#her daughter also looks a bit like Pel

[askmerriauthor]

@techmomma

It's a weird moment when I'm playing this new game and run into TB twice over.

[sshbpodcast]

Top 3 Star Trek Deep Space Nine characters

By Ames

A Star to Steer Her By is continuing our trend of spotlighting minor and one-off characters from all the series. We did it with The Original Series. We did it with The Next Generation. And after having a lot of nostalgic vibes from this week’s podcast episode, we’re ready to give some glory to our favorite characters from Deep Space Nine!

There are just a TON of great characters throughout a series known for its amazing character work, and we did a pretty good job limiting ourselves to those who we didn’t see that much of since so many folks become familiar faces over the course of the show. So spin the wheel with us as you see all our picks below and listen to our very difficult decisions over on the podcast (discussion starts at 1:03:03). These characters will have you yelling “Dabo!”

[images © CBS/Paramount] 

Jake – Honorable fights

Aamin Marritza

Tekeny Ghemor

Grilka

Walk a mile in the shoes of any of Jake’s picks and you’ll be exhausted by the hardships you have to endure just to do the right thing. From a pair of Cardassian men whom we’ve discussed in our Cardassians blogpost, one who is trying to atone for the wrongs committed by an entire people and one who is secretly leading a dissident movement on Cardassia, we move on to one of our favorite Klingon lasses who just wants to bring honor to her house in defiance of some of the more sexist laws on Q’onos. Qapla’!

—

Ames – Voices of a generation

Tosk

Pel

Lisa Cusak

I am Tosk! The three one-off characters that I’m highlighting all make us not only look differently at how we treat people, but also in how we tell our stories. Let’s start with the first species we meet from the Gamma Quadrant who relates the complicated history of his hunted people with simplicity and humility. Next is the first female Ferengi in Star Trek, who starts us on a journey of change on Ferenginar that becomes a theme throughout the series. And finally, here’s a character who is downright fascinating despite the fact we never even see her on screen, but the sound of her voice is all we really need.

—

Caitlin – Found family

Lwaxana Troi

Liam Bilby and Chester

Tekeny Ghemor

Caitlin’s choices for DS9 characters are all complicated parental figures in their own ways, but like good mothers and fathers, they care for their flock and lead by example. We see a repeat from one of Caitlin’s faves from TNG, who has returned to show Odo a new side of herself. We also have a new sorta father figure for O’Brien when he temporarily infiltrates the Orion Syndicate just to have his heart broken a bit, and also Kira’s Cardassian sorta dad who treats her as he would his own daughter… who happens to have her face.

—

Chris – One day more to revolution

Michael Eddington

Aamin Marritza

Leck the Eliminator

“Do you hear the people sing? Singing the song of angry men?” Okay, that’s enough Les Misérables quoting for this post. Chris’s picks are all ready to fight for their beliefs, whether they be as leaders within the Maquis, resisting that Federation-Cardassian treaty that boned so many people; as a martyr making a statement about how his people need to be brought to justice for their cruel occupation of Bajor; or just as a normal guy who really loves killing for whatever reason you throw at him!

— We’re going to keep chilling here on the promenade, having a jumja stick, maybe dangling our legs over the second floor landing. There’s more in store for our Deep Space Nine friends next week when we’ll try to thwart our favorite villains of the series. So definitely keep your eyes here for that, keep up with all of our coverage over on SoundCloud or wherever you listen to podcasts, and hop in a roundabout to join us on Facebook and Twitter. There will be no running on the promenade!

[ncthingstars]

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ pel + show yourself

last night i reblogged this gifset because for the last 48+ hours i’ve been having one long breakdown over how gender ‘show yourself’ from frozen is and how it’s literally just. pel. it’s about pel. it might as well have been written for pel. 

and obviously the context is different but ggrgrgrrhr im goin insane over this so anyway below the cut is a breakdown of all the lyrics and how i see them relating to pel and their story. do not feel pressured to read this but like. you’re welcome to if u want, of course. and then listen to the song and cry with me. 

Every inch of me is trembling But not from the cold Something is familiar Like a dream, I can reach but not quite hold

this bit reminds me of how everything feels right to pel when they’re living as a man, and it’s a little terrifying because they don’t realize at this point that what they’re feeling is their identity shifting — all they know is that this is how it should be. and they want it, they want this life, so badly, but they know they can’t sustain it forever.

I can sense you there Like a friend I've always known I'm arriving And it feels like I am home

i love thinking about this part in a gender context because pel’s male identity in a lot of ways feels like a different person to them, but it’s part of them. obviously in the actual movie this is more about the spirit of elsa’s mother, but in this case, it’s actually about themself. and the ‘it feels like i am home’ line is of course in reference to how comfortable they feel in their life on ds9, especially with quark :]

I have always been a fortress Cold secrets deep inside You have secrets, too But you don't have to hide

so this is another moment of pel singing about themself but also to an imagined ideal future version of themself, one where they can live freely as the person they want to be. this is also the moment they start to realize that there’s something more inside them they want to understand.

Show yourself I'm dying to meet you Show yourself It's your turn Are you the one I've been looking for All of my life? Show yourself I'm ready to learn

once again, directed at this ideal version of themself. pel wants to discover and understand who they really are, this person they want to be, this person they know they can be. they want to uncover the identity they feel in their heart, and figure out what it means. ‘are you the one i’ve been looking for all of my life?’ suggests that they’ve had these feelings forever, or at least they’ve known something was different, or should be different. and that’s pretty much just canon. so the ‘you’ here is the male/masc version of themself, the one who is unafraid to be themself, and ‘i’m ready to learn’ means they’re opening their mind and heart to this new discovery. 

I've never felt so certain All my life, I've been torn But I'm here for a reason Could it be the reason I was born?

now that they’ve made the decision to figure out this gender thing and live the life they want, now that they’ve gotten a taste of what it’s like, they’re absolutely sure this is what they want. they had been scared before, but no longer. they’re ready now.

I have always been so different Normal rules did not apply Is this the day? Are you the way I finally find out why?

this sort of speaks for itself — being different, first because they were a female who wanted to acquire profit, and now being trans.... all things that go against the ‘rules’ [of acquisition]. there’s also just more directed at this other version of themself here.

Show yourself I'm no longer trembling Here I am I've come so far You are the answer I've waited for All of my life Oh, show yourself Let me see who you are

i love this chorus because they’re no longer afraid to be who they truly are, they’re not afraid of their identity or the future, and now that they’ve figured out what it means, they’re just happy — they want to embrace every moment of this new life and their new authentic self.

Come to me now Open your door Don't make me wait One moment more Oh, come to me now Open your door Don't make me wait One moment more

this is just pel growing in confidence. in the musical theatre version, this is where they travel the gamma quadrant, finding new opportunities, living their life to the fullest, making the most out of every moment and loving who they are.

Where the North wind meets the sea There's a river Full of memory

post-canon, when rom becomes grans nagus, pel finally has the opportunity to return home to ferenginar. they never got to before because it wasn’t safe, and they could be thrown in prison. but now that the rules have changed and they receive a full pardon, they’re able to. so this is them feeling their home calling to them, all the memories of their childhood and the life they had to leave behind because they couldn’t be who they wanted there. they’re scared to go back, afraid of what it means, but they want to.

Come, my darling, homeward bound I am found

this is one of the best parts — my headcanon is that pel’s mother was heartbroken when they ran away, and she’s missed them a lot. so this is sort of her calling to pel, and now that they can come home, as themself, they do. and their mother is so happy to see then, even though they’re in some ways very different from the daughter who left — they’re still her child, and that’s what matters.

Show yourself Step into the power Grow yourself Into something new You are the one you've been waiting for All of my life All of your life Oh, show yourself

and now, finally, this is pel, and their mother, and also everyone who has ever supported them along the way (their brother, quark, dax, ishka, etc), being so happy for pel, continuing to support them, celebrating the person they’ve become, and it’s just a joyous and happy reunion as pel grows into their full potential and is more content and happy than they’ve ever been :))))

[raineydaywrites]

Maybe something with trans nog (after he's joined starfleet) getting advice and help from trans julian?

This ended up being more a study in trans Nog, but it features trans Julian helping out. I may expand on this later, but I’m out of ideas for now.

There's some implied transphobia and misuse of pronouns in a flashback.

Nog looked at himself in the mirror and studied himself. Sharon, his roommate, clapped behind him.

“Whoo! Looking good, Nog!”

“Are you sure? They don’t look too.. Fake?”

“No way! You look totally manly.” Nog fingered the false ears Pel had arranged for him to get and grinned back at Sharon.

“Thanks. I’m heading back home next week. I’m going to tell my dad and uncle.”

“Whoa, okay. That’s a big step.”

“Yeah, I know. I’m gonna talk to Doctor Bashir first. He might have some tips.”

“Why? Who’s he?”

“He’s the station’s Chief Medical Officer. He’s trans too. And even though he’s human, I hear his parents weren’t too happy to find that out.”

“Really? I mean, I know Ferengi culture is a bit backwards about this… no offense.” Nog threw up a hand to show no offense taken. “But humanity has long since given up such prejudices. Mostly. Is he from an outer world? They tend to have different values.”

“No. I don’t get it either. He never likes to talk about it. Just says they’re ‘old-fashioned.’ But he can help. Maybe.”

“Well, good luck. Remember, you always have a place here if it goes bad.”

“I know. And Jake and Captain Sisko wouldn’t leave me alone either. But I- I don’t want to think about it going badly.”

-

Quark had thrown a fit when Nog said he wanted to go to Starfleet Academy.

“It’s bad enough you allow her to wear clothes and go to that Federation school. Now she wants to be part of Starfleet?”

But at the same time, it was easier than it could be, because Quark recognized that Rom would be considered responsible for his wayward “daughter” if the FCA got involved.

Nog was grateful his dad had let him go to the Academy, not only because he wanted so badly to be part of Starfleet, but also because it allowed him to figure out he was trans. He’d always known something was wrong, but Ferengi society didn’t talk about things like gender identity. He might never have figured it out in that circumstance.

-

When he arrived, he greeted his family and Jake and unpacked his things in his room. He had scheduled a physical with Doctor Bashir for that very day, and so went at the decided time.

“Hello, Nog! Or should I say Cadet?” Bashir greeted him. Nog grinned at him.

“Nog is fine.” He shuffled nervously. Best to just get it over with. “Actually, Doctor, there’s something I want to talk to you about. In private.”

“Oh.” Bashir furrowed his brow, and gestured Nog into his office.

“Is everything alright?” He asked.

“Oh, yes everything’s fine. I just- I don’t know how to- I- I’m a boy.” Julian looked surprised for a flash of a second before nodding.

“Alright. I don’t know how Ferengi names work. Is there another name you’d like to be called? And I’m guessing you use he/him pronouns, but I don’t want to assume.”

“No, you’re right. And Ferengi don’t have variations on names to make them masculine or feminine so again, Nog is fine.”

“I see. Is there any reason in particular you came to me?”

“I just-” Nog got worried for a moment. “I haven’t told anyone except Jake and my roommate Sharon. I want to tell Dad and Uncle Quark but-” He stopped.

“But?”

“I’m scared.” This was said in almost a whimper, something Nog chided himself for, but couldn’t prevent.

“I understand. I can’t imagine what you must be going through. There are pockets of discrimination on Earth, but the vast majority of the planet has been accepting of gender diversity of centuries. Ferenginar is different. I can understand why you might be afraid.”

“I thought, maybe you would have some tips.” Nog sounded desperate.

“I’m afraid I don’t really. Everyone’s coming out experience is different. If you really feel the time is right, then you need to tell your family. The most I can help you with is transitioning, and even then I’d need to look up certain things about Ferengi genetics to do so.”

“Oh.” Nog deflated. Julian looked pained.

“Tell you what. I’ll help you with feeling more like a man. We can get you some new clothes, and a binder. Garak can make them. Or we can special order them.”

“I don’t really- have much latinum to spend.”

“I have some credits. And most clothing shops offer special discounts for transitioning people.”

“Okay. I guess you can tell Garak. I mean, he is your boyfriend, right?” Julian blushed at the words.

“Where on Earth did you get that idea? I mean, not that I- We’re not dating.”

“Oh. Jake told me. He must have been playing a trick on me.” Nog said, kicking himself, and planning to kick Jake when he saw him next.

“Well still. He won’t tell anyone, right?” Nog said.

“Of course not. He’s not a gossip, and he has no interest in spilling your secrets. Why don’t I finish your physical- because you do need one- and then I’ll take you over.”

-

After a few days- during which Nog spent a lot of time talking to Julian- Nog told his dad and uncle over dinner.

Quark up and left the room, but Rom hugged his son and spoke.

“I- well I don’t understand this, but if it makes you happy, then it’s alright with me.”

After a sleepless night on both their parts, Quark handed Nog a copy of the Rules of Acquisition the next morning.

“A boy ought to have a copy, right?”

Nog grinned widely and moved to hug a surprised Quark, who slowly put his arm around him.

[ozsaill]

Preparing Totem for Coppercoat

  Coppercoat’s advantages in durability (=savings!) and environmental friendliness (=how we live!) have made me more excited about antifouling than I believed possible. As if to complete the picture, Totem’s shiny new metallic hull is dazzling in the Sonoran sun. Once sanded to activate the copper the hull will oxidize to rich shade verdigris, but for now it is stunning. Applying Coppercoat was an intense day of work, and an even bigger effort to prep. Researching our options confirmed how critical good prep is for this unique antifouling to be effective: here’s what we did, and why.

Jamie and Rudolpho tackling the bottom in June

   1. Stripped. Bottom paint and barrier coat were stripped to bare fiberglass last June, shortly after getting hauled in Puerto Peñasco. Totem didn’t have gelcoat left, the surprise that greeted us after blasting decades of accumulated bottom paint in Grenada. We painted on paint stripper, and scraped it off; not a perfect job of paint removal, with some visible bits in the valleys of Totem’s not-very-smooth hull, but sufficient for the summer. Boats with different substrates (e.g., gelcoat, metal hulls, etc.) get different prep.

2. Dried. From June until November, Totem’s wet hull dried out on the hard in the Sonora, Mexico. That’s Sonora, as in The Sonora Desert, where heat and low humidity provided an ideal climate to dry out during the summer months. Elsewhere (like the US east coast, or mainland Mexico, or further south) would have taken many months longer or required additional equipment (e.g. heating pads) or both.

Hull moisture meter readings were around 25% when we left. Eight blue-tape boxes were masked off to ensure repeat readings were in the same location; during our five months away, Cabrales Boatyard manager, Salvador Cabrales, would take periodic readings. He’d write the new measurement on the blue tape, then send a photo of it for us to see. Great peace of mind on progress while we were remote! The readings were at 6% to 7% at the end. During the drying period, the boatyard pressure washed the bottom to remove glycol, the sticky byproduct of a Polyester / Vinylester resin and a wet hull, that migrates to the surface as the hull dries.

Homeschool bonus: charting the readings over time

  Salvador updating measurement on the blue-tape reading area

Lower every time!

3. Stripped again. Totem’s bare hull was a rough surface, with flecks of paint remaining in the crevices. Brushing on paint stripper (we used Aquastrip) softened the remaining paint, which came off completely with a pressure washer.

    4. Sanded. The entire hull was sanded with 80 grit. After a full day of holding a vibrating sander mostly at or above shoulder height, Jamie hired a couple of guys from the yard crew to speed the job along and save his back.

These guys helped a lot, but Jamie’s basically been in pain at night for a few weeks. 

   5. Epoxied. If you’re at bare fiberglass, like Totem, the substrate (fiberglass) is porous and rough. After was wash and acetone wipe down, one coat of West system epoxy went on. When it was tacky, a second coat of West System with 410 micro-balloon filler to thicken the mix to work towards a smoother surface. Adding another layer of epoxy on top of a tacky prior coat is called hot coating: this creates a chemical bond between layers. The alternative is curing between coats and replying on roughing up the surface for a physical bond.

Mairen and Siobhan help mix up epoxy

  6 – 9. Cured, sanded, washed, then wiped with Acetone. Epoxy was given a few days curing time before sanding. Sanding the thickened epoxy coat greatly improved substrate smoothness. Washing the hull got rid of the dust, and wiping with Acetone prepped for the next layers of epoxy.

  Wiping on acetone. Every once in a while need to demonstrate that I am not just behind the camera! 

  10. Epoxied again. Several times actually: three coats of West System (two with 422 barrier coat additive) were applied to Totem’s hull bringing the total to five layers of epoxy, minus the 80 grit sanding.

Looking pretty shiny after all the West Systems was applied! Fashion by Goodwill of Phoenix.

  Siobhan uses a sharpie to mark rough spots that need more sanding; evening guard, Federico, looks on.

  11 – 14. Cured, sanded, washed, and wiped with Acetone…again. Very intimate with the surface area of Totem’s hull at this point.

Drying the hull after a last rinse before the barrier coat went on.

15. Barrier Coat. Three coats of Interlux Interprotect 2000 were applied over the West Systems. Interlux recommends five coats, but with five prior coats of West System (including two with barrier protection additive) we feel confident that the combined eight coats will serve.

16 – 18. For the third time: cured, sanded (lighter, much lighter), and wiped down– but this time, no acetone! The hull was dusted with rags instead to remove debris from sanding, and leave a surface primed for Coppercoat. For future Coppercoaters, we have done even better to gently pressure wash one or two days in advance.

Consumables list – I’m probably forgetting something:

gloves – decimated a box of 150, plus a half dozen heavy-duty pairs for paint stripper

80 grit disks – 175

320 grit disks – TBD

paint brushes – 4

3/8″ roller covers – 10 (Interlux Interprotect 2000)

1/8″ roller covers – 6 (West System epoxy)

Acetone – 3 gallons

blue tape – 1 big roll

rags – large bag of clean, lint-free rags

mixing sticks – 20

spreaders – 10

Aquastrip  – 5 gallons

West System – 4 gallons for 5 coats, plus 410 filler and 422 additive

Interprotect 2000 – 7 gallons for 3 coats

A note on safety equipment:

Toxic stuff is all over this project. One of the reasons we’re excited about Coppercoat is how environmentally friendly it is, compared to alternatives, but getting to that point is not – really, a lot of boat work is pretty nasty, and this prep is no exception. Take care of skin, eyes, and lungs!

My friend Kate Laird (Check out her expedition sails and homeschool expertise!) called out safety kit shortcomings in some pictures posted, and she’s right. We should be better about how we’re protecting ourselves, and I also seemed good at capturing moments when we weren’t! Here’s an equipment list to help with planning ahead, with products we like.

Kate- or is that Hamish? Or one of their teenage daughters? Working on the hull of their expedition vessel, Seal.

Respirator: Jamie and Kate both like this 3M 6200 half-mask. Bad luck was the straps on Jamie’s broke just before we started. You can get replacement straps and other parts – it’s one of the nice things about the respirator.

These reusable respirators have filters for particular matter (these pink ones) and VOC fumes (white ones here). Hot tip from Kate: keep the VOC filters in a ziploc bag to extend their useful life. They actually keep filtering away in there!

Jamie decided to try these disposable Moldex-Metric respirators this time. They were easy to source, lighter weight, and relatively comfortable. However, they’re really for “nuisance levels” organic vapors vs. fumes of OSHA PEL standards.

Skin protection: Tyvek jumpsuits are the standard, and they did get modeled around Totem, but the Goodwill in Phoenix turned out to be a good place for quick, affordable cover-up (50% off on Saturdays, and help from the Jollydogs crew picking things up for us!). We needed a few warm layers, anyway: we were NOT PREPARED for cool weather here in the late fall, and didn’t have clothes for it. Jamie’s happy: he hasn’t had a single day of gritty itchy boatyard yuck.

Eye protection: Jamie wears glasses but adds goggles over them when he’s worried about exposure. We picked up inexpensive eye protection in a hardware shop in Peñasco that worked fine for the girls. For more souped-up protection, this full-face respirator (3M 6700) Kate recommended is gold standard: big, single lens for easy viewing.

Further note on toxic junk, and being outside the US: I don’t know if there are any standards for the toxic waste produced in boatyards but the practices here mean we’re doing work that wouldn’t be handled the same way in the USA. Some things can be addressed by individual boaters, with some planning ahead. A shopvac using HVAC filters to capture and dispose of dust off sanders (Jamie’s got a bag on his that he’d empty regularly, and dispose – amazing how much of that stuff comes off – but no special filtering). You couldn’t just paint on stripper and pressure wash it off on a hardstand spot like we are, but set up for catchment and hazardous waste dispo…no, actually, you probably couldn’t because there’s probably not a hazardous waste facility. In the US, you’d stage the boat for this at a place where runoff is captured. For the most part, our lives are an incredibly light footprint environmentally: every once in a while, they’re really not.

Totem has 12 coats of epoxy right now. TWELVE. OK, so some got sanded off in the process, but even if we lost a couple of coats – it’s a long way from the bare fiberglass that peeked out when we blasted at Grenada Marine last year.

Coppercoat application: next post.

from Sailing Totem https://ift.tt/2QkKiTd via IFTTT

[askmerriauthor]

Shippy Ships Ahoy!

-Platonic Ships-

Love Like Family - Merri/Tech.  In the default setting, Merri and Tech have a fairly involved history of respect, overwhelming guilt, and genuine affection for one another.  He’s actually known her off-and-on since she was a filly in Canterlot.  By the time he ambles on into sleepy little Ponyville to meet her again by chance, he’s one of the family as far as she’s concerned.  Plenty of food and cheek-kisses for her favorite old jackass.  Meadow Lark ends up calling him Grandpa on reflex one day and never looks back.

I Wanna Be Like You-oo-oo~ - Merri/Pelagosa.  While she never actually acknowledges it openly, Merri is well-aware of how much Tech’s fishy daughter “admires” her.  Her waves don’t splash toward that particular shore, but she’s flattered and really likes the kid all the same.  She doesn’t indulge Pel’s not-so-covert crush, but she does make sure to stand as a good example for Pel’s general hero worship.  Along with feeding her lots of embarrassing stories about her dad and teaching her dangerous military techniques she has no business knowing.

My Favorite Gremlin - Merri/Teabiscuits.  In what is likely the oddest thing to happen in general, Merri freakin’ adores Teabiscuits.  He’s one of her favorite people and she is genuinely confused as to why so many people wrinkle their noses at mention of him.  All things considered, Merri is likely one of the few people around who can really get close to TB.  Similarly, she dotes on Mumbles like he was her own son.  Meadow Lark shares this affection since he was introduced to TB and Mumbles via his mother.  He actually thought they were extended family for the longest time, mistaking the whole “one is green and the other is huge” bit as being evidence of genetic relation.  He still doesn’t know what gender TB is to this day.

You Remind Me Of Someone - Merri/Mudpie.  The lanky slacker has a lot in common with Merri’s big sister, Greenwood, for better or worse.  While Merri doesn’t approve of Mudpie’s antics, she ends up doting on her should they ever cross paths.  She feels weirdly responsible for keeping her out of trouble for some reason.  While she can be a little overbearing in the process, her heart is in the right place.

Can I Have Your Autograph?  - Meadow Lark/Seti.  Meadow Lark’s got a big love of history and everyone’s favorite Pharaoh is a walking instance of it.  The kid would follow Seti around wide-eyed, no doubt driving the poor thing up the wall with an endless string of annoying but adoring questions.

We Make It Work - The Witch/Alton.  Strictly a professional relationship, all things considered.  Very mentor/student at first, though more to a peer situation in time.  Neither of the two are especially friendly or sociable people, but they resonate well with each other.  They love their work, they love their privacy, and even if they don’t like to admit it, they love the opportunity to bounce research off one another.  They’re the sort of people who could spend all day sat next to each other reading without uttering a single word, yet consider it meaningful time well-spent together.  They’re also the sort who could easily go for weeks without seeing one another and then meet up again without comment, never missing a beat.