#Babylon 5 The Gathering

[therighthandofvengeance]

it’s been 31 years since the airing of the Babylon 5 pilot, The Gathering. It’s been 31 years since we discovered a dream given form. It’s been 31 years since we were introduced to the third age of mankind.

[could-they-be-a-pro-wrestler]

How successful would Londo Mollari…

Would you like to submit a character? Click this link if you do!

[pedanther]

If you're doing the Babylon 5 watchalong strictly according to the schedule and haven't seen the pilot movie, you won't know that the title of this week's episode is a call-back to a scene in the movie where Sinclair recalls the Battle of the Line:

“I was squad team leader when the call came in. We all knew it was a suicide mission. The Minbari had broken through, and were closing in. Every ship we had left was ordered to circle Earth. We had to stop them… no matter what it cost. They came at us out of nowhere. We never had a chance. The sky was full of stars… and every star an exploding ship. One of ours. My team was blown out of the sky in less than a minute.”

“I managed to take out a fighter before they hit my stabilizers. I was losing power, I'd lost my team. I figured if I was to die I'd take some of them with me. So I targeted one of their heavy cruisers. Hit my afterburners. I was going to ram them head-on. The last thing I remember is hurtling toward that cruiser. Filling my screen… big… my God, so big… Then something passed in front of my eyes. I guess I blacked out from the acceleration. When I came to, 24 hours later… the cruiser was gone. I checked in. They told me the war was over. The Minbari had surrendered.”

“We were beaten. We didn't stop them, they stopped themselves. And I wish to hell I knew why.”

[all-alone-in-the-night]

[proximafleet]

I was there at the dawn of the third age of mankind. It began in the Earth year 2257, with the founding of the last of the Babylon stations, located deep in neutral space. It was a port of call for refugees, smugglers, businessmen, diplomats. . . and travelers from a hundred worlds. Could be a dangerous place – but we accepted the risk, because Babylon 5 was our last, best hope for peace. Under the leadership of its final commander, Babylon 5 was a dream given form: a dream of a galaxy without war, when species from different worlds could live side by side in mutual respect. A dream that was in danger as never before, by the arrival of one man on a mission of destruction. Babylon 5 was the last of the Babylon stations. This is its story….

by Ambassador Londo Mollari (Babylon 5 - Pilot - The Gathering)

[walks-the-ages]

Scifi Loving friends I implore you to watch Babylon 5.

It is absolutely amazing.

Plus, you get Zathras.

[isagrimorie]

Wait! There’s a prequel movie to Babylon 5 called the Gathering???

I don’t think I’ve seen this before!

[drgaellon]

It was the dawn of the Third Age of Mankind.

The Babylon Project was a dream given form.... our last, best hope for peace.

The year is 2257. The name of the place is Babylon 5.

HAPPY THIRTIETH ANNIVERSARY.

[sorenthestoryteller]

A Pinned Post About Me

Hello!

Welcome to my Tumblr (TM) where words and thoughts will tumble along! If you have found this and for some reason wanted to know more about me.

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The Basics: -He/him -INFJ -Millennial -Christian Theologian & Philosopher -Perpetually Taken -Writer of Words -Player of Songs -DM/GM/Player of Tabletop RPGs -Pro-Choice, -LGBTQA+ Ally -Sworn Enemy of White Nationalism, Homophobia, Transphobia, Racism, Classism, and ANYONE who thinks they have a right to be cruel to anyone.

Fandoms of Note in No Particular Order: -Whovian (Classic, New, and Newer) -Persona 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and all the spin offs -Chrono Trigger -Lord of the Rings -Final Fantasy -Discworld -Wheel of Time -Lovecraft -Delta Green -Deadlands -The Matrix -U2 -Five Iron Frenzy -Earth Bound/Mother -Dresden Files -Babylon 5 -Magic: The Gathering -Twin Peaks -Resident Evil -Gravity Falls -Metal Gear -Welcome to Nightvale -Mother She Wrote -Midnight Burger

[milquetoast-on-acid]

Babylon 5: the gathering

First impressions. So I'm attending to watch B5... again. This would be my second time trying to watch it. Hopefully this goes better this time!

Okay... Why does this look like it was filmed on a cam corder?

So, she's a spider!?

This is giving blade runner vibes.

He's the obvious hero... But he's not bruce.

I hope she's a main character. Definitely not enough Asians representation on TV. Especially in the 90s.

So there was a five Babylon stations but this is the only one that still exists. And also I love a good mystery so I hope that will end up becoming a plot line. What happened to Babylon 4?

So the cgi has not aged well. At all. But that's to be expected.

The fuck is that thing!? Like a rigel from Farscape.

She's just giving him this information. Curious why?

Okay, I'm starting to get it. There's a lot of world building here already within 15 minutes of the episode.

Omg why that hairstyle 🤦��‍♀️ bald with a hairfan. 🙄

Using telepaths to do business. 😆

Are we going to get some sex scenes... because I feel like it's going in that direction.

Love the music.

Oh ok... That's cool! The vorlons are pretty dope looking.

Sabotage!

So... Are we going to see what the vorlons look like?

He turned to stone! So there are Medusa!?

So the Security Chief and Baldy Fan are definitely inspiration for Odo and Quark. Or is it the other way around?

For a sci-fi show that bed is so 90s.

Babcom 😆 what bro!

Someone is trying to start a war.

Spoiler alert: he's gonna die.

I really like the doctor and the Lt commander.

Psycore 😂

Rollercoaster transport. 😂

He's a channeling no big surprise there. Would have been cool though if the main character was the assassin.

His woman...🤮 she has a name.

He's going to be on trial for this guy's poisoning. Why is he a part of the investigation?

Those guns are so awkward looking to handle. 😆

How is the video going to prove anything to them? There's no context behind it yet. He's just shooting at someone.

[solivar]

In dark times we sometimes need something uplifting

So I present The Declaration of Principles from Babylon 5. (Originally read by powerhouse actor Andreas Katsulas)

The universe speaks in many languages, but only one voice.

It speaks in the language of hope

It speaks in the language of trust

It speaks in the language of strength and the language of compassion

It is the language of the heart and the language of the soul.

But always it is the same voice

It is the voice of our ancestors, speaking through us,

And the voice of our inheritors, waiting to be born

It is the small, still voice that says

We are one

No matter the blood

No matter the skin

No matter the world

We are one

No matter the pain

No matter the darkness

No matter the loss

No matter the fear

We are one

Here, gathered together in common cause, we agree to recognize this

singular truth and this singular rule:

That we must be kind to one another

Because each voice enriches us and ennobles us and each voice lost

diminishes us.

We are the voice of the Universe, the soul of creation, the fire

that will light the way to a better future.

We are one.

I hope it helps.

[thatsonemorbidcorvid]

“Unmasking an unutterable crime - How a newspaper exposé revealed a grisly trade in trafficked girls – and landed its editor in prison

In July 1885, the Pall Mall Gazette ran a series of articles on a scandal that was so explosive that they were preceded with a content warning. “Squeamish” and “prudish” readers who preferred to live in “selfish” ignorance were advised not to read the paper. Those who dared were promised “an authentic record of unimpeachable facts, abominable, unutterable, and worse than fables yet have feigned or fear conceived”.

The articles, collectively entitled ‘The Maiden Tribute of Modern Babylon’, was the product of a ‘Special and Secret Commission’ led by the magazine’s editor, William T Stead, on the trafficking of young girls into prostitution in London. Stead took readers on a tour of the capital’s brothels typically frequented by wealthy men in search of ‘maidenheads’ to deflower.

Through interviews with procurers and brothel-keepers, Stead reported how girls aged 11–15 were groomed, or purchased from parents, sent to collusive doctors or midwives to have their virginity certified, drugged with chloroform, and then raped in locked rooms. “In my house,” boasted one brothel-keeper, “you can enjoy the screams of the girl with the certainty that no one hears them but yourself.”

Stead even went so far as to purchase a child for himself. Thirteen-year-old Lily (later revealed to be Eliza Armstrong) was allegedly sold by her alcoholic mother for £5. Stead described the girl’s panic when she woke to find herself locked in a room with a man (ie Stead), emitting “a wild and piteous cry… a helpless startled scream like the bleat of a frightened lamb”.

The public response to the articles was overwhelming. As the newsagent WH Smith refused to sell it, large crowds gathered at the magazine’s office to obtain copies. The reports were reprinted in European and American newspapers. On 14 August, parliament passed a Criminal Law Amendment Act, which raised the age of consent for girls from 13 to 16 and gave the police greater powers to prosecute streetwalkers and brothel-keepers. Days later, 250,000 people gathered for a demonstration in Hyde Park to demand its enforcement.

Stead had succeeded in his aim – to use human-interest stories, sensation and scandal to galvanise support for social change. He had also overstepped the mark. For his role in the procurement of ‘Lily’, the editor was convicted of child abduction and sentenced to three months’ imprisonment with hard labour.”

- Rosalind Crone

[chewbokachoi]

My writing/the real reason you're here

-confetti and fanfare-

At the moment, it's all Mortal Kombat. UPDATE: There's, like, one Babylon 5 in there now!

Song Challenges - As the link explains, I write to a song and that's that.

Ask games - Always open/have no expiration date

Completed Works:

Friday Nights - A weekly ritual between the two, Johnny finds tonight's session is bringing up something he's tried to not think about. AO3 Rating: E Chapters: 4/4 Notes: Johnny/Kenshi piece and the piece that dislodged me from my writer's block and I more or less haven't stopped since (aside from a few hurdles but ya get me)

Good Dog - Shang Tsung has gathered far more enemies than allies. Realizing that he needs somebody to keep an eye out for him, he decides to hire a bodyguard. By chance, Shang Tsung arrives just in time to hire Bi-Han, a down on his luck man-for-hire. What Shang Tsung didn't expect was for this man of ice to be immune to all his usual tricks and charm. He doesn't want to admit this draws him to his guard. And on the flip side, Bi-Han didn't think he'd ever break his no-attachments rule with the likes of such a fragile mad scientist. Inspired by the amazing art of @eo03o AO3 Rating: E Chapters: 5/5 Notes: I liked their dynamic too much and am too proud of all the random Easter eggs.

Sublimation - Five years since Bi-Han's betrayal and nothing has gotten easier. Earthrealm continues to need its defenders and everyone's starting to feel the strain. But Tomas is feeling another type of strain--he's been treated like a child more than the second in command of the Shirai Ryu as of late. When Liu Kang tasks Tomas and Hanzo to return to the Lin Kuei library, destroyed during the schism, they are ambushed by Bi-Han and Shang Tsung, who offer Tomas up to an Enenra with hopes to control it.

Things, of course, do not go according to plan. Tomas is saved by Hanzo, but Tomas is once again thrown into a life altering experience he never had a say in. Now he and his friends must learn to live with this new version of their friend. AO3 Rating: M Chapters: 5/5 Notes: Part of a series (that'll get renamed). Part 2 already in the works for it. Commentary

Works in Progress:

But a Patient Wolf - Sequel to Good Dog Shang Tsung gifts "Sai" a chance to exact revenge on Quan Chi, the ringmaster of the traveling circus he once belonged to. With that done, the two flee to Chicago. But their time in the city is cut short when Shang Tsung finally figures out where the strange and mysterious island in the East China Sea is. Bi-Han, the ever-loyal bodyguard, follows his beloved mad scientist to their new destination. There, the two discover a suspiciously preserved library full of secrets and wonders that will push the two and their relationship to the limit. AO3 Rating: M Chapters: 1/5(?) Notes: I fell in love with their dynamic. They're too hard to resist. This story will likely have a different tone than Part One/Good Dog itself, but I hope it's still enjoyable!

The Great Duo: Shang Tsung is woken up one morning to find an ex and six-year-old at his doorstep. She leaves Shang Tsung with a girl who is no doubt his daughter. Initially, he takes her in, knowing it to be wiser to have somebody as smart as him on his side. Soon enough, Shang Tsung finds he not only enjoys having the kid around, but he enjoys teaching her and training her to be just like him. AO3 Rating: T Chapters: 1/3(?) Notes: This one is very much a 'I'll update as the ideas come to me' kind of thing

To Be Haunted: Johnny and Kenshi's relationship has gotten more serious with marriage in sight. Johnny's showing his commitment by welcoming Takeda, while Kenshi still struggles to feel like a good enough parent to Cassie. What should be the next step for the growing family is hamstrung by a strange entity that has made their home its own. Their lives are quickly thrown off balance as Cassie and Takeda grow ill from the creature's presence. Johnny, Kenshi, and their friends scramble to solve the mystery of the entity before it's too late. AO3 Rating: M Chapters: 13/? Notes: I am trying to update it :(

[nerds-yearbook]

Del Varner was murdered on January 3, 2257. ("The Gathering" Babylon 5, TV Event)

[themostpowerfulmagicofall]

the gathering was a wild time

Babylon 5 is open for business.

10 Caps from Babylon 5 - The Gathering (1993)

[ooksaidthelibrarian]

Babylon 5 rewatch - Midnight On the Firing Line

man they did not have a handle on the Centuri hair yet

I don't care what anyone says, I love that CGI and the ship designs

Garibaldiiiii

Ivanovaaaa

Londooooo :D

he gets SUCH a great character introduction (and so do the Centauri)

Sinclair, my man!

Vir! I adore him so much

doing the who is still alive and who is dead countdown during the credits is fucking depressing

G'Kaaaarrr!

Thaliaaaaaa (I'm sorry, I will keep doing that, be glad you're not on the couch next to me)

aw man she does not deserve the way Ivanova treats her

I love Londo's quarters so damn much

his silly little sofa cushions

and his outfits

G'Kar's outfits are incredible, too, the fabrics are beautiful

the foreshadowing in this series/the way they pick up stuff from the early episodes is so good

those cushions with the checkers and the bright patches are horrible and I love them

Kooooossshhhh!

would it save time if I just snapped your hands off at the wrist - Ivanova is the best

everyone @ their government: I'm sorry I cannot hear you over the sound of doing what the fuck I want

the Starfuries are so neat, I want one

they have so many cool alien races

Deleeeennn

Londo really delivers most of the emotionally devastating lines of the whole series

his friendship with Garibaldi is one of my favourite relationships in this

they already have such a good grasp on all the characters and their chemistry, it's a really solid base for all the changes everyone will go through

I ship Russian Winter so damn hard

Delenn and the popcorn :D

yeah that is still such a good episode and a strong introduction to everyone, I think even if you've never seen The Gathering