#…where the fuck is Chekov though…

[lichqueenlibrarian]

Especially yours

[youngpettyqueen]

Trials and Tribble-ations having the bar fight scene and seeing Chekov be unable to do a THING against a Klingon is so funny cause it happens immediately after we see Julian send a Klingon to the floor so the implication there is that Chekov is just Especially pathetic

[mkstrigidae]

Apparently, the solution to my APWH writer's block was just opening up a new word document and rewriting the whole damn next chapter.

[ifwebefriends]

My thoughts during “The Sign” [SPOILERS!!!!!]

ID in ALT

More thoughts under the cut

So I think most of us can agree that this is the best episode of Bluey so far. It was so emotional and satisfying in ways that are kinda new for Bluey. It answered so many questions while giving us a few new ones. I’ve been waiting for this episode for months and it did not disappoint in any way.

This is just a Chekov’s firing squad of an episode. As in a lot of stuff that was set up in earlier episodes all pay off in this episode. I kinda understand why people love soap operas now lol. I will say that this episode was a tad overwhelming for me in the best way possible. As in I had to pause and rewind every 30 seconds or so so I could emotionally process what was happening before moving forward (but that’s a me thing). There was just so much going on and I’m happy about that.

Now onto individual thoughts about specific things:

The callback to Baby Race (“you took your first steps in that house!”) really got to me because Baby Race was the first episode of Bluey that I watched and it immediately made me fall in love with it so it just got to me.

When Chilli said “Frisky and I came up here as teenagers to…um…think,” my mind started racing immediately with “what the FUCK happened at the Lookout?” “Who hurt Frisky and/or Chilli?” And I’m just so curious about what made Chilli say that line like that but we’ll probably never know what happened.

So yeah that scene at the end when the music was playing and Bandit ripped the sign out of the ground and Chilli tackled him to the ground ABSOLUTELY CHANGED my brain chemistry y’all. I can’t articulate my feelings any more than that.

I know some people were upset that Brandy ended up getting pregnant but I thought it was great for her! I’m happy for her! And I think that even though she got what she wanted in the end doesn’t negate the feelings she had about her infertility earlier. But I think we’re all wondering who the father is and I don’t know if the show really needs to answer that.

The whole message of “we’ll see” in terms of if something is good or bad is such a mature message that I never really thought of like that so I will be taking that philosophy forward in life. Congratulations Bluey, you managed to teach a 22-year-old childless person something new and insightful about life that I don’t think I’ve learned from another show.

I want to know more about what Bob was going through and feeling and why he went to India, but again, we’ll probably never know.

I just love how the wedding photos were beautiful but imperfect. Like of course we’re not perfect and nothing will ever be perfect but it’s beautiful and worth remembering anyway.

So many little jokes and moments were so funny in a mature way (I.e. “are we allowed to do that?” And Nana thinking there was about to be a baby announcement) were just so funny and memorable.

I think some people would say it’s a cop-out to end up not selling the house after building it up for 2 episodes but I don’t know, I think it works. I think Bluey and Bingo learned a valuable lesson and Bandit (and Chilli kinda) learned it’s not always about making their kids lives “perfect” in their eyes. Also I’m just personally glad they didn’t end up selling the house and I also kinda like that it wasn’t entirely their choice to keep it.

On a more serious note I think this episode has some interesting commentary on like gender roles and gender relations in straight relationships. In this episode Chilli and Frisky (both women) have to deal with their male significant others pressuring them to move with them far away from what they know and love. In the end they don’t end up moving and the men didn’t seem to have like malicious or selfish intent with it, they were just kinda basing their choices off their jobs instead of what’s best emotionally for their loved ones. But I think it’s interesting to have this conflict where gender is kinda brought up in a way (“because your husband is making you”). It kinda plays into the traditional idea of like men are the breadwinners and the family has to move with them regardless of what they actually want. And this episode kinda like deconstructs that and says “no, it’s not always about the job or money, it’s also sometimes about connections and emotional attachment.” And I’m not saying that you should never move or whatever, but really weigh your options. I just thought that it was interesting that this episode kinda touched on that.

So yeah that’s kinda the main thoughts I had on this episode if you made it this far thank you for reading my rambles and have a good one!

[bonnieisaway]

post episode 3 thoughts

i haven't let anything formualte in my brain i just finished watching it

Holy fuck they actually did it they're actually fucking Redtooth I didn't fucking believe they would actually do it. Like I didn't think this would actually happen. He's so much more softer than I expected already.

He's so fucking stupid I love him I love the dumb fucking habit of him just hitting shit he almost breaks his hand four separate times in this episode. Oh goddamnit I liked Redtooth. Oh no oh god.

He's so much kinder and softer already than I really thought. It feels really sudden but I like it. I just wonder where he's going to go from here. And I really wanna know why he starts crying at the end, because I didn't exactly get it (What's new /j) (the video I watched subtitled it as "a baozi store," and he cries and says "it's such a stupid pun." but I don't know why that makes him so emotional) anyway I really wanna see where he goes from here.

Aside from that I'm a little disappointed that the fight between Redtooth and White Fox wasn't very long or anything, but yay for White Fox probably being relevant later and also who the fuck was that guy that absorbed the blood demon btw i hate chekov

also it looks like we have an official ED now ? with thirteen on the moped.. I forget who it was that mention that seven and thirteen always just miss eachother in the endings but this time she looks to her right like she saw something and then her face falls .. i hate everything

the ending is really pretty though! yay

um i havent slept in like 6 hours but this episode was great but everybody who knows me knows what im here forand im tearing at the bars of my enclosure. this has placated me for now but i need more seven NEOW

[theultimatekamehamehavoc]

Okay here me out! I've had this idea cooking in my head for a while and it's taking me way too long but I'm finally doing it! Or, well... explaining it hehe! Basically, Makoto's Kirk, Byakuya's McCoy, and Kyoko's Spock. Also, had some other ideas too such as Aoi being Uhura, maybe Chihiro as Chekov though a part of my brain also thought of Komaru being in that role but that's cus I was initially thinking the other supporting cast being the survivors of the first game. The others though are like Taka as Sulu, Toko as Christine Chapel which fuck I did NOT notice the pun there. Also, I had the thought of maaaybe Leon being Scotty but that's mostly because Red hair -> Red shirt. That's it. Though for the guy who didn't last long in the canon, at least he's immune to the red shirt curse by being a main character!! ALSO, Junko as Khan. It's great and the thought of Makoto screaming Junko's name in anguish is too good to pass up! As for some thoughts on the main trio, for Makoto, it's obvious why I made him Kirk. Main man privilege. Also, any of you folks who enjoy the Makoto Harem shenanigans will especially enjoy this cus Kirk is just always around ladies so at least there's that. Not that he'd be Kirking it up. It's still Makoto after all! But still! Meanwhile, for the other two, I feel Byakuya as McCoy and Kyoko as Spock are great fits. Kyoko's known for being kinda cold and seemingly emotionless and having her arc of learning to trust people. I can just SEE the parallels of her and Spock, the balance of the analytical side of the Vulcan and the emotional side of the human. And, while it would be funny to give Byakuya the permanent pointy Spock brows, the guy's too sassy and petty to fully be a Spock. Thus, he's McCoy! He gets to bother the shit outta Kyoko in the bridge too while she dunks on him every time. Some other miscellaneous bits are that yes, Byakuya is hanging out with Toko in the med bay cus I found it funny to have him with her there. Who knows! Maybe Syo's knack with scissors can come in handy in the medical field, just like, minus the murder. Also, yes this means that Makoto is kissing Aoi at some point, that Taka is running around shirtless with a sword cus sci-fi shenanigans and that Makoto and Kyoko get to roll around in the sand as she almost tries to fucking kill him cus Amok Time being amoking and Pon Farr be like that. Also this means Makoto gets his tiddies exposed. That is if the Star Trek canon is heavily followed and all but it's just something to imagine. Plus, typing that just out there is funny to me. Don't think I have the expertise to make this an AU of my own though, probably just make silly drawings. Despite growing up with Star Trek as a kid, I was an idiot that processed none of it, only really remembering the tribbles, Kirk making a billion dramatic speeches I never understood, Spock kinda floating in space with Kirk being worried or something. Aso the movie where Spock fucking died and that other one where he hung out with some whales which is such a goofy way of describing it all. And like, I have NOOO clue what the overlap between a Danganronpa fan and a freaking Star Trek fan is. Like, I'm kinda the case study but also I have no clue at all!

[worth-this-and-more]

why are only merlins succumbing to their blood: a selwyn's tattoo appreciation concerned post

[spoilers for legendborn and bloodmarked, read at your own caution ;)]

sel's tattoos haven't been explained much, they are mentioned here and there but we don't really know much about their story or functions, if any

and the merlin's tattoo, it's only on the merlins, right?? obviously its in the name

and in the whole story, merlins are the only ones who are seen to succumb to their blood. they are the ones who are taught to be bound by oaths to keep their humanity, only natasia who went rogue is able to resist her demonia. and also, valec, even though he has the exactly-half-demon-half-human-bloodwork thing going on, he is still able to keep his demon inside way easily.

so what if the tattoos are the ones that are triggering the imbalance in merlins?? the tattoos definitely have some kind of purpose other than style or identification (lets be real identification is impossible because you wouldn't get close enough to see the tattoo anyway), because nothing tracy has ever said in the story has ever been useless. she has used the chekov's gun fundamental way too many times and I trust her on this. its just a theory, but this seems like a way bigger coincidence.

we know natasia has somehow retained her humanity, so what if with the help of faye she managed to get rid of those tattoos, and regained control of her demonia?? faye definitely helped her a lot considering that she risked her entire freedom just so she could meet bree one last time.

it's not highly unlikely, because just like valec there must be other cambions outside of the order, and assuming that they are not yet slaughtered by the order, they must also retain their humanity?? patricia's ancestor on the memory walk where pearl gave birth to valec said that "you have to cast it away before it grows big enough to do harm" but we all know valec didn't grow up unbalanced like that.

so what if cambions are just generally assumed to succumb to their blood because of the order's lies just so they can convince them to swear their undying loyalty to the order, place their whole existence in the service of legendborn, reduce their life's purpose as to just be a weapon??

merlins are constantly exploited and used throughout the order, at the price of letting them keep their humanity. no merlin with a sense of morality would ever want to go rampant like the very shadowborn they fight against, the largest part of selwyn's self-hatred stems from this. so whats to say order wont just make up another lie for this exact reason??

the orignal merlin probably used oaths to keep his descendants loyal to the order but we all know someday along the line someone is bound to question why the fuck are we supposed to save these people from our own kin?? so probably merlin made up this lie to keep the spell of eternity useful and his descendants loyal.

and then the line or mograine finally had enough of this bullshit and went rogue, ditching the order altogether. they dont seem succumbed to their demons. and I'm pretty sure they would've ditched oaths completely just out of spite, because why would you follow the footsteps of the very same thing they left??

nvm i just really need a whole detailed book chapter explaining each and every tattoo on selwyn.

[t0ast-ghost]

S3 EP9 (The Tholian Web) like Spiderman

The thoughts I had on this episode are really long so read it below

Get on with it:

- “Starship Defiant” ?!? Like DS9 ?!?

- Ghost ship

- The suits are goofy I’m sorry

- I like their little name tags on the suits tho

- Chekov looks really small in the suit, his hair looks good though

- wow… that’s just a massacre.. that’s really dark for Star Trek

- uh oh warped pov shot

- SULU IN CHARGE OF THE BRIDGE YEAHHH

- Why’re the suits so sparkly

- Kirk staying behind and Spock requesting to stay instead

- “The defiant just vanished.” Spock immediately tries to take control of the transporter while McCoy is shocked for a second and then goes to do the same

- “There’s nothing out there to grab ahold of and bring in. When that ship went it must’ve taken the captain with it.” The look Spock and McCoy share

- GET SPOCK A CHAIR! Whys he always got to bend over to work at his desk. Or get him one of those standing desks, I think he’d either like the concept or find it completely impractical

- Chekov goes feral. So feral he pushes Spock, pushes Sulu in his chair, Scotty tries to restrain him, McCoy and Scotty try to restrain him, and then Spock comes in with the nerve pinch

- I can’t

- Sulu lays Chekov’s head down so gently 🥺

- Noticing McCoy’s pinky ring :)))

- The way that they look at each other. I can’t explain it (edit: I think I was reading too much into it but have the clip anyway)

- “Spock… are you sure that Jim is still alive?” This is so vulnerable for McCoy, he wants to be reassured, because who is more sure than Spock? The answer is that Spock is not completely sure but he’s not willing to give up on Jim holding out. They’re both in the difficult spot of needing to get away for the safety of the ship but also not being able to leave Jim.

- McCoy in short sleeve shirt :) (imagine picking up a hail and you see this)

- Oh my god what the fuck is that? Are they… space spiders?

- omg hiii Chapel hiii

- Fucking help him Christine! Oh okay she tranquillized him

- “Well keep trying, Mr Scott.” He’s so desperate

- his boots

- I love their talk over comms, where they’re both trying to keep their cool with one another. There’s something about it that I just love (it’s around 20:00)

- HOW DID MCCOY GET TO THE BRIDGE SO FAST

- The Tholian ship fuckin drifting away

- They’re so tired of dealing with each other at this point. It’s like when your social battery is just gone. Maybe I’m projecting.

- Spock is losing it. Jim is gone. McCoy is upset (more upset than angry which is unusual). And now there’s space webbing.

- OH they’re holding a funeral… woah..

- Spock looks over to McCoy at one point and McCoy looks away.

- “We must accept the fact- that Captain Kirk.. is no longer alive.” This is such a terrible way to put it. He can’t admit, or at least can’t say Kirk is dead. It’s so horrible.

- That moment was really good until someone started yelling

- I wanna see more Sulu and Uhura interactions. I think they’d be really good friends

- The eye contact between Spock and McCoy oh my heart

- don’t fight please

- McCoy just asking Spock why he chose to stay when the answer is so damn obvious, ‘it’s what Jim would do, he would stay for me.’ And the destroying the Tholian ship part? It’s because Spock will just blow shit up

- “Bones, Spock, since you are playing this tape we will assume that I am dead, and the tactical situation is critical, and both of you are locked in mortal combat.” They are in mortal combat but with each other.. oh sorry that’s probably what Kirk meant

- Kirk is just like, ‘be yourselves, get along, Spock’s in charge.’

- “you might find that he is capable of human insight, and human error.” As Kirk says this Spock’s mouth slightly falls open

- “…. Spock I uh.. I’m sorry.” Don’t cry don’t cry don’t cry

- “It does hurt, doesn’t it?” “What would you have me say, Doctor?”

- I got Uhura jump scared

- THE CAPTAIN IN THE MIRROR LMAO

- THE TRANSPARENT KIRK JUST DISAPEARS. Doesn’t even cut away he just blinks out of existence right in engineering

- “In critical moments men sometimes see exactly what they wish to see.” “Do you suppose they’re seeing Jim because they’ve lost confidence in you?” Spock has to take a second after that one. He has to remind himself they’re trying to be friendly “I was merely stating a fact, doctor.”

- MCCOY SWIVELS THE CHAIR

- second McCoy apology of the episode

- “I understand, Doctor. I’m sure the captain would simply have said, ‘forget it, Bones.’” I thought they were gonna hug but no, McCoy’s just fainting. Can we talk about that line? This moment? The actual hurt in my heart. Spock is the only other one now who has called him Bones even if it was just quoting Kirk

- Kirk! The fuck are you doing?

- He’s mouthing Bones and Spock I think

- They finally get to have a drink together :)

- Chekov’s back baby!

- Well the ship disappeared and the screen went black. Imagine they just ended the episode like that?

- I think that Spock has a soft spot for Chekov

- I swear in some of these scenes where they just stare at each other, it was originally written that they share a passionate kiss.

- Kirk: And no problems between you?

Spock: None worth reporting, captain

Kirk: Try me

Spock: Hmmm.. only such minor disturbances as are inevitable when humans are involved

Kirk: Which humans, Mr Spock?

McCoy: Oh, he means that when humans become involved with Vulcans, Jim

Kirk: Ah yes, I understand

Chekov gives a little head shake at their antics. This is the most expressive Spock has been in awhile (picture is as he’s going ‘hmmm’)

- Why are they lying about seeing the orders? Do they just not want to admit they needed his help? Also Spock doesn’t fully lie here! He just mumbles off the end of his sentence. McCoy does most of the lying. They work so well together.

- McCoy goes to look at Kirk right at the end and sees Kirk looking at him so he quickly looks away.

I had so many thoughts on this one. Holy shit.

Masterpost

Episode written by Judy Burns and Chet Richards

[prettycottonmouthlamia]

All in all with Traum? It's...honestly I'm gonna say it. It's Apocrypha 2.

The good parts of Higashide's writing come through here. He's great at creating cool scenes where the servants get to show their stuff (if he respects the characters, we'll get to this). Astolfo vs Tametomo and Roland's scenes are great, and even though there are issues with Johanna as a character she has some genuinely well-written moments. Even Don Quixote has his time in the spotlight which you wouldn't expect.

But the bad parts are really present. If Higashide does not seem to care about a character, they're just going to die or be killed offscreen. Salome's entire presence in the lostbelt is bait, she doesn't really join you and literally just gets sniped by Sugitani. Sugitani themselves only show up TWICE in the entire Lostbelt: the scene where they shoot Salome and the scene at the end where she takes a shot at Zhang Jue, who doesn't die and instantly kills them in response. The reveal that Sugitani was working to destroy the Lostbelt the whole time has no weight to it because they've not shown up ever! They don't even know who we are. It's the weirdest Chekov's Gun ever.

Zhang Jue himself is a very weird case where he's technically quite important but he doesn't really do anything particularly interesting. He just sort of "dies" a couple of times, and then it's revealed he's been dead the whole time and probably made the entire singularity? But this is narrated to us by Moriarty and we don't see it or hear it from Zhang Jue because again he's...dead, kind of. It just feels weird, it feels like we should have a climatic final battle but uh...we never do.

Kriemhild...*sigh* I'm not going to go into detail on this. It's bad writing, it's really bad. It's a sudden character reversal with no real build-up or foreshadowing or...anything. It destroys every aspect of her character and leaves behind only "Siegfried's wife" which at this point, I guess I should expect from Higashide. Maybe he is a misogynist.

With the possible exception of Xu Fu, literally EVERY female character in this lostbelt is defined by their relationship to a man in some way. Some of it is obviously pre-established like Bradamante or Kiyohime, but once you get to "Johanna and Constantine XI are in love" you just kind of hope it dies in this singularity. Johanna is a cool character outside of this, and if this fucking envelops her character from here on out I'm gonna be pissed.

I don't have any strong feelings about the Holmes reveal, I do think it's funny that its foreshadowed quite early on, but it comes from a fairly logical place. It's a bitttt silly but honestly not the worst thing in the world.

[aimzicr]

Okay I saw Last Voyage of the Demeter! I have thoughts. As someone who spent three years essaying about Dracula, as a fan and student of literature-to-film adaptations/transformations, and just as a reader and listener of Daily Dracula and Re: Dracula, I have thoughts. Mild spoilers below the cut, but nothing that would ruin the experience completely if you haven't seen/can't see it.

But please be aware: Dracula DOES go about in his Lizard Fashion™.

I wasn't expecting a one-to-one transformation of the Demeter's Log to make it on screen. After all, the story of men being silently hunted until all are dead makes for a great dread-inducing setpiece for Stoker's novel, but not so much for a standalone film. I did enjoy seeing how the story took the 'based on' as far as they could before they started stretching it.

I did have a quiet laugh as the first title-card almost seemed to suggest this was REAL and TRUE EVENTS for a second. Way to get me engaged and reference the epistolary nature of the original novel.

But yes, the story does get turned into a bit of a Last Girl Horror Movie, because they see and know there's something wrong and they're actively fighting against it, even as they get picked off one by one. An interesting take, a pretty damn good method of turning a bleak setpiece into a proper standalone story.

Dot points to follow, before I forget:

The opening with the wagons moving through the countryside was breathtakingly beautiful

(I couldn't help but think 'oh they're wearing the same hats my good friend Jonathan Harker wrote about')

The captain's log being read aloud, word for word, in quieter moments was very very good. (And, of course, by this point I know it word-for-word, so picking up on the small tweaks was quite a delight).

I enjoyed hearing the familiar names as we're introduced to the crew.

The captain's decision to retire and pass the ship on does make me reconsider the mate's stoic nature in the story as a man dedicated to his duty, rather than just an antisocial asshole. Always nice to consider things from a new angle.

Chekov's Black Dog (kind of a missed opportunity to not show Dracula using a mockery of Huck to escape, but this wasn't a one-to-one transformation of texts as I said; also no reference to a black dog being an omen of death? Missed opportunity.)

Dracula being the only one on the ship being allowed to eat meat, just a glimpse of his hypocrisy and tyranny

(Though I'm not a huge fan of modern vampires being depicted as messy eaters, Netflix's Castlevania etc: just DRINK THE BLOOD stop biting people and letting them BLEED EVERYWHERE, did your mother not teach you dining etiquette???)

"Can this disease be passed to people?" "No. Not without a bite" very cute.

The initial reveal of the face in the spyglass FUCK that was terrifying.

Considering inwardly 'why he look like that? We know he was an aristocrat when he left his castle -- wait, hang on, is this what happens when vampires get seasick? When they cross running water? They stop wearing clothes and go feral?' before I turned off my brain and stopped thinking about Seasick Naked Count Dracula

They really did need to add this new character, because the audience and the crew both needed the context and information. Otherwise, how could the crew fight back? RIP to canon, I guess, (but look at it this way: once Mina starts putting all the letters together, she gives Hellsing and the others the necessary information to kill Dracula, so... not too much of a reach?)

But Dracula, sir, bringing along a snack for the road and it ISN'T our friend Jonathan Harker?

The subtle reveal-and-conceal in the early parts of the voyage of Dracula's face and form was well done and genuinely terrifying. Just the parts where you look away for just a second and he's gone? Fuck.

"No, please! D:" "No, please~ :3"

HE'S GOING ABOUT IN HIS LIZARD FASHION AGAIN. THAT BOY AIN'T RIGHT.

Knock Knock. Who's there? Not your friend, that's for sure. (Dracula stealing this is Fucked Up, in the best way. He takes EVERYTHING from you! :) )

Vampirism as possession is an excellent way to recontextualise its parasitic history/links

Where's that tumblr post about how you can tell what a good horror film is? 'This movie's great, a kid DIES in it!'

Seeing the cloth move a second before the captain says 'I saw him move' but doubting myself. I didn't see that, right? It was just the wind. Right?

Oh. It wasn't the wind.

Men of Strength overpowered, Men of Faith made to doubt, Men of Reason rattled by answers that make no sense, and the Innocent hunted down. Dracula as a force of Pure Terror that tests one's character (and then eats, because he's a boyar and he dines on the cattle of his choosing)

Did he just slam this guy down so hard his BRAIN popped out of his skull, holy shit

'In my country, there's no-one else for him to feed on' what, do people go stale after a few bites? Dracula's a picky eater?

'He's rationing' puts the journey into even greater context. A chilling sentence in the film and in the broader understanding of the Demeter's place in the novel.

a Cool Plan to Survive The Monster is very action-movie, but I knew it wouldn't work (sorry, sometimes the spoilers/pre-knowledge ruin things)

'This is my home.' Augh. 'I'll do it.' AUGH.

The slow creeping fog rising up (like hands? like an embrace?) in the final hours was CHEF'S KISS. Beautiful effect

(Also loved the effect of the wind from His Wings displacing the fog, too. Even if you don't see him, you can see where he's been)

"What's going on?" "He knows." Oh. Well. Fuck.

The Last Voyage of the Demeter isn't told from the Captain's perspective, so much of the man's nobility and sacrifice in the name of duty is lost (even to the point that his iconic death pose is capital-m Mocked by The Dracula (almost like the old BAsTard was like 'I know you've read Stoker's book but I'm here to fuck with you, dear audience'). The Captain isn't the Final Girl in this horror movie, but they do give him a proper end as far as the film goes, even if he does get a lot more rattled and shaken than his log might suggest

There's also a sense of blurred intertextuality in vampire lore here, because they drew heavily on the Hammer Films/Buffy The Vampire Slayer context of 'vampires burning in sunlight'. Not truly Stoker's Dracula...

... then again, Dracula has a very particular Design, and is credited in the crawl as 'Dracula/Nosferatu'. He was for sure Count Orlock, rather than Dracula.

Knock Knock. I'm here watching you :3

That brief touch from Dracula as he leaves the bar was - fuck, it was a split second to make a poor man flinch, but in that brief touch was the playful terror of a tyrant: I own you, I don't fear you, you can't stop me, I control you. Nothing you said to me on the Demeter had any effect on me and you are just meat. Ta ta, darling~

The movie ending with a new survivor, the potential for a new vampire hunter, was very good. Instead of the Log of the Demeter ending in bleak despair and all hands lost, instead we have a man galvanised and ready to fight against evil, even if he has to do it alone.

Music kicked ass. Very raw, very primal, very Gothic Victoriana

Lots of fun! It felt a little like they were setting up for an Extended Dracula Universe (I hope I'm misinterpreting) but I did like how Getting To Live after a traumatic experience leads to 'Fuck this guy, he's not getting away with this in the future'. Like I said before, we wanted the monster back so we could kill it, so I appreciate that's the vibe they went with for LVotD. A little bleak? Sure. But the fact that people are willing to keep fighting, even in the direst circumstances with the odds against them? That's what we need. That's what it's all about.

[something-about-sunflowers]

Alright. So quick thing cause I think I'm gonna keep my longwinded full breakdown for after the season ends:

I have two thoughts.

I legitimately forgot how much I love canon EdStede. The fandom (the Izzy-antis specifically) put such a bad taste in my mouth towards them I legitimately was to the point where I didn't want to see any of it, but returning to canon - with NEW canon - is so fucking refreshing and sweet and I do really love them.

I am WAITING for the EdIzzy blow-up. They are KILLING me with the suspense of it. Ed's made some measure of amends with everyone except Izzy and Izzy is CLEARLY taking a page out of Frenchie's book and locking that shit up TIGHT. I worry it won't be until the last episode though. I expect they'll handle it well but GOD will it kill me the entire time until we get some REAL closure on it. (And the dreamer in me hopes for reconciliation and maybe a hint at something more leading into season 3 if I'm entirely honest but I'll accept fanfic territory if we do still get a good 'friends' ending.)

(One more thing: I'm expecting a Deus Ex Buttons/Chekov's Seagull situation with whatever Big Bad Battle going on in the finale.)

[saccharine-azure]

Ask Game(?)

Since @coralhoneyrose tagged me with this questions meme she got from @tropicalcryptid, thought I'd give it a go. I think our answers might end up having a bit of overlap, lol.

1) If you had a "His Dark Materials" -style daemon, what would it be?

I haven't actually read this series, so I had to read a wiki page. I think a cat fits me pretty well? This isn't something I've spent enough time thinking about 😂. I'll be much better at the next question!

2) Ideal Pokemon team? All eras/regional forms are valid.

My eternal favorite pokemon is Magnezone, and I have a definitely have a favoritism towards the steel type. If I were to make a team of my favorites that I use most frequently when I play, it would probably be Magnezone, Latias, Sylveon, Metagross, Tyranitar, and Venusaur.

3) You have the budget and creative control to make one thing into a movie. What u doin?

There's this web novel that I've read several times, Mother of Learning, that I think would make a really good TV show. The premise is pretty simple and can be summed up in one sentence (Kid goes to wizard school, gets locked in a one-month time loop where the city is destroyed at the end), but what really earned it this special place in my heart is the insane depth of the worldbuilding. Every time I read it again, I notice new details in seemingly throwaway lines that end up getting used later, and the final act is a Chekov's Firing Squad. It would be really cool to see it on the big screen, but it's just too long to be a single movie. If I have to pick a movie though, I'll pool my money with Rose so we can make Awakening a two-parter.

4) Fuck/marry/kill, Disney Villain edition.

Hmm... I've never actually had a crush on a Disney villain before, so Fuck is the most difficult one to pick. Maybe Rapunzel's mom from Tangled?

Kill is easy. De la Cruz from Coco. I don't care that he's already dead, I'll do it again.

Marry would probably be Yzma. I think it would be fun to be on her team.

5) I am trapped in a room with you for three hours. I cannot escape. What special interest are you monologuing to me about?

I got into Final Fantasy 14 last year, and it sank its teeth into me DEEP. I got grabbed both by the story and characters, and the deep mechanics, so I could easily yap for the first 90 minutes about the narrative, my favorite characters, and OC lore, and then the second 90 minutes about optimizations for Black Mage and my opinions on game balance.

Thanks for the ping! These questions were pretty fun to answer.

[thegeminisage]

STAR TREK UPDATE TIME! once again, i am behind. four-episode update 💀monday we watched ds9's "visionary" and voy's "emanations," and last night we caught voy's "prime factors" and "state of flux" which was a banger of a fucking evening tbqh.

visionary (ds9):

HEADLINE: ONCE AGAIN, O'BRIEN SUFFERS! he's become so dear to me that i get really distressed when this happens, but also a little excited, because his reputation for suffering is like the only thing i knew about him even when he was just an extra in the tng pilot, and i like knowing what's up

actually, he did a lot of swooning this episode, which was really fun. very damsel of him.

side bar kira gets so quiet when they're dealing with people she doesn't like. it's almost like sisko told her "fi you can't say something nice don't say anything at all" and so she shuts it to avoid undermining him (whom she likes and respects) in front of people like romulans or cardassians, whomst noses she would be happy to break.

i DO like that she got to get mad later, though. ESPECIALLY mad when they insinuated that odo had feelings for her. odo agreeing that this was absolutely ridiculous totally made my night. liar liar <3

back to the a-plot, obrien and julian having moved onto darts after wringing every last bit of joy out of racketball that they possibly could...this is so funny. julian is literally going through his wifeless year right there with him. he is such a good bro

which made it so distressing when obrien saw him in the future and was like BRO HOW COULD YOU LET ME DIE

julian's response of "i did everything i could to keep you alive for an hour" was very casual but i can just imagine him sweating bullets, deeply distressed. i'm sure it was a very long hour for him. i wish they had played it with a little more gravitas!

obrien seeing his own dead body TWICE was creepy. what's more horrific, OUR obrien basically kind of died. like, future obrien is a slightly different version of him. the obrien we've known since tng is dead and he never got to say goodbye to his family. like green shirt and black shirt john. i think i spent fifteen minutes of the next episode (which was about death, hilariously) going "OBRIEN JUST DIED? HE JUST DIED??" he even said he felt like it wasn't his life...........

monday was literally existential dread night. we brought up the mood after this with...

emanations (voy):

this episode was a pretty thoughtful look at te nature of death and what happens if you fuck up a culture whose belief in the afterlife is unshakable by shaking it up. that said, absolutely none of this is up my alley. GOOD for harry kim though. or um bad for him depending where you fall on that

i liked chakotay's story at the beginning about accidentally desecrating someone's grave. i was afraid they were having him be ultracautious about the dead bodies because they were being racist like oh he's aware because native americans are so Spiritual but he literally just picked up a rock once and felt bad about it. could happen to anyone. bullet tentatively dodged.

i have been referring to harry kim as chekov with brain cells but i think in this episode he lost the brain cell for a little while. he very much violated the prime directive with every word. dude, don't tell them you came from the asteroid with the dead bodies!

that said, i am no less fond of him - it was very compassionate to offer that guy a way out and VERY brave to get back into the death pod wearing the death shroud

it is crazy also that this place was in a whole other fucking dimension. this could easily have been a planet.

janeway & co waking that alien lady up and her finding out the afterlife is not real and that she still has to die anyway was really horrible and fucked up. like, they didn't even need to do that to get harry back. he got it on his own. they just tortured her for nothing <3

janeway at the end like i wanna give you time to reflect on what happened harry kim :) and harry kim is like yeah i should do that :) and theyre like yeah the afterlife might be real after all bc of the energy around this planet :) not my ass. there's not even a therapist on board. i would be back to work as QUICK as possible. who wants to reflect on getting into the death pod!!!

prime factors (voy):

HOLY SHIT.

here is the thing. if you let it, this episode will FUCKING take you places

wait wait let me go back and remark on some little details before i get into it. firstly, tom paris needs to stop trying to get harry laid. he'll cheat on his gf if and when hes ready and considering the extenuating circumstances we can't get mad at him bc for all he knows his gf thinks hes dead and has begin moving on too

also, smart of them to bring seska in for this episode when next episode she. you know. bc she's had such small parts so far that otherwise i'd be wondering who tf this even is. and she is HERE to cause problems on purpose! she's such a bad fucking influence i was absolutely aghast. more on this in the next episode but it's a wonderful way to show the maquis guys, who, lest we forget, FUCKING HATE STARFLEET, didn't all automatically hop on the starfleet bandwagon just because they're all stuck out here together.

i think janeway could have pulled a captain kirk in this episode ie fucked and sucked her way to victory. i mean, i'm glad she didn't have to bc that guy was SO skeezy, but she COULD have and it wouldn't have felt the way deanna's victimization in tng felt, it would have felt like kirk's close encounters in tos.

harry kim discovering the transport technology by accident when he's about to finally cheat onm his gf with some hot alien lady...poor harry. he has the worst luck recently.

and of course now we get to the big thing. the tech. the Big ethical dilemma. i LOVE that they quoted the prime directive here - like yes, of course it sucks for the aliens! it's also true what harry said that it still does more good than harm, but there has to be nuance involved...i still think it's stupid to let an entire culture die rather than save them, etc

you know, and i was sitting there like. falling out with this episode, is the thing. i was sitting there going jesus christ why is everyone being so STUPID why are they disobeying orders why aren't they thinking straight. especially after the huge plot twist of tuvok being the one willing to take one for the team, so to speak, and do the illegal dealings so he could save janeway's morality (WHICH: HELLO??? WHY DO THAT IF NOT FOR THAT FORBIDDEN EMOTION: FRIENDSHIP). like just wait to test the damn thing! tuvok is on his way to janeway RIGHT NOW!

but they're desperate. they're desperate and scared shitless and of COURSE it is making them stupid. they almost KILLED EVERYONE because they weren't being smart because THEY WANTED TO GO HOME. like, the scene in janeway's office at the end totally saved all of this for me. you can see on b'elanna's face so clearly she is facing her sins in the cold light of day and having the SAME THOUGHT PROCSS which is "how could i have possibly been so FUCKING stupid"

oh my god. i rewatched it twice. JANEWAY. did we know kate mulgrew could ACT? she was so emotional but still holding it together because SHE IS THE CAPTAIN. her whispered "dismissed" at b'elanna after she GAVE B'ELANNA A CHANCE. i would have sunk right through the floor. and her speech to tuvok!!! "you can use logic to justify anything that is its power and its flaw" LIKE HOLY SHIT GIRL. SAY IT, OUT LOUD!

sorry ik hes married but i also know hes gotta do pon farr eventually he and janeway could get it. like they could literally get it just as buds like one time. "we have forged this relationship over years and i depend on it" SHE LITERALLY DOES DEPEND ON IT! like, that was easily, EASILY the finest acting we have seen in this series so far. that scene CRACKLED. it was incredible. it took an episode i was losing faith in and flipped it around to one of my favorites. 10/10

state of flux (voy):

this one wasn't as good as the previous one but it was still pretty fucking good.

the mystery was really entertaining in this one and kept me guessing until the end. i kept going "no it's too EASY if it's seska" and then seska would trick me and everyone else into thinking she had plausible reasons for x suspicious fact and i would go SEE she's just complex! but she got me. and in hindsight it's SO obvious, and especially compared to lt carey who was a dick at first but fell in line and is working on his redemption arc or whatever. it wouldn't make sense narratively to send him back

chakotay refusing to take even ONE MORE BITE of that soup he wanted so bad after he realized seska essentially stole it. punishing himself ALONG WITH everyone else for the infraction. seska is such a good way to illustrate the tensions between starfleet and the maquis, even out here, and chakotay is in SUCH a rough position, having to both protect his own people AND keep them in line AND protect them BY keeping them in line. he and janeway both want the crew to be completely integrated but it's just not that easyyyy i love the complexity of it all

i feel like i recognized the filming locations in this one...yeah, all caves look alike but it looks so much like that valley outside the holo-city from ds9 and the save reminded me of that tng ep where picard and crusher got mind-linked

janeway was a sucker to let those kazon get that close. like of COURSE they kill the guy after the entire ship bled to save his life. but she's a well-meaning sucker. classic starfleet move

i also love chakotay's little crisis at the end. like, bro, am i that easy to trick? he is trying so hard and everything continues to fall apart around him!!! he hates cardassians and he was fucking one! dude is living in a nightmare scenario.

i hope we see seska again - they wrote her out when she just now got interesting. problems on purpose.

crack headcanon for a second there was maybe she was that woman they thought kira was in that one cardassian kira episode. that would have been way more interesting than her being cardassian on purpose, actually

TONIGHT: ds9's "distant voices" and "through the looking glass."

[sparxwrites]

"Play Your Part", director's cut edition

[original fic]

“I killed him,” says Grian, as Scar comes up behind him. He’s staring down at Bigb’s grave – at the improvised headstone, the wilting flowers, the little handful of sand poured on top of it like an offering. He doesn’t look sad, exactly. A bit regretful, maybe. But mostly just confused, as though this wasn’t inevitably what happened when you dropped rocks on people’s head at close range. 

As though this wasn’t always where they were heading – a red life, a shallow grave, and no remorse.

Scar is back on his I know how stories work bullshit. In my head, he’s always like… a weird combination of superior, because he can manipulate stories like no one else can, and bewildered, because it’s so obvious, guys. It’s so obvious where they’ve been heading, to him. He’s been able to see it since the story first hooked into them, locked into its course. Right now, though, I think he’s mostly just bitter.

“Yes,” says Scar, cold and unkind. He stops a few feet from Grian, and makes no move to come closer. No move to reach out and offer comfort. “You did.”

Like I said! Bitter. And he’s hiding it so well. :)

“He was my secret soulmate,” says Grian. He sounds lost, a little. He looks up from the fresh-turned earth, dark eyes drawn to Scar’s red ones. “What am I supposed to do now?”

Grian… not so good at stories. He’s above all that. He’s clever enough to do what he wants! He’s got agency! (This is deeply sarcastic, btw.) Which means he’s bewildered, each and every time, when the narrative bonks him over the head with a tragedy he’s very obviously (to others who know stories, i.e. Scar) locked himself into from the start.

Scar closes his eyes for a moment, and breathes through the red thump thump thump of his heart. He’s gritting his teeth so hard he can feel his pulse in his molars. 

Red because hearts are red, blood is red. Red because the red mist descending as a metaphor for uncontrollable anger. Red for red life.

“You play your part,” he says, and though he aims for cruel, he mostly hits tired. “I’m your soulmate. Not him. And now he’s dead, and we’re not, and the story must go on. So. We’re both red. We’re in love. We kill people. We play the game, together. That’s what we do.”

This is Scar admitting a lot of stuff semi-unintentionally, under the guise of educating Grian about what the server’s story is. We’re in love is especially sharp, though I doubt Grian catches it – it implies that they’re not really in love (or at least, one of them (Grian) isn’t), they’re just play acting it for the sake of the narrative. It’s also an indication that this narrative is a strong one, a big one. Stuff like friendship points is a small narrative. Sure, it hooks people in, but it isn’t all that binding. Scar can weaponise it. But this one… this one is too big, too hungry, too off-the-leash, for him to have any hope of that. Because Grian started this one, and Grian always lets his stories get out of control. So now the only way to survive is to play the game.

“But–”

“You play your part, Grian.” Scar’s voice is flat, unyielding, and brooks no argument.

Grian, as always, brooks one regardless. He sets his jaw, juts his chin out like a stubborn child. The motion is so endearing, so familiar, it makes Scar’s cold chest ache. “What if I don’t want to?”

Agency is throwing a temper tantrum when fate pulls the trigger on that Chekov’s gun you left lying on the kitchen table in plain sight, according to Grian. According to Scar, that’s called being a dumb fucking idiot. You don’t leave a gun on the table and then get surprised when someone picks it up and shoots it. Especially not in a server that’s been taught to love death.

“You think Pearl wants to be crazy?” snaps Scar, the tiredness burning away into irritation. “You think Scott wants to hate her? You think Martyn and Cleo want to do whatever the hell it is they’re doing? You think Impulse really loves Bdubs?” He pauses, his eyes hard. “You think I really love you?” Grian flinches. Scar presses on. “No. But we’ve all got our roles to play, and we’re playing them, because that’s how this works. There’s a story to be told, here, and I for one want it over, as soon as damn well possible. And so, just like everyone else on this godsforsaken server other than you, I’m playing my part.”

This… is a little bit my headcanon for the Life smps (other than ‘fun murder holiday’, which is my Other headcanon for the Life smps). That like… I touched a bit on this in Battle Plans, but this idea that the Hermits are being dragged into this, and they’re terrified of it, and they’re pissed off with it, and they’re doing their best to just make it stop. There’s a very real sense I was trying to get across of them being puppets on a string here, where they’re all miserable and scared and feel like they’re being forced to dance for someone else’s entertainment.

“I swore– Scar, you know I swore I’d never– I wouldn’t let Them control me again–”

Trauma? About the Watchers? From Grian? :) Nah, couldn’t be. No idea what you’re talking about.

“For once in your life, listen to me,” snaps Scar, grabbing Grian by the front of his jumper. Grian’s staring like he’s never seen Scar before – and maybe he hasn’t, not like this. Not cold with anger, cruel with frustration, face blank and eyes dead. “There is a narrative loose on this server and, one way or another it’s going to eat us all alive. Now– we can either get it over and done with, as quick as we can. Or, we can fight it, and lose, and drag the whole goddamn thing out for no goddamn reason. And we have all, collectively, picked option one – other than you. So.” He shakes Grian, hard enough to half-lift him off the ground. Hard enough he sways where he stands, held up only by Scar’s fist curled tight in his clothing. “Play. Your. Part, Grian.”

(John Mulaney voice) There's a narrative LOOSE on the SERVER. But also, more seriously, a) me back on my narrative bullshit again, and b) this is Scar being like. the server has collectively given up. What he's describing is functionally everyone on the server collectively committing indirect suicide, which is horrific.

Grian gulps. Swallows. Nods, tersely. 

Scar lets him go. Raises an eyebrow. When he crosses his arms over his bare, scarred chest, his fingers dig bruises into his own biceps.

“Yeah. Okay,” says Grian, tight and miserable. “Fine. I’ll play the stupid bloody game. Fine.”

“Okay, what?” says Scar, and wishes the victory felt less hollow.

Scar’s just being nasty and vindictive now. This has nothing to do with narratives, and everything to do with punishing Grian for his infidelity.

“Okay, beloved.” The endearment sounds like a razor blade in Grian’s mouth.

Two can play at that game.

Scar swallows bile. For a second, the ice in his eyes cracks. There’s heat beneath the surface, a raging, howling fire somewhere just below the cold. Then it’s gone. The ice returns.

Literally no one is fucking happy about this. They’re both mad at each other for dumb bullshit reasons because they’re toxic and dysfunctional and don’t fucking talk to one another and are madly in love without ever actually telling the other person explicitly and therefore both dealing with ‘unrequited’ love in the worst and stupidest way possible here. Guys. C’mon. You could fix this with a lil bit of talk therapy, I swear to god.

“Good,” he says, with a bright smile, and takes Grian’s hand. Pulls him away from the grave. Grian lets him, his fingers cold, his grip slack in Scar’s. “Because, no matter what – the show must go on.”

He’s not really talking about the narrative here, any more. I mean, he is. But mostly he’s talking to himself. Chin up, Scar. Mask affixed. Don’t let them see you hurting.

[film-in-my-soul]

Fandom Fic Rec: Throw Back Edition

I'm making a game cause I'm bored, and I've been thinking about old fandoms I've been in and the fics that have left an impression on me! So here are the rules:

Chose 5 fandoms you are no longer active in (as in actively participating/creating in), and then chose 1 fic for each fandom that's stuck with you. Tag 5 people when you're done!

(Of course, if you're not tagged, you're welcome to play. I just think it's fun to do a little fandom digging and share some blasts from the past :3)

1. Fandom: Harry Potter | Pairing: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter

Forgive Those Who Trespass by: Lomonaaeren (AO3)

This fic is filled with heavy and disturbing subject matter, so if you check it out please mind the tags and then expect a little worse. Still, it's a highly captivating story, and the pacing is phenomenal. I love this writer a lot, actually, and when I was actively reading Drarry it turns out they wrote a lot of the ones I enjoyed.

2. Fandom: Law & Order: SVU | Pairing: Rafael Barba/Sonny Carisi

Good Morning by: @poipoi1912 | Kaye_21 (AO3)

I'm pretty sure, aside from the credit I give the TG fandom. This was actually my first introduction to the time loop concept. It's one I come back to, ironically, over and over again. I love pretty much everything about it, to the point where I once asked to do a podfic (and boy howdy did that slip through my fingers .-., rip to non-planning Alex of old) of the piece because I loved it so much!

3. Fandom: Star Trek (2009) | Paring: Leonard McCoy/Pavel Chekov

The Gap Between (Fanfic.net) by: McStories (Fanfic.net)

Talk about an age gap with this one (ties back into the title actually) and a rarepair at that. I don't even remember what fic got me into this pairing, though I know who to blame for dragging me into it. This fic runs the gauntlet of characters having misconceptions, preconceived notions, and learning how to get the fuck over themselves. I love this fic to pieces. It's one of the few I've read multiple times, and if you're open to the ship I highly recommend giving this one a shot. There is heavy subject matter, however, so be mindful.

4. Fandom: Teen Wolf | Paring: Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski

(not so) Pure Imagination by: @halekingsourwolf / @theroguesrandom | theroguesgambit (AO3)

The concept in this fic was the first time I'd ever seen it done, and god, is it done well. It's fun and sexy and filled with a glorious amount of guilt and pining. Wonderful all the way through and one of the few Sterek fics that immediately comes to mind! If you're into Sterek and you haven't read this please do yourself a favor and go on!

5. Fandom: Stargate: Atlantis | Pairing: John Shepard/Rodney McKay

know how to fall by Auburn (Website)

With the downfall of old personally owned/hosted fanfic site, in the dark ages before AO3 and Fanfiction.net, where LiveJournal was really poppin', it's an honest to god shame how many amazing fanfictions have been lost to the cruel ways of the internet, and no fandom for me has been hit as hard as the Stargate: Atlantis fandom. I was so happy to see that this fic lived on with Auburn's personally maintained archive, and I hope that some of you get a chance to read this fic as well as some others from this author.

Tagging: @thestarlitnight @blackestglass @yikes-00 @kd-heart @cristinuke

(please do not feel like you need to have yours look like this; I am just very extra)

((also, rip to everyone in [REDACTED] who has seen these links over the last few months already <3))

[hazelnut-u-out]

Thoughts on Space Beth? :)

Omg, this is a good one for me...

I love Space Beth! (totally am not madly in love with her)

I think it's super interesting to see the differences that develop between Domestic Beth and Space Beth as the series goes on. Not to go on a Domestic Beth rant, but I'm loving her character development over the last few seasons. We got a lot of moments in s5-7 that really highlight how much she's blossoming into motherhood now that she has the perspective that she's chosen it. Space Beth proves that she could've done it. She could've run away and made it on her own. She could've been a genius cyborg scientist, just like her father, if she'd wanted to. Those 'what if's' she's always had about her lost adulthood have, somewhat, been absolved. Now, Domestic Beth has the floor to be a mom. I have a suspicion that she always viewed Summer as a choice and Morty as the reason she was stuck. Morty reminds her of the decision she made to stay and commit to a domestic life with Jerry, so she had that bottled up resentment. Now, with the knowledge that she's also a badass, she's found a way to view him as a child... (a bit too late though, girl... yikes...)

Space Beth scares the shit out of me, though, to be honest. She's so much like Prime that I worry what would happen if she were scorned. She even cites being the version of herself that's not afraid to tell her family to fuck off. Not that I think it would ever happen, but she's like a Chekov's Beth with the parallels to Prime, haha. When's she gonna blow?

All of it does come back around to that resentment, though. Space Beth seems to still view family as something that's held her back to some degree. She views family as something that was done to her, not something she chose to create.

I also think that Space Beth is a lot like Rick. They both boil relationships down to sex, and nothing more (Space Beth referring to Domestic Beth as a clone being slept with instead of a wife/partner to herself and Jerry). I'll be interested to see where they take her. I appreciate that she does, at least, seem slightly more family oriented and that she doesn't just abandon the family justifiably.

I desperately need an episode where Space Beth puts Morty in danger and Domestic Beth scolds her. Show me their differing parenting ideologies!! Show me that where Domestic Beth has grown Space Beth has stagnated!!!! AHHHH!!!

Also, I love how gay and gross she is <3 I'd like an exploration of Space Beth and Domestic Beth having different sexualities, as well. I think it would be cool to show how those things can validly evolve over time based on experiences and circumstances. Like, if Space Beth considered herself a lesbian while Domestic Beth still identified as bisexual, I'd find that so cool.