medicating | App for Teleios

Player Info

Name: Megan
Age: 30
Contact: wolfed
Characters Already in Teleios: Liv Durand | libricustodis
Reserve: shut up, spock

Character Basics:

Character Name: Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy
Journal: medicating
Age: 32
Fandom: Star Trek AOS
Canon Point: near the end of Star Trek Into Darkness; after giving Kirk the serum but before Kirk wakes up
Debt:
Class A: 97 years
Class B: 1 year, 6 months
Class C: 3 months
Abandonment/Neglect

Assisted Suicide

Racism Towards Vulcans

GRAND TOTAL: 98 years, 9 months

Canon Character Section:

History: Wiki Link

Personality:
While this is an alternate version of the Dr. McCoy from Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS), it can be assumed that personality-wise, he is very similar to that counterpart, and only if it proves to be that certain events in this version's past did not occur as it did in the original's, the motivations for his behavior should be the same. That said, let's get to it.

When we first see Leonard McCoy, it's at his most vulnerable. He's afraid to fly, but has joined Starfleet because he has nowhere else to go after his wife divorced him. Additional info from TOS, films, and the novels adds that his wife cheated on him, he has a daughter, and his father suffered from a painful illness and asked Leonard to shut off the machines keeping him alive. All of this I've added as headcanon to this version until such time as a future film refutes it (it's been messed with in a movie tie-in app and comic series, but I don't think those count, because I can not imagine a Bones who doesn't have a daughter and who hasn't lost his father, as the TOS version has. ~~Also, screw you, J.J. Abrams.~~). Losing his father, daughter, wife, and home would have a huge impact on him, and it makes sense a person that lost and alone would want to get as far away from the painful memories as possible. What better place than space? There's bravery to him, since obviously he's terrified of flying and space in general, but he's facing that fear head on instead of trying to find another place to go. It's unlikely that his wife could have taken the "whole damn planet" from him, especially since he spends the next three years in San Francisco, so he could have settled into a medical practice on the west coast if he'd wanted to. But Leonard wants something different than anything he's ever experienced before, and the excuse that he needs to get away from the ex-wife is an easy one. He seems the type to put up walls to protect himself from getting hurt like he has in the past, but his honest and abrupt manner is his method of doing that. When he's annoyed or frustrated by things -- because he has a low tolerance for idiocy (usually Kirk's) -- he's not afraid to let his displeasure be known. He feels things deeply and sincerely, and his opinion is something he never hides. People can take it or leave it, and if they leave it, then he's succeeded in putting a wall between them.

His best friend is Jim Kirk, and it's clear that Leonard plays the role of the responsible older brother to Kirk's wild, rebellious younger brother. We see Leonard support and help Jim time and time again, though he always acts like he's doing so begrudgingly, or has an annoyed comment to make. Even though he thinks it's foolish for Kirk to take the Kobayashi Maru test for a third time, he still shows up to help since Kirk requests it. When Kirk isn't allowed to go on the cadets' emergency mission to Vulcan because he's on academic suspension, Leonard finds a way to sneak him aboard. He claims it was because he couldn't leave Kirk behind "looking all pathetic," but it's really because he knows how disappointed Kirk is that he doesn't get to go, and he wants to help. Going against the council's ruling means Leonard could have gotten in serious trouble for what he did, but when Kirk runs onto the bridge and Pike questions him, Leonard immediate steps in to take the blame for Kirk being there. For all the grief and eye rolls he gives Kirk, Leonard would do anything for him, like a big brother would for his younger brother. Kirk has gotten under his skin the way no others have since his divorce, and it's clear Leonard gets something out of this relationship in return. Kirk keeps him from being truly alone and miserable, and though Leonard rarely approves of the things Kirk does, he still supports him. When Kirk dies from radiation poisoning, Leonard looks like the bottom's dropped out of his world. In that moment you can see the years of friendship cycle through his mind and then when he realizes there's a chance to save Kirk, he launches into action, shouting orders as he races against the clock.

Leonard is mindful of Starfleet protocol, but his loyalty to his friend is at odds with that. He sticks up for Kirk when talking to Spock after making sure he has permission to speak freely first. That makes his later behavior something to seriously consider. When Kirk tries to emotionally compromise Spock by getting him angry and Spock attacks him, nearly killing him, Leonard is shown to be watching the display in shock, as are the rest of the bridge crew. It seems no one will step in to pull Spock off Kirk, because Spock is the Captain, and perhaps because they don't want to get hurt since Spock's in a rage. It's only when Spock's father calls to him that he relents. Putting this down as just loyalty to Starfleet over his friend doesn't make sense to me though. I fully believe Leonard was just too shocked at what was happening to move, just as everyone else was. He's a doctor, and wouldn't allow his best friend to die just to be loyal to the acting captain. Of course, Leonard does have the best interests of the ship at heart as well, because when Kirk is made acting Captain when Spock steps down, Leonard can't believe it. One can hardly blame him, since he's spent three years at the Academy with Kirk, and doesn't seem to have great faith in his schemes (Kobayashi Maru, anyone?), but in the end he always supports him. He just has to let Kirk know how stupid he thinks his ideas are first, just so the kid doesn't get too high and mighty, right?

In the 2009 film, Leonard has limited interaction with the other characters besides Kirk, but his one scene of significance with another character is something that could have come straight from TOS. When Leonard argues with Spock, it's clear what he thinks of the Vulcan and his cool logic. Yes, Leonard himself is a very smart man -- probably the best doctor Starfleet has -- but he's a very emotional thinker. His actions are based on what he feels about a situation, usually leading to passionately yelling about an issue, or pulling out a hip flask to deal with things with alcohol. That is what drives him forward, and a Vulcan's way of dealing with issues is the complete opposite. He and Spock will always butt heads because of it, and it leads Leonard to make pretty rude remarks like "Pointy-eared bastard," (hey, Kirk said it first), and "Green-blooded hobgoblin." He also expresses shock at Ensign Chekov's age, thinking his theories might not fly because Leonard first and foremost thinks of himself as a cranky old man and he doesn't know what these young whipper-snappers are on about these days. By the time we see him in the 2013 film, he's shown to not act any differently towards Spock and his only significant interaction with someone beyond Kirk and Spock is with Dr. Carol Marcus, who he happens to flirt with, probably to annoy Kirk. Funnily enough, in TOS, McCoy is shown to be quite the flirt, and to fall in love easily. His scene with Carol might be a nod back to that, but it doesn't really go anywhere ~~big surprise from this writing team~~. He also briefly speaks with Sulu so he can deliver a quip, but he's always mainly interacting with Kirk or Spock over anyone else.

Overall, Leonard is a very caring man, but seeing how he's lost so much, he puts up a front of begrudgingly tolerating things and being overall unimpressed. He has fears, but he faces them, and when he has doubts, he voices them. He's incredibly loyal, but he doesn't beat around the bush, so if he thinks you're acting like an idiot, he'll tell you so. In the end, he wants what's best for everyone, and the option that leads to the least amount of trouble/repercussions/dead bodies.

Powers/Abilities: McCoy has no superhuman powers, but he is a medical genius. Creating a serum from super blood to bring someone back from the dead and heal their radiation poisoning is nothing to sniff at. I assume he took basic combat training at the Academy, since that seems to be a thing cadets do, but I don't see him as any great fighter. At most, he's probably been drawn into a couple of bar brawls thanks to Kirk and his smart mouth pissing off the wrong people.

Appearance:

WHAT.

Okay, for reals...

BEHOLD HIS SNARKY GLORY!

Samples:

Actionspam Sample:
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Prose Sample:
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