I just finished rereading this via the fanfic do net app. It’s bittersweet to reach the end yet again!

I love this story. It’s one of my first favorite fics, and it remains one of my favorites of all time.

I made friends with an AO3 author on Tumblr earlier this year, and we soon realized we both loved this specific story and bonded over having read it many times before.

Rereading it this time, I was struck by how well you capture the emotions of your characters and how well you ground each scene in its physical surroundings without getting bogged down in description. The emotional arc of the whole story is just, SO satisfying, and each individual scene is delightful to read.

On this reread I also noticed that the prison colony was named “Tantalus” - as in the ‘tantalizing’ prospect of the so-close-yet-so-far Alpheus dome, as in Tantalus the king from Greek mythology who fed his own children to the gods and was sent to Tartarus as punishment. I may have asked this before, but was that intentional? Or did the name come from somewhere else?

Yet another thing that stood out to me this time around was how you foreshadowed Fredericks’ death. It was so subtle, but so clear if you know what’s coming. *cries*

Once again, love this story to bits. Will certainly reread again in the future. 3

Thanks again for this amazing story. One of the very best ... I've read this again after a long time and it always amazes me, how creative and very well written this is.

You brilliantly capture the deep brotherly bond of friendship as one would have imagined such a special bond to have evolved. Thank you!

Hi there! I’ve spent a lot of time this year reflecting on what a significant, positive experience fan fiction has been in my life, and how thankful I am for the existence of stories like this one. As part of my New Years’ Eve festivities, I decided to drop into the comments on a handful of authors just to say a special thank you. (:

I first read this story years and years ago. I remember my little sister wanting to read everything I was reading, so I actually read this entire story to her (over the course of many bedtimes lol) with some of the language redacted haha. It was a bonding experience for both of us, and it was kind of hilarious when she read it for herself when she was old enough. ;)

This story consistently makes me smile whenever I think about it. It’s one of those stories I revisit often in my imagination, or that I just find myself thinking, “WOW I’m glad they wrote that! Can you believe they actually wrote that?” And it fills me with a happy glow.

YOU did that. YOU bring happiness and joy to people every day, because you did it. You wrote the thing. Wherever you are now, however you may feel about this fic currently, please know that it brings at least two people joy, and that I am so grateful for (and a little in awe) of you.

Happy New Year!

*･ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･’(*ﾟﾟ*)’･*:.｡. .｡.:*･ﾟ･*

Loved it!

This story is soooooooooo good. I literally couldn't stop reading it.

Hooray! I love the ending. And the whole story, of course. :)

This perfectly answers why Pike would put Kirk as his first officer on the Enterprise. There had to be a reason, and knowing Kirk, he'd had made an impression while at the Academy in addition to Tarsus and the Kobayashi Maru. After I first read this, I was talking with my hubby about the movie (he's a ST nerd too, one of the reasons I married him) and about some of the plot issues people were griping about. I was telling him about some of the stories I'd read - including yours - and how Tarsus plays a larger role in Kelvin universe, and that's why Pike would have confidence in Kirk. Thank you again for the story!

I absolutely love this story, and have read it several times. I always go back to it when I need a break from reality and a good dose of h/c. :)

Thank you so much for writing and sharing this!

This is literally a novel, and I would have literally have bought this novel at Barnes and Nobles if I saw it on the shelf. Like wow, this was absolutely brilliant.

thank you! its a real pet peeve of mine when ppl write jim as a super genuis who was able to hide his med records by himself

Loved this so much! You write so well. Academy era is so hard to get right, as the characters and relationships haven't fully come into their own yet, but you just nailed this to an absolute perfection. Thank you!

OMG THE CONCLUSION ALMOST MADE ME CRY TEARS OF JOY

I'm loving the slow burn in this story so much. I thought by now I'd get tired with Jim being so immature and part of me wants to hit him on the head but he's not ready yet. My only hope is that you will handle the transition in a natural way without it seeming forced. That being said, I can't wait for him to turn into that guy we all trust and respect. I'mma go read now.

I can't believe how quickly this story sucked me in. I literally cannot stop! The characterisations are beautifully done the plot is ALREADY interesting and the action hasn't even started yet! Thus story has been on my TBR forever and I'm so glad I'm finally reading it. I'm gonna shut up and read now. See you later!

What a great story! Thank you for posting!