Comment on On the Nature of Wind

  1. daraoakwise on Chapter 28 Sun 15 Oct 2023 07:46PM UTC

    And now—consequences. I appreciate the kind-of making up with O'Sullivan. Never anything like friends, but a kind of closure there. Also appreciate Sean Kelly—you try to commend me, you have to commend Scott too, because we did the same thing. And Harrison, broken past repair, and his own fault in a hole he just didn’t stop digging.

    And then our boys, standing together. (The pang—no Constitution. You’ll paint the hull of Enterprise, though, and … well, you’ll see, kid.) And no transfer for Cor, which hits him hard too. But we made our choices. And Barrett goes to bat for them. Vulcan Science for Cor. Which will be hard, kid. So, so hard. But you’ll come out.

    And then Scotty’s turn, and Pirrie gives it to him. The “you’re young” angle hadn’t occurred to him, and and I see why it grates on him. But there is a save for his career. Of a sort. He’s going to spent the next years under crap commanders. He’s going to step up in ways he should have too. He’s going to pick up things that Cait Barry is going to have to beat out of him.

    Barrett, who … understands, somehow, at the end of it. Because he was teaching more things that just naval history. And despite it all, he recognizes just what these experiences have done to forge Scotty.

    And then this. What is the nature of wind? It's not destiny or fate; it's life, and whether ye sink or swim, fight or don't, live or die, the choice on how ye face it is still yours A line I very much appreciate, especially in our conversations about other ways their lives could have gone. About issues of destiny and choice, about whether a brilliant person owes the universe. The wind is going to blow the direction is blows, and there is no changing it. But everything else— that’s yours. It’s a gorgeous line and thought, and very much setting a keystone in his life.

    There’s a catharsis here in this chapter. Solidly facing consequences here. There was age-appropriate stupidity. This is grown-up reactions. It all happens the way it should—the way that is honest to who they are and who they have become. I feel a … particular kind of way, here nearly at the end, that I can barely put into words. I think maybe I feel like Barrett. Proud of them, despite and because of it all.

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    1. SLWalker on Chapter 28 Sun 15 Oct 2023 10:52PM UTC

      That was one of the upsides, I think, to telling the ending of the story some seven or so years after writing most of the first four parts: Realistic consequences. LOL! There was no way any amount of brilliance or dare-devilry would save them from having to face the music. I remember back when I started this tale, it was kind of halfway going to be a question of 'why did an officer with Scotty's obviously brilliant skillset get no higher than Lt.Cmdr. by that point'? And like-- some people take the tack of him not wanting promoted, but I was like-- nah, let's see what kind of troublemaker he was. XD

      From an outside perspective, Scotty's descent from perfect student to actual high seas pirate probably did seem like a massive about-face. We know why, but from Pirrie's and Pearson's viewpoints, it probably is a case of trying to just-- figure out any reasoning. His age (and this is not helped by him being so baby-faced) seems like at least part of an explanation to them. Whereas to him, it's like-- really deeply irritating, especially given his actual reasoning and then all the things behind it.

      Still mine. For a kid who has been pushed around and hurt and who has paid again and again for the bad choices of others, those words are huge.

      Thank you. <33 I'm proud of them, too.

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