Comment on Head and Heart by HapticMimesis

Hahaha, I'm glad you don't mind my rambles. I do so enjoy writing them. XP

I actually own Doctor's Orders! It's a good one! I bought it for the cover art, and enjoyed the story as well. I feel like I read the Crucible series, and was not overly impressed by the author's characterization of McCoy, for one reason or another. It's been awhile, so I couldn't tell you what bothered me; I'd have to go back and reread it.

MY FAVORITE Star Trek novel is The Romulan Way. OH MY GOODNESS. So good! Bones, on his own, being competent and irascible, in an interesting and fully developed culture! WHAT. This is the stuff dreams are made of! I read this one on a regular basis.

Wow. This conversation (this fantastic, quality conversation) has gotten so long I had to go back and read it again, to make sure I wasn't repeating myself! XD

I note that I have yet to mention body language as it relates to Spock and McCoy. Which is weird, because it's one of the things that tipped me off to the pairing. Star Trek characters make a regular habit of invading each others' personal space, which I believe to be a result of traveling so long in close quarters. The same thing happens to men aboard a submarine. And yet, this can't account for all of it, since the spacing between crew members is pretty distinct and consistent. (ie, you rarely, if ever, see Spock cuddled close to Sulu or Rand. All of the male crew members tend to maintain a respectful physical distance from their female crew members. All three members of The Trio smush together in doorways, over consoles, standing around, etc. These are regular patterns observable throughout the series.) There are exceptions to every rule, of course, but in general, the three main characters are physically closer to each other than to any one else on the series. I think this is to visually illustrate the intimacy of their friendship on screen - but it's funny, because it's unusual. I've watched television shows from this period, and while cinematic spacing is closer than in real-life, the spacing on Star Trek is notably and particularly close. No allowance is made for the camera's lack of depth, and the main characters often appear to be standing on top of one another. And this happens all the time, even though the series had a different director for practically every episode!

I read somewhere that "mirroring" is an important physical and psychological part of intimacy. When you copy someone's physical attitude and gestures, you create a connection with them that is almost entirely subconscious. It can be used to establish rapport, and can ease conversation/understanding. In fact, couples who have been together for years mirror each other's movements so thoroughly that their faces begin to look alike, from using the same facial muscles! It goes so deep, that nostril flaring and pupil dilation (which are just impossible to control to that degree) sync! Mirroring is, necessarily, a large aspect of comedic chemistry and timing. And it's one of the main aspects I notice between McCoy and Spock. (Now, a lot of their physicality reflects that they are in Starfleet. They stand "at ease", and "at the ready", just like trained service men do today. But that's not what I'm referring to.) Spock and McCoy mirror each other all the time. When standing side by side, they lean towards each other. They wage eyebrow wars. They cross their arms alike, they steeple their fingers the same way [link] , and are constantly close enough to bump into each other if they turn [link] [link] Here's a capped conversation from "I, Mudd" where the mirroring is apparent: [link]

I also noticed that as the series progressed, Spock and McCoy started playing cat-and-mouse with their eyes. They did not do this in the first season, that I saw. They started to skirt each others' stares (despite continuing to stare throughout the series... Bones, in particular) in the second season. I do the same thing when I am attracted to someone, but don't want it to be obvious, don't want them to see it in my eyes. For one reason or another, I think that they definitely did not want it to come up, to be said or commented upon during the series. I think it's one of the reasons their "aggression" escalated, actually. In the first season, they don't actually fight much, or violently. It's definitely reactionary, on McCoy's part.

In addition, Spock's hands play an important role. We all know the lore about Vulcan hands. Spock is usually pretty careful about his hands, and about touch, in general. (Despite Nimoy occasionally forgetting himself! ) And Spock uses specific gestures to communicate certain things. Not only does he touch McCoy a lot, without need, but he's typically very gentle, as well (as in "Man Trap", where he momentarily wrestles over a phaser with McCoy, urging him to destroy the salt monster that is attacking the captain. But he chose not to rip the phaser from McCoy' hands, despite the danger the monster posed to Kirk. Instead, Spock physically attacked the monster - significant since Vulcans try to avoid physical violence if possible - and allowed the monster to throw him against the wall rather than force the phaser from McCoy's grip.) And when there is need, when Spock must touch McCoy to communicate something important, he does so very specifically. When McACoy is dying in the Empath, Spock cradles his face with one hand, and with the other holds his wrist with two fingers. The only other time I've seen that two-finger caress in the Star Trek universe, it was between Vulcan lovers (Sarek and Amanda in "Journey to Babel", Spock and Saavik in "Search for Spock"). Spock specifically uses two fingers to hold onto McCoy for several minutes, while he is conscious. Spock is communicating something specific (I say this, because that's actually a very uncomfortable and unstable hold. I tried it with my sister, to see if there was any reason for it. He wasn't taking McCoy's pulse, since he was using the two-fingered grip before his hand slid to McCoy's wrist. No, it's a very specific gesture.)

Just a thought.

And here's a special cap from their meld in "Spectre of the Gun", just as a treat. [link]