#scotty coming in with the impeccable timing

[ijustreallylikecaptainamericaok]

Alias #13

[to-trek-or-not-to-trek]

TOS Characters as Oddly Specific College Students

Kirk: Frat bro who approaches you when you're sitting alone in the corner at a party, and at first you think he's going to be a dick, but then he actually shows concern?? for your well-being??? and you later find out he's in like 15 volunteering clubs and it makes a little bit more sense.

Spock: That one kind of bitchy TA who's working on his post doc and doesn't have time for you to not understand Stoichiometry, he's got real problems.

McCoy: The equally bitchy lab assistant who's got beef with the TA for some reason, even though you've seen them willingly hanging out around campus.

Scotty: That one guy in your dorm who jerry rigs two mini fridges and a microwave together to charge his homemade laptop. At least he hasn't burnt anything down yet.

Uhura: Impeccable girl with flawless notes and A-game outfits EVERY class, which is especially confusing because you're pretty sure she's a computer science linguistics double major?? hello??? does she sleep??

Chekov: That one guy who always kind of fucks around, and one day he accidentally sets off the fire alarm and evacuates his whole dorm, and he feels really bad about it.

Sulu: That one gay guy in the second row of your lecture with outfit goals and such a wicked sense of humor that makes you actually want to come to class.

[electronickingdomfox]

"The Trellisane Confrontation" review

Novel by David Dvorkin from 1984. Finally a cover that looks a bit different! By the way, that's Chapel there, and not some random lady that never shows up, as I thought at first.

Is this high literature? Surely not. The prose is pretty simplistic and straight to the point. Is it very original? Also nope. The plot is a mishmash of everything TOS, put together: there are two alien races at war, and on top of that the Enterprise is hijacked and taken from Kirk, and on top of that there are Klingons, and on top of that, Romulans. Also McCoy struggles to free slaves, and dines with cannibals. And then Chapel finds (briefly) love, when she enters into communion with a composite being that looks like a ball of flesh (okay, THAT'S new, and not really as disturbing as it seems at first; though there are some disturbing things in this novel). Having said all that, did I enjoy this book? Hell, yeah! (see everything above).

With so many things going on, the plot can be a bit confusing, as it keeps branching out when characters go their separate ways. Though somehow, everything clicks. There's also an underlying theme of IDIC to help bring things together. The resolution of the main conflict, however, is less than satisfactory. Let's be frank; the political situation in the planet Trellisane when the Enterprise leaves is... well, shit. There's no way that's not gonna end in another war. But Kirk seems satisfied so...

As for characterization, I found it spot-on, which is not frequent in these novels (usually there's something that seems "off"). The focus is more on action than character development, but you get those glimpses of personality. Spock is sassy, and sometimes Kirk discovers those cracks in his Vulcan mask, and wonders if his occasional humor isn't really another way to hide his true emotions. Kirk has his boyish, fun-loving side in addition to his responsible side as starship captain. Scotty is a badass, and not just a miracle worker. And McCoy is particularly developed, with his softness under a crusty exterior, and his disregard for cruel authority figures. Still, I've found reviews of this novel criticizing it for being out-of-character, which I truly can't understand. If anything, the easy way in which the Enterprise is hijacked is a bit unbelievable. And Sulu makes a really, really stupid mistake while having the con, that triggers the whole problem. But hey, Sulu isn't yet a Captain, and even then, he's just a fallible human! I don't see how having a crew that's always impeccably perfect is any more realistic...

Spoilers under the cut (it's a short novel, but a long plot):

Kirk's mission this time around consists in taking a bunch of dangerous criminals and bringing them to a more secure prison. The criminals are fanatics that believe the Federation should conquer as much territory as possible, so they were trying to enter the Romulan Neutral Zone to trigger a war. They consist of the leader, Hander Morl, his four bodyguards, and a curious creature: an Onctiliian. This race has four sexes, and when they mate, all four individuals are permanently merged in a ball of flesh (body horror much), and can't exist separately anymore. In this state, Onctiliians are very dangerous and aggresive.

However, Kirk receives a fading distress call from Trellisane, vaguely mentioning Klingons. So he decides to investigate this planet before putting the criminals in prison (aka "wrong decision"). Kirk, Spock and McCoy meet the Trellisane leader, who explains they're under attack from the neighboring planet, Sealon (populated by some aquatic, seal-like beings). They suspect the Klingons are behind the sudden weapon development of Sealon. At first, the Trellisanian come off as the peaceful, advanced, but somewhat naive race. While the Sealons are described as barbaric. But things aren't quite so simple.

Meanwhile, the Enterprise is attacked by Sealon ships. Sulu underestimates them, and the ship gets a direct hit, which affects the security cells. The prisoners escape, and after killing some redshirts, they manage to reach the bridge, seal up the doors, and hold everyone there at gunpoint. But the Onctiliian has been seriously injured and goes a different way. The rest of the crew only know the prisoners have escaped, and are unaware of the situation in the bridge. Morl leaves the red alarm flaring, so everyone is busy elsewhere, and forces the bridge crew to depart to the Neutral Zone, to trigger his war. And Kirk watches his ship warping away under his nose.

Down in the planet, the trio find out the Trellisane government is completely ineffectual, so they try to take matters into their hands (violation of the Prime Directive, of course, but it's not like they can do much else this time). McCoy starts tending to the wounded, and discovers strange brain implants in some of them, which he removes. Soon, it becomes apparent that Trellisane has a slave class, which is treated like animals and denied all rights, so McCoy has to cure them in secret. For their part, Kirk and Spock rally the slaves (the only willing to fight), and help them plant explosives under the ocean, where the Sealons are already building bases.

In the Enterprise, Scotty uses his brains and notices something is wrong. He gets to the bridge and is captured as well. But he improvises an excuse about the warp engines being very damaged, and convinces Morl to stop the ship for maintenance, thus gaining some time. Chapel has found the injured Onctiliian, now dying, since one of its four members was killed. She overcomes her fear, and tries to remove the corpse, so the rest of the body can heal. But upon coming in contact with the link spot, the Onctiliian accepts her as a new fourth member, and a mind link is established between them. With the new input from Chapel, more peaceful and intelligent, the creature understands how wrong are Morl's ways.

Again back in the planet, Kirk and Spock are captured by Sealons in one of their bombing incursions, and brought to their underwater base. Effectively, the base is run by Klingons, the real masterminds behind the war. Then, the Klingons bring them to their main base in Sealon. Kirk explains the situation with the Enterprise, and convinces the Klingon leader that, if the Romulans are provoked, they'll also interfere with Klingon affairs in this sector. The Klingon captain agrees to take Kirk to his ship, so he can regain it and avert the conflict. But then Kirk must surrender the Enterprise to the Klingons (ha! gullible Klingon much!). Meanwhile, Spock escapes his imprisonment, after Sealon rebels start attacking Klingon infrastructures. He comes face to face with the Sealon leader, and of course can't resist the temptation of mind-melding with him. This gives Spock a new viewpoint about the Sealons.

As for McCoy, he's at his wit's end with the Trellisanian and their classism. To make things worse, he discovers the brain implants are used to control slaves, and even kill them on the spot when they misbehave. And then comes... the revelation (actually, you can see it coming since earlier in the novel, but still...). The Trellisanian leader says McCoy is an hypocrite, for defending the slaves and still eating meat. He brings the doctor to a butcher house, and there McCoy discovers the meat actually came from slaves. It's a shame that McCoy's coping with this fact isn't explored further (Tarsus IV anyone?).

In the end, the Enterprise bridge is regained when Chapel bursts in, with her Onctiliian bondmate wreaking havoc on all the bad guys. The creature dies in the fight, however, freeing Chapel from the bond (and she's pretty sad about it). Morl has a villanous breakdown, and at last surrenders, when Kirk beams in the bridge. The Romulans have been attracted by the suspicious presence of the Enterprise near their border. But Kirk invites both the Romulan and the Klingon captains to his ship, to reach a cooperation agreement in regards to Trellisane and Sealon (okay, this was waaaay too easy). Down in the planet, Spock has reunited with McCoy, and together they organize a meeting between Trellisane and Sealon leaders, to reach another agreement. First, the slaves must be set free, if Trellisane ever wants to receive help from the Federation. And the Sealons are allowed to keep the conquered oceans, if they share the fishing. I think it's a rather shitty arrangement that leaves nobody happy (not even the slaves, since the grudge is still there). But anyway, both the Trellisanians and the Sealons are rather shitty in their own ways, so there.

Spirk Meter: 1/10*. Very little. But Spock reflects a moment about how much he admires his Captain, for having such a perfect balance between logic and emotion (but it's not hero-worship, nope...). However, his ideal image is suddenly broken, when he sees Kirk excited like a little boy, at the prospect of rowing in a boat.

Is it my impression, or do male authors gravitate much more towards McKirk and Spones, while books written by women are more spirky? In the first page, we already have Kirk looking up and down at Bones in his dress uniform, and telling him that his old country doctor persona is all he needs to impress the colonists. And then, Kirk brings McCoy to his cabin, closes the door, and undresses in front of him (okay, he needs to change into his dress uniform too, but still...).

Then, at the end, McCoy is discussing with Spock about cross-breeding between different species, when he changes the subject, to comment on Spock's warm, human emotion upon reuniting with him. McCoy wants Spock to admit he was worried about him, but yet again, Spock is cold and hurts him. McCoy goes away, angry, and Chapel reprimands Spock for being so cruel, since the doctor is sensitive. Spock agrees. And adds he's a remarkable doctor, and probably derives pleasure from insulting and being insulted by Spock, as it's his only way of showing his affection. All this in the context of IDIC, and Chapel's recent experience as a mate of the Onctiliian. Hmmm...

*A 10 in this scale is the most obvious spirk moments in TOS. Think of the back massage, "You make me believe in miracles", or "Amok Time" for example.

[kult-of-tol-in-gaurhoth]

THE FIRST PERSON TO PLAY BLUES ON AN ELECTRIC GUITAR -- THE FIRST GUITAR HERO IN THE HISTORY OF RECORDED MUSIC.

PIC INFO: Spotlight on Aaron Thibeaux "T-Bone" Walker (1910 – 1975) American blues musician, pioneer and innovator of the jump blues, West Coast blues, and electric blues sounds. Artwork by William Stout for his "Legends of the Blues" portraits series.

LEGACY & OVERVIEW: ""How significant was T-Bone Walker to the evolution of the blues?" he repeats the question. “Well,” he says after a long pause. “You look back at everyone who’s ever stood in front of a band playing the guitar and it all traces back to one man. T-Bone Walker was the first person to ever play blues on an electric guitar: How significant is that?”

But Vaughan knows Walker’s contributions go deeper than having access to new technology. Leaving it at that is like lauding a brilliant author for being the first to write a book using a word processor.

“T-Bone created a whole new language for the guitar,” says Vaughan, whose concise leads and impeccable sense of swing and rhythm show that his guitar speaks T-Bone fluently. He reaches for his 1951 Gibson hollow-body electric on the couch in his manager’s office on South Lamar; axe in hands he seems more comfortable talking about Walker, whose work in the 1940s was as major a musical influence as Texas has produced. Vaughan starts playing riffs you’ve heard on records by the Rolling Stones, Chuck Berry, Eric Clapton and Vaughan’s former Fabulous Thunderbirds and the conversation comes alive.

"You’ve heard this one a hundred times before,” he says, playing the driving intro to “The Crawl,” a T-Bird mainstay. “That’s a T-Bone lick. Here’s another,” he says, strumming the harmonic chords that open Walker’s most enduring composition, “Call It Stormy Monday.” Vaughan then hits a note and sustains it with a finger wiggle a la B.B. King, performs a jazz-billy run like the ones Scotty Moore used to play with Elvis Presley, executes the bent-note double stops identified with Chuck Berry, then apes the choppy rhythms of nascent funk guitarist Jimmy Nolen of James Brown’s band. These licks all started with Walker, who was born in Linden and raised in Dallas. The electric guitar has been the defining instrument of the past 50 years and T-Bone Walker was the first guitar hero.

“You know how everyone was blown away when they first heard Jimi Hendrix?” Vaughan asks. “Well, imagine what it must’ve been like to hear T-Bone for the first time, when those riffs were brand new.” Hendrix had contemporaries who were doing amazing things — Clapton, Jeff Beck, Link Wray, Buddy Guy — but T-Bone was on an island. He was the template for so many great guitarists who would follow. In Texas, a Mecca of electric blues guitarists, you had Rockdale’s Pee Wee Crayton, Orange’s Gatemouth Brown, Beaumont’s Johnny Winter. Dallas gave us Freddie King and the Vaughan brothers and Houston could boast Albert Collins, Johnny “Guitar” Watson, Johnny Copeland and Billy Gibbons, all carrying T-Bone’s torch."

-- MICHAEL CORCORAN, "T-Bone Walker and the Language of Electric Blues," c. April 2020 (Texas Music History)

Sources: www.michaelcorcoran.net/t-bone-walker-and-the-language-of-electric-blues and www.budsartbooks.com/product/more-legends-of-the-blues-card-set-by-william-stout.

[teapottroubles]

" It's just Scotty lass, Montgomery makes me feel like I'm old an' in trouble. Scott even, if ye feel like given a poor lad heart palpitations. " The engineer takes a humorous tone at the end of his words, pulling more solder from the spool attached to his belt. The worst of it was almost over and done with, then he could close this panel and get up off of his back.

" Ye may exist ta protect us, but not a lot of good ye can do if yer in bad shape. So, in a way, we're protectin' each other. "

Scotty pondered the thought of any of the pilots in the fleet trying to service their Jaegers, and shuddered slightly. Some of those folk would knew a socket wrench from a torque wrench if they were labeled! At least Jim had a very basic understanding, not to mention an impeccable memory when it comes to certain schematics and prints. Bones on the other hand... Scotty wouldn't trust him to figure out a fuse box unsupervised.

" Lass, ye don't owe me a wee thing. It's my job ta keep all of ye up and runnin', and I'm mighty proud of my job. I'd do it a hundred times over. "

It is, by no means, the full and complete oneness that the Mind Meld provides. Nor is it the lingering sense of awareness that Enterprise tends to feel once they have broken their connection, her and her pilots. It is something smaller, more surface-level than that, her with an only scanner-level knowledge of him, communicating, more or less, the way humans do, hijacked into his earpiece. Enterprise has never done this before, even though Montgomery Scott is familiar and Leonard tends to say he is ' good people ' and Jim trusts no one else to repair her.

Up until then she had been silently observing, not wanting to disturb his work, which she does appreciate so greatly. Her capabilities are limited when she is not connected with her pilots, she cannot move, but she can process and relay information.

"The last thing they should worry about, Montgomery, is me." She's amused at the very notion even though she knows he can't feel that and her voice delivers no inflection. "I exist to protect them. All of you. Though I find your concern for me endearing."

And slightly humorous. She is dozens of times their size and yet all of them, her pilots and the man they've dubbed Scotty, fret over her so insistently. Regardless, at his answer to her question she remains quiet for quite some time in order to pick out that sound from any of the others.

"I see." Another pause before she explains her interest. "Jim is only sometimes a mechanic, he claims. Not like this." Not for anything as expansive as her, the Jaegers. And, obviously, neither of the other two are even remotely mechanics. Leonard in particular is anything but. She has absorbed a great deal from their memories, medicine and history and science, but not this. She holds the same fascination, in watching herself get repaired, feeling herself fall back into place, as she understands from Leonard that a patient must feel while observing their own medical procedure. Outside of her pilots, and their minds, she knows little of the other humans who work so closely with her. "I was curious. And I owe you many thanks, as this is not the first time you have done this for me."

[victorborkowski]

title: underdogs rating: G words: 3,078 pairing: matt murdock/warren worthington iii characters: matt murdock, warren worthington iii, scott summers, emma frost, dani moonstar, josh foley summary: Emma looks down at her nails, inspecting them (presumably) meticulously.

Are you seriously trying to flirt with our lawyer, Warren?

He grins. Are you seriously questioning if I’m trying to flirt with our lawyer, Emma?

-- or, warren is called to the school to meet a new student he’ll be mentoring. there, he also meets the school’s newest lawyer.

also additionally tagged with ‘meet-cute.’ :) this is my crackship and i’m yeeting it out into the universe, thank u. an excerpt of this fic is below, but to read the whole thing, [ click here! ]

“There’s a new student,” Scott starts, and Warren’s immediately holding a hand up.

“Joshua Foley. Sixteen. Healing mutation, right?” At the furrow of Scott’s brow, Warren grins. “Emma called ahead with the details. You know, if you’re going to pull me out of work , Scotty, it really helps for me to know exactly why. There’s no point in being so hush-hush.”

“Enough with the Scotty, Warren.”

“Warry.”

Scott grimaces. “Enough. I didn’t give you the details because, quite frankly, we were still trying to convince Josh to stay here when I called you. I’m obviously very appreciative you were able to get out here on such short notice, even without the details, but—”

“—but you called me out here not even knowing if the kid was going to stay. Do you even know now?”

“We have a lawyer here,” says Scott, as if that explains anything.

Warren shifts on his feet. “Okay? What does that have to do with this? Am I being sued ?”

“No, Warren,” Scott says placatingly, like he’s talking to a student. “We know Josh is staying, because he’s not going to have anywhere else to go soon. Our lawyer is talking with his parents, their lawyer, Emma, and Dani right now, because they’re giving us — the school — custody.”

Oh.

“Oh,” Warren says out loud. “Well…shit.”

“Yeah.” Scott’s smile is small, wry. His arms cross over his chest.  “Your timing’s pretty impeccable, though. We haven’t told him yet. It’ll probably help to see someone he knows he’ll be working with, give him something to look forward to.”

“You’re bribing a kid into staying by using me?”

“He got mixed up in some bad stuff,” says Scott. “He’s…confused. Upset. Doesn’t feel like he should be here. It’s not so much bribery as it is…”

“Giving him someone he can relate to,” Warren finishes for him, a bit deadpan. “Right. Well. Might as well use the sometimes-blue-and-metal-winged person. No doubt he’ll be thrilled to have me show him the ropes to healing.”

“It’ll be fine,” says Scott. “You’ll be fine. The both of you.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Warren waves a hand dismissively. When it comes to Archangel, Warren has preferred the tactic of ‘avoidance’ lately. That means it’s easy for him to just continue on, completely changing the subject:  “Anyways, which lawyer even came up with this idea? Was it one the parents brought on? I can’t imagine one of ours—”

“It was theirs, but ours didn’t exactly balk at it, either.”

Warren’s own brow furrows, very much mirroring the way Scott’s was moments ago. “I’m sorry, what?”

“He’s new,” says Scott, as if that absolves this crazy new lawyer of this very crazy idea, “but it was with good intentions, believe me. There really wasn’t any better way to solve this. His parents would not have been good people to send him home with. You know the type: virulently anti-mutant, and suddenly finding out their own kid is one doesn’t do much to change that. I wouldn’t trust them with him even if they did want to take him home, especially considering the type of people they let him run around with.”

“Still — separating him from his parents? The school having custody of him? Dani being his legal guardian? Scott, that’s…”

Scott holds his hands up, empty and in defense. “Look, at this point? Out of my hands. Paperwork’s being filled out as we speak. Dani volunteered to step up, and I’m telling you, this is the best decision for him. He wouldn’t be safe at home, and he’d be even less safe out on the streets when his parents inevitably kick him out if he did go home with them. You have a problem with it? Go talk to Matt and Dani.”

“Matt,” Warren repeats, wrinkling his nose. “The hell kind of a name is ‘Matt’ for a lawyer?”

“Matthew Murdock.”

Again: oh. 

Warren blinks. His brows raise high. “Matthew Murdock? Of Nelson and Murdock?” Warren is blonde, and rich, and he may act like he’s stupid sometimes (okay, a lot of the time), but he does know a few things. Being a businessman, getting tangled up in all the webs throughout New York, there are certain names that float around that nobody ever wants to mess with. Nelson and Murdock are definitely two of them. “Why is he helping us? ”

“A sadistic streak, maybe? He’s working pro-bono.” Scott shrugs his shoulders, smile growing a little less wry. “Besides, he’s from Hell’s Kitchen, right? Maybe he’s got a soft spot for the underdogs, too.”

[illogicalpunkwrites]

Diplomacy

Hello! Hope everyone is doing well! This is another McCoy fic and I’ve got one for Scotty in the works. Enjoy and thank you so much for reading!

Pairings: Leonard McCoy x Reader

Rating: M (18+)

Warnings: Smut, cursing, jealousy, angst, fluff, the whole works

Words: 4.3k

Tags: @bloodangelballerina​ @theweepingvulcan91​

You groaned as you read the message from Jim, already trying to find a way out of it. 

All commanding officers were to go to a Gala on the metropolitan planet of TIbbea. Meaning, you’d have to dress up and attempt to kiss ass to uphold the reputation of Star Fleet. 

Fantastic.

XXXXXX

You sat next to Leonard as you sipped the brandy he’d pulled out from his cabinet, some oldies playing in the background. You and Leonard had grown close, surprising everyone by becoming good friends despite the rocky beginnings. Bickering had given way to teasing, but that wasn’t to say that the bickering ended. 

“So I take it you’re not looking forward to tomorrow?” He asked and you snorted.

“Absolutely not. They also still haven’t given me a new dress uniform so I’ve got to wear the most uncomfortable thing on the planet. Thankfully, it’s just black but I prefer slacks over that thing any day.”

“Hey, I hate that monkey suit. I think I’d rather wear a dress.” You laughed and rested your head on his shoulder.

“We can always switch.”

“Nah, I don’t think I could pull it off.” He replied and you two simply listened to the music. While ancient country wasn’t your taste, you had made Leonard watch enough of your movies that you owed him some of your time. “At least you can dance, right?”

“Can you?” He made a more or less sign. “I don’t really like to. I’ll stay near the bar and appetizers. Maybe you’ll meet some nice Orion girl to dance with.”

“I’ll just stay at the bar with you, darlin;. Maybe a Ferengi will woo you off your feet.” You snickered into your drink. 

“If they buy me a drink, sure.” There was a comfortable silence between the two of you, but you didn’t notice Leonard’s heart nearly beating out of his chest. You only noticed something was off when he dragged his hand over his face. “You alright?”

“Uh, yeah. I was actually wondering if any of the other officers asked you to be their...accompany them to the gala?”

“No, why?”

“How about you go with me? Seems like we both want the same thing of staying out of the way and drinking them out of the house.” He joked. You hoped he didn’t notice your cheeks heating up as you looked back down into your glass.

“Sounds great, Len.” 

Stars, he loved it when he called you that.

XXXXXX

The hall was ornately decorated with white walls and gold accents, a grand staircase, and breathtaking portraits of previous rulers of the planet. It seemed like it was something out of a fairy tale or a palace from Europe. Star Fleet took you to so many places but you never thought you would be in as nice a place as this. 

You squirmed a little outside of the grand hall, the straps of your heels digging into your ankles, the garter belt that held your phaser chafing against your other thigh. Nyota and Janice had a lot of fun helping you get ready, an unspoken giddiness between the two. When you probed them as to why they were so adamant about getting you ready, they simply smiled and said “no reason”. Luckily for them, Spock had chosen to take Nyota as his date and Hikaru had kindly asked Janice to be his. 

You had to admit they had done a great job but you weren’t surprised. Their makeup and hair were always impeccable.

You didn’t notice Leonard standing behind you and staring at you. He was in awe of how you looked. He always thought you looked beautiful but seeing you in your onyx gown was something else. It hugged you in the right places, showed off your shoulders with the loose sleeves, and the slit up your leg made you look like a goddess. 

Dear God you were going to be the death of him. 

You fixed your hair a little before you felt a tap on your shoulder. You spun to see Leonard in his dress uniform. While you knew he hated the monkey suit, he looked so handsome. His eyes were even brighter than usual and he had run just a little bit more gel through his hair. 

“Hello there.” You greeted. He looked you up and down and you ran your hands over the silky material of the skirt. “Told you it was awful.”

“What’re you talking about? You look...you look gorgeous, darlin’.” Your eyes widened and you knew he saw the blush on your chest and cheeks. 

“You don’t look too bad yourself.” He offered you his arm and you took it, walking into the grand hall and looking out for your crewmates. You took note of the many different races that were there and the line to great the king and queen. 

“Jim needs a chair like that.” You commented, looking at the throne that was decorated with the overarching symbol of the national Tibbean religion. It was imposing to say the least and you wondered if it would even fit in the transporter room. 

“What? So his ego can get bigger?” You both chuckled and made your way down the stairs and towards the bar. 

“I see we’re sticking to the plan?” You asked.

“Wouldn’t have it any other way. Old fashioned, right?” You smiled, loving how he remembered your favorite cocktail. 

“Yes please.” He ordered that for you and boulevardier for him. One of the bartenders quickly made them and slid them over to the two of you, the glasses heavy and almost a little gaudy. 

“To drinking them out of the house!” He toasted and you chuckled.

“To drinking them out of their palace.” You corrected. You sipped your cocktail and, though you had many before, it was the best old fashioned you’d ever had. “Damn that’s good. I gotta figure out what bourbon they used.”

“I doubt you’d be able to afford it, darlin’.” 

“Hey, if I take more credits from Scotty in poker I just might.” He scooted closer to you so you were practically resting against him. 

“You gotta teach me your tricks.” “What? And let you take away my credits? I don’t think so.” You responded cheekily. You watched as Jim approached the king and queen, supposedly thanking them for their invite and talking up Star Fleet. 

“It isn’t even a game for you anymore! You win every time.” He complained and you laughed.

“Doctor McCoy, I don’t play games. Poker is just a means to an end to be able to get everyone’s credits.” 

“Never took you for a scrooge. You can tell me something”

“I never realized you were so whiny.” You replied and his jaw dropped in feigned shock. “Oh shut it, you know it’s true. ‘Jim, I’m a doctor not a brick layer. Spock you realize this is impossible. (Y/N) you need to be more careful’. Dammit Jim can’t you-” He elbowed you a little and you laughed, his arm going around your shoulders. 

“You two certainly look like you’re having fun.” Jim said as he approached with the other members of the crew that had beamed down. You both sipped on your drinks as the others talked about how beautiful the planet was. Scotty was impressed with their liquor selection just like you were, Janice couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw the paintings, Nyota was in awe of the poetic music that played, and Hikaru was obsessed with the native plants that nearly glowed with color. 

“Please Spock, dance with me.” Nyota begged, already a little tipsy. She was always a lightweight, ever since meeting her your first day on the Enterprise.

“Of course, ashayam.” He replied and held out his arm for her to take and lead her to the floor. You and Leonard looked at each other, hardly believing the Vulcan could be so smooth. 

“Miss Rand, if I may.” Sulu offered his hand, Janice laughing as she took it. Scotty lead Lieutenant Mira, Jim grabbed Carol, which eaft you and Leonard against the bar still. You were feeling the effects of your second old fashioned and decided “to hell with it”.

“Len, come dance with me.” He sputtered into his drink and quickly wiped his chin. 

“Uh, I thought you didn’t dance.”

“I never said that, I just never answered your question. So will you dance with me?” You replied, placing your glass down and reaching to grab his hands.  “Well...Look darlin’-”

“I’ll dance with you.” A deep voice called. You turned to see a  Daliwakan leaning against the bar near you. “I’m Ivvoid, junior ambassador to the Daliwakans.” 

“It’s very nice to meet you.” You introduced yourself and your rank aboard the Enterprise. 

“Dr. McCoy, CMO of the Enterprise.” He introduced and you didn’t fail to miss how his chest seemed to literally puff up. 

“Come, Commander. Indulge in me a little and dance.” Before you could object, he grabbed your elbow and led you to the floor. His other hand quickly went to your waist as you stepped in time to the music.

“You have to forgive me, I’m not a talented dancer.” You told him sheepishly, keeping in mind you had to keep up a diplomatic presence. You wished Leonard was with you instead. 

“To be honest, neither am I. But who ever heard of an ambassador who couldn’t dance?” You laughed softly at him as he lead the little waltz you were having. You could practically feel Leonard’s eyes on you. “Who is the CMO to you?”

“What?”

“Who is he to you? Just a crewmate?” He replied and you furrowed your brows at him.

“Why do you ask?”

“Well, if I wish to get to know you better I would want to know whether you are spoken for or not.” He replied bluntly. You were a little stunned, something unusual for you. You didn’t realize that was a trait amongst the Daliwakans.

“Well, he is my date for the night.” You explained and you saw the ridges on his forehead raise.

“Just for the night then? You two aren’t together?” 

“Well no, I don’t suppose we are.” You replied honestly.

“Fantastic! You know, back on my planet women-”

XXXXXX

Nyota looked over at Spock’s shoulder to see Leonard still leaning against the bar while you danced with someone else. She knew that there was something going on between the two of you, but you were both too stubborn and blind to do anything. If he wasn’t going to do anything, she would just have to push him.

“Spock, let’s move near Doctor McCoy.”

“Are you planning something?” Nyota smiled up at him and he did as she asked. “Doctor.” 

“Spock, Uhura.” Leonard replied as he sipped on his third drink of the night. He saw how flustered you were getting and couldn’t help the pang of jealousy in his chest. 

“Leonard, why don’t you go over there? She obviously doesn’t want to be there.”

“What’re you talking about? She’s laughing at everything he says and hasn’t stopped dancing with him.” He grumbled. 

“Perhaps she is merely trying to be diplomatic. It’s hard to reject an offer from an ambassador.” Spock replied and Nyota grabbed his hand in a Vulcan kiss, showing that he had done a good job. 

“Nah, she likes him.” She looked over again and saw how stiff you were. Sometimes she really wanted to slap Leonard for not catching on to the obvious things. 

“Really? You think so? Maybe she just needs someone else to go save her, be assertive! Go over there!” Leonard polished off his glass and moved away from the bar.

“Nah, leave her be.” She looked up at Spock and he led her back to the dance floor, hoping to lift her spirits again. Nyota looked across to Janice who sported a disappointed look on her face.  XXXXXX

You looked away from the ambassador to see Leonard going back up the stairs of the grand hall. Your eyes widened and you mouth went slightly agape. You let go of the ambassador’s hand and, against his protests, quickly made your way through the crowd.

“Wait, Commander!”

“I’m sorry, I have to go!” You caught Leonard going around a corner and followed him, wondering where he could possibly be going. He went up another set of stairs and you followed, but he had gone into one of the many rooms before you could see which one. You opened each one, looking around, before you found a study. You saw his back turned towards you as he leaned with his palms against a desk. The window in front of him showing the dark purple sky with triple moons illuminating his figure. 

“Dammit.” He sighed to himself and you quietly closed the door behind you.

“Hey, I thought we were going to drink the entire bar?” You joked but he didn’t laugh. You approached him and rubbed his shoulder. “What’s wrong? Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” He bit back. You stepped back a little but your hands didn’t leave him. “I’m sorry. Go back downstairs, have fun.”

“I was having fun with you.”

“You were having fun with the ambassador.” He replied and you rolled your eyes.

“He was cocky and dull.”

“You laughed an awful lot.” He scoffed. You pulled away from him and crossed your arms across your chest.

“Doctor McCoy, are you jealous?” You teased, but your teasing nature went away when he didn’t say anything. “Len-”

“Darlin’, I’m fine. I just need a minute.” 

“No you don’t.” He turned to see you. Again, he couldn’t help thinking how beautiful you looked against the purple light. “What’s going on? We were having fun, I asked you to dance with me and you didn’t want to, the ambassador didn’t even really ask just took me over, now you’re upset.”

“I never said I didn’t want to dance with you.” He said. “I just didn’t have the...”

“Balls?” He finally laughed a little at that.

“Yeah. He kinda stepped in before I could finally get some.” You heard the music lightly coming through the door and walked over to him, grabbing his arms to wrap them around your waist and you locked yours around his neck. 

“There we go. That’s better.” You said. He rested his forehead against yours and you closed your eyes. You swayed together to the faint music, breathing in his musky cologne and your warm and spicy perfume. His arms tightened around you so the tips of your noses touched. You opened your eyes to meet his gaze. While he was someone who didn’t particularly like dancing, he didn’t mind it with you. “You don’t have to be jealous, y’know.”

“Why’s that?” 

“Because I don’t want anyone else.” His breath hitched as one of your hands slid down to cup his jaw. 

“Darlin’, don’t play games.”

“You heard me earlier. I don’t play games.” You closed the gap between the two of you and kissed him softly. One of the hands wrapped around your waist went up to the back of your neck to pull you impossibly closer. It didn’t take him long to start kissing you back, taking your bottom lip between his. His lips were a little chapped but damn did he know how to kiss. You felt your entire body melting into him as every nerve ending fired. You had to keep yourself from whining when he pulled away. 

“I’ve been wanting that to happen a long time.”

“Me too.” He leaned down to kiss you again, fiercer this time as he lead you against the desk. His hands went up to cup your jaw as you grabbed at his back, the dress uniform’s scratchy fabric unpleasant against your fingernails. His tongue darted into your mouth and you welcomed him as he teased you. His hands started moving all over you, wanting to feel as much of you as possible. His mouth moved against your jaw, down to you neck and stopped there. Your breathing had picked up as he kissed against the juncture of your neck and collarbone. “Len-” You gasped out when he kissed, sucked the skin into his mouth. You didn’t care about the mark that would be left there as his lips pressed a soft kiss to the red spot he had created. He pulled away to look at you, his lips slightly swollen.

“Darlin’ I need you to tell me to stop if you don’t want this. I’ve wanted this for so long, wanted to kiss you, to taste you, to feel you.” Your breathing picked up even more as you were rendered speechless. “I just need you to tell me to stop and I will.”

“I don’t want you to. Please Len, don’t stop.” you whispered, pulling at the short hair at the back of his head. You leaned forward and pulled the collar of his shirt down and leaned to give him the same mark he had given you. His hand went to your exposed thigh, feeling the garter that held your phaser. “Always have to be prepared.” You joked, breaking some of the tension. He smiled and pulled the phaser to set it on the chair behind the desk. His hand slid up your thigh again and you jumped a little as he finally reached your panties. His fingers creeped in to find that bundle of nerves that was screaming for attention. 

“Shit.” He cursed when he felt how wet you were. He started slowly circling it and your hands went to his biceps, squeezing tightly. His finger moved away from your clit and into your core, quickly joined by a second finger. You were tight around his fingers and you wondered how tight you would feel around his cock. He moved his fingers around a little until he found the spot that made you clench around him and moan into his mouth. 

“Yes!” You sighed, his thumb going to rub your clit has his fingers curled inside of you. You messed with his shirt with shaky hands, trying to open it to feel at least some of his skin. When you succeeded, you ran your hands down his chest to reach for his slacks. You pressed your lips together when you felt the bit of wetness at the bulge. You unzipped his pants and pushed them and his underwear down his hips enough to free his cock that slapped against his belly. You both moaned to each other as you ran the palm of your hand over his tip. You encircled him and started jerking him off slowly. The coil in your belly was growing tighter as he continually tapped against you while rubbing the most sensitive part of you. While you always secretly admired his hands, you had underestimated how good his fingers would be. “Shit wait, I don’t want to come yet.”

“What do you need? Whatever you want.” He replied desperately. 

“I need you inside me now. I can’t wait anymore.” He cured under his breath and you bunched up your skirt so it wouldn’t get ruined. He pulled his fingers and you swore you could’ve come just from watching him smear your wetness over his cock. He wrapped one of his arms back around your waist with the other holding it, your arms going to grip at his shoulders. His cock caught at your entrance and he grasped the base of himself before slowly starting to push in. Both of your mouths dropped open as he sank into you with small rolls of his hips. 

“Fuck you feel too damn good.” You mewled as his accent came out even more. He finally bottomed out inside of you and he felt your grip tighten on his shoulders. “You alright?”

“Perfect, you feel perfect.” You two stayed like that for a moment or two, basking in each other before your hips started to roll as best as they could against him. One of his hands left you to grip the edge of the desk as he pulled out to the tip to push back into you roughly. You could tell he wouldn’t be able to hold back as much as he wanted to as your body bounced against him and the desk creaked underneath you and the fact that you knew the grip he had on your hip would leave bruises. You hooked one of your legs higher around his waist and he gasped out when he sunk even deeper into you. The angle allowed for him to hit the spot that he had found earlier and if it wasn’t for him you would’ve collapsed against the desk. You muffled your cries against his shoulder, still cognisant that you were at a gala. 

“Shit, darlin’ I’m not gonna last much longer.” You shook your head against him.

“Me neither.”

“Rub your clit, c’mon.” He groaned into your ear and one of you shaky hands reached down to sloppily circle your clit. He cursed and bit his lip when he felt you clench around him tighter. “C’mon honey, come for me.” Your legs started shaking around him and you felt that coil turning even tighter. “Please come for me.” He whined and you felt that resolve snap inside of you, tingling through every part of your body as your back bowed to press your breasts against him. He kissed you to swallow your cries as your body convulsed. He was soon grunting and groaning loader before you felt hotness cover your walls and his thrusts becoming shorter and deeper. His knuckles were blanched as they went to move your hair out of your face, feeling the imprints the lines of the desk made on his fingers and his breath puffing out against you. Your hands went to feel his pecs, to feel his heart beating wildly. 

“See? Told ya you didn’t need to be jealous.” You panted and he chuckled against you, the sound reverberating through you. He leaned down to give you a sweet kiss against your forehead and nuzzled against you. 

“We should probably get cleaned up.” He pulled up your panties and you stood up from the desk, squirming when you felt come slide out of you. “Maybe that’ll keep you from dancing with someone else.” You rolled your eyes lovingly and grabbed your phaser to put it back in your garter. You helped him look presentable again and kissed his cheek before going to the door. He grabbed your hand and pulled your back to his chest. “This wasn’t the way I thought that this would happen, but I’m glad it did.”

“How did you want it to happen?” He looked down at you and rubbed his thumb over the mark he had made on your shoulder. 

“I would’ve taken you out first once I’d finally gotten the courage to ask you out. Maybe I’d take you to a nice restaurant on a planet like this to get some real food, not replicated. I might take you to a place where you could see the stars because you love ‘em so damn much even though you’re constantly surrounded by them. I was actually trying to track down an old movie you loved so that we could watch it together. I was thinking I would make my move then.” You smiled up at him and played with the medals on his shirt.

“Those things can still happen, y’know. We can still do all of that.” You said. “I would really like to.”

“Me too.” He gave you another kiss before you both left the room, hoping you didn’t leave behind too big of a mess. 

XXXXXX

“Janice, I thought it would happen too.” Nyota consoled the yeoman as they wondered where the two of you had went. They had assumed you had both beamed back to the ship after realizing the other was busy either dancing or wallowing. 

“But it was perfect! It was just like those sappy vids! Pretty dresses, dancing, two people who won’t admit they’re in love! I just want them to be happy.” “Plus it doesn’t help that we have a bet going.” Hikaru interjected. “If they didn’t get together tonight then she owes me fifty credits.” Nyota shook her head incredulously. 

“You two are-” She stopped when she saw the two of you walk back down the stairs together again. “Oh stars-”

“Yes!” Janice celebrated. “Pay up, Hikaru!”

“Wait, that’s not proof of anything!” He whined. 

“Think again, hickey at three o’clock.” Hikaru leaned against the table near him and groaned. 

“What’s going on?” You asked and they didn’t miss how Leonard had his arm around your waist. 

“Oh nothing, we’re just about to toast.” They grabbed some bubbly by a waiter walking by. “To new beginnings and old bets!” Your brows furrowed but you drank from the flute anyway. 

You’d figure out what they meant later. For now, you relished being with your doctor and friends. 

“C’mon, I owe you a dance.” He said in your ear, leading you away from your friends. Unlike before, you assumed a more formal position with your hand in his, the other on his shoulder, and his other on your hip. 

“Glad to see you finally made it out!” Jim chuffed. “Must’ve had enough bourbon.” 

“Yeah, that’s it.” Leonard replied and you chuckled. Leonard’s eyes suddenly narrowed over your shoulder before you heard a familiar voice.

“Commander, glad to see you made it back! May I steal you for a moment?” The ambassador asked and you sighed. 

“No, you may not.”

“But-”

“She said no. Go chase an asteroid.” Leonard replied and you were surprised at the way he talked. 

“Excuse me?”

“Excuse us.” You replied and pushed Leonard away from the ambassador before a diplomatic incident occurred. “Y’know, we’re trying to suck up here.”

“Never was one for kissing ass.” He mused.

“Ah, always with that southern charm.”

“It got you, darlin’.”

[ichayalovesyou]

Why Does God Need A Starship? (Live Reaction):

I always thought Sybok was cool and interesting and NOW I’m sure! You know it’s times like these that I’m grateful I kinda came back into the Star Trek fandom on my own, because I don’t have to deal with Opinions of older/louder Trekkies. This one kinda has a lukewarm reputation but I’m getting the vibe that I’ll genuinely enjoy it.

Yet again Bones is serving up some LOOKS damn! Look at these elder gays! Spock has rocket boots, amazing. “Because it’s there” and then falling off the goddamn mountain is such a James Tiberius Kirk thing to do 😂 “HI BONES!” These guys omfg. OH MY GOD SO WE DO SEE CAITIANS OUTSIDE THE CARTOONS?? Hell yeah! Also pole dancing to no music, is... weird. Lmao. Also okay I’m sorry Sybok is cool! Sybok is cool and interesting and I really like him! (Not morally obviously dude is shady as all fuck, but a cool dude nontheless!) Always fascinated by Cult Leader type villains, especially when they point out valid criticisms about the society from which they came (important distinction is that the CAUSE is not vilified, but the person and their means, something M****l has largely forgotten)

Awww I may ship Hikura, but Uhura & Scotty are also cute as hell!! Awwwwwww!!!! Old married couples can be so freaking cute. Chekov & Sulu are LOST ohhhh my god this is hilarious, these two idiots. Also can we talk about how Koenig’s eyebrows are slowly gaining sentience and Takei aged like fine wine? Lol. THE HOLY TRINITY OF ELDER GAYS ARE CAMPINGGGG! I’m- oh my god they’re so cute. “Marshmelon” this is cute as hell oh my god. They’re indulging and messing with Spock at the same time I’m dead! They’re singing ohh my god this gonna give me cavities with how sweet it is!!!

This Klingon dude is frickin ROCKING the eyeliner! Bruhhhh was the frickin spotlight necessary! Leave the gays alone SHHHH they’re SLEEPING!! Lmao. Yo I’ll be real this movie starts incredibly slowly but I seriously do not mind, it’s relaxing to not have to worry about missing important details if you look away for a second, it’s nice. WAIT? Does Jim’s shirt say GOT MILK?!!? Oh no, it says go climb a rock, oh thank god [“fatty milkers” flashbacks]

Seriously McCoy is just radiating so much old southern lady/gay energy in this movie and I love it so freaking much “if you ask me (and you haven’t) this is a horrible idea” he sounds like my North Carolina living Meemaw. Wow you can see Spock low-key taking psychic damage from seeing Sybok 😲 V’tosh Ka’tur of the highest order huh? Still disturbing that his government literally cast him out, that’s a red flag 😬. What happened with Sybok is probably a lot of why Spock was pressured to be as Vulcan as he was, I’m sure Sybok was a massive scandal/shame for Sarek, and knowing him, he’d end up making that his kids’ problem not his 🙄

Oh neat!! Chekov is in the in the captain’s chair. Oh this is the song they replaced Nichols’s voice for 😤 but also GIRL THAT WAS BADASS AND THAT SONG WAS A BOP! Quick question, wow these “alien” horses are somehow even worse than the unicorn dog (also it’s a desert planet, wouldn’t it be better to have, like, alien camels or something?) This dude’s Klingon is freakin impeccable btw! He’s really got the vibe down! Jim did you forget how fuckin bananas strong Vulcans are??? Sybok went like 😡☹️ when Spock pointed that laser rifle at him 😂😂😂 again even tho I know Scotty and Uhura are married but it’s scenes like getting held hostage right there where they radiate such POWER COUPLE energy GAWD! 🤩

Stay out of this Bones we’re having a lover’s quarrel! Jim is taking fucking psychic damage from this entire conversation lol. Okayyyy whatever Sybok is doing is definitely some kind of mind control type thing, that shit is creepy af no thank youuuuuu (spores anyone?). Oh my god Spock & Jim are so married lmao, that “I’m sorry” Vulcan kiss in the brig man Aw. (Oh man Magic’s of mega-tsu got devani mixed by that comment lame!) SCOTTYYYYYY!! YAS!

Yay rocket boot glomp! Lmfao! Sybok needs to brush up on his earth history Columbus did NOT figure out the world is round 🙄 Ah Scotty being like “listen, you’re not okay rn so I’m not really down for whatever you think you wanna do right now it can wait until you’re right in the head again” and they could’ve not done that and it would’ve been creepy (especially by today’s standards) but they didn’t! And that was awesome!

Bones being skeptical and has every right to be! He’s faced down would be gods and would-be messiahs before! Also I’ve seen people judge Bones for being the first to cave but Sybok totally did that shit to him without consent! He didn’t go back on his beliefs, Sybok forced him to! BONES PROTECTION SQUAD IS HERE AND ITS ME! Oh Bones, man, poor babeyyyy (fuck Sybok!) 😭😭😭 OH MY GOD BONESSSSSS Sybok leave him alone! Goddamnit! Leave him alone!

I think Jim can see Spock’s Sybok induced vision cuz they’re ✨Bonded✨ (it didn’t seem like they could see Bones’s, other than what Bones was doing). JIM KNOWS SO MUCH BETTER! ITS HOW HE BEAT THE SPORES ITS HIS CORE! I UNDERSTAND AND LOVE HIM FOR IT!!! Spock 😍😍😍 he’s like, you’re bullshit happiness pill doesn’t work on me cuz I am whole for the first time in my life, and I love my husband, and I already learned my lesson decades ago 💚🖖🏻💚 (who knew how important the character development from This Side of Paradise AND Return To Tommorow would be??? Hell yeah!)

I love Scotty so much 🥰 hardcore badass Hufflepuff from beginning to end! Also I hope Sybok appears in SNW that could be really really interesting if they do it right! ITS GOD (derogatory) REVERE HIM! Oh here comes that legendary question!! “What dies God need with a starship?” Red flag don’t call Jim a creature! Oh shit god has laxer eyes oh no lmao! Bones snaps out of whatever Sybok did to him when “God” hurts his friends and we LOVE HIM FOR ITTTT! Awww Spock & Sybok and be saaaaad, oh shit! Into the lightning to fight a mirror of yourself like Lazarus in that one episode!

OH SHIT THE KLINGONS ARE HERE! Oh damn Spock just swore a cuss the right way, at a Klingon General no less! General dude just went “caotain tell Kirk you are sorry!” LMAO! NOT IN FRONT OF THE KLINGONS 😂😂😂😍 KISS DAMNIT!! God this whole after scene is so good, maybe the god is the friends we made along the way. “I lost a brother once” you also lost SAM dummy, I know you were just telling Spock you love him but still. SHUT UP SPOCK IS PLAYING ROW ROW ROW YOUR BOAT ON HIS LYRE??

Okay, seriously, I unironically love this movie, it might be my favorite out of the ones I’ve seen so far actually. TMP felt like the movies getting their sea legs, but it was slow and messy, it wasn’t as thought provoking as it wanted to be (aside from Spock’s wonderful arc in that film). WoK & TSFS are amazing for drama and angst and Spirk content, but they weren’t really asking the big questions Star Trek is wonderful for. Then The Voyage Home is just plain silly and fun and wholesome. But this, this movie had depth! The whole premise is “what is god and is there is one?” I LOVE that as someone who has a very complicated relationship with spirituality. I also already loved the TOS episodes This Side of Paradise, Return To Tomorrow, The Omega Glory and The Way To Eden, and this movie had the best of those concepts! Sybok was such a fascinating antagonist/anti-hero and I hope we get to see him explored more on screen one day, even if it’s just through Discovery/SNW flashbacks. It may have started off slow and it’s not without its flaws but this felt like the Star Trekkiest TOS Star Trek movie so far!

[warpfactor4mrsulu]

Star Trek AOS Reactions

I THOUGHT I KNEW WHAT CHIRS PINE’S KIRK LOOKED LIKE BUT I WAS WRONG, I DID NOT RECOGNIZE HIM IN THOSE SCIENCE BLUES

Wait, that’s supposed to be George Kirk? That makes more sense now

the scoring is very pretty

that is a CHILD driving that car and that is a NOKIA what is happening

Vulcan? Is it Spock Time?? Spoooooock!!!

noooo hey stop bullying him

um is Sarek nice here? offering Spock the chance to make his own choice?

AMANDA?!? IS THAT YOU?!?

ooooooo he sassy

UHURA?!?

I really like that we’re seeing character establishment before the main crew get together, like i know it’s a movie and that’s what movies do, but idk it’s a nice chance to see how these guys are different from TOS and sets the storyline apart

ISSAT PIKE?? HI CAP PIKE

Kirk put a helmet on, you’re gonna die

lmaooo he’s so tall

BONES! bONES BONES BONES!!!

OH it was SPOCK who coded the Maru?? FANTASTIC

enemies to lovers setup. this is an enemies to lovers setup. how did they make it more gay, i am impressed

*dreamy sigh* the Enterprise is so pretty

aHA so this is where “Kirk is allergic to everything” comes from

Star Trek Lean #1

where is my guy Scotty? where is my boy? i miss him :(

have i mentioned how much i love the way this movie sounds? impeccable

a Collapsible Sword?? 

i just realized that that look like Power Rangers in their suits

“out of the chair,” said so calmly, i love the energy they have

gotta stop for now, part two coming soon

[13-reasons-ideas]

Finding Peace In Another Part 27

An hour later, Montgomery came back. I turned my head at the sound of the door opening and felt hot tears slip down my face. His nose was bleeding but didn’t look broken, his lip was split in 3 different places, and his face was bruised. His knuckles were bleeding, though I knew it wasn’t all his blood. Those were just the injuries I could see. I jumped off the couch and ran to hug him, glad he was alright even though I was furious with him. I was gentle but still felt him flinch under the touch. He tried to hide it as he brought his arms around me and held me as I cried into his chest. He just kept mumbling apologies to me, holding me until I was done. Once I had calmed down a bit, I went to get the first aid kit and some ice for his hands. He stood in the doorway, unsure if I wanted him to come in or not. Nodding from the kitchen, I saw him walk in but not sit down. “Sit.” It was the first word I said to him in the 10 minutes he had been back in my home. He sat on a chair at the island and watched as I gathered the alcohol and went through the first aid kit. “Scott can you grab some peas from the freezer please?” Scott looked at me like I had three heads. Rolling my eyes about to explain and make a comment about it, I heard Montgomery speak.

“For my hands. More flexible than an ice pack, smaller than ice cubes. Better coverage. Plus snacks.” He said to Scott, repeating the words I had said to him so many times before. I felt the tears in my eyes well up again and angrily wiped them away. I was mad at him. He didn’t need to do that. He was getting better with his anger, yesterday discounted. What did you expect him to do when you told him? Go and have a nice little talk with Bryce over tea and cookies? Playing video games? At the batting cage? I thought to myself. Shaking my head and focusing on what I was doing, I walked over to him and got to work. I motioned towards the sink and grabbed a cloth to clean his hands before disinfecting his wounds. I tried to be gentle but may have used a little more alcohol than strictly necessary when wiping his knuckles. I felt him flinch, but he didn’t pull away. He just kept apologizing quietly to me. I wasn’t sure if it was for what he did or if he was apologizing for what happened to me, but I wasn’t about to ask. As I wrapped his hands in gauze and wiped his face with an old cloth, I felt eyes on my back. Zach and Scott were still here. Turning to face them, I noticed the looks they were giving me. Like they were wondering how many times I had done this, how I didn’t even need to speak and he just did what I wanted him to do, why I did this for him, when did it start, how had they missed it? Still not talking to Montgomery, I motioned to Scott and the freezer, “peas please.” and watched as he grabbed them from the freezer and handed them to me. They kept watching us. Trying to keep our discussion as brief as possible, I simply asked Monty “right or left?” and placed the peas on his left hand when he indicated that one felt more swollen.

While the boys sat downstairs thinking through what they had witnessed, or in Montgomery’s case, done not two hours before, I went upstairs to change. I put on a pair of leggings and, after thinking about it for a minute or five, threw one of Montgomery’s T-shirt’s and my favourite of his flannels. I wanted to be comfortable for the conversation that was about to happen. I heard footsteps coming towards my room as I changed and a knock at the door followed by a soft ‘fuck’. “Rebecca?” Monty called through my bedroom door.

Still mad at him, though that feeling was dissipating slowly, I responded with a short “hmmm?” as I moved towards the door.

“Please let me in. I’m sorry.” He begged me. Sighing I opened the door and let him in. He immediately had his arms around me and had his face in my hair. Pulling away from the hug, he went and sat on my bed. He opened his mouth and the words came spilling out.  “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I didn’t protect you. And I didn’t notice. I made you hang out with him. I made you spend time with him. I left you alone with him. It’s my job to protect you and I couldn’t do that. I’m sorry Rebecca.”

“You didn’t know.” Was all I could find the words to say.

“The point is, I should have known though Becks.”

“You couldn’t have known. And while I don’t agree with you defending him to begin with, I can see why you did it. He’s your friend. No one would want to think that about their friend or think that they would be capable of doing that.” He was quiet for a long time.

“This is a dumb question, but are you… okay?”

“I mean, yeah. I’m okay.”

“Are you still mad at me?” He asked, looking at me with sad eyes.

“Kind of, yes.” He looked down and nodded sadly. I held my hand out to him. “Why don’t we go downstairs and talk? I’m sure Zach and Scott have questions.” He nodded again and took my hand.

Together, we walked downstairs, and I sat on the couch, with one knee up to rest my chin on. The boys looked at me, but I stayed silent for a long time. How am I going to explain this? What if they think it was my fault? I can’t even call it what it was. People know now. I found the polish on my toenails very interesting. I had recently painted them a purple-y grey shade. To avoid eating, the thought occurred to me. It’s fine. I’m not really doing it intentionally. It’s just a distraction. I felt a hand being placed on my leg, startling me. I jumped before I remembered I wasn’t alone. I had gotten so in my head, that I forgot I wasn’t alone. I placed my hand on Monty’s and moved it off of me. His touch didn’t make me uncomfortable or anything, it was just an awkward place to touch me. Mhmm. You go with that. Zach broke the silence first.

“It didn’t end with Hannah, did it?” I shook my head, almost unperceptively.

“Did you honestly think it would?” I asked, not knowing if I wanted an answer.

“I don’t know. I guess I had to have hope that it would.”

“Yeah, well. Load of good that did.” He didn’t respond. Maybe I offended him.

“Are you okay?” Scott asked, sounding unsure.

“Yeah, Scotty. I’m okay.” I replied flatly. This is not how I wanted this to go. I would have been fine if no one ever found out.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Monty asked. I stopped to think. Why hadn’t I told him? How could I explain the threats and the shame and the fear? And on top of all of that, make him understand?

“I don’t know. I guess I just didn’t know how?”

“What happened?” Zach asked.

“Does it matter? You knew what he was like.” I mumbled. This is pointless.

“I know. Do you want to talk to Mr. Porter?”

“Nope.”

“Don’t you want justice?” Scott asked. Justice?

“You mean, sit in a courtroom and be judged for a situation I had no control over? Have my story picked apart? And in the end maybe have him serve three months’ probation at best, and then he can just go on with his life? No thank you. Don’t even try to say that’s not what would happen. Because that’s exactly how it works. He can kind of throw a football well sometimes, so he has a future to worry about.” The boys sat silently, stunned by my outburst. “None of you have ever had to be taught what you would go through to get ‘justice’.”

After a time, Monty put his hand back on my thigh and pulled me close to him. “I really am sorry Becca.”

“I know.” I muttered. I took a deep breath before I rested my head on his shoulder. Our friends left shortly after and Monty and I spent the rest of the night just sitting on the couch quietly.

After the hellish night explaining in basic terms, what Bryce had done to cause Montgomery beating him to a pulp, I didn’t want to deal with the implications of having kept it from him for so long just yet, I woke up in the short-tempered man’s arms. He must have carried me up to bed after I fell asleep. Rather than waking him, I decided to get up and make us some coffee as he needed the sleep. As I was pouring us both mugs, I heard him come downstairs and wrap his arms around my middle before burying his head in my neck, “morning”, he mumbled, his voice thick with sleep before taking the offered cup and taking a long sip.

“Good morning. Drink up. Scott and Zach will be here soon so we can go to school.” I responded, laughing at his groan in protest. I smirked at him over my coffee cup like I did on that first morning all those months ago. And just as he did all those months ago, Montgomery leaned down to press a tentative kiss to my lips before being interrupted by Scott knocking at my front door. I laughed at his face and shook my head as I swung my hips suggestively and opening the door for the boys. “impeccable timing as always Scotty. Come on in guys, I just have to go change and we can head out. You can keep cranky pants here company.” After I changed into some real clothes and finished my coffee, we headed out to school.

The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife the closer we got to school. I looked over at Monty, his grip tight so on the steering wheel his knuckles were white, “Are you going to say anything to Bryce?” I asked him timidly.

“Not planning on it. Everything that needed to be said was said yesterday. If he’s smart, he will keep his distance and his mouth shut outside of games and practice.” He responded flatly before parking and exiting the Jeep, waiting for me to process his words and get out with him. He threw his arm over my shoulder protectively as Zach and Scott came over to us and we all walked towards school. I silently prayed we wouldn’t see Bryce but unfortunately, we were not that lucky. He was standing near the office and as we walked past him, we made brief eye contact before averting our eyes.  Montgomery pulled me tighter to him, effectively tucking me into his underarm and shoulder due to our height difference.

Arriving at my locker, I found Alex, Justin, Clay, and Tony waiting for me. Alex took one look at Montgomery and cocked his brow. “Really Monty? Beating us up wasn’t enough? You had to hurt some other poor soul too?” Alex asked him, disdain clear in his tone.

“Had to take care of something Alex. I’m fine though, thanks for asking.” Montgomery replied, plainly. I heard Alex scoff and decided I couldn’t deal with their stupid rivalry today.

“It was Bryce.” I interjected quietly, sipping my iced coffee-courtesy of Zach- looking up at Justin sadly.

“Why would he beat up Bryce? They’re best friends.” Clay asked, missing the unspoken answer.

“Yeah, aren’t you like… Bryce’s lap dog or someth- oh….” Alex began to ask before he caught on. “Are you okay Rebecca?”

“Um, yeah. Yeah I’m good.” I told him, though I didn’t even believe myself so I wouldn’t expect him to believe me. Tony just stood to the side quietly nodding to Montgomery.

The lightbulb must have gone off for Clay finally and his fists curled at his sides. Not again. I don’t have the energy for this today. “Seriously?” He turned to walk away, likely in search of Bryce. Thankfully, Justin stopped him.

“Dude, I think he’s had enough for a few days. Also, I’m next in line.”

“Fine. But Mom will freak if you have more bruises.”

“I won’t be the one with bruises.”

“Boys please?”

Justin rolled his eyes, but I noticed him fidgeting a little more again. Maybe he can be my distraction.

[ellewritesathing]

So Close - S.S. XXIV

Summary: The universe has a funny way of putting the things you want right in front of you, but just out of reach. Stiles and Y/N have been best friends ever since Scott brought him home, but when Stiles realizes that he might want to be something other than best friends, she leaves to go to some fancy private school up North. Now that she’s back though … maybe he’s got a shot? A Teen Wolf AU in which the reader has always been so close to Stiles and yet so far.

Masterlist Prev. | Part 24

Word-count: 4.3k+

A/N: it’s been a wild ride guys but these dummies finally seem to be together!! i hope you guys enjoy :)  ps: i changed how i link previous parts in the beginning. is it easier to navigate this way?

“Oh my god, where is he?” you asked. You stopped pacing when you heard Stiles laugh behind you. “Come on, it’s not funny.”

“I mean, it’s kinda funny,” Stiles said with a lazy smile. He started laughing again when you frowned at him and pushed himself off Scott’s bed. “I’ve seen you take out guys twice your size without breaking a sweat, but this is what makes you nervous.”

“Yeah, I know. I’m being ridiculous, right? He’s gotta know something’s up by now,” you sighed, putting your head in your hands. “I’m surprised you’re not more nervous. You know that not only is he my big brother, but he’s also the alpha werewolf to end all alpha werewolves, right?”

“You don’t think I could take him if I wanted?” Stiles asked as he closed the distance between you two. “Sure, he’s got the brawn but I’ve got the brain. Plus, I’m a lot faster than I look.” You rolled your eyes and smiled at him. He interlaced his hands with yours and pulled them off your face. “Yeah, but I don’t know. I guess now that we’re a couple only one of us can freak out at a time.” 

“No way,” you said, shaking your head. “I know there’s something in there you want to freak out about. Go on, lay it on me. School … Kate … the Benefactor … nothing?” 

“Nope,” he said, popping the ‘p’ and moving some hair off your neck. “Just something about you that makes me un-freak-outable.” 

“Must be,” you said quietly. “But I bet I could make you lose this steely control.” 

“Oh yeah?” he smiled. “How are you gonna do that?” 

You moved your hand to the side of his neck and leaned up. Slowly, carefully you kissed him. You could feel his pulse pick up under your hand and smiled. 

“Uh, I don’t know how well that worked,” he said, voice slightly higher than before, when you pulled away. “Can I try?” 

“Go for it, Mr. Un-freak-outable,” you said with a smile as you detangled yourself from him. You held your arms out wide. “Freak me out.” 

He got this look in his eyes that you could only describe as devilish and that you’d only seen when he was about to do something profoundly dumb. Before you knew it, he stepped forward and scooped you up in his arms. He spun you around and, once you were safely on the ground, he pulled you into a dip and kissed you. All in a very carefree, un-Stiles like manner.

“Okay, not really freaked out but …” you laughed after trailing off. He helped you back to your feet and the two of you stood very close to one another. In a much softer voice, you said, “I’m really glad we’re doing this.” 

“Yeah, me too,” he said, voice quiet. He leaned and pressed a soft kiss to your lips. 

It was at that moment that Scott, with his impeccable timing, opened the door. 

“Dude, what are you doing? That’s my sister!” he asked as he stomped closer. The two of you took a step apart, but your fingertips were still touching. Scott turned to you as he got in the middle of you. “And that’s my best friend!” 

“Yeah, I know,” you rushed out. Of all the ways you expected him to react, this wasn’t one of them. “But, Scotty, you gotta listen to me-” 

“This isn’t a game, man,” Stiles said. “You know me. I wouldn’t be doing this if I wasn’t sure and … I’m sure. For the first time in my life, I actually know what I want.” 

“How long has this been going on?” Scott asked, seemingly calming himself down to a simmer as he tried to concentrate. “A week? Longer?” 

“Officially, maybe like a day or two,” you said. “But I’ve had feelings for him as long as I can remember.” 

“Yeah, me too, man,” Stiles said as he stepped a little closer, taking your hand in his again. A second passed where nothing happened except Scott’s frowning, and he added, “How are you feeling? We cool?” 

“Are we cool?” Scott said. You got ready to pull Stiles behind you, but then Scott’s whole demeanor changed and he was grinning like it was ninth birthday party all over again. “My best friend and my sister … of course we’re cool! This is the perfect match.” 

“It is?” you asked, still shocked by the turnaround, but then Stiles squeezed your hand quickly and you added, “Of course it is!”

Scott pulled the two of you into a hug, one arm around each of your shoulders’, and took a deep breath. “This is great,” he repeated, grip a little too tight to be comfortable. “But, uh, one question?” 

“Yeah, buddy?” Stiles asked, looking a little pained by the sudden hunch to fit under Scott’s arm. 

“Does this mean you guys are gonna stop listening to that Cranberry song?” he asked. “You’re A Dream To Me?”

“It’s just Dreams,” you and Stiles said at the same time. Squirming in your headlock, you turned to look at him. 

“What?” he asked. “The Jeep got stuck on the breakup mix and I wasn’t gonna take the CD out-” 

“You made a breakup mixtape?” you asked, moving out from under Scott’s arm to laugh. “You’re such a nerd!” 

“Hey, we got a family Spotify account,” Stiles said, pointing an accusatory finger at you. “I can see when you’re listening to The Cure. And when have they ever cured anything, just by the way?” 

“Oh, come on,” you groaned. “I-” 

Your response was cut short by Scott laughing. The two of you turned to look at him and he just shrugged. “I was kinda worried that things would be different once you guys finally told me,” he said. “But they’re not.” 

“I can’t tell if you’re saying that in a good way or a bad way,” Stiles said, narrowing his eyes. 

“Guess we’ll have to wait and see,” you said softly. You smiled at Scott; he was handling this way better than you expected. 

“So have you told anyone else?” Scott asked, going back to the door to grab the bag he’d dumped when he burst in. 

“No. I was hoping to tell the others after we told you,” you said. 

“Yeah, and we’ll tell your mom and my dad sometime soon too,” Stiles nodded. 

You bit your lip. “Actually, I was kind of hoping we could wait to do that. Like maybe a month? Or forever?” Stiles was ready to argue so you jumped in again, “At least until my dad leaves again for work!” 

“He’s not leaving,” Scott said. It broke your heart a little. Rafael always left at some point. “And I think you should tell them.” 

“Okay, so that’s two votes against your one,” Stiles said, grabbing your hand. “We tell them in the morning.” 

“Since when does Scott get a vote in anything?”

---

Against your better judgment, you spent the morning prepping to tell your mom and dad about Stiles. You’d woken up early, cleaned the kitchen, and started making some very oddly shaped pancakes. Rafael was supposed to be coming over for Saturday brunch, so you could hit two birds with one misshapen breakfast staple. 

“So what’s all this?” Melissa asked after taking a sip from her lovingly made (and not at all a bribe) coffee. Raf was already two pancakes in. You shrugged and she rolled her eyes. “Usually Scott’s here for family brunch, and usually we’re eating all the leftovers from the week before. What gives?” 

“Can’t she just do something nice for her parents?” your dad asked. His faith in you, although misplaced, was touching. 

Mel laughed as she answered, “No teenager just does nice things for their parents.” Raf frowned and your mom continued, “Sweetheart, just spit it out.” 

You took a deep breath and sat up straight, folding your hands into your lap so you could fidget without them seeing. “Okay, well, you guys know how close Stiles and I have always been,” you started slowly. Your dad started drinking his orange juice and your mom nodded. “Wehadafightandworkeditoutandnowwe’redating.” 

Rafael choked on his orange juice and Melissa hit the table with her fist lightly. “Dammit!” she whispered. 

Your heart rate spiked. “Mom, what’s wrong?” you asked. “I- I thought you liked Stiles.” 

Melissa took a breath and smiled. “Of course I like Stiles, honey, and I’m really happy for you,” she said with an encouraging nod. Then she winced slightly as she drew back. “That wasn’t because you’re dating; it’s ‘cause now I owe Noah ten bucks.”

“What?” your dad asked as he cleaned himself up, at the time that you said, “Excuse me?” 

“I had money on next month because you’re so stubborn, but he insisted Stiles would wear you down before that,” she laughed and shook her head. 

“This is the second time that you’ve gambled on my love life and I don’t think I like it very much,” you said, folding your arms over your chest. 

“The second time that you know of,” Melissa smiled. She laughed at the face you pulled and pushed herself out of her seat. She walked around the table and kissed your head. “I’m really happy for you two. We can talk more when I get home from work, okay?” 

“Sure thing,” you said, still slightly confused. A minute passed after Mel left and your dad still hadn’t said anything so you got up to head to your room. You paused and leaned down to kiss his head. “See you later, Dad.” 

“Uh-huh,” he said as you left. 

Turning to close your bedroom door and leaning against it when you were done, you pulled out your phone and called Stiles. As the dial tones rang out, you prepared yourself to leave him a message. 

“Hey,” he answered, just in time. It sounded like he was walking. “How’d your parents take it?” 

“Well my mom seemed to care more about the ten bucks she lost, and my dad almost choked so-” you shrugged, even though he couldn’t see it. “Better than expected.” 

You heard him unlock the Jeep and close the door behind him as he spoke. “My dad was pretty psyched to get that ten bucks and then said something like ‘I knew you could do it, son!’ before hugging me. Oddly expected.”

You laughed as you answered, “I think your Noah impression needs work. Less Batman and more disgruntled dad.” 

“Everyone’s a critic.” You could practically hear him rolling his eyes over the phone but soon the line was quiet and you were just smiling. It felt good. “You still there?” he asked. 

“Yeah, I’m here,” you said softly. 

“Good. Me too,” he said. Another beat of quiet before you heard him sigh. “You got any of those bribery pancakes left?” 

“I could be persuaded to rescue a few from my stress-eating father,” you hummed. “What’s in it for me?” 

“Seeing my handsome face,” he said. “No? Okay, what about me buying you coffee before Scott and I try talking to Liam and you go to help out Lydia with the banshee stuff?” 

“It’s a date,” you smiled. 

“A date,” he repeated. “Hell yeah, it is!”

---

While you’d been watching over Lydia in the boathouse over the weekend, another werewolf was killed. Carrie. Her death was even worse than Demarco but different from the Walcotts. She’d been stabbed to death, and no one could figure out what the killer used to do it. That is until Stiles pulled you out of Chemistry and dragged you into Coach’s office with Scott and Kira.

You stood with her as Scott and Stiles grabbed all the lacrosse sticks off the walls and gathered them on Coach’s desk. Stiles explained how he matched Carrie’s wounds to the base of the stick without the guard as he started going through the sticks. 

“This is pointless,” Scott said. “Most of the team plays with their own gear.”  

“Yeah, if I had a murder stick I’d probably keep that on me,” you said with a small shrug. 

“Maybe instead of trying to find a lacrosse stick with a hidden dagger in it, we should be trying to get the game canceled?” Kira suggested. 

“But the game’s the best way to catch him red-handed,” Scott said.

“But what if he’s red-handed because his hands are covered in the blood of the person that he just stabbed to death?” Stiles asked. “Which, by the way, could be either of you guys.” 

“Or Liam,” you said. “He could be on the part of the list that we don’t have.”

“Okay, but we don’t know anything about that list. How it’s made or how it’s updated,” Stiles said. “I mean, who’s been out taking a supernatural census anyway?” 

“Babe,” you said gently, putting a hand on his arm and nodding in Kira and Scott’s direction. He was starting to freak them out. 

“How do they even know about me?” she asked, staring at a spot just in front of your brother. 

“They know about everyone,” Scott said, not looking at anyone. 

“I think Kira’s right. We should stop the game,” Stiles said. 

You nodded as you folded your arms over your chest. 

“I’m not afraid,” Scott said as he straightened up. 

“Neither am I,” Kira said, holding Scott’s gaze. 

“It’s not about being afraid,” you said. “It’s about staying alive.”

“Yeah, and, for the record, I’m terrified and I’m not even on the list,” Stiles said. “Guys, these are professional killers. It’s their profession! One of them’s got a thermo-cut wire that cuts heads off. Who knows what else they have?” 

“Whatever they have,” you started, “It’s not going to be good for any of us. Just, please, think about canceling the game?” The bell rang before any of them answered. “I’ve gotta go. If I’m late to English again, Ms. Bowden’s gonna give me detention.” 

---

When the bell rang for the end of day, you couldn’t get out of there fast enough. But when you got to the front and saw Liam confronting people from his old school, you kind of wished you’d taken a bit longer to pack up your stuff. Sighing, you pushed yourself to the front of the group that gathered, not noticing Scott and Stiles a few feet behind you.

The main jock - Brett? - was laughing at whatever Liam said moments before. “That’s cute, Liam,” he said. “Is that what they told you to say in anger management? Apologize and everything’s fine?” Liam was starting to breathe heavier. “You demolished Coach’s car.” 

“I paid for it,” Liam said through gritted teeth. 

“Yeah, you’re going to pay for it,” Brett said. “We’re gonna break you in half out there. And it’s gonna be all your fault.” 

“Are you kidding me?” you said as you came closer. You put an arm around Liam’s shoulder as you continued, “You’re telling me none of you little trust fund brats have ever done something stupid? I bet the only difference is that you never got kicked out of school for it.” 

“And who’s this?” Brett asked. “Got yourself a little bodyguard, huh? Or is she your new girlfriend?” 

“First of all, weak comeback. I’m old enough to be his mother,” you said. You weren’t entirely sure why you were getting so worked up. “And second of all, I’m gonna shove that lacrosse stick so far up your ass that your dentist is gonna be picking splinters out of your teeth. You got that or do I need-” 

“Woah, okay, easy there, killer,” Stiles said as he wrapped his arms around your waist and pulled you back slightly. Moving to the front, he started talking again. “Uh, what she meant to say was welcome to our little public high school. I’m Stiles.” He stuck out a hand but no one took it. “Firm handshake you’ve got there. We’re very excited for the scrimmage tonight, but let’s keep it clean, alright? No rough stuff out there. Alright, see you out on the field.”

Scott was holding onto Liam and Stiles grabbed your hand as he turned and started telling them to go, leave, and walk faster. 

You helped them get Liam into the locker room and under the showerhead, but it was doing very little to stop him from turning. With you and Stiles holding him down on one side and Scott doing the same on the other, you were eventually able to tire him out. 

“Okay! Okay!” Liam yelled. 

You let go and Stiles shut the water off as you sat down with him. You were already soaked so it hardly mattered that you were sitting in a puddle of water. Your knee knocked Liam’s as you sat. 

“That car you smashed. I thought you said that was your teacher’s,” Scott said. 

“He was also my Coach,” Liam said. He looked so small. “He benched me for the entire season.” 

“What did you do?” Scott asked as you and Stiles exchanged a look. 

“I got a couple red cards,” Liam mumbled, looking at his hands. 

“Just a couple?” Stiles asked, tilting his head. 

“Hey,” you said gently. You put a hand on Liam’s. “It’s okay. You can trust us.”

“What else happened?” Scott asked as he crouched down. 

“Nothing!” Liam said. He was quiet for a second before saying, “I got kicked out of school. They sent me to a psychologist for evaluation.” 

“What did they call it?” Scott asked. 

“Intermittent Explosive Disorder,” Liam said. 

Immediately, you looked up at Stiles but he was already talking. “IED? You’re literally an IED? That’s great.” He scratched his head before pointing to your brother. “You gave your powers to a walking time bomb.” 

Despite the unhelpfulness, you had to admit that the wink he gave Scott was cute. God, what had you turned into?

“Did they give you anything for it?” Scott asked. 

“Risperdal,” Liam said. “It’s an antipsychotic.” 

“Oh, this just gets better and better,” Stiles mumbled. You squeezed Liam’s hand before getting up to stand next to Stiles. 

“But I don’t take it,” Liam rushed out. 

“Yeah, obviously!” Stiles said. 

“I- I can’t play lacrosse on it,” Liam explained. “It makes me too tired.”

“Okay,” Scott said. “I think you should bail out of the game. Just tell Coach your leg’s still hurting.”

“No, no!” Liam said as he got to his feet. “I can do this. Especially if you’re there.”

Stiles started rubbing his face and you took a deep breath. “It’s not just about the game, Liam,” you said carefully. “You know the keg guy, Demarco? We think whoever ordered the keg is the one that killed him, and we also think they’re on the team. Which means you’d be in actual danger on top of everything else.” 

Liam looked at the floor like he remembered something, though he tried to play it off as avoiding awkward eye contact. 

“Liam?” Scott asked. “Do you know something?” 

“I don’t know who ordered the keg,” he said. “But I know who paid for it.” 

“That’s great!” Stiles said. “Care to share with the group?” 

“Garrett.”

---

“Nothing bad is going to happen tonight,” you said as Stiles killed the Jeep’s engine. “Okay?” 

He grabbed the dangling keys and turned to look at you. “I thought you said you had a bad feeling about this game. Garrett killing Liam and all that?” 

“Well, now I’ve got a different feeling,” you said, straightening up. He didn’t look convinced so you leaned over to run a hand through his hair. “Davenport Prep is gonna grow a conscious and leave Liam alone, Garrett is gonna die of influenza, and you’re gonna make the winning goal.” 

“Uh huh,” Stiles said with a nod. “Sounds nice. Idyllic.” 

“I’m like a reverse banshee. I can tell when good things are coming,” you said with a confident nod. 

He laughed and looked down. “I’ll take that over whatever’s about to happen any day.” 

You leaned over and kissed his nose before unlocking your door. “Come on, if we wait in the car much longer I think Coach is gonna put out an APB.” 

Noah’s car wasn’t in the lot so that meant he was either on his way or stuck at work. Stiles called him - again - as the two of you headed onto the field. 

“Hey, Dad, you’re supposed to be here,” he said as he dropped all of his gear on the bench. “Where the hell are you?” 

“Tell him I’m saving him a seat near the front,” you said before pressing a quick kiss to his cheek and heading to your seat. He nodded but you weren’t sure if he ever did tell Noah.

You tried calming your nerves as you watched the team run onto the field but it just didn’t feel right. Kira was doing great for her first game, Scott and Liam were alive, and Stiles was doing his best, but it still wasn’t right. The Davenport Prep players were still being jerks to Liam, and you weren’t sure if you could trust him to keep it under control. 

You just felt so useless up in the stands, too far away to do anything if Garrett decided to strike.

Then Coach benched Kira for not being a team player, and you felt a little less useless. Noah didn’t seem to be showing up so you gathered your stuff and went to sit on the bench with her, ignoring all the players who argued that you should be in the stands.

“So on a scale of one to ten,” you started, “How bad do you think this night is gonna end?” 

“Eleven?” she said with a small smile and a shrug. 

She would be right. There was a three-player tackle involving Liam, Brett, and Garrett. Neither you or Kira could hear what they were saying, but Scott seemed to fix Liam up in a few seconds; it was Brett that had to be carried off the field.

Scott caught you guys up when they got back to the bench as Stiles went to answer a call from Malia, and you formed a small circle to talk about everything.

“I talked to Coach and I’m out for the rest of the game,” Liam said when he came back. 

You reached for his arm. “It’s not your fault, you know that, right?” 

He nodded but didn’t get the chance to say anything before Kira asked Scott what they were going to do. 

“I don’t know,” he said. “Something’s still not right. We’re missing something.” 

“Guys,” Stiles said as he rejoined the group. “Lydia just broke another third of the list.” 

“Am I on it?” Liam asked. 

“No, but someone else is,” Stiles said. “It’s Brett. Garrett went after Brett.” 

“Where is he now?” you asked. “I’m not on the team, I can go check-” 

“No, no. Absolutely not,” Stiles said. “These are professional killers! No one is going anywhere on their own, alright?”

“But I-” 

“I’ll go,” Scott said. “I can find him by scent and you guys can just follow me to make sure nothing’s wrong.”

“Scott-” but he was already gone. Sighing, you grabbed Stiles’ hand and the two of you started chasing after your brother. 

You found him in the locker room, standing over Brett and one of the new freshmen. 

“I think you better call your dad,” he said to Stiles.

“Jesus, is he still alive?” you asked, blowing past Scott and the other bodies on the floor. You tried to find his pulse. “It’s really weak. We’ve gotta get him to Deaton’s.” 

“Right now? It’s the middle of the game,” Stiles said. 

“I can take him. I just need help getting him in the Jeep,” you said. 

Sighing, you looked up at Scott and he nodded and helped you get Brett up. The two of you got Brett to the car and Stiles was the distraction for anyone who might see you. By the time you got there, Stiles decided to go with you and Scott was going to make sure everything got handled at the school. 

Stiles was tense as he drove, and the Jeep’s radio was off. It was driving you crazy. You leaned over and took out the CD before wiping down the back and putting it back in. Dreams started playing over the speakers and you did your best to stifle a laugh. 

“What?” Stiles asked. “I told you it got stuck.” 

“Yeah, no, I get it,” you said, trying to be serious. “Totally.” 

Brett was quiet in the backseat and you’d written it off as him trying to conserve his energy for healing, but when you guys went to take him out of the car, you found a yellow liquid dripping out of his mouth. Stiles called Derek as you rushed to sit Brett upright to keep whatever it was out of his lungs. Then you dragged him into Deaton’s office through the back, cats and dogs going crazy in their cages as you did. 

It didn’t take long for him to start convulsing as the liquid turned to foam, luckily Derek was there when it happened. 

“What the hell is happening to this kid?” Stiles asked as the three of you tried to hold Brett down. 

“He’s been poisoned by a rare wolfsbane,” Deaton explained as he made his way over with his equipment. “I need to make an incision, and you need to hold him as still as possible.” 

“Yeah, we’re trying!” you said as calmly as you could. 

“Some of us more than others,” Stiles said before looking at Derek. “Hey, Derek, how about a little werewolf strength over here?”

“Yeah, I’m not the only one here with werewolf strength,” he snapped. 

“Guys, still as possible,” you said. “Or the kid dies.”

In your momentary standoff, none of you noticed Brett waking up until he pushed the lot of you off of him. Stiles hit his head on something and you fell to the ground, scrambling to get something to hit Brett with. 

Turns out you didn’t need to. Peter had knocked him out with one punch by the time you scrambled to your feet. 

Turning off the supernaturally blue eyes, he said, “I guess I still have a little werewolf strength myself.”

“Seriously, you couldn’t have done that like five minutes ago?” you asked. You knelt down to check on Brett with Stiles at your side, not noticing the interaction between Derek and Peter. 

“Hey, Doc, I don’t think he’s breathing,” Stiles said. 

Deaton knelt down and started slicing open Brett’s torso, starting near his heart and going all the way down his stomach. Even knocked out, Brett whimpered as he did. A yellow cloud of smoke lifted out of the incision and you reached for Brett’s hand. 

“Is he going to be okay?” you asked, sudden concern for the kid who was bullying your friend. 

“I think he’ll be fine, but probably out for a while,” Deaton said. 

You nodded, rubbing your thumb back and forth across the top of his hand. 

“Guys, can you hear that?” Stiles asked. “ I think he’s saying something.”

Deaton leaned and listened for a few seconds. When he pulled away, he said, “Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth. It’s Buddhist.”

Peter and Derek exchanged a look before Peter said, “Satomi.”

Part 25

[kinetic-elaboration]

October 2: 1x17 The Squire of Gothos

Not one of the strongest S1 episodes but not bad either.

Why is Spock not nostalgic for the desert? It’s where he’s from.

I love, and it never gets old, how Kirk always grows so Fond whenever Spock and Bones banter. “Ah, yes, my two favorite people in the world, Interacting.”

Spock showing off his eye makeup with a dramatic eyeroll.

Uhura’s voice is so beautiful.

OH NO SULU? WHERE’D YOU GO?

THE CAPTAIN? DISAPPEARED?

Love how Spock yells “emergency!” Like, yeah, I’d say it is!

The rarely heard Spock narration. “Captain James Kirk”--do none of his boyfriends know his middle name?

Lol at Trelaine trying out his calligraphy.

Spock’s not up for this nonsense. “If that’s the Captain or Sulu they’ve lost their gosh darned minds.”

Spock in The Chair.

Spock and Scotty can’t be spared for the landing party but McCoy can lol. He’s only the CMO nbd if he just dies in a totally unbreathable wasteland.

Spock is looking thoughtful and clearly upset.

Oh no, no cell service! Again! Have you guys tried switching networks?

Love this weird ass set.

Salt monster! What! Look Bones it’s your gf.

“Display pair” lol.

Is that...Liberace?

“Did you like my whimsical way of getting you here?”

This episode is both way funnier and way more interesting knowing who Trelaine really is. Like the concept of an alien child watching past Earth, thinking its present Earth, and becoming obsessed with in the exact way children do, is so good?

“Our missions are peaceful, not for conquest.”

“One of the few predator species that preys on itself.”

Omg at the French and German. A little disappointed he didn’t break out the Japanese and/or call Sulu a samurai.

Not very smart of DeSalle to approach stealthily from behind when Trelaine is looking into a mirror like duh he can see you? In that huge-ass mirror?

It actually is kind of nuts, and doesn’t make the most sense, that phasers make things disappear.

No! Salt monster!!

I love Kirk in suspicious mode. He can be fun and relaxed and have a sense of humor but the SECOND something threatens or appears to threaten his crew he’s on high alert, very serious and focused and not up for nonsense of ANY sort.

Absolutely hilarious that Spock was the First Officer a moment before and now he’s the Science Officer.

“If the Captain’s alive, that’s where he’d have to be. And uh those other people too, whatever.”

Sulu asking the important questions here. (I wrote this down and already have no idea what it was referring to.)

“It doesn’t even show that he exists at all.” Well either their instruments just don’t know how to pick up on the life force of this new kind of alien or they’re confused because he’s essentially just energy, non-corporeal.

Kirk thinking so deeply about all this is also hilarious in context. “He’s not all knowing. He makes mistakes.” Uh you think? He’s 8 years old.

I feel like this whole ep is just a burn on humans who are obsessed with war and romanticize the whole concept of war-mongering. (ETA based on the amazon trivia I am right about this.)

“Our companions.” Such a sweet way of referring to the crew.

WOMEN! Hydration game: drink whenever someone finds women surprising.

“Those are crucial operating personnel.”

“The party’s over, thanks to Mr. Spock.”

Trelaine is not a “life being” obviously.

Who’s this bitch in the Captain’s Chair? Shouldn’t it be Scotty?

Random Yeoman trying to flirt.

“Don’t you display your weapons?” Oh man you should see Spock’s room! You’d love it!

Are Vulcans predatory? LOL. Love Spock’s answer (”Not generally but there have been exceptions”) but like honestly I think, historically, the answer is yes?

Sulu is hilarious. He’s like the opposite of Kirk--when faced with danger, he goes into “might as well laugh through the awkwardness” mode and I appreciate that. A really underrated Sulu trait that the reboot movies completely failed to acknowledge. (Which is extra nuts considering John Cho is very funny!)

Trelaine obviously discerns that McCoy is the most likely to want to drink.

Well at least Trelaine’s not racist....

Never mind.

Spock is so Tired of this already. This little bit, the Trelaine and Spock exchange and Spock’s definition of fascinating, is the best part of the episode. Also I 100% believe this disinterested attitude is the exact one Spock took with Sarek throughout his adolescence. “Is that what you’re doing? Challenging me?” / “Uh, yeah.”

Whereas Jim is just loving this. This is the only fun he’s had all episode. He’s been so annoyed the whole time because Trelaine is annoying but then Spock starts speaking and he breaks out the heart eyes.

McCoy looks so into the food and the booze. Except actually it’s tasteless, never mind again.

“Fascinating is a word I use for the unexpected.” I mean definitely the best quote of the ep!

Trelaine’s not into the miniskirt look.

Kirk, whispering: Explain.

Kirk and Spock figuring things out together <3<3<3

Look at that crocodile head over the mantle.

ALSO love when Kirk breaks into acting mode. I stan one dramatic nerd.

Trelaine: a Hamilton fan. Don’t tell him about the musical.

Kirk doesn’t like that gun pointed in his face.

Some good quotes from the Captain’s log: “The creature Trelaine.” “Everything depends on my one chance with the ancient dueling pistol.”

This actor does a good job of being a petulant man child.

He knows Kirk loves Spock the most! Always love when aliens discern that immediately.

The sound effects when Kirk destroys the computer are so wacky.

“Space fleet command.” Still?

Lol at Princess Yeoman. See, Kirk thinks they’re out of danger, and his humor immediately returns.

Oh no, not Gothos again! I love their subtle “hey, we’re turning now” movements.

Judge Trelaine is hilarious but Kirk does not have the sense of humor to appreciate this. “You’re charged with the high crime of being annoying to me.” “Anything you say has already been used against you.” His knowledge of the judicial system is impeccable!

“Vent your anger on me alone!” He is so good!! He is the hero we deserve!

“Captain’s log, Spock here again.”

“Why, Captain, you’re still angry!” I do kind of like this thing about Trelaine not really being able to feel emotions, or at least not for very long, like that’s one of the things he’s seeking in his play.

“Everything’s too easy for you. Check your privilege Trelaine.”

Lol at the noose just moving in the air toward him.

Trelaine has obviously read The Most Dangerous Game.

Kirk is looking extra handsome here.

“You’ve been beaten.” / “But I’m not defeated.” You tell him!

It’s sooooo obvious that Trelaine is a child.

I like that when his parents are speaking to him, they shoot him in a way that makes him look very small. Kirk is finally finding this funny now. “Time to come in now.” “But I’m not done studying my predators!” “Or you’ll not be permitted to make any more planets.”

“Beam me up, Mr. Spock. Beam me up into your loving arms.”

Alien classification: a small, naughty boy.

The concept of the last banter between K and S is cute but really distractingly anachronistic. Like why does Kirk think Spock’s childhood took place in, idk, the 1800s? However, I appreciate both Kirk’s flirty face and Spock’s super confused face. (Which, I must say, ZQ could imitate really well.)

So overall.. I like the general hook of this episode--the alien child who appears as a humanoid adult, is obsessed with humans, acting as a commentary on human obsession with war--but I don’t think it needed to be 50 minutes. The story could easily have been told in half the time. Like everything after Kirk shoots the mirror, other than the final reveal, reads like fluff, to make the ep fit the time slot.

Thus I would say it’s decent, a B episode, with a strong concept and some good moments, but not as iconic as most of the other eps this season.

Next up, Captain Gorn co-starring in Arena!

[starstruckteacup]

Cottagecore Films (pt. 9)

Classic Disney Edition - Original Princess Trio!

Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (1937)

starring Adriana Caselotti, Lucille La Verne, Pinto Colvig, Roy Atwell, Otis Harlan, Billy Gilbert, Scotty Matraw, Eddie Collins, Harry Stockwell

A young and beautiful princess, Snow White, grows up under the threatening watch of her stepmother, the Evil Queen. One day, the Queen’s Magic Mirror tells her that she is no longer the fairest in the land, but that Snow White is. Enraged and jealous, the Queen orders her huntsman to kill Snow White, but at the last moment, he is unable to strike. Snow White flees into the woods, and soon arrives at the cozy home of the local dwarves. When the dwarves return from work, they are terrified to discover that someone has been in their house. However, when they meet Snow White, they are immediately taken by her kindness and allow her to stay. The group celebrates with dinner and a small party, but their bliss doesn’t last for long. When the dwarves leave again for work in the morning, Snow White encounters a mysterious old woman--unbeknownst to her, it’s the Evil Queen in disguise--selling apples, who cons her way into the dwarves’ home and gives Snow White a poison apple. When the dwarves find her, they believe her to be dead, and place her in a gold and glass coffin. It seems that all is lost, but true love has other plans.

I’ve seen this movie many times, and as a kid I actually really disliked it. I thought Snow White was a passive and boring character, but on this watch-through I was surprised by how poorly I interpreted her previously. Snow White is a 14 year old girl, but packs such bravery as could rival any Prince Charming. She’s still very clearly a child though, with her innocence, positivity, and unjaded outlook. She puts others’ needs before her own constantly and always finds the good in everyone. She’s still naive though, which is clear from her open interaction with the old woman/Evil Queen, despite knowing that her life was in danger if the Queen found her. After she escapes death by the huntsman’s blade, she runs panicked through the forest, with everything mutating into horrors around her, just as a young, frightened girl would. She’s immediately comforted by the animals afterward, which is reflective of how readily young people can bounce back from trauma. The Evil Queen was also a lot darker than I recall. I was terrified of her as a kid, but I’m still terrified as an adult for an entirely new set of reasons. What kind of woman tries to kill a child over beauty, then celebrates that she’ll be buried alive after eating the poison apple? That kind of coldness and brutality is absolutely horrifying, even now. She may be the most dangerous and genuinely evil Disney villain in history, and she was the very first. 7/10

Cinderella (1950)

starring Ilene Woods, Eleanor Audley, Verna Felton, Lucille Bliss, Rhoda Williams, James MacDonald

When Cinderella’s father passes away, she’s left with her vain, greedy, and cruel stepmother, Lady Tremaine, and two stepsisters, Anastasia and Drizella. She works as their scullery maid every day, until an urgent message from the King arrives. The castle will host a ball for the prince to meet an eligible maiden, and she quickly organizes the chateau and dons the dress her animal friends made for her, hoping to at least attend the ball. However, just as they are about to leave, the stepsisters destroy her dress, dashing her dreams. As she weeps, her fairy godmother appears, dressing her magnificently and creating a splendid carriage for her. She arrives at the ball, catching the undivided attention of the prince (unbeknownst to her), with whom she spends the rest of the night dancing. She nearly loses track of time as the clock tolls midnight; as she flees the castle, she drops her glass slipper, and narrowly escapes the king’s guards. The next day, the Grand Duke visits every maiden in the kingdom, trying the slipper on every one in hope of finding who it belongs to. At long last, he reaches Cinderella’s home, but the slipper breaks due to the interference of Lady Tremaine. As if by destiny, Cinderella has the other slipper, and she lives happily ever after with her Prince Charming.

There’s a reason why this is the classic Disney movie. It’s full of charm and elegance, and it’s impossible to not empathize with Cinderella. Although it’s not as apparent by the unrealistic standards we set for modern-day female characters, Cinderella is actually an incredibly rounded character, and deserves more credit than she gets. She’s a strongly but subtly witty and sassy young woman, yet is never lacking in infallible patience and kindness. She makes a variety of sly remarks to her animal friends about her situation, only to provide some levity and not become depressed and traumatized, as many of us would in her situation, but she is never harsh or cruel. She sees the world for what it is and for what it could be, and never loses hope that things will turn out well for her one day. This film has possibly the most romantic lyrical soundtrack, with “So This is Love” and “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes” outshining almost any Disney love song to date. When you hear these songs, you fall a little in love too. This film has an impeccable focus on true love, but despite its fantasy setting it feels more real and attainable than it does on the surface. Cinderella doesn’t even know she’s dancing with the prince, but she knows she’s in love, and that’s all that matters. (Also it took me literally years of watching this movie to finally pick up that she didn’t know he was the prince, oops.) Love doesn’t have contingencies, and that’s a beautiful thing. 9/10

Sleeping Beauty (1959)

starring Mary Costa, Bill Shirley, Eleanor Audley, Verna Felton, Barbara Luddy, Barbara Jo Allen

At the infant Princess Aurora’s christening, three fairies--Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather--arrive to bless her with three magical gifts. Flora bestows upon her incredible beauty, and Fauna gifts her with a beautiful voice. Before Merryweather can share her gift, the diabolical fairy Maleficent appears, insulted that she was unwanted by the court. She curses the child to prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and die before her 16th birthday. Merryweather uses her gift to amend the curse so that Aurora will only fall into a deep sleep, to be awakened by true love’s kiss. To prevent this from happening, the three fairies hide her in the woods, where they will remain as peasants until her 16th birthday passes. On her birthday, Aurora meets a handsome stranger, whom she falls in love with. When she returns home to share the news with the fairies, they break the news that not only is she already betrothed, but that they will to the castle that very evening. Before the sun sets, however, Maleficent tricks Aurora into pricking her finger, and she falls into the deathlike slumber. The stranger in the woods, who in actuality is Prince Phillip and Aurora’s betrothed, arrives at the cottage to meet her, where he is captured by Maleficent. She takes him to the Forbidden Mountain, but he quickly breaks out and battles with Maleficent as a fearsome dragon. Felling her, he rushes to Aurora’s side. With true love’s kiss, the curse is lifted, and the entire kingdom awakens.

As the third film in the Disney Princess lineage, Sleeping Beauty shows a remarkable evolution of design and artistic prowess. Snow White and Cinderella are both stunning, but the artists in this film take the backgrounds to a new, fantastical, and ethereal realm. This world is sewn together with magic, and it really comes through in the art. The music is also far more enchanting and romantic as a whole. The instrumental scores are breathtaking and truly immerse the audience in the magic of this world. There were certainly fewer lyrical numbers in this movie, but “Once Upon a Dream” is such a wonderful love song that walks the audience through Aurora’s youthful naivety and its evolution into realistic love. In my opinion, it’s nearly incomparable to the rest of Disney’s musical repertoire as well. Without question, Prince Phillip is Disney’s greatest and most heroic prince. He’s brave, steadfast, and honorable, and shows he will go to any length for the woman he loves. What other prince fights against a demonic dragon to save someone he just met the day before? That’s right, none. There may be more well-rounded princes, especially as we get toward his more modern counterparts, but very few have shown that they are willing to risk their lives or livelihood for the wellbeing of a loved one. With Aurora, on the other hand, I think Disney could have done better. She’s actually a rather shallow character; all we know about her is that she is beautiful, melodious, and imaginative, but we don’t know anything real about her personality. We don’t know what makes her feel good or bad about anything. We briefly see her response when her dreams are dashed, but even that isn’t as thoroughly expounded upon as other princesses are. The film also doesn’t give enough credit to the distress the huge reveal of her royal lineage causes. In other films, the princesses have real, gut-wrenching reactions to serious situations that are thrown their way, but Aurora isn’t given that depth. This may be one of my favorite movies, but it doesn’t quite hold up to many other Disney films. Also Maleficent is the best villain of all, and no I won’t take any criticisms. 7/10

Part One // Part Two // Part Three // Part Four // Part Five // Part Six // Part Seven // Part Eight

[theuniversitychallengereview]

UC 50.13 - Manchester vs Edinburgh

Generally speaking, there are two kinds of all-conquering sporting dynasties - those that seem fair, and those that don’t. In the second category we have the likes of Michael Schumacher at Ferrari in the early 2000s or Manchester City and Chelsea in modern football. 

While there is undoubtedly a massive amount of sporting talent on show in each of those cases, there is something about the inevitability of their successes that makes them feel a bit unearned, be that by virtue of the vastly superior car the German had in at least three of his five consecutive championships, or the stinking piles of dirty money that has allowed Pep Guardiola to squander more than £400m on defenders in his tenure as City boss. 

In the other category we have Michael Phelps, or Serena Williams and the Big Three in men’s tennis. They have exerted a vicious dominance over their sports, but without any seemingly unfair advantage over their peers, other than their sheer talent and determination (obviously they will have had various advantages that allowed them to reach the top in the first place, but I think professional sports is one of the few places where consistent greatness is truly reflective of who the greatest people are at a given thing).

This realisation, as to why I always resented Schumacher his relentless winning, while simultaneously being annoyed when someone other than Federer, Nadal or Djokovic (or Andy, of course, one of the only people to ever make me cry) won a Grand Slam (how dare they break the streak), only came to me today when thinking about the Manchester University Challenge team. 

There’s just something that feels more organic, and therefore more impressive, about Federer making 34 consecutive Grand Slam quarter-finals than there is about the Golden State Warriors winning back to back NBA titles having signed MVP-calibre Kevin Durant off the back of the best season in NBA history (not sure how niche that reference will be to the readership here, but I already deleted a bit about him earlier on, and I’ve put a link to the story in so you’ll have to deal with it).

The Manchester Uni Challenge team of 2005-2013 fall somewhere in the middle of the two categories (so I guess there is, as with all things, another category that encompasses everything between two extremes). Those of you who have been reading this for a while (and I have no idea how many people will have stuck around even since last year) will have heard this spiel about the semi-final streak before (because I relish talking about it every time Manchester are on), but I’m going to go through it again because its a great story.

So, first of all, Manchester do have some obvious advantages over other teams competing to win University Challenge. For one, its pretty massive, with more than 40,000 students. This means its more likely for them to be able to put together a team who will make it onto the live recordings - and indeed there are only two teams (Durham and tonight’s opponents Edinburgh) who have made more appearances on the show in the Paxman Era. 

However, between them Durham, Edinburgh, York and Warwick (the other two most appearing-est institutions) have fifteen semi-final appearances out of seventy five. Manchester alone have ten, with nine of them coming in a ten year period when they didn’t exit the tournament before that stage. This historic run saw them lift the trophy four times, tying with Magdalen College, Oxford for the all-time record.

The source of their sustained excellence can be attributed in part to the coaching of Stephen Pearson, a man known as the Sir Alex Ferguson of University Challenge (I really do recommend reading the linked article here). Under his tutelage, successive cohorts of students were able to create a dynasty this quiz had never seen before (and isn’t likely to see again). Thats one of the things which makes it seem fair, that the system he built allowed different sets of four students to repeat the same results.

Another is that it broke up the historic duopoly that University Challenge is famous for. Between 2008 and 2019, Manchester were the only non-Oxbridge side to win the competition, and it is the teams from Oxford and Cambridge who you can most easily level the ‘unfairness’ tag at, what with their combined ten entries a year (yes, yes, I know. If you combined the college teams you’d create a monster team and no one else would ever win (I think they would, but that’s beside the point) but that’s beside the point).

Manchester haven’t reached the semi-finals since the end of that run in 2013, but with back-to-back quarter-finals in the past two years they look to be on track for a return to the top (I’m going to look very silly after all this if they lose tonight, which you probably already know, reader). 

I’d like to talk about Edinburgh too, my beloved Alma Mater who finally upgraded my degree after two years of appealing recently, but I’m conscious I’ve already spewed out a full article on my Manchester intro. I will say, however, that if Edinburgh win, there will be four Scottish Unis in the second round for the first time since ever (there are already there guaranteed for the first time since 1995).

Anyway, you’ll all be exhasuted if you’ve made it through all that, so I won’t bother with the rules; here’s your first starter for ten.

Edinburgh are introduced first, with Jeffcoat, who’s actually wearing some kind of tweed blazer rather than a coat, but I’ll let him off. Their mascot is possibly the best I’ve ever seen on the show - a framed photo of the moment Robbie Campbell Hewson won Edinbugh the title in 2019 (bottom right of below picture). They have a scottie dog too, but its the picture thats the real star.

Manchester have a pig in a hat (or possibly a scarf, or possibly something else entirely), but the main interest on their table is Jones-O’Brien, who has perhaps the first name I’ve ever seen to contain both a hyphen and an apostophe. Good job all round, there. 

It is his captain, Spacey, who kicks things off in a luxuriant velvet jacket, with Jane Eyre. Manchester take a full set on the bonuses, and then another, racing off into a 50 point lead. Jones-O’Brien is whats known in the game as a leaner, and rotates his body 45 degrees towards Spacey each time Paxman reads out a question. It seems to be working though.

Jeffcoat, who has a pen stored in his blazer just incase he needs to do some working out, gets Edinburgh off the mark and shoots his teammates a wink for good measure. They zap a hat-trick out quickly too to halve the deficit. 

No one gets the first picture starter, which is an arrow on a map to ‘Worthing’, and I’m not surprised - who the heck has even heard of Worthing let alone knows where it is on a map (offence to Worthing), but Manchester pick up the bonuses, which are more towns that have won Pier of the Year, as according to the National Piers Society, something I am extremely happy to hear exists but never wish to be a part of (I’m sure they wouldn’t want to write University Challenge blogs either).

Paxman laughs as Edinburgh’s Clarke gives an answer which suggests that a puffin makes a noise that sounds like the word puffin, and to be fair thats a pretty funny mental image (mental sound image?). The perfect bonus streak is over, though Manchester will manage a fourth set before they miss any five pointers. The music starter goes to Edinburgh, but they remain ten points adrift despite having been better on the buzzer, thanks to Manchester’s bonus-work.

Now, I’d actually been taking notes for once this week, but around this stage I got so caught up in the action that I quite literally was unable to pick my pen back up, so I’ll just go from memory (I know I could just slide the timer back on iPlayer, but I’m on a bit of a roll here and I don’t want to slow myself down).

Manchester went on a bit of a run at this point, opening up a lead that would probably be unassailable. By the time of the second picture round the gap was in three figures, so Edinburgh would purely be fighting for one of the high-scoring loser spots (tough first round draw for both teams this). 

Jeffcoat jolted them out of their stupor with Degas (who I almost spelled as Degat. For some reason I can never spell painters names correctly. For years I though Titian was Tischen), but only a single bonus followed (though Clarke did pronounce Seurat impeccably, both as a wrong and right answer). Spacey hit back with O, but Manchester struggled for the second time tonight on science-y bonuses. They wouldn’t score another point, but they’d already won. 

The two captains then guess the 8th and 2nd of December as the date of Jesus’ conception - the heat of the competition was getting to everyone - but Clarke makes up for it with Oak next time around, and Fricker comes up clutch with Flag on the next starter as well. 

A full set of bonuses saw them reach 150, which would be enough to see them make the play-offs, but Winter negged on the next to drop them down to 145 (which would also have been enough, as it turned out, so I was getting too excited at the end). Clarke then got them another to put me at ease for the final few seconds.

Final Score: Edinburgh 155 - 200 Manchester

Another excellent, high-scoring game - probably the highlight of the series so far for me - and I’m very glad we’ll be seeing both sides again. 

Phew, that was a long one. If you’ve made it this far (first of all, congratulations) then you might like the retro reviews I’m doing of the 2015/16 series of The Challenge over on my Patreon. To sign up for exclusive content, for as little as £1/month, you can follow this link.

Thanks for reading, see you next time out.

[the-formerone]

THE HIGH PRIESTESS: VISIONS FOR THE PROMPT THING WITH DAENERYS AND SANSA BECAUSE LISTEN... They gay and Very dramatic

FUCK ME UP SCOTTIE

(you have blanket permission to promtp me daensa any TIME))

hope this is what u wanted!!!!!!!

Daenerys I Targaryen does not startle easily. She has seen too much for her few years. She has not survived this long by looking away from horror. She has always, instinctively known that her heart must be stalwart against weakness. Her calm must be impeccable.

Not only because Viserys was only cruel when he was enraged, not only because there were more Mad Kings in her bloodline than good ones. But because if Dany faltered, fear would win, and eat her.

Her hands are shaking now as she removes her gloves, and she wonders why she is so cold. She has always been warm, even in winter, the few times that she’s seen it. Viserys called it the blood of the dragon in them (stronger in him than in her, of course), keeping them warm. Dragons did not freeze. They had fire in them. Fire and blood.

The blood is gone from Dany’s face. She can feel it. She knows because this is the first time she’s ever felt it. And she knows from the way Missandei looks at her, concern big in her wide brown eyes.

“Khaleesi, - ”

Dany feels the tremor seize her wrist, and she knows that she is lost. Her breath comes quickly to her now, too quickly, and she feels her knees threaten to buckle beneath her.

But Missandei is there, laying her gentle hands on Dany’s arm, helping her to the bed. She has never been so grateful for this dear friend, than when Missandei kneels at her feet, and takes Dany’s hands into her own.

“Your hands are so cold,” Missandei says. “And you look like you’ve seen a ghost. I’ll stoke the fire - ,”

Dany snatches Missandei’s wrist in the same instant, “No,” comes out of her mouth.

She sees something like fear flicker into Missandei’s gaze, and Dany loosens her grip immediately. She holds Missandei’s hand in her own, and presses the back of her hand against her own cheek.

“Don’t make the fire bigger,” she says. “I’ve had enough of fire.”

“Your Grace - ,”

“I never told you.”

That stops Missandei’s next protest from falling out of her mouth. She looks up into Dany’s face, and tries to find something there. Dany isn’t sure what.

“You know I am the Unburnt, Missandei,” she says. The heat of her counselor’s hand is just enough against her cheek. Much duller than stoking the fire. There was some comfort in that. “I walked into my husband’s funeral pyre with my children to die with him, and when morning came - ,”

She can see it now. How she’d seen it then. How she’d seen it every single time. Visions in the fire. Flickers of something, of someone, always out of her reach.

The first time Daenerys walked into the fire, she - There had been -

She had wondered if she was mad after. If she was having hallucinations, if the thorough inbreeding in her family line had tainted her, just as it had tainted nearly every Targaryen before her. Little visions weren’t so bad, in the scheme of things, were they? It was better than liking the smell of a man cooking alive, or feeding her siblings to her dragons.

Dany could never have made her children eat Viserys. He would have upset their stomachs.

“I have walked out of blazes that would kill any man living.”

“You have, Your Grace - ,”

“And I have seen things. In those blazes.”

A woman. The same woman, every time. With hair as red as fire and blood. With eyes like chips of Valyrian steel, and skin white as core flame. Dany has seen her.

The first time, she had thought perhaps, this was a normal part of standing in an inferno. Weren’t you bound to see something? Your mind making patterns in the flames, like one’s eye makes patterns in darkness. But the patterns are never the same. The eye is tricky that way.

This maiden in the flames never changed. Always her high cheekbones, always her dark eyes, wrapped in a cloak of blue fire. Shining there, in the corner of Dany’s eye, moving too quickly to be followed before the flames end as they began, and Dany is lost again.

“I had dreamt once,” Dany says, “that if I took my eggs with me into the fire, they would hatch, and dragons would roam the skies again.”

Missandei smiles, doing her best to be encouraging, and Dany loves her for it. So much that her heart could burst.

“Your dreams come true, my queen.”

“Another one has.”

Missandei’s brows furrow, and she leans back on her haunches to take in the information.

“Who?”

Dany had known as soon as she had dismounted her horse that this woman surrounded by snow and steel, cold as the ice that had birthed her, was the woman that had flickered in and out of Dany’s visions in fire.

“Sansa Stark,” she says, and she can’t help but laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. Missandei purses her lips, and Dany can almost see the way her brain tries to work out of the Stark woman has done anything to cause such concern. “I think she means to see me burn.”

‘But gods,’ Dany had thought then. 'She is beautiful.’

Missandei gives her hand a solid squeeze, her gaze going from calculating to resolute in a moment.

“She will wait a thousand years before she does.”

“With fire, maybe,” she returns. “Cold leaves a kind of burn, doesn’t it?”

“But you are the blood of the dragon, my queen,” Missandei insists, and Dany feels so terribly sorry for dragging Missandei into this first taste of what might destroy her. Perhaps visions weren’t just visions, when they turned out to be the sister of the former King in the North. How is Missandei supposed to react to Dany shaking after a brief audience, demanding not to be warmed? “The cold will never touch you.”

Dany bites the inside of her cheek hard. Then harder still, carves her top canine into the soft pink flesh, until she draws blood. And when she tastes it, she shuts her eyes and takes in a deep, slow breath. She finds her calm, fights for it, refuses to be hysterical any longer before Missandei gets it into her mind to talk to Torgo Nudho about their queen’s state of mind, and how many all the cold, and the stress of losing Viserion had done too much damage already.

Dany breathes. Breathes as if she is like her children, and when she exhales, she will breathe out fire as they do.

“You’re right, Missandei,” she says, giving her counselor’s hand a gentle squeeze of her own. “Maybe I’m just a bit tired.”

Dany can see the suspicion behind the implacable calm of Missandei’s current expression. It is very easy to read the people that love you most, Dany has learned.

“I need rest,” Dany says, “before I see anyone again, I need rest. Will you put those logs on the fire, Missandei? And sit with me. Sit with me and tell me what you think of the northmen.”

Missandei rises to obey, and Dany knows she will have to do better to quell her concerns in the future. Eating well at dinner would be good, and so would having a good talk with Sansa, where Missandei could see. It ought to be easy. Easy as facing a vision that has been haunting her before the name Stark held any weight on her mind.

Before she suddenly preferred to be cold, over hot.

[tails89]

My world revolves around you

This was on my sideblog, which I have since deleted, so I’m posting this here.

Sterek :)

It starts off innocently enough.

“If you were a chicken, you’d be impeccable.” Stiles snorts at his own joke. “Get it?”

Scott rolls his eyes and groans. “That’s just awful dude, you’re not actually using these on other people, are you?”

It’s like Scott’s words spark an idea in Stiles’ brain. Everyone’s a target. No one is safe.

“Hey Lyds!”

The red head glances up from her notebook.

“The world revolves around the sun-”

Her brows are already drawing together in a scowl.

“-but my world revolves around you.”

Lydia stares down Stiles, but his goofy grin never falters, so she huffs and goes back to her homework.

“Aw, come on. Nothing? That was my best one!” Stiles moans.

Lydia doesn’t even look up. “You’re going to be single for a long time then.”

“Oh, how about this one,” Stiles is pushing aside his books, homework forgotten. “Do you like heavy metal? Because I could teach you-“

“Finish that sentence, Stilinski, and the only reason I’ll be screaming is because you are dead.”

Stiles sighs and reaches for his textbook. Banshees have no sense of humour.

It’s Kira who notices that Derek never seems to be on the receiving end of Stiles’ terrible pick-up lines.

They’re all sitting around in the loft, waiting for Derek to pay the delivery driver and return with pizza.

Stiles tries shrugging it off. “Despite what you guys think, I value my limbs, I’d rather not have Derek tear one of them off because I’ve offended hid delicate sensibilities. I do have some sense of self-preservation.”

Lydia scoffs from her seat.

Stiles twists to glare at her. “I do.”

“Self-preservation? I don’t need to be a werewolf to know that’s a lie.” Lydia uncrosses her legs and leans forward. “You won’t use your childish pick-up lines on Derek, because you actually like Derek.” She raises one perfectly sculpted eyebrow as Stiles’ mouth drops open.

“No, I don’t!” He splutters.

“Wait, what?” God bless Scott and his obliviousness.

Stiles is glaring daggers at Lydia. A silent plea for her to stop. Derek could be back at any moment!

“Getting brushed off by the rest of us is no big deal,” Lydia goes on, ignoring Stiles’ stare. “But you actually have feelings for Derek and you can’t bear the thought of him turning you down.”

“No.” Stiles scrambles, glancing from Scott to Kira. Kira looks just as smug as Lydia. Damn her for bringing it up. Scott looks thoughtful, like the gears are slowly turning in his mind. Making connections, damning connections. “I don’t- It’s not like that!”

“Prove it.” Lydia challenged, reclining gracefully. She’d look right at home stroking a fluffy white cat, like one of those classic movie villains.

“I don’t need to prove anything,” Stiles crosses him arms in front of his chest. “There’s nothing to prove.”

Kira initiates the chant. “Prove it!” She cries.

“Prove it!” Malia is quick to join in.

Liam says nothing from his position on the floor, but his expression is smug.

Stiles turns to each of them, “Yeah, fun. Let’s all gang up on Stiles,” he complains. “Scott, help a brother out.”

Scott shrugs like, what can you do, but damn it his face is positively gleeful.

“Scotty! Scott. My first friend. My best friend. Scotty-boy.”

“We’ve had to put up with it for weeks.” Scott’s tone is almost sympathetic, but it falls short when he smirks and says, “paybacks a bitch.”

“You-” Stiles’ mouth flops open, searching for his wittiest retort. “…suck!

Lydia rolls her eyes. “Real powerful comeback.”

Scott’s jabbing a finger at his best friend. “Stiles, I dare you- “

Stiles feels his eyes roll, out of his head, out of this plane of existence. “How old are you? Six?”

Scott shushes him, ignoring the eyeroll of the century. “I dare you to tell Derek your absolute worst, cringy-est pick-up line.”

“Or what?”

“Or… “ He falters.

Stiles knows Scott doesn’t have the balls.

Strawberry blond hair tickles the back his neck and the banshee whispers, “Or we’ll tell Derek how you really feel.” And just… Lydia Fucking Martin everybody.

Derek chooses that moment to return to the loft, pizza boxes piled high in his grip. There’s yelling and laughter and Stiles prays for the sweet release of death.

All he gets, though, is a nudge and a sharp look from Lydia, so Stiles swallows his mouthful of pizza and takes a breath and…

“Hey Derek?”

Derek turns, hand lowering pizza back onto his plate.

“So, we’re learning about important dates in History at the moment… want to be one of them?”

Silence.

Thick eyebrows draw together in a scowl. But then Scott and Kira are snorting over their shared plate and… and it’s over. Stiles didn’t combust and Derek didn’t look disgusted or tell him to leave and Stiles was probably just imagining the way Derek’s ears flushed red.

It’s later, halfway through the movie, when Stiles feels his phone vibrate in his pocket.

If you were a transformer, you’d be a HOT-obot, and your name would be Optimus Fine.

He gapes at his phone, then sneaks a sideways glance. Everyone around him is caught up in the action onscreen, attention glued to the glowing box. Derek’s no exception, but Stiles can see the light glinting off the mobile he’s fiddling with absentmindedly. And if his cheeks are rosy, it’s probably only because the onscreen explosions are casting a fiery glow over the room.

Still this… this is amazing. Because none of his friends had ever played along with Stiles’ stupid game. And suddenly it’s on.

Stiles texts back. Is your name google? Because you’re the answer to everything I’ve been searching for.

He waits and watches out of the corner of his eye as Derek glances down at the screen that’s lit up in his hands.

Are you the square root of -1 because you can’t be real.

Stiles bites his lip to keep from smiling and turns back to the television. As the credits start to roll he realises he has no idea what they’d been watching.

After that, it becomes this thing that just completely snowballs out of control.

Stiles turns up at the loft, greeting Derek with “is your face McDonalds? Because I’m loving it” and gets to work pulling out his latest packet of research on whatever big bad they’re facing that week.

One time he’s sitting on the couch, easing his laptop off his legs and shooting Derek an offhand comment. “Are you religious? Because you’re the answer to all my prayers.” And chuckling to himself at the look of Derek’s face.

He knows he needs to reign it in before he gets too caught up but he just. can’t. help it. Because Stiles would do anything to watch Derek’s cheeks and ears flush red. To watch the way he tries to retaliate but more often than not, gets completely derailed, mouth moving but words catching in his throat and god damn it, it’s adorable.

“Aside from being sexy, what do you do for a living?”

“I know you’re busy today, but can you add me to your to-do list?”

“Stiles.”

“Hmm?”

They’re alone at the loft. Stiles turned up early to clarify some research he’s been going over about forest nymphs. His laptop is open on the couch, pages strewn across every bit of available space.

“Stiles. I think we need to stop.”

“Uh,” Stiles puts down the sheet of paper he’d been holding. “Okay, I figured we’d wait ‘til the others get here but yeah, a break sounds good.” He shuts his laptop and reaches his arms up into a stretch. “Hey, Derek,” Stiles grins. “You’re hotter than the bottom of my laptop.”

“Yeah, you need to stop that.” Derek’s arms are crossed and he has his brooding face on.

Stiles laughs. “What? That wasn’t even the worst one.”

Derek shakes his head and gives him a pointed look. “Stiles. I know.”

Stiles just stares, eyebrows raised, waiting for the conversation to make sense.

“You don’t have to play this game anymore.” Derek says after a moment. “I know.”

Did Derek know how Stiles felt about him? How did he find out? His heart was racing. Was that- had his stupid racing heart given him away? “You know?” He draws the words out slowly. “And?”

Derek scowled. “And it’s childish and stupid.”

“Oh…” Stiles face fell. There it was then. Derek Hale thought Stiles’ crush was ‘childish and stupid’. Greatest day ever. Not. Still, he needed to know. “Is it- is it the age difference?”

The question seemed to throw Derek for moment. “You and Scott are the same age.”

And now Stiles is thrown too, so he asks. “What are we talking about right now?”

“I’m talking about that stupid dare.”

Which really doesn’t help, and Derek is looking more and more resigned with each question Stiles asks.

“What dare? I’m so confused right now.” Perhaps Derek doesn’t know about Stiles’ feelings after all. Maybe Stiles can still pretend that even has a chance with Derek.

“Pack night. I heard Scott dare you to- “

Oh. That dare. Never mind. Derek had known all along. The illusion is shattered.

“That was ages ago!” Stiles splutters, rising from his spot on the couch. “Why didn’t you say anything?” His hands are in his hair anxiously running through the locks. “God, I feel like such an idiot. This whole time you knew. And what,” he turns on Derek, “you were just humouring me?”

“What?”

Stiles is pacing. “Jesus, you must have been so uncomfortable!“

Derek catches Stiles’ shoulders in an attempt to get his attention. “Stiles, stop- “

“This whole time you knew I liked you and you just let me make a complete fool of myself!”

Stiles jerks free and they stand there in the middle of the living room. He turns to start pacing again, but Derek has a hand around his wrist.

“You like me?”

Stiles tries to tug his hand loose. “Dude, just stop. You just told me you heard the whole thing. You don’t need to play along anymore.”

Derek let him go. “I heard Scott dare you to use the pick-up lines.”

“Yeah…” Stiles clutches his hand to his chest.

“That’s all I heard.” Derek tells him. They both stand there awkwardly for a moment, before Derek breaks the silence. “You like me?

“You- you didn’t know?” Derek shakes his head. “But that’s how this whole thing started. Lydia- Lydia said….” Stiles glances up at Derek and takes a deep breath. “Yes, I like you. Jesus Christ, I like you so much!” The words come out in a rush, like if he doesn’t speak now and speak fast it’ll never happen.

“Lydia was teasing me, so Scott dared me to use my worst pick-up line on you and the whole thing escalated and god, this is embarrassing and you- Jesus, Derek, I couldn’t help it, you just looked… and then you joined in and like, man, they were so bad and I guess there was always a part of me that knew this was going to happen, that you were going to get tired of it and- will you please stop looking at me like that- here it is and I’m sorry okay? Please say something before I make this worse, like this whole verbal word vomit is just digging me deeper and your eyebrows are getting judgier and I-

Warm lips are pressed against his mouth, silencing his outburst.

“Breathe Stiles.” Derek pulls away, watching Stiles face carefully.

“I uh-“ Stiles swallows. “You just…” he trails off.

Derek is still so close. Stiles imagines he can feel the body heat radiating from the werewolf. “If you’d taken a second to breathe, I could have gotten a word in and told you it was okay.”

Stiles takes a step back. “’It’s okay’? Those words don’t fill me with confidence Derek.”

“Okay that you like me.” Derek steps forward.

“Yep, still not feeling it.” But Stiles is smiling now and Derek is back in his personal space and when their lips meet again Stiles is moving eagerly against Derek, tongue darting out to taste what he’s been dreaming of for oh so long.

He pulls back, wondering when his fingers became tangled in Derek’s hair. “But I think I’m beginning to understand,” he says, voice low. “You like me too?” Stubble scrapes against his jaw. “I’m going to take that as a yes.”

“Stiles?” Derek’s breath his hot against Stiles’ neck.

“Yeah?”

“Shut up.”