DNSB Part IV or No Instant Coffee
Part IV is written. secret_chord25 and I are working on editing the chapters now (or rather Molly is working her ass off and I’m drinking Chianti and thinking of ten different ways to embarrass myself further) and I’ll be posting them as they become available. Before we begin, though, I’d like to offer a few words of explanation regarding this arc for those who are sticking with the story. Yes, for the whole two and a half of you. ;)
First off, I am sorry it has taken me so long. With all my other stories, I skipped the hard part, and writing this wasn’t easy. But it had to be done, because with this kind of tale, I couldn’t simply say: ‘One year later.’ It was hard for me, because I came into Reboot from TOS, and I was used to Kirk and Spock getting along like a house on fire. This new reality has shaken up the whole terrain, and apparently I needed time to adjust.
I know most of you are thinking: ‘What the hell, woman? Cut the melodramatic act, who cares about this stuff anyway, just get on with the good part.’ The thing is, I’m all there with you, except I’m not the right girl for this. There are tons of people who write pr0n better than me, and it’s okay, it’s not really my thing. And if my thing is long-winded love stories with a plot, then it’s understandable, is it not, that I need to believe in any particular romance before I write it? I need to make myself believe in it, I need to convince myself if I’m to have any hopes of convincing you, I need to be there to make it happen.
I need to see it all, to see it unfold, from the wary animosity to outrageous flirting disguised as such; from tentative accord to mutual fascination; from being mad at the other without knowing why to the dawn of realization and ensuing angst and everything that comes with it. I need to be there and I need to write it all before we get to ‘the good part’ and I’m not apologizing for my writing style or preferences, but I do apologize for taking so long to get it done. I know how frustrating it is to wait. I’m sorry I couldn’t work it out faster.
There’s something wrong with my brain and there’s this problem: I don’t believe in easy solutions. I mean, sure, they work great in PWPs. DNSB though is my attempt at exploring Reboot canon, probably the first but not the last, but still. There are certain means used widely by authors (myself included) that I couldn’t use here. They are things in which I, as a ST fanfic writer, don’t believe.
Things I Don’t Believe In include:
1. Love/sex at first sight
Or, more accurately, a relationship between Kirk and Spock that would go along the scheme of: they met--> they saved Earth--> they had sex--> they bonded - within days/weeks. Don’t get me wrong, I love pr0n as much as the next guy and I love AUs. But as this is my shot at canon-verse, this isn’t something you should expect.
2. Magical mind-melds
The thing is, Kirk and Spock didn’t like each other on sight; and when I say ‘didn’t like’ you all know what I actually mean. Latent attraction aside, I don’t believe in any scenario in which they would meld and instantly discover they are in love. A meld isn’t a magic wand, and it isn’t deus ex machina. Kirk and Spock are people, and emotions are a delicate matter. They need time to develop; they need a basis to grow on. Looking into another’s mind could help, but instantly fix everything? Change one’s heart in the blink of an eye? I don’t think so.
3. On-the-spot turnabout
Or, ‘We now will become BFFs because Spock Prime told us to.’ Yeah, sorry, not happening in this story. I don’t know about you, but when someone tells me what to do, I tend to get pissed. Especially, if it concerns personal relationships. I realize that the movie shows us two instances in which Kirk did exactly what he was told to do, first by Pike, and then by Spock Prime, but I guess that’ll be enough. I’d like to believe that when it comes to the two of them and their relationship whatever it might be, the guys will figure it out on their own.
I also don’t believe that their attitude toward each other would change instantly just because they are now playing for the same team. Anyone for whom this kind of thing worked in RL, please raise a hand and be prepared to explain at length, otherwise I’ll stick to my own experience. I fell in love with a person who had taken my team away from me, too, once. I kind of literally have been there. I respect everybody’s opinions; I’m just saying I’m not exactly flying blind here, either. ;)
4. Instant healing
Or, ‘My planet imploded; my mother died; how terrible; what’s next?’ I believe this one’s self-explanatory.
To save you all more inane ramblings, let’s just say that I don’t drink instant coffee if I can help it and I don’t believe in instant solutions, either. If I did, Part IV wouldn’t have been written, and instead we’d be all swept off our feet by the merry romantic carousel of Part V. I have to be as honest as I know how to be in this story. And I do know that honest often means boring in my case because I can’t do it properly. I guess I’ll just have to suck it up and do what feels right. ;)
If you’ve read this far, thank you. And I hope you will enjoy the new arc.