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You can add even more angst to Measure of a Man if you imagine Riker and Data are together at the time.

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Pain

Words: 896

Pairing: Riker x Reader

A/N: I think I strayed a little from the original request but I hope this is ok!

Request: Hi! I saw your post saying requests were open so hopefully this is okay. I was wondering if could request either Data or Riker comforting/helping reader as they deal with “brain fog” and intense burnout due to life events and chronic pain? I could really use some comfort right now 💜 love your writing! (and pls don’t feel obligated to respond/write for this either) - Anon

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You practically stumbled back into your quarters and let out the biggest sigh as the doors closed behind you. 

Slipping off your boots quickly you placed them to the side before finding the nearest surface to sit down on. Allowing yourself to fall into the chair you curled in on yourself, wrapping your arms around your torso you gave yourself a squeeze.

The pressure was nice momentarily but you soon released and allowed yourself to sit in that position. You had no clue how long you stayed like this but you couldn't bare to move because you were genuinely so exhausted and knew moving would only spark more pain. 

You could feel tears welling up in your eyes, you weren't necessarily sad right now but this was a reaction your body had that'd been all too familiar recently.

After sitting in the awkward, yet comfortable, position for what felt like forever you slowly peeled yourself up into a sitting position. Taking a moment to breathe you slowly got to your feet, your body not thanking you as you did so. The movement caused you to feel as if your energy levels plummeted downwards through the flood below you, all the way through the bottom of the ship.

Slowly making your way to your bed you peeled off your clothes and found your pyjamas that you slipped on efficiently. Thankful you'd eaten whilst still having some energy before coming to your quarters.

Lying down you started at the ceiling and allowed your body to melt into the bed under you. Your body felt tense yet weak, on fire yet still and your mind very overwhelmingly busy yet silent.

You knew it was still early and you probably shouldn't fall asleep right now but you couldn't resist the urge to just call it quits for the day and sleep now.

Movement in your quarters had you bolting upright in bed. You were slightly shocked to see Will standing towards the foot of the bed. 

“So I take it our dates off?” he said with compassion, the man knew how much you struggled sometimes.

“What date?”

“We spoke about it earlier. We were supposed to-” he searched your face and could see that you genuinely had no clue what he was on about “Don't worry about it.” he reassured, coming to sit on the edge of the bed near your legs.

“I'm sorry.” you spoke as you brought your gaze to your hands.

“There's no need to be. It's not your fault.” he tried to meet your gaze but you kept it trained on your hands. “Another flare?”

You nodded in response to his question. 

“Have you been to see Dr Crusher yet?”

You nodded “She gave me what she could for the pain but it'll take some more time to fully kick in again.”

He understood, he'd been down to see Beverly with you plenty of times to know the procedure by now. “Have you eaten?”

“Yeah, with Data,”

“Good.” he agreed slipping his boots off “what's the plan of action then?”

You mulled it all over in your head as the man pottered around the room getting into the pyjamas that he left in your quarters. You could feel the tears brimming, “I just want to lie down.” With those words the tears began to fall, you felt incredibly pathetic and useless right now, like you were failing Will and yourself.

“Hey, hey.” He was at your side in and instant finding your hand with his and gently holding it. “It's alright, we can just stay here. I know you feel bad right now but none of this is your fault. I know you're hurting but it'll be ok. You've really pushed yourself over the past couple of weeks, you've barely had any time for yourself.” the man leaned forward and placed a kiss to the top of your head before quickly moving back around the bed and getting in beside you.

Opening his arm you instinctively fell into his side and allowed him to embrace you. The man rested his cheek on the top of your head and repeated words of affirmation to you as you allowed the tears to silently roll down your face.

Eventually, they dried up and you just lay in his arms for a while. The man shifted his position and apologised “I'm sorry.”

“it's ok,” you whispered, also needing to move to a comfier position yourself. Wincing as you did so. “I really do think I need to sleep.” you admitted and the man nodded.

“That's ok. It's been a long day. I'm even tired enough to sleep.” you looked at him to see if he was lying but you could tell he was being entirely truthful.

Settling down into bed you rested yourself on your side. The man gently moved the blanket over you properly and wrapped his arms around you to securely spoon you, in a comfortable way, from behind. 

You nestled into the man further and the lights were quickly shut off. Allowing your body to fully relax you could still feel some pain and tension but you could tell that the medication was working. Even if it was painfully slow.

Usually the pain would have you unable to sleep. However, topped with the fatigue and burnout it didn't take long at all for you to drift off.

Tag List: (open)

All: @perasperaadastrawriting @asgards-princess-of-mischief @trippol-threat @captainsophiestark 

Star Trek: @heyitsaloy  @angel-with-wings-castiel @starfleet-imagines @captainsophiestark @perasperaadastrawriting @butchers-girl @evangeliamerryll

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Bed-Head Academy Shirt Swap Extravaganza

This started with this post but I couldn't stop so Riker and Troi joined the party.

(Deanna's shirt never recovered from this event)

Bonus material under the cut:

Shirt choices:

Beverly is wearing Picard's shirt from the Academy Marathon he ran (and won) as a freshman.

Picard is wearing Beverly's shirt from Drama Club. We know she loves theater and you KNOW she helped put on a Phantom production (also a little nod to this recent comic book cover).

Deanna is wearing Will's shirt from an Anbo-jyutsu tournament I imagine he participated in (and won).

Will is wearing Deanna's Chess Club shirt. Finding something about Deanna's Academy days was difficult, but she is one of the few people who beat Data in a chess game so I extrapolated.

And most importantly, a closeup of Picard's bed-head.

And here's Undies Riker because he's a glorious Stack O' Beef.

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All drawn in Procreate using a variety of oil brushes.

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Rewatching TNG's "The Icarus Factor," and I genuinely forgot how much of a dick Riker's dad is.

I think he might actually be one of the worst dads in Trek, and I know how high of a bar that is.

Riker's dad literally shows up after 15 years and has the stone-cold AUDACITY to show up and expect Will to not only give him the time of day, but to act like their relationship is fine actually.

Like he actually tells Will TO HIS FACE "I stuck it out for 13 years. If that's not good enough, that's too bad." Like wow man.

He's a raging asshole and I really have no idea why the narrative and some of the characters are treating Will like the unreasonable one. Pulaski actually told Will to his face to "jettison the emotional baggage" like damn fuck you lady.

And like. My relationship with my dad is - shall we say - complex. But hot damn even my dad at least has the emotional maturity to acknowledge the way he treated us wasn't great. It was all of once and he's never said it again, but he did in fact say it.

But Riker's dad is like "hey son it's been 15 years, I'm doing great. Heard cool things about you, btw your ex is a smoke show." In fairness, he makes the remark about Troi to her face instead of Will's, but I feel like that's worse?

Though I love how Pulaski is confronting Riker's dad over him and Will having an anbo-jytsu match instead of y'know. Abandoning his son. As a teen. But yeah, let's focus on how two grown men are gonna beat each other with sticks.

Like. No one, not even Troi, has said to Will "hey, I'm sorry your dad is a giant dickwad who ditched you when you were a kid. That sucks." Instead everyone is like "wow fathers and sons are weird."

And yeah, okay, Riker's dad was grieving the death of his wife while trying to raise a son. But he's still an absolute goon of a man who abandoned his son and has the gall to act like he's the injured party somehow.

And then they have one half-assed heart-to-heart and apparently it's fine now?

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Happy first contact day!! Here’s a Riker :)

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Riker cooking my beloved

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I can't take anything beardless!Riker does seriously. Like his character is too serious and he just doesn't look the part.

Man's personality is stored in his beard

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Still obsessed with the boy

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Look at these little babies toasting to the rest of their natural lives.

From Journey's End: The Saga of Star Trek TNG, VHS, 1994.

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as a new trekkie, who entered the star trek world with few spoilers and little knowledge of fandom opinions, i've been wondering whether my own personal opinions and sympathies within the st universe are popular, so i decided to make a few simple polls, of which this is the second (find the first one here)

rb for sample size, please 💖

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William T Riker Headcanon

The reason Riker broke up with Deeana is because he didn't feel equip to be a husband OR a father.

His father wasn't a good role model and since leaving at 15 he didn't have many role models.

but also he was still trying to determine the type of man he wanted to be in life.

Not until he was on the ship with Picard but as he got older and being on the enterprise changed his mind and made him rethink his life and thus he was becoming more open to marriage and a family to ultimately marrying Deeana with children of his own.

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I deeply share your hate for this plot point. It is terrible, and even now people still see it as an okay thing to have done.

Some actually consider the encounter as an actual romantic partner for Riker and not the rape it was.

I hate even seeing screenshots of the episode I am almost irrationally angry about it.

there's probably been discourse about this for years that i missed, but that episode where the alien tells riker she'll help him escape if he has sex with her is messed up.

i don't care if he likes fucking aliens. that's coercion and rape, and it's played for laughs

i love star trek but i don't love the way it's traditionally used female rape (or rape metaphors) as trauma porn or a plot device in someone else's storyline and male rape as something the guy should be grateful for (because men always, under all circumstances, want sex, right???)

ash tyler in discovery season 1 is the first time i can remember a trek character experiencing rape and having it treated by the narrative with real respect. we need more of that and less of the other thing

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Happy Star Trek day everybody 🖖

This is actually a really old piece of fan art, like 2 years ago or something? I'm just really bad at posting things.

Here's some alternative versions and WIPs:

Also, this is based on a post (I just wanted to give them extra accessories). Unfortunately, while I could find the post, I've just realized it was someone reposting someone else's art, and even though there's a source link the source link doesn't actually link back to the original 😔

Here is the link nonetheless

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i love william riker.

i love him for so many different reasons, but he's just so.

and there are ppl out there who's like "no he's a predator!"

but that is simply not true.

like, yes, he is sexual.

yes, he's in tune w his sexuality.

yes, he knows what he wants.

but every time there's a um, sensual scene w him he ALWAYS gives the other person an opportunity for an out.

if his partner is in anyway hesitant, or just blatantly not into it, he will stop, and pretend like nothing happened in that moment.

every scene, there's an opportunity to say no, and we all know he would immediately back away.

and think abt 1x03, the naked now? when deanna came to him he knew that she was intoxicated, and he knew, w/out a second thought, that he needed to get her to sick bay, and get her safe. the thought of taking advantage of her never crossed his mind.

no matter what deanna did, what she 'wanted' he rejected. bc he knew that would mean he was taking advantage of her.

point is, if u think will rikers a predator, just leave.

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I love that he was so proud to serve them too.

Like this poor guy thinks he did a good job and doesn't understand why only Worf likes it.

Absolutely pathetic. Loved it.

commander riker makes the worst omelette in the galaxy. asked to leave the enterprise