igrockspock

1. Where did you go the last time you took an airplane ride?
Chicago

2. Are you a nervous flyer or a comfortable flyer?
I get very nervous about missing flights, but I'm pretty comfortable on the flight itself

3. Window seat or aisle seat?
Window, always. Looking out the window is entertaining, and I can't sleep unless I can rest my head against something.

4. What is the worst experience you've had flying?
It used to be the Air Uzbekistan plane that said CHOP HERE WITH CRASH AXE on the outside, but this summer the Air Moldova flight that attempted to take off without fuel in the tank topped it. If you're wondering what happens when you try to start a jet engine with no gas, it makes a terrible gagging noise much like your car does, except louder and scarier. The pilot tries a few times, the engine screams a few times, and then a flight attendant says "nobody panic but please take off your seatbelts in case evacuation is necessary." Then you look out the window and see a lot of emergency vehicles. The flight attendants never update you, but suddenly they start passing out drinks and cookies. Then you look outside and all the emergency vehicles have gone and a fuel tanker has appeared, and you can make a logical inference that the problem with your plane was that they forgot to fuel it.

5. What is the best experience you've had flying?
Probably any Middle Eastern airline. The food is lovely, and the customer service is so nice. Royal Air Qatar paid for me to have a transit visa and a stay in a lovely hotel when I had an overnight layover.

I watched the first two episodes and holy shit guys! ( I found my childhood Mary Sue, and it's Michael Burnham. )

Hello and thank you so much for writing for me! If we matched, it's because we have a lot in common, and I'm sure I'll love whatever you write. Please rest assured that I genuinely want everything I requested, and I'll be happy to receive anything we matched on. I left lots of prompts because I find such letters helpful; please feel free to alter, combine, or ignore them as you see fit.

Where shipping is considered, I'm very flexible. I like the whole spectrum from UST to getting together to established relationships or just friends with benefits. Write whatever rating suits you, because I enjoy explicit and non-explicit stories equally well. That said, I'm a pretty vanilla fangirl, so nothing kinkier than a little fun with handcuffs please.

Do not want
1. Love triangles
2. Children who do not exist in canon
3. Anything kinkier than a little fun with handcuffs
4. Rape, noncon, dubcon, or incest
5. Alternate setting AU's such as coffee shops, high schools, etc. Canon divergent AU's welcome!

Do want
1 Lots of banter and snark
2. Having an adventure together, such as a mission or a case
3. Resolving a problem or miscommunication in a relationship
4. Five things fics for any scenario
5. Friends to lovers
6. Character A isn't one to admit that they're hurting or that they need help, but Character B figures it out anyway. (Variation: Character A doesn't usually admit they're hurting, but Character B is the one person they trust enough to ask for help.)
7. Women taking the lead in asking a guy out, admitting to feelings, or initiating sex
8. Characters being attracted to one another's competence
9. Character A has a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day and Character B makes it better
10. Characters trapped in a confined space together and having interesting conversations, finally owning up to their feelings, making out, and/or working together to escape (no claustrophobia in this scenario please)

( fandom specific requests )

Even though life has been awfully busy, I managed to write a couple treats for Trick or Treat. This one was actually meant to be a gift for EveryWoman, but I didn't finish it on time. acequeenking asked for a story about Vader finding Leia when she was young, and I was completely smitten with the possibilities for both cuteness and evil. Although I really, really loved the way it came out, I wasn't expecting too many people to want to read it, but I was pleasantly surprised!

Title: Flesh of My Flesh
Rating: Teen
Characters: Leia Organa, Darth Vader, Grand Moff Tarkin
Summary: Leia was not adopted. She was stolen in the middle of the night and registered to House Organa with forged papers. This was kidnapping, a class one felony, and her parents could be executed -- unless she returned voluntarily to her rightful father. Immediately. A man called Grand Moff Tarkin explained this to Leia when she was eleven years old.
Word Count: 3600

Remix this year was a mixed bag. On the one hand, I got to play with celeste9's lovely works; on the other hand, I got some rude anon comments. Celeste had a cute story about Poe and Finn mixing up their uniform shirts, and I immediately thought about how that could have been a career-ending mistake in the US Navy not all that long ago, so I ended up writing an AU set during the Don't Ask/Don't Tell years. I do understand how someone could find that choice odd, but it was a story I really wanted to write. As a queer person who works in a conservative profession and lives in a conservative area, the relationship choices I made were constrained by my fear of losing my job. Obviously, I'm happily married and have no regrets, but I also see our country backsliding toward less accepting times. I remember feeling lonely when I was younger because I could never find slash that actually addressed the difficult choices I was facing, so I wanted the chance to write about some of those issues. Of course, I got a rude comment almost immediately, which was disappointing but not altogether unexpected. I'm still happy I wrote the story I wanted to tell.

Title: This Is Only a Drill (The Anytime, Anywhere Remix)
Pairing: Poe/Finn
Rating: Teen
Summary: The year is 1993. The Cold War is old news. Don't ask, don't tell is brand new. Poe Dameron is the best fighter pilot in the Navy, and he's in love with a man.
Word Count: 4800

Ruby, the title character of the book, is a black woman who fled to New York City when she was young but ultimately comes home to a black township in East Texas. Adjusting to life in the South after the freedoms of the North is harder than Ruby realizes it will be, and the pressure of her barely suppressed childhood traumas quickly results in severe mental illness (or, to be more accurate, something modern readers will quickly recognize as mental illness, while the townsfolk mostly blame her for "not keeping herself under control"). Ruby herself believes that she is haunted. As a child, she witnessed terrible things happening to other children, and now the souls of those children flock to her for protection. Readers get the choice of how to interpret these "haints" -- as a symbolic representation of being trapped in a moment of trauma, or as literal ghosts that cling to Ruby's skirts. The situation comes to a head when Ephram, who loved her from afar as a child, sets himself as Ruby's protector amid fierce opposition from his ultra-religious sister.

This book contains serious triggers for rape and child abuse, both of which are referenced below the cut.

( I need to discuss this book with somebody (spoilers) )

I rewatched Star Trek: Into the Darkness last night, and...I really love the movie. I wish that Kirk and McCoy did not sexually harass women. I wish that the role of Khan had not been given to a white guy. But in the storytelling sense, I think it's a really good movie.

I love that the characters' strength and maturity are tested by impossible dilemmas. Of course Spock wouldn't be willing to let a planet die after witnessing the destruction of his home world. Of course Kirk wouldn't let his first officer perish for the sake of a rule. Their response to those dilemmas creates a huge conflict rooted in their underlying cultural assumptions. Kirk, the brash American rule breaker, thinks it's just common sense to lie to Starfleet. Spock, on the other hand, has fought so hard to be considered Vulcan and now feels obligated to be the living embodiment of a culture someone tried to destroy. His response is totally Vulcan: tell the truth, make someone see the logic of the situation, and take full responsibility for it. Neither Kirk nor Spock understands each other's perspective, which puts a huge strain on their friendship. This is the kind of thing that happens all the time, both between individual personalities and different cultures trying to get along.

Another impossible dilemma appears when a beloved character is murdered, and the crew receives questionable orders to execute the killer. The right thing is to refuse completely, but only the oldest member of the senior staff -- Scotty -- can bring himself to do that. The rest of the crew goes with Kirk's "halfway" plan that actually makes matters worse. Chekov takes on responsibility he's not ready for. Sulu feels ambivalent about being in the captain's chair. Uhura behaves unprofessionally by starting a relationship argument on a dangerous away mission. After that, you get the second half of the movie, which is basically everyone repairing their mistakes. Uhura tries to negotiate with the Klingons by herself. Spock tricks Khan to save the Enterprise. Kirk immediately calls Scotty to admit his mistake and ask for help, then sacrifices himself for his ship. All this contrasts with Admiral Marcus, who responds to his mistake by trying to kill everyone. He claims he's looking out for Starfleet, but he's really trying to avoid responsibility for his decisions.

I've heard people claim it's not a Star Trek movie because they characters do not behave admirably. I agree. It's better than the original movies because the characters make mistakes and have to fight their way back from them. Underneath all the character conflicts is the moral dilemma of targeted killing and clandestine warfare, which we have engaged in heavily since 9/11. The movie concludes by telling us that seeking revenge is natural after loved ones have died but will turn us into the very thing we are fighting against. As someone who lived less than a mile from the World Trade Center after 9/11, I find that a very powerful message.