The Other-Wordly Meme

[memeticisms]

The Other-Wordly Meme

Words are magical things; they can have so many lovely connotations and varied histories.
Words have family trees just like people. They are linked to each other.
Some words are full of flavor and color and describe things you never suspected there were words for.
Words are why we're here.

The meme is simple: post a comment with your muse's name and canon in the subject line.
List any preferences you may have ("No Shipping," "No Smut," etc.), if you decide to leave the next step up to responders.
Responders (or original posters, if they so decide), go to the Other-Wordly blog and hit 'Random' until you get a word. Use the word as a prompt for an RP scenario. Do this several times, if you like. Mix and match. Have fun with it!
Don't stop with a word, though! Words can often have etymologies that are at odds with their current meanings. Words can shift connotations over time. Let your imagination carry you with the words as its wind.

Comments

spock | star trek (reboot)

[ozhika]

for science; and also spoilers are okay

[clockwork_gray]

nemesism (n) frustration, anger or aggression directed inward, toward oneself and one's way of living

[and here Sylar thought he finally was free from his hell. Yet if he is, why is he looking at himself? No, not his self; this man is decidedlly NOT Sylar or any manifestation that his mind could conjur. So this man is real and he's not still trapped in his mind. But with all that in mind, who is he and what is he doing here?]

Who are you?

canon blind after S1!

[ozhika]

[ Fascinating. That is, of course, the first thing that comes to mind as Spock identifies his facial bone structure in what is decidedly a human.

The Enterprise had passed through a cloud of unknown particles on their voyage, first interpreted to be some sort of ionic storm. While endeavoring to steer around the strange happenstance of particles, the storm had suddenly expanded and washed over the ship, causing turbulence and disruption that had left them stalled and drifting through the vacuum of space on momentum alone. Strange things had begun to occur in the halls.

Spock himself is in his quarters when Sylar appears, trying to review the readings he had received in privacy next to the expansive computer library of subjects similar to what he thought they might be facing. It was all a science officer could do when there seemed to be no substantial trouble as of yet.

The Vulcan leans back in his chair for a moment to regard the other. Sylar may detect he is in a small room, a table with computers unlike he's ever seen, with a privacy partition that shows hints of a bedroom. His first thought may be a ship... But a very technologically advanced one. ]

I am Commander Spock, and you are aboard the USS Enterprise, an exploratory vessel affiliated with Starfleet and the Intergalactic Federation of Planets.

[ He is notably very calm about the sudden intrusion. His phaser rests on his hip, always preset to stun setting. For the moment, Spock keeps his hands resting on his desk. ]

Who are you?

let's just say that word is VERY fitting

[clockwork_gray]

[no, this is bad for him. All these machines, this technology. Things he wants to take apart and understand. And there's Spock himself, who is not entirely human. The ears are a dead give-away for that. But what is he? What makes him tick? He can feel his ability stir, the hunger making his fingers itch.

Breathe. Try to stay calm. Try not to cut open this man's head]

I'm known as Sylar.

[funny how their names start with the same letter, too]

[ozhika]

[ Spock would say it is coincidental, not humorous, but his ideas of humor tend to stand apart from most. He is, however, quite curious, and it is probably obvious that he's very curious. In that, they are also the same, minus the dissection part. Spock generally considers himself smart enough to forgo that sort of thing, not to mention it is against his morals as a pacifist. ]

Where are you from?

[clockwork_gray]

Planet Earth. The year... 2013? [he sounds unsure. He's usually better at measuring time, but after spending what he believed to be eight years in a mind prison, he's not quite as sure anymore]

[ozhika]

[ The slight tilt of the Vulcan's head betrays that this is a curiosity. ]

Do not be alarmed, but you have been temporally displaced by 2.24 centuries. I would tell you your relation spatially as well, but I do not think you would comprehend it.

It is also unlikely you are what you would call 'real'. Most probably you are a signature of consciousness that will collapse after an unknown amount of time and distance from the disruption that likely placed you here.

So perhaps you will find it less distressing to know this may be temporary. May I make a request?

[clockwork_gray]

[that actually isn't nearly as alarming as Spock might think. True he never traveled through time before, but he knows people who can do it. Peter's only traveled a few years into the future while Hiro has jumped back and forth. Then there was that dying man at the carnival... It stands to reason that there exists the power to jump this far into the future. Sylar doesn't take well to the insinuation that he wouldn't understand if Spock told him more; his whole being is nothing but understandnig how things work.

As for the suggestion that he isn't real, that makes Sylar laugh. Eight years of believing he was in a nightmare and now this. He wonders if he's still being punished for everything he did. If this is another step that he needs to take toward redemption. The only thing that's real is us, Peter told him. Maybe Spock is the one who isn't real.

Sylar allows his ability to become more awake in his mind so he can piece it all together. Whatever is happening, he's curious and wants to see where it's going]

As long as I have the liberty of refusing.

[communication]

this work?

[ozhika]

[ In San Francisco, Spock waxes on and off wanting, needing, or being anywhere but Nyota's presence. Today is a want but not a day that was meant to be anything more than spending time together in the same room, as Spock was meant to be working ( officially, he is on leave, unofficially he is taking whatever his connections in the Academy will give him ) but not wanting to seem neglectful of their relationship all the same.

She's practicing, and it takes him a moment, fingers tapping at the PADD and eyes staying there when he does speak up. ]

Klingon.

[ It is spoken as a statement. It is intended as an inquiry. ]

yes it does!

[communication]

[ uhura is seldom bothered by the little time they have to spend together these days—by her count they are both ambitious and work-conscious individuals constantly looking to improve themselves. that is precisely why on an afternoon she could easily otherwise be using for recreation she's chosen to do a refresher in her languages.

the words come from time to time in bursts, never whole thoughts or sentences but simply phrases and words she know she struggles with. her native languages of swahili and federation standard (english) has left her lacking in the muscles requires to sail smoothly through the harsher glottal consonants in klingon. pronunciation of these is key.

she's just finishing murmuring a word aloud when spock's voice grabs her attention, draws her eyes away from her padd and over to him. she smiles after a second, almost as though she's remember how pleasant it is that they're finally spending a bit of time together. ]

Yes, I figured I needed some practice. It's a poem I found that's intended to be recited rather than read. [ a pause, and then: ] Sorry if it's disrupting you, Spock.

[ozhika]

If I found it objectionable, I would leave.

[ Which is not exactly the nicest way to reassure someone ( technically your girlfriend ) they are not disrupting your work, nor the most obvious way of saying you came for the company, but it is very logical, and thus very default Spock.

Almost as if feeling her gaze, his eyes do flicker up from the PADD. Vulcan expression is an exercise in nuance, and Spock is more emotive than most. Nevertheless, his response is a slight tilt of his head, hooding his eyes fractionally, and unfolding his legs to drape over the edge of her bed. ]

Does this have any relation to your dialogue on Kronos?

[communication]

[ his phrasing, precise as ever, only makes her smile to herself and shake her head slightly, more amused than anything. it's hard for someone who spends their career deciphering the deeper meanings behind verbal communication offended by phrasing. that considered, spock's being exposed to humans every day and still not quite grasping their own subset of nuances amuses her. ]

Of course you would. [ she says it matter-of-fact, flipping to the next page on her padd.

the comment about kronos makes her amusement bleed away. it had been the first time she ever spoken to a klingon directly despite studying their culture and transmissions and linguistic distinctions for years. she knows she did well, just not well enough. ]

Would you believe me even if I said no? [ she takes a breath, masking her sigh. ] It could have gone better, though I realize my pronunciation wasn't the only issue we were faced with.

[ozhika]

[ No, says the silence that remains until she has given him an answer, he would not believe her if she said her need to improve on that particular language did not stem from some form of disappointment the last time she used it. Spock would, however, have taken a denial as a signal that the topic was an unwelcome one for him to touch.

Truth be told, it's not one he's entirely certain he wants to touch either, or delve into too deeply, since he had already most certainly touched it by bringing it up. His brow furrows slightly. ]

You believe there was a scenario where you would have been perfectly successful?

[communication]

There's a possibility. [ there isn't, really, and she realizes this. if she were to approach this logically then no, they were going to be out of their depth no matter how good her klingon was. still she can't help but overanalyze her hesitations on kronos. ]

I guess I'm just disappointed our first contact with them as a crew ended the way it did.

[ part of her doesn't expect spock to understand that personal disappointment. diplomatic relations with the klingons aren't a thing that's likely to happen any time in the near future. until they do, she'll continue her studying. ]

[midwest]

flings things let me know if this is ok/need specifics

[ozhika]

[ The position of authority carries certain expectation, and while together they have broken many of them, it was inevitable that there would come a time wherein the weight was neither easy to shirk nor to throw back into the face of those who set it there. When the weight came from your own crew, it tended to sit and compound. They were explorers, but this was no child's game. Danger was inevitable, mistakes were inevitable, and loss could occur suddenly. When times were good, the view was great from the top. But when it was bad, it was ugly. Either way, everyone was looking at them on the bridge, especially the Captain.

Spock assumes that's why Kirk is quick to leave the chair after the summary end to a mission that would be, in the record, ultimately successful. He does not follow; he still has duties to perform, adjusting their crew roster and filing reports accordingly, making sure the ship's repairs were well underway and their trajectory toward their next destination correct. He does not want to make any moves that read as 'I told you so' even though that would be a statement of fact. Spock cited the risks but ultimately supported the gamble; they lost, not as badly as predicted, but they still made a sacrifice for what was gained. They will move on, some of them quicker than others.

It is, however, an occasion Spock realizes he should probably at least extend an offer of counsel for. Given the hour or so after Kirk's departure, Spock finalizes his checks and pages Jim's personal communicator. ]

Captain, I have issued all reassignments and have placed a record for you to review at your leisure. No further casualties to report from medical. Mr. Scott has informed me we will regain full warp functions by the end of the week. I am taking my official leave for the night.

[ And that's him, saying he's officially available. Unofficially. ]

no this is lovely!

[midwest]

[ jim's a gambler by nature. he throws himself headfirst into danger and nine times out of ten he manages to brazen through it against all odds. jim's successes are legendary, but then there comes that tenth time, that one failure, and they're always spectacular when they come. this failure is spectacular, this costs them, and by starfleet's terms it's a success, but jim can't call it that.

he leaves the bridge in spock's hands and buries himself in engineering. technically he shouldn't be down there at all, but he can't just sit on the bridge and wait. he works his way through the damage until scotty boots him out, shooing him away like jim's going to blow the warp core. at that point there's nothing to do but go back to his quarters. he's not quite there when spock's communication comes through, but he answers anyway. ]

You got plans for your off-shift, Spock?

[ it's the nearest jim comes to asking spock's company. he should go down to medical, see bones, but he can't look at the casualties just yet. tomorrow, that's for tomorrow. ]

[ozhika]

No.

[ He'd asked the computer Kirk's location shortly after his transmission while en route to his own quarters. On course to quarters, it seemed, from engineering. All he has to do is continue to stand on the lift instead of stepping off at his intended floor, allowing the doors to shut and take him deeper into the ship. Inevitably, they'll open again and Spock will be standing poised with his hands laced behind his back, and Jim will be... ultimately unpredictable. Spock is willing to be lead, though the only real way worth going from here is up. ]

[midwest]

[ and there's spock, right on schedule. jim sweeps by him with the air of someone just expecting to be kept up with. if there's any apt description of the pair of them, it's jim unstoppable motion playing off spock's immovable force. they're getting better at the negotiation of it, but there's still times that the collisions happen and end in fights. or jim fighting, and spock standing his ground on top of a logical point that jim swears up and down is bullshit. ]

Scotty thinks I'm going to break something. [ the can you believe that? goes unspoken. ] Uhura going to mind if I steal you for a chessmatch?

[ozhika]

[ No matter how fast Jim wants to go, Spock is never more than a few steps behind or without the ability to outrun him, if he wants to. The inclination to order comes as naturally to him as impulse does to Jim, and they are equally proud of what they've accomplished for themselves with it. It's not hard to see how and why they would clash. Knowing they share many of the same ideals has gone a long way toward making them less like oil and water; intrigue and hardship probably contributed their helping hands as well.

Spock only speaks because he's been asked a question; right now he's in observation mode. ]

The only one who can give you Uhura's permission is Uhura.

[ Because surely you are afraid of incurring her wrath and not suggesting anything else, because anything else would be varying degrees of ridiculous. ]

[midwest]

[ anyone with half a brain in their head is afraid of incurring uhura's wrath. there is no power on earth that will make jim admit this, but it's the truth. ]

I'll promise her a quick game, have you home before curfew.

[ he's the captain, doesn't necessarily have to ask permission. but jim's command style has always edged far too much toward informality. it's worked for him, despite the cautions and complaints from starfleet, but jim prefers it. he prefers being able to casually inform uhura that he's stealing her boyfriend for a chess game, have him back in a jiff, and then hang up.

life's small pleasures, as it were.

the chess set he has is new, fresh out of the box. jim bought it on a whim, on a half-snatch of memory he couldn't quite place. but he waves a hand at the room, inviting spock in as he retrieves it from the bookshelf and unpacks the box. ]

So go on. I know you've got something to say, Spock.

[ because wasn't that the topic everyone wanted to discuss? the mission and how it had turned into a mess? ]

[slapdash]

[ozhika]

[ Spock rarely visited medical beyond inspection; unless there was a case of intrigue, he usually settled for whatever reports Dr. McCoy furnished him. Conversely, it seemed rare that the Captain was in medical for anything official, much less extensive injury.

Visiting wasn't... exactly why Spock had come. All truths be told, he had expected Jim to be unconscious from what he'd been told by the doctor. That was going to make his original intention for coming a bit harder since he couldn't be sure McCoy would be away from the bed for long. There are second thoughts.

The necessary side excursion to Holberg 917G was ultimately a success. A treatment had been secured from the resources they had gathered for the crew suffering from an endemic. However, there had been lifeforms on the planet and Jim was Jim, and now Jim was dealing with loss on top of his injuries. One didn't have to be terribly observant or in touch with their emotions to know that death did not sit well on Kirk, especially when the death was someone he thought he loved. Spock probably should have told Jim that forming romantic attachments on planets they knew little of, or else were soon to leave, was irrational. But then, love in itself was very irrational, and so he said nothing of the sort.

He comes to stand beside Kirk's bed, peering down impassively at the Captain. His eyes are open, but Spock isn't entirely certain... ]

...Jim?

[directives]