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ex--astris--scientia · 4 months

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C'Thia, Surakian Philosophy, and Vulcan Polytheism

While most would consider Surak to merely be a philosopher and reformer, thereby removing any hint of religion from the discussion and forming instead an idea of both Surak and his philosophy as being, at best, atheistic or agnostic, and at worst, being anti-theistic, I have to strongly disagree with this assessment. Especially when it's used as proof to claim that modern, post-Awakening Vulcans are also at best atheistic or agnostic, and at worst anti-theistic. I believe this comes about due to a commonly held misconception that religion in and of itself is anathema to science, to progress, to intelligence, and therefore, to logic itself. This is, of course, a blatantly false binary and we are shown over and over again in canon that while Vulcans place a great importance on science, education, intellect, and logic, they are also a very spiritual people. Most of the important locations on Vulcan that we see in canon tend to be temples, sacred mountains, or holy ruins. Leaders tend to be high priestesses. Meditation is almost universal for Vulcans, and while it can be argued that it is very much a mental discipline as well, meditation was birthed, and continues to find its roots, in spirituality, and at its heart, is a spiritual discipline. Meditation, after all, was not invented by scientists, but by monks.

In the episode of the Animated Series, "Yesteryear", Spock tells Sarek that he is merely passing through ShiKahr on his way to the family shrine to "honor our gods". This one line proves to me that, at least for Spock, there is no incongruence between his modern Surakian belief and practice of C'thia (commonly this is translated as just "logic" but a more accurate Vulcan translation is "reality-truth") with that of traditional Vulcan polytheistic religious practice. One can assume that this is not, however, unique only to Spock, seeing as shrines require some semi-regular maintenance and he very rarely visits his father's homestead so it is unlikely that Spock alone is the one who maintains them. Sarek also is unsurprised by Spock's actions, which suggests a kind of normalcy to it. One does not get the impression that Spock is doing something rebellious by performing religious rites to Deities.

Likewise, in the Voyager episode, "Hunters", Tuvok receives a letter from his wife. In it, she tells him that she and their children have asked the priests at the Temple of Amonak to say prayers for Tuvok's safe return from the Delta Quadrant. Prayer requires something to which a person prays to and the assumption here is, again, the existence of Vulcan Deities as well as devotional practices targeted toward them existing even until the time of Voyager. While one of the purposes of prayer has to do with the person praying, as in, a benefit to prayer is that it gives the praying person something to do when they may not be able to do much else about a situation, and therefore T'Pel and her and Tuvok's children may be using it as a kind of meditative practice meant to give their grief and worry about Tuvok's safety somewhere to go that may then help them control it, I believe even this would still imply belief in the existence of Deities. One could meditate without the use of prayer involved but that was not the course of action that T'Pel took. She specifically made a trek to a sacred temple with the intention of saying prayers for Tuvok and told him about it, again, just as with Spock and Sarek, showing that there is something normalized about the action. Belief in the Gods and religious practice utilizing them is, therefore, not something performed only in the dark or in secret.

So, Vulcan polytheistic spiritual practice has continued past the Awakening and into the Vulcan Reformation. Is it the same as what it looked like to pre-Reform Vulcans? What's different? I wish we got more glimpses of Vulcan religion beyond mostly backdrop (while we are explicitly shown rituals and ritual locations in episodes like "Amok Time", "the Gambit" and many places in Enterprise, and in movies like "the Motion Picture" and "Search for Spock", very rarely do we see explanations for what the Vulcan lay people and priest(ess)es are doing and why) but that simply means that I instead get to make things up. Which is my favorite thing to do. So while the entirety of this post is built on a core of canon and information from Memory Alpha and Beta, as well as the Vulcan Language Database, most of what follows is my own musings and thoughts.

Firstly, in my research I've established that there seems to be two major pantheons within Vulcan spirituality, the Ka-ta-pak, or Inner Chorus, and the grouping I've named Ek-tam'a-ta, which is where I've placed every other named Deity not belonging to the Inner Chorus. The Inner Chorus, being made up of Deities that seem much more akin to emotional archetypes, become a much more thorny topic to consider when it comes to reconciling the worship, or, at the very least, acknowledgement of these Beings with the rigorous control of emotions that is to be expected within the Surakian cult of C'thia. As such, they are what I plan to focus on here.

The Inner Chorus is made up of the following Deities: Tel-Alep and Alep-Tel, Kir-Alep and Alep-Kir, Valdena and Dena-Vel, Kal-ap-Ton and Tyr-al-Tep, and Ket-Cheleb. Other than the last Deity, each is a part of a pairing where one represents the lighter, more acceptable form of a suite of emotions, whereas the other is the darker, shadow side. It's a concept similar to reading Tarot cards, where a card's reversal typically points to the darker reading of the themes the card communicates when right side up. For example, Valdena is famously the love Goddess and rules over emotions such as joy, beauty, fullness, pleasure, etc, whereas Dena-Vel, her shadow twin, rules over the darker side of love, namely concepts like possessiveness, covetousness, envy, domination, etc. What I would posit as probably one of the fairly radical reforms within Surakian thought, is the idea that C'thia is meant to subjugate and control both sides of what the Inner Chorus represents, not just the shadow side.

Isn't it illogical, however, to worship archetypal manifestations of emotions that one is trying to suppress? This was the big question that came out of my exploration of Vulcan Deities and led me to conclude that there is a difference between how Vulcans interact with Ek-tam'a-ta Deities vs the Ka-ta-pak, wherein the former is treated much more like how one stereotypically interacts with Gods, ie with reverence, worship, offerings, prayers, etc, as well as an understanding of the Deities being Beings outside of the mind in their own rights, while the latter is much more localized and symbolic. The Ka-ta-pak are not so much outward Beings, as they are emotional symbols and touchstones, metaphors to be focused on in meditation rather than as Gods to be worshipped.

Even the name, the Inner Chorus, suggests this kind of community of emotional beings, of aspects of the interior Vulcan mind, and furthermore, points to a need for a harmony amongst them. It is my thought that the Ka-ta-pak are less like sentient beings with personhood and more like the Platonic ideal of the emotion they represent. They are the emotion in its most perfected form and by experiencing this, experiencing the presence of this being, this outward-focused inner spirit, in the relative safety of meditation, the average Vulcan is able to meet that emotion and learn how it manifests within their own body and mind. In this meeting, they are able to name the emotion, learn it, experience it, and understand how to master it so that when they experience it outside of meditation, they need not be conquered by it and brought into chaos but instead are able to hold to order and logic in the face of it.

In the Enterprise episode, "Fusion", we are shown that Vulcans don't typically dream and that meditation has usurped the role that dreaming would usually take in the Vulcan psyche. It follows, therefore, that they process the emotional stimuli of the day through meditation and that symbolism, which is an important language for the sub-conscious and the language that dreams are written in, would probably play a role in that. Thus, the use of the Inner Chorus as a symbol of focus, as the emotional tangle that one seeks, through meditation, to sort out and bring order to, makes sense. I believe that this constitutes some of the work of t'san s'at, or the intellectual deconstruction of emotions that Surak preached. T'san s'at is the study of one's own emotions, and the effects these emotions have over one's actions. The peace and tranquility that lies at the end of t'san s'at is the goal of every Surakian Vulcan, and is a lifelong aspiration. It is through working with the Ka-ta-pak with this goal in mind that brings these ideas together.

Another idea I found interesting about the Ka-ta-pak is that the names of the Deities match the names of the other planets within the Vulcan solar system (according to the Memory Beta article that I believe is based on a Trek inspired ttrpg). A solar system, with its constant routine of stable orbits and cycles, would be an obvious metaphor for the idea of Order. The Inner Chorus strikes me, then, as the microcosm within the Vulcan mind/spirit as connected with the macrocosm of the living universe around them. It is the connection between the Vulcan mental and katric interior space and the exterior physical space. Just as the solar system is in constant harmony, subjugated to the laws of gravity, order, and simply the natural mechanisms of the living universe, one's own interior system should likewise be ordered. That it is called an inner chorus is very telling to me, since when choruses are working correctly, they are making music in harmony, just as the broader cosmos makes the music of the spheres, which is the sound of mathematics purified. It is the goal of every Surakian Vulcan to harmonize their inner chorus (part of which involves meditating on the form of the Inner Chorus) with the music of the macrocosm. In this, I believe the mind, or the reasoning capacity, represents a kind of conductor, who directs the inner chorus of emotions to properly allow for the production of music. The music produced by this harmony is C'thia, which is the same substance that keeps the planets in their orbits and the universe ticking onward.

This post is getting a bit long but there's one last thing I want to talk about and that would be Surak himself. As mentioned earlier, there is a common misconception I've seen that, again, makes Surak some kind of radical atheist philosopher who, in stomping out the violence and ignorance that marked the culture of his planet, must also have gotten rid of its religion, not just superstition or conservativism but religion more generally. Again, this comes more from the mistaken belief that spirituality and science are necessarily at odds. But what we see of Surak doesn't actually support this erroneous belief. Instead, one of the things that Surak is famous for is his pilgrimage. A pilgrimage is a religious journey undertaken for religious purposes. Surak set out to visit many religious orders and temples, before traipsing into the wilderness in places like Vulcan's Forge and Mount Seleya, to learn from and connect with the various priest(ess)es, as well as to connect in solitude with his own mind. C'thia is always shown as a revelation. Surak perceives it for the first time and discerns its meaning while on pilgrimage, while in meditation, while studying spiritual truths. He discovers it, not in a laboratory, but in deep contemplation on a mountain peak. Thus, Surak strikes me as much more akin to a Hindu yogi or an enlightened New Age seeker than he does a Richard Dawkins type. He doesn't dismiss the spiritual lessons he learns from visiting the other religious orders but instead incorporates them into his new cult. I think it's this incorporation of c'thia with traditional polytheism within Surak's own spirituality that allows for modern Vulcans to do the same.

In conclusion, anyone who claims that the post-Reform Vulcans shown in canon are atheists have not been paying attention to the actual canon, first of all, and secondly, are doing nothing more than showing their bias toward the science vs religion binary. I think the Vulcans are a little too smart to fall for this dichotomy, and they are certainly aware of the need for a philosophy to be an open one, if it's to be sustainable at all. I think having access to the neverending mystery of space, peopled as it is with many different kinds of beings, has allowed the Vulcans to be open-minded toward religion and the existence of Gods and other numinous beings. After all, they fully accept the existence of katra and thus, souls, spirits, and the idea of beings existing without bodies. It is not an illogical leap to suppose that since animating spirits (ie souls that are housed by and animate a body) exist, other kinds might also, including Deities. And since Vulcans possess a psionic system, capable of the extrasensory perceptions involved in their version(s) of telepathy, they may be able to perceive these spirits telepathically, even when psi-null folks may not be able to.

So, I don't think Vulcan polytheism is relegated to some point in the planet's distant past but instead continues, alive and well, into the post-Awakening world.

#star trek #pop culture paganism #vulcan polytheism #vulcan religon #vulcan spirituality #vulcan culture #vulcan #vulcan mythology #surak #surakian philosophy #c'thia

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writergeekrhw · 9 months

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Hi! So I'm currently watching DS9 for the first time (got into Star Trek not long ago) and from what ppl used to talk I thought O'Brien was... nicer? Like one thing I was surprised about was O'Brien brash nature. Like I wouldn't say rude or mean exactly but he seems pretty xenophobic to me? Intolerant? I'm saying this after watching the episode "Hippocratic Oath". At first I thought his distaste/lack of trust for Cardassians, Ferengi, etc. We're bc their past crimes or devious behaviors which honestly fair, but in Hippocratic Oath Julian had such a good opportunity to save those Jem'Hadar, to turn tables against the Dominion, break the subjugation they were imposed, but not a moment did O'Brien give that chance to the Jem'Hadar or Julian. Am I missing something I'll see in the future episodes? Is there's something more on his past that made him like this? Being a Starfleet officer i must say i expected a more open mind ngl so I'm a but disappointed. Maybe his character is just like that which is fine too is just something that has me confused. If you could shed some light for this new trekkie I'd appreciated it! :)))

And sorry for the long rant and in case something isnt eloquent i apologize since english is not my first language 😅 again ty!

O'Brien can definitely be a bit parochial, especially when it comes to "enemy" aliens. In his defense, he's a veteran of the Cardassian Wars though, and he had it pretty rough, so his tendency toward xenophobia it probably a reflection of his past traumas. Star Trek characters are, on the average, better about this than humans in our day, but O'Brien and Bones, for example, are probably on the lower end of alien tolerance.

That said, O'Brien has no issues with Dax or Odo or even Worf, which makes me think his struggle to empathize with aliens is limited to the ones he has had to fight as enemies without the chance to get to know them as individuals. That's why he has more issues with the Cardassians (especially), the Ferengi, and the Jem'Hadar than the Klingons (he's known Worf a long time), the Trill, Vulcans, Romulans, etc. etc.

For us, O'Brien was the most "human" of our characters, warts and all. At least that's the way I wrote him.

#ask me anything #tv writing #ask me stuff #ds9 #star trek ds9 #star trek #deep space nine #star trek deep space nine #deep space 9 #star trek deep space 9 #miles o'brien #chief o'brien

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fate-motif · 1 year

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VOYAGER CHARACTERS RATED BY HOW LIKELY THEY ARE TO GO TO THERAPY, AND HOW THAT GOES DOWN

harry: don’t be deceived, this doesn’t mean harry would go to therapy willingly. but i am 90% sure at that whatever posting he took after voyager, he was asked to do therapy and he scoffed because he didn’t go through the dominion war, why would he need therapy? but he’s still convinced to do it to go with the flow, you know, make everyone else feel a little less bad for needing therapy. but no matter how he ends up in therapy, that therapist is just shocked by all the shit harry’s telling him, and he can tell harry’s not telling the whole truth, but because he can’t make harry tell him anything he doesn’t want to, especially if it’s about the others’ insane psychological issues, that therapist needs to start getting therapy themselves. i’m half convinced this was migleemo and this is how he ended up on the cerritos.

chakotay: he’s perfectly well aware that he needs therapy, but he puts it off successfully for a long time by justifying that with so many dominion war veterans, he does not want to take away their more urgent care when he’s relatively well off in terms of functioning. of course, he’s hiding the trainwreck of a personal relationship he had with seven, and by the time he takes the protostar posting he’s like, okay, alright, i’ll take a therapist with me on the protostar, this is going to help. and then he vanishes. and the therapist probably dies. rip.

tuvok: tuvok’s first inclination is to look for a psychiatrist, not a therapist. he can compartimentalize his trauma so much easier if he just points to any kind of damage he might have incurred between all those mind melds and head trauma in between missions. this lets him look a lot saner than most of the voyager crew who refuse to see any kind of professional but eventually t’pel outs her foot down and confronts him with the fact that his time on voyager has had a lasting impact on his rationality and control and he Requires assistance in addressing it. even then it’s most likely some kind of spiritual guidance, which is pretty close to therapy for vulcans considering their spirituality revolves around psychological control and all that, but he still dodges the needing therapy allegations publicly like a pro.

the emh: he recognizes that he needs therapy, would most likely want it, but he doesn't last more than a couple of weeks with anyone he tries because he thinks they're too dismissive of his issues because he's a hologram, so he tries to pour out his issues into trying to defend the right to mental healthcare for holograms while avoiding any kind of therapy himself because he doesn't want to go through all of that again.

seven: the federation has universal healthcare so therapy is available to seven, but she still refuses mental health care services when she realizes what the attitude towards xBs is in the federation. the closest she ever came was considering couples therapy when she was still with chakotay but that was a passing consideration and it was the prelude to her breaking away from the federation entirely after she broke up with chakotay. if she has received any kind of therapy afterwards it’s unlicensed, highly questionable, and probably self-managed which really shouldn’t have been the case.

tom: he’s fully well aware he needs therapy, but he refuses to on the principle that he knows the therapists are going to blame his issues on voyager when clearly it all started with his dad and his unfair expectations of him and — but he does end up going to therapy specifically as couples therapy when his relationship with b’elanna was beginning to fall apart. the therapist recommends they both go individually for their own issues and they reject that vehemently. they probably continue to attend just for the insane task that is co-parenting miral between the two of them and they continuously rotate their therapist when they start getting into voyager a little too much.

b’elanna: it’s a miracle tom even got her to couples therapy at all. in the meantime, she’s mostly journaled, read books about therapy, done everything in her power to prove to everyone that she has her own mental health in her own hands and she’s doing great, but she can’t engineer her way out of depression since the age of 6 so you know. it would take a huge crisis for her to finally end up caving to suggestions that she go to therapy.

janeway: everyone who’s worked with her since voyager is telling their therapist about janeway and the way she is. no one directly asks her to go to therapy and the few people that do get shut down because clearly she’s keeping everything together, right? but the psychology academics’ circle of the federation and probably beyond know that they need to be ready for the day kathryn janeway gets therapy. they’ve been talking amongst themselves about who’s going to do it, who’s ready for it, how the dsm is going to have like 42 new mental illnesses at the end of it all and how they’re going to divide the work when they all start working on the scientific papers that make their careers based on how this woman’s brain works.

#star trek #voy #star trek voyager #voyager #fandom #kathryn janeway #chakotay #seven of nine #tuvok #emh #b’elanna torres #emergency medical hologram #the doctor star trek #tom paris #harry kim

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affixjoy · 5 months

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Today I continued my Star Trek journey by rewatching Star Trek (2009) and boy howdy do I have some thoughts.

So first off, I saw this for the first time when I came out in 2009. It wasn’t my first experience with Star Trek, but it was probably my first with Kirk and Spock and that gang. I remember liking it a lot.

Now that I’ve watched all of TOS and a few of the movies with the original cast my feelings are a little more complicated.

Overall, fun movie! I imagine they had to have felt the weight of recasting and redoing such iconic characters, and in a lot of ways they succeeded. It certainly got younger people like me interested in the franchise!

💫 Spock: I do love this version of him. His “live long and prosper” to the VSA is perfectly bitchy and I’m obsessed with it.

💫BONES!! if you’ve read any of my other posts you’ll know that somehow Bones snuck up on me as my favorite character. I love his intro here, and I think Karl Urban gets the tone just right. This really is a buffet for the McKirkers out there, I can see how this led to 1000 academy era fics of them.

💫Kirk: oh Jim. Jimmy Jim Jim. Baby boy. What are you doing. How did being played by Chris Pine (who is incredibly hot) make you LESS attractive??

Obviously this Kirk suffers from some Kirk drift and the added trauma of losing his dad. He’s so much angrier, so much less sweet and nerdy. Rewatching this now I can see why I was so hesitant to like him in TOS because he’s a lot less lovable here.

💫 I get it’s an emergency and they had to for plot reasons, but almost all of Pike’s staffing choices make no sense. Sure, Spock as acting captain, I get that. But everyone else?? Imagine being one of the other people there who has been with starfleet for years and seeing him hand Kirk the role of first officer. The ship can’t be entirely cadets can it?? Imagine the group texts going around after like “thank god he didn’t die because I really need to bitch about this.”

💫 I love all three Uhuras (tos, aos, and snw) and I get why they made her Spock’s love interest here because they’ve got fun chemistry! They have a lot in common, they’re both hot and smart, I get it. But cmon guys, that man is a 6 on the Kinsey scale. You keep pairing him with women and it doesn’t work.

💫 I feel like they worked in lots of little references to classic trek, from plot stuff to smaller details like when Spock enters from the turbolift at the end in a very TMP way. I love that, it makes me feel like the people making the movie really care about the stories and the characters. When Spock Prime says good luck I felt all the weight of his relationship with his Jim and how it changed him. So lovely and touching.

And just how close they made Kirk and Spock stand, especially towards the end of the movie. They were always glued to each other in TOS and JJ must have known us Spirk shippers needed something to latch on to 😅

💫 There’s too much action in this movie for me. We didn’t need to see Scotty beamed into the water tank. The best sf stuff is always story based, I don’t need extravagant fights and cgi shit. I’m sure there are people who watch science fiction for the spectacle but I’m here for the ideas and the feelings.

💫 goddddd everything with Vulcan and losing Amanda. Rip all our hearts out why don’t you. Spock’s mom dying is just heartbreaking. I know they had to lose someone we knew to make the destruction of the planet more real to us as viewers but so crushing to see it.

💫 Old Spock 😭😭😭

He knows right away who Jim is and expects that Jim found him on purpose.

Old Spock just launched right in to the mind meld huh. To me this really says that he and his Jim are on very casual mind meld terms and he’s not fully understanding that this Jim is not his Jim.

Think about how fucking weird all this must be for old Spock. How heartbreakingly strange it would be so see a young version of your husband and send him to a young version of yourself. Meeting all your old friends young selves, years after you’ve lost them all.

And from here out it’s just miscellaneous thoughts I jotted down while watching that don’t fit great anywhere else:

⭐️I love when the redshirt is so excited to get the Romulans and Kirk gets this look like… that’s why you’re here? Dude the battle not the appeal here. A nice glimpse of how this Kirk is similar at heart to TOS Kirk.

⭐️Love you Sulu and your fencing skills

⭐️I love when they stop the lift for emotional reasons.

⭐️“Our destinies have changed” goddddd great speech Spock

⭐️Jim has the look of a man who is frequently escorted places by security

⭐️Spock wants to break Kirk so bad 😂

⭐️When Jim slaps Spock’s back and Spock has a look of “I think that just awakened something in me.”

⭐️Spock you’re calling him Jim already? You slut. (Delighted, affectionate)

Overall I think it’s a fun movie but it misses a lot of what’s at the heart of the classic Trek I love. They try to do everything too fast and it just doesn’t work as well for me. I’m excited to rewatch the next two and see how these versions of the characters change!

#spirk #star trek #james t kirk #spock #leonard mccoy #star trek 2009 #nyota uhura #not a bad movie!#but missing a lot of the vibes I love #I get why people love it and I get why people hate it.#mckirk

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bumblingbabooshka · 2 months

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In your opinion, do Vulcan children have teddies (stuffed animals)?

YES!!!

Stuffed animals and other security items would be good for Vulcan children...I can imagine many small children needing them when they first learn how to meditate. They can also be used as a sort of 'anchor' so they are able to stay calm in unfamiliar situations. I can also imagine they would be used to express emotions without having to attribute them to themselves Ex: "[Toy] feels sad because you ate the last cookie." and a parent could then help the child through that emotion via them both teaching 'the bear' what to do when 'it' feels sad. This way the child feels like they're also helping rather than feeling like they're being lectured. Toys are, I imagine, one of the first things that we learn to take care of and be kind towards. As a child it's probably one of the few things we feel is under 'our care' or control. I imagine how children treat toys is observed carefully...it can be a good outlet (a child may rant to a toy when they don't like something while remaining composed in the situation itself) but also if a child is consistently violent with toys it may be indicative of an emotional issue. Creativity, imagination, and play are also not things which seem to conflict with Vulcan adherence to logic. Play is very important for children and I imagine it's often used to make sense of the world around them or what they feel (Ex: Playing 'House') I imagine you can often see Vulcan children playing by mimicking violent or emotional behavior and then scolding the toy for being violent...you can't hit! You have to take deep breaths and meditate. Oh no, [toy] is crying! Don't cry, you must calm down! Or they might play by exploring new ideas and desires through the realm of fantasy with a familiar object, the toy. Toys are also useful (I imagine, I'm not a psychologist just reflecting on my own experiences) for building a sense of self in a way...during the course of play you can discover what you like and don't like, what calms you down and what intrigues you. You can also learn how to interact with others through games and play as a child. Lessons like how to share, how to work together, how to include others in your world...very important! So yes, I think that toys and play are important - especially for a species which is inherently very emotional. Vulcan Children probably have much less control than adults do and require more tangible methods of calming down, understanding/confronting their emotions etc. Now I'm imagining a 'growing up' ritual wherein children decide they're too old for their toys and ready to give them up. They then work to emotionally detach themselves from them. At the end of this process the children give the toys to someone else (a sibling, a friend, a neighbor, or just donating them)

#Vulcans #Q&A #Thanks for the ask~!!#bee doodles #it is typically up to each individual child to decide when they want to let their toys go but once they get to a certain age they'll be #prodded a bit to do so (which also happens with Humans)#I imagine only the STAUNCHIEST of Vulcans find these sorts of toys to be 'illogical' (think Sarek)#Though I can also imagine Sarek just deciding Spock is too emotionally invested in a toy and getting rid of it #so pick your poison I suppose hehehe

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crowfootwrites · 6 months

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Diel

I am definitely not capable of writing a fic every day in the month of December, but today I came across @creativepromptsforwriting's December Prompt List and was immediately struck with an idea, so I picked a handful of prompts for the month of December and am going to try to put out some fics inspired by them!

Diel (adj): of or relating to a 24-hour period, especially a regular daily cycle, as of the physiology or behavior of an organism.

December 1: Starry Night (Taurik x Fem!Reader)

Warnings: none; not beta'd we die like men. | Words: ~870

One of the things you missed the most about Earth was night. On the Enterprise, drifting through space for long stretches of time, there was no day or night. Only the inky vacuum between pinpricks of distant stars.

You weren’t really one for being homesick. Your exploratory nature made every new discovery, every new command to explore some previously unknown area of space, a reason for excitement. Nebulas, anomalies, first contacts – they all made your heart race in a way that stopped you from dwelling on what you might be missing out on back home.

But sometimes, when all was quiet and you were between missions, or there was some occasion that needed remembering (birthdays, holidays, anniversaries), it tugged at your heart that there was no sunrise to greet you. That you couldn’t really remember what dusk was like. That the Terran moon was lightyears away.

You’d mentioned it once, to Taurik, who merely reminded you that it was illogical to dwell on what was missing and to instead focus your attentions on the present circumstances. And you’d sighed and rolled your eyes, affectionately damning his Vulcan logic, before moving on to other topics.

You supposed he was right after all, but you were Human, not Vulcan, and you couldn’t really help the occasional bouts of nostalgia that filled your mind with memories of camping beneath starry night skies, or watching shooting stars fall over the horizon, or mapping constellations on your very first telescope.

---

Your days had been busy recently, and you didn’t notice how Taurik watched you, far more observant than he’d allowed you to think when you first spoke to him about missing “night”. Taurik had always valued your resilience and, although he didn’t particularly understand your current plight, it was apparent to him that your discomfort was lingering more than was customary for you. And so he did as any dutiful mate would, and sought a solution to your distress.

“I think it should be just about ready,” Geordi announced, handing Taurik the isolinear chip as he rushed around the central console in engineering. “You might need to tweak a few of the parameters for the environmental controls, but other than that, you’re all set.”

“Thank you for your assistance, Commander LaForge,” Taurik replied, standing at attention. He’d given his commanding officer little information when he’d first approached him about creating a holodeck program to a very specific set of criteria.

“Happy to help, Taurik.” Geordi glanced up at the Ensign from where he’d busied himself making long-overdue adjustments to the EPS. “I think she’ll love it.”

With that, he strode toward the warp core, leaving Taurik standing alone in Engineering with an eyebrow raised in surprise. It seemed that his commander was more perceptive than he’d previously given him credit for.

---

You smoothed your sweater nervously as you arrived outside the doors to Holodeck 3. You weren’t sure what you were walking into; you only knew that Taurik had requested your presence via combadge for an outing he’d called a “courtship event”. Supposing that meant “date”, you’d changed out of your uniform once your shift had ended and made your way to the holodeck, wondering all the while what Taurik could possibly have planned.

You pressed the control to open the doors and as they slid quietly open, your jaw dropped.

Taurik, dressed down in casual pants and a soft-looking shirt, stood before you in front of a sky bursting with color – deep oranges blazed across a backdrop of dark blue that plunged into black night overhead. His stoic expression gave way to the barest hint of a smile as he observed your response to the holodeck program.

He held a hand out toward you as you stepped into the holodeck, still speechless. The prickle of tears pressed behind your eyes.

“I was hoping,” Taurik offered quietly as you slipped your hand into his, “that you might enjoy experiencing a Terran night with me.” He guided you carefully through the tall grass that covered the hillside he’d chosen. A lone tree, its limbs heavy with green, presided over the hillside, stretching its branches toward the darkening sky, and Taurik led you to a blanket laid out at its base.

Lying on your back on the blanket, you could just make out the sparkle of the emerging stars between tree branches. It was strikingly similar to a childhood memory of yours – you gasped as realization dawned on you, before staring slack-jawed at Taurik, who was settling himself beside you.

“You saw it?” you asked softly.

Taurik nodded as he reclined, his arm pressed against yours in his closeness. He turned to look at you.

“I have seen this memory many times in your mind, ashayam,” he murmured. “It would seem to be very important to you… When you expressed that you missed experiencing the Terran cycles of day and night, I was able to perceive the depth of your longing. And as your mate, it is my duty to protect your well-being.”

At your side, you felt Taurik’s fingers brush against yours, and you returned the gentle caress, the ozh’esta sparking a warmth that flooded your limbs. Overhead, the sky settled into a gentle black, flecked with the stars you now called home.

#star trek #star trek tng #star trek the next generation #ensign taurik #taurik #taurik x reader #taurik x fem!reader #vulcan #vulcans

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lostyesterday · 2 months

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I’ve seen several people say that they dislike Neelix and the Neelix and Tuvok dynamic in Voyager because of the way Neelix consistently pressures Tuvok to be less Vulcan or to do things he’s not comfortable with. This perspective is really interesting to me, because I do think it’s a valid reading of their relationship, but at the same time, I personally don’t really hold that perspective. I like Neelix, and I enjoy the Tuvok and Neelix dynamic in most episodes. I want to unpack why I think that very different readings of their relationship are simultaneously valid readings of a text that often portrays characters and dynamics inconsistently.

There are definitely scenes in Voyager – especially in the first few seasons, where Neelix says things to Tuvok that can be easily interpreted as pressuring him to become less Vulcan or to abandon his cultural ideals, particularly in Neelix’s desire for Tuvok to express certain emotions toward him. I absolutely understand why scenes like these lead some people to view the Neelix and Tuvok relationship negatively.

However, I personally read the Tuvok and Neelix dynamic as significantly less one-sided. For nearly every scene in which Neelix wants Tuvok to display emotion, there is a scene in which Tuvok is dismissive of or condescending toward Neelix. Especially in early Voyager, I think Tuvok views Neelix as overly emotional and in some cases incompetent. He is reluctant to accept Neelix’s advice, which he sees as being emotionally based and therefore invalid, even when Neelix is right. Especially in early Voyager, Tuvok believes he is better and smarter than Neelix. Tuvok doesn’t really pressure Neelix to be more Vulcan and less Talaxian, but this is because he doesn’t believe Neelix is capable of becoming a more logical person. The way I see it, both Tuvok and Neelix are in different ways disrespectful toward each other and each other’s cultures. Their dynamic is a cultural clash, with both of them gradually learning over time to accept each other’s different approaches to life.

I think it’s useful here to compare the Tuvok and Neelix dynamic to the Spock and Mccoy dynamic in the Original Series. I have complicated feelings on the Spock and Mccoy dynamic personally, but I think it is absolutely worth pointing out that Spock is the only Vulcan on the Enterprise, while Mccoy is one of a vast number of humans. Spock is clearly positioned as part of a minority culture in the narrative, even if Vulcans aren’t technically a minority in the Federation, which gives their dynamic an element of inequality. Neelix, on the other hand, is the only Talaxian on Voyager. If anything, Neelix is arguably narratively more part of a minority culture on Voyager than Tuvok is. (Although I think B’Elanna is the character whose narrative treatment most closely parallels that of someone from a minority culture.)

I also think it’s worth mentioning that Neelix isn’t the only Voyager character to demand emotional responses from Tuvok. Tom Paris does this frequently too, and Tom is often more openly derisive toward Vulcan culture than Neelix is, but I haven’t seen many people mention this. At the same time, I think it’s worth mentioning that Tuvok is written inconsistently in regard to his respect for other cultures – particularly in relation to B’Elanna. There are several episodes where Tuvok is incredibly dismissive toward B’Elanna and her perspective, seeing her as being inherently more emotional and less rational because she is Klingon (a good example of this is in the episode Random Thoughts). Tuvok is far from the only character to do this to B’Elanna, and other characters such as Tom Paris do it more frequently. But I think it is absolutely worth pointing out that Tuvok is sometimes written as dismissive toward other species and cultures, measuring them by the standards of his own culture.

Fundamentally, whether you view Neelix or Tuvok or Tom Paris negatively because of the way they are written in these contexts is a complicated question. The writing of all three characters was hardly consistent across all of Voyager. I think it’s fair to argue, for example, that the writers who wrote Tuvok as saying racist things about B’Elanna were not writing Tuvok consistently with how he is portrayed in the rest of the show. Multiple readings of different characters can exist simultaneously, and sometimes multiple readings are equally supported by the text.

#star trek voy #lane posts

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theshadowrealmitself · 5 months

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Human who’s great at being professional and unbiased at work and seemingly emotionless who has a crush on a Vulcan but is worried the Vulcan would never like them back because the Human does have a lot of emotions and stuff, they just shove them down in professional settings, and what if their crush doesn’t like the version of them with emotions?

Then they find out how intensely Vulcans feel, especially their crush towards them

#star trek #huge fan of Vulcans crushing hard #humans #Vulcans

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make-me-imagine · 1 year

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Two Hearts, Eight Words

Plot: Though not entirely versed on the traditions of Valentines Day, Spock does know it often includes two things. A gift, and a confession.

Pairing: Spock x Gn!Reader (short-term established relationship)

Requests: "I think I am in love with you." + Him not understanding it but going like “It’s custom for your species to do something on this specified date so I got this for you”

Requested By: @anonymousewrites and @oneshortstack

Warnings: I tried to be neutral with the gift he gives the reader, but if bracelets aren't your thing I'm sorry!~ Use of Y/n once or twice. A mention of "drinks" but no alcohol is mentioned specifically. Kissing towards the end.

Words: 1.1k

Spock stood outside your quarters for a few moments as he rehearsed what he was going to say in his head. It was not often he felt nervous, but you often tended to bring it out in him, even after you had entered into a relationship.

Finally making his presence known, he waited patiently for you to open the door. As it slid open, revealing you, he felt his heart jolt when you grinned at him.

"Hello Spock."

He bowed his head sligthly "Y/n." Looking past you to make sure you were alone he met your eyes again "May I come in?"

"Of course." You said as you stepped aside.

As you watched Spock walk into your room, you noted he seemed a bit more stiff than usual. Turning to face you, his face was more stern as well.

"Is everything alright?"

"Everything is fine, I'm not disturbing your work am I?"

You shook your head "You never do Spock."

A small smile seemed to cross his face momentarily before he spoke "I believe, back on Earth it is the holiday Valentines Day."

As he said this, you felt your heart jolt a little, you had realized this, but you did not expect anything since Spock was often not aware of human holidays.

"Yes, it is."

"You seem surprised I know that."

You chuckled softly "Well I wasn't sure you'd ever really heard about it."

He quirked his brow "These past few days it has been impossible to escape it. I've heard most of the human crew members discussing it. Though, I did also now about it beforehand."

"If you are worried I'm expecting something, you don't have to do anything." You said with a reassuring smile, not knowing if he cared to celebrate at all.

He quirked his head slightly "In the past when Vulcan holidays or traditions are common, you often go out of your way to help me celebrate them. I wish to do the same for you. For Valentines Day, it’s custom for human to do something on this specified date, so I got this for you”

You watched as he pulled something from behind his back, a thin rectangular box held closed with a ribbon

"Oh." You took it gently as he handed it to you, your breath caught in your throat for a moment. "Thank you Spock."

Opening the box, you revealed a delicate bracelet with a beautiful orange stone.

Spock saw your face light up and could tell you liked it. "It was made on Vulcan, I thought you might appreciate it's beauty and craftsmanship."

"It's amazing Spock, thank you." You grinned at him as you took it out of the box.

Spock stepped forward, taking the bracelet from you as he gently held up your wrist with his other had. You smiled as he placed it around your wrist himself. When he was done, he locked eyes with you and smiled.

Stepping forward, you pressed a kiss to his cheek "Thank you."

"You are welcome Y/n." He said softly, his voice sending a light shiver up your spine. "I hope you are also free for dinner, I wish to dine with you as well."

You smiled and nodded "I'd love that too."

"Our usual time?"

You nodded "Yes."

--- ---

A few hours later, after Spock had left you and gone back to his station, you finished your work, all the while, anticipating your dinner with him.

You decided last minute to get him flowers. You were not sure what he would really think of them, but you hoped he would appreciate the gesture. Especially since he decided to do something for you.

Heading towards his quarters, flowers in hand, you received some amused and knowing looks from other crew members, as well as a cheesy joke from Erica.

As you stood outside his door, your eyes cast down at the bracelet you had put back on. You smiled as your heart fluttered in your chest.

When the door slid open, revealing Spock, you grinned at him as you handed him the flowers.

"These are for you."

Spock looked at the flowers as he took them, blinking a few times before you saw his lip quirk. As he looked back into his quarters, you followed his line of sight, spotting flowers sitting on the table.

"We seemed to have the same idea."

You grinned as he gestured for you to come inside. Walking over to the bouquet of lilies he got you, you smiled before you looked at him again "Thank you, they're beautiful."

"And thank you. I have never received flowers as a gift." He said as he stared down at the orchids you got him.

You felt a blush crawl across your cheeks, but amusement lined your face.

"That's a shame, everyone should at least once."

He met your eyes and hummed lightly, as if thinking about your comment. Turning he looked over to the dining table wear he had prepared dinner. "Shall we eat?"

You nodded and smiled as you followed him to the table.

Once you had finished eating, you sat on the floor side by side, drinks on the table as you talked. Spock, who held your hand in his, gently caressed his thumb over your skin. After a moment of silence, he spoke softly as if thinking over his words carefully.

"If I am correct, it is often that on Valentines Day, people confess their feelings to others."

You nodded "Yes, it's how many first dates happen and its the beginning of a lot of relationships too."

"We are already in a relationship."

You giggled softly "Yes, we are."

"Yet I still wish to tell you."

You tilted your head as you eyed him, your ears burning a little. "Tell me what?"

His eyes finally left your hand and met yours. He stared at you in silence for a moment before he spoke, his voice deep, but soft "I think I am in love with you."

You felt your heartbeat pick up as your breath caught in your throat for a moment. Your ears and neck burned as your chest tightened.

"And are you okay with that?" You spoke slowly, somewhat weary of his answer

Slowly a smile spread across his face "Yes, I am."

A smile crossed your face as well as you let out a soft breath "That's good, because I think I'm in love with you too."

Spock's head tilted a bit as he lifted his hand, gently caressing your cheek before he placed his fingers under your chin. Leaning towards each other, your lips touched softly as you kissed. Pulling away for a second, you kissed again deeper and longer this time.

Pulling away after a few more moments, your eyes locked as you smiled at him "Thank you for celebrating Valentines Day with me."

"Thank you for allowing me to share it with you." He replied smoothly before he pulled you in for another kiss.

xx End xx

Ending fics smoothly is the bane of my existence, it's so hard lol. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed~ Reblogs are highly appreciated, Likes and comments as well <3

General Taglist: @criminaly-supernatural, @rexit-mo, @onuen, @imaginesfire, @witchygagirl, @alexxavicry

Star Trek/SNW/Spock Taglist: @starfleetimagines, @groovy-lady, @asgardianhobbit98, @agent-catfish-kenobi, @starship-argoo, @cs-please, @gatefleet, @tinymushrooms, @iinmysights

#Spock (snw) x reader #Spock (SNW)#Star Trek Strange New Worlds #Spock #Spock (snw)/reader #snw #star trek imagine #strange new worlds x reader #spock fluff #spock (snw) fic #star trek snw fic #strange new worlds imagine #spock imagine #spock oneshot #spock one shot #valentines fic #valentines 2023

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mercutio-the-velaryon · 7 months

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Hello stranger, I saw you asking about gen v supe names so I come bearing offerings:

For Marie, the best I've heard so far is Heartstring (which I think would work especially well if we're imagining vought's influence, and trying to push Marie as the new Starlight) I also like Heartstopper and Queen of Hearts, but I think those lean more towards villain names

For Emma, she could keep Cricket, but I like the idea of her picking something to do with her giant form, so: Giantess, or Colossa, or Titania

For Jordan, (now realistically vought would chew them up and give them the most cliche, cringy name possible, but ignoring that) my personal favorite is Pulse or Pulsar.

For Cate, I've seen Push as a good option, but I also like Siren, Whisper, or Piper (as in like the pied piper)

For Andre, I hate to say it but I think he'd just take up Polaris. Though I also think Magneta, (I know it sounds like magneto but TB universe doesn't know that) or Steel would work, I could also see Vulcan (the Roman god of metal) being cool but that might be too niche. (Metallo would be my first choice but it's been used sadly)

For Sam, tbh Sam's powers are pretty stock, so he could probably pick anything he wants. I could see him taking up something that follows the same format as his brother, so: _____ boy (ironically the first choice that I think would come to Sam's mind is superboy, but that is of course off limits, though personally, I'd find it hilarious) maybe Ultra Boy or Power Boy, or the Strong Man (who am I kidding these are all terrible, I've got nothing for Sam... Super Sam?)

Really though when you look at naming conventions (both in the boys and in superhero tradition overall) a lot of heroes' names don't have a ton to do with their powers and are either: highly generic (Superman, Mr. Fantastic, Captain Marvel, Wondee Woman etc) or have to do with a gimic that isn't necessarily related to their powers, so there's actually quite a bit of wiggle room, to just pick whatever sounds good.

Omggg these are great, I wanted to write an au set in the near future, where the cast had their superhero names so thank you for this if you would kindly allow me to steal these names for that purpose 👀👀

Heartstring is so good, it fits Marie so perfectly I gasped because yes exactly. I was thinking Emma should have a name change to kind of symbolise her regaining her autonomy from her mother with how she was forced to portray herself, I'm feeling Titania tbh. I really really like Pulse for Jordan simple effective love love love. Siren for Cate is insane cause not only does it encompass the nature of her powers but it also speaks to how she's used them, how she's lulled her friends into a false sense of security then caused them harm (wiped their memories) like yesssssssss. Ugh this is such a good listttt. Andre I think would change his name from the one he'd inherit from his dad, I was workshopping something like Silver Bandit, Heavy Metal or Ironclad (already in marvel lmao fml) or Steel Knight to pay homage to his rebel without a cause energy. I wanted just Steele but that's already a version of superman I think, John Irons I believe holds that mantle. I think even just Ultra would work as a name for Sam. Or maybe just The Boy like how Kimiko's The Female idk.

Thank you this is so helpful!!!!!

#gen v #gen v amazon #gen v spoilers #marie moreau #jordan li #the boys #cate dunlap #andre anderson #emma meyer #sam riordan

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unknownfacelessfanfictions · 7 months

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Hi! I saw that your requests were open, so I was wondering when if you can do where the team meets Fem! Y/n who is mute and is La’an’s twin sister?

Two Parts of a Whole

Pairing: (familial) La'an Noonien-Singh x fem!mute!reader; Crew x fem!mute!reader Fandom: Star Trek Strange New World Words: 4.5K Warnings: Mentions of La'an's Gorn trauma, Spoilers towards season 1 A/N: Thank you so much for requesting!! I hope it's satisfactory because this is the first time I wrote something like that. To be honest, I'm not entirely satisfied with it, but it won't get better. And I'm sorry that it took so long

The promenade of the space station she was currently on was packed and she was grateful that she had been able to get an empty spot on one of the pillars near the airlock. Not only several freighters had arrived almost simultaneously, but also two Vulcan research ships and an Andorian battle cruiser of the Imperial Guard. She had only noticed them in passing, however, as her focus was on the huge Federation starship. The USS Enterprise, NCC - 1701, Constitution Class and the flagship of the fleet. She, however, only cared about, one person on this huge ship.

Searchingly, she bobbed up and down, heel to toe and back again, hands clasped behind her back. Apparently she seemed to be so conspicuous that people were worried, because she was approached by an Andorian woman, quite brusquely, asking if she needed help, but she had quickly waved her aside. She was doing fine, even better than that, after all, she would be able to see her sister for the first time in months.

Perhaps it was a little paranoid of her to worry after such a short time, but the meeting with the Gorn had also left its mark on her. Unlike the rest of her family, she had not been on the SS Puget Sound because she had contracted Bolian smallpox, which was highly contagious, on the space station where they had stopped. Accordingly, she and her aunt, who was also ill, had been left on the station, with the expectation of returning to collect them after two weeks. At that time, no one could have guessed that it wouldn't come like that.

Her world had collapsed that day and, believing she had lost her entire family, she had spent days crying and refusing to eat or drink. And she probably would have gone on with it, had it not been for her aunt, who had begged her that her family had not wanted it that way and that she should not leave her alone. So she had carried on with her life as best she could, but it had seemed hollow and empty to her. Her siblings, but especially her twin, had been her motivation, her joy of life. A life without them had become unimaginable for her.

But just when she had convinced herself that it might, just maybe, be possible to survive without her family, the news arrived. La'an had survived. Her sister was alive. At first she hadn't wanted to believe it, the fear of raising her hopes unnecessarily was too great. Even when they were standing at the airlock, she had vehemently refused to even consider the possibility that she might still be alive. It was only when La'an had thrown herself around her neck, crying, and she had realised that, yes, La'an was alive, that she had been unable to hold on any longer and had cried just as unrestrainedly as La'an.

For the next few months, the twins were inseparable. Neither could last more than a few minutes in a room without the other, and their aunt had caught them both lying close together in bed at night to feel each other's body heat. Over the years, the situation had improved, but she still felt an uncomfortable feeling in her stomach when they were apart for long periods of time. She had been all the happier when she had learned that their paths would cross on this space station.

She herself was only nearby because she had been assigned by Starfleet to look more closely into the culture of Jitrav IV, with which it had only recently made contact. Strictly speaking, she was not a member of Starfleet in the sense of travelling the galaxy, but more in the sense of gathering information and reporting it back. In the past, she might have enjoyed flying through the quadrant in starships and getting to know new civilisations, but after the disaster with the Gorn, she had developed a real phobia about starships.

So she had devoted herself to exploring alien cultures from the safe distance of her home on Earth, but her work had been so distinguished that Starfleet had taken notice and wanted to hire her on one of their ships. She had decided against it, but in the end had gotten a relatively good deal out of it: Although she had to travel by starship from time to time, she would spend longer periods on other planets to learn about their cultures and languages. She documented her research thoroughly and sent it to Starfleet, whereas they paid for all her expenses as long as they remained within reason.

But this fear had not stopped her from getting into the first shuttle to this space station when La'an had told her that the Enterprise would dock there. She had been standing at her spot since early morning so as not to miss her sister. A few minutes ago, the first stream of Starfleet officers had poured onto the Promenade and she had to do her best to calm down. She knew La'an. She would not disembark until she was truly one hundred percent sure that there were no further duties. Knowing that her sister would need some more time, she began to observe the crowd of officers.

Frowning, she realised that most of them were human. She had expected this, but she had also been convinced that there had to be more non-humans on board. She noticed two Tellarites, a handful of Bolians and she thought she caught a glimpse of a Vulcan in a blue uniform out of the corner of her eye.

After twenty minutes of waiting, she saw an Aenar in a red uniform who was accompanied by a young woman in an equally red uniform who was talking intensely to him. Although he seemed grumpy and annoyed and gave the impression that he was not listening, she could see from his antennae directed at the young woman and the fact that she had spent two years on Andoria among Andorians and Aenar that he was listening more than attentively to her. Smiling, she shook her head and turned her attention back to the airlock. What a strange combination.

All in all, it took almost three quarters of an hour until she finally spotted her sister's dark braids, which were tightly braided back, but by then she could no longer be stopped. The promenade had emptied out a little in the meantime, so it wasn't particularly difficult for her to make her way to La'an, who fortunately noticed her in time. The latter fortunately noticed her in time to put her bag down before she crashed into the security officers. " Oof-" La'an groaned, but chuckled softly in response and after a short time of stiffness also put her arms around her to press her twin sister against her.

For a while they held each other tightly, even if it earned them some strange looks from bystanders. When she broke away from La'an, she noticed that she had blushed a little, but she didn't care. You are late, she signed. La'an nodded and smiled a little stiffly. "I know. However, I wanted to make sure everything was ready myself before I went to disembark." The young woman raised an eyebrow. Besides, you had to keep your reputation. La'an rolled her eyes. "Maybe a little."

La'an picked up her bags and followed her. They had agreed in advance to share quarters, so she just followed her to her quarters. Since it was difficult to converse while walking if one had to sign, they walked side by side in comfortable silence without another word to the other. It didn't bother her, as she knew that she and La'an would have plenty of time to talk. At the moment, it was simply important to her that her sister was with her again. Halfway to the lift, however, a voice stopped them. "Lieutenant Singh!"

They turned and she saw two women running towards them, whom she didn't know, her sister by all appearances did. One was slightly taller, had chin-length white-blonde hair and had apparently been the one who had called out to La'an. The other was smaller, had short dark hair and a cheeky grin on her lips. La'an just raised an eyebrow. "Yes?" "We were going out for a drink. Care to join us?" The taller one added with a quick glance at her" That goes for your...girlfriend too of course?" La'an narrowed her eyes. "She is my sister. And no thanks. I'm busy."

However, the two of them seemed not to have caught the last sentence, as the anthropologist and linguist was now the focus. "I didn't know you had a sister, Lieutenant." The blonde propped a hand on her hip as La'an took a deep breath. "Now you know." The shorter one held out her hand, which she hesitantly accepted. "My name is Erica Ortegas, Erica will do. And this is Christine." The blonde waved, but before she could do anything, La'an had placed a hand on her shoulder and hastily introduced her. "She is pleased to make your acquaintance, however we would like some time alone." Christine frowned. "Why don't you let her speak for herself?"

La'an's eyes only narrowed more, whereas she merely smiled in amusement and opened her mouth. Erica and Christine looked at her expectantly, only to look even more surprised when she began to sign instead. I'm mute and La'an translates for me, so it's all okay. She nodded her thanks to Christine. But thank you for your concern. After giving La'an a prompting look, she translated what her sister had said through clenched teeth, clearly annoyed at having been stopped by her colleagues.

Christine smiled but at the same time turned red in the face. "I'm sorry. Didn't mean it." She just tilted her head and nudged La'an. "That's all right. However, I would like to spend some time with my sister now." Erica and Christine, who was obviously still embarrassed by the whole thing, nodded and said a quick goodbye and she gave her sister a reproving look. You could have been a little nicer. La'an didn't respond any further.

Once in their quarters, La'an just barely took off her shoes and threw the bags on the floor before she fell backwards onto her bed and groaned. Her sister smiled slightly and snapped her hand to get her attention, whereupon she opened her eyes languidly. That bad? La'an sighed and sat up. "Well, I wouldn't know how to describe two run-ins with the Gorn any other way." She flinched and if she hadn't needed her hands to sign, she would have reached for La'an's. How? That was all she could bring herself to say, so much were her hands shaking. She knew how much the incident with the Gorn weighed on La'an, even more than on her, and the thought that her sister had had to face those monsters again did not make her feel at all comfortable.

La'an's voice broke several times before she was able to reply. "There were four Gorn ships. On Memorial Day. We barely got away, but we lost several crew members." She swallowed, but when she was asked if she wanted to stop, she replied in the negative. "The second time, we were on a planet, Valeo Beta V, responding to a distress call from a ship that had landed there. There weren't many of us, just a handful, and Enterprise had to move on and..." La'an broke off and her sister, who was now sitting next to her, squeezed her hand. In a shaky voice, La'an continued. "We found two survivors, however one was infected and before we knew it we were dealing with three hatchlings. Cadet Chia and Lieutenant Duke died. We almost lost our chief engineer as well."

But only almost? La'an laughed shakily. "It was more luck than good sense, really. We found out that the Gorn reproduce via their poison and Hemmer, our engineer, was hit. It didn't look good and without Doctor M'Benga on site...." She broke off. Gently her sister patted her back. He's all right though, isn't he? He's alive. "He was willing to sacrifice himself." La'an's voice was no more than a whisper and she had trouble understanding her. "I was the only one in the room with him, I could have stopped him, but I didn't do anything. I was too scared. If it hadn't been for the captain..." She tried to make calming noises to reassure La'an, however this seemed to have the opposite effect as she jumped up.

"No! You don't understand! I was ready to let a colleague, a friend, die because I was too scared! Because if I had thought even for a moment that he was from bloody Andoria, it might have occurred to me that he had a lower body temperature and consequently the process of hatching would be slowed! My fear almost killed Hemmer! How can I be head of security if my fear doesn't allow me to think clearly to protect the people who are under my protection?!"

She was shocked to see tears in La'an's eyes, which she resolutely wiped away. It's not your fault. She stood up and went over to her sister. Do you hear me? It is not your fault. He's alive, that's all that matters. "But I-" She clapped her hands loudly and interrupted La'an. No. It's not your fault, she repeated. Her gaze softened and she stroked La'an's shoulder. You have experienced traumatic things. No one blames you for being afraid. Most would have hidden in your place. Not you. No feelings of guilt. Please. La'an smiled bitterly before hugging her sister. "Thank you."

It took a while for the sisters to let go, but when they did, La'an seemed a lot more relaxed than before. At least, as relaxed as she could be. You have an Andorian as chief engineer? La'an frowned. "What makes you think that?" You said Andoria. "He's Aenar. They run even colder than Andorians. Don't ask me why though, I'm not a doctor."

I know. She grinned cheekily at her and they both had to think back to the incident in their childhood where La'an had tried to treat her wound with baking paper that did not absorb liquids. La'an smiled slightly. "I was six." So was I. Knew better anyway. She frowned briefly. Think I saw your chief engineer. "Oh yeah?"

She nodded. About that tall? She raised her hand. Red uniform. Grumpy? La'an smiled. "Sounds like Hemmer. Was he in company?" She nodded. Woman, small, short hair, black, red uniform. Talked a lot. La'an chuckled softly. "And that would be Uhura. She's a cadet, but one of the best linguists around. And she's somehow managed to befriend the grump of the ship." I didn't know you guys were friends. "Haha."

But he looked okay. Not hurt. A little grumpy, but healthy. "If that's your attempt to tell me it's all okay, stop. It's not making it better." She gave a silent sigh. Fine. But you need distraction. And relaxation. Her mind wandered back to the conversation from before. Fancy a drink?

~**~

It was like pulling teeth to convince La'an to go to the bar, but in the end she won and, followed by a somewhat grim-looking La'an, went down to the promenade, which by now, due to the hour, had filled up again. Which one do you want? Take your pick. La'an sighed and finally pointed to a larger establishment that formed the centre of the promenade. "If we're going to drink, let's do it properly." Her sister grinned and together they entered the room.

It was already well filled, yet she was still able to grab a small booth for them while La'an went to the bar to return with two colourful drinks. "Well then," La'an sighed as she slid into her seat and raised her glass. "To a wonderful evening." Her facial expressions were far too exaggerated, yet she didn't care. Cheers, she signed back, before picking up her glass herself and clinking her glass against her sister's.

The glasses clinked softly, the sound drowning in the noise around them, and in sync the sisters downed the drink. But while La'an remained expressionless, she screwed up her face and hastily put the glass down. What is this!!! La'an smiled to herself, which caused her sister's expression to darken further. "A little bit of everything." She screwed up her face. I'm going to have the hangover of my life. "Probably." Thank you for your compassion.

La'an grinned, however that smile faded as she looked past her sister. "Oh God." She turned, following La'an's gaze until her own gaze lingered on a group of people in Starfleet uniform. There were four people, three men and one woman, if she was so free to take that in. One of the men seemed to be "leading" the group. He wore a yellow and gold top, had silver and grey hair and a cheeky grin on his lips as he talked incessantly to the woman, also dressed in yellow. The latter had tied her dark hair into a high plait and did not look very impressed, but had a narrow smile on her lips. The other two were dressed in different shades of blue. One was slightly shorter, had a beard and was giving her dad vibes, whereas the other was clearly a Vulcan, his arms behind his back and one eyebrow raised sceptically.

The first man seemed to notice them because his face lit up and he waved at La'an before turning to the others, whereupon the group of four came towards them. La'an narrowed her eyes. "Just what I needed." Her sister gently slapped her arm and gave her a reproving look before the group was already beside them. "Hi." The man smiled broadly at her and briefly she wondered if this man had ever considered becoming a model for dental advertising, so white did his teeth appear. "Would it be okay if we joined you, La'an." The woman interposed. "Unless of course you'd like some time alone, which would be perfectly understandable." At that she gave the man a stern look, under which he shrank but his smile did not.

La'an glanced briefly at her sister before, in the face of the hopeful smile, she sighed in surrender and slid up a little to make room for the four. As everyone looked at her more or less expectantly, she took over the introductions. "This is my sister. She is currently working on Jitrav IV as a xeno-anthropologist. This is Captain Christopher Pike, Commander Una Chin-Riley, Lieutenant Spock and Doctor Joseph M'Benga. We serve together." She grinned at La'an. Oh really, I would never have guessed. La'an just rolled her eyes, however, she seemed to have caught the interest of the others.

The Vulcan, Spock, raised his eyebrow. "You use sign language." Mockingly, she raised her eyebrow in turn. Oh do I? I hadn't noticed. La'an snorted into her drink and tried to suppress a laugh. "What did she say?" Pike looked at her as if she was the most intriguing thing he'd ever seen, which flustered and confused her in equal measure. It wasn't that special now. La'an cleared her throat. "That she is pleased to make your acquaintance." Indignantly, she slapped La'an's arm. I didn't say that! "Subtext," La'an added, which earned her a snort.

She then turned her gaze to Spock. I am mute. Sign language is therefore my only way of communicating with others. It has been done that way for centuries. La'an translated for her without twisting the words in her mouth this time. Well, hands. M'Benga cleared his throat. "I thought there were treatments by now." She shook her head. No long-term ones. Besides, the risks are too great. After that, the four of them left it at that and they returned to a more relaxed conversation. At least they tried to, since most of the conversation was really just Pike and her, La'an's translations excluded, and the occasional comment from M'Benga. Una spoke up from time to time, as did La'an, but Spock was silent almost the entire time.

After half an hour, their drinks were empty and Pike offered to get more, which everyone agreed to, but he came back with two more people in tow, though she had already seen them. "Look who I ran into. Thought it would be nice to add to the fellowship," Pike grinned as he placed the drinks on the table, pointing to the Aenar and the young woman standing behind him. While the Aenar, Hemmer if she remembered correctly, looked just as grumpy as before, the young woman, Uhura, smiled all over her face and instantly locked eyes with her.

"Hi, you're Lieutenant Singh's sister, aren't you? The Captain had mentioned it." She held out her hand. "I'm Cadet Uhura, but please call me Nyota. This is Hemmer and don't worry," she leaned down a little towards her, "He's only half as grumpy as he looks." Hemmer scoffed. "I'm blind, not deaf, Uhura. I heard you." Nyota blushed but didn't apologise and on closer inspection, she could see that Hemmer didn't really look mad. She smiled at them both and quickly introduced herself. To her surprise, La'an didn't even bother to translate, as Nyota seemed able to do so herself.

"Oh, that's a beautiful name." You know sign language? Apparently one could see the surprise on her face, because Pike laughed softly. "Uhura is quite talented with languages, you might say." For the first time in half an hour, Spock spoke up. "Cadet Uhura speaks over thirty-seven languages, so by human parameters, she is more than 'quite talented'." Her jaw dropped? Thirty-seven? You're too good for this ship. That elicited a laugh from Uhura and after they had all scooted up, the other two had also squeezed onto the bench, Hemmer a little more reluctantly than Uhura, which was why she was now squeezed between La'an and Pike. There were worse things.

In time, they were joined by Erica and Christine, who had a young man named Sam Kirk in tow, which was the moment they decided to move the whole thing to a larger table. Now seated between M'Benga and Hemmer, facing La'an and Uhura, she noted with relief that her sister seemed to be starting to warm up. She knew that La'an would have preferred to be alone with her, but they would have plenty of time for that and at the moment she simply enjoyed being among so many people, which was not really common in her job, with the constant changing of places.

However, after almost another half hour of the crew telling their stories in Starfleet, including the amusing part of the Gorn disaster where Hemmer and Uhura were shot off the ship (Uhura confessed, admittedly a little drunk, that Hemmer had looked like a meerkat. The latter had protested, but his antennae and dark cheeks had betrayed him), they turned their attention to her and her profession. Patiently she answered, with La'an's help, until Uhura asked a question that made her think of something. "How do you manage to do your job with people who don't speak SSL (standard sign language)?"

For a moment she paused and frowned. What do you mean? La'an quietly translated for the rest and Uhura shifted back and forth in her seat. "Well, you meant that you were getting to know the native inhabitants of the planets to study their culture and the intricacies of their languages more closely, but how-" -can I do that without speaking myself? Uhura nodded and she smiled at her. One moment.

She rummaged in her trouser pocket and pulled out ten rings, each of which was connected to another, smaller ring with thin steel bands. She slipped them over her fingers so that the larger ring sat on her knuckle and the smaller one just below her fingernail. She then rolled up her sleeves to reveal two bracelets, one on each wrist, which she tapped on for some time until they beeped briefly and began to glow blue.

I don't need to speak. I have these. She signed, but a tinny female voice spoke for her. The people around her stared at her with wide eyes and of course Spock was the first to catch himself to ask a question. "Why didn't you use that before." It isn't complete. She regarded him with narrowed eyebrows as the voice continued to translate for her. It's missing the sensors for the face, arms and torso that I usually wear. Sign language is not just language of the hands. Is complex.

She looked down at her hands. It's not exact and I have to sign very slowly and clearly for the right thing to come out. Besides, it's slow. Takes longer than living translator. Not a problem with speeches, awkward with conversations. With that, however, she seemed to have caught Hemmer's attention. "Sure the whole thing couldn't be calibrated more sensitively?" She shrugged. Don't have a clue about such things. Starfleet takes care of that sort of thing. However, this is just a prototype, better is to come soon. Apparently she had signed too quickly and uncleanly this time, because the voice didn't spit out "Starfleet" but "Stargazer". Annoyed, she frowned and deactivated the bracelet.

"I think it's cool," Nyota declared, smiling broadly, which earned her a slight smile as well. Quite a bit.

After that, the conversation turned back to more mundane things and no one talked about the bracelets, even though she sensed that Hemmer was tempted to get his hands on them. He did not say so, but his antennae twitched conspicuously in her direction. After two hours, however, La'an and she decided to leave. This was accompanied by a series of disappointed noises, but they did not let themselves be brought down. After promising Uhura to polish up her SSL and Hemmer that he could look at her speaking aid tomorrow, she and La'an wished everyone a good night before they left the bar.

In the lift, they leaned against the wall and La'an heaved a sigh. "This is not how I had imagined my evening to be, if I'm honest." But it was still nice, wasn't it? La'an pursed her mouth. "Tolerable." She grinned at La'an. I can live with that. She pinched her sister's cheek to keep her attention. I like them, all of them. They're nice. La'an shook her head with a smile. "Especially Uhura though, right?" It's always nicer to talk to people who understand you without you. The lift doors opened and La'an pulled her behind her. "Come on. You owe me another game of cards and this time you won't be able to wriggle out of it."

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@bigblissandlove1 @akamitrani

#star trek #star trek strange new worlds #star trek snw #snw x reader #snw crew x reader #la'an noonien singh & reader #la'an noonien singh x reader #mute reader #la'an noonien singh #spock #christopher pike #hemmer snw #nyota uhura #christine chapel #erica ortegas #joseph m'benga #sam kirk #una chin riley

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