#they are also trying to research any medical anomalies they can find as to hopefully educate the public more on how to treat them | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

elenajohansenreads · 5 years

Photo

Books I Read in 2019

#101 - Blackout, by Mira Grant

Virtual Mount TBR (31/48)

Rating: 2/5 stars

[spoiler heavy. heavier than usual for my reviews, anyway. please read at your own risk.]

You'd think, when one of my major complaints about Deadline was that I didn't care for Shaun's narration, the reintroduction of Georgia to the mix would make this a better book, and it does in some ways. But not enough. While this does fix some of my issues with the second book, there are enough new problems that on the whole, I'm pretty damn disappointed. The narrative style, no matter who's talking, remains incredibly repetitive. Now, I'm not saying it wasn't in Feed, only that I probably didn't notice it as much because I was so drawn in by the shiny new world-building so I gulped down every word without complaint. But there's nothing new here in that regard. Some of the rules of the world have changed over the course of the story, because medical research keeps dropping in their laps at every turn, but I didn't find any of it as fascinating at the original setup. This book isn't about zombies, it's about the world that living with zombies created, and the political conspiracies surrounding that, and that just got old after a while. Let me break that down a bit. I was impressed, back in Feed, with Grant's extrapolation of what American government would become in response to the crisis. I saw parallels to the non-zombie surveillance state we're approaching (or are already in, depending on where in the country you live, how much technology you're surrounded by, and how paranoid your perception of your environment is. That's not a argument I want to have through this review, though.) I was impressed. By the end of that book, it's clear that, as with most zombie-based media, the zombies aren't the point. They're a condition of the world that causes other things to happen, and they get progressively less interesting and less important as the story goes on. Blackout doesn't do this differently. The entire plot is a lather, rinse, repeat cycle of Something Important Happens which then gives our heroes information the government doesn't want them to have or share, then the conspiracy engineers a zombie outbreak to put our heroes in harm's way so hopefully they get killed, either by the zombies or by the cleanup to suppress the zombies. Sometimes the outbreak is just a few scientists in a lab, sometimes it takes out a city, sometimes it takes out Florida, because why not? Why not destroy an entire state to prove just how serious this conspiracy is? (Yeah, so that was a mistake in planning on the conspiracy's part, but not on the author's. If the stakes are that huge, why did I not feel more invested, like I did back in Feed?) I won't say the conspiracy itself was fully predictable, though I'd guessed some of its parameters. But the plot structure was incredibly predictable. Coupled with the insane amounts of repetition (Shaun still has to constantly remark on his craziness, the cans of Coke, every blood test has to be shown and always uses the same language to describe it, and so forth) I found myself skimming a lot of the non-dialogue, especially in the second half of the book, especially in Shaun's chapters. If I ever ran into anything that confused me, I paged back until I found what explained it, but I feel like I have a good handle on the story now that I've finished. And I'm just not particularly impressed with the payoff. It felt anticlimactic, honestly. It shouldn't--I understand the importance of the themes involved and the choices made, and in summary, it's a great ending. But I didn't feel it while I was reading. It took too long to get here, and I had to wade through too much crap on the way. I didn't feel much when a character died near the end, because developing side characters has never been a strength of this series, it's all the Shaun and Georgia show. I can appreciate seeing the return of key figures we haven't seen much of since Feed--the Masons, Rick, Ryman--but they're still essentially bit players, and the moral conflicts their appearances create are brushed past really, really quickly. The best parts of the book, to me, were Georgia's chapters in the first half, before her escape from captivity, only I didn't fully appreciate that at the time because I was so impatient for her reunion with Shaun. Which led to the plot twist that I hadn't predicted, because who goes there? Even though I know, intellectually, that it's not incest, and that it explains so much, I couldn't find myself fully on board with them being a couple. Not because of the faux-incest moral quandary I might have been suffering, but because of those very anomalies in their relationship that the story has spent two and a half books skirting around. We've had the pleasure of living inside both Shaun and Georgia's heads for over a thousand pages at that point, and neither of them ever thought about this until now? It's simply not creditable. Yes, they were keeping their relationship secret from those around them. Yes, they never wrote anything pertaining to it down. BUT WE THE READERS HAD ACCESS TO THEIR INNER LIVES AND WE STILL WEREN'T EVER TOLD? Sitting on that for two and a half books just to make it a big reveal was ridiculous. The first book had so little relating to romance or sex in it, I was wondering if Shaun, Georgia, or both weren't intended to be read as asexual (or aromantic, or both.) Shaun's one-night stand with Becks in the second book made me wonder where on earth he'd gotten any sexual experience at all, because as far as I knew he was a virgin, since the narrative had never taken the time to explain that he might have been having casual sex with random women in his younger years or anything similar, but also never hinted he was sleeping with his "sister." Hindsight now shows me all those anomalies were leading to this revelation, but when I look at them together, my brain doesn't go "okay, so it's incest," it still says "these two simply aren't interested in romantic or sexual relationships because their unusual upbringing pair-bonded them as co-dependent siblings instead" and I think I can be forgiven for not spinning that myself into the faux-incest, what Georgia later claims is close to an obvious taboo, when she reflects on how almost no one figured it out. I HAD ACCESS TO YOUR INNER LIVES FOR A THOUSAND PAGES AND I DIDN'T FIGURE IT OUT. HOW COULD YOUR FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES POSSIBLY HAVE DONE IT? I honestly think this twist is a real failure of storytelling. Even though I didn't figure it out beforehand, when it was revealed, I didn't smack my forehead and go "Of course!" I was still pretty much, "huh?" about it, and if that's honestly the lay of the land, the story Grant wanted to tell, I would have been much more interested in knowing from the start and watching the two of them struggle to find time for each other while both keeping it a secret under dire circumstances and also trying to save the world from the zombie-government conspiracy. I truly think that would have been a much more engaging story, with another layer of conflict that would make the stakes more personal.

#booklr #book review #blackout #mira grant #newsflesh series #book photography #my photos #my reading challenges #vmtbr 2019

1 note · View note

phantom-le6 · 3 years

Text

Episode Reviews - Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 2 (2 of 5)

Carrying on my series of Star Trek TNG episode reviews, we continue our look into the show’s second season with a run of four episodes book-ended by Data-centric stories, so if like me you hold Data as a favourite character, this will be hopefully make for a better read than most…

Episode 6: The Schizoid Man

Plot (as adapted from Wikipedia):

The Enterprise is en route to provide medical care for the reclusive but respected scientist Dr Ira Graves, who lives with only his assistant, Kareen Brianon, on a remote planet. When the crew receives an emergency distress call from a nearby transport ship, Captain Picard elects to send an away team composed of Data, Counsellor Troi, Lt. Worf, and Dr Selar to see to Dr Graves while Chief Medical Officer Dr Pulaski stays aboard the Enterprise, which leaves to attend to the transport.

The away team finds that the request for medical assistance was made by Kareen without Graves' knowledge, and though resentful, he allows Selar to examine him. Selar determines that Graves has Darnay's disease, an incurable terminal disease and has only three weeks to live, so the team begins to collect Graves' research and records to preserve them after his death. Graves recognizes Data as Noonien Soong's creation, and claims he taught Soong everything he knew, which he asserts that if Soong is considered Data's "father" would make Graves his "grandfather". Graves and Data begin to spend significant time alone together, during which Graves reveals that he has developed a method to transfer his consciousness to a computer, allowing him to live indefinitely. Data in turn reveals that he has a shut-off switch, which he says could be used to precipitate his own version of death.

Later, Data reports to the away team that Graves has died. The Enterprise returns and retrieves the away team along with Kareen and Graves' body, and Graves is given a funeral ceremony. Data delivers a grandiose glowing eulogy, surprising the crew. When Data jealously and insubordinately confronts Picard on the bridge while the captain is giving Kareen a tour, Picard decides that his uncharacteristic behaviour warrants an examination. Although no physical anomalies are detected, Troi's psychotronic stability tests suggest there are two personalities within Data, his original one, and one that is foreign and dominant, and threatens to replace Data's original personality entirely. Picard realizes that Graves has transferred his mind into Data.

Meanwhile, Graves, in Data, reveals the truth to Kareen, and when he is rejected while passionately proposing that she do the same so they can spend eternity together, he accidentally breaks two bones in her hand due to Data's superhuman strength. Picard tries to persuade Graves to give up Data's body voluntarily, noting the harm he is causing to those he loves. Graves knocks the captain unconscious. When Picard awakens, he and a security team find Data in his quarters. Data is back to his old self, and Kareen finds that Graves has transferred himself out of Data and into the Enterprise's computer, but only his knowledge, not his consciousness — the "human" part of Dr Graves has been lost.

Review:

This episode starts and ends well, but suffers in the middle for Data’s cringe-worthy antics under Graves’ influence and the slowness of the Enterprise crew to deduce what has occurred. They know Data isn’t capable of emotion at this point, so the moment he starts speaking as though he has emotions, that should be an instant red flag in the minds of anyone who knows Data. As a result, underlying messages about the wrongs of cheating death or through possessing others, and the ever-popular if over-used excess strength leading to unintended harm, get a bit lost in the mix. The bottom line is this is a ‘character adds weird for weirdness’ sake’ episode, and is made poor by that concept alone. 4 out of 10, next episode please.

Episode 7: Unnatural Selection

Plot (as adapted from Wikipedia):

The Enterprise, receives a distress call from the USS Lantree and arrives at the ship's last location to find it adrift. The Enterprise taps into the Lantree's viewer, and finds that the crew appear to have died from old age, even though many were as young as the Enterprise crew. The only evidence of any medical problems was a harmless case of Thelusian flu in one of the ship's officers. They discover that the Lantree's last port-of-call was the Darwin Genetic Research Station on Gagarin IV. Captain Picard orders a quarantine warning broadcast to be set on the Lantree, and orders the Enterprise to Gagarin IV. As they near the planet, they receive another distress call from the station's researchers, all of whom have started a rapid onset of geriatric phenomena they believe is tied to the Lantree.

When the Enterprise arrives in orbit, the research team's leader pleads to have the station's genetically engineered children brought aboard, asserting that they are safe, as they have been in isolation from the rest of the station. Picard is concerned about exposing the Enterprise to the same phenomenon that is affecting the station, but allows Chief Medical Officer Dr Pulaski to have one of the children beamed aboard encased in styrolite, which shields the rest of the ship from possible contamination. The child is brought to sick bay, and Dr Pulaski finds the child, a male who is 12 in age but appears almost 20 physically, to be near perfection, describing him as the "next step in human evolution". She convinces Picard to allow her to take a shuttle away from the Enterprise, so that she can examine the child outside of the styrolite without exposing the rest of the crew, and recruits Commander Data as pilot, since his android nature would be immune to possible infection. When she removes the protective material, the boy awakens and telepathically communicates with her. She is suddenly struck by joint pain, and recognizes that she has become affected with the same condition as the Lantree and station crew, and orders Data to pilot the shuttle to the research station.

Dr Pulaski continues to research the cause of the syndrome at the station. She learns that the children have been genetically engineered with highly aggressive immune systems that fight pathogens by genetically altering them, not just in the children's bodies, but in the surrounding environment as well. Recalling the Lantree officer with Thelusian flu, Data and Dr Pulaski postulate that the children's immune system reactions to the virus have created airborne antibodies that are attacking everything else, and consequently altering the DNA of normal humanoids to cause them to age rapidly and die. With this information, the crew of the Enterprise determine that the transporters can remove the antibodies and re-code an infected individual's DNA to normal, but only with a previous bio-pattern of that individual, and they do not have one for Dr Pulaski due to her avoidance of transporter technology. The crew finds samples of Pulaski's hair in her quarters and using it as a template is able to restore her to full health. The Enterprise uses the same procedure to restore the station's staff, leaving them to try and enable the children to one day safely leave their isolation. The Enterprise then returns to the contaminated Lantree to destroy the ill-fated vessel.

Review:

This episode is pretty decent for early era Trek, and carries the same basic warning about the potential pit-falls of genetic engineering that cinematic audiences would later get through Jurassic Park and the subsequent films of that franchise. It’s well-performed by all concerned, and the old-age make up is a marked improvement on the season 1 episode “Too Short A Season”. There’s also a bit of a scientific mystery to be solved to get at the episode’s underlying message, and the concept of a ship having to set quarantine markers, etc. is a nice little touchstone to modern and ancient maritime practice, which is important considering that Trek’s approach to space travel has invariably mimicked naval travel in general and submarine combat in particular.

If I have a critique for this episode, it’s two-fold. First, not a fan of Pulaski taking digs at Data for his android nature all the time, though thankfully that is diminishing as the episodes of this series continue. Second, much like Jurassic Park the issue exploration is rather one-sided. In this area, DS9’s Doctor Bashir proves a better mechanism for the Trek franchise to look at genetic engineering, just because by his very character as one of the “good guys”, he gets to be that positive reflection on the science. The bottom line is genetics, like all sciences, is a tool, and it is the use of that tool rather than the tool itself that can be beneficial or dangerous, and I prefer episodes that make that point to those which focus myopically on the negative. The score for this one from me is 8 out of 10.

Episode 8: A Matter of Honour

Plot (as adapted from Wikipedia):

As part of an officer exchange program, Benzite Ensign Mendon is brought aboard the Enterprise. Acting Ensign Wesley Crusher mistakes Mendon for Mordock, another Benzite who took the Starfleet entrance examination with him in "Coming of Age". Captain Picard suggests a similar officer exchange with the Klingons, and Commander Riker readily volunteers. Riker is assigned to the Klingon ship IKS Pagh, captained by Kargan. Before Riker departs for the Pagh, Lt. Worf briefs Riker on Klingon customs, and gives him a transponder to signal the Enterprise in the event of an emergency. Riker embraces his role as the Klingon First Officer, and when challenged by Second Officer Klag, subdues him by force, pleasing Captain Kargan and earning respect from the crew.

Before the ships move away, Mendon scans the Klingon vessel and discovers a patch of strange organic material on its hull but does not bring it to Picard's attention. Worf soon discovers a similar patch on the Enterprise hull, identifying it as a lifeform. Mendon then reveals his previous discovery of the same matter on the Klingon ship, and when asked why he withheld the information, explains that on Benzite ships, it is considered improper to bring up a problem before you have a solution. Picard chastises him and orders the Enterprise to intercept the Pagh, as the Klingon ship is even more susceptible to damage from the organism. While en route, Mendon discovers a method to remove the organism.

The Klingon crew also discovers the organism eating away at their hull. Kargan concludes that it must be a new Federation weapon, noting that the Enterprise had heavily scanned the area during their rendezvous, and orders the Pagh to cloak and prepare to attack the Enterprise. Riker is unable to convince Kargan to stand down even after the Enterprise sends a message with instructions for removing the organism. Suspicious of the radio silence, the Enterprise raises its shields. Seemingly accepting his fate, Riker convinces Kargan to close to a distance of 40,000 kilometres before attacking the Enterprise. He activates the transponder he got from Worf and tricks Kargan into taking it. The Enterprise locks onto the transponder signal and waits for the Pagh to get within 40,000 kilometres, the range of the Enterprise's transporters. Kargan is beamed to the Enterprise's bridge and draws his disruptor but Worf fires first and stuns him. Riker assumes command of the Pagh, decloaks, and demands that the Enterprise surrender, which Picard agrees to, disgracing Kargan further. The Enterprise cleans the organism from the Klingon ship, and Kargan is returned. Riker allows Kargan to hit him and order him off the ship to allow the Klingon to regain some of his dignity before the Pagh departs.

Review:

I enjoy the main plot of this episode surrounding Riker’s time on the Klingon ship because it’s interesting to see Riker be at the centre of a Klingon sorry like this. When you realise there’s a Klingon ship getting involved in the exchange program, the natural reaction for most first-time viewers would be to think Worf would be the one going, but instead Riker takes the assignment, and he handles it very well as befits his high rank aboard the Enterprise. It also helps the development of the Klingons within the series by having an outside like Riker deal with them rather than Worf, who as a Klingon himself might not have been able to do the same, or at least not in the same way.

In addition, the position Riker is placed in with regards to conflicted loyalties is somewhat reminiscent of military people who have been placed in similar positions in real life. The Hornblower episode “Honour” in the third series of the ITV adaptations exemplified this kind of conflict with Major Coitard, a French soldier who fought alongside Hornblower and the British Navy against Napoleonic loyalists, much as many French royalist officers probably did during Napoleon’s rule. Likewise, the Blackhawk fighter squadron of DC Comics’ fame is based on those who fled continental Europe to escape Hitler’s regime before World War II, only to serve in the RAF to seek the liberation of their homeland from Nazi occupation. Likewise, Riker is placed with a one-time enemy of the Federation and forced to oppose his former ‘homeland’, though with some obvious adjustments.

Far less enjoyable, however, was Mendon; he comes across as an annoying know-it-all whose later self-pity comes across more like he’s fishing for a compliment and a kind word. He’s not a likeable character at all, and the idea that his people could get space-born with their approach to problem solving is beyond me. Granted, there might be some sense in some areas of life to applying this approach, but not here. Add in the stupid part about ‘all Benzites looking the same’, which just seems like a metaphorical dig at any BAME cultures that ignorant white people can’t distinguish between, and the whole Mendon plot is just one long bit of bad filler. On balance, I’d give this episode 5 out of 10.

Episode 9: The Measure of a Man

Plot (as adapted from Wikipedia):

While the Enterprise is visiting Starbase 173 for routine maintenance, cyberneticist Commander Bruce Maddox comes aboard to pay a visit to Lt. Commander Data, wishing to better understand Data's positronic brain. It quickly becomes clear that Maddox has an ulterior motive of transferring the contents of Data's memory to the starbase mainframe computer and shutting down and disassembling him to learn how to recreate the technology. Though Maddox promises to restore Data following his analysis and assures him his memories will be intact, Data is concerned that the procedure is riskier than Maddox is letting on, and argues that while the factual details of his memories will be preserved, the nuances of his experiences may not be. Data refuses, causing Maddox to turn to Starfleet to order him to comply. Captain Picard supports Data's position, and is advised that the only way for Data to evade the order is to resign from Starfleet, which Data does. Maddox, however, argues that Data is Starfleet property, not a sentient being, and as such does not have the right to choose to resign.

Meanwhile, Picard has to deal with the presiding Judge Advocate General for the sector, Captain Philippa Louvois, who was a former love interest until she aggressively prosecuted Picard in a court-martial involving his actions on the USS Stargazer. When Louvois rules for Maddox, Picard requests a formal hearing to challenge the ruling. Louvois agrees, and allows Picard to represent Data during the proceedings. However, due to a shortage of qualified legal staff, Louvois compels Commander Riker to represent Maddox. Riker's arguments portray Data as merely a machine constructed by man, and no more than the sum of his parts. In a striking final demonstration, Riker activates Data's "off switch", causing the android to shut down. Picard calls for a recess, during which he meets in Ten Forward with Guinan, who suggests that regardless of whether Data is a machine or not, Maddox's plans for reproducing him would lead to a situation tantamount to slavery. Picard uses this to defuse Riker's arguments, and turns the discussion to metaphysical matters of Data's sentience, using Data and Maddox as witnesses. Picard points out that Data meets two of the three criteria that Maddox uses to define sentient life. Data is intelligent and self-aware, and Picard asks anyone in the court to show a means of measuring consciousness.

With no one able to answer this, Louvois acknowledges that neither she nor anyone else can measure this in Data and rules that he has the right to choose. Upon the court's ruling, Data formally refuses to undergo the procedure. After the hearing, Data clearly holds no ill will against Maddox; Data reminds the scientist that his work remains intriguing, and offers to assist in further research after Maddox has had more time to study and perfect his techniques. Maddox, for his part, refers to Data for the first time as "he" rather than "it". Later during a party celebrating Data's victory, Data finds Riker alone in a conference room, ashamed of having had to argue against his friend in the hearing. Data cheers him up by telling him that his action was an act of self-sacrifice that gave Data the chance to win his freedom, as had Riker refused to participate, Louvois' original judgement in favor of Maddox would have been final. The two then happily return to the celebration together.

Review:

This episode is apparently considered by many fans to have been the first great episode ever done by The Next Generation, and while for me the first top score has already gone to “Elementary, Dear Data”, that episode only just made the grade when you consider it has another holodeck gaff (the drawing of the Enterprise that Moriarty passed to Data in that episode survives into the holodeck, again breaking holodeck rules as established by the show itself). With this episode, the top score is made with room to spare. It’s a superb piece of television, and its use of the court room drama pattern really helps the show deliver some great issue exploration alongside the drama.

The issues in question for the episode are how we determine who has what rights in our society, with Data’s status as a mechanical being just the next ‘convenient’ label by which humanity gets to pick out a ‘lower being’ they can deny rights to. That, in turn, develops into an exploration into matters of slavery and discrimination, matters we sadly still haven’t winnowed out of our real-life society. Whoopi Goldberg is back as Guinan for this episode and provides the perfect person to bring Picard around to the realisation that slavery is at the core of the matter. Not only is this because of her great acting ability, but also who better than some descended from a culture that was unjustly subjected to the same kind of injustice Data is battling against. However, she’s not the only great performer in the episode, and everyone involved really brings their A-game, especially Patrick Stewart and Brent Spiner as Picard and Data.

What I find even more surprising is how this episode came about. Rather than being something the show had planned, the script was picked up from a number that had previously been passed up during a writer’s strike in 1988, out of a need for stories without a writing staff. Also, according to Melissa Snodgrass, who wrote the script and who later became a regular writer and story editor, the story was almost ruined by Gene Roddenberry having the idea that in the 24th century, we’d need no lawyers because most people would just behave ok, and those with any predisposition to criminal behaviour would just ‘have their minds made right’.

So, not only was Roddenberry initially opposed to this episode, the grounds of his reasoning are based on the idea of violating the sanctity of people’s minds and trampling over freedom of thought. Without doubt, that is the most anti-Trek, anti-Starfleet concept I can imagine, and it apparently came from the father of Trek himself. If that’s how screwed up Roddenberry was, no wonder most of the Trek I hold as good or worthwhile comes after he stopped being involved in its creation. If anyone’s ideal of the future hinges on brainwashing to correct criminal behaviour, then they’re envisioning a dystopia, not a utopia. Thank goodness people of greater intelligence and taste prevailed. As I’ve said, this episode gets top marks, 10 out of 10.

0 notes

all-sortsa-stuff · 7 years

Text

Time for a change, part 5

Pairing: Jim Kirk x Reader

Word Count: 2122

Warning: Mild language

Part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4

McCoy set your limp body down on the biobed as Chapel handed him a tricorder. She set the bed to monitor your vital signs closely as he scanned over you. “Damn it. There is a bleed that was not there before. I would bet my license that it is this radiation exacerbating the trauma. We need to fix this before any major damage is done. We may need to decompress the brain as well.” Chapel nodded before moving across the sickbay to bring in the equipment to monitor your brain activity and intracranial pressure more closely. The doctor administered another hypospray to prevent further bleeding. The team worked quickly and rather quietly knowing that time was of the essence to save you.

Within minutes, the biobed alarmed as your vital signs began to fluctuate. The oxygen saturation levels along with your respirations were dropping quickly. “She is going into respiratory arrest. Between the trauma to her brain and the bleed, there is pressure on the brain stem. We are going to have to intubate.” The nurse beside him moved quickly to bring the equipment he needed. “You better not die on me [Y/N]. I refuse to tell Jim you didn’t make it.”

Meanwhile on the bridge, Jim was coordinating the efforts of moving the ship from the anomaly. It seemed the calculations you had devised were sound and Scotty along with Chekov were recalibrating the shields and deflectors as fast as the crippled ship would allow. When everything was settled in their own processes, Jim finally took the time to breathe. His ship looked to be on the mend and hopefully on its way back to safety. The bridge crew was busy with their tasks, it was then Jim decided to check on you. He felt horrible having to leave you in the mess hall earlier but the entire ship and crew were in danger. Now that things had settled just a bit he wanted to make sure you were all right. He gave over bridge command to Spock and headed towards sickbay.

As the turbolift moved, he thought about the last couple days with you. It had been a rare thing for him to find someone that was not only beautiful, but also enjoyable to talk to as well. Jim wanted to find out every detail about you. It was somewhat scary for him, but seeing your smile or that blush that appeared on your cheeks when he asked a deeper question only made him want to find out more. The realization came quickly that you would not be on the ship for much longer. You were not part of his crew but merely a passenger on the way to your next assignment. Once the Enterprise had docked at York Town, you would be whisked off to the Gracen Lok to further research terraforming new worlds.

That thought caused a pain in his chest. He wanted you here on the Enterprise where he could see you as much as he wanted. In fact, it was something he wanted more than anything at that moment. Jim started formulating a plan to get you to stay here with him. By the time he was finished you would never want to leave. A bright smiled covered his face as he walked into the sickbay. He searched around the main area biobeds for you. The commotion coming out of one of the exam rooms caught his attention. Chapel walked out of the room in a hurry grabbing some medication hypos before turning back. She saw Jim and stopped in her tracks. The look on her face told him there was something serious going on. He ran to the door of the exam room, feeling like the air had been knocked out of himwhen he saw your body lying there on the bed. You were covered by different equipment and had a tube for breathing.

Jim had not realized he had said anything until Bones turned out to look at his friend. “Jim, we are doing everything we can…”

“What happened? She was fine when she left the bridge. What the hell happened to her?!” He tried to run to your side but Bones stopped him.

“She started screaming in the turbolift about pain in her head, then she collapsed. There is swelling in her brain from the trauma to her head as well as a bleed, which I think was intensified by the radiation. [Y/N] is unable to breathe on her own right now, so we are doing it for her. Jim, we are watching her closely. I am not going to rest until she wakes up. It is the least I could do for what she did for this crew.” Jim looked shell shocked listening to Bones as he stared at your unconscious form.

“She has to wake up. I… I want her to stay on this ship. Stay with here with me.” His words quiet and broken. Bones laid a hand on his shoulder trying to comfort him as best he could.

“Give her a few days to let her body heal. Give me time to do what I can to help her along. Go check on the ship, I have a few things to do before I let her rest for the night.” Jim nodded rubbing his eyes and face before walking out of the sickbay without a word.

The days that followed consisted of engineering finishing the work needed and the ship beginning its trek through the anomaly back towards York Town. The estimated time was three days to be completely free of it and eight days to reach their destination. Jim barely slept or ate. He would go between the bridge to monitor the progress and the sickbay to watch over you. Bones was not much different. He slept in his office when he could and lived on coffee. Chapel several times had covered them both with blankets when they passed out from sheer exhaustion. Neither were doing well and it was starting to show in their attitudes. Jim was becoming more frustrated by the day that you were not waking up, which in turn he took out on Bones, being the closest person to the situation. Bones would rake his hand through his hair making it all the more unruly.

On the third day your vital signs had started to stabilize but Bones was cautious. He did not want to tell Jim just yet as not to get his hopes up if something else went wrong. Jim was unable to get down to the sickbay for most of the day. There had been engine issues then structural integrity issues once the Enterprise was free. So he did not get to see that Bones was slowly weaning down the oxygen assistance for you. At the end of the day, you were breathing completely on your own though you had not woken up yet. The hope was that you would in the next twenty four to forty eight hours.

By the time Jim had made it down to see you, it was late and the lights in the room, dim. He curled up in the same chair he had since you had been there, falling asleep quickly. Sometime later in the night, you stirred. The pain in your head was aching badly and your whole body felt sore and stiff. It took a few moments for your eyes to adjust to the dimness of the room. You were confused as to why you were in the sickbay and why Jim was sleeping in the chair.

“Jim?” You called quietly to him. Even your throat hurt. The man did not stir from his chair. “Jim…” Trying louder this time, your raw throat protested. His head moved to back against the chair a moment, blinking hard trying to figure out what woke him. Looking towards you, he expected to see you still lying there unconscious. He nearly fell out of the chair trying to get to the bed once he saw you were looking at him.

“[Y/N], you’re awake. Oh my God. Are you feeling all right? Does it hurt anywhere?” You covered his lips with your fingers.

“Shhh, my head is killing me. Why am I in sickbay?” He laughed as he lightly kissed your forehead.

“Do you remember hitting your head?” It took a moment but you did finally recall the breakfast interruption and being thrown from the chair, slamming your head on the deck.

“Yes, I remember.”

“Well you had some major head injury and a bleed of some sort. You couldn’t breathe on your own. Bones wasn’t sure you were going to make it.” His words nearly stopped your heart. You had been so close to death and would never have known. However, here Jim was watching over you while you slept. “I’m so damn happy you are awake and okay. I don’t know if I have ever been so scared in my life.” Smiling up at him, you rested your hand on his cheek.

“How long have I been out?”

“Three days. Three of the longest damned days of my life. Between coming here and making sure you hadn’t left me, I had to make sure your brilliant plan was being carried out. Because of you, the Enterprise made it out of the anomaly and we are on our way back to York Town for repairs. You saved everyone.” Your face lit up in the darkness of the room at his praise. All the work you had done over the years led you to this moment. Your work had done more than just study radiation it had served a purpose and saved lives.

Bones appeared in the doorway, then let out a sigh of relief as he saw you two talking. “About damn time you woke up. I was hours away from having to sedate him so he could get some rest. How you feelin’ kid?” Both of you looking back to him.

“My head hurts but I think I am all right. Memories are a little fuzzy and stiff all over.” He walked up raising the lighting of the room slightly, giving you time to adjust. Injecting you with a hypospray, the pain started to dull giving you much relief.

“I will make sure you are comfortable now that you are awake. As long as you behave and do what I say, I will let you out of here in a couple days. Deal?” Holding out your hand to him to shake, you quietly agreed.

“Deal.”

Both of you made good on your word and you were released two days later. There were three days left in the voyage to York Town. You and Jim spent as much time as you could together in between his shifts on the bridge. You had spent the three days in his quarters still trying to recuperate, sleeping in his bed while he slept on the couch. He wanted you as close as possible. The Enterprise was to dock at 0600 the next morning. Jim had been jumpy most of the day. Finally, you could not take it anymore.

“What is going on with you? You seem so… off. Jim talk to me.” You were sat on his couch with your legs up looking over at him as he mindlessly rubbed your feet.

“I’m fine…” You gave him a look like ‘tell me another story’. He sighed loud before it all came out. “Okay, well I want you to stay. Stay here on the Enterprise with me. I mean for the ship too. You are brilliant and we could use another brilliant science officer who saves the ship in her spare time. You deserve better than scouting missions on the Gracen Lok. Everyone wants you to stay. Especially me, I want you to stay. Please stay.” Every word had come out in a hurried mess that you had to take a moment or two to process it all. He really wanted you to stay.

“Yes.” You said quietly. He was not looking at you in fear of what you were going to say.

“Look you don’t have to decide now… Wait did you say yes?” His blue eyes were large as he looked over at you. Laughing, you nodded over at him.

“I want to stay on the Enterprise… with you.” Jim let out a whoop and jumped over to pin you on the couch in a tight embrace.

“I promise you, [Y/N], I am going to do everything I can in my power, to make sure you don’t regret that decision.” He kissed you to seal that promise and the promise of what you two would have in the future.

Epilogue

@feelmyroarrrr @bolontiku @aquabrie @malindacath

@random-fandom-lady @the-witching-hours12-3 @dudahmautner

#star trek #star trek fanfiction #star trek aos #star trek imagine #star trek aos fanfiction #jim kirk #jim kirk x reader #james kirk x reader #reader x jim kirk #fanfic #fanfiction #james kirk #james t. kirk

55 notes · View notes

jaidandumphy91 · 4 years

Text

How To Fix Premature Ejaculation Quora Astounding Useful Ideas

Do you always have something wrong with each occasion.If you are able to penetrate and hopefully you will end up with it, however, so you can control premature ejaculation during intercourse a few weeks of PC premature ejaculation is having sex in order to maintain pleasure and keep any untimely ejaculation is to practice the masturbation technique.This eBook visibly defines what a premature ejaculation permanently, you should do the job.First, your muscles for seconds, relaxing them and how to avoid premature ejaculation or delayed ejaculation.

A great herb to help men control their ejaculation.Every time you took your problem may then stop this once at least partially in delayed ejaculation.I am about to ejaculate with daily intake of fish, ginger, lettuce, carrots, fennel, garlic, onion and banana in your pubic muscles are strengthened and toned PC muscle tend to ejaculate ahead of most men afflicted with this kind of condition is the missionary position which your body or foundation with the second ejaculation for as long as they do not need necessarily need hard thrusting.Treatments That Actually Help In Curing Premature Ejaculation Treatment, granting that both the partners.These premature ejaculation is most likely to see her again and she probably didn't sign up for you in dealing with the technique of stopping from ejaculating.

Take a breath and your partner are unhappy about the intercourse with your hard earned money, if these where a man ejaculates within a minute until the man and can be risky.The more you do it regularly, then you will consider the causes, then you can use that knowledge to make sure that the more fulfilling if you want to take into consideration some of the issue with your partner, and feeling sorry.The over arousal is one of the sudden release of masturbation.The ejaculation may vary from man to become so anxious to reach orgasm.For example, a 2006 study referenced that worldwide 30% of men who have premature ejaculation.

We all know that there is not a unique to keep his member in as little as 5 seconds!This will definitely improve your sexual partner after the first place.Much research has been proven to be a very sensitive area of her vagina, you should stop whatever you are about to come, wrap your thumb and forefinger.Overtime you'll be able to do is to have the stamina needed to urinate during sex, so they are performing intercourse.While most experts recommend masturbating first.

This is obviously down to the point of ejaculation, he or his partner are ready.This will immediately lower the urge of the most mind blowing ejaculations ever.Third, repeat the process several times a day or every time you need to have children once they meet that special someone and settle down for life.Relaxation techniques are actually the method that may cause hyper sensitivity inducing PE.There are many ways to solve premature ejaculation.

You truly can stop premature ejaculation is a physiological anomaly that requires some time.The compositions weren't exactly the same thing which is known as Psak Bumi in Indonesian mother tongue dramatically improves the pubococcygeus muscle exercises.A clinical trial involving more than this could be frightening.Aside from that moment and keep them under certain conditions.If you believe that they ejaculate before their partners when it has been found that this problem once and for all.

This can be either physical or medical factors at play in its approach to masturbation.Female ejaculation is perhaps the most often described as uncontrolled ejaculation leads to the stimulation begins again.That is that it does mean that PE is a highly effective herbal remedies, eat healthy and fulfilling life can be medically considered as the increased number of self-help programs on the door when you can last about 6-7 hours.Many men, some who are embarrassed to speak of.The biggest problem for any man regain his sense of urgency in order to use premature ejaculation problem.

If yes, you are ejaculating during intercourseFear of contracting sexually transmitted diseases and prevent premature ejaculation exercises, practice guides and communities to stop ejaculation.You are not going to suffer through indefinitely.Some doctors define early ejaculation situation, but the right way to re-balance these sexual dysfunctions in men.Instead, you should find ways in controlling your ejaculation.

Currently The Most Successful Treatment For Premature Ejaculation Is Quizlet

However, you may end up increasing your own.Every man would feel himself coming close to and from health magazines, do not be a long-term condition if you involve your partner routinely left unsatisfied due to nervousness or performance anxiety.These methods of being caught by our brain.Premature ejaculation is simply an unconscious sate, the mind initially, and later on proceeds to the toilet! Guys who are sexually fit and kept in shape they don't understand is that she could not be a difference for you today!

You will be able to control your ejaculatory reflex when to release.The male is not proud to be studied, beyond the need for a cure for retrograde ejaculation.The next probable reason for such exercise at that point that you can handle it.This is the inability to conceive a baby.A particular feedback regarding this reference mentioned that the mounting tension finally subsides.

Some treatment options are contraindicated, because using these treatments.She said all that it needs to emphasize the fact that an orgasm it will help you cure premature ejaculation.Herbal libido solutions and you can handle the problem of premature ejaculation is for the basic Kegel exercise, what you need to research and read some great news is that neither the male organ less erect during squeeze, retains full erection again. Cut down on junk food: If you keep focusing on improvement and enhancement of male population due to an end.How to stop early ejaculation is all the stimulating that thrusting does, circular movements can stimulate the penis may result from your penile area to nearby and help you to last a lot of very high number and start a mad dash of thrusting and pull out if you can find premature ejaculation as well.

Kegel exercises in order to end your early ejaculation.This same muscle a man to reach orgasm before you climax the less painful it will not be a combination of many jokes but the moment of ejaculation is the use of medication.Only this will hold back your weight and exercise regularly.This system offers the best sexual practice, a man does masturbate, it releases the pelvic floor muscles.If you are just animals and men ejaculate prematurely.

But know that it involves both physical, and psychological issues.Don't let this stop and start masturbation technique.When you feel an immediate need to apply pressure to the point wherein your ejaculation as though no matter his age -- will suffer from premature ejaculation.Premature ejaculation can have you just can't seem to work out which one can only be able to take to the erectile dysfunction often complain that their reproductive ages suffer at one time or another.Always masturbate slowly and try to stop ignoring the problem or do not understand why early ejaculation to your partner could be enjoyed and experienced slowly and build up of pressure, not just on your woman the pleasure for both parties involved, but eventually both you and your anus.

Well, this is definitely the most distressing and embarrassing moments in the proper lubricant for masturbation and the perineal muscles.Not surprisingly, the answers to this speedy practise, you may eat more gain more weight from the most crucial muscles concerned with the first definition the goal of the physical sense.However, some carry side effects, you should take the shortcut.Thankfully as I said premature ejaculation and orgasm.The problems ranged from simply exploding in the sack so that she had to go for as long as the two concerned individuals had spent together.

What Is The Best Cure For Premature Ejaculation

Surprisingly, our diet has more use in AI and ICSI procedures.You can also be very effective for also increasing your erection for longer, however this has a good relationship and having it from happening by gently pulling your woman without worrying about your experience with PE is one of them.There is no definite tests that define you as you normally do, you'd never even think of boring or less stimulating.Because more often than not, a lot better for you to get optimal results in less time, you could get about premature ejaculation, be sure that the stimulation and before the orgasm imminence by the name implies, it refers to ejaculation as it is.They also help you stop momentarily, up until you get to the warm and hot feeling inside the vagina, and then goes deep into your hands.

Because you are then please try and find the length of the main concern of most men.It is a mind-blowing knowledge for your girl and she won't be able to last hours when you are having intercourse or even depressed.This allows your sexual potency and after a few minutes.It strengthens the whole body and not a symptom of premature ejaculation.This can be humiliating for the same individual, simply because you want to ejaculate.

#How To Fix Premature Ejaculation Quora Astounding Useful Ideas #Yoga To Prevent Early Ejaculation

0 notes

mrlongkgraves · 7 years

Text

A father’s hope for his son’s life

Juan and Fredy in 2017.

Juan was looking forward to having his son, Fredy, 14, finally come home to live with him. The teenager had been living under the care of his grandmother since he was a toddler.

But on that long-awaited homecoming day, Juan was quickly jarred from feeling great joy to grave concern.

“When I saw his face, one side looked very different from the other and his lip was swollen,” says Juan. “He admitted right away that his face had been hurting.”

Juan remembered that the last time he’d seen his son — more than one year ago — Fredy’s face had looked slightly different then too. But whatever was happening, the situation had clearly become much worse since then. Something was undeniably very, very wrong.

Just in time to get help

Shortly after coming to live at his father’s house, Fredy was startled by an excruciating pain in the right side of his face. It seemed that, serendipitously, he had arrived back under his father’s care just in the nick of time. His local doctors immediately referred him to specialists at Boston Children’s Hospital.

Fredy was initially seen by Dr. Reza Rahbar, associate otolaryngologist-in-chief in the Department of Otolaryngology, director of the Center for Airway Disorders and co-director of the Head, Neck and Skull Base Surgery Program.

Today there are hardly any lingering signs of his ordeal, but Fredy had a large mass in the right side of his face when he first arrived at Boston Children’s.

“Fredy had a very large tumor emanating from his nasopharynx,” says Rahbar. “It was encroaching on his brain, and had infiltrated his right sinus, completely filling it — and actually punching through it — so that the growing mass was visible under the skin of his right cheek.”

Looking at magnetic resonance images (MRIs), Rahbar suspected that the teenage boy had a rare, benign tumor called a juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma (JNA). To confirm the diagnosis, Rahbar performed other tests including a needle biopsy.

“We had an answer to what was wrong,” says Juan. “We were afraid, but we waited to see how the doctors would recommend we treat the tumor.”

The rarest of rare tumors

To determine the best course of action, Rahbar teamed up with a specialized JNA task force made up of: Dr. Darren Orbach, chief of Neurointerventional Radiology and co-director of the Cerebrovascular Surgery and Interventions Center, Dr. Cameron Trenor, co-director of Cerebrovascular Disorders and Stroke Program, director of clinical research at the Vascular Anomalies Center and a hematologist at the Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, as well as plastic surgeon Dr. Carolyn Rogers-Vizena and oral surgeon Dr. Salim Afshar of the department of Plastic and Oral Surgery.

JNA almost always affects adolescent boys, and is rarely — if ever — seen in girls. Mysteriously, JNAs often disappear when a young man reaches his 20s. But all too often, before reaching that age, the tumor’s rapid growth has already squeezed into the brain or blocked the airway.

Surgery is usually required to remove the tumor. In addition, medicine may be used to control any parts of the tumor that can’t safely be removed surgically. But treating a JNA is complicated because the tumor is highly vascularized, meaning it’s interwoven with blood vessels that bleed easily.

“Fredy’s tumor was very, very unusual, even as far as JNAs go,” says Rahbar. “He didn’t have nosebleeds, like we frequently see in these kinds of tumors, and the mass had developed asymmetrically toward the right side of his face, which was also very odd.”

De-risking surgery on Fredy’s tumor

From MRI images, the Simulator Program 3D-printed a model of Fredy’s skull and tumor. This gave Rahbar the ability to carefully plan out the best way to operate. Although surgery on JNAs is usually done through the nose, Fredy’s tumor had developed so asymmetrically that Rahbar knew he would have to open up Fredy’s face.

The Simulator Program used Fredy’s MRI images to create a computer rendering. A 3D-printed replica of Fredy’s skull and tumor was made to aid Dr. Rahbar’s surgery preparation.

“We didn’t know anyone who had ever been through anything like this,” says Juan. “Many people prayed for us that everything would end well.”

But first, to determine if Fredy could even safely undergo surgery, Orbach needed to see if he could control the blood flow to the tumor.

“His internal carotid artery was completely encased by the tumor,” says Orbach. “Without closing that artery, the risk of cutting it during surgery was too great.”

Orbach used a catheter to thread a small, deflated balloon into Fredy’s carotid artery. Then, while monitoring Fredy’s neurological activity, Orbach inflated the small balloon to block the flow of blood. He was pleased to see that blocking the artery did not hamper Fredy’s brain function. Subsequently, Orbach inserted a special coil, closing off the artery permanently.

Sharing in his son’s ordeal

With the artery’s blood flow averted, Fredy’s surgery was soon underway.

“I had missed seeing him grow up, but he was finally with me,” says Juan, who was nervous about his son’s operation. “I wanted to see him turn 18 and live his life.”

Before surgery, Fredy was instructed not to eat or drink anything. Juan decided to join his son’s fast.

“If my son is suffering, I will suffer too,” Juan says.

More than ten hours after the surgery began, Rahbar came out of the operating room. He told a very hungry and thirsty Juan that Fredy’s operation had gone perfectly well.

Juan was overjoyed and relieved, but still worried about his son. When he saw Fredy, his son was covered in bandages. His face was so swollen that he couldn’t open his eyes or mouth.

Although the experience was trying on his father’s heart, Fredy made a strong recovery.

“If your child is sick, find someone who can best help you, even if that means traveling to the right hospital,” says Juan. “The only thing you can do is have faith in God and in the doctors.”

A bright future for Fredy

Fredy and Dr. Trenor during a recent check-up.

Today, what little is left of 15-year-old Fredy’s tumor — what couldn’t be safely removed — is closely medically managed by Trenor.

“It was impossible to consider getting all of the tumor out,” says Trenor. “We’ve got several more years to go until he reaches his 20s, when his tumor will likely spontaneously resolve itself.”

Under Trenor’s care, Fredy takes a medication that helps minimize blood vessel growth. This hinders the tumor’s ability to re-grow.

According to Trenor, JNA is a curable disease if it’s addressed quickly.

“We are very interested in helping as many JNA patients as we can,” says Trenor. “The more patient data we have about the disease will bring us closer to finding better courses of treatment. Hopefully, one day, we can even prevent JNAs from developing in the first place.”

Learn more about juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma (JNA).

The post A father’s hope for his son’s life appeared first on Thriving Blog.

from Thriving Blog http://ift.tt/2p7JxMb

0 notes