#if not then Khan academy is great | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

your-name-is-jim · 9 months

Text

What a Kirk/Spock shipper sees in a Kirk/Female-Love-Interest story [PART 2/2]

Part 1 <- Please read Part 1 first. Part 2 won't make sense otherwise!

This panel is absolutely AMAZING and you all deserved to see it :D

So, what were we talking about? Oh, yeah, Laura just proposed.

As you can see, Jim is panicking not sure what to answer, so the first thing he does is calling his two best friends. There are so many things going on here; I'll try to mention everything I care about!

"Starfleet is getting a lot better at partners of equal rank working together."

This is an important part of this comic: apparently, in this story Starfleet isn't encouraging relationships between officers with a different rank. I know it's sort of implied in canon too, but it's not always clear if it's actually against regulations or if it's fine when the ranks are close.

As a K/S shipper, this detail just gives me an in-universe reason why Jim and Spock aren't considering dating each other in this story: a commander can't probably have a relationship with a captain. I mean, we already know from canon TOS that Jim avoids relationships with the members of his crew, so this just adds a layer to a potential forbidden love story between them. Yeah, I know this isn't what this comic is trying to do, but what can I say? Fans don't stop shipping something just because they learn it's not allowed in-universe… if anything, they can find it more exciting! :D

"We could teach at the Academy. Mind you, she laughed at that idea."

Oh, wait. Jim actually talked to Laura about their possible future together! It looks like he's thinking about them as teachers at Starfleet Academy. Hmm… this sounds familiar:

2277 — Accepts appointment to Academy faculty, moves into San Francisco apartment

This is from Kirk's biography in Star Trek official website. Between The Motion Picture and The Wrath of Khan, Jim accepts a job at the Academy. We see it at the start of the second movie, after Saavik takes the Kobayashi Maru test.

Wait, who's the other teacher here? :D

Okay, okay, in that era Jim is an admiral and Spock is a captain, so their ranks are still different, but except for that… They both teach at the Academy. And it's literally what Jim proposed to his love interest Laura in the comic! With my Kirk/Spock goggles on, what I read in that panel is "If Laura and I got married, we could both do this thing that I'm totally going to do with Spock in the future." LOL

Did the comic creators notice the parallel? Probably not. However, we K/S shippers have special skills for finding accidental implications about our ship everywhere, so here it is :)

"Your thoughts, please, Mr. Spock."

I said I had a lot to say about that single panel, so of course I can't skip the last line! A human woman has just proposed to Jim, and what does Jim do? He asks for Spock's opinion. This says a lot about Jim and Spock's friendship, and it's very sweet on Jim's part, but it also makes me think about Jim's love life. What about Jim and Laura's romantic feelings for each other? Does Jim want to spend the rest of his life with her? Perhaps the reason they don't talk about it (not even with Bones!) is that it's implied that Jim loves her and she loves him, even if they never say it. However, I still think it's interesting that Jim's discussion on the matter is mostly "logical".

Anyway, I swear I won't post every single panel of this comic, but Spock's reply is an absolute gem you all must see:

"I AM SOMETHING OF AN EXPERT ON THE SUBJECT OF JAMES T. KIRK."

(dkjflsdjlkdjglk brb losing my mind again)

Ahem. Okay, Spock. Noted. Also, wow, nice make up. Did I say that the art in this comic is great? Good.

"I believe someone of equal status would offer you the best possible chance of happiness."

Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but I find interesting his use of "equal status" instead of the more specific "equal rank". Status makes me think less of their official position in Starfleet, and more of how two people actually see each other. It's not just about Laura and Jim being both captains; it's about them seeing each other as equals.

Anyway, Jim jokes about Bones and Spock finally agreeing about something, and the conversation continues.

Jim's best friends are both encouraging him to marry Laura. In this panel, I zoomed in on Bones because his words are especially interesting. Based on everything we've seen so far, it looks like having a romantic partner when you're in Starfleet is a pain in the ass in general in this comic; however, Bones is pointing out that for the first time, Jim has someone who really understands. Of course, that's because she's a Starfleet captain too.

About Spock, I won't share the entire conversation, but I just want to say that as a K/S shipper who likes to think Spock is secretly in love with Jim in this era, I find his dialogue where he's supporting Jim's relationship with Laura totally reasonable. It's important to remember that this comic takes place close to the end of the five-year mission. We know that Spock is going to run away after that, trying to erase all his emotions in Gol. So, in this specific part of his story, I find pretty in character that he'd tell Jim to find happiness with someone else. That's what he'd do, regardless of his own feelings.

So, Jim knows his two best friends think he should say "yes" to Laura. What happens next?

During a mission, Jim meets his ex Carol Marcus. She is surprised to find out that Jim is considering settling down. This is not completely related to this analysis, so I won't post it, but I found interesting that Carol knows about every single woman Jim dated before he became captain (the only one she doesn't name is Ruth), and she even says "And that woman in 1930, what was her name?" Just… how the hell does she know? LMAO

At least Jim hasn't told her about Miramanee and Rayna (well, technically he doesn't even remember the latter), but seriously, Carol does know a lot about Jim's private life, even if it's clear she doesn't want her or their son to be part of it. (Not really related to this plot, but in case you're confused about the timeline: David is a child in this era; however, he doesn't appear in this story.)

Anyway, this is what she eventually tells him:

So, I like to think that Carol is genuinely trying to help Jim here, because the spiteful ex girlfriend is another thing I don't really want to see in 2020. I want to think that the creators meant well; however, what happens in the story is that, despite Jim not seeing himself outside the captain's chair, and despite his best friends telling him to marry the captain that is just like him… Jim keeps thinking about Carol's words.

He knows from Starfleet that he's going to be promoted to admiral the moment he reaches Earth. What is interesting here is that Jim could refuse the promotion and be a captain with Laura. This is definitely a different situation from everything else I've seen before. It's obvious to anyone who has watched TOS movies that Jim is not happy as an admiral. He didn't really want to be one. He doesn't want to be one in this comic series either (you can see it explored in Star Trek: Year Five main story). However, thanks to The Motion Picture, we also know that he will accept promotion at the end of his five-year mission. This isn't a canon divergence story: the writers can't really change any major event, so they have to work with what canon offers.

What I find interesting is that in this 2020 comic, Jim finds himself in the opposite situation he is in Gene Roddenberry's The Motion Picture novelization from 1979. In Roddenberry's novel, it's mentioned briefly that Jim starts a relationship on Earth with a vice-admiral, a woman that was basically asked to use her charm to keep Jim grounded. Jim could refuse promotion, but he finds himself lost, without his ship, without Spock, and eventually without Bones. So he tries to convince himself that a life as an admiral with a perfect woman by his side will be good for him (it will not; Jim himself will realize a year later that his lover was an "Enterprise-surrogate").

Now, I understand trying to write something fresher and more modern in this Valentine's Day special, but I confess that I find a little hard to believe that Jim would accept a promotion as admiral if the alternative was keeping both a starship AND a wife. Also, let's not forget that Spock and Bones are both telling him to choose the married captain life. So, while I totally get from a writer's point of view that if you can't change canon, you have to work with what you have, I'm also not sure that Carol reminding Jim that he's always wanted to challenge himself is enough to make him doubt everything.

I guess I can sort of see that as part of a bigger problem: Jim knows he can't be a captain for life; during his first date with Laura, as we saw in Part 1 of my analysis, he talks about it.

"I've been thinking lately about whether I could ever stop being a Starfleet captain. Whether I could ever want to. A friend of mine talks about 'infinite diversity'. That applies to the Federation, too. But here I am, only built for one thing."

So, Jim knows he has probably avoided the subject for too long. Carol is forcing him to think about it. And, more implicitly, we could say Spock and his IDIC philosophy are also making him think, even if it's not what Spock would have expected. After all, Spock told Jim to marry Laura (in the comic), and he'll tell him that being a starship captain is his "first, best destiny" (in The Wrath of Khan).

Anyway, Jim eventually decides to meet Laura and talk to her about his personal concerns. First of all, we find out that the two of them haven't called each other for six weeks. Laura is still waiting for Jim's answer, and she didn't want to call him. If you ask me, their lack of communication is yet another a big clue that perhaps getting married is not a great idea.

Well, now Jim is at least trying to talk to her.

Aaand that's how she breaks up with him.

I'm not sure how to feel about this. I mean, in a sense, Jim doesn't say "I decided to be an admiral instead of marrying you", but Laura definitely sees it that way. I think he was genuinely looking for help, but that just proves that Laura isn't the right person for him. Why marrying someone you can't communicate with? They are such a great team as captains, but it looks like that doesn't apply to their relationship. I pointed out other clues in the previous parts, and now we got this. It's interesting to see that Jim in this comic can have a normal conversation about his future with Spock, Bones, and even Carol Marcus, but not with the person he's supposed to build a future with. Unless something changes between them, it can't work out.

Anyway, this isn't the end.

A year later, when Jim is an admiral on Earth, there's a sudden emergency. A miniature black hole appears out of the deep structure of the universe (don't blame me for the science, I'm literally quoting the comic LOL) and it's attracted to Earth gravity. Short story: they're all going to die, but fortunately the Drake (Laura's ship) can cause an anti-matter implosion that will shunt the black hole outside their reality. Unfortunately, that also means the Drake will have to go inside the black hole. Laura evacuates her crew and asks Admiral Kirk to give her the order to proceed. Reluctantly, Jim tells her that he knows she'll do it, and he gives the order.

Now, please appreciate The Motion Picture aesthetic:

Okay, I know I could have chosen a panel with Jim and Laura, since this is literally their love story, but I did say this analysis was going to be biased, so here is Laura with her two closest friends instead; they would never let her risk her life alone! <3 They are very obviously meant to be a parallel to what Spock and Bones are to Jim, which is very cute to see. Now, Laura, listen to me: I know the three of you have different ranks, but you may die in a few seconds… And I just think that the few times your friends appear in this comic, you have a lot of chemistry with them, sooo maybe you should forget about Jim and just smooch one of them, or both… just saying :)

Ahem. Anyway, after Laura and her girlfriends disappear into the void, there's another timeskip. This time it's 15 years.

Oh, damn.

I said in the premise of this analysis that one of the reasons I decided to read this comic despite shipping Kirk/Spock is that, in my headcanon, Kirk and Spock get together after The Motion Picture. Until this point, this comic hasn't really gone against my headcanon. I can genuinely believe that Jim had another girlfriend during his five-year mission; it's not a big deal. Unfortunately for me, this comic has its last part taking place around The Final Frontier era. Dammit.

Well, it's just one comic. I read until this point; it'd be illogical not to read until the end, right? Nah, it's not logic. It's human curiosity. I know I won't like it, but I still want to see it.

Also, if there's something that I really don't want to see in modern media anymore, is female characters dying just to make male characters suffer. I can accept that in TOS show because it was made in the 1960s, but even TOS movies got better about it! Characters like Saavik and Gillian can have their own lives without having to die for a man's pain. It's not a coincidence that the writers had to kill Spock to make Jim suffer. Without digressing too much, I just wanted to say that K/S bias aside, I went into this comic hoping to read something different from another dead woman for Jim. I'm very glad that, at least about this, the comic creators didn't disappoint me!

So, in this story, it's been 15 years since Laura's disappearance (actually, it should be more, but I'll try not to nitpick, despite being the trekkies' favorite hobby :D). Anyway, the one with the whales The Voyage Home happened, and Jim is not an admiral anymore. He's happy to have a starship again, but he hasn't stopped questioning his life decisions.

We can also see that, 15 years later, he's reading the book Laura liked.

HOLD IT! WAIT WAIT WAIT! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME??? WHAT THE--

*inhales deeply*

(Friendly reminder to myself that what is obvious to me may not be obvious to everyone else, so I need to explain. Fine. I'll try.)

The screenshots I posted are from The Wrath of Khan, right after Spock's funeral. What Jim is doing there is reading the end of the book that Spock gave him for his birthday. He's mourning Spock.

In the comic panel, Jim has a new pair of glasses, because it takes place a little later in the timeline. But, except for that…

It's the same scene.

The same fucking scene.

I mean, come on! I can't even post the "they're the same picture" meme, because it's not funny if they're literally the same picture! Even the bookmark is the same!

The comic creators literally took a canon scene about Jim reading Spock's book after Spock is gone, and they redrew it with Jim reading Laura's book after Laura is gone. In a Valentine's Day special. Where Laura is Jim's love interest. They made a romantic scene with Jim and a woman that was originally about Jim and Spock.

(Brb, I'm going to chew a pillow until I calm down.)

So. Well. If you wondered why I thought there was something about Kirk/Spock in this comic… you have your answer. Perhaps the artist didn't think anything about it. I certainly do.

And I guess someone could say, "But Jim is still reading Laura's book 15 years later! That's true love!" Why yes, he's not reading Spock's book 15 years later, because he didn't stay without Spock for 15 years; he risked everything and lost all the most important things in his life to save Spock's soul.

Anyway, back to the comic. Starfleet receives a signal from the edge of Federation space. It's the Drake. Laura and her friends are alive.

Jim and Laura have a reunion after a long separation. Since they're both captains now, Jim thinks they are given a second chance.

Oh, whoops.

It's her turn now. It looks like being away for 15 years has changed her (as you can expect, honestly), and she's now glad to become an admiral. In this comic, that means Jim can't marry her. So, this is how the story ends:

So. Um.

This isn't a bad ending, but I also wouldn't exactly call it a happy ending. It's certainly not a happily ever after story. I'd call it open, maybe hopeful? Honestly, pretty much what I'd expect from a love story between an original character and Jim, so I can't say the writing is disappointing about that.

On the other hand, I can't personally imagine middle-aged Jim being so eager to start a romance again with someone he hasn't seen in 15 years who broke up with him 16 years ago. Perhaps he felt guilty about Laura's disappearance because if he had married her, they would have been part of a colonization fleet somewhere else and the incident wouldn't have happened the same way? Maybe. Personally, I would have found more believable an ending where Jim asks her to have dinner together or go for a walk, and then something romantic happening as they get to know each other again. But I can see why the creators wanted to bring up the marriage proposal again, just to close the circle. The comic is just 32 pages, so they did what they could.

"Unless there's someone else." "Not so much. I've been really busy."

Busy with what? Oh, right: Spock's death, Spock's body on Genesis, Spock's rebirth on Vulcan, the time travel (okay, that one wasn't 100% Spock-related), Spock's brother… Honestly, just say there's been a lot of Spock in your life, Jim, because that's the truth :)

On a more serious note, I guess that dialogue could mean that Jim has someone, but "he's been too busy" to do anything serious with them. However, as a K/S monoshipper I don't really like the idea of Jim being in an open relationship with Spock, so Jim's character in the entire scene in the end is just a big NOPE for me. Sorry.

That said, I found very interesting that in a few panels they show very clearly the "captain" rank on Jim and Laura's shoulders, to point out that it's the same. They can't be together forever, but they can have fun for a few days as captains. Because of that, I went back to the start of the last timeskip, just to check out something:

Fascinating.

This is a pretty detailed panel, where you can see the ranks on the shoulders of Jim's friends; the colors of their pins are also pretty good, close to the ones in the movies… except for Spock's.

Oh, please. Did you really expect me not to pay attention to this? :)

Captain Kirk and Captain Spock.

And unlike Laura, this is what they are until the end! The end of a very long life! Generations? What's Generations? Spock will eventually become an ambassador, but that's just a different job. How did Spock himself put it earlier in this comic?

"I am something of an expert on the subject of James T. Kirk. And I believe someone of equal status would offer you the best possible chance of happiness."

Did the comic creators just play themselves? I don't know, I'm quoting their own story here! LOL

And what about Jim's words from the same scene? :D

"Starfleet is getting a lot better at partners of equal rank working together."

Partners. Of equal rank. Working together.

That's literally what Kirk and Spock are since the end of The Voyage Home! Without an expiration date!

The comic creators made a big deal in their universe about relationships being better between two captains, and how good Jim and Laura may have been for each other if they had married as captains; and now they can't have their happily ever after because Laura is going to be an admiral… But even if the comic tries to hide it, we know there is a captain in Jim's life. And to make things better, Jim lost his admiral rank to bring him back. Listen, I'm a huge Old Married Kirk/Spock fan, so there's no way anything can make me forget that in the last TOS movies they're both captains. And there's no way I can forget that Jim risked his entire career (and everything else!) for Spock, and that's literally why he's not an admiral anymore.

This is almost ironic in this Valentine's Day comic. If it hadn't been for Spock, Jim would have still been an admiral, and he could have married Laura. Whoops. Too bad.

Speaking of admirals, I didn't notice it at first, but there's also something about this line Laura says in the last panel I posted…

"And don't you dare 'Admiral' me."

Ah, yes, a typical thing you tell someone you're planning to have sex with. Right, Laura? Agreed :)

Honestly, at this point I should just stop checking this comic, because I wonder if I'd just end up finding a Kirk/Spock version of every Kirk/Laura Rhone line LOL

By the way, I have other thoughts to share now that the story is over, but there's one more thing first. Do you remember the last panels of the comic? Middle-aged Jim and Laura kiss; END.

Okay. After that, the comic has a picture of the cover, with Jim and Laura kissing when they're younger.

And then it has this:

dklsfjlskjflskjlksjlkdlkgjdlfgsnfjekniuwanf LISTEN, HOW--

Just how am I even supposed to say anything that makes sense about this…??? I'm just… I can't…

Okay. So. We're talking about a Valentine's Day comic. It makes sense for it to include a cute Valentine card. I also get that Spock's iconic line has become so mainstream that it can be quoted out of context. And you can make parodies.

But… But… A Star Trek TOS fan can't really forget the original context of "I have been and always shall be your friend"? Someone could just not think about it, I guess… But, well, I know that at least I can't forget that this is literally Spock's line to Jim rewritten in a romantic Valentine's Day version. I can't possibly NOT think about it!

And I know it's very possible that the people who worked on the comic story weren't even aware of this extra, but the fact that I'm seeing this after reading about Jim Kirk's romance without happily ever after… Jim kisses a woman he can't stay with forever, and then there's Spock's "I have been and always shall be your Valentine". It's just so fucking funny. I can't. If I was feeling a little down after seeing middle-aged Jim wanting to marry Laura, now I'm laughing again. Thanks, Spock's silly Valentine card. I needed it! :D

Anyway, what did I say about this comic taking things originally created for Kirk and Spock's relationship and making them romantic when they're not about them? I can believe that sometimes it's a coincidence, but this card? Please… In a sense, this is the perfect ending.

---

Conclusions.

I started this comic with a question: in 2020, how do you write a story about TOS Kirk falling in love? I wanted to see this attempt. Overall, I think the creators did what they could. Laura is different from every other woman in Jim's life; they didn't kill her off, and they also didn't force a happy ending. I think they did a good job with the canon limitations they had, especially in 32 pages.

Do I believe that Laura could have been a good match for Jim in different circumstances?

As a temporary girlfriend? Yes.

As a lifelong partner? No.

Of course, I'm aware my answer is biased, but I can try to be a little more "logical" about it.

First of all, I think that the comic itself supports my interpretation: of course, like in every story, different people are going to see different things; however, as I already pointed out, Jim and Laura never say that they love each other, and before the marriage proposal their relationship is pretty casual.

In The Original Series, Jim isn't lucky when it comes to romance because the women he falls in love with can't really understand his nature as a space explorer. Sometimes they can, like in Carol's case, and that's why they break up with him. Laura is the opposite, because she's just like Jim. But here is the thing: I think Laura is too much like him.

What would have happened if Jim had accepted to marry her at the end of the five-year mission? They would have been both captains. On different ships, though. Sure, they could have been part of the same colonization fleet, as Jim says in the comic, and maybe it would have worked for a while. However, would they really have seen each other as much as Jim needs?

I don't know about Laura, but we see multiple times in canon that behind his mask as a starship captain, Jim is definitely more lonely than what someone may think.

First of all, don't get me wrong: in these screenshots from The Naked Time, Jim is single, so of course his attraction to Janice Rand is related to that. It's not the same situation he'd be in if he were married to Laura. Early in the series, he has thoughts about his yeoman exactly because he doesn't have anyone else. Contrary to his fame as a womanizer, TOS Jim in canon always has one woman at a time in his mind, never more.

So, why am I sharing those lines? To show that when Jim is always inside the Enterprise, he does feel lonely. He needs a romantic partner's physical touch. However, we also know that Jim does not want a relationship with one of his subordinates, so Janice Rand and the rest of his crew are off limits.

Laura is good for him because she's part of Starfleet, and not a subordinate. But is that really enough? From what I've seen in the comic, no. At the end of the day, it looks to me that Jim and Laura don't really know how to plan a future together. Perhaps it's because they're so similar, but they don't really think of themselves as a couple, especially Laura. There's Captain James T. Kirk and Captain Laura Rhone; they both love their ships, so they should get married? That's not how it works.

Their relationship is casual. Jim doesn't want to define it. Are they friends with benefits? Are they in an open relationship? Either way, when Laura decides to marry him, she asks around if Jim has someone else, and only after that she asks him. Jim, on the other hand, doesn't talk to her for six weeks after her proposal. He talks to Spock and Bones immediately, but not to her. He even talks to Carol first.

Then, when Jim finally tries to talk to her about his problems, she doesn't listen. Their lack of communication is the cause of their break up.

16 years later, what we see is even worse. It's obvious that Laura has just different priorities. Maybe it's because of what happened to her lost in space, but I'm not sure. If they had married at the end of the five-year mission, would have Laura always refused a promotion to admiral? Would she have tried to get a promotion with Jim? Based on what we see in this comic, it doesn't look likely to me.

Now, as I said, different people are going to see different things, so I'm sure that someone really invested in this romance can imagine that Jim and Laura are really meant to be, and they can get their happy ending after their retirement, or in other ways. However, I admit that Jim and Laura's huge communication issues make hard to me to picture a long happy relationship between them. They should both try to get better, but in those 32 pages there was no hint towards that direction.

There's another thing that makes really hard to find any love interest for Jim as a plausible "happily ever after" option: the stakes. I know that it's just a single comic, so the creators had to focus on a few things; however, I couldn't help but notice that Jim and Laura never really save each other from dangerous situations. They work together as a team, and Jim watches Laura disappearing into the void, but does he do anything about it? Does he try to reach her inside her ship before she disappears into the black hole? Does he try to bring her back from the void? No, he doesn't.

In TOS show and movies, Jim Kirk risks so much for his crew and his ship that a Star Trek fan can't believe that a new woman is the love of his life, unless Jim is willing to do for her everything he does for his friends. And honestly, after The Search for Spock… how can he even come close to do that?

And it's not just about Jim's actions. There's his language too. At the start of the third movie, Jim refers to Spock as "the noblest part of myself". What could he say about a love interest that is as deep as this?

Let's be honest here: the reason it's so hard to write a story about Jim Kirk's true love is that the real love story for him has already been written. You may not see it romantically, but Kirk and Spock's story is absolutely a love story. And when a character has someone he loves so deeply, it's not easy to convince the audience that he could have someone new to love as deeply. In Jim's case, the combination of his personality and his canon life makes it almost impossible.

Anyway, before I end up not so accidentally turning this analysis into a complete Kirk/Spock ship manifesto, I'm just going to mention one silly thing about the Valentine's Day comic. Please, don't take it too seriously, I'm half-joking :)

So, there are two kiss scenes in the story: one when Jim and Laura start to spend a lot of free time together, and one in the last panel. Well, I can't believe Jim isn't holding Laura's shoulders when he kisses her! That's just the basis of the way Jim kisses women! D:

Different Star Trek characters kiss in different ways; it fits their personalities. And because the rest of my TOS posts are probably too gay for these gifs, I'm dropping them as references here:

Sorry, but if Jim Kirk doesn't grab someone's shoulders before a kiss, it just kills my immersion! :P

Okay, a little more seriously: Jim doesn't always kiss women the same way; however, his "shoulder grab" is common enough that you definitely notice it if you pay attention. Because of that, I think it would have been nice to include it in the Valentine's Day comic.

After reading this comic, what kind of person would I consider perfect for Jim?

Well, my answer is obvious. However, I'll try to elaborate.

First of all, this story definitely convinced me even more that Jim can only be really happy with another Starfleet officer (or at least someone who's been deeply involved with Starfleet). He also needs someone who understands him as a space explorer, without trying to keep him grounded. And someone very smart, of course. These are all traits Laura has. But they're just the basis.

I don't think Jim needs someone in command of their own ship as a lifelong partner. As I said before, I can't really imagine it working out. Another starship captain would have their own goals and their own ambitions; that doesn't mean Jim shouldn't marry someone with specific plans for their own career, but I think these plans should keep the two of them close, not on different ships. Jim needs his partner physically at his side; if he could be happy in a long-distance relationship, I believe we would have seen at least one working out in canon. But it's never the case. Working on different starships from the same fleet would be a little better, but in my opinion not enough, unless it's for a short period of time.

And there's also the matter of his partner's personality. Jim is a natural leader; that's why he's so good at his job. I don't think he needs a similar kind of leader as romantic partner. This is just my personal opinion, but I believe they would just fight about everything they disagree about. I think he needs someone calmer in his life, not someone who'd encourage emotional outbursts.

More importantly, he absolutely needs someone he can communicate with. If he can't talk to his partner about everything important, they're not the right person for him. That doesn't mean they can't have disagreements or miscommunication issues, of course, but they shouldn't happen all the time, and Jim and his partner should be able to talk about them and make up.

In conclusion: someone at his side on his ship, smart, calm, trustworthy :)

Now, I know what some of you are thinking about: what about the "no relationships with subordinates" personal rule Jim has? How can Jim be in a relationship with Spock (or anyone else on the Enterprise) if he's everyone's superior officer? Well, first of all, I already said that after The Voyage Home, Jim and Spock are both captains. And before that… I think that Spock in the comic phrased it the right way. Jim can find his happiness with someone of "equal status". I think it's pretty clear, in my opinion, that Janice Rand and Spock aren't the same kind of subordinates to Jim. Just think about it: which members of the Enterprise call their captain "Jim"? Bones, Spock and (occasionally) Scotty. These are the three people I believe are "equals" in private to Jim, no matter their ranks when they're on duty. Because of that, a relationship between Jim and Spock could work pretty well.

By the way, another thing the Valentine's Day comic made me think about is that in TOS movies, Jim sort of does with Spock pretty much everything he does with Laura in this story. Not the same way, of course, but does it matter? Spock is his own person, he's not Jim's copy. That doesn't mean he can't indulge Jim, have fun himself… and try to stop Jim from doing dangerous things "for fun", as an old spouse would :)

Okay, perhaps throwing each other into the water doesn't count as dancing, but it's so much better :D

In conclusion, this is the way I can read the Valentine's Day comic as a Kirk/Spock shipper:

Jim mentions Spock on his first date with a woman.

Jim questions his life choices as he thinks about Spock and IDIC philosophy.

Jim does with Laura everything we see him doing in TOS show, except for playing chess (just the thing he does with Spock).

Jim says Laura and him are a good team in Starfleet because they had a lot of sex (is that true about other people he works well with??)

There haven't been many ladies or gentlemen in Jim's life because he's busy (not because he's not into men, apparently).

"Starfleet is getting a lot better at partners of equal rank working together." Good for your future with Spock, Jim!

If Jim and Laura got married, they could both teach at Starfleet Academy, something Jim is totally going to do with Spock someday.

Mister "I am something of an expert on the subject of James T. Kirk" Spock.

Also, Mister "I believe someone of equal status would offer you the best possible chance of happiness" Spock, which is actual foreshadowing of his own future status with Jim.

Hey, look at Jim reading a book that reminds him of his lost love! I wonder where I've seen LITERALLY THE SAME PICTURE???

"Don't 'Admiral' me". This is totally not similar to what Jim tells Spock in The Voyage Home, of course.

Hey, we're both captains now! Just for a few days, but isn't that great? I wonder if anyone else is a captain now, and forever? :D

"I have been and always shall be your Valentine". Totally not a Kirk/Spock line, I don't know what you're talking about! :)

Okay, okay, that's all.

As a Kirk/Spock shipper, I won't deny that I'm a little jealous of this Valentine's Day special comic, because I wish we could get something with amazing art like this where Jim is in love with Spock. On the other hand, Star Trek: Year Five comic series has a few scenes about Jim & Spock's friendship that I really liked. Platonic, sure, but good enough for my K/S goggles!

Thank you so much for reading this post until the end! I hope you enjoyed my analysis! Live long and prosper!

#star trek analysis #star trek: year five #star trek: year five valentine's day special #star trek comics #james t. kirk #laura rhone #spirk #star trek tos #star trek the original series #k/s #kirk x spock #space husbands #my gifs

240 notes · View notes

izicodes · 1 year

Text

I've seen a lot more people coming on Tumblr who are starting their coding journey, which is great! If you're just starting out with coding, here are a few tips that can help you get started and improve your skills:

1. Start with a language that is simple and easy to learn - These languages are designed to be beginner-friendly and will help you get a feel for the basics of coding. E.g. Python

2. Work through tutorials and online courses to learn the fundamentals of programming - There are many free resources available online that can help you get started, such as Codeacademy and Khan Academy.

3. Practice, practice, practice! - The more you code, the better you will get. Try to solve problems and write small programs on your own to improve your skills.

4. Don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it - There are many online communities, forums, and subreddits where you can get help and support from other programmers.

5. Keep learning and expanding your knowledge - As you gain more experience, try to learn new languages and technologies to broaden your skillset and improve your ability to solve complex problems.

I hope this helps and happy coding! 💻👍🏾❤️

*Advice from developers on Twitter and YouTube and my instructors

821 notes · View notes

loser-female · 11 months

Text

Math masterpost!

So you want to learn math. Good. Math is amazing. I studied physics for two years and I miss it SO MUCH. Learning math isn't just cool, but it's a great way to improve skills such as:

Resilience: sometimes you will get stuck for a while on a problem - this is absolutely normal for college-level problems. You won't start from here though;

Self confidence: mastering a subject known to be difficult is fun;

Problem solving: you will be less likely to just sit down and do nothing if something comes up in your life, you will be able to try to find a solution.

It will change your approach to failure as you will become more flexible in your thinking.

Unfortunately most people never learn how to properly study math. We all probably know how to study a book over humanities. We start by reading the material, then we take notes of the keypoints. But this method doesn't work with math, and math teachers often don't really know either.

For the basics I've made this post here. To sum it up:

Please don't start with "but i suck at it". Because then your brain will actually prevent you from learning (self-fulfilling prophecy, anyone?);

Realise that you need to master one topic before covering the next one or you won't be able to progress;

Really, the methods you use for things like literature or psychology or whatever won't work

Now I'm not a genius, I always was and I always be a terrible student. I have adhd, depression and chronic pain, all of which add a difficulty layer with learning.

I feel like most people fail because of the first point. I've seen this with people I've tutored IRL, people I try to fix their pc... Don't be the person that gives up before trying because no one likes that. Just don't. Remember that you are learning on your own and no one is going to grade your excercises. Now take that and make a poster out of iy.

Now, resources Where To Find The Stuff.

Khan Academy. I didn't follow this courses becuase well, university, physics, but everyone references them.

Professor Leonard

The Math Sorcerer

3b1b (curiosities in math)

Vsauce2 (fun)

numberphile (this for understanding math memes)

r/learnmath resources are great!

A great study method

Proofs? Proofs.

A 3 page document on learning math (but it's cool)

Terry Tao's famous post "there is more in mathematics about rigour and proofs"

Remember that, even if you don't like a specific youtuber, source or anything it has been a while since college and high school teachers started to upload their own material. Generally, looking for like "calculus pdf" will give you a lot of resources. Youtube is full of university courses of every kind and it's so good to access all of this knowledge for free. I cannot recommend you anything regarding textbooks because I still have my high school one. Also yes, i've used the Rudin as a complementary textbook in university but that's a bit too much.

I really, really want to emphasize the mentality part. Leaning formula is useless if you feel like garbage because you weren't able to solve the first exercise you picked up after a decade not doing anything.

My personal and sparce advice:

Unless you have dyscalculia don't use the calculator. I know, I KNOW. But this "lazyness" will make everything 10 times more difficult.

Beware about overlearning. Basically, when you solve everything at the first attempt and you keep doing the same thing over and over because it feels good, but the truth is that you are wasting time. This is the time to move forward.

Try to differentiate between a knowledge error(did I actually study the subject?), a conceptual error (did I understand the material), or a mere calculation/distraction error (fo example a missing sign, writing the wrong thing etc)

Try to solve the problems in different ways if you can.

After a certain time, It will be useful to review things done in the past, (ref: spaced repetition method).

Write everything down. Reasonings, steps etc. It will be easier for you to review them.

This posts keep crashing so I have to call it quits now.

but:

have fun

#resources #learn something #math

251 notes · View notes

arc-misadventures · 10 months

Note

In the dragon Faunus au, what Adam up to or is it eve in this au?

The Splintering

Upon a stage before a throng of faunas strode one, Adam Tauras: He was called many things by his enemies: radical, extremest, terrorist. But, to his fellow faunas he was much more than the lies they spread about him; for he was a leader, an equalist, a hero!

Adam: Brothers, and sisters of the, White Fang! Here is our would be king! The supposed dragon faunas. This human in sheep’s clothing’s… But, do not take that as a note of disdain towards him. For he possesses many faunas traits, unlike use who posses one trait, with some minor additional sub-traits. Jaune Arc, the Dragon King possesses five unique traits! An elongated tongue, and retractable fangs that can bite through solid metal! Retractable talons hidden within his hands, the ability to breath fire. And, based upon the reports of our field operative, his majesty is currently in the process of growing horns, these are no doubt to become a crown that signifies his rank among all faunas. As our king!

Adam: Now, many of you have no doubt heard that his majesty has made contact with, Kali Belladonna, and High Leader Khan. They are no doubt trying to sway his grace towards their side. A side of human lovers…

Angry jeers, and cries of outrage echoed throughout the hall. Some even spitting in disgust on the floor at this revolting piece of news.

Adam: I know! I know brothers, and sisters that is grave news. But, worry not! For we will not allow this to stand! For the glory of the faunas, and for the glory of our future king! All shall see the true might of the faunas! For we shall send our most valuable assists to meet with his grace, and tell him the true might of the faunas!

As, Adam step back, a pair of fox faunas step forward, one with a tail, and another with a set of ears. The Albain Brothers, Fennec, and Corsac Albain.

Fennec: Brothers, and sisters we bring forth tidings of great joy; The legend is true: The Dragon King is among us!

The crowd cheered, and howled as the news echoed throughout the crowd.

Corsac: Legends for told of his, Majesty coming, for his arrival will bring forth a golden age for all of, Remnant, and more importantly, a better age for all faunas!

Fennec: His, Majesty may have aligned himself with the more… peaceful faction of the, White Fang. But, my brother, and I shall be heading to, Beacon Academy to tell him of the glory of the faunas, so that he will know how to lead all faunas to a brighter future!

Corsac: We must move swiftly before others dig their filthy claws into his, Majesty, and spread lies to him! But, worry not brothers, and sisters, for we shall set them right!

FC: For the glory of the Faunas!

Adam: FOR THE GLORY OF THE FAUNAS!!!

The crowd cheered, chanting, ‘Glory to the Faunas’ over, and over again. Adam let them cry out for a time before stepping forward, and silencing the crowd before him.

Adam: Now, before we make our preparations for our departure to meet out, King, is there anything you lot want to ask?

Adam’s voice demanded silence, for he knew none would dare ask anything, forhis word was law amongst his brothers, and sisters. And yet, a single hand shot up into the air. Adam gritted his teeth as he held back a snarl within his lips.

Adam: What is it…?

A faunas with white streaks in his brown hair, no doubt a squirrel, or chipmunk faunas of some kind. He held out his scroll as he yelled out his question to those before him.

WF Grunt #1: Uhh… Question! Why are the males, and the female faunas having two separate meetings?

Adam: …

Adam: Eh…?

WF Grunt #2: Yeah, why aren’t their any woman here?

Adam: There aren’t any woman here…?

WF Grunt #3: Ya, ‘der’s just a bunch of boys ‘ere.

Adam: Wasn’t word spread among the ranks about this meeting?

WF Grunt #1: Well yeah, but they told the guys to come here, and the girls to go elsewhere. Why did you do that?

Adam: I didn’t do that! Did you two do that?

Corsac: We have nothing to do with this.

Fennec: This is a matter for all faunas to attend to; why would we exclude half of our kind?

Adam’s mind raced as he look about the crowd. He had no idea why this was happening, but he knew how to find them.

Adam: Where is this meeting taking place!

WF Grunt #1: In the conference hall. I heard they needed to use the monitor in there for something.

Adam jumped off the stage, and rushed towards the hall, a few other members along with the Albain brothers chased after him.

As, Adam reached the conference hall he saw something, and someone he didn’t want to see.

Adam: Ohh… fuck…

Adam could only swear in fear as upon stage before a picture of the Dragon King, was the one person he feared about hearing about the, Dragon King.

His older sister, Eve Taurus.

Eve: Hello ladies~!

The crowd cheered as she waltz across the stage, her large breasts bouncing with every step.

Eve: Alright girls, see this handsome bastard?

Eve pointed to a smiling photo of, Jaune Arc.

Eve: This sexy son of a bitch is the, Dragon King, Jaune Arc~! A short name that rolls of the tongue, that I for one love~!

Adam: Eve?! What the hell is this?!

Eve stopped in her presentation to address the sudden interruption.

Eve: Oh hey little bro! I’ll talk to you in a moment, Mama’s busy.

Adam: With what?!

Eve: Female faunas stuff. You wouldn’t understand.

Adam: What?

Eve: Okay! I know everyone here, especially me, wants nothing more then to pounce this handsome specimen till you look like you’re three months pregnant~!

Adam: Wait what?!

Eve: But, if anyone wants a chance with this guy, all of you must learn the does, and don’ts of seducing this man.

Eve: Okay, there are a few things you must understand about the, Dragon King’s faunas traits. First off, unlike any other faunas, Jaune Arc posses several traits, and is in fact developing more as we speak.

WF Grunt #4: Seriously?!

WF Grunt #5: How many traits does he poses?!

Eve: In total, he has five traits!

WF Grunt #4: HOLY SHIT!

WF Grunt #6: We usually have one main trait, and a few sub traits! But, five traits?!

WF Grunt #5: What are his traits!

Eve: Okay! First off: He has retractable fangs, and is capable of opening his jaw very wide like many snake faunas can.

A photo of, Jaune appeared on the screen showing his mouth wide open, sharp fangs bitting down, and shattering what appeared to be chains.

Eve: See ladies, these are the fangs that our, King possesses. Notice how he is capable of biting through threw metal. So don’t try to chaining him up, he’ll just break the chain.

Eve: With this he has, my personal favourite trait, one hell of a long tongue~!

A photo appeared on the monitor of someone pulling out, Jaune’s rather long tongue from his mouth, much to his disdain.

WF Grunt #6: Holy fuck!

WF Grunt #5: I’ve seen snake faunas with shorter tongues than that!

WF Grunt #4: And, thinner ones at that…

Eve: I don’t know about you girls, but I’m for one interested in finding out what he can do with that~! Now, another one of his traits is his fire breath.

A new photo appeared showing, Jaune roasting marshmallows with his fire breath.

Eve: Now this is rather self explanatory, he can breath fire, hence the moniker of him being a dragon faunas. Just be careful, and try not to get burned. So, sorry, Trifia you won’t be able to wrap him up in your little webs, despite the fact we all know you’re the one into bondage.

Trifia: No I’m not!

The crowd soon started laughing at the poor spider girl’s expense as, Eve continued on with her presentation.

Eve: Now a lot of you feline faunas know what’s these are like. Boom! Talons!

Many of the crowd, particularly the cat faunas oohed, and awwed, at his, once again, rather unique talons.

Eve: These are your pretty standard talons, or claws, whatever you want to call them; The talons hidden under the fingernails can appear on command, yada yada yada. Moving on! Now, there isn’t a photo for this one, for this trait, for this is the trait he is currently developing: Horns. He is currently growing horns.

WF Grunt #5: Horns?

WF Grunt #7: What kind?

Eve: No idea, our sources have just reported on this as a new fact.

Adam: How the hell did you find out about all of this?! You have way more detail on his traits than I do.

Eve: Internet.

Adam: Internet, seriously?!

Eve: Yep, faunas girls like to talk about a hot man. Now quiet, Mama’s busy.

Eve: Now, like most faunas, he also has two common sub traits: A heightened sense of smell, and sight. Now the first one here, his hightten sense of smell is very, very important!

WF Grunt #6: What’s so important about that; lots of us have a good sense of smell?

Eve: Well~! Here we have the lovely Milf of Menagerie, Kali Belladonna.

WF Grunt #5: Preach it sister!

Eve: Before, Kali Belladonna met with, His Majesty, he not only sniffed her out, but he was able to identify that she was the mother of, Blake Belladonna…

Adam: My beloved!

Eve: SHUT UP! Anyway, he was able to tell that she was her mother by scent alone. And, because of his heightened sense of smell, he can easily identify… A prime mate~!

WF Grunt #7: A prime mate…

WF Grunt #6: He can find this just by our natural scent…?

WF Grunt #5: How does he do that!

Eve: Behold! Exhibit A: Deputy Headmistress of Beacon Academy, Glynda Goodwitch~! And, I gotta say, his Majesty has great taste~!

WF Grunt #8: Hello mommy~!

Eve: Based upon reports, Jaune Arc~! Ahem! His Majesty smelt her natural body odour by accident, and went into a panic attack, mostly because he didn’t know what was going on. Now, that he knows that he can sniff out prime mates he hides the fact he smelling them out. He’s not doing it intentionally, his sense of smell is just that strong. Look for his nostrils to be flaring, when they are he has picked up a tantalizing smell~! Good, or bad is the question; he used this to hunt, Adam’s little spy so be careful.

Adam: He did?!

Eve: Yeah, so get ready for, Sienna to give you lot a beat down.

Adam: Eh?

Eve: Also, Sienna has been potentially marked out as a prime mate. Again, he has such good taste.

WF Grunt #8: Can you blame him?

WF Grunt #5: I’d pick her if I could.

Eve: So ladies, now that you know his graces traits, you shall now learn how to seduce his, Grace! No shampoo, or any scented fragrance, or at the least something weak. We gotta let him smell your natural aroma to know if he’s interested.

Eve: Next, don’t come after him screaming you want his babies. He’s a family man, you’re either in it for the long haul, or not at all. His preference are more on personality than your body, but he does appear to like the thic hourglass figure, and who can blame him?

WF Grunt #7: Whoo! My odds are getting better all the time! Suck it!

Adam: Wha… Who the hell is giving you all this information?!

Eve: An information broker on the internet.

Adam: You’re paying for this?!

Eve: Hey, ThunderThighs gives good information, it’s well worth the price.

Adam: ThunderThighs?! Who the hell is that?!

~~~

Nora: ACHOO!

Jaune: Bless you. Hey, where did you get all that, Lien?

Nora: Internet.

Jaune: Internet?

Jaune: …

Jaune: You’ve been selling information about me, haven’t you?

Nora: Yes, but this is mostly from selling the photos I’ve taken of you.

Jaune: Photos? What photos?!

Nora: …

Nora: Oops…

~~~

Eve: Don’t know, don’t care. All I care about is the results, and achieving our goal.

Adam: That goal is having him lead the faunas to a brighter future?

Eve: No, the goal, at least our goal is getting into his pants!

Adam paled as he heard the crowd of woman cheer, and howl in agreement at his sisters depraved words.

Fennec: How dare you! His Majesty is far more than this!

Corsac: You should be on the ground worshiping his Majesty, with the respect, and reverence he is due!

Eve: Oh, but I will. But, while you worship him in your silly little temple, I’ll be worshiping him in the bedroom~!

The men that had trickled into the hall mouths dropped in shear shock, and horror. While the ladies in the hall burst into laughter, and cries of agreement.

Eve: Alright ladies, now you know some of the does, and don’t, there’s nothing to be said, but this: ‘Happy hunting ~!’

Adam: Serious, Eve?! The Dragon Faunas has appeared, a being that will lead the faunas into a golden age, and your more concerned about bedding him; What is wrong with you?!

Eve: You’ll never understand woman, little brother. Haa…No wonder, Blake dumped you.

Adam: What…? S-She didn’t dump me.

Eve: …

Adam: Right…?

Eve: Yeah, you just think that, Adam. Now if you’ll excuse me; Mama’s is on the hunt~!

#rwby #jaune arc #nora valkyrie #sienna khan #adam taurus #eve taurus #fennec albain #corsac albain #rwbt trifa #kali belladonna #glynda goodwitch #blake belladonna

164 notes · View notes

k1ssoflove · 2 days

Text

My study at home

~routine~

🦢 Hello my lovess! I thought it’d be fun to show you guys my monday-friday home schooled routine <3

🌷On days where I don’t have to leave in the morning I always start at around 8:45-9 am. Firstly I read 30 minutes of any book i’m currently reading. I tend to do this first because it’s the thing I always am so excited for and it sort of readies my mind! As of right now I am reading ‘The Great Gatsby’.

🌷Secondly, I do any online assignment I have due from my health teacher, I do 1 and a half or 2 depending on how long and difficult the work is.

🌷Thirdly, is an hour of Korean/Hangul on Duolingo, I always make sure to take notes of notes!

🌷After a 15 minute break I do 40 minutes of Algebra 1 on khan academy & 40 minutes of Ela on khan academy (Taking notes if needed).

🌷Following is another 15 minute break <3 Lastly, I do 40 minutes of biology on khan academy & 40 minutes of history on khan academy (Taking notes if needed). Finishing up usually just in time for lunch!

NOTES

🌷On Wednesday’s at my old school it would always be a shorter day since it’s the middle of the week so, on those days I cut the time down on everything just a little bit! For example: A hour of Duolingo becomes 40 minutes instead.

🌷While I don’t really study on the weekends I always make sure to continue reading along with doing about 40 minutes of vocabulary practice. I also like to watch ted talks for different forms of education.

21 notes · View notes

otrtbs · 1 month

Note

I really wanna get into art history but I’m just not sure where to start. Im a history nerd though and though and would love to get into art history but my anxiety makes me second guess myself whenever I start to research it about starting at the wrong point. Do you have any tips on getting into it?

also any tips on writing a long fic consistently? Ahb and tcb were amazing. You have a gift with words! 💕

hello!!!

i would say as for art history, there is no right or wrong way to go about studying it. it just depends on what you want out of the experience ? if you want to be knowledgeable about art history generally then i would start at the beginning !! (if you want a brief “these are the artists that defined the time and the most famous works and the movements” knowledge) but you’re probably not going to get a very in-depth knowledge about everything.

if you’d rather know everything about the renaissance or everything about van gogh you can start there and get super into the politics/pigments/styles of the time and become an “expert” in that one area.

if you want to answer a lot of trivia questions right, take a tour of the most famous art works ever made ! and start there !!

if you’re more interested in modern art and the philosophy then there’s no shame just starting in the 1920s onward!!! there is no right or wrong way!! it’s all about what interests you most.

if you don’t know what interests you most yet, then i recommend starting chronologically and moving forward until you find something that sparks your interest !!!

khan academy is a great resource to start at !!!! (and it’s free)

as for writing a fic consistently, i wish i knew 😭😭 i have never had a consistent upload schedule for anything ever. and i hop around when things don’t interest me anymore 😭 i would say that and outline is always good!! so you always know where you’re going next with the fic ! it’s always easier to write when you’re like “chapter two: x,y,z happens and y sets up the thing for chapter five” <- i feel like i’m not being revolutionary here 😭 but yeah !! thank you for the kind words friend!! 🫶🏻💖

#asks #ARH talks

23 notes · View notes

study-with-aura · 1 month

Text

Friday, March 22, 2024

The fastest post I have made to date! I think I finally got to all of the tag games that I was sent. I meant to get to it last night, but I was tired after dance.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Tasks Completed:

Geometry - Learned to construct inscribed squares and inscribed regular hexagons + practice + honors work

Lit and Comp II - Unit 21 vocabulary test (100%) + read the second part of chapter 42 of Emma by Jane Austen

Spanish 2 - Reviewed furniture vocabulary + viewed two furniture websites in Spanish

Bible I - Read Judges 17-18

World History - Read notes on the Russian Revolution + reviewed and filled in parts of the Russian Revolution chart assignment + read about Russian Revolution + watched a video on Russia in WWI, the civil war, and the revolution

Biology with Lab - Presented a persuasive argument of my beliefs on evolution and creation to my dad

PE/Health I - Read a health article

Foundations - Read more on self-control + completed next quiz on Read Theory + read an article about headlines + viewed posters and political cartoons + read political headlines from WWII + viewed a fake front page of a newspaper which demonstrated the use of headlines as fact when they were opinionated statements

Piano - Practiced for two hours in one hour split sessions

Khan Academy - Completed High School Geometry Unit 8: Lesson 11

CLEP - None today

Streaming - Watched episode 4 of Life on Our Planet (evolutionist perspective)

Duolingo - Studied for 15 minutes (Spanish, French, Chinese) + completed daily quests

Reading - Read pages 331-400 of House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig and finished the book

Chores - Dusted my bedroom, my bathroom, and the study + laundered my bedding

Activities of the Day:

Personal Bible Study (Proverbs 17)

Ballet

Pointe

Journal/Mindfulness

What I’m Grateful for Today:

I am grateful for an amazing family.

Quote of the Day:

Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.

-Albert Einstein

🎧Pupazzi, Op. 36 - Florent Schmitt

#study blog #study inspiration #study motivation #studyblr #studyblr community #study community #study-with-aura

11 notes · View notes

queenofcoquette · 9 months

Text

positive thinking & achieving goals

hey loves! i’ve mentioned before that i’m not a beliver in manifestation nor do i use it. however, i do have ways of using positive thought in order to accomplish my goals and stay motivated. i go for a 50/50 approach with my goals- thoughts and actions.

setting my goals

i start off by thinking about what i want in the short term and the long term

i view the short-term as like in the current year, or changes i can make within a week. the long-term is more things i want in the future, such as when i think about college or my future career.

2. i think about how to measure the goal

sometimes my goals are wanting a certain habit, or adding a hobbie into my life. but other goals can be measured, like when i get a job or launch my etsy shop. so i consider if the goal is an achievement or a daily thing, yk?

thoughts

science has proven that positive thoughts about our selves helps improve our mood and build our confidence. in turn, when we feel confident we’re more likely to do well as the things we do, because we believe we can do it.

i make a realistic action-plan for how i can accomplish my goals with steps

i shape my thoughts to be more positive

i use positive self talk and learn from my mistakes

i eliminate self depricating thoughts/words

i keep myself motivated by reminding myself WHY i’m working hard

when i feel unhappy i keep a journal to let out my negative thoughts. it helps me feel a lot better.

actions

the main part is obviously the actions- actually going and taking the steps in order to accomplish my goals. even if it’s a little thing, i still make sure to stay consistent and work until i’m done. i’ve been working awhile on my stamina/determination- so when i have a goal i just keep working on it and don’t focus on anything else.

taking everyday steps that are attainable and realistic

i make changes in my everyday life that can lead to the goals i want

i incorporate small habits into my everyday life

i stay consistent to making changes in my life (remember: consistency is the key to success)

i gradually make my small habits more intense (what this means is i’ll go from doing one set of my workout to two or three sets over time- slowly building up)

obviously it varies depending on what i’m actually trying to achieve. this summer i wanted to finish algebra 2 on khan academy before school even began, so i did 3% everyday in order to achieve that. i did my math in the morning-noon and then the rest of the day went on as usual. it’s little changes like that that can lead to big differences.

since i believe in God i tend to pray every night, thanking God for everything in my life, which helps me stay grateful, and then praying for more improvement as a person and going down the right path, things like that. :)

conclusion

this is what works for me, shaped by my own beliefs and what i’ve found to work for me based on past experiences. if something else works better for you- that’s great! do what helps you to be your happiest and healthiest person. there’s enough abundance of good things for all of us, we can do it! :)

#that girl #that girl 2023 #self improvement #queenofcoquette

118 notes · View notes

dreaminginthedeepsouth · 3 months

Text

THE KOBAYASHI MARU TEST

TCINLA FEB 1, 2024 “Kobayashi Maru” is a Star Trek term that people who are not Star Trek fans know the meaning of. The phrase "Kobayashi Maru" has entered the popular lexicon as a reference to a no-win scenario. The term is also sometimes used to invoke Kirk's decision to "change the conditions of the test."

In Star Trek stories, “Kobayashi Maru” is a test designed to test the character of Starfleet Academy cadets, by placing them in a no-win scenario. The Kobayashi Maru test was first depicted in the 1982 film “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.”

In the stories, the “goal” of the exercise is to rescue the civilian ship “Kobayashi Maru,” which has been damaged and is now stranded in disputed territory between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. The cadet being evaluated must decide whether to attempt to rescue the Kobayashi Maru - which means putting their ship and crew in danger - or to leave the Kobayashi Maru to certain destruction. If the cadet chooses to attempt a rescue, an insurmountable enemy force attacks their ship, and they must deal with that.

Metaphorically, that test certainly applies to where we are today.

The term has been applied to real-world scenarios with no perceived positive outcome or that requires outside-the-box thinking, such as constitutional law, where the scenario is an event that may only be dealt with successfully by extra-constitutional, or unconstitutional, methods with the goal of protecting the constitution.

Commentators have used Kirk's unorthodox answer ("I don't believe in the no-win scenario”) to the test as an example of the need to redefine the premises upon which an organization operates - changing the rules rather than playing within them, that by stepping outside the rules of the game one can redefine the game.

While current indications show a shift in the national tide as we have hoped would happen, and with it the increasing likelihood that the enemies of out constitutional republic will fail in their assault, one possible outcome of the election of 2024 is that we may face the Kobayashi Maru Test.

Right now we face a “Crisis of Democracy” in the case of removing Donald Trump from the ballot under the rule in Article 3 of the 14th Amendment, which states that an individual who has taken part in an insurrection against the United States, or has given support to those who have, cannot occupy a political office under the United States and must not appear on the ballot.

“Democracy,” is on both sides of this case.

There are those who see excluding an immensely popular political figure from the ballot as being profoundly undemocratic.

Others see clearly that what is truly undemocratic is to empower a uniquely dangerous demagogue who has already disobeyed his solemn Oath to protect and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign or domestic, and is thus a genuine threat who would end the constitutional republic that now exists, were he returned to office.

The tension between these two clashing visions can be resolved only by attending to the Constitution’s own specific implementation of “democracy,” which was the product of a great democratic process after a series of insurrectionary and democracy-imperiling events 160 years ago in the aftermath of the Civil War

Following President Andrew Johnson’s actions allowing the former Confederate traitors who had waged war against the United States to reorganize their states and rejoin the Union with a simple oath of allegiance easily taken with their fingers crossed behind their back while so doing, men who had played leading roles in the rebellion and war against the United States were elected by political means that involved suppressing the votes of those opposed to the former Confederate traitors retaking office - black and white.

Under President Johnson’s new rules, former Vice President of the Confederate States of America Alexander Stevens was elected a Senator from South Carolina, the state that had led the rebellion. When asked what he intended to do as a Senator, Stevens said openly he planned to prevent the government taking action to protect the freed slaves, and that he expected to act with the other Southern Senators and congressional representatives to rebuild the power the South had held in Congress before the war, in which they were able to prevent the enactment of any law or adoption of any policy to which they were opposed.

Had that happened, much more than the treatment of the former slaves would have been at stake. While the Southern reactionaries were out of the government during the war, many progressive acts, such as the Homestead Act opening the West to small farmers, or the Morrill Act, establishing publicly-funded institutions of higher learning in each state - both of which had been opposed by the Southern representatives before the war - would be in danger of repeal by the coming Southern majority. With the South effectively a one-party state, in which anyone elected to office could hold that office for so long as they wished, the South would retake control of the congressional committees, which were based on seniority.

It was decided that those who were proven by their actions to be dedicated to the destruction of the democratic constitutional republic, would be allowed no place, no power, in the government of that republic.

And thus Article 3 of the 14th Amendment was written and became law when the Amendment passed and became part of the Constitution.

Alexander Stevens and the other traitors were “immensely popular political figures” among their fellow insurrectionary traitors who were retaking political control of the newly reorganized states that were being returned to the Union under the policies of Andrew Johnson. Those who say today that excluding such “immensely popular political figures” from the ballot - regardless of their known political beliefs and actions - is “anti-democratic” would have been among the Copperheads (a term for northern Democrats who supported the South) who argued against the adoption not only of Article 3 but the entire 14th Amendment.

Today, Donald Trump and his supporters expressly state their intention to demolish the provisions of that amendment as regards the definition of who is a citizen, among their other planned attacks on the Constitutional rule of law, should they return to office. They are no different from the former Confederate traitors who also wished to continue waging war on the United States.

It has been “interesting” to watch the progression of authoritarianism in the United States over the past 60 years since the “Goldwater Revolution” failed.

We’ve always been told “it can’t happen here,” that there are rules and traditions preventing such a change, that authoritarianism was not even possible in the United States, without some wider cataclysm.

However, the past eight years have shown that if the would-be authoritarian takes on those traditions and guardrails one at a time, his partisans will say that this particular guardrail, this rule, this tradition, must be ignored, because it would be too inconvenient, too “divisive” to enforce it. But of course we need not worry, since the next guardrail can already be seen, and that will stop him.

Don’t worry about his nomination in the primary; he’ll lose the general election.

Don’t worry about his successful election; the party will keep him in check when he takes office.

Don’t worry about the party falling to his dominance; he can always be impeached.

Don’t worry about impeaching him; he can always be beaten in the next election.

Don’t worry about his coup attempt; he can be impeached again.

Don’t worry about the second impeachment; the criminal courts can bring him to justice.

Don’t worry about the criminal cases; there’s always the 14th Amendment.

Don’t worry about him winning; he’ll be blocked from staying in office past this term by the 22nd Amendment.

Unfortunately, it turns out that Trump’s genius was realizing this truth before the rest of us. His lifelong legal strategy of delay and bamboozle is perfect for gumming up the operation of all the defenses the system has built in to constrain him.

The Italians could say of Mussolini, “No one could have really known what he’d do, not for sure.” The Germans could say of Hitler, “No one could have really known what he’d do, not for sure.”

We in the United States cannot say that. Because we know what he’ll do. For sure.

We know what he has done in his first time in office. We have experienced it. When he tells us what he will do now, how he will destroy the Constitution, and the rule of law and destroy the democratic republic that is founded on that Constitution and the rule of law; we know he will do it because we know he has already tried to do it. His supporters promise they will do it.

Maya Angelou once said if someone tells you who they are, you should believe them.

What we are looking at in this year of 2024 here in the United States is the struggle between the idea of democracy and the rule of law, against authoritarianism and totalitarianism.

That struggle is also going on elsewhere. But if it is lost here, it will be lost everywhere.

We’re supposed to let him run on a platform of destroying what we have? We’re supposed to hand over power to him to do that, if he pulls off another Electoral College scam? We’re supposed to just give him the power he needs to do what he has told us he will do? What we know he will do?

We’re supposed to nod our heads and say “Here, you win, we lost, have a good day”?

We’re supposed to just let the fucking New Confederacy walk in and take over????!!

Democracy isn’t a suicide pact.

It’s been said many times, by conservative legal scholars, that “The Constitution isn’t a suicide pact.”

It’s a well-known rule of law that you cannot use the law to destroy the law.

Democracy matters. Freedom of expression matters. The rule of law matters. Values matter. That’s what’s at stake.

Our ancestors already made the decision for us. The rule is NOT that we surrender all because a “rule” says so. That rule has been superseded in this case. The rules of the game have already been changed. We can save the Kobayashi Maru, and damn any six traitors on a compromised, discredited, corrupt court who say otherwise.

For me, I can take Senator Angus King’s words, spoken on January 31, 2024 in debate over supporting the Ukrainian battle for survival, as a lodestar, a guide for action:

“I want to stand on the side of resisting authoritarianism, on the side of democracy, on the side of the values that the country has stood for and that people have been fighting for, for 250 years.”

WE are the ultimate defenders of the Republic.

Donald Trump cannot be allowed back into power, regardless. Ever.

TCinLA

#THE KOBAYASHI MARU #TCinLA #democracy #star trek #rule of law #the new confederacy

16 notes · View notes

pixiedane · 9 months

Note

Hi!! I’m sure you’ve done one of your pairing things for Spock/Chapel, I was wondering if you could link it! <3

Hello! I actually have not yet, so here you go:

Let's assume everything that happens in SNW (including everything we have yet to see) and everything that happens in TOS happens exactly as we see it.

Post the five year mission (TOS), both Spock and Christine are overwhelmed with ~feelings~ (for each other and in general) and decide they need to Work On Themselves. Spock runs away to Vulcan to pursue Kohlinar and Christine runs away to Earth to pursue an MD. Christine succeeds but Spock does not. As much as Spock finds emotional entanglements extremely inconvenient and generally painful, he can't give them up. Despite all his attempts to convince his Vulcan mentors, and himself, otherwise: he loves Jim Kirk, he loves McCoy and Uhura, he loves his mother, and he loves Christine. He also genuinely cares about people, all people. So he fails to achieve Kohlinar and returns to the Enterprise and his friends, his loved ones.

Post his return to Starfleet (TMP), he starts teaching at the Academy and settles on Earth. Dr. Chapel now works at Starfleet Medical and thus they're in the same city and the same circles. One day they're both having lunch in the crowded Fleet cafeteria and end up sharing a table.

They catch up. Spock lists everything he's gone through in the last few years and slowly realizes Christine already knows. She laughs and says, Spock you're the most famous person in Starfleet and also Dr. McCoy loves to gossip. Spock finds that accurate and logical and they share a small smile. Christine launches into her own rundown but Spock indicates he already knows, too. He compliments her recent research paper. You read it? He says of course and that he knows all about the research trip it grew out of. She's flattered and blushing. He reminds her that Dr. McCoy loves to gossip and she laughs, of course, ha ha, but beneath the words she knows that Mccoy wouldn't 'gossip' to Spock about her unless it got an emotional response from him.

Their lunch is very pleasant but neither knows how to say so, or how to end it. Christine thinks she's too old to be so awkward and after all this time, and yet! Eventually Spock mentions a conference coming up, she confirms she's speaking at it and he says he looks forward to hearing her talk. They part ways.

Three-ish weeks later, she walks out on stage to give her seminar and Spock's in the front row with a handful of cadets he offered extra credit for attendance. The talk is well received, one of Spock's cadets asks a great question and afterwards Christine suggests she join her lab. Christine says she's going to hear a colleague and Spock asks if he may accompany her. She says of course and they end up spending the day together attending talks, speaking with student presenters, and having in depth conversations about the science over meals. Spock remembers Christine's favorite cocktail at the reception and they take public transportation back to San Francisco in order to elongate the evening.

This continues for approximately two years (the time between TMP and Wrath of Khan is up for debate but let's say it's TMP+a 5 year mission before Spock starts at the Academy so 2-3 years on Earth with Christine). They are close friends with deep feelings for each other. With their history and their age and their busy lives and all the complications of human vs Vulcan feelings and norms they don't (re)start any kind of traditional romance. They are comfortable and they are happy.

Then Spock hands Admiral Kirk the Enterprise to head out on an important classified mission that results in Spock's death. Christine is heartbroken. They were in such a good place. Their past didn't haunt them, their future was bright. She is So Angry — at Kirk because he's the reason Spock left and the reason it all happened, at Uhura because she's the one who told her, at McCoy because he wasn't the one to tell her, at Spock for being so perfectly good all the time. But mostly at herself for not telling Spock how important he was to her, for not keeping him with her or going with them, for not stopping it from happening. All her survivor's guilt comes back, and all her resentment that Spock can only ever be Spock. She loves him for it but it makes everything harder, always. Of course Spock sacrificed himself to save the crew, a crew of his friends and his students, how can she be angry at that?

Then she learns that Leonard McCoy has been admitted to Starfleet psychiatric. She goes to him immediately, uses her rank and connections to get in and give him her own assessment. She finds a man who is doubly familiar. He's McCoy one minute, begging her to get him out, and then he looks at her in a way that only one person ever looked at her and it shakes her to her core. Suddenly he's referencing conversations from twenty years ago, from before McCoy or Kirk were even on the Enterprise. It's terrible but also wonderful but so terrible. She promises to come back the next day and as soon as she leaves she puts in a call to the Vulcan embassy, to Ambassador Sarek. He's out, but she leaves a message and they set up a meeting for her.

The next day Kirk and friends break McCoy out and abscond with the Enterprise and she vows to give Kirk a piece of her mind the next time she sees him. She throws herself into work to avoid thinking about the fate of her friends and how she's been left behind again. It helps to imagine punching Jim in the face. She keeps her meeting with Sarek and is surprised to learn Spock told him about her. They get on quite well and he promises to tell her what he learns. She's the second person he calls after the successful reunification of Spock's body and katra, after only Amanda.

Sarek returns to Earth ahead of the crew in order to make the case for leniency. Christine greets him and offers to help in whatever way she can. They strategize for hours for days but just as things get started Earth is under attack. And just as things get dire, a Klingon bird of prey with two whales shows up to turn the tide (literally). Sarek and Christine's trial prep isn't needed because Jim Kirk and crew are the heroes we need always. She still wants to punch Jim, but hugs him instead.

Some weeks after The Incident With the Whales, Spock's door whooshes open to reveal Christine. Taylor Swift starts playing as he invites her in. She starts babbling immediately, says she's sorry to throw all her human emotions at him but losing him broke her, knowing he died alone, knowing they'd left so much unsaid for so long and if this is her chance to make it up to him she's going to take it. You are the love of my life, she says, but more than that you make my life better, you make me better, even when you're not in it. Spock is quiet, listening, watching. He reaches out, touches her cheek, brushes a tear falling down it, and she smiles into the touch, and murmurs thank you for listening and starts to turn away and leave. His hand drops from her cheek to her wrist and he says, Stay.

Christine becomes Spock's lighthouse. He goes where he's needed, he follows Jim Kirk to the ends of the galaxy and beyond, he brokers peace with the Federation's enemies (he tells Christine she doesn't have to come to dinner with the Klingons this time, but when they do actually come to an accord, she's proud of him), and then he comes back to her light. Eventually they get married. Christine thinks she's too old to be a bride, it's silly, old fashioned, and unnecessary, but Sarek convinces her to go along. The ceremony is on Vulcan and attended by their friends and former students, including Jack Crusher I, who brought his bff/bf Jean-Luc as his plus one.

Christine dies many years before Spock. The Vulcans say she doesn't have a katra, or at least not one that can be preserved the way a Vulcan's would, but Spock carries her with him. She's with him on Romulus. She's with him when he watches Vulcan explode in the past of a whole other universe. She's with him when he finds Jim Kirk again. She's with him when he helps rebuild his community. And she's with him when he dies and his katra is set free on New Vulcan.

Spock leaves his belongings to the younger Spock of his present universe. Along with photos of his crew, he leaves recordings of his memories. Spock keeps them safe and mostly secret (he tells Jim, Nyota, and Sarek) until his own old age and death. He bequeaths the recordings to Ensign Bradward Boimler with instructions to publish the other Spock's memoirs now that they can no longer interfere with the timeline. Boimler is extremely confused but Mariner talks him around by telling him Spock must know something they don't and also who turns down the assignment to write altenate universe history about someone as famous as SPOCK. Boimler rises to the occasion (Mariner helps) and the memoir is a success. Its dedication reads:

For Christine.

#response #pixie ships #spock x chapel #spock x christine #spapel #spock #christine chapel #christine chapel appreciation life #sarek #boimler #books that should exist #fics i should write

35 notes · View notes