#<- This is also more interesting to me in that Tuvok is saying to Tom that it EARNESTLY doesn't matter that | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

myenterpriseisparked · 3 years

Text

Little things from Star Trek Voyager that make me soft:

- Harry inviting Captain Janeway to Tom’s holobar for games and the way Janeway seems so touched at being included

- When Tom makes a cheesy joke at the helm and Janeway rolls with it while smirking at him knowingly (ex. “What if we set up a bicycle in the mess hall and pedal our way home?” “Now why didn’t I think of that.”)

- When the ship is traveling through the Void and Harry writes a concerto on his clarinet and Tuvok stops to listen to it because he knows Harry worked hard on it

- When Chakotay makes little jokes with Harry and chuckles to himself when Harry jokes back like a proud dad

- Tuvok and Seven bonding over how dumb they think humans are

- The way Janeway looks at Sam Wildman when Sam tells her she’s pregnant. Janeway is clearly sympathizing with her nervousness about having a baby in the Delta Quadrant but she congratulates her anyway because she knows Sam needs to feel supported in her decision.

- When Tuvok tells Neelix he isn’t completely inept during security training and Neelix treats that like the massive Vulcan compliment it is

- The achingly gentle way Janeway looks at all of her crew members when they’re going through a tough time

- How defensive Chakotay gets when any member of the crew questions the captain’s judgement

- At Janeway’s funeral in “Coda,” she manages to keep her emotions in check until Harry starts talking and then she cries

- The fact that Janeway cries like a real person. Like, her face scrunches up, her lip quivers. She’s not out here crying those fake-ass stoic tears that other fictional characters do. She’s crying for real.

- When Tom covers for Harry’s indiscretion because he knows how important Harry’s clean Starfleet record is to him

- The way Janeway hugs Kes during Elogium and sits to talk to her about puberty while gently stroking her hair and listening to her patiently

- The fact that there’s a pot of coffee ready in Janeway’s ready room all the time and you just know that Chakotay is using his own replicator rations for her

- In the wedding between duplicate Tom and B’Elanna when Chakotay walks B’Elanna down the isle and Janeway walks Tom down the aisle and they both look like the proudest parents to ever exist

- Chakotay and Neelix’s background friendship. You have to squint for it, but they have some funny little moments together that indicate an offscreen friendship that I wish we could have seen more of

- The fact that Janeway goes to visit almost everyone who gets admitted to sickbay

- Tom telling Harry that he will never forget Harry defending him in “The Chute” simply because he is Harry’s friend. Not because he had something Harry needed, or because Harry couldn’t survive without him, just because “this man is my friend.”

- When Janeway flat-out tells Harry that she thinks of him like a son and she’s proud of how he’s grown since coming on Voyager

- The way Tuvok just really, really loves his wife

- The fact that Janeway makes baby blankets for babies born on Voyager

- How absolutely into Captain Proton Harry and Tom get (and how into character Janeway gets when she plays Arachnia)

- Chakotay and Janeway exchanging looks when someone says something dumb, especially when it’s one of their officers and they just look amused/exasperated

- “Chakotay? Are you there?” “No, I left an hour ago!”

- Tom inviting Seven to play ping pong because he thought she might enjoy the math behind it

- The way that Janeway never writes Neelix off, even though he can be a pest sometimes. If he says he knows how to do something, she lets him take a whack at it. If he’s got a story to tell and there’s no immediate danger, she listens. When he’s clearly baiting her into a conversation where he can show off his knowledge of Earth history, she bites and encourages him to tell her more because she knows it’s important to him to know about the history of the cultures represented on the ship.

- The fact that Neelix tries to get to know the cultures represented on the ship, even when he gets it wrong sometimes. He has good intentions.

- The entirety of Neelix and Tuvok’s interactions during “Riddles.” I was a hot mess that entire episode.

- Janeway finding out Tuvok’s birthday, making him a cake, baiting him into thinking she was mad at him so she could do a dramatic reveal, and Tuvok blowing out the candle even though he thought the candle was dumb just because she’s his best friend and he loves her

- The way Chakotay turns into Hearteyes McGee every time Janeway puts her hands on her hips, cocks her brow, and tells off an enemy

- How excited the whole crew gets when they find a cool space anomaly that isn’t immediately threatening them

- The fact that Janeway does her best to allow her officers to pursue their interests. Like when Tom asks to build the Delta Flyer, she lets him because cool spaceships are his Thing. When they find that lost ship from the early Mars missions, she lets Chakotay lead the away mission because that’s his Thing. She lets B’Elanna and Harry make a ton of adjustments to the engines because it might help them get home faster, but also because that’s their Thing. She understands how frustrating it can be to be locked in a spaceship for years without a way to pursue your interests and hobbies outside of the holodeck so she does her best to let them do their Things when opportunities do arise.

- When Tom and Harry start a street brawl because they tried to play drunk tennis with some aliens and Janeway dresses them down for unbecoming conduct but then is like “.... so did you win?”

- The fact that both Harry and B’Elanna have fever dreams where they very clearly reveal that they see Janeway as a mother figure

- Seven of Nine and Naomi’s friendship and how pure it is and also how Seven always calls Naomi by her full name

- Also Neelix and Naomi’s friendship

- And the fact that Naomi is the Captain’s Assistant and Chakotay and Janeway send her back and forth between the two of them with messages because it makes her feel important

- I guess just Naomi Wildman in general

- Seven and The Doctor connecting over music

2K notes · View notes

trekkielibrarian · 2 years

Text

Happy Blood Fever Day!!!

Oh Blood Fever, you glorious Star Trek Voyager episode! Blood Fever first aired February 5, 1997, when I was an impressionable teen with a huge crush on Tom Paris. I was already hooked on Voyager and was shipping P/T, so this episode was like seeing all of my shipping hopes and dreams come true.

It's easy to look at this episode and think of all tropes that make it so much fun. We've got sex pollen, fuck or die, trapped together (not only that but trapped with heightened hormones!), having to fight for your lover, flirting, witty banter-this episode has it all!

Yet Blood Fever is really so much more than that.

We've seen Tom and B'Elanna dancing around each other for some time now. They started out not quite as enemies, but they disliked each other. And slowly they came to see that they were very similar-they found in each other someone who understood and could see past their walls. They pushed and challenged each other and a friendship formed. And it was a fun friendship with lots of flirting and chemistry.

But Tom knew he had to take it slow. B'Elanna was not going to fall for his usual charms and that made her special. She was different. And B'Elanna was not going to let her guard down until she felt she could really trust Tom. But the attraction was there and flirting was fun.

So when B'Elanna gets stricken with Pon Farr, it makes sense that the person she would feel a bond with, that she would choose as her mate would be Tom. This wasn't simply a case of we're trapped in a cave and you're my option. It was more of a my inhibitions have been lowered and I'm finally letting myself admit what I've been feeling.

Yet when Tom is presented with what he has been wanting, he shows his true self. We've been led to believe that Tom is a ladies man, that he's out to flirt and sleep his way around. But this episode shows that has all been a cover and who he really is is a man who cares and who cares deeply. He tells B'Elanna that he can't accept because she's not in her right mind to give consent. That if he gives in now, it will ruin any chance of a relationship they might have in the future and he cares about her too much to do that. I also think he's starting to realize that he wants something more with B'Elanna-this isn't a fling, but the real deal and he doesn't want to do anything to jeopardize that.

His rejection stings. The way B'Elanna thinks he doesn't want her hurts. The way Tom thinks that she's only telling him she's interested because of the Pon Farr and not letting himself believe that she is finally telling the truth. Those walls come right back up. But for a moment we see what the two of them can't quite see yet-that they really, truly care about each other and that this is more than flirtation.

Sure, this episode has the first P/T kiss. There are so many great lines! And let's be honest, that whole cave scene, with the wrist lights-it's hot!

But more than that, this episode made a big impression on me for three reasons:

1. Consent is sexy: Tom says no because he doesn't have B'Elanna's consent and knows it would be taking advantage of her. He's even hesitant to comply with Tuvok's order to relieve her of the Pon Farr because he knows B'Elanna is not in the right frame of mind. He doesn't jump at this chance, but talks to B'Elanna, tells her he understands, that they don't have to do this. He waits until she gives the ok and even then, he's hesitant and waiting for her lead. This was huge, especially for the 90's when this episode aired. Tom puts B'Elanna first-her feelings, her thoughts, her consent. And that is very powerful and sexy.

2. Strong women are sexy: B'Elanna is often seen as a tough Klingon who is to be feared. So often strong women are presented in a way that is not attractive or that they can't be strong and smart and also be sexy. But B'Elanna proves all of that wrong here as she shows that strong women are absolutely hot.

(Also bonus, my girl punches Vorik who absolutely needed to punished in this episode!)

3. It's ok to be vulnerable: At the end, Tom says that B'Elanna is afraid her Klingon side was showing, meaning her strong-willed, forceful side. She's also embarrassed that she let her mask slip in the caves-she told Tom the truth (even if he doesn't believe it), she let her guard down, and she had moments of vulnerability. And instead of running away, Tom is right there for it, staying by her side, and encouraging this side of her-both her strong side and her softer, vulnerable side. He says he wants to see it again and in his flirtatious way, shows that it's not something to embarrassed or afraid about-it's something to be proud of.

This episode taught me that it's ok to be a strong woman who knows what she wants. And it's also ok to be vulnerable. I wanted to be like B'Elanna when I grew up and I hope that I'm doing her at least a little proud.

So let's raise a glass to Lisa Klink (writer extraordinaire) for creating this marvelous episode! To Tom and B'Elanna-the best Trek couple! Happy Blood Fever Day!

#Blood Fever #paris x torres #star trek voyager #tom x b'elanna #tom paris #b’elanna torres #my otp #my otp is canon #my otp is the cutest #paris/torres #ptmonth #fever february #catch the fever #pon farr #sex pollen #fuck or die #hormones gone wild #This episode is full of tropey goodness

62 notes · View notes

getoutofmyjaneway · 3 years

Text

Beta Cannon: the Pre Voyager Era of Kathryn Janeway | Mosaic v The Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway

This weekend, I got a copy of the Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway from a local book store. For how frequently we speak about Mosaic in the community (despite having some flaws) I was shocked that I had not heard a lot about this book and assumed it was a bad thing. And yeah in some regards it was (see @mia-cooper’s post on the subject). I have a lot of feelings (I’ll post a proper review at a later point) but one thing that did stick out to me is the divergence from what we have considered Beta Canon, aka, the extended universe of Star Treks told through novels, short stories, video games, etc. After completing the novel, I jumped right into my old standby copy of Mosaic, which has dictated a lot of Janeway’s back story since 96. Both of these novels cover the beginnings of Janeway’s life and how she was shaped into the woman we know.

TLDR The Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway changes a lot of things for no reason. Some of these are for the good. Some for the bad. And some, for like no good reason at all, like it was fine as it was, and was accepted cannon for like 25 years, but sure fine whatever.

I will mention that, as Mosaic has been a book in my library and I have read it too many times, so of course, I do have a bias toward it. Additionally, I feel like it is fair to mention here that authors of Fanfiction have leaned on this as their bibles since 1996 as Mosaic is written by Jeri Taylor, one of the show-runners for Voyager. Because of its connection with a showrunner, Mosaic is also integrated into the canon of the show. It seems that most points that are taken from Mosaic in the Autobiography are only included because of their existence in cannon material.

Anyway, this review is going to focus on the characters that shape Kathryn and I will end with my final thoughts. This is long so to respect your dash, you are going to have to click keep reading. You’re welcome.

Obligatory Spoiler Warning for ALL of Mosaic, chapter 13 of Pathways, and chapters 1-7 of The Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway

Edward Janeway

In all media, I feel like we can safely say that Kathryn Janeway is in fact a daddy’s girl. Her relationship with her father is very important to her, so it is interesting to see how it is portrayed very differently in both novels. In Mosaic, a lot of the highlights of Janeway’s earlier years revolve around time spent with him. From giving her special attention after ‘Your Sister’ was born, to consoling her after her losing tennis match and subsequent walk home in the rain, and trips to Mars, Kathryn mentions great fondness of quality time spent. In the Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway he is more described as an absent father, one that she always wanted to see and please. When he was home, she wanted all of his attention and to impress him greatly. She wished to follow in his footsteps after gaining a love of flight and the stars with a plane ride and a telescope he gave her. He tried to prepare her by detaining the events of the current conflict with Cardassia and inviting Starfleet brass over for dinner. Overall, in her early childhood, it makes more sense for Edward to not be around often. There is not a lot of conflict between the sources, other than the details of the aforementioned tennis match and different childhood nicknames.

Edward is in a crash aboard an experimental ship on Tau Ceti Prime which leads to his death. This is where the big differences begin. In Mosaic, Kathryn and her fiancé are also on board. In Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway, Kathryn is still on the Al-Batani. The fall out of this event has a great effect on Kathryn of course in both novels. As this is a missive shaping event of Kathryn’s life, I felt it very jarring to be changed. This moment shaped Janeway and gives us good context for why she handles situations the way she does. I see this trauma and I understand her character better, for dealing with the loss of two of the most important people in her life all at once.

Gretchen Janeway

The Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway was good to Gretchen Janeway as her character is basically a blank slate. We know little about her from Mosaic as it mostly focuses on Kathryn’s relationship with her father (and other male influences in her life). It is nice to learn more things about Grechen as with Edward’s job, it is likely that Kathryn was mainly raised by her. Other than being an artist, she also wrote some of the Flotter holos and wrote a number of children’s stories about the people of Bajor during the occupation. She does a lot of humanitarian work with the refugees from Bajor during the occupation. She loves to garden and get her daughters involved. She has a close bond with Phoebe due to their overlapping interests, but you can tell that she strives to support her in what she does. Overall, I like getting know Gretchen to be someone of than Kathryn’s mother.

Phoebe Janeway

I was shocked when researching Memory Alpha for this review, Phoebe is never named in any Cannon media up to this point (Star Trek Prodigy could very well change this). We know Janeway has a sister and she is an artist, but that is it. Both novels keep her very similar personality-wise. In both stories, Kathryn is not looking forward to being a big sister. They also both mourn the loss of their father together. In Mosaic, she is not mentioned much. Kathryn tells her she is not old enough on an off planet trip and Phoebe plays pranks on her. The Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway goes much more into depth. They don’t get along when they are younger. They fight a lot. I feel this is a very realistic portrayal of real siblings, vying for attention and approval, snapping when they don’t get their way. They both excel at what they do, Kathryn in her studies and Phoebe through her art. They seem to need to one-up each other at every turn. As they grow up, they grow closer together, as many siblings do. Points added for giving Phoebe a wife, something which has been included in a lot of fanfiction. Overall, there are no big conflicting points.

Mark Johnson

Kathryn’s fiance at the time of the Voyager’s disappearance, Mark is a very different part of Kathryn’s life in both novels. In Mosaic, he is a childhood friend and went by his middle name Hobbs. Seemingly always two steps behind Kathryn, he did a lot of the same activities that she did, tennis and swimming in the underground cave systems. He did these poorly, and this makes Kathryn always look down upon him. They reconnected after her father’s death and she fell head-over-heels for him. Personally, I always felt this was a little uncharacteristic of Kathryn, to run away from her responsibilities to be with a man. It just seems very out of character and has always bothered me. The Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway takes a completely different approach. She meets Mark as a friend of Pheobe and her wife as a widower. They hit it off and they fall hard. You can see the conflict in Kathryn as she debates how to move forward with a relationship as they have different outlooks on life. She has a drive to explore but does not want to be an absent parent. She debates quitting, which I don’t think is something Janeway would have ever done. Overall she decides to accept Mark’s proposal just before taking command of Voyager. This makes the Dear John situation a lot more believable as it makes sense that he would want to move on with his life much quicker. Overall, I have to just ask, why? I know Mark doesn’t have a lot of character, but why change basically their whole relationship dynamic?

Justin Tighe

Justin is a character I actually like for selfish reasons. This explains why I was very miffed that he was nowhere to be seen in the Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway. Justin is Kathryn’s first love, they were coworkers, engaged and in love, and dies in the same accident that takes her father. As a person who always wanted Chakotay and Janeway to get together, this incident perfectly gives the reason. She is afraid to get romantically involved with a crew member because of the nature of the job. This dynamic is seen between Picard and Nella Daren in TNG very well. Kathryn has learned the hard way that she can lose a person under her command and how it feels when you are in love with that person. In early Voyager, you can see she isolates herself from the crew and it takes time for her to get comfortable. And during Night she relapses to her old ways. This is the way I have always justified Janeway’s reluctance to have a romantic relationship during their time in the Delta Quadrant. By understanding her background, I have a lot of respect for that choice. Her relationship with Justin really shaped how she handles relationships and without the impact he had on her life, it actually makes her character weaker.

Owen Paris

Owen is Kathryn’s mentor. In Mosaic, they meet as he is reviewing her junior honors thesis advisor on massive compact halo objects. From here they gained a relationship built on respect and learning. It makes sense that, as he was her personal mentor, that she would be close with his family, and why she would seek out Tom as a person to bring with her to the Badlands mission. In the Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway, she does not meet him until she is on the Al-Batani. This doesn’t only weaken her relationship with Admiral Paris, but moreover weakens her relationship with Tom. If he was her superior officer, why would she develop such a ‘big sister’ mentality to Tom if she didn’t have as many opportunities to meet him?

Tuvok

Mosaic does not go too much in depth with Tuvok and Janeway’s relationship, but its sister novel Pathways does. In Pathways, Tuvok meets Janeway when he is an ensign under her command of the USS Bonestell. The Bonestell and the Billings, two ships that Janeway served on, tend to get confused a lot. Most sources have Janeway’s first command as the Voyager, Including Voyager itself - “It doesn't seem like my first command is shaping up the way I expected,” Janeway Shattered. The Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway has her and Tuvok meet on the Al-Batani. I actually really like the dynamic between them, as they grow to respect each other over a much longer period of time. I also like that, though Janeway climbs through the ranks, it does not change their relationship dynamic as she still relies on him and asks him advice as if they were equals. I think giving them a longer time to build their relationship. Also would like to note that Janeway and Tuvok also had a friendship with the original CMO of Voyager, Dr. Fitzgerald. I always wanted to know more about the Pre-Caretaker crew and I would have loved to see this dynamic and how the grief of losing a close personal friend in the Caretaker incident would impact them both.

Also I feel obligated to shout out the Janeway and Tuvok story in Star Trek Waypoint One-Shot. I need to get around to doing a series retrospective, but this short story I have not seen anyone talk about and I love it so much. Please read Waypoint. Okay next.

Other characters

Cheb - Janeway’s boyfriend in Mosaic. He was kind of an asshole and got her into trouble. He is not in the Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway and I see no problem with this.

Boothby - “[he is the] head groundskeeper at Starfleet Academy. When I was a cadet, he used to give me fresh roses for my quarters,” Janeway Revulsion. Boothby is not in Mosaic. In the Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway, it is explained that her mother loved to garden and this was something that Boothby did as a gradian figure to make her feel at home and destress. Makes sense.

Aisha - A childhood friend of Katheryn’s. Only in the Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway. Mosaic has this weird thing about highlighting the relationships with only the men in her life, so it is nice to see her have some other female friends.

Nexa - Katheryn’s roommate at the Academy. Only in the Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway. Nexa helps broaden Kathryn’s horizons by helping to learn about Exoliguisticts, first contact, and the Betazoid culture. Again nice to see her have other female friends.

Riker - Yes they go on a date in Mosaic. He is not mentioned in the Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway. I know he is a gag character but I still liked it.

-----------------------

Final Thoughts

A lot of characters were changed between these two novels. There is a lot to like and a lot to hate. I really like what the Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway did with characters like Tuvok and Gretchen Janeway. Other characters were not so lucky (Justin, sweetie I’m so sorry that they would erase you like that, oh my god). It’s a mixed bag, but one thing I need say is... why?

We have had a good thing going here with the established canon as is. Mosaic (and Pathways) is the foundation of which the last 25 years of fanworks and the relaunch novels are based on. Why change history when it is already written?

Always, would love to hear your thoughts and thank you for reading my novel of a post. I will see you in the full review.

#star trek #star trek voyager #kathryn janeway #janeway #voyager #voyager book club #star trek novel #the autobiography of kathryn janeway

52 notes · View notes

giffingthingsss · 3 years

Text

J/C, C/7, and Me

Disclaimer: I am not necessarily a J/C shipper. I just have eyeballs and enjoy the show. Long ass post.

In the Beginning

Was a Janeway/Chakotay romantic plot baked in? I tend to think not. At least not at the very start. But this is pure speculation on my part.

If romance is your goal, then it’s much more interesting to have Chakotay not immediately being 100% supportive. (An AU where they never get lost and it’s just Janeway pursuing this Maquis leader and maybe eventually being persuaded and helping him, please.)

I think initially they were flirting with the idea of Janeway/Paris. The character of Tom was described as being a potential love interest for Janeway. That idea doesn’t seem to have made it past the character sketches, but you can see a trace element of it in the very beginning.

The writers played with a number of character combinations. A pretty natural chemistry was cropping up between Captain and First Officer. Little things were dropped into scripts. Performances certainly came across as interested, whether intended or not, who knows.

Ramping Up

Where before there were hints and moments, Resolutions kicks off a series of flashing red sirens.

From this episode on there would be declarations of... ‘you bring me true peace’, and ‘I’m frickin jealous, okay?’ and bawling declarations of ‘you can’t die!’ These developments are not in the shipper’s imagination. They’re building toward something. Clearly. Obviously. Said all the people with eyes.

For the first couple seasons, Janeway being engaged kind of kept this at bay. But now they’re fully playing with it.

Road Block

However, Kate Mulgrew (and maybe others, I dunno) was like, ‘sure. develop the relationship. but no sex. the first female captain isn’t going to be having booty calls in the ready room. not gonna happen. people are going to take this captain seriously.’

So they played with it here and there, but it could only go so far. Kate seemed to want the best of both worlds. A deep, complicated, growing relationship, that never tipped over into the sexual. Her focus was on getting the crew home.

Beltran flat out says (in one of the books I own that I don’t feel like digging out) that Chakotay was in love with her. But Beltran was getting frustrated. When Year of Hell came around, he apparently called up the writers and said, ‘how long is this guy gonna keep throwing himself at a woman who never reciprocates? it’s getting pathetic. either do something with these two or don’t.’

Loner Janeway

Along the way, I think Kate became enamored with the idea of the loneliness of command, the sacrifices it entails. Fell in love with the poignancy of it all.

This is not something that’s out of character for Janeway. Beyond the fact that in the beginning she was engaged, pairing off was a luxury she didn’t think the captain had. So any kind of romantic relationship she might pursue would have to start with her being broken out of that mindset.

That’s basically what Resolutions did. Once they finally pried Voyager out of her fingers, you could see a burgeoning love very clearly. But then Voyager came back. And with it her... resolutions.

Coulda Woulda Shoulda

If they had wanted to snip it and move on, they should have had that conflict between Janeway and Chakotay at some point. Perhaps after Beltran called them up and said, ‘hey. Make up your minds.’

Have the characters actually talk about it and reach a conclusion and there ya go. But maybe the writers just didn’t know wtf they wanted to do with it and wanted to leave their options open. And then did nothing at all.

Me, a Non-Shipper

Personally, I tend to agree with the Mulgrew side of things (and can also see why Beltran would be bored with the eternal holding pattern and not mind when they said ‘hey, you can kiss Jeri Ryan.’)

They developed the Tom/B’Elanna romance, which was great. We didn’t need non-stop romantic plots. I think the shippers could understand Kate’s reasoning and were willing to go with the slow burn...if the writers had actually sat down and decided that’s what they were doing. If only they hadn’t dropped the ball at the very end.

Here’s the thing: if you build up a relationship like that, you can’t be upset when people notice. And you can’t give up on it behind the scenes without telling the audience on screen. ‘There are some lines we never cross’ might have been an attempt, but was too late. And was certainly not closure. The audience deserved better.

C/7? WTF!?

Well, if you thought there was no build up for it, it’s because there wasn’t. If you felt like it was whirlwind and came out of nowhere, it’s because it was, and it did. Apparently even in the writer’s room.

Brannon Braga wanted Seven to die in the finale. He was writing her episodes to gear up for that. Human Error, the episode where Seven experiments with romantic ideas with a holographic Chakotay (with a kiss that was apparently the result of a dare Beltran made to Jeri), was written with Seven’s death in mind. It wasn’t supposed to be the opening salvo of an actual relationship.

I think Seven of Nine should have bit the dust. I think there had to be a real sacrifice for this crew getting home, a real blood sacrifice. Seven of Nine was, for me, designed to be a character that was gonna die tragically. I planned that.... There’s an episode called Human Error that I wrote...she's trying to feel emotions. She actually succeeds and then almost dies. She learns there’s a Borg implant, that if she becomes too human, it will kill her. And it was that moment in my mind that would set up the finale, where she realized she can’t live here, she can’t live there. And she dies getting her family home. - Brannon Braga

I’m glad they didn’t go that way for various reasons. I love Endgame as it is. But it’s interesting to know the thought process. They weren’t gearing up for romance, they were aiming for tragedy. At least Braga was.

Human Error was only about six episodes from the end. At the time of that writing, that's what was in at least his head.

Human Error was not written with an eye toward a C/7 future. Without that episode I doubt highly C/7 would have been a thing. And it wasn’t even written to make it a thing.

Endgame obviously didn't go that way. Janeway-palooza instead. So. What do we do now? What to do with Seven? And from here on, all I have is speculation.

Retooling

'Well, we've got this holodeck scenario from the episode we wrote when we were planning to kill her off that hints that she might like Chakotay. So. I guess we'll go with that.'

It appears to me that they retooled recently written story elements to fit their ending, to provide more motivation for that ending.

They picked the three people it would kill Janeway most to lose. Tuvok, obviously. An ongoing torment, visiting him every week. Seven dies (a remnant of plan A) and in a sense takes Chakotay with her.

This is all fuel for Admiral Janeway without making it about saving her lover (unless you’re a J/7 shipper, in which case, hog heaven).

When you think of it only in terms of ‘what can we do to make the finale work’, it’s not terrible. When you think of it in terms of seven preceding years, it doesn’t work at all. They got myopic.

In hindsight I think the writers could probably admit it was a mistake in terms of the show, and they should have resisted the urge to do something that was thrown together and jarring rather than nothing at all with Seven.

Gossip

Apparently neither Mulgrew or Beltran were opposed to C7 in the end. Maybe because they had at points been a bit frustrated with each other behind the scenes. Whether those frustrations were forefront in anyone’s mind at the time, idk.

I tend to think Kate really was over the idea of Janeway’s destiny having much to do with romance at all.

It is interesting that when Seven first arrived on the show, Kate specifically mentioned not wanting the writers to throw her with Chakotay. At that point perhaps feeling a tad possessive. Perhaps didn’t want him ‘sullied’ by the busty blonde.

But this was seasons in the past by the time the finale rolled around, and I doubt highly it had anything to do with anything. Who knows.

Me on Endgame

Personally, I'm glad Endgame was a Janeway palooza. I love 99% of Endgame. I’m glad it was about Janeway vs.Janeway vs. Borg Queen. I wouldn’t have wanted it to be about J/C either.

But if you’re not willing to go there, leave it then to the imagination. It's cruel to basically tell your audience that these two would be together if not for their delta quadrant circumstances, and then rip the rug from under them the second they get to the quadrant where this romance is supposed to be possible. Not cool, man. Not cool.

When I first saw Endgame (as a non-shipper with eyes) C/7 was jarring and weird. But I thought the scene where Seven was distancing herself was well acted and stirred up an emotion or two (even if it was a little histrionic, considering they'd just started dating). So I wasn’t throwing things at my television. Just confused.

I also basically dismissed their future relationship. They got home after like one date, not ten years of marriage. And now their lives will completely change. So I just kind of hand-waved it away. "It did its job for the episode, but the future's changed and they won't last. So whatever."

Headanons on Janeway’s romantic reasoning and original timeline reaction to C/7

Captain Janeway had no idea how long it would take to get back home. Obviously you hope for tomorrow, but it could be twenty years from now. She resigned herself to not pursue romance. Her sole purpose in life was to get the crew safely home.

So I speculate her reaction to C/7 would be quite stoic. She would recognize it’s not fair for him to just pine away, possibly forever. That she has made this choice and he shouldn't have to be alone because of it. Her being alone is just part of the price she must pay, the burden she must bear. Her own wants and needs must take a backseat. She has greater responsibilities.

In fact, I can see her encouraging C/7. She would see it as a form of selfless love. ‘It doesn’t matter that he’s with me; it matters that he’s happy.’ Of course feelings would rear their heads from time to time, but she would quickly corral them into that channel.

Lots of lovely internal martyrdom. She would make it her mission to make sure they were both okay and happy. A bit of a masochistic streak that she buries under a sense of nobility and sacrifice.

This is the kind of angle I think Mulgrew came to prefer. That lovely little tragic pang. She loves drama, if nothing else.

“It’s a lonely thing, but I’m gonna get this crew home.” - Kate Mulgrew

“You always made it hard for yourself. If there was a rocky path and a smooth one, you chose the rocky one every time.” - Coda

This is a woman with a lot of love to give. But finds herself, or perhaps unnecessarily forces herself, depending on your view, in a place where that’s not a possible life choice. So those instincts expand outward, enveloping them all. She finds fulfillment in the well-being of the crew and the ship as a whole.

Post Endgame

Their trip was shortened by a lot because of Endgame. The future is no longer written in stone. So the possibilities are endless, the sky’s the limit. And apparently Seven’s a lesbian (I haven’t seen it, but I hear tell). So. There ya go.

(She is crying here, btw. I never noticed before I did that episode and feel the need to point it out once again. Lest anyone else still not have noticed.)

If you actually read this whole thing, congratulations. Hopefully it made sense. I now continue with my rewatch and probably won’t talk much about this in the future. Unless something new comes up, I’ll just continue to be a non-shipper with eyeballs, enjoying whatever’s around.

#voyager things #long ass post #of fact and probably fiction #my best current take on what went down

20 notes · View notes

bumblingbabooshka · 2 years

Text

Chakotay/Janeway/Tuvok relationship is about uncrossable lines and things not said out loud (because they don’t have to be? because you don’t want them to be? because it’d make it real?)

It’s about loving someone who you know is looking past you at someone else. A relationship that’s haunted by people that’re still alive somewhere. It’s about knowing that someone you’ve never met has a hold on this person you love and that you’ll never compare - how can you measure up to memory? It’s about drowning in guilt, about asking forgiveness from someone who can’t grant it to you (because even if they said those words “I forgive you” they’re not the person you need to hear it from, it wouldn’t make a difference). It’s about whispering the wrong name as you let yourself lean into them (just this once) and being met with a silence heavy with acceptance. A hand on the back of your head. Steady breathing in a dark room. It’s about trusting someone you’d never in your life trust, let alone love, under any other circumstances but because of some terrible miraculous trick the universe pulled on all of you (because of the deliberate actions of that hand, the hand that doomed you, that pulled you away from all that you knew, now threading its fingers gently through your hair) - you do. You trust this person with your life and it’s only in this specific circumstance that that could ever be possible. Should you be grateful for this? Would you trade it, to have your old life and loves back? It’s about gazing across the room at two people who look like they’ve known each other forever, talking softly, eyes fixed on one another, and feeling a panic you’ve never known before. Because who do you have besides them? What are your other options? It’s about loving people who you know could and would die at any moment. Out of duty, out of necessity, out of a love for something greater - there’s always something greater pressing down on all of you. It’s about feeling very small under it. And very silly. This doesn’t matter, none of it does. Sometimes it doesn’t matter in the best way and you chase that feeling until it eventually runs out. And then, even when you’re drowning in wherever that leaves you, at least it’s better than being alone. Seventy years is a terrifyingly long time.

#everyday I think of these bastards #Chakotay/Janeway/Tuvok #and everyday I think 'I should write a fic' and then what? crickets.#-listens to first im sorry and thinks so hard about these three my brain starts smoking-#you are not my shelf / to hold up my old self (i'm sorry)#Interesting also to me that there can always be an 'exclusion' in the relationship #Janeway and Tuvok have known each other for years...they actually know Mark and T'Pel while Chakotay doesn't #Tuvok and Chakotay were in the Maquis together while Janeway wasn't #Janeway and Chakotay idk how to describe this but they can have a will-they-won't-they romance thing which Tuvok can't #He can't flirt with someone over breakfast #picturing Janeway who's unable to let herself be physically intimate with Chakotay (too far) and Chakotay comes to Tuvok to ask him about it #(since Tuvok knows her better than anyone -rueful tone-) and as they're talking the conversation gets more and more intimate...Tuvok is #speaking as Janeway - saying what he imagines she thinks - what her reasons are and Chakotay kisses him #and its only one kiss and then they break away but Tuvok tells Janeway anyway and she's like...can you...show me? and they mind meld #and they can both hear his thoughts in the moment and the ONLY thought in his head as he kissed Tuvok was a name. 'Kathryn'.#ALL this....while Tom Harry and B'Elanna are bowling in holodeck 4 #st voyager #also although Janeway could technically be excluded from the Maquis thing...it's ultimately the weakest exclusion. She's like...an anchor #and the catalyst #t his is all my interpretation of couuurse~#my writing #I suppose

12 notes · View notes

ezrisdax-archive · 4 years

Note

b7 + texted the wrong person (feel free to also combine it with a group chat AU) for the sapphic september bingo!

also here on ao3 for my sapphic september bingo card~

September 1st 2376, 18:54

[ace pilot changed the group name to party bus]

you wouldn't like me when I'm angry: tom why?

Tuvok: Captain, permission to transfer.

sad clarinet noises: we're in the delta quadrant? where are you transferring to??

I had sex with amelia earhart and all I got was this lousy url: permission denied

I had sex with amelia earhart and all I got was this lousy url: you're suffering alongside me tuvok

Tuvok: Captain at least change your name here.

I had sex with amelia earhart and all I got was this lousy url: no.

September 1st 2376, 21:12

[you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry >> Seven of Nine]

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: I’m bored, meet me at the holodeck

Seven of Nine: If you feel you have insufficient work I can provide some more. I believe the warp drive coils need to be looked at.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: my warp coils are fine and don’t touch them.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: I meant to message harry

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: you guys just both start with ‘s’ and I wasn’t paying attention.

Seven of Nine: Ah, I am a victim of you impulsiveness then.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: lighten up seven, it’s just a mistake. even you can make those.

Seven of Nine: Have you found flaws in my work?

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: in the work no.

Seven of Nine: You took seventeen minutes to answer, I assume you were going over my work.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: I was trying to be tactful for once. you could learn how yourself.

Seven of Nine: You meant to say something else then?

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: learn to read between the lines, seven.

September 1st 2376, 22:24

[Seven of Nine >> you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry]

Seven of Nine: I find it difficult to discern the tone in these chats.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: now who’s taking too long to respond.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: okay I get it.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: look just assume most of us have a second meaning behind what we type.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: I’ve learned it’s easier to just get that most people don’t mean what they say the way they say it.

Seven of Nine: That could have been written at once.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: lesson two:

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: learning to text.

September 2nd 2376, 07:40

[party bus]

ace pilot changed their name to captain proton

captain proton: you can all call me captain, it’s okay

sad clarinet noises changed their name to mom’s not home play the forbidden clarinet

captain proton: seriously harry? you were supposed to change it to buster kincaid

mom’s not home play the forbidden clarinet: why do I always have to be the sidekick, tom?

captain proton: okay that’s captain first of all

Seven of Nine: I believe no one will refer to you with that title.

Seven of Nine: Nor is anyone interested in your juvenile holodeck adventures within this chat.

captain proton: wow rude, seven

mom’s not home play the forbidden clarinet: hang on, Seven did you just text twice?

captain proton: oh no seven’s been infected again, @virtuoso you online yet?

virtuoso: I am always online, Lieutenant, benefits of being a holoprogram.

Seven of Nine: I am functioning at peak performance.

Seven of Nine: I was merely informed by Lieutenant Torres that this is how humans communicate.

captain proton: you’re listening to b’elanna?? you never listened when harry and I tried to teach you to use this chat.

Seven of Nine: Lesson six:

Seven of Nine: “Never listen to Tom and Harry.”

mom’s not home play the forbidden clarinet: that’s probably for the best but @you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry, rude

chakot-eyyyyyy: I truly taught b’elanna the right lessons in life.

I had sex with amelia earhart and all I got was this lousy url is online

I had sex with amelia earhart and all I got was this lousy url: tom believe me when I say I’m the only captain allowed in this chat.

I had sex with amelia earhart and all I got was this lousy url changed captain proton’s name to demoted™

demoted™ permission changed

mom’s not home play the forbidden clarinet changed their name to buste(d) kincaid

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry is online

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: savage

great talaxian bake off: breakfast is ready everyone, for today I’ve got a selection of human and hanonian delicacies, with the substation of leola roots of course but don’t worry I’m certain you won’t be able to tell the difference. why I’ll bet if I hadn’t said a word you’d never even know.

great talaxian bake off: except that I did just tell you then.

great talaxian bake off: oops.

Tuvok is offline

September 2nd 2376, 09:44

[you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry >> Seven of Nine]

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: not bad seven

Seven of Nine: I am not certain I should be seeking your approval.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: and you ruined it

Seven of Nine: I take that to be sarcasm?

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: you can take it however you like

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: are you not coming to breakfast?

Seven of Nine: I have already taken my meal.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: no people watching to learn how to socialize today?

Seven of Nine: I believe you were against me doing that.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: no I didn’t like you doing it to me

Seven of Nine: You were a fascinating subject.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: you say the nicest things

Seven of Nine: I did not mean to insult you with that.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: no I know that now.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: just get down here and socialize already

Seven of Nine: Very well.

September 2nd 2376, 19:32

[you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry >> Seven of Nine]

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: meet me in the holodeck in ten

Seven of Nine: I believe Ensign Kim is on duty right now.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: yeah which is why that message was for you

Seven of Nine: I see.

Seven of Nine: What is the activity we will be doing?

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: sparring >:)

Seven of Nine: Very well.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: lesson eighteen:

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: just say ‘okay’

Seven of Nine: Very well.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: I know that one was on purpose.

Seven of Nine is offline

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: well played seven

September 2nd 2376, 22:17

[you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry >> Seven of Nine]

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: don’t say anything

Seven of Nine: This conversation was initiated by you.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: shut up

Seven of Nine: I am uncertain what you mean.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: oh you know exactly what I mean

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: don’t think I don’t know you play the ‘pretend not to know social cues’ on purpose when it suits you

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: I’ll win the next round seven don’t you worry

Seven of Nine: I was not concerned.

Seven of Nine: Except perhaps for your shoulder.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: shut up

Seven of Nine: Is this to be a regular event then?

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: depends

Seven of Nine: On what?

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: did you enjoy it?

Seven of Nine: It was not bad.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: yes or no seven

Seven of Nine: The experience is repeatable

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: ugh, yes or no seven?

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: if you don’t want to spend time with me don’t worry I won’t take offense to that

Seven of Nine is offline

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: guess that answers it

September 2nd 2376, 23:48

[Seven of Nine >> you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry]

Seven of Nine: Yes.

Seven of Nine: I would like to spend more time with you.

Seven of Nine is offline

September 3rd 2376, 06:27

[you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry >> Seven of Nine]

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: come down for breakfast then

Seven of Nine: You are up early.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: you said you were taking breakfast earlier than us

Seven of Nine: I shall acquire coffee then.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: I didn’t think you drank that

Seven of Nine: I do not enjoy it.

Seven of Nine: You however do.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: oh

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: just with a little milk

Seven of Nine: I am aware.

Seven of Nine: I noticed you drinking it as such during the time I was observing you.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: that’s….weirdly sweet seven

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: stalker

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: I’ll get you some nutritional supplements

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: even typing that sounds gross

Seven of Nine: I prefer it to the current food choices.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: actually looking at what neelix made this morning I can’t blame you

Seven of Nine: Then will you be picking one up for yourself?

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: hell no

September 3rd 2376, 08:29

[buste(d) kincaid >> you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry]

buste(d) kincaid: did you eat breakfast with seven this morning?

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: yeah

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: what about it?

buste(d) kincaid: texting her a lot too

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: get to the point Starfleet

buste(d) kincaid: 👀

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: go look elsewhere

buste(d) kincaid: I’m just saying

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: maybe I just get that it’s not easy to understand a ship full of humans all the time when you feel like something else

buste(d) kincaid: b’elanna

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: don’t

buste(d) kincaid: all right. I’ll drop it for now.

buste(d) kincaid: but if you need romantic music playing during your dates I know a great clarinetist

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: there’s someone else on this ship who plays?

buste(d) kincaid: ouch

September 3rd 2376, 08:42

[party bus]

demoted™: can I get permission to change my name again?

I had sex with amelia earhart and all I got was this lousy url: no.

demoted™: @Tuvok c’mon, you’ve got admin rights on here too, right?

Tuvok is offline

buste(d) kincaid changed their name to I stan 1 (one) Vulcan

demoted™: shut up harry

September 3rd 2376, 09:32

[betting pool]

I stan 1 (one) Vulcan: I want to change my bet to this fourth week this month

demoted™: hey insider knowledge is cheating

I stan 1 (one) Vulcan: I can’t read all of a sudden

chakot-eyyyyyy: change of timeframe noted

great talaxian bake off: oh do you know something mr kim?

I stan 1 (one) Vulcan: maybe. maybe not.

chakot-eyyyyyyy: by the way captain, I changed the roster a little

I had sex with amelia earhart and all I got was this lousy url: putting seven and b’elanna on the same shift all week is also cheating @chakot-eyyyyyyy

chakot-eyyyyyyy: you did it last week

I had sex with amelia earhart and all I got was this lousy url: I can’t read all of a sudden

virtuoso: is there an epidemic going on I need to know about? Please state the nature of the medical emergency.

I had sex with amelia earhart and all I got was this lousy url: we’re fine, doctor. don’t worry about it.

virtuoso: very well. Seven appeared to be in good spirits this morning.

chakot-eyyyyyyy: she and b’elanna were seen leaving the mess hall together

chakot-eyyyyyyy: arguing, but it’s progress

great talaxian bake off: they did seem quite close while they were eating. a shame I couldn’t convince seven to try my new oatmeal, much better than those nutritional supplements she keeps eating.

I had sex with amelia earhart and all I got was this lousy url: we’ll get them there yet

I had sex with amelia earhart and all I got was this lousy url: put me down for first week of next month

I had sex with amelia earhart and all I got was this lousy url: I’ll hedge my bets

I had sex with amelia earhart and all I got was this lousy url: now everyone get back to work

demoted™: @chakot-eyyyyyyy, you have admin rights, right?

chakot-eyyyyyyy is offline

September 4th 2376, 21:38

[you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry >> Seven of Nine]

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: does everyone seem to be watching us more lately?

Seven of Nine: It would appear so.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: I’ll question harry what that’s about

Seven of Nine: I do not enjoy the scrutiny.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: well now you know how I felt

Seven of Nine: Noted.

Seven of Nine: Apologies.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: hang on, I’m screenshotting this.

Seven of Nine: I will delete this thread from both our padds.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: good luck hacking mine

Seven of Nine: I have considerable more patience to try.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: and I’m a damn good engineer and you know it

Seven of Nine: You have a considerable skill there.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: wow and an apology and a compliment

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: damn maybe tom and harry were right and you are compromised

Seven of Nine: I am not suffering from any internal or external conditions

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: doubt

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: your not bad at your job either seven

Seven of Nine: *You’re

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: I take it back

Seven of Nine: I have already committed it to memory.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: dammit seven

Seven of Nine is offline

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: STOP DOING THAT

September 6th 2376, 06:45

[Seven of Nine >> you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry]

Seven of Nine: You are late.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: sorry, we had an emergency in engineering last night and they woke me up

Seven of Nine: Did you requite assistance?

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: maybe later

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: it’s all set now

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: vorik caught the mistake made in time

Seven of Nine: I presume it was not your own.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: no, it was just one of my staff

Seven of Nine: Should I speak to them?

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: don’t terrorize my staff seven

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: that’s my job

Seven of Nine: Your coffee is cold, I am ordering you a new one.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: I don’t have any replicator credits left for this week

Seven of Nine: I am using mine

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: oh

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: thanks

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: I have to head straight to engineering, carrey just pinged

Seven of Nine: I will meet you there.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: seriously don’t terrorize my staff

September 6th 2376, 15:47

[you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry >> Seven of Nine]

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: hey you texted first this morning

Seven of Nine: Should I not have?

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: no no, I was just surprised

Seven of Nine: I see.

Seven of Nine: I will endeavor to do so more often.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: yeah

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: you do that

Seven of Nine: Sarcasm?

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: maybe not this time

Seven of Nine: I see.

Seven of Nine: My attention is required in astrometrics, I shall see you tonight at the holodeck.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: make it dinner

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: to make up for breakfast

Seven of Nine: I will see you then.

September 8th 2376, 17:39

[betting pool]

great talaxian bake off: they arrived at dinner together!

September 8th 2376, 17:42

[I stan 1 (one) Vulcan >> you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry]

I stan 1 (one) Vulcan: 👀

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: don’t say anything

I stan 1 (one) Vulcan: 👀👀👀

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry is offline

September 9th 2376, 08:53

[party bus]

demoted™: @Tuvok, c’mon!

Tuvok is offline

demoted™: @chakot-eyyyyyy

chakot-eyyyyyy is offline

I stan 1 (one) Vulcan: lol

September 9th 2376, 12:00

[Seven of Nine >> you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry]

Seven of Nine: What is the importance of celebrating someone’s birthday?

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: it’s just showing them you were glad they were born

Seven of Nine: It often appears to be an excuse for celebration for that sake of it.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: that too.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: but mostly the first thing

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: it’s just nice to know people care about that enough

Seven of Nine: Another important human lesson?

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: I’m the last person you should really ask for those

Seven of Nine: I find your information on them to be enlightening.

Seven of Nine: You have a different perspective I find easier to understand.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: us outsiders have to stick together, hunh?

Seven of Nine: Indeed.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: then meet me for lunch. I’ll save you some cake.

Seven of Nine: I do not require cake.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: seven

Seven of Nine: I shall be there shortly.

September 11th 2376, 16:08

[Seven of Nine >> I had sex with amelia earhart and all I got was this lousy url]

Seven of Nine: Captain, I have a personal inquiry.

I had sex with amelia earhart and all I got was this lousy url: oh?

Seven of Nine: What is the conclusion to draw in enjoying someone’s company.

I had sex with amelia earhart and all I got was this lousy url: could be a lot of things seven

I had sex with amelia earhart and all I got was this lousy url: friendship, romance, anything in between

Seven of Nine: I see.

Seven of Nine: There is no logical conclusion then.

I had sex with amelia earhart and all I got was this lousy url: do you want to talk about it more?

Seven of Nine: I find myself drawn towards someone. I am uncertain what this means.

I had sex with amelia earhart and all I got was this lousy url: how do you feel about them compared to let’s say…the Doctor

Seven of Nine: Ah.

I had sex with amelia earhart and all I got was this lousy url: ah? You’re typically more succinct seven

Seven of Nine: I have to go.

Seven of Nine is offline

I had sex with amelia earhart and all I got was this lousy url: good luck seven

September 11th 2376, 17:21

[Seven of Nine >> you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry]

Seven of Nine: I will be unable to attend dinner or the holodeck tonight.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: ?? everything okay?

Seven of Nine is offline

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: seven?

September 12th 2376, 06:29

[you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry >> Seven of Nine]

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: you going to stand me up for breakfast too?

September 13th 2376, 10:58

[you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry >> Seven of Nine]

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: I need your input on the latest dilithium crystal chamber designs.

Seven of Nine: I have sent Ensign Kim your way.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: seven

Seven of Nine is offline

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: fine

September 13th 2376, 20:47

[I stan 1 (one) Vulcan >> you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry]

I stan 1 (one) Vulcan: b’elanna?

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: don’t

September 14th 2376, 09:18

[I had sex with amelia earhart and all I got was this lousy url >> Seven of Nine]

I had sex with amelia earhart and all I got was this lousy url: you still have to be able to work with her seven

Seven of Nine: I shall endeavor to do so.

I had sex with amelia earhart and all I got was this lousy url: what happened?

Seven of Nine: I made a mistake.

I had sex with amelia earhart and all I got was this lousy url: caring isn’t a mistake seven

I had sex with amelia earhart and all I got was this lousy url: it’s the human in all of us

Seven of Nine: I did not wish to be human.

I had sex with amelia earhart and all I got was this lousy url: neither did any of us

I had sex with amelia earhart and all I got was this lousy url: we are anyway

Seven of Nine: I will speak to her.

I had sex with amelia earhart and all I got was this lousy url: good because I was about to make it captain’s orders

September 14th 2376, 09:34

[party bus]

demoted™: this isn’t even funny anymore

I stan 1 (one) Vulcan: disagree

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: disagree

chakot-eyyyyyy: disagree

I had sex with amelia earhart and all I got was this lousy url: the people have spoken

Tuvok: It has improved crew moral.

demoted™: tuvok?!?!

Tuvok is offline

September 15th 2376, 07:37

[Seven of Nine >> you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry]

Seven of Nine: I wish to apologize.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: I don’t care

Seven of Nine: I attempted to speak to you at breakfast.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: you’re lucky I didn’t shove that coffee in your face, seven

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: also saying you wish to apologize isn’t an apology

Seven of Nine: I am sorry.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: good for you

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry is offline

September 15th 2376, 16:29

[you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry >> I stan 1 (one) Vulcan]

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: was this you?

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: [img: cake]

I stan 1 (one) Vulcan: no? can I have some?

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: help me figure this out and maybe

I stan 1 (one) Vulcan: I’ll ask around

September 15th 2376, 16:33

[betting pool]

I stan 1 (one) Vulcan: hey anyone leave b’elanna cake?

great talaxian bake off: :ooooooooo

great talaxian bake off: seven asked to use my kitchen earlier today. she didn’t let me see what she was making though, or ask much for my help.

demoted™: the plot thickens

September 15th 2376, 20:47

[you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry >> Seven of Nine]

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: did you leave me cake?

Seven of Nine: Yes.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: why?

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: is this another apology?

Seven of Nine: I was informed that people celebrate others birthdays as an appreciate for the other being alive.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: my birthday is tomorrow

Seven of Nine: I did not wish to distract you from celebrating with ones you cared about.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: I see

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: stop moping seven, come to my damn party that tom keeps saying he’s not throwing

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: thanks for the cake

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: I’m not mad anymore

Seven of Nine: Your username is incorrect.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: ??

Seven of Nine: I still like you even when you are angry.

Seven of Nine is offline

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: what is that supposed to mean?

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: dammit seven

September 16th 2376, 06:26

[Seven of Nine >> you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry]

Seven of Nine: Happy birthday.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: bring coffee

Seven of Nine: As you’d like.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: and that better come with an explanation.

Seven of Nine: If you’d like.

Seven of Nine: I dealt with my feelings poorly. I could not understand them and they confused me.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: they do that

Seven of Nine: After examination however I would prefer you in my life knowing the truth and that my actions were unfair to you.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: and the truth is?

Seven of Nine: I have feelings for you that are not just of friendship.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: hunh.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: bring me a kiss too

Seven of Nine: You are taking this better than predicted.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: I’m unpredictable seven, keep up

Seven of Nine: That would be an oxymoron.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: your an oxymoron

Seven of Nine: *You’re

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: just get over here seven

Seven is offline

September 16th 2376, 07:04

[betting pool]

I stan 1 (one) Vulcan: pay up

demoted™: this isn’t fair

chakot-eyyyyyy: actually harry someone beat you by having the third week of this month

I stan 1 (one) Vulcan: what?! who?

chakot-eyyyyyy: tuvok

I stan 1 (one) Vulcan: tuvok?!

demoted™: tuvok?!

I had sex with amelia earhart and all I got was this lousy url: tuvok?!

great talaxian bake off: :o mr vulcan?

virtuoso: this simply can’t be right commander

Tuvok: I believe I was ordered to participate in this by you Captain.

Tuvok: It was simply logical.

Tuvok is offline

I stan 1 (one) Vulcan changed their name to the absolute betrayal

September 16th 2376, 13:17

[party bus]

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: who started the betting pool? which one of you was it?

the absolute betrayal: tom

chakot-eyyyyyy: tom

I had sex with amelia earhart and all I got was this lousy url: tom

virtuoso: Lieutenant Paris

great talaxian bake off: mr paris

the absolute betrayal: who told?

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: tuvok just handed me a bunch of replicator ration credits and told me where they came from

the absolute betrayal: well happy birthday?

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: blocked

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: @demoted™ I want to talk

demoted™ is offline

September 16th 2376, 17:41

[a collective of two]

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: there, now we have our own chat away from the traitors

Seven of Nine: Was that not just our private messages anyway?

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: shut up seven

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: I can’t believe they did this!

Seven of Nine: It would seem in line with previous actions. You yourself have taken part in such betting pools.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: not the point

Seven of Nine: I see

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: come over

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: I want a few more birthday presents from you.

Seven of Nine: That is an innuendo.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: you’re taking the fun out of flirting

Seven of Nine: Apologies.

Seven of Nine: I will be over when my shift finishes to make amends.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: I could get used to this.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: hey seven

Seven of Nine: Yes?

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: for the record I like you too

Seven of Nine: I have committed it to memory.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: you better have

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: don’t worry, it’ll just be the two of us for dinner and you don’t have to come to the party afterwards

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: I know crowds aren’t your thing

Seven of Nine: I will adapt.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: the point is you don’t always have to

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: I’ve got your back either way

Seven of Nine: I appreciate the sentiment.

Seven of Nine: I am surprised by the title you have chosen for this chat.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: yeah well

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: so long as it’s an ex-borg turns out it’s not so bad

Seven of Nine: I see.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: lesson twenty

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: pick something to say other than that too

Seven of Nine: How many more lessons are there?

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: who knows. I’m still learning them too.

Seven of Nine: Then we shall learn them together.

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: yeah

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: yeah we will

Seven of Nine: I am off shift. I shall see you soon.

Seven of Nine is offline

you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry: see you soon

#b7 #sapphic september #b'elanna torres #seven of nine #girlonthelasttrain #beej writes #b7 fic #trek femslash #holy shit this took a while and I struggled with it the whole time but uhhh here we are #replies in thirty minutes or its free

99 notes · View notes

sobriquett · 3 years

Text

Dear Trick or Treat Author

Dear Trick or Treat Author,

[WIP: 23:50 BST 19/09/21]

What a wonderful time of year! (Or is that Yuletime? Nearly there too!)

Hello! I am very easily pleased so please take this as a starting point if you need some ideas but otherwise write what makes you happy! I know horror tropes/genre are in my dislikes but if you want to write a scary trick, you do that, yes please! Just play within the canonical world (werewolves in Milton-Northern, vampires at Thornfield, ghosts at the White House) and I'll be a happy reader (but please still stay aware from my gore-related DNWs!).

My normal ramble about what I enjoy in fic isn't really relevant to a 300+ word exchange but you can find it in past letters, click the letter tag.

That said, things missing from my main signup include these:

Loves: exploration of power imbalances Likes: epistolary

My fandoms are in alphabetical order (ish), so here we go!

1. 16th Century CE RPF

Anne Boleyn Anne of Cleves Catherine of Aragon Catherine Parr Elizabeth I of England Henry VIII of England Margaret Pole Countess of Salisbury Robert Dudley 1st Earl of Leicester Thomas Seymour (1508 – 1549)

I've been on a bit of a Philippa Gregory kick this summer reading the Cousins' War series out of order. I'd love more stories about these figures – with some of them (Henry VIII in particular!) it's pretty easy to lean into the trick side of things, but there's treat potential too. Add more characters if you want; I've been reading histories and historical novels on this period for many, many years so if you drop in Maria de Salinas or Stephen Fisher or Kat Ashley or Thomas Cromwell or anyone I'm up for that, but I am also a laidback reader and this is a low-stress exchange, don't tie yourself in knots over accuracy. (Although I would, and I'd definitely recommend Ruth Goodman's How to be a Tudor if you haven't read it, even if you're not normally a non-fiction reader.)

What if [any utterly disastrous thing] didn't happen, or perhaps was somehow worse? Did Elizabeth and Dudley actually have some happiness in a romance, however brief? How did Anne of Cleves feel to retire as the King's beloved sister? What was Margaret Pole thinking on the morning of her execution? Is Henry VIII haunted by the ghosts of some of those he killed: friends and lovers and family? Did anything actually happen between Elizabeth I and Thomas Seymour (There's historical room for a secret pregnancy in the country…)

2. Downton Abbey

Mary Crawley Edith Crawley Sybil Crawley Matthew Crawley Tom Branson Robert Crawley Cora Crawley Violet Crawley Isobel Crawley Lavinia Swire Anna Bates Evelyn Napier Freda Dudley Ward Marigold Crawley George Crawley Ship: Tom Branson/Sybil Crawley

This is like my TV comfort blanket. I rewatched it this year and I am interested in just about every main character except, oddly, Thomas – who is the favourite fic character of most writers! Give me a missing moment, a look at the future, a glance at the past, a look from the outside – whatever. Any point in, before or after canon is cool with me, except I tend to skim a lot of S4 (ugh, that rape storyline, please don’t use that).

Do ghosts walk the halls of Downton Abbey? What is life like in Ireland for Tom and Sybil? Do any of the characters ever feel a moment of true despair? What if Matthew had died in the war? What does the future hold for these characters? How did Robert, Cora and Violet get on in the 1890s? What was Carson like with Mary/Edith/Sybil as children? Does it parallel his relationship with their children?

3. The Good Place

Eleanor Shellstrop Chidi Anagonye Tahani Al-Jamil Jason Mendoza Michael Janet

This is another show I can watch over and over and over. I think Chidi's my favourite but it's hard to be sure. I can tell you I absolutely sobbed during the S3 finale and I was a wreck for the S4 finale. Tug my heartstrings, make me laugh, make me cry, I don't care! I've studied philosophy and despised it so I'll take or leave what you include on that score, I just love the characters. Please include any or all other characters you'd like, but I definitely ship Eleanor/Chidi over Chidi/Simone! Although I'll take angst in that direction too! I don't know, I feel like a kid in a candy store writing this letter: hyper and having trouble deciding between all the possible wonders!

Existential dread? Moments from their human lives? Moments from the good place? Please tell me more about the time knife. Does Michael return to the good place when he dies? Does he reunite with Janet and/or Tahani?

4. Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre Edward Rochester Adele Varens Ship: Jane Eyre/Edward Rochester

This is my favourite classic novel, I reread it every couple of years, most recently in 2020 for Yuletide. My reading of it changes each time, and I increasingly believe that Rochester is more bad guy than good guy and that Jane Eyre lies as a narrator and is as prejudiced and superior as those she crititcises for the same qualities. But I still love her, and that she says she got a happy ending.

Is Rochester more of a villain? How? How does Adele find school, either the one Rochester sends her to, or the one Jane moves her to? Post-canon happiness? Post-canon unhappiness? A scene from the engagement? A missing moment between the non-wedding and Jane running away? What if the wedding wasn't interrupted? (Full disclosure: I'm writing this too.) Canon divergence for, well, anything? Is Adele separated from Sophie? How does that go, how does she manage?

5. Memoirs of a Geisha

Nitta Sayuri Mameha Nobu Toshikazu Ship: Nitta Sayuri/Nobu Toshikazu Ship: Mameha/Matsunaga Tsuneyoshi | The Baron

6. North and South

Margaret Hale John Thornton Hannah Thornton Bessy Higgins Ship: Margaret Hale/John Thornton

7. Stardew Valley

Female Player Sebastian Shane Harvey Robin Elliott Leah Marlon Ship: Shane/Female Player Ship: Sebastian/Female Player Ship: Lewis/Marnie

Do Sebastian and the farmer go on any more bike rides? How did Lewis and Marnie’s relationship start? Are they ever found out? Why does Lewis want to keep it secret? Why is he such an arsehole to Marnie? Tales of the purple shorts. Tell me more about Harvey’s nerdy hobbies or fear of heights? What happened with Robin and Sebastian’s dad? The horrors of the mines, or the skull cavern? Is Leah frightened by the things that go bump in the night near her home? Is Elliott? Some angst or h/c around a wounded farmer, being found/nursed? Or how about some angst/horror in which... they’re not? Fics about the war with the Gotoro Empire?

8. Star Trek: Voyager

Kathryn Janeway Chakotay Tuvok Kes Seven of Nine Naomi Wildman

I’ve been a J/C shipper since before I knew shipping was a thing (as a kid, I had all the two-parters, S5&6, and Resolutions on video. Pre-internet, how did I even know which episode Resolutions one? Shippy magic instinct, I guess?) So apart from that ship, or canonical relationships, I would prefer genfic please. I also don’t mind the other Voyager characters so they’re welcome to make an appearance, but these are the ones that interest me.

9. The West Wing

CJ Cregg Josh Lyman Sam Seaborn Abbey Bartlet Charlie Young Donna Moss Jed Bartlet Leo McGarry Toby Ziegler Zoey Bartlet

Happy writing!

Sobriquett

#dear author letter #16th century rpf #downton abbey #the good place #jane eyre #memoirs of a geisha #north and south #stardew valley #star trek voyager #the west wing #trick or treat exchange

3 notes · View notes

benka79 · 3 years

Text

Unrequited Love, But Not really

Tom Paris x Harry Kim (st voy meta)

I know I talked about Harry and his inner war with his own feelings and the clown representing his fears to face his gay love for Paris here, but... After "The Chute"...

All the episodes were foreshadowing something... Mostly gay subtext for KimRis.

Let's see ...

Bisexual characters, the most important, Kes being possesed by an evil mind, and the guy in her body was OBVIOUSLY BISEXUAL by selecting one woman and one man to be his lovers. (Also... Introducing the idea of poly-love for the incoming Kim/Paris/Torres).

The big decision between leaving or staying: Janeway deciding between go to the light or staying in the Voyager. Kes deciding between go for adventures with a handsome alien or staying in the Voyager. The alien that took the shape of an hologram deciding between the loneliness of her space station or come back to his planet. Tuvok deciding between go to the surface of the elevator or stay inside with the others.

The love triangle, unrequited love, passionate repressed feelings. Dark side. Jealous. A lot of characters fighting against their own desires, dark wishes. Sexual instincts. We had Tuvok helping Harry to suppress his feelings and desires for an impossible love (subtextually this applies to Tom, but textually, they symbolized it with the alien/hologram). Then, let's talk about the Vulcan with his pon farr it's a clear example of it. And making Kim going through meditation to try to control his dark feelings, adds more subtext to his desires on suppress something inside of him he's rejecting: the love for his best friend. Another huge example was the parallel with the Doctor and Kes. The Doctor said he was the darkest feeling, he was obssesed with Kes, trying to keep her close to him, trying to steal her from her lover. The jealousy and the passion gave built that new character inside of him. We were witnessing again a war inside of the Doctor. As we will see in Paris trying to make Kim stay in the Voyager.

And these little details... Chakotay's wound on his forehead was a foreshadow for Harry's tattoos in his forehead in 3x20. Neelix saying to the alien he likes Tuvok and he wishes the feeling were reciprocated, it's showing us the unrequited love idea placed inside of Kim and Paris about their love for each other. Paris saying to that girl in the 90s 'I won't find someone like you' and then the Chute happens and he literally INVITES HARRY TO A DATE (pic nic) and Harry just ruin it SAYING THEY SHOULD ASK THE DELANY'S SISTERS TOO. Like NO HOMO AFTER THE MOST HOMO EXPERIENCE OF THEIR LIVES IN THE PRISSON WHEN TOM LITERALLY CLAIMED HIM AS HIA SEXUAL PARTNER???

Neelix is representing Harry's instincts, romanticism and Tuvok is his reason, trying to suppress his love for his best friend.

Inside Janeway's mind, Tom and Harry are more than friends. In the episode in which Captain Janeway dies, when Harry is saying his speech to say goodbye to the captain, his voice cracks and immediately Tom is by his side, touching his shoulder and comforting him, and the atmosphere is not platonic at all. Tom is almost glued at him, and he touches Harry and stares at him lovely, and then guides him to a corner, and remains there with him.

Not to mention when we arrive to 'Favorite Son', Tom's reaction, (overreacting for a simple platonic bro), as Harry caress that girl cheek. Not only that, but the way he longingly and worriedly, he keeps himself to a side, watching Harry closely. The camera is always showing him to a side but eyes locked on his friend.

Tom's eyes filled with terror when Chakotay says they can't track Harry's signal to teleport him.

And when Harry is back, he is still kind is away from Harry, Neelix is between them, talking about how special Ensign Kim is. And then, again, Tom's reaction when Harry confess he would like to be more like him. (And Neelix sneaking in the background when he heard Harry saying that to Tom, like, Neelix knows.) Tom's face there is priceless. A mix of surprise and sadness. And also, love. Desperately trying to show he is not a role model, and mentioning THEY COULD ENDED UP IN PRISON again, why? Because they already were together in prison. And that experience marked him, why? Because the intimacy they shared over there was overwhelming. And because he will remover Harry's words for a very long time. And because he wanted to date alone with him after that experience, but Harry brought the Delaney sisters to it. And that's why Tom decided his interest in having something else that just friendship was unrequited. Just like all the foreshadows about unrequited love we had previously to this episode. So... Here we are now. Tom will try to forget his own feeling by B'elanna's side.

I know what you think about that alternative future in which Tom marries Kes, and Harry marries Linx, their daughter. But ... Remember Tom had lost his faith into having something else with Harry that's why he moved to B'elanna, and now to Kes... When he is recalling their marriage, the only moment he brings is the one in which HARRY WAS VERY NERVOUS AND DROPPED THE CHAMPAGNE ALL OVER HIM, (I wonder if this was a symbolism of jealousy from Harry) and Harry marries Tom's daughter, like? She looks exactly like Tom. Do you copy me?

Another thing is Neelix in his kitchen offering the same food for three days and Tom yearning for 'trying something different' (it could be taken as if he were tired of women -maybe try some Harry-, but it also could be related to B'elanna, bc she's different from other girls) And also the piece of the story Tom snatched from B'elanna's hands and then he reads, it's the exactly description of what happened between him and Harry in 'The Chute', when Harry was about to kill him, but he stopped.

To Conclude:

All the romantic foreshadows, the topic of "coming out" and "fears" in season 2 with that clown and Harry, and the bisexuality in season 3 can add to the homoerotic subtext between Harry and Tom. It's clear to me that after "The Chute" the intimacy Tom and Harry reached compound into fears to his own feelings, trying to repress it even with Vulcan technics (Harry) and tasting waters while trying to date without girls, pining in silence, searching for another one who make him forget about the feeling of being unrequited (Tom). And please... So much homoerotism when Tom kiss the Holo girl and immediately goes after Harry, inviting him to dinner with him, and massaging Harry's shoulder as they walk away from the holodeck, (season 2), or when they are modifying Neelix Holo program, Harry call for Holo girls, but Tom asks for fruit cocktail (which is an innuendo for gay orgies) and offers one to Harry.

And then, both friend SHAMELESSLY MOANING IN PLEASURE ONE IN FRONT OF THE OTHER AS THE HOLO GIRLS ARE MASSAGING THEIR SHOULDERS? REALLY?

Okay, I will stop. I didn't see this coming when I was a little 13 years old watching Voyager for the first time... I just had to write all these things down.

#st voy #tom paris x harry kim #P/K #kimris #kimris meta #P/K meta #homoerotic subtext

3 notes · View notes

beatrice-otter · 4 years

Text

This started out as a reblog of this excellent reblog chain about racism and antisemitism in both Star Trek canon and fandom, but as a white gentile fan I didn’t want to intrude or take over. And I firmly believe that if you really love something, you should love it with open eyes, seeing its faults as well as its strengths.

The thing is, Star Trek is progressive ... but it’s a very white type of progressive resting-on-our-laurels type progressivism. Sure, TOS was very progressive for a TV show of its day, but ... that ain’t saying much, and the writers and directors and showrunners were all white men and it shows. So yes, it pushed boundaries by having Sulu and Uhura, and the first scripted interracial kiss, but that was the 60s. TNG/DS9/VOY/ENT ... uh. Still very heavily white and male. Still progressive, but nowhere near as progressive comparatively as TOS, nowhere near as groundbreaking. I mean, I’m glad they listened to Avery Brooks about how his character should be designed and written! When they made a show with a female captain, they should have at least done the same, and preferably had women in creative leadership roles (as DS9 should have had black people in creative leadership roles). (I mean, all media should have diverse creative leadership for a lot of reasons, but when you have a character of color or a white woman as lead, it’s even more important that the creative team not be a bastion of white cisheteropatriarchy.) DS9 was less racist and sexist than TNG or Voyager (but made up for it by being hella antisemitic, hello Ferengi) but the thing is, these are not exactly the Shining Beacons Of Progressiveness we white fans like to think of them as. Were they better than a lot of shows out there? Sure! Did they grapple with a lot of issues most other shows didn’t? Yup. But again, that ain’t saying much. (I haven’t watched Disco or Picard, so I can’t speak to those.)

As to fandom, just liking Star Trek doesn’t automatically make you somehow less racist. There’s this undercurrent among white Trekkers that “Star Trek is progressive, I am progressive, therefore all participation in the fandom is inherently progressive, therefore I don’t have to worry about racial issues in either my fanworks or my interactions with other fans.” It’s not that Trek fandom is the only fandom where white people want to assume that not actively hating black people is all you need to qualify as “not racist,” it’s that in Trek fandom we can use the perceived progressiveness of the show as additional armor against acknowledging the actual issues.

I’m white, but I remember how terribly the AOS fandom has treated both the character of Uhura (who DARED to break up the Kirk/Spock white male slash juggernaut) and fans of color. The argument was that it was homophobic to put Spock in a relationship with a woman. And that it was a betrayal of feminism for Uhura to have a romantic relationship. (A black woman getting to have a fulfilling romantic relationship is a step forward, not a step back. Nyota Uhura is not a white girl.) That whole discussion--which included fans of color getting attacked even in dedicated Spock/Uhura spaces, and ended up with the main Spock/Uhura LJ community doing a lot of educational pieces about racism and misogynoir and privilege and how not to be a dick--was back in 2009. Over a decade ago. And we are still having the same damned discussions and treating fans of color the same damned way. It’s exhausting for me as a white person; I can’t imagine what it’s like for fans of color. And the thing is, the reason we are still having the same. discussions. over. and. over. is that the majority of white fans do not learn. We don’t. We need to.

None of these issues are new.

Star Trek has usually been at least a tiny bit more progressive than the society around it. That doesn’t mean that the show is perfect, and it definitely doesn’t mean the fandom is. We can and should do better. If we are truly committed to the ideals of Star Trek, that shining world of the future where prejudice of all kinds is greatly reduced and people usually choose to do the right thing and act with justice and compassion for all ... that should be reflected both in how we treat one another, and in what stories we choose to write. And it isn’t.

Listening to fans of color and educating ourselves on anti-racism is a good first step, and then putting what we learn into action and working to treat fans of color better is a good second step, but there are a lot of other posts about those sorts of resources. I’d like to talk about fannish output, what we create.

You know how people say “oh, well, the reason fandom focuses on white men is because they’re a higher percentage of screentime, therefore they’re the ones most likely to be interesting.” Let’s look at DS9, shall we? A show with a black man in the leading role. As of June 30, there are 6725 fics tagged DS9 on AO3. Benjamin Sisko (you know, the LEADING MAN), is tagged in only 961 of them. If you look at how many fics each character is tagged in, he is the sixth person on the list.

But wait! you say, that doesn’t tell the complete story, because sometimes people only tag the pairings, not the individual characters, and therefore they don’t show up in the character tags! So let’s look at that. The top relationship is Bashir/Garak, with 2797 fics (almost HALF of all the stories in the fandom). You know what the second most popular relationship is? Platonic Bashir&Garak, with 372 fics! You know what the #7 relationship in DS9 is? Garak/Parmak. Parmak is a character from a book series who never appeared in the TV show. Sisko, the leading man of the show, doesn’t even APPEAR in the list of top ten relationships in the fandom! Julian Bashir is there four times, Garak three. (Jadzia/Worf is #6)

But wait! you say, the canonical pairings for Sisko were mostly recurring roles not main characters, and he didn’t really flirt with anyone he wasn’t canonically linked with, so maybe he does better when you go with only fics tagged “gen” i.e. not focused on romantic and/or sexual relationships. (I mean, I think it’s a stretch because Janeway gets paired with Tom Paris a lot, and she doesn’t flirt with him in canon, and she rarely gets paired with Tuvok despite how often they touch hands which for a Vulcan is ... wow. But for the sake of argument we’ll say that Sisko not flirting much with anyone besides his canon partners is the reason he’s not shipped much.) And sure, when you limit it to fics tagged “gen” he appears in the top ten list of characters! In fourth place, with 396 out of 1876 fics. (#1 is Bashir, with 822 fics. #2 is Garak, with 652 fics.)

And, like, I get that Bashir and Garak are certainly very slashtastic, the actors were going for that flirty vibe in earlier seasons until they were ordered not to. But it’s still ... pretty obvious that popularity of both shipping and gen fics is heavily influenced by racism and colorism.

I’m not trying to police fandoms or shipping or anything like that. I’m just saying that “but this is who resonates with me/this is who I like/this is who inspires me” doesn’t absolve us from looking at the reasons why some characters are more interesting to us than others. (It’s racism. We’ve all lived our entire lives in a world shaped by racism and colorism, and it’s shaped our gut reactions and our preferences even when we consciously believe racism is wrong.)

And you know what? You can influence your feelings. You can train your gut to be less racist. When you watch a show, pay conscious attention to the black characters. Take a few minutes after watching an episode to think up a piece of meta or a plot bunny or something for each character of color who appears in that episode. If you do this consistently over a period of time you will train your brain and your gut to be more interested in characters of color. Also, when you’re deciding what to write, actively choose to favor plot bunnies featuring characters of color. It’s not that you shouldn’t write white/lightskinned characters and ships, but that we should all be making a conscious effort to up the percentage of characters of color we write about. (And also, you know, do at least the bare minimum of work to not write racist or antisemitic tropes. @writingwithcolor has many useful resources.) That’s not the only anti-racism work we need to do to make fandom less racist, not by a long shot. But it is important work nonetheless.

And, above all, don’t be a dick to fans of color who point out what SHOULD BE obvious to everyone.

#fandom #racism

20 notes · View notes