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Kirsty L. Carpenter

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Everything posted by Kirsty L. Carpenter

  1. This was posted here recently on the tail end of our Shore Leave and it just totally bowled me over. One of the best things we get to do here is track a characters' personal progression and development throughout our "careers" and this is a wonderful example of it from our Captain @Randal Shayne Please enjoy. -- ((Deck 1, Bridge, USS Arrow)) No… … …no, that wasn’t where he was. The deck oughtn’t be sandy. There shouldn’t be a breeze on a starship- if there was it was tantamount to death, but here it was calm. There needn’t be a comforting, moon-like glow, filtering through leaves of palms and all manner of alien and yet familiar plant life. There was only one explanation. He wasn’t on the ship. He was on Casperia Prime. And thus, he should act like it. ((Beach, Casperia Prime)) So as he stepped off the podium, intent on returning to the business of running a ship, and spotted the approach of someone he would trust with everything he was, he resolved that the ship- in all its meaning and import- could wait one more hour. One more day. MacKenna: Hi. He didn’t want to look right at her. Part of him feared he’d see the shimmering edges of a hologram, or the fading details of a dream. Months- years, at this point- they’d been together, and Shayne, grumpy, uncertain and maladjusted tyrant that he was, still couldn’t quite believe it. Shayne: Hi. The waves were lapping, and he was meeting the dying day with the only company that would help him see the new opportunities in its passing. MacKenna: Walk with me? He knew it was more than a simple invitation. The path before them was flowing and soft, punctuated by shale and shells, and the foamy beachfroth that so often cleansed seas of detritus. But their legs would carry them where the wind refused, and their hands… well, their hands would have other things to be occupied with. Shayne: Of course. She held her hand in his, and he felt her wrap his fingers up in hers. Years of lone operating left him wondering- why? Why was this not a burden? Something to run from? Something to fear? Why was this different? Why was she different? And the answer was very plain- he wanted to run to her, not away. He looked at her, not at the scenery. Her. MacKenna: Response Shayne: You know… I may have figured it out. It seemed vulgar to talk about professionalism, jobs, roles, here on this beach, on this beatific oasis. But like so much on their lips and minds, it was more than it seemed. MacKenna: Response Shayne: We… I… have great power, to do what needs to be done in the Isles. I have great responsibility, to intercede and act and uphold and prevent. And for the longest time, I was looking for the third ingredient. The last piece of the puzzle. The thing that would make the equation reasonable. And there isn’t one. One side of the triangle had been missing, inscrutable. Without it, he’d been making decisions and determinations without a guiding star. The training he’d had, the experience he’d taken unto himself… all of it felt utterly worthless in the face of such newness, such devastation and blistering wonder. But there was no third side. Not beyond him. There was no perfect integer that would give the answers he needed, or the correct solution to every problem. And it made so much sense, at that moment. Dougherty. Maxwell. Pressman. Jameson. Leyton. Commanding figures in Starfleet’s history that, like Shayne, had sought that third side, and finding nothing to fill the void, elected to create it in their own image. Shayne had always wondered what set those men- decent, hard-working, successful people- apart from those that still had Starfleet careers. Now he knew. The revelation that he’d been laboring under for all of shore leave, that had been percolating since their last engagements, and had been unraveling slowly and carefully under his internal scrutiny, now came into full focus. Shayne: I am the third side. He wasn’t sure if he could explain it better, even to MacKenna. Perhaps she understood already. She knew to lead. She knew to guide others, bring them to their best. And she, unlike him, knew how to make families work. It didn’t come naturally to his chaffed, calloused self, yet she would hold and help him all the same. MacKenna: Response Here he was, rambling about himself. And yet… he wasn’t regretful. He wasn’t afraid he’d given too much away. And he knew that she’d share if something painful or frustrating was on her mind. He knew she would. Shayne: We… really need to do this more often. I will make it a priority. He turned to face her, stopping for a moment against the waves. Shayne: As you are. As you will be. MacKenna: Response Tag/END? Captain Randal Shayne Commanding Officer USS Arrow NCC 69829 G239202RS0 Original Post: Capt. Shayne: A Place and A Time.
  2. I may or may not have ordered Book II and III 😊😊😊
  3. I am just about done with Book I (I have like less than 20 pages left I think?) and MAN oh, man is this thing brutal! It's really building to a pretty substantial place.
  4. Anybody else reading this? I got sent the first one through work and I’m about halfway through it now. S’pretty fun! It’s positioned as a big wrap up for the current Trek Expanded Universe but I’ve felt really that’s it’s fairly more accessible than I was expecting as a single novel experience. I’ve been slightly disconnected from the current EU aside from a few novels here and there but I’ve been pretty pleased with it so far. I was just curious if anyone here were planning on trying them out.
  5. This is the end of a short plotline for our Captain @Randal Shayne and wonderful Chief of Security @Artinus Serinus and their dynamic just continues to shine for me. It's one of the true unexpected joys amid our ship's crew and I just had to show it off to y'all. A bit of context though, we recently were party to a feral off-shoot of ancient Gorn on a lost space-hulk and we suffered a few losses. It is hitting our Chief particularly hard (and the way it's been written and carried out between the two has just been wonderful to read). Enjoy! ((Deck 1, Captain’s Ready Room, USS Arrow)) Serinus: Yes, sir. ::break:: If I may be so bold, as to speak freely, sir? The captain offered the security chief a quizzical look. They were behind closed doors, alone but for the two of them, and in the past, the commander had never seen fit to censor himself. Nevertheless, it appeared that Serinus was attempting to process this tragedy of life through the lens of duty and obligation and training specifically. Shayne would not attempt to deflect him from that course. Not yet, anyway. Shayne: Granted. Serinus: I am ::break:: a perfectionist. And while failure is a universal experience, I spend way too much of my life, my very being, preparing for success. Shayne could appreciate that, and he had seen the (usually positive) effects of Serinus’ perfectionism firsthand. Though the Saber class didn’t present the same security risks as a larger vessel, it was still no easy task to keep everything safe, orderly and running smoothly from a protection standpoint, and Serinus had done a brilliant job of it. Shayne: And now that there has been some component of failure, you’re reevaluating yourself, your job, your goals. All I can suggest is that you keep in mind that preparation comes in many forms, and to constantly be prepared, you must grow. Adapt. And fail. His words, at first glance, contradicted his earlier sentiments. But it was himself he was referring to, as evidence of his point and purpose. Serinus: I hadn't thought it that way, Captain. Thank you. I'll The commander trailed off, and Shayne understood. Shayne: Of course, commander. I’ll be available should you wish to talk about this further. Anything else? Serinus: Yes sir, one thing. I have consulted with the Marine squad leader and I will be turning in a cross-training plan for our units to you with, within the next few days. Shayne smiled smally, pleased to see that the commander was taking his advice and sentiments to heart. Growing closer as a team was more than apt, especially in this moment of distress and regret for fallen men. Shayne: Thank you, Commander- I look forward to reviewing it. Serinus: Aye, sir. The chief turned on his heel, and exited the ready room. Shayne sat back, mulling over the conversation. He didn’t feel good- not by any means. Two deaths was a cataclysmic loss in any circumstance. But they could not be brought back to life, and he had a crew to work for. If there was one thing that stood out to him about the conversation… Shayne: Me giving advice to him for once? Will wonders never cease. He looked at the door with ironic affection, before turning his attention to the business of the day. END… Captain Randal Shayne Commanding Officer USS Arrow NCC 69829 G239202RS0 Captain Randal Shayne - Bloody Revelations (Link to Original Post)
  6. “The momentous thing in human life is the art of winning the soul to good or evil.” Quentin Collins III IS Sir Francis Bacon!
  7. Even better, I WANTED to post it too. thankfully FERENTIS came back and gave me the “I was napping. And yourself?” Truly love that even amid a Red Alert, Ferentis has to get 40 winks in. Original Post: PNPC Ensign Ferentis - “Dino-Snore” by @Randal Shayne
  8. This WHOLE SEQUENCE was such a treat. I’m still just so into everything that’s going on here.
  9. Oh man I agonized over a specialized vessel or a Bird-Of-Prey but MAN ALL of these options sound super fun. the DS9 lover in me would love to see a full station get added to the roster though
  10. so I ALWAYS look forward to any interactions with @Randal Shayne and @Alvarez and this latest one on our Shore Leave had me rolling. For a little context, Maria had just discovered an ancient bootleg still in one of the many compartments of the Arrow (which is filled with knick-knacks from the previous "lost" crew) and she brought it to Shayne for inspection. What follows is the scene afterward: ((USS Arrow, Deck 1 - Captain's Ready Room)) Ding. Shayne didn’t react for a moment; it was not uncommon for him to be lost in space, but it was patently unusual for him to reflect on events so recent. The conversation with Rodan had… shaken loose something inside him, and though he wasn’t certain how to manifest the change, he knew one was needed. Not a permanent one, mind you- a momentary dabble, a dip into possibilities. Now, though, he was needed. He shut off the feed to the bridge- no need for people to think he was quite so paranoid- and turned his attention to the door. Shayne: Come on in. He regretted the informality of address as the one person he could not imagine would still be on the ship strolled in. Alvarez, the sort of person Risa was simply built for, had to know that they’d not be staying in orbit forever. What was she doing here, now? Alvarez: Evenin', cap. But if her presence alone was a mystery, the thing she carried under her arm was easily twice as curious. It looked like it had been pulled straight out of the S.S. Anachronism; bits and pieces that belayed an age less than two decades hung from it limply, like it was a reluctant child in Momma’s hands. Shayne’s face immediately turned stoney. Shayne: So help me, if that is part of the computer core... Alvarez: :: She grinned. :: Well, that's one way to greet your favorite bridge-duty ops officer. The commander’s face, already foul, turned properly villainous. There was time aplenty for Alvarez’s ridiculous games. This was his shore leave too! Couldn’t she just… behave? For five minutes? Alvarez: Found this on deck five. In that closet we could never open. Shayne squinted, and leaned in. Now that he was looking at it without fearing it would explode as some moxie-toxic prank of the ensign, he was fit to realize that it was definitely a jury-rig of some sort- a mess of EPS taps, an ionic coupler here, a distributor module there… and all of it looked to be from a time before Shayne was scurrying underfoot in an engineering department. Shayne: Well… what the hell is it? There was nothing quite so frightening to an otherwise calm Shayne as a smile from Maria Alvarez. Alvarez: I thought you'd have recognized a proper piece of tech back from your good old days! Shayne: They were either old or good. Now he stood, attempting to inspect it for something he recognized personally. When it arrived, he understood where he’d seen it before instantly; on his cadet tour, aboard a Miranda class that was easily 85 years his senior. Shayne: Ensign, I’m not a fossil. Yet. Alvarez: :: She raised a hand in surrender, with a toothy smile. :: My mistake! :: She repressed a chuckle, paused, then explained. :: Anyway, it's a stil. Circa 2322 - older than any Saber by twenty years. Figured you should know I found it, since I'm supposed to be on good behavior and all that... The PADD slid toward him was filled with more information than was available to the naked eye. He looked at it ruefully, but if he was being honest, the designation of “stil” was all he needed to make a decision. Shayne: Good thinking. Go ahead and scrap it before the crew gets any ideas. The stress on the word “crew” made it clear that he was attempting to mention Maria without mentioning Maria; while a couple of others aboard might try to actually make use of the stuff, one of them was working against an alcohol addiction, and the others were not so blessed with free time or means to enjoy whatever ill-conceived [...]tail this [...]ameme contraption could craft. Alvarez: You sure you don't want to keep it? Would be nice to honor the previous crew, and it could go a ways to lift the crew's spirits. Pun aside- and it was a good pun- Alvarez had, perhaps unintentionally, hit the nail on the head. When Arrow was first discovered, there was very little data connecting what had happened to her original crew to the ship’s dilapidated, damaged state. The Saber class vessel had never quite recovered from the wounds she’d sustained during whatever painful, abandon-worthy events had led to her situation. Even Starfleet Command had remained tight-lipped, though Shayne had it on good authority that it was because they were as in the dark as he himself was. Either way, any piece of evidence would be helpful. Shayne: Alright. Take some scans of it. If it makes you feel better, download the schematics. But I want this to not get to the rest of the crew. Alvarez: Oh, come on! We can't chuck it without at least sampling what it can do first, can we? There's a good liter of stuff left over from last time it was used. Scans clean. Apparently, Alvarez was possessed of more pockets than Shayne, because, as smooth as could be, she pulled out a clear bottle of something from behind her. Shayne: Oh, now wait a minute- if you intend to put whatever dregs are left into that… Alvarez: Please? It's not some ancient alien gateway or god-molecule needing destructing. Surely it would be nice to rescue some old tech? At least toast it before sending it off to a museum. We're off duty. I'll go first, if you're scared. The commander had worked very, very hard to suppress his darker side. Few knew of it beyond the occasional irascible condemnation or biting comment. But the effort was real, and present. Among these efforts was a generalized abstention from alcohol- it made everything more difficult, and it simply wasn’t worth it. Another facet was his emotions; despite having achieved much from an objective perspective, there was a… wrath within the man that could only be derived from feeling as though he had not proved himself, now or ever before. He tamed it, did not let it rule his decisions, but it required constant attention. Now, with shore leave, an oncoming inquiry, and a smirking ensign that was challenging his courage, the commander had simply had enough. Shayne: Fill the bottle. The man watched as Alvarez maneuvered the remaining fluid from the still into the bottle. It looked slightly meaner than conventional alcohol, though that was not something that was given much attention in the commander’s mind. He was singly focused on one thing alone. About three quarters of the liquid was left in the still as the pour neared the top. Alvarez: Response Before the bottle could be properly topped off, Shayne snatched with the reflexes that years of desk duty had started to dull, and without hesitation, sat back to chug. Even the smell was enough to peel the flesh of his chubby face from bone. The first taste, though, was torture. He was a sensitive man, and in his fury, he had forgotten this fact. Fire would be preferable, he decided, as the first swallow lashed at his throat. Again he swallowed, his mouth ablaze. Tears had already started to form at his eyes, and mucus began to flow freely from his nose, and still he drank. Somewhere between his mouth and his esophagus, the liquid became white-hot daggers, driving into the flesh of his gullet, each inch a new, self-induced agony. Veins began to splay outward as the lack of oxygen joined the conspiracy, but finally, with eyes reddened with sclera, the bottle was empty. Refusing the urge to throw the container away, he instead demanded control of his body once more, and slowly placed the bottle back onto the table. He gazed at Alvarez, not minding the suddenly frazzled appearance he’d given himself. Shayne: Oh my. Alvarez: Response Tag/TBC…
  11. OMG I was coming here tonight EXPLICITLY to call this out. It’s still so funny.
  12. On one hand I am very glad to see that I am not alone in thinking the Kazon kinda stink. On the other I am CRUSHED I am not seeing any love for Tom Hardy in the most insane Prismatic armor shader I have ever seen. Dude looks like an Eldar 40k mini. IT RULES.
  13. Group Variant. “Well, that’s very fascinating. But I’m afraid I’m going to have to hurt you.”
  14. “Nobility is not a birthright. It is defined by one’s actions.” introducing Quentin of Locksley.
  15. I mentioned it in our OOC chat about this but this one is my vote for the ARROW. (It's also on Quentin's personal IC playlist lol)
  16. So WOW. First off, I would like to just say as a “new kid” here, I cannot tell you enough how much discovering this group has meant to me, both personally and professionally. when I found y’all I was very much wondering if writing was really worth the effort and strongly considering packing it all in just for my own sake. but then I found this place and the richness of the community as well as the instantly warm and inclusive group dynamic here just gave me an entirely new perspective on myself as a creative. It is TRULY an honor to get to create with you all here and I count myself very, very lucky that I have a place where I can write JUST for me, alongside some of the kindest and most compelling creatives I’ve ever had the privilege to share a “stage” with. @Oddas Aria, I’m sorry to embarrass you by extolling your virtues publicly (as we all know public speaking it up there with the freaking Gom Jabbar for the good Captain), but I have to do it NOW before you get to a rank where you can throw me a box forever. I couldn’t have asked for a better first Captain. You were always there for me as a PC and were a tremendous editor and co-writer for the arcs I wanted to offer the crew and got me thinking about format and form better than ANY teacher I’ve ever had. I’m so sorry I was annoying but I’m very glad to have served under you. It absolutely made me a better officer. @Randal Shayne, yet another person who would gladly deflect literally everything I am about to type, but it wouldn’t make it any less true. He was another who just always listened, always CARED to listen, and always offered precisely the right advice that you needed in the moment you needed it. And just a total force of love for Star Trek and all the nerdy junk we get up to here. I couldn’t have asked for a better XO for my first posting and I couldn’t have expected to find a better friend here than you, brother. I apologize in advance for all the stupid mission pitches I’m about to send you. To everyone else @Sal Taybrim @Chloe Waters @Melody Delri'ise @Artinus Serinus @Maxwell Traenor @Noa T'Nessa Levinson thank you ALL FROM the BOTTOM OF MY BLACK HEART for being such amazing scene partners and such wonderful writers in your own right that make me want to improve for YOU. To impress YOU. you have all made me such a better fan and writer and creative. I have seemed to run out of words to properly articulate my feelings. I just thank you all so very much. For being here when I truly needed you.
  17. Chief Vacation Specialist, USS Arrow this ABSOLUTELY KILLED ME @Maxwell Traenor. The whole sim itself was so charming, but this was just the icing on the cake. Original Post: "But"
  18. Wow, y’all I am just....completely floored. Thank you so, so much for opportunity to write here.
  19. Truly OVER THE MOON to be counted among such amazing and talented officers. to everyone who wrote nominations and to all the other winners, my sincerest thanks and deepest gratitude. Thank you for making the 118 Everything that it is.
  20. I didn't see a Red Carpet thread so I wanted to start one! Let's show off those fancy "formal" avatars. Here is Quentin at the BAFTAS...erm...Embassy banquet...
  21. You know, I was actually really taken by B’Elanna and Tom’s whole courtship and coupling over the course of VOY. I didn’t love it as a younger and dumber person but seeing it all from start to finish was really charming.
  22. I ABSOLUTELY AGREE! I always loved when they got to share scenes together. That’s absolutely an underrated ship.
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