I Need a Place to Put Star Trek Memes

If someone posts a fic on Ao3 with the Kirk-era characters where it can be read as either the original series version or the reboot movies version without impacting the story, how would you prefer they tag it?

If I am writing AOS Kirk, you should be able to tell. If I'm writing AOS Spock, or Uhura, or McCoy, or Scotty, you should be able to tell. (Chekov and Sulu are admittedly more difficult due to smaller amounts of screentime in both timelines). I should be able to drop a scene on you, unlabeled, and have you know who these characters are.

Which Kirk is this?

In the officer's mess that evening, Jim flung himself into a chair between Spock, who was reading a paper draft from Astrophysics, and McCoy, who was reading a novel on a padd. Sarek took a much more sedate seat across the table. "So," Jim said, taking an obnoxious crunch from an apple, one arm across the back of Spock's chair. "Ambassador. Want to tell me why you threatened the Romulans earlier?"

If you know both timelines' Kirks, this should be easy to answer. This scene technically could fit into either timeline -- Sarek could easily be on the Enterprise for a diplomatic mission involving the Romulans in either one. No one's eye color comes up. No one, aside from Kirk, is doing anything out of place for either timeline....but Kirk is. He is wildly out of character for one timeline, and not at all out of character for the other, even though both Kirks would say what he is saying here. It is in how he says it, what he does surrounding that question. You should be able to tell, and in fact, if you know both canons, I will be very very surprised if you can't.

These characters overlap, which means that for varying lengths of story, they might be so similar that it's hard to tell -- but they're not the same. Kirk is by far the most distinct, but all the others have noticeable differences that make their interpersonal dynamics different, their word choices different, etc. AOS Spock is more volatile than TOS Spock, probably because of (a) trauma and (b) being almost a decade younger. AOS McCoy is less racist about Vulcans in general and is less pissed off at Spock in particular. AOS Uhura has a much bigger chip on her shoulder and is hostile to Kirk most of the time; TOS Uhura and Kirk are solidly mutual friends.

These are five different scenes. And not even the only screenshot options for this post. There is not an inch of space between them for a second they spend on that asteroid and I just think that's beautiful.

A 1st edition Star Trek novel, Killing Time! Recalled published Spirk slash!

William Shatner: Leonard was so brilliant and thoughtful and striking and intense, you don't even know half of it, he was incredible but also funnier and sillier than you'd guess and so striking and such a genius and kind and not exactly Spock but kind of reserved in the same way, he did define the character, and very caring. They say we used to compete but I don't really remember it because he was just so... I remember laughing together and... anyway

Haha, yes!

FWIW, there are a lot of documented examples of both of these uhhhh characterizations, but since this is suddenly getting more notes, the specific ones I was most thinking of:

From Nimoy—

Bill is the only actor with whom I have that spark, that chemistry—to anything like the extent I have it with him. When we step into a scene, I always know—something’s going to happen. Just amazing. Just amazing the tremendous spark of some kind that he would set off. You remember, Bill, what used to happen in the makeup department in the morning. You’d come in. We’d have these screaming, yelling, laughing discussions. Walk out of there exhausted, exhausted— [...] You know—how can I do a day’s work? I’m aching from laughing. Just amazing. Just amazing the kind of spark that he would set off. And I think, as I really think about it, the idea of working together again on STAR TREK—it’s that thing that I would look forward to most. That happening again. I have no doubt in my mind that it would. Amazing spark that I get from him.

From Shatner:

I miss him. Even when we weren't in close touch, he was always in my life. And when I think about Leonard and all the adventures we had together, I remember his own lust for life; I remember his desire to explore and experience life in all its infinite wonders. I think of his spiritual side, in which he never stopped searching for answers he knew he would never find. I think of his generosity and his commitment to fight for equal justice for everyone. I think of his never-ending passion for the arts and his quest to nurture creativity in young people. And I think of him standing in front of me, his palm held high, his fingers separated in the Vulcan salute, smiling knowingly. Fifty years is a lifetime that passes in an instant. I can close my eyes and see him, young and handsome, tall and taciturn. He's there, in my mind; his light step, his sardonic humor, his passion for his work. I hear his voice in all its richness, infused with an endless curiosity, and the sounds of his unhappiness as well as his laughter.