#kirev

I think ironically R'aahs is probably the first among them he sort of softens towards first even though he starts out the harshest with him (because he was his most personally vouched for investment out of them all). He kind of starts feeling guilty about it after realizing (the first layer level) of R'aahs' history, but pushes it down at first.

It's the time when R'aahs gets sick that I think he drops his bastard act a bit in talking calmly and very firmly to him to get him to understand that he needs to go to sickbay. It's also in doing this that he kind of tips his subconscious hand and reveals he cares about his other subordinates as well, motioning the Vulcan/Romulan to stand back and contact doctor D'Hrava and actually getting between R'aahs and Buff Human Lady himself because she'd been trying to help him before it became clear he was so distressed as to be dangerous. [also jfc I need to name these people XD]

I'd say that's definitely a big factor in the friendlier relationship he comes to have with her; She's had some pretty bad bosses before and I think had always been sort of guarded that he'd be the same especially given his species, and his hardass tendencies, but that was a complete inversion of her expectations and even though he's not really one to ever come out and say it he'd absolutely hate for one of his people to get hurt when he could have prevented it. not like he has a big chip on his shoulder about stuff like that or anything./s

(That's probably also why, down the line, he doesn't hesitate to tell off the V/R when he's cagey about doing what D'Hrava says because he "has concerns" (read: is fucking terrified) that the practices will cause him to act erratically. I'll admit that Toka might could have been more diplomatic about the phrasing of his rebuttal, but the end result was decidedly effective XD)

I don't think h'ed pay R'aahs too many visits while he's recovering in sickbay, but he does check in with D'Hrava every few hours (on the, not entirely fictitious grounds, that R'aahs was a major high-risk investment on his part and that it's reasonable to want to keep apprised of any major updates.)

His reassurances to R'aahs when he does finally visit may be cloaked in similar language "What kind of an idiot do you take me for? Of course you're not fired, I expect you to report for duty the moment she says you're cleared. When you earn your keep I earn mine." (but it'd be a lie to say that it didn't send a sharp pang of pity through him to hear the question)

Within the Ivy and Brad AU: I'm kind of picturing them coming in later on than a lot of the other people, so Toka's probably softened a bit by then overall, and seeing how much Brad works hard and fights against his own stereotypes and usually manages to deescalate a situation and clear up misunderstandings, I think he'd see a lot of easily overlooked savvy in him and he'd warm up to him through that.

Kirev and the Denobulan bartender: What do they usually do when they reunite after long missions?

It depends where they are in their relationship! At the earliest points it's really just a long visit to her bar where they talk about whatever's been going on for the two of them, then one of the times she offers to show him a little bookshop that popped up on the station that month (it's perhaps a bit of a niche specialty shop given Trek Tech, but it's a busy little space port, so there are always some people interested in their wares I think). He could just replicate his audiobooks, but I think there's a certain charm in going to pick them out so that becomes something they do together each time, which progresses to that and having dinner together at one of the other little places.

One of the times they end up talking for too long in the little bookshop and by the time they're kicked out the other shops have closed so she offers him back to hers if he doesn't mind a bit of a clunky replicator. He certainly doesn't. The next time he brings her something that he made as a thank you an she marvels at the precision of the vegetables cut so beautifully. This pattern continues a while.

Sometimes she manages to arrange a bit of live music acts to come and play at her bar sort of like the day they met, though they're admittedly seldom any good, but Kirev likes to come and hear them anyhow. One of the times some of her other partners are in port as well and he gets to meet them. On those nights it's usually much more casual; They'll all have drinks and sometimes play cards and the like. I don't think he's been interested in being anything more than friends with any of her partners thus far, but he definitely befriends them!

He starts becoming more and more attracted to her and things start to progress from intimate but platonic to more overtly romantic and sexual as well. The first time he has a pain flare he's extremely embarrassed and would probably have left never to return if he could have gotten down the stairs in one piece. He can't though and so they spend their few days together staying in, and honestly they have a really nice time Eventually He starts staying over more regularly on trips, and there's also less pressure to get in quite as many activities since there's the quiet certainty of cyclical return.

Once they're solidly in a relationship they usually make their walkabout rounds through the station, see her other partners if they're visiting too, and they're basically almost always at her apartment above the bar overnight since the Omelas is at port to be serviced, and guests at the temporary port quarters are usually frowned upon at least officially. She has at least seen his quarters on the Omelas and the art from his homeworld though, and when he gets the chance to he brings her to see the hydroponics bays; they may not exactly be much in the way of beauty, but they're more natural growing plant life than she usually gets to see at the port <3

And two for V'eiss: What's their favorite comfort food that they eat when they're sad?:

I think there's probably a fruit of some kind that his adoptive grandmother grows that he really likes; Maybe something almost like grapes but a little more bitter and extremely hydrating. He likes to add them to salads or boil them into tea with spices and honey.

and What's an item that is deeply important and special to them? What makes it so special?:

Kirev, moreso from a standpoint of getting to act/speak on behalf of the captain, though he does have some degree of unexpected physical strength due to Aenar physiology. Might give him a tap with his cane, but R'aahs recognizes this is a deliberate act of congeniality towards him. He may be more actively friendly towards him than he may be to the captain, but recognizes him as too far of a superior to be fully friendly towards

Toka: Considers him his most direct superior within his immediate day to day interaction. Toka is fairly willing to use a bit of physical directive with R'aahs given their notable difference of size, and not always with as friendly of an intention as R'aahs takes it, but it does actually ultimately serve fairly well to denote an authority while maintaining a decent sense of camaraderie to him (which eventually evolves into a more genuine one on Toka's part as well)

Doctor D'Hrava: superior, stronger, but enjoys a bit of playful roughhouse in casual social settings. She won't hesitate to put him back in his place if he gets too rough, but they can have a bit of a back and forth dynamic with it.

Third tier is kind of separate, with those who aren't quite as high ranking technically, but he isn't about to fuck around with them. He likes when he can be friendly with them, but that's fully at their discretion.

T'pril: (and Tbf he takes that kind of approach towards most Vulcans unless he knows them really well because their limits are harder to read). She doesn't really interact with him much beyond directives and brief interactions in the mess hall, where he is polite and subdued.

Aerelai: A bit different in that they're friends, but he'll give them a wide birth when they're angry or the minute he gets the idea he's crossed a line with them. They don't ever really physically strike but they will let forth a small neural pulse when those things happen and it's a much scarier little "back the fuck off".

Fourth tier is about level with him though it can vary just a little situationally. Friendliest tier overall:

Muna. She knew about Nausicaans when she met him and ran over his foot with her powerchair, then later shared some of her lunch with him (another indicator, in that resources are shared with those below you, taken by above). She'll give him a friendly swat sometimes that he can return lightly.

Wilvous. (seemingly) stayed stoic and (accidentally) cut his face pretty badly with one of his tusks the first time he met him.

Himself! :)

Bhea. His best friend right after Muna! She's pretty sturdy, They get into a lot of hijinks together and playfight. He's ultimately stronger than her but she'll put up a really good fight and recognizes that he's being friendly doing it! Sometimes they share the braincell.

Fifth tier is specifically under him, can push them around a little bit and they can't take his stuff (they very much don't try, but regardless they can't), but it also means they're deliberately under his scope of protection barring Weird Shit Happening or something.

[Arachnid Xenoanthropologist] (she actually could be a lot more dangerous if she chose to be, but use of venom is highly taboo and is only to be done in outright peril, so she's fine letting him see her as this level). He doesn't have much cause to interact with her, but letting her remain largely unchallenged while still on a protective tier is an attempt of a sort to respect her privacy while still seeing through his worldview filter.

[Bajoran/Cardassian engineer]. He likes them, thinks they're very smart and (with him) scrappy. They sometimes try and rise up a teir when they'll play around with him, but largely he just views it as cute that they try and stays protective of them

Ceicive. He threw Ceicive across sickbay the first time he met him. In all fairness he was having a really bad time medically and thanked the sickbay team afterwards. He and Ceicive are friends now; he was mildly concussed, but not really angry about it. He thinks of Ceicive as extremely sweet, patient, and fragile tbh.

Ryn. Withdrawn, skittish, still getting used to the new adaptive equipment, prone to a freeze response and only ever actually tries to fight back when he's extremely stressed and it's clear even to R'aahs that if it gets to that point it is way too far. Tries to help him feel safer but isn't always very good at it. (Has "guarded" him during panic attacks before though and that actually was helpful <3)

What is your character's favorite physical trait they possess?:

His hair. Kind of tying into that other post about it, I think he has some complicated feelings about it growing back out after he leaves Andoria for a second time (under much worse circumstances than the first), but there is a sort of comfort that comes in feeling proof of time passing and a reminder in cutting it back that being on the ship is a home he's chosen and is welcome in, but his being there is a choice and not necessarily a finality.

(He's been a crew member there for decades by this point though, so frankly it is more of a home he just likes to keep a reminder).

Is your character's appearance more telling or deceiving?

Deceptive? No. Easily incorrectly interpreted perhaps.

He's definitely stronger than he looks, it's just a facet of Andorian and Aenar physiology by human interpretation (and the fact that he sometimes uses a cane for mobility during episodes of pain sometimes adds to that interpretation for humans and other species)

Also in the telling category I think he just has a really kind face, with gentle eyes and softer features. Like idk if that's just projection in that I know him bc I made him, but when he's dealing with the younger crew members it shines through almost any kind of Very Stern front he ever tries to put up within mere minutes especially if they're genuinely distressed. Like yeah he's professional and competent, but he's also 1000% the work dad of anyone who wants him to be <3

(That might honestly be mildly common to Aenar, I've read some fan speculations that children are raised semi communally within their society, so sometimes there's a little bleedover of that mindset into their interactions with people younger than them. Kirev is definitely above average in that area though, bless him <3)

Is there food that has made your character sick?

Yeeaahhh it's happened a few times honestly X/ He's pretty willing to try new things and it sometimes gets him into trouble.

He can usually shake it off pretty well, but there are two notable incidents:

Andorians & Aenar absolutely love Earth fruits because they have more sugars in them for their higher metabolisms to make use of than the ones on Andoria. In moderation it's a great pick-me-up, in excess it can make them jittery and lead to a bit of a crash.

Aaand if they get caught up having cocktails with their friends outside on a balcony right after exams end at the academy, only thinking about the alcohol content (which was mostly fine given his biology, save for a little dehydration) when it's far warmer outside than is comfortable it can get them a very interesting level of crossfaded where they're nauseous, dizzy, and have the zoomies and their friends make them sleep it off in a big upstairs closet with the localized climate controls blasting cold air in there so they so they don't break their neck on the stairs they can't find intentionally but keep almost finding accidentally and they don't trust them not to accidentally rip the sink out of the wall so they can't just put them in the bathroom.

The other time he was actually trying to be careful, just getting a small bowl of strawberries with a balsamic and herb vinaigrette that was being handed out because it was a very fancy party for Céline's half sibling who had gotten nominated to be nominated for a Trill thing and there was a lot of tension at the event already and he very much didn't want to add to that having been almost forcibly emergency plus-oned by her for morale. He'd had, and enjoyed, basil leaves before, and while he could quickly tell that it was different he did still believe it would be similar.

2 hours later absolutely awful migraine and burning throat, one of Céline's slightly drunk cousins (who was going through Starfleet Medical) found out took charge, the bathroom door off the hinges after he locked himself in there, presumably to either rally his strength or die quietly, called him an idiot (fair), made him take a hypospray he has never found out the name of, then had to be talked out of lecturing their uncle about interspecies toxicities (which would have been fair, but in equal fairness he was a full Trill who did his best at a human farmer's market with nothing but a malfunctioning translator, a tote bag, and a dream that the evening would go smoothly. Kirev was likely not the only casualty).

Does your character prefer company or solitude when sick?

For the most part he prefers solitude given Andorian & Aenar stubbornness/refusal to be seen as weak, but while he probably wouldn't admit it outright he takes great comfort in his best friend Céline's presence if he's not feeling well.

She's the only person he'd ever be remotely willing to admit any issue to. (Doctor D'Hrava can get him to, but that's under threat of life and limb it's more respectable).

Aenar are typically rather tactile with people they trust and if he's doing really badly and people aren't around she might let him (carefully!) cling onto her hand or arm if they're having to walk somewhere because it reduces his anxiety and makes it easier to orient himself.

If he's somewhere he can sit or lie down he'll do that clinging reflex onto a pillow/blanket/bag instead (because honestly she's been a little bit wary of his grip strength since he accidentally dislocated her shoulder once when she was helping him get to the infirmary). She will still comfort him though; he gets a bracing hug and she'll kinda rub his back or hold his hands (because she really can't hurt him through that hypodermal chitin, it just feels very comforting). He also won't fight her about medication or eating/drinking; He may not want it or really feel up for it, but he won't make her waste additional time fighting him on something when he knows he'll lose anyway XD

So I'm gonna answer within the Omelas era for these because within canon the moment he probably feels the most achievement and in control is in his last moments when he stands up to Osyraa, refusing to surrender information that would let her kill the people he's come to care about (the main characters of Discovery) and it's a very big final moment for him defying her when he's lived in terror of her ever since she had his antenna cut off for trying to start that rebellion against her (though it leads to him being unceremoniously vaporized by her advanced future phaser or whatever).

And like I do think that remains his biggest standout point overall with pretty good reason, so I'm going to talk about some smaller ones instead that just were like very meaningful

🪩 Disco Ball- What was an achievement that your OC felt worthy of celebrating? Was it a personal victory or a big impact on everyone around them?

So he honestly tries to stay relatively unnoticed for the most part on the job outside of enough to register as a useful member of the crew (and therefore worthy of being kept aboard) because 1. getting too much notice always used to lead to something bad happening, and 2. he doesn't want to risk accidentally revealing things about the future or its tech, but there are moments where it's nice to sometimes be acknowledged by T'Pril in her brief and factual way.

Moreso than that though, I think it's a really big thing for him to get to learn about his species heritage </3 His biggest actual accomplishment within it is probably learning a little of the language and how to write in it (which is helpful as the Universal Translator mysteriously seems to struggle a bit with the "atypical variant" of Orion he defaults to).

⚫️ Black- When was a moment in your OC's life that they felt the most in control and secure? Was it gained through negative or positive means?

So truthfully that moment standing up to Osyraa is the most in control he's ever felt. Like I don't think anything within the Omleas time is going to beat that, so to make up in change I'll talk about two moments of security (with wildly different emotional states surrounding them XD)

AU Lore drop time!

The first he doesn't actually feel in control at all and only feels secure towards the very end of it tbh, but the first time he meets Kirev is one of the times he's probably ever felt safest with another person. After the panic subsides that is XD

The Temporally Advanced Being (whichever one they are XD) in their omnipotent wisdom plonked him onto a desert planet with only a very brief breeze-over that he'd done very well and that the next step would be there soon. (omnipotent beings are not always very good at remembering the intensity of short-term suffering). He did not take that well of course (who the hell would?) and promptly entered survival mode primarily skulking around at night to try and gather supplies to stay alive.

A few weeks like that and when some of the Omelas crew shuttled down for a mission (some important repair thing that actually went pretty well) Ryn was desperate enough to try stealing supplies from the docking areas to try and get off the planet either through a poorly secured shuttle or salvaging the supplies to buy his way off somehow.

Now I mention it went well because that meant Vasilios didn't need Kirev to stay as close to hand as she had been concerned about and as things would be wrapping up soon she sent him back to the shuttle to wait on standby to come back or go home because even though he could survive on the planet it certainly wasn't exactly good for him either.

Queuing him up perfectly to encounter Ryn.

Ryn had never had cause to encounter an Aenar before, and I seriously doubt if he even knew that was a thing. He certainly didn't act like he knew it was a thing.

Kirev was, and probably still is, easily the gentlest presence Ryn has ever met in his life and there's a species based communication headcanon I've mentioned before that kicked into play almost immediately when he met him and Kirev felt deeply parental towards him ever since.

He couldn't see that Ryn's antenna were missing, but he could tell he was Andorian and could sense that something was off about him, and he could tell what utter terror he was feeling (he kept his telepathy to himself of course, but he could still detect his breathing and heartbeat). Kirev managed to talk him down a bit from his panic, assuring him that he wasn't going to hurt him (and frankly thinking that he must be severely overheated since he didn't seem to know what planet he was on or what the year was).

Something about Kirev's general vibe plus the communication mannerisms that he doesn't consciously remember but are biologically hardwired in just let him feel like despite everything going on (and there was so, so much) that he was safe and that things were going to be ok even if he couldn't really tell why. Maybe he was just that desperate, but it was still an undeniably reassuring feeling even if it .

The second is when he gets to see snow for the first time. Real snow, something close to Andoria's weather, not on the hollodeck and not just the stagnant slush he sometimes got to encounter in the scrapyard or on a rare trip somewhere.

So:

🩸 (blood) - Is your oc squeamish? Are they disturbed by the sight of blood? Have they ever been in a situation where they had to overcome being squeamish? (I know Kirev is blind but like how does other people getting hurt affect him as a telapath):

Aerelai:

Yeeaaaahhh they kinda very are XD. It's not really the blood though because they don't mind it so much depicted in art and they can watch Klingon festivals with very little problem because it's in a very different context (glory, rage, respect etc.), but rather it's the pain that gets to them and can become overwhelming for them quickly (and a visual reminder like blood doesn't help).

It's honestly sort of different when its another Betazoid versus someone from another species since with another Betazoid there's a sort of relay between both parties to receive and balance the input, another species tends to just sort of send (even another telepath unless they make a very distinctive effort) and Aerelai is stuck receiving it. They might feel a sort of phantom version of it or just get a sort of unrelenting headache from it, but yeah they're not really a medical person (its one of the reasons Starfleet academy took them longer than it might have).

Kirev:

No, not really so much. The Aenar don't have the same kind of confrontational mindset or ritual combats Andorians do but they still live in the harsh climates and historically at least have probably had to defend themselves from dangerous creatures, so they share a strong sense of practicality with them.

Kirev would be able to deal calmly with someone getting hurt (honestly he'd most likely be trying to calm the other person down so he can help them). Aenar are very considerate about the usage of their telepathy so as to respect other's privacy (it's not as passive like a Betazoid's telepathy, it's very intentional and they train from a young age to control it well).

He would get stressed if it was someone he cared about very deeply or someone very young who was hurt, but that would still manifest more as practically dealing with it in the moment and maybe some emotional overwhelm/exhaustion later. If a telepath was very powerful and very distressed they might could project that pain onto him, but that's not really the same as being squeamish that'd be more overwhelm.

❗️(exclamation point) - What was the scariest moment of your character’s life? Does it still affect them?

Aerelai:

Ok so I mentioned they were on Betazed when it got invaded during the Dominion War, but I think that one of the more frightening parts actually came for them less from the invasion itself (though that was frightening to imagine), but how when it reached them specifically where they were it was by the time Betazoids had begun to fight back when forces struck.

They'd been reading in the garden when the Jem'Hadar had appeared looming, their Vorta overseer serenely nestled between a cluster of them for protection. That was the first terror, the despair, the desperation, the smothered anxious starvation for approval from the Vorta. They'd read the reports from other planets, they'd read historical texts, rad about Bajor, this was to be their own fate surely.

Seeing their grandmother emerge from her sombular pool, a raw power of rage and protection the likes of which they'd never known before, a psychic energy, drowning every feeling other than the knowledge of her fury and love.

And then it was over like the crash of a wave. "Go and get your mother, child; Tonight we feed the sea."

The Vorta was alive to twitch. They kept him in the cellar to await someone strong or gentle enough to bring him home. A dignitary or at least someone who claimed to be got him after the peace resumed. Great Grandmother fed him, she was the only one strong enough. Aerelai tried several times but could never make it down the steps through that mental screaming. There was no blame, he could have his supper tomorrow when she returned, that was all there was to it. Their heart was as full as four moons for even trying.

There were a few more tries. Those didn't leave anyone. They called Betazed occupied because they took out most of the transports, set up a few factions. They learned not to leave their compounds, slunk away home before it was all over.

The anguish and fear was as thick as fog and inescapable and doubtless left deep staining scars on their mind that they tried to leave behind joining Starfleet. But there's a terror too in them of that which they carry within.

Kirev:

Ok I think he's had some pretty brutal moments in life, but I think one where he was legitimately more viscerally scared than any other mix of emotions (like when his former partners ran him out) or a situation where it was frightening but he had to actively stay calm to prevent calamity (like very tense negotiations to keep the crew safe) was the circumstances that lead to him getting actually diagnosed with the Alvanian spine mites.

He and the (future, at that time) Captain were both in Starfleet Academy and he contracted them during one of their training missions but didn't realize until about a week later, dismissing the pain as a result of intensive exertion in a much warmer climate (and he was embarrassed to admit to so much discomfort when no-one else having any issues). It obviously got worse not better, and one morning he woke up literally unable to get up from his bed.

He woke up before his roommates ( [Captain] and two other people), like normal, but spent a few hours trying to slowly sit up, determined to manage despite the discomfort. [Captain] woke up when the muscle spasming started and he couldn't stay quiet any longer.

Being that helpless was absolutely terrifying and would have been deeply shameful if he could think past how much it hurt; The few minutes it took for one of the academy's infirmary staff to get to their unit felt like hours, clinging to [Captain] as she tried to comfort him and just trying to keep breathing. At that point of progression it was probably "only" a panic attack made worse by the cramping, but with everything locking up it was a fairly reasonable concern.

The Aenar don't really fear death since they believe it only happens once someone has fulfilled their life's purpose, but that did not much assure him in the moment, wondering what in the world it might have been.

He finds it more embarrassing than anything in hindsight given what it ended up being and that it's manageable for the most part, but it was desperately frightening in the moment.

✂️ (scissors) - Has your character ever cut their own hair? What about someone else’s? How did it turn out?

Aerelai:

Omg yes, yes they do. They love to have some fun with their hair (it's easily removed and regrown if they want with some casual tech). Sometimes they do a masterful job, sometimes it's bad, sometimes it's bad on purpose, it's just fun for them!

They've probably cut at least one other person's before, maybe a friend at the academy or for someone about to go on shore leave wanting to have a bit of fun, but they mostly just like to play with their own (though now I kind of want to see them style Ceicive's for some reason since they'd know its important to him though idk why they would be in that situation).

Kirev:

Ok I need to stop and say that this idea isn't 100% my own, another Tumblr user who I cannot seem to find now came up with the theory that the Aenar only really cut their hair when they leave home, which I kinda like.

I think they must maybe cut it at certain lengths for sheer practicality of certain life stuff, but within that they may have customs regarding what certain choices and stylings mean, especially since it's something only they or someone who would have cause to feel their hair would know.

I think Kirev has cut it himself twice, once before leaving for Starfleet Academy (it looked bad, but done with jubilance, tied into a braid and cut off with the knife he'd received in his childhood as part of a coming of age rite, buried with a bit of his blood so part of him would never leave Andoria.) The second time he did it before his former partners had the chance to do it to him; To how them he would go of his own volition in an act of both supplication and defiance.