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crack_van2011-08-01 07:33 pm
rynne.livejournal.com) wrote in crack_van2011-08-01 07:33 pm
Entry tags:
Observations by jAnon (R)
Hi guys! I'm Rynne, and I'll be driving the van for Star Trek this month. I'm a huge Kirk/Spock girl, so that's mostly what you can expect from me this month, though I do promise at least one that's not. I'll also be reccing mostly Reboot, but there will be some TOS mixed in there as well. Let's start!
Fandom: STAR TREK: REBOOT
Pairing: Kirk/Spock, Scotty/Uhura, Ensemble
Length: ~438,000
Author on LJ:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
anon_j_anon
Author Website: Unknown
Why this must be read:
This was the fic that made me decide I had to sign up for Star Trek on![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
crack_van, so of course I'm starting out with it.
As you can see by the word count, this is a long fic, and honestly, it has pretty much everything. It's Spock's observations of life aboard the Enterprise, and the writing style is hard to pin down, in a good way. Some chapters feel like journal entries, others are stream of consciousness, there are a few interview/article style chapters, and more are just a typical first-person story. jAnon has an awesome Spock voice, but that, and the deft mixture of styles, while wonderful, are not why I'm reccing this fic.
Something that struck me as I read this fic was how much respect jAnon gives to pretty much all the subjects she addresses. Uhura and Chekov get to speak Swahili and Russian, and while jAnon does provide translations in annotations, those are linked elsewhere, not in the text. But the languages mixed in don't feel like they're excluding me, a reader who doesn't speak Swahili or Russian -- they feel like they're including more aspects of who Uhura and Chekov are.
This story has accurate math and science, and a lot of it. It really feels like science fiction as I read, which is not necessarily true for all or even most of the Star Trek fic I've read. But science is a whole lot of what these people do and who they are, and jAnon respects that and naturally works it into the story.
There are so many issues that this story deals with, but again, respectfully. There's prejudice, ability and disability, dealing with past trauma, dealing with current trauma, the end of relationships, the beginning of relationships -- it's not easy, but jAnon shows how utterly worthwhile it is to deal with this stuff, and the love and respect she has for the characters and the world permeates the entire fic.
There's a lot more I can say about this fic, but I'll leave off with just a few more things. This fic combines new storylines with reboots of TOS episodes, and I am particularly fond of how it handles City on the Edge of Forever and The Trouble with Tribbles. And while the Kirk/Spock relationship is a large and important part of the fic, this truly does have an ensemble, with plenty of the other members of the crew.
Also, this fic does deal with rape and violence, so be warned if those are triggery.
“You know, I never thought I’d do this. All of this mundane shit like cooking and doing laundry and going to work. It’s kind of different from being on the Enterprise.”
“It has been an interesting experience to be immersed in an alien culture, particularly one that is, in our time, extinct. As enlightening as this experience has been, however, I would like to return to the Enterprise. That is where we belong, captain.”
“Yeah,” Jim said quietly. “All the same, I’m glad it’s you here with me.”
“I am grateful for your presence as well,” I stopped and looked at Jim. “We will return, Jim. Despite the odds against us, we will get back to the ship.”
“I know.” Jim pointed to a tree standing nearby. “That tree over there, the one with the yellow leaves like a semicircle, or a fan. It’s called a ginkgo tree. We discussed a paper about them once at the greenhouse club, back at Starfleet.”
I looked at him curiously.
“Yeah, I was a member—on and off. More off than on. Anyway, these ginkgo trees, they’re all over the city, practically everywhere. And I dunno if this is true, but someone once told me that you always plant ginkgo trees in pairs. Like the two need each other.
“I dunno. Ginkgos aren’t native to this region, not like the oaks and maples that’re in the parks. They only occur wild in Asia, I think China somewhere. All of these in the city were brought over and planted.
“Do you remember much about Earth history? In World War II, when they dropped the bombs on that Japanese city—someone at the club said that six ginkgo trees survived. Everything else in the whole fucking city died, but six trees made it. They said two are still alive today, like 300 years later.
“And these trees can live for thousands of years. I talked about it with Sulu once, he’s got a little ginkgo bonsai in his quarters. Probably sleeps with that thing,” Jim laughed. “But he said that it’s a symbol of longevity and hope.”
I waited for Jim to continue, but he said nothing more. Though his statements were disjointed and his thoughts left incomplete, I felt I understood everything he was trying to communicate.
We walked on.
A fall breeze swept through. Leaves clattered like small bells ringing on thin wooden branches. Others swirled in circles on the sidewalk, chasing after each other. Trees were progressively becoming bare as autumn passed and the deep chill of winter crept in. Time was slipping away, and the uncertainty of the future pressed on us.
For reasons unknown, as we walked I imagined two trees at the opposite ends of a city, charred black. All around them was a wasteland, a place of shadow and ash. By all appearances, the two trees were dead. But with the first rains of a new growing season, they sprouted green and gold leaves. No one witnessed the rebirth. There was no one left to record the miracle. But each year the trees sprouted until they put forward a full canopy of translucent leaves. They stood, green and gold, at the edge of forever.
Observations
Fandom: STAR TREK: REBOOT
Pairing: Kirk/Spock, Scotty/Uhura, Ensemble
Length: ~438,000
Author on LJ:
anon_j_anonAuthor Website: Unknown
Why this must be read:
This was the fic that made me decide I had to sign up for Star Trek on
crack_van, so of course I'm starting out with it.As you can see by the word count, this is a long fic, and honestly, it has pretty much everything. It's Spock's observations of life aboard the Enterprise, and the writing style is hard to pin down, in a good way. Some chapters feel like journal entries, others are stream of consciousness, there are a few interview/article style chapters, and more are just a typical first-person story. jAnon has an awesome Spock voice, but that, and the deft mixture of styles, while wonderful, are not why I'm reccing this fic.
Something that struck me as I read this fic was how much respect jAnon gives to pretty much all the subjects she addresses. Uhura and Chekov get to speak Swahili and Russian, and while jAnon does provide translations in annotations, those are linked elsewhere, not in the text. But the languages mixed in don't feel like they're excluding me, a reader who doesn't speak Swahili or Russian -- they feel like they're including more aspects of who Uhura and Chekov are.
This story has accurate math and science, and a lot of it. It really feels like science fiction as I read, which is not necessarily true for all or even most of the Star Trek fic I've read. But science is a whole lot of what these people do and who they are, and jAnon respects that and naturally works it into the story.
There are so many issues that this story deals with, but again, respectfully. There's prejudice, ability and disability, dealing with past trauma, dealing with current trauma, the end of relationships, the beginning of relationships -- it's not easy, but jAnon shows how utterly worthwhile it is to deal with this stuff, and the love and respect she has for the characters and the world permeates the entire fic.
There's a lot more I can say about this fic, but I'll leave off with just a few more things. This fic combines new storylines with reboots of TOS episodes, and I am particularly fond of how it handles City on the Edge of Forever and The Trouble with Tribbles. And while the Kirk/Spock relationship is a large and important part of the fic, this truly does have an ensemble, with plenty of the other members of the crew.
Also, this fic does deal with rape and violence, so be warned if those are triggery.
“You know, I never thought I’d do this. All of this mundane shit like cooking and doing laundry and going to work. It’s kind of different from being on the Enterprise.”
“It has been an interesting experience to be immersed in an alien culture, particularly one that is, in our time, extinct. As enlightening as this experience has been, however, I would like to return to the Enterprise. That is where we belong, captain.”
“Yeah,” Jim said quietly. “All the same, I’m glad it’s you here with me.”
“I am grateful for your presence as well,” I stopped and looked at Jim. “We will return, Jim. Despite the odds against us, we will get back to the ship.”
“I know.” Jim pointed to a tree standing nearby. “That tree over there, the one with the yellow leaves like a semicircle, or a fan. It’s called a ginkgo tree. We discussed a paper about them once at the greenhouse club, back at Starfleet.”
I looked at him curiously.
“Yeah, I was a member—on and off. More off than on. Anyway, these ginkgo trees, they’re all over the city, practically everywhere. And I dunno if this is true, but someone once told me that you always plant ginkgo trees in pairs. Like the two need each other.
“I dunno. Ginkgos aren’t native to this region, not like the oaks and maples that’re in the parks. They only occur wild in Asia, I think China somewhere. All of these in the city were brought over and planted.
“Do you remember much about Earth history? In World War II, when they dropped the bombs on that Japanese city—someone at the club said that six ginkgo trees survived. Everything else in the whole fucking city died, but six trees made it. They said two are still alive today, like 300 years later.
“And these trees can live for thousands of years. I talked about it with Sulu once, he’s got a little ginkgo bonsai in his quarters. Probably sleeps with that thing,” Jim laughed. “But he said that it’s a symbol of longevity and hope.”
I waited for Jim to continue, but he said nothing more. Though his statements were disjointed and his thoughts left incomplete, I felt I understood everything he was trying to communicate.
We walked on.
A fall breeze swept through. Leaves clattered like small bells ringing on thin wooden branches. Others swirled in circles on the sidewalk, chasing after each other. Trees were progressively becoming bare as autumn passed and the deep chill of winter crept in. Time was slipping away, and the uncertainty of the future pressed on us.
For reasons unknown, as we walked I imagined two trees at the opposite ends of a city, charred black. All around them was a wasteland, a place of shadow and ash. By all appearances, the two trees were dead. But with the first rains of a new growing season, they sprouted green and gold leaves. No one witnessed the rebirth. There was no one left to record the miracle. But each year the trees sprouted until they put forward a full canopy of translucent leaves. They stood, green and gold, at the edge of forever.
Observations
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