#otp: i’ll prove it every day (mccoy/riona; asoulofstars)

[astralanthropologists]

So you’ve established that faerie pregnancies are two years long, and that faerie genetics are dominant traits when they mate with humans so mixed species children are far more faerie than human. This works out fine with riona and bones, because riona is full faerie and has the capacity to carry that type of pregnancy. But what about the reverse with a female human and a male faerie? Human bodies weren’t designed for 2 year pregnancies, and giving birth barely a third into your pregnancy certainly isn’t compatible with life for human babies and I can’t imagine faeries either. So is it a thing where male faeries with a female human partner know they have to use contraceptives because any fetus with a faerie dad and a human mom will die upon it’s very premature delivery, and the only faerie human hybrids are from faerie mothers?

So, part of this is due to wing development. I took some inspiration from bats, as the only winged mammal, for the length of the pregnancy.

The total pregnancy is 96 weeks, so that comes out closer to 22 months vs 24 months. This is what I have written for pregnancy:

"The pregnancy lasts for 96 weeks, as this gives the faeries time to develop in the womb, especially their wings. Their wings take a lot of development, as there are extra bones, muscles, and ligaments that need to be formed, mostly in the attachments in their shoulder blades. The wings need the most time to develop, and the development of the wings takes up most of the later portion of the pregnancy.

A faerie can safely give birth anywhere after 55 weeks. The child, though very premature, will still survive. However, the wings will never fully develop in any child that is born before 89 weeks. They may have partial development of the wings depending on how long into the pregnancy that they are born, but they will never be able to fly or have full wing function.

The faerie pregnancy cannot be observed the way a human pregnancy is in modern days with technology. Faeries sort of mark different sections of pregnancy by seasons. Their pregnancy is just under two years, which makes them go through every season except for one fully, allowing them to easily keep track. Faeries can generally tell that they are pregnant within the first 4-8 weeks, and this gives them ample time to prepare their homes and lives for the change. While miscarriages can happen to faeries if they are under an inordinate amount of stress, they are rare, and faeries in the womb generally always make it to the point of viability. If a faerie miscarries before they find out they are pregnant, then they generally haven’t realized that they have miscarried."

So, a human with a uterus could theoretically give birth to a half-faerie child; their wings would just not be developed. While rare, there have been pregnancies that are longer than a year, though 375 days is the longest, and that is not nearly as long as 55 weeks. (Hence the theoretically.)

In most cases, the uterus-having partner for cross-species relationships would have to be the faerie, yes. It is the only chance for a completely healthy baby.

Faeries, though, generally a.) use some form of contraception at all times and b.) while fertile, do not get pregnant often. They live forever, and they would quickly overpopulate if they got pregnant as easily as humans can. Uterus-having faeries do not menstruate, so there is no "cycle". Generally, faeries get pregnant by increasing the amount of sex they are having. (Hence why Riona gets pregnant quickly during the honeymoon on Yorktown; I imagine that they are there for about six months, and she finds out in the 4-8 week window when they return to the Enterprise. Lots of sex was a good distraction for perpetually anxious Len, who felt super uncomfortable on the Yorktown base.)

[astralanthropologists]

can you talk a bit about the dynamics of Bones, Jim, Anna, and Riona in your polycule? you sometimes talk about them as each other's sun, moon, and stars, and I'm super interested in how you conceive of those relationships and what that means to you

Oh, man. This is a whole like. Thing. XD Charlie (@aseelierose) and I always throw our OCs into any fandom, and I think that Charlie was super excited when I got into Trek, because they've always been a big fan of it (and are currently getting their partner to watch all of Trek, too). They've always paired Anna with Jim, and I absolutely fell in love with Bones (obviously). And, well. Charlie and my OCs are very bisexual. AOS McKirk is, in my opinion, not even subtext, but y'know. Ship and let ship, and I love watching other people bring other ships to life, especially in rp.

And we're gonna take that quote about dreamers and realists from Modern Family:

“There are dreamers and there are realists in this world. You'd think the dreamers would find the dreamers, and the realists would find the realists, but more often than not, the opposite is true. See, the dreamers need the realists to keep them from soaring too close to the sun. And the realists? Well, without the dreamers, they might not ever get off the ground.”

~*~

For a personal rundown: Riona—Jim is the Sun; it’s also a star, and they’re similar, and he reminds her of her home amongst the sky. Len is the Moon; it’s part of the night sky and pulls the most focus as the brightest light in the darkness. Anna is the Stars; they are her home and most natural place of being, and that’s Anna; she just feels free with Anna. Note: Riona is also a dreamer. Len—Jim is the Sun; he rebuilt his entire fucking life orbiting Jim Kirk without even realizing it. Anna is the Moon; she’s his anchor the way the Moon achors the tides. Riona is the Stars; not only can he not associate them with her, but he just feels like Riona is infinite. Note: Len is also a realist. Anna—Jim is the Sun; he’s been the brightest light since she met him. Len is the Moon; quiet in his brilliance, but no less important. Riona is the Stars; again, the association, but also because of the stars as hope. Note: Anna is also a realist. Jim—Anna is the Sun; she’s big and bold and brilliant and vibrant, and he just feels warm. Bones is the Moon; he feels like losing Bones would be catastrophic. Losing the Sun causes basically instant death. But losing the Moon causes devastation while life can still be sustained, and he doesn’t know how to lose Bones. Riona is the Stars; again, the association, but also because the Stars are constant, and Riona just feels like she’ll always be around for whatever he needs her to be. Note: Jim is also a dreamer.

~*~

So, yeah. It started with Riona/Bones and Jim/Anna, but Riona and Anna almost always end up in a friends with benefits situation, because it's easy for them to sleep together when they're not communicating their feelings to other people. And it's not that they don't have feelings for each other. Riona's love for Anna is something that is very freeing and needed in this verse in particular, as Anna's the first person Riona's fallen in love with since her faerie partner, Aidan, was killed. Aidan's death was what prompted her to join Starfleet; she just didn't feel at home in the faerie world anymore, despite having her family (Aislinn, Aleria, and Logan). It wasn't their whole family, and she just couldn't live with the fragments. Anna, being half-Betazoid, gets a lot from Riona that Riona doesn't say, and Anna is just as open and honest with Riona because of this and because of her Betazoid culture. Anna has a bad break up in Academy that makes it very convenient for her and Riona to get closer, and it's just easy for them. 

~*~

Now, McKirk is something to me that is just obvious, and I have a lot of posts about the two of them. But what it comes down to is that they were both at the lowest point of their lives when they found each other in that shuttle, and then they built these new lives together.

They don’t know how to separate themselves from the other person, and if you don’t believe me, just look at how they react in Into Darkness. When Jim thinks that Bones could die because of that torpedo? He is on the edge of breaking, even though he knows that he would still need to push forward and keep captaining the Enterprise. And Bones? Look at his reaction to opening the body bag and seeing Jim’s corpse. Everything drains right out of him. He’s broken and can’t even stand. He collapses and barely even breathes. 

The two of them have a dynamic that works for them, but it is extremely codependent.

~*~

Jim/Anna is the first couple that like. Actually gets their shit together. Granted, there is some small manipulations there. Spock would call them "calculated decisions". It's an away mission, and they have to pretend to be a couple, and Anna's half-Betazoid and their chief of security, so it makes sense for her to be undercover in this to protect Jim during what is supposed to be a diplomatic event. And playing these parts and having to pretend to be together forces them to actually confront their feelings.

But it's a wonderful slowburn, because the two of them are made of the same stuff. They hide behind big, brash personalities in order to keep their insecurities hidden and put up this wall. But they get each other. They see each other's heart, and they love the way that the other cares so fucking much. They both have so much that they want to go and explore and learn and do, and they realize that they want to do that together. And, for as much as they're similar, they're also different. Anna's more of a realist, and she helps ground Jim.

~*~

Anna/Bones is the foundation of this polycule, though. Maybe it's because they're both the realists; maybe it's because Into Darkness was particularly traumatizing for them. But they have a lot of realizations together and pretty much vow to be there, not only for each other, but for their dreamers. They bond a lot during the two weeks Jim is out before he fully wakes up from being dead, and they have an implicit understanding of each other. That time, that shared trauma, and their understanding is also why Anna is the one other person in the entire universe who is actually able to call Len Bones, but only during very specific instances. They are the ones who make the polycule possible, though.

~*~

Len/Riona is, well, one of my favorites. I'm a sucker for idiots-to-lovers; I'm a sucker for mutual pining that they think is unrequited. I'm a sucker for how they can't quite figure out their timing. They're both so scared, so hesitant. They're so in love, but they're both of the opinion that if something goes wrong, then it's over. Bones is more than content to just be Jim's friend; that relationship doesn't have to be romantic. He accepts his feelings, and he just kind of tucks them away. If Jim ever felt the same, that'd be great, but it doesn't matter.

With Riona, it's different. They are all or nothing, and that's so terrifying to both of them. Riona, especially, because barring some extreme traumatic event, Riona's outliving Len by an eternity. She knows she will lose him someday. And it's easier to pretend like it won't kill her when it happens, and it's easier to not take the risk of making their friendship more, because if it goes wrong, then she lost the person who makes her feel safe.

And all of this is also why, when they finally admit how they feel after dancing around it for the better part of four long years (though they both knew before that, so....), they don't have to date. They already know each other inside and out, know their fears and insecurities, know the way they fit together and can just breathe.

~*~

Jim/Riona is the last piece of the puzzle, and it's their similarities that finally pull them together. The way neither of them know how to give anything less than all of themselves, the way they both are constantly craving home and connections, the way that they both love the stars as if the stars flow through their blood. Sometimes, they're the only person who can get the other one to stop. They're always turned up to an 11, always at the highest setting, but they bond in the quiet moments. They figure things out in shared bad feelings, in taking a breath and looking at the stars, in getting the other out of their head. Jim is the only one who can get Riona to just sleep. And it's usually because he needs to sleep, too, and having a light sleeper makes it so that he can't just get up and go think about things. They're the dreamers, but that means that they can whisper about the bad parts of being dreamers, too.

~*~

And then putting them all together is just....they all came from places of loneliness, of loss, of trying to find who they are. And they found each other. They found themselves along the way, and they owe all of that to each other. They brought light back to each other's worlds.

[astralanthropologists]

Since it’s Riona’s birthday, as well as your headcanon bones’s birthday and their children, I was wondering if you could talk a little about why they’re all born on the same day. Since the odds off 3 births (riona bones and the twins) in a group with 3 births happening all on the same day are so incredibly low (you have a far better chance of ever being struck by lightning than this happening) I’m going to assume you have a narrative based reason for it. Is it symbolic of something, since magic exists in your universe? Or was riona and bones having the same birthday a coincidence and riona intentionally got pregnant and gave birth on their birthday? And do bones and riona celebrate a different day to allow the twins to have a special day to themselves? Most kids I know hate sharing birthdays with anyone and while it’s necessary for the twins it would really suck to have to share your special day with both your parents too

So, Riona’s birthday has always been August 4th. It was my Great-Grandfather’s birthday, and he wanted me born on his birthday (I was August 1, though), so when I made Riona’s birthday, I decided to honor him.

Bones was going to be a Leo. It’s all right in his name. Leonard “Leo”, McCoy means “fire”. I kinda had to. And Riona and Len are 400+ years apart, so it’s like “Oh, that’s a coincidence!”

And the twins are actually an unexpected pregnancy, but the timing works out well, as I have made Jim’s birthday remain March, so Beyond takes place in late March. Riona & Len get married in early April. They then have a lot of sex while stuck in Yorktown until the Enterprise-A is done. Faerie pregnancies are about two years long. So, the timing fits for them to be born in August.

Thematically, I decided on this, because Riona & Len both have a lot of issues with believing they’re alone. And I loved giving them all this shared experience as a family.

As they get older, Riona & Len don’t care about THEIR birthday at all. It is the twins’ day. And the twins love sharing their birthday. (The twins are rarely apart, and they continue to serve in Starfleet together on the same ships.)

It’s a special day, and I just wanted them to have this commonality for their little family that Riona & Len never thought they’d have.

[astralanthropologists]

  PERSONAL LOG

“Personal Log of Dr. Leonard H McCoy, Stardate 2263.314.

We’re back on the Enterprise. Now it’s the Enterprise-A. Riona’s been acting a little off, and I can’t put my finger on it. She ran off with Anna, and I know she’s always found it easiest to talk to Anna, but it feels like it has to do with me this time. We’ve been much more open since we got married, so I don’t know if I should be worried.”

…….

“Personal Log of Dr. Leonard H McCoy, Stardate 2263.314.

Update: Riona’s pregnant. We’re going to be parents. She wasn’t sure how to tell me, but I’m beyond ecstatic. Going to be learning a lot about faerie biology! Probably gonna have to remind Riona to breathe more often; I think she’s got some fears eatin’ at her. But I know we can do this, and I can’t wait. Gonna have to—faerie gestation is about two years for the wing development. But it’s going to be a great journey.”

[astralanthropologists]

Riona’s still pregnant for the first father’s day with the twins. Faerie pregnancies are about two years long. They happen to be on shore leave in Georgia, with Riona meeting Len’s family for the first time. And his whole family SPOILS him for that first one. They’re ecstatic for the babies to come and to see Len so happy.

The twins are born in August, so Riona’s still pregnant for the second father’s day, and that one’s a more private affair between Len & Riona.

The first one after they’re actually born is A Big Thing on the Enterprise, and everyone calls Len “Dr. Dad” for the day.

[astralanthropologists]

I commissioned this from @jimbotkirk. Jim, Anna, Bones, and Riona featuring special appearance by my horse, Roy (the red one Bones is riding).

[astralanthropologists]

Len is ABSOLUTELY in love with Kirk. Whether or not they actually are a ship would depend entirely on my rp partner. But Bones’ feelings are a part of how he interacts with Kirk—whether or not the feelings are mutual. I think that Bones is very AWARE of his feelings, but Bones also isn’t sure if he ever wants to do the dating thing—and absolutely not the marriage thing—ever again after Katie. But there’s so much that is instinctive and unsaid in Len’s and Kirk’s dynamic.

In the case of MY Kirk, the two have absolutely hooked up. They don’t really talk about it; they’re not ashamed of it, but I don’t think either of them are ready at the time to figure out what that means for any actual feelings. So they keep going about how they always do, and if a time comes for them to talk about it, they will.

(Or, they end up in some kind of polycule with Anna and Riona, because that’s just how my AUs with Charlie end up.)

[astralanthropologists]

Headcanon: McCoy

Leonard McCoy has only ever been with a handful of people. His ex-wife, and then unless I’m interacting with a Jim who disagrees on the headcanon—Jim Kirk. And then in certain verses, Riona and also Anna.

[astralanthropologists]

Romance Headcanons

Tagged by (Stolen from): @fasciinating Tagging: All of you!

NAME: Leonard McCoy NICKNAME: Len, Leo, Bones (only by Jim) ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: Bisexual PREFERRED PET NAMES: He uses “Sweetheart”, “Darling”, and other Southern ones on a lot of people; most people will shorten his name vs using a pet name, but he doesn’t mind it when people use them back at him. RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Verse dependent, typically single. Always pining for Jim.

FAVORITE CANON SHIP: Bones doesn’t…have any canon ships. Besides his ex-wife. TOS Bones gets some flirtation happening, and AOS Bones kind of flirts with Carol. But there’s no actual canon ships. FAVORITE NON-CANON SHIP:  I’m McKirk all the way. AOS Bones is in love with Jim, and it doesn’t matter to him if Jim doesn’t feel the same way. But he’s devoted to Jim as much as he is any lover. TOS Bones is the same way, though TOS Bones also feels that way about Spock to a slightly lesser degree. There’s loyalty in the TOS Triumvirate that runs deep, and Bones will choose them before anyone else.

I haven’t had a good opportunity to develop other ships outside of my AU with a friend, but if your muse has the patience to work through things and accept that Jim will always be just ahead of them on the priority list, then that’d be fun to play with. TOS Bones is going to be a little bit easier to romance, though.

OPINION ON TRUE LOVE: That’s a really excellent question. I don’t think Bones knows himself. After the divorce, it takes him a while to find himself. AOS Bones rebuilt himself so intertwined with Jim that he very much needs to find himself after the events of Into Darkness. TOS Bones is probably more inclined to such romantic notions, but I don’t think he’d admit to it.

OPINION ON LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT: Nah.

HOW ‘ROMANTIC’ ARE THEY?: He’s a Southern gentleman. He knows a thing or two about romance. It just takes a lot to coax it out of him, and it depends entirely on the relationship that he’s in.

IDEAL PHYSICAL TRAITS: He doesn’t much mind what someone looks like. Attraction is attraction. He will say that it’s all in the eyes and smile, though.

IDEAL PERSONALITY TRAITS: Passion, intensity, and a heart of gold. People who care more than anything.  

UNATTRACTIVE PHYSICAL TRAITS: McCoy will say he’s not a huge fan of facial hair, but some people pull it off really well, so it’s not a deal breaker.

UNATTRACTIVE PERSONALITY TRAITS: McCoy doesn’t handle people who think they’re better than others well. People who have no heart. People who are ignorant or stupid. Incompetence. Dishonest.

IDEAL DATE: He’s a simple man; just show him that you care, and he’ll love the time spent together.

DO THEY HAVE A TYPE?: -looks at my AOS AU with @aseelierose and the polycule with Jim, Riona, and Anna- Yes. Yes, he does.

AVERAGE RELATIONSHIP LENGTH: He hasn’t been in a serious relationship after the divorce. AOS Bones doesn’t really do the casual sex sort of thing. TOS Bones doesn’t have a huge chance for hookups, but he enjoys the flirtation and when he gets a chance to have proper company.

PREFERRED NON-SEXUAL INTIMACY: He likes existing together; whether they’re curled up together or just in the same room–or even the house, as he’ll cook when his significant others’ asleep–then that’s perfect to him.

COMMITMENT LEVEL: Bones runs on commitment; loyalty is one of his defining traits. AOS Bones is more inclined to commit to a person, whether it be a romantic relationship or not, and TOS Bones is more inclined to commit to the rules he and his partner(s) set forth for the relationship.

OPINION OF PUBLIC AFFECTION: This very much depends. He’s not going to do anything more than a chaste kiss or something in full view of everyone else, but he also doesn’t necessarily want to hide it. Sometimes, though, it has to be done.

PAST RELATIONSHIPS?: AOS Bones’ ex-wife is Katie Theresa James; they grew up together. Bones knew he was going to marry Katie at eight years old. They were sweethearts in school–Prom King and Queen–and married shortly after. Med school and his father’s death put a strain on the relationship, and they drifted apart.

TOS Bones’ ex-wife is, I believe, canonically named Jocelyn. I haven’t gotten to the part in TOS where we learn about her, so I have nothing really to say about their relationship other than Jocelyn has custody of their daughter Joanna.

[astralanthropologists]

Also, AOS Bones Dynamic tag drop