#Kirk Likes Spock's Butt and That's It

[indeedcaptain]

Spirktober 2023, day 1: Uniform

I will catch up after missing the first two days if it kills me. I told myself that I would write my own personal novel but I am fixated on these guys right now. Behold! More fan fiction!

Also posted on AO3 here.

☆ ☆ ☆

Kirk had been in San Francisco for six months. His time on the U.S.S. Farragut had ended, and his new ship had more time in spacedock before they would set out on their five-year mission, to explore new space and push the boundaries of Federation knowledge. And he would be there, leading the charge, as the youngest captain in Starfleet history. His father had been so proud, and his mother so worried. Sam had been… well. He had been himself, which was all he would ever be.

Kirk was worried too, if he were being honest with himself, but he was trying to remind himself of the similarities between his old and new postings instead of focusing on the differences. The U.S.S. Enterprise was the same class of ship as the Farragut. The officers’ mess would have the same ten replicators. His quarters would be different, larger, and in a different location, but the mattress and sheets and smell would be the same. The uniforms would be the same. Almost everything would be the same, except for the people and his role among them. He even had gotten to know the ship and some of the crew ahead of time, thanks to his sojourns with Captain Pike through his various misadventures. He reasoned that he could take on his new level of responsibility without too much fuss.

Four days before the U.S.S. Enterprise was scheduled to take off on her journey, his new crewmates began to arrive in San Francisco and either come say hi or introduce themselves to him. Newly promoted Lieutenant Uhura threw herself into his arms with congratulations when she returned from visiting her grandparents in Kenya. Bones arrived from Georgia a few hours afterwards, bearing moonshine and tales of Joanna’s exploits. Slowly they trickled into the city and HQ grounds, with new faces mingling with the old. Uhura positioned herself at Kirk’s side and introduced the ones she knew to him, whispering details that might be helpful to him into his ear as they departed. She knew who was secretly dating, who couldn’t work alongside each other, and who was most likely to break anything fragile. With every detail she was able to slide him, he felt a little less overwhelmed by the prospect of guiding three hundred people successfully through the black and a little more excited to get started. 

Three days before departure, a package landed on the doormat of the apartment Starfleet had furnished him with. He picked it up as he arrived back from a dinner out with Uhura and several of her Xenolinguistics friends, hefting it up into his arms as he wrangled a padd out to tap against the lock. 

Inside, he dropped it on the kitchen table, located a pair of scissors, and sliced into it. It was printed with official Starfleet logos, so it must have been something related to the mission. Inside were four sets of a new uniform, with a note on top. 

Captain Kirk, 

Congratulations on your promotion and taking command of the U.S.S. Enterprise. As your unique mission will take you beyond where finding adequate replacement uniforms will be convenient or possible, the Fabrications team has taken this opportunity to outfit the Enterprise crew with new, more durable, and more functional uniforms. 

Please let us know if you discover any issues with their construction at your earliest convenience. 

Best wishes on your journey. 

Starfleet Fabrications and Material Construction

Kirk pulled the top uniform out. The material was certainly thicker than he was used to, but it stretched in the same way, and the gold of command was a warm, cheery hue. He pulled out the matching pants and, grinning, made his way to his room to see how captaincy fit him. 

☆ ☆ ☆

It’s not that there was anything wrong with the uniforms, per se. They were comfortable, durable, and flexible. The colors were right. They fit him well. He could feel the clever measurements within them as he bent his knees and elbows experimentally, moving through his range of motion and found no areas of discomfort. 

It was just, he thought as he frowned at himself in the mirror, that they weren’t particularly flattering. He had thought, despite his best efforts to quash any public displays of vanity, that the old uniforms had helped him cut quite the striking figure. But the new uniforms had softer, less visible seams, and fewer panels. The outcome was that they were undoubtedly more useful for extended action, more difficult to rip, and likely easier to repair. 

But they also made him feel like a child again, round like only a farm boy could be, weaning play clothes that he could get dirty without upsetting his parents. 

It’s fine, he told himself. It’s not like there was a common Earth saying about “the clothes make the man.” He was not a self-conscious teenager and it didn’t matter if his clothing made him feel like a child again. They were useful for his mission. 

But that didn’t mean that he had to like them.  

☆ ☆ ☆

The uniform had not grown on him, but he was wearing it as Montgomery Scott, new chief engineer of the U.S.S. Enterprise, beamed him aboard for final review. The enthusiastic Scotsman pumped his hand and led him down into engineering. Kirk found himself buoyed from department to department by the momentum of his crew, everyone wanting a moment of his time to tell him about their experiments, or ideas, or questions for their trek. Their excitement was infectious, and (despite all of them looking like babies to him in their soft uniforms) Kirk was thrilled to see each and every one of them. 

Finally he ended up on the bridge, surrounded by his hand-picked command crew: Lieutenant Uhura on communications, the Russian baby genius Chekov for navigation, the ace pilot Sulu, Bones, who was supposed to be in Medbay but was following Kirk around with a hypo just for the hell of it, and ---

“Where is Mr. Spock, Uhura?” Kirk finally asked, when there was a moment of silence. 

Uhura looked down at her padd. “He should be here any moment, he was on his way back from---” 

The turbolift door slid open, and Spock stepped out. Kirk hadn’t seen him in over a year: not since his last time on the Enterprise when she was still Pike’s ship, when Spock had saved his ass in a firefight and Kirk had promised Pike afterwards that he would convince Spock to be his first officer if it was the last thing he did. He looked just as Kirk remembered him. Spock was tall and dark and broad, steady and familiar and comforting. There was a happy jolt in Kirk’s stomach as Spock turned to him. 

“My apologies, captain,” Spock said. His dark eyes were warm as he looked over Kirk. “I just returned from a visit on Vulcan. My mother was less than enthusiastic about my departure.” 

“It’s good to see you, Spock,” Kirk said. He could feel his affection radiating out of his face, but he was powerless to stop it. Spock inclined his head, and walked from the turbolift to the science station, which whirred to life at his approach. He placed his hand over the power panel almost fondly, with his back to the rest of the bridge crew. 

Kirk felt his mouth dry out. Had Spock’s legs always been so long? Had his ass looked like that before, or had he gotten stronger in the intervening year? Had his shoulders always tapered to his waist at that angle; had his fingers always been so agile; had the blue of the science shirt always set off the soft green undertone of his eyelids like that? He realized that he was staring and pulled his eyes away, and if Uhura smirked at him then he would pretend he didn’t know what she had seen. 

As he settled into the captain’s chair, his captain’s chair for the first time, Kirk thought that he might be convinced of the merits of the new uniforms. 

[kyurochurro]

and now i bring to you my concept art for my imaginary tos episode: the crew go to the beach planet (the beach episode) 🏝️

[android-and-ale]

Awesome New Art for Replicator Roulette!

The amazingly talented CelestialVoyeur and I have spent the last two weeks engaged in an incredible fanfic begets fanart begets fanfic virtuous cycle.

First they gifted me with an art reply to Replicator Roulette.

My brain was so possessed that I cranked out an unplanned 4500 word sequel based around their art. They then created a second piece of art to go into that sequel. From there, it spiraled into creating two pieces of art for the original story. And now I'm working on a second sequel.

Of the four pieces of art, this is the only one I can post that isn't a major spoiler, a little spicy, or both.

If you're in the mood for a light, fun read with brand new art and a very spicy second chapter, I humbly invite you to check out Replicator Roulette. The sequel, with even more of CelestialVoyeur's art will be posted this weekend!

I am so honored and excited!

[kaklord]

the pony brainworms infected me

[flippyspoon]

spock: doctor, i am very concerned about the captain. bones: my lamb, spock, quit gettin' yer knickers in a twist now. that dog won't hunt. get that burr outta yer saddle. ya look like ya don't know whether to scratch yer watch or wind yer butt. now jim may be comin' outta the fryin' pan into the fire but he'll come spinnin' that straw into gold come hell or high water, hear? spock: ... spock: ... spock: ... kirk: bones, what the hell did you do to spock? bones: hold on, i want to see if his head actually explodes this time.

[boldlyexplorational]

Episode 10 "The Corbomite manoeuvre"

I got the impression that this is one of the most iconic episodes. The salad scene, the weird child alien guy, the puppet. Can't argue with any of that.

I'm once again bringing up my wacky theory for the order of the episodes in this season: I think this would have made a great episode 1. It touches some of the fundamental themes and tropes with the cast of characters. It felt very introductory. But then again, it's only episode 10. I guess that, when I watched "the man trap" I thought it did a great job of introducing the characters. But after watching this one, it seems to me it's even better.

First of all you've got shirtless Kirk, which is the prime example of how you should think about this character. Just kidding. But he was very shirtless and very sweaty and... He's video-calling Spock, of course. Also that shot of his butt.

But sexualization of the captain a side. I loved that moment with Spock: "gives me emotional security". It really sums up their relationship (at that stage) very well. I might make a different post about this, but I'll also say that the frame of that scene, the softness of the color and the gentle blur of the picture is something that keeps happening in scenes between Kirk and Spock. And I wonder why people got some ideas.

That brings me to McCoy, it's pretty evident how his relationship with Kirk is different from the one with Spock. You can tell Kirk and McCoy are besties, pals. While every interaction with Spock is more intimate (the way it's filmed too!). Even if they were intended to be both friendships, there's a very distinct difference between the two.

Another significant moment is when Spock almost apologizes to Kirk. That little exchange hits pretty hard. First of all you don't need to apologize to Jim, Spock, you did nothing wrong I know this and I love you. I appreciated your chess related contribution, and so did the captain, he's just stressed. And you need to be a little less desperate sometimes, but we're all stupid when our crush is around, I get it.

I shouldn't be surprised but, in the salad scene, the Janice Rand situation is brought up again. It's actually a little frustrating how they want us to see this as an actual problem/conflict for Kirk, and also as a sign of his virtue: he's so brave for not dating/harassing/take adventage of his hot assistant. It's honestly insulting to Kirk because (he's such a more complex character than that), and to Janice and to me, watching. It's such a useless, shallow bit.

Last but not least Bailey's little exchange program with the creepy manchild alien is exactly what he deserves.

Rating: 10/10

What can I say, I really liked it. It had everything, it was just the right amount of campy and I would watch it again anytime (which I discovered is a big part of my rating and ranking process). This episode is now on the podium with "the enemy within", but how long will it stay there? And who's gonna get the third place? (Check the ranking tag for the full list)

[gaygirlgarak]

kirk and spock having freaky butt sex isn’t even controversial to me it’s like a known fact in the universe. like it’s newtons 4th law to me

[t0ast-ghost]

Watching Star Trek TOS for the first time, and here are my thoughts on episode three (Charlie “X”)! (I didn’t do episode two cause I just wanted to watch it but I love Bones)

- so far I really like the kid

- Kirk shut up, let Charlie talk

- oh no he’s frightened by the door :(((

- girls do not look THAT different, getting some bad vibes from you Charlie

- BONES!!! (Why does he stand like that, it’s so curved)

- “I want people to like me” oh god they gave this boy anxiety

- He’s learning about the patriarchy, like Ken

- Kirk making Bones tell Charlie about puberty, he looked so defeated

- SPOCKS EYESHADOW!!!

- Charlie gets a Kirk assigned father, it’s not Kirk himself but he did assign Bones to do it, can’t you see the man is tired Jim?!?

- why is she being mean to Spock in verses? Nvm this is fun and he’s enjoying her singing

- HE SLAPPED KIRKS BUTT WHAT

- “there’s no right way to hit a woman.. you know man to man.. uhh… you understand, Charlie?” That was the worst way to try and explain anything, Kirk

- “I put meatloaf in the ovens, now there’s turkeys, real turkeys” then Charlie’s little laugh

- aww they’re playing chess together, normal husband activities

- “you smell like a girl” “I feel hungry… all over” back the fuck up Charlie

- stop trying to get Bones to explain stuff to him, Kirk

- this episode is just so icky, one issue is that they can’t just have an adult conversation and they can’t explain anything properly to him, they’re just telling him no and that he’s wrong. It’s a good example of how concealing information doesn’t allow people to find their own morals but instead creates a bunch of rules which can be easily broken if the person doesn’t believe in them because they don’t understand the logic behind them. (Not saying that the boundaries they’re setting for him are wrong, he just can’t understand them because they’re not explaining shit)

- SHUT UP SAM HE’S TRYING- oops Sam’s gone

- damn that German expressionist lighting tho, like something out of metropolis

- I FUCKIN DARE YOU KIRK, PICK HIM UP SEE WHAT HAPPENS

- okay Kirk saying it’s his choice is good cause at least he’s teaching him that these things he does are his own actions

- “short tempered, because he doesn’t understand” cause you won’t explain shit without mind games and metaphors

- Spock and Bones DO NOT want to get involved

- when Charlie’s explaining what he did to the Antares Bones looks absolutely terrified (Bones sitting like that on the table is… I have many thoughts)

- OH NO UHURA!

- Don’t you dare call Spock Mr. Ears

- “Teenager with supernatural abilities realizes his full potential and decides to use it for evil NOT CLICKBAIT”

- Why would you do that, why would you turn her into an iguana

- GET HIM!!! Wait no! Janice!

- “I love you” “you don’t know what that means” good for her, fuck you Charlie

- He gave Kirk period pain

- “cause you need me to run the ship, and I need him” Spirk? It’s more likely than you think

- this slide from Bones

- “I don’t think you can handle anymore, you’ve reached your limit” Spock and Bones start fucking shit up immediately for Kirk

- Kirk was so ready to punch a bitch

- nice fucking try Charlie- oh Kirk is defending him- nvm he still gets yoinked

- imagine if Charlie becomes Q lol (is that a thing? Are they related?)

- well that’s done now… where’s Scotty, Sulu, and Checkov? (Sulu appeared shirtless in the credits as I wrote that)

Thanks for sticking around again :)

Here’s a link to the first ramble

And all the other rambles

Below the cut is some thoughts I had on the second episode

Some thoughts on episode 2 (The Man Trap):

- it was kinda funny seeing Jim be like “she’s old as fuck, just like Bones”

- I didn’t realize that was where “he’s dead, Jim” came from and my dad quotes it all the time

- it was interesting that even the creature referred to themselves as an animal

- McCoy in the ending where he really didn’t want to kill somebody he loved even if they were just the image

- would not want to be the person to explain what happened to her to Bones

[electronickingdomfox]

"How Much for Just the Planet?" review

Novel from 1987, by John M. Ford. Well, this was certainly something... different. I knew beforehand that this was a farce, and that it had a far more comedic approach than the regular ST novel. The problem is that, for a satire, I didn't find it all that funny. This novel is a case of "love it or hate it" among fandom. And even though I wouldn't use such a strong word as "hate", and some bits were entertaining, overall the joke fell flat on me. My biggest complaint with it is that it tries too hard to be silly, and the characters and world didn't feel like Star Trek at all. The humor in episodes like The Trouble with Tribbles or A Piece of the Action worked because neither the characters nor the initial setting were silly; it was just the situation they were put in what got progressively more ridiculous and out of control. So when Kirk gets finally buried in a mountain of tribbles, this feels like the unavoidable and hilarious resolution of everything that's been going on, and not an instance of Kirk being suddenly stupid. Yet a lot of what happens in this novel is the result of characters doing silly things for the sake of it, whether it matches their personalities or not.

And then there's the world-building. Is this the future depicted in Star Trek? I wouldn't have guessed so. With technology and customs that simply copy the 20th century, there's nothing particularly original about the planet where the main chunk of the novel is set. Add to this the continous references to classic movies (I recognized Vincent Price's The Fall of the House of Usher, but most of the rest flew over my head), taxes, and old-fashioned capitalism, and this could be anywhere but the Federation. Actually, the parts set before they reach the planet are the ones that work best: Starfleet developing a new secret project in the form of a giant inflatable starship, as target practice; a malfunctioning computer that's turned shy and unsure of itself; a Vulcan affecting a super-logic appearance, while being incredibly sloppy and leaving traces of milkshake everywhere... Now THAT works. The vaudeville musical numbers (apparently inspired by Gillbert and Sullivan), or a pie fight... not so much. And look, I love the Marx Brothers movies, but I don't think that a novel is the best medium for that kind of visual humor, let alone a musical, when there isn't even music!

As for the characters... Well, McCoy is alright and has a few funny lines, even if just in a shallow depiction of his "grumpy country doctor" side. But the rest are barely recognizable. Spock is so-so, though he's almost absent in the story. And worst offender is Kirk, who's portrayed as a dumbass who'd get involved in a ridiculous plan to reunite two lovers, while in the middle of important diplomatic conversations. Also, any depiction of Kirk as a womanizer, who's reduced to babbling just because of a bit of cleavage, or said to look at a woman's butt every 15 minutes, is a big fat NO from me (the way I remember the series, it was the women who drooled after Kirk, not the other way around, sorry). The Klingons aren't particularly interesting either (despite this being the same author of the excellent Klingon novel "The Final Reflection"), and some of them just seem like regular dudes.

I'll try to present a very brief outline of the plot, though that's difficult with a story divided in multiple "vignettes" that follow independent situations. Spoilers under the cut:

A survey ship discovers a planet choke full of dilithium, but soon thereafter they're detected by a Klingon battlecruiser. The crew (comprised of just three persons) escapes in a pod towards the planet, hoping that the Klingons won't notice it, while the ship's computer is instructed to flee at warp speed. Sure enough, the crew arrives safely at the planet, though completely covered in milkshake from the malfunctioning pod's replicator. While the survey ship, controlled by the equally malfunctioning computer, lures the Klingons to the Enterprise (and its giant inflatable replica). As both the Federation and the Klingon Empire are now aware of the treasure of dilithium, and since neither can fight over it because of the Organian Treaty, they decide to settle the matter through diplomatic means: the party who can better convince the natives of the benefits of their respective governments, will get the planet and its dilithium.

The locals welcome both the Federation and Klingon embassies with a song (there are many, MANY songs) and a feast, and then lead them to their hotel. Though the private conversations between the planet's leader and his wife, reveal that they have some plan up their sleeve for the newcomers. After this, the Enterprise members pair up with several Klingons, and each group follows a different adventure. Scotty and Chekov get into a fight with their opponents, and try to resolve it over a golf match, before being involved in a sudden all-out war started by the natives. Uhura and a Klingon cinephile go out shopping, but after buying a small harp, they're targeted by shady individuals that kidnap them in succession, all of them in search of the mysterious item. It's a sort of parody of film noir and Hitchcock, but unless you're very familiar with the genre, most of the references will probably get lost. The funniest storyline is perhaps that of McCoy and Sulu, who get up in the middle of the night to search for a legendary treasure, mentioned by their hosts during the feast (well, McCoy gets dragged out of bed and just wants a coffee). They team up with a couple of Klingons, are captured in the fortress of an evil queen (who sings an evil song), and McCoy ends up hypoing a ton of guards through the jail bars to escape. Finally, Kirk, ambassador Charlotte, the Klingon captain and his female science officer, stay at the hotel and are approached by a couple of star-crossed lovers. The girl conspires with the women, to stage a fake assault by the legendary burglar "Black Cat", where "he" will kidnap the ambassador, so the girl's boyfriend can rescue her in front of everyone and impress her parents. Unbeknownst to them, the boyfriend devises the same plan, but using Kirk and the Klingon captain instead. So when the night arrives, there are two Black Cats trying to kidnap the ambassador, and all four characters get tangled up in a complicated and messy misunderstanding. Kirk and the other captain fall through the laundry chute several times, Kirk loses his clothes (and ponders for a moment the idea of wearing a red dress instead), the ambassador loses her clothes, the Klingon captain doesn't lose his clothes but gets drenched in the shower... Anyway, it's far too convoluted to detail here, and very easy to get lost while reading it.

In the middle of all these situations, there are brief appearances of the survey crew, who get repeatedly lost while searching for the city, and end up living like wilderness survivors. And the story of a couple of children who secretly beam up to the Enterprise and steal one of the inflatable prototypes.

At the end, all four groups converge suddenly in the feast hall, and it's revealed that their adventures were just theatric stagings organized by the natives, in an attempt to drive them away from their planet. The Federation and Klingons are forced to sign a treaty to share the dilithium resources. But both parties are so pissed at each other, that they start a battle royal with pies. Spock, meanwhile, has stayed the whole time in the Enterprise, so he missed all the bullshit fun.

Spirk Meter: 1/10*. Kirk and Spock are separated most of the novel, but when Kirk finally gets reunited with him, he starts repeating a heartfelt "Spock!" (and you know exactly the kind of face he's making at that moment).

*A 10 in this scale is the most obvious spirk moments in TOS. Think of the back massage, "You make me believe in miracles", or "Amok Time" for example.

[your-name-is-jim]

This might sound like an odd thing to say, but when I got into Kirk/Spock I realized that Bones is my favorite third wheel of all times. I mean it in the most affectionate way! He's so perfect for that role that I can't imagine anyone doing better. He's so close to both of them – don't tell Spock though :D – that he cares about their happiness without really picking a side; he's their best friend and loves them both like brothers, he's always ready to support them but at the same time he's not afraid of telling them what he thinks and trying to stop them when they're doing something stupid. He's the kind of close friend who'd be happy to be invited to join them on a trip and then complain ("Dammit Jim, why did you invite me if you two can't keep your hands off each other?!"), but next time he'd hope to be invited again. He's the divorced man who has seen the most epic love story of all times in front of his eyes, so he can tell everyone that yes, true love exists. He's the best friend who would give his life to save theirs, and he knows both of them would do the same for him, but he'd never allow either of them to die, because "do you think I'd be happy after telling your husband that you died for me?"; he knows this can happen and he knows Spock trusted him with his katra and Jim risked his career and stole the Enterprise to help him too. But at the same time he knows he was Spock's second choice and not the person Jim was really missing, so he stays by their side and is happy to see them as two parts of the same soul, and he's frustrated for all the years it took them to get it. He'd roll his eyes every time they're too dense to see each other's feelings and he'd roll his eyes every time they're too open about their feelings and should get a room. He'd want them to leave him alone ("I'm a doctor, not a matchmaker!") but he'd absolutely want to be their best man, there's no way they can get married without asking him. He'd tease Spock for being a Vulcan computer without emotions, but he'd know that he has never met a human who loved someone as much as Spock loves Jim (except for the way Jim loves Spock). And of course he'd be the unfortunate victim of too much information, because at the end of the day he's still their doctor, and of course sooner or later Jim will visit him and tell him that his butt really hurts and Bones will have to ask him WHY and that's how he'll find out that pon farr is not the only period male Vulcans are sexually active, and that's not something he needed to know at all (but also: "Good for you, Jim. Just take care, you're a human and you're not getting any younger. And stop grinning!"); he'll think everything is under control until Spock's katra gets inside his head, and then he'll see and FEEL too much and nope nope Jim get your horny Vulcan husband out of my brain right now! He is so done with them but he also wouldn't change a thing about them. They know, and they're happy to have him.

[lonesomedreamer]

another thing that’s wild about SNW is the way it treats Spock, the franchise’s most beloved and iconic character by far. it’s not just the weak writing (Ethan does a great job, and it’s obvious that he loves Spock—but there are times when even his best efforts can’t save the script).* it’s that almost none of the SNW characters themselves seem to like or respect Spock.

I’ve already pointed it out how often Spock is mocked and belittled by his fellow officers for just doing his (essential!) job as the science officer; that judgment and harsh treatment extends to his own fiancée (while in-character for her, T'Pring’s attitude is often portrayed as reasonable by the narrative). even Christine, Spock’s biggest supporter and the most understanding/sympathetic of his colleagues, ultimately shuts him down when he does his best to be emotionally supportive!

sure, there were plenty of times when the og Spock was teased—or even insulted—by his friends. Uhura sings about him in an early episode, but he’s obviously in on the joke, because he’s smiling and playing lyre while she sings. when Kirk does it, the audience can tell that it’s coming from a place of love. when Bones does it (whether or not you think he’s actually being racist or not), Spock can and does give as good as he gets—it’s mutual. and when someone else is judgmental towards Spock, their behavior is almost always called out by other characters (Bones included!) (“leave any bigotry in your quarters, there’s no room for it on the Bridge.” / “he has no heart.” “his heart is different!”)

an entire TOS movie is dedicated to the idea of Spock being so valued by his friends that all six of them would put their careers and lives on the line without hesitation just for the chance to bring him back from the dead! there are also plenty of other instances in the show itself when his friends refuse to give him up for dead (“shut up, Spock! we’re rescuing you!” etc.) though Spock’s linguistic precision and technobabble are sources of humor, they’re not usually used a reason to ridicule him.

contrast that to SNW, in which Christine has to beg two of his fellow Bridge officers, Ortegas and Uhura, to accompany her when she begs the inter-dimensional aliens to fix Spock’s broken genome, because she’s the only one on the Enterprise who seems to care that he’s been altered. his fellow officers also regularly make snarky comments like “plan on marrying that debris field, Spock?” and “can’t you just say ‘two moons’?” etc., as Spock is making scientific observations in his capacity as the science officer and even confront him (“are you just some heartless, pointy-eared computer?”) in traumatic/dangerous moments. and to make matters worse, the SNW writers rarely if ever allow Spock to clap back in this scenes the way he so often did in TOS.

I understand that SNW’s Spock is younger, less experienced, and less sure of himself. he’s a lieutenant, not the first officer. nonetheless, he’s the butt of so many jokes and looked down on/judged harshly by so many other characters that I can’t help but wonder if the writers have a similarly low opinion of him.

*to be clear, I don’t think that exploring the possibility of a romance with Christine Chapel is an example of the show or writers disrespecting Spock—but the way they’ve handled his relationships with both T’Pring and Christine (the fact that both of them are “love interests” at all, actually) evidence of their apparent disregard for and misunderstanding of his character, imo.

[aromantictendi]

Star Trek TOS Rewatch: The Apple

This one feels like a rehash of Return of the Archons with a society that's controlled by a powerful machine and stagnating. Also like RotA, this episode felt half-baked, and might have been better if they'd taken the time to develop the story more.

Easily the most interesting part of this episode is the debate over whether it's right to interfere with the Feeders of Vaal, but I feel like having Vaal force Kirk's hand by putting the Enterprise in danger took the teeth out of it.

That said there were still a lot of parts I liked, including:

The colourful sets and props

The Garden of Eden was just outside Moscow!

Yeoman Landon getting to kick some butt

The Feeders of Vaal learning to kill. "It is a simple thing." *smashes melon*

Exploding rocks and poison gun flowers

Leonard Nimoy making some good acting choices when Spock is shot by the flower

[everythingismadeofchaos]

The Vetinari/Vimes thing gives me serious Kirk/Spock vibes. Like, that's where the term "slash" came from, and it's been over half a century, and we're right back there.

Slash ... slash never changes. [flicks cigarette butt]

[cicaklah]

I hope you feel better soon! To help combat that boredom, I have to ask you an important question:

What are your blorbo butt ratings across your fandoms??

(Alternatively: who are the fuckbois of your various blorbos?)

Best blorbo butt is agent 47 there's no competition. He is the pinnacle of male aesthetics for a reason.

I also do sometimes headcanon him as a bit of a fuck boy because he's like well if I can't have my true love I'll just have whatevers convenient. But im more into him getting said true love.

Controversially I think Spock's more of a fuck boy than Kirk but neither label fits each of them.

Uncontroversially though I think AJ raffles has never called someone back, and not just because the telephone had only just been invented. Except bunny, of course.

[muirmarie]

i've been so good at sitting my butt down and writing a minimum of 500 words a day (I don't plan to do this forever, and I do allow myself some skip days (like yesterday!), but I know myself, and the goal is to build momentum and habits so I do plan 500/day for the foreseeable future - and it's working! so far! I mean it's been like a month! and i've been consistent!), but -

but the story i started to sketch out at the same time as the time loop one (9. mccoy makes breakfast) is I think veering a little too close thematically to my last few, (even tho it's jim pov and mostly just silly shenanigans, but still) and i wanna change it up, so i'm thinking either:

2. strip poker

[Cons: I have to look up poker rules / Pros: VERY different vibe lmao / Cons: did I mention I need to do research. i wanted a brain empty story next / Pros: I do extremely want to write rampant cheating / Cons: I'm gonna have to learn how one even cheats in poker ugh / Pros: I am preemptively giving myself permission to beat any angst out of this fic with a baseball bat if I have to]

10. late night walk

[Cons: i have no plot / Pros: where we're going we don't NEED plot / Cons: i do want to write something heavier on the Kirk/Spock of it all bc I haven't really gone deep on that at all, and I don't know if this is the right one to do it / Pros: this fic will just involve me blasting music in my headphones and vibing, and jesus christ NO MORE MATH, i know the time loop math/science probably wasn't anything to write home about but it was HARD for me to keep it straight in my head lmaoooo, and I know the poker one will need more math brain stuff bc. poker. math. you get me.]

22. hayride

[Cons: I know in my heart this is going to be one of those where the frame is going to fight me. I'm gonna want to write all the fun little scenes, and then have to grit my teeth and stitch it all together / Pros: this is literally just fluff. / Cons: it really would be nice to be able to pick one I can write straight through and I KNOW the frame is gonna fight me. i KNOW it. / Pros: i can make that Vulcan eat some cotton candy. I can make Jim wear a pair of jeans that hug his butt SO well. I can graciously allow McCoy to kiss a horse's cheek. slightly drugged on hay fever meds jim kirk being so soft and sweet and handsy with the other two. basically all the reasons the frame is gonna fight me lmaoooooo]

or lastly just say screw it and keep writing the mccoy makes breakfast/bones can never tell jim no fic, which again, does have the major plus of being a jim pov (i'm really enjoying that!) and also so many silly shenanigans! but also. also. leonard horatio mccoy why do you always want to fight being loved. i am in your house. i am begging you to let me write a fun silly story. i am begging you to stop doing this to me.

someone just tell me which one to work on so i can get my minimum 500 words today when i'm free later on without facing The Struggle of Choice =/

[riley1cannon]

For the ask game, 🤩 or 💌

🤩 What led to your interest in the fandom?

Long, long ago I was doing detention in the school library (yeah, School Authorities, punish me by sending me to the library LOL), and along with a couple of great collections of poetry and James Herriot's books (which discouraged my then-ambition to become a vet, because naturally I had envisioned taking care of kitty cats and puppies, not having to stick my whole arm up a cow's butt), I found these Star Trek books by James Blish. At that point, while I had heard of Star Trek, I had never never seen any of the episodes, and I was intrigued. And then when I actually got to watch the show, I was hooked, and wanted more. Beyond those James Blish books, however, there wasn't much else to be had -- that I knew of.

And then I found this book called Star Trek Lives!, which was all about the fandom, and included discussions of the Kirk-Spock relationship that intrigued me (it did not mention slash, and it would be some while yet before I found out about that). What really opened my eyes was a chapter about how some fans, not content with seventy-nine episodes, and seeing a wealth of unexplored possibilities, had taken to writing their own stories and publishing them in things called 'zines.

I had to know more, of course, and that was not an easy task in those dark ages before the internet, but through comics and Star Wars fandom (never did get into Star Trek fandom), I figured things out and made some connections, and here I am, still doing the fandom thing, although it's mostly from the outside looking in these days.

💌 Is there a favorite trope you like to write?

I have come to adore fake relationship tremendously. Didn't really discover it until stumbling into Superbat fandom, but now I love it so much sometimes I wish I could go back and write it in some of my other fandoms.

It pairs nicely with Idiots In Love, There Was Only Bed, Enemies to Lovers, and many others.

Thanks for the asks!