#GEOLOGICAL INFORMATION FROM WELLS

[taniahylian]

Bessmert vs Vertin: Different ways of recording eras

So, after finishing the 1.9 event and pretty much confirming that the "Friend from afar" that writes articles for UTTU is Bessmert, I started reflecting on what she does, compared to Vertin, because at the end of the day they're quite similar characters, but with some key differences.

First of, they're both recording eras, but for their own reasons and in their own way. Vertin was given this task by the foundation, presumably so they'd have more information of how the storms work and how they affect historical events (plus, the way Manus interferes), while Bessmert seems to be driven by her own desire to share what she experiences in the form of articles and/or books, which leads me to the second difference; the medium.

Vertin takes pictures of everything she deems worthwhile, as we learn in the prologue, and also presumably makes some paintings, both of which are purely visual mediums. Meanwhile Bessmert, for obvious reasons, could never use those, and instead turns to writing.

But the major difference, imo, is what they choose to record. Bessmert writes about historical events (the theft of the world-famous rimmet cup, and how an unknown little town in the middle of nowhere saved itself and became prosperous) or major geological arcane discoveries (Pei city and it's Divination, and presumably Aperion and it's magical cave). Meanwhile Vertin records what she herself, personally, finds interesting; the single mother who wrote a play about the transantartica expedition, and a girl who had a collection of a futbol player photos are a few examples. Of course, some of the pictures she took happen to be of historical events, like the Apollo 11 launch, but they're not all she records.

What's even more interesting, however, is how Bessmert detaches herself from the narrative; she's never a protagonist in the stories she writes, and she doesn't try to influence their course or make connections with the people she meets; she's simply an observer. In Shuori she was forced to participate in the the story due to circumstances beyond her control, but even then what she wrote about the event seemed to be more like... collections of geological and cultural observations, rather than anecdotes of the people she met, or what she felt during the events.

Vertin, on the other hand, tends to be an active protagonist in any story she is in. See Green Lake and Uluru, for example; she interacted with the characters, helped them, used whatever resources she had to influence the story for the better, etc. Not only that; she formed personal connections and even invited them to the foundation and her suitcase, because this is the most valuable thing that Vertin deems worth preserving of each era; the people she meets and the bonds she made.

Vertin goes against the wishes of the foundation, to record what she sees without sparing any feelings for the people she met, while Bessmert... well, she really would be the ideal Timekeeper, wouldn't she?

[city-of-ladies]

Genmei (661-721) was Japan's fourth empress regnant. She was Empress Jitō's half-sister and her match in terms of ambition and political skills. Her rule was characterized by a development of culture and innovations. 

Ruling after her son

Like Jitō (645-703), Genmei was the daughter of Emperor Tenji but was born from a different mother. Jitō was both her half-sister and mother-in-law since Genmei had married the empress’ son, Prince Kusakabe (662-689). She had a son with him, Emperor Monmu (683-707). 

Kusakabe died early and never reigned, which led to Jitō's enthronement. The empress was then succeeded by her grandson Monmu. The latter’s reign was short. In his last will, he called for his mother to succeed him in accordance with the “immutable law” of her father Tenji. Genmei accepted. 

Steadfast and ambitious 

Genmei was made from the same mold as her half-sister. She proved to be a fearless sovereign, undeterred by military crises. 

She pursued Jitō's policies, strengthening the central administration and keeping the power in imperial hands. Among her decisions were the proscription of runaway peasants and the restriction of private ownership of mountain and field properties by the nobility and Buddhist temples. 

Another of her achievements was transferring the capital at Heijō-kyō (Nara) in 710, turning it into an unprecedented cultural and political center. Her rule saw many innovations. Among them were the first attempt to replace the barter system with the Wadō copper coins, new techniques for making brocade twills and dyeing and the settlement of experimental dairy farmers.

A protector of culture

Genmei sponsored many cultural projects. The first was the Kojiki, written in 712 it told Japan’s history from mythological origins to the current rulers. In its preface, the editor Ō no Yasumaro praised the empress:

“Her Imperial Majesty…illumines the univers…Ruling in the Purple Pavillion, her virtue extends to the limit of the horses’ hoof-prints…It must be saif that her fame is greater than that of Emperor Yü and her virtue surpasses that of Emperor Tang (legendary emperors of China)”.

In 713, she ordered the local governments to collect local legends and oral traditions as well as information about the soil, weather, products and geological and zoological features. Those local gazetteers (Fudoki) were an invaluable source of Japan’s ancient tradition.

Several of Genmei’s poems are included in the Man'yōshū anthology, including a reply by one of the court ladies. 

Listen to the sounds of the warriors' elbow-guards;

Our captain must be ranging the shields to drill the troops.

– Genmei Tennō

Reply:

Be not concerned, O my Sovereign;

Am I not here,

I, whom the ancestral gods endowed with life,

Next of kin to yourself

– Minabe-hime

From mother to daughter 

Genmei abdicated in 715 and passed the throne to her daughter, empress Genshō (680-748) instead of her sickly grandson prince Obito. This was an unprecedented situation, making the Nara period the pinnacle of female monarchy in Japan. 

Genmei would oversee state affairs until she died in 721. Before her death, she shaved her head and became a nun, becoming the first Japanese monarch to take Buddhist vows and establishing a long tradition.

Feel free to check out my Ko-Fi if you like what I do! Your support would be greatly appreciated.

Further reading

Shillony Ben-Ami, Enigma of the Emperors Sacred Subservience in Japanese History

Tsurumi Patricia E., “Japan’s early female emperors”

Aoki Michiko Y., "Jitō Tennō, the female sovereign",in: Mulhern Chieko Irie (ed.), Heroic with grace legendary women of Japan

[mysticstronomy]

HOW OLD IS OUR SOLAR SYSTEM??

Blog#354

Saturday, December 2nd, 2023

Welcome back,

How old is the Solar System? That is a question that cuts to the heart of it all. By studying several things, mostly meteorites, and using radioactive dating techniques, specifically looking at daughter isotopes, scientists have determined that the Solar System is 4.6 billion years old. Well, give or take a few million years. That age can be extended to most of the objects and material in the Solar System.

The United States Geological Survey(USGS) website has a lot of indepth material about how the age of the Solar System was determined. The basics of it are that all material radioactively decays into a stable isotope. Some elements decay within nanoseconds while others have projected half-lives of over 100 billion years. The USGS based their study on minerals that naturally occur in rocks and have half-lives of 700 million to 100 billion years.

These dating techniques, known as radiometric dating, are firmly grounded in physics and are used to measure the last time that the rock being dated was either melted or disturbed sufficiently to re-homogenize its radioactive elements. This techniques returned an approximate age for meteorites of 4.6 billion years and Earth bound rocks around 4.3 billion years. The USGS admits that they were unable to find any rock that had not been altered by the Earths tectonic plates, so the age of the Earth could be refined in the future.

When the gasses of the early solar nebula began to cool, the first materials to condense into solid particles were rich in calcium and aluminum. Eventually solid particles of different elements clumped together to form the common building blocks of comets, asteroids, and planets. Astronomers have long thought that some of the Solar System’s oldest asteroids should be more enriched in calcium and aluminum, but, none had been identified until recently. The the Allende meteorite of 1969 was the first to show inclusions that were extremely rich in calcium and aluminum.

It took 40 years for the spectra of the inclusions to be discovered and then extrapolates to very old asteroids still in orbit around the Sun. Astronomer Jessica Sunshine and colleagues made this discovery with the support of NASA and the National Science Foundation. Additionally, the Universe is thought to have been created about 13.7 billion years ago.

Measuring two long-lived radioactive elements in meteorites, uranium-238 and thorium-232, has placed the age of the Milky Way at in the same time frame. From these measurements, it appears that large scale structures like galaxies formed relatively quickly after the Big Bang.

Originally published on www.universetoday.com

COMING UP!!

(Wednesday, December 6th, 2023)

"WHAT IS THE INFORMATION PARADOX??"

[welcome-to-green-hills]

Do you think that we’ll explore the town of Green Hills, Montana in the series and Sonic 3? Like slice of life stuff or more history? I don’t think that there’s a whole lot to the town other than it being described as a “dinky backwater town.”

Hi Honey! ❤️✨

Believe it or not, the town of Green Hills is very fruitful in its foundation! It may not feel like it, but there’s definitely a rich history of when the town was established. (Whew! Now y’all get to see how big of a nerd I am. That’s either a really good thing or a bad thing). I’ll hyperlink all of my sources/claims to specific information so y’all can review it at a later date. Hopefully, this add a bit more detail than what the Sonic Wikis have for the films.

Down below are bullet points and photos of Green Hills, Montana:

Green Hills was founded in the early 1800's by a group of explorers surveying and mapping that state of Montana. The rugged explorers took nearly 30 years in making a complete map of the state and claiming the area as home. Green Hills is located in the middle of the state and known to have fascinating geological features. The town was called "Green Hills" due to the unique shades of green found in its flora. Essentially, the town was founded by chance because it took so long to survey between 1806 to 1835.

One of the town's founders, Morgan McConnell, specifically wanted to build a town in the heart of Montana because of the area's geological feature--checkered patterns. Morgan McConnell was credited for charting nearly a quarter of the state, including the town, and coined as as THE explorer of Montana. His favorite location to sit and work at was the Devil's Pinkie (the ledge that Sonic stands at in the first and second film). Unexpectedly, McConnell fell off of the Devil's Pinkie and died. According to town legend, McConnell's name echoed through the valley ranges for hours after he died. It's unknown if these are still heard in the area today.

Between 1870 and 1883, the town of Green Hills became one of the firsts settled areas along the Northern Pacific Railway. The transcontinental railroad system stretched from the State of Minnesota, the Pacific Northwest, and along the main line opening at the Great Lakes. A town plaque describes Green Hills as a "golden spike" by former USA president Ulysses S. Grant and viewed as an important hub. The town is credited as a supply depot, as well as known for bringing in large immigration populations. The railroad system is still a crucial necessity of the town today.

The first settlers of Green Hills, Montana didn't start making their migration to the area until the 1860s. The settlers were faced with hardships of the land, lack of infrastructure, and brutal winters. Families were known to mingle together in small dwellings and form small communities. Polygamous families were common until Christian morality arrived to the area in later years (Welcome-to-Green-Hills, 2021).

Main Street features the town's first general store, a feed and gardening supply store, and post office.

Green Hills, Montana takes pride in country hospitality. The warmer months have communal events such as hoedowns, harvests and festivals, fishing derbies, farmers markets, and horseback riding events. The business district features Dr. Maddie Wachowski's veterinary clinic, antique shops, a brewery (AKA, the Beer Gardens), a stationary shop, a butcher's shop, and the Mean Bean Coffee Shop (the slogan: "drink mean"). (Tails Channel, 2021).

The Green Hills Community Theater is a town gem. It was established in 1905 and has been known to put on spectacular and successful productions for over 100 years.

The Green Hills Bulletin (the local newspaper) says that they've been the hot spot for a classic car show for the past twenty years, have a "Dog of the Week" section, a local artist guild that does mosaics for the town, recently had a worker's strike on repairing the railroad system in town, and are in the middle of a movement for accessibility laws for disabled residents.

In the first movie's novel, Green Hills is known for its massive Blueberry festivals in the fall. This is an event that's welcome to all of the farmers in the state and neighboring states. Tom is known to actively take part of the festival.

In the 1900's, the town saw an influx of United States veterans occupy the area. It's seen as a "retirement community" to those not actively serving.

The town as a population of nearly 2,000 residents, as implied by the "Welcome to Green Hills" sign at the speed trap.

There's definitely more that the town has to offer in terms of history. When I have the chance, I'll give this post some more attention and add to it. Until then, enjoy some historical facts about our Dinky Backwater Town!

[beautifulmars]

HiPOD: A Mound with a View

Gale is an impact crater with a very large mound of material in the middle known as Aeolis Mons (informally named Mount Sharp). If you were standing on Mount Sharp, you would see a diverse range of landforms on the floor and interior walls of Gale Crater such as deltas, alluvial fans, layered deposits, ridges, dunes, and smaller impact craters. Together these landforms tell an interesting geologic story that records the interaction of several processes including water and wind.

This image from the southern floor of Gale Crater shows narrow curvy ridges that connect to larger fan-shaped deposits. These narrow ridges were once the floor of a channel that are now standing in positive relief because the finer-grained material on the flanks of the channel has been blown away by the wind. These ridges, called “inverted channels,” can form by fluvial (produced by streams) or alluvial (created when water moves and deposits sediment) processes. Inverted channels are found in several places on Mars as well as Earth and scientists can study these landforms to understand the role of water.

ID: PSP_006288_1740 date: 29 November 2007 altitude: 268 km

NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona

[muffinlance]

Shaw reeeeally want to eat the earth kings bear. It’s so exotic and he’s never tried one before. Just a nibble, maybe a haunch, then he’ll know if it tastes like orca-bear or weasel-bear.

(Continued from parts one and two.)

Kuei is, in the understated words of one of his earliest tutors, feeling mildly out of his geological stratum. 

There was a war. There was a war for his entire life, for his father’s and his grandfather’s. He is only learning of it now, because it is over, and his signature is required on the official documents. 

(At least they didn’t just take his royal seal and stamp it themselves.)

The young king has many questions. Mostly about his own court, and which of his advisors are truly trustworthy.

(And which would find for him a less pleasant oubliette, if he tried to rattle his palace’s bars.)

“The Fire Lord will enter through the eastern doors,” an etiquette tutor he’s never seen before instructs him. “You will stand for him, but not bow. His dragons have been instructed to enter behind him, but in practice, will do as they please. Or as he has ordered them. They are an intimidation tactic; do not acknowledge them. The terms have already been agreed upon. Place your stamp where indicated. If he inclines his head, you may return the gesture…”

It would be a significant amount of information to remember, had it not sifted down to “your presence was not required before, and is only ceremonial now.”

Kuei stands when the Fire Lord enters. His fellow monarch is young, but so is Kuei. The boy comes flanked with his own cadre of old men. Perhaps this is just what it’s like, being a king. 

And then the dragons enter, which rather puts into perspective why this meeting is occuring in the grand ballroom, rather than a more usual diplomatic location. They are… very impressive specimens. The old men behind Kuei stiffen at the sight of them. The ones near the Fire Lord have to actively dodge, with a rumpling of robes and dignity alike, as the great serpents claim their place at the boy’s sides. 

And then they keep coming forward, coils of them thick around as particularly rotund badgermoles, and Kuei’s advisors follow the example set by their peers. Which is to say: Kuei is suddenly rather alone at the table, with two great heads crossing paths behind him. They pause like that, for a moment, before moving on. There is enough of them to wrap back around to their Fire Lord’s side, even as they remain looped behind Kuei. 

Yes. Yes, he could see why this would be an effective intimidation tactic.

The Fire Lord looks at the chair he’s been provided. Then down the length of the great table, to where Kuei would sit. There would have been servants to carry the papers between them, but… well. They are probably not going to risk scaling the dragon’s sides. The Fire Lord huffs, and walks to the chair to the left of Kuei’s, before setting down a pile of scrolls.

They let him carry important documents himself. That must be nice. 

“Have you had time to read the final draft?” the Fire Lord asks, his chair scraping against stone as he pulls it out. He sits, and looks to Kuei expectantly.

Do not speak to him, says the voice of the tutor in Kuei’s memory. He is the violent offspring of an upstart island; you are the rightful inheritor of a continent. You bow to him on paper only.

“I… have not,” Kuei admits, and takes his own seat. 

“Neither have I,” says the boy. “We should probably make sure the copies match, too. My advisors kept telling me not to worry about it, which is probably a reason to worry about it.”

So they unroll two copies of the finest calligraphy, and push their chairs close, and get down to reading. It is not an exaggeration to say that Kuei has spent his whole life practicing for this.

“This map cannot be accurate,” Kuei says.

“It… looks okay to me?”

“This is nearly two-thirds of our western fishing ports, nevermind the river transport routes, whose ‘tax rates and availability to outside use shall be at the discretion of the Fire Lord’?”

“That’s where my people live.”

“Then where did my people go?”

“Uh,” says the Fire Lord. Who is actually quite significantly younger than Kuei.

“...Did your advisors hand you papers to sign, too?”

“They said you’d already agreed.”

Kuei’s own advisors had implied they’d all be eaten by dragons should he refuse to sign, so. That was certainly a form of agreement. 

One of the Fire Lord’s very intimidating serpents has laid its great head down across most of their table, and appears to have fallen asleep. The other is… scenting the air? Well. That's mildly alarming. It coils its neck back, to the limit the high ceiling allows, and stares down at something outside its coils. 

Which is the point Kuei hears the whuffing of his bear cub. Which his advisors had very firmly told him could not be at this meeting, so little Bosco had been left in a garden with servants for attendants, but so many people are as afraid of a simple bear cub as they are of these great beasts of dragons, so it was no surprise he’d escaped to find the one person who really cared—

“Spit it out!” shouts the Fire Lord. “Spit it out!”

Kuei is not entirely certain how he ends up with his arms inside a dragon’s maw, his formal hairpiece being dripped upon by hot saliva fresh from a fang. But at least he's not the only monarch to be in such a state. 

The dragon’s great size is, in retrospect, a blessing: a little morsel like Bosco had not required chewing. The bear shakes in his arms, but Kuei’s combing through wet fur had not turned up a scratch upon him. 

“That is,” says the Fire Lord, looking up. And up further. Until he finds Bosco’s trembling muzzle, pressed against the top of Kuei’s head, “a really big… bear-otter?”

“He’s just a bear,” sniffles Kuei, hugging his poor baby back, if not quite so heartily as Bosco is hugging him. “A little cub. How could your dragon do such a thing?”

“Uh,” says the Fire Lord. “Shaw… apologizes?”

The dragon does not look at all apologetic. It's nuzzling the Fire Lord’s back, in a way Kuei himself recognizes from a hundred objects pulled from a baby bear’s inquisitive mouth. But father, can’t I eat it? Please?

“We,” Kuei says, his chin lifted haughtily, “are going to refresh ourselves in the royal chambers. You are welcome to the guest baths. And then we are going to sit down with a real map.” 

Not whatever fanciful one the Fire Lord’s advisors have concocted. 

“Fine,” the boy snaps back. 

When they meet again, an hour later, both are free of the sulfurous stench of dragon spit. And both have brought their own maps, of the Fire Nation’s current military occupation.

Kuei does not sign until his people have free access to their own resources again. If slightly less land than they began with. As he is not eaten by a dragon for his troubles, he sets his sights upon his advisors, next.

(Read more prompts || Longer ATLA fics || Original works)

[ohnonotstonehenge]

Anything interesting about the rocks themselves, geologically?

A model of Stonehenge showing how it is thought to have looked when complete (if it was ever completed but that's another conversation) The big stones are the sarsens and the small ones are the bluestones. The geology of the rocks at Stonehenge is a huge subject and some research is still ongoing. I can tell you that the big stones, the ones most people think of when they imagine Stonehenge, are called sarsens, a local name. Sarsens appear in "drifts" on the chalk land that underlies that part of England. The sarsens are a kind of sandstone with a high amount of silica in them so if you find a newly broken or cut one it will have shiny bits in it. But of course the ones at Stonehenge were cut and shaped long ago and are covered with lichens and a dull patina. Until recently the source of the sarsens wasn't certain, although they knew they weren't from far away, but not that long ago the son of an engineer who had extracted a core from one of them long ago returned that core to English Heritage who are in charge of the stones. The core was tested and analyzed and it was determined that almost all of the 52 sarsens at Stonehenge were brought from an area called West Woods near Marlborough, about 15 miles north. Quite an enterprise 4500 years ago even to bring one 20 ton stone that far and they brought 50+. But the big stones aren't even one third of the stones at Stonehenge and the rest of the story is much more complex. People toss around the term bluestone for many of the smaller stones at Stonehenge but that isn't a geological term and the bluestones are different kinds of stone, mostly rhyolite and spotted dolerite. The closest geological matches for many of these are in outcroppings in western Wales. How they got to Salisbury Plain is contested. Most theorists believe they were brought there for some reason through enormous effort by the builders but there's one fellow in particular who bangs on and on about them having been brought from Wales by glaciers. I find myself hoping he's wrong just because he is unkind about other researchers and well, just generally annoying, but that's no way to do science, haha, and until proof is found one way or another we don't actually know.

There are other stones too, like the heel stone and the so-called slaughter stone, called that because it is flat and the hollows in it look red when they fill with water because of the iron oxide in the stone. There is nothing to indicate that human sacrifice was ever practiced there. That was just the kind of thing people liked to imagine in the Romantic Era and it stuck. For further information on the stones themselves I will refer you to a blog that numbers the stones and talks about each stone and the types of stones : The Stones of Stonehenge. There is no aspect of Stonehenge that isn't researched, talked about, even argued about. The personalities surrounding it are part of what fascinates me.

[musicfeedsmysoul12]

The Top Reasons Why You Should Know Geology as a Writer

Hello, lovelies! A project for my Introduction to Geology class was to create a ‘promotion’ of Geology as it can be used for things other then you know, tourism or warning of natural disasters. Me, being the writer, decided to create this post that I will be posting for the fun of it. As this is a creative project, I decided to write it as I normally write posts here on my blog.

First off, writing is a complicated business when it comes down to it. Particularly when you get into the idea of worldbuilding. As someone who has two different worlds I’ve been working on creating, one thing that helps a lot is geology in general. I know, it sounds a bit crazy to think about. But it’s true. Geology is the study of the earth itself, and knowing how the earth works, even if it’s just basic concepts, helps build a world. After all, a town in the mountains and a town by the seaside may suffer from different natural disasters, but it comes from the same thing: the shifting of tectonic plates.

Let’s say that you’re building a world where your main character lives in the mountains. What sort of mountain town? Is it a mining town? Is it a town for tourists? In this little example, I will use a prototype for a story I am working on, where the main character lives in a town with a hot spring. How do hot springs form? Would this affect the area of the mountain town? The answer to this, of course, is geothermal heat that is pushed upwards to the upper crust. Once you know that, trying to figure out the environmental impacts of this occurs next. Then you have to think about the dangers of hot springs and so on, and how the people you have created would react to them.

Hot springs, and in general geothermal sites, have had religious or cultural connections for centuries! Think of all the health gurus talking about going to a hot spring to soak away the pain due to the minerals in a spring. Think of how people will purposely hike to get to a hot springs to soak in! An entire culture can be built around a hot springs to. Communal bathing is quite common across cultures, and a hot springs can be the site for potential political talks or even just a place of relaxation for people.

Adding to the above, you now have a tourism aspect, a possible religious aspect, an environmental concern, and a culture ready to be built up all based on a geological matter! I mean, look at the picture; it’s an image from a national parks website (https://www.nps.gov/subjects/geology/hot-springs.htm if any of you wanna look). We can see how a geological function like a hot spring can affect tourism here! Look at how many people are watching this! Even in a more medieval setting, you can’t doubt people wouldn’t line up to see this!

Let’s continue with another thought, and that is how places tend to end up settled. There are plenty of guidebooks that inform us how, as well, you can look at history! Natural resources are the answer to that, with water being a primary reason behind the settlement of many areas. But there are other resources that may have a settlement show up. Some may be organic, but others would be things such as coal, materials such as stone to create things, or it could be something like gems that people mine for money. 

As well, by considering what natural resources are around, you determine more landscape as a result of these. The picture below is a picture of the world’s largest open-pit diamond mine. Imagine that something like this exists in your story. 

And how does this happen?

Did you guess geology? You’d be right! Geology is such an ingrained process in world-building that writers don’t tend to see it. And let’s be real, if you have a group of people who live by a mine and a group of people who live by a lake, there are vastly different concerns each other has. This again comes down to the effects geology has on EITHER of these things.

Some writers ignore how geology works. JR Tolkein may have been a fantastic writer, but in the end his ideas on mountains were pretty wrong. Not bad, just wrong. While I’ll never say you can’t bend some rules for the fun of it when writing fantasy, I will say most people enjoy the sprinkling of reality littering the pages of their work rather then not. As well, it’s easier on the writer to. 

I mean, I prefer not to wonder what sort of dangers there are in my worlds.  If I can take a two-second Google Search to get an idea of it, it’s easier than trying to think of these things myself. Look to the above picture! We now have, in fact, at least 6 (6!!) things to include as worries for your little fishing village on the ocean. And guess what?! TWO of these things are related to geology! 

So, to recap so far: Geology can be used to not only give your world either income, but it can also enable you to create a religion based on things around them, it can be used to create interesting landscapes and can give you natural disasters that are connected to said landscapes!

Wanna know what ELSE Geology can be used for?

Naming your little villages and towns. No, I am NOT kidding.

Look, people name places either after relatives, or themselves or they looked around frantically before pointing at the nearest rock and went: ROCK TOWN. Don’t believe me?

In Alberta, we have: High River, Slave Lake, Okotoks (A reference to Big Rock, using the Blackfoot word for rock, "ohkotok"), Diamond Valley, Fox Creek, Milk River, Peace River, Pincher Creek, Rocky Mountain House- the list just goes on and on and on!! And again, GEOLOGY. Struggling with naming your little mountain town? Did you but a mine near it? What does the mine produce? Diamonds?

Boom. Diamondville. It’s that easy when you’ve created the geology of the world, you can just use words from your area! No more hard time thinking about it, just GO FOR IT!

So, in the end: learn geology. It gives you a way to create culture, economic concerns, a name for places and even see what sort of local concerns there are in even the smallest village. 

[basicgeology]

Under the oceans

Have you ever wondered what exactly lies at the bottom of the ocean? Or, well, under the bottom of the ocean.

The oceanic crust is relatively thin, only between 2 and 10 km at most, with a global average of 7 km. Its density is between 2.8 and 3.2 g/cm^3 and it is theorized that it cannot be older than 250 millions of years, as oceanic ridges continuously form new crust, while the earth "reclaims" parts of it through subduction.

What is more interesting to me though, is what is actually inside of it.

The "Ophiolitic Sequence" is a reoccurring series of rock formations that can be consistently found through the oceanic crust. As opposed to its continental counterpart, the oceanic crust is relatively predictable from what is known, and usually the same formations can be found in the same order from surface to mantle.

Keep in mind that all of these formations aren't always found under the oceanic crust, in some areas some of them may be missing.

This is a very idealized rendition of what the ophiolitic sequence might look like:

From top to bottom we have:

Pelagic sediments: at the deepest parts of the ocean, this means mostly clay sediments and silicates. Rarely you can find limestone sediments in the ocean, especially at significant depths.

Pillow lavas: the most superficial ignenous formations, formed by lava emerging from the oceanic ridges. They care called this way because when the lava emerges, it comes into contact with water - water applies a hydrostatic pressure that forced the lava to solidify in a rounded shape, similar to the one of a pillow.

Basaltic dykes/dikes: dykes are vertical or semi-vertical magmatic intrusions, these are made of basalt which means they are particularly rich in plagioclase feldspar minerals, specifically rich in calcium.

Gabbroic rocks: gabbro is an intrusive rock, it is pretty much the intrusive counterpart to basalt, as it is also rich in high-Ca plagioclase feldspar minerals.

Moho: "Moho" is not a rock formation, but a geologic and chemical discontinuity that separates crust and mantle, the full name of the discontinuity is "Mohorovičić discontinuity", but most people refer to it as just Moho. It's definied by a significant change in the velocity of seismic waves that pass through it.

Peridotites: the top of the mantle is made up mainly by dunites and peridotites, which are both "ultramaphic rocks", as in rocks that are particularly rich in magnesium and iron. dunites are significantly rich in olivine minerals, while the term "peridotite" is used to refer to ultramaphic rocks that have both olivine and pyroxen minerals in relatively similar ratios. (There is honestly an entire essay that could be written about these rocks alone but maybe in a different post, they are my favorite rocks lol).

I hope this post was informative and interesting to read, if you have questions please don't hesitate sending asks to my inbox!

[elizabethrobertajones]

Frog Time

I'm so bad at tagging people so consider yourself tagged if you want to be :)

B A S I C S

Name: Bounding Frog (redacted roe language name because I forgor)

Nicknames: Frog

Age: 18-22 (ARR-EW)

Nameday: 23rd Sun of the 5th Umbral Moon

Race: Hellsguard Roegadyn

Gender: cis woman

Sexuality: Bi

Profession: She has a summer job working with the hippo riders, although that doesn't pay as well as adventuring, so she's looking forward to Dawntrail and doing more than delivery runs.

P H Y S I C A L     A S P E C T S

Hair: maroon and light pink

Eyes: maroon and light pink

Skin: brown

Tattoos/scars: I headcanon the single choice of tattoos per face for roes are meaningful somehow - I chose coming of age, getting her Adventurer Name, and leaving home, so those were fresh porple swoops over her cheekbones in ARR :D I've only known her as long as she's been Frog and looked like this.

The scar on her nose is from being underhand punted like a rugby ball by an older brother back when she was an orb shaped child. Since adventuring the regular healing has stopped her getting too scarred up from any misadventures.

F A M I L Y

Parents: Notable members of their remote mountain community, maintaining an important set of Arcanima wards around an aetherically dangerous geological fault. Of course, they're good at their jobs so this wasn't very scary as an upbringing. They're a lovely couple and make a hell of a bowl of soup. All else I know about them is they're very supportive and Frog writes to them regularly.

Siblings: like six rowdy older brothers. She was very spoiled by this squad of bodyguards tbh. (Ignore the previous comment about one of them maiming her, they DO love her even if they saw her as a cannonball under other circumstances.) A couple of them left to be mercenaries, uncertain if for Garlemald - they don't write home as thoroughly.

Grandparents: Probably, tbh. We're getting out of my limited perception of Hellguard culture and history but I think I can say the remoteness of their village is an excuse for nothing too terrible to have happened to any of them :P

In-laws and other: She was sort of starting to think of Edmont as a potential in-law and he began acting like it after Events so she's acquired some without marrying. He DID also adopt Aymeric informally, so now she's courting him it's coming back around!

Pets: Multiple, even not counting animal sanctuary beasties. Some she drops by to visit where they're being looked after once she'd raised them or sheltered them for a while (the baby hippo was donated to the hippo riders thankfully before he got too large and hungry for example). Others live at the free company house getting spoiled by the staff. The free company is named after the baby tapir who is the best and cutest. :)

S K I L L S

Abilities: In character, she has yet to find something she isn't good at after a couple of false starts. (ooc is much more of a mess depending on my ability) As an all-jobs all-crafts all-gatherers weirdo she's genuinely alarming to contemplate.

Hobbies: crafting/gathering/fishing is more of a wind down respite than a career calling for her. Canonically she's finished the fishing log... ooc I haven't by a long shot :P She also loves visiting bars and pubs across the world that she's visited to drop in on old friends, or go on foodie tours of places she's liberated. They stole G'raha being a foodie traveller in the dawntrail trailer from her actually.

Kinda always wanted to do a in character review of all the drinking establishments in game.

T R A I T S

Most positive trait: determination and everything that went into being strong enough to do the end walk, which did feel like a culmination of all the positive things they ascribe to the WoL. Since she's living the life of box art Meteor with no plot deviations or alterations except what I can put into the downtime and spaces between cutscenes, I can't argue with times when they REALLY show the admirable heart of the WoL.

Most negative trait: She's not going to say no, so if you need a favour just stand near where she wanders by routinely and look forlorn and you WILL get helped to within an inch of your life.

L I K E S

Colors: royal purple, dark reds and deep blues

Smells: fresh baked anything. Probably also the fresh morning smell when she gets up at ass o'clock to do stretches or whatever gross things morning people do.

Textures: G'raha ears >:)

Drinks: black coffee, red wine, milky tea

O T H E R    D E T A I L S

Smokes: tried it with the Vath and hated it. Still has no idea if Fogweed is a drug or not.

Drinks: socially and merrily with a bottomless liver.

Drugs: nothing harder than caffeine and alcohol.

Mount Issuance: her sweet blue chocobo is called Turbulence and threw off everyone who attempted to ride him before that.

Been Arrested: not outside MSQ run ins with the law

[right-hand-of-the-black-sand]

Okay, so I'm pretty sure that everyone who's watched the Mozenrath episodes has had at least similar thoughts to what I've had about black sand, but I've never seen anyone else bring it up, so I'm making a post to clean my brain out.

The quick version: Is the substance that Mozenrath used in The Secret of Dagger Rock the same substance that he used in Black Sand? Is the substance of Black Sand the same as the black sand that covers Mozenrath's kingdom? ...Where did that sand even come from?!

So Mozenrath lives in the Land of the Black Sand, which seems to be an area completely covered in black sand, as opposed to the brown or yellow sand that we see in most other places in the franchise.

(Also, this shot is gorgeous and would probably make the Land of the Black Sands a place I would want to live in, if only it weren't for the towers on that giant slab held up by an uneven geological column that gives me anxiety.)

Aside from just being the sand that covers Mozenrath's kingdom, Black Sand is also the name of a substance that he uses in the episode Black Sand in order to ensnare and imprison his opponents in what looks to be some sort of pocket dimension.

Note that the first image there has the Black Sand sticking to Mozenrath, which is interesting to me because the same episode has Iago pull out some grains of Black Sand, let it slide through his feathers, and then dust his wings off...

...which means that the Black Sand that Mozenrath uses to trap his opponents in the adhesive substance may be similar to the regular black sand that covers his own land, if it isn't outright the same.

While we don't see Mozenrath use the substance in the same way he did in the episode Black Sand, we did see something similar in the earlier episode The Secret of Dagger Rock.

What's interesting about this one is that while the substance is never given a name, it does share a slightly similar appearance and serve a similar function to the substance in Black Sand. The main difference is that the Black Sand of the episode Black Sand seemed to almost work on its own, spreading out and ensnaring people after it was blown from Mozenrath's palm. It occasionally sucked people into it, but it also seemed to work like a liquid too, with people splashing after falling directly into it. Meanwhile, the substance in Dagger Rock seemed to work more like tar, with Aladdin sinking further into it the more that he struggled. We see something similar later on where Aladdin is hanging directly beneath Dagger Rock with ropes of the substance around his wrists. Near the end of the episode, the substance has covered his hands and forearms, and the ropes of the substance holding Aladdin up are sagging low enough for Mozenrath to grab Aladdin directly.

We also see Genie cut through the ropes with scissors, but the goo-like substance sticks to him the moment that he presses his fingers against it.

All this is to say that these are all different substances or that the sand that covers Mozenrath's kingdom may have different properties depending on the moment. Maybe it's due to Mozenrath enchanting his sand or something.

But that's half of it for me, because I'm really curious as to where this sand came from in the first place.

(Heads up, much of the rest of this post consists of me, a person with little to no knowledge of geology, relaying information that I found after some quick internet searches that usually led to Wikipedia, so take it with a grain of... basalt.)

So, I don't know enough about geology to ask more specific questions, but I'll give it a shot; What is the more normal black sand made of, and why is it there? The most popular types of black sand that I know of are from black sand beaches, consisting of basalt fragments and are the remains of lava flows that made contact with salt water. A desert consisting entirely of sand that is black, however... well, doesn't really exist. You've got things like the Karakum Desert, known for its sand that looks black due to the darker soil beneath it, and the Black Desert in Western Egypt has mounds capped by basalt sills which gives them their darker appearance.

Iceland has some interesting examples because much of the country is technically a desert, having little rain, but it has areas covered in black sand due to glacial outburst floods (jökulhlaup) that result from geothermal heating and the occasional volcanic subglacial eruption. The water that melts from the glacier mixes with the volcanic debris, and that's how you get the black sand.

So right now, a black sand desert that's far away from any oceans or glaciers doesn't really exist. It would be difficult to realistically place one right next to the orange sandy deserts of and around Agrabah, especially if you believe from the movie's demos that Agrabah is the replacement city for Baghdad in Iraq, which doesn't have much access to the ocean. If we went realistically, it could be the location of a dried-up ocean from long ago that was also prone to volcanic activity. Maybe it's the result of black rust from a massive deposit of iron.

Or maybe it's magic.

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

Oceans of water found on Mars

Using seismic activity to probe the interior of Mars, geophysicists have found evidence for a large underground reservoir of liquid water — enough to fill oceans on the planet's surface.

The data from NASA's Insight lander allowed the scientists to estimate that the amount of groundwater could cover the entire planet to a depth of between 1 and 2 kilometers, or about a mile.

While that’s good news for those tracking the fate of water on the planet after its oceans disappeared more than 3 billion years ago, the reservoir won't be of much use to anyone trying to tap into it to supply a future Mars colony. It's located in tiny cracks and pores in rock in the middle of the Martian crust, between 11.5 and 20 kilometers below the surface. Even on Earth, drilling a hole a kilometer deep is a challenge.

The finding does pinpoint another promising place to look for life on Mars, however, if the reservoir can be accessed. For the moment, it helps answer questions about the geological history of the planet.

“Understanding the Martian water cycle is critical for understanding the evolution of the climate, surface and interior,” said Vashan Wright, a former UC Berkeley postdoctoral fellow who is now an assistant professor at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography. “A useful starting point is to identify where water is and how much is there.”

Wright, alongside colleagues Michael Manga of UC Berkeley and Matthias Morzfeld of Scripps Oceanography, detailed their analysis in a paper that will appear this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The scientists employed a mathematical model of rock physics, identical to models used on Earth to map underground aquifers and oil fields, to conclude that the seismic data from Insight are best explained by a deep layer of fractured igneous rock saturated with liquid water. Igneous rocks are cooled hot magma, like the granite of the Sierra Nevada.

"Establishing that there is a big reservoir of liquid water provides some window into what the climate was like or could be like," said Manga, a UC Berkeley professor of earth and planetary science. "And water is necessary for life as we know it. I don't see why [the underground reservoir] is not a habitable environment. It's certainly true on Earth — deep, deep mines host life, the bottom of the ocean hosts life. We haven't found any evidence for life on Mars, but at least we have identified a place that should, in principle, be able to sustain life."

Manga was Wright's postdoctoral adviser. Morzfeld was a former postdoctoral fellow in UC Berkeley’s mathematics department and is now an associate professor of geophysics at Scripps Oceanography.

Manga noted that lots of evidence — river channels, deltas and lake deposits, as well as water-altered rock — supports the hypothesis that water once flowed on the planet's surface. But that wet period ended more than 3 billion years ago, after Mars lost its atmosphere. Planetary scientists on Earth have sent many probes and landers to the planet to find out what happened to that water — the water frozen in Mars' polar ice caps can't account for it all — as well as when it happened, and whether life exists or used to exist on the planet.

The new findings are an indication that much of the water did not escape into space but filtered down into the crust.

The Insight lander was sent by NASA to Mars in 2018 to investigate the crust, mantle, core and atmosphere, and it recorded invaluable information about Mars' interior before the mission ended in 2022.

"The mission greatly exceeded my expectations," Manga said. "From looking at all the seismic data that Insight collected, they've figured out the thickness of the crust, the depth of the core, the composition of the core, even a little bit about the temperature within the mantle."

Insight detected Mars quakes up to about a magnitude of 5, meteor impacts and rumblings from volcanic areas, all of which produced seismic waves that allowed geophysicists to probe the interior.

An earlier paper reported that above a depth of about 5 kilometers, the upper crust did not contain water ice, as Manga and others suspected. That may mean that there's little accessible frozen groundwater outside the polar regions.

The new paper analyzed the deeper crust and concluded that the "available data are best explained by a water-saturated mid-crust" below Insight’s location. Assuming the crust is similar throughout the planet, the team argued, there should be more water in this mid-crust zone than the "volumes proposed to have filled hypothesized ancient Martian oceans."

IMAGE: A cutout of the Martian interior beneath NASA's Insight lander. The top 5 kilometers of the crust appear to be dry, but a new study provides evidence for a zone of fractured rock 11.5-20 km below the surface that is full of liquid water — more than the volume proposed to have filled hypothesized ancient Martian oceans. Credit James Tuttle Keane and Aaron Rodriquez, courtesy of Scripps Institute of Oceanography

[bookreviewcoffee]

At the Mountains of Madness Howard Phillips Lovecraft

The creative legacy of the master of horror literature includes mainly short stories and novels. Sometimes publishers try to group them into cycles, but, in fact, it is completely irrelevant and unnecessary: Lovecraft created his own universe on the pages of stories, whose characters, places of action, books, as a source of various information, intersect with each other, casually mentioned in one novel, then in another, causing a pleasant recognition of the reader and constructing the author's world, animated in this way and looking more believable and deeper. Lovecraft's influence not only on the horror genre, but on literature in general, on culture cannot be overestimated. He became the creator, the founder of a special direction - "Lovecraftian horror", formed at the beginning of the last century and still inspiring more and more new writers to turn to Lovecraft's work in search of ideas, expanding, multiplying and enriching the universe of myths about the ancient gods and old races.

A group of enthusiastic scientists are travelling to Antarctica. Their goal is to collect a variety of geological samples to study the past of the mysterious icy continent. This becomes possible thanks to a unique invention of one of the participants: a special drilling rig capable of penetrating to a depth previously inaccessible, as well as allowing them to cope with the ice cover. As a result of the research, scientists find a strange imprint on one of the rock samples. A representative of Lake's biology department insists on changing the expedition's plans in order to continue the search in the direction where the mysterious imprint was found. Part of the group remains at the prepared base, while the other part sets off into the unknown. After a while they begin to receive incredible, exciting, intriguing and capturing the imagination of scientists information: it turns out that unexplored areas of Antarctica still hide many secrets, one of which has now been revealed - it is an unprecedented height mountain range, shivering in the pinkish haze, illuminated by the low Antarctic sun. And biologists have also stumbled across the cavity during blasting and drilling operations, resulting in the strange, even a little frightening, discovery of incomprehensible figures of either animal or plant origin. Lake decides to carry them back to camp and study them, despite the fact that the sled dogs can't seem to stand the specimens and literally go crazy. The scientists left at the base are eager to continue, but suddenly the camp stops responding to calls ....

Whatever Howard Lovecraft wrote about, be it a detailed tale about an expedition to Antarctica or the simplest story about a cynical and greedy cemetery keeper, one thing you can't take away from him is his ability to create an incredible, lively, disturbing atmosphere of sticky horror on the pages, which runs coldly down your spine and sucks you into its reality, because that's what the author is able to achieve, to convince the reader of the absolute and immutable reality of what is happening. It seems that Lovecraft somewhere overheard, somewhere peeped, somewhere learnt about frightening myths, about which he now tells us only in hints, fearing to reveal too much to the untrained mind; about forbidden cults and rituals, originating in grey antiquity, but survived and reached our days thanks to a small number of those who are devoted to the dark secrets; about some places on our planet, which hold material evidence of bygone eras, of which not even the memory has survived, where the old gods have found rest, endlessly slumbering on half-destroyed pedestals, dreaming of magnificent and unimaginable onyx cities, wandering through caves, penetrating the giant mountains, and dreaming of awakening one day. Lovecraft's stories are every time an encounter with the unknown, the unknowable, the unspeakable and the unnameable. And yet, I have never met an author who would be so precise, detailed, even meticulous in describing the pictures created by his imagination, something non-existent,something that only he alone can see. So no matter how inexpressible and indescribable would not be horror on the pages of the book, believe me, Lovecraft imagines it very well and is quite capable of outlining the strange images seen by his inner vision, in the most refined, slightly archaic (for the effect) in the most sophisticated, slightly archaic (for empty effect) terms, and the reader is simply speechless from all these fine details, photographic details and dark colours that colour the strange stories that go beyond the boundaries of the usual, but create a different reality.

[ashroomancer]

I recently went to Temperance River State Park in Minnesota for a camping trip and figured I'd share some photos and cool facts with Tumblr about it.

The river itself! The surrounding cliff sides are a fantastic example of the eroding power of flowing water over rock when given a long enough time to work. The water would pool into "bowls" in the rock that developed as water formed pools that would develop a whirl whose force and movement would erode the bowl making it larger. Once they eroded enough the river would continue down the cliff. You could see these bowls all through the river and in the above pictures!

The water was fairly murky and had a mild sheen as well as formed bubbles throughout. This is because this far north the water flowing south into Lake Superior (which Temperance does) will have water flowing into it from bogs. About 20 miles (32.2 km) is the Cascade River and its state park named after itself which also flows with the same coloration and foam and drawing from some of the same bog lands. Minnesota's north eastern third is a coniferous forest biome and the decay of pine needles and other plants that grow in the region lower the pH in the wetlands of the region around them, which is how the bogs develop. Scotland's peet bogs are developed in the same way.

These conifers have adapted to grow into the rock faces of the area as well. The rocky region is partially due to a volcanic history in the region meeting ice age glaciers. Glaciers that largely made Minnesota as ecologically and geologically fascinating as it is. The melting of the glaciers here started the process by which this, and many over rivers and lakes here formed. As they melted the flowing water formed the divots in the ground that the future rivers would later carve their paths deeper into. You can still see those layers in the rocks in the above image.

I saved my most gorgeous image for last. A lot of this information came from local signage but also from my long history of learning about the ecological minutiae of my home through interest and study. I know not everyone can make it to places like these so I hope this slice of my adventure could bring you even a sliver of the joy it brought me a marvel at it in the context of my love for nature.

[ruibaozha]

hey rui!!! I have (yet another) question

geologically, is there a place where Nezha's story takes place? i know his dad, Li Jing, was a general at Chentang Pass, and Chentang does exist as Zhêntang, but I don't find anything really matching up

tbh, this is mostly for the purpose of some fic writing so not entirely important, but I kept looking for some kind of imagery ideas and struggled to find a good kind of related location.

This is a solid question and many scholars have debated over this, the whole of Canonization of the Gods is littered with geographical and timeline errors, but recently researchers believe Chentang Pass to have been in Kuiwen Village by the Jiuwan River within Xixia of Henan province.

This space is home to palaces dedicated to both Li Jing and Nezha, and speculatively the ruins of Xinghua Village which would have been Nezha’s hometown. To my personal knowledge this is the only place claiming to be the hometown of Nezha. I have never been there myself (I am from Hubei which is directly south of Henan) but statues dedicated to Nezha are in the structure as well as lotus ponds by the entrance.

If I find any contradictory information regarding this I will amend this post accordingly.

[tough-girl9]

Mother Knows Best (Data x Female Reader)

Mechanical Rose Series Part 5

Mechanical Rose Series Part 1: First Base

Mechanical Rose Series Part 2: Android Mine

Mechanical Rose Series Part 3: Exobiology

Mechanical Rose Series Part 4: Make Us Stronger

Mechanical Rose Series Prequel One-shot: Crush

Summary: When Data informed you that he wants you to meet someone, you weren't expecting to be introduced to your android boyfriend's mother. But the conversation with Juliana Tainer that follows gives you just what you need to reach out to Data and take the next step with your handsome android...

Rated: M

Also posted on AO3

-------------------------------------------------

You lean back and sigh deeply, cradling a cobolt-blue cocktail in one hand and savoring the glow of warm sunlight over your bare legs and shoulders. Taking a sip, you close your eyes, resting your head back on the fluffy pillow plumped between your neck and the wicker lounge chair, and bask in the peace and relaxation.

You've been overdue for some time off for a couple months, but the mapping of the Voris Nebula took longer than expected and you knew you wouldn't properly enjoy your time off if you left in the middle of a major expedition. But now, knowing you won't be missed for several weeks as the Enterprise restocks for its next mission at Starbase 45, you can let yourself unwind and let down your proverbial hair.

A slight breeze brushes over you, ruffling your hair, and stirs the palm trees above you, making a gentle hish sound that mingles with the soft lapping of the water on the nearby beach. Your cabin is situated right on the edge of the sand, with a wide porch and a retractable awning, which at the moment is fully drawn back, allowing the sunlight to pour fully over your body.

In short, it's paradise.

Well, almost anyway.

You've heard all the stories about Risa – it's the most popular shore leave destination for Starfleet officers, after all – and you have to admit that they were (mostly) unexaggerated. Pristine weather, gorgeous views, luxury cabins, endless cocktails and hors d'oeuvres, everything from spas and saunas for the less adventurous to spelunking and rock climbing for those with a more thrill-seeking streak. It's opulence incarnate.

But you have to admit, for your first-time visit to the infamous pleasure planet, it's also a little disconcerting. It's just a little too perfect, with the artificial weather, attractive, scantily-clad Risian attendants, and the overwhelming abundance of tourist attractions clamoring for the attention of all five senses. It's the absolute picture of a tourist trap, and while you can't say you regret letting your coworkers talk you into taking your shore leave here once they'd discovered that you'd never been, you're also looking forward to returning to the Enterprise tomorrow and resuming your normal and less glamorous life.

But even more than that, you're looking forward to seeing your boyfriend again.

You both had been planning to take your shore leave at the same time and enjoy two weeks on Risa together, but at the last minute, word from Starfleet had come about a sudden increase in geological instability on Oran Zeta III, and as the head science officer, Data had been assigned to researching an emergency solution. You'd considered postponing your own shore leave, but Data had insisted that you go ahead with your vacation. "Darling, you have been working hard the last two months and have been increasingly exhibiting signs of stress and overt tiredness. Current research suggests that for optimum health, humans should take an extended time of relaxation at least once every quarter of a year, and your last shore leave was twenty-four weeks, five days ago. It will be at least several weeks to a month before I am available to join you, and I do not wish for you to undergo continued stress while waiting for me."

As usual, you knew he was right. And even though you'd been deeply looking forward to the time with him, you went ahead and took your scheduled leave by yourself.

But as relaxing and pleasurable as your time here has been, you find yourself longing for his touch again more than anything that Risa can offer you.

Given the nature of the planet, it's hard not to find yourself constantly reminded of him. The Risians are famously open about sexuality, and reminders of romance are everywhere, from the numerous couples – many of whom are openly and constantly in some stage of making out – to the inescapable symbol of the horga'hn that appears everywhere from the huge statue in the visitor center to the embroidery on one corner of your cabin's bedsheets. Although you have not been propositioned for jamaharon yourself, it's influence on the tropical paradise cannot be understated. Everything seems to remind you that your own lover is thousands of light years away.

In fact, there are three couples openly making out down on the beach at this very moment. The human man and Risian woman closest to you giggle to each other in between their passionate, open-mouthed kisses. Both individuals are unclad from the waist up and the man is fondling the woman, much to her enjoyment it would seem from the moans interspersed between the giggles. You catch only a glimpse of them before politely looking away; even here, it's still considered impolite to stare. But you can't help but imagine yourself and Data in that couple's place. You shiver involuntarily as you imagine your android on top of you, pressing you down into the soft sand, hands and lips doing wonderful things to your body…

Since your encounter with Lore two months ago, you and Data have been taking things extra slowly and since that night when he showed you his activation switch, you haven't really progressed further in your relationship. But then, you also haven't seen nearly as much of each other. You've had steady back-to-back missions the last few months and you've been busy and Data's been even busier. Lately, it's seemed like you're lucky to catch a few private minutes together, let alone anything more.

But these two weeks of rest and time to unwind from your busy schedule have given your imagination plenty of time to go to work, and being completely away from Data for the first time since you began dating has only added fuel to your fire. And thoughts of taking a new step with your boyfriend are becoming more appealing by the hour.

Your final afternoon on Risa draws on, and you go down to the resort center to find some food. It's a large court, rimmed by a colonnade opening out onto the beach, filled with different food vendors and other merchants selling knickknacks and souvenirs. You get a dish of shor'tan, a local street favorite that consists of dried and seasoned fruit and nuts topped with a sweet caramel-like glaze. You munch on the treat while you do your final round of souvenir shopping. You pick up a miniature snow globe of the Granite Falls of Borthanin for your best friend and a dabaru board for your neighbor in the room across the hallway from you who is always hosting all deck game nights. One by one, you pick out something for each person for whom you'd made a mental note to bring something back.

At last, there's only one person left on your list, but you find yourself stumped.

You know Data would be happy with whatever you bring back to him and he'd be delighted simply that it came from you, but you still feel the urge to find that special something that's just right. But what…?

You wander in and out of the vendor stalls. Colors, glitter, scents, and sounds assail you from every side: everything from racks of moving digital postcards to scarves embroidered with crystals from the Hordak Caverns and so much more. After about an hour of browsing, you stop by one stall that specializes in pet accessories and pick out a cute collar for Spot. But still nothing jumps out at you as a candidate for what to bring back for Data.

Another vendor several rows down from the pet stall catches your eye. There are many intricate, beautiful pieces of jewelry on display in the front: necklaces, bracelets, ear cuffs, circlets. You admire the offerings then step inside, your eyes scanning up and down over the wide variety of glittering items as you make your way towards the back. And suddenly, one piece in particular seems to jump dramatically out at you from all the surrounding pieces, and you feel your breath catch a little in your throat. A second later, you realize fully what it is, and heat springs into your cheeks as an illicit image blazes vividly across your mental eye.

Still blushing, you move on, but you can't shake that mental image seared into your mind nor the powerful feelings it arouses. True, such a gift would be just as much for you as it would be for Data, but you feel certain that Data would like that: a gift for both of you to share together. He's been so patient and gentle with you during these difficult past few months, and you know he'd never push you before you were ready, but you suspect that few things would mean more to him than you taking the initiative to show him that you want to go further with him.

Before you can second guess yourself again, you return to the display and claim the prize for your own.

TWO WEEKS LATER

February 2, 2372

"Hello? Y/N? Anyone at home in there?"

You jerk out of your distant thoughts in a daze. "Huh? What?"

Vadra gives you a knowing smirk. "I think you've already answered my question."

You blink. "What…what was the question?"

"I asked if you were looking forward to tonight. And from the fact that your head is clearly too full of hot android to even notice that your scan finished three minutes ago, I'd say the answer is a big yes."

You blush. "Who says I'm thinking of hot android?"

Vadra's eyebrows rise an impossible notch higher. "Well, I've never seen you go goo-goo eyed over level two diagnostic scans, but then again, there's a first time for everything."

"Oh shut up," you say with no malice.

Your Bajoran best friend and fellow exobiologist laughs. "So, what particular aspect of android hotness has you mesmerized today? His eyes? His blinkies? His shoulder-to-hips ratio? His-"

"Oh, look!" You snatch the tricorder out of Vadra's hand. "The preliminary scans are showing positive readings. Looks like we're going to need more samples."

Vadra leans against the table beside the computer station. "So, he told you there's someone he wants you to meet tonight? Any idea who it might be?"

You shrug as you input the sample data to run another diagnostic scan. "No idea. He's told me he never really had friends before serving on the Enterprise. I know he corresponds a lot with Commander Maddox, but I don't think their relationship is a get-invited-to-a-birthday-party type of relationship. And – I don't know – I got the feeling he was excited. I can't imagine who he'd be excited to introduce me to."

"Well, I guess you'll find out in just over an hour," Vadra responds. She looks at the computer as you start the scan then gives you a pointed look. "It'll be several hours before the scan finishes, and it'll still be there in the morning. Nobody's going to notice if you slip away from your shift fifteen minutes early. It's not like you're mentally here anyway."

You give your teasing friend a mock glare, but you do head over to your work station to neatly put away your tricorder and other tools and lock up the extra samples. You glance back over at Vadra, who makes a shooing motion with one hand. You shake your head at her, but gratefully head out all the same.

Back at your quarters, you strip off your uniform and dump it in the cleaning processor, then stand for a full ten minutes in front of your dresser trying to decide what to wear for tonight's festivities. You want to look nice, but you don't want to appear to formal or stuffy either. In the end, you opt for a one-shouldered asymmetrical blouse and knee-length skirt: simple and comfy, casual enough for a party, but also with a hint of playfulness that you hope will help should this evening start going in the direction that you hope it does.

Feeling satisfied, though still mulling over the curious puzzle of Data's cryptic words about introducing you to someone, you set off to Ten Forward.

There's already a sizable crowd gathered, mostly milling around by the bar, and happy chatter permeates the air. Several tables have been reconfigured to form a buffet line, which ends with a towering, three-tiered cake covered in candles. A stack of colorfully-wrapped presents teeters in one corner and a huge Enterprise piñata swings from one of the light fixtures. A large colorful banner over the bar reads HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

You spot your boyfriend almost immediately, in the center of the room with Commander Riker and Geordi. Even though he's dressed in his habitual gold uniform, to your eyes he's still the most handsome and most dashing man in the room. Immediately, your heart flutters and you head straight to him.

He sees you coming, and his face lights up with that sweet smile of his that makes your heart do backflips. He steps towards you away from his friends and holds out his arms for you. You happily embrace him, squeezing him tightly. "Happy birthday, sweetheart," you murmur against his cheek.

"I am happy you could make it, darling," he responds sincerely, and you notice that he doesn't dismiss his emotion with technobabble excuses.

You glide your fingers up his collar and throat and twine them into his hair. "I wouldn't have missed it for anything. I've been thinking about it, and you, all day." You lean forward and press your lips softly to his, and he wraps his arms tenderly around your waist and lifts you off the floor easily as he kisses you back.

"Data!"

Your blissful moment is interrupted by the sound of a female voice from behind you, a voice which you notice sounds utterly delighted. Suddenly embarrassed, you jerk away from Data as he sets you back down, and you both turn around.

A petite woman is standing several paces away from the two of you, holding a champaign glass in both hands. It's hard to tell her age; her up-done hair is silvery white, but there's an ethereal, ageless beauty to her and an unmistakable sparkle in her blue eyes. Right now, she's looking at both of you with the world's biggest, brightest smile, pure, unfiltered delight radiating off of her.

She comes to stand beside Data, slipping one arm around his back and handing him her extra glass. As she does so, you can feel the intense scrutiny of her examination of you, even after you drop your gaze, trying to staunch your fierce blush. "Data," the woman repeats, the glee only slightly lessened, "Data, you didn't tell me you'd found a girl!"

"I apologize for the omission," Data says, and maybe it's your imagination but you think he sounds just slightly flustered. "I had thought to maintain the information as a secret and thus make it 'a surprise' when I was next able to visit you or vice versa. If I was in error-"

"Oh, not an error, but definitely a surprise," the woman beams. She pats the middle of his chest firmly. "Well, are you going to introduce me or not?"

"Of course," Data responds calmly. His fingers curl delicately around yours. "This is Lt. Y/N, one of our exobiology department leaders and…and my girlfriend." He pauses, then squeezes your hand gently. "Y/N, I would like to introduce you to Juliana Tainer…my mother."

You choke a little. His mother. You knew Data had a mother – he'd explained his somewhat complicated family history to you – and you knew he still contacted her regularly and occasionally took his shore leave to visit her, but there's still something thoroughly strange at the thought of being introduced to your android boyfriend's mother all the same. What if she doesn't like you or doesn't agree that you're the right match for her son? What does she think of her son dating a human? What sort of person would Data's mother be to begin with?

"I'm sorry, dear, I would have gotten you a glass as well," Juliana says, "but it appears my son was being deliberately secretive about you." She pats his back fondly, then puts a slender hand on your forearm. "But I am very much looking forward to meeting the woman who managed to catch my boy's eye at last."

For the moment however, you are spared the ordeal of being interrogated by your boyfriend's mother as the sound of loud glass chiming fills the room. Everyone looks to the front of the room, where Commander Riker and Geordi have taken the floor, the former with a champaign class which he taps to give another resounding ring. The merry buzz of conversation fades as everyone turns their attention to the two senior officers.

"I'd like to thank you all for joining us for this special celebration," Riker says. "When I learned just a few weeks ago that a very important and dear member of our bridge crew had never gotten the experience of a human birthday party, well, I knew that was going to have to change. Data." He turns and addresses the android who is standing by and listening quietly. "I've had the honor of knowing you and serving alongside you for nearly seven years, and I'm truly grateful to have the even greater honor of being your friend. So, Data, can you explain to me how the hell I missed all these years not realizing the travesty that you'd never had a good, old-fashioned Terran birthday party?" There's good-natured laughter throughout the room and Data's lips quirk in that smile that means he's slightly confused but happy to go along with it. Riker tips his head fondly in Data's direction, grinning wildly. "Data, my friend, I can only hope this evening brings you one step closer to humanity, because I don't know anyone who deserves it more than you."

There are cheers of "here, here!" and "Data!" and a round of applause. Data looks around, his neck moving with that curious clicking precision, golden eyes wide and childlike.

Geordi allows the cheers and applause to die down before he raises his own glass. He looks at Data and shakes his head, chuckling fondly. "Data," he says, and Data's gaze softens almost imperceptibly. "Oh, Data. We've been through a lot, haven't we, my friend? Well, I can't tell you how glad I am to add celebrating your birthday to that list." He shakes his head again. "I still remember the first day we met, not like I could ever forget it. At first, I was amazed by the technology – that I was talking to the world's first and only sentient android – but that quickly paled in comparison to getting to know the person you are. Bright, curious, endlessly fascinated by every detail of the world around you, seeing things exactly as they are but at the same time always hopeful and optimistic. The real irony is that as I've watched you wanting to become more human, you've helped all of us become more human every step of the way. To you and a happy thirty-fourth birthday, my dear fellow Perceiver."

Geordi and Riker tip their glasses back and drink, and amidst cheers everyone else in the room, Data included, drinks down the toast. You can't help the warm budding in your chest as you down your own drink, which you snagged from the bar during the toast. Seeing how loved Data is by all his friends and fellow crewmembers fills you with joy for him.

It's like going back to your childhood. It's the quintessential Terran birthday party, from the swinging Enterprise piñata to the handmade cards and pile of presents. Everyone raucously sings happy birthday as Data blows out all thirty-four candles in one easy go. Slices of cake get passed around the room along with more synthehol and punch, and one of the Enterprise's many music ensembles begins playing upbeat tunes that encourage many of the partiers to take to the main floor to dance.

Data is thoroughly swamped by well-wishers and you can't begrudge them for it. You'll have plenty of time to him for yourself later…or so you hope. You take a seat with a slice of birthday cake and a glass of fizzy punch.

"This seat isn't taken, I hope."

You look up to find Juliana Tainer standing opposite you, her hand resting on the chair across the table from you. In her other hand, she's holding a glass of tulaberry wine. You self-consciously brush your hair back behind your ear. "Oh, er, no, it's not."

"Wonderful!" Juliana makes herself at home on the chair. She sets her glass in front of her, then looks around the room with a contented sigh. "I'm so very glad I was able to make it here for the party. It's truly wonderful seeing how many friends he's been able to make." She looks back at you, beaming. "Speaking of which, how did my son meet you? I want details."

You tell her the story, as plain as it is, how the two of you had been coworkers for years, silently crushing on each other until Data finally made the move to ask you out, but Juliana acts as if it's the world's most fascinating epic. "Oh, I'm so, so glad," she gushes as you finish. "I always knew when the time was right that he'd meet someone. He's such a sweet boy and a romantic at heart, just like his father. He's been longing for romantic companionship for a while, oh, not that he'd ever say it, but a mother knows."

She leans in conspiratorially. "Just between you and me, it's about time he put his sexual programming to good use. Lord only knows his father spent enough time writing it for him!" You blush furiously and quickly lift your glass, less to actually take a drink and more to cover the brilliant flush in your cheeks.

Juliana doesn't seem to notice, or (more likely) simply refrains from commenting. "So, tell me about yourself, Y/N. Are you from Earth? What made you want to join Starfleet? How long have you been stationed on the Enterprise?"

As you answer, you find yourself relaxing a little. Juliana Tainer is easier to talk to than you had imagined, and from all the signs she's already all but adopted you as a daughter in all but blood. You tell her the story of the Museum of Interplanetary Life and the pirin, then about applying for the Academy, graduating, your early commissions, and then your life aboard the Enterprise the last several years. Juliana is a good listener, interjecting questions or smiling and laughing quietly in response.

"Well, all I can say is Data seems to have good taste," Juliana says with a little wink. "But of course he does. He's a smart boy. So, you've been with him four months now? What do you think of him?"

Your blush returns, but you also can't help swooning a little too. "He's…he's everything I ever wanted," you admit dreamily. "Sometimes I remember that we're together and it seems like it can't possibly be true. I've never met someone kinder, gentler, more patient. He's so good to me. Frankly, I'm amazed someone else didn't come along and snatch him up long before I came into the picture. I couldn't ask for a better boyfriend."

Juliana is smiling gently. "Well, obviously I'm very biased, but I couldn't agree more. I don't think I could possibly be prouder of the man he's become." A sad, pained look crosses her face. "I only wish I could go back and make different choices so that I could have been there for him his entire life the way he deserved. His life hasn't been easy, and I know I'm partially to blame for it, so seeing him so happy, content, and surrounded by people who love him is more than I could ever have asked for." She reaches across the table and pats your arm. "Don't ever take him for granted, dear. He's a true treasure, and a good lot of it has nothing to do with his programming."

That brings up something you'd been curious about for months but had never found a good way to ask Data about. "His personality, how much of it is programming and how much of it is…him?"

Juliana shakes her head. "Oh, I'm not the right person to ask that. Noonien was the one who knew all the secrets of his programming, but I can tell you what I suspect. Noonien programmed him with certain qualities, with some input from me: his ethical program, a desire to learn, his need to create, an urge to seek connection with humanity. But we couldn't predict how his neural net would grow or how he would use the qualities we gave him. I believe a great deal of what truly makes Data the man we know has nothing to do with his programming, which is what Noonien wanted all along. He was our child, and like a child, he had to learn to spread his own wings and fly. Noonien wanted to create a being who could make his own decisions, who could become his own person and dream his own dreams separate from his wiring and his coding. And like any parent, I hope we gave him a good foundation to grow from, but there's only so much responsibility we can claim for the man he grew into."

You smile a little. You had long suspected that those little acts of thoughtfulness and kindness, his connection to you, his tenderness towards Spot, the passion behind his kisses, that they were all something beyond his programming, the part of him that made him who he truly was: his soul, if such a thing was possible.

You look up and find him at the bar, nodding amiably and wearing his cute little smile as Commander Riker and Dr. Crusher chat with him. You catch his eye and smile at him, and he tilts his head, unmistakable fondness in his gaze. Riker claps him on the back and the momentary connection between you is broken, but you still find yourself glancing down and blushing happily.

Your skin prickles, and you look up to find Juliana watching you knowingly. When she sees you've noticed her again, she arches an eyebrow with a smile. "Powerful, isn't it? Young love? There's nothing else like it in the entire galaxy, and I'm so very happy that the two of you have found it together. I remember so well how it was with me and Noonien – the blushes, the whispers, the little touches that felt like wildfire, the kisses, oh the kisses." She sighs deeply. "Treasure every moment of it, dear."

You think about the last two months since Lore's attack. You've needed the space, and you don't regret not pushing yourself, but you feel a twinge of longing for how much closer the two of you could have become in those months all the same.

Juliana takes a casual sip of her tulaberry wine and shoots you a mischievously inquisitive look. "So tell me, dear, I'm quite curious – have you discovered his dirty talk subroutine yet?"

You choke and punch spurts painfully out your nose, causing your eyes to water. Juliana nonchalantly slides a glass of water over to you. You fumble for it and take sips in between coughs and rub at your watering eyes with your sleeve.

When you've gotten your choked coughs under control, Juliana raises her eyebrows at you. "I'm going to take that as a no."

You can feel the flaming heat of a blush all the way to your ears, and you take another sip, more to have something to do and to avoid Juliana's sparkling eyes than to subdue further coughs. You can almost feel your eyes bugging out of your head as you try to imagine anything even remotely dirty coming out of Data's impeccably polite mouth.

"Oh, no need to look so scandalized, dear," Juliana remarks. "It's not really all that extreme, as his father and I didn't feel that would match his personality. But we – or rather I – felt he needed to have a more…romantic…vocabulary that wasn't so clinical as his regular speech patterns. Noonien did most of the programming, of course, but I had a good deal of input in many areas, including that one. It's too bad he hasn't used it with you yet; that subroutine was one of my favorites to help create and I'm very curious how effective it turned out to be."

You nod, still blushing furiously, and wonder absently whether you're more shocked to discover that Data has a dirty talk subroutine or that your boyfriend's mother is casually chatting with you about it in the middle of Ten Forward.

Still, as embarrassing as the topic is, you can't help but admit that you're intrigued, and it opens the doorway to a question that's been plaguing you ever since you first starting dating your android boyfriend. "Juliana?" You hesitate, feeling a little shy and also not wanting to sound like you're criticizing her husband's work. "About his…his sexual programming, why did you and Dr. Soong give him that, but not a romance subroutine? I always thought it was a little strange that he knows fifty ways to kiss, but he had to write his own subroutine to learn how to be romantic."

Juliana is nodding half-way through your question. "Oh, it's quite simple really. And Noonien only programmed him with twenty-eight ways of kissing, so anything else he's learned on his own. But as to your question, it all comes down to instinct, dear."

You wrinkle your nose (which is still burning a little) and crease your brow. "Instinct?"

"Yes, instinct." Juliana nods, eyes bright. "Humans are born with certain near-universal instincts, and Data's programming essentially fills in those same gaps. Noonien was very particular about it; he wanted Data to learn and grow as organically as possible, to be as human as possible. The goal was to create programming for Data that would help him become more human-like, but that at the same time would not interfere with his personhood. His sexual programming is a stand-in for what would be instinctive for a human: the technical knowledge of what to do combined with a natural urge to share certain experiences with others. Noonien, of course, left room for Data to develop his own preferences and desires in this area just like a human, but we hoped that giving him the technical knowledge would help him and drive his curiosity to learn more.

"Romance on the other hand, well, that is much more complex and personal than simply figuring out how parts fit together and what feels mutually pleasurable. It's about two people connecting and creating emotional bonds, and that's not something that can be programmed. It's something that both of us knew Data would have to figure out for himself. Thus we left those areas of his programming for him to design for himself."

Your cheeks dimple in a smile as you remember how Data was early in your couplehood, when he'd been trying to navigate romance like a mathematical formula and how stilted and awkward he'd come across. "On one of our first dates, he purposefully locked us both in the Jeffries Tubes because he'd read about situations like that in romance stories. But once we were both stuck in there together, he had no idea what to do. He spent the next forty minutes telling me facts about cats until I finally got him to kiss me. It was adorable."

Juliana's laughter tinkles like a bell. "Oh, I would have given anything to see that! How funny!"

You grin; Juliana's good humor is infectious. "He's learned a lot since then, but he's still an absolute dork." You look over to where your boyfriend is kneeling down, accepting handmade birthday cards from a cluster of school children. "I wouldn't have him any other way."

Reminiscing about him and your early days together lights an alluring warmth in your chest. You think of the package from Risa waiting tucked in your belongings, and the tantalizing image that's been haunting you for the last two weeks springs unprompted into your mind, causing you to shiver involuntarily. Your fingers tingle, suddenly longing to run along pale, smooth skin, and your lips burn with the thought of phantom android kisses. The sudden intense need to have him in your arms catches you off guard.

You find Juliana watching you with a knowing expression, and you duck your head, blushing brilliantly once again. A moment later, you feel Juliana's hand on your arm. "There's no shame in being madly in love with a handsome young man, my dear. But if you don't mind me asking, I have a rather personal question."

You frown a little. "Yes?"

"Well, you obviously love each other and your attraction to him is as clear as starlight, but I get the distinct impression that you haven't…well…explored a good deal of what his programming has to offer. I'm guessing his dirty talk subroutine isn't the only one you haven't discovered yet. Do you mind if I ask why that is?"

Your breath catches unpleasantly and a sudden panic grips you, but then you look into Juliana's kind eyes and see the genuine concern written there. She's a mother; of course, she's able to pick up on the things that you haven't said aloud. Unsure how she'll respond, you swallow, but then you make up your mind.

"When we starting dating, we both wanted to take things slow. We liked the idea of savoring each new step with one another, not rushing it. And for the first two months that we were together, each new step we took was like pure magic. But then…something happened."

Haltingly, you tell her about Lore, about your fear and about your inner battle of feeling like you need to take things extra slow warring with the simultaneous desire for deeper intimacy with your lover. It feels good to talk to someone about it, especially someone like Juliana. You notice the pain on her face at the mention of Lore's name, but otherwise she remains quiet and attentive while you talk.

"I had a similar experience," Juliana says when you finish. "Not quite the same, but similar. When the Crystalline Entity attacked the colony at Omicron Theta, I was very badly injured. I barely lived. Noonien and I were the only survivors. After I recovered, for months I was terrified of going outside, so much as stepping out the door. I knew in my mind that I was safe, but I was so afraid that the Entity would attack again. I don't know what I would have done if it hadn't been for Noonien. He was so patient with me. His love is what kept me together those months after the attack, when nothing and nowhere felt safe except his arms. Perhaps Data can do the same for you, if you let him."

You look over at Data again. He's sitting at the bar now. The school children have left to swarm the cake table, except for one boy who remains at Data's side, sitting on a stool next to him. They're both sipping smoothies and clearly engaged in conversation, and there's a familiarity between them that surprises you a little.

"I…I do want more," you admit in a voice barely above a whisper and realize it's the first time you've admitted your desire out loud. "I've been wanting more for a while, but I don't know how to describe it. It's like I feel stuck. It's like I'm afraid to take the next step with him."

"Two months after we fled from Omicron Theta, Noonien asked me to go stargazing with him. I was so afraid of going outside and looking up at the sky, so terrified that I'd see that terrible white light again destroying everything I'd ever known and loved. But I trusted Noonien, and so I went with him. He'd built a treehouse, a treehouse of all things if you'd believe it, right there in the middle of the jungle. He helped me up, and then we lay on our backs amongst the treetops and watched the stars. I tell you, taking that first step felt like falling, but thing was, I knew Noonien was there to catch me."

Juliana pats your hand gently. "It might feel like falling to you too, but I think we both know Data is more than capable of catching you."

You continue to watch Data, your heart thumping loudly. The boy finishes his smoothie and slides down off his stool, giving Data a quick hug before darting off to join the other children. The tenderness of Data's returning hug catches at your heart and soul. There's something in the gesture that captures Data's utter selflessness, the truth that he would give his all for those he cares about, even if he were to receive nothing in return. You look back at Juliana. "Why did Dr. Soong make it so that he can't feel pleasure?"

Juliana blinks, clearly caught off guard by the question. "What do you mean?"

"Why can't he feel pleasure?" you respond. "It just seems a bit unfair to me that he can't ever truly receive what he's so good at giving."

Juliana frowns. "I'm not sure what you mean, dear. He can feel pleasure."

Now you're the one caught off guard. "Wait, what?"

Juliana shakes her head. "What would make you think he can't feel pleasure? Noonien was very pleased with that aspect of his programming."

You stutter a little bit. "But…he's told me…he's always told me he can't feel any pleasure."

Sadness passes like a cloud over Juliana's face. "He absolutely can feel pleasure. Has he never shown any enjoyment in his time with you?"

You think of those expressions on his face when you've touched him, the seeming passion behind his kisses and his touches, those soft, exquisite sounds he's made when he's with you. A bubble of hope and intense longing rises up in you. He's told you he can want to be near you and he can desire your touch, but until this moment you hadn't realized how much it pained you to think that he could never enjoy those moments as fully as you and how, perhaps, subconsciously, that knowledge has kept you from seeking out pleasure from him to the extent that you've wished for it.

Perhaps Juliana reads a little of your emotions and thoughts on your face, for she continues before you reply. "He doesn't talk much about it – not to me at least – but I think he learned to believe less in himself when he was young and impressionable. Perhaps at some point he was told by a particularly narrow-minded individual that androids can't feel pleasure…and now he simply believes that he doesn't."

"Like how he insists he can't feel emotion or love," you murmur.

Juliana nods. "Yes, just like that," she agrees. "I'm glad you've noticed that. He's internalized a lot of false ideas about himself very deeply. I wish I could have a word or several hundred with the humans who gave him such a limited view of himself." She clasps your hand. "But if anyone can get him to see the truth about himself, I think it might be you, dear."

You look up into her eyes, surprised by the depth of emotion in her voice. She cares about him, truly cares about him, you realize. You feel the weight of the solemnity of her belief in you and her hope that you can be the one who reaches some deep, injured part of Data. And that's the moment you realize this is what is going to give you the strength and focus to reach for what you want tonight. This is what you want: the ability and opportunity for two souls to reach towards each other and both bring mutual comfort and perhaps healing to one another.

Juliana squeezes your hand, that mischievous gleam glinting behind her grave expression once again. "Give him a night to remember, dear. And do make sure to ask him about his dirty talk subroutine; I suspect you'll both like it."

Without further ado, she rises, flashes you a bright smile, and heads into the crowd to mingle further.

Your mind still filled with these new revelations, you rise as well and slowly make your way over to the bar where Data is still sitting, at the moment free from well-wishers. You slide onto the stool next to him and lay your cheek against his shoulder. You feel him shift as he turns his head to look down at you. "How's it going?" you ask.

He considers his response briefly. "It is going well, I believe. It is my opinion that I am…enjoying myself."

You smile against the fabric of his uniform. "I'm glad to hear it."

You look down at the countertop in front of Data, where there is a pile of handmade cards from the children. The one on top features two stick figures, one clearly Data, the other a child holding his hand. Above the drawing is written: "Happy birthday, Data! From your favorite android, Timothy." You raise your eyebrows slightly, wondering about the story behind the message. Whatever it is, the pile of cards is evidence of a clear truth: that Data has positively touched so many lives, your own included.

You stroke your hand softly up his back, memorizing every wrinkle in his jacket and hint of his form underneath. For a short while, the two of you sit in warm, fond silence, enclosed in a pleasant bubble of each other's presence amid the celebratory noise and bustle around you. Finally, Data speaks again. "I observed that you were becoming acquainted with my mother. How do you find her?"

You smile. "She seems like a lovely, sweet person. She also seems like she can be a bit of a handful though."

Data frowns. "A handful? I do not believe I understand your meaning."

You remember that mischievous twinkle in Juliana's eyes when she dropped the dirty talk bomb on you. "Let's just say she had some very juicy information about you."

You glance up to find Data giving you a look that you would swear contained mild panic. "She told you about me 'streaking' the colonists, did she not?" he asks hesitantly, and you can hear the subtle hints of mortification in his voice.

You snort with laughter. "You what?"

His chagrined expression deepens. "I take it then that she did not tell you about that story." He pauses and you see the dread of realization pass through his golden eyes. "But I just did."

"Oh, yes you did." You're still chortling. "And I am so getting that full story."

At that moment, the music changes to a slow waltz. You turn in your seat and look up at the music ensemble on the stage area. Commander Riker is hovering suspiciously near the ensemble and when he sees you looking, he gives you a huge wink and grin and jerks his head towards the open area where people have been dancing. You grin back and turn to your boyfriend to tug his arm. "Come on, Data. Dance with me."

He leads you onto the floor and gently takes your hand, guiding you into the sway of the dance. Your bodies are close enough to nearly be touching. You glide your hand over his broad shoulders, holding yourself to him. The rhythm of his steps is precise, flawless.

"So, Data," you say, "I've been wondering something. Should I be calling this your birthday or your activation day?"

Data considers your question with that careful precision that he always displays. After a moment, he responds. "Although it is the latter that is technically correct, I believe the term I find myself preferring is 'birthday'. Until today, whenever I acknowledged the significance of this date, I would have considered it the day of my activation, and that is perhaps still what it is in the most literal sense. However, although I was not born in any traditional sense, I do believe that at the moment of my activation, a new life form was brought into the world and into being, which could be considered a birth. I do not know whether I possess a soul in any sense of the word, but I clearly possess a sentient consciousness of some type and I believe that is sufficient to consider what occurred that day to be a birth."

You stroke your fingers over his right shoulder blade, and through his shirt your fingers brush over the small, secret hidden switch. As you always do since the day he revealed that tiny spot to you, you feel a rush of intimacy with him as your hand rests protectively over his vulnerability. The knowledge that this strong, incredible being trusts you is like nothing else in the world.

You nuzzle a little bit into his neck, and his fingers on your waist stray down a touch to cradle your hips. Warmth blooms in your chest, and you feel far away from the rest of the world, here in this moment with your android.

The song ends, and the soothing rhythm of Data's movements ceases. You remain in each other's arms, both reluctant to let go. Finally, you go to pull away from him, but he slides his hand along your jaw, cradling your face, and lowers a smoldering, if soft, kiss to your lips. Maybe it's just your imagination and your own cravings, but you could swear you taste the longing on him.

After far too short a moment, he draws back from you, though he still holds you tenderly. "And how about you?" he inquires. "You have not told me whether or not you are enjoying my birthday party."

You smile a little. "It reminds me of my childhood. I don't think I've been to a full-blown birthday party since I was ten. It was sweet of Commander Riker and Geordi to organize this for you." You stroke your hand up his arm. "They really love you. Everyone here does."

Data hesitates, as if unsure if he should speak or not. "It is an experience about which I have been curious for a long time, but I have never before been invited to a birthday party, much less had my own. However, as much of an intriguing and enjoyable experience as this has been, I have been unable to stop a significant portion of my thoughts from considering the possibility that you and I might spend part of my birthday alone."

You're surprised by the hesitancy in his voice, as if he's unsure whether you'd be offended by such a suggestion. You press your cheek to his, your lips at his ear. "I've been counting on it," you whisper to him. "I may or may not have a little surprise for us to share together," you add, letting your voice go soft and sultry, hoping it is clear to him what the general nature of said surprise might be.

He turns his face and nuzzles his lips against your cheek. "Curious," he murmurs. "It would seem that a part of my sexual programming is attempting to activate without my command to do so."

Aware that you're still in a public area, but feeling increasingly hot and bothered yourself, you resist the increasingly powerful urge to let your hands stray. You don't want to rush him away from his own birthday party, but at the same time, you aren't sure how long you can successfully keep your hands to yourself, especially now with the promise of what lies ahead before the night is over.

Data's hands twitch against your hips, and you wonder if he's fighting a similar sensation. When he speaks, his voice sounds oddly strained. "The party has now been going for precisely two hours and eleven minutes, and I have spent one hour and twenty-three minutes socializing with various individuals, eighteen minutes cutting the cake and eating it with other accompanying treats, sixteen minutes, forty-two seconds dancing with you, twelve minutes, eight seconds unwrapping birthday presents and reading cards, and one minute, ten seconds breaking the piñata. I believe I have sufficiently experienced all the pertinent elements of a birthday party."

You look over Data's shoulder and see Juliana at the edge of the dance floor. When she sees you've noticed her, she makes a broad shooing motion in your direction. The message is clear enough, and the burning pull in your lower belly urges you to obey.

Data thanks Commander Riker and Geordi for their "excellent organizational skills" and assures them that he has thoroughly enjoyed his first birthday party, then politely excuses himself. From the knowing look that the two other bridge officers exchange, it's clear that they have a good idea about how Data wants to spend the rest of his birthday evening, and their mutual grins suggest that they fully support it. Data is stopped and congratulated several more times by various guests as you work your way out of the room, but finally the door of Ten Forward hisses shut behind you, and you and Data are finally alone.

Almost the instant the door closes, Data turns to you and kisses you, catching you off guard. The open-mouthed caress is filled with a yearning you've never felt from him before, but you return it happily. Your stomach flips and flutters, as if you were riding a roller coaster, and heat pulses deep inside you; you hadn't realized how desperately you'd been longing for this. You twine your fingers into his hair, pulling his head down against you, and give yourself into the blissful sensation of his lips and tongue.

He breaks the kiss after a minute or two, and when he looks at you, those golden eyes are unbearably sultry and you know his sexual programming is fully up and running. "If it is your wish, we should perhaps continue in a space where we are less likely to be interrupted."

"Come back to my quarters," you say breathily, your lips still burning and tingling from his touch. "I have something to grab for us, and then we can spend the evening in your quarters."

Less than ten minutes later, the doors to Data's quarters hiss shut and beep satisfyingly as they lock, promising you both all the privacy you could desire.

For some reason, you suddenly feel nervous. You're keenly aware of Data's intense gaze, but the open curiosity on his face fills your chest with a softness like down feathers. "I…I picked up a couple little things on Risa," you say. You pick up the first of the two packages and hand it to him, a little embarrassed by how sweaty your palms are.

Data doesn't seem to mind however, for he takes it tenderly and opens it to reveal the collar you picked out for Spot. His eyebrows lift along with the corner of his mouth. "Hmm!" he says, before looking up and around, raising his voice. "Spot, Y/N has expressed her affections for you by providing you with a new accessory."

The next several minutes are diverted into looking for Spot, whom Data ultimately finds behind the couch. He coaxes her out and holds her while you fix the collar around her neck. Data proceeds to coo over her in a display of utter adorableness that has your heart aching just as much as the corners of your mouth and your cheeks.

After Spot has been sufficiently adored, Data rejoins you on the coach, that bright curiosity back in place. "I assume the collar is not the 'little surprise' you spoke of earlier," he says. "You insinuated that you had something of a more romantic nature for us to share together."

Your hands are trembling. You could still back out, tell him that the packages got mixed up and that you need to go back to your quarters for the right one, where you could swap it out with a more conventional gift. But at the same time, that alluring image from Risa hangs before your eyes, and you know if you back out now, you'll regret never taking this chance with him. You pull out the second package.

"Yes, I…I got this from Risa for us," you say, voice shaking. "It's a little self-indulgent on my part, so I hope you don't mind. I…I hope you like it."

Data slips his fingers over your hand. "Y/N," he says seriously. "I know for certain I would like whatever you chose to get me as a gift, simply because it was you who gave it."

You swallow, throat clogged with emotion, then lay the small package in his lap. Your heart pounds so hard you can hear it in your ears as his long, nimble fingers unwrap the paper, finally revealing your gift.

At first glance, it appears to be an intricate necklace, beginning with a silver choker embellished with delicate azure crystal flowers, each petal lovingly shaped. From it drape loops of chain as delicate as dew-encrusted spider silk. Two thicker chains hang lower, connected together by one of the thinner links. Where the thicker chains meet the thinner, there are two rings of azure blue petals that match those around the choker.

Data holds it up carefully, displaying that genuine curiosity that is so signature to him. "The workmanship appears to be Risian with subtle hints of Endrin neo-floric influence. Intriguing." He looks back at you. "However, I am uncertain that I understand its significance."

You feel your blush creeping from your cheeks all the way to your ears. "It's…it's body jewelry, Data."

He examines it again, head tilted to the side, then makes a small sound of understanding. "Mm, I see now. The choker goes around the wearer's neck, with the thinner chains draping over the chest. These rings-" He delicately fingers the azure petals suspended from the thicker chains "-I presume attach in some manner to the wearer's nipples, with this final chain hanging between them over the sternum."

"That's right," you answer.

He looks back at you. "The design is quite aesthetically pleasing, but I assume your intention in buying it for me goes beyond a passive visual examination."

And now, finally you give voice to that mental image that has been haunting you since the moment you laid eyes on the jewelry. "I…I keep imagining you wearing it. The silver against your gold skin. Those blue flowers. I can hardly imagine anything more beautiful or sexier in the whole universe." A rush of self-conscious uncertainty floods through you that comes out in a hesitant stutter. "I…I understand if it's not really your thing though. You don't have to wear it. I just thought maybe-"

You trail off as he places his fingertips against your lips. There is immeasurable softness in his eyes. "Y/N, I can think of few gifts more special to me than one which brings you the joy and excitement of which you speak. I wish very much to share in the joint enjoyment that my wearing your gift could bring us both."

You hadn't realized you'd been holding your breath, but it comes out now in a shaky exhale as the hard knot in your chest dissolves, replaced by a surge of giddy excitement. "You like it then?"

That flash of almost-mischief that sometimes flickers in Data's expression is there for a second and gone. It reminds you of Juliana, and you wonder for a moment if he's his mother's son just as much as his father's. "I believe I will like it far more when I am wearing it."

Well, that's an invitation if ever you heard one. You reach towards him, body leaning forward eagerly, and he turns to display his back to you, a clear invitation to undo his zipper. You scoot up next to him on the couch, your knee bumping into his hip, and slide the zipper downward. As you do so, you nuzzle forward to kiss the back of his neck where his hair meets his collar.

Even now, when you've seen him half a dozen times without his shirt, the sight of him still encourages a heady swell of desire from your lower belly. It still makes your head spin, not only that a man so beautiful can exist, but that he is yours.

You reach for the jewelry, taking it gently from his hands, and take a moment just to hold it, feeling the silky links in your hand and the smooth glossiness of the crystal flower petals. You feel equal parts nervous and giddy. Slowly, you begin to lift your hands.

To your surprise, he stops you with a gentle hand on your wrist. You look up to find his expression serious, his lips pressed firmly together. When he sees he has your full attention, he speaks. "Y/N, before we proceed further, there is a question I feel the need to ask you."

Your breath catches. "Yes?"

Data bobs his head. "I wish to understand your reasons for spending this time with me and giving me this gift. Before we continue, is this something you truly wish to share with me, or are you offering me this intimacy simply because it is my birthday?"

His question breaks over you like a shock wave. "Data!" you exclaim. "Of course I want this with you. Why would you think otherwise?"

He is silent for a touch too long. His eyes flicker momentarily down, almost as if he were ashamed or uncertain, before they return to your face. "Then you are certain you will enjoy this?"

Doubt begins to squirm uncomfortably in your chest. "Why wouldn't I enjoy spending time with my boyfriend?" He hesitates again and you lay the jewelry aside, resting your hand on top of his. "Data, is something wrong?"

He's unnervingly still, more so than any organic being could achieve, and for a moment you're afraid that he's malfunctioning. When he speaks, his voice is so soft that you can only just make out his words. "Then you are not growing tired of me?"

A second shock wave hits you and instinctively, impulsively, you take his face in your hands so that has little choice but to look at you. The fire inside you smolders down to a background glow – still there, but taking a back seat in the face of this sudden change in Data's behavior. "Sweetheart, love, of course I'm not growing tired of you. I love you. I adore you. Why would you think I'm getting tired of you?"

Data gazes back unblinkingly, his expression totally neutral, which in and of itself you've learned is significant. He seems almost…wary. "I have noticed that over the last two months, your interest in me has decreased by eight point two percent. Although you have continued to spend time with me, you seem less interested in exploring anything further or deeper with me as had regularly been the case prior."

He pauses briefly, then continues. "When I began this relationship with me, it was with the knowledge that one day I would reach a point where I could no longer satisfy you and our relationship would eventually terminate. Despite this, I decided it was worth the likely conclusion for the chance to get to know you and create memories with you that I would be able to treasure even if you were no longer part of my life. If you are reaching this point, where the novelty of what I have to offer in our relationship has begun to fade, I would not wish for you to continue on merely for my sake."

Now it's distress swirling in your stomach, along with a faintly nauseated sensation. You feel tears gathering at the corner of your eyes at the flat tone in Data's voice and the emptiness in his unblinking eyes. "I'm not growing tired of you, Data, and I'm not going to. What makes you think I would?"

His eyes meet yours, unblinking, boring into your soul. "Because in every romantic encounter I have experienced, the pattern has been that as soon as I have nothing novel left to offer, I am no longer wanted."

It feels like being punched, the thought of anyone treating this gentle, sweet android with such dismissiveness, as if he were only an object to be used and discarded. You remember Juliana's words about Data's proclivity to believe the lies he has too often heard about himself, and you realize this is far more important than any sexy jewelry or blissful make out session.

You scoot back in the couch so that you're sitting side by side with him, your body still twisted slightly to face him. As you do so, he attempts to stop you. "Y/N, if it is your desire to proceed with the jewelry, I do not wish to stop you."

You touch his lips softly. "No. No, I do still want that, but I think we need to talk about this for a moment." You take his hand, your fingers curling between his. "That is, if you want to."

Data nods in acknowledgement. "I am amenable to that course of action."

You mirror his nod and take a deep breath. "I promise you, Data, the last two months have had nothing to do with me losing interest. After Lore…" you swallow painfully, "…after that, I felt….stuck. I wanted more, I wanted it so, so much, and I still do, but I don't think I was ready. I needed time to figure myself out and what I want, I think. Plus, both our schedules have been so crazily busy."

The corners of Data's lips twitch and he blinks, breaking that unnerving mechanical stare. "Yes, our respective schedules have been significantly busier than average," he concedes.

"But on Risa," you continue, "I finally had the time to think about you…about us. And I was able to think about what an absolute gift knowing you has been in my life. And I'm so sorry you thought I was losing interest. I wish you'd said something."

"I considered that course of action," he responds. "However, I was concerned that you might misunderstand my motives and feel as if I were pressuring you to give me intimacy that you were not in fact interested in giving. I would not have wished for you to share time and actions with me that you felt merely obligated to grant."

You recall your thoughts about him from earlier, that he would give his all to those he loves even if he received nothing in return. Your heart aches for him. "I wouldn't have felt pressured, not if you had explained it that way. I want to make sure you feel loved and appreciated and that you know how much I care about you. I don't know what your experiences in the past were, but it's not a pattern that's going to continue on my watch. You're a person, Data, not a curiosity to be discarded the moment you're not helpful or interesting anymore. And heaven help me if I don't get it through your positronic brain tonight just how special you are to me."

The corners of his lips twist upward and his eyes soften to their familiar liquid gold. "I find myself greatly anticipating the opportunity to prove my specialness to you thoroughly tonight."

You reintroduce a hint of playfulness to your voice. "Well, then come over here, birthday boy, and let's see how you look in this jewelry."

The fire that you'd set aside to smolder instantly flares back up, and a shiver ghosts down your spine at the instant eagerness that returns to Data's face. He picks the jewelry back up and presents it to you, then twists his torso to face you, presenting his naked chest to your whims.

You clasp the choker around his neck, your fingers sliding under his hair to snap it shut. As you suspected, the silver stands out stunningly against his pale gold throat and dark hair, and the blue flowers glitter teasingly at you. Gently, you arrange the thinner chains so that they drape gracefully across his chest, enjoying the silky smoothness of his bioplast as you do so. The entire time, you're keenly aware of his eyes fixed on you.

You lift the heavier outer chains where they hang loosely at his sides. The rings of blue petals with their empty centers shine in the artificial light of Data's quarters. Carefully, reverently almost, you slide the first ring over Data's right nipple, twisting it gently so that it tightens until it's firmly in place. You repeat the actions on the left side, then lean back to take him all in.

There are no words for how utterly beautiful and sexy Data looks in that moment. As you hoped it would, the pattern of the draped chains accentuate the broadness and shape of his beautiful chest. The silver gleams against his pearlescent skin. The deep blue petals draw delicious attention to his pretty rose-gold nipples that now form the center of each of the two flowers, simply begging to be lavished with all kinds of attention. His sweet, soft expression is the perfect finishing touch to the gorgeous ensemble.

He's so much hotter than you ever dared to dream he'd be.

"Data," you choke. "Oh god, Data."

His expression turns impossibly shy. "Is it…satisfactory?"

Your response is to hurl yourself enthusiastically onto him before your insides burn right through your skin.

He falls back gently against the couch and catches you, his hands clasping your waist, as your lips crush against his in a passionate kiss. The sensations of wet warmth and silken skin fill your universe with white-hot stars. Every inch of your skin tingles and flares as your tongues perform their own pleasurable waltz in a sultry imitation of your earlier dance. You run your hands up along his bare shoulder blades, caressing him deeply, your stomach and chest pressed tight against his. The insides of your thighs squeeze against the gentle swell of his hips. You glide your fingers along the edge of his collar, feeling how his soft skin meets the smooth metal, then you dig them deep into the thick locks of dark hair. Oh, you think as you moan softly into his mouth, this is exactly what you'd been craving.

Data responds in like, kissing you back with unveiled enthusiasm. He's eager and boyish, like the times you've seen him in his Holmes holodeck program or that time a few days ago when he discovered the existence of string telephones and rounded up you, Geordi, and Counselor Troi to thoroughly test it all over the ship for literal hours. You love that so much about him: that everything is fresh and bright and exciting and interesting through those golden eyes. Every moment with him is a new gift.

His fingers toy with the bottom of your shirt, then he slips his hands up underneath the garment, and you feel his long fingers gliding over the bare skin of your lower back. At the same time, his lips part from yours and he nuzzles against your jaw, encouraging you to tilt your head back for him. You do so and gasp when you feel his mouth press hard against your throat. He sucks at your skin, then licks with the flat of his tongue, and the combination of sensations has you reeling. You stare at the ceiling, eyes glazed with pleasure and half shut, and whimper as Data's hands dance against the bare skin of your back and his lips and tongue continue to do wonderful things to your throat.

Suddenly, he wraps his arms more tightly around you and stands with easy grace as if you weigh nothing to him, his lips returning to yours. You wrap your legs around his hips, holding yourself to him as he carries you, your noses bumping and rubbing together as you find the rhythm of your kiss. You feel him moving, walking whilst never breaking the kiss, then suddenly he's leaning forward and releasing you. There's a split second of exhilarating free fall, then you sink into pure softness. You realize after a second that you're laid out on your back in his bed.

He quickly slides himself onto the bed after you, resting on his hands and knees and straddling you. You gaze up at him with awe, torn between staring into his face and at the silver chains hanging from his chest. From your exquisite point of view, his shoulders seem even broader than usual, and you can see all the individual shapely lines of his arms pressed down into the bed on either side of you. Your insides are simply melting into liquid heat.

On a sudden impulsive whim of bravery, you reach down to where the black line of his dress pants meets the golden cream of his bare stomach. You hook your fingers over the waistband and tug just slightly downward, then pause to give him a chance to react. He tilts his head to the side, his lips parting in that expression of soft curiosity that you love so deeply, then his eyebrows rise sharply. He lifts one hand and places it over the top of yours against his waist. For a second, you stare into each other's eyes, then he closes his hand over yours and helps you tug his pants downward.

It would be a lie to say that getting Data out of his pants is an entirely graceful process, but it's a new and exciting one that ends with the beautiful android on his back on the bed while you tug off his boots and slide his bunched pants over his feet to free him of them at last. You sit back on your heels and gaze down at the sight below you.

He's now dressed in nothing but his black, standard-issue Starfleet boxer briefs that leave decidedly little up to the imagination. They hug the shape of his smooth thighs and show off even more that perfect sculpted stomach. His legs are long and elegant, once again crafted to perfectly mimic the musculature of a fit adult male, and you run your hands down them, feeling the curve of the artificial muscles underneath the flawless bioplast.

You sit back again, admiring him as he looks up at you with that soft, sweet expression, and try to decide what will sate the cravings clamoring inside of you. Finally, your eyes stray back up to his chest and that utterly alluring jewelry clasped to him. Your stomach knots and flips wonderfully.

In the reverse to the position you were in minutes ago, it is now you sliding yourself up Data's body, straddling him on the bed beneath you. His head and shoulders rest against the pillows, propping up his torso perfectly and putting him on full display for you. You shiver as your body slides against his, aware of just how little he's wearing.

You begin by stroking him, starting at the low rim of his boxers and working your way slowly, methodically upward. You watch his eyes sink half-shut, lips parted, that sensual expression that you absolutely cannot ever get enough of spreading over his face. You ghost your fingers along the underside of his pectoral muscles to the outside of his chest, briefly brushing against the chain hanging between his nipples. His tongue slips out, moistening his lips in a fascinatingly human way. You sit on his hips, leaning forward and deeply massaging the sides of his chest, purposefully avoiding the chains. His fingers twitch impulsively.

You lean further, dipping down to teasingly kiss the very corner of his mouth as you continue to rub his sides. He makes a soft, almost inaudible sound in response. You kiss down his throat and nuzzle the underside of his choker with your lips, then move further down, kissing and occasionally scraping gently with your teeth. You feel his hips shift slightly under yours, sending an electric jolt through your whole body.

Finally, you slide your hands back inward, over his sternum, and run your fingertips along the chain lying across the center of his chest. Gently, you hook the chain over your finger and tug ever so gently, watching your handsome android as you do so.

His head drops back into the pillows, baring the full length of his long, beautiful throat adorned with that silver choker. A sound escapes his rose-gold lips: soft and sweet and keening. The pleasurable knot in your stomach tightens further. You pinch the chain between your forefinger and thumb, giving you heightened control over it, and begin to play, experimenting with pressures, speeds, and movements, and carefully watching his reactions to make sure he's enjoying himself.

After several minutes, you've determined that Data seems to like it best when you tug the chain slowly and gently taut, then release it and repeat the motion. It is certainly what is getting the best and hottest reactions from him, and your insides are nothing short of molten at how sexy he looks with his back arched, his head tossed back, hair tousled, soft little sounds of appreciation bubbling from his lips.

But despite your guesses, you want to make sure, so you gently ease the chain and reach up to cup his face. "Are you enjoying yourself, sweetheart?"

His eyes flicker back open and he tilts his head sideways on the pillow. "Yes," he whispers. "It…it is an intriguing experience." You smile at how flustered he sounds. "Yes." He nods his head. "I believe you made an excellent selection of a birthday gift." He looks sweetly up at you. "Are you finding that it meets your expectations, darling?"

You caress his cheek. "Oh, Data, I can't even begin to tell you how sexy you look. It's perfect. My only regret is that we didn't do something like this sooner."

He reaches up and mirrors you, cupping your cheek. "Y/N, by your own admission, if we had gone further before now, you would not have been ready. When I was first becoming sentient, I wished to learn and know and experience so much more, and yet, forcing my neural pathways to grow before they were ready would have caused great harm to my overall system and might even have led to cascade failure. Perhaps this is similar. Perhaps you needed to wait for the correct pathways to form before you could properly enjoy the experience."

Of course he's right, this innocently wise android who is so perceptive at the same time. You can't help but smile fondly at him. "You're right, but I'm certainly enjoying it now." You close your eyes as he glides his thumb along your cheekbone. "Watching your pleasure is something that will never grow old."

Immediately, he frowns. "Y/N," he says in a serious voice, "I must remind you that I am incapable of feeling pleasure."

You poke him in the middle of his chest. "Except that you can feel pleasure, you dork. Juliana told me you could. Dr. Soong specifically designed you to be able to feel pleasure. I just knew that was what you were feeling all this time and you were just being obtuse about it."

He goes so still and quiet, but the spark of hope that lights in his eyes wrenches at your heart. "I can feel pleasure?" he asks in that quiet, awed voice, almost as if he's afraid that if he says it, it will slip away from him like a morning mist.

"Yes," you repeat firmly. "Yes, Data, you can."

"I can feel pleasure," he repeats, eyes still wide. "I can feel…pleasure."

His eyes refocus on you and there's a new intensity to them beyond his sexual programming. "I can feel pleasure." He pulls you down against himself, kissing you deeply and wrapping his arms around you, letting his hands slide down to your hips. You kiss him back passionately, caressing your hands up his stomach and over his broad chest, stroking your fingers over his firm nipples and still toying with the delicate chain hanging between them. He makes soft noises of what you now know for certain is pleasure against your mouth as your tongue continues to twine with his, his fingers tightening against your hips.

He rolls you both over, so that your back is once again against the bed sheets, as he continues to nuzzle and kiss you with fervor. After a minute, he pushes himself off you and gazes down at you with a tenderness that has you melting. "Y/N," he says and hesitates. "Y/N, I am pleased to...to experience pleasure with you." He still seems amazed by the revelation.

"So am I," you answer. "Though I was pretty sure that's what you had going on all along."

His eyes are so immeasurably gentle. "Y/N, if I have learned one thing about you, it is that you believe in my own humanity oftentimes even more so than myself."

"Well, it's easy for me," you reply. "I get to see your humanity every day, and it's a beautiful thing."

He grows quiet and almost shy. You tip your head to the side against the pillows to watch his face. "Something on your mind, sweetheart?"

He glances at you out of the corner of his eye, and there's a nervous energy about him, as if you can feel the increase of the electricity flow through his neural net. He opens his mouth, closes it, then reopens it. Finally, he speaks in a hesitant voice. "I do not wish to 'switch things up' if you are enjoying our current activities…"

You raise your eyebrow. "But…?"

"But," he continues with a little nod, "but I cannot help but observe the clear enjoyment that you experience each time I have disrobed for you to any degree. I have found myself curious as to whether I might partake in that same enjoyment were I to witness you in a similar state of undress for me. And if so, if you might be willing to explore that possibility with me."

Something new runs through you – a heat or a chill, you're not certain – but it brings in its wake anticipation, excitement, and more than a little shyness. Your cheeks blaze red. "You…you'd like to undress me?"

He nods fervently. "Yes."

Immediately and without bidding, your mind conjures up the phantom sensations of your bare skin pressed against Data's for the first time, his hands roving your body, his eyes devouring you. You remember your thoughts on Risa about letting Data touch you more intimately than anything you had yet shared together and you examine your current feelings. You're nervous, yes, a little embarrassed, yes, but the thought also makes you burn exquisitely.

It's frightening too, but you remember what Juliana said. You know Data will catch you.

"Yes, Data," you answer him a little shakily, placing your hand on his arm. "Yes, I think…I think I'd like to share that with you."

His eyebrows lift and the corners of his mouth perk up instantly, his whole face lighting up. "Truly?"

"Yes, truly," you answer, tapping the tip of his nose. "Anytime you're ready, handsome."

He tilts his head to the side, and you swear there's a deeper gold tint to his cheeks, then he seems to make up his mind. He tenderly takes hold of the bottom hem of your shirt, his fingers so delicate as if he's afraid he'll tear it. The fabric slides against your skin as he pulls it up and off you, his movements slow, deliberate, and careful. There's a sudden rush of cool air against your exposed skin as Data pulls the garment completely away and discards it on the bed beside you.

He pauses, his eyes meeting yours, and there's a silent question in his gaze. You nod to him, letting him know you feel all right and safe, and some almost imperceivable tension eases from his shoulders. He nods back then turns his gaze to your body.

You'd been hoping that things between you and Data might progress to this stage tonight and as such, you'd come prepared. You're wearing a decidedly prettier bra than what you would have ever chosen for yourself: pale blue with lace cutouts along the sides and yellow embroidery over the cups. You're not even sure if Data will notice or enjoy it, but you like the idea of feeling pretty for your handsome android.

You watch his eyes skim methodically over you, from the rim of your skirt up to your chest and shoulders. The expression on his face is one of open curiosity and more than a little wonder. The blush in your cheeks glows on your skin.

After several minutes of silent gazing, his eyes return to yours, soft and awed. "Y/N," he murmurs softly, "you are…very aesthetically pleasing."

Your blush deepens, but you are still caught off guard when he speaks again. "May I continue to remove more of your garments?"

Not trusting your voice, you nod.

This time, he gently slips your skirt down your legs and off, revealing the matching pale blue lace panties you chose for this evening. Faintly, you wonder if he can tell you dressed for him, but your blood is pounding in your ears so hard that coherent thought is becoming difficult. After he removes your skirt, he gently slides his hands up your waist. He traces his fingertip along the gold embroidery of your bra and you shudder when he glides over your nipple. He fingers the lace, then carefully slips his hands around to your back. Between your back and the mattress, you feel his fingers deftly undoing your bra.

The garment comes loose suddenly. Your heart pounds. With all the meticulous carefulness of his mechanical nature, Data slides the straps down your arms then discards your bra entirely.

And just like that, for the first time, you are completely naked from the rim of your panties up in Data's presence.

Shyness washes over you, and you feel the intense urge to cross your arms and cover yourself but you resist, keeping your arms on the bed at your side and allowing him to look to his mechanical heart's content.

And look he does. There's still that sensual light to his eyes caused by his sexual programming, but his most prominent expressions are continued inquisitiveness and wonder. He tilts his head back and forth, as if to look at you from every possible angle, to take in every part of you. You're hyper-aware of your topless body and how fully Data can see you. You shift a little, feeling the intensity of his gaze like a physical touch, until you are hardly able to bare it any longer. You are intimately aware of his hands resting on the bed to either side of you, and suddenly an overwhelming craving for his touch washes over you.

"You know, you're not limited to a visual examination," you tease.

He meets your eyes and you see the recognition as he remembers the words he spoke to you when you were first frozen at the sight of his bare chest. His lips part, his eyes light up, and he lifts himself, leaning on one arm so that the other is free.

His fingers are cool when he touches you, causing a slight shiver to run its way from your shoulders to your toes. He starts at your belly, exploring your navel, the soft flesh over your stomach, and your ribs. Your breathing quickens. He pauses and looks up to your face again, shy and questioning. In response, you reach down to his hand, take it in yours, and lift it to your chest.

He freezes, as if unsure how to proceed, but then his fingers curl gently over the swell of your breast. Your skin feels hot, and you are aware of every single sensation to an almost excruciating degree. He shifts his palm, and you bite your lip to stop from moaning as he rubs against your nipple. Then he begins to stroke gently with his thumb, running it back and forth over the underside of your breast, seemingly mesmerized by the softness and smoothness. Vaguely, through your haze of arousal, you consider how much of his computational abilities are currently focused solely on you, and what an honor that is.

Your heart is pounding so hard that you imagine that he must be able to feel it. You lick your lips, your breath catching. Data glances up to your face. "Is this experience agreeable to you?"

You try to form words around this heady reality of being all but naked in Data's bed, with his hand gently stroking your bare chest. "I'm…I'm realizing how…how much I've been wanting more with you, Data."

He smiles, that small, almost invisible yet unforced smile that one might not even recognize as such unless you knew him well. "And how about you?" you ask. "Are you finding it as enjoyable as you hoped?"

He considers your question for a brief moment, then nods. "Although yours are not the first breasts I have seen, I am finding my systems uniquely affected by you. My sexual programming appears to be shutting down many of my other systems and I am finding it strangely hard to focus on any of the other tasks I have been running during this time. I am additionally experiencing an odd sensation, something I cannot adequately describe. It is like when I have not ingested my biochemical lubricant for too long and my inner workings have begun to stiffen; it is like the sensation of when I ingest my lubricant and suddenly everything is working at optimum efficiency again. It is a feeling of…gratification…of satisfaction. Yes…yes, I believe I am enjoying the experience." That sweet puppy look comes into his eyes. "I believe…it is pleasurable."

The corners of your cheeks dimple with a huge smile. You love how amazed and happy he is at the discovery of his own ability to experience pleasure, and you can't help but admit that you are enjoying that your body has the ability to please him just as much as his does for you. That train of thought leads you back to that particularly juicy bit of information that Juliana shared with you earlier. You reach up and stroke Data's chest, running your finger over the petal rings and down the chain. "So, Data."

He raises an eyebrow. "So, Y/N?"

You raise your own eyebrow back at him. "Your mother says you have a dirty talk subroutine."

Data doesn't seem fazed by this revelation. His lips purse and his eyes slide off to the side as he accesses his systems. After a moment, both eyebrows rise sharply. "Hm!" He refocuses on you. "Yes, that information appears to be correct. I have a subroutine designed specifically to verbally encourage arousal and excitement."

"And you've never mentioned it or wanted to try it out?" you ask, blushing and grinning at the same time.

"It is not a part of my system that I have ever had reason to access," he responds matter-of-factly "I did not know it was something you were curious about. Do you wish for me to activate it now?"

You bite your lip, unsure what exactly you're getting yourself into, but you decide to go for it. "Yes, please."

Data's head twitches mechanically. "Subroutine activated," he says in that monotone voice that indicates he's performing some internal action with his systems. "Level one setting." He twitches again, and his gaze refocuses. You watch him closely, waiting.

He lowers himself back down and lifts his hand to glide his forefinger slowly down your cheek. You wait with bated breath and shiver as he strokes his fingertip teasingly over your lips. Then he whispers in a surprisingly husky voice. "Y/N, you are so beautiful to me. You please me so much. You make me feel more alive – more human – than anything else in the galaxy. I want to kiss and touch every nanometer of you until you know beyond a doubt that you are everything to me."

His hand strays back down, and he cups your breast and squeezes gently, massaging your soft, sensitive skin. He nuzzles his lips up against your cheek, and you feel the faint puff of his breath. You're shivering all over with desire.

"I love how your breath quickens when I touch you, how your heart rate increases when I kiss you, how your skin grows hotter when I am near you. I love setting you on fire and watching you burn for me. I love the way my name sounds on your lips when you moan it."

Oh heavens! Heavens! Hearing him talk like this to you is having a stronger effect than you had ever imagined it would. Your fingers twist in his sheets and you bite your lip, trying desperately to stop yourself from impulsively pressing up against him.

Apparently, he can tell the effect he's having on you. "Do you like it?" he whispers against your cheek and you feel his fingers slide over your bare nipple. He pinches your nub softly between his forefinger and thumb and rolls it back and forth, causing waves of sweet sensation. "Do you like being unclad in my bed? Do you like how I look in your gift to me? Do you like my hands on your bare skin? Do you want more?"

You whimper and twist beneath him. "Yes, yes, yes. Data, I do, yes."

He slowly licks the rim of your ear then places his lips to it. "Then more I shall give."

Data adjusts himself, his movements fluid and graceful. Now he's lying between your legs, his stomach pressed against yours, holding his upper body away from you with one strong arm planted on the bed beside your chest. You are shivering helplessly, undone by how gorgeous he looks, your near-naked body pulsing with heat you can't control, every nerve aware of how close and intimate Data's body is to yours.

He locks gazes with you, liquid, golden heat pooling in his eyes with the intensity of his android stare. Without breaking eye contact with you for so much as a fraction of a second, he lowers himself, his tongue slipping from between his lips, and, still looking you straight in the eyes, he licks a slow, scorching path up the swell of your breast and over your throbbing nipple with the flat of his tongue.

You're unable to contain the soft whine that the sensation drags from your lips, as your fingers knot tightly in the sheets to either side of you. Data licks you again, and you can sense him carefully cataloging every single one of your body's natural responses. This time, he drags his tongue slowly up the underside of your breast, circles your nipple tantalizingly, then trails up to your clavicle, which he mouths gently. The faint friction of his bare stomach against yours as he moves has you yearning to press yourself up harder against him, to relieve just a little of the aching pressure causing every one of your nerves to feel like it is on fire.

Data evidently decides he has given your collarbone sufficient attention, for his tongue strays back down your body. Once again, he circles your nipple, teasing you, before nuzzling his face down into the valley of your chest to rub his nose tenderly against your sternum. One of your hands remains knotted in the blankets at your side, but you instinctively lift your other hand to cradle the back of Data's head, your fingers sinking into his thick, dark hair. He rubs his nose back and forth and kisses the very center of your chest. His tongue ventures out to taste you, and you can sense his warm curiosity with every new moment.

Satisfied apparently for the time being, he lifts his head and seems to consider where to explore next, his head tipped slightly to the side. Your hand remains against his cheek, your fingertips in his hair, and you try to keep still despite your trembling, resisting the urge to guide his mouth back down to your chest.

To your immense relief, he chooses that course for himself after a slow moment of deliberation. He uses the tip of his large nose to rub against your nipple, then tilts his head back to use his tongue against your sensitive flesh once again. The first stroke is soft and flat, the texture of him catching lightly against you, causing a slow pulse of sensation. Before you are prepared however, he immediately switches tactics and rapidly flicks the tip of his tongue against you.

The sudden onslaught of pleasurable sensation causes you to arch your back, your thighs squeezing against his hips, your fingers tightening in his hair. "Daaaata," you gasp in a breathy voice, and he makes a soft humming sound in response to his name that vibrates beautifully against your skin.

He runs his hands up and down your sides, stroking your skin and pressing you to himself. "Yes," he murmurs. "Yes, say my name, Y/N. Let me know how much you enjoy me." Before you can respond further, he lowers his lip to your chest and sucks your nipple gently into his warm, wet mouth.

Part of you has been holding back, whether from shyness or some sense of decorum or something else, you're unsure. But the sheer hotness of this moment – your gorgeous android lying on top of you, his hands on your hips, your breast in his mouth – is too much. You writhe beneath him, reaching up and out to wildly pet every part of him you can reach – his arms, his shoulders, his back – while noises of unfiltered happiness and desire and appreciation spill profusely from your lips.

After only a sparse thirty seconds or so, he's fully adjusted the pressure of his lips to the exact right amount for you to enjoy, no doubt accomplished through his ability to analyze your every reaction instantly and calculate what you are enjoying the most. The sensations of his sucking lips combine with the tingling flicks and touches of his tongue, leaving you as little more than human putty in his strong hands. He cups your other breast, using his fingers to gently play with your tender flesh.

"Oh, Data," you whimper into his hair, gripping the messy dark locks tightly, your fingers buried deep. "Data…Data, you beautiful, amazing, sexy android."

He hums in acknowledgement, and the wonderful vibrations run all the way through your topless body.

He can tell when you're starting to become tired and overstimulated. Gently, he releases your nipple from his lips and caresses your other breast with his fingers one last time, then slides his hand down to your hip. You suddenly realize how tired and relaxed you feel, and as the sensations fade, you feel yourself practically melting into the bed. You feel amazingly warm and fuzzy all over, and your breasts still throb pleasantly from all of Data's attention.

You watch through half-hooded eyes as Data carefully removes the body jewelry from himself and tenderly stows it in what you think of as his drawer of treasures – the place where he keeps his Sherlock pipe, his poker cards, his Starfleet medals, and all the other odds and ends that he cherishes the most. You know him well enough to appreciate the honor it is to have something of yours joining those other beloved trinkets. When he's finished, he returns and lies down next to you, resting his head on the pillow beside you. You reach up and pat at his frowsy tangle of curls, smoothing them back down. His eyes are gentle but no longer sensual, signaling that his sexual program has deactivated.

You're still aware that both of you are all but naked, but there's a quiet intimacy about your shared state of undress now instead of that impassioned heat. You shiver slightly, and Data reaches down your body to tug the blankets up over you, leaving you cocooned in soft warmth. He gives you his tiny smile. "I believe it has been an…excellent…birthday."

You stroke his cheek. "It wasn't even my birthday, and I still think it was excellent."

He kisses you, a cute little peck to your lips. "I must thank you for sharing my birthday with me, and also for your thoughtful and thoroughly enjoyable gift."

You peck him back. "Thank you for letting me share it with you. I can't think of anything else in the universe I would have rather done this evening than share my android boyfriend's birthday."

He picks something up from the bed beside you, and you blush as you realize it's your discarded bra. He touches it with brief curiosity then lays it on his bedside table, but then his eyes turn to you, appraising. "Although my personal experience is limited, I have read a colloquialism that when a woman chooses matching undergarments, she is hoping they will be seen. Is this true?"

So he did notice. You can't help your shy dimpling smile. "Well, I don't know if it's true across the board, but yeah, it was true for me tonight."

Data's expression goes infinitely soft. "Then you were hoping for the opportunity to undress with me? Even before I expressed any desire to see you unclad?"

"Yeah, Data, I was." You nod and run your fingers over the back of his hand.

"Hmm," he says. There's wonder in his golden eyes. "Intriguing."

You lay together for a quiet time after that, and you feel like you are nearly drifting off when he speaks again, his voice more solemn than before. "Y/N, do you truly believe that you will never grow tired of either myself or our relationship?"

His words draw you back out of your sleepy haze. You cup his cheek. "Sweetheart, I can't promise I'll always feel the exact same way all the time, but no, I'm not going to 'get tired' of you. And I'm absolutely not going to toss you out like yesterday's trash. Nobody deserves to be treated like that, and you least of all."

He closes his eyes briefly, almost as if it is still hard for him to hope for the truth of what you say. When he opens his eyes again, his gaze is still serious. "Y/N, I have never told you about my prior experiences with romantic relationships."

You prop yourself up on your elbow, giving him your full attention. "And you don't ever have to, if you don't want to."

He considers this for a moment, then nods decisively. "I believe I would like for you to know. Yes, I am certain of it."

He reaches out and twines one lock of your hair around his finger. He plays with it gently as he speaks, and you're struck by what a human gesture it is. "I have told you that at the Academy, I struggled greatly to make connections with my human classmates. Some were simply uncomfortable with the presence of an artificial being, while others behaved in a way towards me that I have since come to realize was cruelty."

His fingers twist round and round the lock of your hair. "In my second year at the Academy, I was invited by one of my classmates who was less afraid of me to attend a party of sorts. Although I was aware that such events happened regularly, I myself had never had the opportunity to attend one, and I was deeply curious by the invitation and so I agreed. I do not know that I could say that I enjoyed myself, but I found the experience intriguing. It was also the first time I had imbibed alcohol, which I found fascinating, despite my inability to become inebriated.

"Partway through the event, a young woman began speaking to me. Replaying the memory, I am quite certain that her behavior would have been considered flirtatious, though at the time I was simply pleased that someone wished to speak to me. I remember that she kept touching me – my arm, my shoulders, my chest. Most humans avoided touching me; it was most interesting."

He pauses briefly. "As the party goers began to disperse, this young woman invited me to accompany her back to her quarters, informing me that her roommate was away studying. I consented and returned with her to her quarters where she proceeded to make her full intentions towards me known. Although I had been activated for five years at that point, I had yet to experience anything of a sexual or romantic nature, and I found myself intrigued by the opportunity she offered me and agreed. I was eager to explore my sexual programming, and I did the best I knew how to please her as well as I could and did everything she requested of me. As best as I could tell, I was successful.

"However, after our coupling, she informed me that she wished for me to leave immediately, and when I required why – seeking to understand if I had offended her in some manner – she refused to explain. I asked if she would ever wish to repeat our intimacy, to which she began to laugh, a reaction I could not reconcile with my question. I saw no cause for humor in any of my words or actions and so inquired what it was that she found humorous."

He releases the lock of your hair. "She told me it was my 'gullibility" that she found so amusing. She then informed me that at the party, she and her friends had been observing me and discussing my android nature. The topic of my sexuality and my anatomy came up and a bet was made that involved the transfer of class credits to anyone in the group who was willing to 'fuck the robot'." The crude word sounds even uglier on Data's gentle lips and all the more harsh for the dead monotone of his voice. "She informed me that she had agree to 'take one for the group' because she needed the credits to pass a critical class and because I was 'decently attractive.' She then told me not to contact her ever again, after which she shut the door in my face."

You can't remember a time in your life when you've wanted to track someone down and beat them to a bloody pulp quite as badly as you do right now. "Oh Data," you say, "oh sweetheart, I'm so sorry that happened to you. What an absolute waste of a human being. I'm so sorry."

He clasps your hand. "I thank you for your concern, but I assure you that I am all right."

From some of the self-depreciating comments he's revealed to you tonight, you're not sure that's entirely true, but you give him the benefit of the doubt.

He continues holding your hand, his thumb rubbing slowly back and forth over your knuckles. "Most recently, several years ago, I became involved in a romantic relationship with a lieutenant aboard the Enterprise. She initially expressed affections for me, and I decided I wished to explore the possibilities of a relationship with her. It was for her that I first developed the romantic subroutine which I have since modified for you."

"What happened?" you ask.

"Our relationship only lasted several days. Although initially she showed great enthusiasm towards me, she quickly became frustrated with my lack of understanding about romance and my inability to express emotion. I was unable to provide her with the emotional satisfaction she desired, and she quickly grew tired of me and initiated the termination of our couplehood several days later."

"Well, she missed out, didn't she?" you say more than a little indignantly, trying to imagine how anyone could be dissatisfied with Data's sweet, attentive, eager-to-learn nature. You snuggle against his chest. "But I guess if she'd had two active brain cells and been smart enough to know just who she'd had, I wouldn't have had the chance to get you all to myself," you tease, rubbing your nose up against his.

He nuzzles you back. "That is indeed a positive outcome from the experience." He goes quiet again, this time for a longer stretch, and the feeling of deep melancholy grows heavier around him again. "I had a third romantic encounter," he says in a very quiet voice, "which took place between the other two. I did, however, make the promise not to reveal the details of that encounter with anyone, which I wish to honor. I will only say that the experience was deeply special to me and the person I shared it with was someone I cared for greatly and respected. I believed the experience to be equally special to the one I shared it with, and I thought I had successfully pleased her and done everything she needed and wanted of me."

He pauses, and there's a weight like gravity in that silence. "Evidently, I was mistaken, for the next time I saw her, she expressed both anger and unhappiness at our encounter and requested that I behave as if it had never happened. We never spoke of it again, and to this day, I do not know what I did wrong to provoke such emotions from her."

You remember the time you'd come to his quarters early for a date and found him sitting at his desk, staring silently at a small blue holographic figure sitting directly before him. He'd turned it off as soon as he saw you and rose to greet you, but you remember the look on his face. As he's speaking, in your heart, you know, though he doesn't need to know that you do. You don't have it in you to feel angry or jealous of her, not knowing how much she clearly meant to Data the few times he's spoken of her to you and knowing what happened to her; you simply feel a deep ache for him.

He is quiet and still for a long moment. "Based on these three encounters, I reached the logical conclusion that I was faulty and that when my partner has received everything from me which they are able, I am…discardable."

You slip your arms around him and pull him close, pressing your face tenderly to his neck. To your slight surprise, you find tears trickling down your cheeks as you hold him. "You're not discardable, Data. And that's not the only logical conclusion. There's also the much more logical conclusion that all three of them were just massive jerks to you."

He cradles you back. "I suppose that is one conclusion that could also be made, though in all three encounters, I was the common denominator. This indicates that the problem most likely lies with me."

"But now you can factor me in," you say. "And I promise I'll never treat you like that, Data."

"Yes," he answers softly, "yes, I believe you are speaking the truth. I do not believe now that you would ever treat me those ways."

You hold each other a while longer, and you are very pleasantly aware of your bodies pressing together under the blankets. But you begin to feel drowsy again and start to push yourself up and away. "I should probably get dressed and head back to my quarters, or I'm going to end up falling asleep right here in your bed."

To your surprise, Data keeps his arms around you, stopping you from pulling away. When you look back at him, there's an devout plaintiveness to his expression. "I fail to see a downside to that possibility," he answers. When you gape at him a little owlishly, he elaborates. "You may stay here with me." He glances at you coyly. "That is, if you desire to. I am not required on the Bridge until morning."

You look down into his earnest face and practically melt back down onto the bed. The two of you cuddle up together: arms wrapped around each other, legs entwined, bare chests pressed close. You sigh deeply and tuck your head under his chin, your breathing slowing peacefully. The bed bounces slightly as Spot jumps up to join you. She makes a couple rotations, then settles between you and Data's legs, her back pressed to Data's shin and her front paws and chin resting on your calf. Everything is warm and peaceful and perfect.

"Happy birthday, Data," you murmur.

He kisses your forehead in response.

Juliana was right. This was exactly what you both needed – this evening of shared trust and sweet new passions – you feel it deep in your soul, and you know that both of you are better for having shared this experience together.

A sudden thought flashes through your mind, and you open an eye with a slight grin. "So Data," you whisper, "what's the story about you streaking some colonists?"

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A/N: Want to see a picture I drew of Data in his body jewelry? You can see it here. Enjoy ;)

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