You and I seem to have run into opposite issues with our entries. You had to figure out how to expand yours--and I had to figure out just how pared-down and minimalist my entry could be, in order to achieve my objectives and do honor to those in the time period traveled to.
I really liked that simplicity of your entry, and it was your decision to participate which made me do so, as I really wasn't feeling the topic as a short entry, as I felt it was something which I as a writer, could only cover in a longer story to give enough of an explanation, so I really liked how you were able to do so with such economy I decided to chop the story after the meeting with Stark, because the method of returning to the 25th Century had already been discussed, and what would have happened after the meeting, the waiting for the frame to be constructed, the fitting, the return to orbit, was all pretty safe to assume happening. I didn't want to make it too specific that the crew were present for Woodstock, and figured I'd leave Stark's distaste for the hippies to suggest what was going on, rather than having to have Palmer swipe Hendrix's guitar before leaving
Just one question...if I recall, Meliden is a Cardassian who was adopted by human parents. Do you think her parents would be upset, if she chooses not to reverse the procedure? :-/
Thanks, and likewise, I really enjoyed your entry, as it really showed Alyosha's connection to Earth and his Humanity, and the reasoning that they simply had to wait for time to restore the crew to their correct time was a nice change. I simply figured that subspace folds was something else which could be explored, and gave me the opportunity to write my favorite Vulcan female I was tempted to write Tony Stark as a child in the office with Howard, and having Meliden chastising him for drinking in front of his son, but I'd already got one guest star in, so didn't want to go overboard...
Yes, Meliden was adopted by Human parents, but unlike Worf, who had already lived part of his life in Klingon culture, Meliden was adopted as a newborn after the hospital she had been born in was bombarded by the Dominion, so she has literally only ever known Human culture, and was bullied as a child for being Cardassian, so her parents would be well aware of her desire to appear Human, but likely never had the connections or resources to have such a procedure done privately. Starfleet, on the other hand, routinely performs surgical alterations to such an extent that the altered officer is externally indistinguishable from the target species, so for Meliden, this would literally have been a lifelong dream come true
@ Shevet: Wow, best entry yet :cool: Really nice little mystery story there, I was engrossed all the way through, never once scan reading A couple of points though... Firstly, I think Amanda Palmer and Tylha Shohl would have an interesting debate on the ethics of replicating money Secondly, I'm guessing from his name and religious exclamations, that Pete was Irish-American, although his use of 'Miss Teela', sounded rather African-American, but that is my only real point of critique. A well-rounded character, and the little cross-cultural confusions read smoothly and well, rather than obvious and clumsy
I really liked that simplicity of your entry, and it was your decision to participate which made me do so,
Awww...I'm glad you joined in.
For where my crew ended up, simplicity was really the only approach. I had tried other approaches, and even with no "action" taking place, they felt wrong. The additional dialogue and material just detracted from the true focus of the piece: which was that they stood upon hallowed ground.
as I really wasn't feeling the topic as a short entry, as I felt it was something which I as a writer, could only cover in a longer story to give enough of an explanation, so I really liked how you were able to do so with such economy I decided to chop the story after the meeting with Stark, because the method of returning to the 25th Century had already been discussed, and what would have happened after the meeting, the waiting for the frame to be constructed, the fitting, the return to orbit, was all pretty safe to assume happening. I didn't want to make it too specific that the crew were present for Woodstock, and figured I'd leave Stark's distaste for the hippies to suggest what was going on, rather than having to have Palmer swipe Hendrix's guitar before leaving
I loved Stark's reaction to Woodstock...truly awesome! I thought the story ended very well.
Thanks, and likewise, I really enjoyed your entry, as it really showed Alyosha's connection to Earth and his Humanity, and the reasoning that they simply had to wait for time to restore the crew to their correct time was a nice change.
Thanks. In spite of Aloysha's extreme differences from our species, and the fact that biologically he "should" be at odds with humans (and other humanoid species), Earth is where he feels he belongs. He would be flattered to know you considered him to have some form of "humanity."
As for the fact that they just had to wait...I considered other possibilities but they all felt unsuitable for the time frame.
I reasoned that since we've seen more advanced technology in the 25th century, there were items that are now standard issue for crew that could sometimes allow for such a solution, depending on the type of the anomaly. (I am specifically looking at personal shields, perhaps used in conjunction with tricorders and communicators.)
Yes, Meliden was adopted by Human parents, but unlike Worf, who had already lived part of his life in Klingon culture, Meliden was adopted as a newborn after the hospital she had been born in was bombarded by the Dominion, so she has literally only ever known Human culture, and was bullied as a child for being Cardassian, so her parents would be well aware of her desire to appear Human, but likely never had the connections or resources to have such a procedure done privately. Starfleet, on the other hand, routinely performs surgical alterations to such an extent that the altered officer is externally indistinguishable from the target species, so for Meliden, this would literally have been a lifelong dream come true
Maybe so. And yeah, I can see where it wouldn't be easy being grey after the Dominion War. :-/
That said, Meliden was exactly the sort of child I would have sought out to be my friend, because often those with differences were the most able to accept me for who I was and not bully.
I just wonder, though, if by changing herself, it doesn't mean the bullies won. I would have hoped that by the 24th century educators would have done a better job in intervening where bullying was taking place--especially on species grounds. Unless they were participating in it... :mad:
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Secondly, I'm guessing from his name and religious exclamations, that Pete was Irish-American, although his use of 'Miss Teela', sounded rather African-American, but that is my only real point of critique.
If Pete was raised in the South (and that's quite possible regardless of his ethnic background), it would not seem out of place on someone of any race. It's a regionalism rather than something restricted to any particular race or ethnicity.
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Secondly, I'm guessing from his name and religious exclamations, that Pete was Irish-American, although his use of 'Miss Teela', sounded rather African-American, but that is my only real point of critique. A well-rounded character, and the little cross-cultural confusions read smoothly and well, rather than obvious and clumsy
My own family history presents two things you need to keep in mind:
1) Many Irish immigrants ended up as sharecroppers down South. The city of Columbus, MS, for instance, has a large population of Irish descent.
2) Referring to a grown woman as "Miss" anything is not "African-American." It's a Southern thing. I myself do so quite often and I don't much if any recent African ancestry. It's also entirely possible that it's a common enough thing in any US population comprised mostly of the traditionally impoverished due to the horrible thing that is classism.
For where my crew ended up, simplicity was really the only approach. I had tried other approaches, and even with no "action" taking place, they felt wrong. The additional dialogue and material just detracted from the true focus of the piece: which was that they stood upon hallowed ground.
Thanks, and likewise, it was a fun piece to write. I could've written more, but couldn't shake the feeling that I was writing the scenarios to fit the brief for the challenge, rather than letting them develop completely naturally: As mentioned above, Captain Palmer's actual reaction to the scenario (assuming the ship remained in orbit, rather than trying to crash land itself) would have been to immediately initiate a temporal vortex and return to the 25th Century with zero interaction with the planet. It was only 'being in the situation', which was why she went along with the plan to outsource the needed part, with the "Do it before I change my mind"
Absolutely, I think that was why it worked so nicely, it let the 'unsaid' come through.
I loved Stark's reaction to Woodstock...truly awesome! I thought the story ended very well.
Thanks, I went off Obidiah Stane's line to Tony Stark in Iron Man that they had built the arc reactor "to keep the hippies quiet...", and I just figured that, despite his alcoholism, Howard would have been a pretty stoic guy who wouldn't have appreciated Woodstock or the peace movement
Thanks. In spite of Aloysha's extreme differences from our species, and the fact that biologically he "should" be at odds with humans (and other humanoid species), Earth is where he feels he belongs. He would be flattered to know you considered him to have some form of "humanity."
:cool:
I think the Starfleet charter sums up my approach to Alyosha (and other non-humans) perfectly: To seek out new life... I just think it's a shame that the English language doesn't have a better way of expressing 'humanity'. Decency/kindness etc come close, but still don't convey the sentiment behind the expression...
As for the fact that they just had to wait...I considered other possibilities but they all felt unsuitable for the time frame.
I reasoned that since we've seen more advanced technology in the 25th century, there were items that are now standard issue for crew that could sometimes allow for such a solution, depending on the type of the anomaly. (I am specifically looking at personal shields, perhaps used in conjunction with tricorders and communicators.)
I think you made the perfect choice, as there was nothing to overpower the spiritual aspects of the encounter. I think you're probably right about the more advanced technology as well, it would make sense that their equipment would be able to better tune into temporal phenomenon.
Maybe so. And yeah, I can see where it wouldn't be easy being grey after the Dominion War. :-/
That said, Meliden was exactly the sort of child I would have sought out to be my friend, because often those with differences were the most able to accept me for who I was and not bully.
I just wonder, though, if by changing herself, it doesn't mean the bullies won. I would have hoped that by the 24th century educators would have done a better job in intervening where bullying was taking place--especially on species grounds. Unless they were participating in it... :mad:
To be fair, the bullying was more down to her youthful 'webcam shenanigans' and another girl's jealousy, rather than purely being racially motivated, but I think mostly, given the upbringing Meliden had, it would have been more a kind of body dismorphia, and wanting to align her external self with her inner self, rather than wanting to appear Human to simply 'fit in with everyone else', if that makes any sense?
If Pete was raised in the South (and that's quite possible regardless of his ethnic background), it would not seem out of place on someone of any race. It's a regionalism rather than something restricted to any particular race or ethnicity.
My own family history presents two things you need to keep in mind:
1) Many Irish immigrants ended up as sharecroppers down South. The city of Columbus, MS, for instance, has a large population of Irish descent.
2) Referring to a grown woman as "Miss" anything is not "African-American." It's a Southern thing. I myself do so quite often and I don't much if any recent African ancestry. It's also entirely possible that it's a common enough thing in any US population comprised mostly of the traditionally impoverished due to the horrible thing that is classism.
Ahh... My wife's been watching The Help a lot, and I didn't realize that it was such an overall regionally based form of address, so thanks for clarifying
Thanks, I went off Obidiah Stane's line to Tony Stark in Iron Man that they had built the arc reactor "to keep the hippies quiet...", and I just figured that, despite his alcoholism, Howard would have been a pretty stoic guy who wouldn't have appreciated Woodstock or the peace movement
The nature of Stark's industry, and the fact that he chose to stay with it as long as he did, also suggests a non-pacifistic mindset.
:cool:
I think the Starfleet charter sums up my approach to Alyosha (and other non-humans) perfect: To seek out new life... I just think it's a shame that the English language doesn't have a better way of expressing 'humanity'. Decency/kindness etc come close, but still don't convey the sentiment behind the expression...
Of course IRL we have had no need to invent a different term.
I think you made the perfect choice, as there was nothing to overpower the spiritual aspects of the encounter.
Thanks...that was as I intended.
I'll tell a story from IRL I've already told cmdrscarlet, that also influenced my choices as to how Alyosha would think and react. Once, I was driving through Tennessee and I saw what was easily one of the most inappropriate billboards I had ever seen (no TOS violations involved, though). It was an advertisement for the Shiloh Battlefield, which for those of you from overseas, was the site of a terrible battle from the American Civil War. On this billboard were pictures of a smiling family, and slogans about what a GREAT time you could have at the battlefield.
I was just...astounded, especially thinking about what it would've been like for those who lived back then and experienced those things. We often lose sight of it when reading the Gettysburg Address (also from the Civil War) because of the archaic language, but you can definitely hear it when Lincoln speaks of what it is like to stand in a place like that. "Hallowed ground."
That's why Alyosha, even as distanced by time as he is from our world and our time, felt as he did. None of the analysis, arguments, none of the history-book commentary, none of whatever superfluous debates built up over time are as important as we sometimes think they are. Not compared to the people and their stories.
I think you're probably right about the more advanced technology as well, it would make sense that their equipment would be able to better tune into temporal phenomenon.
The phase-shifted shield from Section 31 in particular suggests the possibility to me.
To be fair, the bullying was more down to her youthful 'webcam shenanigans' and another girl's jealousy, rather than purely being racially motivated, but I think mostly, given the upbringing Meliden had, it would have been more a kind of body dismorphia, and wanting to align her external self with her inner self, rather than wanting to appear Human to simply 'fit in with everyone else', if that makes any sense?
I can see where that would be an issue because, unlike Alyosha, she did not create her human appearance. He, on the other hand, "designed" his own human form. For Alyosha there can still sometimes be some difficulty because it's hard to tell sometimes which form is the mask and which one is the reality--the Devidian form or the human one. Somehow it's both for him.
Yet at the same time, with Meliden, it feels like a loss to contemplate someone losing a part of their unique self. :-/
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The nature of Stark's industry, and the fact that he chose to stay with it as long as he did, also suggests a non-pacifistic mindset.
Absolutely so. The found footage in Iron Man II showed him to have quite a sense of humor, but I do think he would have been someone who would have had a distaste for non-Corporate America. And yet he would still have been the ideal man for the job at hand.
I'll tell a story from IRL I've already told cmdrscarlet, that also influenced my choices as to how Alyosha would think and react. Once, I was driving through Tennessee and I saw what was easily one of the most inappropriate billboards I had ever seen (no TOS violations involved, though). It was an advertisement for the Shiloh Battlefield, which for those of you from overseas, was the site of a terrible battle from the American Civil War. On this billboard were pictures of a smiling family, and slogans about what a GREAT time you could have at the battlefield.
I was just...astounded, especially thinking about what it would've been like for those who lived back then and experienced those things. We often lose sight of it when reading the Gettysburg Address (also from the Civil War) because of the archaic language, but you can definitely hear it when Lincoln speaks of what it is like to stand in a place like that. "Hallowed ground."
That's why Alyosha, even as distanced by time as he is from our world and our time, felt as he did. None of the analysis, arguments, none of the history-book commentary, none of whatever superfluous debates built up over time are as important as we sometimes think they are. Not compared to the people and their stories.
Shocking to hear of a historic site like that being so diminished by being turned into some kind of attraction
I can see where that would be an issue because, unlike Alyosha, she did not create her human appearance. He, on the other hand, "designed" his own human form. For Alyosha there can still sometimes be some difficulty because it's hard to tell sometimes which form is the mask and which one is the reality--the Devidian form or the human one. Somehow it's both for him.
Yet at the same time, with Meliden, it feels like a loss to contemplate someone losing a part of their unique self. :-/
Well, yes and no... In a previous LC, mention is made that Meliden was wearing her hair in a style which covered much of her forehead and eyes, in a deliberate attempt to conceal her Cardassian features and appear more Human. Maybe a more fitting comparison for Meliden and her thoughts on her ethnicity and appearance, would be to compare her to a transgendered person who had not yet undergone gender reassignment surgery, or someone with a severe disfigurement who needs to have corrective surgery to normalize their appearance: She was raised in Human culture, so thinks like a Human, and thinks of herself as Human, so sees her Cardassian appearance as a complete incongruity. It's not that she's a self-loather or hates herself for being Cardassian, she just doesn't think of herself as Cardassian, and felt trapped in the wrong skin. To use The Matrix for another example, and what Morpheus refered to as 'residual self-image': If Bellic Chanos and Meliden were plugged into the Matrix, he would appear as Bolian, she would appear as Human, if that makes her thoughts make more sense?
My own family history presents two things you need to keep in mind:
1) Many Irish immigrants ended up as sharecroppers down South. The city of Columbus, MS, for instance, has a large population of Irish descent.
2) Referring to a grown woman as "Miss" anything is not "African-American." It's a Southern thing. I myself do so quite often and I don't much if any recent African ancestry. It's also entirely possible that it's a common enough thing in any US population comprised mostly of the traditionally impoverished due to the horrible thing that is classism.
You guys are putting a whole lot more thought into this than I did! :P I just figured the "Miss Teela" thing was a little personal quirk of speech - also, one that wasn't stereotypically Irish. Pete was getting a bit too Irish, sometimes, as I was writing him. Sure and he was, begorrah.
On the subject of currency - it might be a question of Tylha's sense of ethics (flexible though that can get, sometimes), but it might also be a practical point; Amanda Palmer, with the resources of a full starship at her disposal, can probably do things like re-using the serial numbers of destroyed bills, so as to pass her manufactured money into circulation almost tracelessly. With only a small shuttlecraft to rely on, Tylha wouldn't have the in-depth historical databases she'd need to do something like that. (As I've noted in a previous discussion, I believe in making life difficult for my protagonist.)
Actually, speaking of protagonists with difficult lives - may I say that I'm enjoying the adventures of Khas quite a bit, and am looking forward to seeing more of him?
You guys are putting a whole lot more thought into this than I did! :P I just figured the "Miss Teela" thing was a little personal quirk of speech - also, one that wasn't stereotypically Irish. Pete was getting a bit too Irish, sometimes, as I was writing him. Sure and he was, begorrah.
I have to admit, I didn't put that much thought into it, it was simply as mentioned above, my wife's been watching The Help a lot lately, and being from the UK and not realizing that it was a more generally Southern term of address, it seemed a little incongruous for an Irish-American, but no slight was intended
A bit like how in Wrath of Khan, even though 'Mister' is a correct naval term of address, I felt it jarred every time Kirk said 'Mister Saavik' ...
On the subject of currency - it might be a question of Tylha's sense of ethics (flexible though that can get, sometimes), but it might also be a practical point; Amanda Palmer, with the resources of a full starship at her disposal, can probably do things like re-using the serial numbers of destroyed bills, so as to pass her manufactured money into circulation almost tracelessly. With only a small shuttlecraft to rely on, Tylha wouldn't have the in-depth historical databases she'd need to do something like that. (As I've noted in a previous discussion, I believe in making life difficult for my protagonist.)
That's true, Tylha's resources might have been limited by the facilities of the shuttle, but replicating diamonds for stake money is admitedly not something I would have thought to do, I just wanted to reinforce that while Palmer knew she was breaking the rules, she wanted to do so in as legitimate way as possible, rather than Kirk's methods of "I'm Jim Kirk and I'm awesome so I'll do it anyway..." or going 'Captain Ransom'
Actually, speaking of protagonists with difficult lives - may I say that I'm enjoying the adventures of Khas quite a bit, and am looking forward to seeing more of him?
Shocking to hear of a historic site like that being so diminished by being turned into some kind of attraction
Yeah...and while I doubt that happened, by the 24th century, it does show the extremes to which we can go in forgetting the reality of historical events.
Well, yes and no... In a previous LC, mention is made that Meliden was wearing her hair in a style which covered much of her forehead and eyes, in a deliberate attempt to conceal her Cardassian features and appear more Human. Maybe a more fitting comparison for Meliden and her thoughts on her ethnicity and appearance, would be to compare her to a transgendered person who had not yet undergone gender reassignment surgery, or someone with a severe disfigurement who needs to have corrective surgery to normalize their appearance: She was raised in Human culture, so thinks like a Human, and thinks of herself as Human, so sees her Cardassian appearance as a complete incongruity. It's not that she's a self-loather or hates herself for being Cardassian, she just doesn't think of herself as Cardassian, and felt trapped in the wrong skin. To use The Matrix for another example, and what Morpheus refered to as 'residual self-image': If Bellic Chanos and Meliden were plugged into the Matrix, he would appear as Bolian, she would appear as Human, if that makes her thoughts make more sense?
While I kind of see what you mean, I think that in part it's DS9's episode "Cardassians" that left a bad taste in my mouth when it comes to that sort of thing. Rugal Pa'Dar definitely came off as having been brainwashed--either by his adoptive parents or by the society around him, depending on who you believe was responsible for the abuses against him--into a very self-destructive mindset regarding his identity.
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Yeah...and while I doubt that happened, by the 24th century, it does show the extremes to which we can go in forgetting the reality of historical events.
Oh absolutely. There're several historical sites near where I live, and while they're open to the public, they're certainly advertised as 'venues for family lols'...
While I kind of see what you mean, I think that in part it's DS9's episode "Cardassians" that left a bad taste in my mouth when it comes to that sort of thing. Rugal Pa'Dar definitely came off as having been brainwashed--either by his adoptive parents or by the society around him, depending on who you believe was responsible for the abuses against him--into a very self-destructive mindset regarding his identity.
I have to admit, I'd actually forgetten that episode, so there was no inspiration from Rugal in Meliden, but yes, it was definitely an emotionally challenging episode. Even though the Federation has often been at odds with Cardassia, for the most part, Humans have not suffered as directly at Cardassian hands in the same extended way as Bajorans have, so Meliden's parents would have no latent hostility toward Cardassians, but rather view her (and them as a people) solely as victims of the Dominion's brutality. Of course, on a personal level, I think that her parents probably would have tried to make her aware of Cardassian culture, but she utterly rejected it as being at odds with her day to day reality, so while she might not have been overtly brainwashed/indoctrinated into Human culture by her adoptive parents, it was certainly the life she chose herself. Given how her mother reacted during their last call, I'm sure she would have something to say
Having completely redone my KDF Bravok in terms of appearance, personality and background for the anniversary mission, and then saying the alternate version is the one that returned to the main sto timeline after the mission was complete, this story is perfect for letting me expand on that and have an actual reason for why Bravok didn't go back to normal when the timeline reset.
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A Romulan Strike Team, Missing Farmers and an ancient base on a Klingon Border world. But what connects them? Find out in my First Foundary mission: 'The Jeroan Farmer Escapade'
Having completely redone my KDF Bravok in terms of appearance, personality and background for the anniversary mission, and then saying the alternate version is the one that returned to the main sto timeline after the mission was complete, this story is perfect for letting me expand on that and have an actual reason for why Bravok didn't go back to normal when the timeline reset.
@ hfmudd;
Awesome entry I'd love to know who Rain was, and when she was from, but of course, it doesn't really matter to the story, just as it doesn't matter what tragedy is due to befall Manhattan, but it was a fantastic entry :cool:
Thank you.
The whole thing is a great big game of 'spot the reference'; I think I managed to get something in there from every series, even Enterprise if you squint. (Always with the hats.)
Rain has appeared before, as has her supervisor, Roberta. As for the significance of the date... well, count backwards from First Contact.
Thank you.
The whole thing is a great big game of 'spot the reference'; I think I managed to get something in there from every series, even Enterprise if you squint. (Always with the hats.)
Awesome. Always loved that character. I missed most of the other references, but I know what disaster is about to hit. Makes sense New York gets it in one of the opening volleys.
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A Romulan Strike Team, Missing Farmers and an ancient base on a Klingon Border world. But what connects them? Find out in my First Foundary mission: 'The Jeroan Farmer Escapade'
The tragedy that was about to hit in mudd's entry will be the opening volley of a war, the third of its kind, the second of which ended in 1945.
And it seems that NYC gets devastated in said opening volley.
Very good story, mudd.
Ahh, gotcha I have to admit, the specific event itself didn't really matter, as the sense of impending dread was certainly more than enough to carry the story, I was just curious as to what was being referred to I loved the idea that the crew were archiving information which would likely have been lost
Oh man, now I'm going to have to read back through all your past entries to satisfy my curiousity :rolleyes:
Not in my entries, but in past Trek. grylak already identified Rain ; a little research on Memory Alpha and/or Beta (with particular attention to "Assignment: Earth", "City on the Edge of Forever", and "Future's End") should fill in the rest of the context for you. (You'd probably have to watch the episode to get why she misses Saturn. )
I had to think for a while on what the crew would be doing there before I came up with "Project Alexandria." There are other teams, of course, doing much the same all over the world. The coolest part, to my mind, is that they know exactly what they can safely take - everything that history records as being lost.
Comments
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-Bill Gates
http://sto-forum.perfectworld.com/showpost.php?p=7946521&postcount=9
Thanks, and likewise, I really enjoyed your entry, as it really showed Alyosha's connection to Earth and his Humanity, and the reasoning that they simply had to wait for time to restore the crew to their correct time was a nice change. I simply figured that subspace folds was something else which could be explored, and gave me the opportunity to write my favorite Vulcan female
Yes, Meliden was adopted by Human parents, but unlike Worf, who had already lived part of his life in Klingon culture, Meliden was adopted as a newborn after the hospital she had been born in was bombarded by the Dominion, so she has literally only ever known Human culture, and was bullied as a child for being Cardassian, so her parents would be well aware of her desire to appear Human, but likely never had the connections or resources to have such a procedure done privately. Starfleet, on the other hand, routinely performs surgical alterations to such an extent that the altered officer is externally indistinguishable from the target species, so for Meliden, this would literally have been a lifelong dream come true
Awww...I'm glad you joined in.
For where my crew ended up, simplicity was really the only approach. I had tried other approaches, and even with no "action" taking place, they felt wrong. The additional dialogue and material just detracted from the true focus of the piece: which was that they stood upon hallowed ground.
I loved Stark's reaction to Woodstock...truly awesome! I thought the story ended very well.
Thanks. In spite of Aloysha's extreme differences from our species, and the fact that biologically he "should" be at odds with humans (and other humanoid species), Earth is where he feels he belongs. He would be flattered to know you considered him to have some form of "humanity."
As for the fact that they just had to wait...I considered other possibilities but they all felt unsuitable for the time frame.
I reasoned that since we've seen more advanced technology in the 25th century, there were items that are now standard issue for crew that could sometimes allow for such a solution, depending on the type of the anomaly. (I am specifically looking at personal shields, perhaps used in conjunction with tricorders and communicators.)
Maybe so. And yeah, I can see where it wouldn't be easy being grey after the Dominion War. :-/
That said, Meliden was exactly the sort of child I would have sought out to be my friend, because often those with differences were the most able to accept me for who I was and not bully.
I just wonder, though, if by changing herself, it doesn't mean the bullies won. I would have hoped that by the 24th century educators would have done a better job in intervening where bullying was taking place--especially on species grounds. Unless they were participating in it... :mad:
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If Pete was raised in the South (and that's quite possible regardless of his ethnic background), it would not seem out of place on someone of any race. It's a regionalism rather than something restricted to any particular race or ethnicity.
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I just realized I missed a couple somehow so bear with me. I'm also still crafting mine as well while at work ... SHSHSHHHH!
My own family history presents two things you need to keep in mind:
1) Many Irish immigrants ended up as sharecroppers down South. The city of Columbus, MS, for instance, has a large population of Irish descent.
2) Referring to a grown woman as "Miss" anything is not "African-American." It's a Southern thing. I myself do so quite often and I don't much if any recent African ancestry. It's also entirely possible that it's a common enough thing in any US population comprised mostly of the traditionally impoverished due to the horrible thing that is classism.
Absolutely, I think that was why it worked so nicely, it let the 'unsaid' come through.
Thanks, I went off Obidiah Stane's line to Tony Stark in Iron Man that they had built the arc reactor "to keep the hippies quiet...", and I just figured that, despite his alcoholism, Howard would have been a pretty stoic guy who wouldn't have appreciated Woodstock or the peace movement
:cool:
I think the Starfleet charter sums up my approach to Alyosha (and other non-humans) perfectly: To seek out new life... I just think it's a shame that the English language doesn't have a better way of expressing 'humanity'. Decency/kindness etc come close, but still don't convey the sentiment behind the expression...
I think you made the perfect choice, as there was nothing to overpower the spiritual aspects of the encounter. I think you're probably right about the more advanced technology as well, it would make sense that their equipment would be able to better tune into temporal phenomenon.
To be fair, the bullying was more down to her youthful 'webcam shenanigans' and another girl's jealousy, rather than purely being racially motivated, but I think mostly, given the upbringing Meliden had, it would have been more a kind of body dismorphia, and wanting to align her external self with her inner self, rather than wanting to appear Human to simply 'fit in with everyone else', if that makes any sense?
The nature of Stark's industry, and the fact that he chose to stay with it as long as he did, also suggests a non-pacifistic mindset.
Of course IRL we have had no need to invent a different term.
Thanks...that was as I intended.
I'll tell a story from IRL I've already told cmdrscarlet, that also influenced my choices as to how Alyosha would think and react. Once, I was driving through Tennessee and I saw what was easily one of the most inappropriate billboards I had ever seen (no TOS violations involved, though). It was an advertisement for the Shiloh Battlefield, which for those of you from overseas, was the site of a terrible battle from the American Civil War. On this billboard were pictures of a smiling family, and slogans about what a GREAT time you could have at the battlefield.
I was just...astounded, especially thinking about what it would've been like for those who lived back then and experienced those things. We often lose sight of it when reading the Gettysburg Address (also from the Civil War) because of the archaic language, but you can definitely hear it when Lincoln speaks of what it is like to stand in a place like that. "Hallowed ground."
That's why Alyosha, even as distanced by time as he is from our world and our time, felt as he did. None of the analysis, arguments, none of the history-book commentary, none of whatever superfluous debates built up over time are as important as we sometimes think they are. Not compared to the people and their stories.
The phase-shifted shield from Section 31 in particular suggests the possibility to me.
I can see where that would be an issue because, unlike Alyosha, she did not create her human appearance. He, on the other hand, "designed" his own human form. For Alyosha there can still sometimes be some difficulty because it's hard to tell sometimes which form is the mask and which one is the reality--the Devidian form or the human one. Somehow it's both for him.
Yet at the same time, with Meliden, it feels like a loss to contemplate someone losing a part of their unique self. :-/
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Yet
Shocking to hear of a historic site like that being so diminished by being turned into some kind of attraction
Yes, absolutely...
Well, yes and no... In a previous LC, mention is made that Meliden was wearing her hair in a style which covered much of her forehead and eyes, in a deliberate attempt to conceal her Cardassian features and appear more Human. Maybe a more fitting comparison for Meliden and her thoughts on her ethnicity and appearance, would be to compare her to a transgendered person who had not yet undergone gender reassignment surgery, or someone with a severe disfigurement who needs to have corrective surgery to normalize their appearance: She was raised in Human culture, so thinks like a Human, and thinks of herself as Human, so sees her Cardassian appearance as a complete incongruity. It's not that she's a self-loather or hates herself for being Cardassian, she just doesn't think of herself as Cardassian, and felt trapped in the wrong skin. To use The Matrix for another example, and what Morpheus refered to as 'residual self-image': If Bellic Chanos and Meliden were plugged into the Matrix, he would appear as Bolian, she would appear as Human, if that makes her thoughts make more sense?
You guys are putting a whole lot more thought into this than I did! :P I just figured the "Miss Teela" thing was a little personal quirk of speech - also, one that wasn't stereotypically Irish. Pete was getting a bit too Irish, sometimes, as I was writing him. Sure and he was, begorrah.
On the subject of currency - it might be a question of Tylha's sense of ethics (flexible though that can get, sometimes), but it might also be a practical point; Amanda Palmer, with the resources of a full starship at her disposal, can probably do things like re-using the serial numbers of destroyed bills, so as to pass her manufactured money into circulation almost tracelessly. With only a small shuttlecraft to rely on, Tylha wouldn't have the in-depth historical databases she'd need to do something like that. (As I've noted in a previous discussion, I believe in making life difficult for my protagonist.)
Actually, speaking of protagonists with difficult lives - may I say that I'm enjoying the adventures of Khas quite a bit, and am looking forward to seeing more of him?
A bit like how in Wrath of Khan, even though 'Mister' is a correct naval term of address, I felt it jarred every time Kirk said 'Mister Saavik' ...
That's true, Tylha's resources might have been limited by the facilities of the shuttle, but replicating diamonds for stake money is admitedly not something I would have thought to do, I just wanted to reinforce that while Palmer knew she was breaking the rules, she wanted to do so in as legitimate way as possible, rather than Kirk's methods of "I'm Jim Kirk and I'm awesome so I'll do it anyway..." or going 'Captain Ransom'
Likewise :cool:
zomg so true! Especially because its Kirstie Ally!
/swoon
I may do more with it but I'm ok with it as it is ...
EDIT - actors list
Kathryn - Rachel Nichols
Section 31 agent - Mark Harmon
Kyle Retarius - Matthew Fox
Margaret Retarius - Emma Roberts
Yeah...and while I doubt that happened, by the 24th century, it does show the extremes to which we can go in forgetting the reality of historical events.
While I kind of see what you mean, I think that in part it's DS9's episode "Cardassians" that left a bad taste in my mouth when it comes to that sort of thing. Rugal Pa'Dar definitely came off as having been brainwashed--either by his adoptive parents or by the society around him, depending on who you believe was responsible for the abuses against him--into a very self-destructive mindset regarding his identity.
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Punchy, and with shades of Blade Runner... I like it :cool:
I have to admit, I'd actually forgetten that episode, so there was no inspiration from Rugal in Meliden, but yes, it was definitely an emotionally challenging episode. Even though the Federation has often been at odds with Cardassia, for the most part, Humans have not suffered as directly at Cardassian hands in the same extended way as Bajorans have, so Meliden's parents would have no latent hostility toward Cardassians, but rather view her (and them as a people) solely as victims of the Dominion's brutality. Of course, on a personal level, I think that her parents probably would have tried to make her aware of Cardassian culture, but she utterly rejected it as being at odds with her day to day reality, so while she might not have been overtly brainwashed/indoctrinated into Human culture by her adoptive parents, it was certainly the life she chose herself. Given how her mother reacted during their last call, I'm sure she would have something to say
A Romulan Strike Team, Missing Farmers and an ancient base on a Klingon Border world. But what connects them? Find out in my First Foundary mission: 'The Jeroan Farmer Escapade'
Awesome entry
The whole thing is a great big game of 'spot the reference'; I think I managed to get something in there from every series, even Enterprise if you squint. (Always with the hats.)
Rain has appeared before, as has her supervisor, Roberta. As for the significance of the date... well, count backwards from First Contact.
Oh man, now I'm going to have to read back through all your past entries to satisfy my curiousity :rolleyes:
Hmm, I'm not much of a mathmagician... Is the suggestion that the Borg sphere didn't only shoot at Montana, before being destroyed?
Awesome. Always loved that character. I missed most of the other references, but I know what disaster is about to hit. Makes sense New York gets it in one of the opening volleys.
A Romulan Strike Team, Missing Farmers and an ancient base on a Klingon Border world. But what connects them? Find out in my First Foundary mission: 'The Jeroan Farmer Escapade'
The tragedy that was about to hit in mudd's entry will be the opening volley of a war, the third of its kind, the second of which ended in 1945.
And it seems that NYC gets devastated in said opening volley.
Very good story, mudd.
Not in my entries, but in past Trek. grylak already identified Rain ; a little research on Memory Alpha and/or Beta (with particular attention to "Assignment: Earth", "City on the Edge of Forever", and "Future's End") should fill in the rest of the context for you. (You'd probably have to watch the episode to get why she misses Saturn.
I had to think for a while on what the crew would be doing there before I came up with "Project Alexandria." There are other teams, of course, doing much the same all over the world. The coolest part, to my mind, is that they know exactly what they can safely take - everything that history records as being lost.