#this literally just started with one panel from the spin-off and spiralled into something else

[incarnation-of-victory]

Bakugou’s Fear of Mediocrity and Human Weakness

It’s interesting to see Bakugou’s inner thought process here as he prepares to fight this villain (from the 1st chapter of the spin-off tie-in manga to the Heroes: Rising movie, “Deku & Bakugo: Rising”), especially knowing what we know now about Bakugou and his fears about him not actually being as great as he thinks he is.

For one, the line about “[m]ost of the top heroes show[ing] signs of greatness even as students” echoes the line Bakugou says in the very first chapter of the manga proper:

Both monologues get across similar messages, but I think the one from the spin-off is a little more revealing/blatant, especially with the line “I’m not just a normal middle schooler. I’ll show them I’m different and rise to the top.” This line from the spin-off suggests that Bakugou doesn’t quite think he’s unique from the rest of his peers yet, and that he’s desperate to use this chance to finally prove himself to everybody. Meanwhile, the line from the manga makes him seem more confident in himself, that he’s sure that he’ll be the only one to succeed, while simultaneously disparaging the rest of his classmates. Of course, his words contradict his actions here: Bakugou isn’t as confident in this outcome as he seems, since he goes out of his way to discourage Deku from applying to U.A. because he actually feels threatened by him. Bakugou being the only one to get into U.A. would be a way of him validating his belief (read: hope) that he’s the best after all. Additionally, Bakugou goes on about being the first and only hero/U.A. student originating from Aldera, which, in theory, would be an easy accomplishment, since the middle school is supposedly devoid of any promising hero applicants. This achievement of him being the only one to succeed would also make him seem all the more impressive and exceptional—a unique case, so to speak. His goal should be guaranteed... if it wasn’t for Deku.

So both scenes carry the same idea, but Bakugou is a little more honest to himself in his head (makes sense, naturally). There’s this kind of sad, desperate urgency I get from the spin-off that I don’t get from the manga. It’s just a weird train of thought to have when hunting down a villain, that he’s using this opportunity to prove to everyone (and himself) he’s the great prodigy they made him out to be his whole life. Even though he still needs to reassure himself that he’s not ordinary and is actually “different.”

This whole idea of Bakugou wanting to rise above everyone else stems from this fear of mediocrity. It calls to mind how the literal translation of “Quirk” from Japanese means “Individuality” (the word “quirk” itself also implies some unique trait). This means that your Quirk is essentially what makes you, you. It's what makes you stand out among everyone else. Because Bakugou does place a lot of faith in his Quirk getting him to the top, distinguishing him as someone special. 

The interesting thing is that Bakugou initially wasn’t really aware that he was just more naturally adept—sans Quirk—than other kids his age growing up. The way he comes off in his childhood flashbacks in the manga make him seem more naive, not really understanding why everyone else just can’t as easily grasp the skills he masters so easily:

(I would argue that even current Bakugou doesn’t notice his other good qualities/talents as much, which is probably why it’s so easy for him to twist them into something bad or forget them entirely, and instead fixate solely on his Quirk. This is especially important when it comes to Heroism as a career, and his need to take more things than just raw power into consideration).

The theory that he’s just “better than everyone else” doesn’t fully cement until he gets his Quirk. With this, Bakugou seems to think of himself as someone almost godly or invincible, as someone almost more than just... human. Which is why I think he’s so averse to any suggestion that he has any weaknesses—it’s a reminder that he’s indeed human after all. He’s mortal and fallible and need help sometimes. And being human brings him back down to the level of everyone else, but perhaps even further beneath them, which is exemplified in the infamous creek scene where Deku tries to help Bakugou. And again when Deku tries to save him from the sludge villain. And repeated other instances throughout their lives. Because if Deku, someone who doesn’t even have a Quirk or anything that makes him special, is somehow is able to do something for him, then what does that make Bakugou? If Quirkless Deku is somehow better than Quirk-holder Bakugou, then Bakugou’s power—which is something he built his self-esteem around—essentially means nothing in comparison. Bakugou ends up being just like everyone else, but worse: someone so weak that they need help from a “worthless Deku.”

Another important thing to note is that part of why Bakugou neglects to think of himself as human is because most people never really treated him as such. For one, everybody almost exclusively praised him for his superficial or material strengths that it gave him the idea that he was perfect and had no flaws. In turn, he carries himself this way around others, thus perpetuating how everybody else sees him: as someone who never needs help. I could write a whole other essay on its own of how many times people in the BNHA universe assume that Bakugou doesn’t need help, or that he’s stronger than he actually is. The time the heroes left him to fend off the sludge villain is but one example. Even when Bakugou fell off that log as a child, his other friends disregarded the possibility that he might be hurt, because he’s “strong.” In terms of emotional need, nobody, not even his parents, suspected that Bakugou was still suffering emotionally from the Kamino incident, and that he wasn’t handling it as well as everyone thought he was (Talk about a poker face! For someone so outwardly expressive, it’s stunning to see how well he hides his suffering. The greatest hint we get is him being unusually quiet). All Might even points out his failure to recognize this. As much as Bakugou is responsible for his own actions, others have failed him repeatedly too.

I know I said that “people failing to recognize when Bakugou needs help” could be another post on its own, but I want to point out one scene (or rather two) in particular that showcase how much Bakugou really does need emotional and physical help sometimes.

For one, when All Might and the rescue operation break into the LoV’s hideout to retrieve Bakugou, All Might’s first priority is to verbally comfort/reassure him, as per Nana Shimura’s adage to not only save a person’s life, but their heart/spirit as well. He gives the whole “We are here” line and tells Bakugou he’s okay...

Though he outwardly denies it, the truth of the matter is, Bakugou really was in trouble and needed their help, and he truly was scared. This is clear enough by his initial reaction, which he quickly covers up with a defensive response immediately afterwards. I can’t say for sure whether All Might’s words made him feel much better, but I assume it must have given him at least a little peace of mind.

A similar thing happens when Deku and company pull Bakugou out of the following fight. Again, Bakugou is initially grateful to the team because he really did need their assistance to escape the battle grounds. Though he goes back to grumbling and arguing with Iida immediately after, and denies their part in saving him after they’ve fully escaped, his grateful/relieved, perhaps lightly disapproving smile when grabbing Kirishima’s hand reveals his true feelings.

On a somewhat different note, when Bakugou is having issues, people address them in a poor and/or dehumanizing manner: see the way he was chained and muzzled at the end of the Sports Festival. And not to get too much into the Mitsuki discourse, but the way she tries to curb her son’s behavior does not seem to help either.

Because Bakugou is so ingrained in this mentality that he’s supposed to be invulnerable, he isn’t able to interpret basic human concern properly when it’s shown to him, notably when it’s one of the few people who ever treated him like a human being: Deku. Not only that, but Deku knew Bakugou before he got his Quirk, and admired him for his other traits as well, such as his confidence and determination. But Deku never blindly idolized his friend either: he notes several times (to other people) Bakugou’s bad qualities too. The distinction here is that Deku never paints Bakugou as a lesser or bad person for it. Instead, he accepts who Bakugou is as a whole, while still acknowledging him as someone worth looking up to.

An investment in being the best is fine and all on its own, but not when it starts to infest other aspects of your life, especially socially. Bakugou’s antisocial tendencies are probably mostly due to him just deeming activities that don’t allow him to prove himself as a waste of time, but I also feel that some of it is due to his fear of appearing as a normal human being—as someone who sometimes just wants to spend time with his friends purely for the sake of enjoying their company. As someone who needs other people. I think this also kind of applies to his inability to be emotionally vulnerable around others, as well as to accept acts of kindness and affection. It’s what makes him human. This is why Bakugou only comes to Deku when he needs to open up—because Deku is one of the few people who knows him for everything he is, who recognizes him as a flawed individual. And again, Deku never looks down on him for anything (despite Bakugou’s former belief). Not even when Bakugou cries.

All this really comes down to is Bakugou accepting other people’s help and relying more on collaboration than just taking on enemies solo. I think having him participate in other, non-combative activities, such as playing in a band in the School Festival Arc, is a good way to ease him into this methodology. Also, since it seems to be a trend at this point, it’d be nice to see him be hugged at least once without making a face. Though I do think it’s at least good that people are being more attentive to his emotional needs, whether it be in praising him (when it’s warranted), or comforting him (even if he thinks he doesn’t need it). Like yeah, I highly doubt Bakugou will ever be much of a touchy-feely person.  But at the very least, he needs to know that other people care about him as a human being, and that this concern doesn’t make him any less of a talented, powerful individual.

#this literally just started with one panel from the spin-off and spiralled into something else #apologies if this is all over the place #bnha meta #i guess? #bakugou katsuki

[bgn846]

D4 FFXV Drabble - One Shot

Featuring Gladio and Ignis.  in which Ignis has a bad day at the office, punctuated by an attempt on his life by the office vending machine.

The mechanical whir of the machine broke his momentary stupor.  Sighing heavily, Ignis gazed through the scratched glass panel of the vending machine, waiting for his selection to drop.   It was a pathetic excuse for dinner, he knew it, but there wasn’t much else he could do.  His meetings for the day had gone long, and he’d gotten behind.  The only way to catch up was to work late.  

Staying at the office was a trick he’d learned early on, it prevented any excuses on his part for not doing his job.  The second he’d set foot in his apartment all chances of work would be lost.  The need for rest would take over and he’d be screwed the next day.  

Gladio and Noct would scold him for this type of behavior but he needed to make sure things were done properly.  In other words, he had to do it himself.  When the machine stopped making noise Ignis looked down in the collection slot and frowned.  The dark plastic pit that should have held his processed food package was empty. 

Daring to take a peek inside the machine where his item had been housed, showed it was stuck. Wedged firmly between its neighbors in the machine, it wasn’t going anywhere. The first thought that crossed his mind was to kick the machine.  Some form of self-preservation kicked in and prevented his foot from moving.  After staring for far too long, another idea came to him.  Find more money and buy something else.  Losing a couple bucks to the vending machine wasn’t the end of the eos.

However, after he’d torn his desk apart and fully emptied his wallet it became clear he had no more cash.  This vending machine was too old to accept credit cards so he was out of luck.  He did consider the notion that a different machine on another floor in the citadel might take credit.   The idea of leaving to go buy terrible food was a worry.  He might simply keep walking, and end up at his car in the garage, if he left the floor.  Groaning out loud he pushed himself up from his desk and went to analyze the situation again.

Another indeterminate amount of time passed as he glared at the offending machine.  Finally he decided on a plan.   His arm was long; he might be able to reach the item if he stuck his hand in through the bottom.  The fact that the machine was outdated worked to his advantage in this scheme.  The door wasn’t tamper proof.

Sustenance was literally within reach, all he had to do was stretch another inch.  The last inch proved the most difficult.   Something about bones and tissue not stretching, despite willing them to do so, meant Ignis could only scrape the packaging with his fingernail.  Yelling in frustration he forced his arm into the tiny space ignoring the pain it caused.

The movement was enough to dislodge the item and it fell gracelessly into the bin.  Releasing a giddy laugh at his success, Ignis balled his fist up in a victory stance.  Unfortunately he moved his arm too quickly, and subsequently smacked the metal rack that held the food in the machine.  What happened next was truly terrible.  Ignis didn’t know vending machines could enact revenge.

The spiraled coil of metal that held the food in place had moved during his small celebration, and hooked itself on the band of his wrist watch.  Panicking slightly as it pulled his arm Ignis tried to pull back but he was stuck fast.  Apparently, this machine was not happy at having been tampered with.

The discomfort he’d felt before was now amplified and he wasn’t sure what to do.  Maybe he could unlatch his watch and get free.  The angle he’d gotten stuck meant his other free arm was again, just out of reach.  Astrals, he was going to be stuck here the whole damn night.  People would come in the next day, and find him passed out.  He’d probably lose his arm in the resulting rescue mission.

This wasn’t acceptable, he needed help.  Shoving his pride aside at having been played by a damn vending machine, Ignis worked to fish his phone out of his pocket. The pain was getting worse and if he didn’t hurry he’d have to call the crownsguard office to send someone.  That was his last resort, he other options before things got that dire.

Pulling up the last number dialed he hit send and waited.  The line rang and rang but Ignis prayed he’d would pick up.   Right as he was about to give up, the line connected.  Gladio’s out of breath voice greeted him a second later.  Thank the six, the man must have been training late, that meant he was on the grounds.

“Gl-gladio,” Ignis hissed through his pain. “Please tell me you are still at work.”

“Iggy, what’s wrong, you sound off.”

Unsure if he should describe his misfortune over the phone, Ignis opted for a brief summary instead. “I’ve had an accident in the break room on my floor, I need h--,”

Gladio didn’t even let him finish, “I’m on my way right now, are you bleeding?”

“No,” he gasped, “I’m – six, this is embarrassing,” Ignis lamented.      

“Stay calm, I’m on my way. I might lose you on the elevator ride but I’m coming okay.”

“Thanks,” Ignis managed as he sat on the floor and waited.  Gladio, bless the man, talked to him the whole time.  The shield covered as many mundane topics as he could in the short five minute trip over to Ignis’ office. It was enough of a distraction that Ignis could block out the pain, and the disturbing fact that his arm was starting to go numb.

Gladio’s suspicions about losing the connection while in the elevator were true, and Ignis was forced to breathe deeply in an effort to calm his nerves.  When the elevator just outside the break room, dinged, signaling his arrival. Ignis nearly cried for joy.  Leaning his now, sweat covered brow, against the glass Ignis called out to Gladio.  “I’m in here!”

Gladio’s panic stricken face appeared a second later.  “What the hell happened?” He asked as he took in the sight before him.

“The machine is trying to kill me,” Ignis spit out. “My watch band--,” he wavered as a new wave of painful sensations flared in his arm.

Gladio had rushed over and was already sitting on the floor next to him. “Shit, uh, I’ll get you free, give me a second.” He announced while shoving his muscled, tattooed arm in through the bottom.  Gladio thankfully was at the right angle to reach his abused appendage.  The shield made quick work of undoing his watch band.  The second he could feel his arm move freely, Ignis ripped it out of the machine.  Hissing in pain he cradled his arm to his chest.  

Maybe he’d pulled a muscle with this ridiculous stunt, he wasn’t sure yet.   The faint, but familiar pull of magic, in the back of his mind, drew Ignis’ gaze over to Gladio.  “What are you doing?” he asked in shock.

“You’re hurt, and I’m not taking no for an answer.” Gladio huffed as he took Ignis’ good hand, and forcefully crushed a potion bottle in it.

Relief from the pain was instant.  He wanted to chide Gladio for wasting a potion on him, but his mind was currently too distracted to let him.  A hand on his shoulder made Ignis snap out of his daze.  “Huh? Were you talking to me?” he asked weakly.  Gladio’s expression was a mix of concern and anger when Ignis looked up.  Oh dear, had he interrupted something important?  Perhaps he should have called someone else instead.  “Sorry for troubling you so late, I didn’t mean to ruin y--.”

“Nope, not gonna work,” Gladio interrupted.  “Nothing to be sorry about, you are always welcome to call me for help.  Seeing you in pain like that was hard,” he sighed.  “Promise me you’ll always ask me for help when you need it?”

Caught off guard by the sincerity of the comment, Ignis took a few seconds to gather his thoughts.  “Yes, of course I’ll always call you. Sorry I’m tired and this hasn’t helped my cause.”

“You look exhausted Iggy, why are you still at work?”

“I had things to finish up,” he offered.

“I’m sure none of the things are an emergency, right?”

Pursing his lips, Ignis glared at Gladio.  Leave it to the man to pick apart his reason for being at the office late.  “I still should finish up before I head home.”

“Sure, if you say so.  Let’s go back to your office and you can tell me what the hell happened.”

Humming in agreement Ignis worked to get up off cold linoleum floor.  Once he was upright the room began spinning.  Gladio was by his side once again, with a strong arm around his waist.  “Oh dear,” Ignis muttered more out of irritation than anything else.

“When was the last time you ate?” Gladio asked with a raised eyebrow.

Laughing nervously Ignis tried to turn around and reach for the discarded item in the vending machine.  “That was supposed to be dinner,” he joked, though the mood wasn’t quite right for it.

“Please don’t fight me on this,” Gladio begged.  “I know you’re not a stupid person Iggy, but you are done for the day, okay.”

“Really?” he tried, “no more?” Deep down Ignis knew Gladio was right but he still had so much work to do.  “How will I catch up tomorrow?” he asked dejectedly.

“That is a whole other issue that needs addressing.   Why don’t we go back to your office and pack things up for the night and go home.”

Nodding in defeat Ignis let Gladio lead him back down the hall.  He felt slightly better and things had stopped spinning, but Gladio still had an arm around his waist.  Only when they’d reached his office did the shield relinquish his hold.  Carefully gathering his items while Gladio patiently waited, gave Ignis time to think of all the work he really was doing.  Maybe Noct and Gladio were right, perhaps he needed to take it easy.

When they were ready to leave Gladio once again pulled him close and they walked out of the building together.  Before he could break the somewhat comfortable silence that had developed, Gladio spoke up.

“No arguments, this is what’s gonna happen,” Gladio huffed. “First, I’m driving you home. Second, we’re ordering delivery so you don’t have to cook. Third, you’re taking the day off tomorrow; call it a mental health day.”

Ignis could feel Gladio’s body stiffen once he’d finished talking.  Clearly the man thought Ignis was going to fight him on what he’d said.  However, all of what had been listed sounded perfect.  Not driving, eating something warm that didn’t come from a metal and plastic box, and taking some time to recoup lost energy was a wonderful idea.

“You don’t mind driving me?” he checked with a small smile.

“Huh?” Gladio’s eyes were wide in disbelief as he processed what Ignis had said.  “Seriously, you’re not gonna fight me on this?”

“No, you’re right.  I know you and Noct are always berating me for working too hard.  It appears I need some help with that endeavor,” Ignis admitted sheepishly.

“So I can drive you, and order you food, and you’ll stay home tomorrow?” Gladio checked with an ear splitting grin.

Ignis nodded and offered Gladio a smile of his own.  He wasn’t prepared for what happened next.  Gladio actually whooped in the parking garage, and gathered up him in a bone crushing hug.

“You won’t regret this Iggy, I’m gonna text Noct later and we’ll figure out a way to help you with your work load.  You’re doing the job of like three other people right now and you don’t need to, it’s not fair.”

“Yes, I’ve been made aware,” Ignis chuckled wryly.

“Come on, times a wasting,” Gladio enthused as he herded Ignis over to the passenger side.  “Do you mind if I shower at your place while we wait for food to be delivered.”

“Not at all, though you might have to wake me up when it arrives.”

“Easy, I can so do that.” Gladio announced.

The ride back to his apartment was quiet and calming.  The remainder of the evening was spent falling asleep on the couch in between activities.   Dinner was amazing, and so much better than the protein bar he’d been trying to excavate from the vending machine.  Gladio ended up staying the whole night.  Something about Ignis attempting to work meant he had to keep an eye on him.   For the first time he didn’t mind the attention.  His friends were trying to help and there was nothing wrong with that.  Besides, he owed Gladio the full story of how the vending machine tried to eat his arm.

#ffxv #gladio #gladiolus x ignis #ffxv fanfiction #hurtcomfort

[per-ineptia-ad-astra]

Star Trek Gold Key #28: The Mimicking Menace

Our story begins with shooting, although, apparently, not enough shooting for Spock.

[ID: A comic book splash page featuring Spock and McCoy, on a rocky planet with a pink sky and a volcano on the horizon, pointing their phasers at Kirk and a redshirt woman, who are firing their phasers back. Spock is saying, “McCoy, don’t argue! Fire your phaser! Shoot or they’ll kill us!” and McCoy is replying, “But how can I destroy my own captain—kill Kirk?” The comic is titled ‘STAR TREK: PART 1: THE MIMICKING MENACE’ and a narration box in the top right corner says “What form can life take? In an infinite universe, it can take infinite forms! Now, as the crew of the Enterprise seeks to learn about a wandering asteroid, it is confronted with an unsuspected life form that turns Captain Kirk and Lieutenant Calder against the others!”]

Things are a bit more low-key this time—no planets exploding or outbreaks of war, at least—but you can tell we’re in for a trip just by that dialogue. I mean, can you imagine McCoy saying that? I can’t. About the only time McCoy recognizes that Kirk is his captain is for the purpose of being passive-aggressive about it, never mind him reacting to Spock saying this with just sort of open befuddlement instead of yelling “ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR VULCAN MIND??” Meanwhile, Spock could easily have shot both people himself in the time it’s taking him to try to convince McCoy to do it, while the narration box is dramatically telling us about how Lieutenant Calder will turn against the others, as if we have any idea who Lieutenant Calder is or why we should care that much about them.  

Ah well, I suppose we’re supposed to be interested in why Spock is advocating for Kirk’s death, so we might as well see what’s up with that.

We begin with a captain’s log: “The wandering asteroid Tactis II is now below the Enterprise! Question—does this asteroid pose a threat to the Federation?” We get absolutely no explanation as to why they’re interested in this asteroid specifically. Checking out every single asteroid to see if it’s a threat to the Federation does not, how should I put this, seem like a terribly efficient use of time. Then again, considering the results of their last two missions, I wouldn’t be surprised if Starfleet sent them out here to categorize all the space rocks just out of a desperate attempt to keep them out of trouble.

Anyway, as Kirk says to OC of the Week Lt. Calder, this might be an easy mission (you’d think he’d know better than to say that by now) because there’s no sign of life on the asteroid. Even the volcano is inactive! Asked to confirm, Spock says, “Temperature readings all negative!” I’m going to give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he means they’re only reading temperatures below zero, because if you’re getting temperature readings of “no” I’d say you need to do some maintenance on those sensors.

They’re also getting some minor movement readings on the ground, but as Lt. Calder points out, that doesn’t on its own suggest life. Spock then says this is not a logical deduction because “Does movement itself signify life? Philosophers have not resolved that yet--” Uh...no? I’m pretty sure movement itself doesn’t signify life? Example: my ceiling fan’s moving right now and as far as I know, it’s not alive.

But never mind what the philosophers say, Kirk wants to know if there’s life on that there asteroid. “Prepare a landing party,” he says, “and hope that that volcano is inactive!” Kirk, you...you literally just said that volcano was inactive three panels ago.

Since they’re not picking up any life signs with the ship, Lt. Calder wants to take a shuttlecraft (or ‘shuttleship’ as she puts it) down so they can take “a larger bio-detection unit.” Kirk agrees, so off the landing party goes in the Galileo—Lt. Calder, Kirk, Spock, and two security guys. At least, Kirk says he’s taking two hands from security, but the two people we see in the Galileo are wearing yellow/green. Then again, the Galileo itself is also half-green, so I don’t know what’s going on.

They land on the asteroid, and Spock reports that the scanners show a life-supporting atmosphere. That seems like something you guys should have checked before you went down, but whatever. Of rather more immediate interest is that when Kirk looks out the door he sees an identical copy of the Galileo sitting nearby. (Which he refers to as a shuttlecraft. Three panels ago it was a shuttleship. Consistency!)

Naturally, it’s the two redshirts  goldshirts uh, greenshirts, who get sent out to investigate the other Galileo. But they’re interrupted by the volcano going off. An eruption interruption, you might say. So much for it being inactive! Great job on the sensors there guys.

Kirk tells the security duo to make for the duplicate Galileo, since they’re closer to it than the real one. So they hastily climb in, declaring that they’ll be safe inside. Yes, you’ll be safe from the lava, in the...metal shuttlecraft...that’s sitting on the ground...but hey, as long as you don’t directly touch the lava yourself, you’ll be fine, right? That’s how it works in video games, and video games have never led me wrong before!

The two ‘shirts do make it into the duplicate Galileo alright, but are immediately confronted with another problem:

[ID: Two Enterprise crewmembers in green shirts with spirals around their heads, while white balls of light connected with angled lines float in the background. The man, on the left, is saying, “Funny...feel dizzy--” while the woman, on the right, is clutching her shoulders with her hands and saying, “Head spinning...can’t...stand! What’s going--”]

Wow, feeling dizzy while sitting on top of a fresh lava flow from a nearby volcano? What could possibly cause that? Could it be from inhaling the ash and toxic gasses released by volcanic eruptions? Or maybe from the intense heat of being stuck in a small enclosed metal box sitting directly on top of that nice toasty lava, which could easily be upwards of 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit? Nah. Nah, it couldn’t be. Must be something else.

Whatever’s stricken the security duo, they quickly pass out...but when Kirk calls a moment later to ask if they can get the duplicate Galileo moving (not even so much as a “hey are you guys alright” either—geez, Kirk), there’s now a duplicate security duo there as well to answer him. One of them tells him the ship is abandoned but all systems are go and they’re preparing to lift off.

The original Galileo, on the other hand, isn’t currently going anywhere, because “we have no ion power! Zero!” No, I don’t know what ion power is. But I hear shooting phasers at the engine works wonders. Anyway, that’s a pretty big problem because it means they can’t get away from the lava bearing down on them. I thought being in a shuttlecraft made you safe from the lava? Man, I’m confused.

“Stand by for the lava!” Kirk declares, a pretty difficult command to obey at the best of times.

The lava hits the craft. “Our internal temperature is rising sharply!” Spock tells everyone helpfully. “But it is possible that instead of being covered by the lava, we will be pushed by it! The surface below is glassy slick!” Sure, okay.

Luckily for them, the volcano soon stops pouring out lava, and the Galileo coasts off to clear ground. “Safe, Spock! Except for scorched paint!” Kirk declares. Wow. I guess those things have to be built to withstand planetary entry but still, that’s impressive. I wouldn’t advise touching the sides for a while, though.

But where’s the other Galileo gone? As everyone wisely sticks their heads out the door to check out all that awesome lava, Lt. Calder spots the duplicate—it’s flying into the cone of the volcano. Hm. That doesn’t seem like a great idea.

Kirk calls the security duo to say hey, what the fuck, why are you flying into a volcano, did you lose control of that thing? “No, captain!” one of the doppelgangers assures him. “Our scanners show entry into the cone is safe! We are sure reconnaissance there may help explain events here! Out!” Right, the cone of the volcano that erupted like ten minutes ago is...safe. Sure. That checks out.

The duplicate Galileo lands in the cone of the volcano which does, somehow, appear to be free of lava, but there are a bunch of weird lights hanging around up there. The doppelgangers carry the original security crew out of the craft, and then, um...this happens.

[ID: A comic book page with five panels. 1, top left: the doppelganger of the male security officer holding the unconscious original and saying into a communicator, “Security team to Captain Kirk! All in order! Will report back to base very shortly!...Out!” 2, top right: the shuttlecraft Galileo dissolving into more of the lines-and-lights while a narration box says, “Quickly, the Galileo’s double converts its form….” 3, middle left: the two doppelgangers watch a large amount of the lines-and-lights hovering above the unconscious security officers, with a narration box saying, “Then, the greater structure absorbs the lesser….” 4, middle right, upper: two indistinct figures descending the side of the volcano, with a narration box saying, “Minutes later, two figures emerge from the cone, starting down the now hardened, cool slope...” 5, middle right, lower: Spock, Calder and Kirk inside the Galileo. Kirk is saying, “Odd! My communicator is dead!” while Spock says, “No contact down here! None with the Enterprise above! Most illogical...and dangerous!”]

So the duplicate Galileo turns into lights, and then those lights get absorbed by the bigger group of lights that was already there. Okay. Gotta be honest here, I had to re-read this page way too many times to figure out what was going on there. Inasmuch as that qualifies as figuring out what was going on, anyway. Meanwhile, Spock’s over there misusing the word ‘illogical’ again.

Kirk and Calder go to talk to those two figures, while meanwhile, up on the Enterprise, Scotty’s wondering what’s going on. They saw two shuttlecrafts down there, and now there’s no communications. Also, y’know, a volcano went off, but he doesn’t seem bothered by that. It all seems pretty dodgy, so he has Sulu take the conn while he and McCoy beam down to go see what’s up. Why take McCoy? I dunno. Why not take McCoy, I guess?

The doppelgangers tell Kirk they didn’t see anything unusual up in the volcano, just “a lava pit which caused the eruption, but it was cool enough inside!” A lava pit that’s cool seems rather unusual to me (temperature-wise; figuratively speaking, all lava is cool) but Kirk and Calder don’t get the chance to ask any follow-up questions anyway because this happens:

[ID: Kirk and Calder watching the two doppelganger security officers turning into lines-and-lights. Kirk is saying, “But what about the duplicate of the Galileo—say!” while Calder is saying, “A protein molecule chain! But why—what?”]

I’m not sure which reaction seems more unrealistic here: Calder immediately identifying a bunch of weird lights as a protein molecule chain, or Kirk just going “Say!”

Kirk and Calder feel weak and pass out, and then...

[ID: Two panels. Upper panel: lines-and-lights forming into the vague shapes of Kirk and Calder. Lower panel: The doppelgangers of Calder, Kirk and one of the security officers, with the security officer saying, “One is left!” and Kirk saying, “We can trick him easily! Come!” Meanwhile the real Kirk is laying unconscious on the ground, with a green shirt.]

So I guess the lights formed into doppelgangers of Kirk and Calder after they passed out, but...man, that sure could have been drawn a little clearer, huh. Also, apparently fainting made Kirk’s shirt change color.

Inside the Galileo, Spock’s check of the circuits has told him that the power drain afflicting the shuttle is being caused by some external force—something on the asteroid. Duhn duhn duhn! Before he can pursue this, Kirk and the rest come back, but either they’ve all suddenly transported into a green void (it’d make about as much sense as anything in this story, really) or someone forgot to draw the background.

[ID: Spock saying, “What did you learn, captain?” to doppelgangers of Kirk, Calder and a security officer, with Kirk replying, “Come out and we’ll tell you, Mr. Spock! Come!” All of them are floating in a vague green background with no features except a couple of diagonal lines cutting down across it.]

Spock asks what’s been causing all these shenanigans and doppel!Kirk tells him, “It’s rather difficult to explain...an unusual concept!”

Then Spock feels dizzy too.

[ID: Spock holding a hand to his head and saying, “Funny...feel dizzy!”]

Has anyone ever reacted to being dizzy by going “Funny...feel dizzy!” I mean, I feel dizzy all the dang time, and so far it has never once caused me to temporarily lose my grasp of personal pronouns and sentence construction. Being on tumblr too long sometimes does that, but never feeling dizzy.

Anyway, after passing through the green void, then a purple void, and then a pink void, evidently Spock somehow wound up outside, because he promptly runs back to the Galileo.

[ID: Spock running towards the Galileo, hands outstretched above him, thinking, “Energy drain..from me...from ion power...communicators...got to get away from...them!” while someone off-panel says, “Mr. Spock, where--”]

QUICK DEPLOY EMERGENCY JAZZ HANDS

While he’s doing that, Scotty and McCoy beam down nearby. Scotty’s glad to see the rest of the landing party apparently alive and well, but McCoy wants to know where Spock is. Yes, you read that right: McCoy wants to know where Spock is. I dunno, maybe he thought of a really good zinger on the way down and wants to use it as soon as possible.

Scotty wonders if Spock is in the Galileo, but as the two of them turn towards it, the doppelgangers draw their phasers and yell at them not to go in the shuttlecraft. Scotty draws his phaser in response, telling McCoy to draw his as well. The phasers are still pink, in case you were wondering. Well, pink-ish. Magenta?

So, turns out the cover was a bit misleading; it’s actually Scotty there telling McCoy to shoot, not Spock. But if you looked at that cover and thought, “Oh man, what I really want to see in a Star Trek comic is some really awkward dialogue for McCoy,” don’t worry! That part wasn’t misleading. This comic has you covered.

[ID: Scotty and McCoy, facing the doppelgangers of Calder, Kirk, and the security officers; Kirk is shooting his phaser at them. Scotty is saying, “They’re firing at us! Their phasers are on setting 1! Set yours for stun--” and McCoy is saying, “Me, shoot at my captain?”]

Part One ends on that dreadfully gripping cliffhanger. I won’t keep you in suspense. Let’s get to part two.

[ID: The splash page for part two. A narration box in the top right says “Captain’s Log, Star Date...32:21:9. From the moment our party landed on the supposedly lifeless asteroid, our lives have been under an unexpected threat! Some as yet unexplained life-form drains us of strength, makes a mockery of our form and turns us against each other!” In the foreground on the right is the Galileo with Spock leaning out of the door and saying, “Scotty...do not let emotions confuse...you...fire at Kirk...and Calder...you must SHOOT!” On the left, Scotty and McCoy are facing the four doppelgangers; Scotty is saying, “Use your phaser, McCoy! Spock must know what it’s about—terrible as it seems!”]

I have no idea who’s giving that captain’s log, since Kirk is currently laying unconscious in the dirt somewhere around here. I also don’t know if either Scotty or McCoy actually fire their phasers, because the art cuts straight to doppel!Kirk and Calder dissolving back into light, followed by the fake security duo. Scotty helpfully lays it out for us.

[ID: Scotty and McCoy watching the lines-and-lights sinking into the cold lava. Scotty is saying, “It gets more puzzling by the minute! Four humans turn into “things” and now the “things” seem to be dissolving into the lava field!”]

Baffled by all this (understandably, so am I) McCoy and Scotty head for the Galileo to see if Spock has any answers. Said Spock is currently kneeling on the floor but says he’ll be restored to his full strength in a moment. When Scotty asks what’s going on, Spock says, “An energy drain, but I was less vulnerable than the others because--”

We never find out why Spock was less vulnerable than the others (how convenient) because suddenly the volcano starts throwing up rocks. That’s bad news for Kirk and Calder, who are still laying out there in the open somewhere, so McCoy runs out to get them. Or possibly he just teleports over there, I’m not sure, all I know is one panel they’re all in the Galileo and the next panel he’s over there with Kirk and Calder, who are slowly starting to come around.

They make it back to the protection of the Galileo just in time for the last of the rocks to fall on it instead of them. Then the rockfall stops, leaving the Galileo a bit dented but otherwise fine. Well, that page’s worth of action definitely contributed some valuable to the story.

Of course, while the Galileo might be intact, it’s still inoperable due to that whole power-drain thing. Spock reckons the key to all this lies up in that volcano crater, so he gets Scotty—whose communicator still works, presumably either because he’s not been down there long enough for it to be drained or because Scotty himself is an ambient power source—to call up the Enterprise with a request.

[ID: Uhura listening to a speaker saying, “Scotty to Enterprise! If you read me, beam down a fully-equipped video-camera-robot!” to which Uhura says, “They must want to inspect something they’re afraid to face themselves!”]

Dang, Uhura, okay. Just...lay that right out there.

Meanwhile, Calder is speculating that they’re dealing with “some parasitic life-form that drains life powers from humans!” Kirk asks Spock if he agrees and Spock says they need more concrete evidence before theorizing. Right, it’s too early to theorize that the thing that’s been draining everyone’s energy might be a thing that drains energy. I’m starting to suspect that Spock just reflexively disagrees with anything Calder says.

The robot and its accompanying TV monitor then show up and man, you’d think that the freedom of a comic book format would allow them to depict some Star Trek tech that looked less incredibly and intrinsically 60s but, uh...nope, just doubled down on that, I guess.

[ID: Kirk and Calder looking at a human-shaped gray robot, accompanied by a rounded orange TV with large antenna. Kirk is saying, “Here’s the robot! Let’s have it explore the crater’s interior!” and Calder is saying, “Right! This asteroid’s secret lies in there!”]

So the robot that has no reason at all to be shaped like a human but is for some reason goes up to investigate the crater, relaying video to the TV, while Kirk and Spock helpfully tell each other what they’re looking at. As the robot enters the crater they see a ruined spacecraft of some sort, and then a couple of skeletons with the ragged remains of clothing still clinging to them. Cool! Then they see the lights again, and then the screen goes blank. Spock tries to recall the robot, but up in the crater we see this happening:

[ID: A doppelganger of the TV robot being formed out of lines-and-lights. A narration box reads, “Inside the crater, a mocking duplication of the now power-drained robot takes place...”]

oh, now you give us a narration box to tell us what’s happening

The robot comes back, and everyone helpfully gathers around outside to watch so they can all faint en masse when it turns out that, oh, what a surprise, the returning robot is actually another duplicate. Luckily Spock (who, remember, is less vulnerable than the others because--) hangs on long enough to call up to the Enterprise using...either his communicator that’s magically now working again, or Scotty’s communicator which he magically acquired at some point that we never saw, take your pick.

On the Enterprise some greenshirt tells Uhura they’re receiving a very feeble signal, and she tells him to turn on the sound-booster, because I guess Uhura’s delegating her job now. Spock tells them to fire a stream of negative ions into the volcano’s crater, so they circle back around over the crater and shoot it with the ion-beam dispenser that the Enterprise apparently has. This causes the lights to glow more brightly for a moment before fading until the weird thing is left looking like just a bunch of q-tips stuck together. But like, really big q-tips.

The real security team, still laying up there in the crater, finally get enough strength back to wake up and skedaddle out of there. Upon making it back down, though, they run into a spot of confusion, what with the four crewmembers laying unconscious on the ground and the four identical crewmembers standing over them.

[ID: The shocked security officers watching a double of Kirk, wearing an orange shirt, standing over the unconscious bodies of the real Enterprise crew. The narration box says, “As they hurry back to the Galileo...” while the double of Kirk says, “Shoot them! They are dangerous doubles!”]

dude your case for that would be better if your shirt wasn’t the wrong color

Spock tells them to shoot the people standing up, which they do, presumably accepting his authority on the grounds of being the only one around who doesn’t have a double. The doppelgangers turn back into lights and disappear into the lava, where Spock says they should be temporarily immobilized. One of the security duo reminds him about that robot that’s hanging around here somewhere.

[ID: Kirk holding a hand to his head while Spock kneels next to him, glancing over his shoulder at the TV robot and saying, “The ROBOT! I almost forgot! BLAST IT!”]

“there’s no need to swear, Mr. Spock” “I MEANT SHOOT IT”

Oh, how suspenseful, how will they handle this—I’m kidding, they just shoot it too. Everyone then heads back to the Galileo, where Kirk notes that “The ion power’s restored! Another mystery—like why you weren’t doubled, Spock!” Spock says he wasn’t doubled because he’s a Vulcan and his internal structures are different, so that slowed the process. Oh sure, that thing can duplicate a shuttlecraft and a robot just fine, but I mean, Vulcans, Vulcans are way different. As I’m sure you know, taxonomically speaking, humans are more closely related to shuttlecraft than they are to Vulcans. And no, Spock has nothing to say about the first mystery of why the shuttlecraft’s power is back on.

As they fly back to the Enterprise, Spock and Calder explain—and I use the term loosely—what that thing’s whole deal was. “This shape is very similar to our protein molecule chain!” Calder explains. “That is our basic life-building unit!”

Here’s a rendering of a protein structure, in case you were wondering (hemoglobin, specifically).

[ID: A computer rendering of several red and blue chains of curls inter-meshed with thinner curling red and blue lines and small branching structures of green, red and blue lines.]

Looks identical to me!

Spock explains that, as Calder speculated earlier, this particular protein molecule chain is a parasitic life-form that drains energy from everything. The central ‘life-core’ in the volcano sends out “smaller molecule chains—those duplicate any mechanical or human energy source, drain its energy, and return to feed the CENTRAL core!” Ah yes, the molecule chains. The chains that were easily big enough to be seen by the naked eye. Those molecule chains. Sent out by the protein molecule chain that’s...the size of a volcano crater...look, I’m a humanities major and even I know this is nonsense.

Calder reckons the thing goes into hibernation to save energy since it’s the only life form on the asteroid, but that the signs of movement the Enterprise detected could be its way of luring in passing energy sources. Because it’s a protein molecule chain that’s smart enough to understand that passing starships might be scanning for life, I guess…? Alright, never mind that, how did Spock defeat it? Simple, he says: the thing had absorbed the shuttlecraft’s power source, which was positive ions, so he had it hit with negative ions.

...you know, fine. Fine. Whatever. Let’s just go.

Kirk closes out with a captain’s log: “In accordance with Federation by-laws, we did not destroy the life-form on Tactis II...but even now, the life-form is probably active again! It will be seeking other energy sources! Be warned!”

Oh, sure, Federation by-laws. Now you care about Federation by-laws. You weren’t real fussed about Federation by-laws when it came to starting a civil war, or disrupting a clone society so badly the whole planet blew up, but this, this is serious. A bunch of weird lights on an asteroid that eat everyone who comes close? That’s something worth preserving!

So they fly off, having determined that against all odds, Tactis II is a threat to the Federation. Great. Now we’ve got to check all these other asteroids too.

#star trek #star trek gold key #recap tag #star trek gold key recaps #GK 28 The Mimicking Menace