chanter1944 | while reading, and writing, too much fic

chanter1944

Clicky the cut for my personal musing on one TOS Trek character. YMMV. No idea what's been up with me lately, but this particular character's been giving me all the dang feels. Sharding adorable high-strung choirboy. I need to rewatch movies 2-4, or something. Maybe that'll de-clog my subconscious. What say,

meimichan? I give you permission to laugh at me all you want.

Things Pavel Andreievich Chekov is absolutely categorically bloody not:

*a sly, manipulative schemer hiding reems of wicked knowledge behind an innocent facade

*the ship's bicycle, see both above and below

*promiscuous to a ridiculous degree; he's canonically interested in women, but somehow, a wild and misspent boyhood in Russia carrying over to dealings on the ship just does not compute, at all

*17, dammit, he openly says 22 in a TOS episode and that's what I'm sticking with, all the love to his alternate counterpart where it's due

Current Mood: embarrassed

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

technoshaman

Oh, I dunno, that Chekov is a *sneak*.... and don't call him "tiny"!

As for women, I think he just likes to look.. perhaps having gotten burned a few times?

From:

we_are_spc

I see him as a good sneak, though. Not one who uses his sneak for his own gain. Which I feel like is what is being implied here.

-Fallon~

From:

chanter1944

Eeeeexactly! The 'let's play a harmless prank on X or Y crewmember, *wink*' sort of sneakiness could work, but I can't see him carrying on a deception longterm. Just not in his nature.

From:

chanter1944

Weeeell, maybe a little harmlessly sneaky, but not beyond that. And eh, it's canon that he can have his head turned by a pretty girl, but he never struck me as anything less than classy about it, which is <3.

From:

technoshaman

Unlike ol' James Tiberius, mackin' on somebody every time you turn around...

Titus Flavius Bro-sephus, that one.

From:

chanter1944

Mr. Serial Nonmonogamy, that one. Fair enough, if you're honest with everyone involved, which I'm not sure he was... At least he grew up, somewhat, later on. Movie era Kirk was easier to like than five year mission era Kirk, at least for me.

From:

technoshaman

.... somewhat. I think (temporarily) losing Spock kinda mellowed him out...

I'm still much more a TNG fan. Besides, there's something about having a real Shakespearian actor in the lead role that just takes everyone to a new level....

(One of my few major regrets was missing Sir Patrick in The Tempest while I was working in NYC... *sigh*)

From:

chanter1944

Losing and then regaining Spock, twice if you consider the vanishing act Spock pulled between the five-year mission and the first movie a loss, did seem to mellow Kirk out, yes. Spock--oof. Now there's one I could never warm up to. That's a story for another day, and another Trek/Young Wizards fic, in fact.

I grew up a DS9 and Voyager fan, as well as a TNG one, but I missed TNG while it was originally airing, whereas I was watching the other two their first time through. For what it's worth, Sisko will forever be my favorite of the Trek captains, though Sulu is up there - never mind he never got a series of his own, Excelsior was his, and Rand's. ... .Okay, of the captains at the lead of a dedicated series, Sisko's my favorite. Classy musician with subtle sharp edges and candor for days. :)

You know, oddly enough, I never could relate as well to Picard as to some of the other officers. Such a distance between him and everyone else, and I know it was deliberate. Then again, Geordi did set the approachability bar fairly high... :)

From:

we_are_spc

Sisko's my fave, too! At least of DS9...As for Voyager. 7 of 9 all the way....

:d

-Fallon~

From:

chanter1944

I used to be able to mimic, at least reasonably well, Seven's voice. I haven't tried it in ages and ages, and I wonder if I could still do it. As for Voyager favorites, I always liked Chakotay, and Kes when she was in competent, empathetic nurse mode rather than little girl mode. And Tuvock had interpersonal skills that someone like Spock did not, no matter what Tuvock (and Neelix) say about it. :P And he could sing!

From:

technoshaman

Spock was much more approachable in the books. You learnt *why* he was the way he was...

Sisko... now, that there was a cultured bad-ass. Picard was good in a scrap, especially vs. the Borg, but Sisko was *better*. And, yeah, I prefer Sisko's jazz to Picard's classical. Oooh. Sisko and Riker jamming....

Sulu as captain.. "Come on, COME ON!" He gained a LOT of intensity with those pips... we never got the chance to really warm up to him, but yeah, he was every bit the warrior in his own fashion that Sisko was.

And Beverly wasn't so bad either as a captain! Methodical, but *fast*, the way a surgeon has to be.

Jean-Luc finally came off his high horse at the very end of the series, dealing in to the holodeck poker game... there were a *lot* of things that got fixed in that sequence. And I'll never forget the end of Nemesis.... Lord Nelson's toast...

(Speaking of captains, I'm a big fan of Honor Harrington continuing the "ancient" British navy tradition of the officers dining together... those conversations seriously contribute to their bonding as a team.... )

From:

chanter1944

Spock still frightens me. I like Valeris. Not like *that*... platonically. One of my first, if not the first, glimpse I ever got of Spock was a certain scene between he and Valeris, after she did not... remember certain information. Very traumatic to watch, and very formative, when you're twelve. Spock's given me the low-level uneasy iffiness ever since, excellent character though he is, because all through watching prior canon, I've known just what he and Kirk are capable of. That's getting well and soundly addressed in a fic I'm working on, oh yes it is.

Fair enough to Picard unbending a little at the end of the series, though I'm guessing there are about a dozen visual cues (not Qs, ahem) I missed in that last scene. :)

Sisko, though... Every inch the military officer, that man, but with none of the chilly formality of a Picard, even if *some* of Picard's chill was a cultivated thing. Sisko's command was an honesty, Sulu the same, and that's a deliberate word choice on my part. Both of them had claws and no mistake, because you're absolutely right about the sort of warriors they both are - my tenses are flopping all over the place here, and I'd much rather say *are*, if given a choice - but... they're warriors with undeniably warm hearts, those two. And the occasional sly wisecrack that springs out of nowhere...! Yes, I'm mostly looking at you there, Sulu. Rand, too. Ahem. Speaking of Rand again, I was *delighted* when she started climbing the ranks, yeoman to transporter chief to first officer. She deserved it. I have one gigantic bias toward heroes of other stories, yes I do.

There are audio dramas of a number of Excelsior adventures out there. They are *treasures*. I really do need to find them again.

From:

we_are_spc

Pass them? I mean...I need to look to see if I have any first.

I'm going ot miss my ex's connections to music and things. He gave me so damn much before he went to far-most of which I cannot get to now that I am no longer in the graces with him-and if I have anything to say for it, won't be for a life time or more.

...

But dammit, I'm still having a hard time with a lot of things. *sighs*

-Fallon~

From:

chanter1944

*hugs offered*

If I can find them, I'll share 'em.

From:

technoshaman

There was a LOT of flap in fandom over what Spock did to Valeris.

I think most of the cues were audible; there were looks exchanged between Riker and Worf, but other than that, not much you missed.

Sisko ... It's funny how having an alien spirit alongside will give you a good command sense. (q.v. Jeffrey Sinclair of Babylon 5) Sulu... has the warrior spirit of a samurai, but the joie de vie of hanging out with an Enterprise crew... that can teach even a Klingon how to let his hair down. :)

I think my favourite "out of no where" shot was a freshly-re-integrated Spock from STIV:STW:

"Spock, where the hell's the power you promised?"
"One damn minute, Admiral!"

Jimbo SO had that coming! :)

James Tiberius Flavius Brosephus... :)

From:

chanter1944

As there *should* have been a giant flap over what Spock, and Kirk (he gave the order, so he's culpable too) did to Valeris, regardless of what she herself did or how badly they needed her information. If nothing else, let the guilty take the consequences! Which they never did, so far as I know. ... Yeah, I'll let you know when that fic's ready to go, if you like? Not sure if you're interested, but it's another Young Wizards/Trek crossover.

Re: nonstandard souls and command: You're not that far off, I don't think. Sisko was a warrior musician engineer right from the start, even before the emissary situation. How much of that was genetics and how much was the Prophets spilling over... I'm inclined to say it was nearly all him, honestly, with a little definite extra depth added by wormhole circumstances. Sulu? You nailed it. The spirit of a samurai (and a little bit of a musketeer, ahem), the command (and the humor) of someone who came up as an Enterprise officer, and the ship-linked awareness of a pilot born and raised. :) I still imagine that the response "Fly her apart, then!" must have been a wrench, for him, even if he couldn't let himself feel it at the time. Thankfully for everyone, including Excelsior, she did not fly apart. But... I can imagine him feeling remorse for that one, for his ship, just the same. What helmsman wouldn't?

And Sinclair... You know how much I adore that man. He's himself, authentically, wherever his soul draws part of its influence from. That's all him.

Oh my shards, that one-liner is flipping hilarious! I didn't quite catch it for the zinger it was at twelve or thirteen, but now? I giggle like a fool. Ditto Chekov's "But I do not know your name!" Aww, sweetheart. <3

From:

chanter1944

I stumbled across the stealing of the Enterprise scenes, including lead-up, while attempting as much of a rewatch as can be managed in clips... Don't call me tiny? That was Sulu! XD Meanwhile Chekov's sounding very serious indeed over comms there. <3

From:

technoshaman

My bad. "Tiny" Sulu. Checkov is still a sneak. "Admiral...."

From:

chanter1944

Eh, I didn't recognize the specific quote until the rewatch, so. Not tiny Sulu, that is. XD Chekov's sneakity for all the right reasons. "Admiral..." I *loved* that exchange! Part lingering hero worship, part ohthankgod I'm safe, part quirky humor, part probable dazed state of mind - poor man!

Speaking of admirals, or references to one specific one, when Khan first hears about Kirk's promotion via an offhand reference made to it and breaks in to *hiss* the rank back at Chekov and Terrell... I thought, for years, that that was an agitated Chekov reacting to Khan's disrespecting Kirk, as in 'Hey, use the man's proper rank, you jackass!' I only much later figured out who was actually speaking. Puts a whole different spin on that scene snippet, that does.

From:

we_are_spc

17? Eff that.

Seriously; make him at least 18; he should at least be abole to concent to shit if they're going to put him in NC-17 dirty situations.

But yes, 22 is where I'd place him too, the rest of this aside.

-Fallon~

From:

chanter1944

There are far too many stories out there, at least in my opinion, of the 'oh, he's turning eighteen, so now... ick can happen' variety. Almost exclusively alternate universe, those stories. No thanks; not my speed.

From:

we_are_spc

Ug...*sighs*depending on the story, not mine, either. Seriously. *sighs*

-Fallon~

From:

redsixwing

Heee. I clicked through hoping it was Chekov.

From:

chanter1944

XD! Am I that predictable in my biases, or do you have a few favorites too? Or *both*? Either way, awww! :D

From:

redsixwing

I read "Sharding adorable high-strung choirboy," and went, that just has to be! XD

I've tried reading some TOS fic and have a very difficult time finding anything that treats my favorites how I feel they ought to be treated, but then, most of my engagement with it comes from books and not from the actual episodes..? So that's a thing.

From:

chanter1944

... Er, yeah, that's kind of a telling description there, isn't it?! XD *coughs* He *is*, though.

There are, I admit, some godawful TOS fics out there, including many of my early ones from back in college. Please don't go looking; they're *awful*. Once in a while, though, I'll find an absolute gem someone's posted on AO3... I really should read more of the tie-in novels, since you mention those. I've read, I think, two of them to date, and that was ages and ages ago. Ooh, time for a reread...

From:

redsixwing

He /is/ :3

I won't go looking.
(I have some fic out there that is pretty awful myself. School!Six had /very/ different tastes and a poorer command of language. My unfortunate love of semicolons is consistent throughout.)

Given my character tastes, I probably should refrain from recommendation - I focused hard on anything having to do with Spock or other Vulcan characters - but it's the novels that led to my love of Star Trek in the first place, followed shortly by DS9 and TNG, in that order. And Chekov, and Sulu, and on and on.

If you do find gems, do you post fic recs? :D I sort of burned myself out after the last round of trying to find some, and mostly running afoul of Sturgeon's Law.

From:

chanter1944

<3 <3 <3!

I really should get into the habit of posting fic recs! Here's one. It's DS9/TNG, and a liiiittle bit of Voyager, crossed with His Dark Materials to incredible effect. Things, by raven Singlecrow. This is an intense one, in the sense of subject matter - there are significant references to 'Dr. Bashir, I Presume?' in here, for one, and the whole thing's about Odoe's lack of a manifest daemon, so you can imagine the ground it treads - so consider your headspace.

Oof, thank you for not going looking back through my journal archive. College!Chanter's command of language was still less than stellar.

Currently working on a fic of my own from the point of view of Valeris, and sincerely hoping I don't foul up the characterization. Holy bananas writing Vulcans is a difficult task. One Vulcan I always wished we knew more about, while at the same time being grateful we *didn't* have more of a connection to him, because oh my shards, that poor man... Sonak, the ill-fated science officer who would have been Decker's. I gather there are novels that *do* bring him in?

From:

redsixwing

Ohh thank you! I haven't read His Dark Materials, but I'm pretty much always down for psychological angst.

Bashir <3

I'm excited to hear more about your Valeris fic. I liked her and thought the resolution of her plot arc was .. uh, is forced putting too fine a point on it? Not a shining moment. /mutter I felt like her motivations and reasoning were not well explored, but then, that's fertile ground for fandom.

Poor Sonak indeed! I haven't read things with him in them, but then, I stopped reading the tie-in books for a while recently. ^^; It would be fun to know more about him, if a bit bittersweet because: ending.

From:

chanter1944

Bashir <3, and Sisko <3 <3, and Miles O'Brien <3, and...

Re Valeris: Your turn of phrase puts an *accurate* point on things, oof. She deserves better, and so she'll get, at least in this particular fic!

Re Sonak: I do wonder. Poor dear man. Part of me would like to know more about him, and part of me would really rather not, because... well, ending, but also because of the very real possibility of the headcanon personality I've already constructed for him getting thoroughly Jossed. In my head, he's developed into someone not unlike Tuvock; logical as only a Vulcan science officer can be, but not kolinaaru (and the emotions he reins in so tightly do show, if you know him), and not without a willingness to bend a little in personal or professional contexts. Whether or not he'll admit to the willingness in quite those words is another story. And a skilled singer, which is another direct reference forward to Tuvock. I can imagine him with an aesthetic appreciation of the visual arts, poetry, music. Hmm.

Re: that ending, and Sonak: There's always Timeheart?

From:

redsixwing

Yeah! And Garak and Odo and Dax -

What can I say, I'm a fan of morally grey, and DS9 does that so, so well while retaining heart and relatability.

Huzzah for better~

I really did like Tuvock, and all his little moments of warmth that the kolinaaru (intentionally, deservedly) miss. Sonak would be lovely in that sort of a role. I like a little masked willingness to bend, too; there's saying it aloud and then there's communicating it in all the silent, eloquent ways the Vulcans have.

Singer, appreciator of arts -

I would read the heck out of this.

I'm missing a reference here. What's Timeheart?

From:

chanter1944

... Huh. That might be why I have such a difficult time picking up on, say, Spock's moments of warmth. I'm guessing most of his cues are visual ones? I'm told he's much... further from kolinaaru than he sounds.

Re Sonak the potential musician: I need to write the heck out of this! The trick will be not writing Tuvock in the role...

Timeheart is a Young Wizards reference. It's something equivalent, or closely equivalent, to heaven, but specific to each individual being who enters it. There's a precedent in YW canon for characters to dream about, or more accurately actually visit while asleep, recently-deceased loved ones in Timeheart.

From:

redsixwing

... Yup. A lot of it is visual. In particular he does things with very subtle facial expressions and expressive eyebrows. He's easier to read than someone like the kolinaaru group in Search for Spock, or even Sarek.

Hee! Well, you have an audience. ;)

Ah, thanks. That does sound interesting.