#i am always in a state of thinking about star trek aus. constantly.

[elftwink]

space/summer camp au and beau/jester/yasha ???

[answers this ask 3 weeks late with starbucks or whatever other meme there is about being late]

iirc this is from that ask meme about how to combine two tropes into one hypothetical fic

i will be honest with you i could not combo these tropes but it’s because i got too invested in them separately so im going to talk about the ideas i had for each of them. my misinterpreted month old ask meme now.

space

listen. im a simple man. i see space and i’m like “star trek”

fjord is the captain and beau is the first mate. it’s both of their first commands and actually a lot of their crew are wildcards or new recruits. fjord got his captaincy from the success of some critical mission and requested beau be his first mate bc she was part of if not most of the reason for that success. they kinda know they’re being set up to fail and if they fuck up too bad they’ll all be reassigned so stakes are high and they have a point to prove

yasha is head of security. she met beau and fjord on a mission from their previous ship. i can’t decide whether or not molly is here or if he died in the backstory bc i generally keep as many ppl alive as possible in aus but i digress

jester is head of medical and also was beau’s old roommate at starfleet academy. for those wondering i debated about her and cad bc they’re both healers but for this fic in particular i would give cad ship counsellor/the troi equivalent i think that’s fine. also i think it’s funny that the bridge crew/senior staff dynamics are then potentially the reverse of tng

(not as relevant but caleb and nott are both engineering— caleb as running the engineering department and nott as second in command/bridge crew for it— & if i were to write a general fic i might give them a more complex backstory and neither of them would be actual starfleet members although caleb would have nearly graduated from starfleet academy)

ANYWAY. first mate/cmo/security is a pretty standard away team so you KNOW it’s an away mission gone poorly type deal.

fjord suggests yasha for the away team after beau volunteers and beau is like ok. i can handle one crush. and then nott pipes up like ‘why doesn’t jester come too’ and beau gives her a look like ‘do not wingman me’ but it’s too late fjord already thinks that’s a good idea. press f for beau who has to contend with 2 crushes for the duration of the away trip and also just being like. normal. and in charge of a very serious starfleet mission

i think to focus on the dynamic it would probably be a situational awry rather than dealing with other people kind of awry (transporter malfunction trapping them on the surface, hostile planet, little to no contact with the ship, etc)

i’ll be honest i didn’t actually think this far about how exactly they would fall in love but never underestimate the power of being trapped alone with people where you’re highly likely to die

i am THINKING...... about either beau or yasha getting very injured and the three of them sitting at a makeshift camp in the middle of an alien planet while jester patches them up and whoever isnt injured keeps trying to contact their ship (realistically starfleet did not name a ship ball eater— or squall eater for that matter— but i cant think of literally anything else) to no avail and the three of them share a moment of growing worry and panic that they really will die down here and then somebody cracks and joke and everyone laughs like really laughs and all 3 of them have a moment where they each on their own are like. i will do everything i can to protect you and selfish as it feels i’m glad it’s you two here with me

summer camp

i am just saying that the m9 as summer camp counsellors is Very Funny just on its own and w/beau/yasha/jester you could turn that into a rom-com so quick

if i were going to make a movie out of it the trailer would set it up as a love triangle probably from jester’s pov which is fair because the main sources of conflict would be 1) they aren’t bad with children per se but none of the m9 are particularly parental. all 3 of these women would probably let a child shoot a bow and arrow unsupervised. this is also because kids do whatever at camp like speaking as a former scout we had training and one guy still brought throwing knives and just let us use them. the leaders didn’t actually know about this tho so i can hardly blame them. moving on. and 2) false love triangle conflict

i do NOT mean jealousy or forcing ppl to pick sides this conflict is internal only and it is resolved through good communication

didn’t think about the actual plot to this one either i really just wanted to put the thought into everyone’s heads. thanks for coming to my tedtalk

[ussthunderquack]

MCU characters in the “Star Trek” universe

I thought of making this post months ago. I hesitated, and still do, because some of these are very close to some original “Star Trek” characters that I’m cooking up for a personal “Star Trek” fanfic. 

But then someone else made a post about an Avengers/”Star Trek” crossover, with a Vulcan Stephen Strange, that I found interesting. They said they were new to “Star Trek,” and I offered suggestions. They asked me to tag them when I post this, so here I tag: @ellisper this is partially for you. I am not telling anyone that they have to write their Avengers/”Star Trek” crossover this way; this is just my personal two-cents. 

Steve Rogers: Thawed Augment from the Eugenics Wars

In “Star Trek” canon, the Eugenics Wars are a dark part of Earth’s history, set between present day, and the Utopian 23rd Century in which the main action of “Star Trek” is set. The famous “Star Trek” villain, Khan, comes from this time period. The Eugenics Wars occurred before Humans discovered Warp travel, or met any alien life. During this time, humanity experimented with genetic engineering, and created super-humans called Augments. Augments tended to be evil, due to superiority complexes. The most infamous was Khan, who, along with his crew of Augments, wound up cryogenically frozen, and thawed centuries later in Captain Kirk’s time.  For a “Star Trek” version of Steve Rogers, this seems fitting. Naturally, Steve is one of the “good” Augments, who was fighting for equality, against Khan. Somehow, he wound up frozen like Khan’s crew, and thawed centuries later. Just like canon-Steve, this Augment Steve is from a past war that most Starfleet officers only know from history books; and his body and abilities come from a scientific experiment that was abandoned long, long ago. 

Sam Wilson: Human pilot, from an off-world colony, scarred by the Dominion War 

Sam would be one of the first people to welcome Steve Rogers to the 24th Century, and treat him like a regular person. His military experience and involvement in PTSD groups might be related to the Dominion War (which occurred during “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” and had a lasting effect on Starfleet and all of its allies, in “Next Generation” and “Voyager.”)

I feel like Sam would come from an off-world colony, maybe because he has a rougher edge to him, that an Earth-bred officer might lack. If I’m not mistaken, Sam also grew up in poverty, in MCU canon. (In “Star Trek,” Earth is a “paradise” in the 24th Century, with all poverty and prejudice eliminated; so human characters who come from bad places come from off-world, like Tasha Yar.) 

Stephen Strange: Romulan turncoat, training with Vulcans 

Vulcans and Romulans are evolutionary cousins. Sans the foreheads, the only significant difference is cultural. Vulcans tamed their volatile emotions centuries ago, with logic and discipline. Romulans embraced their darker tendencies, and are now more imperial. There is great animosity and distrust between the two sub-species. However, some Romulans respect the Vulcans, and seek to learn from them. (This is revealed in “Star Trek: the Next Generation.”) 

The Stephen Strange we see in “Infinity War” might seem Vulcan-like. But if you watch his movie, “Dr. Strange,” he wasn’t always so. Pre-wizard Strange is like many of the Romulans you’ll see on “Star Trek:” a brilliant scientist, but very arrogant, with a volatile temper, and questionable ethics. For a “Star Trek” Dr. Strange, I postulate a Romulan scientist who suffers an injury and loses his ability to practice. He travels to Vulcan in the hopes of curing himself, and learns from one of the most powerful Vulcan telepaths. (Vulcans have far more experience with telepathy than Romulans, who for the most part, don’t seem to even have the ability.) 

Naturally, a Vulcan/Romulan Strange would also rock that evil-Spock goatee. In short, Strange is a Romulan who converted to Vulcan-ism. His Romulan temperament still shines through his newfound Vulcan discipline, especially when he’s interacting with....

Tony Stark: Joined Trill

Here’s the one that made me hesitate, because of my “Star Trek” OC. But, here we go.... 

The Trill look like humans with spots on the sides of their faces, and kangaroo pouches in their tummies (for both males and females). Most of the Trill are pretty much just that. But one tenth of the Trill population is “joined” to a race of super-intelligent, immortal slugs, who live in said kangaroo pouches. Once joined, the slug--called a Symbiont--and the “host” Trill---both have their minds merged into one being. It is very important that a Trill and Symbiont are well matched before joining, or else insanity could result. 

A joined Trill will replace his or her last name with the name of the symbiont. (Ezri Tigan is joined to the Dax symbiont, and changes here name to Ezri Dax.) A host will have all of the memories of the Symbiont’s past hosts, which can lead to some confusion and identity crisis.  Since Tony Stark is a character marked entirely by conflict and dualities, I can’t see him being anything but a joined Trill. The Stark symbiont is the genius engineer, and the Tony host is the playboy manchild. 

Since Tony’s character is heavily driven by his past (daddy issues, guilt, etc) that could also translate into memories of past-hosts. Maybe the crimes Trill-Tony blames himself for weren’t his at all, but a past host of the Stark symbiont. 

On my “Star Trek” OC, Nuvo Auz: He is not exactly a carbon copy of Tony Stark, but he’s close enough to this “Trill Tony Stark” described that I hesitated to share. But oh well. It’s fan fiction, so it’s not like originality is a major issue here. 

James Rhodes: Another joined Trill, who has been friends with Stark for several “hosts” 

There is now a reason Rhodey changed appearances so abruptly and completely; he changed hosts! The Rhodey on the left sadly died during a mission where he was unfortunate enough to be wearing red, but the Stark and Rhodey symbionts were inseparable, even though various hosts.  The plotline of Rhodey breaking his back might also be replaced by Rhodey losing another host altogether. That would really motivate Tony, if his best friend really did partially-die, during one of their battles. 

The Trill do have laws against “re-association” with past-hosts’ families and spouses, but friendships seem to be except from this rule, as Captain Sisko is friends with Dax through three hosts (Kurzon Dax, Jadzia Dax and Ezri Dax). 

Pepper Potts: Unjoined Trill Telepath

As mentioned above, most Trill are not joined. Among the unjoined Trill, a small percentage are telepathic. These telepathic Trill cannot be joined, but are important in helping with those who are. Trill telepaths guard the unjoined symbionts in their cave-lakes, and also use their telepathy to perform Trill rituals that allow a joined Trill to talk more directly with his or her past hosts. 

Trill telepathy is not elaborated on in canon, so this AU has a lot of freedom in terms of what Pepper can do with her telepathy. 

Pepper is the only Trill telepath who could deal with the insanity that is Tony Stark, and has been by his side for years. Her telepathy gives her sharp intuition, and she is the first to discover that Stane is betraying Tony, when she quickly reads Stane’s mind when he isn’t looking. She can sense when Tony’s in danger, and communicate with him mentally from afar. 

She hates how reckless joined Trill like Tony are, since they feel immortal. She reminds him he is not immortal; his memories may be, but there will only ever be one Tony Stark, and she doesn’t want to lose him.

Morgan Stark: Get some tissues....

Tony, being Tony, goes against the Symbiosis Commissions rules about joining, and leaves his symbiont Stark to his daughter after his death. Morgan inherits the symbiont, and with it, all her father’s memories. She constantly hears him tell her, “I love you 3000.” 

Mantis: Aenar/Betazoid Hybrid

The Aenar are evolutionary cousins of Andorians (those blue guys with the antennae). The Aenar, unlike Andorians, have very powerful telepathic abilities, and live in seclusion. 

Betazoids look identical to humans, except for their solid black eyes. Betazoids, as well, have a wide range of mental powers. Most are some degree of telepaths, but how powerful they are depends on the individual. Counselor Deanna Troi, who is half-Betazoid and half-Human, cannot read minds like most full-Betazoids, but she is an “empath,” and can sense emotions from other people. 

Mantis’s black eyes and empathic powers scream of Betazoid to me. But naturally her antennae and sheltered nature also scream of Aenar. I think an Aenar/Betazoid hybrid makes the most sense for her, personally.

Natasha Romanof: Low-telepath Betazoid, or Betazoid/Human Hybrid 

Betazoid women are stereotyped for their alluring, seductive natures. Natasha Romanov uses seduction, along with her sharp intuition, in her job as a spy. She clearly cannot read or affect others’ minds the way Mantis or Wanda Maximoff can, but Nat’s ability to read other people would make sense for a part-Betazoid, or a Bertazoid on the low-end of the telepathy spectrum.

Clint Barton: Human, or Bajoran 

Bajorans are basically humans with wrinkly noses, and their whole planet seemingly follows one religion. All in all, not “Star Trek’s” best concept for an alien race. 

I was originally going to dismiss Clint as a boring Human, but he could just as easily be Bajoran. Bajorans have a history of guerrilla fighting Cardassian oppressors, and while it’s never stated in canon, I’ve always gotten the impression that Bajorans were more nimble and stealthy than humans. After recently winning their home planet back from the Cardassians, Bajorans are trying to rebuild their lives and families. Many are farmers. This all seems fitting enough for Clint. Otherwise, Clint might simply be the token boring Human onboard. Like Miles O’Brian of DS9, Clint is the family man in the group, and...not much else. He could even relate to Miles over having a relatively mundane-seeming job compared to the other characters (Miles sat at the transporter controls when on the Enterprise, and is the subject of much ridicule in the fandom for this.) 

Thor: Klingon, son of the current emperor

If you’re new to “Star Trek,” you might be thinking, “No way, pretty Thor, one of those ugly lizard things from ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ and the recent movies?” Well I’m thinking more of the Picard-era Klingons for this one.  Yes, Klingons are warriors--and specifically, they are largely based on stereotypes of Vikings--but not all Klingon characters are vicious monsters. Many are jolly and full of honor, and love to drink mugs of bloodwine while telling exaggerated tales of their glorious battles. Picturing Thor, and all of his Asgardian friends, as Klingons, each with their own unique Klingon forheads, armor and weapons, is just too great. 

Loki: Changeling orphan raised by Klingons, who later allies with the Dominion

Introduced on “Deep Space Nine,” the Founders, AKA “Changelings,” are a species from the other side of the galaxy. Their true form is silver syrup, but with practice, they can take any form, depending on how skilled and experienced they are. The Founders are rulers of the Dominion, a sort of evil counterpart to the Federeation. Their subject species worship them as gods, and the Founders hope for galactic domination. 

To gain more information on the rest of the galaxy, the Founders often send baby Changelings out into the universe, to grow up among alien species, so they can come back and share their experiences with the rest of the Great Link (the sea of silver jelly that makes up the Founder homeworld). Unfortunately, the Founders don’t seem to plan this very well, as they give the baby Changelings no way of knowing where they’re from, why they were sent away, or what they’re supposed to do. Odo, a main character on “Deep Space Nine,” grew up an orphan and the only one of his species, having no clue of his origins. 

Now if this isn’t all Loki in a nutshell, I don’t know what is. 

Emperor Odin found the baby Changeling, and taught him to take a Klingon form. Loki grew up very bitter about not knowing his origins. When he did finally learn of the Founders, he was eager to return to the Great Link and prove himself, and became one of the Dominion’s highest agents. Loki was far more skilled at shape-shifting than Odo (as many Founders were), and could take any form with ease. 

He tried to take over the Klingon Empire by impersonating his father; he led a Dominion Army to try to conquer Earth; and in the end, he switched sides and died trying to save his brother and the Klingon Empire....or did he? 

Bruce Banner: Human/Klingon hybrid (either natural or artificial) 

There are several part-Klingons in “Star Trek” canon. One of them, B’Elanna Torres ( “Star Trek: Voyager”) is a brilliant engineer, who is constantly frustrated by her Klingon temper interfering with her work. Bruce Banner could just as easily be in the exact same boat as her, though his personality would be different than hers. (B’Elanna often combats her rage with sarcasm, and has a lot in common with Tony Stark in that regard.) 

B’Elanna is a born hybrid--one human parent, one Klingon parent. There are others, however, who are “artificial hybrids;” a person born one species, who, through some genetic engineering or mistake, ends up with traits of the other species fused into them. Klingons experimented with genetic engineering on themselves to try and disguise as Humans, to infiltrate Star Fleet. (This was a retcon in “Enterprise,” to explain why the Klingons in the Original “Star Trek” look so Human, and nothing like the Klingons of TNG-onward. A Klingon-engineered-to-look-human also appears on “Discovery.”) 

Bruce Banner could just be a born hybrid like B’Elanna... but if one wants to tie in his MCU backstory into this “Star Trek” AU, it may make sense to go the “military genetic experiment gone wrong” route. Admiral Ross (no “generals” in Starfleet, don’t ask me why) may have ordered Bruce to test this method of disguising humans as Klingons on himself, and it went horribly wrong. 

King T’Challa: Human, from a separate colony that still practices genetic engineering

In “Star Trek,” it is not uncommon for members of one specific ethnic group to build a colony on an alien planet, based entirely around that one culture. (Or stereotypes of it. “Star Trek” is kind of clumsy with how it handles real life cultures, unfortunately.) There’s a colony of Scottish people, where Dr. Crusher’s nanna lives. Commander Chakotay’s culture was a tribe of Native Americans who left Earth and set up a colony on another planet to preserve their culture. 

Wakanda could just as easily be the same case. In addition to preserving their culture, the Wakandans might also have left Earth so that they could continue using genetic engineering, a practice that Starfleet has banned (after the Eugenics Wars). In the Wakanda Colony, genetic manipulation is handled very carefully, and only the ruling king becomes a full-on Augment. 

Gamora: Orion pirate

Orions are a green-skinned race, known to be pirates and slave traders. Orion women emit pheromones that seduce males of other species, though it’s unclear if this always true, or how much control they have over it.  Trekkies tend to think of Orion women as scantily dressed slave dancers, but latter “Star Trek” incarnations have female Orions in other roles, often as badass pirate traders and leaders, and sometimes even Starfleet officers. They do have a tendency to wear kinky black leather though, and the last Orion woman we saw on “Star Trek: Discovery” was a dead-ringer for Gamora! 

Bucky Barnes: Liberated Borg Drone

The Borg are the single greatest villains in “Star Trek,” and are every bit to “Star Trek” what Hydra is to the Avengers. The Borg are a race of half-machine cyborg people, whose minds are all enslaved to one collective Hive Mind. Their goal is to assimilate the entire galaxy. On “Star Trek,” we’ve met several characters who were assimilated by the Borg, but later escaped, and struggled to reclaim their humanity. It happened once to Captain Picard; he was assimilated, and forced to wipe out an entire Federation fleet, under the influence of the Borg, before he was rescued by the Enterprise. On “Voyager,” Seven of Nine--formerly Annika Hanson--was assimilated with here parents at age 6, and wasn’t rescued until 18 years later. She spends four years on the show regaining her humanity, wrestling with the guilt, and coping with the trauma. 

Borg-Bucky can tie into Trill-Tony this way. Perhaps a previous Stark host was assimilated along with his entire family by Borg-Bucky, and somehow, the Stark symbiont was rescued and able to move into a new host. Since this is "Star Trek,” it’s also perfectly believable for that massive plot line to get abruptly dropped and never mentioned again. (Sorry, I’m still salty about that...)

Wanda Maximoff: Ocampa, from Suspiria’s Array

This is another one from “Star Trek: Voyager.”  The Ocampa are a race of telepaths, but how powerful they are depends on which sect they come from. Centuries ago, another race called Caretakers (a race of super-intelligent blobs) accidentally turned the Ocampan home-world into a desert. One Caretaker kept a bunch of Ocampans underground on their dead homeworld, and provided for them. Being dependent for so many generations caused their powers to weaken, until basic telepathic conversation was all they could do.  But the other Caretaker, named Suspiria, took a few Ocampa lightyears away to live on a space station, where she encouraged them to exercise their powers to the max. Their abilities included telekenesis, and inducing spontaneous combustion in plants. These Ocampa were more sinister than the other kind. I think this would be as good a backstory as any for MCU-Wanda Maximoff. After nearly destroying the ship, she switches sides, and tries to tame her incredible mind powers, and only use them for good. 

Also, Ocampans only live 9 or 10 years, and are fully grown by age 2. This could explain some of the confusion surrounding Wanda’s age, with characters treating her like a kid one minute, and a soldier to bring into battle the next.  This is another one that’s vaguely similar to one of my OCs, though my Ocampa character is almost nothing at all like Wanda. But, she is an Ocampa from Suspiria’s array. 

Ava Starr: Human mutated by a freak transporter accident 

There’s an episode of “Star Trek: the Next Generation” where Lt. LaForge and Ensign Ro get into a transporter accident that essentially turns them into ghosts. Here, something similar happened to poor Ava Star, but she could sometimes maintain solid form, and was visible to others, even when phasing. 

Her father was attempting to open a gateway to either the Mirror Universe or Fluidic Space, or some such other dimension, and it literally blew up in his face. He and Ava’s mom died, and they were the lucky ones. 

Ava was then taken advantage of by Section 31 (basically the Federation’s CIA), and used for classified missions. And now she is just so done with everything and everyone, and just wants a cure.  

Hank Pym: Eccentric scientist who rejects Starfleet 

There are quite a few of these in the world of “Star Trek” (Data’s creator, Seven of Nine’s parents). Some scientists just think Starfleet is too controlling, or corrupt, or they just hate people, or the writers just want an easy way for a scientist to be up to something Starfleet doesn’t know about. 

Hank Pym was a prominent Starfleet scientist, until Howard Stark tried to steal his research. Pym quit Starfleet, and tried to find a place to settle to continue his research undisturbed. But his ship crashed on an alien planet. He almost died in the alien wilderness, until the planet’s dominant species--a race of super-intelligent insecticides--took him in and adopted him into their colony. 

Pym now trusts neither Starfleet nor “Starks,” regardless of who the current Stark host is. The only ones he trusts are his faithful companions and minions, the ants.  

Hope Van Dyne: Pym’s estranged, half-Vulcan daughter, who works for Starfleet 

Unlike Spock, she doesn’t try to mask her emotions and be entirely “Vulcan.” But she does practice lots of Vulcan control and sardonicism, to deal with her resentment towards her father for her mother’s (supposed) death. 

Janet Van Dyne: Pym’s Vulcan wife, thought killed in a space anomaly, but actually stranded in Fluidic Space

Fluidic Space is another dimension, where Species 8472 live (from “Star Trek: Voyager”) 

Scott Lang: Lower-decks crewman who everyone thinks is gonna die a redshirt’s death, but turns out to be a badass 

And because he’s a dopey human who makes funny quips and is the butt of endless jokes, he will end up with the half-Vulcan woman who can’t stand him. 

Peter Quill: Human, from the 20th Century

Time travel is rampant in “Star Trek,” so Peter Quill’s character can stay pretty much exactly the same as he is in MCU-canon.

Nebula: Bolian, ex-Borg Drone

Bolians are bald blue people, and.....that’s about all we know about them. Well, they supposedly are also all motor-mouths, but you know, stereotypes. Anyway, being assimilated would make even the chattiest person turn pretty antisocial.

Her eye-implant is also a LOT like Seven of Nine’s. 

Carol Danvers: Human-Q hybrid, Starfleet pilot 

The Q are among the most powerful beings in the Universe, as well as some of the most sinister. The main Q character we know on “Star Trek: the Next Generation” and “Voyager” has dealt at least twice with young Qs, who he was rearing with questionable methods. In the TNG episode “True Q,” Q mentors young Amanda Rogers (an orphaned Q raised by humans), in a way that is very reminiscent of Yon Rogg’s mentoring of Vers.   Is it possible for Q to reproduce with non-Q? Who knows, but since the Q seem capable of damn near anything, I don’t see why not. Though, if we’re keeping things close to MCU canon, then Carol may have been born a regular human, and only became part-Q after a bizarre accident.  In any case, she is no longer with the Q Continuum, and now fights for justice independently, or with Starfleet. 

Peter Parker: Kid genius, except likable. The Anti-Wesley. 

During “Infinity War,” my friend said Peter reminded her of Wesley, and I said, “Never say that again, or I’ll beam you into a black hole.”  Anyway, Peter would be a kid-genius serving on a ship like Wesley (but likable), and like Reg Barclay, would end up becoming part spider, due to one of the many bizarre anomalies the ship runs into every week.

If canon-Peter was enamored with Iron Man, just picture this Peter’s excitmenent upon learning that the chief engineer is a joined Trill, who has lived multiple life times, and all of the inappropriate questions he’d pester Tony with, like, “What’s it like to  die? What’s it like to die three times? Were any of your deaths really badass? Like, did you ever go out blowing up a Borg cube or get blown into space or something?” 

“This is why some species eat their young.” 

Friday: Hologram

In “Star Trek,” holograms--by the 24th Century anyway--look and even feel like solid, real people. Which begs some very disturbing questions about the fact that they’re created as basically slave labor. But Tony at least would never treat any of his holograms like mindless appliances to toss away, and if any of them wanted to leave he wouldn’t stop them.

Anyway, Friday is a hologram he programed after Jarvis was integrated into Vision. And she is a badass. 

Vision: Soon-type android, with a hologram and alien technology mixed in 

Kinda self-explanatory, not sure what else needs to be said. 

Thaddeus Ross: insane admiral 

Alongside doomed redshirts and and promiscuous male commanding officers, the evil insane admiral is one of “Star Trek’s” oldest and most treasured traditions. It does get to be a bit concerning after a while, that there are so many insane admirals in the Federation. Some fans theorize that Starfleet promotes bad captains to admirals to keep them off starships, figuring the occasional crazy admiral grabbing at galactic domination is better than a crazy incompetent captain every week. Whatever the reason, insane megalomaniac admirals plague Starfleet.

Thaddeus Ross is one such admiral. Previously leader of a fleet of starships, he was promoted to an even higher brand of admiral after the fiasco with Bruce Banner. Unfortunately, it turned out that giving this twit even more power was, shockingly, a bad idea. 

If I think of more, I may update this. But I think these are the main ones I have AU ideas for. 

[kingofthewilderwest]

Hi! I've read many of your posts and they're awesome! Think of this one! If the Dragon Riders were in a Modern AU what would be their hobbies? What kind of animals will their dragons be?

Thank you so much!

There have been lots of different interesting modern AUs whereby the dragons have become cats, dogs, or even horses. There’s some good appeal to each idea. Personally, I wouldn’t mind making the dragons based upon the creatures they were designed from; so, Toothless would be a cat, Stormfly a bird, Meatlug a dog, and... I guess Barf and Belch would be a snake and Hookfang a lizard or something.

Now for hobbies...

Hiccup

Hiccup is the inventive powerhouse of Berk. In a modern AU, Hiccup would likely be just as revolutionary - and the area where our greatest technological development is currently... is computers. I can easily imagine Hiccup as someone who constantly fiddles around with both computer hardware and software. He’s built his own machines. He knows how to program in multiple languages. I like to imagine modern!Hiccup as a techie who spends a lot of his hobby free time playing around with computers.

If we want, we could also suggest that Hiccup has other hobbies in other areas of invention and creating. Maybe Hiccup is decent at fixing cars, too, or at the very least knows the basics. Maybe he’s taken a woodworking class in high school. His high school physics projects were possibly a little over the top. If Hiccup enters any club at his high school, it’s the robotics club.

Another significant area of hobbies for Hiccup is going to be the arts. Hiccup is canonically a talented artist in the DreamWorks franchise. There’s no reason why Hiccup wouldn’t enjoy sketching and drawing in the modern world, too. His preferred art style is probably realism, with an emphasis of making the image more photorealistic as versus developing a recognizable artistic style. He’s probably drawn a lot on paper, but given as he loves the latest technology, does a bit with digital art, too.

I don’t think Hiccup would have gotten into sports. Stoick might have tried to put his kid into a few sports when he was younger, and maybe Hiccup tried some other sports on his own volition in the desperate attempt to appear “cool.” No success. Hiccup would not be an athlete growing up. The one potential area of exception is equestrian sports. Even if I do like Toothless as a cat best, there’s still something fun to be said about Hiccup having an ability to ride an animal extremely well in a modern AU. Hiccup could be quite talented riding horses, capable of competing in every event from jumping to dressage.

Astrid

Astrid, unlike Hiccup, is an accomplished athlete. She tried soccer/football at a young age and was pretty good at it. She stuck with it for a number of years until she switched to rugby. On top of that, Astrid has trained as a gymnast since she was very young, and also tried her hand at several martial arts. Even for sports she has not officially competed in, she still manages to perform impressively. She steals the day for informal volley ball matches she has with friends, and everyone wants her on their team for ultimate frisbee. Heck, she’s probably wrestled some of her friends to the ground on random occasions, too.

Astrid spends so much time on her academics and competitive sports that she doesn’t have too many hobbies outside of these. She’s never had the time and attention to develop her cooking skills, though on the rare occasion she tries to make eggnog, everyone in the family runs frantically away.

Snotlout

Snotlout in the DreamWorks franchise seems to be accomplished with the needle. Maybe this translates to a modern world, too; Snotlout actually knows how to cross-stitch and work a sewing machine and knit scarves (which he always claims are made by his aunt, not him).

Snotlout also mentions working out in the first HTTYD movie. I bet Snotlout loves going to the gym to lift weights and tone his hot body several times a week. He’s probably not that talented at actual team sports (despite trying to sign up and show off on a few of the most popular sports), but he can make up for his embarrassing year of football by lifting impressively at the gym. Well, he thinks it’s impressive, anyway. And it’s not bad. Though... Astrid can outlift him.

Fishlegs

DreamWorks’ biggest nerd will be a nerd in the modern world, too. To be honest, Fishlegs’ hobbies are really easy for me to imagine!

Fishlegs plays Magic: The Gathering and has even been to a few local tournaments. He knows all the ins-and-outs of the game, the most expensive cards, the best tactics, you name it. You get him started talking about MTG... and he won’t shut up for another few hours. He’s also a huge video game lover and can be seen on the PC or console several hours a day. Especially, he’s obsessed with League of Legends.

Fishlegs enjoys watching nerd culture movies and knows a decent amount of comic book material. He’ll watch superhero movies and get into debates about which hero would beat who in what sort of competition. You’ll find him at the occasional local comic or sci-fi convention. Star Wars, Star Trek, Firefly, Teen Titans... he’s enjoyed them all.

In high school, Fishlegs enjoyed a few academic competitions, especially in the sciences. I am sure he’s participated in both Science Bowl and Science Olympiad. He’s probably gotten a few medals from Science Olympiad at both the regionals and state level... maybe even making it to the national competition.

It’s also fairly easy for me to see Fishlegs as a band geek and/or orch dork.

Tuffnut

Tuffnut also seems to know a bit about needlework given comments in RTTE. He also seems to like interior decorating and other such things. Perhaps in the modern world Tuffnut has a good eye for fabric and tailorsmanship, too. I’m going to suggest this not so much because it’s in his character but because it’s amusing to consider: but Tuffnut making cosplay. That could be entertaining. Or maybe it’s just unusually elaborate Halloween costumes? It’s a holiday he and Ruffnut get a little too engrossed in.

I don’t imagine Tuffnut being involved in too many activities, especially not formal clubs or extracurriculars. However, there’s one exception: theatre. Tuffnut adores theatre, and I’m sure he’s auditioned for a few roles at his local high school. Even when it’s just English class and the teacher assigns the students into groups to act out a Shakespeare scene, Tuffnut gets... overdramatic and involved.

It’s not exactly a “hobby” but I’m sure that Ruffnut and Tuffnut spent many hours together enacting pranks at school.

If Tuffnut got involved in a sport, it’d be figure skating. He’d go for the figure skating; Ruffnut would go for the hockey.

Ruffnut

Like Astrid, I could also imagine Ruffnut as a rugby player. Ruffnut is fierce, downright fierce, at the sport. There’s no fear. There are times that Ruffnut gets irritated and jealous that her teammate Astrid receives a lot of the credit - Astrid is a bit more popular than Ruffnut - but Ruff’s coach is fully aware of how bold and dedicated a player the Thorston twin is.

When Ruffnut enters college, she finds herself participating in some extreme experiences. She’s gone bungee jumping and skydiving multiple times and has greatly enjoyed both experiences.

[theglintoftherail]

A Thing To Do: List all the things you’re currently working on in as much or little detail as you’d like, then tag some friends to see what they’re working on. This can be writing, art, vids, gifsets, whatever.

Tagged by the always-delightful @bonearenaofmyskull!

Fic:

Currently working on:

1) Conjoined, my Hannibal AU set in the Star Trek universe, which I started over a FREAKIN YEAR AGO when Bryan Fuller was still attached to the new Star Trek (still sad that didn’t work out). I thought would be like five chapters long when I started and it is now 19 chapters with probably five more to go, and is over 50,000 words long. Jayzus. (PS @bonearenaofmyskull​, I am totally unbothered by you delaying reading it! I know a ton of people don’t like reading WIPs.)

I have ideas and notes for:

2) A fairly short fic from Abigail’s perspective where she talks about how she got caught up in her dad’s murders.

3) Another short-ish but slightly longer one about how Will and Molly met and got together (still really really wish we’d gotten that in the show!)

4) An AU where Will is the Ripper and Hannibal is more or less in the same position as canon Will – essentially innocent-ish but corruptible. Centers around an updated version of Mischa’s death.

5) A sequel to The Mark of His Name, about which I will say no more, except that I’ve been flipping through the Book of Revelation looking for possible titles (for reference the other titles were from Rev. 8:2 and Rev. 14:11).  I haven’t hit on anything yet but some contenders are Rod of Iron (Rev. 12:5) or But A Short Time (Rev. 12:12) or Let Him Hear (Rev. 13:9-10).

But I wouldn’t get my hopes up for those last two to happen any time soon, because a) they both have third act problems that I have yet to work out and b) for my next long fic, I would like to write the whole thing and edit it before posting it. There is some stuff in the first half of Conjoined that I would change now, given the way that the story has progressed, and I want to avoid that happening again – and also, just in general, I would like to get more practice with editing drafts, because:

Not fandom-related:

In the past year – and mostly because of my experiences with fanfic, which was my first really serious attempt at fiction and has taught me a ton about writing – I have started writing original short speculative fiction stories as well. I’m in a critique group which aims to get stories to a publishable level, which means probably 2 or 3 rounds of editing, so I definitely need practice with editing!

Currently working on:

1) A flash fiction ghost story where ghosts are totally unable to interact with the physical world and are singularly obsessed with being around alive things.

2) A retelling of Apollo and Daphne from Daphne’s perspective, which I am largely writing because some of the dudes in my critique group didn’t like that my first story didn’t have a traditional narrative ending so I wanna write something that explicitly states and then justifies not having a traditional narrative ending. And also because I just like the myth. (I got the name of the planet in Conjoined from the myth of Apollo and Daphne, for Metaphor Reasons.)

I have ideas and notes for:

3) A story about a woman whose job is surveying distant planets, in a setting where only single-celled life has ever been discovered. She initially fantasized about finding intelligent life but has basically lost all hope and enthusiasm for it.

4) A novella-length (and thus probably unpublishable lol) story set on a planet that revolves so slowly (at less than the speed that a human can walk) that the day and night sides are too hot and too cold to support life, so people have to constantly walk around the planet in the dusk, which is the only place that’s inhabitable.

And image sets (‘cause I can’t do gifs!): 

I have ideas and notes for:

1) Having fallen deeply in love with Legion, which Noah Hawley has said was partly inspired by Hannibal, I want to go through and collect examples of similar shots from both shows, like I did for Hannibal and Fargo Season 1 a while ago. I noticed several examples on my first watch and I’m sure there are a lot more.

2) Probably the same thing as #1 for Hannibal and American Gods after this season is finished.

3) I also want to go through Legion and collect examples of the very prominent circles, squares, and triangles, because it is such a constant and obvious visual theme that I think it has to mean something! This will be accompanied by meta, probably.

Tagging @damnslippyplanet​ because Murder Wives Forever and also @redfivewritingby​ because what are you up to these days gurl?

[rhovanels]

Letter for the Chocolate Box fic exchange.

I’m always thrilled to receive anything that someone has created for me, so don’t worry, I’ll be happy with whatever you come up with! Also, please feel free to send me an anonymous ask if you need anything clarified.

General likes:

- mutual pining-happy ending narratives

- I’m equally happy with fluff and angst - don’t feel like you need to hold back on either

- women with various types of strength and agency and power

- sex is absolutely not a requirement for my pairings, and I particularly like sex that’s based in emotion, or is more implied rather than explicit. 

- I love plotty dramas, but I equally like quiet, small character moments - go where your muse takes you

- characters who are competent and unapologetic about who they are

- relationships based in communication - talking, challenging and testing one another, wordy declarations of love

- tonally, my favourite emotional register is sad and sweet, but I’m happy with humour and excitement too

- slow burn friends to lovers (although I don’t really expect that for an exchange of this length)

- EPISTOLARY RELATIONSHIPS.

- tropes and general things I like (in no particular order): declarations of love; banter and bickering; one person suddenly realising they’re in love with the other person; huddling for warmth; hurt/comfort; there’s only one bed; ‘holy shit they’re hot in that outfit’; fake dating; bittersweet endings; found families; poetry

Art likes

Honestly, if you’re drawing me something I will probably backflip out the window, because I have no artistic talent and am constantly in awe of what other people produce.

- non-sexual intimacy between characters

- mundane, slice-of-life moments

Dislikes:

- nothing too smutty because I am tame, and no PWP.

- no A/B/O dynamics

- no professor/student (or a similar dynamic) relationships

- no non-con or dub-con

- no character bashing

- no non-canon compliant levels of homophobia, racism, sexism, transphobia

- no abuse (physical or emotion)

Most importantly, have fun - if you’ve enjoyed creating this, I’ll enjoy receiving it.

Onto my specific requests! 

A Little Life

God, I love this book. It is the most life-affirming, poignant, utterly devastating book I have ever read and I cannot in good conscience recommend it to anyone, because it seriously messed me up. I will never get over just how much love there is between the characters, and love in all sorts of different shapes and forms (particularly love for Jude).

Jude St. Francis & Harold Stein; Jude St. Francis & Harold Stein & Julia Stein: Found families are my JAM, and this one breaks my heart beautifully. I’d love to see something earlier in their relationship, before or around the time of the adoption. Possible prompts: holiday or celebration - a birthday party, a Christmas (Jude gets a Christmas stocking!!!); Jude reacting to being casually claimed as family in public (I’m crying just thinking about it)

Jude St. Francis & Andy Contractor: The relationship between these two is probably my favourite in the whole book. I’d love something outside of Andy’s examination room, a moment in which the two of them relate to one another as friends first, rather than doctor/patient. Possible prompts: a late night phone conversation; a surprise meeting on the street; aAndy taking Jude somewhere - a gallery, a park, the cinema, etc

Jude St. Francis/Willem Ragnarsson: Show me a missing scene from “The Happy Years”. A slice of life moment, a trip, a momentous occasion - as long as it’s happy. Possible prompts: a surprise airport reunion; a special meal; a third party commenting on how happy they seem together

Jean-Baptiste "JB" Marion & Willem Ragnarsson & Jude St. Francis & Malcolm Young: I’m up for anything with the four of them - again, just show me a happy and cared for Jude. Possible prompts: adventures on the subway; a moment from one of their holidays at Harold’s house

Provenance

Provenance has two of my favourite things in spades - politics and heists. I fell in love with these characters and I’d love to see what happens to them after the events of the novel. I really wanted more resolution in Garal’s storyline than Leckie gave us, so I’d particularly like something that features em. Maybe they all work together to try and reform Compassionate Removal - Ingray and Taucris provide the political backbone, Garal and Tic the street smarts. But really, I’m happy with whatever you come up with, dear author. Just let Garal be happy!

Dragon Age

Cassandra Pentaghast/Varric Tethras or Cassandra Pentaghast & Varric Tethras: Oh, I adore the relationship between the two of them, and how it evolves over the course of the games. By the end of Inquisition, there’s such a genuine sense of affection and fondness between the two of them. I’d love anything that explores how much they really care for one another, underneath their banter. If you’re taking a romantic route, I would particularly adore a prickly Cassandra being courted by Varric (maybe it starts as a joke or a bet and then Varric realises he’s in way too deep). Possible prompts: Fake. Dating. If there was ever a pair that was made for this trope, it’s these two; They’re also made for an epistolary romance - Varric’s skill with words meets Cassandra’s careful and hesitant prose; Post-inquisition meeting the family/friends - either Cassandra ends up in Kirkwall, or Varric meets up with Cassandra in Nevarra; Bonding/coming together through their shared faith - I’ve always found it interesting that Varric is Andrastian

Leliana/Cassandra Pentaghast; Leliana & Cassandra Pentaghast: From the opening in Haven to the end of Trespasser, these two (and their trust in one another) are the heart of the Inquisition. Show me the respect these two women have for one another, and why they work so well together. If you’re writing post-Trespasser, I would prefer a world state in which Leliana is Divine. Possible prompts: quiet moments of shared faith; competing against one another in an Inquisition tournament (I’m thinking of that archery competition codex); a post-Trespasser reunion

Female Hawke & Aveline Vallen Female Hawke/Aveline Vallen: I love the “exasperated fondness” dynamic between these two. Show me it in action - maybe Aveline dealing with Hawke’s rash behaviour and having to rescue her time and time again, maybe Hawke rolling her eyes at Aveline’s romantic rituals. Possible prompts: Aveline breaking Hawke out of jail (OR Hawke breaking INTO jail to get rescued by Aveline); arguing while camping; a Wintersend gift exchange (this could be sweet or could be utterly hilarious, your call)

Isabela/Josephine Montilyet: I don’t have much for these two beyond that I think they’d have a fascinating dynamic, so I’d love to see it explored in any shape or form. But maybe with pirates. Possible prompts: a dangerous trade agreement; masked encounters with a final reveal 

Dorian Pavus/Solas: Remember that time Varric told Dorian that “just because two people dislike each other doesn't mean they're about to kiss, Sparkler”? Varric, you have never been more wrong about anything in your life. This is my current rarepair and I am dying, and I will take basically anything with them - enemies to lovers, bickering and sexual tension, established relationship fluff, even Trespasser angst - whatever takes your fancy. My only request is that they’re equals in their relationship - no d/s or mentor/student-esque dynamics, please. Possible prompts: Being sent out alone together solve a magic problem by the Inquisitor and realising they may have misjudged the other; One of them leaps to the other’s defence when that person isn’t around, but then they find out about it later (or overhear); I have no idea how you’d get fake dating to work with these two, but if you can think of something, I would eat it up with a spoon

Dorian Pavus/Iron Bull: I spent a lot of time in Inquisition wandering around trying to trigger this pairing and it never happened for me. I like them together, but it's never been a huge ship for me. So this isn't so much as a prompt as a challenge: convince me, convert me, make me fall in all-consuming love with this relationship.

Black Sails

If it’s not clear from the pairings I’ve chosen, I love Charles Vane more than life itself. He’s dramatic, reckless, a total trash bag, but his heart is ultimately in the right place.

Anne Bonny/"Calico" Jack Rackham/Charles Vane (Black Sails): Oh, these three. Their bond is volatile and fraught, but it’s eternal. I’d be really interested to see some of the history between them - adventures on the Ranger, etc. I particularly like their dynamic as a found family.

"Calico" Jack Rackham/Charles Vane (Black Sails): For someone who grew up as an indentured child labourer, Vane has a weirdly poetic way with words. Perhaps everyone's favourite dandy had a part to play here? Maybe Jack woos an oblivious Vane, maybe he teaches him poetry and then Vane uses it on him, maybe there's an epistolary romance?

Captain Flint/Charles Vane (Black Sails): I’m fascinated with the way that Vane always leaps to Flint’s defence - first at Charlestown, then again in the duel with Teach. Show me why Vane is so determined to protect him.

Eleanor Guthrie/Charles Vane (Black Sails): They really have a tragic romance, and I’d love to see anything that explores two people who can’t live with or without one another (although a fix-it is always welcome too).

Also, if anyone wanted to make me a space AU (i.e. they’re captains of spaceships) I would probably die of happiness, but it is absolutely not required.

Star Trek: Discovery

My favourite thing about Disco was the science, which puts me in a little niche, I know. But basically I’m all about people being good at what they do, about people learning how to see and to respect one another’s skills and competence. In space! Show me some scenes with these characters working together to solve problems and learning from one another. Bonus points if there’s a time loop, because that episode was a damn masterpiece.

OH MY GOD, author, I don’t know if you’re up to date, but the big reveals of the mid-season return have BLOWN MY MIND and I would adore something from this part of the season. I’ve included some ideas under “Mirror prompts”. 

Michael Burnham & Paul Stamets: Science bros! I love dynamics in which prickly professional distrust turns into mutual respect and admiration, and these two fit the bill perfectly. Possible prompts: moments in which they’ve realised they’ve misjudged the other; geeking out about science together

Michael Burnham & Saru: I find their relationship fascinating. It’s always been prickly, filled with jealously and competition and distrust. But there’s a genuine sense of care in there too. I’d particularly like to see something more positive between the two of them, a moment of forgiveness or healing (not complete of course, it’s not that simple, but a step on the road). Possible prompts: a rescue scenario; a shared moment of empathy (particularly for non-human life - I love Burnham’s empathy for the Tardigrade and Saru’s for the Pahvans) 

Michael Burnham & Sylvia Tilly: I really love the development of their friendship, from awkward and prickly to a genuine sense of respect and mentorship. Possible prompts: Tilly teaching Burnham something (a hobby or a game, perhaps); a future story in which Tilly makes captain. Mirror prompts: a showdown between captains!

Sylvia Tilly & Paul Stamets: Another dynamic I love! Like Burnham and Stamets, I love prickly professional relationships that hide a stronger sense of care.  Prompts: Stamets defends Tilly against a third party; general science geekery; a discovering a shared passion or hobby.  Mirror prompts: a hurt/comfort scenario

Hugh Culber/Paul Stamets: God bless Disco for giving us such a strong queer relationship. I love their gentle bickering, I love their mutual respect, I adore queer love in space! Possible prompts: an off-ship date (or an on-ship one); Stamets trying to set up the best possible date within a time-loop; talking while dancing. Mirror prompts: break my heart, dear author.

Gabriel Lorca & Ash Tyler: I really loved their dynamic while fighting their way out of the Klingon ship, and I’d love to see some more action scenes with them. Possible prompts: competition in the battle simulator; a regular shared workout; they get stuck in a lift and have to break their way out.

Sylvia Tilly & Ash Tyler: I love how Tilly’s natural openness and empathy meets Tyler’s reserve. I like friendships with a talkative and taciturn pair! I feel they have a lot of common ground between them, such as their shared sense of doubt and inadequacy. Possible prompts: doing laps of the Discovery together; party planning (possibly a surprise for Burnham); a regular shared meal date. Mirror prompts: shared fears over becoming the enemy (argh, this show is going to BREAK MY HEART)

A note on Tyler: references to his PTSD are fine if they fit into the story naturally, but please keep the details vague, and no reference to rape.

Star Wars Sequel Trilogy

Amilyn Holdo & Leia Organa; Amilyn Holdo/Leia Organa: That exchange between the two of them (“May the Force be with you, always”) made me think that this is something they’ve said to one another many times before. Show me one of these times - maybe a daring mission, maybe a formal farewell, maybe a quiet moment.

Leia Organa & Luke Skywalker: There is nothing quite as unconditional as the relationship between twins, and I don’t think the films do enough with it. I’d love to see something that explores this further, particularly in their later years. 

Paige Tico & Rose Tico: Again, I adore strong sibling relationships. Show me how these two relate to one another as sisters - all the love and jealousy and bickering and utter devotion that goes with the territory. I’d prefer if this wasn’t a fix-it - I’m happy for it to be a bit bittersweet and sad. Possible prompts: Paige teasing Rose about her hero-worship of the young pin-ups of the Resistance;  shared love of animals; quiet midnight conversations

Poe Dameron/Finn: Honestly, I just want the tropiest, most romantic thing you can throw at me. Fake dating? There’s only one bed what do? Holy shit you look hot in that outfit? A now or never kiss? Mutual pining-happy ending? Go wild, dear author.

Poe Dameron/Finn/Rey; Poe Dameron/Finn/Rey/Rose: The dream teams! There is so much potential with these pairings, and the films will never follow through because cinema is allergic to polyamory. I don't mind how you choose to interpret the dynamics of the poly relationship, but I'd prefer if sex wasn't the focus. Possible prompts: a card game; solving a problem that involves each of their individual strengths

Horizon Zero Dawn

Aloy/Talanah: I LOVE THIS SHIP. Show me these two badass women being awesome together. Maybe how they reform the politics of the Hunters Lodge, or Aloy taking Talanah with her to meet the Nora, or anything from a wild hunt adventure to a quieter moment between them.

Aloy/Vanasha; Aloy & Vanasha: "I don't think I know you at all. But I'd like to." Aaaand I screamed and backflipped out the window. I am a sucker for spies and intrigue and politics, and for relationships that develop with two people dancing around one another and trying to see through each other's performative surfaces. This pairing has so much potential. Possible prompts include: undercover as lovers (!!!), a masked encounter, talking while dancing.

Aloy & Erend: Aloy and Erend's friendship ended up being surprisingly moving - although I see it as strictly platonic. Show me some lighter moments with the two of them - maybe they get drunk together, maybe Erend finally shows her around Meridian, maybe Aloy takes Erend back to her homeland.

Aloy & Rost: Oh, these two broke my heart. I'd like to see some exploration of their dynamic when Aloy is older (i.e. around the time of the game), rather than a child Aloy. This could be set post-game - maybe one of Aloy's visits to his grave - but I would also be 100% happy with a fix-it if that's where your muse takes you.

Aloy/Nil: This is my trash ship and I kind of hate myself for being into it, but oh boy am I into it. Possible prompts include: they have a standing date once or twice a year; a prison break; continually encountering one another while on missions/travelling.