan.
I love how you weave his family naturally into his
thoughts--T'Pren when he needs words, T'Kel's fire when
he makes his trade of hope for future possible wrath,
Sarek when he needs advice. Added to it: his mother,
his father, in small moments--even ones he immediately
clamps down and smothers. It accentuates his loss. And
it is only natural for something small, a smell, a sound,
a word that triggers, a flash of memory, something to
stir of the past when the past is still so bright and
painful.
"Even better, he saw one of the musicians who was
an admirer of his sister, T'Kel. She did not return
the interest, but Setik discarded that fact for the
moment." Ha! A REAL brother!
"Every word in his extensive vocabulary deserted him."
Delightful touch--the effect of love on a Vulcan that
stays true to a Vulcan!
She glanced at him over her shoulder almost dismissively,
then suddenly stopped and her exotic dark eyes looked
at him fully. She bowed her head in return. "You pay
me a high compliment, Healer. I am unsure my performance
warrants it." (Ha! Amanda's eyes could always bend even
the most Vulcan of Vulcans. Her gift to her grandson.)
"And yet his absence is more difficult with the loss
of your mother." T'Qet laid her hand next to his, not
touching but near. "I grieve with thee, Setik." (And
you love this woman instantly and fully now. Understanding
one with compassion. Her loss knows his.)
Reflections from the firepot glowed in her eyes. "Oh
yes, I believe I can ensure it's so. Perhaps your partner
will be of such experience she can show you the dance."
Some of his enthusiasm waned with the thought she would
not be his instructor. (This is so perfect! She is telling
him SHE will be that partner and he, so like his father,
completely MISSES it.)
Suraj said almost in apology, "Setik, son of Spock,
may I introduce you to T'Qet, daughter of T'Pring."
And AHHHH!! the kick in the teeth! WHAT A PERFECT CAPTURE!!
The poor boy is now absolutely sure that his mother
was right--the universe has a very Romulan sense of
humor.
I love it.
You have done it to me yet again! This time with "The Meeting." What a GREAT story!
Setik pondering the loss of mother and grandfather, as well as his dealing with having to face his grief without Spock or his sisters is so well done. The scene at the performance is so beautiful in the description of the dance where T'Qet's mesmerizes Setik (and me) with the expression of color changes in her attire; though it is a mere accent to her beauty!
Their meeting is so excellent. It made me remember so well how I felt as a younger man when I would have the opportunity to meet someone I was attracted to. You absolutely nailed it!
The revelation of T'Qet's being T'Pring's daughter FLOORED me! That was just OUTSTANDING!!!
And then...the epilogue. The prison, prisoners and captors so well described, the exchange so vivid, it is pure masterpiece!!!! (I KNEW she was alive; I just KNEW it!!)
You are so amazing!! I'm running out of superlatives!!
