We Love the Women That Fandom Hates: Gaila, day 2
I know that I was going to explore my personal fanon for Gaila today, but I've been working all day and I didn't have time to write up the meta. So here's something that I was going to share later in the week. It's an unfinished WIP that's been on my computer for AGES-- I wanted to explore alien physiology a bit more, and I was in a phase of exploring McCoy as well, so this is the beginning of that.
It was going to go on to deal with Gaila's sense of personal freedom and choice, and what she considers an acceptable tradeoff for some things. Also, she was going to have non-humanoid genitals. I never decided among tentacley bits, a receptive orifice different from a vagina in some small but crucial ways, or a penetrating organ. Or combinations thereof.
He’d known she was enrolled at the Academy-all of the medical personnel had received a list of all non-human residents of the San Francisco campus at the beginning of the semester, so they could do all necessary research before they needed to remember not to attempt intravenous injection on an Andorian, or anything similarly futile. So, he’d known she existed, but not as more than a listing on a PADD: Cadet Gaila: Orion female.
Even so, walking into a curtained off section of the clinic and seeing a bright green face looking up at him from the biobed was enough to make him start slightly. Even with a painful-looking burn on her hand, she was stunning.
He recovered quickly, shoving any and all inappropriate thoughts to the back of his mind. “Hello there, Cadet Gaila, I’m Doctor McCoy. Says here you were doing some maintenance in the computer lab when you got an electrical burn?”
She gave him a wry smile. “I almost had the power efficiency increased by seven percent, too, but the stupid thing zapped me.”
McCoy moved closer to the side of the bed and gently took her hand, examining the burn. As his fingers touched her skin, he could feel the points of contact begin to tingle, little tendrils of sensation creeping up his arms.
Gaila coughed softly, bringing him back to the moment. “I’m supposed to get my pheromone suppressor tomorrow, but it starts wearing off a little by this point of the month. You might want to put on gloves or something,” she explained.
McCoy could feel the color rising in his cheeks, though he wasn’t quite sure if it was due to embarrassment or something… less professional. “I’m just going to run a dermal regenerator over it; no more contact,” he gruffly stated, releasing her hand and turning to adjust the settings of the instrument on the cart next to the bed. “You can hold that in place yourself, let me go see if they’ll let me administer the suppressor now instead of making you come back here tomorrow,” he said, holding out the regenerator.
“No.”
He raised an eyebrow. “No, what?”
“No, don’t give me the suppressor today. I’m not supposed to get it until tomorrow, so I want to wait until tomorrow,” she stated, punctuating her words by switching on the regenerator and holding it over her burned hand.
Something about her refusal to meet his gaze struck McCoy, and stopped him from simply dropping the subject. “Why would you want to come all the way back down to Medical tomorrow, instead of killing two birds with one stone now?”
When she looked up, her eyes were narrowed and her perky grin replaced by a stubbornly set jaw. “I don’t have to justify any noncritical medical decisions to anyone. I’m scheduled to get it tomorrow, and I’m going to wait. This isn’t complicated.”
“I’m not asking you to justify anything. I just want to know why you’d rather inconvenience yourself like this. Consider it a supplement to my Xenopsych studies,” he replied, holding up his empty hands to reassure her that he wasn’t going to stab her with any sudden hyposprays.
With less anger, but a healthy dose of suspicion, Gaila eyed him for a few moments before speaking. Her voice was softer and more controlled; her words carefully chosen. “The compound I receive once a month inhibits my body’s production of pheromones. As a secondary effect, it dulls my ability to recognize other people’s pheromones-and there’s a lot more to it than just sexual attraction. Pheromones to an Orion are an unmaskable ID, and part of how we interact with everything around us. And now I’m here on campus and I’m-well, I’m not forced to take the suppressors, but can you imagine what would happen if I didn’t?” she asked.
He nodded wordlessly-he knew that without the suppressors, she would be unable to complete even the most basic of Starfleet requirements due to her effect on fellow cadets, and later crewmembers.
She continued. “It’s almost like they’ve taken away my color vision or something. I’m not interacting with my environment like I’m supposed to-the picture isn’t complete, and that’s only what my conscious mind is aware of. But in the last few days before I get the suppressor, I can feel some of that coming back. Sure, people who get too close or spend too much time with me can tell, but it’s worth it to experience the world like I’m meant to,” she explained. “Right now I can only tell a little about you from what you’re giving off-you’re not scared of me, which is rare. But if you waited three days, I’d be able to pick you out of a crowd blindfolded,” Gaila finished.
I associate Gaila strongly with choice and individual liberties, which is tied into how I think about her backstory, which I hope to get to tomorrow!
Also, tresa_cho made a fun banner for Gaila!
It was going to go on to deal with Gaila's sense of personal freedom and choice, and what she considers an acceptable tradeoff for some things. Also, she was going to have non-humanoid genitals. I never decided among tentacley bits, a receptive orifice different from a vagina in some small but crucial ways, or a penetrating organ. Or combinations thereof.
He’d known she was enrolled at the Academy-all of the medical personnel had received a list of all non-human residents of the San Francisco campus at the beginning of the semester, so they could do all necessary research before they needed to remember not to attempt intravenous injection on an Andorian, or anything similarly futile. So, he’d known she existed, but not as more than a listing on a PADD: Cadet Gaila: Orion female.
Even so, walking into a curtained off section of the clinic and seeing a bright green face looking up at him from the biobed was enough to make him start slightly. Even with a painful-looking burn on her hand, she was stunning.
He recovered quickly, shoving any and all inappropriate thoughts to the back of his mind. “Hello there, Cadet Gaila, I’m Doctor McCoy. Says here you were doing some maintenance in the computer lab when you got an electrical burn?”
She gave him a wry smile. “I almost had the power efficiency increased by seven percent, too, but the stupid thing zapped me.”
McCoy moved closer to the side of the bed and gently took her hand, examining the burn. As his fingers touched her skin, he could feel the points of contact begin to tingle, little tendrils of sensation creeping up his arms.
Gaila coughed softly, bringing him back to the moment. “I’m supposed to get my pheromone suppressor tomorrow, but it starts wearing off a little by this point of the month. You might want to put on gloves or something,” she explained.
McCoy could feel the color rising in his cheeks, though he wasn’t quite sure if it was due to embarrassment or something… less professional. “I’m just going to run a dermal regenerator over it; no more contact,” he gruffly stated, releasing her hand and turning to adjust the settings of the instrument on the cart next to the bed. “You can hold that in place yourself, let me go see if they’ll let me administer the suppressor now instead of making you come back here tomorrow,” he said, holding out the regenerator.
“No.”
He raised an eyebrow. “No, what?”
“No, don’t give me the suppressor today. I’m not supposed to get it until tomorrow, so I want to wait until tomorrow,” she stated, punctuating her words by switching on the regenerator and holding it over her burned hand.
Something about her refusal to meet his gaze struck McCoy, and stopped him from simply dropping the subject. “Why would you want to come all the way back down to Medical tomorrow, instead of killing two birds with one stone now?”
When she looked up, her eyes were narrowed and her perky grin replaced by a stubbornly set jaw. “I don’t have to justify any noncritical medical decisions to anyone. I’m scheduled to get it tomorrow, and I’m going to wait. This isn’t complicated.”
“I’m not asking you to justify anything. I just want to know why you’d rather inconvenience yourself like this. Consider it a supplement to my Xenopsych studies,” he replied, holding up his empty hands to reassure her that he wasn’t going to stab her with any sudden hyposprays.
With less anger, but a healthy dose of suspicion, Gaila eyed him for a few moments before speaking. Her voice was softer and more controlled; her words carefully chosen. “The compound I receive once a month inhibits my body’s production of pheromones. As a secondary effect, it dulls my ability to recognize other people’s pheromones-and there’s a lot more to it than just sexual attraction. Pheromones to an Orion are an unmaskable ID, and part of how we interact with everything around us. And now I’m here on campus and I’m-well, I’m not forced to take the suppressors, but can you imagine what would happen if I didn’t?” she asked.
He nodded wordlessly-he knew that without the suppressors, she would be unable to complete even the most basic of Starfleet requirements due to her effect on fellow cadets, and later crewmembers.
She continued. “It’s almost like they’ve taken away my color vision or something. I’m not interacting with my environment like I’m supposed to-the picture isn’t complete, and that’s only what my conscious mind is aware of. But in the last few days before I get the suppressor, I can feel some of that coming back. Sure, people who get too close or spend too much time with me can tell, but it’s worth it to experience the world like I’m meant to,” she explained. “Right now I can only tell a little about you from what you’re giving off-you’re not scared of me, which is rare. But if you waited three days, I’d be able to pick you out of a crowd blindfolded,” Gaila finished.
I associate Gaila strongly with choice and individual liberties, which is tied into how I think about her backstory, which I hope to get to tomorrow!
Also, tresa_cho made a fun banner for Gaila!