today, at last, a letter came

[theunpressuredclub]

THE PENPALS MEME



There's nothing like a little old-fashioned exchange to take your relationships to the next level! Sniff the paper, carry it with you, tuck it into the box under your bed... These are some precious memories you're about to make. Of course, snail mail isn't the only way to your penpal's heart.

→ HOW TO ←

1. Post character/preferences.
2. Use the handy-dandy RNG to pick your penpalling method.
3. Roll again to determine the relationship between penpals.
4. ???
5. Profit!

→ SCENARIOS ←

001. Regular Old-Fashioned Snail Mail. Perhaps you know whom you're writing to; perhaps it's only someone you've been assigned to write letters to for whatever reason, or you might even be sending your letter to the wrong place. Who knows what happens at the post office?

002. Unconventional Old-Fashioned Some-Kind-Of-Mail. You wake up one day and there's something strange in your mailbox. Maybe it's just sitting there by your bed where your family dropped it off. However you come upon it, you're the more inventive sort of penpal. Exchanges of pictures or presents, songs or sweets, or even dinner, even living creatures; you never know what's going to pop up next, or perhaps you have a system going.

003. Your Wall Is My Wall. And no, not the Facebook sort of wall. I guess we're still going old-school here, because there's a wall, a piece of floor, a ceiling, a desk, some sort of unconventional writing surface where you've found a note and decided to air your own thoughts on the matter. For some reason, the next day there's a reply waiting for you! What on earth have you gotten yourself into?

004. Let The Board Do The Talking. Words or tokens aren't good enough -- you're much more interested in skill. Board games, word games, logic puzzles, riddles, secret code, guessing games about each other's identity -- it's all about showmanship here. Of course, you've never seen your opponent, but you both know where the chess board is and when to check it.

005. Pass It Along. Passing notes is something you do in grade school, but why stop doing it when it's so fun? Besides, it lets you practice your origami. Just take care that your note doesn't meet with an aspiring editor somewhere along the way.


→ RELATIONSHIPS ←

01. Perfect Strangers

02. Old Friends

03. Wrong Address

04. Bitter Enemies/Rivals

05. Lovers

06. Family

07. Professional (Employer/Employee, Leader/Follower, Master/Servant)

08. Two Personalities In A Multiple Personality

09. Imaginary Friend

10. Pick Your Own

Comments

James T. Kirk ~ Star Trek: AOS

[no_ordinarylife]

[Open with the exception of multiple personality! Thanks.]

[kosu]

[ Open for another thread with Spock? And if so, any preferences? ]

[no_ordinarylife]

[Absolutely! I could see them passing comm messages back and forth. I'll let you decide on the circumstances and distance apart. :) ]

[kosu]

[ Hmm, how about Spock on leave on the New Vulcan colony for a few weeks, helping out with something important, and communicating with Jim - possibly starting out of the blue, not really intending it but enjoying the conversation. Any preferences about their relationship - just friends, working toward something more, or in a relationship? ]

[no_ordinarylife]

[Sounds good! Let's go with "friends with feelings" this time around.]

[kosu]

[ Works for me. Let me know if this doesn't work! ]

The days on the new colony are longer than Earth's, and thus longer than standard time on the Enterprise, which means when Spock sends her first comm message to Jim, it is in the middle of gamma shift ship-side and only early evening for her. She isn't sure if Jim will get it right away, though the advancements in subspace communications means transmission is swift.

Due to the chess games we have played and my studies of your strategy, my game has improved. A former player I had difficulties in defeating proved stump when I employed a number of strategies you favor. He was most irritated with me, though the accolades lie with you.

You have my appreciation.

[no_ordinarylife]

His answer is nearly immediate.

you kicked ass! sweet. see, craziness can come in handy. :)

[kosu]

She knows what he means, but she cannot resist feigning ignorance at his comment.

I beg your pardon. I did not kick his posterior region, that would be demeaning to us both.

What is the meaning of ':)'?

[no_ordinarylife]

you totally kicked ass. admit it. and i bet you're looking forward to doing it again. :) is me smiling.

[kosu]

I will do no such thing, Captain. Though I do find the thought of a future match to be satisfying.

I assure you, I had no need of requiring confirmation of your expression, as it was trivial to guess.

[no_ordinarylife]

speaking of chess, i'm seriously missing our evening matches. spent the whole night doing paperwork instead. not as much fun. thanks for the break btw. my eyes were starting to go all weird.

[kosu]

Captain, need I remind you that you should space your reports out throughout the day and not save them for the evening? Or until the last minute, as that causes undue strain.

I do find our games engaging. They are a unique challenge.

[no_ordinarylife]

i'm looking forward to picking back up where we left off when you get back.

sound advice. i did start early but there's a backlog. just trying to get caught up at this point. scotty's doing his fair share but he's no xo. paperwork takes him away from his engines. how goes the trip so far? had much of a chance to visit with your father?

[kosu]

It is possible for us to continue our game over subspace communications. Not efficient, but possible. Simply exchange moves, and you may update the board as necessary.

A backlog? This is why I am needed upon a ship full of humans, Captain.

Sarek and I have both been occupied with duties and have thus been unable to converse beyond the necessary exchanges of information. However, I am dining tomorrow at his residence. Otherwise, the trip is most informative. The botanists are attempting to crossbreed native plants with plants from Vulcan-That-Was, as many were grown in hothouses on various planets and they have been able to obtain samples. Crossbreeding will help ensure viability on this planet.

[no_ordinarylife]

He smiles at the backlog comment.

when i say you're the best first officer in the fleet, i mean it. and you do the work of two people, Spock. it's hard to replace you, even if only temporarily.

wish you could have seen the look on Sulu's face when i told him about the botanical aspects of your trip. green with envy. you'd probably make him a happy man if you shared your reports. happy as a helmsman but crazy about his plants.

your move.

[kosu]

Spock knows her worth, both on the ship and to the Federation, but it is still gratifying to hear.

Vulcans are capable of more work than humans, Captain. Perhaps you should spread the work out somewhat more? Also, it will not be much longer that I will be on New Vulcan. Only another 11.3 standard days.

I shall forward him a copy of my reports when they are completed. I am planning on bringing a number of samples back with me, as well. Provided I obtain your permission, first.

Knight from c5 to d3. Which captures one of your pawns, if I am not mistaken.

[no_ordinarylife]

The chessboard is within reach so he takes a second to move her knight and look over the game as a whole. It doesn't feel right. She's not sitting across the table from him, contemplating her next move or engaging in conversation.

i'll be caught up by tomorrow. Which means he'll probably just stay up all night working. He does it occasionally when he just doesn't want to sleep. Eleven days seems like a awful long time to him, especially after the number of days she's already been gone. He tries not to dwell on it.

permission granted. does this mean you're bring me flowers? ;-)

castling kingside.

[kosu]

Do not stay up all night, Jim. Certainly for not my sake. She knows his habits well enough to guess that is what he is intending. Even if you are an exemplary human and can function on less sleep than most humans, it is not ideal.

She takes a moment to mentally rearrange the chessboard, taking into account his move. She almost let out an irritated sound, only to catch herself at the last minute. It was hardly dignified for a Vulcan.

Your strategy remains rather illogical. Rook to c4.

Correction, I am bringing your ship plants, as none of them will be in bloom when I return.

[no_ordinarylife]

He can't help but smile. She knows him too well. no promises.

[kosu]

That gets Spock to raise her eyes to the ceiling before responding. That means he is going to stay up all night. You are aware that coffee is not regarded as a food group, correct?

[no_ordinarylife]

you're right. it's not a food group. it's THE food group.

[kosu]

Dr. McCoy would agree with me as I remind you that one cannot subsist on such a beverage alone.

She relaxes a little, in her quarters on the colony, as this is a common banter between them.

You should return to your reports now, so you do not stay up any longer than necessary.

[no_ordinarylife]

you're right. he'd say you need bourbon too. ;-)

He doesn't want her to stop messaging. At least he can imagine her voice in his head when he reads.

they'll keep. tell me how the colony has changed. i haven't been there since the construction began.

[kosu]

Though it might be possible for modern medicine to regrow organs, you should not endanger your liver quite so much.

One day, they will both learn the pitfalls of imbibing so much. But her words are not meant to be too harsh.

The VSA building has been modified to house more classes and experiments. Agriculture is improving, as the understanding of crops and the interaction of fertilizers, soil, and plants have improved. While the architecture lacks much of the stateliness from Vulcan-That-Was, there is a concentrated effort to ensure that aesthetics do not suffer unduly. While many still remain reluctant to rely on the Federation, efforts by other species have not gone unrecognized, and many citizens of the Federation reside on the colony.

[no_ordinarylife]

He doesn't read her words as harsh at all. In his mind, her voice is the embodiment of gentle chastisement. His response is lighthearted.

i'll have my doctor talk to my bartender.

maybe we can cut our assignment here short. arrive a day or two early. you could take me on a tour, show me all the places you've been so far. let the sun bake me to a crisp, take obnoxious selfies, do touristy things, that sort of thing.