#Humans also need copper to function

[the-barefoot-hatter]

Pyramid Steve's favourite treat is pre-1982 pennies

(Ford slooooowly starting to realize his muse of infinite knowledge might, in fact, be a dumbass.)

[seat-safety-switch]

There's a really non-obvious consequence to all those "smart" appliances out there. Your average corporation lasts less than ten years before it's acquired, goes bankrupt, or is no longer doing the thing it first started out doing. However, all those internet-of-things gadgets still need someone to be paying the server bill, otherwise half of the features go "poof."

This is great for me: I get cheap appliances, tools, construction robots, and pseudo-sentient war machines because most of their functionality required a now-nonexistent web service to be working. For instance, this oven I pulled out of a ditch works perfectly fine to cook food, but the "Turkey Mode" that makes an obnoxious gobbling sound on Thanksgiving Day no longer activates on its own.

Not everything is as lucky. Lots of gadgets are just totally useless, so they get turned into other things. A lobotomized robot lawnmower quickly became a regular ol' human-operated lawnmower with the attachment of a Princess Auto two-stroke engine and a very, very long wood pole. And then there's the stuff that just gets plain weird.

A few weeks ago, I got a new microwave from the "gettin' spot." It was due to be recycled, to be turned into some other microwave. I figured it would still work perfectly fine, so I brought it home, plugged it in, and got ready to heat up some Pizza Pockets. Nothing doing: the screen had only one functional "app" remaining.

On its flickering high-dollar OLED screen, I saw the words "death prediction date." And, clicking on it, the microwave began to read out an entirely plausible date and cause for my personal demise. For a couple days after, guests to my house were also amazed by the microwave's chillingly reasonable projection of their inevitable fatal accident or terminal illness.

I'll never know why the Guangzhou Champion Home Appliance Company imbued the microwave with such an eerie memento mori, but I am grateful for it. The whole experience taught me that life is short, far too short to listen to some snarky-ass microwave that won't even cook a Pizza Pocket. If it's so smart, maybe it should have guessed that I was going to drag it behind my truck on the highway until the transformer – with its delicious, copper-rich windings – fell out.

[woman-of-many-fandoms]

My Vulcan/Spock/other head canons and general thoughts:

Vulcans:

With Vulcans being stronger, their utensils are heavier and harder for humans of average strength to use

They have more children than the average human couple but spaced out due to longer life spans and wanting to fully devote themselves to their kids. The emphasis is on properly raising the kids you have. They are considered better parents then human.

Their bond with their babies allows them to know what the baby need before they can speak 

Since they age slower, they are also youths for longer.  An 18-year-old Vulcan is not the same maturity wise as an 18-year-old human. Spock ages like a human

A parent with poorly raised / poorly educated child is judged. Sarek takes this personally.

They have a green tint in the same area humans have a pink tint (corners of eyes, finger beds, tongue, ect) Those with white skin are have a green-ish undertone.

When in space, they can’t have a fully human diet (even without the meat) or they will get iron poisoning, or end up with extremely low copper levels 

While female humans have the hardest time biologically, it the males in Vulcan society. The males are the only ones who go through pon farr. The women don’t have periods.

After the kids are paired up, they generally don’t meet again or ‘date’ until it’s pon farr time. I was not feeling the whole ‘engagement ritual’ with T’pring’s parents

During adolescents before they can fully control their emotion they do act out and have crushes. This is expected to be controlled by their 40s.

Vulcan / non Vulcan hybrid are not fertile unless the other pairing is Romulan 

Vulcans have green lips but it’s their style to wear red

Make up and fancy hair dos are considered meditative

Vulcans have larger ships so they have private spaces to meditate 

Spock:

Spock’s family is basically aristocracy but with content drama that upsets the status quo. I agree with the post that said if Amanda married a random Vulcan farmer they wouldn’t care but she married Sarek.

This is also why Spock Pon Farr was considered scandalous and most people on Vulcan know what happened.

Spock’s a designer baby

Sarek and Amanda tried several times for a child before having success with Spock

Sarek is not a bad dad but doesn’t understand his child and pushes him in ways that are not supportive

Sarek and Spock are both girl dads

TOS Spock never had romantic relationships prior to TOS, he also didn’t have friends on Pikes enterprise 

AOS Spock got with Uhura because T’pring’s family rejected Spock due to Vulcans becoming even more racist after Nero and Spock decided to woo the first woman who seemed interested

The Vulcans in AOS would not match with Spock after Nero because they would want to rebuild the population so even if Spock could have kids, he’d ‘taint’ the bloodline

Spock’s home is one of the oldest in the city and made of stone. Not the Boston style house we saw in DIS

SNW Spock was more emotional rather than less after become human because Vulcans  have an area of the brain they use to control emotions, the Cthia. Spock’s is under developed so he struggles but when it was gone as a human he didn’t know how to function 

Saavik is Spock’s non blood related daughter. She is half Romulan. She doesn’t exist in AOS. She was the traitor. She was never pregnant with spocks or davids kid.

Spock knew how to play the lyre from childhood. Not from being given the instrument from M’banga

TOS Spock was not born in a cave and imminently insulted by Sarek. That was Sybok influencing the narrative 

Spock was the first Vulcan in Starfleet

TOS and SNW Spock have a parental authority kink due to Sarek’s lack of praise and affection.

TOS Spock is more emotional then SNW and AOS. It’s all the sass

Sarek was more strict on Spock after what happened with Sybok

AOS Sarek re marries a Vulcan woman and Spock has a bunch of full Vulcan siblings 

AOS Spock ad Uhura tried to have child though medical intervention but the child was never viable. After the 3rd failed attempt they broke up

Other:

Starfleet is military. Kirk in errand of Mercy “I’m a soldier not a diplomat’

In the future people can decided how long they want to be married for. Ie, 1, 5, 10, or forever years

I will be forever mad that the actor who played Picards son was not chosen to play kirk in SNW instead of Wesley. He was up for the role.

Both kirks cheated on the Kobayashi Maru in the same way but TOS Kirk was such a suck up/teacher’s pet they let him slide

All kirks went to Tarsus

All Kirks would have a hard time dealing with someone with an eating disorder, whether it be binge eating, bulimia or anorexia

AOS SNW and TOS are different timelines

The AOS versions would not get along with the SNW or TOS counterparts

After 09 trek there was a 1-2 year time gap where the rest of the crew finished up their studies and Kirk got practical experience. He was made captain soon after as a moral booster to make the fleet look better after losing Vulcan. Spock prime also pushed for Kirk to be captain. 

AOS McCoy went to Starfleet academy, TOS McCoy did not

TOS McCoy raised is daughter mostly to adulthood. AOS had to leave her as a young child

AOS kirk falls first but Spock falls harder (just barley)

In TOS it’s bottom Spock, in AOS it’s bottom kirk. And with what little info I have I’m learning towards SNW Spock being bottom

McCoy went to Dolly Parton high school

AOS Kirk still got Carol pregnant. He considered leaving so his son would have a dad but something happened and both carol and david died not long after

[gallifreyinstituteforlearning]

How close is Time Lord biology and culture to Vulcan biology and culture?

How close is Time Lord biology and culture to that of Vulcans?

🖖 A Note on Interstellar Anthropology

The Gallifrey Institute for Learning maintains cordial academic relations with Starfleet and fully supports their noble mission to explore strange new worlds, seek out new life, and raise awareness of split infinitives.

However, detailed records on Vulcan biology are limited in our archives—possibly due to clerical error, or perhaps because there are at least two separate planets named Vulcan, and we're very much assuming you mean the one where they've all got pointy ears, not the one with the human colonists.

AKA I know very little about Vulcan biology and society, so had to rummage a wiki and hope it's all correct:

🧍‍♂️ Appearance & Anatomy

Vulcans appear humanoid with pointed ears and upswept eyebrows. Skin tones range from bronze-green to brown; hair is usually straight and dark.

Gallifreyans also look humanoid, with human-like skin and hair tones (though stranger colours can occur). Body hair is common.

Internally, Vulcans have a heart in the lower abdomen and a pulse in the hundreds. Gallifreyans have two hearts, located in the chest. Their combined heart rate is fast, but not Vulcan-fast.

Vulcan blood is copper-based (green when oxygenated), while Gallifreyan blood is red-orange and darkens when there's significant trauma. Bruises for both reflect their blood chemistry.

🌬️ Respiratory & Metabolic

Vulcans are adapted to thin air and prefer heat. They dislike the cold and are more sensitive to it with age.

Gallifreyans also prefer warmth but tolerate cold environments much better than Vulcans.

Both species can survive days without food or water, and both can forgo sleep during periods of stress. Gallifreyans don't have inner eyelids like Vulcans, but they can digest just about anything without needing time to adapt like Vulcans do.

⚡ Strength, Reflexes & Senses

Vulcans are roughly three times stronger than humans and have fast reflexes.

Gallifreyans are only slightly stronger than humans, but their reflexes are ten times faster.

Vulcans have acute hearing and unique colour perception, while Gallifreyans have generally heightened senses across the board and likely see a broader colour spectrum than humans.

🧠 Brain Function & Physiology

Both species have extensive conscious control over their bodies. Vulcans can simulate death and enter healing trances; Gallifreyans can induce healing comas, suppress pain, and take full control of autonomic functions through specialised brain structures.

🧬 Psionics & Telepathy

Vulcans are natural touch-telepaths. With training, they can perform non-contact telepathy, emotion sensing, and in some cases, even mild telekinesis.

Gallifreyans are also naturally telepathic, with touch-, proximal-, and distance-based communication possible. They do possess telekinetic abilities, though these are usually limited to moving small objects like game pieces.

🔁 Reproduction & Relationships

Vulcans experience pon farr, a compulsory mating drive every seven years.

Gallifreyans do not have a biological mating cycle and can either be born or Loomed.

Vulcan marriages may be arranged in childhood and solidified through ritual. Gallifreyan marriages are typically political, negotiated between Houses, and full of ceremonial tradition—but not necessarily romance.

⚔️ Combat & Mortality

Vulcans practice multiple martial arts and consider violence logical when necessary.

Gallifreyans don't really go in for that sort of thing. Combat training isn't part of the Academy, and they barely do sports at all. Whether a Gallifreyan fights is up to the individual.

Both societies have deep rituals surrounding death. Vulcans can transfer the katra (soul) before death; Gallifreyans have soul catching, a short-term psychic holding pattern for dying minds. Vulcan death is peaceful; Gallifreyan final death is highly ceremonial.

🏛️ Culture & Society

Vulcan government is a functional democracy based on merit.

Gallifreyan governance pretends to be democratic but functions more like an oligarchy. Voting exists; it's just not influential.

Education-wise, both societies start early. Vulcans gently train logic from childhood. Gallifreyans engage in "brainbuffing," a full cognitive workout after Looming or birth, and then they continue to the Chapter Academy. They'll reach the Time Academy if they're lucky (and their House has money).

😐 Emotion, Morality & Lying

Vulcans feel emotions more deeply than humans but suppress them through training. They value logic and emotional discipline.

Gallifreyans are emotionally reserved, but there's no official suppression. Expressing emotions is just seen as awkward and vaguely embarrassing, like farting in a library.

Vulcans tend to be honest unless logic requires otherwise. Gallifreyans will lie, manipulate, and gaslight the time stream if it suits them.

📿 Religion & Philosophy

Vulcans once practised polytheism, but most now follow Surak's logic-based teachings.

Gallifreyans began as mystics—Shobogans worshipped powerful beings like the Eternals and feared entities like Valdemar (basically a Gallifreyan devil). Though much of modern Gallifrey shifted toward science, many still hold quasi-religious reverence for Rassilon.

🧂 Culinary & Cultural Habits

Vulcans are mostly vegetarian and avoid direct contact with food.

Gallifreyans can and do eat meat, though Gallifreyan cuisine is incredibly dull, and if you go to a dinner party, they'll bring out the same four dishes they did last year.

🏫So ...

Vulcans and Gallifreyans are two intellectual, telepathic, biologically advanced species that value order and tradition and judging other people. However, Gallifreyans are biologically engineered, time-sensitive technocrats, while Vulcans are emotionally disciplined scientists with a tragic backstory.

Both would find each other absolutely exhausting at dinner.

Related:

📺|📜👽How do politics work on Gallifrey?: Detailing all the mechanics and roles of Gallifreyan politics.

💬|💍💎What are some Gallifreyan wedding traditions?: Expanded look at how weddings might work on Gallifrey, both in ceremony and legalities.

💬|⏰🪦What are Gallifreyan funerals like?: The termination of a Time Lord.

Hope that helped! 😃

Any orange text is educated guesswork or theoretical. More content ... →📫Got a question? | 📚Complete list of Q+A and factoids →📢Announcements |🩻Biology |🗨️Language |🕰️Throwbacks |🤓Facts → Features: ⭐Guest Posts | 🍜Chomp Chomp with Myishu →🫀Gallifreyan Anatomy and Physiology Guide (pending) →⚕️Gallifreyan Emergency Medicine Guides →📝Source list (WIP) →📜Masterpost If you're finding your happy place in this part of the internet, feel free to buy a coffee to help keep our exhausted human conscious. She works full-time in medicine and is so very tired 😴

[slightlyartist]

Ik you’re still in the process of making lore but I have have Steve - Fidds questions!

1. What is Pyramid Steve getting out of making these deals? Is he helping Bill with his Weirdmageddon stuff? Is he stealing things from his Victims other than what’s given (like slowly taking all their money and savings/their life force/whatever he uses for currency) to pay his alimony? Or is he just doing this because he likes doing HUMAN THINGS as a HUMAN MAN and it’s FUN and a BUSINESS and TOTALLY DIFFERENT from sitting around on his laptop playing the sims all day so he doesn’t need to deal with his OWN issues (like his divorce)?

2. Is he helpful with little things *at first* to make sure his ‘customers’ trust him to deal with more and more stuff? Like at first he comes to Fidds when it’s been a month since he last did laundry because he was too scared to go down to the laundry room and Steve tells him he has a Magic Product to Help with Anxiety! Then Fidds feels all floaty and calm and out of it. Next thing Fidds knows, his laundry is clean, folded and, put away, AND he even washed and redid his bedsheets! And he took a shower and is wearing fresh clothes! Wow! He just barely remembers any of it, like trying to remember a dream, but who cares! The Product is Working! Yay! And it’s a very easy slope from that to Fidds thinking “I’ve been ghosting Emma-May (who’s upset with me) for a week now and my hands shake thinking about it, I need to use Product and call her to work things out! OH NO Apparently I sounded like a weird British man trying to do a southern accent the whole conversation and now she thinks I’m taking drugs! And is MORE upset with me! I need to call her and fix things! Which I can only do with the help of Product! My life is crumbling around me.”

3. Please work the plastic bag of DvDs Steve carries around and pet centipede into this au. This isn’t a question this is a request. And the fact he eats copper wires! Does he make the humans he controls also eat Copper Wires? Does he make the humans buy or steal copper wires for him so he can eat them?

4. Uh. What do you imagine being hypnotized feels like to Fidds (the first few times before he starts going brain dead)? I’m guessing it’s not just blacking out if victims get addicted to the *feeling* of being hypnotized as well as getting addicted to the ability to step out of their life for a bit.

5. Does Fidds already being pretty into the ‘beginnings of permanent brain damage’ stage of memory gun use have any affect on Steve’s ability to hypnotize/control Fidds? Since he’s basically controlling Fidds from his laptop, the main hardware he’s running his program on being janked up could have some effect on how well Stiddlepord ‘runs’.

6. What do the ‘side effects’ of Product start to look/feel like in the victims? Like we know what the memory gun’s side effects look like in action because of that supercut of Fidds decent. And can partial brain function eventually be recovered like with the memory gun? Or is Pyramid Steve eventually just puppeting a corpse until it starts to decompose?

7. Uhhhhh. Can I write fanfiction. Of this au.

Anyway this ask is way too long, I know, but if I write fanfiction on this I want it to be lore accurate and not just my own thing, and it’s such a cool au!!! I crave more!! More of the unstable divorced man ‘possessing’ the other unstable divorced man!! Amazing!!

HELLO HELLO! Thank you for being so interested in this silly AU!! Okay I'm going to sit down and properly think about all of this!

Fun fact! If Ford refers Bill as My Muse, Fidds refers Steve as My Elixir ;)

What is Pyramid Steve getting out of making these deals?

As opposed to Bill and his love for physical pain, Steve craves mental and emotional misery. Like a parasite feeding off the psychological pain they are experiencing, that's why his aim is to ruin their lives even more, kicking his customers when they are already down.

Bill and Steve are not allies. In fact Bill HATES Steve's guts. They are aware of each other, Fidds is not aware that Ford has Bill, Ford is not aware that Fidds has Steve, but they both know something is off about the other.

Hypnotized Fiddlesteve would change the maths of the Portal blueprints that Possessed Billford spent hours making the day before, hilarity ensues ❤️

2. Is he helpful at first?

You put it perfectly into words! If the Memory Gun was a metaphor for Alcohol, Steve is straight up a metaphor for Drugs. Sure, it can work at first, makes you feel productive, fills you with energy, eases your worries and is a distraction. But how long does that take before things start getting out of hand? First week, Steve helps you with EVERYTHING. He finishes all of Fidds' tasks in less than a day, Ford praises Fidds' efficiency, Fidds is literally on cloud nine! He needs to call that weird guy again. He needs to keep this going. But then as time goes on, things get a bit weird, the maths aren't adding up, things are tense between Ford and him and he doesn't know why, uh oh, he needs help! He needs His Elixir. He will make everything right. (Spoiler: things start to go downhill from there)

3. Does he make the humans he controls also eat Copper Wires?

A picture is worth a thousand words ;)

4. What do you imagine being hypnotized feels like to Fidds (the first few times before he starts going brain dead)?

I think he does black out sometimes when Steve takes over without any warning, but when Fidds willingly reaches out to Steve I'm guessing it feels like when Mable ate that expired candy. Just pure vibes!

5. Does Fidds already being pretty into the ‘beginnings of permanent brain damage’ stage of memory gun use have any affect on Steve’s ability to hypnotize/control Fidds?

It just made everything easier! You see, Steve's perfect customers are those who are "weak-minded". Hypnosis wouldn't work on those who are strong-willed. It would just wear off after some brief time, or they would just turn down Steve's offerings. That's why Fidds is so easy to manipulate. In fact, Steve's hypnosis will end up causing even more brain damage to the victim in the long run. Fidds' brain will begin to atrophy and his nervous system will start to collapse.

6. What do the ‘side effects’ of Product start to look/feel like in the victims?

While not under hypnosis, the victim can experience: Brain Atrophy, photosensitivity, seizures, increased paranoia, hallucinations, weight loss, isolation (Steve would push away everyone), drowsiness, random twitches, memory issues, inability to perform everyday tasks and decisions... I'm currently designing Old Man Fiddlesteve and it's making me so unbelievably sad by just staring at him...

Can partial brain function eventually be recovered like with the memory gun? Or is Pyramid Steve eventually just puppeting a corpse until it starts to decompose?

Both! There are two ways to stop Hypnosis: the victim's mind becomes somehow "strong" enough to get rid of hypnosis, or Steve could just let that victim free because it reached a point in life in which everything is already so messed up that it hit rock bottom, becoming brain-dead and not useful.

If you get rid of hypnosis in the early stage, it's easier to regain control of your life. If, like Fidds, you've been under hypnosis for decades, it would take A REALLY INTENSE treatment to regain AT MOST 45% of the original brain potential. Since it was a coping mechanism stronger and more aggressive than the Memory Gun, your brain will suffer so many side effects and the atrophy can only heal until a certain point. Fidds can't catch a break in any AU I fear...

7. Can I write fanfiction. Of this au.

YESS i'd love to read it!! My "lore-accurate" tip is to just follow the canon, but with Fidds hiding Steve from Ford the same way he hid the memory gun from him. (The memory gun is still part of this AU tee-hee). Just four divas having intense beef with each other. Fiddlesteve was the perfect excuse to come up with more Fiddauthor toxic angst :>

As you can see I will try to share some of his lore by using Computer entries (and Journal entries to show Ford's POV) but you can just take creative liberties since everything is a huge WIP, or you can DM me your thoughts! <3

[zarvasace]

could you. um. explain more about four (linked nexus/space crew au). cause I have a few questions (answer as many as you’d like, no pressure)

Are his faceplates visible? Like, if you’re looking at him, can you see the lines of where the plates are?

how does his regeneration work? I know he can like, regenerate a hand or something from the series, but does he create his own materials or does he have to have the materials with him?

Could be technically make himself taller?

was his suit/outfit painted on or was it created for him to put on and take off? (aka if he wanted to wear something else, would the space crew outfit be visible underneath?)

if he doesn’t have the tool he needed to fix something, could he change a finger into that tool? (screwdriver, hammer, etc.)

I don’t know if this was already mentioned, but what exactly are the marks?

does his arms and legs have plates? if yes, is it possible for all of his plates to be open at once?

THIS IS A LOT OF QUESTIONS IM SORRY!! I think about this four a lot.

Ugh I guess I can think about him for once. /s

I would LOVE to answer some questions!! :D thank you for asking them!!

1 - faceplates. Nah, you can't really see the seams. I think I retconned the way his head opens, actually. In embark he takes a plate off, but I actually think I want his head to open like an orange in slices. But still, no visible seams. The rubbery skin layer smooths out over the bits.

2 - regeneration. Star Star mentions a nanogem replicator, that's mostly what he's using! It does need raw material to make new nanogems, but not a lot, it can recycle a lot too. The idea is that nanogems are like cells (though they're used in more than just Four, they're all over in tech). They make up and simulate all the other materials. If you picked a wire out of Four, it wouldn't actually be copper and rubber, it just acts like it. After some time, it'd degrade faster because the nanogems need to be refreshed and charged to keep together and perform their functions. When Four does something like regenerate a hand, his internal replicator is making new/recycling old nanogems and his body rearranges them into the necessary structures. The "raw materials" then would be the bits of metal and gems and sand to make the nanogems themselves.

I think a long walk mentions that he's trying to figure out a way to turn organic matter into what he needs. That requires a LOT of processes though (e.g. extract and refine the carbon in food, crush it into diamonds. It's a lot of work without much return.) Turning food into electricity is more doable but still will take a lot of work to make it functional.

3 - can he make himself taller? Sure! Theoretically. That would require (1) more material (2) different schematics (3) time. Four is perfectly fine with his size, but he has changed a few things from his original design. (For example, breathing! His designers intended for as many processes as possible to mimic those of Hylians or humans, so he used to breathe to regulate some pressure and keep air flowing, but he replaced that with some fans and whatever else. He's made a few more personalizations but not many huge structural changes.)

4 - is his suit painted on? Nope, it's just clothes! His headband is part of him though.

5 - can he change a finger into a tool? Yep! That kind of change is a bit less dramatic, and he has some of those ready to go (e.g. charging port hidden under some skin of a finger, as in a long walk.) Considering the variety and size of tools he works with, it's usually way more convenient to just grab it. Plus some complex tools need more space than he can give it (also see a long walk and the flashlight.)

6 - the marks. I assume you're talking about the little stripes on his face? Those are just stylistic, to give him a bit more sci-fi flair. :) I imagine people think they're tattoos.

7 - plates on arms and legs? I haven't really thought of this yet but yeah? He has to get in there to do maintenance sometimes! He has a modicum of control over the nanogems so I can imagine that he might be able to just pull things apart.

Anyway I think about him a lot too :)

[voltronimus-prime]

Murder Drones Hot Take

Oil does not equal blood 1:1 and worker Drones should not be freaked out by seeing or drinking it.

While we're not given an exact breakdown of how a Worker Drone's body functions, we know they've got motors, and we know they've got a lot of power running through them.

This means they need to keep cool, and they need to keep their motors and joints running smoothly.

While oil as coolant shouldn't require frequent top ups unless there's a leak, oil as lubricant can require refills as the old oil loses viscosity and as gunk builds up reducing its ability to properly keep things moving.

Worker Drones, particularly the ones on Copper 9, are in a very rough environment, where particulates building up would be a constant issue.

Combined with the temperature flip flops from going between a heavy work environment to the blizzards of the outside, and I'm sure there'd be some interesting chemical results.

Worker Drones would have to top off/change their oil semi-regularly. Contrary to what seems to be a popular belief(?), they wouldn't be able to regenerate their own, they're literally just robots.

Multiple stories have the Disassembly Drones feeding off of workers and simply stopping short of draining them, and then later on the victim is fine, but that only works in vampire stories because human bodies can replenish the missing blood. Worker Drones can't do that.

Worker Drones would have to have a supply of oil they use to keep themselves going, meaning there'd be options for helping Disassembly Drones with their artificially increased consumption without having to do worker blood drives, unless something really goes wrong at least.

On the topic of oil loss, it also wouldn't result in a semi-quick fatal error like a person bleeding out. The two main symptoms would be difficulties moving as the low oil pressure means delicate mechanisms start grinding due to lack of proper lubrication, and a slow increase in internal temperature due to lack of coolant.

However considering these are robots built for industrial use and not purposefully sabotaged robo-vampires, they wouldn't be as vulnerable to that since they wouldn't be generating the same kinds of heat anyway.

As great as the "Pushing through the pain, ignoring overheating warnings and fighting off lightheaded-ness as your cpu underclocks itself to keep the heat down." stories are;

there's a lot of untapped potential in "Pushing through the pain as your joints feel like they're tearing themselves apart, horrible grinding sounds as metal scrapes against metal. Fighting to take one more step as the joints start seizing."

I don't know, it just always bugged me when writers show Worker Drones as horrified or disgusted at the idea of needing to consume oil, usually in the context of getting solver powers and needing to drink oil to keep cool. Obviously the hunger and the predator instincts would be freaky, but seeing a can of oil and thinking "I should drink that." would not be weird.

I'll probably play with the formatting/add and remove things to try to make this more readable later but let me know what you think.

[haveyouseenthisskeleton]

hii im really getting into the horror boys mainly and wanna learn more about their scars, can you write down all of the horror boy's biggest like physical dissabilities, or things they have a hard time with, and like what are they missing, like i think copper is missing one arm etc etc

Horrortale Sans

He sacrificed himself Underground as Undyne and Alphys wanted to use his brother's eyes at first, so he tricked Willow into not going and went instead. The encounter didn't go well, as Oak pretty much told Undyne all he had on the heart, which pissed her off a little too much. Since he wasn't going to cooperate, Undyne threw two spears in his ribs, dusting four of them permanently. She then tried to grab Oak's eye by his socket, but since it wasn't working as he kept moving and defend himself, she threw a spear through his head. She left him for dead there, and Willow found him pretty much agonizing in Hotlands.

Oak fell into a coma for weeks, maintained alive by Toriel and Willow's hard work. Toriel managed to infuse enough magic into his socket to recreate an artificial eye, but he can't see colors. He sees all in black and white, and he's blind in his right eye. Except that, when he woke up, he was pretty much unresponsive. He couldn't talk, couldn't eat, couldn't walk, couldn't even clean himself. He had to learn everything again, and it took around two years to be more or less functional again.

He's permanently disabled, though. He has short-term memory loss and can forget pretty much what he did right after he did it. He can't be unsupervised for a long time, as he's dangerous to himself. He can't cook, he can't drive, he can't use sharp objects, if he's in a place he doesn't know, he gets lost. He also needs to focus really hard on everything, so he talks really slowly, he does things very slowly, and it's not rare that he just zones out because he's bugged. It's very complicated for him, but he's more used to it now.

Horrortale Papyrus

Willow had that extremely bad habit of gnawing on wood when he was hungry, Underground, which is the main reason his teeth were in such a bad condition. That and the last fight against Undyne, as Undyne hit him in the face several times and dislocated his jaw. His teeth are still being treated, years after, but he's almost done with them.

As for his back, it's the result of his sudden growth because of the lack of food. A monster grows its entire life, but sometimes, it can accelerate growth when the body isn't enough to sustain basic needs, as magic levels grow with the body. Willow grew up way too fast, and his body didn't follow because of the starvation. His spine is too fine to support the rest of the body, heavier, and so he's in constant pain. Added to that, Undyne threw a spear in his spine in the last battle that almost paralyzed him permanently. The doctors warned him that he had to be extremely careful, as another hit or shock could paralyze him completely.

Willow walks with a cane (when he thinks about it) and has a wheelchair for the bad days, as he's sometimes too much in pain to walk. He also has a medicalised bed and needs to have access to everything without having to crouch, as it's extremely painful for him.

Horrorswap Sans

Nugget had a big growth, so he's taller than Blue and almost as big as Oak. Like Willow, his back is fragile, but still a lot better than his friend's.

He has tons of scars on his entire body. Not all humans died without fighting, and he got shot, beaten, had broken bones... All of these injuries didn't heal properly as Nugget refused to ask for help. He's missing two fingers on his right hand because a human bit them off. He has ugly scars on the entire skull.

His worst injury is his missing leg, which he lost fighting Alphys. He's amputated below the knee and wears a prosthetic leg. He's extremely resilient and worked hard to walk normally again, so it's hard to tell he's disabled, even though he's limping. He refuses to show any weakness and will get mad if someone stares at his leg too much.

Horrorswap Papyrus

He's in a horrifying state. After years of torture, he left the Underground with a terrifying number of unhealed fractures and scars. Most of his bones have bumps or are not straight anymore, especially his arms and legs. Alphys broke them so many times that they healed above the fractures. Because of this, he has premature arthritis, so any joints are extremely painful. He walks with a cane.

Several bones were dusted as well. He's missing half of his ribs, and Underswap Undyne had to replace the missing ones with metal so his soul doesn't stay exposed. He's missing several small bones everywhere in his body, which makes his arthritis worse. He also has a lot of scars everywhere, like someone carved his bones sometimes, which is not far from the truth.

Because of his many many head traumas, he can't see very well and he has some uncontrollable spasms from time to time, especially when he's nervous.

Obviously, his worst injury is his missing inferior jaw. He can't eat solid food, he can't talk except for a few sounds, and all his face is painful. Underswap Undyne built a prosthetic jaw, but it's still very experimental and it's fake, it can't imitate how a jaw work. It's purely aesthetic. However, eating only liquid food is provoking other problems as his body doesn't get enough magic nutrients to function normally, so he has to take meds to compensate... Which makes him sick.

Added to all of this, there's obviously the traumas. Pumpkin is scared of anything he doesn't know, and any negative experience sends him into a panic attack. It's hard to make him snap out of his crisis. Loud noises, big movements, and people screaming are a big big no and makes him panic, and sometimes attack if he can't flee.

Horrorfell Sans

Since the Underfell Monsters were already suffering from famine way before the actual famine happened, they were less affected by the entire deal. However, Copper still had an impressive growth, and he's as big as Oak, even a little bigger. He's big boi.

Copper bones are full of scars, both from before and during the famine. He's blind in an eye, but it's from birth, so he's used to it. However, he's missing an arm, yes. It happened. He doesn't care too much about it, as it's pretty common in the Underground, and at least he's still alive, so that could have been worse. He's amputated above the shoulder from his right arm. He has a prosthetic arm, but he doesn't use it that much as it's heavy and he doesn't like it. He couldn't care less what people think of it, honestly.

He has a few teeth problems as well, but he doesn't want to get them treated and prefers to hide that he's in pain, as he would rather die than admit he needs help.

Other than that, he's pretty good mentally and happy to be out of hell. Well... He has PTSD because of loud noises and that cave in he was stuck under, but he can deal with it (not very well, but once again, he will push anyone trying to help lol).

Horrorfell Papyrus

Like his brother, he's big big boi. He would have similar problems to Willow if Undyne hadn't messed up his spine so bad that he can't feel anything in his lower body :D Chief is completely paralyzed below his pelvis. He didn't have any sensitivity in his legs for months, but recently, he made some progress with therapy and managed to move his toes a little. It's still far from healing, and he knows he will never be able to walk normally again, but just being able to stand up would be nice.

He's living his immobility badly, but he resigned to his fate. Sometimes, he gets really frustrated with not being able to do the things he wants, and he definitely struggles with accessibility, as he realized the Surface is not made for wheelchairs. He can't stand random humans trying to help him going somewhere, he can't stand having to wait to see if the bus driver can take him in or not, he's tired of having to call every place he's going to check if it's alright, or to be treated like an annoyance. He just wants to be independent, but things are for sure not helping.

Added to that, he had to put his pride aside to ask for help sometimes, which he doesn't like. It's fine with his brother, but showing he's vulnerable to humans is something he really doesn't like.

Other than that, he's alright mentally. He already went through worse Underground, so the Surface is for sure a relief. He's actually Pumpkin's support skeleton because he is comforting to have around, which is a shock for him. Man, he didn't know he could have friends, so how the hell was he supposed to know he inspires trust?

Horrorswapfell San

Bear wanted to help to break the Barrier, but Undyne just wanted him dead because she hates his guts. Undyne cut his face open. He doesn't have a face above the nose, just a gigantic hole. He's completely blind. The worst part is that she tortured him, for hours, without any anesthesia.

Bear is traumatized. First of all because in a world where anything can kill you, being blind is a death sentence, secondly because he knew that if he showed up in front of Toriel like that, she would have put him out of his misery, and thirdly, because the entire thing is extremely traumatic, obviously. He has an extreme fear of touch, and he's extremely jumpy. Never sneak out on him, or you get stabbed. His magic is the only thing he has left, unaffected by some sort of miracle, and when he feels in danger, he attacks with no warning.

His growth made his entire body painful, and he has arthritis. He takes painkillers every day, both for the hole in his face and for his bones, and he walks very slowly. He can't walk for a long time either. He tends to overdose because he can't stand the pain anymore, but it's not good for him.

Mentally, he still has a lot of panic attacks and anxiety. It's getting better now that he doesn't have to fear for his life every second of his life, but he is extremely insecure and doesn't like to get out of his comfort zone. He almost never gets out of the farm, he flees all interactions with people he doesn't know and as soon as he's uncomfortable, he shuts down like an oyster and goes to lock himself in his room, where he feels safer. He's still far from doing better.

Horrorswapfell Papyrus

Tiger doesn't have any huge injury like the other, except for the growth, but since the brothers got better access to food in the Ruins, it's not as bad as the others. He's pretty fine physically, and he's now scarier, which he actually likes a lot because he was tired of people considering him like a joke.

Mentally though? It's complicated. First of all, Tiger got badly mistreated during his army training. He doesn't stand people touching him, and any big movement next to him can be a death sentence. He also struggles even more with authority, and will put himself in danger if someone dares to do something he doesn't want to do, just out of spite. He is traumatized, and he doesn't trust anyone before a long, long, loooooong time.

Secondly, because he lived for years in lockdown with his brother, mostly silent, Tiger lost it a little because he couldn't stand getting bored anymore. After killing for fun all the little monsters in the Ruins, he started to hunt pretty much anything moving just so he could feel a little bit of excitement. Rats were his favorite, as they were challenging. The main problem with that is that his hunting instincts are still extremely developed, and sometimes when he's bored, he instinctively goes to hunt. Most of the time, it's Oak and Willow's chickens that end up in his claws, but he found it fun to extend his hunts to any intruder on the farm. He already attacked Wine, Honey, Rus or Coffee several times, but also random humans that got lost, which is a lot more problematic. He can't be unsupervised when he's outside.

He also has huge mood swings, a bit like a cat. He can be all playful one moment, but as soon as he gets too excited, it turns into aggression. He doesn't know how to control himself anymore, and it makes him a little distressed.

[seaslugdisco]

nuzi is not a proship, i understand the confusion of the unclear timeline, but this is my understanding and how it places n and uzi at similar ages:

this theory has two versions, depending on the gap in the timeline of events between the core collapse and the disassembly drones arrival. first, the larger amount of time between these two events. the core of copper-9 collapses, nuclear winter ensues, all humans on the planet die, etc. etc. khan is one of the worker drones who defect from humans and begins to try to start his own life. nori, after being trapped in cavin fever labs and being experimented on and gaining the absolute solver, escapes with yeva. they meet as camp 98.7, fall in love, and move into a deserted human bunker with some other families and start a sort of civilization. they have uzi, but nori begins getting visions of the future- khans line in episode 4 about nori at the beginning, "she was always all: 'build doors against the coming sky demons!' 'the singularity awakens.' 'look at this cool s i can draw!'." nori tells khan to build doors, as in, on the existing bunker, not build the bunker.

uzi grows up to be about 19-20 when the events of the series play out, (the ages of kids her age from other bunkers on missing posters in episode 3 at the very beginning) you know the rest. this probably means that living under the ice in the bunker is just how she grew up, but the disassembly drones are a threat that appeared in her lifetime and killed her mother, presumably before she was a fully functional worker drone and still one of the smaller round baby drones (??? i dunno what to call them) this WOULD explain why she doesnt remember nori much but this always confused me because theyre robots??? they literally cannot forget unless they manually delete something from themselves??? actually thats probably a lore thing. whatever it doesnt matter for this theory. ANYWAYS, a big thing that i see people miss is that if disassembly drones have been alive long enough to kill nori, they have really barely gone through changes like the workers do as they "grow up". its understandable that they were just made to kill and didnt really need it, but this still places them at a much younger age than they look or are in the series. this means that uzi and n can be very close to the same age, even if they dont look it. im not sure if n v and j were just like actually pretty short because in the pilot opening sequence we never see the disassembly and worker drones in a same frame good enough to compare or if there was to change at all.

just really short disassembly drones is kinda a funny thought though lol

option two, which i find less likely but also more interesting, is very similar, but instead of after the core collapse, nori and khan meet BEFORE it. maybe khan defects from the company??? nori and yeva are able to escape??? idk if that could even happen or where i was going with this everything else is basically the same but uhh its a cool thought right

in conclusion: people who think nuzi is a proship what the fuck are you doing

thank you for coming to my tedtalk

[oc-fixation-hell]

Oc #4 is finally done! :D this is Herald, he's a big wierdo. This one was the first of the 4 but i wanted to redesign him.

More about the goober under the cut if you're curious :D

This is what his model looks like in full! This model was dubbed the Harbinger drone. He was constructed by surviving humans on one of humanity's many off world colonies to (hopefully) combat the absolute solver before it killed them all. It is bulkier, larger, and has a more advanced ai that learns as it progresses. Its also made to be more flexible and resistant to many forms of damage. Rather than metal blades, the wing blades of the harbinger are made of a tough glass-like corrosion and temperature resistant material, and the ends are laced with the same substance as their tail, which is nanobots that eat through everything they touch. The tail is coated in spines, has a bladed end, and is chalked full of the nanobots that will invade any fissures the blades make.

These are some of his functions! He can us his antennae to hail and communicate with near by drones, like having a communication link. He can also fire a high powered laser that can cause serious damage, but he can control the rate at witch it fires. If he wanted to, he could just use the laser in his hand to play with cats. He has a viral program that he can infect other drones with as needed, which will cause them to glitch and overheat, but not to the point of crashing. Just enough to subdue the host. He can use his antennae to hack as well, but that takes quite a bit of concentration. And finally, the EMP. The emp is made spesifically to disable all near by electronics, and drones. Its dangerous to use, because it is emitted by his core. It means he's in a vulnerable state untill it emits the pulse.

He was sent off from colony to colony to hunt the absolute solver, and warn surviving colonists (and drones, though that wasnt programmed). A messenger. But he mostly only found and killed their resident disassembly squads. He's targeting copper 9 next. But dont be worried! He may seen like a mindless killer, but he's actually an insatiably curious and very gullible himbo. Most dont take the time to figure this out.

N for size reference!

[the-barefoot-hatter]

Give me some headcanons on Euclydian biology, and how Steve deviates from a normal shape.

Also. in the Lunchtime comic, Bill can make Steve a sandwich, but in "The Nibling" he still needs to possess Ford. Did he take Steve into the mindscape to feed him or what?

Ooo there is a banger post on spec Euclidean biology, it's very cool. I'm not using everything from them, more general inspo, but they have some real solid ideas!

My main Euclidean spec bio headcannon is that they eat transitional metal (Bill prefers nibbling on gold) to strength their exoskeletons through a kind of biomineralization process

EDIT- forgot to say, can't remember if this a common headcanon or not, but I consider Euclideans carnivorous by nature with teeth that continuously regrow (like a shark). Their ancestors were vicious predators. Generally, modern Euclideans eat a more omnivore-style diet, but it's still considered sweet to catch and share your own prey.

As for Pyramid Steve being different-

He's chunkier. I don't always draw it, but he's got thicker limbs and is overall more of an actual pyramid than a triangle

he's REALLY brightly coloured

normal Euclideans have limbs that darken as they age and grey as they reach old age; Steve's will stay blue

Steve shares Ford's eye colour- Euclideans typically have black pupils

Steve is more susceptible to disease due to the massive number of genetic anomalies he has as both a hybrid of two radical different creatures AND as the child of two parents, each with their own anomalies. He's getting all the vaccines!

Birth defect 1: Steve shares Ford's polydactyly - 6 toes on each foot! Euclideans only have four digits per limb, humans only have five digits per limb

Birth defect 2: Steve shares Bill's big, central eye - a Euclidean eye should be on the side, not in the centre

Birth defect 3: Steve has bilateral amelia of the upper limbs - he doesn't have arms - generally both Euclideans and humans have two arms and two legs

Steve has red glittery blood - he gets the metallic part from Bill and the red from Ford

More on the metal munching- Steve needs copper, since humans also need copper to function properly. He doesn't need a lot, but much like sugar, it's very tasty

Steve has powers similar to but not necessarily the same powers as Bill. To Be Revealed! Powers aren't normal for Euclideans

That's all I've got for now! Pyramid Steve is a real weirdo!

-

Lunchtime/Nibling - spoilers! Nah I'm just kidding, it's not really spoilers. In Nibling, Steve came through during the portal test, while Bill is still stuck in the Nightmare Realm.

In Lunchtime, everyone's on the same plane of reality.

[bringthekaos]

I saw an ask about Viktor being Piltover’s example of a meritocracy working, and you answered with a bit on how inaccessible Piltover is, and wanted to give a HC that’s related.

Viktor likes going outside. He’s not great in front of crowds, especially if he’s already stressed, like in the show, but in general he’s fine taking with people. But everything in Piltover is difficult to get to. Every grand hall or meeting has large, smooth stair ways that his crutch won’t hold on. Every bar is crowded with furniture to make it feel ‘homey.’ Even the streets have twists and sudden changes to make them look more ‘pleasing’ from a distance.

Viktor would love to be more sociable, but the city he’s in makes it very difficult for him to go anywhere, so he just goes where he needs to (like work) and stays home the rest of the time.

Ooohhhh I totally agree. I have a very similar headcanon, being that he almost constantly has windows open in his apartment, even when it’s raining, even when it’s snowing. He has a small balcony, and those doors are almost always flung wide open, letting in the ocean breeze and fresh air. In those rare days he spend at home, he spends a majority of his time sitting out on that balcony, reading a book or indulging in a glass of sweetmilk as he watches the people on the street down below. He loves the sound and the smell of rain, loves the wind-chime notes of it hitting the embellished copper roofing so common in Piltover.

He really does like Piltover, despite its twisting, angular streets and long, high staircases. He likes the fresh air and the bustling city life, and the fact that you can walk down the street and people will smile at you. Most common Piltovians are kind, good people, and he enjoys talking to them, getting to know them. They remind him that his work isn’t just for the Undercity—it can help all people, and he wants it to.

But where there is a focus on form, there is also a disregard for function, or so it is to Viktor. The cobblestone streets are hell on his ankle, and they catch his cane when he walks. The staircases are everywhere—after all, Piltover is built on a hillside, with the University and Government buildings at the pinnacle (two places he would have had to traverse on the daily as Heimerdinger’s assistant).

We’re not really sure where Viktor lives, but there’s an implication that his quarters are in the same building/complex as Heimerdinger’s lab (otherwise his “this isn’t my bedroom” comment wouldn’t have made much sense… either that or he was being COMPLETELY out of pocket, and he lives a mile away, so of course this isn’t your bedroom you absolute crackpot). That would make it a little easier for him, but not much.

But despite all this, I think he still enjoys the city, the people. He does what he can to branch out (easier in Act 1 and earlier, before his health had declined too terribly), and while he is still a bit of a loner, I’d like to think he casually befriends people on his routes—the woman who sells him his coffee in the morning, the man who tidies up the labs. They’re not “friendships” in the traditional sense, but he enjoys the interactions, however brief. We saw from the very beginning how he yearns for human connection, but struggles with it, often through no fault of his own. I think that’s why it was so easy for him to approach Jayce, even when Jayce was clearly not in a receptive place—Viktor is empathetic to a fault, and it makes him very good at reading people. He knows what people need, and he knows how to give it to them, to make them feel comfortable in his presence.

And I’m not saying that I hope this is something he weaponizes in the future, when the whole damn city turns on him, but… I’m not not saying it either.

[defying-sims-4]

Mods To Use In Murderdrones Playthroughs!

Hello Murderdrones Fandom!! It's been awhile, sorry! Wave 2 is basically done, but I'm running into some issues hosting its files, as well as compiling a streamlined way to link all of the necessary CC as well as double-checking the linked CC will actually properly work with the exported tray files. A big hassle, really.

But I promised somebody I would give out a list of mod recommendations to spice up Murderdrones-Themed gameplay, so here I am doing just that.

(Disclaimer: I own none of the mods below. All links go to their respective creators. I also cannot promise to those reading in the future that all mods will still be functional, however I do know Sacrificial and several other creators do well to maintain their mods)

That said, let's begin:

Sacrificial's Extreme Violence Mod

V disembowels a guy

If you want to put the murder into Murderdrones, look no further than Sacrificial's notorious Extreme Violence Mod

Demonstrated effectively by V here, this mod allows you to go in for the kill, with a variety of weapons a disassembly drone would possess in their natural arsenal.

My personal favorite are the animalistic murders, intended for werewolves but available for any sim via a toggle. Rip straight in with claws and teeth, and devour the flesh of your enemies.

V goes for the throat, retrieving a chunk of flesh

Sacrificial's Life's Drama Mod

Lizzie practices her posing for dramatic effect

This one’s for all the Lizzie players!! Or anybody keen on navigating the hostile community of teen worker drones. Life's Drama focuses precisely on that: social drama.

This mod also allows you to establish a reputation amongst your peers, gaining social influence according to your actions. Character interactions are given a lot more depth as a cohesive community.

You also gain the ability of customized dialogue, allowing your sim to say exactly what's on their mind, with an attached affect on the receiver.

Even in the digital world, there is no escape from J's scorn

Sacrificial's Zombie Apocolypse Mod

Is the mundane style of a life sim not enough? Do you crave danger? Look no further than the Zombie Apocalypse mod by Sacrificial, which will have your drones scavenging resources to fend off infestations of zombies. Things just got deadly on Copper 9.

V reminds a human corpse that it is supposed to be dead

thepacake1's More Traits In CAS

More Traits in CAS is a mod I would recommend to anybody, but especially those seeking to play a fully-fleshed character. This mod grants 5 total trait slots per a character, and is especially good combined with the next mod...

Vicky Sims' 100 Traits in CAS

100 brand new traits in CAS, ranging from that such as scary to mysterious, to silly to shy. It is a versatile pack that, combined with the previous, grants a much more nuanced personality to the sims made with it.

Abidoang's Walk In Style

A small feature, but a nice one nonetheless. Its nice to have a character's body language match your expectations. That's what allowed V to prowl around so eerily in the screenshots below.

Walk In Style provides a user-friendly menu with access to all walkstyles in the game. This includes the notable CAS styles that you can select during creation, but extends well beyond to emotion-tied walkstyles, situational walkstyles, occult walkstyles, and more. (NOTE that for occult styles to work, you will need to own the pack the occult is found in. For example: V's walkstyle above and below is from Werewolves.)

That's all for now! Thanks for tuning in, and happy simming!

[paperbackribs]

A Tarnished Copper Boy (15)

Previous | Next | Ao3 Last chapter, Eddie discovered that everyone has a functioning gaydar but himself, including Wayne. Steve and Eddie talked about, respectively, their sexual/dating experience and inexperience, and it all ended in a thrilling chase and first kiss in the woods.

Chapter 15: Fright Night

The subtle rustle of pages turning is the only sound in the trailer, a soothing rhythm echoed in the measured stroking of Steve’s fingers through Eddie’s hair. Steve lays lounged across the couch, folded magazine in one hand while Eddie sits on the brown and white carpet, head pillowed against the plush muscle of Steve’s thigh and reading one of Catherine’s medical textbooks.

The human body really can get filthy, he reflects. It’s sort of cool that people have worked out ways to see the invisible, but he also now understands why she keeps emphasising that he needs to wash his hands.

It's getting harder to keep his focus though while Steve’s fingers absently find their way through the strands of his long hair. The words in front of Eddie become unfocused as his eyes soften, lids shuttering close until a relaxed sigh escapes from the depths of his chest. He might just start purring and become the cat that Steve keeps crediting him as being.

But it’s just so nice. Eddie wants to put a more complicated label on it than that simply because he likes the feel of description in his mouth, but Steve’s gentle yet firm, persistent touches leave Eddie often feeling loose-limbed and nice.

And Steve has been persistent. Casually and never in an intrusive or unwanted way; rather, Eddie often luxuriates in the attention. But the affection Steve had shown before in nonchalantly holding onto his hand or pressing a warm palm to his back as he moved past has kicked up a notch. Like he had been restraining himself.

Now his physical affection overflows in little strokes of his fingers across Eddie’s neck when he walks past, dragging his palms over Eddie’s hips as they stand together, or drawing Eddie’s legs into his lap to play with the little curls of hair at the base of his ankle. Never with the expectation of more, but simply as a demonstration of the warmth and affection that clearly powers Steve’s heart and hands. However, more often than not, Steve’s attention leaves Eddie squirming in his seat until he’s worked his way into his lap, kissing him heatedly from above.

While they’ve certainly earned a mature rating they’ve not done much more than getting wound up as they rub up against each other. Steve’s resolution in the woods somehow developing into let’s give Eddie time to work up to the big stuff. But what actually has Eddie beating off twice a day in the bathroom and wondering how big a sign he has to give Steve that they need to take it up a level.

It doesn’t help that Wayne’s around half the time either. Their bed innocently creaking as they settle each evening in a way that haunts Eddie; the stupidly imaginative part of his brain vividly paints the image of his uncle in the next room, eyes wide and traumatised as he has no choice but to hear him and Steve going at it. The cold shudder of the thought has any hint of arousal draining away.

And the living room is just as precarious. Eddie had Steve where he’d wanted just last night, nibbling on his neck on the couch and grinding his thigh against the hardness in his jeans, Steve’s eyes just this side of glassy that Eddie’s sure he could work into a loss of control, when they’d heard the rumble of Wayne’s truck outside. Grudgingly they had pulled apart, Eddie heading into their bedroom to make himself decent, and Steve to calm down in the kitchen, turning on the stovetop that he had hastily shut off after Eddie jumped him.

He hears the magazine crinkle before Steve says, “Hey, when this is released on video, we should hire it. I think you’d like it.” Eddie reluctantly opens his eyes to spot the recommended movie section at the back of Steve’s TV Guide. A small square shows the picture of a ghostly creature looming over a house covered in shadows, Fright Night printed above it with the t’s in the shape of vampire stakes.

“I like vampires,” he agrees languidly, but spotting the opening dates an idea begins to form.

“It’s fun,” Steve says, drawing the magazine away. “Sort of campy, like it plays with a lot of the things you’d expect from old horror movies.” He snaps his finger in memory, “Like it references itself — meta.”

“Robin?” Eddie asks knowingly. Steve had mentioned her love for cinema and also his noble sacrifice in watching double VHS for her. Now, he grins sheepishly, “Yeah, but I really did like watching it; I think you would too.”

“What if,” Eddie starts cautiously, “We pick a night that is usually pretty empty of moviegoers and we hit the drive-in? It’s already out, we could do it this week.”

Steve’s face twists with regret, “Eddie, no. Even the woods are pushing it.”

Eddie moves up onto his knees, pressing himself over Steve’s torso, eyes wide and earnest, “Come on. You hide in the back of the van and once the movie starts no one’s going to be looking over at us. Especially if I pull it around to the back, the doors will shelter us from any looky-loos.”

Steve nibbles his lip, clearly torn. “It would be nice to get out, just once.” Eddie lights up, squirming in excitement. “But just once,” he warns seriously.

Eddie nods solemnly and Steve’s stern face relents, giving way to a soft expression as he draws Eddie’s head closer with a hand tenderly cupping the back of his head. Pressing a kiss to his forehead, he murmurs, “You’re always looking out for me.”

Eddie blushes, he’s only suggesting a movie not taking the guy out to Enzos or anything. He sighs wistfully as he settles back into his seat, Enzos or any romantic date night is probably out of the question for Hawkins. He’s heard that there are places in the bigger cities that are more open, but it’s not happening here any time soon.

He thinks about it that afternoon and it’s not like he can make the van match the ambience of a candlelit dinner, but on the day he clears out the usual debris and stores soft blankets and pillows inside for them to recline on. It’s not perfect, but it’ll have to do.

Steve sees it later and hums an approving noise as he clambers into the back, making Eddie glow with a subtle gratification. The dark veil of night has fallen and the crickets are almost deafening, but he knows that Steve is likely reassured by the shadows helping to conceal him. Nevertheless, as Eddie starts the van, Steve speaks from behind the passenger seat. “You have to drive carefully,” he warns.

Eddie rolls his eyes while pushing Steve’s 1984 tape into the stereo, “I will.”

“Cause I can’t have Hopper or Callahan see me in the back of your van. Just pretend like I have a concussion or something.” Eddie laughs gently in memory, looking over the seats to Steve’s worried expression. “You caught that, huh?

“It was very different from your usual squeal around the corner,” Steve grimaces.

Eddie rolls his eyes again, carefully pulling off the gravel and onto the path, “And you did have a concussion.”

“Po-tae-toe, po-tah-ta.” Eddie can almost hear Steve’s sulky expression; it makes him grin and he turns up Jump just for his guy. He looks back a minute later and is amused to see Steve’s pout has disappeared as he enthusiastically sings along with the lyrics.

Eddie sticks to the speed limit and resists running over any old ladies at the stop signs. Steve thanks him dryly for the latter when he points it out. The ticket server doesn’t seem interested in checking the back, which only gives Eddie ideas for filling the van with his friends at another time. But overall, he says to Steve as he reverses, the giant screen behind them still black, this has been a success.

“Just wait here,” Eddie pats down his pocket to make sure he’s got his wallet, “I’ll go get popcorn.” He hears a rustling sound before Steve’s muffled voice comes through the van windows, “Okay, but don’t get ice cream, I got Wayne to get us a treat.”

Eddie shakes his head fondly, heading to the brightly lit service area where a scattering of people are lining up or sitting at the open-air benches. It looks like a bug zapper luring in the springtime insects what with the rest of the lot mostly cast in darkness. But as he looks around at the spread-out cars, he’s satisfied that he hadn’t been lying to Steve and that it’s unlikely anyone will be close enough to look into the van.

When he nears the counter there’s only one guy waiting for the server to come back with his purchase, a Hawkins High Tiger jacket slung over his back and blonde hair shining under the fluorescent lights. Eddie likes to keep clear of all jocks but one for the most part, so he’s annoyed at his limbs when he trips on air and accidentally jostles the guy. He immediately backs up, “Sorry. Sorry, that was my bad. Grace of a drunk elephant.”

Jason Carver glares absently over his shoulder like he can smell the trash even if he hasn’t spotted it yet. Once he sees that it’s Eddie though, his nose hitches up and lips curl. “Oh, it’s you. Any tables you want to jump on?”

Christ on a stick, it was one time and he’d been reciting Hamlet. Surely this stuck-up little princeling could appreciate that, at the very least. “Excuse me, my lord,” Eddie bows sarcastically at the prick, “I didn’t realise I was in the presence of royalty, should I trail behind at the required eleven paces.”

Jason frowns like he doesn’t get it, which doesn’t surprise Eddie. What almost does is when his eyes flick over Eddie’s shoulder as he looks for something, “You have a date?”

Excuse him, golden boy Steve Harrington called Eddie hot and he channels that satisfaction into ignoring the asshole so he can buy their treats and get back to said date. “Look dude, I could tell you to eat a bag of dicks, but I’m better than that. Let’s just get our shit and depart like the natural enemies of the school ecosystem that we are.”

“That’s a no.” Jason scoffs in amusement at his apparent wit and Eddie’s had enough: he’d apologised, he hadn’t kicked him in the shins when Jason had insulted his masterly performance, and now he thinks that he’s one-upped Eddie.

He takes in the clean-shaven, neat appearance of this Sunday school boy and closes his fingers to make devil’s horns, waving them in front of his forehead and sticking out his tongue in an obscene waggle. “You’re right my liege, I’ve come here for research. How does one raise the undead? Only time and Hawkin’s Drive-Through will tell.” He cackles, widening his eyes and stepping into Jason’s space.

Jason backs up, scowling at Eddie and reaches behind him to grab the large popcorn and drink that had been placed there while they talked. “You’re such a freak, no wonder you can’t get a date.”

Eddie rolls his eyes as Jason stomps away, letting his hands fall. At the side of his vision, he sees movement: Andy McLaughlin, clad similarly to Jason with neat hair and varsity jacket, is refilling his Coke at the free top-up and squinting over at Eddie. He figures Andy’s probably here with Jason and wonders whether they brought girlfriends or if this is a Steve and Tommy situation all over again. After Steve, Eddie isn’t assuming anyone’s sexuality anymore.

Andy’s still contemplating him with a pensive expression, so Eddie says with a touch of the exasperation that ripples through him, “You didn’t actually believe that did you?” Eddie may not think much of any Hawkins jock, but Andy’s never had that same self-righteousness that seems to permeate the very air around Jason.

“You shouldn’t do that around him,” Andy says slowly, releasing the button. A hissing sound follows as the tap closes. “He gets really wound up about religious stuff; you know, god and the devil and all that.”

Eddie rolls his eyes for small-town America, “Are you telling me that he thinks I’m a devil worshipper now? You do realise how batshit insane that is, right? If I had that sort of power under my fingertips, I wouldn’t put up with half the shit I do from you guys.”

Andy grimaces, “I imagine a few of us would find our heads suddenly in a swirly for one.”

Eddie grins: oh ho, this guy might have a sense of humour after all. “You have to be more imaginative than that. I’d at least make you stand in the middle of the cafeteria and confess your worst, most dark secrets. Nice and loud for the rest of us plebs.”

Ander shudders, but a hint of a smile plays around the edges of his mouth, “You don’t know what you’d be unlocking, dude. The things that happen at Benny’s after a game.”

Eddie laughs lightly; maybe Steve isn’t the exception to the rule after all. “Okay, thanks, man. I’ll take that under advisement. The thing about Jason and also how to really stick it to the Tigers if I suddenly acquire magic superpowers.” Andy snickers and Eddie wonders whether he should be going in the opposite direction, try to cultivate the devil-worshipper persona. It might keep peens like Jason off his back, too scared to cross the line and interact with the devil’s minion. But for now, he has his boy waiting in the van, and he’s not going to jeopardise Steve’s safety.

Andy nods amiably at him as he leaves and Eddie is struck again by what an ignorant prick Jason really is, thinking Eddie’s weird and alone. Half of that is true, sure; but if he only knew that Eddie had scored the best piece of ass that Hawkins has to offer. Probably not the bit about it being another dude though, that’d get the little pecker pulling out the pitchfork and flaming torches.

Eddie briefly wonders about it, as he heads back to the van with their popcorn, drink, and M&Ms for gooey melting shenanigans. Steve had said he wasn’t out and proud in Hawkins but nor did he hide who he is. When all this time fuckery has passed, would he want to not hide who he is with Eddie?

The way that he’d talked about his found family, Eddie thinks that Steve would want them to know that they’re together. Steve’s too open with Wayne for Eddie to think he’s going to hide him like a secret and he’d really like to tell his own friends that he has someone waiting at home. It’s a far-off fantasy since Eddie’s not sure when he’ll be ready to come out as gay, but he could at least introduce them. Possibly have Steve integrate into the group even.

He thinks Jeff would like Steve’s dry humour. Gareth would finally have an outlet to discuss the value of introducing synth into metal. He’s not sure what he’d have in common with Randy, but by the subtle play of displeasure on Steve’s face whenever he’s mentioned, Eddie doesn’t think he’d be gunning for best friends anyway. He should nip it in the bud really, as a responsible adult person capable of a healthy relationship. But after wanting Steve for so long, those little signs of jealousy give him a zip of satisfaction and Steve sees him grin every time, so he knows what Eddie’s doing anyway.

He looks around the lot before pulling open the van doors. Steve sits cross-legged behind them atop the pile of blankets and pillows. “It’s safe,” Eddie reassures him. “And the area is pretty empty, except for asshole jocks.”

Steve frowns and is about to open his mouth before Eddie realises what that sounded like. He laughs, “No, not you, sweetheart. Just one of the Tigers thinking he’s hot shit at the concession stand.”

“Who was it?” Steve asks with a frown, but at Eddie’s words he pales slightly.

“Jason Carver.” Eddie sits next to him, putting the snacks to the side to take his hand. “Hey, it’s okay. There’s no way he’s coming back round; usually, he wouldn’t touch me with a ten-foot pole, but I sort of tripped and bumped into him. It was my fault.”

Steve rallies, Eddie is relieved to see, holding out a hand for the drink, which he sips pensively. They’d come early in case the plan went sideways so the screen remains blank for the moment, the tinny sounds of Hawkin’s local radio station playing in a faraway car. There’s enough darkness to see the twinkle of stars in the distance. Eddie nudges Steve with his elbow, “Come on, I was promised ice cream.”

Steve grins even as he curses, “Shit. They were already half-melted by the time we got here too. I should have pulled them out earlier, sorry.” Steve rustles with the bag, pulling out spoons and finally turning triumphantly with two cartons of ice cream. “Ta-dah. Popcorn and ice cream are a movie must, pick one.”

Playing along, Eddie gravely considers both containers while tapping his forefinger against his chin. He takes so long acting out his deliberation that Steve calls his name laughingly, “Come on, you asshole. Pick one before my hands drop off from the cold.”

Eddie chuckles, taking the obvious choice from Steve’s hand, “Butterscotch me thinks.” He leans over and presses a quick kiss against the warmth of Steve’s cheek, the slight scratch of his freshly shaved jaw tickling Eddie’s lips.

Steve hands over the tub along with a spoon from their kitchen, popping the lid off of the remaining choice, he offers, “We can share if you like, not the first time we’ve swapped spit.” He winks in a goofy manner that has Eddie groaning.

For a moment, Eddie indulges in thoughts of Steve leaning over into his space, personally spoon-feeding him a tab of ice cream. Taking it back only to lick the remnants off with his tongue, sliding the tip around like he’s imagining that it’s Eddie’s cock. Eddie shifts in his seat, telling himself to calm the fuck down; they’ve not even started the movie yet, Christ.

Despite the temptation, he still has to decline Steve’s offer. “Thanks, but I’m allergic to chocolate.”

Steve blinks rapidly, looking down at the rich swirl of chocolate dotted with chunks of marshmallows and nuts like it’s betrayed him. “So… you can’t eat rocky road. Like at all?”

“Not unless I want to break out into hives,” Eddie confirms. “Wayne has an epi-pen at home, but it shouldn’t get to that. But no. No rocky road, no classic chocolate, no triple chocolate, or chocolate brownies — all of which I’ve been assured is nirvana and I’m totally missing out on.”

Steve eyes the sweating tub in Eddie’s hands suspiciously, “And butterscotch?”

“No allergies,” Eddie hedges, looking swiftly away.

“But do you like it, normally?” Steve insists.

Eddie digs up a large scoop to shove it in his mouth, turning a disgusting smile to Steve as a distraction. He just gives him a flat look in return and Eddie swallows, laughing. “Okay, it’s not my favourite. But it’s fine. I like it, sweetheart. Nothing if not for the surprise; I like surprises.”

Steve nods to himself with a thoughtful frown, “Just no rocky road or butterscotch.”

“No probably not,” Eddie confirms, “Not unless I’m under duress.”

This seems to crack Steve up and he bursts into laughter, giggling as he looks between Eddie and the ice cream melting in his lap. Eddie chuckles with him, can’t help but laugh along at the cheer on Steve’s face, even if he doesn’t quite get the joke.

Finally, Steve wipes a wayward tear from the corner of his eye and puts his uneaten tub on the ground outside. “What are you doing?” Eddie asks, eyeing it.

Steve takes the spoon and butterscotch out of his hand, tossing the spoon aside and placing the ice cream next to the rocky road. He comes back, drawing Eddie closer with a hand at the back of his nape, “Well, I can’t kiss you if I have chocolate, so it’s been banned from the van.” He shifts his hands to gently cup Eddie’s face, meeting his lips in a gentle graze that speaks of a sweetness to rival the now-banished snacks.

“We’re too cool for them anyways,” Eddie murmurs, pressing back more firmly.

Steve bites Eddie’s lip, drawing a gasp from him as the sensation shoots down his spine. “That’s a punishable offence, baby.”

If you liked anything, please consider leaving a comment over on Ao3 :-) It would make my day!

Tag list:

My tag list is always open, so let me know if you want to be added. Likewise, if you want to be removed, let me know. :)

@bookworm0690, @child-of-cthulhu, @cinnamon-mushroomabomination, @ellietheasexylibrarian, @finntheehumaneater, @goodolefashionedloverboi, @gutterflower77, @hallucinatedjosten, @just-a-tiny-void, @ledleaf, @littlewildflowerkitten, @manda-panda-monium, @mightbeasleep, @nburkhardt, @newtstabber, @stillfullofshit, @tartarusknight

[script-a-world]

Submitted via Google Form:

So I found out that blue is apparently rare in nature but I want it to in fact be relatively abundant in my world. Honestly for no apparent reason than it's my favourite colour and I want it to work in it. What would I need to change from real life in order to do that? Preferably from blue pigments but reflected light would also be great.

Tex: Blue is rare in nature because in order to produce what we perceive as blue, the red wavelengths of light need to be absorbed and not refracted out, so physical structures are usually relied upon instead (The University of Adelaide, Live Science). A lot of the work for this to be naturally-occurring was also covered in a previous ask.

However, there can be a shortcut to this - shift the wavelength band a little to the left and use ultraviolet. Flowers communicate with insects in UV light as a form of coevolution (Wikipedia), and when colour-corrected to a wavelength we can see, it comes across as blue.

Some examples:

Photo by Debora Lombardi (My Modern Net)

Photo by Craig Burrows (CPBurrows.com)

Feral: As Tex points out, nothing is going to appear blue if the people of your world cannot perceive the wavelengths of blue light. Even without UV, this trick of light is a popular option. Bluejays (and all birds with blue plumage) actually have feathers that are pigmented brown where we perceive blue because of a specific way air gets trapped in them.

However, another way to manipulate the proliferation of blue in your world is through geology and mineralogy. Tweaking the abundance of certain elements and how they are incorporated into the biochemistry of your world will change certain colors found in nature.

You can make certain blue rocks and minerals more prevalent. Basalt, slate, limestone, and sandstone are all common rocks that can appear blue. The mineral glaucophane can be mixed with basalt to create the metamorphic rock blueschist. Thus, the earth itself can appear more blue, rather the generally brown color we tend to associate with dirt, rocks, and sand. 

But metals and minerals are also very important in biochemistry as cofactors, nutrient minerals, and trace elements. Most people will know that iron is an important metal for humans because it carries oxygen in our blood stream, and this is why our blood turns red when it’s oxygenated - that’s what iron does. But crustaceans have a greenish-blue blood because the oxygen-carrier is hemocyanin, containing copper. Cobalt, important to Vitamin B12, is a nutrient mineral that comes to mind when I think of blue.

So what about the flora of the world?

Flowers and fruits get their coloration from two types of molecules: carotene and anthocyanin. Carotene pretty exclusively produces reds, yellows, and oranges. Anthocyanin generally produces reds and purples, but in the rare occasions a blue flower is produced, it can be due to a chemical complex called metalloanthocyanin, which contains magnesium, aluminium, or iron (or a combination). 

For a more scientifically robust look at coloration in flowers, including options other than metalloanthocyanin, check out this article, “Natural Blues: Structure Meets Function in Anthocyanins,” in the National Library of Medicine’s Center for Biotechnology Information Journal.

[ihavetoomuchhomeworkforthis]

So I found this on Google, and I accidentally ended up having a megabrainstorm session with my dad about if Vulcans were actually photosynthetic, or really just how photosynthetic humanoids would work in general and how they'd function on a Starfleet ship? It was more like me ranting excitedly at my dad for a few minutes, but there were some cool ideas in there. (I mean I think they're cool, hopefully you guys do too)

Warning: EXTREMELY long (and nerdy) bullet point list follows under the cut

green skin because chlorophyll

possibly even leafy skin, which might end up looking more like scales, but with patches of softer more leaf-like areas where we'd have more body fat and/or body hair

(they can still have that Vulcan hair though, since it's sort of a defining trait/style of the species in Star trek)

This means they have to absorb sunlight through their skin, and convert it into energy in the form of glucose, like trees

Therefore they'd have to have glucose (not copper) based blood (but the melting point of sugar is really high? Hadn't quite worked that part out)

Their blood would be white then? Amber, like tree sap. Wait actually don't some flowers/green stemmed things have white sap in the stems? (Maybe their blood would change from white to amber as they age? I know flowers aren't younger versions of trees, but it would be cool)

and they'd have to drink water just as much as humans because plants need water (as Chekhov is panicking about) but maybe since Chekhov is worried about "watering" spock, their hair can function like roots or something to soak up extra water as well. Idk if it rains much on Vulcan but when it did they'd all be going outside like the worms do on Earth lol

They wouldn't really have to eat if sunlight is their primary energy source. Their mouth would be just for water, breathing, and speaking. In which case they'd have ALL different organ systems, seeing as our digestive system takes up a good chunk of space in the torso, what would they fill it with? Being humanoid, they'd still need lungs, as well as a heart to circulate the (glucose based?) blood. They can still have a liver as a toxin filter and whatever else livers do (trees have to deal with not-so-clean water, so the photosynthetic Vulcans could probably deal with pretty muddy/questionable water as well. And maybe that connects to a very basic digestive system (liver-filters > short and singular intestine > rectum) which is mostly just for getting rid of the mud (yes, pooping.) And the liver can also deal with dusty/sandy air probably. Oh they might not need to eat (maybe even CAN'T eat since they wouldn't need or have the organs to deal with it) but they could drink liquids other than water, and it might be helpful/necessary to drink sugary fruit drinks if it's been cloudy for a few days, because humanoids expend a LOT more energy than plants probably do. They probably have a "stomach" which acts as a storage and distribution-into-bloodstream area for water and sugar, a little like how a camel's hump works, so it might not only be "OMG did anyone water Spock today!?" But also "OMG Spock fainted, somebody get him fruit juice!" *frantic running to the mess hall* *20 ccs of sugar* "I told you to drink more sugary stuff, our artificial light here just can't give you as much energy as your THREE ENTIRE SUNS back home, you ****ing idiotic hobgoblin!" *definitely not crying over Spock's wellbeing*

Idk what would make up the rest of their torso since they don't need as much space for organs. Heart, lungs, liver, one intestine + waste management, storage stomach, and the rest of ours is primarily taken over by about 15 feet of scrunched intestines, so maybe for them it's all leg, or they could maybe have a redundant extra pair of lungs, and/or another heart, especially to lessen the workload since tree sap is significantly thicker than human blood? Or maybe all the water would thin it out? Or one heart is more connected to the skin where they absorb light energy and cycles the glucose-based blood (which goes from white to amber as they grow up) and the other heart connects more to the water/fruit juice storage stomach and cycles water as well as somehow sends old water off to get peed out? And they should also have an organ that somehow counters sunburn and helps then deal with their world's elevated levels of radiation.

So: two pairs of lungs (for no real reason), two hearts (and two circulatory systems?), one for water and one that's more for the nutrients of glucose from sunlight, a storage stomach, a liver, an organ that deals with radiation and sunburn, a short intestine for the undrinkable parts of potentially muddy/contaminated water, the rectum to poop out the mud, the kidneys/bladder/urinary system for old water, and I think that's it.

I've been occasionally researching (googling) during the process of writing this, and I found that trees actually do have 2 different kinds of sap! Phloem is the "more nutrient rich form, and flows from the leaves bringing sugars and hormones to nutrient-hungry parts of the plant," while Xylem "consists mostly of water" so it's perfectly reasonable for them to have 2 hearts, one for each kind!

But how can we design starships to be more Vulcan-friendly then, if they need so much light? Well first of all, having sugar as an option for hyposprays in the medbay/sickbay, as well as plenty of sugary drinks available in the replicators, and the sugary fruit drinks shouldn't "cost" as much in rations since the Vulcans sort of need it as much as they need water when they aren't able to access direct sunlight. Speaking of which, all the hallways should have strips of light off to the side (one on the floor and another shining down from the ceiling above it) that the Vulcan crewmembers can walk through, and there should be a solarium room which does its best to replicate at least the lighting and radiation conditions of Vulcan (the planet). This solarium should have the light panels be able to slide away to reveal actual windows, and starships with any Vulcans in their crew should be required to spend a minimum amount of time every so often in orbit of an actual sun or star system so that the Vulcans can have genuine sunlight. It would be really funny if Spock just had a spotlight that follows him around like Olaf's snow cloud in Frozen, but it would be more practical if his station on the bridge just had extra light panels which are positioned in some way so as not to shine in his eyes. Also, this photosynthesis sort of depends on their skin actually being exposed to light, so the uniform would probably be modified for Vulcans to be short sleeves and shorts despite how weird that would be, or it would be designed like tinted glass somehow, or... some other way of letting the light in without being immodest, idk

And now for a very important question: some trees are deciduous, yes? Oh dang it I just googled whether Vulcan has seasons and the answer was no. Scrolling down pointed out that Vulcan is a desert planet and so they'd naturally be able to go without water for longer periods of time than humans. That second one is okay, that's why they have a water storage organ sort of like camels, and I guess maybe they wouldn't need so much water after all. More like cacti than trees. But the no axis tilt / no seasons thing sort of cancels out what I was about to write :(

I'll write it anyway. Let's pretend for a second that Vulcan has seasons, because this whole thing can really apply to "photosynthetic humanoids" in general, not just photosynthetic Vulcans in particular. So, I was about to talk about deciduous trees :) When the seasons shift towards winter, the sunlight is weaker, trees go red before losing their leaves and sort of hibernating, right? Well what if Vulcans start going pale, then yellowy, and eventually taking on a pale reddish hue, and since they can't lose their skin to conserve energy, they consume as much sugar/fruit juice as they can over a period of a few weeks, before going into hibernation like bears?

This means that your Vulcan crewmate is kind of useless for at least a quarter of every year, which isn't really a problem unless they're a senior officer, but if they ARE a senior officer, they better have an apprentice or someone who can cover for them while they hibernate. Maybe another Vulcan from the opposite side of the planet, who would naturally hibernate during the opposite half of the year.

Would this Vulcan and their opposite-side-of-the-planet counterpart be best friends, or bitter rivals? Who knows!

Now, starships do not actually have seasons, so the hibernation cycle wouldn't be technically necessary. The Vulcan has two options: either slowly adjust to the year-round availability of sunlight over a period of multiple years so that they don't have to abandon their crew for a few months out of every year (and be SEVERELY messed up if they ever retire and go back to the hypothetical version of Vulcan which has seasons), OR, make sure that the availability of light mimics the seasonal cycle of pretend-Vulcan-with-seasons so that they can have their hibernation cycle properly. (Clearly the better option if they aren't a senior officer, especially if they don't plan to spend the rest of their life on the ship.)

Also it would be really cute to see what kind of pillow fort nest Spock would probably end up making in his quarters to hibernate in. I wonder if they'd visit him.

DO NOT WAKE THE HIBERNATING SPOCK. Google says waking up an animal from hibernation too early can have fatal consequences. On the other hand, it also said bears can wake themselves up immediately to protect cubs if necessary or if they're startled awake, so maybe he can respond to red alerts. However going based off the first point, it might be necessary to completely soundproof his quarters and make sure he remains undisturbed. And yet another possibility is that photosynthetic Vulcans wouldn't need to hibernate at all if they come from a part of the planet which is mostly friendly year-round (which would technically be true, since it doesn't actually have seasons at all, and they would choose to have civilizations in the most habitable areas. Maybe civilizations closer to the poles would have Vulcans that are naturally paler or more reddish, like how the Aenar on the Andorian homeworld are blind and paler.)

Animals coming out of hibernation can have lost up to 30% of their body weight (over a QUARTER), so Vulcans coming out of hibernation would look so sick and weak, and they'd probably take a while to get their full green color back, and the more soft leafy areas of higher body fat would have shriveled into just the small scale-like leaves that make up the majority of their skin, and their uniforms would be all baggy on them, and the human crew would probably be so so so worried for them, especially the first few hibernation cycles

*Spock stumbles onto the bridge for the first time in several months, pale orange-red and extremely skinny* "Oh my god, Spock!" (overjoyed at his return) -- "Oh my god Spock you look like crap, are you alright?" (softer and full of concern upon actually noticing what he looks like) -- "This is perfectly normal, I'll be fine, you need me on du-" *faints*