#mainly a character like sisko

[alittlewordy]

Short Story: Parasite [Star Trek DS9 Fan Fiction]

Prompt: "It's too late for you now." + "I'm scared -" [x]

Word Count: 3,957

Warnings: Whump, Parasites, Body Horror, Pain, Screaming, Crying, Begging, Hurt/Comfort, Swearing, Phasers

Characters: Benjamin Sisko, Julian Bashir, Jadzia Dax, Elim Garak, 2 named OCs, 3 unnamed extras

Pairing: Julian Bashir/Elim Garak

Summary: Julian Bashir was called to a medical conference. The Admiral in charge insisted that the doctor arrive alone. Benjamin Sisko went with him, against orders, to ensure the doctor's safe travels and to adhere to policies regarding officer safety during the war. Unfortunately, officer safety was not a priority. At least, not for Julian and Benjamin, as those involved with the conference were trying to prove Julian's augmentation was a threat, by any means necessary.

Read On AO3

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"Captain, can I speak candidly for a moment?" Dr. Bashir asked. Benjamin peered at the Chief Medical Officer in the passenger's seat of the shuttle. His eyes were on his PADD, fingers on the sides, body unmoved by the words.

"Go ahead," Benjamin said. Julian looked at him then. His concern was palpable.

"This conference was properly vetted, correct?"

Benjamin furrowed his brows and turned his gaze to the doctor. "You believe it wasn't?"

Julian's head snapped up and wide eyes stared back at him. His mouth floundered for a moment, the face mirroring those he'd make the first years they were on the station together. Benjamin felt a pang of nostalgia. It wasn't unwanted. "Well, no, not... not me."

"Not you?"

Julian sighed and looked at the PADD again, body still faced towards Benjamin. He could tell the CMO wasn't reading the words on the display.

"Garak said the timing and subject matter of the conference seemed out of place, given the war. I reassured him the conference was fine, but I can't get the idea that this could be a trap out of my head."

Benjamin's eyes narrowed at the mention of the Cardassian spy. Personal feelings aside, he never cared for his Chief Medical Officer mingling with the spy in such an intimate way. Still, Mister Garak was protective, especially after the events with Julian's parents, and Benjamin had to admit to himself that the Cardassian's presence was welcome in that sense. This news regarding Garak's concern, however, was not.

This news meant Benjamin and Garak had similar thoughts regarding the nature of the conference. Benjamin didn't go so far to believe it was a trap, of course, but there were other matters that led to his unease.

Still, Benjamin crossed his right leg over his left and laced his fingers together on his lap.

"Mister Garak is suspicious of many matters at the moment," Benjamin said, an attempt at a soother, "However, Admiral Evans sent the invitation personally and I did speak with her regarding the conference prior to your acceptance."

Julian looked up and frowned. "You spoke with the admiral? Why?"

"I cannot let my staff leave the station, or the Defiant, without proper verification that they will be protected from the Dominion."

"Is that way you came with me? To... protect me?"

"No. If this were about protection, I would have sent Constable Odo or a different member of the security team."

"Then... why?"

"The admiral was insistent that you come to this conference alone. I don't give a damn what she says, I will not let my staff leave the station alone at this time, regardless of the situation, and I will be discussing that with her. In person."

Julian looked away and nodded. "I see," left his mouth entangled with a sigh.

"Mister Garak expressed that my departure with you was suspicious as well, I take it."

"Yes," Julian said, "I told him I was sure there was a reason for it, but he wasn't convinced."

"Well, you can assure Mister Garak when we get back that I have no intention of letting you leave the station without careful consideration."

Julian gave a soft smile and a nod once more. "Thank you, sir."

The shuttle controls beeped. Benjamin glanced towards the console. An incoming call from a warship, the USS Salvation. Benjamin pressed the button on the console to accept the call.

"Thank you for joining us, Doctor Bashir," a familiar female voice chimed, delight layered against authority, "You'll be able to dock in the shuttle bay."

"We will certainly do that, thank you Admiral," Benjamin said.

The silence brought the tiniest smile to his lips.

"Captain Sisko. I told you that Doctor Bashir's invitation was for him alone." Same voice, but it was layered with venom. It was a tone that was not taken with him during their initial call. He felt Julian's eyes flick to him. No doubt the doctor caught that tone as well. Benjamin let his smile slide away.

"And I told you that I would not allow that. You will accept both of us or we will be returning to Deep Space Nine immediately."

"You don't have the authority to-"

"I have the authority to deny my Chief Medical Officer's invitation to any conference I wish, and I can revoke my acceptance at any time. We are in the middle of a war, Admiral, and I will not let any of my staff leave Deep Space Nine unaccompanied. You will accept both of us, or we will return to the station and I will send my already written report regarding your deliberate disregard for officer safety to Starfleet without hesitation."

The silence that followed was heavy. Benjamin didn't like it.

There was more to that quiet than disobeyed orders from a lower rank. His arrival with Julian disrupted plans. His gut told him to flee, to return to the station with the doctor and send the report the moment he stepped back on the station.

"Fine," Evans spat, "There's one shuttle bay. We'll pull you in."

The call disconnected from the Admiral's side. Benjamin leaned back in his chair and frowned at the console.

"Sir?"

The tractor beam caught the shuttle and pulled it towards the Salvation.

"It's alright, Doctor," Benjamin said, "I will ensure nothing goes awry. I suggest you focus on the conference."

"Right," Julian said. Out of the corner of his eye, Julian stood and walked behind the chairs, out of sight. Benjamin watched out the cockpit window as the shuttle moved towards the open bay. Then he stood and turned to the back of the shuttle as well. Julian brought his bag over his head and let it cross his body. It settled as naturally as the uniform.

Benjamin stood next to him and grabbed a phaser.

"Is that necessary?" Julian asked.

"We are in the middle of a war," Benjamin answered, a parrot of previous words. He fastened the phasor to his belt, then glanced at Julian. The doctor caught his eye, then turned away. Benjamin did not miss the palpable concern that seeped from Julian once again.

The shuttle stopped. The USS Salvation trapped the shuttle and hissed at the arrival. Benjamin shut off the shuttle, waited for pressurization outside the shuttle to normalize, then opened the door.

The bay was void of any other Starfleet vessels.

Two people approached. First was the admiral, a blond, blue eyed, pale woman with a smile that didn't touch her eyes. The other, a brunette man, skin as white as the admirals. The pips on his collar indicated Lieutenant, the color of his uniform said sciences.

"Thank you for coming, Doctor Bashir," the admiral said, her voice back to a chipper tone, "Please allow Doctor Duke to show you to the conference room."

Julian glanced at him. Benjamin didn't want them separated, and it was clear the doctor didn't want to be alone. However, they were on the ship and the Salvation wasn't large. He would find the doctor quickly once he and the admiral were done with their verbal spar. He nodded to the doctor. Julian turned and nodded to Admiral Evans.

"Thank you, Admiral."

His voice was polite, even, poised. Benjamin could help the small spark of pride as Julian stepped off the shuttle and walked with the Lieutenant out of the bay.

"We'll talk in my office," Admiral Evans said. Her voice was dark once again, though the venom was tamed to a degree. She turned and walked. Benjamin followed. They snaked down a corrodor, opposite the direction the doctors walked, and stepped into a small office.

There was barely enough room for the two chairs and desk that were tucked inside. This was not intended to be an office. A small storage room, perhaps. The doors shut. The admiral turned. A phaser was pointed at him.

"Hands up," she said.

"Admiral-"

"I said hands up, Captain Sisko."

Benjamin complied and put his hands up next to his head, away from his phaser.

"Where is the report?" she asked.

"What report?"

"The report regarding my 'deliberate disregard for officer safety'. Where. Is. It?"

"On Deep Space Nine."

"So you can't send it here?" An edge of triump slipped into the admiral's words.

"I instructed one of my officers to send it should the doctor and I not arrive back to the station on time," Benjamin lied. Though, he was certain Mister Garak would find the report and handle the matter, whether it was through the Federation or not.

"You told your crew that you were disobeying orders?" she sneered.

"I told them we're in a war and the report was to ensure transparency of our intentions before departure." Another lie, but he knew that wouldn't matter at this point. The admiral believed him and he knew it. He could see it in the conflict waging in her eyes.

"I know Admiral Bennett made you keep it," she said. She put the phaser down. Benjamin's hands dropped with it.

"Keep what?" Benjamin asked.

"That thing parading around as a doctor," she spat. She put the phaser on her belt and rounded the desk. "That augment. I'm doing you a favor as much as the rest of the Federation. You should be thanking me for this instead of disobeying orders and writing a report."

Heat and bile bubbled in his stomach, a cauldron of emotion ready to boil over.

"Thanking you for what?" Benjamin asked. Venom coated his own words this time. She was quiet once again. Buying time? Contemplation? Benjamin put his hand on his phaser. "For what, Admiral?" The words snapped, a bark before the bite.

"That augment is a danger to the Federation. We all know it. You know it, too, Captain. We are simply ensuring everyone sees the danger it poses so no other augments even dream of joining Starfleet. It's for the greater good."

Benjamin pulled his phaser from his belt, ensured it was only on stun, and fired. The admiral fell.

Before she hit the ground, Benjamin turned and fled the office. He ran through the corridors and glanced in rooms in search of Julian. Each room he searched through were empty. It wasn't void of people. Furniture was missing. Bunks, chairs, consoles, all gone, as if the Salvation was under renovations.

A scuffle caught his ear. He slowed and clutched the phaser as he eased towards it. The scuffle came from a closed door. It didn't open upon Benjamin's approach. Next to the door, the manual release had a large, red light. He shot it. The metal tore open. The door opened.

Inside, four pale doctors stood around a medical bed. Three doctors had their hands on the figure in that bed, two at his legs, one at the torso, even though restraints kept his wrists pinned to the metal sides. The fourth doctor stood at the head of the form, hands over the mouth of the struggling, lanky form that arched his back and pulled at the restraints and hands with no release.

Benjamin shot.

One doctor fell to a heap, then another. The third turned to him before Benjamin shot them too. The last doctor, Doctor Duke, flung his hands up. The form, the captured Julian Bashir, gasped and coughed.

"It's too late for you now," Doctor Duke said.

Benjamin fired. The doctor fell. Phaser still in hand, Benjamin rushed to Julian's side and pressed a button to release the metal restraints. They both snapped open.

"Come on, doctor," Benjamin said, "We're leaving."

He pulled Julian to a sitting position, then to his feet. The bag Julian brought, and still wore, brushed against Benjamin's hip. Julian screamed and hunched over, arms clutching his stomach. Benjamin grabbed the doctor's right arm and forced it over his own shoulders. His own left arm circled around Julian's back. His other arm kept his phaser poised.

"Come on," he repeated. He forced Julian to walk through the halls and back to the shuttle bay. Every few steps, screams of various volumes escaped the doctor's mouth. Benjamin felt Julian's right hand fist the shoulder of his uniform the whole way.

Once in the shuttle, Benjamin pulled the bed free from the back shuttle wall and eased Julian on it. He closed the shuttle, stowed the phaser, commanded the bay doors to open from the shuttle console, and flew the shuttle out. All the while, Julian's screams settled into pained moans behind gritted teeth.

"Computer," Benjamin said, "Alert me when we are communication distance to Deep Space Nine."

The computer beeped its confirmation.

"C-Captain."

Benjamin put the shuttle on autopilot and returned to Julian.

The doctor was tense, eyes squeezed shut, a sweat coated his forehead. Uneven, quick breaths rattled between gasps and prolonged moans, near screams. Both arms were wrapped around his stomach, clutched as hard as Julian's hand had been on the shoulder of his uniform. Benjamin put his hand on Julian's right shoulder.

"I'm here, Doctor."

Julian's eyes fluttered open. Tears trembled against brown and white.

"You need..." Julian gasped. "You need to lock me in the quarters."

"I'm not going to do that," Benjamin said, "Whatever they did to you, we'll handle it together."

"P-please, I don't... I don't want to... hurt... yo-" Julian's scream stunted that last word. The doctor's eyes squeezed shut again. A tear rolled down his cheek.

"You won't hurt me," Benjamin assured him.

"I won't be able to control it." Julian rushed the words out in a single breath through gritted teeth.

"What do you mean?"

Julian moaned, gasped, trembled. "P-PADD."

Benjamin opened Julian's bag, still around the doctor's body, and fished out the PADD. The screen lit. On the screen, a medical report, complete with a picture.

The picture showed a stout worm, urchin-like spines protruded, short, sharp. Diphyllobothrium Sterol was typed underneath. Benjamin scrolled through the report and read about the stunted tapeworm, how it infected the host through the digestive system, how it clung to the stomach and injected steroids into the body to defend itself from stomach acids, how the host would mutate over the course of two hours until becoming a violent hulk of its formal self. There was no note about removal, or a cure.

"Computer, how long until we get into communication range of Deep Space Nine?" Benjamin asked.

"Two hours, sixteen minutes, and forty-seven seconds."

Dammit. Benjamin put the PADD down and returned to the doctor. "What can we do to stall the effects?" Benjamin asked.

"W-we can't," Julian whispered.

"I'm not going to accept that, Doctor," Benjamin said, "Do we have something on this shuttle that could work as a steroid resistor? We don't need to kill it. We just need time to get within communication range of the station so the Defiant can meet us."

"M-maybe. There's a..." Julian grunted. "Hypospray in my kit. Blue cartrage."

Benjamin pulled the medical kit from Julian's bag and open it. Tucked inside, along with other instruments, was a hypospray and a number of cartrages. Benjamin picked up the hypospray and inserted the cartrage. It snapped into place.

"Stomach," Julian instructed in a gasp. Benjamin unzipped Julian's uniform jacket, then pulled up the shirt underneath. Benjamin didn't need to ask where specifically. Under the doctor's skin was a lump that already bruised his torso. That lump moved when Benjamin pulled the fabric up.

"P-please!" Benjamin knew that Julian choked back a scream with that plea.

Benjamin pressed the hypospray on that lump and released the compound. The lump lurched. Julian screamed, ragged, prolonged. Benjamin tried to ignore it as he watched the lump writhe, then ease, and finally still. Benjamin pulled the doctor's shirt down and looked at his face.

More tears fell in that time. Trembling lips caught shaky breaths that slowed in tempo with passing seconds. His whole body shook after a few moments. Benjamin removed his uniform jacket and draped it over Julian's torso and arms.

"Th-thank you," Julian whispered.

"How much time does that give us?" Benjamin asked.

Julian swallowed and opened his eyes. Tears still smeared the color in them. "I don't know. It's an emergency dose of P450ssc and this is not the intended purpose."

"Is there anything else we can use?"

"No, it's the only steroid inhibitor I have."

"I'll try to find something else that will help," Benjamin said, "You get some rest."

Julian nodded and closed his eyes. Benjamin picked up the PADD, sat on the floor next to the bed, and read through the report in full. Then, he clicked on one recommended link, then another. The additional pages didn't provide much additional information. He clicked a third link. This page was long, full of medical jargin that Benjamin wasn't familiar with. Still, he trudged through it as best as he could.

A fourth of the way through this new page, Julian groaned. Benjamin looked towards the doctor. Julian was lying down, but his body shifted, movements rigid. Then, he jolted. A scream ripped free.

"No, no, no," Julian whispered, the parade of words mutated into a long moan. Benjamin climbed to his feet and leaned over the doctor again. His right hand touched the doctor's right shoulder.

"Computer, how long until we are in communication range?" Benjamin asked.

"One hour, thirty-four minutes, eighteen seconds."

Hopefully they bought enough time.

"Once we're in range, send an SOS to the station. Give the our location and request emergency medical personnel on the Defiant to our location immediately. Request steroid inhibitors and notify that surgery will be necessary."

The computer beeped in confirmation.

"Th-they won't make it," Julian said. His voice was torn, ruptured by the plethra of screams that forced their way from the doctor's body. Benjamin sat on the edge of the bed and moved his right hand to Julian's neck. Thumb pressed against Julian's right cheek. His left hand rested on Julian's left shoulder. He realized it was akin to how he'd hold Jake in a similar situation.

"They'll make it," Benjamin said, his voice as even as he could make it, "And I'll stay with you until they do."

Julian jolted and wailed. Benjamin rubbed his thumb against Julian's cheek. Again, like he would do for Jake. It felt natural with Julian as well, like the man had become a son to him over these years.

When did that happen? And why in the hell did he only realize it now?

Benjamin stayed with him. Stayed with each scream, with each fallen tear, with each moan, each whimper, each whispered plea. As minutes ticked by, the doctor's tan skin seemed to swell with blue veins. They slipped through like inching snakes through wet sand. In moments where Julian quieted, when breaths were held under intense pain, Benjamin spoke, words steady. "I'm here", "Hang in there", "We're almost there", all fell off his lips with no restraint. As the veins slipped under his neck, to his jaw, he trembled.

"I-I'm scared," Julian whispered, "I-I don't want to hurt anyone. Please-"

"You're not going to hurt anyone. I will make sure of that. I promise, Julian."

It was the first time he'd said the doctor's name. His professional nature demanded he take it back. His fatherly one told him it was the right thing. That was affirmed when Julian's hands grasped his elbows and let out a loud sob.

"SOS sent."

Benjamin was grateful for the computer's message. The grip on his elbows tightened. It bordered painful. Julian whimpered.

"Incoming call from the Defiant."

"Go ahead," Benjamin said. Julian caught his breath and muted a moan with closed lips.

"Benjamin, what's going on?" Dax asked through the speaker. There was panic in Jadzia's words.

"Julian has been infected with Diphyllobothrium Sterol. He needs surgery to remove it as soon as possible. How soon can you get to our location?"

"At warp, a few minutes," Dax answered. If she noticed the change in Benjamin's addressing of the doctor, she didn't voice it.

"I'll stop the shuttle so you can beam us and the shuttle to the Defiant on your arrival," Benjamin said, "Make sure the medical personnel has everything they need to complete the surgery on the Defiant."

"We'll do that," Dax said.

Hands clawed at his elbows. A string of muted whimpers slipped from clamped lips. Benjamin couldn't tell if the forced silence was out of embarrassment or consideration.

"Computer, end call."

A beep of confirmation. Julian let the scream free. Benjamin waited until a sob ended the scream to speak again.

"Computer, stop shuttle."

The shuttle eased to a stop. Blue veins inched through Julian's cheeks. Benjamin felt the skin raise under his thumb. Benjamin leaned forward and put his forehead to Julian's.

"A few more minutes, Julian. You've done great. Just a little longer."

Julian squirmed and sobbed under him.

"I-I can't." Julian's voice was strained, outside any normalcy the doctor held in that tone. It was as if the voice wasn't his own any longer.

"You can. Stay with me."

Benjamin felt the pull of a teleporter then. Julian remained firm in his grasp. The shuttle vanished in streams of gold and was replaced with the Defiant infirmary. Doctors and nurses swarmed. Benjamin's jacket was lefted from Julian. Benjamin raised his head as Julian's shirt was unzipped. The lump grew, spines noticeable under the skin. It throbbed at the movement and Julian wailed. A hypospray touched that lump and hissed in activation. Another touched the left side of Julian's neck. Pained moans turned to shaky breaths to a steady pace. Benjamin lifted his hands away and stood.

"Make sure he lives," Benjamin said.

"Yes, sir," one doctor responded.

Benjamin left the infirmary, and Julian, behind.

The Defiant's trip back to the station and subsequent communications with others were a blur of questions and confirmations of Julian's wellbeing. Benjamin ignored them all and went to his office. He didn't bother to lock the doors. Instead, he sat at his desk and typed up another report regarding the USS Salvation and Admiral Evans while he waited for the inevitable visitor.

Who arrived halfway through drafting the report.

The doors opened and closed. Benjamin didn't bother looking up from his work.

"What are their names?" Garak. Monotone, but Benjamin knew the malice was hidden in those words.

"I can't tell you that."

"No, you won't tell me because of your Federation loyalty to the war efforts. I can assure you, if you insist on hiding the names and actions of these deplorable-"

Benjamin snapped to his feet and glared. "They will not be hidden!"

Garak was unmoved, though a glint of suprise widened the Cardassians eyes.

"What those people did to Doctor Bashir will be handed to the highest members of the Federation and every senior member of staff. Their names will be everywhere in this damn quadrant in less than an hour. They will be arrested, interrogated, barred from Starfleet, and imprisoned. Then, I will ensure the rest of their lives they are haunted by their actions and the beliefs that led them there. I will not allow them to disappear in the layers of bureaucracy to hide behind titles they do not deserve. This would be worse than any painful death you attempt to thrust upon them. Do I make myself clear?"

Garak lifted his head slowly. "I trust you will be a man of your word."

"You know damn well that I am."

Garak bowed his head. Then, he turned and left. The doors shut behind him. Benjamin took a shaky breath, then sat and continued his report once more. When it was done, he sent it as he promised Garak he would.

[allstartrekgames]

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: The Fallen

Original Release: 2000

Developer: The Collective

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Platform: PC

A third person shooter set sometime in season 6 of Deep Space Nine. Most of the main characters are involved, with three playable: Sisko, Kira and Worf. Unfortunately, not all the cast is here, with Avery Brooks and Colm Meaney not returning. The voice actor for Sisko isn’t too bad (although still noticeable), while O’Brien is someone doing a very bad Irish accent.

That said, the story is really good. The new alien race, the Grigari are introduced in a spooky manner. They have shielding that needs scanning so you can modulate your phaser to the right frequency, and there’s some nice locations that you visit. The ploy revolves around Pah-Wraith orbs after some Cardassian bodies from a failed experiment are discovered.

While the gameplay is mainly shooting, the tricorder is used well for scanning enemies, looking for hazards and solving puzzles. It help keeps the game feeling like it belongs in Star Trek. The shooting mechanics and weapons are quite fun too, and the game plays really well mapped to a controller (using external software). There’s also some rudimentary platforming, which works well enough. It’s a very fun game.

My favourite mission involves investigating a crashed Miranda class starship. Even with the old graphics, climbing up a cliff and seeing the ship is a wonderful sight, and you even get to fight on top of it and explore inside. You also get to explore parts of the Defiant and between each mission, explore parts of Deep Space Nine, talking to the main cast and some recurring characters, including Garak. That said, some character’s faces are really not done well – I thought Jazdia Dax was Odo when I first saw her. Worf and the Cardassians look much better than the humans in this game.

You can also play through the game as Kira and Worf. Kira has a unique mission on Bajor, but misses out on the crashed Miranda ship. You play though the same levels, but take different routes and have different objectives (although some sections are still completely the same). Kira plays the same as Sisko, while Worf lacks a phaser (which also means no forcefields to bypass) so if you don’t have ammo, you need to get up close and personal with a Bat’leth.

Deep Space Nine: The Fallen is a really fun game, I definitely recommend this one.

[ao3feed-ds9]

Hello It's Me

https://ift.tt/53OB4Uv by beat_me_with_a_bag_of_coins It's a few days after Lwaxana has left for Betazed. Odo is trying to act like nothing happened, but he can't deny he doesn't miss her presence. The crew— mainly Major Kira and Quark— are trying to figure out why DS9's favorite goo man has been a little down recently. Last everyone checked, Lwaxana is just gone home to have the baby. She's coming back... right? But what happens a few weeks later when Lwaxana finally returns to the station to divorce that dear, sweet man? Words: 2299, Chapters: 1/5, Language: English Fandoms: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: F/M Characters: Odo (Star Trek), Lwaxana Troi, Quark (Star Trek), Benjamin Sisko, Jadzia Dax, Kira Nerys Relationships: Odo/Lwaxana Troi, Odo & Lwaxana Troi, Odo & Quark (Star Trek) Additional Tags: POV Odo (Star Trek), Lwaxana Troi loves emotionally constipated beige men pass it on, Fluff, Satire, Odo Being Odo (Star Trek), Changeling Odo (Star Trek), Lwaxana is extra, Marriage of Convenience, One-Sided Attraction, Space Stations, Post-Episode: s04e21 The Muse (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), Quark's Bar (Star Trek), They still haven't told the crew that it's all a sham, lwaxana is preggers, Odo is a bit upsetti spaghetti, Odo is a dear sweet man, what is this feeling so sudden and new, I Will Go Down With This Ship, I'm Bad At Titles, deep space nine's favorite goo man, quark is invested in love stories, title based on a Todd rundgren song, sad Odo, lwaxana is absolutely bonkers for Odo but she's at least keeping her distance, Divorce, Crack Treated Seriously, Shenanigans, thank you to memory alpha for saying which levels everyone lives on

[motsimages]

I like how one of the themes in DS9 is "identity". What makes me who I am? Can I change it? Can I advocate for myself? Can I adapt to new circumstances?

Up until now (I just saw Nog insisting to enter Starfleet), it had been explored mainly with Odo and also with Jadzia a bit. In fact, it is Odo's whole plot, so to say, because he is the only one of his species and up until the establishment of the Federation in DS9, he was first a rarity (with Doctor Mora) and then a tool (with the Cardassians).

It has been very interesting to see him change his own perception about himself to be a person of his own right. Him asking to have his own quarters where he can change into different shapes that he has chosen himself is a master stroke. He has been making his own way since he arrived and he keeps doing so as firmly as he does anything else. Finding his own people helped him heal some wounds and also reassured him into his next decisions.

Jadzia has had her moments of showing that she is Jadzia, despite all the other people who inhabit her. They say it's memories of the past hosts but some memories are so powerful for her that she feels the need to comply with someone else's wishes. She not only remembers things as facts, as stories other people told you. She remembers the emotions, the feelings, the whole situation. And they insist that you have to be ready to change when you get the simbiont because the simbiont also has a character, on top of all the memories. And people respect Jadzia and Dax as separate entities, they sometimes even speak to Dax through Jadzia. So it all is a hard one to balance and she fights to be who she was before and who she is now. Jadzia likes playing tongo with the Ferengi and so she will. That is a new experience and a new memory for Dax. I will have to look up if someone has made a DID reading with Jadzia, because I think it is there.

And now we have Nog who is choosing to not be a Ferengi if being a Ferengi means he has to chase after profit. He tried his best, with Jake and Jake was actually smarter for business than he was. He has seen his father lose all his personality and power of decision because of it. He has tried himself to behave like a Ferengi when he went with Jake in a double date and it only led to more confusion. He does what is expected of a Ferengi man but he has been amongst other aliens for so long that it is weird already. But because he is friends with Jake, because he lives in a Federation station, he knows there are other options. He won't have profit anyways, but he will be happy with himself. And because he is so young and enthusiastic, he can't see yet what it may cost him with fellow Ferengis in Ferenginar, but he didn't really grow up there anyways. The child of migrants experience.

There is also Sisko with the emissary plot. It had been forgotten for a couple of seasons but they are reopening it now so we'll see where it leads but it adds to the identity changes, to the evolution of identity over the years, when new things happen to us, when we discover new things about ourselves.

[jimintomystery]

DS9: "The Die is Cast"

Constable Odo and Garak have found Enabran Tain leading a rogue fleet of Cardassian and Romulan warships. Garak agrees to join Tain's campaign to eradicate the Founders of the Dominion, and to interrogate Odo for any knowledge he has about his people. To rescue Odo, Commander Sisko must take the Defiant into a battle between three of the Federation's most dangerous enemies!

I'm not sure if this episode lives up to the hype from the ending of "Improbable Cause," but I was so hyped by that cliffhanger that it really didn't matter. Tain's plan sounded so audacious, and so foolproof, that I had to know what would happen next.

Up until this two-parter, the point of view on Star Trek had mainly stuck with Starfleet, or at least allies like the Bajorans. In that context, it hadn't occurred to me that anyone might "solve" the Dominion problem with a genocidal sneak attack, because Starfleet would never let that happen. (Put a pin in that.) But since this story dares to exclude all the Starfleet characters from the main plot, there's nobody to stop Tain except Odo, who is immediately taken prisoner. Once Tain's ships are under way, both Starfleet and the audience are left to realize the Founders are pretty screwed, and nobody has any reason to intervene on their behalf.

By 1995, Star Trek had rarely raised the stakes beyond "one bad guy ship threatening to maybe open fire on one good guy ship," so Tain's fleet of twenty ships sounded pretty hardcore. It was absolutely mind-boggling, then, when the Dominion retaliated with one hundred fifty Jem'Hadar fighters. Granted, you don't really get to see that many vessels zipping around blasting at each other. Even so, the idea of 150 small fighters pummeling twenty capital ships absolutely captivated me. Lucky for me, the franchise would start to depict increasingly ambitious space battles going forward.

I guess the big downside to "The Die is Cast" is that the Battle of the Omarian Nebula overshadows most of the character moments. "Odo questions Garak" gave us a lot of great interplay in "Improbable Cause," but "Garak tortures Odo" isn't as productive. It's interesting to see Garak reconciling with Tain, but they still don't really trust one another, so there isn't much for them to talk about. Sisko's plot is little more than macho posturing about who gave who a direct order, and sometimes it's cool to go against orders, and sometimes it's a dick move, and other times it's no harm no foul, and it adds up to nothing.

So yeah, it's not an ideal episode for characterization. Even so, it's worth it to finally get the Founders' perspective on the battle, when one of them writes off the Cardassians and Romulans, and declares the only remaining threats to the Dominion are the Federation and the Klingon Empire. If you'd been paying attention at home--I was!--this felt very rewarding. And I couldn't wait to see how the balance of power continued to shift...

[quarkslobes]

deep space 9!

ok here we go:

blorbo (favorite character, character I think about the most)

it used to be odo but now by far sisko, mainly because the benny russell plotline is my absolute favorite star trek plot ever. is he sisko or benny.... if he ascended to the prophets or whatever did he create benny?? if benny russell was a real author in strange new worlds... what does that mean. "you are the dreamer and the dream" is rotating in my microwave brain constantly. odo is still my emo repressed babygirl though.

scrunkly (my “baby”, character that gives me cuteness aggression, character that is So Shaped)

if couples count, worf and jadzia. yes they can and have gotten away with murder yes i still want to put them in a little jar on my desk. they're legitimately one of the best written tv couples ever. worf is the wife and jadzia is the husband though

scrimblo bimblo (underrated/underappreciated fave)

damar, im not saying hes a good person or anything but his arc was so interesting to me and he did have his very good moments at the end

glup shitto (obscure fave, character that can appear in the background for 0.2 seconds and I won’t shut up about it for a week)

rom and leeta. roms development was also SO good and leeta is the cutest side character ever i love her. like star trek does not get better than wimpy alien man finding his passion for engineering and falling in love with his hooters waitress wife who helps him form a union. that was peak cinema

poor little meow meow (“problematic”/unpopular/controversial/otherwise pathetic fave)

i cant think of a character that's necessarily unpopular... maybe lwaxana?? i know she was like a minor villain in tng but i loved her in that ep where she hung out with alexander, and her friendship with odo later on in the show was actually super cute to me. she is a queen idc what tng says. headcanon she's still like alexanders cool aunt and worf is very tired.

also near the end... kai winn?? i do not like her or think she was a good person at all but i did feel bad for her for maybe two seconds near the end. i dont know she spent her life wanting to talk to god only for some alien guy to become emissary so while shes evil and i hate her i kinda have pity for her so shes my meow meow idk

horse plinko (character I would torment for fun, for whatever reason)

dukat for sure. i would drop dukat in hot soup. definitely the best written star trek villain though and marc alaimo is such a good actor, every time i watch a dukat ep im like how does alaimo act so well that i genuinely hate this man with a passion

eeby deeby (character I would send to superhell)

kai winn. i know i just said shes my meow meow but i hate her i hate her. same thing with marc alaimo though, louise fletcher was such a good actor that for 45 minutes i hated her like she was real dude

[spacefinch]

The Dragon Prince characters as Star Trek Characters

Rayla: Half-Andorian, half-Vulcan. I couldn’t decide which version I liked better.

Callum: Bajoran science officer. He was adopted into a human family, and he specializes in meteorology.

Ezran: Half human (father’s side) and half Bajoran (mother’s side).

Soren: Human. Works as the ship’s security officer.

Claudia: Science Officer, with an interest in chemistry (the more dangerous, the better).

Terry: Also a science officer. Not sure what species to make him. Specializes in botany.

Amaya: Ezran and Callum’s maternal aunt. A veteran of the Bajoran resistance movement. Deaf. Communicates using Bajoran Sign Language.

Gren: Amaya’s right hand man and sign language interpreter. Also a veteran of the Bajoran Resistance.

Janai: Half Trill, Half Vulcan. Amaya’s fiancée. Fourth host of her symbiont.

Notes:

This AU is mainly set in the DS9 era and later, Lower Decks era.

Callum is about the same age as Jake Sisko.

[philcoulsonismyhero]

Okay, so I need to expand my convention stall print selection as a matter of vague urgency because my current stuff is reaching the end of its useful lifespan (the joys of a small con scene and a lot of familiar faces in the customers who've already bought all they're going to buy), so

The current mile long to-draw list for the sake of creating some accountability (bolded are the most immediate priority):

Kirk, Spock, probably also McCoy

The rest of the Trek captains from the shows I've watched (Picard, Sisko, Janeway, Archer, Pike, Burnham?? I haven't gotten far enough in Discovery for her to be captain yet but I'm assuming she is eventually)

Assorted other popular Trek characters, eventually (if you've got suggestions, Please let me know, there's 500 of these people and narrowing it down is hard)

Luke, Leia, Han

I Really can't be bothered but I know Maul, Dooku, Sidious and Vader would be popular so eventually I'm just going to have to suck it up and draw some characters I hate

Something clone troopers (I have it on good authority that there's basically no merch for clone fans)

Torchwood team (portraits, like the Doctors print I've already got)

14th and 15th Doctor (or whatever they're called) to update Doctors print

NuWho companions? At least Rose, Martha, Donna, Amy, Clara, Bill

9th Doctor, Rose and Jack group shot

Something Hot Fuzz

Something Kingsman (Eggsy and Galahad, probably)

Something Pacific Rim (currently thinking maybe three somethings? Newt & Hermann, Mako & Raleigh, Pentecost and the cancelling the apocalypse line)

Judge Dredd and Anderson from Dredd

All nine of the Fellowship of the Ring, brown paper, which is going to take forever but should be worth it because they're all popular and also I love them all, probably eventually also Eowyn and Faramir and Bilbo

The daft local in-joke Nazghul thing (there's this mounted statue of Wellington in Glasgow that always has a traffic cone on its head so I'm redrawing it as a Nazghul because I think that's funny)

Something Firefly

Roy Kent, because I've got a Ted Lasso and he's the main character people are always asking after

Something DnD movie?

And probably a dozen other things but that's enough for now

I'm trying to mainly stick to old, established fandoms and movies/series that I genuinely like that are cult-classic-y enough that they're consistently popular, because I'm fed up of how quickly The Current Popular Thing fades these days. I've done well out of drawing stuff that'll appeal to the Queer Cartoon-Watching Teens, but they're a fickle audience and getting less reliable so time to target the staple fandoms instead.

And then there's also the other list which is stuff that's mostly for my own entertainment but will probably do decently well, just not enough to be a priority right now:

A few more RWBY characters on coloured paper to expand that set (at least Penny, Nora, Ren, Jaune, Oscar)

A DCTV Flash and Reverse Flash pair of prints on red and yellow paper respectively

Something Rivers of London

An updated set of brown paper FMA art

Arcane stuff (will be higher priority when the next season is closer, but for now no one is paying it any attention)

The trio from The Marvels

Eda, Luz, King and Hooty group shot (this one should probably be on the other list, but it's down here for now because I've already got Owl House prints and right now I need to go for breadth of fandoms rather than expanding within what I've already got)

That Captain America set of four with limit colours idea that I've had for ages (Steve, Bucky, Sam, Peggy)

More brown paper Jedi (current top of the list are Aayla Secura, Shaak Ti)

A print of the main duo from The Untamed (got badges already)

Etc etc

Can you see why I never get anything done, too-many-choices choice paralysis is A Nightmare

The current plan is to start with the Star Trek stuff, because that's going to be portraits and I can do those in my sleep. If I can get Kirk and Spock done, that's a solid start. The Torchwood team print is also small portraits, so that's potentially doable as well, and a good shout for my next event since it's an 18+ evening con so the audience will be a bit different to usual. (I'm intrigued about this con, I don't know how it's going to go, but the idea of an adults-only event where artists can sell All their stuff rather than sticking to kid-friendly is a good one even if that's not going to affect my own stock at all. Shame it's the same weekend and in the same city as a big established con that I got wait-listed for which I'm still mad about because I Kinda Need The Money, but what can you do.)

I've got that con the weekend after next which means I've got until Monday night at the latest to get things finished if I want them with the print shop by Tuesday morning. Then I can work on the two extra Doctors and maybe some companions, because those will be badges and I make those myself. And that's as far in the future as it's worth thinking right now, let's just take this a couple of weeks at a time and maybe my brain will stop stalling over having too much to do and no way to narrow it down

[basingstokemercury]

Had a pretty silly idea, but I wanted to try and follow it through: casting Bonanza's actors in Star Trek and seeing what happens, because why not?

Lorne Greene as Benjamin Sisko

I think this is a fairly obvious choice, but one that would come with interesting repurcussions.

Sisko not being black would certainly change things at least in the later seasons, and I think this is the place to use the potential of having an openly Jewish character in Trek.

That would mean a fair amount of changes to the Emissary plotline - having a Jewish character change religion because they've found their true calling would be a bad look and very different than Canon Sisko coming in as agnostic at best - but, handled well, would make for fascinating writing.

Pernell Roberts as James Kirk

This is how the whole thing started - I realised that he left Bonanza the year before TOS started, and thought "what if? that would have been great."

Don't know how much I actually have to say about this hypothetical casting. We wouldn't have Shatner's distinctive acting style, obviously, but I think Roberts would be an excellent fit for the role with minimal editing.

Dan Blocker as Data

This was a hard one to place. I don't know Blocker from anything other than Bonanza (it was his breakout role, and tragically he never got the chance to go on to other work), and Hoss is a pretty... idiosyncratic character. Hard to compare to others, especially in serious settings.

I can't explain exactly why I settled on Data, but it would make for some very interesting acting opportunities.

Michael Landon as Julian Bashir

Okay, this one is low-hanging fruit. Joe Cartwright is already Cyril-coded, and differs from Julian mainly in having no sense of self-preservation, being even more of a brat (sorry Early Show Julian), and expressing emotional vulnerability through bursts of anger as well as compassion and affection. He also has much less emotional intelligence, but I'm hoping that may come with later seasons.

Julian's Arab heritage can, sadly, be discarded with basically no change to the character. I'm not sure it ever comes up besides once mentioning couscous. Landon is Jewish, if much closer to white-passing, so actually Middle Eastern ethnicity could stay - make him canonically Jewish, and you even have a bonding point with Alternate Sisko.

Being American would be the larger change, moving things like the James Bond holoprogram from "cultural heritage" to "stuff he likes".

(To tell the truth, I'd also like to see Landon as Kirk. I think he'd have an interesting take on it.)

This has been Silly Self-Indulgent Thinking Corner. Thank you for bearing with it.

[strangesmallbard]

Top 5 sci fi TV shows

1. battlestar galactica (2004) - i watched bsg in 2011 at age 16 and it fired previously unheard of neurons in my soupy depressed teenage brain. the existentialism is off the fucking charts. the characters are SUBLIME. i still cry whenever i heard the adama & roslin theme song. bsg also sparked my love for sci-fi! before that, i mainly read and watched fantasy. i’ve been meaning to do a rewatch because i want to see how much my thoughts have changed as an adult.

2. warehouse 13 - what if some items were PLOT RELEVANT and had SPECIAL POWERS and a team of SECRET AGENTS neutralized their powers via dumping them in PURPLE GOO. fantastically fun show. you will cry though. and you will always think hg wells is a bisexual woman that looks like jaime murray.

3. killjoys - i lovingly describe this show as badgood television. one of the last syfy shows to embrace wacky 90’s sci-fi, complete with practical effects, stupid filler episodes, found families, and corny lines that only make the show better. there’s also two evil lesbians! who are in LOVE with each other! and oh my god just look at hannah john kamen…

4. star trek: deep space nine - still haven’t finished this show because it’s sooo fucking good and i don’t want to run out of episodes. (unfortunately that means i’ve put off watching all the other treks until i finish LMAO) the pilot made me sob and that never happens. every character is a genuine delight. KIRA NERYS….JADZIA DAX….BEN SISKO. has the legendary lesbian kiss scene that panicked conservatives across america. have i mentioned kira nerys

5. fringe - haven’t wanted to engage with fringe since learning about jasika nicole’s experiences on set, but it’s a fantastic procedural sci-fi show about weird science and parallel universes with wonderfully memorable characters. fringe also taught me about the potential for tv to explore themes and motifs in longform storytelling, which influences the way i analyze tv today.

[ettaberrytea]

Oooo for the WIP Ask Meme tell us about Star Trek: Cardassia!

This is the one that I have over 20 outlines for that I was complaining about a few days ago. It is meant as a hypothetical new Star Trek tv show set right after DS9.

Major Kira, Quark and Jake join Garak on Cardassia. Kira is looking for answers to the identity of the dead version of herself that she saw in the episode “Second Skin,” and she needs to convince Garak to help access the Order’s subterranean archives. Jake is looking for answers to what happened to his dad. He's hoping that he may find stolen Bajoran texts that could help him bring his dad home. Quark is listless since Odo left and has decided, half out of the goodness of his heart and half out of desire for capitalistic world domination, to bring Quark’s to Cardassia and provide a means for the locals to trade salvage and labour for his merchandise. Garak, who feels that really he ought to end his life at what he sees as the rational end to his tragedy, keeps finding one more thing to do before his final event. He finds himself in an awkward friendship with Dr. Parmak. Dr. Parmak is in no position to help Garak, and frankly isn’t particularly sound of mind either, along with everyone else who survived.

Star fleet is offering “aid.” The Klingons are offering “security.” Everyone from con artists and fraudsters, to enterprising scholars of varying degrees of morality seem to suddenly have a reason to set up shop. Hundreds of Bajoran apostles show up to search for the lost orbs of prophecy. The surviving Guls, Directors, Archons and lesser government officials are all scrambling over each other to form government. At the centre of it all is the mystery of the sealed and booby-trapped Obsidian Order tunnels that still await the return of the late Director Tain.

Oh, and the protagonists manage to converse with Sisko at some point, who's still chilling with the wormhole aliens, and they go on a trippy, meta adventure to an American scifi film set in the 80s.

Most of this wip is just half formed ideas scribbled on various peices of paper. Here's a snippet of Sisko in the wormhole:

“Does this expanse go on forever?”

“What is forever?”

Sisko sighed deeply. He wasn’t sure how he was getting a headache without a corporal body.

“If I pick a direction and start walking, will I ever get to anything other than nothing?”

The misty form of Sarah frowned in confusion.  

sisko was pacing.

“The Sisko is disconcerted by our -void-“

“Yeah, you certainly could put it that way”

“The Sisko is having trouble assimilating into non-linear space”

“I don’t belong here.”

He started to run.

“The Sisko is of us. The Sisko must belong!”

“Let me out”

“The Sisko must un-tether himself from linear time.”

“Jake!”

“Let go, the Sisko”

“Kassidy!”

“Let go!”

“Help!”

As he ran, the light void turned to dark. Soon he was stumbling about, unable to see.

A light appeared in the distance before him. He ran towards it.

“Hello there.”

The voice was not like those of the prophets. It was grounded like voices on the temporal plane. 

Sisko looked around him and his surroundings created themselves as his eyes moved.

“Hello?”

There was a long table of food before him. It was mainly sandwiches and sliced up fruit.

“Would you like some coffee? I just made a fresh pot.”

“Coffee…”

Sisko looked in the direction of the voice. A black woman in her mid forties wearing a dark purple robe and a large, matching hat that looked sort of like a huge, circular graduation cap. She held out a paper cup of coffee towards him. Sisko took it. 

“Thank you.”

“You seem lost. Are you an extra?”

Sisko frowned. “An extra what?”

The woman laughed. “I mean are you a part of the background characters?”

“The… where am I?”

“Craft services.”

“What sort of services?”

“You’re where the food is, honey. Where are you trying to get to?”

“I’m trying to go home.”

“Which parking lot?”

Sisko stared at her blankly. The woman furrowed her brow and came around to the other side of the table. “Are you not feeling well? Let me help you find the exit.”

Sisko perked up at that word.

“Please! I just need to leave.”

“Come over here. Do you see that sign taped to the wall? It’s got arrows. Do you see the one that says main exit? Just keep following the signs and you’ll get to the door you probably came in. Then turn left and you’ll be heading in the direction of the main gates. Do you want me to walk with you?”

“Thank you,” said Sisko. “I can manage.”

As he walked, he started to feel light like a balloon. The hallway started to meander much more than any earthly hallway ever would and it was alive, rippling and bending. He found himself upside down, gripping the floor tiles with his finger nails, his body like a sheet of paper in a breeze. The outside door appeared, floating in emptiness. He launched himself towards it, floating like on a space walk. His inertia carried him to it and he grabbed the door handle and struggled. It opened.

[myfaveisnormal]

I posted 12,546 times in 2022

That's 10,295 more posts than 2021!

187 posts created (1%)

12,359 posts reblogged (99%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@ fullmetal-alcremist

@ vampireautism

@ m0kush1r0ku

@ aromanticreigen

@ seafoam-blues

I tagged 4,151 of my posts in 2022

#star trek - 997 posts

#no id - 610 posts

#aa - 413 posts

#aes - 251 posts

#cosmic descriptions - 232 posts

#video - 231 posts

#cosmic queue - 217 posts

#cosmic thoughts - 128 posts

#gifset - 89 posts

#psa - 84 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#like i have a special interest in neurological disorders (mainly pds but sometimes other stuff too) and sometimes whn talking about them as

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

DO NOT INTERACT IF:

- youre the fastest thing ive ever seen

- that strike of lightning i just saw was you

- dont stop

- weve gotta keep it going all night

28 notes - Posted October 26, 2022

#4

Thank you for tagging me, @ angomay! The rule is to tag nine people, but feel free not to babes ;)

Favourite colour: Ohh I find it hard to pick favourite things like that, but lots of my things have been pink and red lately

Currently reading: I'm planning on getting Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka next week, as per my philosophy teacher's request

Last song I've listened to: Master and Servant by Depeche Mode!!! I love that song :)

Last series I've watched: I've watched a few episodes of Invisible City. I had to stop because I was stimming too much though fhekfhsjfh

Last movie I watched: I haven't watched any movies in a while, but think it was Sense and Sensibility.

Cravings: Sleep. And peace

Currently working on: A school play! I have so much to dooo...

Tagging: @ khonshufan @ minecraft-java @ r4np0e @ trans-hunter @ mortonscastle @ donaldtheduckdad @ shineyfish @ mntcoronet @ vampireautism and anyone who wants to do this! Feel free to tag me if you do :)

38 notes - Posted June 2, 2022

#3

[Video description: Recording of an audio titled "Chekov In Pain". When played, a voice calls out "Chekov!", to which he responds by screaming in pain. The voice calls out again, and this time Chekov screams for longer. End VD]

fuck it. chekov in pain chewsday

45 notes - Posted November 3, 2022

#2

See the full post

207 notes - Posted November 7, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

[ID: The "these hoes tryna distract me" meme, drawn over to show Benjamin Sisko studying while Gul Dukat lifts his shirt to show his breasts. Sisko is captioned "Me tryna maintain my federation ideals", and Dukat, " These hoes tryna distract me 🤦🏿‍♂️". End ID]

was looking for ways to procrastinate hw and remembered a post by @ tuvokswag . god help me

344 notes - Posted October 23, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[mariusslonelysoul]

I was gonna wait till i finished s2 to update this but after the collaborator ep i couldn't wait

Dax is quickly becoming my fav

When sisko calls her 'old man' and when people call kira 'sir'??? Good shit

Kira is both suspicious of a strong gust of wind and way too trusting reminds me of my friend actually

Is odo in love with kira?? He has to be, that conversation about bareil had Vibes. Like sure there was something there before but that scene felt meaningful

In any case i can see it

Bareil you bitch, even if he didn't betray them himself. it's the second time i let myself be charmed by a nice and earnest priest character shame on me

Though he raised alarm bells in my head from moment zero but his pretty face and pleasant manners fooled me

Idk what the concensus re: bareil is but I Don't Like Him (anymore)

Winn is also utterly horrible but at least she was up front about it

I hate her though and i hope she gets replaced as kai quickly

What's with the bajoran earrings, i'm guessing they are traditional and also signify rank/class/occupation/etc. They're cool

The dominion is obviously the big bad of the show and ngl they do scare me (mainly bc i saw some vague spoilers about a war which i'm guessing is with the dominion) (...spoiler is a strong word for a 20 yo show)

Finally started ds9 so here are some thoughts~ (i'm almost done with s1)

They are NOT pulling punches good god

Even the intro is already much darker

Also trek has always been horny but i was not expecting to hear "sexual holosuite programs". I guessed that's what the holosuites were used for but i didn't think they'd confirm it

I like the uniforms better than tng's. quark's outfit is certainly a statement too

Odo is first and foremost a hater and i respect that

Pls let jake be happier than wes. I'm hoping than with nog there too they support each other

Kira is a fascinating character, the scene with the spiritual leader telling her to accept her violence so she can move on was great

Dax is also so interesting, i hope they explore some more of how she copes with her previous identities

On that note, it's not trek without a character being put on trial

Julian is such a loser i love him

Honestly all the characters are great and i cannot wait to see more of them

I also hope keiko appears a lot, i need the o'brien family to be happy and thriving

Odo and quark are such worsties, they are like spones but without the yearning and tension

Ngl i do miss the captain's chair

[afaimscorner]

Everytime I think it can’t get worse for me with “Star Trek”...

Ugh, that first “Star Trek: Coda��-Novel is so bad, it makes me wish they would just have let the Pocket Universe die without trying to give it an ending. I mean, yes Disney just cancelling the Expanded Universe and de-canonizing every Novel, Comic and Game ever written made me quit “Star Wars” and made me regret a good part of my fan-life, but if this is the alternative ... well, no but thanks.

The worst part is that it is “Star Trek: Picard” all over again. Every fan, who is here for anything else than Picard and some TNG Nostalgia is treated like a second class citizen. I mean, why promote this as a Crossover Series, if the first novel bascially only is for TNG-Relaunch Novel Fans? Not even “Titan” is in it, so why promote this as Picard, Riker, Sisko and Dax and their ships banding together, when this is not happening at all? (For reasons, I will get into later).

It seems like the second novel focuses on DS9 after all, but as a DS9-Fan, who read the first novel it’s like Icheb in “Picard” for Voyager-Fans all over again, but he got to be at least a boy in the fridge for Seven, and it was “only” Icheb, but here ...

SPOILER ALERT They just go an kill of Ezri Dax like she is just another Pocket Book Universe Supporting Character and not a Main Character from an actual Canon-Show! They make the greater tragedy of T’Ryssa Chen dying than Ezri and Dax dying! And, yes, it is a TNG-Novel (even though - again! - the lie about that everywhere), but when they killed of Janeway in another TNG-Novel back then it was a big thing and not an afterthought with her as one of many casulties. Granted, Pocket Books Ezri Dax has not much in common with Canon Ezri Dax at this point, but still ... they would never pull that with let’s say Geordi in a DS9-Novel, would they? It’s bad enough the whole Crossover seems to be “Let’s slaugther as many of our characters, that we investeted a good part of the last two decades of ST-Novels in, as possible, even though the Multiverse is ending and Our Timeline is probably  going to be earased anyways”, but giving a Canon Character this treatment ist just beyond wrong. Sorry. I mean, feel free to do with the Pocket Book Character what you will, that’s in your rights, but this just isn’t, if it does not get the space it deserves. And if this was supposed to be a “Anyone can die”-Moment, why put on in an Universe-Ending Storyline? They stakes can’t get any higher than everyone dying and that is the fucking plot, so why do it at all? SPOILER ENDING

And apart from the senselss slaughter this novel was hundreds of pages of Wesley Techno-Babbeling Time Travel Mechanics combinded with a Jean-Luc Picard-love fest. Not a single interesting moment there for anyone who is interested in Wesley as a person instead of Plot Device or anyone whose favourite Trek-Character is any one but Jean Luc Picard.

I can’t believe this is supposed to be a love letter to the Pocket Book Universe, because frankly it feels like is was written by someone who actually hates it. Dayton Ward can claim he wrote that book, I refuse to believe it, even the worst David Mack Trek-Novels are usually better than this and Dayton Ward’s Trek-Novels always were much much better than this one in the past.

So, I hope this series gets better in the next two books (but I have my doubts), but mainly I am just done with the whole “TNG is the only Trek-Series that matters and Picard is the only character that matters”-attitude of all those so-called fans turned authors, who then claim to write for the whole fandom but only every shit on DS9- und Voyager-Fans. It’s all right to only write for TNG- and Picard-Fans, but if you do that don’t use the characters from the other shows! It is as simple as that.

So, no waiting for the translation did not pay off and my gut-feeling about “Coda” not being something I would like was totally spot on, at least for the first novel, but I fear it won’t get better.

[midshipmank]

My parents told me recently that they only watched DS9 for Kira, and I’m honestly torn between defending (most) of the other characters, or just laughing bitterly and telling them they’re in a very small minority

[autisticburnham]

5,12,17,34

5. What do you wish more people knew about autism?

Mainly just that it's a spectrum and presents in many different ways. We're not all the same and there's no right or wrong way to be autistic. Also that Autism Speaks sucks ass and ABA is abuse

12. Do you headcanon any characters as autistic? If you want, tell us why you headcanon them as autistic.

Boy do I! Obviously with the url, Sisko. The way he drums his fingers when he's stressed read like stimming to me and since baseball is pretty much a dead sport, the intensity of his fondness for it reads like a special interest. Plus you could interpret his cooking as being a way of controlling his food and what textures and flavors he deals with. All of the "outsider" characters because they are written specifically to struggle with social norms and communication, but especially Seven and Julian. I consider Julian practically canon bc of his unnamed developmental disorder that his parents had him engineered to get rid of. But Spock, Saavik, Data, Worf, Tuvok, T'Pol, and Michael are all common enough headcanons that I don't really feel the need to explain. Oh, and Tilly is also basically canon with her special needs line. I also really like the idea of Troi being autistic. Being hyperempathetic but struggling to articulate her own emotions, plus her strong friendship with Data. This list is getting long and this is my Trek sideblog, so I'm gonna cut it here, but I've got autistic headcanons for pretty much every fandom I'm in.

17. Do you own any stim toys? Which is your favorite?

Not any actual marketed as stim toys, but I do absolutely fidget with my necklace and wear it to work specifically because I know I'm gonna need to stim with it to self soothe

34. Do you enjoy hugs? Or are they sensory hell?

I like them for the most part! I don't have any sensory issues with them unless they go on for a very long time, but I do sometimes struggle with knowing how long to hold them, so I can get a bit in my own head about that and get stressed out.