poly_chromatic | (no subject)

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star trek xi - pavel chekov

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I have been lucky escaping curses this month. The curse where people were trying to eat other people--

[He trails off as a more distant voice becomes far louder. The tone, however, clearly indicates whining.]

Peter, please, I am recording.

[Peter's indistinct complaints fade to an irate murmur.]

That was a curse I did not care for. But in better news, I have found Peter. Howl, Sophie, Tessa? I am bringing him to the house; it seemed cruel to leave him on his own. He may not agree, but he's not good at taking care of himself.

[There's a protest from Peter. Chekov shushes him.]

Also, Tessa? We need to talk, I think.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Well, it is space, to presuppose any sort of boundary, beyond the laws of physics - and even then - would be a human fallacy.

Amory, you sometimes sound very much like a Vulcan.

Hopefully, that isn't a remark on my sense of humor, or lack thereof.

[He won't question how Amory knows about the notorious lack of humor in Vulcan society.]

No, no--you are far more funny than a Vulcan. It is the way you talk.

[ Having lived here for as long as Amory has, he must have picked up some foreign knowledge, no?

Better to assume that then to realize that your world is entertainment in another. ]

What about the way I talk?

[ He's amused , really. ]

[If anyone could wrap his head around the notion that his universe has been captured in a movie (and, in a way, on television), it would be Chekov. The thought simply hasn't occurred to him.]

It is formal. Pointed. More exact, I think, than the way most people speak.

While other kids were out playing kickball and starring in musicals, I was stuck indoors learning Latin and logic. I guess it paid off.

[ He pauses. ]

Amidst chaos, it's always seemed natural to seek clarity where you can.

[ An exaggeration, seeing as Amory has a drinking problem. ]

You and I may have had similar childhoods.

[Chekov laughs at that not entirely un-Vulcan-like utterance.]

Is that a saying from your home?

Somehow, I highly doubt that.

[ Why are you so fun to talk to, Chekov. ]

It's not a saying, but it's something I made-up, so I guess you could say it's from my home.

You are right, of course. I was never good with Latin.

[He could ask the same of Amory, but why question a good thing?]

Are you always so profound? You should become a philosopher, maybe.

Oh, it's not that. I was never good enough, but that's what happens when your father was born in the Roman Republic.

[ Scoffing. ]

I hate philosophers, even more than I hate philosophy

What were you not good enough for?

Not all philosophy is bad, but I cannot say the same of most philosophers I have known.

Latin?

I'm not saying that it's bad, I'm just saying that it's a waste of time.

And that is problematic in the Roman Republic. [He's just guessing here.]

Even metaphysics? I studied that; it is a part of transporter theory and temporal disturbance classes. Very interesting, but it makes me worry somewhat when I am having my atoms dissembled.

No, in the 21st century. At least for him.

[ How to tell a man that your father is as old as dirt... ]

Worried whether your soul might disconnect itself from your body upon reassembling? [ He laughs. ] When it becomes your career, it's useless. Questioning life to a degree isn't.

[Putting two and two together...] Your father needs you to translate for him?

[And a scoff. Fff, souls.]

I am not worried about souls, I am worried about the molecules assembling improperly and creating a me that is not me. But I will agree. There is no sense in making a career of a field that never finds answers.

[ooc: As someone with a B.A. in philosophy, I am deeply hurt. Only not really.]

Never mind, Chekov.

[ Except that souls do exist in his world- an anchor for the physical body. ]

But what is me other than a ever-malleable conception of self? What is self? Or are we talking about disarranged molecules that might render you a blithering idiot instead of a genius astrophysicist? Etc, etc.

[ ooc: As someone who was briefly a Philosophy major, I am making fun of myself. xD ]

I do not want to enter a transporter and, on the other end, find myself a blithering idiot, or with significant molecules left behind, or with what comprises my insides on my outside. Defining the self, being concerned with whether or not what assembles on a transporter pad is me even though it is made of different particles than I was previously--I am not so worried about that.

[He might not have his priorities in order.]

If I think that I am me, if I am able to continue working as I would, and if there are no mental aberrations, then I am unconcerned.

[ooc: You get more awesome all the time.]

Then that's more a problem of biology than philosophy, isn't it? If we're dealing with intangible conditionals, such as questions of I and the soul...

[ That may be true. ]

You're a good soldier, aren't you.

[ ooc: sdlfjasd No. ;; ]

I rarely have time for the intangible.

[Chekov isn't sure if being a good soldier is a good thing in this context or a bad thing.]

Yes.

If only we were all so lucky.

[ Continue wondering, Chekov. Amory plans to be inscrutable as ever. ]

I see.

[See? Vulcan. And now Chekov's reviewing their conversation and trying to determine what he said wrong, or if he said anything wrong, or--

Well. Best talk to Amory as he would talk to Mr. Spock.]

I do not understand.

[ Chekov is just misreading Amory's social strangeness; he had a peculiar upbringing that left him socially stunted in distinct ways. ]

You don't over-think. Your given task is always the first thought on your mind. You're good at following orders.

[ It's hard to tell whether that's a compliment... ]

[It certainly doesn't feel like a compliment.]

Amory, do you think that I am stupid?

[Amory's vagueness results in bluntness. That's fair, right?]

No, I think you're exceptionally bright.

And rarely do I say that about anyone.