#una chin riley x jack ransom

[curator-on-ao3]

⭐ Director's Cut on the First Impressions ficlets, please!

Bahaha! Thank you for asking about those, @fiadorable! ❤️😂

Okay, so the trio of ficlets that form First Impressions are all … first impressions … in the context of two first officers — Jack Ransom and Una Chin-Riley. I originally posted the first and second ficlets to Tumblr (sort of glorified shitpost fics) and people asked me to put them on AO3, which was really nice. I put all three stories on AO3 a few days before the Lower Decks/Strange New Worlds crossover was announced and I thought, “Whoa. Of all my crackships, is Chansom actually going to go canon?!” So, yep, the joke in the crossover made me happy because how can you have first officer actors married to each other and not make a joke about it? The show did good.

Anyway, for the first ficlet, Jack Ransom falling for an Una Chin-Riley hologram (and Mariner teasing him about pulling a Geordi LaForge/Leah Brahms) was fun, and Jack meeting — and respecting — the actual Una as an aged and wise ambassador, all in the service of Jack’s emotional journey for his own self-confidence, was nice to explore. I see Jack as having a really beautiful and needy heart that he hides to protect himself (per Deanna Troi’s analysis). Letting Jack be vulnerable with Una made my own heart happy.

For the second ficlet, I was amused by the number of Trek characters played by married Trek actors and I wanted to get them all into one place. Hence, the nightclub that in my mind is officially named “Okudas,” but I couldn’t get that in there. Having Kira and Bashir (married actors!) comment on Jack and Una (married actors!) while reflecting on Tilly and Ryn (married actors!) and so, so many more had me smiling. (B’Elanna and Damar! Spock and Admiral Rollman! Jean-Luc Picard and the lounge singer from a dive bar in 21st century Los Angeles!) I like to believe that once Una and Jack figured out why they were at the nightclub (“Okay, so we’re fictional characters played by actors who are married to each other. That’s ummm …” “Not even the strangest thing to ever happen to me.” “Yeah, same.”) that they sort of warily circled each other, then Jack made a joke about testing out the ol’ rod and berries (yeah, a Roddenberry dirty joke — I truly believe Jack would go there) and Jack got nervous when Una seemed annoyed at first by his humor … but then he saw the amusement in her eyes and they both absolutely cracked up laughing.

The third ficlet was the only one of the trio that I wrote directly for AO3 (didn’t begin life as a Tumblr fic shitpost). And I have to say, I have a special place in my heart for it. The way Christopher Pike initially dismisses Jack Ransom as an idiot and, sure, it’s fine if Una has history with this guy from the future because it’s obviously just physical attraction and … what’s that? Jack is actually intelligent? Well, shit. Writing Chris becoming more and more insecure while Jack and Una have no idea that Chris is freaking out … and Chief Kyle just wants everyone out of the transporter room … had me laughing (lovingly) as I wrote and every time I edited.

Thank you so much, @fiadorable, for asking about that trio of firsts for two of my favorite first officers. ❤️

Want more information about a fic I wrote? Send me an ask.

[hauntedmoonchaos]

Make a shipping poll but it's Captain x their first officer see who wins

[curator-on-ao3]

22 answers for a fanfic 2022

1. fandoms you wrote for this year

Star Trek: Discovery

Star Trek: Lower Decks

Star Trek: Picard

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Star Trek: The Original Series

Star Trek: Voyager

The Orville

2. favorite fic you wrote this year

I don’t know.

3. favorite fic you read this year

I have so many talented friends who wrote absolutely fantastic fics this year. But the fic I haven’t been able to get out of my mind for all the right reasons is Illusory Reality, written by sixbeforelunch (someone I do not know). The fic is, to me, a canon-consistent fix-it for “The Menagerie,” an episode I have strongly disliked since I was a little girl. Therefore, the story isn’t Pikeuna, it’s Pikeone, and it helps me feel at least somewhat better about an episode that has always upset me.

4. favorite opening line/scene you wrote this year

That would be the prologue to Chrysalis, an AU in which Captain Batel’s attempted arrest of Una Chin-Riley results in Chris and Una both becoming fugitives from the law.

5. favorite ending line/scene you wrote this year

That would be the epilogue to Chrysalis.

6. a trope you wrote this year

I wrote huddling for warmth in Boots That Touch at the Toes, a Pikeuna one-shot set just before Chris takes command of Discovery, and I wrote amnesia in The Haze, also a Pikeuna one-shot, in which Una’s amnesia leads both her and Chris to important realizations.

7. pairings you wrote this year

Looking only at main pairings, not sub-pairings, in order of posting from oldest to newest, I wrote:

Elnor/Hugh | Third of Five (Star Trek: Picard) (x) (x) (x)

Kirsten Clancy/Katrina Cornwell (Star Trek: Picard and Star Trek: Discovery) (x)

Laira Rillak/Charles Vance (Star Trek: Discovery) (x)

Agnes Jurati/Borg Queen (Star Trek: Picard) (x)

Laris/Jean-Luc Picard (Star Trek: Picard) (x) (x)

Kathryn Janeway/Seven of Nine (Star Trek: Picard and Star Trek: Voyager) (x)

Guinan & Cristóbal Rios (Star Trek: Picard) (x)

Raffi Musiker/Seven of Nine (Star Trek: Picard) (x) (x)

Renèe Picard & Tallinn (Star Trek: Picard) (x)

Number One | Una Chin-Riley/Christopher Pike (mostly Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, some Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: The Original Series, influences from Short Treks) (x) (x) (x) (x) (x) (x) (x) (x) (x) (x) (x)

Number One | Una Chin-Riley/Jack Ransom (Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: Lower Decks) (x)

Kelly Grayson/Ed Mercer (The Orville) (x)

Kathryn Janeway & Tom Paris (Star Trek: Voyager) (x)

Churrolivia/Jack Ransom (Star Trek: Lower Decks) (x)

Number One | Una Chin-Riley/Seven of Nine (a half-dozen Star Treks, but mostly Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: Picard) (x)

Tom Paris/B’Elanna Torres (Star Trek: Voyager) (x)

plus untagged ficlets that range from Kathryn Janeway/Agnes Jurati (x) to Reginald Barclay & Kathryn Janeway (x) to Kathryn Janeway/Coffee (x) and much, much more (including ones that actually don’t involve Janeway 🙈).

8. a fic regret from this year

Probably still not fixing a lousy fic from years ago. But this year I actually started a doc for the follow-up fix-it that I may never write, so progress?

9. a song that helped you write

I usually have a playlist for any long fic, as well as playlists for ships I write often. But to choose just one song, Beyoncè’s “Love on Top” was “the song” for Chris and Una in The Light Before Dawn.

10. total number of fics you posted

27

11. total number of words you posted

103,150

12. most popular fic written this year

Not counting holdovers from last year (such as Voyager Writing Game Prompts), my most popular 2022 fic by hits is Lay Down Our Arms, a choose-your-own ending Kathryn Janeway/Seven of Nine story in which Raffi Musiker is an option for one of the happy endings. My most popular 2022 fic by kudos, bookmarks, and comment threads is The Light Before Dawn (Una Chin-Riley/Christopher Pike), which means a lot to me because that fic definitely owns a place in my heart. My most popular 2022 fic by subscriptions is Chrysalis (Una Chin-Riley/Christopher Pike), which makes sense because it also has the most chapters of anything I wrote this year.

13. least popular fic written this year

That’s a little harder to parse (no easy stats graph for lack of popularity), but I think it’s The Song of the Universe is a Heartbeat, a one-shot about Tallinn’s platonic-familial love for both Reneè Picard and Jean-Luc Picard. That’s okay. I didn’t think that one would be popular, but I find Tallinn fascinating and wanted to get into her head a bit.

14. longest completed fic you posted this year

That would be Chrysalis (Una Chin Riley/Christopher Pike) at 20,924 words.

15. shortest completed fic you posted this year

As a stand-alone story, Check, Check, Check (Agnes Jurati/Borg Queen) is the shortest at 172 words. But that’s free verse, not prose, so I’m not sure if it counts. The shortest prose story is Choose to Love (Elnor/Hugh | Third of Five) at 195 words.

16. favorite character to write about this year

Una Chin-Riley. I wrote her with canon consistency. I wrote her in multiple alternative universes (one of which is canon). I wrote her in prison, on the run, diligently doing her duty, hosting planetarium shows in New York City, helping with recipes, and so much more. I wrote her in love (in different stories, not at the same time) with Christopher Pike, with Jack Ransom, and with Seven of Nine. Blorbo doesn’t even begin to cover it.

17. a fic you didn’t expect to write

All of them.

18. most memorable comment/review

Look, if you write me a nice comment, I love you. That’s how it goes. But a few excerpts to share here:

“It takes a special kind of writing to turn a single episode bizarre joke into a sincere, emotional story.” (for the Churrolivia/Jack Ransom fic Gotta Admit, It’s Pretty Sweet).

“GOD this is just... it's... like can we talk about the figurative language for a second, how perfect Una's internal monologue is?” (for the Una Chin-Riley/Christopher Pike fic The Haze — for which I had worked really, really hard on the figurative language of Una’s internal monologue, so it felt so damn good to have that called out in a positive way).

“Every single time you manage to pack so much emotion into your work. I hope that you get told how talented you are each and every day, because you certainly blow me away with your writing every time I read something you’ve written.” (for the Una Chin-Riley/Christopher Pike fic Kiss Me in the Rain, and I most certainly am not told I’m talented each and every day, so this gestalt comment made me cry very, very grateful tears).

Also, every word of the second comment on The Melody of You (and Me) (Una Chin-Riley/Seven of Nine). Just … every gorgeous word.

As you can tell, comments mean a lot to me and I appreciate them so, so much. (Also, a bookmark for The Light Before Dawn has the reader-written tag “comfort in words” and that makes me puddle up with happiness because that cozy sentiment is exactly what I was going for.)

19. trends you noticed in your writing this year

I have multiple instances of a man being quiet so a woman can gather her thoughts. (Tom Paris for Kathryn Janeway in Synchronous Orbit, and Christopher Pike for Una-Chin Riley in The Haze). So that’s … interesting.

I also wrote various possibilities for Seven of Nine soon after Voyager returned to the Alpha Quadrant:

Alight, a double drabble that focuses on Seven’s thoughts about her biosuits;

Lay Down Our Arms, a choose-your-own ending multi-chap that looks at Seven’s relationship with Janeway as well as her friendship with Hugh;

And When We Awaken, Eyes Open to Possibility, We Find Our Voice in the Night, a Hugh and Seven friendship ficlet that looks to her need (or not) to regenerate; and

The Melody of You (and Me), a not-technically-an-AU one-shot in which Seven was treated better by Starfleet but ended up being pulled into another universe in which she is in love with Una Chin-Riley (of course).

20. fics you wanted to write but didn’t

I don’t know.

21. something you want to write next year

I don’t know.

22. an idea from one of your fics that you want people to think about

Chrysalis is about metamorphosis (obviously) with Una and Chris both changing over the three days they’re in the shuttle (changing mentally — this is not at all a Threshold situation). But it’s also a story about taking a step back (unintentionally in their case) and noticing external toxicity. Naomi Osaka, Simone Biles — anyone and everyone who has walked away from a mentally or physically dangerous situation (and, in the story, Chris and Una ran away from both) — these people were in my head as I wrote. It can take phenomenal courage to save the drowning self, and I wanted to depict our heroes doing exactly that. Not easily. Not without doubts, sometimes, or challenges. But they do it, helping each other along the way, and I wanted that positive energy in the world.

———

If anyone has questions on any of that, please ask. Also, if you write, I’d love to read your fanfic 2022 answers!

[curator-on-ao3]

Chin Up, Ransom

Okay, so a b-plot of a Star Trek Lower Decks episode could be Jack Ransom feeling like he’s lost his sparkle. Captain Freeman is taking him for granted, and Jack wants to prove to her that he’s not just a good first officer, he’s a great first officer, one of the best first officers in the history of Starfleet.

But how does a pro up his game?

He studies.

So Jack calls for the holodeck computer to give him a tutor, a first-class first officer, and a hologram of Una Chin-Riley appears in front of him and says, “You sure you’re ready for this level of training, Commander?”

And at first he thinks she’s crazy, doling out advice like, “It’s imperative in a captain-first officer relationship to know who washes the dishes and who dries them,” but Una Chin-Riley is right — Captain Freeman sends Jack on away missions to clean up alien messes while the captain stays onboard to towel-whip any enemy ships in their path. So it’s good, learning from Una Chin-Riley, and she’s certainly easy on the eyes, and Jack starts spending more and more time in the holodeck and Mariner finds out and says, “This isn’t a Geordi LaForge-Leah Brahms situation, is it?” and Jack laughs because that’s ridiculous, he would never … would he?

So Jack researches the actual Una Chin-Riley and her service record is amazing, honors and achievements over decades of Starfleet service. Then it just … stops. No discharge. No missing or killed in action. She just … vanished.

And Jack wants to know — he needs to know — what happened to her so he sends for more records and while he’s waiting for them to arrive the Cerritos has a mission — ferrying diplomats from a far-flung colony to Earth, a chance to heal old wounds and prejudices. So Jack goes to the transporter room to meet the diplomats. It’s his job as first officer to help them feel comfortable while they’re onboard. And the delegation from the Illyrian colony materializes on the transporter pad and one of them is … familiar … a few more wrinkles around the eyes, dark hair streaked with grey … and it’s impossible, it can’t be her, how long do Illyrians live, anyway, and an Illyrian never would have been allowed in Starfleet and … oh.

So Jack offers a tour of the Cerritos to the Illyrian delegate with dark hair streaked with grey and it’s obvious now who she is, the way she pokes her head into Jefferies tubes and lingers at the helm station. And he could tell Captain Freeman, impress his commanding officer with his knowledge of what happened to one of Starfleet’s finest officers.

But Jack isn’t going to do that.

Instead, Jack tells the Illyrian delegate with dark hair streaked with grey that he has a feeling her talks with Federation officials will go well, really well. The Federation is ready to wash away old prejudices — all she has to do is let the ink dry on an agreement. And she looks at him and he knows she knows he knows, and the Illyrian delegate with dark hair streaked with grey says, “Thank you, Jack. You’re a great first officer,” and, thanks to her, he knows it’s true.

•••

[Update: Thanks to lovely encouragement, I’ve put this and two other ficlets for this pairing on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/40343241/chapters/101056551#workskin]

[curator-on-ao3]

Son of a gun, I forgot about Chris’ jealousy toward Jack Ransom and Una in Hello, Again, a ficlet in which Jack, not Chris, gets the girl. (Note: I posted the three ficlets in that collection a couple of days before the Lower Decks/Strange New Worlds crossover was announced. Imagine my surprise!)

I’m now wondering just how much jealousy I’ve written over the years….

I'd love to read a story from you where Pike is jealous of male attention that Una might be getting in some planet or some festival or such and finally confronts his feelings to himself and declares them to Una. :')

Hi! ❤️ So this is delightfully funny, @acuriousmindsblog, because my first thought was, “Hmm, I don’t really do jealousy.”

Then I realized that Chris eventually admits to wanting to punch the librarian in the face when the librarian makes a pass at Una in This Time: A Love Story.

And Chris basically freaks the fuck out and (somewhat inadvertently) questions Phil Boyce in Truth is a Fantasy when Chris has the suspicion that Number One might possibly have a boyfriend.

And, if I squint, Chris beating up another guy as Una’s arrest goes way awry in the canon-divergent Chrysalis could maybe count?

So … yeah … I learned something about myself through this ask — which is interesting and I thank you! If the above stories don’t quite do what you were looking for (or if there’s anything else you want to talk about), please give me another shout. ❤️

[curator-on-ao3]

Chapters: 3/? Fandom: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (TV), Star Trek: Lower Decks (Cartoon), Star Trek: Discovery Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Number One (Star Trek)/Jack Ransom, Una Chin-Riley/Jack Ransom Characters: Una Chin-Riley, Jack Ransom, various others in more minor roles Additional Tags: crackship, Ficlet Collection, Some Serious, some silly Summary: In a universe of infinite possibility … somehow … Una Chin-Riley and Jack Ransom will find each other.

Note: Big thanks to @the-lady-general​ and @lorcaswhisky​ and everyone else on Tumblr who encouraged and/or inspired me to move my Tumblr stories for this pairing to AO3 — and to write more.

[curator-on-ao3]

The Couplet Space-Time Gathering Room

He’s got commander’s rank markings but wears red instead of gold. His hand extends. “Commander Jack Ransom. Pleased to meet you. We’re in someplace called —”

“The couplet space-time gathering room.” Una tries not to roll her eyes. “I listened on the tour. Do you have any idea how it works?”

“None whatsoever!” Jack is perky despite their situation, and Una exhales slowly, doesn’t want her frustration to leak out before they can maybe get some answers about why they’ve been brought here.

The room is like a nightclub — loud with couples at tables and on the dance floor, only the whole place is brightly lit with views of what looks like the Sol system.

“Well, I’m Lieutenant Commander Una Chin-Riley.” Una shakes Jack’s hand. “We may as well try to work together to determine what’s going on.”

At a far table, a doctor’s hand rests on the hand of the Bajoran woman sitting next to him.

“How long do you think it will take them to figure it out?” Julian asks Nerys.

She smiles. “Fastest I’ve ever seen is the Andorian and the red-headed Ensign. I give it a few days.”

Julian raises his glass. “To everything there is a season.”

Nerys clinks her glass with his. “And a space-time for every marriage under contract.”