Misanthropic's new story - Reflecting To You

[dialee]

Misanthropic has posted a new chapter in her excellent story.

The way she resolved her dilemma works also. She has written the next chapter(s), explaining how MU T'Pol got to our universe as a flashback. This is probably a neater and cleaner way of getting all the explanations out of the way at once, just so long as she doesn't drag it out.

I really like her own slightly outrageous interpretation of Archer. He didn't strike me as that crazy in Mirror, Darkly but here, she truly brought out his egomania psychotic tendencies.

[dialee]

Sorry!

My mistake, the new chapter is Archer conducting a senior staff meeting after meeting the MU T'Pol and speculating on how she got there.

It feels like a transition or filler chapter. Trip and T'Pol do not address each other. They're uncomfortable yet T'Pol sits right next to him in the meeting.

[CX]

It was ok, but I agree with dialee about it feeling like a transistion chapter and a short one at that. Not saying that's a bad thing really, just sort of wished that she'd waited and included it with the next chapter, but I can understand her reasoning as far as wanting to give her readers something to hold us over for a while. I'm definately glad that she didn't try to have MU T'Pol give Archer this whole long history lesson though; what she ended up doing worked, so now we can get on to the story and where ever she's going to take us with it.

[blacknblue]

I'm beginning to speculate as to why Trip is feeling so protective of this particular T'Pol.

[dialee]

Perhaps MU T'Pol is exerting a stronger "hold," "influence," or whatever the correct term is through the bond and there is no distinguishing frequency between universes to tell the two T'Pols apart?

So if this story is occuring prior to Bound, then neither our T'Pol or Trip would recognized the "influence"?

[MissAnnThropic]

The only ENT episodes that are not taken into account in this fic are In a Mirror Darkly, II and These Are the Voyages.

[dialee]

Misanthropic has posted chapter 10 of her story.

It is a wonderful chapter and has certainly "advanced the plot" emotionally in a big way. Trip makes a big decision.

The interchange between Hoshi and Travis makes for a good giggle.

Hoshi's linguistic description of TnT's current interactions is "pitch perfect" and pure joy to read.

[CX]

I'm only really semi-interested at this point. In a way, we already basically went through this kind of major angst with Dinah's fic, right down to talking about breaking the mating bond - only this time it's Trip that wants it. The thing that really keeps me reading is the complication with MU T'Pol, and because I'm curious to see how the angst will be resolved.

MAT uses a lot of good detail and description, but I'm getting a bit frustrated because nothing is really happening. Every time Trip goes to sickbay, MU T'Pol is out of it, or something else keeps him from talking to her, and T'Pol is just getting crazy annoying, so there's no talking to her. It's all fine and good that Hoshi is telling us basically what we already know, and it was a ncie scene between Hoshi and Travis, but it kind of feels like the truck is stuck in neutral right now - there's a lot of engine revving, but the truck isn't moving.

[Asso]

I'm only really semi-interested at this point. In a way, we already basically went through this kind of major angst with Dinah's fic, right down to talking about breaking the mating bond - only this time it's Trip that wants it. The thing that really keeps me reading is the complication with MU T'Pol, and because I'm curious to see how the angst will be resolved.

MAT uses a lot of good detail and description, but I'm getting a bit frustrated because nothing is really happening. Every time Trip goes to sickbay, MU T'Pol is out of it, or something else keeps him from talking to her, and T'Pol is just getting crazy annoying, so there's no talking to her. It's all fine and good that Hoshi is telling us basically what we already know, and it was a ncie scene between Hoshi and Travis, but it kind of feels like the truck is stuck in neutral right now - there's a lot of engine revving, but the truck isn't moving.

I agree.

[dialee]

CX, Asso:

I disagree. Angst is only the same in that it is the same subject but used by different authors, it is a different flavor or a variant shading of the same color. It’s interesting that you brought up Dinah’s story because that is what I thought also when I read chapter 10 but hesitated to put it in my post. I wondered if it was fair to compare one author’s story to another author’s?

I agree that both stories has TnT “wanting” to break their bond after Elizabeth died but if I remember correctly, I don’t think either consciously and emphatically decided to break the bond like Trip does here. They sort of drifted into it in front of the priest, both thinking the other wanted it so each did what the other wanted. The story then proceeded fairly quickly into Vulcan politics and Trip’s breakdown.

MisAnnThropic’s story deals with the issue of a couple losing a child and wanting the hurt to stop badly. I read somewhere that one of the top reasons young couple divorce, aside from money, is the loss of a young child. Anyway, Trip doesn’t have a breakdown, at least I hope not. This story has MU T’Pol as the outside stimuli/catalyst on the relationship rather than Vulcan politics.

All these variants are enough for me to keep reading and to look for the story when I’m online.

However, I do agree with you on the seeming “stretching of the story.” Chapter 10 would probably have been a lot better if MU T’Pol had been awake when Trip went to sickbay to further advancement of the plot.

[Asso]

dialee,
I can understand what you think and partially I agree with you.
I must admit: I am somewhat overwhelmed by angst.
But, at the same time, I am waiting of the ending, hoping this angst finally might end.
And still, this is the problem: I would like to read a story of which I wasn't waiting for the end.

[pookha]

I read somewhere that one of the top reasons young couple divorce, aside from money, is the loss of a young child

i dont know if i still have the research at hand but this is a myth.

[dialee]

Asso,

I understand about the angst, honestly I do, and I did express some reservations about it in the first couple chapters of this story however since MAT decided this is part of the story, then it is.

I hope in the use of MU T'Pol as the outside stimuli, she gives our T'Pol the chance to "mirror" Trip's "you mean I'm jealous of myself?" or something similar somewhere down the road. I'm not good at remembering exact phrases.

pookha:

You may be right and I certainly hope so. That's just something that got stuck in my head from eons past.

[michelle]

I really love this story. I have been logging on every day to look for updates! I wish i had the patience to wait a few months for it to be completed tho!

I kind of believe this story can't really go badly for T/T so I say bring on the angst baby! I have always enjoyed your work!

It's great that you're taking your sweet time with it, I don't mean the fact that each chapter takes ages cos that's just driving me nuts, I mean the fact your really fleshing out the whole thing, it just makes me feel like when Mu'Pol T'Pol and Trip finally do get to do some interacting its going to be fantastic. There are so many of these type fanfics floating around the trek fan fiction world that are either way too rushed or not finished.


Great Job, its a great read, thanks for writing it, i look forward to your next installment!

[Zane Gray]

The bottom line for me is that I'm simply interested to see more Trip/T'Pol stories. So few are being written anymore and updates are so few and far between, that I would rather encourage authors even when their stories aren't really my cup of tea, than offer tons of play by play criticism for each new installment that gets posted. Let me quickly note here that this is not intended to be any kind of criticism or slam against any members in this thread or on this board. It's just my particular point of view.

Some authors really love to have their work critiqued as they deliver it. Some would rather have people wait and judge the finished work. One of the reasons I post so seldom here anymore - aside from how insanely busy I've been in real life - is that I want to wait until these long, multi-chapter stories are done before really chiming in. Also, I'm terrible at keeping track of such things, so when I read too many half-complete stories, I tends to lose track of which is which.

As for my own stories, I'm waiting to post new installments of Whether You Fall until I'm completely done with the story. I've kept people waiting long enough, so when I finally do deliver, I want to make good on that.

On another topic, how are all of you? It's been a while since I've had the chance to chat! My best to all of you!

Oh... Misanthropic, I actually do like the story. I'm interested to see how it's going to play out. I particularly enjoy learning that each character seems surprisingly sensitive to what the others are going through - particularly Trip and T'Pol. My only problem is the time between updates, but I can hardly complain about that given my own unfinished work. Here's a question for you: Do you have the story plotted out already in detail? Do you know where it's going to go, and how you will end it? Or are you sort of discovering it along the way as you write?

And CX, since I see you're here, are you and Kevin still working on all those stories you'd started? Where do I find them, by the way? I'd like to keep up with what you're both doing, but I've been having a hard time finding stories if they're not here at TS. I've visited the Endeauvor site, but there haven't been many updates lately, so I assume you guys are working on something else?