#or at the very least it takes spock a lot of time to come to terms with that being his son and the conditions he was made under. like a lot.

[archersartcorner]

Totally understand this isn’t everyone’s thing, but unfortunately for y’all I love fucked up family dynamics, SO

[staringdownabarrel]

When it comes to the Pulaski discourse, I think there's a few things people tend to forget.

Firstly, her character arc makes sense if you watch the second season in order, but people haven't always done that. There was a period of twenty-ish years after it aired where the overwhelming majority of TNG fans weren't doing that at all, and it wasn't entirely by choice. Owning the entire season on tape was cost prohibitive enough that most people wouldn't, and watching it in reruns on TV usually meant that you were watching it in random order.

So a lot of the intended arc was lost on people who hadn't seen these episodes in the order they originally aired when they aired. How it came off, especially when it came off in how she got on with Data, was that there were episodes where she got on fine with him and others where she seemed like she was being rude for no reason.

That didn't go away once people were able to buy the box set on DVD, either. Don't forget that the conventional wisdom about TNG is that the first couple of seasons sorta suck, but it picks up in the third season. I have my issues with that assessment because I feel like the quality curve is much more of a gradient than that lets on, but that was still the popular assessment for a lot of years.

Because of that, people didn't always watch it in the original aired order even when they'd paid to have that option. A lot of the time they'd still watch the episodes in a somewhat random order, or they'd watch the episodes in order once and then go back to just watching their favourites from that season and none of the others. The effect that her overall arc was meant to have was still being lost.

At least anecdotally, it's only been in the last decade or so that the popular assessment regarding Pulaski has started to change. The big thing that's happened in that time is that streaming has become widely popular now. Sure, you can still skip episodes or watch them in a semirandom order on Netflix just like you did with DVD, but most people don't, or at least not to the same extent.

Secondly, one of the bigger criticisms TNG faced early on was that it was basically just the original series but with new characters. That's died down almost completely now, but the Pulaski-Data dynamic still has hints of that older criticism.

Mostly, the criticism goes that the Pulaski-Data dynamic feels like a bad rehash of the McCoy-Spock dynamic, only mean spirited because Data is too childlike to really understand what's happening. That's only compounded by the fact that people haven't really seen the second season as it originally aired until the last decade or so.

Thirdly, and I'd argue most importantly, group think is a thing. There's a lot of people who'll hear certain criticisms of a character and then just run with them basically forever without ever critically examining them.

That's especially the case in a fandom like Star Trek, where there's a lot of people who basically inherited their interest in the franchise from their parents. A lot of the time people's opinions about certain aspects of the show will almost entirely be based on something someone said to or around them when they were fourteen, and they've never really considered for themselves why they think that.

I don't think people really take this into account enough because once you fully internalise that it's a tendency people have, you sorta do have to reconsider a lot of your own views, both fandom and unrelated. I think Star Trek also has a large enough fandom with a wide enough range of views that there's an unspoken assumption that it doesn't happen with Star Trek, but there's still enough views that are sorta taken as gospel even if they don't really line up with canon very well that I think you have to assume groupthink is the culprit at least occasionally.

Group think is an important factor here because before Netflix came popular, huge chunks of the fandom spent twenty or twenty-five years under the assumption Pulaski sucked. Even with how people have warmed to her in recent years, you can't undo all those years of people actively disliking her quickly.

[free-the-fandom]

After watching the AOS movies and hearing about the love triangle in SNW, I've come to the conclusion that Spirk (implied or otherwise) is part of what makes Spock feel like Spock, at least to me.

I'll preface this rant to say that I'm not very articulate, and I'm very biased lmao. I'm a big Spirk shipper, I love Leonard Nimoy's stoic but sassy Spock, but if it ain't broke, don't fix it, you know? But feel free to take what I say with a grain of salt.

I personally love Spock because of the ways he struggles with fitting in, and how he slowly works not to define himself by the insults and pressures put upon him his whole life.

Of course, his struggles with being partially human and Vulcan are a major part of his character, no matter the adaptation. But as they make Spock (and Vulcans in general, for some reason) more human, and make him have more romantic relationships with women early on, Spock begins to feel more like he's written mainly to appeal to heterosexual viewers who wanted to see him "break" and pays less attention to what that would actually mean for him, or even look like.

So what does this have to do with him being gay for Kirk?

Well, Spock was pressured to feel ashamed any and all feelings he had. He notably feels ashamed to even feel friendship for Kirk.

One thing I love about Spirk is that it clearly took time for Spock to feel comfortable expressing himself authentically around Kirk. It wasn't love at first sight, Kirk didn't solve all of Spock's emotional repression after one defining incident, it wasn't easy. It. Took. Time. And Kirk was there for him every step of the way.

He wouldn't be as open as he eventually becomes without Kirk.

Spock being put in progressively more heterosexual scenarios just so that he can beat the gay allegations only serves to lessen his character, because a Spock that views friendship, worrying, caring for those around him as a personal failing would not realistically find himself in a love triangle, or any kind of romantic relationship without A Lot of inner work being done to combat that shame.

And the only person who helps him to do that, the only person who takes the time to let Spock learn for himself that love, in any form, is not something he should feel ashamed to have, is Kirk.

And yeah, that's pretty gay of them. But that's a feature, not a bug, lol. And trying to diminish that bond by making Spock kiss women on the side when TOS Spock was so unattainable that women wondered if he even had feelings to begin with, isn't the straight loophole writers seem to think it is. It just feels forced, and it stifles the impact of his character development.

TLDR: If they wanted the chance at a realistically straight Spock, they shouldn't have let Leonard Nimoy act that good, or slay that hard.

[yuttikkele]

S1E28 The City of the Edge of Forever: aka holy cow I had a lot of notes on this one. This was a roller coaster. I don’t think I can make a cool synopsis quip on this one.

Jim when he’s been proven wrong or something and he does that little gulp thing continues to be funny.

OH MY GOSH BONES FLAILING TO THE GROUND 😭😭

Uhura beamed down! WHOPPEE!!

“Each of you will have to try it. Even if you fail, at least you’ll be alive in some past world somewhere.” Oh gosh let Uhura go last 🙏🙏

You think all those 1930s people looked at them and instead of thinking “maybe they’re time travelers!” were thinking “what are these guys? queers?”

KIRK YOU’RE JAYWALKING KIRK YOU’RE STEALING KIRK THIS IS THE GREAT DEPRESSION PRACTICALLY EVERYONE IS POOR.

…

HUH. “My friend is obviously Chinese.” THAT’S THE BEST YOU COULD DO???

That took me by surprise so much not only WHY WOULD HE SAY THAT but also THAT’S THE WORST EXCUSE I’VE EVER HEARD

AND THEN HE EXPLAINS THE EARS ANOTHER WAY? I THOUGHT THE CHINESE THING WAS THE EXPLANATION OF THE EARS? WHAT WAS THE GOAL OF SAYING HE’S CHINESE 😭😭 ???

Spock’s sigh is a mix of “phew I saved us” and “why is he saying that?”

MECHANICAL RICE PICKER?

AS A CHILD??

Spock is admitting their defeat nodding his head.

Casually gets groped, pulls the “look over there!” trick, then everyone just casually watches and does nothing as a police officer collapses in their arms.

“You were actually enjoying my predicament back there.” You mean the terrible Chinese backstory or the cop groping him?

Ok gonna have to ignore the racist comments for now and move on

Ooo they’re wearing regular clothes!

Kirk your chest is still out button up your shirt you’re talking to a woman

I’m sorry they look like they’re straight from the 2000s. I know they’re very universal outfits, but they just look like they’re 2000s grunge. Spock’s skater beanie is hilarious.

Spock why do you just place your bread bare on the table. Kirk not you too.

Kirk telling that guy to shut up. Well, at least he’s not sexist.

Oh I like her. This Edith lady.

WHAT IS SHE A TIME TRAVELLER? HUH? HIT BY THE DODGE BALL OF APOLLO???

Kirk coming in arms full of groceries. He’s even got a baguette, a sausage, and some lettuce. What is this, a domestic AU?

Well at least Spock’s being honest to the lady about his computer building.

Ok now SPOCK is stealing

I see Kirk is actually just not gonna button up his shirt so. Ok I guess.

Oh so when Edith says “you guys don’t belong here” she actually means “Kirk doesn’t belong here, and Spock should be wherever Kirk is, so he doesn’t belong here either.” If I were Spock, I’d probably be offended by being told I’m second to someone, but knowing Spock he probably thinks this is a great compliment honestly. “Second to my captain? Right next to him? Well, you would be right. Thank you for noticing.”

“Captain. Even when he doesn’t say it, he does.” Oh after that and the “by his side” line she definitely thinks something’s going on between them. “I see the devotion this man has for you- *proceeds to say a homophobic slur*”

“Hey these guys are sorta out of place.�� “Yeah. Honestly, they’re kinda… queer…” *looks at the camera as a laugh track plays*

Oh Spock just looks oddly out at Kirk and the lady as they leave on what I’m assuming is their date. She’s not even blonde.

“Did you do something wrong? Let me help.” She thinks you’re gay and you’ve done something gay and she’s an ally.

MCCOY APPEARING FROM THE WALL OF THAT BUILDING BAHAHAHAHA

OH MY GOSH THE GUY STEALING THAT MILK IS UTTERLY TERRIFIED. I WOULD BE TOO LOOK AT BONES BRO. He’s NEVER stealing milk again.

“DON’T RUN. I WON’T KILL YOU!” Dumbledore said calmly.

“Take all the money they spend on war and death and make them spend it on life.” And when’s that gonna happen. Cause ngl, it doesn’t even really seem like Y’ALL’s stardate is doing that.

Oh and the guy’s stealing again

HE JUST FAZERED HIMSELF.

Oh? Jim formally admitting he’s in love with a woman? 

Forget Edith dying, Spock, you guys would have to return to the future anyways 😭 and then Jim’s got his ship to worry about. Spock you’ve seen how he literally never stays with one woman. This relationship is never working out.

Yknow speaking of women, where did Janice go?

Is it not awkward for Spock, like even as a friend, to always be walking in on Jim being romantic to another woman. Like it’s awkward to watch but imagine what Spock feels like.

“SPOOOCK!” Was Spock like third wheeling a couple steps behind or something?

Oh wait them all seeing each other is so wholesome ;0;

aaaand edith got hit by a truck. Yep ok guess that was bound to happen.

Oh gosh. Poor Jim. Oh dude that really sucks.

Oh that’s a sick pose they all hit beaming up. They may be sad but at least they all hit that sick pose

quite an. Interesting episode. Til next time on YUTTI’S STAR TREK LIVEBLOGGGGG!!!

[muirmarie]

once again something that might be incredibly boring to people (INCREDIBLY likely) or maaaaaybe some vaguely interesting writing stuff, idk I really, really can't tell lmao (sorry sorry please feel to fully and absolutely ignore this)

anyway i was going through various fic notes, and I found the alternate (unfinished) feelings-reveal to the touch-starved mcspirk fic - pull you in and hold you tight (love you through the heart of night) - that I'd fully forgotten about aha

What I ended up with was very close to my original plan, but I was worried it was too similar to one of my other fics (I don't know why I worried lollll, all my fics are similar to my other fics, I very much have a tiny lane that I stay in lmao), and this was the other (unfinished) option I was playing with. It didn't click for me, though - given the build-up I'd written, with McCoy repeatedly losing ground to their we-care-about-you-buddy advance, this imo shifted the dynamic too much, and I just couldn't get it to feel right, so I scrapped it and went back to my original plan, with Kirk pushing the issue, instead. Importantly, this one is an externalized fight, as well (I DO love a fight), and I fully removed that element from the fic.

In the actual story, McCoy gets to process and debate internally, and it's all under the surface, with Spock (and Kirk, although it's Spock POV) watching it happen through that meldspace! And tbh I think that worked a lot better, having it be all internal - as much as I do love a good fight, I think it would've lessened the build I'd been working towards by externalizing it. Plus, it was fun to write how him pulling away looked to Spock and Kirk in that meldspace - mind melds are just So Neat, and I really love how much room they give to explore!

but anyway, if you're curious, this is what i decided Wasn't going to work!

this picks up when they're in the surface level meld, when Kirk is trying to sell McCoy on weekly cuddling sessions (lol), except in this version, McCoy (still) thinks they can tell how he feels, but he decides to shut Kirk down instead of retreating.

“Come on, Jim, you don't need to lie to me, it's fine. But you see how weekly cuddling sessions could be a little much for me, right? Let alone for poor Spock, who I am very sure does not need to hear whatever he's gotta be picking up on right now.” [Jim response: he's confused] “Jim. You always know when someone's interested in you. You've clocked who was going to hit on you within two minutes of walking into one of those hideous diplomatic parties. You always know.” “You won't even hug me of your own volition and I'm supposed to know that you're interested in me? Bones, anytime I try to flirt with you, you shut me down!” “You don't—you don't flirt with me!” McCoy snaps. “You—you joke around, and pretend to, which I assume is your way of saying that you don't mind that I—” “I've told you how good you look without a shirt on three times tonight!” Kirk yells. “That's just how you are!” McCoy yells back. “You really think I'd pretend to flirt with you if I knew you—” “You were letting me down easy! You were—“ McCoy abruptly breaks off, his expression faltering. “I'm sorry, you really didn't know? So I—I just told you?” “Doctor,” Spock says, finally cutting in, “your surface level thoughts have....not implied that you were interested in me in that manner.” “That's it,” McCoy says, struggling against their arms in an admittedly undignified manner, “that's it, let go of me, I need to go take that shuttle back to the planet and hide out there for at least another month, or maybe go walk out of an airlock, so just—” Spock tightens his grip, and he can feel Kirk doing the same. “Give us a minute to play catch up, will you?” Kirk says, scowling. “I've given you all the minutes I intend to,” McCoy says. “I knew I shouldn't have let you—I told you I needed to get my head on straight, I shouldn't—I never would have said—” “That was not a rejection, Leonard,” Spock says.

[reigningqueenofwords]

Home

Pairing: McCoy x Reader Word count: 3,778 Warning: Tiny bit of angst

Read on AO3

You sagged as you looked at the clock. Another night without so much as seeing your husband. It had been 24 hours since he’d been home, and you missed him. The amount of times you had to pack up leftovers for him was nearing a full week at this point. Other friends were packing up snacks for playdates. You were packing up food your husband would eventually just take to work, and hopefully get time to eat. At this rate, you didn’t think you’d ever have the same type of life as your friends. You really did want a family one day, or at least a dog. But co parenting anything living right now would be a disaster. You’d be doing it solo, and you worked, too! 

As you went to get ready for bed, you checked your phone for the hundredth time and sighed. You had been with Leonard for a few years now, but you supposed you didn’t know what you were truly signing up for. Seeing nothing, you put your phone on silent and put it down. You had already showered so you got into bed for the night and found yourself wiping your cheeks. While you loved that he wanted to help people, you would have also liked to not feel single again. 

You had gotten together his last year of residency and he was constantly showering you with attention. While you didn’t need it constantly, you now felt you were not worth a text or call. Hell, he could shoot you a damn emoji at this point and it would mean the world. The last time you had a full conversation was at least a few weeks ago. Everything else had been interrupted by a page or call. Could you do this much longer? You’d only been married just over a year and you felt like you already lost him. You hugged his pillow tightly and tried to get some rest. 

Come morning, you needed a lot of coffee. You were tired, having not slept well. You were off that day, and didn’t know how to spend your time. You checked the fridge to get your creamer and your heart hurt as you saw some missing leftovers. Was Leonard here? “Leo?” You called out. When you were met with silence, you closed the door harder. He had come home and not even bothered waking you or leaving a note? You felt sick. Putting the creamer on the counter, you pulled out your phone to send him a text. 

Thanks for at least taking the food I cooked you, I guess. 

Part of you, a very tiny part, wondered if there was someone at work he liked so much he just had to get back. You had worried about that in the beginning since you weren’t in the same field. Your heart skipped when your phone lit up but it was only Uhura. Sniffing, you opened her text, contemplating asking to stay with her for a couple days. You tapped the table a little and decided to do that. 

Hi, are you busy tonight? And tomorrow? And tomorrow night? Can I visit? You hoped you didn’t sound completely desperate but you figured she’d understand. You continued on making your coffee as you waited for her to reply. 

Of course. Everything okay? 

Not great. Haven’t seen my husband in a day and a half. You typed out quickly. Thank you. You sent another, looking forward to not being alone. Want me to grab some lunch on my way over? 

Sure and I’ll pull out some drinks <3 Spock might pop in on his lunch break but he won’t bother us. She promised. I’ll see you in a bit. 

Running a hand through your hair, you transferred your coffee from a mug to a travel mug. Once you did that you went to get ready and pack. It didn’t take you long, and just twenty minutes later, you were pulling out of your driveway. Glancing in your rearview mirror, you teared up as you watched the house you bought with Leonard get smaller. It had been such an amazing day when you got it. You had pictured a couple of little feet running around at that time, but that image was fading. Your eyes shot to your wedding ring for a split second, then back at the road. 

Leonard finally came home at midnight that night, barely making it to the couch before he flopped on it and fell asleep. He had the next couple of days off and planned to rest, which is how he slept a straight ten hours. Finally getting up, he ran his hand down his face and scrunched his nose. “I need to shave.” He muttered. He shuffled to the bathroom to wake himself up, figuring you were still asleep as he didn’t smell coffee. He’d crawl into bed to hold you for a bit after.

Once he was clean and felt brand new he smiled and went to the bedroom. His smile fell when he found a perfectly made bed. He checked the time and had no idea if you told him you had plans. Walking out of your shared room, he went to the office to check the calendar. Nothing. He was starting to worry. He rushed to find his phone, hoping everything was alright. He called you as soon as he had it.

He bit his lip as he waited for you to answer, pacing a bit. His heart was hammering in his chest before he heard you pick up. “Baby?” He breathed. “You okay?” 

“Leonard.” You said simply. “I’m fine. I’m with Uhura.” 

“Oh.” He sighed in relief. “Glad you’re safe.” He sat down on the couch. “What time will you be home? I’ll order take ou—“ His phone beeped at him, making him pinch the bridge of his nose.  “Dammit.” He mumbled. 

You sighed. “Goodbye, Leonard.” Your voice cracked. 

“Wait. When will you be home? I’ll see what I can do.” He said quickly. 

“A couple days, probably.” You sniffed. “You probably won’t be home either way.” 

“Babe...I’m sorry.” He said gently. “It’s been a killer week. I know. Maybe for my next day off we go out?” 

“It’s been like this for weeks! You don’t ever have a damn day off! I haven’t seen you in three damn days !” You told him. “And you only come home for food. Which is fine but I would’ve been thrilled to be woken up by you.” You sniffled. “I don’t know anymore…” You said honestly as his phone beeped again. “I feel like the other woman. Go. Just… go.” You sighed. 

Leonard opened his mouth but you hung up. He sighed heavily and rubbed his face. He’d make it up to you. He had to. You were his wife, and he loved you so much. He’d have flowers sent over once you were home. It was a start, at least. Getting up, he groaned as he went to get dressed. 

You stared at the wall a day later, not believing you were actually thinking of separating from your husband. Nothing felt right. You stayed, and you broke your own heart. You leave, and you break both your hearts. But you couldn’t see yourself doing this everyday. Licking your lips, you got up off the guest bed that you were using at Uhura’s and grabbed your bag. You packed up your stuff slowly, mind racing. You’d be going home to pack up as much of your life as you could, and wait until he got home to tell him you were leaving him. 

You hugged Uhura tightly and thanked her for everything before leaving. She felt for you, and told her that you were always welcome there. The drive back to your house was short and you knew your mind was elsewhere. Your heart hurt, and it felt like someone was sitting on your chest. 

You were almost done packing your 4th box the following day when you heard the front door open. The living room had two suitcases and a couple boxes you’d managed the day before. Today you were more numb, moving on autopilot. You sighed as you stood and put your hands on your hips as you waited. This was not going to be fun. 

Finally, he walked through your bedroom door. “Babe, what’s with the boxes and suitcases?”  He looked at you, brow furrowed. 

You took a deep breath. “I’m leaving.” You said simply. “I’m going to stay with my sister while I look for a place.” You wiped a tear from your cheek. “I’m sorry.”

He blinked, not believing he heard you right. “What? Leaving? For how long?” He asked, as if he thought you’d be back. “A break? I didn’t know you needed one.” He was rambling. 

Licking your lips, you felt the tears really start. “For good.” It hurts like hell to say. “I’m not the love of your life, the hospital is. I’m basically a live in maid and cook at this point. And I’m not about to be a single mom.” You told him, sniffling. 

He stared at you. “No. I’ll fix this.” He quickly went up to you and cupped your face but you stepped back. “Please don’t leave me.” He pleaded. 

“You’re the one who left first.” You held your chin high, how? You weren’t sure. “I’m sorry, Leonard. The moving truck will be here tomorrow.” Your voice was shaky. 

He looked down. “You’re sure?” He asked, voice broken. “There’s no hope for us?” He looked back at you. 

You shook your head. “No. I thought things would get better, but we can’t even talk on the phone anymore without interruptions. I love that you help people, I do. I just never realized there wouldn’t be any room for me.” You hiccuped slightly from trying to hold back tears. “Which means there’s no way this can work.” There would be no little pink plus signs, no adopting a pet, no celebrating more anniversaries. Your future hopes were gone.

He deflated further. “I’m so sorry.” He said quietly. “I didn’t realize how bad it got.”

“You weren’t here enough to realize.” You told him. “We’ll worry about the paper work next week or something.” You knew that would be hell. “I do love you, Leonard.” You said softly. 

“I love you so much. Please rethink this. Take as long as you need but...come back.” He begged. It killed you to hear him like this, but you knew that if you stayed...nothing would change. You’d go days without seeing him, weeks without a proper conversation, you’d sleep every night alone, you’d wake up alone, and you just couldn’t mentally handle that. And neither could your heart. 

You simply nodded and looked back at your box. “I’m almost finished.” You said, hoping to end the conversation. 

He bit his lip. “I’ll always be here.” He said sadly before you heard him walk out of the room. 

You focused on your box, willing yourself not to cry again. When you heard the front door open and close, you took a break to hug your knees to your chest. 

Kirk opened the door and his eyebrows shot up. “You look like shit.” He muttered. “What the hell happened?” He asked as he stepped aside to let Leonard in.

He sighed heavily. “We’re separating. Well, she’s divorcing me…” He sat on his couch, rubbing over his face. “She’s packing now and I couldn’t just stand there and watch.” He gripped his hair in his hands. “It’s over, Jim.”

Kirk sagged slightly as he sat near his friend. “Shit, like over over?” When he nodded, he patted his back. “What brought it on?” He saw you guys as so in love. He used to tease him over how ‘grossly in love’ you two were. 

“My work schedule.” Leonard looked down. “These past couple weeks have been rough and I guess that was the final straw.” He shook his head. “She pointed out that the last real conversation we had that wasn’t interrupted was weeks ago. The last time she saw me before today was over three days ago. Hell, I called her yesterday and just as I was asking about getting takeout...my phone beeped. I was worried. I got up from sleeping on the couch and went to clean up. Went into my room to a perfectly made bed, but I couldn’t remember her having plans. I called her and when I asked when she was coming home, she said a couple days. I didn’t understand. Now I do.”

Kirk hadn’t seen his friend cry often, and watching him pretty much fall apart in front of him was hard. “I’m sorry, Bones.” He said gently. He wouldn’t voice it, but he could see where you were coming from. “Any chance she just wants a break?” He was hoping for that. 

He swallowed. “No.” He sighed, flopping back on the couch. “She said there’s no room for her, that the hospital is the love of my life, and that there’s no way it can work. I’m sure she mentioned something about papers next week. I’m guessing she’s serving me with divorce papers. For a divorce I don’t goddamn want.” 

“Well, you can stay as long as you need. I’ll get you some water.” He stood. “I know you love your job, but can you step down or something?” He shrugged. “I don’t know how that works.” He said before getting him a glass. “Do you have a contract or something?” He handed it to him. “Because I mean, I think in your shoes I’d rather be with her and jobless than at a job miserable because my wife left me.” He wanted you guys both happy, and it’s clear that neither of you were. “I always saw you two having kids and a couple dogs or something.” Was that another reason you were leaving? You wanted a family?

Leonard drank from it and nodded. “Yeah, I thought we would. She mentioned she was basically a live in maid and cook and she wasn’t going to add single mom to that list.” He stared at the glass. “I have a contract but maybe I could talk to someone.” He sipped the water. “When I called her and she hung up I thought starting to make it up to her would be by sending flowers. That’s not gonna do anything.” He muttered.

“No.” Kirk agreed. “She needs to really see a change.” He knew you meant business if you were already halfway out the house. “And it needs to be a big one, and fast. I don’t know how fast divorces go, but if papers are going to be worked on next week…” 

Leonard nodded. “The one day I have off.” He mumbled and pulled out his phone. “I’ll schedule a meeting with the boss people.” He sighed. “Not even sure what I’ll say but…” You were worth it. He let out a breath. “She loves that I help people, and that’s what I do. How can I be with the woman I love while doing what I love? It seems there’s no middle ground.”

The blonde nodded. “Yeah.” He rubbed his jaw as he thought. “I mean you can’t just cut your hours right?” 

“No. I get called in.” He told him. 

“Hmm. I don’t know. I don’t know which you’re willing to give up.” He said honestly. Kirk had known him for years. He was one of the most driven people he had ever met. 

There was a long silence. “I’m gonna quit my job. I’ll sell the damn house, and tell her we can move wherever she wants and I’ll find a job at a place I won’t be on call.” Even if it took him time to prove it, you were worth it. 

Kirk looked surprised. “Okay. As long as you’re happy. Not worth it if you hate your job and take it out on her.” He said simply. “Take the afternoon to think about the entire situation?” 

He nodded. “Yeah, alright.” He agreed, leaning back. “Thanks, Jim.” 

Sitting in your sister’s guest room, boxes surrounded you. This wasn’t your home, but even your home really wasn’t your home anymore, either. You were grateful she had room, but you knew you’d have to find your own place soon. You felt like you could just sleep forever at the moment. You hadn’t taken your ring off yet and you found yourself playing with it as you laid back. You knew it was unhealthy but you pulled out your phone to look at old pictures of you and Leonard. Back when he spent time with you. The first one that came up was from six months before. He had been trying to make you a nice dinner, but you kept distracting him because of how hot he looked in the apron. The picture was him looking at you sideways, cocking an eyebrow at you, trying not to smile.  Your heart hurt at the memory. Snuffing, you swiped to the next one, unaware that he was doing the same on Kirk’s couch.

It had been a few days and you were barely eating cereal, dreading calling your lawyer for the papers. You’d taken some personal time off work, which you knew couldn’t last forever. Your sister and her husband were off at work, leaving you in the completely silent house until right before dinner. You were sitting on the couch, staring at the fireplace when there was a knock on the door. You sighed, figuring it was a delivery or something. You went to open it, faking a smile. 

“Hi.” Leonard swallowed, holding out a bouquet of your favorite flowers. 

“Leonard.” You said softly, taking them automatically. “Thank you...but what are you doing here?” You asked, letting him in, chewing on your lip. “I’m surprised you aren’t at work.”

He came out with it quickly. “I quit yesterday.” He said softly. 

You stared at him. “You...quit?” You asked, not sure you heard him right. “The job you love more than anything? The one you basically live at?”

“I didn’t love it more than you.” He rubbed his jaw. “So I quit. It wasn’t worth it if I lost you to it.” His voice was soft. He really wanted to pull you close, but didn’t want to risk you pulling away. “And, I want to sell the house.”

You looked more surprised. “Why?” Your brain was still trying to catch up. “You love that house.”

“I do. But only with you in it.” He said simply. “I’m willing to move wherever you want. I have a list of places that I can practice at. As a regular doctor with regular hours.” He explained. “So I can be home, I can spend time with you, and I can work on proving to you that you mean more to me than anything.”

You stared at him, not knowing what to say. This was not close to what you expected to happen today.

He shuffled a bit. “Do...you need time to think about it?” He was really hoping things would go well. He honestly hoped you’d come home. 

“I’m just trying to process this.” You went to put the flowers in some water, thinking it over. The fact that he quit his job spoke loudly to you. It was just something that was so shocking that it was like your brain was trying to catch up to that fact. Once you stepped back in front of him, you eyed him. “Will you hate me down the line for making you quit the job you love?” You asked softly. 

“No. I’d only hate myself if I completely lost you.” He said honestly. “I could never hate you.” He offered his hand to you. “If I had to work some fast food job to prove that to you, I would.”

You bit your lip before taking his hand. “And you won’t have these hours anymore?” You asked. “No more not seeing you for days?”

“No more. I’ll have lunch breaks and evenings.” He tugged you gently, wanting to hug you. “I’ll get to sleep next to you and take you on dates.” 

“I really hope these aren’t empty promises.” You looked up at him. “Please don’t say all this for things to go back to how they were.” 

“I’ll prove to you everyday that I’m sorry and that I’ll do better.” He rubbed your knuckles with his thumb. “Come home. Please.” He pleaded. “We’ll find a new place for us, together.” This entire this was a huge stab to the heart for him, and a wake up call. “Even if that’s some backwoods town with 100 people. If that’s what you want, I’m there.”

You teared up again and found yourself burying your face in his chest. You gripped the back of his shirt, scared he’d disappear. He hugged you tightly, kissing your head as he kept mumbling ‘I’m sorry’s’.” He’d spend the rest of his life making this up to you. “I’ll come home.” You finally choked out. “I, uh, have a lot of boxes upstairs.”

“We’ll figure it out.” He rubbed your back.  “Have you had lunch?” He asked. “Or can I take you out so we can talk about where we’d like to go?” 

You nodded. “Pasta place?” It was your go to when you had hard days. It’d been that way since college. “And maybe tomorrow, when we’re home, we can cook dinner together?” 

He nodded. “Sounds perfect to me, darlin’.” He said gently. “I love you so much.” He’d told Kirk the day he met you that he’d marry you one day. It was love at first sight. 

“I love you.” You said softly. 

Leonard carried another box into your new farmhouse, smiling as he saw you unpacking. He set it down before going to wrap his arms around you from behind. “Hi.” He said cutely. “You look so peaceful right now.”

“I am.” You set down what you were holding and turned in his arms. “This place is so beautiful.” You’d found it on accident while browsing online for a birthday present for your sister. 

“More beautiful with you here.” He grinned and pecked your lips. “Like this place was made for you.”

“For us.” You smiled brightly at him, happy you had your husband back. You ran your hand through his hair, enjoying how he closed his eyes for a moment. “How about we finish getting the boxes in and cuddle for a bit?” 

“Sounds perfect.” He squeezed yo

[mystery-star]

What would it be like to be spock,s mate/ other half ?

This goes for a Non-Vulcan, gender-neutral reader 

Words: 841 

Warnings: none 

First off, Spock would cherish and love you very much – in his own way. 

So at fist it would take you some time to being able to read him and find out what his love language and way of showing his caring for you is. 

Maybe that first phase can be frustrating because it feels like he’s still rather distant. Tho he’d actually need some time to get used to the whole situation and know how to deal with it. 

But once you figured him out, so much he did earlier in the relationship would make sense. And of course anything else he does in the future. 

It would take him some time too to get to know and fully trust you before he will tell you about what he thinks (and feels if he does have a feeling for once) 

He will almost never say ‘I love you’ but use other words like ‘I cherish you’ or ‘You mean very much to me’ or ‘I must admit that I am feeling a sense of happiness I cannot and do not wish to suppress if I think about you having decided to be my mate’. 

Which, if you consider him being Vulcan, is something very sweet to say. 

He will always remember anything you told him and not forget any birthdays, anniversaries etc. and will also be able to gift you something that you maybe just mentioned in passing. 

He’s not the most touchy person – especially in the beginning – and will not often initiate physical contact with you. Or at least ask first like if you’d like a hug when you’re not feeling well. 

Which doesn’t mean he doesn’t like physical contact – it's just something he’s not used to and after a while he will even enjoy it when you just hug him. (But of course you respect his boundaries if he sets any and will also try to hold back some touches so you’re not constantly touching him) 

If you don’t work on the same ship as he does, your relationship often becomes long-distance, consisting mainly of regular calls. 

Which also means that moments he’s back with you are something to be cherished and enjoyed, making you try to spend as much time together as you can. 

He’d make it clear that he also has a responsibility to the crew and the ship. Meaning his work usually comes first. 

Then again, if he feels like your life is in danger he might even make a rash and not so logical decision sometimes.  

Your little quirks would amuse him to no end and he’d find them super cute but he’d never admit it. 

But if you mention them being silly, he will correct you, saying they’re a part of you and that he loves you as a person and you wouldn’t be you without your quirks, meaning he doesn’t want you without them. 

You totally could have long talks with him and sometimes the biggest challenge is that they don’t turn into a monologue of him where he’s talking and talking about a topic. (eg something scientific or one of their adventures they’ve been on) 

Of course you would introduce your families to each other and Amanda loves you from second one, treating you like a second child 

Sarek is of course more reserved about it all and he might seem scary at the beginning but with time you learn to read him too and that he means very well and is fond of you as well. 

Spock would teach you a lot about Vulcan and it’s culture while you try to show him things from your world and make him more open to them. And it’s much fun to see him try and struggle with some things (take Inline skating as a basic example) 

Jealousy would totally not be a thing. Because you know that if someone flirts with him it would be illogical if he paid attention to it (and might not even notice what they’re doing). And he trusts you too and knows that there is nothing he has to worry about if people try to flirt with you.  

However, there sometimes is the thought within him that he fears you could leave him for ‘someone better’, who is from your own race and would be able to show their love for you more openly. 

Meaning that then it’s up to you to comfort and reassure him that he’s the only person in the whole galaxy you want. 

It gets better once you get married because of the mating bond that would be done then.  

The wedding would be mixed, part Vulcan, part from your world. And it most likely would come to be when he’s experiencing Pon-Farr. 

But he has informed you about it and even proposed so he’d know that if it happens to him you will be willing to take him as your husband (or wouldn’t feel forced to just do it to save his life) and that it isn’t all totally surprising to you. 

Thank you so much for your ask and sorry this took a while.  (also I really hope I got it right and this was about what you wanted xD)

[samthetrekkie]

for having watched this movie at least twice before (albeit several years ago), I recalled surprisingly little of the plot. and so did my dad, who had once watched this with me! I used to think this was my favorite tos movie and I think the reason was bc this movie needs the smallest tos context. like it's objectively a - not super inventive - but thrilling and interesting plot. I also only now realized how much this movie made parallels to the end of the cold war and overall had some really good dialogue, which, let's be honest, not all of tos has.

but I think the reason it's not my favorite tos movie anymore, is bc I now do have the context and for a star trek movie, it was pretty weak when it comes to the characters. and tos is especially character-driven (to the point were the same 2-3 characters are protagonists in each episode). and I find that really interesting bc I do like all of the tos crew, but I also need that kirk/spock relationship thrown into my face again and again. and there was very little of that this time (not nothing though) and each character had kind of important roles to play. I don't want to say this is the only tos movie that operated like that, but I do notice it more in this one as I used to think this was the best movie.

anyway, there were still a few things I liked about the character portrayal in this. kirk and spock seemed to have some bigger issues prior to this as kirk seemed to be pissed off and distant with spock the whole time. and you can't tell me this was just bc of the assignment with the klingons. kirk felt like spock had personally attacked him with this assignment and spock seemed really confused, probably thinking he had given kirk an interesting last mission. so in my headcanon, their seem to have separated at this point :( but later on I really enjoyed how unusually angry spock got when he found out valeris was the one responsible for getting kirk convicted and had ultimately put his life in danger. there was a certain level of guilt in there too, as spock had been the one to get them into this mission in the first place. and kirk having pretty much forgiven spock in rura penthe of all places, was really surprised to see spock's behavior and even felt bad for it, so it seems. he was not even initiating the kiss with iman's character! (also very interesting alien concept, similar to changelings, when it comes to gender.) in general he seemed almost never interested in any of the women in the movies, which I have mentioned before, but I love as it fits right into my headcanon :) but mccoy's "what is it with you" after the kiss was still amazing as it summed up the entirety of kirk's obsessive womanizing behavior in tos. generally, mccoy had the best one-liners ever in this. and he was by far not the most prejudiced one in this movie. and he was actually really nice to spock the entire time and seemed relatively tame in general. do we see a little character change caused by the last movie…? I still don't see mccoy and kirk being a thing, but mccoy and spock on the other hand…

I won't take this any further and rather conclude my tos walkthrough for good now (even though some of the characters appear in other series and movies again). I thought it was really interesting to see the changes the decades made on sci fi and to watch it with a person who actually lived through those decades.

I have to say tos really is up there now in the star trek ranking for me, maybe even above tng. (but we'll watch that next, so this view might change very soon.) spock (as played by nimoy) is certainly one of my top 3 star trek characters and I think that says a lot for a show that was written in the 60s. (the other one is seven and I have no idea who the third one is, but... we got all the autistic-coded ones up there, don't we.)

I'm so glad we have so much to go when it comes to star trek, though! even if it'll take us several years, now that I've counted it… (there is some shows and movies I will skip, though.)

[cantsayidont]

I think setting STAR TREK: DISCOVERY and STRANGE NEW WORLDS in the TOS era was a questionable idea for a variety of reasons, but one of the more troublesome is their treatment of Spock, which opens some cans of worms I don't think there would have been a good way to handle even if the writers weren't intent on making bad and reactionary creative choices in other areas.

In TOS, most of the Enterprise crew, and really the majority of the Starfleet characters we're shown, are exceedingly racist to Spock with disconcerting regularity. Of the regular cast, I think the only ones who aren't overtly nasty to Spock at least some of the time are probably Uhura and Sulu; they get frustrated with him at certain points, but generally because he's a difficult and inflexible supervisor rather than due to racial animus. A lot of the rest of the crew is openly hostile, and McCoy routinely addresses him with slurs in front of the bridge crew. Kirk tolerates and sometimes participates in this racist abuse, and the only times he seems to take it very seriously are when it threatens to become an operational problem (as in "Balance of Terror"). The main feature that comes to characterize the bond that develops between Kirk and Spock is not that Kirk is significantly more tolerant, but that he will usually (not always) at least listen to Spock's point of view, which the rest of the crew is very reluctant to do (most pointedly in "The Galileo Seven"), and can be persuaded to respect his judgment, which Spock values even though Kirk's attitude and behavior still often make him uncomfortable.

This kind of space-racism toward nonhuman Federation citizens is not necessarily a structural element of STAR TREK (unlike anti-indigenous racism, which definitely is), but it is a structural element of Spock's character. Spock spends a lot of TOS teetering on the brink of a nervous breakdown, and it's tempting (though not canonical) to read his decision to pursue Kolinhar in the beginning of STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE as a response to the stress of being on the Enterprise (fleeing to become a monk!). Even where Spock is not enduring racial slurs and constant microaggressions, you can see how that treatment, both in his youth on Vulcan and as an adult in Starfleet, has shaped his personality. Indeed, this is something I think to which fans of Spock have responded strongly over the years, because his alienation and stress are very relatable for LGBT people, people of color, Muslim and Jewish people (despite STAR TREK's canonical antisemitism and Islamophobia), and autistic people. This doesn't mean STAR TREK stories necessarily have to show Spock being tormented, which is often painful to watch, but if Spock had not been tormented in these ways, he would be a very different person than the character viewers know and love.

Making Spock a regular in DISCOVERY and later STRANGE NEW WORLDS thus presents the writers with a problem: Treating Spock the way he's treated in TOS would be uncomfortable, but avoiding it creates a tension with TOS that the newer shows obviously don't know how to resolve.

Prior to ENTERPRISE, the general presumption about the TOS era (which is stated as fact in some of the novels) was that having mixed-species crews is relatively new for Starfleet, and that the problems Spock faces stem from his colleagues never having lived and worked with an "alien" before and not knowing how to not be weird about it. (ENTERPRISE essentially transferred that idea to Archer's era, where T'Pol gets similar treatment.) In DISCO and SNW, however, we see that many Starfleet vessels have mixed crews, including officers (like Saru) who are much more obviously nonhuman than Spock is, and have for a while. So, how are we to read the events of TOS, with which DISCO and SNW still want to (uneasily) coexist? Is Kirk's Enterprise just a lot more racist than Pike's? That's possible, I guess, but how many STAR TREK fans really want to canonize the idea that Kirk and his crew are unusually intolerant by Starfleet standards? Are we to presume that SNW means to soft-retcon the hostility and constant microaggressions Spock experiences in TOS, shifting the entire onus for his twitchy alienation to his upbringing on Vulcan and to Sarek (who DISCO reiterates is a tremendous dick)? That would be sadly consistent with the disdain with which modern STAR TREK media treats Vulcan (and with the antisemitism of the modern shows), but it's a pretty bitter pill for anyone who thinks Vulcans are neat or cool, which used to be an uncontroversial majority opinion among STAR TREK viewers and writers.

The more sensible answer would have been to just dodge the issue entirely by staying further away from TOS and the period in which it takes place. There are other periods of the TREK timeline that are still largely unexplored (like the early 24th century era of the Enterprise-C), and there's always the option of moving further forward in time, as DISCOVERY eventually did. However, CBS seems very insistent on making heavy-handed appeals to nostalgia that require riding the coattails of TOS, even where that just doesn't seem like a good idea creatively.

My sense with DISCOVERY and SNW is that the producers would really like to simply redo TOS in a manner more consistent with their current vision, but that the decidedly mixed reactions to the alternate timeline JJ Abrams movies has made them gunshy about just declaring that openly. So, it seems they're instead trying to back into it with a kind of death-by-a-thousand-retcons approach, seeking to sand off both the uncomfortable aspects of TOS and stuff the producers and/or the network don't like (like Spock's gay-coding — SNW's determination to no-homo him is pronounced, albeit unpersuasive). I think I would find that vexing even if the producers' vision weren't frequently more jingoistic and racist than TOS, which it often is.

[calliecat93]

I just love this so much, okay? The way that Kirk is so distressed at having to take his dark half back. How he knows he has to, but having seen his own darkness in its most raw form, he's questioning himself. The way that McCoy gently tell him that it's okay. Everyone has their dark side. That as bad as it can be, he needs it to be able to captain. How he, the good half, still has the traits that are vital as well, such as his intellect and his bravery.

When it comes to being vulnerable, Kirk can't do that around anyone else. He HAS to be the perfect, strong captain. He can't afford to let anyone see him have doubt or weakness, lest he bring anyone around him looking to him with him. But he can around McCoy. He can express those fears and doubts hi him. He can trust that McCoy will at least listen. Will be there to give him that assurance that he needs. At this moment, where he is indecisive and losing his will to command, it was what Kirk needed most. To be assured that yes that darkness is a part of him, and he needs it, but that his good half is still very much also who he is and he has what he needs to get through this.

McCoy knew that this is what Kirk needed to hear. He always does. He's right there to give Kirk the guidance and assurance that he needs in his time of weakness. Despite how the bad Kirk had nearly gotten violent with him earlier, which freaked McCoy out enough to call Spock to go and talk to Kirk, all that matters to him in the end is Jim's well-being.

Hell, after realizing that Kirk could die if they went through with it, he pretty much goes 'yeah sucks about Sulu and the other guys, but like Hell we are risking Jim's life'. He likely wouldn't risk anyone under those circumstances, but he is especially not going to risk the life of his captain and closest friend. Even earlier, when it appeared to him that Spock was exacerbating Kirk's fears and questioning him and his ability to command, McCoy gets angry at him for daring to do so. Yeah he admitted that he was right in the end, but it still shows just how loyal to Kirk he is even this early.

Then finally at the end, as the two Kirk's are about to merge back, McCoy is there right beside the transporter pad, ready to get to Kirk ASAP if he needs to. He's anxious, not sure if he's going to see his best friend back to normal or going to be pronouncing him dead in just mere moments. Kirk's anxious too, as despite knowing and accepting that this has to happen, he still has to merge back with the worst part of himself and not know if he's going to survive. He knows that Spock will take care of the ship, but that doesn't change tha the may be dead in just seconds.

But Kirk looks over at McCoy...

And he gives him that little nod before bracing himself. It's the closest thing to assurance that he can give the man who is always there to give it to him when he has to. It's only after looking at him that he is able to steel himself, still needing that assurance from him to truly accept whatever happens next. Even if the only thing that he can do is look at him, for Kirk that's enough. And it works, though McCoy remains on edge until he sees Kirk there, alive and whole. And even as the landing party is getting wheeled to sickbay, McCoy takes the moment to ask Jim if he's alright.

These two just do a lot to me, okay? I love them~!

[measurelessdreamer]

I've seen many posts about people missing how common asks used to be so I have been trying to send about an ask a week. Now I send this ask first anytime I follow someone as I really don't want to bother anyone, so I'd love to know if you enjoy receiving asks and if so what kind of asks. Not having energy for asks or being comfortable with them is perfectly okay.

The categories I have in my ask notebook that I file under are in colour. Please feel free to make your response as long as you want or private (the asker cannot directly respond to private responses).

Self, Job/Work: please let me know what you are comfortable with from eh idk just ask it to nothing personal at all.

Baggishield/Tolkien, Dragon Age, Johnlock/Sherlock, ineffable spouses, other fandom: Please let me know what fandoms. I think my main fandoms and ships are Bagginshield/The Hobbit, Sherlock/Johnlock, Dragon Age Inquisition, {Pippin/Faramir Merry/Eowyn}/The Lord of the Rings and I dip my toes in a few that I currently can't remember but ships I don't engage with the canon of at all are: Good Omens but only for Crowley/Azirapheal, Stranger Things but only for Steve/Eddie , The Witcher but only for Geralt/Jaskier, and Ladybug and Cat Noir but only for Adrinette .

OC's, art/drawing, their writing, blog specific only

Story snippets ideas and prompts: Do you like receiving them?

Pets: I'd love to know all about them

Garden and Hobbies: What type of gardening and/or hobbies?

Like being tagged in things: If so what kinds of things?

*Asks are sent for fun, no pressure to answer.

Oh, hi! Thanks for the message! I honestly didn't know that asks are no longer as common as they used to be. I've never been a good candidate to receive them since I don't have so many followers (I always thought you needed at least 500 to get asks lol) and I'm not much of a creator. I usually just reblog stuff that makes me happy and occasionally (like once in three years) I share a fic I wrote here so I never had high hopes which is why I was very surprised when I received this ask and it made me so happy! Seriously, you're so cool for doing this, especially when people don't expect it at all. Even though it's through social media, it requires a bit of coming out of your personal bubble and putting yourself out there and I rarely do that in my life no matter how safe the space is. So it's really cool and thank you. I received probably like 2 asks aside from this one in my whole life, but yeah, I enjoy it a lot. ^^

As for what kind of asks...

Self, Job/Work: I'm good with sharing some stuff as long as it's not something that hits too close to home, but I would probably say that's the case. Asking about how I'm doing in general and what I do and what I enjoy about it is probably fine.

Fandoms: Asks about fandoms would most definitely be my favourite. I always enjoy ranting about stuff I love with other like-minded people. I love Bagginshield, The Hobbit, LOTR (Faramir especially), Ted Lasso (and particularly royjamie), Star Wars (obikin is very close to my heart), The Walking Dead (rickyl is the goat ship of that fandom for me), and probably my favourite otps are superbat (superman/batman) and spirk (kirk/spock) so I enjoy these fandoms too. Fandoms where I have no ships but I enjoy them all the same are Mass Effect (only the original trilogy) and The Witcher (the games, I only read two books so far sadly, I ship geraskier from the show but I don't like the show otherwise). All these things are something I enjoy talking about. ^^ I also like Johnlock/Sherlock and I played the Dragon Age trilogy (but I enjoyed Origins the most and aside from the Cullen romance and meeting Alistair and Morrigan in Inquisition, I didn't enjoy that game very much).

I write fanfics sometimes. I haven't written many and it usually takes me a lot of time to finish anything, but I enjoy it. I'm happy to talk about my writing any day even if it frustrates me to no end.

Story snippets ideas and prompts: Not sure about this. I think receiving them is nice, but I wouldn't be able to do anything about them aside from talking and speculating about them. I'm not very good at writing something from a prompt, so probably no story would come of it, but if it's only discussion people seek, then I'm happy to provide! And if it turns out to be very interesting, then I'm all for taking it further!

Pets: I have lots. I'm happy to talk about them any time.

Garden and Hobbies: Not much of a garden person, I'm afraid, but I enjoy nature more than anything. I live in a very Shire-like country, which is the best thing when I want to let my imagination roam. I enjoy running (but I started only recently so I'm rubbish), reading (fantasy and romance especially), learning French, playing video games, hiking, watching movies and tv shows, and I recently started to learn how to play the Irish tin whistle.

I like being tagged in things, sure! Something funny or heartwarming is usually the best, but I love posts with random facts which are super elaborate and interesting. It can't have anything to do with politics, though, tumblr is my escapist haven. :D

I think I answered everything to the best of my ability. Sorry that it's so long! Thank you again for sending the ask! I hope you have an amazing day!

[thegeminisage]

ranking voyager characters from favorite to least favorite

i meant to do this at the end of season 1 and again after the finale but we'll just have to go with at the end of season 2 instead

seven of nine - i haven't met her yet but i just know.

janeway & tuvok - cop out to do a tie? possibly. they remind me so much of kirk and spock respectively. every time i go "oh no it's gotta be tuvok" it switches to janeway. every time i go "oh no it's gotta be janeway" there's another good tuvok episode. tuvok is such a wonderful look into vulcan culture through the eyes of someone who was not alienated from it and abused by it, and you never doubt his ability to get ANYTHING done, even if it's sketchy as hell. i think about his wife of 68 (almost 69! nice) years and his 4 babies and his orchids and his lute all the time. man can SING. on the other hand, janeway is such a breath of fresh air after deanna troi - who i love, but who was constantly victimized for being a woman. janeway just gets to be janeway - she's excited about exploration, she's deeply compassionate, and none of these things make her weak anymore than they made kirk weak. sometimes her adherence to her Ideals is a little picardian, but i forgive her, because she reminds me way more of kirk

chakotay - sometimes a man builds a bathtub and your opinion of him rises by. a lot. i've always liked the difficult position he was in of trying to balance maquis and starfleet interests and protect both sides from themselves and each other, but the ADDED LAYER that for much of the journey he has CANONICALLY been in love w janeway is simply too much to bear. also, i think his trust issues w betrayal are very gripping and they compel me. he has been through so much SHIT and i do love a little traumatized guy. ALSO also, they don't do enough w this in canon, but in my mind palace he and tuvok HATE each other (chakotay hates tuvok for being a spy, tuvok hates chakotay for nabbing first officer job), which i think is extremely funny

the doc - my best friend the emergency medical hologram...i like that he's a brand new kind of person, even if it brings up infuriating questions about the status of all these endless holodeck characters we create and then carelessly abuse or delete. he doesn't have a name! people treated him like he didn't exist! watching him come into his own and bond w kes has been one of voyager's great delights. also, gay king.

b'elanna - she doesn't always get a lot to do but when she does it's almost always good, racism episode notwithstanding. what i like most about her is how ride or die she is. she was willing to get her ass beat to give tuvok a tiny chance of escaping torture, she was willing to die to take down her own superweapon, she defended chakotay when his actions were entirely indefensible (AND she's secretly in love w him?? girl.), she will not hesitate to do any number of crazy things for Her People, and since she's estranged from her family or whatever they are all aboard this ship. you couldn't ask for a better friend than b'elanna and good for her. also, she gets to be gay with janeway about once a season so far which i've really enjoyed. she could do so much better than tom paris

harry - harry also rarely gets anything to do, but that makes his episodes all the more distressing. he's just a little guy! the so-called baby of the ship, until he was replaced by an actual baby with tiny adorable mother-killing spines on its head. i'm still mad that the really big important harry kim episode we got turned out to be such fucking garbage when the concept was SO good, and i'm not super hopeful for his future, but who knows. btw, he could also do better than tom paris. he and b'elanna could ride off into the sunset w/o him

kes - i don't dislike kes, and her scenes with the doctor are especially nice, but i feel like she, like deanna, gets victimized a lot, and her whole thing with neelix was so difficult it's hard to get the taste of it out even though it's over now. that said, i do love how compassionate and mischievous she is, and i love when janeway gets to give her mom hugs :( <3

neelix & tom paris - another tie. this is so difficult for me because i started out HATING tom paris and really liking neelix, and a few plotlines/episodes made me reverse my opinion. tom paris got a lot better when he was like yeah i decided i'm not gonna be a shitheel anymore! especially that he went on a multi-ep arc tricking us into thinking he was backsliding when really he was doing secret agent shit. props! but he's still not terribly interesting. neelix was AMAZING in the atom bomb episode but my interpretation of him as a guy who was gentle not in spite of but BECAUSE of past suffering didn't last long when he decided to be so fucking horrible to kes for no reason. i really want to get over it with neelix the way i got over it with tom paris, but for now they're both at the rock bottom of this list

for fun, i think my season 1 list would have looked like: janeway, tuvok, doctor, b'elanna, chakotay, harry, neelix, kes, tom paris. probably? it's hard to know now. we'll see how all this shakes out by the end of the series.

[jennelikejennay]

Just watched Operation: Annihilate! I've heard so much about it that I missed out on any of the suspense or fun guessing what might solve the problem. But it was still pretty intense and emotional.

Very Spirky how Bones kept saying "of course you care about Spock......and your nephew too." But I also love the way that Kirk is capable of caring very deeply for those he loves while also keeping on with the job and remembering the million other victims. It certainly comes out in how snappish he is, and the way he keeps just demanding Bones fix things NO MATTER WHAT! (I can imagine Bones saying "oh, sure, I told you it was impossible, but now that you've yelled at me that it's important, I guess I can magically think of another thing to try!") But he doesn't cry, he doesn't cling to Spock, and he doesn't take time off. Especially after Spock is blinded, there's a lot of respect in the way he refuses to show how upset he is about it because he knows Spock would not welcome it.

Science-wise, it makes no sense at all. "I've tried radiation! But not light, which is a kind of radiation. Or UV radiation, which is a kind of light. And certainly I didn't try using one wavelength at a time like a real scientist." In McCoy's defense, he only had one sample to work with so he could hardly have a control. But you're not going to at least start with a low dose and ramp it up when you've got a person in there? Not going to wait till the results come back to tell you what worked?

Also UV radiation does cause burns and cancer, so uhhhhh...

But oh well, we can ignore that part, we already suspend disbelief all the time for this show.

Meanwhile I noticed A City on the Edge of Forever comes right before this one in the episode listing. No idea if this was intentional, but in that episode, Jim explains that in one of his favorite books, "let me help" is more meaningful than "I love you." And in this episode, Spock looks pointedly in Jim's eyes and says "let me help."

JUST SAYING.

[abigailnussbaum]

I put off watching it for a while because I was pretty sure I was going to have this reaction. But now that I've bitten the bullet, I'm sorry: the Strange New Worlds musical episode is bad. It's bad as a Star Trek story, it's bad as part of the Strange New Worlds story, and it's bad as a musical.

To start with, I think it's time to admit that the musical episode concept is pretty depleted. "Once More, With Feeling" was more than twenty years ago, and what was once fresh and shocking now feels almost rote. Very few shows really manage to earn it, because they don't have to - the musical episode of a non-musical show is an established trope, which means the very thing that made it so groundbreaking is now gone.

But it's specifically a bad fit for Star Trek, not because it can't justify the concept - there's honestly no daylight between Buffy's "a demon who makes people sing and dance" and SNW's "subspace anomaly pulls us into a universe where people habitually break into song" - but because that kind of fourth-wall-breaking, genre-aware storytelling doesn't belong in Star Trek (or, at the very least, it belongs in something a lot more heightened like Lower Decks).

Star Trek isn't knowing. It isn't genre-savvy. Star Trek is earnest. And it takes its world seriously and treats it like something coherent in its own right, not something you can poke holes in and peek into our own universe from. When it comes down to it, the core flaw of all NuTrek shows is that they're often less concerned with being Star Trek, the story, and more interested in being about Star Trek, the franchise.

Strange New Worlds is an odd duck in this respect, because there are parts of it that so clearly understand Star Trek, the story, and are so clearly interested in expanding it, that I can't help but fall in love. Episodes like "Spock Amok", "A Quality of Mercy", and "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow" do such a great job of slotting into the existing story while making it their own (though I could wish the show was better at telling original stories). I'm especially wowed by how they're handling Kirk, who is such a smart, non-sensational take on the character while still having all the recognizable flaws and quirks of the original.

But it's also a show that thinks breaking the fourth wall is the height of sophistication, that is more than willing to comment on its storyness in a way that runs completely counter to its Star Trek-ness. You see this in episodes like "The Elysian Kingdom", "Those Old Scientists", and now "Subspace Rhapsody". And if the first two of those at least had a Star Trek link - "Elysian Kingdom" is essentially a holodeck episode (even if it isn't as good as any of them), and "Those Old Scientists" is obviously all about Star Trek (even if, like so many media franchises these days, it collapses living in the Star Trek universe into being a Star Trek fan). But "Subspace Rhapsody" is just a gimmick, fundamentally no different from similar episodes on Lucifer or Grey's Anatomy or The Flash.

And worst of all, it's a bad musical. One effect of the fact that this trope has become so familiar is that it has created an sideline for talented songwriters who can knock out an episode like this without putting much personality or style into it, just hitting the required beats. There's got to be a power ballad. There's got to be a comedy song. There's got to be a kicky saloon number and a big finale. "Subspace Rhapsody" feels like the nadir of that cottage industry's output. The songs are all generic. The lyrics are forgettable while you're listening to them. There's no unified theme or style, because the point isn't to be a musical. It's to convey a general sense of musical-ness. Beyond the novelty value of a Star Trek musical - which, as noted, is pretty degraded in 2023 - there's nothing here of artistic merit, much less something that feels uniquely like a Star Trek musical.

(Case in point: the Klingons. Having them do boy band music is a joke that's funny for the audience, probably means nothing to the characters, and most importantly, does not make sense within Star Trek. Of course Klingons would sing - they would sing opera.)

As if to add insult to injury, the biggest character development in the episode - which is also driven by the only memorable song - feels baffling, and ends up shortchanging a relationship that the show has been trying to get us to invest in for more than ten episodes. Spock and Chapel got together at the end of episode 6, had a crisis in episode 8, and are now, in episode 9, breaking up for another, unrelated reason. Seems like a better use of everyone's time might have been to let these characters and their relationship develop organically, rather than informing us, through song, that Chapel has suddenly decided to prioritize her career (by, um, leaving Enterprise for so short a period that most couples wouldn't even consider it a major relationship challenge). Are we meant to understand that something deeper was wrong, and that the internship has brought it to light? If so, why haven't we seen it? It's hard not to feel that the musical was being used as a shorthand for emotional development the show didn't feel equipped to deliver, which is only one more way in which it underserves the show.

[whovianwatchingstartrek]

A Whovian Watches Star Trek for the First Time: Part 116 - Tilly in the Network

Star Trek: Discovery - Season 2 Episode 5 - Saints of Imperfection

This episode picks up exactly where engineering left off, with May pulling Sylvia Tilly into the Spore Network, and Michael is kinda doing this thing of burying herself into her work to distract from her sadness about the situation. It's very Vulcan of her, and I can't wait to see how it tears her up.

Meanwhile, Discovery has come across Spock's shuttle, however Spock isn't responding, and Discovery are left with no choice but to open fire before the shuttle can enter a nebula through which Discovery can't follow. They successfully immobilise the SHuttle, and bring it aboard, but to everyone's surprise, Spock isn't on Board: Georgiou is.

Now, last season I didn't like a lot of what they did with Georgiou after leaving her universe, they were a few interesting moments towards the end, but I didn't like that she her comeuppance so bringing her into the main universe in the end kinda felt unjustified. I'm still holding out for some villainous downfall this season, and here specifically, putting her right next to Pike who has built up as very much archetype of the paragon Starfleet Captain, when she is very much the prime example of what I imagine most Terran Captains are like (Granted, my sample size is very limited for them), should be a really interesting point of contrast.

Also the music that plays when she enters, is just perfect. I don't feel like I highlight soundtracks enough on these, but I love Evil Georgiou's theme.

Georgiou is still pretending to be our Universe's Georgiou, but Pike apparently has history with her. Georgiou's current mission for Section 31 is to hunt down Spock. Unfortunately Section 31 ties Pike's hands, and Georgiou is allowed to go free.

Last time Section 31 showed up, a few episodes ago, a couple of you pointed out to me they're they shadowy Group Enterprise too, I don't they were given a name back there, but if this is the same group, they seem be at least slightly more publicly known by know, both Michael and Pike recognise the Section 31 Badge that Georgiou has, whereas in Enterprise they seemed to exist entirely outside of Starfleet's knowledge minus a few people. I kinda wanna know what caused that shift.

The Engineering team manage to confirm that Tilly isn't and indeed is in the Spore Network. Sylvia is rightfully pissed at May for bringing her here, however she is willing to listen to her out. Unfortunately she wants her to kill some sort of creature that entered the Spore Network when Discovery started making it's jumps, and is currently destroying the world of the Network.

Meanwhile on Discovery, as Georgiou leaves, Section 31 drops off an official Liaison, in the form of Ash Tyler. Pike confronts Michael about how different Georgiou is acting from how he remembers her, and that conversation gets put off, Michael and Ash have a small catch up, but nothing really happens immediately and Ash leaves to report to the Bridge.

Paul's plan to rescue Tilly is to jump Discovery into the network, essentially use the ship as a gateway between the real world world and mushroom world. There are a few risks involved, it's been previously established that the mycelium in the network eat normal matter, so the crew would only have an hour to find and extract Sylvia, and there is a risk crew members could just end up like the crew of the Glen if they're in the wrong place when the jump happens.

Pike approves of the Plan, and he gives a really good No Man Left Behind speech, and everyone gets ready to go, and the side of the ship sinks into the network, and Paul and Michael get to searching. Sylvia and May board the Discovery too, although she takes a path to the Armoury to deal with the creature, although they quickly meet up, and Tilly explains the situation

I love that the Monster remains completely unseen until just now, when we find out he is Hugh Culbur, somehow corrupted by the something. Which obviously leaves Paul in a state of conflict. He thought he lost his partner, and he's been grieving really hard since midway through last season, and now he has a chance to save him, but May is still desperate to get Sylvia and by extension the others to kill him. Honestly I was expecting the monster somehow be related to the Tartigrade, so the idea that he's Hugh was a shock, and a twist that I love, even if it's undoing the most impactful death of Season 1.

Meanwhile on the bridge, things are going bad, the Mycelium are still eating away at the Hull, and the Bridge is Starting to fall into the Network, meaning the bridge crew have less space to work. Tyler however calls in some assistance from Section 31, with hidden communicator. A section 31 ship, apparently capable of disguising itself as an asteroid appears out of nowhere, and starts physically towing Discovery out of the Network's space

This little sequence with Section 31 is beautiful, it really showcases how much further ahead they are than everyone else tech-wise.

Meanwhile, Paul trying to convince Hugh that he's real is heartbreaking, he pulls through, and Tilly convinces May to stand down. They rush back to the cube and... Heartbreakingly Hugh is unable to crossover. This scene breaks my heart. Paul had so so much hope, and it just got ripped away from him, and AAAA! I am crying. Fortunately, Sylvia manages to think of a plan to use the Cocoon that dragged her in to create a new body for Hugh on the other side. With that, Paul completes the jump out of the Network, and everything is calm. The team spend time watching the cocoon, waiting, until May fufills her side of the promise, and Hugh is saved.

After this Mission, Pike and the Section 31 leader, Leland have a conversation with the Admiral. Who, one forces them to put their differences aside and work together, and two gives us new information about the Signals. The sites with the Signals have something called Tachyon Radiation, which I'm assuming is the Star Trek equivalent of Artron energy because Leland immediately connects it's presence to Time Travel, although Pike also says could indicate a number of other things, namely Cloaking Devices and Transporters. A Mystery to think about, I can think multiple ways all three of these could be involved with whatever the Red Angels are, Spock is still the best lead.

This episode was a fun conclusion to the May and Tilly Arc, I had fun with it, the rescue mission itself was great, and seeing Section 31 in Action. I still have enough to go on to narrow down my theory on the Red Angels are, and the end of this one kinda widened up the possibilities to it could be anything now. This episode was fun!

[lupiinee]

NAME?: Peter. Pete.

PRONOUNS?: He/They - but literally those are just preferred, i really don't mind what mixture of pronouns you choose.

MOST ACTIVE MUSES?: Spock and Remus. Those are the two floating in my head for a while now. I've got also sideblogs on spock for Jack Russell, Five Hargreeves and the 12th Doctor, plus a smattering of OC's and canons on my star trek multi, but they all take it in turns.

EXPERIENCE/HOW MANY YEARS?: since 2009/2010. I've been here a LONG TIME. since before the first avenger and since before avengers. i started writing as a being human blog and have gone through many characters since then

FLUFF, ANGST, OR SMUT?: ALL. I'm a sucker for playing house. But there's some good angst shit in here to be had. and smut is just so good to write

LONG OR SHORT REPLIES?: I cannot keep a thread short to save my life. it gets long REAL QUICK over here

PET PEEVES?: people who don't tag. come on dudes. doesnt need to be fancy but at least tag your shit

ARE YOU LIKE YOUR MUSE?: undoubtedly, yes. me and remus are very VERY SIMILIAR. whilst i don't have lycanthropy, i do suffer chronic pain/illness, i do use a cane, i am queer and there's a bunch of other similarities. i deny it, i'd rather be like spock tbh

TIME TO WRITE?: honestly im on here a lot to avoid my responsibilities. i have college 3 days out of the week and then work the other 3 days and i get 1 day to myself (if that) so any excuse to be on here i'll take. rn writing is the only thing making me feel something hjkl

tagged by : stolen!

tagging: YALL