Arc of the Wolf: Distant Horizons

SLWalker · Nov 5, 2008

Arc of the Wolf: Distant Horizons - Distant Horizons
Pulled for story control

Nerys Ghemor · Nov 5, 2008

Re: Arc of the Wolf: Distant Horizons - Distant Horizons

Wow. Scotty decked the dentist? And didn't get in trouble for it? Again: wow.

Don't take this the wrong way, but the more I see--the more I start to think your version of him is quite the messed-up individual.

SLWalker · Nov 5, 2008

Re: Arc of the Wolf: Distant Horizons - Distant Horizons

Nerys Ghemor said:
Wow. Scotty decked the dentist? And didn't get in trouble for it? Again: wow.

Don't take this the wrong way, but the more I see--the more I start to think your version of him is quite the messed-up individual.

Nah, why would I take it the wrong way? He is screwed up at this age. Not in any 'evil, crazy' ways, but just has a whole slew of half-wild instincts and not a whole lot of more normal, well-adjusted coping mechanisms. Though, he didn't deck the dentist. ;-) At worst, he probably snagged the guys wrist in self-defense (not because the guy was a real threat, but because instinct took over) and accidentally twisted it while he was bolting. It does make sense in broad context, though it takes a very long time before a full portrait of the hows, whys and 'what happeneds?' comes together.

But, I figured that the dentist probably had to deal with twitchy people just by virtue of his job, even if it is a much kinder profession in that century, and some eighteen-year-old kid who was visibly spooked would one: Not be a surprise and two: Obviously didn't mean it in any malice. Why ruin a potential career over a mistake?

Thanks for the comment! And, no worries. Scott does start settling down. ;-) It just takes a bit, given how far he started behind the curve.

Gibraltar · Nov 5, 2008

Yeah, as you’ve presented him, I almost wonder if Scotty doesn’t have a mild and undiagnosed form of Asperger’s Syndrome or autism? His reaction to new and unfamiliar situations (the dental exam foremost among them) would seem to indicate that he’s wired differently than most others.

Continued excellence in your writing, making this character a joy to read about. :bolian:

SLWalker · Nov 5, 2008

Gibraltar said:
Yeah, as you’ve presented him, I almost wonder if Scotty doesn’t have a mild and undiagnosed form of Asperger’s Syndrome or autism? His reaction to new and unfamiliar situations (the dental exam foremost among them) would seem to indicate that he’s wired differently than most others.

Continued excellence in your writing, making this character a joy to read about.

First: That's a wicked awesome observation! Honestly, I'd never even considered that angle! I've written this more with psychology in mind, and that one hadn't crossed my mind, but it's a neat thought.

And now, a discourse on psychology! Time for me to ramble again.

Sorry.

I dunno if I'd go so far as to say that he's even mildly autistic, if only because there's a lot more psychology to it than physiology. Think about it: It's already established by now that he was left to fend for himself quite a bit of the time. Neglected, really, though not to a degree where he didn't learn language or that sort of thing. But he definitely wasn't socialized terribly well -- the very first people that babies and children learn about interaction from are their parents and family members. And in order to really start reaching out into the world and not being afraid of things, you have to first have the certainty that you have support behind you and a stable home base to retreat to. Curiosity is innate in children, and he's no different, but if you're constantly wondering if the people who should be caring for you and protecting you are even home, it creates a messy tangle in the supposed-to-be-simple mind of a child.

It's a bit like Maslow's Hierarchy -- the pyramid of survival. Physiological needs always come first, because while you're worrying about those, you can't worry about much else. He got pretty adept at watching his own back fast; one of the things going for him that might not pretain to others being that he's extremely adaptable (a good and bad trait, depending) -- he's a survivor, and by this point it's still a pretty prominent part of how he views the world. What's a threat, what isn't, how to potentially deal with those threats. Except, because he was left to learn all this by the school of hard knocks, he handles it all very primitively. Never was taught that there are better ways to handle a scary situation, or something new, he automatically defaults to instincts and those instincts are feral instincts.

Still, though, he's got a lot going for him, too -- he's very smart. And he's very hard-wired for mechanics, not just in the sense of understanding how things go together and work, but also being able to really get things in a full-sensory way. Pretty much his whole world, he views with all of his senses.

You can see pieces of this early psychology even much later on in TOS canon. One: Scotty's hyper-responsible, which he learned early when his basic survival was pretty much in his own hands. He takes threats to his ship and crew seriously, and is very vocal about it when he thinks his Captain's about to do something ill-advised, regardless of the mission objective. Two: He's not exactly all that good at expressing himself; That Which Survives is a good example of him not being able to find the right words to convey this 'something's not right' feeling to Spock. It's also a good example of instinct, being sensory and being very aware of how all those things come together -- he knows something's wrong, he KNOWS it, even though almost all of the instrumentation disagrees with him, and even though Spock (who has literally heightened senses) can't feel it. And he's right. And he's proven right.

There's a whole lot more there... I could spend hours talking about the psychology of this one character, nevermind any others. :lol:

If you haven't guessed, I have a pretty keen interest in how nature and nurture works to make people who they are, and fanfic is a great way to explore that.

But for now, I'll spare you more rambling. I've gone on longer than some of my fics are by now. Thanks again for a really interesting notion, as well as commenting and reading!

Gibraltar · Nov 6, 2008

^It's really a shame you haven't put more thought into Scotty's character! :lol:

SLWalker · Nov 6, 2008

Gibraltar said:
^It's really a shame you haven't put more thought into Scotty's character!

I know, isn't it?! I've totally been slacking off on it.

:guffaw:

Mistral · Nov 6, 2008

4me Junkyard Dogs is next. So far, i'd have to say that you have a singular voice. I like what I've read so far but don't have time to read so much at once-so I'll be back.

SLWalker · Nov 6, 2008

Mistral said:
4me Junkyard Dogs is next. So far, i'd have to say that you have a singular voice. I like what I've read so far but don't have time to read so much at once-so I'll be back.

Take all the time you want! ;-) The stories aren't going anywhere.

Mistral · Nov 10, 2008

Done! And, well done! Now on to the next! This was a lot of fun and brought a lot to Scotty-I can still see how what you are portraying can end up as Doohan's character. Great work!

SLWalker · Nov 10, 2008

Mistral said:
Done! And, well done! Now on to the next! This was a lot of fun and brought a lot to Scotty-I can still see how what you are portraying can end up as Doohan's character. Great work!

Thanks much! I actually drew a whole lot of the inspiration from Doohan himself -- the rough childhood, and the early and overpowering need to get out, some quirks. Different means and methods, but he was definitely a major source of inspiration.

SLWalker · Nov 16, 2008

Arc of the Wolf: Distant Horizons - Random Artwork
All defunct.

Gibraltar · Nov 17, 2008