#khan is trying his best

[hummingbird-of-light]

Against All Odds

Part 345

McCoy

McCoy dove into the water of the pool to start his warm-up laps. He knew Scotty’s eyes were on him and it made him smile under the water. Others were swimming their own warm-ups in the lanes on either side of him. The water was cool and he could feel his mind relaxing in the familiar strokes.

At least they’d had a moment to talk. McCoy took a breath on his other side and found Scotty on the benches. It was only a brief look before he turned his face back into the water. One more lap and then he could have another, more proper look. Their time at lunch had been short and McCoy still had some classwork to finish after dinner.

Scotty was sitting with Spock McCoy saw when he finished warming up and had hauled himself up on the pool’s edge. They were talking, but McCoy couldn’t tell what about. He wondered if Spock would tell Scotty if everything was back to normal with him and Jim.

“Mr. Kirk!” Archer called out a moment later as a splash of water hit McCoy in the chest. He looked over and saw Jim grinning at him, before he looked at Archer with his eyes down.

“Sorry sir.”

Archer nodded and began giving instructions. Jim looked at McCoy and grinned again. McCoy was halfway tempted to kick his foot and splash Jim back, but he refrained. The tournament would be in a month and Archer wanted them to get back in shape. Not everyone on the team had a pool at home to practice in.

McCoy was one of the last to leave the change room.

“Hey Jim!” he called before the other boy could leave.

“Yeah?” Jim asked as he walked over.

“Everything back to normal?” McCoy asked softly.

Jim stared at him for a second then nodded. “Yeah. Yeah it mostly is.”

“Umm,” McCoy looked down at his feet. “I’ve- I’ve got work to finish in the library after dinner, uhh, if you guys wanted—” McCoy looked up and saw the hint of color on Jim’s face. He knew his own face must look the same.

Jim cleared his throat. “Might take you up on that.” He turned to leave the change room. “Thanks.”

Dinner felt halfway normal as Jim and Spock sat next to each other again. Somehow it was Robbie who caught McCoy’s attention. The younger boy had an excited look in his eye and when McCoy thought about it, he had had the same look at breakfast and lunch.

“You look over the moon,” McCoy finally said to him. Robbie blushed as he looked at McCoy.

“Yeah,” Jim added. “What’s got you turning colors?” He smirked.

Robbie shook his head and shoved a bite of food in his mouth to avoid answering.

“Oh! You’re hiding something!” Jim exclaimed. “What is it?” he whispered loudly.

Robbie shook his head again and looked at his brother for help.

“Oh, let’s just say maybe he got a lovely bit of news,” Scotty said cryptically to Jim, as he bumped his knee against McCoy’s and emphasized the ‘love’ part of the word.

McCoy’s eyebrow lifted as he looked again at Robbie. The younger Scott nodded almost imperceptibly at McCoy. So Leah and Robbie had admitted their feelings. He hoped everything would work out.

“What’s that mean?” Jim said. “What news?”

Scotty shook his head this time. “That’s his business Jim.”

“So what happened with Robbie?” McCoy asked Scotty in the library after dinner. His mathematics book was spread open on the table in front of them.

“He told Leah he loves her,” Scotty whispered.

“She loves him too,” McCoy whispered back.

Scotty nodded. “She told him on a call last night after he said it. They’re probably already talking again,” he chuckled. “Guess it’s your room if you finish this work.” Scotty raised an eyebrow at him.

“I told Jim my room would be free for him and Spock,” McCoy said, frowning. “But I’ll tell Spock I’m claiming it from after class tomorrow until dinner and after that too.” McCoy found his grin again.

But Scotty frowned. “I’ve got Khan’s therapy session after class love.”

“Oh.” McCoy’s smile faded. “Right. I forgot about that.”

“We’ll get time mo ghràdh,” Scotty said, wrapping his fingers over McCoy’s hand and squeezing.

McCoy smiled again at Scotty, but it wasn’t as bright. Thursday would be swim practice again and it wouldn’t be until Friday after class they could spend a whole afternoon and evening together. He let out a sigh.

Scotty had promised Khan he would go to a session with him way back in the summer, but McCoy could still wish it hadn’t been scheduled for their first week back.

“I know we will,” McCoy finally said. “I just miss when we had all the time and no worries.”

“I know love,” Scotty leaned into him. “Me too.”

“Alright, let’s get this math done, then at least we can have a few minutes.”

“Every answer you get right, I’ll give ye a kiss,” Scotty whispered in his ear.

McCoy chuckled. “That’s one way to motivate someone.”

Part 346

Scotty

“Would you like a glass of water or a cup of tea?”

Scotty looked up at Dr. Marianne Hudson, the school’s psychologist, who had offered him to take a seat on the small couch in her office.

“Uhm, aye, water please.”

The psychologist walked over to a small cupboard and got out two glasses and a bottle of water while Scotty took in his surroundings. The office was not nearly as big as Pike’s, but it was very comfortable and inviting. The Scotsman liked the wooden furniture and the warmth the room illuminated.

Khan wasn’t there yet. Scotty had been a wee bit early for the appointment. If he had known he still had time, he could have met up with Leonard. But that chance was gone now. However, Scotty was looking forward to seeing his boyfriend after dinner.

Dr. Hudson sat down in an armchair across from Scotty and placed the glass of water in front of him. The other glass was set down next to it. Probably for Khan.

“Thanks.”

There was a friendly smile on Dr. Hudson’s face as she nodded.

“So you are Montgomery - may I call you by that name?”

Scotty nodded. He even preferred it.

Before Dr. Hudson got the chance to ask anything else, there was a knock on the door and when the psychologist asked the person to come in, the opening door revealed a panting Khan.

“I’m sorry I’m late. I got held up by Mr. Archer.”

Dr. Hudson looked at the clock and shook her head.

“It’s fine Khan. You’re just a few minutes late.”

Khan nodded and moved over to where Scotty and Dr. Hudson were sitting.

“May I?” He indicated to the seat next to Scotty and the boy nodded his head and moved a bit. He didn’t want to sit too close to Khan.

The augment sat down and looked at Scotty.

“Thank you. Thank you for coming.”

The Scotsman shrugged.

“No problem. I… I want to help.”

Dr. Hudson looked at both of the boys.

“That is very honorable of you, Montgomery. Khan told me a lot of things that happened between you two and I see that it must be hard to forgive.”

Scotty glanced at the psychologist and nodded slowly.

“Aye, but… my parents always told me to give people a second chance. And I follow that code.”

Dr. Hudson nodded.

“Is that what you think too? Or are you just doing it because your parents expect it of you?”

The question caught Scotty off guard. He had never thought about it that way.

“N…no. It’s what I believe. Of course I grew up with it but it was my decision to follow it.”

The psychologist looked pleased by that answer.

“Montgomery, do you know why I wanted Khan to ask you to join us for a session?”

Scotty looked from Khan back to Dr. Hudson.

“Because… I was most inflicted by Khan’s behavior?”

The woman nodded.

“Khan told me that he feels most guilty towards you. He knows that he has treated others badly too, especially Jim Kirk, but… he still sees you as the biggest victim of his actions.”

Dr. Hudson’s eyes moved over to Khan.

“But… you still haven’t been able to tell me why.”

Scotty blinked in surprise. That was the reason? He was here because Khan hadn’t been able to tell something and Dr. Hudson was hoping that he could when Scotty was with them?

Khan nodded slowly.

“It… is the worst thing I have done,” he said quietly, almost whispering.

“Montgomery, if you look back on all the things that happened between the two of you, can you imagine what this thing could be?”

Scotty didn’t have to think too long about it. To him one incident had been the worst thing.

His hand moved up to softly touch the skin on his throat. He was back inside that darkened room where Khan had threatened him all these months ago.

“I…”

Could he really tell Dr. Hudson about it? Scotty glanced at Khan who nodded slowly.

“Back then, I found out about… the drugs. I was the one who told Mr. Pike about it. But… Khan tried to stop me before that.”

Scotty noticed Khan tense next to him.

“How?” Dr. Hudson asked. She was taking notes on a PADD.

“He… dragged me into a room and… and grabbed my throat…”

A big lump formed in named throat and Scotty had to swallow.

“First Khan threatened to… to hurt my boyfriend. And then…”

Scotty closed his eyes as tears started swelling. The memory was still horrible to him.

“I said that… I’d kill his brother.”

Scotty opened his eyes in surprise when he heard Khan’s voice next to him. He… had really admitted the truth.

Dr. Hudson looked at her patient, but didn’t say anything.

“I… I was just so focused on myself. I didn’t see what my behavior was doing to Scotty.”

Tears streamed down Khan’s face and he didn’t even try to hold them back.

“I am so sorry. I don’t understand why I did it. I… I was so wrong.”

Scotty swallowed. Never before had he seen Khan so… weak and broken.

“If you were in the same situation today… how would you react?”

Khan looked at Dr. Hudson before his eyes moved over to Scotty.

“I… would talk to you. I would never dare to touch you or… or threaten someone close to you. I… was created to help humanity and not to hurt them.”

Scotty didn’t know what to say. He opened his mouth but no words came out.

All the emotions he had felt some months ago came back upon him.

The fear, the worry, the anger.

Tears slowly streamed down his face.

“I’m sorry, Scotty. I’m so sorry for what I did to you,” Khan breathed and stretched out his hand.

Scotty eyed it for a long time and eventually took it.

“I’ll never do it again. I swear I’m never going to hurt you again.”

Scotty couldn’t do anything but nod. He had no words.

“Thank you, Montgomery. Thank you for joining us. Now that I know what happened, I think that we can move on far better in therapy.”

Scotty glanced at Dr. Hudson who had put her PADD aside and was now looking at the boys.

Probably the therapy had stagnated for some time since Khan hadn’t been able to talk about that incident.

“Thank you,” Khan also said and Scotty nodded.

“I… I’m glad I could help,” he said through his tears before he wiped them away.

“Well… I think I should let you boys go now. This has all been a lot.”

But Khan shook his head.

“I… I want to end the session. I want to make progress.”

So he did. And Scotty stayed with them. He wanted to see just what was going on in Khan’s mind. Maybe that way he could help him.

#star trek #montgomery scott #leonard mccoy #scones #au #against all odds #khan is trying his best

[babygirl-but-a-boy]

I fully believe that Ghostmaker (Minhkhoa "Khoa" Khan) knows that Bruce has kids, but doesn't know many details beyond that. Bruce was going to correct him but-

Khoa: Bruce, you have like 20 kids! How am I supposed to know everything about them! Only 2 of them are yours biologically!

Bruce: You've been hanging around Gotham for months now you should- wait, you said two of them are mine biologically?

Khoa: Yes... why is it three?

Bruce: Uh... it's not three. Wich two do you think it is?

#khoa: the girl right? and the boy you gave the company to? #tim and alexandra? #Bruce: So close #Damian is Screaming #bruce wayne #Bruce Wayne #ghostmaker #ghostbat #minhkhoa khan #damian wayne #tim drake #cassandra cain #step parent #hes trying his best #Bruce is a menace #and so are his kids #batfamily #batfamily imagine #the waynes #dc comics #dc universe

[stil-lindigo]

You'r eunder no obligation to reply but I'd like to ask, how do you keep your head up these days considering the genocide? It's been nearly five months now, my entire family is giving up the stirke and falling into propoganda, and every time i think "surely this is the end, no way the us will keep supporting this, israel is on limited time" i keep seeing no end in my twitter feed to the countless losses, i keep seeing gore and childrens butchered on my tiktok. i dont wanna lose hope or faith but ive started feeling so depressed these days that i dont even wanna open my social media because i know what ill see. it might sound selfish but i hope i can open up my tiktok and see silly little people doing trends again instead of seeing one between 6 posts asking to use filters so that they can donate and detailing the necessities that israel banned from palestine and it just feels so soul crushing and hopeless. it makes me feel worse because if im tired of it then how do palestanians cope being in it? if you have any tips or good news id be grateful

hi anon. A lot of what Palestinians report first-hand is graphic, and horrifying, and would contribute to that soul-crushing feeling. But they are so tenacious, they have so much love for their people, their country. Often, Bisan or Motaz or Plestia when she was still in Gaza will share little slices of joy from displaced Palestinians. It reinvigorates me, and I'll often return to watch them when things seem dire.

A baby in Gaza, blessedly unaware of the horrors. Look at that smile!

A Palestinian mother makes donuts for her children, and offers Bisan one as she prepares for an interview. She (the mother) talks about how she makes treats like this to try to cheer up her children, how she keeps herself busy like this so she can't feel the grief of the situation. It is expensive to buy firewood these days, and flour. At her side, her children chip away at a block of wood to help her.

if you'd like to support people like this family, donate to CareforGaza, which directly distributes supplies and money to families in need. They have stopped donations to their Gofundme campaign due to overwhelming support, but you can still donate via the paypal link in their bio.

Young Palestinians parkour in the ruins of Gaza, to show that Israeli bombing will not kill their spirits.

Mo, a Palestinian man, buys cat food after searching for two days straight, and feeds the stray cats in Gaza.

Palestinian children at a refugee camp filming a cute video.

Although they've lost their home, a Palestinian family gather to celebrate their youngest child's birthday, complete with a small cake and a birthday hat.

Bisan makes bread in Khan Younis.

Palestinians celebrate the birthday of an injured girl in hospital, with a small cake. One of them has dressed up as a clown.

After losing 22 members of his family and being injured in a bombardment, a Palestinian man named Mohammed Al Ghandour marries his fiance in a tent.

A Palestinian journalist plays with a baby who survived an airstrike.

@/nisreendiary on TikTok documents the process of making fresh bread in a tent in a calming video.

I got most of these off twitter, from this thread. Twitter is a hellscape at the best of times, but the easy communication it provides is a blessing. I'll try to share more of the good news here, as they pop up. In the future, I recommend you follow Eye on Palestine, or Al Jazeera if you'd like to stay informed on the situation in Gaza with minimal scrolling.

#keep your head up anon #theres no losing hope when palestinians find time and space in hell to feel joy #palestine #free palestine #free gaza #free west bank #palestine support

[foone]

BTW as a trekkie the funniest thing you can do is find someone who isn't and try to explain Spock's Brain to them.

"so trek got canceled after two seasons, but fans launched a massive letter-writing campaign and got it renewed. First time that'd happened in the history of TV, I believe. They came back with an episode called Spock's Brain."

"interesting. So what's the plot?"

"aliens steal Spock's Brain"

"what. And what else?"

"no that's pretty much it. His brain gets stoled. They have to go find it."

"huh. Why do the aliens steal it?"

"they need a computer to run their society."

"and they decide to use Spock's Brain?"

"yep! So the Enterprise crew rigs up a remote control device for Spock's body so they can drive it around like a toy car, and go looking for his brain."

"wait. They don't leave it behind in, like, medical stasis?"

"nah they're worried they won't be able to get the brain back to his body in time. So they bring it along. As a remote controlled body. They've got a little remote with like 5 buttons. Walk forward, turn left, turn right, Kung-fu attack, and so on"

"attack?"

"yeah they have to fight off the aliens at one point. With Spock's body."

"huh."

"the best part? The ultimate moral of the episode seems to be against gender segregation"

"WHAT"

"yeah see the aliens who stole Spock's Brain are a bunch of cavemen living on the nuclear-winter surface and a bunch of women living below ground, with PAIN RAYS. the women steal Spock's Brain to run their society, because they're not smart enough to run their machines."

"that seems... Sexist?"

"yeah a bit. So at the end when they get Spock's Brain back, they solve the society's problems by convincing them to reintegrate the sexes and work together on solving their problems. Also Kirk says something like 'in time you'll learn that women can provide not only pain, but pleasure!' to the cave men"

"... Do the women have pleasure rays too?"

"no. He's not talking about that. Anyway this is all skipping over the fact that when they meet up with the alien woman they saw steal Spock's Brain, she doesn't know how to put it back in. Or take it out. She doesn't know what a brain is."

"what"

"yeah she was sent on this mission by the old computer that was failing, and it used a Teacher Machine to temporarily give her SUPER SURGERY skills to get the brain out."

"so she went from not knowing what a brain is to being able to do neurosurgery?"

"yeah. And here's the thing: McCoy can't put the brain back in either. It's too compilated for him."

"so they went searching for Spock's Brain, knowing that they had no way to put it back in?!"

"exactly! So McCoy gets taught how to do Super Brain Surgery by the Teacher Machine, and he starts putting Spock's Brain back in his body, but the skills wear off before he can finish"

"they wear off?"

"yeah you only get them for a few hours. So he has the brilliant idea of hooking up Spock's vocal cords so that Spock can walk him through hooking up the rest of his brain."

"there are so many reasons why that doesn't make sense"

"YEP! THAT'S SPOCK'S BRAIN!"

"so this was a guest writer who never worked before or again, right?"

"no, it was Gene Coon. He wrote like 15 episodes, most of them pretty good, and went on to do some other scifi films. He's the guy who created Khan."

"why do you like Star Trek again?"

#Star Trek

[ktempestbradford]

A Story for Star Trek Day

I've told this story on Twitter before. I tell it every Star Trek Day and whenever a Deep Space 9 anniversary rolls around. It's about me and Avery Brooks (aka Best ST Captain Benjamin Sisko).

The college my mother went to specifically started recruiting top Black students in the 60s. Due to this, the Black kids all mostly knew each other as they were in that same program. Avery Brooks went to the same college and they were good friends.

(She once told me he had a huge crush on her and I was like MOM. MOTHER. WHAT. HOW COULD YOU HE COULD HAVE BEEN MY DAD.)

Anyway, many of the students in this program remained friends long after college. So over the years as Avery was getting TV gigs & such we would all watch cuz he was my mom's friend & I thought that was the coolest. There was one particularly fun night when my best friend's uncle, Frankie Faison, guest starred on A Man Called Hawk. TWO people we know on TV!

When I was in middle school Avery was touring his production of "Paul Robeson" and it came through our town, so I got to see him perform in person (awesooooome) and meet him for the first time since I was a baby (which I did not remember, of course).

Now, backing up a little bit: I am a Star Trek fan because of my mom. She loved the original series and I remember being a wee Tempest in front of the TV watching The Wrath of Khan and us excitedly going to see Star Trek IV together.

I watched TNG from the instant it appeared on TV because of her. I watched all of The Animated Series even though everyone looked "wrong". (Man... it took me 4 months to realize that dude in the red shirt was Scotty cuz I'd only ever seen movie Scotty.)

Then... they announced Deep Space 9.

We heard Avery Brooks would be the commander and there was MUCH rejoicing around our house. DS9 turned out to be the best Trek ever and, of course, Avery was awesome. This was around the time my mom dropped that "he had a crush on me but I wasn't interested" bombshell.

I'm still bitter.

I mean, I love my dad he's great. But SISKO COULD HAVE BEEN MY DAD.

I lost my mom in 1999. She was--and I'm not exaggerating--an extraordinary woman and beloved by many. I received so many beautiful messages of condolence from her friends all the way back to those college years, including Avery. So many people remembered her fondly. <3

I kept watching Star Trek and often talked to her as if she was there during episodes. She would have LOVED Discovery. Especially since she took me to RENT the year I started college. I'm sure she would have shared my opinion of Enterprise as well. But she loved her some Scott Bakula, so she would have watched, anyway.

I got the chance to interview Avery Brooks at DragonCon back in 2013 (jeez, it's been almost 10 years omg). Before the interview, I went up to him on the Walk of Fame and I said:

Hi, I'm (name K stands for) Bradford, I don't know if you remember me...

And he looked up and said: Of course I remember you.

We talked for a bit and I asked if I could come back and interview him later and he said yes (he wasn't supposed to; his handler had A LOOK). I didn't want to hold up his line, so I said I'd see him later.

Before I could go, he reached out for my hand and squeezed it before saying: I loved your mama, you know.

And we just stayed like that for a few seconds, missing her together.

...I might have been trying very hard not to burst into tears.

That DragonCon was the last time I saw Avery. Barring an extraordinary circumstance, that's probably the last time I'll see him in person. I'm glad we got to have that moment together. And we had a great conversation!

His contribution to Trek has meant so much to me. SISKO4EVA

And I'm glad that it's another tie between me, my mom, and Trek. I can't watch DS9 without hearing her voice giving color commentary. Even the episodes she didn't live to see.

I think Star Trek is part of what gave her hope for the future. She passed that on to me. ❤️🖖🏾❤️

Happy Star Trek Day to all who celebrate.

#Star Trek Day #Sisko #Deep Space 9 #DS9 #Star Trek

[kkolg]

High school AU

A murder drones au I made for the sole purpose of giving myself tons of fluff.

so summary: essentially after ‘Heartbeat’, N and Uzi don’t split up in the end and after recovering from the shock N suggests to Uzi to take him to school with her- so she begrudgingly agrees. V is also here too, although heavily monitored, and usually chills in Uzi’s place instead of going with them quote ‘It’s stupid’. Basically a lot of shenanigans ensue. We still got the casual school bullies, homework, tests, etc…although Uzi now has a big murder machine with her😈. We also got the golden retriever boy and goth emo girl in love (but they don’t know that), tons of fluff cause fuck you I do what I want. N and V sleep in there own respective small rooms next to the main house cause I love making stuff up for plot convenience. Khan is here too, although still not a great dad- YET, he’s trying his best ok. There’s definitely tension between the two considering what he did to Uzi and N is also pretty awkward with him because well- he literally tried to kill both him and his daughter erm BUT HE SAVED HER TOO SO IT CANCELS OUT. There’s some character growth mostly between N and Khan due to Uzi still being very closed off from him, for good reason-

anyways yeah that’s it, if you wanna ask questions about it feel free to, probably won’t post about it myself much but yeah this is literally just for personal joy. Might expand on it a little more later on but yeah

#murder drones #murder drones au #md highschool au #k’s rants #nuzi #kk’s art #biscuit bites #n x uzi #art #digital artist #digital #digital drawing #digital painting #digital art

[hana-no-seiiki]

REPLACED.

YANDERE! ROCKSTAR (FEROZE KHAN) x GN! MANAGER / PA ! READER x YANDERE! POP IDOL (JISOO HAN [EVE] )

FEROZE BELONGS TO MANAGER READER AND @moyazaika !! Just wanted to make a lil gift for my lovely moot 💋

[ Part 2 : REHEARSAL ]

You were absolutely terrified.

Lord knows how you were able to get the Feroze Khan to agree with collaborating, with a “goody two shoes” pop idol who flirted to hell and back with you, no less. But you just knew someone was going to get hurt by the end of this.

Eve used to be your client before you were dumped into the depths of hell. Aside from the flirtations and clinginess, he was a dream to work with as a manager. He never got into scandals, and he worked day and night to be the best in his craft. You never had to worry when it came to his career. You however, took that for granted and left him the moment you got a better deal. Getting to work with a junior idol vs a seasoned rockstar, the choice was obvious was it not?

Nope.

Eve making tons of songs about heartbreak only poured salt into the wound. You saw him as your little brother almost, it was hard seeing him grieve for your presence. You felt heartless. Guilt ate you up from the inside out. You were lucky he didn’t try contacting you after it all.

Until now.

heeeyyy there! beena while. you workin with Feroze at the moment right???

You squinted at the DM you received. As a manager you were used to dealing with all sorts of texts. Thirsty ones, death threats, collaboration requests. But none of them made your heart beat this quickly. Was it out of excitement, nervousness, or terror? You didn’t know.

I am.

short and straight to the point as always!! i’ve always loved that about you

∧,,,∧

(  ̳• · • ̳)

/    づ♡

take my love, wontchu?

You covered your mouth and squealed.

“The fuck?” Feroze looked up from his guitar at the noise you made. He had to admit it was cute but it did ruin a recording of his.

“Sorry, I’ll go outside.”

“No, stay. I need you here.”

You simply nodded, already used to his obsession with you at this point.

annyyyywaysss i just wanted to ask if you could secure a collab with me n mr. khan?

been tryin to get ahold of him but all i got back was radio silence 🥶

but i know if it’s you, the bestest manager ever, i’ll be able to collab with the bestest rockstar in the world!!

i’ll be a good boy i promise!! pretty please with a cherry and me on top?

Somehow you doubted that. But as your own self appointed protocol states, you must report the matter to your client.

“Feroze, you’ve got another collab request.”

“Was it the person that got you squealing?”

Oh no, you did not like his tone. Jealous Feroze was a monster to deal with. “. . . Yes ? “

“Go for it.”

“What? D-don’t you want to hear about their music style and what not before you—“

“I just have one condition. They have to come to me.”

And, you were doomed.

“Right. I’ll schedule a meeting.”

You stand corrected. They got along well. A bit too well for your liking. You didn’t have to stand awkwardly there while Feroze glared (as he usually does) at his collaborator. In fact they were even conversating! And it wasn’t small talk…

“Mr. Khan! You’re even dreamier up close.”

Your employer even seemed to be amused by Eve’s personality. “I could say the same for you, Eve right? Like the biblical Eve? And please, call me Feroze.”

“Yeah! They thought it’d be a nice call back to my more . . . type of music.“

“Type of music you say. . .”

“You thinking what I’m thinking?”

“Oh, you bet I am.”

Why do you have a feeling you were being replaced?

YOU RECEIVED A SPECIAL POSTER!

Check it out?

[ ✅ YES ]

[ PART 2: REHEARSAL ]

tempted to make a bl/mlm spin off of these two fr fr

©️ hana.no.seiiki - yun | moyazaika | 2023

#hns.art🎨 #hns.eve #yandere #yandere x reader #yandere imagine #yandere oc #yandere fic #yandere oc x reader #oc #art #my art #fic #fiction #yandere fiction #yandere scenario #yandere short fic #yandere original character #yandere x you #yandere imagines #yandere oc x you #yandere ocs #yandere singer #yandere idol #yan #yandere original character x reader #male yandere #male yandere x reader #yandere x gender neutral reader #gn reader #yandere x gn reader

[ms--lobotomy]

PRIMARCHS AND PRAISE KINKS

I had an ask, but it got deleted because this site sucks. Sorry anon. NSFW under the cut.

LION EL'JONSON- Words do nothing for him. Tie him up. Restrain him. Run your hands along him, stopping before you reach his nether regions. Watch him say nothing, but meet your eyes. Pleading with you to touch it. Graze it. You tell him to touch it himself, running your hand up him again before caving and touching it yourself. "Good boy," you said, even though words did nothing for him.

???- Could a concept have a praise kink?

FULGRIM- Doesn't need to be praised. He knows he's not just the highlight of the occasion, he is the occasion. Will always welcome more praise, though. Tell him how well he's taking it. He loves getting pegged, he loves showing himself off to you and letting you rearrange him. He was perfect, and he knew it.

PERTURABO- Did you even need to ask, lmao. He wants to know how good of a job he's doing, he craves validation like nobody else. He needs to know that you're having as good of a time as he is, if not better. Go on. Tell him how good of a job he's doing. Tell him how perfect he looks, spread out underneath you. Watch him tremble, shrivel, melt under your touch. There's a look in his eyes that tells you he wants, needs more. And you're happy to give it to him.

JAGHATAI KHAN- Normally ends up on top even if you're the dominant partner, because you simply can't go as fast as he does. Whew. Breathlessly, you tell him how well he's doing, and he responds by going even faster. Your hands are intertwined with his, and you can barely get any more words out.

LEMAN RUSS- He's more of an exhibitionist, but that paired with a praise kink? Wow. Tell him how well he's doing in front of all of the Space Wolves. All eyes are on you, darling. He's howling, but in between yowls you're able to get in some praise. Oh, look at how well he's giving it out!

ROGAL DORN- This man is a brick wall, but when he finally lets loose... oh boy. Tell him that it's okay, that he can let loose. For you. He grunts as his tongue moves faster and you tell him how well he's doing, how hard he's going. Wrap your legs around his head. Maybe pull his hair while you're at it.

KONRAD CURZE- Underneath you lies a man so broken that he can barely register your praise. But you try. On the Emperor, do you try. When he puts a curious finger in you, it hurts, but you hide it the best that you can. "Good boy," you manage to croak out, and the man underneath you softens.

SANGUINIUS- He can understand you for the first few minutes. His wings twitch, there's a feral look in his eyes, and you can see his fangs inside his slightly opened mouth. He's far too big to go between your legs, so he's got two fingers going in and out. He's focused on you, on your pleasure. He's got one hand holding you close to him, one going in and out. You're melting in his arms.

FERRUS MANUS- He's not much into words, but he'll indulge you. He'll chuckle as you say that he's doing a good job. "Thank you," he'll say awkwardly. You eventually decide that words aren't for the two of you, and instead decide on sensory play.

???- Praiser? Hardly know 'er! *slips on a banana peel*

ANGRON- Let's be honest, Angron's never going to properly reconcile himself with a praise kink no matter how well you say he's doing. He wants to please you, to meet your advances with something reciprocal, but the nails get in the way. Every time he processes praise, the nails submerge him in abject pain.

ROBOUTE GUILLIMAN- Roboute's a little funny about praise, mainly because he doesn't think that he deserves it. So lay it on thick. Watch as his face goes bright red and he tries to hide it from you. You turn his face back to meet yours, and he's an absolute wreck. Tell him that he has to face it, that he's doing quite well despite everything. Watch him slowly accept himself.

MORTARION- This man is an absolute mess. He folds under the lightest praise, even if it isn't sexual. And now that he's underneath you, coming undone at the slightest upturn of your lips. And when those words finally leave your mouth, when it's aired out in the open how well he's doing, the Pale King unraveled.

MAGNUS THE RED- He's definitely pulling some warp bullshit while you're going at it, but you feel it falter with your words. You smirk at him and repeat your words. The warp shenanigans are still going, but they're much weaker. You put a hand in his hair and stroke his head. He may have found something out about himself that he didn't know.

HORUS LUPERCAL- Do you really want to inflate his ego? You do? Okay... he doesn't need to know that he's doing well from your words. Your stutters, your moans are far more than enough to let him know he's doing well. He asks if you want more, if you need anything else. You tell him what you need, and he's more than happy to satisfy you.

LORGAR- He'll be the one praising you, darling. Even if you're the dominant one in the relationship, you'll never get away from the sound of the one who loves you. Reveres you. Worships you. He'll tell you how well you're taking it, or giving it out, whether you like it or not. Best to try to slip it in between his words.

VULKAN- He may seem bright and bubbly on the outside, but Vulkan needs to be told that he's doing well sometimes. That's where you come in. He's close to tears once you start to do this with him, and you're nowhere near stopping. When you're done, he wraps you in the biggest bear hug of the millennium. Well done, darling!

CORVUS CORAX- Corvus isn't the best at communicating what he likes, so you have to guess what he likes most of the time. When you start to praise him this time around, you notice something in his eyes that wasn't there before. You grin, and lay it on thicker. He can't bring himself to look at you, but you can tell he is enjoying it.

ALPHARIUS- It's hard to tell with him. He doesn't make as pronounced of facial expressions as the others. He's so used to espionage and subterfuge that it's hard for him to process genuine praise. But once you get going, you can see him start to crack a small smile. You win.

#hope you like domming LMAO #perturabo #roboute guilliman #sanguinius #leman russ #lion el'jonson #corvus corax #magnus the red #horus lupercal #fulgrim #rogal dorn #ferrus manus #alpharius #konrad curze #angron #jaghatai khan #mortarion #vulkan #lorgar #warhammer 40k x reader #warhammer x reader #primarch x reader #reader insert #warhammer lobotomy

[justdiptych]

The original Fallout had one group of raiders. That was the name the game map gave to them - 'Raiders' - but they were in fact known as the Khans. They were a relatively minor faction, being tied to quests in the first town the player is likely to visit, but we learn a lot about them in their brief appearance.

Many of the Khans are given names and dialogue, and will tell the player about their history - including how they came from the same place as the people of Shady Sands, Vault 15, and feel entitled to share in the town's wealth. Some see their raiding life as a way to claim control of the post-war world - ruling through strength and fear, believing that old ideas of morality died with the rest of the world. Others treat it as just another job - they support their group by trading, maintaining equipment, preparing food, and other everyday tasks.

In short, the Khans are a fully-realised community, as much a part of the story as any other. We learn that their brutal leader, Garl Death-Hand, took command after killing his abusive father. The player can kill him, or negotiate with him, or impress him with acts of cruelty, or even challenge his nihilistic views by convincing him that they're his father, back from the dead. Killing Garl and destroying his compound is treated as the best choice for the region as a whole, and is confirmed to have happened in the next game in the series, but it's certainly not the only option.

Fallout 2 has two groups of raiders. One - again marked 'Raiders' on the map - turn out not to be raiders at all, in that they're not attacking towns to steal their wealth. Instead, they're a mercenary company, hired by a disreputable businessman from one town (New Reno) on behalf of another town (Shady Sands again, now the capital of the New California Republic) to harass a third town (Vault City) to convince them that they need outside help in maintaining their defences. It's part of the game's major subplot about the three societies competing for control of northern California and western Nevada.

The other group are the New Khans, founded by Garl's son Darion after the original Khans' defeat. These Khans aren't nearly so fearsome as their predecessors - they mostly operate in secret, hiding behind a group of squatters who have moved into the ruins of Vault 15 and pretending to help them restore it for use. Darion is wracked with resentment over what happened to his father's crew and guilt for having survived, and his gang ultimately present little real threat to the outside world.

What I'm getting at here is that, in the world of Fallout as it existed in those early games, 'raiders' were not a major factor. There was one group who conducted raids as part of their regular economic activity, but only against particular communities - Shady Sands saw them as raiders, but to the Hub, they were just traders. Raiders only existed in a particular context - they had particular interests, beliefs and opportunities that would not always be possible or applicable.

Most of the games' conflict came not from the existence of raiders but from bilateral political and economic competition between groups with overlapping but not identical interests, which was reflected in their respective ideologies. We see this in Killian and Gizmo fighting to control the future of Junktown, and in the Master's attempt to reshape the world with the Unity while the different groups of New California try to retain their independence.

We particularly see it in Fallout 2, with its three-way battle for economic domination between the constitutional democracy of the New California Republic, the mafia-ruled narco-state of New Reno, and the elitist technocratic slave state of Vault City. Which of these groups continue to rule and expand, and which crumble, is what ultimately shapes the region's future - with control of Redding and its gold supply as the linchpin.

While the Enclave are the story's primary antagonists, they're chiefly characterised by their refusal to engage with this new socio-economic order - they believe that all outside authorities are illegitimate, and all outsiders non-human, and their only plan is to release a bioweapon into the atmosphere and kill literally everyone on Earth but themselves. The Enclave's defeat is necessary for New California's survival, but, otherwise, they change very little about how people live their lives. They're like Darion's New Khans on a larger scale - relics of a fallen order, robbed of their purpose, hiding in an old bunker and driven by nothing but resentment of having been left behind.

I might, in future, talk about the contrasting depiction of raiders in Fallouts 3, 4 and 76, and about New Vegas's use of raider and bandit groups like the Khans, the Legion, the Fiends and the White Legs. For now, I think I've made my point - that raiders are not a fact of life but a product of a particular place and time, and much less relevant to the universe of Fallout than other forms of competition and violence.

#fallout #fallout 2 #vidyo games #fallout: a post nuclear role playing game

[bluescarabguy]

Been rewatching a whole YouTube playlist about DOOM, and it's got me thinking about Doomguy as a hero

Because despite being the executor of possibly the most brutal violence and carnage ever put on a TV screen...Doomguy's force is never directed at a fellow human being. People have described the Slayer's one and only goal, his purpose, as "to exterminate each and every demon in existence", but I think I'd view it more as "his purpose is to protect innocent lives, period".

Still probably the greatest piece of characterization in these games is the very beginning of DOOM 2016, the leadup to the title screen. Doomguy enters that elevator from the intro facility to the start of the game proper, and Hayden starts telling us about how "oh, they only had the best of intentions when they started mining Hell for energy. Sure, it's all gone bad now, but it was worth the risk, I assure you!". As Samuel tries to convince us that this was all for the greater good, he only had people's best interests at heart, Doomguy simply looks at the corpse of a security guard on the floor of the elevator (who definitely didn't sign up to the possibility of being disemboweled by hellspawn), looks up and is visibly shaking with fury as he presses his fists together, and then smashes the speaker Hayden's talking through, transitioning us to the game's title card.

Absolutely perfection. Tells you everything you need to know about Doomguy's motivations and resolve without a single word. Though if he had said anything, it'd probably just be quoting Ripley from Aliens: "Bad call? THESE PEOPLE ARE DEAD! Do you realize what you've done here?".

Everyone in these games is constantly trying to tell Doomguy that sacrifices have to be made for the greater good, and he utterly refuses to entertain that notion when human lives are concerned. Not to mention that, while the games play with the metatextual conceit that Doomguy doesn't give a shit about the lore or narrative or bigger picture, he's just there to slaughter evil (the same way most Doom players and indeed Doom co-creator John Carmack view story as merely window dressing for gameplay)...if you headcanon that Doomguy actually IS reading all the logs and lore that he's picking up as collectibles, you know he's aware that all of the higher-up decision makers at the UAC are straight-up demon worshippers attempting to bring about the apocalypse, and thus nothing they say can be trusted.

As far as Doomguy is concerned, there's no compromise when it comes to innocent lives. If one innocent person has to die in order to uphold the established system, the system is to be violent ripped down and smashed into the dirt, never to be rebuilt. That's how he feels about Hayden's UAC, that's how he feels about Khan Maykr's plans in Eternal. That's WHY his fight is eternal, because he'll fight anyone, even those he once fought alongside, if they choose to say, to end this post on a joke, "some of you may die, but that is a risk I'm willing to take".

#doom #doomguy #doomslayer #lore

[hummingbird-of-light]

Against All Odds

Part 11

McCoy

McCoy had lots of fun following Scotty around the school. He was glad the other boy had agreed. He had seemed hesitant to tell McCoy he wasn’t from a rich family, but McCoy didn’t care. People were people and all deserved respect. That was one of the greatest lessons his parents had instilled in him. A rich man could have a cruel heart and a poor man might give all he had. Rich did not mean kind.

And if the other students wanted to gossip about him, that was on them. He was used to ignoring the stories that were told about himself. That was one of he and Leah’s favorite things to do, look through the tabloids for all the worst stories about themselves and make fun of each other.

McCoy couldn’t help but laugh to himself as Scotty challenged him to lead them back to the dining hall. He liked this boy. He was treating him like another student, not a prince.

“Any rules in the dining hall I should know?” he asked as they walked.

“Well, we have to wait until Mr. Archer comes in before we may sit or eat. Other than that, just normal table rules.”

“Normal,” McCoy chuckled.

More students were filling the halls as they walked, all headed the same way as them. That made Scotty’s challenge less challenging as McCoy simply had to follow the other students. He kept that thought to himself though.

McCoy could feel the looks from the other students. Of course he would be a curiosity for a while. He sighed. He hoped the novelty would wear off soon.

“Where did ye go to school before?” Scotty asked.

“I had a private tutor,” McCoy answered. “Dr. Boyce. He’s great.”

They entered the dining hall now. McCoy looked around at the couple long tables.

“Where do we sit?” he asked Scotty.

“Where you want,” Scotty said.

McCoy looked over at Scotty. There was something in the way he answered the question.

“Where do you like to sit?”

Before Scotty could answer a man’s voice greeted him.

“Your highness, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

He sensed Scotty stiffen as they turned around to face the speaker.

“Thank you,” McCoy said politely.

“I am Mr. Archer, head of the house.” The man looked over. “Mr. Scott.”

McCoy saw Scotty nod from the corner of his eye.

“Your highness, if you’d follow me, we have a seat set aside for you at the top of the table.”

“Oh. Oh well thank you sir,” McCoy replied.

“This way,” Archer gestured and began to lead.

“Are you coming?” he asked Scotty quietly.

“Nae. I’ll see you later.”

He frowned as he turned to follow Archer. Why didn’t Scotty want to follow? At the seat Archer showed he discovered Spock already sitting.

“Hello sir, I trust your afternoon was pleasant,” said Spock as McCoy sat.

“It was fine Spock.”

He glanced around. Scotty had sat at the far end of the table with a blond boy and a boy who could be Scotty’s twin almost, save for their different hair shades.

“Your highness, it’s a great pleasure to meet you.” McCoy turned back to see where the smooth voice had come from.

Part 12

Scotty

His heart ached when Archer asked Leonard to follow him. He should have known that the prince would sit at the head of the table, but it still felt horrible to see him there.

“Was that the prince ye were walking around with?” Robbie hissed at him but before Scotty could answer, Archer’s voice echoed through the hall.

“Stand up.”

Everyone did as they were told.

“Good evening, gentleman,”

“Good evening Mr. Archer.”

Scotty couldn’t help but look at Leonard. He quickly joined in when the chorus answered their house’s head.

“Sit down.”

They all sat back down and started to fill their plates.

“Ye were saying?” His little brother reminded Scotty.

“Aye, I got here with Leonard,” he explained and Jim nearly dropped the spoon in his hand.

“Leonard?! Wow, so you’re already that close, huh?”

Scotty rolled his eyes. That was just like Jim.

“We… bumped into each other. And… well, he asked me to show him the school.”

“Unbelievable,” Robbie gasped in awe while Jim just grinned cheekily.

“Ooo, a meet-cute!”

Scotty chuckled but it faded when he looked over to the other end.

“And he’s already on it,” he groaned. Robbie and Jim followed his eyes to see what Scotty was talking about.

Khan.

The Augment was already trying to wrap Leonard around his finger. Well, the more powerful the person the more likely Khan tried to befriend them.

“Pff, let him. I don’t think the prince will like snobby bastards like him,” Jim said.

A shiver ran through Scotty’s body when Khan seemed to look at him for a moment, saying something to Leonard.

What was he telling him? He could imagine quite well.

Khan was probably telling Leonard to stay away from low status people. That he should join his group of friends instead.

“Maybe ye’re right,” Scotty muttered, remembering the nice afternoon he had spent with the prince.

He wouldn’t fall for someone like Khan, would he? For his tricks and mind games?

“Judging by the way you can’t stop looking at him I guess I was right?”

Scotty turned back to Jim.

“What?”

“About him being a hot mess. About you being just the right one for him.”

Scotty felt his cheeks blushing slightly but quickly shook his head.

“Come on, Jim… it was just a coincedence that I was the one to show him the school. I think… he is only trying to make contacts and friends.”

“But ye are the first one. And he even smiled at you! And ye call him Leonard,” Robbie exclaimed quietly.

“Calm down, laddie. It’s… it’s probably nothing.”

Jim just smiled.

“Well, I for my part won’t give up on Spock too easily. We had a great afternoon. I explained laser tag to him.”

“Oh now really? I wouldn’t think he’d be interested in that?”

And with that Jim got talking. Scotty listened to him with half an ear. But all the while he couldn’t stop glancing over at Leonard.

#star trek #montgomery scott #leonard mccoy #scones #au #against all odds #james t kirk #robbie scott #spock #khan #archer #(who is only trying to do his best) #(but it’s soo annoying)

[horuslupercal]

has this primarch used a microwave?

Lion: no. does not trust them. possibly tried once and put a knife in there alongside his food and saw it spark and immediately removed all microwaves from the premises

Fulgrim: yeah. they're kind of lazy and bad at their jobs but I believe microwaves existed on Chemos and got regular use. won't microwave things now, though

Perturabo: invented and built his own microwave, a superior one, one microwave to rule them all, one that doesn't leave your food cold in the middle. this was an afternoon's work so he could microwave food while working on other things. it's currently archeotech on some backwater planet now

Khan: no. he kind of doesn't know they exist tbh. wouldn't use them even if he did, not for any hatred or distrust but just because there's no point to him

Russ: no but he would love a microwave burrito if you gave him one. no one ever tried giving drunk Leman a microwave and a frozen burrito and they really should've. he would've loved it

Dorn: absolutely not. I cannot envision him using a microwave. staunchly against them for reasons he will not (cannot) explain

Konrad: no but I could see him hiding meat (severed head) in there as a fun little prank for someone he's hunting

Sanguinius: no but would be kind of intrigued and then very innocently put a spoon in there alongside his food and watch it blow up. "was that supposed to happen?" (fulgrim voice:) "PUT IT OUT YOU FOOL" "I see." he is deeply tempted to do it again

Ferrus: has encountered microwaves, has never used one, but he HAS deconstructed them and stripped them for parts. would like the still frozen center of the food, like a freak, while simultaneously judging the microwave for being so poorly designed that it does this because it is not intentional

Angron: has not used a microwave. my best friend's parents have this microwave that blocks all signals from their router when they turn it on and I think it would also run terrible interference on his nails. Angron defenestrates some serf's microwave as they try to hide whilst mourning their premade dinner

Guilliman: has not and will not. (Guilliman, tied to a chair, bloody and beaten, spitting out a tooth:) "fuck you, I will NEVER use a microwave". he thinks they give you cancer, like a proper Italian grandmother. if you want to heat your food, you will use a cast iron pan or pot and some good oil and wait and do it PROPERLY

Mortarion: hasn't but wouldn't give a shit if you gave him microwaved food. he's too depressed to even microwave frozen food tbh he's just eating it cold. could not care less about their existence and usage

Magnus: no but they found out you can blow them up and immediately started trying to get Sanguinius to do it again for fun. (Magnus self care asmr youtuber voice:) "it's okay if you microwave your food <3"

Horus: not really as an adult but I could see baby Horus in the palace making microwave food. microwaving anything as an adult is his daily dose of nostalgia but why would he do that when he has staff to make food for him? also made the mistake of blowing up a microwave before

Lorgar: I don't think he's ever microwaved food but he IS aware of their existence and became deeply entranced in watching the microwave microwave things the first time he saw one. will not microwave food because he wouldn't like microwaved food but will happily sit in the kitchen and watch your popcorn pop. oddly charmed by them

Vulkan: he has not used a microwave but has heard complaints about them. he keeps a backlog of potential projects to work on at some point and somewhere in there is an improved microwave, but he's never gotten to it because he has more interesting things to do first

Corvus: he's used a microwave. I can tell you this much. I genuinely do not know any more he just has the vibes of a man who has eaten microwave food

Alpharius Omegon: obviously

#warhammer #it's me #primarchs #i cannot possibly explain why i have so many thoughts on this. they just came to me all at once like a divine vision

[lxvvie]

So as I was writing and getting requests done, I had a thought: how about we take that trend I did with Call of Duty and apply it to your favorite primarchs? This begs the question: How would your dearly beloved primarchs react if you called them by their full name... because of reasons?

Horus - Hits you with one of his most dazzling smiles. It's too dazzling, which lets you know that Horus got into some shit. You question him and he gives you a vague answer while still smiling.

Leman Russ - You and he both know he's been up to no good so he'll either proposition you or make sure he's not in the vicinity to hear you call his name lmao.

Ferrus Manus - Instantly stops whatever it is he's doing; contemplates a response and ultimately decides to make himself scarce somewhere else.

Fulgrim - Is affronted that you'd call his name with such... irreverence. Will actually ignore you. Bastard.

Vulkan - Will also stop what he's doing and answer your call just as fervently as you called him. Has a tendency to resort to hugs to placate you. Those hugs are amazing, though... You can never stay mad at him for too long.

Rogal Dorn - Responds by calling you by your full name. With no intonation. Smart ass.

Roboute Guilliman - Will give some bullshit explanation while multi-tasking that would make Horus proud as to why he got into shit and how said shit has been resolved. May or may not work depending.

Magnus - It becomes a staring contest because you want him to give you an answer and he's trying to figure out why you called him.

Sanguinius - His foresight never prepares him for the way you say his name. Would put on his best saccharine smile that Horus would also be proud of but it's ineffective because his wings usually give him away.

Lion El'Jonson - Gives no fucks. Save for a quick glance will refuse to acknowledge your call. Because of reasons that have nothing to do with the fact that he's in deep shit.

Perturabo - Will pretty much stomp his way to you and get eye-level with you with a sneer. "Why do you call me?" A battle of wills and glares ensues.

Mortarion - Will look down on you, literally and figuratively.

Lorgar - Is the one who puts Horus and Sanguinius to shame because he ALWAYS placates you. ALWAYS. It never fails. But this is after he's winced and bowed his head some, even though he towers over you.

Jaghatai Khan - Gotta catch him first to find out lmao.

Konrad Curze - Results may vary. Might even hear some gremlin screeching... er, do you really wanna know?

Angron - Smirks and chuckles because he most certainly did some shit and he's practically begging you to say something about it.

Corvus Corax - May or may not be repentant, depending on the severity. Also may or may not make himself known but an effort was made, I suppose.

Alpharius - You're better off wondering what it is he didn't do. Whenever he comes, you're left wondering if that's the real Alpharius or if he sent a proxy like the last couple of times.

#warhammer 40k #wh40crack. #warhammer40k x reader #warhammer x reader #primarch #primarch x reader #horus lupercal #leman russ #ferrus manus #fulgrim #vulkan #rogal dorn #roboute guilliman #magnus the red #sanguinius #lion el'jonson #perturabo #mortarion #lorgar aurelian #jaghatai khan #konrad curze #angron #corvus corax #alpharius omegon

[headcanonsandmore]

Thasmin Fanfic Recommendations, a master post

Hi all! A fandom is at its healthiest when we share things, so I thought it'd be a good idea to share a list of all my favourite Thasmin (Thirteenth Doctor/Yasmin Khan) fanfics that I've read over the past few years. I'd highly recommend all of these. And, if you have any to add, please reblog with the links!

I Think You Might Like Me by Holie47. The Doctor asks Yaz to try and help her figure out what's going on and ends up coming to a realisation. Rated G for General Audiences. Cute Thasmin first kiss.

In This World Of Strangers I Belong To Someone by timetravelbypen. Autumn, 1904, London. Yasmin Khan is newly arrived in the city, eager to start the law degree she's spent so much time working towards. Determined to prove her worth to sceptical classmates and professors, she throws herself into her work. But a chance encounter with eccentric clockmaker Johanna Smith - and a mystery surrounding a progressive pamphlet written by someone called the Doctor - might just remind her she's worth more than her doubters could ever imagine. Rated T for Teen and Up Audiences. Edwardian!AU with human!Thirteenth Doctor. One of the best Thasmin fics I’ve ever read (if not THE best!). There’s also a series of short sequels which you can find here.

to know how it ends and still begin to sing it again (as if it might turn out this time) by  Eriadu (@eriadu-in-the-wildwood) and timetravelbypen (@timetravelbypen). They’ve been here before. The Doctor always sidestepping, always avoiding; Yaz always following, always hoping. But in a museum simulation of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, confronted by an all-too familiar tragedy, the cracks begin to show. If they’re going to get out alive, something has to change. They’ve been here before… this time, can they make it through? Rated T for Teen and Up Audiences. Thasmin fic, set inbetween ‘Legend Of The Sea Devils’ and ‘The Power Of The Doctor’; some really interesting and in-depth characterisation for both Yaz and the Thirteenth Doctor, with some awesome sci-fi elements too.

Flying Lessons by timetravelbypen. A series of vignettes set between Ryan and Graham's departure in Revolution of the Daleks and the end of The Power of the Doctor. In which Yaz learns to fly the TARDIS, and learns just how capable - and how loved - she is in the process. Rated T for Teen and Up Audiences. Just a word of warning, to quote the author; “there is a reference to an attempted suicide/self-harm in line with its depiction in Can You Hear Me as Yaz and the Doctor encounter someone else in a similar situation and Yaz deals with some flashbacks. If you would prefer not to read that, you can skip Lesson Five: Controlled Fall.”.

falling down the stairs (of your love) by timetravelbypen. The gravitational pull Yaz has over the Doctor is unavoidable, inescapable. The Doctor is falling for Yaz... and the Doctor is also falling. Rated T for Teen and Up Audiences. Thasmin sweetness set after ‘Legend Of The Sea Devils’. Fluffy with a bit of angst; very sweet.

Two Idiots In A Box by timetravelbypen. Dan realizes quickly that, if left to their own devices, Yaz and the Doctor are never going to just talk to each other like functional adults. So he and the TARDIS hatch a plan. Rated T for Teen and Up Audiences. So funny and so sweet!

In fact, just read anything by timetravelbypen; they’re an amazing writer and understand these characters and Doctor Who so well! Their Tumblr blog is here; @timetravelbypen; send them some love!

Miniature #13 - The World Will Wait For Us by vaelerius. Yaz and the Doctor go on a totally-not-an-actual-D.A.T.E in Sheffield to Yaz's favourite restaurant. What could possibly go wrong? Rated G for General Audiences. Easily one of the funniest Thasmin fics out there; this is a good one to read when you want cheering-up.

You Have A Wife??? By LonelySpaceAce. Yaz asks the Doctor about something that she's been wondering about since they fought the Sea Devils. Rated G for General Audiences. This is written by one of my awesome Tumblr friends, so please check it out.

You Have Kids??? by LonelySpaceAce. Yaz learns that not all the Doctor's companions have been in love with them A sort of sequel to "you have a wife???”. Rated G for General Audiences. It also scratches my particular itch for having Thasmin with a side helping of Tegan/Nyssa.

(Un)familiar by EvvieJo. Yaz is trying to settle into her post-Doctor, UNIT life. Rated G for General Audiences. Less of a Thasmin fic per-say as opposed to a bit of closure for Yaz after leaving the Doctor, although it does have a lot of Thasmin elements to it.

The year of the cat by zurau. post-lotsd. thirteen disappears, again. a cat appears. it's some consolation. Rated T for Teen and Up Audiences. Funny fic about a mysterious cat that appears whilst the Thirteen Doctor has disappeared; you can probably guess where this is going…

Candy Floss And A Carousel by 13beautifulghostmonument. Team TARDIS make a festive stop over in Cardiff. Yaz and the Doctor finally admit to their feelings. Rated G for General Audiences. Very cute and sweet.

Courage & Stupidity by seaunicorn. Yaz was his best friend and, much like the Doctor, Dan would do anything for her. Four years marooned in the past can forge quite the friendship, and he would go to great lengths to protect her from anything, or anyone, that hurt her. Including the Doctor herself. After Dan learns what happened on the beach, he confronts the Doctor. Rated T for Teen and Up Audiences. Set after ‘Legend Of The Sea Devils’ and with some excellent character work.

giving up and giving in by seaunicorn. It takes Yaz almost dying for the Doctor to actually confront her feelings. Rated T for Teen and Up Audiences. Really sweet fluff and first kiss stuff.

All The Time In The World by Metal_Gear_Steve. Yasmin has developed feelings for the Doctor, but she isn't sure how to bring this up with anyone. Ryan and Graham have settled after their first few crazy adventures, so it's not like she can rely on the "adrenaline and whimsy" excuse to explain her standoffish behavior forever - sooner or later, she has to bite the bullet and confess her feelings to the Doctor. But there's so much that she doesn't know about the Doctor, and any number of factors could get in the way of a potential relationship. Will Yasmin's confession be successful? Is there room in The Doctor's heart for a new love after a multitude of relationships, most ending in disaster? Will Graham get to try that alien ice cream again, with what's-its-name seeds in it? I guess we'll find out - we've got All the Time in the World. Rated G for General Audiences. Some really wonderful fluff; super sweet.

Our Moment on the Beach by docwhovians. When Yaz and the Doctor find themselves held prisoner a hostile pirate ship, there's not a whole lot they can do except talk. Feelings that have been brewing come to a head. When the moment is interrupted by an order to walk the plank, things get interesting. Rated G for General Audiences. Really cute fluff with some pirate stuff.

A Home For The Holidays by mag_lex. In which Yaz and the Doctor visit Yaz’s family for Christmas after the events of the Flux, and Najia decides to intervene when she realises something is going on between them… Rated T for Teen and Up Audiences. Sweet domestic fluff and a little bit of angst thrown in (since it is related to series 13 of the modern series).

i will always hold you close but i will learn to let you go by jodieoswald. Yaz listens to Dan's advice, and takes the leap, hoping that the Doctor will listen. Rated T for Teen and Up Audiences. Angst with some fluff and a happy ending. Very sweet and tender.

The One With The Hen Do by isabrella. Yaz takes the Doctor to a friend's hen party to cheer her up. Rated T for Teen and Up Audiences. Angst with a happy ending; very tender. 

Confessions by SimpleSapphic. Set directly after Eve of the Daleks (and directly after thasmin becoming canon may I add akshakdhsksh), Dan does what Dan does best: he plays wingman to get those two to *finally* confess their feelings and actually do something about it. Rated T for Teen and Up Audiences. A fair bit of angst but with some really sweet fluff at the end. Gotta love wingman Dan!

The Lodger by bells_n_roses. The Doctor moves in with Yaz to investigate the mysterious upstairs lodger. As they spend more time together, however, feelings start to build. Rated T for Teen and Up Audiences. Very cute and sweet, but with some mild angst mixed in.

I Still Burn For You by timelostdoctor. Yazmin Khan and the Doctor's relationship has been over for ten months. Ten months in which they haven't seen or spoken to each other. With Sonya and Ryan getting married, they are both part of the wedding party. How can they find happiness for their friends when they both wish it was their wedding instead. Rated T for Teen and Up Audiences. Oooh, mate; this is one of the tenderest Thasmin fics I’ve ever read (complete with a human!Thirteenth Doctor); sweet with just the right mix of angst, and a good bit of humour as well! Always worth a read when you want something to get lost it (and, yes, I hope that Mandip Gill has read this one since she asked for fanfic recs).

Love is a lottery, and I’m betting on you by riptheh. The Doctor knows how it is with the female companions. Lived it dozens of times before. And this time, she's determined to make sure it doesn't happen. Or, five times the Doctor was so busy making sure Yasmin Khan didn't fall in love with her, she failed to realize that the opposite was happening. Rated T for Teen and Up Audiences. Tons of fluff, mistaken-for-a-couple, bed sharing, this fic has it all!

February by softestbutch. The Doctor stepped a little closer, still partially obscured from view, still animated in the quiet orange glow. ‘Oh, it’s a little silly,’ she said. Yaz raised an eyebrow for her to continue. ‘I can go,’ she said, and Yaz breathed an endeared laugh.‘What is it, Doctor?’ she asked. A pause. ‘It’s snowing,’ the Doctor said. In short: the doctor is incredibly excited about the snow, and yaz is incredibly in love with her. Rated T for Teen and Up Audiences. A cute fluffy fic about Yaz and the Thirteenth Doctor having fun on a snowy day.

Live inside my mind forever by timelxrd. Yaz fell asleep precisely ten minutes and thirty-two seconds ago. The Doctor knows, because it’s been ten minutes and thirty seconds since she’d had to consciously regulate her breathing and the rise and fall of her chest against Yaz’s soft cheek so not to jostle her. Rated G for General Audiences. Cute fluff about cuddling and hair-plaiting.

A trusted place to rest by multifanwho. After she manages a prison break, the Doctor finds herself exhausted with her feet carrying her to the one place on Earth she feels most safe. Rated T for Teen and Up Audiences. Fluff with a side ordering of angst.

Cuppa? by softly-penned-valkyrie (softly_speaking_valkyrie). The Doctor's slipping and she knows it. Everything's getting too much for the first time in thousands of years and she's finally having trouble coping with it mentally. How often does that happen? Following a double adventure involving the Judoon, incredible revelations and alien birds, it all becomes too much to handle, and when the TARDIS itself nudges at Yaz to go help the Doctor alone, it becomes a little too much for the copper too. But when the Doctor lands in Yaz's kitchen desperate for help, how can she refuse the woman she loves.... Rated T for Teen and Up Audiences. Fluff, hurt/comfort and some mild angst.

not-so-fake-feelings (and their very real consequences) by ActuallyMe. Yaz needs someone to pretend to be her partner whilst some really annoying family friends are in town. Turns out, the Thirteenth Doctor is happy to play along… Rated T for Teen and Up Audiences. Fake dating scenario, with some hilarious fluff.

astronomy in reverse (it was me who was discovered) by transboytwelve. Fake dating, bed-sharing, camping fic; Thirteen has to pretend to be Yaz’s partner for a family get-together. Hijinks and definitely-not-just-platonic confusion ensues. Rated T for Teen and Up Audiences.

Around The Rink by sheregenerated. The Doctor and Yaz get a bit competitive, Graham has some cocoa, and Ryan rides a reindeer (sort of). Rated T for Teen and Up Audiences. Cute fluffy goodness.

The Changing of the Seasons by rubyofkukundu. The Doctor gets her first period. Thankfully, Yaz is on hand to help. Rated T for Teen and Up Audiences. Fluff with a bit of hurt/comfort and humour.

Hooked on all these feelings by Moonlightkitten (orphan_account). In which Thirteen wants a set of earrings to match Yasmin's and won't take no for an answer. The only problem? She doesn't have pierced ears. Yet. Rated T for Teen and Up Audiences. Very sweet and very funny. The person who wrote this has since orphaned their account.

Erlebnisse by Val_Creative. The Doctor surprises a very ill Yasmin with a visit. Rated T for Teen and Up Audiences. Very cute and sweet.

I Met Her On The Beach by C1ashi1dr. While Graham and Ryan are taking a break from traveling, the Doctor and Yaz head for a relaxing day on the beach. Rated T for Teen and Up Audiences. Some really lovely fluffy goodness.

Trick or Treat by HalfBakedPoet. What do the court of King Louis XIV, a futuristic pumpkin-based religion, a secret pumpkin carving society, and a two-person horse costume have in common? The Doctor and Yaz celebrate Halloween in a variety of ways. Apple bobbing ensues. Leads up to (presumably, hopefully) the beginning of Flux. Rated T for Teen and Up Audiences. Some fun Halloween fluff.

Hope you all enjoy these fics; I know I certainly did! Remember, if you enjoy a fic, please leave a comment; authors love it when we recieve comments and it inspires us to create more!

#fanfic recs #fanfiction recommendations #thasmin #doctor who #yasmin khan #yaz #thirteenth doctor #thasmin fanfiction #thasmin fanfic #yaz/thirteen #thirteen/yaz #thirteen x yaz #yaz x thirteen

[iliketangerines]

Reader that’s like Bucky the winter soldier?? Like has the arm and doesn’t really know about the new age stuff- and is hella strong. Like maybe she effortlessly fights shao khan and someone like syzoth or Reiko are like “that’s pretty hot” and she’s just like “what-“

admiring your strength

a/n: i do not see enough love for reiko

pairing: reiko x gn!reader

warnings: suggestive :)

you flex your arm and clench your fingers as you look at General Shao across from you in the sparring ring

he smiles at you and readies his battle axe before swinging toward you, and you lunge forward as well, using your metal arm as a shield as you attack

it’s a sight to watch, and Reiko watches from the sidelines, arms crossed and brows furrowed as he watches you easily fight off General Shao

he was the strongest man Reiko had ever known, the best fighter, and yet here you were, easily fighting him off with no weapon besides your arm

for some reason, it makes his face heat up and his heart stutter in his chest as you take Shao’s axe and throw it to the side and engage in hand to hand combat

the fight doesn’t last long after that, and Shao is face down in the ground as he begrudgingly yields

you get off Shao and stand in the middle of the ring, awaiting the next challenger

Reiko wants to get in, to fight against you and feel the cool metal of your arm against him to restrain him, and he has to shake his head to rid of the thoughts

Shao had already told him to train the other initiates, to stay focused and on task, and yet you plaque his thoughts as he goes through the day

he can’t stop thinking about your arm, the one that restrained Shao so easily to the floor, how it flexed and shined in the sunlight

his face flushes as he imagines you pinning him down to the training grounds after sparring with him, how your other hand would creep up his armor and squeeze his chest

one of his initiates snaps him out of his daze when they ask him a question about their form, and he clears his throat and continues to teach them

the day passes by slowly, and every so often, he catches you in the corner of his eye in the arena, constantly fighting, sparring, winning

eventually, Shao comes up to Reiko and tells him to get in the ring, to test his fighting skills against you, and Reiko tries not to seem too eager to fight against you

he walks into the ring, bracing himself and puffing out his chest as you circle him slowly, eyeing him up and down and tensing your form

you look at him dead in the eye, and he can see something underneath, something furious and angry trying to claw its way out

you leap first, metal glinting in the sunlight, and Reiko struggles to keep up with your pace as you throw punches and try to catch him off his feet

the first few minutes are a struggle of trying not to get hit, dodging and moving and turning, as you follow his steadily

you don’t even seem out of breath, only a single drop of sweat on your forehead as you lunge toward him again with a stern face and quick fists

your movements are unpredictable, erratic, angry, and he can’t even try to break through your defense to try and land a hit

his footsteps become sloppy, and his movements become sluggish as you wear down his endurance

soon enough, you catch him in a moment of weakness and sweep his feet from under him and press your knee into his chest as you restrain his wrists with your metal hand

Reiko struggles to think clean thoughts as you stare into his eyes and bellow at him to yield, and he coughs out a surrender before you let go of him

you walk off to the corner of the ring, eyes narrowed at Reiko

it seems that he had peaked your interest as well, and he can feel your eyes burning into his skin, roaming across his figure, as he walks back to General Shao

maybe he really would be able to see you around more often

#mortal kombat x reader #mk x reader #mk x you #mk x y/n #reiko mk1 #mk1 reiko #reiko #reiko x reader #reiko x you #tangerine writes #tangerine answers

[your-name-is-jim]

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