3Distracted
A fun story with details that make character. It has witty dialogue and a great last line.
-- Rabble Rouser - Sat, 01 Mar 2003 17:03:18 -0500

4The Family Mythology
This tale is crowded with a lot of characters that really ratchet up the comedy. It's not all laughs though. Jungle Kitty deftly and sensitively sets up the character of Kirk's mother, Winona, and the relationship with her son. A scene where she's hurt at a remark of his that implies a judgment of her choices is both poignant and telling. A lot of different family anecdotes provide amusement and fill out the picture of the Kirk clan. It was fun to watch Brandt make her way among this mob of relations and find out where she fits. And the ending was as warmly romantic as anyone could want.
-- Rabble Rouser - Sat, 01 Mar 2003 17:05:03 -0500

6Hush
Even in a short space stylish and sexy. I like how the end flips the beginning.
-- Rabble Rouser - Sat, 01 Mar 2003 17:06:28 -0500

7Like We Never Had A Broken Heart
This was my favorite fan fiction story this year and its impact hit me like a ten ton truck. It takes a pairing that would make anyone scream no damn way in hell! -- Kirk and Chapel -- and makes them work as a couple. A lot of that I thought (until I read the sequel) was that Djinn picked her time and place very carefully. There's probably no time and place when Kirk was feeling more isolated than what fanon calls "the unhappy Admiral years." One thing that came thru very well in the otherwise stultifyingly boring Star Trek: The Motion Picture, was how in losing the Enterprise, Kirk has lost so much of himself. That makes it a very interesting period to explore Kirk's character and Djinn writes Kirk's character like a dream (a great part of what made the story so winning as far as this Kirkophile is concerned) Kirk's desperateness to connect is shown so well at the very beginning of this story when he bumps into Chapel and asks her to call him "Jim." What has always told us who Kirk is close to is never who he calls by first name--but who he allows the privilege of calling *him* by first name. Chapel was never part of that inner circle so that detail is very revealing. How the relationship develops from there is true to both characters, has the most passionate love scenes Djinn (or just about any other fanfic writer) has ever written, and is absolutely heartbreaking. Beautifully, poetically told. Here's hoping we see more Kirkfic from Djinn. Much more. She made me very happy with this one!
-- Rabble Rouser - Sat, 01 Mar 2003 17:13:07 -0500

8Living in Ashes
I was so happy to see a new Kirk/Chapel story from Djinn. May she write many more. This acts as a very neat continuation to "A Particular Pain" as Kirk and Chapel continue to build a relationship together while dealing with the ripples it causes among their friends and colleagues. I have always loved how Djinn gives dimension to Chapel, but now I'm finding I'm also relishing how vividly she brings Kirk to life. It's also a treat to see how she writes and works with all the TOS characters in the crew. I find how she writes such minor characters as Sulu, Rand, and Uhura a real treat, let alone her portrayals of Spock and McCoy. Oh, and did I mention that the love scenes in this series and this story are hot, hot, hot? I love how the intensity of this relationship comes across from the page without any jarring explicitness. The way this couple interact with each other strikes me as very real and I find I just cannot get enough of this series. "Living in the Ashes" is an excellent story very well done. I loved it and can't wait for more in this series!
-- Rabble Rouser - Sat, 01 Mar 2003 17:16:34 -0500

9Mercy
This story is very true to the Kirk and Brandt Jungle Kitty has created in her stories. The last words of the story are both touching and harrowing. You get the feeling neither Kirk or Brandt is finished with the issues revealed here.
-- Rabble Rouser - Sat, 01 Mar 2003 17:17:48 -0500

10A Particular Pain
I don't know that I can put a finger on exactly what it was about this story that got to me. All I know is that I found myself reading and re-reading this story obsessively, that I wanted to immerse myself in this world. It would be embarrassing in fact to reveal how many times I read it. So I won't It's one thing to write a Kirk/Chapel story. It's another to write a sequel and convince us that they could really work together as a couple--not that Djinn makes it easy on them. This is set during and right after the events of STTMP so this time the couple has to deal with the havoc Spock's re-entry in their lives creates. And if you think this couple could be a hard sell--well a lot of the fun of this story is in seeing exactly how their friends and crewmates head spin at this development. Of course a lot of the fun also comes in reading some very hot love scenes But a great deal of what I love in those scenes is not just how it steams up the computer screen--it's how these are not just PWP interludes but scenes that further develop the characters and their relationship--in one case the very way they make love leading to a painful but very necessary discussion between the couple. I love the way Djinn writes Kirk in particular with lines I can just hear him saying and there are some truly lovely moments throughout like when Chapel feels that in taking her hand Kirk's saving her from going over a precipice. I know one feedbacker anyway that mentioned that two stories makes a series. I certainly hope that's true. I certainly would love to see this couple again and again in Djinn’s hands.
-- Rabble Rouser - Sat, 01 Mar 2003 17:25:04 -0500

12Twixt and Tween
I liked this story of Ruth, Gary Mitchell, and a fresh take on the little blonde tech conspiracy. Nice twist at the end and one that left me with a smile. Another thing that made me smile--Rob Morris’s version of Mitchell’s name: Garrison Keilor Mitchell. I do like a story that makes me smile!
-- Rabble Rouser - Sat, 01 Mar 2003 17:26:15 -0500

2Aridity
I really enjoyed this story. More of the strong, competent Rand! Seeing her in action like this really makes me believe this woman could go on and become a high ranking officer on Sulu's Excelsior. Seeing Kirk through her eyes reminds us just how and why anyone who served under him would be willing to go to hell and back for him, even without the added romantic element. And the way in which the two of them finally discuss that last aspect is very nicely done. Like grownups, honestly and maybe even a bit brutally, but very necessary.
-- Rocky - Sun, 02 Mar 2003 07:09:37 -0500

3Distracted
Kirk, Brandt, and leather. What's not to love?
-- Rocky - Sun, 02 Mar 2003 07:10:32 -0500

4The Family Mythology
This is one of my favorite K/Brandt stories. I'm a sucker for character backstories, and Jungle Kitty does an excellent job of fleshing out Kirk's family. Every single relative, down to the children, really came to life for me. Jungle Kitty struck a very fine balance between caricatures of the more 'colorful' individuals (every family's got 'em, especially an Aunt Lila ) and portraying them as fully dimensional human beings. Every detail is exactly right--the mountains of food no one can possibly finish, the games and sports, the teasing and revival of 30 year old jokes, family lore, even the appearance of a picture album at some point.And of course, I liked learning a little more about Kirk's past, particularly how his parents' experience colored his own attitude toward relationships, and how he dealt with the aftermath of Tarsus. Jungle Kitty did a masterful job of putting all the pieces together for Brandt and the conclusion of the story was as inevitable as it was satisfying.
-- Rocky - Sun, 02 Mar 2003 07:12:02 -0500

5Goodnight Sweetheart
This story is beautifully, almost lyrically written, and does a fine job of evoking one of the greatest Star Trek episodes (of any series) ever made. Rabble Rouser really captures the essence of Edith Keeler, and the attraction she held for Kirk, as well as reminds us just what Kirk's own attraction is.
-- Rocky - Sun, 02 Mar 2003 07:12:52 -0500

6Hush
This is a delightful PWP, a perfect balance between playful and sexy.
-- Rocky - Sun, 02 Mar 2003 07:14:21 -0500

7Like We Never Had A Broken Heart
I liked the Kirk/Chapel pairing and didn't find it too 'out there.' In the hands of a skillful writer *any* pairing can be made plausible and Djinn certainly did that for me. It was inevitable that this romance wasn't going to last. But while it worked, it really *worked*, showing once again that there really isn't 'one true pairing' but what's right depends upon place and time, needs of the moment. Not a typical portrait of Kirk, but it fits beautifully with the man we saw at the beginning of 'TMP' dying to be recapture his greatest loves, to once again be in the position he was born to occupy.
-- Rocky - Sun, 02 Mar 2003 07:16:23 -0500

8Living in Ashes
Another K/Cha story, with Kirk acting firmly to forestall any doubts about what he's doing or his motivations. And this time, Chapel seems to be getting a little more convinced of it herself! With the 'ashes' in the title, I was wondering if she was going to decide the relationship was a case of 'settling' on both her and Kirk's parts, and was surprised at the surprisingly upbeat ending.
-- Rocky - Sun, 02 Mar 2003 07:17:53 -0500

9Mercy
This story brings some much needed closure for the events on Nevaris, and shows the element of trust in the K/Brandt relationship.
-- Rocky - Sun, 02 Mar 2003 07:18:52 -0500

10A Particular Pain
A nice follow-up to "Like We Never Had A Broken Heart", Djinn seems determined to prove some of us wrong in our contention that K/Cha *can't* work for more than just a brief fling. And you know what? She more or less pulls it off!
-- Rocky - Sun, 02 Mar 2003 07:19:33 -0500

7Like We Never Had A Broken Heart
I was surprised to like this one. It's not your usual pairing, and I can't say it's anybody's favourite time period (certainly not mine) but it's hot, hot, hot and extremely angsty and, heck, it works. You'll wish Kirk and Christine could stay together at the end, even if you've got your heart set on them being with others.
-- Paula Stiles - Sun, 02 Mar 2003 20:57:21 -0500

5Goodnight Sweetheart
I really enjoyed this look at Edith Keeler. She comes to life in this fic, but really, the thing that drew me into this story was RabbleRouser's use of description, of adding the details - such as Edith examining herself in the mirror after meeting Kirk - that really matter and *show*, not tell, what's really going on in Edith's mind. A very well-written story.
-- Seema - Sun, 02 Mar 2003 23:32:50 -0500

4The Family Mythology
Jungle Kitty's Alex-verse is the Anti-Ancient Destroyer, and no one is happier about that fact than me. Things no more go absolutely perfect in that place than things go absolutely wrong in mine. It is in each case an innate overlay. The Alex-verse is as close as TOS can get to Heaven without leaving behind what we all love about it. I hope the inverse is true about the funnel-realm I've spent close to five years putting together. It can be the summit or it can be the pit, but it should be kept TOS, and JK has no trouble doing that. Of course the crux is Suzanne Brandt, the greatest TOS-derived character we never saw onscreen. Past-Mistress of two universes, guest star in two others, and, by decree of the creating author, a person whose total absence in the ADU makes it just a bit more hellish, IMHO. Not an MS, not a female Kirk, not his equal, better or lesser, because her bulwark is the part of Starfleet that doesn't get or want a reputation. And frankly, no ST Captain has ever been any damned good at covert ops. This story is as vital a link in the Brandt+Alex arc as watching Spider-Man chatting with his Uncle Ben. We learn why Brandt decided to make this Iowa family her own, when she chose her man, and nary a note is missed. Aces, JK. Just Aces. :) Rob Morris --Note : I am resubmitting these comments via the ballot. I originally posted them to the NG, but am not sure that counts. Sorry for any confusion.
-- Rob Morris - Mon, 03 Mar 2003 10:06:36 -0500

2Aridity
Okay, I'll admit it. I may be a Spock/Chapel author, but Yeoman Janice Rand was my favorite character when I was first watching the Original Series. Maybe it was because, like Rand in this story, I was more than a little bit in love with Kirk. Maybe it was that she was young and green and reacted the most like I might have at that age. (No, I really think it was the whole Kirk thing .) At any rate, I'm still a fan of hers, and I'm still in love with Kirk, and I love anything by Rabble Rouser, so this story was a natural to fill a void and answer questions that I've had ever since the character left the show. Why did she go? What was she feeling? Did Kirk feel anything back? And could it have worked between them? Rabble Rouser deftly answers all these questions, giving us a Rand, surprising in her strength and determination but still recognizable as the lovesick crewwoman, and a wonderfully written Kirk, strong of course, but also very gentle with this woman that he has been subtly grooming for more. Beautifully written with moments I've not forgotten since the first reading -- watching the stars especially is memorable. T his story is filled with echoes from the series, espeically that sad "No Beach to Walk on" and The City on the Edge of Forever," as well as a small look at the Rand we would see later, on Excelsior. This story is truly beautiful and will stand the test of time as one of my favorites.
-- Djinn - Mon, 03 Mar 2003 22:45:14 -0500

5Goodnight Sweetheart
Goodnight, Sweetheart is an amazing treatment of the scenes we didn't get to see in The City on the Edge of Forever. Rabble Rouser's Edith Keeler comes alive in this lovingly written story, and we get a chance to see a bit more into her life and surroundings. Kirk here shines as the man driven to stop a horrible future from occurring but ultimately torn emotionally when he falls in love and finds someone so simpatico in both mind and spirit. The Kirk-Spock friendship is wonderfully played here, and it is a friendship that even Edith can see is very strong. But ultimately this is about Kirk and Edith, and I love the way Rabble Rouser portrays the romance. Particularly brilliant is Kirk's campaign to win over Edith, with the accompanying gradual build up of the attraction and tension in this story, and the ultimate resolution, which is wonderfully handled and very sweet but hot too. And, as one would expect from a story drawn from this particular episode, the last scene is tragic, if stopping somewhere before the end of the story as we saw on TV. One almost hopes for some alternate timeline where these two find a way to survive, thrive, and love in a future that Edith doesn't have a hand in destroying or maybe in Kirk's time, in the future that he helped build by stopping her. It's a nice idea anyway. Fabulous story! Romantic and heartbreaking all at once. Wonderful work, Rabble Rouser!
-- Djinn - Mon, 03 Mar 2003 22:45:36 -0500

12Twixt and Tween
A fun look at the K/Ruth & K/Carol dynamics--as engineered by Gary Mitchell.
-- Djinn - Mon, 03 Mar 2003 22:49:07 -0500

3Distracted
Absolutely perfect, not that Kirk ever showed a propensity for being able to ignore a beautiful woman but even that effort was well-written. Kudos.
-- Whoa Nellie - Sat, 08 Mar 2003 16:20:00 -0500

6Hush
Hysterically funny and hot at the same time, what a combination. All of the Kirk and Brandt stories are great, but this one is definitely a must-read.
-- Whoa Nellie - Sat, 08 Mar 2003 16:21:55 -0500

2Aridity
Another answer to the Desert Crossing challenge - I have a soft spot for Janice Rand, and I loved to see her written as interesting character for once :) And I have another soft spot for K/f, so you hit me full-fledged, Rabble Rouser. Thanks a lot for this wonderful story.
-- Acidqueen - Mon, 10 Mar 2003 04:06:46 -0500

2Aridity
I now believe in miracles. I just read a Kirk/Rand story in which Rand didn't make me want to scream, cry, or throw up. Thank you, Rabble Rouser. You gave Janice Rand a spine, a brain, a spirit, and professional goals. As much as she wanted our golden boy, she opted for self respect and dignity. Congratulations on making her a grown up! Did I also mention how much I loved your dialogue, wry humor, and insight? I'd love to see more of this incarnation of Rand.
-- Kath - Wed, 12 Mar 2003 20:17:41 -0500

5Goodnight Sweetheart
This was one of the most poignantly sweet stories I have ever read. Rabble Rouser, you truly captured Edith Keeler and developed her even further. Plus, you actually made a songfic work without it seeming sappy in the least! Way to go!
-- Kath - Wed, 12 Mar 2003 20:32:21 -0500

7Like We Never Had A Broken Heart
Okay, how do you make a Kirk/Chapel romance work this well? Kudos for making the seemingly impossible work, and leaving us all clamoring for more. This alternately hot, poignant, funny, and gut-wrenching tale spawned the alternate-Carterverse for all of us Djinn-junkies out here. Your Kirk and Chapel are beautifully matched in this eye-opener of a story. I love this volatile pairing, and I love the way they are each strong enough to deal with one another's pain and damage, to borrow one of Djinn's best lines. There's an emotional rawness to this story that just hangs onto the reader long after the story is finished. I defy anyone NOT to hope these two survivors make it as a couple.
-- Kath - Wed, 12 Mar 2003 20:46:02 -0500

10A Particular Pain
Wow...It's ST:TMP, but not boring this time around. The unlikely, but working out so well, pairing of Kirk/Chapel makes it's second appearance in this alternate-Carterverse. Per usual, it's dark & angsty, but the dialogue sparkles. Extra snaps for keeping the continuity of the first movie. What stood out to me the most was how the story featured many of the original eight crew members, and made each one memorable. No "cameo" appearances in this story. What also struck me were the friendships between the characters; and how fragile they can be. No one is on a pedastel in this story, but they still remain the characters we love.
-- Kath - Thu, 13 Mar 2003 00:03:47 -0500

8Living in Ashes
Great story, once again with a Kirk/Chapel pairing. It was wonderful to see these two adjust to their relationship, and it's impact on the rest of the crew, during a low impact mission. Djinn's story had slice of life elements interwoven with relationship angst. She also has a terrific way of turning good guys into bad guys with a few artfully written paragraphs. Everyone comes off very human, and very fallible in this tale. A wonderful example of life being in shades of gray.
-- Kath - Thu, 13 Mar 2003 00:19:40 -0500

9Mercy
Love this story! Wish there were more out there like it.
-- Stacie Schwarz - Sat, 15 Mar 2003 01:37:02 -0500

2Aridity
This story was an excellent response to a challenge to rewrite Enterprise's "Desert Crossing" in another series. Kind of a pairing and kind of a friendship story, it's a refreshing look at a Janice Rand who has gotten beyond her wimpy canon persona and is finally starting to grow up. Anyone who has ever come to the realization that it's time to get over a crush and get on with life -- but it's just so hard to do! -- can relate to this.
-- Ventura33 - Sat, 15 Mar 2003 19:04:12 -0500

3Distracted
No one can distract Kirk like Jungle Kitty's Brandt! A fun little piece.
-- Ventura33 - Sat, 15 Mar 2003 19:05:05 -0500

5Goodnight Sweetheart
What a lovely romance! Told from Edith Keeler's point of view, the story vividly illustrates both why she fell in love with Kirk and why we, the fans, love him too. Compelling and also tragic, because we know what has to happen.
-- Ventura33 - Sat, 15 Mar 2003 19:09:09 -0500

6Hush
Mmmm -- naughty! Those of you who like Kirk hetsmut, you'll love this one!
-- Ventura33 - Sat, 15 Mar 2003 19:10:37 -0500

7Like We Never Had A Broken Heart
Who could possibly make a Kirk/Chapel pairing work? I'm sure that must have been everyone's first thought, but Djinn actually manages to pull it off, with believable sex, yet. This isn't a nice tame romance, either -- both halves of this couple are struggling with various inner demons. But then, when did anything ever come easy in a Djinn story? And the best part is, she wrote sequels, yay!
-- Ventura33 - Sat, 15 Mar 2003 19:14:47 -0500

10A Particular Pain
Djinn continues her excellent Kirk/Chapel series here, with the reappearance of Kirk's ex to complicate things -- Spock, of course. Plenty of raw emotions and tormented lovers here. Hot sex and great angst -- what more could a reader want?
-- Ventura33 - Sat, 15 Mar 2003 19:17:52 -0500

8Living in Ashes
More angsty Chapel torture as she obsesses about what everyone else thinks of her new relationship with Kirk. And some folks on the Enterprise have surprising thoughts! I want more of this series!
-- Ventura33 - Sat, 15 Mar 2003 19:21:14 -0500

4The Family Mythology
I love Kirk/Brandt fluff, especially when there are some serious issues thrown in for good measure. This story made me laugh a lot and I needed it at the time. Thanks, JK, for the great entertainment.
-- Jerie - Sat, 15 Mar 2003 22:45:08 -0500