My July Contest Entry

[PSGarak]

I'm going to echo everone else and say bravo to an excellent piece of CardassianLit (I could not bring myself to say CardieLit).

"CardieLit" sounds like a dreadful low calorie rice cake. Thank you for refraining. And I'm very glad you enjoyed it. Praise from a fellow Cardassiaphile is high praise indeed. I'm not sure I like my word much better. It looks somehow dirty!

And it's quite interesting to read what both you and Nerys Ghemor have written about Dukat. The sense that he could have been a better man and that he could have had a better end is a powerful dramatic theme. A complex figure at the height of power in his peoples power structure with the desire and ambition to reach the top, Dukat certainly is a great character.

In fact, if I may bring B5 briefly into the discussion,

I always welcome B5 references. It's only one of my favorite shows ever!!

he is the Anti-Londo. Basically both characters are (or claim to be) intensely loyal to their nation and would make whatever sacrifices they can to protect their people. Both have made unwise alliances (Londo with the Shadows and Dukat with the Dominion/Pah-Wraith) and both end up causing the devastation of their homeworlds and the deaths of untold millions. The difference is that Londo is truly loyal to the Centauri people and only commits such dark deeds in order to restore his people to glory. However once he realises what he has done, he undertakes to correct his mistakes even if he costs him his life (or his soul). Dukat makes the deal with the devil to ensure that he will achieve ultimate power for himself because, to paraphrase Louis XIV, he is Cardassia and his success his Cardassia's success.
This is mostly subconscious and I don't think that Dukat himself is truly aware of it but it is definitely there. Besides as PsGarak said in my thread 'why the Cardassians are the most interesting race in the Star Trek Galaxy', the average Cardassian operates on several different levels at any one time.

Absolutely, and it is that lack of self-awareness that was his ultimate downfall. What amazed me about the character, and I have to give both Alaimo and the writers huge credit for this, is that he was a classic case of Narcissistic Personality Disorder, and yet he was sympathetic and compelling. I really wanted him to get it. I wanted him to rise above it. I thought he could, but there was also an instability that was greater than anyone realized. That combined with the insatiable appetite for power overwhelmed him. I don't think I've seen many television shows or movies that portrayed such a complete breakdown of a person's very identity in such a poignant way.

I also thought he had some pretty strong similarities to G'Kar, whose journey from conniving, somewhat bitter ambassador to a spiritual inspiration and leader to his people was one of the most satisfying character developments I have ever seen. Dukat had that potential. He even had the opportunity to think about his mistakes. He simply chose not to.

Please note that I would not so blindly psychoanalyse a major historical figure like Dukat in the real world as their are always other forces at work shaping us all but I think that it suits the theme of the excellent story.
Besides I have not even started on my favorite Cardassian (and usernamesake) Corat Damar...

Of course not. Real people are far more complex than fictional characters, although when the characters are particularly well written, they can seem very complex. Damar's transformation was another amazing journey in character development. The theme of his alcohol abuse also really struck a chord with me, as it was so easy to see how he could allow himself to fall into that dark place given everything going on around him. It's the path of least resistance. Fortunately, that seems to go against the innate Cardassian grain. They just can't backslide for long.

I too would like to welcome you to the Cardassian Gang we have bottles of the finest Kanar and many fine examples of Cardassian culture to enjoy.

I also hope that you'll be writing some more PSGarak you have a great talent.

It has been really great finding so many fellow Cardassian fans. How I wandered the internet as long as I did without finding this place sooner boggles my brain. They'll have to roust me out of here with a stick if they want me gone. The company is too good to stay away.

Now that the fanfic writing bug has bitten me, I doubt you've heard the last from me. Thanks for the excellent feedback on the story and the further analysis of Dukat! I never get tired of talking about that.

 

[Mistral]

This is your first fanfic? Oh, crap, I may just hang up my attempts at the monthly from now on. This is doubly impressive on that account. My first was...not on the same level at all. I've got about 25-26 stories including a 138,000 word trilogy and a full novelette under my belt and I'm not sure I've realized anything as wholly as you did with Tain and Mila and their interactions. I look forward to you next attempt-and I really look forward to, say, your sixth or seventh when you've had a little practice. We've got some good writers around here but you just came sweeping in like some kind of cold steel blade, making a path for yourself in one go.

 

[Count Zero]

This is excellently written. Very impressive. You did a marvellous job of filling the characters with life. It's also a great idea for a story.

I'm looking forward to reading more of you in the future.

 

[PSGarak]

This is your first fanfic? Oh, crap, I may just hang up my attempts at the monthly from now on. This is doubly impressive on that account. My first was...not on the same level at all. I've got about 25-26 stories including a 138,000 word trilogy and a full novelette under my belt and I'm not sure I've realized anything as wholly as you did with Tain and Mila and their interactions. I look forward to you next attempt-and I really look forward to, say, your sixth or seventh when you've had a little practice. We've got some good writers around here but you just came sweeping in like some kind of cold steel blade, making a path for yourself in one go.

Don't you dare quit the monthly challenges! This may be my first fanfic, but it's not my first story I ever wrote. Trust me. NO ONE would want to read that.

There are some great writers around here. I've been reading and enjoying them thoroughly, including you! I very much appreciate the kind words and the encouragement. I definitely want to improve, and hopefully over time I will. Thanks again!

 

[PSGarak]

This is excellently written. Very impressive. You did a marvellous job of filling the characters with life. It's also a great idea for a story.

I'm looking forward to reading more of you in the future.

Thank you so much! I just got finished reading your rather dark piece and enjoyed it thoroughly. One of the things I've really liked about this challenge has been seeing all the different takes on the theme, from world scale destruction down to intimate moments between partners divorcing, the traumatic break of a father/son bond, ship sabotage and more. I'm already excited to see what next month brings, and I'm glad you enjoyed!

 

[Mistral]

This is your first fanfic? Oh, crap, I may just hang up my attempts at the monthly from now on. This is doubly impressive on that account. My first was...not on the same level at all. I've got about 25-26 stories including a 138,000 word trilogy and a full novelette under my belt and I'm not sure I've realized anything as wholly as you did with Tain and Mila and their interactions. I look forward to you next attempt-and I really look forward to, say, your sixth or seventh when you've had a little practice. We've got some good writers around here but you just came sweeping in like some kind of cold steel blade, making a path for yourself in one go.

Don't you dare quit the monthly challenges! This may be my first fanfic, but it's not my first story I ever wrote. Trust me. NO ONE would want to read that.

There are some great writers around here. I've been reading and enjoying them thoroughly, including you! I very much appreciate the kind words and the encouragement. I definitely want to improve, and hopefully over time I will. Thanks again!

I am a worm-check out Ad Astra in my sig-there you will find amazing things.

 

[PSGarak]

^ Wow, what a great link! Thanks so much for the heads up on that.

 

[DevilEyes]

Excellent fanfic!

Of course, Alaimo took his liking of Dukat a bit far, I think, having been quoted as saying he saw Dukat as the hero of DS9! Dukat had a method to his madness, but really from the get-go, he had such little self awareness that he was doomed to make mostly bad decisions.

Did he ever actually say that? I've never seen him quoted saying anything quite like that, I've only seen Ira Steven Behr quoted (at Memory Alpha) saying something like "Marc never stopped believing that Dukat was a good guy, I think he wanted Dukat to be the true hero of DS9 right to the end"... And it's well known that Behr and Alaimo constantly disagreed on the character of Dukat and the direction TPTB wanted to take him in the later seasons of the show, so I would not be surprised if Behr's assessment was a bit of an exaggeration.

 

[PSGarak]

It's entirely possible that it was a misquote. When writers and actors disagree, sparks fly, things get said, and people's memory also fades over time. It has been my experience that any memory tied to a specific emotion, particularly with disagreement, is often exaggerated.

 

[CeJay]

Cardassians haven't been this popular since ... hell, I don't think they've ever been this popular. I can certainly see the fascination, especially when they get such a good treatment as you've given them here.

Your interpretation of how Garak came to be is not only very well written but also entirely conceivable and, in a manner of speaking, a first-class perversion of family values. In other words, a terrific breakdown.

Very well done!

 

[PSGarak]

Thank you! I think I'll take it as a badge of personal pride that I've managed to pervert family values in a first-class way.

With a father like Tain, how could Garak have been anything but screwed up?