#vulcan botany

[t0ast-ghost]

Star Trek II: Wrath Of Khan thoughts:

For this post if I could simply embed the entire movie and just write the word, ‘queer’ I would. Unfortunately you are all stuck with this, happy pride month!

Spoilers for the entire movie will be featured in this post

Going forth:

- I know what the kobayashi maru is so I know they’re not in danger but that’s some good acting Bones

- “‘Physician heal thyself.’” “Is that all you’ve got to say? What about my performance?” “I’m not a drama critic.” Thinking about this pose thinking about this pose thinking about thi-

- “Galloping around the cosmos is a game for the young, Doctor.” He’s feeling something and projecting

- “Aren’t you dead?” That’s certainly a way to greet your husband

- They’re so cute. And sad. And cute.

- tiny guys hehe. The boots got sluttier somehow

- McCoy got him glasses cause he can’t read the book without it and bring up that post that’s saying how Spock and McCoy’s gifts go together but McCoy got the logical thing and Spock got the emotional one

- Don’t quote me on this but the things I would do to that man… I wouldn’t.. but holy shit that outfit is killing me.

- hi checkov

- Carol Marcus? Doesn’t she have Kirk’s-? okay then I won’t spoil that just yet

- Creature in a jar moving under the sand

- BOTANY BAY????? Oh wait a sec I should’ve seen that coming it’s called wrath of khan

- Did they kill Chekov?

- hello Khan. That’s a very long and dramatic reveal he’s kinda hot tho

- Thinking about genetic engineering and augmentation and how they’re illegal but star trek presents cases where people now exist and it’s not the fault of the person that they are what they are so they have to question if an entire person should be illegal because of the actions of others… anyway I don’t wanna get deep into this right now, back to the movie

- Are they going to kill Chekov? (edit: not sure why I’m so fixated on thinking they’re gonna)

- WOW THAT IS CERTAINLY A SWEAT DROP

- brain worms… this sounds recently familiar

- HES READING HIS BOOK WITH THE GLASSES THEY DIDNT NEED TO SHOW HIM DOING THAT BUT THEY DID AND ITS ADORABLE OMG

- The conversation between Savik and Spock is so precious. And it’s in Vulcan. And she says “He’s more human than I expected” and it’s like that’s her commenting on Spock’s husband

- Kirk does not want to do this inspection

- McCoy does a little bounce

- “For everything there is a first time. Wouldn’t you agree, admiral” “mmhhmm” “Would you like a tranquilizer?” *Kirk shakes his head*

- I think this one has a more solid plot. I’m enjoying so far :)

- Does McCoy serve on this ship or is he just following along?

- (Had to stop watching around here because I left for the weekend so these thoughts are potentially a bit different)

- wowah! Cool ship!

- uh oh. Chekov on the monitor with the brain worm!

- khan is kinda- yeahh

- I LOVE SAAVIK! RAHHH! Also apparently Saavik is canonically half Vulcan half Romulan according to the trivia

- I like how Bones is just there :)

- Putting Spock in black… they knew what they were doing

- They’re husbands your honour. Spock knows Kirk wants to take command and isn’t to proud to get in the way of making his wife happy

- “You are my superior officer. You are also my friend. I have been and always shall be yours.” Kissing would have been less romantic

- George Takei’s voice is majestic

- “He tasks me. He tasks me and I shall have him. I’ll chase him round the moons of Nibia and round the Antares maelstrom and round perdition’s flames before I give him up.” Not obsessive at all.. nope this is something completely and totally normal to say about your nemesis

- “Uhura, have Doctor McCoy join us (Kirk and Spock) in my quarters.” Hmmmmm.. gotta inform the whole polycule about the shady government experiment

- lmao BOTH Spock and McCoy know who Carol Marcus is

- oh so terraforming… NEVERMIND REALLY FAST TERRAFORMING

- “Really, Dr. McCoy, you must learn to govern your passions. They will be your undoing.” Flirting, gentlemen?

- How and why does Starfleet continually put Spock and McCoy together? Like this alert would be sent out 24/7

- Spock and his awesome daughter Saavik

- falling

- Kirk with the breast flap down

- such a good moment… such a great moment (sorry for shitty photos)

- Kirk has to put on his little glasses <3

- Kirk does NOT fuck around

- Poor Scotty. He’s got so much emotion about his dead crew mate and the doctor apologizing to him 🥺🥺🥺

- Saavik making up rules to make sure the admiral is safe. Love her.

- “Jim, be careful.” “We will.” MCCOY IS SO BITTER. Like ‘no wishes of luck for me, Spock? Fuck you!’

- The collar on that uniform is silly

- hehe McCoy got scared by a rat. OH HE ALSO GOT SCARED BY A DEAD BODY

- Kirk’s little disappointed “oh my god” as he finds Chekov in the cupboard

- “Suppose they went nowhere.” “Then this’ll be your big chance to get away from it all.” McCoy’s not leaving Kirk, but he still looks like he wants to strangle him sometimes

- Kirk not afraid to punch a bitch

- WAIT THATS KIRKS SON?!? Isn’t it?? I thought David was Carol’s brother. But nope!

- aww dammnit I knew they were still mind controlled :/

- Saavik saving David. Y’know it would be pretty cool if there was something about Saavik, David, and Johanna meeting and maybe serving on a ship of their own.. idk just thoughts.

- ewwww brain worm.

- OH THE ECHOING “KHANNN”

- mmmm Kirk without the jacket. The white turtleneck with sleeves… also McCoy and Saavik are slaying with their turquoise and orange turtlenecks

- “Food the first order of survival.” I bet the fanfic writers had a field day with this one (cause cause it’s a reference to Tarsus IV)

- Imagine this: you’re stuck underground with your husband, your other husbands adopted daughter, your ex, her son (who’s also your son), and your old Russian navigator who’s unconscious and tried to kill you while being mind controlled by a worm which came out of his ear

- David’s got Kirk’s curls <333

- Kirk has a thing for people who look good in blue. Change my damn mind.

- “I don’t believe in a no win scenario.” He immediately calls Spock afterwards cause he’ll never lose with his husbands around

- “You lied.” “I exaggerated.” Yep, he IS that bitch

- Saavik is learning so much from them

- They still just.. let anyone onto the bridge. Like David is just there now

- oh no Scotty! Well McCoy was miraculously there to catch him

- CHEKOV BACK ON THE BRIDGE!

- Once again. Kirk does not fuck around! He just killed those guys

- “To the last I will grapple with thee.” WOW. Okay. Well.

- Khan’s about to terraform this bitch

- McCoy stopping Spock from going into the chamber..

- “You’re not going in there!” “Perhaps you’re right. What is Mr. Scott’s condition?” SIKE BITCH SPOCK JUST FUCKING NERVE PINCHED HIM. McCoy you should’ve been tipped off by the fact he 1. Said you were right and 2. Gave up trying to self sacrifice so easily

- wait why’d Spock connect to McCoy’s psi points and say remember? Remember what?

- I like there’s just a sign that flashes the word ‘radiation’ in red letters

- McCoy and Scotty BEGGING Spock not to do this. Break my fucking heart why don’t you?

- Kirk’s little run to the engine room <3

- I know he’s dying but those boots are so slutty

- Solely watching Kirk’s face is already like watching 10 puppies get killed

- “Don’t grieve, admiral.” Has me crying already. Your closest and longest friend is watching your slow descent into death and you ask him not to grieve you. You want him to know your death meant something. It meant he’d be safe and that is nothing to grieve. I’m going to be sick

- don’t touch me I’m thinking about this

- SAAVIK IS CRYING OMG GIRL ME TOO

- Kirk’s voice breaking.. god. Shatter my fucking heart why don’t you?

- if they play bagpipes at my funeral I’m rising from the dead (violins would be nice though)

- NOO HIS CUTE LITTLE GLASSES BROKE

- “They’re just words.” “But good words. That’s where ideas begin. Maybe you should listen to them.” POP OFF DAVID ! Good line

- SON REVEAL! NOT CLICKBAIT

- There’s 8 minutes left of this. Did they leave this one with Spock dead?

- “He’s really not dead, as long as we remember him.” Good words McCoy. But perhaps maybe you might have some.. assistance remembering him?

- got distracted and drew Kirk but I love the last little Spock narration. Really brave to end a WHOLE MOVIE with one of the best most well known characters being dead

Well that movie did have its pros and… khans

…

See you next time

Masterpost

[abardnamedreginald]

im a wolf-demon-salamander-grey treefrog-katydid-cricket-luna moth-klingon-trad vampire-cat-romulan-harry potter wizard-gnome-drow-orc-wood elf-high elf-werewolf-twilight vampire-chihuahua-android-bard-druid-sorcerer-d&d wizard-lotr wizard-mind flayer-kraken-owlbear-genetically modified human-andes mint-harry potter merperson-h20 mermaid-great white shark-raven named nevermore-amontillado-sewer clown-animatronic-ink person-reality bender-ringwraith-chicken-fairy-telescreen-multibear-manic pixie dream girl-d class-horcrux-dragon-unicorn-pegasus-among us crewmate-among us imposter-game master-sharpie king size marker-dwarf-dragonborn-toothbrush-rock-paper-scissors-lizard-vulcan-politician-god-phone guy-icebreakers ice cubes pineapple-a doctor not a miracle worker-troll-ent-poodle-rabbit-Bear.-orange zombie-purple zombie-green zombie-professor plum-col. mustard-in the library-with a knife-hoola dancer-fish-villager-pelecan-defense against the dark arts professer-mafia boss-peep rabbit-peep chicken-gymnast-hairbrush-philosopher-music freak-school teacher-kidnapper-police lieutenant-farmer-trash can-dumpster out back-turtle-tribble-my little pony-kratt brother-high diver-pearl diver, dive, dive, deeper-chef-fire-earth-water-wind-wasp-bee-hornet-yellowjacket-mud dabber-grasshopper-rattlesnake-armadillo-cowboy-flashlight-starfleet science officer-harlet-elephant-gater-muppet-emo-goth-preppy-teabag-loser-sucker-mouse-rat-a puppet-a pauper-a pirate-a poet-a pawn-and a king-father albert-the pope-a nun-pastor jeff-gambler-metalhead-death rocker-the grim reaper-angel-lighthouse-paw patrol dog-hobbit-starfish-sponge-crab-squid-shrimp-jellyfish-chipmunk-hammerhead shark-nurse shark-humpback whale-blue whale-orca-sexual harrassment panda-south park character-jakoffasaurus-scrabble board-ouija board-pillow-toilet paper-period pad-tampon-baby diaper-elderly diaper-martian-touch tone telephone-starfleet operations-starfleet command-kirk-spock-bones-sulu-chekov-uhura-scotty-yeoman rand-KHAN!!!-mudd-the uss enterprise-the uss reliant-botany bay-v'ger-valeris-saavik-sybok-surak-sarek-the abbreviation 'idk'-sheldon-leonard-penny-howard-raj-amy-bernadette-mary cooper-george sr-george jr-missy cooper-meemaw-tam-dr sturgis-dr linkletter-dr jack bright-dr clef-dr gears-dr kondraki-dr mann-dr iceberg-dr crow-dr rights-dr sherman-scp 049-scp 3008-scp 4231-scp 166-scp 682-scp 2521-scp 590-O5 6-bill cipher-stanley pines-stanford pines-dipper-mabel-wendy-soos-schmebulok-gideon-mcgucket-dipper goes to taco bell-sheriff blubs-deputy durland-tad strange-andy taylor-william afton-michael afton-elizabeth afton-crying child-henry emily-charlotte emily-dave miller-jack kennedy-dee kennedy-peter kennedy-steven stevenson-aragorn-sam-frodo-merry-pippin-boromir-legolas-gimli-gandalf-faramir-denethor-sauron-elrond-thranduil-harry-hermione-ron-voldemort-pettigrew.-moony-padfoot-prongs-snape-edward-bella-alice!!-carlisle-charlie-cthulhu-greg heffley-pennywise-bendy-sammy-norman-jack-alice (susie)-allison-henry stien-joey drew-bruenor battlehammer-raskolnikov-heather-heather-heather-veronica-jd-kurt-ram-martha-kurt cobain-david bowie-freddie mercury-hozier-mitski-lemon demon-jack stauber-tally hall-hamilton-burr-jefferson-madison-washington-phillip-angelica-eliza-peggy-king george iii-king henry viii-ben franklin-catherine of aragon-anne boleyn-jane seymour-anne of cleves-katherine howard-catherine parr-dracula-𝓯𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓴𝔂-evan hansen-conner murphey-john adams-raymond barron-fred randall-jane doe-ocean-noel-mischa-constance-ricky-karnak-vergil-alternate-thatcher davis-ruth-dave-cesar-mark-adam-sarah-jonah-evelyn-gabriel-trump-biden-sunny-basil-kel-aubrey-hero-mari-vanessa (the mean girl that kinda likes u)-tux the linux penguin-perry the platypus hybrid princess...dont fw me

[trekkie-polls]

Yes I straight up plagiarized the plot of saga, but it would be good wouldn’t it? What are your ideas?

Soap box below the fold! You were warned!

To be honest I’m usually not excited about the new series rumors. Sometimes they turn out great, and I’m wrong. But they’re never about the stuff I really crave. There’s so much that’s unexplored in trek! So much we don’t know. I get really disappointed when I see another borg story or Klingon remake or tos prequel.

I want to know how trill symbionts reproduce, or what it’s like the first lifetime they join. I want to know what happened to the Denobulans in the 24th century. I want a post-dominion Vorta society. I want to meet the Iconians. I want more animal and plant biology. I want to know how giant spacefaring creatures evolved. I want to encounter cultures that aren’t just archetypes of peaceful! or warlike!, but who are so different they do things in ways I never would have thought of. I want mystery and exploration. I don’t want endless nostalgia. I want to be caught off guard.

[trekmupf]

a.k.a. she's craving that mineral 🧂

Pro:

We meet our crew for the first time and everyone has a little moment, including Yeoman Rand

Kirk calling McCoy plum! them being shown as good friends from the get go!

But also establishes them as professionals when duty comes first (often signaled by use of formal titles oppossed to Jim / Bones)

The whole botany scene is sweet, just simple everyday stuff we don't get to see much later on

First form of McCoy's famous „He's dead, Jim“ line (just „Dead, Jim“ here)

Spock being in sickbay and in the captains chair!

Also Vulcan green blood introduced

Two McCoys at the same time is my dream; Also McCoys quarters and him out of uniform (black shirt)!

„Nancy“ looking according to each man's expectations (McCoys old love, Kirk sees his friends ex according to age, Darnless latest conquest)

Horror-Sci-Fi vibes in the beginning and during the „hunt“ on the ship, especially with the soundtrack

The creature looks great! Unsure if the sad face was intentional but it really underlines the problematic situation

Con:

Inconsistencies due to early filming days / the show hasn't figured itself out yet: OOC behaviour (Spock at times, Spock & Uhura convo is a bit off, McCoy murdering the creature)

Politics not yet "Star trek" : the truth serum (consent? Especially compared to much darker situations later on), the way they speak about the creature and the fact that they kill it

It takes ages to „reveal“ the murderer

bc of that there's not really time to go into the ethics of the situation (killing the last of its kind) or into McCoys loss

also just, the solution instead of murder would've been salt. That's a bit. dumb.

Sadly due to weekly writing Bones trauma (killing a creature that looks like the woman he loved) won't be readressed again

Great moment: The way they talk about the buffalo being extinct as a sad metaphor for the situation, and it's actually kind of lovely that that's no longer true

Counter: None

Summary: Creature feature with some old style bodysnatcher / horrorvibes and good introductary characterwork, especially Kirk/McCoy Next Episode - All TOS Reviews

[theshadowrealmitself]

Idea for a botany antagonist since some of y’all love my self indulgent Star Trek botanist posts <3

Person who’s working to replenish the population of a specific Vulcan plant that’s gone dangerously into the “endangered” category after the attack on Vulcan

versus

Person who owns one of those endangered plants and doesn’t want the species to be replenished because then their plant won’t be as valuable and they’ll go to great lengths to sabotage the first person

(Technically the antagonist is whichever one you don’t choose as the protagonist, but my default is thinking of the second person as the antagonist)

[philosopherking1887]

Something that's bothering me about all the Barbie movie memes I've been seeing going around: the ones that say "This Ken is __." That's not how they work. You can give a Barbie a distinctive attribute: "This Barbie is the boss," "This Barbie is a nerd," whatever. For Kens, all you can say is "He's just Ken." "He's another Ken." "This is also Ken." The whole point is that that's all they are. They're just "(a) Ken."

The way to do a proper tribute to the Barbie posters is to stop trying to say something specific about male characters and actors, or do it in a way that fits into the "He's just Ken" template. Use it to lean into the irony, given that most popular media focuses on the traits and skills of the male characters, and tends to make female characters generically hot. You can also use the "There's only one Allan" for humorous effect.

I don't do complicated edits, but here's how I'd do it for a few of my fandoms:

Star Trek: The Original Series

Uhura: This Barbie speaks thirty-seven languages.

Chapel: This Barbie is a nurse.

Rand: This Barbie keeps the ship running.

Kirk: He's just Ken.

McCoy: He's another Ken.

Chekov: He's Ken too.

Sulu (the bare-chested fencing pic, obviously): You guessed it. He's a Ken.

Spock: They also make a half-Vulcan Ken. [An example of how you can mix it up a little while still staying within the template]

Scotty: There's only one Scotty.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Kira: This Barbie is an ex-terrorist.

Jadzia: This Barbie is actually seven Barbies and a worm.

Ezri: We haven't met this Barbie yet. [or something like that]

Leeta: This Barbie is a union organizer.

Keiko: This Barbie is a botany researcher.

Kasidy: This Barbie is a smuggler.

Winn: This Barbie is the pope.

O'Brien: He's just Ken.

Bashir: He's another Ken.

Worf: He's Ken too.

Garak: Plain, simple Ken. [Staying with the "just Ken" theme, but in a referential way]

Quark: Latinum Magic Ken [Get it? Like Earring Magic Ken?]

Sisko: Please call me Dad. [Like the Will Ferrell poster that says "Please call me mother"]

Odo: Neither Barbie nor Ken, but a secret third thing. [Going off script a little, but riffing on the gender theme]

The Avengers (2012 & 2015) [this is hard because there are so few female characters, but that's what makes it a fun challenge!]

Natasha: This Barbie is a trained assassin.

Wanda: This Barbie can control minds.

Pepper Potts: This Barbie is a CEO.

Maria Hill: This Barbie is the boss.

Tony: He's just Ken.

Clint: He's another Ken.

Thor: He's Ken too.

Sam Wilson: Ken again!

Hulk (not Bruce, that's what makes it funny): You guessed it. He's a Ken.

Steve: Vintage 1945 Ken [Yes, I know Ken didn't exist til 1961]

Loki: There are no Kens like me. [There's the Allan variation]

Nick Fury: Please call me Mother.

Agent Coulson: He's a suit. OR

Iron Man: He's a suit.

[uss-sonder]

The Crew of the USS Sonder [yet another update]

Top row, from left to right: Saharin W. Exlar. Tenfold Pollux, At'Han Tav, Avyn Niph, Voyager Teshan, Zohar, Laqus T. Raen, Lovebug, August Thompson, M'Row, Darha-evh-te-Anmon-te-Atersu, Solak.

Bottom row, from left to right: Ren Makhat [designed by @justsomeskullkid], Sovanid [designed by @vaguely-wormlike], {no name yet} [designed by @thatfoxdog], {no name yet} [designed by @the-vulcan].

This is my Star Trek OC side blog, main is @headphones-lifeform!

Refsheets and lore beneath the cut. [I use the rainbow flag to mean queer but unlabeled]

Saharin Exlar is the commanding officer of the USS Sonder, a small starship with a crew of circa 200. Exlar likes the idea of having a found-family dynamic with their crew and is hoping to achieve that kind of relationship with them. Due to their telepathy/empathy being somewhat overwhelming, they struggle with differentiating between their own emotions and those of others. Because of this they struggle with recognising their personal identity.

At'Han Tav is the first officer of the USS Sonder. More about her species here. Tav is trying her best to learn the customs and social norms of the other crewmembers, but is still feeling a bit out of place. Despite the initial awkwardness, Tav means well and tries her best to be as kind as possible to the others- occasionally too much so. She likes bizarre humour and art, but is somewhat embarrassed by it.

Tenfold Pollux is a helmsman on the USS Sonder. Having been taken from her pre-warp home planet by space pirates, Pollux has been secretly planning to try and contact it- defying the Prime Directive. She is very expressive, often blinking her bioluminescent forehead marking for emphasis. She has a sarcastic sense of humour and an easy time making friends.

Avyn Niph is a navigator on the USS Sonder. Niph originally joined Starfleet on impulse as an act of rebellion against xeir parents, but has since settled into xeir role. Xe is trying to think things through more often, but is having a difficult time. Niph is good friends with LB, and they enjoy running holodeck simulations together.

Voyager Teshan is the chief science officer of the USS Sonder. Teshan was, in fact, named after the starship, and used to find her name rather embarrassing [at the academy she went by Inkmouth, as she has a tattoo on her tongue]. She tends to act cold and snappy and naturally favours plants over fellow humanoids. However, she is friends with Tav, who helps her out with the botany labs. She has some romantic feelings towards Tav, but falsely believes them to be unrequited. Exlar has to silently suffer because the constant mutual pining on the bridge is giving them migraines.

Laqus Raen is a scientist specialising in astrophysics on the USS Sonder. Raen is very intelligent and has a great sense of aesthetics, often decorating themselves with model planets and stars. They tend to avoid conflict but love social situations, meaning they often go to the ship's recreational areas only to leave minutes later. They enjoy water and have a shallow pool in their quarters.

Zohar is a scientist specialising in astronomy on the USS Sonder. Zohar is my self-insert character, who recently underwent a retcon to make them more Vulcan and more mentally healthy [and more blue-haired]. They are recovering from depression and are rather unsure of who they want to be now. Other than the sciences, they also appreciate the arts and make electronic songs on the side. An alternate-universe Q Zohar also exists, but prime-universe Zohar is unaware of this.

LB is a scientist specialising in xenobiology/exobiology on the USS Sonder. As seen by their chosen form, LB has a special interest in sloths. They appreciate all creatures, but tend to favour ones they find cute. They sometimes space out during away missions, a fact that embarresses them greatly. They have a good eye for detail and give excellent hugs.

August Thompson is the chief medical officer of the USS Sonder. During what would be the first season of this story, Thompson is suspected by many to be a Q. At the season finale, the Q continuum investigates and finds out that Thompson's telekinetic abilities have a different source- a wormhole he and his friend Solak were exposed to as children. It is revealed later that two energy beings escaped the wormhole and merged with Thompson and Solak. Thompson has rather low self-esteem and is often anxious [Solak is trying to help him with that].

Solak is the chief security officer of the USS Sonder. Solak transferred to the Sonder after what would be the season 1 finale, reuniting with her childhood friend Thompson. She is more confident than her counterpart, as well as cunning and strategic. She likes to experiment with her abilities, often making random objects float.

M'Row is the chief engineer of the USS Sonder. M'Row left his former assignment at a starbase in order to look for his partner R'Tess, whos ship mysteriously went missing [I wrote this before I watched Prodigy, Paramount please don't sue me]. He feels a sense of responsibility for the other crewmembers, and sometimes they keep him up at night. He enjoys cooking and often makes snacks for the others. He laments the fact that he cannot drink coffee.

Darha-evh-te-Anmon-te-Atersu is an operations officer on the USS Sonder. Darha comes from a planet divided into factions, each devoted to a different science. She comes from a group of Atersu- the astronomy faction- who teamed up with other factions in order to develop warp speed. She is exceedingly loyal, quick-thinking and often wild with her ideas. A good person to have on any away mission.

I hope you enjoyed! Going to learn animation in September so I can make their show real. If it works out it will be released here and maybe on YT.

[lucycola]

Hello lovely! Sorry I've MIA, stuff happened. Here's a headcanon for you: due to his vulcan upbringing, I don't think that spock is aware about flower language (Idk, it sounds legit to me that Vulcans wouldn't have something like that... Flowers are just flowers). So when he suddenly finds about there's a whole new language to express his feelings without deviating from the vulcan standard, he is hyped AF. Cue him making bouquets of flowers that grow more elaborate or colorful as he's getting the hang of it. He's one pleased space boi once the reader starts to get the messages in the flowers and they interchange bouquets now and then

I’ve heard of this and I think it’s so cute! I know Spock will quote old authors a lot and probably would be great at procuring romantic messages through flowers. If the reader is anything like me it’s take them a while to understand what he is trying to say. They for the life cannot figure out who keeps sending them these intricate bouquets and why they’re so different each week. BUT!!! Once they figure it out they’d be so charmed!

I especially see The Lone Survivor reader (Kitty) and Spock exchanging flower messages since her division is Botany.

ALSO, not related to flowers, but a Spock x Reader headcanon of mine concerning secret messages would be them communicating in Vulcan Sign Language. Although Vulcans can communicate via touch telepathy, touching is taboo so the deaf population of Vulcan developed their own sign. Spock’s significant other makes an effort to learn Vulcan and also VSL so they can communicate across the room.

It’d also be cool AF if I or anyone wrote a Spock x Deaf!Reader

[spacefinch]

Star Trek TOS characters + Eevee evolutions!

Kirk: Jolteon (male). It matches his color scheme (yellow or green) and it’s full of energy and determination. Loves to play.

Spock: Espeon. Most of the time it can be seen curled up on his lap or at his desk. Can sense the thoughts and feelings of others. Espeon, as a species, is very popular among Vulcans for its telepathic abilities, hence why Spock chose it as his partner.

Bones: Vaporeon. If there was a Ground or Rock type Eeveelution, I’d give him that, since he seems very down-to-earth. But Vaporeon does have the highest HP of any Eeveelution, and matches Bones’ blue uniform.

Uhura: Umbreon— and a very friendly one at that! Like all of Uhura’s Pokémon, Umbreon understands commands in several languages. Uhura also has a Sylveon, shown below.

Scotty: Flareon (female). Chronologically, she is the oldest Pokémon aboard the Enterprise, at thirty Earth years. (My headcanon is that the Eevee line is long-lived.) Is the recipient of many treats and “who’s a good girl?” compliments from the whole engineering team.

Sulu: Leafeon (female). It’s a grass type, so it’s perfect for a botany nerd like Sulu. One of its dex entries also states that the edges of its tail are blade sharp.

Chekov: Glaceon (male) Very temperamental. Has been known to use Ice Beam on anyone who disturbs him. Otherwise, he is the best Pokémon on the Enterprise (or so Chekov says.)

[android-and-ale]

The Herald of Surprise - sequel to Replicator Roulette

Guess who stumbled sideways into starting an occasionally updated new series!

One (1) Daily Shoulder Pat is still my top priority. I'm almost at the halfway point with my beloved 9000 Vulcan OC's on their totally innocent botany ship! I still plan on updating that at least biweekly, more often when I have the chance.

This story (and now a new series!) exists because @celestialvoyeur gifted me with a fanart response to Replicator Roulette. I immediately wrote this story in response to her fanart. Now there are two pieces of her original art in both stories, and a third illustrated story in the works!

The plan is for the "Panic at the Disco" series to be mostly self-contained stories with a shared cast, rolling out whenever I have the time.

I'm posting this with artwork from Replicator Roulette, because @celestialvoyeur's incredible original art for The Herald of Surprise is either too spicy for Tumblr (because butts) or too much of a spoiler.

EXCERPT:

Michael held up the PADD as though Tilly hadn’t just been trying to hide it from her. On it, a golden tanned human lay face down, naked but for the boxer briefs pulled just under the curve of his ample ass. 

The text on the brief’s wide band was a repeating loop of ‘ ENTERpriseENTERpriseENTER ’ with the word ‘ ENTER ’ perfectly centered between his luscious cheeks. One hand invitingly grabbed his own ass while the other pushed the briefs down his thighs. The shot was tight enough that it only showed him from the shoulders to the thighs, though there was a hint of a possible Starfleet Delta tattoo on his left cheek, obscured under his hand. 

“That’s a nice Starfleet officer with a great ass and adorable dimples,” Tilly smirked, “Your present looks amazing on him.” 

Michael glared at her. “You are not helping.” 

“I’m proud of Spock. He’s been hot enough to pull someone with an ass like that for a few years.” She raised her voice, talking over Michael’s indignant scoff. “Thanks to a little push from Erica, now he’s got the confidence to make it happen.” 

“This isn’t what I intended.”

“Oh I know what you intended.” Tilly rolled her eyes. “But that’s a you-problem, baby. Christmas presents are supposed to be about love.” She grinned at the screen. “From the looks of this our holly jolly Santa Spock came down somebody’s chimney on Christmas Eve.” She rubbed a finger over the mostly obscured Starfleet Delta tattoo. “I hope that for all it was a very good night.”

Michael pushed Tilly off the bed.

[headphones-lifeform]

More of the USS Sonder crew! [Part 1 here]

This is a long post, so be warned.

The USS Sonder's chief science officer is V. Teshan (she/her), who is mostly Andorian with some El-Aurian ancestry. The V stands for Voyager- yes, after the Federation starship [and the probe]- because her parents are giant nerds. As chief science officer, Teshan is familiar with most fields of science, but she specialises in botany. This interest led to a close friendship with first officer and resident plant person At'Han Tav. Other than Tav, Teshan isn't very close with any of her crewmates as she tends to be somewhat snappy and cold. She has some romantic feelings towards Tav, but falsely believes them to be unrequited. Exlar has to silently suffer because the constant mutual pining on the bridge is giving them migrains.

Ensign Darha-evh-te-Anmon-te-Atersu (she/they/xe) comes from Irri, a planet divided into rival clans. Each clan is devoted to a different science, and this division is why the otherwise advanced Irrians took so long to finally develop warp drive. Darha hails from clan Atersu, the devoted astronomers. She is the third Irrian in Starfleet, and the other two were Atersu as well, as the planetbound Atersu spend their lives travelling as to follow the stars and living among them seems far more practical. Darha is quite intense about everything she does, and could be described as the "ride or die friend". They're good friends with ensign Pollux and dr. Thompson, and they get up to lots of shenannigans together.

Of course I had to include the obligatory self-insert OC. Ensign Zohar (any pronouns) is studying science on the USS Sonder. They are 87.5% Human, 12.5% Vulcan, and 100% stress. The Sonder is their first assignment and they are worried about inevitably messing something up. Luckily for Zohar, they are not a main character and will therefore not ruin anything important. Zohar is currently trying to achieve perfect Vulcan self-discipline, but is several years behind due to being raised in Human culture.

There are several more characters I am currently working on. I am aiming to create detailed personalities for at least 10% of the USS Sonder's crew.

[spirkme915]

No Way in Hell

idk what this is, but here it is! @remusmoonshinezine posted a super sad fic a few days ago and i needed a massive dose of fluff, so i ended up writing this. it's pretty much spirk fluff & crack (from bones' pov) and i have so many regrets, but, apparently, not much shame. Edit: Now cross-posted to ao3

Leonard doesn’t have to look up from his padd to understand that the only question he needs to ask is, “Do I want to know?”

Jim is hovering outside his office door - shifting from foot to foot, indecisive - and, really, that’s indication enough that something has gone horribly wrong. Not life-threatening wrong, no - Jim is eerily calm when that particular dam is breached. And if it was something Jim could fix on his own then he would be holed up somewhere licking his wounds. God knows Jim doesn’t willingly visit sickbay unless it’s for a drink and a semi-tolerant ear as the captain moons over his untouchable first officer.

So, whatever happened, it’s somewhere in that mushy middle ground between death and pining.

“You probably should know, but…”

Leonard sighs, looks up. He’s on his feet - hypo in hand - before he’s thought to move. “Good god, man. What did you do? Stick a hornet in your eye?”

“Something like that.”

The hypo hisses as Leonard injects an antihistamine, then he’s poking at prodding at Jim’s eye, making sure that it’s only the lid and surrounding tissue that’s swollen up like a goddamn helium balloon and not the eye itself. Jim doesn’t protest the intrusion and that, more than anything, sets off Leonard’s internal Red Alert.

He steps back and targets Jim with his best time-to-‘fess-up glare. “There’s nothing in your eye and there aren’t any marks.”

“There, uh, wouldn’t be.” Jim blinks as the swelling begins to recede. “Am I good to go?”

“Am I going to get any answers out of you?”

Jim swivels on his heel, heading for door. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

“And I’ll take that as a no,” he grumbles under his breath as Jim hightails it out of sickbay. He presses the comm button. “Sickbay to Spock.”

“Spock here.”

“I just gave the captain a heavy dose of antihistamines. He’ll be out for the night and should be good to go for Alpha tomorrow, but here’s your heads up in case you need to take the conn.”

A pause. “Understood, Doctor.”

Leonard rolls his eyes to the heavens. Jim waxing poetic about Vulcan agility and strength he can take; Spock’s brand of pining makes his head hurt.

“He’s fine. If you want to check on him later, though, go for it.”

“I will do so, Doctor.”

Leonard clicks off the comm before he mutters, “Of course you will.”

Goddamn idiots in charge of the ship. He isn’t paid enough for this.

---

He’s battling the computer over requisition forms the next time Jim shows up at his door. This time, his erstwhile captain is looking guiltier than the groom at a shotgun wedding.

Leonard surveys where Jim has his shirt-sleeves hiked up - skin on both arms spotted with hives. He glances at the garbled supply forms on his screen and briefly envies the tech department - their patients aren’t sentient.

He gives in to his fate and shuts off his screen. “Let me guess. Arm-wrestling with a cactus?”

“I haven’t been in the botany lab today.”

“Then you were ritually bathing your arms in Caitian milk.”

“What? I don’t know where I’d even get that -“

“The source is literally in the name, Jim.”

“- and anyway, isn’t that supposed to be beneficial for Human skin?”

“Not yours.” Leonard gets up from his chair, waving at Jim to come closer. “When did it start?”

“My apologies, Doctor,” Spock says as he suddenly appears in the doorway like a damn wraith. “I was notified that you are having difficulties with your terminal.”

“And tech sent you?”

“You are not known for your ‘bedside manner,’ particularly when you are experiencing frustration. To employ one of your colloquialisms, you ‘scare the pants off them’ in such circumstances.”

That’s actually…fair.

Leonard waves in Spock then refocuses on Jim. “You. Talk.”

“It started about thirty minutes ago. It was just one hive on my right hand and I ignored it, then…”

Despite the lingering nature of that sentence, Leonard is well aware Jim ain’t gonna finish it. Especially since his crush is leaned over a desk only footsteps away. Quite frankly, it’s a miracle he has Jim’s attention at all.

He sighs.

“Look, Jimmy boy. You gotta give me something to work with here.”

“Do I?”

Leonard has a hypo to Jim’s neck faster than Jim can rethink his shit-eating grin.

“Ow, Bones!”

“Serves you right. Get out of my sickbay.”

He doesn’t bother to tell Jim not to come back unless he’s willing to talk. It’s a threat with no teeth and Jim knows it. Even though he may question his life choices on an hourly basis - sometimes minute-by-minute - hitching his horse to Jim’s wagon is one of the best decisions he ever made. He’ll never tell Jim that outright, but he supposes that keeping the golden boy of Starfleet alive, despite his shenanigans, is proof enough.

He watches Jim saunter out - rubbing at his neck as he goes - then turns around. “Verdict, Mr. Spock?”

“I believe the captain will recover just as well as he did the last time. However, I have shared with him that it would be prudent to uncover the underlying cause for his reactions. It appears he has…rejected my advice.”

Leonard narrows his eyes. “I was talking about the computer.”

Spock freezes. Blinks. “Ah yes. I have found the error and rectified it.”

“Great. Now, tell me again why the first officer of the flagship is fixing my computer instead of a cadet?”

“My work is now complete, therefore the question is immaterial. Good evening, Doctor.”

As if it weren’t already ratcheted sky-high, the haughtiness factor flies off the charts when Spock stands, hands clasped behind his back. Even the door seems to swish shut more dramatically than usual.

Leonard isn’t fooled.

Spock came here to check up on Jim, and whatever Spock thinks Jim’s doing - or, hell, knows Jim’s doing - it’s something he doesn’t approve of. Add in the fact that Jim must know that Spock knows, because loverboy didn’t give the object of his obsession even a hint of a glance, and it all adds up to trouble. Possibly heartbreak. Definitely cattiness.

“Nope,” Leonard says out loud. He pops open his liquor cabinet, grabs a bottle, then props his feet up on his desk. “There is no way in hell I’m getting involved in that.”

---

God. Fucking. Dammit.

He’s going to have to get involved.

Jim is standing by the replicators, tray in hand, leaning in as he talks with a visiting Vulcan scientist. On the surface it would seem like any of the hundreds of professional encounters Jim has every day, but Jim’s lips are swollen. Which they definitely weren’t an hour ago, when Leonard just happened to catch Jim waltzing into the labs to greet said visiting Vulcan scientist.

It’s possible it’s another allergic reaction - one minor enough that Jim didn’t seek out Leonard’s help - but the cacophonous silence and phaser beam glare of his table mate tell him otherwise.

Spock hasn’t looked away from Jim and the Vulcan scientist since they walked in together.

Has he mentioned that the visiting Vulcan scientist - who spent the last hour alone with Jim in the lab and now Jim has swollen lips - is a Vulcan?

“So,” he says. “How about that Surak guy, huh? He really put that can-do attitude into Vulcan.”

Not even a hint of a disdainful twitch.

Leonard heaves a sigh.

And he thought suffocating, vaporized blood, and death were the worst things that could happen to him in space.

He’s going to have to get involved.

---

Despite being the emotionless one, it’s clear to Leonard what Spock’s thinking. It’s Jim he can’t get a handle on.

He has even less of a grasp when he walks into Jim’s quarters to find that the captain’s lips have morphed into grapefruits. He has his tricorder in one hand and his hypo in the other in two steps. Thankfully, he doesn’t need an additional appendage in order to deploy his righteous indignation.

“Can you breathe?”

Jim nods. “It’s just my lips not my tongue or throat.”

“Good. Then you’re not in immediate danger.”

He unleashes a flurry of hyposprays on Jim’s neck until Jim is swatting him away. “What the hell, Bones?”

“Me?” Leonard yells. “What the hell are you doing?”

Jim blinks. His lips flap. “What?”

Leonard grits his teeth. He’s surrounded by beings with the emotional intelligence of a turnip. “I thought that your lips were swollen from kissing one certain Vulcan, but this…” He reviews the tricorder readings again, frowns. “This doesn’t make any sense.”

“Wait. You knew?”

He scoffs. “You made it pretty damn obvious.”

“You can’t tell Spock.”

“You think Spock doesn’t know?”

“Shit. That’s why -“ Jim shakes his head. “I was trying to be discreet.”

Discreet my ass, is what he wants to say. But the hangdog expression on Jim’s face tells him that Jim is already chasing his tail. If Jim thinks he’s going to lure Spock in with jealousy, then he’s got another thing coming to him.

“Look. I know you think you know what you’re doing here -“ Jim opens his mouth to protest that and Leonard glares at him until those flappy lips close. “But you have a reputation that you and I both know isn’t accurate or deserved - relationships mean something to you. And as far as I can tell, it’s the same way for Vulcans. Hell, maybe even more so. So you better be damn sure what you’re doing.”

Jim deflates just as fast as his lips. “I know.”

“Do you?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

“So you don’t think this“ - Jim circles a finger around his lips - “is connected to…that.”

“No.” Leonard refrains from rolling his eyes clear out of his sockets and focuses on the tricorder again. Jim’s reactions started days ago and the visiting scientist just came on board - of course they’re not connected. “But we have to figure out what is causing it. Anything else you need to confess to, Don Juan?”

“I really don’t know what it could be, Bones.”

No, he really doesn’t. Leonard sees the frustration in the set of Jim’s jaw.

“I won’t make you take a trip to sickbay, but I’m going to need some of your blood to analyze. And if it happens again then come see me immediately so I can take readings while the reaction is happening.”

“Got it.”

The slump in Jim’s shoulders softens something in Leonard too. He stows away his righteous indignation - for now.

“Get some sleep, Jim. I’ll talk to Spock.”

Jim shakes his head, emphatic. “No. I need to do it myself.”

Not a turnip then. Maybe more like…a potato. At least Jim has eyes on the situation now.

Leonard takes some of Jim’s blood, takes his leave, and - of fucking course - runs right into Spock as soon as Jim’s door closes behind him.

He has half a mind to facetiously ask Spock if he’s taken on maintenance work now and is checking the bulkheads outside of the captain’s quarters for hull breaches, but everything about Spock is…droopy. Oh, he’s still all harsh angles and coiled muscle, but if Spock had whiskers or a tail then they’d be dragging on the ground. Seems fitting since Jim’s gone full wounded puppy and it’s likely the two of them are about to go at it like cats and -

Leonard’s eyes widen, the readings from his tricorder suddenly making sense.

“Wasn’t your last landing party with Jim on that planet with the emerald tigers?”

Spock inclines a brow. “That is...functionally correct. However, the Ji’ial call them klonukto, which in their language means -”

Leonard waves that away with a mumbled close enough and is halfway to the turbolift before Spock calls out, “May I ask if this is significant to the captain’s health, Doctor?”

Leonard stops, sighs, then turns around. Of course Spock is still concerned about Jim despite what he witnessed today - there isn’t anything logical about the way Spock feels about Jim.

“I think I may know what’s causing Jim’s reactions.”

“You believe it was initiated by our interaction with the Ji’ial.”

Sort of.

Maybe.

“It’s the strongest possibility right now,” he hedges. “I need to go run some tests.”

“I am gratified you have a new hypothesis to pursue.”

Instead of drooping, Spock…eases. That it’s a tangible shift says a whole hell of a lot - Spock is desperately relieved for Jim. Leonard’s guilt immediately takes over and, really? Why is he feeling guilty about Jim kissing someone else in order to make a Vulcan jealous? Not his monkeys, not his circus.

Of course, the words are tumbling out of his mouth before his I-don’t-give-a-shit kicks in. “If you’re going to see Jim, I don’t think you’re going to like what he has to say.”

“I am quite sure you are incorrect, Doctor.”

And, with that, Spock enters Jim’s quarters.

Leonard wants to smash his head against the bulkhead, but…whatever. Spock is gonna Spock and Jim is gonna Jim and never the twain shall meet.

“Not your monkeys, not your circus,” he reminds himself.

He has other mammals to think about.

---

Leonard stations his elbows on the lab table, drops his head into his hands, grips his hair in his fists, and pulls. If he’s also internally screaming, then, well, that’s his own business.

It’s not Ji’ial. Not Caitian.

He even requested a ship-wide scan to ensure they didn’t have a warm-blooded stowaway that accidentally got caught up in a transport beam or some ensign brought onboard to make the Enterprise more homey. No such luck.

Absolutely none of Jim’s readings make sense if there isn’t -

“Spock to Dr. McCoy.”

Leonard may just let a bit of that internal scream slip. He doesn’t have the patience for will-they-won’t-they drama right now.

He hits the comm button because, well, he always does. “What’s up, Spock?”

“You are needed in Jim’s quarters immediately.”

Leonard’s relatively sure that if Jim was on death’s doorstep then Spock would have some kind of inflection in his voice. The lack of it tells him Jim’s knee-deep in that mushy middle ground again.

“I’ll be right there.”

His hypos are locked and loaded when he steps into Jim’s room, all of them clattering to the deck when he takes in the plague-reminiscent tableau in front of him.

Spock stands - spine rebar straight - in a black robe, hands clasped behind his back. His hair is disheveled as if he just removed one of those pointy-nosed masks. He hovers next to Jim’s bed where the captain is laying naked, hives covering him head to feet, skin reddening and swelling. Even though Jim has the sheet draped over his delicate bits, Leonard is relatively sure that they continue all the way -

He winces. That’s gotta hurt.

Or, well, itch.

Or maybe both.

Yikes.

Spock tilts his head. “I believe your hypothesis that my biology is not causing Jim’s reactions is incorrect.”

Leonard’s tricorder drops to the deck too.

“Your what?!”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Jim says. “Whoa. You said you knew. That it was obvious.”

“Obviously it wasn’t!” He stabs a finger at Spock. “What does he mean his biology?”

“You said I was kissing a Vulcan!”

“Yes. The visiting Vulcan science officer!”

“What? Why would I be kissing a Vulcan who’s not Spock?”

“That’s what I wanted to know!”

“Doctor,” Spock cuts in. “I believe you may want to attend to Jim’s breathing before it becomes more labored.”

Shit.

Spock’s right. Jim’s still able to yell but that’s not gonna last long.

He scoops up his supplies and crosses the room. Jim sags into the bed when the first wave of anaphylaxis meds hit his bloodstream, his respiration begins to even out. Leonard grits his teeth and holds his silence until he’s sure that Jim is easing back from the precipice.

It’s in that quiet that it hits him. He groans. “It’s likely that Vulcans evolved from felines.”

“That is the predominate theory, Doctor.”

He glares up at Spock. “And it never occurred to you that Jim is allergic to cats?”

Spock inclines a brow and opens his mouth, but it’s Jim who speaks first. “Go easy on him, Bones - it’s my fault. He thought it was the most likely scenario and wanted me to tell you, but I was trying to be discreet.”

“When have you ever been discreet, Jim?”

Jim shrugs. “It’s Spock.”

Leonard supposes that explains it all.

Relationships mean something to Jim. They may mean even more to Vulcans. And, well, this relationship has all the hallmarks of “legendary” stamped across it.

Goddamn legendary idiots.

He pushes another hypo into Jim’s neck, sighs. “And there’s the cure for your allergy.”

“That’s it?!” Jim’s eyes widen. “Why didn’t you give me that years ago?”

“Not a lot of Terran cats around these parts, so it should’ve been an unnecessary shot. But I suppose this ones hybrid physiology was tailor-made to set you off.”

Jim smirks.

Spock clears his throat.

Leonard wants to die.

Since there’s zero chance of him gracefully exiting this conversation, Leonard decides…fuck it.

“Congratulations on the sex,” he says. Jim turns a magnificent shade of red, but at least this time Leonard knows that reaction doesn’t need a hypo. Spock looks like he’s in physical pain. Leonard is gleeful. “But really? No more of it for at least twenty-four hours.”

Jim’s Yes, Bones comes through the sheet that Jim’s dragged up his chest to hide behind.

Knowing full well that the timer is already ticking down, Leonard looks up at Spock. “If I don’t hear from you twenty-four hours and five minutes from now, then I’m going to assume the shot worked.”

Spock’s lip twitches. “Understood, Doctor.”

---

Twenty-four hours and thirty-seven minutes later, Leonard is just about to close his eyes and crash when his comm beeps.

He swears into the silence of his quarters then hits the button to play the audio message from Jim.

“Uh, Bones? Question that may or may not be related to…yesterday. Spock doesn’t make this sound when he’s in a healing trance, does he?”

Leonard’s adrenaline spikes. A healing trance? What the hell have they been doing that Jim would even think -

Then he hears it.

Spock is purring.

He thinks about Jim’s swollen eye, his hands and arms, his lips, his entire body covered in hives, then how Leonard’s still not entirely sure what actions caused those particular reactions, and…

Nope.

No way in hell.

Leonard flips his comm closed, turns over, and screams into his pillow. Those lovesick fools are just gonna have to figure out their differing biology on their own.

There is no way in hell he’s getting involved in that.

[indeedcaptain]

Spirktober 2023, Day 5: Focus

I'm caught up on the Spirktober prompts! Yay!

I hope you enjoy this fic about... insomnia.

Also posted on AO3 here.

☆ ☆ ☆

Spock did not believe in coincidences, or curses, or bad luck. He believed in probabilities and physics. But if he did believe in forces outside of random workings of the universe, he would have thought that something was out to get him today.

He had woken up at his standard time, stretched, abluted, dressed, and eaten on his normal schedule. He nodded to the officers that he normally saw in the mess, nodded to ensigns he passed in the hallways, and entered Laboratory C five minutes before the start of his shift, as was his custom. He had an ongoing experiment, courtesy of Lieutenant Sulu’s participation from Botany, regarding growth rates of plants based on different freeze-dried and revivified fertilizers. He was unwilling to hypothesize without additional data, but should his results be statistically significant, he thought that they might be important for the transportation of fragile crops on long space flights. He and Sulu had even started to talk about a paper.

A human and traitorous part of Spock’s mind thought that the ship was out to get him when he entered Laboratory C to find that the temperature controls had malfunctioned, frozen, and then defrosted his plants overnight, killing them all. He gingerly lifted a limp leaf and sighed quietly through his nose, sent one quick comm to Sulu asking for his assistance and one to Scott asking what had happened, and set about salvaging what data he could from the remains.

The abrupt and premature death of his plants was one thing. The next was a replicator malfunction spraying his face and tunic with plomeek soup at lunch, necessitating a return to his room to sonic shower and change, which made him late for his bridge shift. The science officer who had sat at his seat before he had was shorter than he was, and had adjusted the chair to suit her height, which was a logical decision except for that because he was late he did not adjust the chair to his height upon his arrival and smacked his knee into the console, drawing further attention to himself and pulling a high-pitched squeak of laughter from Chekov. He turned his back on the captain’s empathetic smile and hunched over his station as much as a Vulcan could hunch for the rest of his shift, counting the milliseconds until he could return to his quarters and meditate. Although they approached no rips in the fabric of spacetime or black holes that he saw, he could not help but notice that the time seemed to pass interminably slowly. 

It was, if Spock was being honest with himself, a bad day. 

☆ ☆ ☆

The bosun call announcing shift change rang through the bridge, and Spock stood immediately. He inclined his head to the rest of the bridge and strode to the turbolift, directing it to take him to his quarters. 

Before the door could slide shut, though, Captain Kirk slid in with him. He grasped one of the other handles and smiled at Spock. 

“Captain,” Spock said.

“Sulu told me about your plants,” he said. “That’s a tough break.” 

“It was an unfortunate accident of engineering. Mr. Scott has assured me it will not occur again,” Spock said. 

“Isn’t that what I said, Mr. Spock?” 

They exited the turbolift and turned left down the corridor. Spock’s door came first, and he halted in front of it. Captain Kirk halted with him. 

“Is there anything I can do for you, captain?” 

“Are you busy this evening, Mr. Spock? We missed our last chess match after that mess on Aldux II. I was hoping for a rain check.” The captain smiled up at him. 

Spock had not made a habit of denying very much of anything to his captain, but he could sense that he was one ‘unfortunate accident’ away from losing control and causing structural damage to the furniture and potentially the ship itself. 

“My apologies, captain. I require meditation.” 

“Very well, Mr. Spock. Another day.” The captain smiled at him again and turned, walking down the hallway to his own quarters. With a small sigh of relief through his nose, Spock let himself into his quarters, locked the turbodoor behind him, turned the lights down and the heat up, and settled himself on his mat for as many hours of undisturbed meditation time as he could steal from the ship that never slept.

☆ ☆ ☆

Spock knelt on his mat in front of his firepot, breathing in the familiar scent of Vulcan incense. He had sorted through his feelings of the day (frustration, more frustration, and then compounded frustration) and dismissed them, slowly letting the tension from the day melt out of his muscles until he had returned to homeostasis. 

Despite these successes, he was unable to focus enough to sink any further into his mind, to achieve the deepest levels of meditation necessary for renewal of the mind. He rejected the threat of further frustration and opened his eyes. 

He was used to sharing a bathroom with the captain. It had been over two years now, and he had found the captain to be as considerate in bathroom usage and space sharing as he was in all other aspects of his life. He had grown accustomed to the noises that Kirk made as he rattled around in the bathroom. His pre-bed routine rarely varied: he urinated, washed his hands and face, brushed and flossed, and returned to his room. He preferred to shower after sleeping, before their shift; he liked using water showers instead of sonics when they had the resources for it; and he shaved every third day. Spock had long since adopted the background noise of Kirk in the bathroom into his understanding of the Enterprise soundscape. It was as familiar to him as the rumble of the engine through the walls. 

It was the discrepancy between this night’s noises and all the other nights that prevented him from focusing. An unfamiliar sound came from the bathroom, leaking through the wall. He stood and approached the door, listening harder. If Kirk had brought a companion to his room, and whomever it was had decided to use the bathroom, that was Kirk’s prerogative. There was no logic to discomfort regarding Kirk’s potential sexual exploits. Then again, perhaps there was an intruder in their bathroom. That situation seemed less probable than the first, given that they were in deep space, but trouble followed Kirk like a shadow. 

As he listened, mumbled sounds and tones resolved into words and a melody he recognized, one that wrapped a hand around his heart and squeezed: Kirk was singing an ancient song from Earth, one that his own mother had sung to his father. 

“Like a river flows, surely to the sea, darling, so it goes…” 

When he was a child, his mother had sung, “Some things, you know, are meant to be,” and his father had taken her in his arms and said, “Kaiidth, my wife,” and they had swayed together in the kitchen in their house on Vulcan and he, Spock, had turned his face away, embarrassed at the naked emotion on his mother’s face and the intensity in his father’s eyes. 

Now, here, on their ship, in their bathroom, Kirk sang, “Some things are meant to be,” and trailed off. Had he stopped singing, or had he departed? Whatever the cause, the music stopped, and Spock found himself bereft without it. He had never heard Kirk sing before, and now that his voice was gone the room was too quiet; even the rumbling of the Enterprise had faded before the sweet tenor. 

Spock retrieved his lute from its place on his shelf and settled back onto his mat. He returned to his memory and listened to his mother’s sweet voice, singing as she swayed by herself in the kitchen. He forced himself to watch as his father entered, pulled in by the music of his wife, and then he laid his hands upon the strings of his lute to pluck the simple melody by ear. 

Maybe, he thought, he could play this and surprise the humans the next time Uhura dragged him to the rec room after their shift ended. Maybe the captain would enjoy it. Maybe he would even feel moved to sing again. Maybe Kirk would say that some things were meant to be, and Spock would tell him, “Kaiidth,” in return. 

The focus required for meditation had escaped him, but it had returned to his hands, and when he set the lute aside some hours later, satisfied with his arrangement, something knotty within him had loosened. He lifted his padd to check the time and saw that he had received a scientific journal article from the captain just moments before, titled “Regeneration of Flash-Frozen Plants: Possibilities for Post-Climate Upheaval Agriculture.” So the captain was awake as well. Before he could convince himself of the illogic of the decision, he instant-messaged the captain. 

STS > Good evening, captain.

JTK > Good morning, more like

JTK > What’s up?

STS > Thank you for the article. Are you unable to sleep? 

JTK > Too many reports, too little time. You too? 

STS > Yes. 

STS > Would this be a convenient time for your “rain check”?

Thirty seconds passed, and the captain had not responded. Perhaps he had fallen asleep, or was no longer interested in playing chess. Perhaps he really was doing work related to the ship, but somehow Spock was less convinced of that option. 

Forty-seven seconds after Spock’s last message, the door between his room and the bathroom slid open. Jim stood in his pajamas, chessboard in his arms. Spock stood and beheld him. His hair was a golden bramble around his head, like he’d run his hands through it repeatedly. The circles beneath his eyes, which faded and returned according to Kirk’s stress levels, were a shade darker than they had been the day before. His pajamas were soft and gray, and a triangle of light brown chest hair appeared above the top button. Spock was struck with the urge to tuck his commanding officer into his bed and demand that he sleep until he was sated. 

“Captain,” Spock said. 

“Rematch, Mr. Spock?” Kirk said, and even though it was the middle of the night, his crooked smile made Spock feel like the sun had started to rise. 

[ploppythespaceship]

The New Prime Timeline - A Star Trek Theory

This week's episode of Strange New Worlds, "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow," did something that I cannot stop thinking about. This episode changed the date of the Eugenics Wars -- and not accidentally. It was clearly done very deliberately, with the writers directly referencing the original date to make it clear that they knew what they were doing. After another rewatch, I just kept asking myself -- why? Why would the writers change this?

And after much pondering and a bit of research into the franchise's history, I think I have an answer. Something that explains not only why the writers would do this, but why it's actually a smart decision -- and some of the interesting implications. It's also led me to a theory about the new batch of Trek shows, which is probably reading too far into it, but is fun to think about regardless.

TL;DR -- most of the modern Trek shows are actually set in a very slightly alternate timeline from the rest of the franchise, created by Romulans interfering with Earth's history, which follows the same general course of events but has subtle alterations.

(After poking around in the tags a bit, it seems I am not the only person who came to a similar conclusion, but I spent several hours on this post and want to share it anyway.)

Join me under the cut for far too deep of a dive into fictional history.

Defining the Events

First, I have to define what events we're even talking about.

The Eugenics Wars were a series of conflicts on Earth after a group of genetically engineered Augments seized power -- the most famous of these being Khan Noonien Singh. The Augments were eventually overthrown, with Khan and his followers escaping to the sleeper ship Botany Bay. The result of these wars was a deep-seated fear and distrust of all genetic engineering within the Federation, leading to the practice being outlawed.

World War III, comparatively, we don't know as much about. It was a devastating worldwide conflict that killed hundreds of millions, and it's intrinsically connected to the Eugenics Wars.

First Contact happened in the aftermath of World War III. When Zefram Cochrane constructed Earth's first warp-capable ship, a passing Vulcan ship caught it on their sensors and chose to make contact with the planet. This ushered in a new age for humanity, leading to world peace and the formation of Earth's socialist utopia. It was a pivotal step towards the ultimate foundation of the Federation.

Dating the Events

So when did these events take place? For the most part, this is fairly easy to pin down.

The Eugenics Wars are consistently dated to the 1990s -- specifically 1992 to 1996. This is established in the TOS episode "Space Seed" and later confirmed by the ENT episode "Borderland."

(The DS9 episode "Doctor Bashir, I Presume?" seems to contradict this, with Bashir stating that the Eugenics Wars were two centuries prior -- placing them in the 22nd century. However, writer Ronald D. Moore has said this was an error on his part -- he borrowed the line from "Space Seed" without accounting for the setting difference. Therefore, I feel pretty comfortable ignoring this one discrepancy outright.)

World War III is dated to the mid 21st century, with the rough dates of 2026 to 2053. The 2026 date comes from a production resource image used in the ENT episode "In a Mirror, Darkly" -- though I do think it should be taken with a grain of salt, considering it gets the First Contact date wrong. The 2053 date, on the other hand, is more certain -- both First Contact and the ENT episode "Terra Prime" state that First Contact occurred ten years after the end of the war, and First Contact has a definitive date of April 5, 2063.

The Problem

So those are the established dates -- Eugenics Wars in the 90s, World War III in the mid 21st century, and First Contact in 2063. However, a few episodes from the 90s and 2000s seem to clash with these dates.

First, we have the VOY episode "Future's End," a time-travel two-parter set in 1996. This would put it either during or directly after the Eugenics Wars, but the episode has absolutely no mention of this. This was intentional -- producer Jeri Taylor stated, "I think those of us who entered into the Nineties realize that the Eugenics Wars simply aren't happening and we chose not to falsify our present, which is a very weird thing to do and be true to it." They also didn't want to alienate casual viewers by having to explain the Eugenics Wars to them.

Second, we have the ENT episode "Carpenter Street," another time-travel episode, this time set in 2004. This is still close enough to the Eugenics Wars to expect seeing some of the fallout, yet there is none visible.

These two are easy enough to shrug off, however. It's possible that the wars just weren't relevant to the story, as humanity was trying to get back to normal. It's also possible that America wasn't involved in the Eugenics Wars -- Khan ruled over Asia and the Middle East, after all, while these episodes take place in San Francisco and Detroit, respectively.

(The DS9 episode "Past Tense" may also come to mind, as it's another time travel story, but I think it actually fits in pretty well. It's set in 2024, and shows the United States on the brink of a massive sociopolitical conflict -- it isn't hard to imagine that they're just a few years away from a worldwide war.)

The thing is, these episodes are running into the same problem -- the dates for these events were settled on decades ago, by writers who never conceived that the franchise would continue for this long. What was once a hypothetical future is now an alternate present. Writers are looking to tell stories that reference and relate to and even directly show our modern day, but they can't do that when they're beholden to these events. And they're put in an awkward spot. Do they lean into these established events, and keep showing modern day Earth as a battleground, and risk losing that direct relatability by not showing the world as we know it?

The answer for a lot of these writers is clearly no. These older shows all managed to just dance around the issue. But it seems like the writers of the current Trek shows have a different strategy in mind.

The Theory

Prior to "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow," there are two moments in modern (post-Discovery) Trek that contradict the established dates for these events pretty hard. Ironically, both episodes were released on the same day.

In the PIC season 2 finale, "Farewell," Adam Soong pulls out a file folder labeled Project Khan -- this is happening in the year 2024, which is obviously not right. Khan would have been created prior to the 90s. However, in a vacuum this could be excused -- the folder doesn't necessarily mean that Khan has yet to be created. Soong could just be looking at an older file. But it is an odd moment.

Then, in the SNW premiere, "Strange New Worlds," Pike is showing images of Earth's history to the people of Kiley 279, while stating, "This is Earth in our 21st century. Before everything went wrong. [...] Our conflict also started with a fight for freedoms. We called it the Second Civil War, then the Eugenics Wars, and finally just World War III." This statement contradicts the dating of the Eugenics Wars in the 90s, and it heavily implies that the Eugenics Wars and World War III are simply different names for the same conflict.

Which finally brings us back to "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow," which tackles this entire mess head-on. La'an and an alternate universe Kirk are sent back in time, to around the year 2022, knowing that they must prevent a change to the timeline. They learn that Romulans from the future have been manipulating Earth's history to slow its progress -- but this isn't what's causing the timeline change they must prevent. The actual change is the death of Khan, who is now still a child in the 2020s due to the Romulan meddling.

As Sera, the undercover Romulan, explains, "It's almost as if time itself is pushing back, and events reinsert themselves. And all this was supposed to happen back in 1992." It sounds as though minor timeline changes don't matter to the overall trajectory of history -- details may change, but as long as the big picture remains more or less the same, the outcome will be the same. Only a massive change, like the absolute prevention of the Eugenics War, causes enough of a ripple to fundamentally alter Federation history. Which is of course what Sera plans to do, and what La'an ultimately prevents, preserving the timeline.

The thing is, the timeline she preserved... I still don't think it's the original timeline. The Romulans have still slowed Earth's progress, and delayed the Eugenics Wars -- if Khan is a child in the 2020s, then the wars likely wouldn't happen til perhaps the 2040s or 50s. This would cause them to run into World War III, and likely alter that conflict as well. It might even delay First Contact -- who knows? I think these changes are enough to cause a slightly altered timeline. The Federation still exists, the same characters still inhabit the same roles, and so on, but it's now a world with a slightly different history. And I think that a lot of the newer Trek shows -- Discovery, Picard, Strange New Worlds, and really any others that they want to include -- are intended to take place in this timeline. This would explain Pike's speech to Kiley 279, as well as the Project Khan folder -- Khan really hadn't been created yet.

More importantly, this slightly altered timeline officially undoes the problem that Trek writers have been running into with time travel stories for decades. The hypothetical future of the Eugenics Wars and World War III is once again a hypothetical future -- it doesn't need to interfere with any stories set in or referencing our modern day.

And if you lean even further into this alternate timeline idea -- which I will call the New Prime Timeline -- things start to make even more sense. For one thing, it could explain why the technology of the new shows looks so different when compared to the older shows it's meant to be similar to. Out-of-universe, this was done because sticking to the 1960s designs would seem cheesy and dated to a modern audience, who have a quite different view of the future -- updating the design just makes sense. But this could offer an in-universe solution, as well. If Romulans were affecting Earth history, and these massive wars that devastated the planet happened decades later, then the development of Earth's technology would be quite different. Future technology would then have a more modern look and feel.

It could even explain minor mismatches between The Original Series and its modern prequels, Discovery and Strange New Worlds. Whenever a character isn't quite acting like themselves, or an event doesn't quite line up, it could simply be a result of this New Prime Timeline.

Now, I honestly don't think the writers would ever go that far with it. I think they fully intend for their shows to be in the same universe and timeline as the older ones. But I also think they intend to stick to this altered Eugenics Wars date going forward, and the ripple effects of that decision are really interesting to think about.

[sxbaist]

Character Sheet

basics.

full name. Lovisa Göta Sjögren

nicknames / aliases. Vega, Commander

age. Verse dependent, appears late twenties to early thirties

zodiac. Libra

spoken languages. Swedish, English, Icelandic, Chinese, Klingon, Vulcan

physical characteristics.

hair colour. Soft black

eye colour. Green, a jade hue

skin tone. Pale complexion, smooth, scarred and inked, but taken care of

body type. Toned, wiry, willowy, muscular

dominant hand. Left

posture. Decent, though she does slouch at times

scars. None due to an enhanced healing factor. (In modern verses: under her jaw and on her rib cage)

tattoos. Vegvisir on her right thigh, a personal rendition of hurðstoðva below the navel, and a small møðiríkr on the left wrist.

birthmarks. A few moles scattered across her body, starburst shaped birthmark below the clavicle on her left side

most noticeable features. Cheekbones of the gods, striking eyes

childhood.

place of birth. Vaxholm, Sweden, Earth

siblings. Levi Ludvig Sjögren, fraternal twin brother

parents. Albina Signe Sjögren and an unknown male donor

adult life.

occupation. Verse dependent but either: Commander (main) / Painter / Hitwoman / Unemployed

residence(s). Verse dependent but either: The SS Botany Bay or on a ship she probably stole (main) / The Enterprise (temporarily/undercover most likely) / Trondheim, Norway / Manhattan, New York

close friends. Verse dependent-- she's usually a loner and there are very few she considers friends. Her brother might count, though he is a fair-weather friend. (Fox / @vuulpecula has seen her at her worst and still stays by her side, Rick / @rickgrimesdoingrickthings somehow puts up with her nonsense, Khan / @respondedinkind has been through hell and back with her, and we're only just beginning. :') )

relationship status. Single by default, though in some verses she is committed (@respondedinkind cause whoops she's falling just as hard as the first time we wrote / @vuulpecula always of course / @rickgrimesdoingrickthings they are so cute together i'm gonna die)

Notable mentions: Nebula who ties into her GotG Verse, and Makaria.

financial status. N/A

driver’s license. No

criminal record. Murder, arson, grand larceny, just being an asshole

vices. Addiction (modern verses), probably too much chocolate sometimes does that count

sex & romance.

sexual orientation. Pansexual (leaning heavily toward women)

preferred sexual role. Dominant-- then having her dominance wrestled away

libido. Fairly high

turn-ons. Confidence, neck biting, scratching, hair pulling, silk, lingerie, stockings.

turn-offs. Selfishness, not being direct enough, possessiveness (sometimes), jealousy (sometimes and she is a hypocrite).

love language. Quality time and physical touch are the two biggest ones. The first happens much quicker-- she'll begin to stay in the same areas as her beloved, usually quietly, sometimes offering to go with on errands, unconsciously finding a way to stay near them. The latter is much slower, typically, considering that she flinches from most physical contact. Though when she does cross that threshold, she's not opposed to holding hands, resting her head on their shoulders, and even cuddling.

relationship tendencies. Surprisingly affectionate, easy-going, slightly flirtatious, and a lot more open to conversation. More willing to show her paintings, too.

miscellaneous.

hobbies to pass time. Painting, playing the drums, sudoku, stargazing/astronomy, working out, embroidery

mental illnesses. CPTSD, Schizophrenia (misdiagnosed/verse dependent)

self-confidence level. Depends. Usually it's fairly high, unless it's a dreaded social situation.

Tagged by: @respondedinkind thank yooouuu&lt;3

Tagging: @vuulpecula @rickgrimesdoingrickthings @lastsurvivor @dreamsofalife @fasciinating @juramentum (mu qing pls) / @vacantwar and YOU!

[bumblingbabooshka]

this is so long bro sorry . my ideal t'pel is. passive ? but not in a weak-willed way. she is aware that she can't control other people or force her plans to go as she expects- she goes w the flow and is accepting, realistic, and genuinely logical. "this didn't work out, so i'll try something else". she doesn't try to make everything around her fit into rational boxes or rules, she understands that the world is chaos and she herself brings structure and logic to her own life

t'pel is patient w tuvok and i think their early relationship was a lot of tuvok freaking out and feeling inferior for being Without Logic at some point in his life and t'pel being like .... ok.. don't care lol..... tuvok feels like he Owes t'pel a lot for her Patience and Kindness but she was literally the whole time like "it's great that you're scared that you're a terrible vulcan but i need breakfast . will you make breakfast" and tuvok had to be like o- .. oh. y. yeah i'll make breakfast. ..(?) .. and eventually learned it didn't really matter if he was crazy. he could still be a good husband KSBDBSBSB

also t'pel asked him to start gardening for food and it's why he loves plants. tyvm. he took it seriously, learned all he knows about soil and botany and ecology to start a healthy and bountiful garden for his family. and when it was doing well then tpel stood with him in the garden and surveyed the crops and said "look at what you have created. gently, and with care. consideration. the garden is flourishing." and it means more than the garden... more than the soil and the flowers .... Sniffles

Tuvok: (spiraling about his worthiness and identity as a proper Vulcan, proper husband when compared to T'Pel who is an exemplary wife and Vulcan, a woman who deserves so much more - if it were not for them being forced together would surely have more...)

T'Pel: Pancakes, please.