#actually regular spock should also have long hair

[pacificsaury]

supposed to be fem divorced spock but idk. accidentally hit her with the oc-fication beam + self indulgent pose oops (1/2)

part 2 here

[bajuuuu]

pls give me your dark wisdom oh wise one

bestow upon me your sposplay* knowledge

*spock cosplay

Oh you’ve done it now (started a rant)!!

(I put it under the cut so it’s not suuuuuuch a long post :D)

So, from the top, I made Spock’s ears: I sadly don’t have any pictures for this part (for now.) BUT, Making ears is actually supper easy and fun! The way I did it, is by taking some thin gardening wire (or other wire which is light and easily mailable). You make a loop out of it by connecting the ends and then shape it so the bottom vaguely fits behind your ear. It will basically straddle your ear and copy the curve of it. The top of this artificial ear is then molded to vaguely resemble the ear you’re making. But frankly, don’t worry about it too much, we just want to get the general feel for the shape and size here. Then, the fun part begins, because you take some liquid glue and a layer of toilet paper, you put the glue on the toilet paper and you cover the wire with it. (I kinda just closed the paper around the wire like a book and then cut around the shape of the wire to remove any of the excess paper). Then you put it back on your ear (move all hair aside, else it will stick to the gluey conglomerate) and you shape it to actually fit your ear properly and to have the desired shape. Then you let it try and work on the other ear in the meantime.

The color: for now the ear is just white, so once it’s completely dry (it should also solidify because of the glue), you can put another coat of glue over it and carefully cover it with skin-colored (or any other color I guess) crepe paper. You’ll never get all the wrinkles out of it, but it is possible to get it to be quite smooth.

And tadaaaa you have your very own ear extensions that just kinda hold on your ears without any attachments! For me, they tend to hold quite nicely actually, even if I shake my head a bunch. I’ve also found that if you wear glasses, putting on the ears first and then the glasses over them, both will hold decently enough!

The Insignia: I hand embroidered mine using some yellow and black embroidery thread. Using either a long and short stitch or a brick stitch worked great for me. Here is a tutorial I used for the long and short stitch if you’re interested :) https://youtu.be/UPyg1j9sLHs?si=25mtpGoJhSemF6_J

I then cut the shape out with enough free fabric on the sides (basically seam allowance). Here, it’s nice to remember that you can always cut away more fabric later if you have too much, but it will be annoying if you have too little.

Then I cut the same shape out of some sturdier paper and glued it to the back of the embroidery, turning the corners and gluing them to the back so they are out of the way. This step can be really annoying, because the shape is uneven and the fabric generally refuses to cooperate. For me, I still had some of the fabric showing from the front…

If your fabric refuses to stay in place while it dries, you can also fasten it down with just regular laundry clips.

Finally, I cut another shape out of the sturdy paper and glued it over the back to hide all the ugly glue and fabric edges.

(Try to make sure your glue is fabric safe, it’d be a shame if the glue messed up the fabric after all the nice work you put into the embroidery!)

The horrible terrible wrist insignias:

I have a vendetta against whoever designed these damn things, because in the show they look just like a simple strap of just golden fabric, BUT THEY’RE NOT! They’re this stupid, convoluted shape where a strip of it like, winds around the body of the insignia. Just, here, let me save you hours of searching for a good picture of the design (or asking for a high resolution picture of Spock’s wrists on Tumblr.com like me…). Here is the insignia design:

Now, that this mini rant is out of the way, onto how I made these things: I had a sheet of sturdy paper which had golden foil on one side, so I decided to make them out of that. I measured how big my wrist is at the places where the insignias would be, and then drew the pattern from above on a spare piece of paper to use as a stencil.

Now, and this is important, I turned the golden paper over so that I could draw on the white side. But that means I also had to flip the stencil over, otherwise the spiral on the insignia would be going the wrong way (which I definitely didn’t learn the hard way… Nuh uh.)

I then cut the shaped strips of golden paper out and used the back of a thin paintbrush to just carve the spiral into the golden side. Please, be smarter than me and number your strips so you remember which one goes where on your arms.

Putting them on: Because the shirt of the uniform is stretchy but the paper of the wrist insignias is not, I opted to put small strips of Velcro on the ends of each insignia and just put them on separately. I also put another strip of Velcro on the inside of the insignia and on the dress shirt, so they don’t scoot around too much. (If this explanation sounds confusing, in a few days I’ll be back home where I have the cosplay and might be able to get you a picture explaining this.)

These strips ended up being quite flimsy and I think there is a better way to make them (maybe using some sort of a stretchy yarn on the wrists of the dress shirt directly??)

The dress shirt: The dress shirt I simply bought in a thrift store in a color which I thought would fit well enough. I then put another black shirt with a raised collar underneath to mimic the black collar that the uniforms have. I put one piece of Velcro on the shirt where the embroidered Insignia would go, and glued the other side of the Velcro on the back of the insignia. This way all of the insignias are easily removable and also swappable if you wanna make more of them :)

The tricorder: This was the big one, and I know this post is already long enough (sorry, not sorry) so brace yourself.

The body of the tricorder is made out of a couscous box with a portion of the top cut off so it fit the proportions better. Then I glued a piece of cardboard to the top from the back to serve as the openable compartment at the top. This is kind of what it looked like:

As you can see on the picture above as well, I thought the top looked a little flat so I made a smaller box from cardboard, stuck it together with masking tape and painted it to look like the little computer on top of a tricorder like this:

Beware, this little computer has to be smaller than you expect, otherwise the Tricorder lid won’t be able to close. Make sure to test the dimensions out before you assemble and paint your little computer. :)

Color: I had a piece of fake leather leftover from a different project I was making before, so I simply used that to cover the entire couscous box. I measured the box and made a stencil from paper for myself to make sure it would actually cover the entire box (you do NOT want to know how many tries that took me…….) I then cut the shape from the fake leather, painted it black with (cheap) acrylic paint and used hot glue to attach it to the box. Hot glue can also be painted over so if you mess up some of your seams, just run the black paint over them and it somewhat hides it.

I also painted the lid (under where the little computer will go), and the inside of the box.

Finally, I took some gray paint and painted lines on the front of the box to look like the other compartments of the tricorder. I also took the ends of some cheap chopsticks, painted those gray and used them as knobs that open these painted on compartments.

The strap is stuck on using a combination of grommets and hot glue. But frankly, just using instant glue is the play here because this really didn’t stick very well.

Final product here :)

And I think that’s it! Wear with black pants, black boots and most importantly confidence!! :D

Have fun! (And feel free to send me a pic of the finished outfit if you make it and feel comfortable sending that to a stranger on the internet XD)

If you (or anyone else for that matter) wants to follow this impromptu tutorial and needs some more help, feel free to PM me!

[440mxs-wife]

Shore Leave - Part 3

(Photo courtesy of IMDb)

Pairing: Pairing: Leonard “Bones” McCoy x Lt. Maggie Parker (OFC). Other Characters: Lt. Ruthie Warner (OFC, mentioned),  Eleonora McCoy (Leonard’s mother), Donna (Leonard’s sister), Ryan (OMC)

Word Count: 7100-ish (sorry)

Warnings: Fluff, fluff and more fluff. Minor run-in with an ex, but sooooo much fluff.

A/N: This is a continuation of the ongoing story between Leonard and Maggie, which started with Part 1: New Recruit and Part 2: Something More. Enjoy!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

At first, Lt. Maggie Parker couldn't believe her good luck. The Enterprise was back on Earth in spacedock for extensive repairs and regular maintenance. This meant a two-week shore leave for all personnel. The ship's corridors were abuzz with excitement and everyone sharing their plans on how they'll be spending shore leave.

As soon as Maggie found out, she called her brothers, excited to have time to spend with them and their families. She was heartbroken to find out that they had already made plans to go on a Caribbean cruise. Their trip started the same day her shore leave started and was supposed to last for a month. Not only that, but the tickets were non-refundable. Ruthie was nowhere near Earth, still somewhere in the galaxy, on assignment on the USS Pegasus. With no one around, Maggie was left wondering how she was going to spend her shore leave.

She knew that Leonard was going home to Georgia and would be gone from the ship for all of shore leave. Their relationship was still going well, after almost two years. However, Maggie didn't know how ready either of them were for her to meet his family. She also wasn't too keen on being without his company for those two weeks.

One morning, Maggie was sitting in the mess hall having breakfast. Well, sort of. She had breakfast food on her tray, but hadn't really touched any of it except her coffee. Maggie had requested a hot vanilla latte from the replicator, but by this time, it had gone cold.

"You know, darlin', breakfast works much better if you actually ingest the food, instead of leaving it on your tray," he teased. He took the seat next to Maggie and reached for her hand, covering it with his own. "Everything all right, sweetheart?" he asked.

"Everything's fine, Len," Maggie said softly as she gave him a small smile. "I guess I'm just not that hungry right now. You can help yourself to whatever is here, though," she offered.

McCoy slipped his arm around Maggie's waist. "Are you sure? You've been a little quiet ever since shortly after shore leave was announced. I thought you'd be excited, making big plans and all," he remarked.

"Yeah, well, that was until everyone decided to ditch me and now I have no plans," Maggie retorted in a rare flash of anger. "I'll probably end up staying onboard the ship and using the time to get caught up on my reports. In fact, reports are what I really should be working on right now. Excuse me," Maggie abruptly got up and left the table.

The captain had witnessed Maggie's hasty retreat and joined the table, taking the seat she had recently vacated. "What was that all about?" Kirk wondered.

McCoy shook his head in bewilderment. "You got me, Jim. I asked her what her plans were for shore leave, and she muttered something about everyone deciding to ditch her," he replied.

"Well, I'm going home to Iowa, you're headed home to Georgia," he remarked then snapped his fingers. "You know, you should take her home with you. I mean she is your girlfriend after all. I'll bet Momma McCoy would love to meet her," Kirk suggested.

"Hey, that's a great idea. I wasn't looking forward to spending those two weeks without Maggie anyway. And I'll bet you're right, especially after everything I've told Ma about her. She probably can't wait to meet Maggie," McCoy grinned. "I'm going to go message her right now and tell her there may be one extra for Sunday dinner."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Maggie tried her best to concentrate on her reports to be turned in later to Cmdr. Spock. Unfortunately, this morning's conversation over breakfast with Dr. McCoy continued to run through her mind. I was upset, but I shouldn't have taken it out on my sweet Leonard, she thought. He was only trying to be helpful, and had no idea about my plans for shore leave falling through, Maggie inwardly groaned.

Around midday, Maggie went to the mess hall and picked out some items to take to Leonard for lunch. The MedBay was relatively quiet, not many patients for once. When Nurse Chapel saw who it was, she smiled and pointed Maggie towards Dr. McCoy's office.

Maggie nodded and tentatively knocked on the office door, hoping she wasn't disturbing her boyfriend. When she heard a soft, 'come in', she slowly opened the door and poked her head inside. Dr. McCoy was sitting in his chair, sifting through some papers on his desk.

At the sound of the door opening, he looked up and smiled broadly at seeing his girlfriend. He leaned back in his chair and folded his hands across his chest. "Well, hello there, darlin'. To what do I owe the pleasure? Is everything all right?" he asked.

"I come bearing gifts, or sort of a peace offering, if you will," Maggie replied, setting the food on Leonard's desk. She walked over to his chair, eyes cast downward.

McCoy unclasped his hands and held out his arms. As soon as Maggie got close enough, he reached for her and pulled her onto his lap. He draped one arm across her thighs and with his other hand, he guided her head to rest on his shoulder. Once she was settled, he brushed his thumb up and down Maggie's arm in a soothing motion. "Now, what seems to be the trouble, Love?" he questioned.

Maggie took a deep breath before answering. "I wanted to apologize for my outburst at breakfast. I was disappointed about my situation, but I had no right to take it out on anyone, least of all you. I'm so sorry, Len," she murmured.

"Oh, darlin'," McCoy whispered, then pressed his lips to Maggie's temple. "It's okay that you feel that way. You know you can always talk to me when that happens. So, wanna give it a try? Tell me what's going on in that pretty head of yours?" he asked.

She nodded slowly. "I....have no plans for shore leave. My brothers and their families will be on a month-long cruise in the Caribbean with non-refundable tickets. Ruthie's nowhere close to Earth, still on board the USS Pegasus. Jim's going to Iowa, Spock and Uhura have plans and you're going home to Georgia. Once I added all of that up, I felt incredibly....lonely," Maggie explained, a few tears leaving her eyes.

"Hmm. I can see why that would make you a little unhappy. I have an idea, though. What if you came home to Georgia with me?" he suggested.

Maggie sat up in surprise to look McCoy directly in the eyes. "Are you serious? Wait, I-I don't want to intrude on your time with your family, Len," she replied hesitantly.

"Sugar, you would not be an intrusion whatsoever. Frankly, I've been trying to figure out a way for you and my ma to meet each other anyway. What do you say? Will you come home with me to Georgia and meet my family?" he grinned.

A huge smile broke out over Maggie's face as she threw her arms around McCoy's neck and kissed him soundly on the lips. "I would love to come home with you, Len. I love you so much," she replied, whispering the last part.

"I love you too, darlin'. Now, what say we have some of this delicious lunch you brought, and then we can tell Ma the great news?" he asked. Maggie nodded enthusiastically and started to dish out the food she brought with her to Leonard's office.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Soon, the day arrived for everyone to start their two-week shore leave. The shuttle took Maggie and Leonard to the station on Earth. McCoy's sister, Donna, had left his truck in the parking lot. He helped Maggie get up into the truck, then stowed their bags in the truck bed.

Leonard turned the key in the truck's ignition, bringing it roaring to life. He turned to Maggie and grinned, because he couldn't wait for his mother to meet his best girl. He knew that they would get along, with his ma fussing over her, wanting to make sure she felt welcome. Maggie would be as sweet as ever, making sure his ma didn't go to any extra trouble just for her.

Leonard stretched his arm across the back of the bench seat. Maggie slid over to the middle of the bench seat and snuggled up next to him. McCoy placed a sideways kiss to Maggie's temple and curled his arm around her, keeping her close to his side. Maggie placed her right hand on Leonard's chest and gave a contented sigh.

The more miles that ticked by, drawing them ever closer, the more nervous Maggie became. What if she doesn't like me? What if she doesn't think I'm good enough for her son? These were the biggest doubts screaming through Maggie's head as she thought of meeting Mrs. McCoy.

"You know, I can hear the wheels turning in your head, Sugar. Relax, please. Just be yourself, that sweet, loving woman I know you are. Within five minutes or less of meeting you, she's going to love you as much as I do. Hell, she'll love you so much, that she'll likely end up disowning me and adopting you," he chuckled.

His remarks seemed to reassure Maggie about meeting one of the most important women in Leonard's life. Before they knew it, they had reached the McCoy family homestead. Leonard put the truck in park and turned off the engine. He exited the vehicle and walked around to the passenger side, which was closest to the house.

Maggie also descended from the truck, but after she closed the door, she leaned up against it, choosing to hang back a little. She saw a woman of medium height with short, gray hair step out onto the porch, drying her hands on a towel. Upon sight of her son, Eleonora McCoy slung the towel over her shoulder and walked towards him, arms outstretched.

"As I live and breathe. Oh, Leonard, my son, it's so good to see you," she beamed.

"Hiya, Ma. It's good to be home to see you," he replied as he closed the distance and brought his mother into his embrace.

They clung to each other for a couple of minutes, then Mrs. McCoy stepped back to peer around Leonard. "Is that her?" she whispered excitedly, a gleeful smile across her face.

He chuckled and held out his hand for Maggie to draw her closer to his side. "Yes. Momma, this is my Maggie. Lt. Maggie Parker, I'd like you to meet my ma, Eleonora McCoy," he remarked.

Maggie held out her hand, which was shaking a little from nervousness. "It's a great honor to meet you, Mrs. McCoy. I've heard a lot about you," Maggie replied.

"Oh, you dear child, come here so I can give you a proper greeting," Eleonora gently chided, holding her arms out. "And please, call me 'Eleonora', 'Momma' or just 'Ma'," she added.

Maggie looked at Leonard, who grinned and nudged her towards his mother. Eleonora wrapped her arms around Maggie and gave her a little squeeze. Maggie could feel the warmth and welcome in the gesture and a few tears leaked from her tightly closed eyes.

The tears did not escape Eleonora's notice when she pulled back. "Leonard, I'm sorry, but I think I accidentally broke your girlfriend," she chuckled nervously. "Honey, is everything all right?" she asked with concern.

"Darlin', are you okay?" McCoy inquired, rubbing circles on Maggie's back.

"I'm fine, really. It's just that--your hug was so warm, it reminded me of the ones my mom used to give me. She and my dad have both been gone for six years now. I guess I didn't realize how much I missed them until right at this moment. Thank you for making me feel so welcome," Maggie finished.

"My precious girl, you are absolutely welcome here, we're happy to have you with us. Did Leonard happen to tell you how much I've been pestering him to meet you? I would've settled for at least a video message, but I'm much happier to have you here in person," Eleonora winked. "Now, follow me, and we'll introduce you to the rest of the family. Don't worry, dear, Leonard will get the bags," she grinned.

"Already on it, Ma," he called as he hoisted the bags from the truck bed to carry them upstairs to his old room.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Once inside the kitchen, a multitude of heavenly aromas assaulted Maggie's senses. "What is that divine smell?" she asked.

"That would be my secret family recipe for Chicken and Dumplings," Eleonora answered, beaming with pride. "Now that my son is home and with his beautiful girlfriend, I have been cooking up a storm since morning," she replied.

"What can I do to help?" Maggie inquired.

"You can let Leonard take you on a tour of the house, I'll be all right in here," Eleonora tried to assure the young lieutenant.

"I'm sure we can do that later, but there has to be something I can do to help. I'm pretty good in the kitchen, always used to help my mom. Please?" Maggie practically begged.

"Well....I was going to make a peach cobbler for dessert. If you'd like, you can peel and dice the peaches, then put them in this bowl right here," Eleonora suggested. She handed Maggie a bowl, while Maggie grabbed a knife and what would be the first of many peaches.

While Maggie and Momma McCoy were busy in the kitchen, Leonard was upstairs unpacking their bags. Once he was finished, he quietly came down the back stairs that led directly to the kitchen. His curiosity was piqued when he heard Maggie and his mother mention his name. By this time, Donna had joined them, so he paused on the stairs to listen in on their conversation.

"You sure seem to know your way around a kitchen, Maggie," Eleanora remarked. "I appreciate the help."

"My pleasure, Momma," Maggie replied with a smile. Leonard grinned when he heard that. To him, it meant that Maggie was feeling more comfortable around his mother.

After a bit, Eleonora wandered over to the sink to check Maggie's progress in dicing the peaches. "Once you finish that one, I think we have enough for the cobbler," she declared.

"I can't wait to taste the 'fruits of our labor'," Maggie quipped, throwing everyone into a fit of laughter, including Leonard himself, though silently.

Eleonora then laid a hand on Maggie's arm, causing Maggie to turn and lock eyes with Momma McCoy. "You know, after Leonard's divorce from Jocelyn, he threw himself into his medical studies. After that, he just concentrated on his work on the Enterprise. I'd get messages from him where he seemed happy enough, but I wasn't convinced that it was 100%. Even though he had Jim to help him through it all, I was really worried about him." Oh, Ma, Leonard thought.

"From what he's told me, the divorce was rough on him, especially since Joanna was involved. For anyone who loves Leonard, I'm sure that it couldn't have been easy to see him go through that," Maggie murmured. How right you are, my sweet darlin', Leonard silently commented.

"But now? Since he has you in his life, I see so many changes for the better. He's relaxed, he's content and he's in love, probably for the last time in his life," Eleonora remarked. "I want to thank you for seeing past his outer armor and helping to mend his heart," she added.

"That goes double for me. Len and I may not always agree on everything, as is usually the case with brothers and sisters. But I sure am grateful that he found you, Maggie," Donna chimed in.

"I appreciate the thanks, but the truth is, we've helped each other. I had an ex named Ryan that broke my heart by cheating on me with his high school sweetheart. But then I met your extraordinary son and brother, and he showed me what real love is. So please allow me to thank YOU for raising such a kind and honorable man," Maggie concluded.

As if on cue, Momma McCoy and Donna both swooped in and captured Maggie in a group hug. Gentle tears of happiness were shed between the three women as they embraced each other. Leonard recognized this as his opportunity to come out of hiding on the stairs. "I leave Maggie alone with y'all for five minutes, and look what happens. Y'all broke her again," he smirked.

The ladies giggled and stepped apart. Leonard got a playful punch to his arm from Donna and was pulled into a one-arm side hug with Eleonora. As they returned to their previous activities, Leonard took hold of Maggie's hand, then brought her into his embrace. They closed their eyes, rocking gently back and forth, lost in the feeling of being in each other's arms.

Maggie lifted her head from where it was resting on Leonard's chest. She reached up with her right hand and cupped his face, her thumb brushing gentle strokes on his cheek. "I love you, Leonard," she whispered, her lips curved into a shy smile.

"I love you too, darlin'. So very much," he whispered back. Leonard dipped his head and captured Maggie's lips in a soft, tender kiss.

"Oh, all right now, there's enough sugar in this peach cobbler without y'all dripping honey all over everywhere," Eleonora teased. She made a shooing motion with her hands as she guided them towards the door. "Go on, Leonard, show her around the place. But don't go too far, dinner's ready in about a half hour," she warned.

"Don't mind if I do, Ma," he answered. "Shall we go for a stroll, sweetheart?" he asked, holding out his hand for her to take.

Maggie captured his hand with hers, interlacing their fingers. "Lead the way, my love," she replied.

They left the kitchen through the door that led out to the porch. As they walked, Leonard began telling Maggie about his favorite memories of growing up on the family farm. After they were a fair distance from the house, Eleonora and Donna stepped out onto the porch to observe the lovebirds.

"She's cute, I like her," Donna remarked.

Eleonora nodded. "They're good for each other, and they make each other happy," she responded.

Donna placed a hand on her mother's arm. "I'm going to go in and check the cobbler," she said.

"Thank you, hun," she replied as she watched her daughter walk back into the house. "Oh, Leonard. She's a keeper. Hold fast to this one, my son," she whispered to herself.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Dinner was a lively affair, with each of the McCoy women sharing quite a few childhood stories about Leonard. He was a fairly good sport about it, until at one point, Eleonora threatened to show Maggie his baby pictures. His protests were enough that she ultimately decided to wait, saying she'd save that for the next time they visit.

After dinner dishes were done, everyone retreated to the front porch for some relaxation. Maggie and Leonard were snuggled up together on the swing, lazily rocking back and forth. Off in the distance, the fireflies were out, like little glowing yellow embers floating in the air.

Maggie was wearing a worn-out Starfleet Medical sweatshirt that she'd once 'borrowed' from Leonard and 'forgotten' to return. He pretended to frown, saying he'd been looking for the shirt for some time, only to find that his girlfriend stole it. Then he softly whispered that while he loves seeing Maggie in his clothes, he much prefers her out of hers. A blush crept into Maggie's cheeks at his remarks, which caused Leonard to chuckle and press his lips to her temple.

"Well, lovebirds, don't stay up too late. Oh, by the way, there's a festival going on for the next few days at the fairgrounds just outside of town. If you're looking for something to do," Eleonora mentioned before going into the house.

"Been a while since I've been to one of those," Leonard remarked. "What do you say, darlin', should we check it out tomorrow night?" he asked.

"You're the expert on the local attractions, my love," Maggie replied. "However, I think it sounds like a wonderful idea."

"If it's the one I'm remembering, it should have music and dancing. Would love to get you out on the dance floor, sweetheart," Leonard murmured in Maggie's ear.

"Mmm, slow dancing with you is something I would definitely be in favor of doing," Maggie said softly. "I think I might have even packed a dancin' dress," she added.

"Did you now? Well, that settles it, we have to go. I'll pick you up at 8:00pm. I'll be the one in the white hat," he grinned.

"It's a date, Cowboy," Maggie giggled.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The next day, Eleonora had made a list of things that she needed from in town. Some from the Farmer's Market, a stop at the hardware store and a couple of things from the pharmacy. Leonard volunteered for him and Maggie to run her errands, which also gave them time alone together.

First stop was at the hardware store, where everyone seemed to know Leonard. They all said how proud they were that he was CMO of the fleet's flagship. He thanked them all, and took the opportunity to introduce Maggie as well.

Next, it was more of the same at the pharmacy, with all the warm greetings and well-wishes. When he introduced Maggie as his girlfriend, one woman in particular, Janice Rollins, didn't seem happy to hear the news. She fawned all over Leonard, completely ignoring Maggie and the fact that she had been introduced as his current girlfriend. It was all Leonard could do to extract himself and get done what he went there to do.

After their business in the pharmacy was concluded and they were outside, Leonard explained that Janice was a former girlfriend. He assured Maggie that she had nothing to worry about. "My heart belongs to you and you alone," he remarked as they walked to the Farmer's Market.

"Leonard, I know that, I trust you. My heart belongs to you and only you," Maggie countered. "So, what does your ma have on her list from here?" she asked.

"Tomatoes, Brussels sprouts and potatoes, for starters," Leonard answered. "I'd like to get some corn on the cob, if they have it," he said.

Maggie took the map from his hands to study it, so Leonard wrapped his arms around her from behind. He looked over her shoulder, plotting the best pathway to get what they needed in the shortest amount of time.

Thirty minutes later, they had purchased everything on Momma McCoy's list, plus some additional items. Leonard bought Maggie a bouquet of fresh flowers. She in turn found a vendor with some rare vinyl of Leonard's favorite music artist. For dinner, they bought some thick, juicy hamburgers to grill from the meat locker on site. With their mission accomplished, the couple climbed into the truck and drove back.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Back at the house, Maggie helped Eleonora once again with dinner preparations. Leonard was in charge of grilling the burgers, while Maggie made potato salad from her mom's recipe. Eleonora also made some Bourbon Baked Beans and there was also leftover peach cobbler.

After dinner, it was time to get ready for the dance at the festival. Leonard showered first, then shaved his slightly scruffy face. He was wearing his dark wash jeans, his boots and a burgundy-colored button down shirt with a bolo tie. As he promised Maggie, he put on his white cowboy hat and waited at the bottom of the stairs.

Then it was Maggie's turn to get ready. After her shower, she towel-dried her hair and left it to cascade down her back in soft waves. She pinned it up on the sides with crystal-encrusted barrettes. Her makeup and jewelry were kept simple, with hoop earrings and the bare minimum on the cosmetics.

Her dress was black with cream-colored flowers sprinkled throughout the fabric. It was nearly strapless, with only thin spaghetti straps to hold it in place on her shoulders. The dress had a high-low hem, with the shorter hem in front that hit just above her knees. A pair of black suede ankle boots completed her outfit.

Just before heading down to meet Leonard, Maggie paused at the top of the stairs. She took a deep breath, then slowly descended. She could see Leonard with his back to the railing, so he hadn't seen her yet. She cleared her throat before speaking. "Right on time, cowboy," she remarked with a soft smile.

Leonard turned to watch his girlfriend make her way down the stairs. As soon as he saw her, his mouth ran dry and all coherent thought temporarily flew out the window. To him, she looked more beautiful than ever, if that were even possible. Her dress flowed elegantly with her as she walked and the hemline gave him just a quick, teasing peek at her shapely legs.

He removed his hat and held out his hand to guide her the rest of the way down the staircase. Still holding her hand as she reached the bottom of the stairs, Leonard brushed his lips across her knuckles. "Well, bless my soul, darlin', you look absolutely gorgeous this evening. Since I have the pleasure of your company, that makes me the luckiest cowboy 'round these here parts," he drawled.

Maggie ducked her head shyly to hide the color spreading across her cheeks. She stepped back a little to give him a quick curtsy. "You may not be the only lucky one. For me, I'd say you're also the handsomest cowboy I've seen in my life," she replied.

She placed her free hand on Leonard's chest and took a step forward so there was very little space between them. She stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his. Leonard, however, had other ideas, leaning towards Maggie to deepen the kiss. His decision was rewarded when he heard the tiny moan of pleasure escape from her mouth, and he smiled against her lips.

"We could just stay here, you know. Continue with what we're doing now, let the night take us wherever it leads," Leonard suggested as he started to gently sway back and forth.

"Mmm, as tempting as that sounds, you promised to take me dancing, Len," Maggie pouted.

"Ah, so I did, sweetheart. Your carriage awaits, my love," he gestured towards the door with the hand still holding his hat. "Ma, we're headed out to the festival. It'll be late when we get home, so we'll see you in the morning," he called over his shoulder.

Eleonora bustled out to the living room to see the happy couple before they left for an evening of dancing. "You both look amazing! Have fun tonight. And Leonard? Stay out of trouble, hmm?" she teased.

"I make no promises, Ma, but if anyone can keep me in line, it's Maggie," he grinned and gave his mother a wink. "Goodnight, Ma," he said as he dropped a peck on her cheek before heading out the door.

"Goodnight, my son. At long last, you've found your happiness," she murmured to herself.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

At the dance, the music was lively, with a variety of genres represented. It was mostly the vintage country music playing, which was best for the two-step, the waltz and line dancing. Maggie and Leonard danced to a few of the more upbeat songs, but got out on the floor for every slow song.

After one of the waltzes, they decided to take a break and get something to drink. Leonard found them an empty table and pulled out Maggie's chair for her to sit down and rest. He took the seat next to her, then leaned over to press a lingering kiss to her lips. He asked her for her drink order, then headed for the bar.

On his way to the bar, Leonard thought about how perfect the past couple of days have been. He'd introduced Maggie to his mom and sister, who loved her right away without question. Earlier in the day, he took her out and showed her the town where he grew up. Tonight, he had the company of the prettiest woman at the dance. Lucky cowboy indeed, he thought to himself.

At the bar, he gave out their drink order. As he waited, he noticed another man sitting on a barstool, nursing a whiskey. The men locked eyes, nodded at each other in acknowledgment, then returned to their previous activities. Every once in a while, Leonard would see him cast longing glances in Maggie's direction, which brought his guard up.

He was wondering how to bring it up without having to break the man's face, when he felt a tapping on his arm to get his attention. "Hey, buddy, do you see that woman over there? The one in the black dress?" the man asked, pointing towards Maggie.

Leonard gritted his teeth and answered that yes, he saw the woman in question. "She's a pretty hot one, no doubt," the man remarked. "She looks a lot like my....my....hey, that's my ex-girlfriend, Maggie Parker. And she's sitting there all by her lonesome," he said, waggling his eyebrows. "I should go over there and say hello," the man grinned as he placed his empty glass on the bar's countertop. He got down from his barstool and started walking towards Maggie, but Leonard stopped his progress.

The man glanced down at Leonard's hand on his upper arm. "Uh, say listen, Pal, you wanna take your hand off my arm? I'm not gonna cause trouble, I just wanna let her know that Ryan says 'hello'," Ryan glared.

"I think you'd better leave the pretty lady alone, Ryan. She's told me about you, and besides, she's way out of your league," Leonard retorted.

Ryan gave Leonard the once-over, as if trying to size up his competition. "What, do you think she's more likely to be in your league, old man?" Ryan snorted.

"For your information, Maggie's in a class by herself. But what you don't know is that she chose me, so I'm tellin' ya, it's in your best interest to back off," Leonard threatened.

With a huff, Ryan resumed his perch on the barstool, muttering under his breath. By this time, the bartender had finished making the drinks that Leonard had ordered. He picked them up, one in each hand, and headed back to the table.

Once there, he set the drinks down on the table. Leonard took both of Maggie's hands in his and pulled her up from her chair so she was standing in front of him. He moved his hands up so they were cradling Maggie's face, then he leaned in and crashed his lips to hers. She responded by sliding her hands up his chest and locking her fingers behind his head.

When the kiss was finally broken, Maggie was left nearly breathless. She smiled as she brushed her fingertips across Leonard's forehead and into his hair. "Not that I'm complaining, but what was that for?" she asked.

"To thank you. For choosing me. You could have any man in the universe, yet you chose me," he answered softly.

"Leonard McCoy, you don't have to thank me. I will always choose you. Every day of the week, and twice on Sundays. I love you," she replied.

"And I love you, Maggie. You wanna get out of here?" he asked, holding out his hand.

She nodded, taking his hand in hers. Then she heard the opening bars of "Crazy" by Patsy Cline, a song which had always been among her mother's favorites. Maggie tugged on his hand to catch his attention. "Dance with me? Please?" she asked.

"Always and forever, darlin'," he responded as he led her to the dance floor. He put his hands on Maggie's hips and she put hers around his neck. Maggie rested her head on Leonard's shoulder and closed her eyes as they swayed in time with the music.

As the last notes of the song faded away, Maggie looked up into the face of the man she loved. "Shall we head back now?" she asked. Leonard nodded and kept hold of Maggie's hand, interweaving their fingers. He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it, causing her to giggle and blush.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The rest of shore leave seemed to pass by in a blur for Leonard and Maggie. They went on picnics by the lake, some horseback riding, and more trips into town on errands for Eleonora. There were even a couple of occasions where Eleonora spent time at Donna's house. She didn't mind, saying that Leonard and Maggie should have some time to themselves at the house.

Then there were the nights spent laying on a blanket in the bed of the pickup truck, gazing up at the stars. Which may sound silly, considering that's where they spent most of their time. But, as Maggie pointed out to Leonard, the stars look different from Earth than they do in space. All he knew and could focus on was how beautiful Maggie looked by the light of the moon.

One night, they were sitting in the front porch swing, Leonard wedged into the corner and Maggie sitting between his legs. Her back was leaning against his chest, with her head rested on his shoulder. The lazy swaying of the swing would usually be enough to put her to sleep, but she was wide awake tonight.

Leonard had his left arm curled around Maggie under her chin, with his right arm draped across her midsection. Her arms matched his in position, and her hands were atop his with fingers interlaced together. Every once in a while, they would give each other a gentle squeeze, in part for affection and also for reassurance.

"Len? In case I didn't tell you, I've had such a wonderful time these past two weeks. Thank you for inviting me to come with you for shore leave," Maggie remarked.

"Oh, darlin', it's been a real treat for me too. Before I asked you, I wasn't sure how I was going to deal with being without you for two whole weeks. Thank goodness I didn't have to go through that," he chuckled, then placed a kiss to Maggie's temple.

"And your mother and sister are amazing, I already love them. I only had brothers growing up, and being around your ma helps me to miss my mom a little less. They were a good influence on you. Except where did you get your grumpiness from?" she teased.

Leonard shifted in the swing so he could look Maggie in the eyes. "It's sass, isn't it? You're sassin' me right now, aren't ya, little lady. Well, I'll fix you," he grinned mischievously just before he started tickling Maggie on her sides and under her arms. That sent her into a fit of giggles and nearly gasping for air.

"Can't....breathe!" she managed to get out.

"Say I'm not grumpy, and I'll quit," he promised but was still randomly hitting her ticklish spots.

"Okay, okay," she wheezed. "You're not grumpy. You're adorable," she replied before capturing his lips with her own. Their mouths moved together in tandem, pressing and pulling in a delicate dance. "I love you, Len," Maggie whispered when they'd finally pulled apart.

"I love you too, Sugar," Leonard whispered back.

"I want you to know something else, and I'm just going to come out and say it. Leonard, you're 'it' for me. When I see my future, you're the only one I see it with. I realize that we've both been burned before, and….and I'm not asking you for more than you're ready to give. Just know that I'm here for you and that I love you with all my heart," Maggie declared.

Leonard was silent for what felt like an agonizingly long time to Maggie, before he spoke again. "You know, after what happened with Jocelyn, I'd pretty much sworn off of women. I was afraid of making the same mistakes again if I got into a relationship. And I didn't want to put anyone else through that, let alone myself."

"Oh, Len," Maggie whispered, but then Leonard put a finger to her lips. "Hey there, shh. It's my turn now, Love," he playfully scolded. Maggie nodded and gave him a small smile.

"Then I met you, my little spitfire, and all of that changed. I'm not afraid to fall in love anymore, because I already have. Maggie, you're 'it' for me, too. I know that my future isn't complete without anyone but you in it as my leading lady. If you can be patient with me on the 'more' part, I know we'll get there eventually. I love you with all my heart, Maggie," he concluded.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

All too soon, shore leave came to an end. With heavy hearts, Leonard and Maggie packed their belongings and put their bags in the trunk of Donna's vehicle. Her car was big enough so that Eleonora could accompany them to the station. She wanted to be there to see her son and his girlfriend off before they had to catch the shuttle back to the Enterprise.

At the station, everyone hesitated for a little bit before finally climbing out of the car. Leonard retrieved their bags from the trunk and set them on the curb. He turned to his mother with his arms wide open. "Bye, Momma. It was great seeing you, and I wish we could’ve stayed longer. Thank you for having us," he murmured, holding her tightly in his embrace.

Eleonora rubbed her hands in circles on his back. "You know you're welcome at home anytime, Leonard. Just don't make it so long between visits, bring your lovely girlfriend with you, and everything will be fine," she remarked.

"I'll try and visit more often, and I'll definitely bring Maggie with me. Love you, Ma," he whispered, then gave Eleonora one last squeeze. Before he let her go, she whispered in his ear about the surprise she had tucked into his bag.

Maggie had finished saying her goodbyes to Donna, then moved to hug Eleonora. "I had a wonderful time, and I loved meeting and spending time with you all. Thank you so much for having us, and I hope we can visit again soon," she said, giving Eleonora a fond embrace.

"You take care of yourself, sweet girl, and keep watch after my Leonard. He's my son, but Lord knows that man needs someone to keep him in line," she chuckled, as did Maggie. "You come visit anytime, we'd love to have you. By the way, I slipped something into your bag. Just a small gift, from me to you. A little reminder of your trip here," Eleonora mentioned.

A soft look crossed Maggie's face as tears prickled behind her eyes. "Thank you, Momma. You know, I think you and my mom would've been good friends," she remarked as she moved in to hug Eleonora once more.

Overhead, they heard the announcement for Leonard and Maggie's shuttle flight back to the Enterprise. One last round of hugs for everyone, then the couple picked up their bags and headed for the platform.

Eleonora and Donna watched as Leonard and Maggie walked away, each with an arm slung around the other's waist. Donna moved to stand beside her mother, and sighed deeply in contentment. "They're so good together. I'm glad they found each other," Donna stated.

"Yes, I am too. Wouldn't be surprised, though, if we were to hear some news from them in the near future," Eleonora replied with a mischievous grin.

Donna looked at her mother with narrowed eyes. "You know something, don't you? What is it? Tell me!" she demanded, but Eleonora refused, just kept the grin on her face. "Fine. Don't tell me," she grumbled as they climbed back into the car and headed home.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Back in their respective quarters, Leonard and Maggie set about the task of unpacking. As Maggie separated her clean clothes from ones to be laundered, a piece of paper fluttered to the floor. She picked it up and started reading it, her hand flying to cover her mouth. She almost didn't hear the door chime, signaling a visitor. On the second chime, she murmured 'come in' and the doors slid open to reveal her boyfriend on the other side.

"Hey, darlin', whatcha got there?" Leonard asked before wrapping his arms around Maggie from behind. He peered over her shoulder to see that she was reading a recipe in his ma's handwriting for her Chicken and Dumplings. "Whoa. Where did you get this?" he whispered.

"Your ma said she slipped something in my bag, as a reminder of our trip there. I don't understand, Len," Maggie replied, a confused look on her face.

Leonard took the piece of paper and held it up to Maggie. "This....has never left my ma's kitchen, not to my knowledge...." he trailed off. He placed the paper on Maggie's desk, then taking both of her hands in each of his.

"I still don't understand, Len," Maggie stated.

"Giving you this recipe means she loves you, sweetheart. And she knows you love me, but more than that, she trusts you. I know you were worried about meeting her, if she was going to like you. Darlin', after meeting you just this once, she already considers you part of the family," he finished with a smile. Someday, I hope that we can make that a little more permanent, he said to himself, as he thought of what his ma put in his bag.

Maggie tucked the paper into a drawer with her other valuable paperwork, then wound her arms around Leonard. Her hands clasped behind his head, she gently tugged downward until her lips met his. Just before things could get too heated, she pulled back to gaze into his perfect hazel eyes. "Shall we head to the mess hall, see who's back and do some catching up?" she asked.

Leonard pressed a lingering kiss to Maggie's forehead. "Sounds good to me, Love," he replied. With their arms curled around each other, they walked down to the mess area to catch up with their friends.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Tags: @marvelouslytrekking​​ @spacedancer1701​​ @anna-phora​​

[pendragonfics]

Set It Up

Paring: Leonard McCoy/Reader

Tags: gender-neutral reader, no pronouns, Starfleet Academy era, Starfleet, post-Star Trek (2009), co-workers, mutual pining, requited unrequited love, medical professionals, emotionally hurt Leonard "Bones" McCoy, whump, hurt/comfort, eventual fluff

Summary: You've known (of) Doctor McCoy since the Academy, but keeping to professionalism, you keep those feelings to yourself. Captain Kirk, tired of seeing two idiots dancing around their feelings, intervenes.

Word Count: 3,318

Current Date: 2019-12-22

Requested By: @karasong​

It was years ago, the first time you ever saw him. You were sitting in the group study area of the Starfleet San Francisco student library. It was your fourth year, and the semester was almost over. But exams were yet to come. You, having organised the study group for your fellow fourth-year medicine students, sat idly as they brainstormed on what you had already learned, and memorised.

While they discussed non-human anatomical diagrams, you were people watching, idly. Your eyes grazed throughout the bottom floor of the study area until you caught sight of him. Dark hair, eyes, and the look on his face drew your attention. Frown lines, and unused but etched out smile-lines beside his eyes.

Just as you began to ponder further, your friend Christine walked and gently smacked you with the underside of her thick textbook.

“Ouch, what was that for?” You whispered, cursing a string of words. Hushed of course for the library’s volume limit. You weren't an animal.

“Oh, it won’t leave a mark, don’t be such a baby.” She admonished you, perching in the empty seat to your left. "That’s what you get for gawking at boys when you’re supposed to be studying.”

“__________’s actually running the group,” a member of the study circle piped up to your defence. “Did you know they already like, memorised the xenobiology textbook back to front?”

Christine chuckled. “Yeah, so have I, but I’m not staring at James Kirk like a brain-dead bug.” She nudged you gently, and added, “no offence but I’m just saying, you could do better...and you know, not on study time.”

"I was not-," you protest, rubbing the back of your head. "Is this because of second year?"

"He's like that with everyone," another member of your study group spoke up, softly. "Don't take it personally."

You didn’t have the guts to correct them, nor stir the pot at the mention of Christine's one-sided romance-slash-one-night-stand with Cadet Kirk. Unlike many of the people in Starfleet academy, you were not interested in James T. Kirk in that way. Sure, he had the manners of a country boy, but he also slept with anything that had legs, and the ability to consent.

So not your type.

No; you were not looking at James Kirk, the golden boy with hair that matched the sun. You were looking at his closest friend, the gruff man with inky midnight hair. His friend, a mystery to you.

---

Captain James Tiberius Kirk was not a laid-back man for simple reasons. Sure, he had the stress of organising safe passage for over two thousand people at a time and orchestrated the wills of Starfleet for their mission. On top of that, he had the problems of a regular man, be that in family, money, love and friends. He rarely saw his half-family back on Earth, and money wasn't a problem when he was paid the generous salary of a captain. Sex came as it did, mostly not so often while he was commandeering the Enterprise.

That was what shore leave was for.

But as a good friend, Jim Kirk was not one to fool around on the clock (too much). Scotty had Keenser, Spock had Uhura, and while he didn't have any long-term interests in settling down, he knew that his friend Bones surely did.

The poor bastard had been divorced and stripped of all he had before they met, and then with everything else that came with the job of being CMO on the ship, he had the gall to stay being a year-long Grinch. Jim's mind had been set since Bones' reaction to the second one night stand that he'd had back as a cadet. But now it was a thing: by the time that mandated shore leave came to an end, he would have Bones with someone.

---

His reputation, while not as prolific as some of the faces that he kept as company, still preceded him. At first, you only knew him as the ‘gruff man that flanked Captain Kirk's side’, but as time went on, you learned his name.

Doctor Leonard McCoy.

If it wasn't for the fact that you were transferred by Admiral Pike, you perhaps wouldn't have had the opportunity to be on the same starship as each other. Let alone working beneath him as Nurse.  But still, it was an honour, and whenever your paths crossed, you kept your professional face forward. No matter what, you would keep to your oath as a healer, and those feelings would come second.

While in the Medbay, he was curt, quick to the jump, and a furiously good worker. Not that you believed that Captain Kirk was one to get into trouble - he was - or that he often endangered the crew with those actions - anyplace was dangerous, and it was a fact - but it seemed that the work in the Medbay was never finished. There was always an engineer with a pinched nerve, a scientist with an adverse reaction to alien flora, and because of this, the immersion into your work was both a blessing and a curse.

Maybe because the closer you came to your superior, that crush from years ago would flare up, and you’d have to work extra hard to keep your work ethic up. It didn’t help that half the time that you and Doctor McCoy were on shift together, he was doubly grumpy, and you’d have to circumnavigate that as well as your own feelings.

But that was fine. You were a professional. Keeping your feelings to yourself in order to keep to Starfleet code was easily done. It wasn’t like you were denying yourself anything - if anything, your needs were still there. Waiting. On the back burner.

That was fine. Everything was fine.

---

In time, you were alerted, like the rest of the crew, that the USS Enterprise was to approach a Federation planet for among other things, structural maintenance, restocking, and such. It also meant that everyone working on the Enterprise would get time to themselves while docked. It was your first ever shore leave, and excited, you idly planned things to do with such freedom. But while your co-workers chatted eagerly about the chance for some time away from the Enterprise, you kept quiet, and to your duties while on the clock.

Not that Doctor McCoy also being on shift as the news broke had anything to do with that.

"Oh, you -" he acknowledges upon entering the Medbay. "Nurse -,"

"__________," you supply, perhaps too quickly, "What can I do to be of assistance?"

He pauses in the doorway, swaying where he stands. Your keen eyes swept over his form; though he had just arrived on shift, you could see hints of fatigue; the bags beneath his eyes, the slowed movement, the deep frown upon his face.

He doesn't reply and approaching your superior officer, you ask again, "Are you feeling well, sir? Should I -,"

"It's fine, Nurse __________." He snaps, brushing past you.

It's a very rare day with no patients in the room, and you watch him as he goes toward his small office in the rear of the Medbay. He closes the door behind him and flicks the old-style Earth blinds over the glass on the door. You bite at your lip, chewing in earnest. What could be the matter?

---

By the time that Jim found out that Bones wasn't going to be on-planet for shore leave, it was too late to reschedule things so there would be an excuse for his friend to go and have fun. Not that Jim needed any reasonable excuse for that to happen.

He'd once orchestrated a fake wedding between Spock and Uhura to try and get Bones to stop working so damn late (but that had fallen through, mostly because it turned out that Spock was actually thinking about proposing to Nyota, and Jim's intervention had apparently been a "disaster" to Spock's carefully planned proposal). Jim had even once pretended to be sick in his quarters to have Bones inspect him personally (Jim had planned to trap him inside, watch holo-films and drink whiskey) but then Doctor M'Benga came instead of his friend, and he was forced to get the vaccinations that he'd been avoiding.

But now Jim had the perfect plan. He'd seen how Bones acted around that Nurse he always worked with - Nurse __________. Jim could have sworn that his friend chose to work alongside her because the man had driven every other person of her rank away. But, nonetheless. Jim had a plan. While not exactly a connoisseur of true love, Jim knew how to make it all pan out.

He could go about it like his other tricks, make something that was memorable, perhaps borderline disastrous, but his friend deserved the best. It wasn't a prank if someone was at least consenting in some way, right? And as far as Jim knew, both parties certainly were.

He saw how the pair of them looked at each other on the security footage. Like lovesick children! Like kids who had no idea how to communicate the finer details of their feelings to one another! Like two medical professionals too immersed in their careers to see beyond their noses!

That was where Jim came in, and smirking to himself at his brilliance, Jim went to reply to the message that had come into his communicator and make some magic.

---

The fact that Christine called you up out of the blue, and then set you up on a date should have seemed fishier than it was. But to you, your fellow Nurse was just a close friend, looking out for your pitiful love life, and even being assigned to a separate Medbay to you wouldn’t stop her from reaching out. But you trusted Christine, perhaps with your own life, if it ever came to it. Her judgement was (nearly) law, and so, you buzzed throughout the day, a mix of trepidation and excitement keeping you going.

You were supposed to meet the person at five at the entrance of the main mess hall, but there wasn’t anyone there. Confused, and a little betrayed, you messaged Christine for answers, but all she said was that he worked with you and that she’d kick his ass if he stood you up. You wouldn’t wish her wrath on anyone, and instead of feeling upset, you decided to find the mystery date yourself.

It was a quick walk to the Medbay, and though it was the off shift, the current nurses greeted you kindly. But when you asked about anyone who wasn’t supposed to be working being in the Medbay, all that one nurse who wasn’t wearing his nametag said was, “I don’t know about anyone, but the CMO is still in his office.”

Was Christine setting me up with…? You wondered.

There wasn’t a reply as you knocked at the door, and walking in, you saw why. Laying face-down on the desk, arms cradling his head, was Doctor Leonard McCoy. His hair was crisp in a way in which needed washing, from either from being carded through or lack of a care routine to it. He slept soundly as you closed the door behind you and made your way to his side of the desk, creeping around the papers that littered all the surfaces of the room.

A pit settled in your stomach as you regarded him.

Sleeping, he looked like a different man from the one you worked with. His frown-lines were unwrinkled, demeanour relaxed, and for a moment, you felt your heart jump at the sight of your long-time crush, and senior officer before you.

Ever since you were a little kid, your favourite type of person was someone that had two faces; one to the world, and one hidden beneath that one. That was perhaps because your favourite fairy- was Snow White & Rose Red. When you were seven, you spent a weekend seeking out the bears in the forest in search of a fairy-tale prince that was cursed to be one. Your parents quickly put an end to that, and ever since, you were left with one type of love on your mind. The kind where you would sift through, searching for the hidden prince beneath.

Maybe that’s why, after all this time you still liked him.

He stirred as you placed a hand on his, sitting up when you started to make sense of all the papers that were everywhere. You didn’t realise that he’d been awake until you looked over your shoulder, his papers in your hands.

“Hi,” you greeted, “uh, Doctor McCoy. Sorry to wake you.”

He blinked.

---

Jim was having a not very good day on the bridge, what, with Spock and Uhura’s latest spat over something that he didn’t care about. He excused himself, leaving his duties to his first mate, and made his way to the Medbay for something for the headache. Hopefully, he’d be administered something that wasn’t in a shot.

But when he got down there, he couldn’t see Bones anywhere. Records on his PADD said that he hadn’t clocked off, and yet, he wasn’t in the main area. Curious, Jim let himself into the back room, only to find -

“Nurse __________,” he greeted, looking between them, and his friend, “Bones!”

“Jim,” Leonard gritted out. “What are you doing here?”

“I want something for the migraine. Or at least, it feels like one. Don’t diagnose me, just give me the good stuff.” He prattled, looking through a first aid box that sat on one of the tables beside the desk. “I see you two are hitting it off. I thought tonight was your date, Nurse __________?”

“Uh -,”

“Jim, you have no right to pry into the private lives of my staff,” Leonard spoke up.

“Speaking of, why aren’t you at your date?” Jim added, finding what he needed in the box, and popping the paracetamol into his mouth, the captain of the Enterprise swallowed the pill dry in one go. “Sorry. I shouldn’t pry, bye!”

At that, he left the pair of them to their confusion, and waltzed back to his post, confident he’d ride out the headache.

---

“You have a date?” You heard Doctor McCoy ask you, a flush of heat growing on his pale face. Suddenly, you felt barer than you did five seconds ago when your captain and personal nuisance had waltzed in and exposed your private life. “Why aren’t you - what are you doing here?”

“They didn’t show up,” you reply, softly. “My friend - Nurse Chapel - she said they worked here, and I came to give them a piece of my mind, but then someone out there said you were still here, and I -,” you felt a wave of embarrassment flash across your face, and somewhat mortified, you stopped speaking.

“I’ll give that guy a piece of my mind.” He grunted. But as he went to stand, he sat almost immediately back down, in an unceremoniously simple way in which made you hear sirens. “…but not right yet.”

You blinked, placing all the things together that you’d observed over the last few days. “…sir, I think you’re experiencing fatigue.” You tell him, placing your wrist against his forehead. He recoiled, but just as you thought, he was burning up. Rescinding your hand, you began working on finding something to get him enough energy to rest in his room. “At least tell me you had plans that you’re missing, so I can feel better about missing out on mine.”

He snorted. “…Jim set me up. The bastard doesn’t realise what today is to me.”

You paused, looking to your superior. “If you don’t mind me asking, sir…what is today, to you?”

Doctor McCoy paused, and, softly, as if he’d never said it aloud in the first place, he told you, “It’s my daughter’s birthday. She’s eleven today, and I promised I’d be - I’d be back home for her.”

You looked to your hands. You'd never think of him having a daughter, and yet...you could already picture her. “I can see how that would tear you up.” You empathise, the words slipping out as fast as they come to your mind, no time to filter them at all. “…although I’m glad I missed out on my date, too. I don’t have a good experience with it at all.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, Nurse - __________…?”

“Oh, well…the last time I went on a date, it was back at the academy, about fourth year? He was a quite nice guy, studying computer engineering. A looker.” You tell him, not sure why you feel so comfortable saying all this to him. “He turned out to be very much in love with his ex-girlfriend and he told me all about her all that night.”

“Did you call him back?” Doctor McCoy asked you humourlessly.

“Stars, no. And I haven’t gone out with anyone else since. Well, until…” you trail off, turning back to your supervisor. “I can’t find anything in here to give you, so I’m prescribing you the old-fashioned treatment of rest.” You tell Doctor McCoy. “I’ll even walk you back to your room so that I know you make it there.”

“My hero,” he said in his dry, Georgian accent.

Once you helped him to his feet, you got Doctor McCoy to walk out surreptitiously without your help. But once you exited the Medbay, you reclaimed your hold on him as so to keep his status in the workplace and got to talking. You spoke of how you knew of his friend the Captain, and how you were to meet the date at five o’clock. It was then he paused.

“I was supposed to meet my date at five.” He said.

You frown. “The one you said Captain Kirk set you up on?” you asked him.

Doctor McCoy nodded. “Yep, that’s the one. I was supposed to meet them at the mess hall, the big one, but -,”

“Oh my -,” you realise, looking at your feet like you just realised that they were attached to you, feeling something new in your chest, a rush of surprise, and exhilaration, “I think you’re my blind date.”

There was a strange noise, and looking to the man beside you in curiosity, you realised quite quickly that he was laughing. Quietly, of course, and in a way that sounded like a snuffle, or a chuckle, really. But he was laughing.

“Of course,” he smirked. “No wonder Jim was in our business like that. And your friend, Chapel, I’m sure she hates Jim but would do anything for you -,”

“Very true,” you retort. “It’s just…quite funny that it’s come to this.” You gesture toward Doctor McCoy, leaning on your tiredly as if he’s from the old Earth film Weekend at Bernie’s but is very much alive. “…I’ve always had a thing for you, you know.”

“Sorry, I…sorry I messed up your date for you,” He replied sheepishly, and added softly, looking your way, “…and I like you too. Have done for a while.”

“Would you go out with me?” you ask, hopefully. “Doctor McCoy?”

He grinned and pecked your cheek with a kiss. The five o’clock shadow tickled you and left you tingling after he rescinded from your proximity. “’course I’ll go out with you. Just not while I’m like,” he gestured to himself, just like you did before.

“Let’s get you to your room, doctor.” You chuckle, walking him on his way once more. Working together, you both made short work of it and made it to Doctor McCoy’s private room in good time. “…rest up, sir.”

“Thank you, __________.” He nodded, turning toward his room.

The door was about to close, but placing your hand in the way, it waited, and you met his eyes. “Good night, Doctor. And a happy birthday to your daughter.”

[kinetic-elaboration]

December 29: The Wrath of Khan

Today’s movie watching was Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

My overall impression versus TMP is that this is clearly a smoother and more consistently entertaining film. It has a definite story with very little filler, good pacing, a lot of great little dialogue and character moments, and a strong conflict at its center.

But its sci fi bona fides are much weaker. Like by a lot.

Mom and I are talking a bit about Genesis and the more we talk, the weaker it appears to me. First, it’s not really as believable, imo, as a lot of Star Trek. Maybe it’s because it’s not alien based, but I just have a harder time suspending disbelief to think this is possible. Second, it’s not clear why anyone thought this was a good idea. I mean, as McCoy immediately pointed out, it just seems so CLEARLY dangerous: an object meant to foster creation that could so easily be the worst weapon the universe has ever known--nothing could go awry there! Third, the reason for creating such a device isn’t obvious at all. Carol mentions the “growing population” and “food scarcity” but nothing we’ve ever seen of the Federation implies they’re running out of space. Or, frankly (Tarsus IV aside), food. And fourth, there really isn’t any point to Genesis in all its particulars in this film. Like, obviously, its actual purpose is a plot device to resurrect Spock. Within just this film, it doesn’t do anything. Khan wants it, for some reason I’ve already forgotten even though I just saw the film, and he gets it, but I didn’t even notice that happening, because it was so unimportant. His REAL mission is his single minded revenge fantasy on Kirk. Genesis is just a McGuffin/space filler/plot device for the next film.

And honestly that’s not such a big deal, except that when you compare it to TMP, ,and its central idea of a human made probe that gained so much knowledge, doing what we taught it to do, that it became sentient and then started searching for the meaning of life, and how this relates to the search for meaning experienced by the main alien lead, and how his search, in that film and throughout the series, is a mirror for humans and OUR need for purpose... well it just seems really weak. “We made this really dangerous and unrealistic thing for no reason whoops!”

Mom is now criticizing Kirk for being too slow on the uptake when he first encounters the Reliant, which is fair. That’s pretty OOC of him. The idea that he’s too old for space is both one that I must personally disregard, and one that the film would have you discard, since we’ve already heard from TWO characters, the people who know him best, that his best destiny is as a starship captain, and command is his proper role. And that he might be a little rusty is also not a great explanation imo, because the rust was supposed to have come off in TMP. So, plot hole probably.

We were trying to do some math--TMP is at least 2 years post 5YM and TWOK is at least 10 years post TMP, so at least 8 years post TMP. I can understand more rust growing but like... he was already an Admiral in TMP and the idea that he was out of practice with actual command was a big part of his arc there. So it doesn’t seem warranted to do that again.

Also, the way he was commanding poorly in TMP was very IC: he was pushing too hard, trying too much, caring too much about the mission and not enough about...the laws of physics. That’s very Kirk. Being slow on the uptake, caught with his britches down--that’s not Kirk. Plus, with no one to call him out on it, like Decker did in TMP, his poor command doesn’t seem like a big character obstacle to overcome but just like...sloppiness all around.

I thought Khan was over all... just not that interesting. I guess I’m just not into the obsession/revenge plot. Also...idk man he didn’t seem that super to me. He outsmarted Kirk, like, once, and Kirk outsmarted him like 4 times. He tortured some people--but regular humans can do that. He used those sandworm thingies, which is also something humans could do. Overall, he didn’t seem to have any particularly special skills. The only time he really seemed like a worthy adversary for Kirk was when Kirk wasn’t really being IC himself.

I’m also not into the fridging of his wife. Think how much cooler it would have been if she’d still been alive! The only non-super human in the bunch and she’s still there! Ex-Starfleet and bitter!

The K/S in this film is very soothing. Imo they are clearly together here, and the whole film is better if you assume they’re boyfriends and everyone knows. That Vulcan convo that Spock and Saavik have? Waaaaay funnier if you think she’s talking about his boyfriend (”not what I expected....very human” “Well no one’s perfect”). Every time they call each other ‘friend’ like ““friend”“? All the Looks? The birthday gift?

Also the “I have been and always shall be your [friend]” scene is a wedding I will not be taking criticism on this opinion. Could it have been written more like a vow? I think not. It’s not quite This Simple Feeling but it’s the best this film has in that regard.

I liked Saavik and I do think she’s one of the better later-movie additions (though I only like her, as far as I can remember, when played by Kirstie Alley). She didn’t necessarily strike me as super alien, though, at least not at first... But I appreciated how persistent she was about the stupid test, and her regulation quoting. I enjoyed her. I also liked how she was obviously Spock’s protege, which makes her Kirk’s step-protege, and they had just a little bit of that awkward dynamic going on. (”Did you change your hair?”)

The Bones and Kirk relationship was great in this film. You can really feel their friendship and their history with each other. Bones knows him so well and can be honest with him, just when Kirk needs it most.

I also love how Kirk has the SAME conversation with both Bones and Spock (re: being a captain again) but with Spock it’s sooooo much flirtier. In case you weren’t sure what the difference in these two relationships is.

Bonus: this bit of dialogue: Spock: “Be careful, Jim.” / Bones: “WE will.” Lol Spock people who aren’t your boyfriend do exist.

Obviously, I cried during THAT scene. Honestly AOS should have taken note about how to do emotional scenes like that: they come after the main action is over and the villain is defeated. Then they hit at the right time and to the right degree. Kirk just slumping down after Spock dies....like he’s boneless...like he doesn’t know what to do... I CANNOT.

I feel so bad for him that I’ll even forgive him that awful eulogy. Spock died for Genesis? Uh, no, he died for the Enterprise, and for YOU. Spock is the “most human”? You shut your whoreson mouth

I remember hating both Carol and David but I actually hated them less this time, Carol especially. My mom is being really harsh about her, though, which makes me feel less confident in my assessment. I mean first off, she’s the inventor of Genesis, which is a pretty big strike against her. Second...pretty lame to keep Kirk from David. Although I did some vague math and Kirk would only have been about 21, still in the Academy, when David was born, so you can see how that would work out. Also, she distinctly says “Were we together?” which means they were not--this was a fuck buddy arrangement for sure. More complicated. But it still feels weird to retcon that, like, he’s known THIS WHOLE TIME that he’s a dad and we’re only learning about it now, as an audience.

Anyway I’m getting off track. Carol. What to make of her? Is she unstable? Is she still mad at Kirk? My mom points out that she just decided on her own that David would want to join Starfleet if he knew Kirk was his father--whereas what seems to have happened instead is he didn’t just become a civilian scientist like his mom but became her specific protege--working on a project where everyone was probably handpicked by her? I would assume? Also..he hates Starfleet. Not to put everything on the mom, but how did that happen?

Also...going down the rabbit hole of this and feeling awkward about it... but David KNEW Kirk. As “that guy you hung around with.” That means Kirk was in his life for quite a while, long enough for him to have memories, and long enough for those memories to still be with him even into his 20s. But he was never allowed to know who Kirk was. That means Carol’s rule must have been “You can see your son but you can’t tell him who you are” which in some way seems meaner to me than just “please don’t contact us again.” If he was already on his way into space, that could even make sense--”I know you’re not going to be able to be a family with us, so let’s not pretend, let’s make a clean break now.” But that wasn’t what happened!

Anyway whatever not to be HAICG!Kirk about this or anything lol

David is mostly annoying because he’s so anti-Kirk lol. I found him least annoying when he came around to Kirk at the end. Another big strike against him: he wore his sweater tied over his shoulders in such a Preppy manner. I honestly don’t see what about him is supposed to be reminiscent of Kirk.

David/Saavik was definitely happening lol. I wish I could have heard that conversation. It sounds like she told him a lot!!! Not sure why she attached herself to this particular annoying human so fast but I guess she did.

....I think that might be all. The uniforms and general styling were much better than TMP (though less funny/entertaining), and it was certainly an enjoyable overall yarn. A lot to pick apart and critique but in a fun way. Will probably watch The Search for Spock soon.

[enterprisetrampstamp]

The Martinstown WIP Part 3

Part 1 Part 2

This is Part 3 of what is likely to be a nice, long t’pura fic once I’ve banged it out. It’s a bizarre length and actual amount of plot by my standards, so I’m in want of comments and breaking my usual rules to post sections of it before it’s fully complete. Please, holler at your ambiguously gendered author with any #thoughts you have!

This one goes out in particular to the one lovely anon who cares about this fic as much as I do.

***

Vulcans do not dream. But- on occasion- a lack of focus during their nightly meditation can lead a Vulcan to ruminate so deeply upon past events that they relive them, in a strange and filtered way. "Through the looking glass," a human may describe it.

T'Pring does not know why her mind lingers this night on a day long past--one where the heat of Vulcan's sun beats heavily on her shoulders, and her robes are filled with fruit they have foraged. She is accompanied by Spock. They sit huddled on a rock, deep in the craggy valleys of the desolate mountains, with only I'Chaya as supervision.

They speak of everything and nothing, in the way of children. They become sticky as they eat, and their skin grows hot and flushed with the sallow yellow-green of sunburn, for they have not heeded the words of their mothers.

"No," she insists, as he demonstrates a hand gesture, a tiny furrow of focus between his slanted brows. "That is too close to the regular word."

"We should not wish to forget our symbols," Spock argues, "or we will lose our ability to communicate in secret."

"I will not forget." She peels the skin from her fruit, sniffing. "Are you saying you would?"

He bristles immediately. "I would not."

"Then why would I? I am smarter than you."

"You are not!"

"This argument is illogical."

"You are illogical."

It is her turn to bristle. "I am not!"

"You are always angry. Anger is illogical. Therefore, you are illogical!"

T'Pring remembers how this is meant to go--she should consider her fruit for a long second, the colors red and orange and juicy in her palm. "If you wish to see angry," she should scoff, and then reach over to shove the fruit in his face.

But this time she is older, in her thirties and sitting next to a Spock so small she could easily hold him aloft with one hand. Her fingers are still sticky; she can still feel the heat of her planet's sun against her shoulders--now bare, in the modern style of the rebellious Vulcan woman. A flyaway of hair is caught in the breeze. She stares at the fruit in her palms, feels the roughness of the rocks against her ankles, and something inside of her is screaming. It has been for a very long time now.

"Yes," she says. "I am often angry. I think perhaps that is why our minds were found compatible. You have always struggled to maintain a Vulcan lifestyle, and I have always struggled to accept one. That has not--gotten easier.” She breathes out into the air of a dead planet. “Since this.”

"I do not understand," Spock says.

He is so small. It is illogical to doubt her own memories and more illogical still to question the realities of biological aging processes, and yet still she finds herself questioning how it is possible that either of them were ever so small as he is sitting next to her.

"You would not," she says. "We had not lost this, yet. The innocence of childhood. Our people and our planet. Each other." T'Pring does not look at him in pity, because he does not need it--not as a child, trying to find a place on a world which could not accept him, and not as an adult who has found his place on a starship far away. "There is nothing so illogical as grief, Spock; not even anger, for all that they so often go hand in hand. You have not learned that yet. I regret that one day you must."

"You should not say such things," he tells her, looking worried. In time, he will grow better at hiding these feelings, but she will only grow angrier. "T'Pring, you are being emotional."

"Yes," she says. "But no one is around to know. You do not exist outside of my mind, tiny Spockling." She reaches out to ruffle his hair, and he squawks much the way he had once upon a Vulcan afternoon, with his face covered in fruit.

"I find your behavior illogical and unsatisfactory," he says, all harsh and small. It is adorable. "This will be the first thing I say to you when we complete our private code."

"That is exactly so," she tells him, fond. "Although I think you have secretly always enjoyed seeing another Vulcan behave in this way, no matter how you raise your little eyebrows."

She grows quiet, pensive, and then says quietly, "I miss you, illogically. I was the one who ended this easy camaraderie, fearful that the scrutiny our classmates placed on you for being half-human would reflect back on me to reveal my own struggles. It was the logical move to protect myself, I believed. Now I must wonder if I did not hurt us both instead; we were never on the path to romance, but there was a time when I regarded you as a friend."

There is no one here but yourself, she chides. You need not twist your words to obscure the truth.

"That time continues now," she admits, begrudgingly. "I maintain sentiment towards you, despite our divorce. After all, though it was I who initially suggested our severance, you held nothing but support for my decision despite the future peril in which it places you, should you enter pon farr without our bond to fall back on."

(It had not been her motivation behind the divorce, but she is grateful in a desperate and primitive way that she has been spared from the decision to either kill him by inaction or be forced to cure his fever herself--she is grateful because she knows what she would have chosen, and his agreement to divorce her has denied her conscience the weight of his death.)

"Is this what your meditation seeks to have you acknowledge?" Spock asks in that young voice, but with all the perception of his older self. Or her own, perhaps, since there is no one in her mind but her. "That your path of solitude is a choice you have made on your own?"

T'Pring peels the rest of her fruit, and feels the heat of a sun that she will never again encounter outside of memory. "If that is the case," she says, "I struggle to see the logic in regretting what has already come to pass. My family has perished in the genocide of our people, my friendship with you has long since wilted, and I cannot bear to set foot on our supposed new homeworld. I am alone, but for the humans among whom I live."

"You like these humans," the Spocklet says. He has a handful of freckles along the bridge of his nose. “But you find it difficult to trust them.”

T’Pring does not see a point in answering, even within the meditative construct of a conversation.

The crew of the Martinstown is a self-described family, and that T’Pring finds difficulty with such a concept should be self-evident. They are also of a largely psi null race; to obtain mental intimacy with them would require a deliberate conscious undertaking, and to trust without knowing the inside of another's mind… The very concept is unnerving.

There is a role she plays for her crew, much as there was a role she played for her family on the lost sands Vulcan. Unlike the silence and stoicism of the past, she enjoys the teasing and bluntness of her new persona--but it is a persona nonetheless. 

"You like me," her diminutive companion says, thoughtfully. "Do you trust me?"

She slants a sharp, sideways look at him. "I might," she says begrudgingly. "Though I do not prefer to say so, even within the privacy of my meditation. Must you force me to admit these things?"

"The only one here is you," he reminds her. "You are, as you always are, alone."

"I prefer it that way," she says. "Isn't that what we decided a moment ago?"

"No." Spock stares up at her, his thin arms wrapped about his knobbled knees, and his too-human eyes are small, and dark, and troubled. "We decided that it is what you have chosen; not that it is what you prefer."

T'Pring's heartbeat is quick and loud in her ears. "I see," she says. "I shall need to meditate on this properly at a later date. And there is no logic in telling you goodbye, as you do not exist."

"Very well," he agrees.

She opens her eyes.

The smoky haze of incense fills the air of her quarters- barely large enough for her to stretch her arms to either side and not brush the wall with both fingertips- and her ankles chafe not on Vulcanic rock but on the fibrous fabric of her meditative mat. That this particular hour is classified as “morning” is, of course, arbitrary, but she can smell coffee percolating and hear the distant sounds of movement as the Martinstown’s other habitants likewise stir.

Upon waking after a poker game, the crew is often quiet by their usual standards; Cristobal and Elina will sit in the kitchen among the detritus of the festivities, sharing their dark, bitter coffee as they skim their PADDs for the news, and Pinga and the Captain (whose camaraderie stretches back the longest) can often be found sharing a peaceful silence- and occasionally a stiff drink- on the ship's modest bridge.

(No matter the circumstances, the Leiman siblings independently and uniquely refuse to arise before the theoretical sun. "Artists," Pinga says, as if this word explains everything.)

T’Pring rises from her meditation, first dousing the last smouldering heat of her incense before bending loosely at the waist to roll the mat into a neat cylinder and tuck it beneath the austere desk which takes up nearly a third of the room.

(She uses the surface and the wall behind it to meticulously track not only the Martinstown crew's path through the stars, but also their adventures within them. T'Pring had been hired on, originally, as a record keeper; it has proven a difficult habit to break, even now that her position aboard this ship has little to do with a need for employment.)

T'Pring moves about her routine without haste, but neither does she linger in reflection as she brushes her teeth and hair and sheds the simple robe- of a silken, Terran style- which she had chosen for her meditation.

The revelations of the hallucinatory Spock-child are undoubtedly worth considering--but at a later date, in the darkness and stillness of her quarters, among the smoky haze of the alien scents she has adopted as a meditative focus. (Not only have many Vulcanic spices been lost among the rubble of her planet, but those that remain are difficult to obtain this far away from major Federation outposts.)

She thinks of other things, instead, such as how the braid of her hair is not entirely unlike the elaborate hairstyles of her youth--though less cumbersome, not being piled high atop her head. It is left hanging loosely down between her shoulder blades, tracing the straight slope of her spine.

So too does her manner of dress evoke a reminder of Vulcan without mimicking it; there is the freedom of movement of a traditional robe, combined with the metallic sheen of formal dress. T'Pring typically clothes herself in a simple, lightweight, sleeveless jumpsuit which cinches at her ankles but flows loose about her legs, as well as a stiff, tight vest in a heavy fabric which cuts a sharp line at her shoulders and reaches high up her throat. Both are a deep purple in color- matching her gloves- though the vest is slightly darker and shimmers with the play of light across its surface.

T'Pring has found this combination of garments to be comfortable, casual, and in keeping with the common fashion trends across the galaxy, thereby rendering it inconspicuous.

For economy of space aboard their small ship, the crew have few items of clothing and opt instead to clean them frequently; their choices in attire must therefore be well-suited to a variety of tasks. The combination of sleevelessness and drapery allows her a wide range of motion, while the stiff vest provides additional protection to her torso--a flawlessly logical combination, given the life she leads.

Flawlessly logical. She would roll her eyes if she were human. As if logic is something more than a tool--as if it is the beginning and end of the argument, when incomplete or incorrect data can result in a perfectly logical decision which is nonetheless wrong.

Such scandalous thoughts. T'Pring wishes she could blame the humans for them.

[per-ineptia-ad-astra]

starhearth: episode seven

Third Month of Spring, Days 3-4

The early morning calm of the next day is rather abruptly shattered by the arrival of, of all things, an angry feral bear.

[ID: A screenshot of a notification box reading “Feral Bear Approaching!”]

OH SHIT FERAL BEAR GET IN THE CAR

I don’t know why this particular godless killing machine has formed a grievance against us, but apparently it has, so the warrior squad charges forward to defend the settlement.

[ID: A large brown bear standing next to the crop fields as Chekov, Kirk, and Leslie charge toward it, each carrying a wooden shield and sword. The information box reads, “Brown Bear—It seems quite angry...and big! Attacking Pavel Chekov.”]

Surprisingly, despite the rather poor odds one would usually give three guys with wooden swords and one guy with a book versus one large, angry bear, the squad manages to take out the bear pretty handily. There’s some health lost all around, but not so much that McCoy can’t take care of it. For their trouble we get a couple cuts of prime bear meat, plus Kirk levels up.

[ID: Kirk, Leslie, and Chekov walking away from several animal pelts, bones and pieces of meat left where the bear died, while McCoy stands in the middle surrounded with gold sparkles as he casts healing spells. Each of them has a heart representing their health floating above them, with a quarter or third of the heart missing. A notification box in the upper right reads, “James Kirk, Log-Splinter has achieved Footman Level 2!”]

oh yeah I forgot he still had that title

With that excitement out of the way, the crew goes to eat breakfast, while McCoy chases them down with a hyprospray healing spells.

There are still a couple more promotions to hand out. For one, it’s time for Spock to assume his true calling: fashion.

[ID: Spock, now wearing blue tunic and square blue hat, walking away past the berry bushes while Kirk and Leslie patrol behind him. The message box on the side of the screen reads, “Spock has been Promoted!--Spock is now a Level 1 Weaver!--Standard Catalog: The Weaver can now make basic hangings and décor.”]

Spock’s looking glum this morning, and his new job doesn’t seem to have raised his spirits any. It’s probably Sarek’s fault somehow.

Speaking of Sarek, he’s going to get a new job too: Mason. Masons are a crafting class that make items out of stone; they can make a lot of the same sorts of things as carpenters, so we haven’t badly needed one so far, but we need one now to make the promotion item that will allow Rand to become a chef. Why give the job to Sarek? Because he’s...um...he’s...look, I don’t really have a reason at this point. We just needed a Mason so he’s gonna do it. Maybe it’ll be a good experience for him. Build character, and all that.

Spock and Sarek both work on making their crafting stations. Meanwhile, a bitter disappointment occurs: someone eats the basket of cherries before Chapel can level up enough to use them. The worst thing is, who eats the cherries? Chapel herself. CHRIS. CHRIS HOW COULD YOU.

Well, so much for the cherry bushes.

Once they’re finished, I put Spock and Sarek’s crafting stations on either side of the room, so they don’t have to work next to each other. Spock starts spinning some thread, while Sarek makes some stone lanterns to light up the place a little; it’s kind of gloomy in the tavern at the moment.

Two more goblins attempt a raid on the camp. As usual, one of them makes a run for the stockpile while the other one is keeping the squad busy, but they both go down in the end. You know, if the goblins just asked, I’d be perfectly happy to negotiate a mutually beneficial trade agreement with them, but no. There’s no option to do so, so all we can do is keep whacking ‘em.

After harvesting another load of carrots and turnips, Rand makes it to level two. She’s now able to promote to a Chef—we just need Sarek to get another level so he’ll be able to make the promotion item.

Now that the tavern is completed, it’s time to start work on making some actual houses for people to live in, since while the current sleeping arrangements are better than what they were, no one’s all that thrilled with them. First, though, we’ll need some wood. The orchard out back hasn’t quite grown up enough yet, so Chapel goes up to cut down some trees from the nearby cliffs, with the squad accompanying her in case any wild animals decide to attack. This does result in a bit of a delay, as Chapel decides to stand around and chat with Kirk for a while before getting to the job.

[ID: Chapel, standing among some blocks of wood in front of a few trees, talking to Kirk. Chapel has a dialogue bubble with an ellipsis in it floating above her, while Kirk has a thought bubble containing a crossed knife and fork.]

While that’s going on, we get a surprise visitor. It’s Mer Burlyhands, our liaison back at the capital who’s been sending us letters by bird. He’s come by in person to see how things are getting on, and seems impressed...for some reason.

[ID: A message box titled Not a Bird This Time, with an image of a hearthling with pale skin and brown hair and beard above the upper right corner of the box. The inside of the box reads, “Kind greetings! At last, I can see your Settlement in person. You’ve developed even faster than I anticipated, you should all be proud!” Below this are the options “Thank you!” and “[skip] We know what Hearth we want.”]

It seems that Mer has come with a decision for us to make:

“I came out personally to help you on your last step towards being a true Settlement of the Ascendency! You’ve grown large enough now that it’s time to choose what Hearth shall represent your town, as is tradition.”

Tradition? “Indeed, Hearths have served as shining beacons for Towns all the way back to the Phoenix Empire. Their glow attracts settlers and prosperity, and the particular qualities of a chosen Hearth reflect where a town finds its value.”

Value? “For instance, a Hearth of Cheer is for those who believe that a town’s value is found in being a happy home for its citizens.”

Sounds quaint. “A Hearth of Makers, on the other hand, is for those who believe that a town’s value is in its work, and that its work is best measured in gold.”

Sounds productive. “Finally, a Hearth of Glory is for those who believe their destiny is to stand strong in a hostile world, as the Knight Cid did at the founding of the Ascendency.”

Sounds heroic. “Cheer, Glory, or Makers—the choice is entirely yours. Envision what your Town will one day be, and follow that beacon into the future!”

So, basically, whatever Hearth we choose will give us a permanent beneficial effect of some sort. I’m going with the Hearth of Cheer, since our other choices are bloodlust and capitalism. The Hearth of Cheer boosts our daily net worth depending on how happy the villagers are, and gives a random buff to all the villagers ever day. We don’t get it automatically after choosing it, though. First you have to fulfill some requirements; for the Hearth of Cheer, this means that all the villagers have to have a mood of at least Content, at least five of them have to have a mood of Merry, and we have to have twenty items of prepared food. Once we actually get a Chef making the food will be no problem, but meeting a requirement of having everyone be in a good mood might take quite a long time with McCoy around.

So for now, getting the Hearth of Cheer will just have to sit in the quest log for a while. In the meantime, there’s work to be done. Sulu has also leveled up, which gives him the ability to plant silkweed, a plant that can be harvested for fibers. We’ll need that if Spock is going to be able to actually make anything, so Sulu and Rand start planting that in the turnip field. (We’ve got enough turnips for the moment.)

With enough trees felled to supply the stockpile with the wood we’ll need for the first house, the ladder up the cliffs is taken down and the squad returns to their regular patrol. Not a moment too soon, either—there’s yet another goblin attack. On the plus side, this gives Leslie enough experience to reach level two.

As the day ends, work begins on laying the foundation for the first house.

[ID: The partially completed floor of a house laid up against a corner of the cliffs, with part of the floor transparent to show that it hasn’t been placed yet. Sarek is walking across the finished section, holding a block of wood.]

[actionfigurebullshit]

MORE projects I’ll never finish!

I kind of wish I had found it in myself to do that DS9 stuff. I was all ready to go, all I had to do was set up the camera and start taking pictures.

Oh, well. There will be other chances to do it, hopefully with more tolerable weather. To that end, I should probably wait until October... another film bonanza?

This hasn’t stopped me from collecting more action figures.

As stated on STID, I got a lot (”lot” as it collection, not a short world for large) of 14 Star Trek action figures. Of the 14, 8 were Star Trek Voyager- the original main cast minus Torres. I wrote about these on STID because there is the potential to do the Better Than Voyager stuff that’s been dreamed about for almost a decade now.

Of the other six, there’s Saavik, Nurse Chapel (regular), Rom (with Nog accessory!), Jake Sisko, Tasha Yar (original), and Yeoman Rand.

WHAT A FIND! Was there a catch? It was an estate sale, apparently... and they were coated in a strange film which I suspect was talc that mixed with the oils in the plastic. It seems harmless enough- it may have preserved the joints to some degree, and it’s easy to remove if you can get something to wipe it off. Some of the action figures have details that’s hard to get into, but we’ll see about that when I go after it with a Q-Tip. A little powdering isn’t such a bad idea, as that could keep from making the action figures too reflective, especially if I try out some green screen effects.

Today, I got seven more action figures.

The first is a Seska action figure... she looks nothing like Seska, but I like that. I like that she’s generic looking and she’ll work out just fine for that one script. I’ll need a few supernumeraries back there tooling around here and there in the background. Perfect.

The other six come from this “command” like- Sisko and Kira action figures, Picard and Riker in dress uniforms, and Kirk and Spock in dress uniforms. I wanted a Kira action figure, so that’s cool that I have it even if there’s no plan to use it for filming. This action figure is... weird. Her head seems so tiny, and she’s shorter than the others. Curiously, the smaller head might actually make her proportions more accurate to real life compared to the others. Still... it’s kinda funny, but at least they put a lot of nice detail into it!

I don’t have much use for Kirk and Spock right now, either, but if I continue to do TOS stuff, these will come in handy.

I have some bold plans for Sisko, Riker, and Picard. I want to make a new action figure out of some of these. I wrote about this a little bit. They already have a dress uniform Sisko, but I think I can make one out of these parts. Sisko gets Picard’s body, and Picard becomes OTHER TEMPORAL SPHERE PICARD. It will be unique- it won’t be Picard’s head on Bashir’s body with command colors. It will be Sisko’s instead, and he will have the rank of commander, better fitting the line on the back of the “Picard in a DS9 uniform” regarding him being unsuitable for starship command.

I may do something about the arms, if possible. The TNG ones have Geordi’s weird arms, and the arms show up on a lot of the action figures- they stick way out because of the shoulder piece. I thought...

Oh...

I got to step back a little bit.

Why do I want a dress uniform Sisko? I was thinking about one day redoing the “TV Room” scene from Action Figure Bullshit, with the biggest difference being that the scenes from “Move Along Home” are replaced with action figure bullshit. I got a Jake! Soon, I’ll have Sisko in a dress uniform. Harry Mudd can be tweaked to become Falow, and since Quark appears for a split second, I might as well use the Rom action figure... Niners will notice, but maybe it can be fudged a little since he’s there for just a second, if at all.

Back to Picard. He can also be modified a little further to become a Voyager officer, although his uniform might look a little funny. Season 1 and 2 DS9 uniforms are not the same as the Voyager ones, and this especially so with the action figures. Still... another gold shirt in the background will go a long ways. Or, I could leave Sisko alone for now, color his hair gray, and he can be that one guy who is always in the background in the mess hall in a blue uniform.

There are so many possibilities!

More are on the way. I got a second Kirk in a space suit. I hope I find the helmet to the first- it’s been missing for a while, probably in a box somewhere (I hope!). Having two would make things a lot easier for some ideas I’ve had for a long time, like having a whole bunch of them running around. I could put Spock’s head on it, or put someone else’s head in it.

Then there’s AGT Data. I might use his body with Tuvok’s head for the one scene where Tuvok is wearing “casual attire”. During Vorik’s one scene, a Romulan could borrow his body. I need to cut this entry short, but you get the idea, there’s a lot of possibility here!

[thelovers-thedreamers-and-me]

fuck squad update- now with more mischief

last night’s session, the fuck squad began investigating the disappearances in chillwater. 

but first, more shopping!

rhonia returned to feral jake to purchase the throwing axe of empathy, because she did like using it on saida that one time. 

they bargain- he wanted 100 gold for it, she offered 50 because apparently saida hadn’t learned empathy. then she offered 80 if she could hit him with it to prove it didn’t work.

she missed.

twice.

“well sorry, i never bothered to stat out feral jake! i never figured you would try to kill him!”

then she offered to let feral jake hit her with it

he missed.

twice. 

eventually she stood still and he managed to use it as a regular axe and she bought it, thank god, our long national nightmare was over

i do feel the need to mention that i spent the hour or two before the session working on character voices so for some reason, instead of feral jake’s voice, i ended up doing something that sounded like an old-timey radio announcer. all the jokes about him bring a fantasy morning DJ are lost if you can’t hear me speaking but know that the “it’s me, wild steve in the morning!” bit was fantastic

harde and narder meet the fuck squad at the stick and stones

i’m sorry i gotta stop and look at that sentence fragment and wonder what i’ve done with my life

anyway harde and narder meet the fuck squad at the stick and stones and give them some enchanted notebooks that the fuck squad can write in to send messages to anyone else with a notebook.

harde: “don’t draw dicks in them.” saida: “i was gonna write eat a dick to yoni.”

“oh my god we should steal a dog when we get to chillwater.” 

that was out of nowhere

what the fuck saida

they spent the ride to chillwater singing circus music nonstop for like two days straight

reaper, who was invited along, tries to be friends with maddala but “maddala isn’t sure she can have friendships with people without hitting on them.” saida: “you haven’t hit on me...... oh.”

they arrive in chillwater, and saida immediately starts mocking the poor

“there’s a carved granite sign and written on it in gold is-” “IS IT REAL GOLD”

(yoni rolled a half-decent appraise check, and it looks like it)

me: “what are you guys saying back there? you have to tell me, i’m god.” yoni: “if you were really god, you’d already know what we were saying. debunked. hashtag atheist.” rhonia: “... says the cleric”

they meet llydor philkirk, whose name they originally misspelled as fillkirk- “you know, like what spock does!”- and after i clarified they decided he was doctor phil, so they spent a bit too much time looking up doctor phil quotes (i did not do the voice after one sad attempt)

“that dog won’t hunt, he’s too busy peeing on moving cars”

saida: “so we steal a dog, get a chicken, pluck the chicken, glue the feathers to the dog, and then cook the chicken.” me: ........... whyyyyyyyyy

they finally get around to talking about the case for a little bit

saida: “is this about the period jokes or what i said about the carpet?” me: “what?” saida: “that was also a period joke”

“maddala is actually her last name. her first name is ‘bitch it’s’“

after a bit of discussion with llydor about the actual case or whatever, they get escorted to their rooms by a bellhop named sprit. she’s a gnome with a casual disdain for authority, so yoni immediately begins macking on her. 

they begin their investigation by staying in their rooms for a bit and ordering creme brulee from room service and, in sergei’s case, fucking reaper. yoni, maddela, and saida crack open a few bottles of wine, and proceed to get drunk before going to their first interview.

saida fills a garbage can with water and props it up against rhonia’s door so when rhonia opens the door it spills all over. real mature scradley.

rhonia: “someone made a big puddle in my room” llydor: “oh, is that an orc thing?”

llydor takes them to a private booth at the resort restaurant to interview the suspects they have

sergei: “i’m STARVING. all i’ve had to eat today is ASS. oh sorry that was meant to be quieter.”

the first suspect they interview is krash, who is an orc chieftan who was here to discuss some matters with scrom, one of the victims. he reveals that he can’t have done the murders because he was out of town for the first one, and that llydor in particular tends to be kind of prejudiced against orcs. 

“i roll sense motive on everything he’s said.”

“the second suspect that’s brought in is an older elf, with a few red streaks left in his graying hair-” saida: “IS HE A DILF”

turns out he is dilfy enough for her, because it turns out that this is tarand, who is one of saida’s ex-lovers back when she used to have a criminal empire. he still has his criminal empire, and he met with laurelia briefly the day before she died.

sergei: “i roll sense motive to see if they boned. i rolled a natural 20!”

tarand is not as helpful as he could be. 

“i was out of town for the first two murders, so i clearly couldn’t have-” rhonia: “are you a wizard?”

rhonia: “i only rolled a 9 to intimidate, so that’s a........ 21.” 

i love pathfinder

“don’t stick your dick in the bag of trading”

after they’re done interrogating tarand, they get dressed up in their clubbing outfits, take sprit and go down to a local pub, the hidden serpent, which is the last place the first victim, julius messeish III, was seen. 

“i’m pretty sure taking a bellhop on a roller coaster is not integral to the investigation”

the bartender at the hidden serpent reveals that she was going to kick julius out of there because he was bragging about a prank that got a maid named cheeda (not chester cheeda you fucks) fired

yoni, completely unprompted: “i rolled a natural 20″ me: “for what?” yoni: “to have a good time!”

rhonia rolled a 3 to have a good time so she got tired and went home

[talking about tarand and how saida still wants a piece of that] maddela: “he sounds like a douche” me: “well you know what they say, douches make a pussy wet”

sergei: “bring the bucket of water, dump it on him, and say ‘now you’re as wet as i am!”

sergei goes home and fucks reaper

maddela goes home with a gift shop employee named justice

saida goes home to talk to tarand. she forgets that she is still wearing her sexy clothes and embarrasses herself in front of him and his two sexual partners, and goes home to brood

late at night, after sprit falls asleep, yoni sneaks up to tarand’s room and props up a maintenance-sized bin of water against his door in a similar prank to the one saida pulled on rhonia earlier in the session

so that’s gonna be fun when they have to deal with it

[kinetic-elaboration]

January 27: 2x04 Mirror Mirror

Had some technical difficulties but finally managed to watch Mirror Mirror. (Now I’m very tired.)

I see these aliens are more intense pacifists than Spock.

When Kirk says “But we won’t [force you], consider that,” right over his shoulder and into camera, it looks like he’s posing for a commercial.

Ah ha, the Classic Transporter Accident. (Aka how that became a classic trope lol.)

I love that they zero in on Spock’s beard first thing, like that’s the weirdest part of this universe.

Oh no, the agonizer!

So my big question is: do all the ISS Captains wear that gold vest or is it a Kirk thing? I just find it very funny that the men in the mirrorverse wear about the same amount of clothing as in the regular universe, and the ladies wear a lot less...and then there’s Kirk, conspicuously showing off his arms. Vests are NOT regulation!

When does he get a chance to record his log? And wouldn’t it be... recorded in the mirrorverse?

Kirk’s salute is hilarious. Uh, yeah, salute and wave, I guess??

He’s really focused on Spock. “Another ship. Another Spock.”

Kirk’s patented reassuring upper arm grab.

Uhura on the bridge! You can’t tell she’s nervous because she’s brave and strong.

This episode, and to a lesser extent The Naked Time, are why I think Sulu has a thing for her. I know it’s a different universe, but I still think it’s true.

Kirk’s salute is getting better. More confident.

He just doesn’t know how to be evil. He’s too good, too pure.

Hmmm, Security Chief Sulu? He really does have a lot of interests.

I wonder what Vulcan is like in this universe. They are still clearly post-Reform. But more ruthless. Scarier. Probably meat eaters.

Damn little Chekov. Just waiting for his chance to mutiny.

Security Chief, like the Gestapo. Did not know that was what the reference was supposed to be.

Hmm, male computer voice. This MUST be an evil universe.

“I’m a doctor, not an engineer.”

Evil Kirk strikes again! Honestly, this scene of the ISS crew on the regular Enterprise might be my favorite in the whole ep. Yet again obsessed with Spock’s facial hair. And Spock is obviously just loving it. “I find it extremely interesting.”

I think Kirk and Spock BOTH know what would buy Spock.

“I should regret your death.” I mean that’s basically a love confession. I love how they depict the K and S relationship in the mirrorverse. The subtle ways in which they’re still a team.

Spock would absolutely have killed Chekov for trying to kill Kirk.

I find evil!Spock the most convincing of all of this universe. I think he simultaneously feels true to the original character, and is also obviously of this universe, and that’s a pretty impressive feat.

“Terror must be maintained or the Empire is doomed.” Print that on a t-shirt.

“Conquest is easy. Control is not.” A lot of the mirror verse is over the top cartoony villainy but this is a very good point, and this scene in general is super interesting and subtle.

Kirk is so tunred on by that conversation with Spock. Like even in these circumstances, he still looks at Spock like he’s in love.

Hmmm, I like Marlena.

Of course evil!Kirk has an on-ship girlfriend, which good!Kirk would never do.

Evil!Spock is still very loyal, so much for all that “I would be a formidable enemy” stuff lol. “You’ll never find another man like him.” Too true.

Of course there’s some plundered alien tech plot device. I actually think that’s an interesting twist in a way... of course the ISS wouldn’t care about stealing, and so some...interesting artifacts might find their way onto starships.

Spock is upset he wasn’t included in this landing party meeting.

Hmmm, Sulu already wants to be Captain.

WHAT? SPOCK HAS OPERATIVES? VULCAN OPERATIVES? WHO ARE THEY? I MUST KNOW MORE. (Is one of them T’Pring?)

Marlena’s Starfleet uniform was hotter than this...paisley nightgown thing.

She’s so dramatic. Kirk is busy one time and she’s like well! I guess we’re over! Transfer me to another ship!

Another Captain Kirk arm grab moment.

I love how literally no one was surprised by that Uhura and Sulu moment on the bridge. “I’ve changed my mind again whoops.”

I can’t believe getting kicked once and then knocked on the head would almost kill Spock lol--seems like probably he might just have a concussion?--but I do like the concept of McCoy risking being left behind to help him. (And Kirk signing off on it because duh.) McCoy is just so good hearted.

Captain Sulu strikes again. Everyone has their own agenda lol. So many obstacles when everyone’s just out for himself.

Haha well that solved that. Zap zap zap and they’re gone.

As suspected, Spock recovered pretty fast. And he goes straight for the mind meld, obviously. That does seem pretty evil of him.

And another obstacle lol. I like that Kirk says Marlena can’t come with them because they can only bring 4 people because of the Calculations, even though... like surely he should already be able to guess there’s another Marlena in his universe and she can’t exactly replace a person who already exists? That would be bad.

Damn Uhura, saving the day again and looking damn fine doing it.

“I must have my Captain back.” Not even subtle about it. He MUST.

The Empire is illogical because it cannot endure.

Is Kirk literally asking this Spock to overthrow his other self and become Captain?

Also...is Marlena going to attach herself to the new Captain?? What does she think of all this?

This is probably one of the best end-of-episode bridge banter scenes in the series. “If I read my Spocks correctly.” Spock is a bit of a pirate. (I think Sarek would agree.) Spock loving the evil humans. Being jealous of Marlena. Kirk probably wondering how Mirror!Kirk and his Spock got along.

I think this is a really great episode, obviously, and I liked all of the intrigue. I thought the double, triple, quadruple crossing was really well plotted. Marlena is one of the better Love Interests and I thought she was really compelling. I LOVED Mirror Spock, and the general characterization of and subtleties to both Spocks. Mirror Sulu was interesting (what does he say about real Sulu I wonder?) and of course we got great Uhura moments and a good Bones moment too. I thought Kirk was interesting in this ep also, not quite confronting his evil side like in The Enemy Within, but...well I do think that was a part of him, the inferred characterization of mirror!Kirk, ambitious, single-minded--”inflexible, disciplined once you’ve made up your mind”--isn’t so outrageous or hard to understand.

I think the weakness of the ep is in the Mirror verse itself. It’s always struck me as a bit too cartoon-villain-y, painted in too broad strokes. Everyone wants to use violence to gain power. If deaths are so common, how has anyone survived this long lol? They allude to this sometimes--Spock not wanting command because it makes him a target, Kirk telling Spock the Empire is wasteful and ultimately unsustainable and thus illogical--but that just invites scrutiny under which the premise doesn’t hold. Imo, an organization like the Empire could never have lasted as long as or become as powerful as the Federation. As Kirk says, control is harder than conquest. I’m not even sure that all of the planets of the Federation could have come together in an Empire, and any allegiance would be very unstable. In other words, I don’t think “the Federation but make it evil” is even a sustainable premise.

Also, while people surely do crave power for the sake of power, I... tend to need a little more in my villainous characterization. Like, when I see that kind of villain, I always think of Price in Mr. Robot: “Every room I’m in, I ask myself ‘am I the most powerful person here?’ and I don’t stop until the answer is always yes.” That really is the core of him--and yet he’s still a subtle villain. That’s kind of the standard for me, I think. To put it another way, maybe the core of all villainy is just lust for power (and/or money) and maybe the best way to get power is brute strength, but the manifestations of evil are usually more subtle: some people who just want power, some people who have more narrow goals and can’t see the whole, many people who have been manipulated, and then just human ills like laziness, ineptitude, selfishness, short-sightedness. Only the most blunt of those traits and instruments really made it into the Mirror verse.

I would have liked to see the mirrorverse be more like... the mob.

...But it is only a 50 minute episode lmao.

Anyway, I find it very interesting that mirror!Spock has Vulcan operatives. His personal security guard is Vulcan, and taking these facts together, I think it’s safe to say that there are more Vulcan officers and enlisted on the ISS Enterprise than USS Enterprise. I’m not sure what to do with that but I find it very interesting. Is he more powerful on Vulcan? Is he more attuned to his Vulcan side? Are Vulcans more impressed with or deferential to him?

Anyway I am exhausted rn and I still have two more days this week so... off to bed. Next week’s ep is The Classic, The Apple.

[per-ineptia-ad-astra]

eregyrn-falls

SO. MANY. QUESTIONS.

eregyrn-falls

So like -- not in any particular order -- why... medieval Japanese?  Is that ever explained? Did Yamoto just think it was cool?

It is not ever explained, no. Yamoto seems to be Japanese himself and judging by the way he dresses he’s just..super into the theme, I guess? I got nuthin. 

eregyrn-falls

What in fact does the title of the story actually mean?  Also, unrelated, but... why is Sulu's shirt colored green (sometimes very green), rather than it just being the same color as Kirk's? (I also like how there's no clear reason for Chapel to have come along, although I suppose she was subbing for Bones.  And there's REALLY no reason for Sulu to have come along except... Japanese.)

I assume the title relates to how the planet seemed “perfect” at first; also Yamoto at one point describes the whole thing as “my life’s greatest dream...a dream that is now a reality!” so probably “the perfect dream” is the planet, I guess, it’s a little vague.

Re: Chapel, yeah, there’s no stated reason for her coming down instead of Bones (although she disappears from the story completely as soon as they get to the city and never shows up again so I guess it doesn’t really matter that much). There’s actually another story in the same book that has the same thing with Chapel sent down as the medical officer. Of course Chapel is great, but it’s not really something that happens in the show so it seems odd. 

I get the impression the writers of these comics didn’t really know what to do with Bones. I mean, that’s kind of true of all the characters, but most of the time he either isn’t there, whatever he’s doing is incredibly generic, or he’s just very out of character. (Although he doesn’t get it as bad as Scotty. I don’t know where their idea of Scotty came from.) Weirdly, they sometimes write Spock as acting rather like McCoy, to the point that I almost get the impression they were a bit confused as to which brown-haired male blueshirt was which, or maybe just thought they were interchangeable. So maybe they just preferred using Chapel. 

Uhura also frequently gets sent down with the landing parties in these comics, which is a bit weird--I mean I love Uhura, but she doesn’t typically go down with the landing parties because...that’s...not her job? Being communications officer is a lot easier if you’re sitting right next to all the communications equipment.

And no there’s really no particular reason for Sulu to be there, but Sulu did come on some random landing parties on the show so that’s not as out of place. Sulu does have a tendency to wind up filling a lot of odd roles that need a named character but don’t quite fit anyone else. But yeah, he is clearly in this story because he’s Japanese. (I feel so bad for George Takei, he really didn’t want Sulu to just have ‘Japanese’ as a character trait and so many of the series and EU writers did it anyway.) 

Re: Sulu’s shirt, that’s an interesting one.

You can’t tell just from this story, but it’s actually not just Sulu; all the command officers in these comics, except Kirk, have those green shirts. It’s consistent enough not to be a one-off error, and since they show up in the same panels as Kirk when he’s in gold it’s clearly not just some coloring error that made yellow look green.

The thing is, though, that--weird as this may seem--the command officers in the show were originally supposed to be wearing green, and, in fact, are wearing green. But the green fabric used for those shirts showed up on film as yellow. You ever wonder why Kirk’s dress shirt and alternate wrap-around shirt are green when his regular shirt is gold? Those shirts are actually all the same color--it’s just that the other two were made of a different fabric that showed up more accurately on film. 

(mind-blowing, I know; that’s all from this article, by the way)

Since the uniforms did show up as gold, though, the show ran with it--note that the TNG-era uniforms and onward are clearly yellow. So, canonically, those shirts are gold. However, the entire run of these comics ended almost ten years before TNG began, and ended the same year that TMP came out, which of course went with different and terrible uniforms anyway. So...I don’t know exactly when the decision was made to go “okay we meant those shirts to be green but everyone thinks they’re gold so we’re going to act like we always meant it that way” or who made that decision, but I doubt it had been made at the time these comics were put out.

So all of that gives me the impression (backed up by nothing substantial whatsoever) is that the reason the goldshirts are green in the comics is because of some misunderstanding about this costume detail. Generally these comics seem as though they were written by people who had been told about the show rather than actually watching it, so maybe they were going off of some official information that described the command shirts as green, or, hell, maybe they were told to make them green because Roddenberry, or William Ware Theiss, or whoever, hadn’t given up on the idea of green command shirts yet. 

Of course, that doesn’t explain why Kirk is still in gold. Unless I’m slightly colorblind, Kirk’s shirt in the show is no different from the other command shirts so if the other ones were green his should have been green as well. If anything, Kirk should have been in green and the rest of them in gold since he was the only one who wore anything that looked green in the show. Maybe they wanted to somehow distinguish Kirk from everyone else? (Lord knows the art style wasn’t helping them much on that one.) 

Anyway, that’s just pretty much all a long way of saying it’s weird and I don’t know. 

eregyrn-falls

Why... lions, mountain or otherwise, since Japan is really not famous for them?  (Why not tigers, if we're doing an Asian theme?)

They’re never described in the dialogue as lions, only ‘carnivores’ so it’s possible the writer didn’t especially mean for them to look like lions or anything else. So there might be no greater significance to it than ‘the artist liked drawing mountain lions’. 

If there was some intentional significance there, then I have no idea what it is.