app ; city of ariel

[ozhika]

→ OOC
□ Name: Rook
□ Age: 23
□ Contact: rookadoodle @ plurk
□ Journal: rookadoodle @ dreamwidth
□ Do you play anyone in Ariel?: No

→ IC
□ Name: Spock
□ Journal: ozhika
□ Series: Star Trek (AOS)
□ Canon point: Comic Issue #30, or Stardate 2261.274
□ History:
Memory Alpha Wiki - http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Spock_(alternate_reality)
Comic Summaries - http://dow.dreamwidth.org/1028.html#cutid1 (used with permission)

And since they're important to Spock, I'll quickly explain that #21-23 follow Spock suddenly hit by the effects of a Vulcan male mating drive called Pon Farr, which occurs every seven years after the first onset. His hormones are on overload, causing him to go into spurts of violent, mindless rage ( known as plakk tow, the blood fever ) between times of lucidity, which frighten and confuse all parties involved. It is his first time - he confesses since this is a late onset, and because of his human heritage, he thought he'd be spared it. If he does not return to Vulcan ( rather, New Vulcan, since Vulcan was destroyed ) and undergo a mating ritual within a week, he'll die. Arriving at New Vulcan, Spock chooses to take Jim and Nyota down to the planet with him, where they meet his father, Surak, and his betrothed ( betrothed??? ), T'Pring. Uhura, who has been a relationship with him, is obviously upset, but ultimately not surprised Spock kept this from her. Spock explains he and T'Pring were an arranged marriage and bonded at seven in order to specifically pair him for the Pon Farr. However, when Spock joined Starfleet, he dismissed her of all obligation to him.

Nevertheless, T'Pring is bonded to him and feeling the plakk tow, to a lesser extent. It's implied they are willing to consummate the process for each other's sake, or else that Sarek is going to try leading Spock through the meditative alternative. However, shortly after Jim and Nyota return to the ship to discuss the matter, Spock has another fit, this time one that has him strangling his father and other Vulcan help unconscious. He leaves behind a scrap of his uniform.

It's learned that some Vulcans, since the death of the planet, are so overtaken with grief that they go into the Pon Farr and never come out again. They're lost to the volcano and desert of the world - T'Pring suggests this is the case and that it's logical to let Spock go. Jim doesn't accept this and goes in search of Spock with Uhura and other crew. They find him in a lava field in nothing but the torn scrap of his uniform slacks, the leader of a band of lost Vulcans reduced to primitivism. After a fight where Spock clearly recognizes none of them, Jim has the lost Vulcans beamed aboard while they come up with a cure. Nyota speaks to Spock behind glass, telling him that she knows he's suffering, that she forgives him, that she knows he loved her and that she'll always love him. It's unclear whether Spock understands after she leaves him.

Because Chekov and Scotty have decided to experiment using the transporter beam - by using old imprints they got from beaming from Vulcan, they are able to temporarily recreate the atmosphere while transporting the affected to New Vulcan. In effect, they trick the afflicted Vulcans' bodies into believing, for an instant, they are truly home. It works and Spock is returned safely.

I will explain any other comic things in the where applicable.

□ Personality:

Spock has often been described as a child of two worlds - the son of a Vulcan ambassador and a human schoolteacher. I think it is prudent, then, to try and break down his personality in accordance with these aspects, as Spock himself will never escape the fixation of his peers on one or the other. Indeed, finding a harmonious balance between the two is the biggest challenge Spock will face throughout his life, and provides an ongoing source of learning as well as tribulation.

When asked, Spock readily identifies as Vulcan. Since others are often making an inquiry into why he looks the way he does, this is not strictly untrue. But Vulcan isn't just a species and physiology - it's a philosophy and a way of life as well, one that Spock decided he would dedicate himself to at a young age. In fact, Spock arguably out-Vulcans most Vulcans when it comes to their professed values, though it is suggested that his physical/mental/emotional capabilities can sometimes falter as a result of his human ancestry.

Vulcans first and foremost ascribe to the practice of logic above all else. Originally a savage race, the Vulcans stood to wipe out their planet in border squirmishes and wars not unlike that of Earth's twentieth century ( except even worse, as space travel and neutron bombs were a thing at this time ). This would later be called the pre-Reformation era in Vulcan history. From the terrible war and chaos, a Vulcan named Surak began to spread his philosophy of achieving peace and order through non-violence as well as the control of emotions. Only by controlling their emotions - particularly fear, anger, and love - and choosing to place logic above all else could Vulcans achieve order and progress as a species; otherwise they would surely drive one another to extinction. While not taking off right away, the teachings of Surak would come to be the main practices of Vulcan philosophy.

And emotion, then, became a taboo; an offensive reminder of those passions which had once stood to undo the entire species. It is important to note that most Vulcans do indeed have emotions, though the culture is stringent about controlling or otherwise suppressing them, often referring to them as 'vestigial'. Only through undergoing the sacred rite of kohlinar can a Vulcan achieve absolute separation from emotion - seeing as this is considered a highly honorable undertaking, it's not a practice that can be performed by the majority. Old traditions and family ties run deep, however, enough that they play an integral part in upbringing and later life.

As members of many other species can no doubt sympathize, Spock was placed under high expectations as a child in order to keep the honor of his family name. Growing up on Vulcan meant he was subject to some of the most rigorous mental disciplines and brutal scholastic curriculums. He was often bullied by other, usually older children due to his human bloodline; they would insult him and use small acts of physical aggression to try and elicit an emotional response, but failed until they tried to slander his parents - that time, he showed great violence, for which he was subsequently the scolded party. If nothing else, having a human side drove Spock even harder to succeed in the Vulcan way.

In the end, Spock achieved a perfect academic record to present to the board of the prestigious Vulcan Science Academy. At the same time, Spock entered an application to Starfleet Academy, knowing he still stood a chance of being rejected from the VSA.

Because, ironically enough, the second big aspect of Vulcan philosophy is IDIC ( "Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations" ). Surak held that the fear of the "Other" - other Vulcans, other species - was debilitating to learning and would only result in distrust on both sides, depriving his people of true peace. Nevertheless, ever since their First Contact with humans, Vulcans have undergone a struggle to keep allied with what seemed to them a highly volatile, barbaric young race driven by their emotions. While technically friends and co-founders of the galactic alliance Federation of Planets and peace-keeping armada Starfleet, planet-side Vulcan practices reveal a xenophobia toward "off-worlders", most especially humans.

It's one thing to be teased by children. However, when it is explicitly acknowledged by the board of admissions to the VSA that Spock's human mother is considered a "disadvantage", Spock declines the invitation of their admittance. It's proof that, no matter how hard he works, he will never be fully accepted. According to Uhura in the comics (#23), Spock runs to Earth because he felt the pull of his humanity then - he runs to Starfleet to see if that's where his acceptance lies.

He becomes one of Starfleet Academy's "most distinguished" graduates, programs the Kobayashi Maru - an unbeatable test which all aspiring starship Captains must take - for four years, becomes an instructor, and earns himself the rank of Commander all before the events of the first movie. I should note this is also when he enters into an admittedly ( quite a big deal for a Vulcan ) romantic/emotional relationship with Nyota Uhura, though only after she has graduated from his class as a student.

Because Spock adheres to his logic most tenaciously, and is a being that strives for order above all else. Rules and regulations are there for a reason, and good ones, in his mind. He adheres to them to the point where he doesn't hesitate to relinquish his command in the first movie when it's proven he's violated one ( by being emotionally compromised ), and he's willing to die in Into Darkness in order to preserve the philosophy imbued within the Prime Directive. Knowing the rules well also allows him to occasionally exploit loopholes ( the fact that he is Uhura's superior officer could afford her special treatment, and partially does when she commands him to assign her to the Enterprise rather than the Farragut, but until that becomes a proven issue it is not a technical violation of the code ) or make judgement calls on Starfleet's behalf when time is of the essence ( http://i.imgur.com/HfJEdD9.png ).

Upon first meeting Spock, people will find right away that he is a polite if very serious man. His vernacular is clinical, impersonal. He is highly pedagogical and will not hesitate to lecture or correct others, lending him an air of arrogance in most human eyes and a reputation for being a hard-ass among those who work with him. The truth of the matter is that he does push others, but he is equally, if not more hard on himself. He has lived under a stringent model of self-discipline all of his life and that carries over into his career as a Starfleet officer. A statement is incorrect, correct, or debatable; that requires no personal opinion, only facts. He's honest, often to a fault. However, unless you've destroyed his planet or killed one of his friends, Spock doesn't really have a mean bone in his body. Even his cruelest piece of work, the Kobayashi Maru, had its purpose that he saw as ultimately beneficial. The quicker the other person realizes that Spock is simply different, the quicker they're due to understand, if not get along with him.

Oh, he's capable of sassing a whole room full of people, tonally ( see: VSA board in the first movie ), or superior officers he has an accordance with explicitly ( Pike, Kirk ). He won't hesitate to parry and cut down verbal challenges when they're thrown at him ( McCoy ). Even if he's not liable to admit it, the Vulcan has a dry wit and sense of humor on occasion, around those he's made some accord with. Still, he's the reactionary in these instances, not an antagonist.

On the ship, as First Officer, Spock acts as a level head and, at his best, an impartial advisor. Until Kirk comes into his own as a responsible Captain in Into Darkness, Spock is considered, by Kirk's own admission, to be the better leader. But as shown in Galileo Seven (#3-4), his adherence to pacifism and logic can work against him when he is not dealing with a logical situation. Still, his decisions can still lead to morally preferable ends, as he convinces Kirk that Khan is deserving of a trial in Into Darkness, despite shared personal grievances against the terrorist ( the death of Admiral Pike hit Kirk hard, but I believe Spock must have also had some real personal respect for the man, to have mind-melded with him in his final moments ).

Spock also approaches science from a purely scientific standpoint, often to the exasperation of his shipmates. It's not exactly usual to call a mind-usurping parasite 'marvelous' - especially not while it's in the process of trying to chew up your own nervous system for its purposes. Spock's also a number-cruncher; he is willing to sacrifice himself to a volcano on the alien planet Nibiru in order to keep the primitive natives from knowing of Starfleet presence, and warns against his crew violating the Prime Directive. Similarly, in the Galileo Seven, he was willing to sacrifice himself before choosing any member of his living crew to leave behind when their ship was overweight.

Which will bring me finally to discussing Spock's more emotional side. For the most part, we only see these moments when he's ripped down to the core. His planet, along with his mother, is swallowed in a terrorist attack in the first movie. Nevertheless, with then-Captain Pike kidnapped, Spock is in command of the Enterprise and he means to do his job in the most logical way possible, until Kirk intercepts and pushes him over the edge. After being accused that he never loved his mother, Spock ferociously attacks Jim, beating him to the point where he's strangling Kirk in front of the entire bridge crew and his father. At that point, he resigns his command due to being emotionally compromised, and allows Nyota to comfort him, along with admitting to his father later that he's never been so angry.

Spock is haunted by the loss of Vulcan, which psychically cried out to him in its final moments with feelings of anger, fear, and loneliness. He is particularly haunted by the loss of his mother; in the comics it is revealed that he has a reoccurring dream of her cursing him and flinging him into space ( Countdown to Darkness #01 ). Throughout the comics leading to Into Darkness, Spock has several instances where he readily offers himself as a sacrifice in the stead of others, perhaps the most telling being the incident with the Galileo (#4) and Nibiru ( ID ).

In Galileo, the away team's shuttle crash-lands on an inhospitable planet, and is overweight even with the miraculous fix made by the chief engineer, Mr. Scott. Out of the seven, the ship can only carry five people. Spock is in command as Kirk is not present. Since one of the crew is dead, Spock is shouldered with the responsibility of leaving one of the remaining crew behind so that the shuttle can gain orbit and have a bare chance of calling out to the Enterprise. Spock uses his rank to choose himself, and prepares to leap out of the shuttle with the dead crew member's body; luckily, he is saved by Nyota, who hijacked a shuttle to find them.

On Nibiru, Spock agrees to help Kirk in a covert mission to stop a volcano from erupting and destroying the indigenous population. He voluntarily goes into the volcano to detonate a cold-fusion device, but is lost by the shuttle in the process. He tells the Enterprise not to save him because it would assuredly violate the non-interference Prime Directive and prepares to face his death. Later chastised for choosing not to feel anything in that moment by Uhura, Spock informs her that he only did so because he did, in fact, care. ( ID )

I would say that Spock's relationship with Nyota Uhura is the most emotional attachment he has, and the closest he comes to being human. He does willingly describe it as romantic and emotional (#18, #30), and Uhura herself says that he often keeps his Vulcan side distant from her (#22). In the latest comic (#30), the Enterprise crew is faced with an alternate reality of themselves - one in which the other crew is gender-swapped. The first and only thing Spock asks his female counterpart is whether or not she too has an 'emotional' relationship with her version of Uhura ( she does ). We are not treated to anything more than bare glimpses of their relationship, either small chats after implied sex or passionate embraces after a life-threatening mission. Uhura encourages Spock to acknowledge his emotions, especially when they seem suicidal ( those he definitely denies ), while still managing to play on his level of logic when she needs to.

There is certainly a budding friendship and a hard sense of loyalty to his Captain, Jim Kirk. The two clash rather hard on their first meeting, as Jim resorts to cheating in order to beat Spock's no-win Kobayashi Maru test. It's not so much a matter of pride as the fact that Jim cheats and fails to learn the integral lesson of the test ( fear and acceptance in the face of death ) that makes Spock bring him before the disciplinary board. Kirk helps to bring to justice Nero, the Romulan that destroyed Spock's planet, and saves their Captain Pike. Though it came through overthrowing Spock and some bold, unorthodox maneuvers, Spock doesn't hold a grudge and follows Jim's orders to the letter. They work, earning Jim some real respect. Later, an older, alternate version of Spock tells his younger self that a friendship with Kirk will define them both, should he allow himself to be open to it.

In Into Darkness, Spock repeats the trend of rule-following to a lesser extent by reporting the truth about Nibiru ( not knowing, in his defense, that Kirk would lie and report it as 'uneventful' ). While he doesn't share Kirk's feelings of friendship in the beginning of the movie, Spock tries to defend Jim in the face of Admiral Pike's admonishments ( and despite Jim's accusations of calling him an ungrateful bastard ), even going so far as to sass the superior officer. He is obviously relieved when Kirk's punishment isn't severe and struggles with Jim's sentiments toward him, as well as the possibility that they will no longer be working together. It's only when Jim dies in front of him, after saving the ship, that Spock can acknowledge feelings of friendship for him and the inability to hold his own emotions in check during his passing. He has another emotional break of anger, this time toward Kirk's by-proxy killer, Khan. Fueled with rage and loss, Spock goes into an all-out death match against Khan over San Fran, only saved by Uhura ( from both dying, then killing the augment ) claiming the despot's blood could revive Kirk.

In the Khitomer Conflict ( #25-28 ), Kirk, Sulu, and some other crew end up in Klingon territory investigating destroyed Klingon ships and obliterated new colony Khitomer. Before Spock can beam them back, the Klingon Kor arrives and jams the ability, forcing Spock to try and fail negotiations. Due to the volatile, near-war between Starfleet and the Klingons, Spock is given a direct order not to involve the Enterprise any further until other diplomatic solutions can be gained. Spock doubts that this will be resolved in this way and every moment spells more danger for the Captain and the away team. He assures Bones that his non-action does not reflect his lack of caring for the lost crew, but his adherence to orders. Once presented the mere possibility that Starfleet command may be compromised ( due to the proven survival of extremist Starfleet Section 31 ), Spock doesn't hesitate to jump through that loophole and orders the Enterprise to go rescue Kirk and crew. He even willfully retains radio silence when a priority one call from Starfleet command comes in. However, once retrieved, Kirk orders the Enterprise to remain for unfinished business; this shows Spock's furthered faith in Kirk, because while this undoubtedly puts the ship in real danger, he only expresses some puzzlement regarding Jim's call.

To sum things up, Spock is a being of logic and order. Morally, he is good and a pacifist, but he often plays the neutral in order to stay the wholly objective party in Kirk-Spock-McCoy team. He is truly dedicated to the spirit of peaceful exploration as advertised in the Starfleet mission statement, but he is beginning to place the needs of his ship and crew in higher order, meaning in the face of the threat to them he is not likely to hesitate to do what he deems necessary; hopefully with as little force as possible. Curious and scientific, he takes great satisfaction in gathering data on what they come across. While he is generally stoic and keeps his personal relationships few, Spock is by no means a bad, or even misanthropic, person. He's a child of two worlds, trying to find his place and his purpose in the galaxy, among a crew of young geniuses who need exactly the same.

In Ariel, Spock will quickly be willing to accept that he has found himself in an alternate reality after the quantum knot his crew recently found themselves in (#29-30), especially once he's had some time to ask around and be apprised of what Jim has found. As a man who holds tightly onto his control, he'll be disgusted by the fact someone has implanted a hormone-controlling chip in his brain, especially considering hormones to him are so much associated with Pon Farr and he'll be afraid of a too-soon reoccurrence of it. Spock is the type to be actively searching for a way out of Ariel for his crew while treating the sexual agenda as a chore, a necessary evil he needs to get out of the way in order to continue his work and keep his mind. He'll be concerned about what he considers a betrayal of Nyota, but come to the conclusion that sex and an emotional relationship are two different things. We'll see how well that can tide him over for a month.


□ Age: 31
□ Gender: Male
□ Appearance:
While genetically half-human, Spock's anatomy and physiology seems to be completely Vulcan. At 6'2, he's on the shorter side of average for a Vulcan male, but tall in human considerations. His even proportions and elongated torso ( a by-product of having a heart where a human would usually have a liver ) lend to an over-all 'lean' appearance. Stripped down to more figure-flattering clothing, however, would quickly betray a set of toned arms and legs. Despite being a pacifist, he is very much in shape to suit the standards of Federation physicals and the often physically demanding nature of his exploratory work.

He has a paler complexion and keeps his face clean-shaven and his hair meticulously shaped into a Vulcan's traditional 'bowl-cut' just above the dark, upswept curve of his brows. His eyes are brown. Of course, I can go no further without mentioning the most obvious difference between him and a human: his ears, which are elongated at the pinna into a curving point, giving him an elf-like ( or, if you're like a certain cantankerous ship surgeon, hobgoblin-esque ) look.

Vulcan blood is copper-based instead of iron and possesses a low salt content, resulting in a deep green color if veinous and an assumedly brighter shade if arterial. Basically, he blushes green if you can get him there. Vulcan hearts beat at a resting 242 bpm and do not sweat; instead, Spock's breath becomes a furnace if he's overheated, but otherwise he retains a core temperature of about 91F, making him a bit cooler to the touch than the average human.

When he isn't wearing his uniform, Spock is a big fan of utility and warmth. Since he'll be enjoying a desert climate, he'll almost certainly be going back to his Vulcan roots and indulging in high collared, long-sleeved layers.

~* Genital Info *~
Since this is a sex game and it'll be coming up frequently, I should note that anyone who is interested in doing the frick-frack with Spock is going to get their xeno from the waist down as well.

According to Vulcan anatomy texts, males have a retractable penis and a scrotum which is not pendulous, likely in accordance with their evolution in a desert climate more than their logical practices, which is a relatively more recent development. I'm going to say that unaroused, the cock is partially within his pelvic cavity and protected behind a slight sheath not unlike most animals. Naked, he'll pretty much look like a Ken doll.

At the top of the sheath is a horizontal slit that can be found and penetrated even when he isn't aroused. Even when he is on the way to becoming fully aroused, this will present as a bulge in his sheath until fully erect or physically forced ( by himself or another party ) to bypass the slit. Due to the fact that internal things generally mean some inherent goo, along with the fact that Vulcan males have been going into some crazy feral heats ( Pon Farr ) every seven years since anyone can remember, I'm going to say his cock has some decent self-lubrication qualities.

Again, Vulcan blood is green, so one can take a pretty educated guess at what color they can expect in an organ engorged in it. They are sexually compatible with humans, although offspring of this hybrid needs medical intervention to be viable.


□ Abilities/Powers:
Vulcans are hardier than humans, having adapted to a desert climate with a higher gravitational pull. They are said to be about two times stronger than the average man, and are probably that much more sturdy. They can withstand high heat ( Spock in particular fucked off and lived bare-foot and bare-chested in a lava field during his Pon Farr in After Darkness #22-23 ) and radiation, at least for a short burst of time. They possess a second, inner eyelid that prevents them from being blinded by bright light ( this one in particular comes into play in #6, Operation Annihilate pt. 2 ). It stands to say, though, if you cut him, he bleeds, and if you hit him hard enough, the bones are going to break. He is susceptible to getting ill or being killed just like a human would; one just might have a bit of a harder time at it.

An ability Spock, and every Vulcan, seems trained to possess is the Vulcan Nerve Pinch. Despite its name, the move is not limited to Vulcans - it is only they who invented and are most infamous for it. It is a martial arts move that involves pinching a certain nerve between the neck and shoulder, which usually results in the victim usually passing out then and there. However, there are exceptions - Khan Noonien Singh, an augmented human, only felt acute pain when Spock tried it on him during their fight over San Fran.

Other than that, Spock is a good shot with a phaser as shown throughout the series, and can hold his own in hand-to-hand combat. His particular style of fighting is a defensive martial arts technique called the Suus Mahna. He's more likely to be the one to throw himself at the bigger, badder enemies as he can take and deal a bit more abuse than his human counterparts.

He is a capable commander so long as logic can be the answer, and bases his decisions both on Starfleet protocol and his extensive scientific and historical knowledge. Spock's main interests in science lie along physics, mathematics, and computer programming, but as a science officer he is expected to have a wide array of xenobiologic knowledge and be able to competently organize his department. In Starfleet Academy, he was an instructor in phonology and programmed the unbeatable ( until Kirk ) Kobayashi Maru test for four years running.

The Vulcan species as a whole have a different neurology, and Vulcan children are taught from developmental ages how to consolidate and compartmentalize, giving them an eidetic memory. Training and focus will allow a Vulcan some hormonal and physical control against invasions, which Spock does show he partially has in #6, when he can fight ( though not completely stop ) the pain and control of a parasite that is literally binding to his neurons, at least long enough for Doctor McCoy to cut most of it out of him.

Vulcans are touch-telepathic and, to some extent, more than that. For instance, Spock reveals that he was able to literally feel the people on his planet dying in Into Darkness, though this may be because this was millions of joined telepaths crying out. So I'd say he may be sensitive to strong signals from other telepaths, but otherwise he will need to be touching someone to hear their thoughts and send his. Generally, such acts are considered invasions, and Spock is trained to block against accidental as well as unwarranted transferences.

The infamous Vulcan Mind-Meld occurs when a Vulcan touches 'psi-points' with their fingertips, usually on their partner's face. One can think of psi-points like chi or accupressure points - pressing them essentially helps open up the other subject's mind to the encroaching influence of the Vulcan's. The end result is the joining of two minds, thoughts and memories combining as one between two otherwise separate beings. Due to the high intimacy of this process, it is not often undergone outside of necessity and is almost never done without permission, as it is equivalent to rape of the mind otherwise. Still, Spock has been shown in the ongoing movies/series to perform a one-way meld with unconscious subjects ( Romulans, Vulcans, Gorn ) in order to attain information which could otherwise not be achieved. He has also used it in Into Darkness on Khan to simply inflict a high amount of pain on the man when he was at what may as of yet be his most unbridled.

The Meld can be used on just about any subject with a brain, it seems, including Horta ( silicone-based life forms ) and whales in the original series. I would say that since Spock is young as of yet compared to when we meet his Prime counterpart, things are not always clean if he wants it to be a one-way transference on a conscious subject, especially one of their own mental disciplines. It is not uncommon, and is even expected, for those minds unaccustomed to telepathic links to rebel against the incursion the first time.


□ Personal Items:
- Scientific tricorder
- Type 2 phaser
- One Vulcan lute
- One communicator
- One Personal Assistant Data Device (PADD)
- 3D chess board

None of the electronics will work on his arrival

□ First Person Sample (Old > New ):
Letter to McCoy ( working toward a tentative relationship ) - http://ozhika.dreamwidth.org/1828.html

Pon Farr - http://bakerstreet.dreamwidth.org/966976.html?thread=612214336#cmt612214336

Nyota Fluff - http://chickencoop.dreamwidth.org/1693.html?thread=43933#cmt43933

February Test Drive Option #3 and subsequent replies - http://theloonybin.dreamwidth.org/17986.html?thread=10049090#cmt10049090

□ Third Person Sample:

Rescue Mission with McCoy - http://unqualified-dr.dreamwidth.org/35048.html?thread=683752

Feb Test Drive with Jim - http://theloonybin.dreamwidth.org/17986.html?thread=10057282#cmt10057282