#Extreme Measures: Sloan finds out

[the-last-dillpickle]

idk if i’ll ever write it but i have a concept in my head for a longer AU where a different agent is sent to destroy the cure in Extreme Measures, and it all goes down roughly the same, and then Sloan becomes a little bit obsessed trying to find out what really went down. At some point, Julian goes on the run to try to bring down S31, and Sloan bides his time by becoming besties with Miles who knows of S31 and Sloan but doesn’t actually know what he looks like, and thus that this Lester character is a little bit too familiar. It probably wouldn’t happen in the main fic (but maybe a side installment) but I like to imagine they have sex at some point after Miles waxes poetic about Julian and how much he misses him

[sciencespies]

Indoor air quality experiments show exposure risks while cooking, cleaning

https://sciencespies.com/environment/indoor-air-quality-experiments-show-exposure-risks-while-cooking-cleaning/

Indoor air quality experiments show exposure risks while cooking, cleaning

When you’re cooking or cleaning inside your home, what chemicals are you breathing, and are they potentially harmful? Colorado State University chemists have given us a solid start on the answer.

A large, collaborative research experiment that attempted to map the airborne chemistry of a typical home took place in 2018 and was co-led by Delphine Farmer, associate professor in the Department of Chemistry at CSU. The experiment, called HOMEChem, brought 60 scientists from 13 universities to a test house at the University of Texas at Austin to perform typical home activities like cooking and cleaning and to use sophisticated instrumentation to document the chemistry that resulted. The effort, called HOMEChem, was supported by the Sloan Foundation.

In a new paper in Environmental Science & Technology, Farmer’s team at CSU has taken the massive amounts of data collected during HOMEChem and sorted it out by health effects. They identified how many compounds they observed that are known human toxins, or, based on newer Environmental Protection Agency models, predicted to be likely human toxins. Most such compounds are emitted in low quantities and can be cleared through proper ventilation. But the health impacts of both the individual compounds and their complex mixtures indoors are not well understood by scientists.

The bottom line? “Indoor air isn’t going to kill you, but we do find that indoor air has many more – and often times at higher levels — known and potential air toxics versus outdoors, particularly when you’re cooking,” said Farmer, an atmospheric chemist who, before this experiment, had spent the majority of her career measuring more “traditional,” outdoor air toxics.

Data management

The feat of data management for meaningfully connecting the data from HOMEChem to toxins databases was led by co-author Anna Hodshire, a former CSU postdoctoral researcher with skill in analyzing data from atmospheric instrumentation.

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“I think it’s very interesting that there are so many compounds emitted from common household activities, and that the majority of these compounds have not been studied from a toxicity perspective,” Hodshire said. “This doesn’t automatically mean that all of these compounds are toxic – but it does point to the fact that a lot more work needs to be done to assess some of the compounds that are emitted frequently in high concentrations from household activities.”

From the vast array of compounds measured during HOMEChem, there emerged the usual suspects, like benzene and formaldehyde, in varying quantities. The lesser-known acrolein, which is a pulmonary toxicant emitted by lumber and heating of fats, came to light as a potential compound of interest for further investigation, Farmer said. Another compound that emerged from Hodshire’s analysis was isocyanic acid, which is not well studied and is known to react with proteins in the human body.

The researchers found that cooking activities produced larger amounts of potentially toxic compounds, similar to some seen in wildfire smoke — which made sense to Farmer, when you think of a wildfire as just an “extreme form of cooking.”

Gaps in understanding of everyday toxins

Contributing to the body of knowledge around indoor air chemistry through the HOMEChem experiment has given Farmer and her team a newfound appreciation of just how much is missing of our understanding of our everyday exposures to potential toxins.

“We have done our part now, and hopefully there’s enough information for others to pick up the charge and see what compounds are important to study,” Farmer said.

Farmer and collaborator Marina Vance from the University of Colorado Boulder led a follow-up experiment to HOMEChem in 2022 called CASA, which delved further into how chemicals emitted indoors react with surfaces such as floors, walls and furniture. Results from that experiment are forthcoming.

Story Source:

Materials provided by Colorado State University. Original written by Anne Manning. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

#Environment

[youngpettyqueen]

unpopular opinions ask ds9 edition: black heart and broken heart

I forgot about the emoji asks I reblogged for a second and was sitting here going "I dont remember an episode called black heart and broken heart I need to go look it up for my hot take on it" and then I. remembered. good morning I promise im awake

YES good questions lets see...

🖤: Which character is not as morally good as everyone else seems to think?

DS9 is one of those ones where I feel like most people get that literally everybody has moral nuance and everybody either lives in or dips into grey areas. that said, there is sometimes a tendency to over-babify Julian and act like he's done nothing wrong ever in his life, when that is very much not the case. I love him, he's my favourite, he's rewired my brain, but like. while Julian does staunchly stick by his own moral code as much as he can, he does show a willingness to do some fucked up shit. see Extreme Measures- Sloan is horrible, yes, but what Julian does to him in that episode is fucked up! see also his suspect behaviour towards women at times. and Chrysalis, where he pursues a relationship with Sarina- I know this one's hotly debated, but at the end of the day, Sarina is his patient and it is wrong to pursue a relationship with her. granted, on that one, Star Trek did love to do doctor/patient relationships in the 90s regardless of whether or not it would be in character for said doctors to pursue said patients, but still. it happened, I will acknowledge and include it here as an example that Julian isn't perfectly morally good

I feel like this take on him stems a lot from how its a widespread headcanon that he's autistic- a headcanon I share- because people tend to infantilize autistic characters which is. incredibly frustrating. I dont see it super often, but it tends to run in circles where people treat Julian like he's an insecure sad child and therefore could do no wrong. I could do a whole rant about that lol

💔: If you had to remove one major character from the series, who would you choose?

YOU CANT DO THIS TO ME I LOVE THEM ALLLLLLL. I genuinely dont know who I would remove. removing any one of them is devastating to me personally I love themmmmm but also removing any one of them would lead to some major differences in the series which I think could be fascinating to explore? some examples-

removing Odo would, in my opinion, have a massive impact on how the crew of DS9 interacts with the Changelings and the Dominion War. I do wonder how not having Odo around would affect how they approached the engineered disease against the Changelings- it was easier to protest it and try to find a cure when their friend was suffering, but if it was only the enemy? I wonder how that would've shaken up

removing Kira could be a big shake up with Federation/Bajoran relations in a scenario where instead of having a Bajoran as his secondhand, the Federation assigns Sisko a Starfleet First Officer. even with several Bajorans onboard both as Bajoran Militia and as civilians, I think without a Bajoran as his secondhand, even with his status as the Emissary, Sisko and by proxy the Federation's dynamic with Bajor would've been a lot more tense and maybe even hostile. beyond just being a Bajoran though, Kira specifically is so fiery and passionate and willing to butt heads with and go against Sisko, that taking her out and having somebody less fierce, less angry in her place would've also massively shifted the dynamic

I dont know if Garak necessarily counts as a major character but im counting him- I would be fascinated to see how the crew navigates some of those more morally dark scenarios without the convenience of handing it off to Garak or getting his help. In The Pale Moonlight without Garak would be a VERY different episode. it'd be interesting to see just how far people would be willing to go, without the convenience of someone like Garak around who's more than willing to do the dirty work

removing Ezri from the last season would be an interesting change in how everybody handles Jadzia's death. with Ezri there, there's this space that's filled, if only in the physical sense of another body filling that gap because, of course, Ezri isn't Jadzia and it isn't the same. it would've been interesting to really feel that absence through the last season- its desperate times and maybe nobody new can be brought in, and the crew just has to deal with this gap in their lives now. always one empty chair, one empty space, the absence of a laugh, a witty remark. I wonder how this would've affected the way everybody grieved, how things would've progressed differently, if Ezri wasn't there to help things along

just a few examples there, I honestly cant settle on a character I would remove, but I think removing any of them makes for a fascinating change in the series and how things progress. the one character I would say you absolutely cant remove is Sisko- you NEED Sisko in DS9, you cant take him out. anybody else you could take out and it could be interesting, but Sisko is a necessity he has to stay

[amritaself]

The Louis Vuitton Diaries

I am here to confess: I am an absolute sucker for luxury bags! My journey began with a totally impulsive purchase of my first Louis Vuitton. It was love at first sight and since then, my obsession for luxury bags has only grown deeper. Maintaining an air of sophistication and elite composure, while internally feeling like a kid in a candy store with not enough money to pay for it places me squarely in the "aspirant" category.

Every annual bonus I have earned has been meticulously stashed away for my next luxe splurge, fuelling my collection (My mother even joked after my admission to Sloan that I could use the bags to fund my course!) and my wanderlust - apart from the romantic streets of Paris and the alluring landscapes, Europe offers the sweetest deals on luxury bags— lowest prices plus tax rebates right at the airports! Which means my luxury bag fund has to include a vacation fund too – making the saving extremely exhausting on my mental health! And yet I am not in the “by invite only” list of Hermes!

I have had countless debates with friends who argue that knock-offs offer the same prestige without the hefty price tag. But they are missing out on the magic of the real deal. It is not just shopping; it is an event that makes you feel exclusive and special. And no other brand does it quite like LV. Whether in Paris, Tokyo, or any corner of the globe, the warmth of Louis Vuitton outshines them all.

In Hong Kong, the scene outside luxury stores is almost ironic, adding steam to the arguments made by my friends. Picture this: eager shoppers queuing up outside luxury stores, each waiting for their turn to be treated like royalty. Meanwhile, just across the street, you will find stalls flaunting the first fakes of the very brands these shoppers are queuing for. But, the only redeeming factor for me is that there are very few to no Louis Vuitton first fakes I have seen there!

This leads me to ponder the delicate balance luxury brands must maintain among their diverse customer segments. I know all too well that in tough times, spending on luxury items is not feasible for the “accessible” and “aspiring” segments and unfortunately they are in majority compared to the “absolutes”. Thus, balancing the needs of the absolute, aspirational, and accessible segments, while preserving a brand’s aura of unique, discreet luxury, is no small feat. Additionally, as luxury brands expand into online retail, despite its convenience, cannot fully substitute the sensory and personalized experience of an in-store visit. However, for me, sacrificing the allure of mystery to shift towards the mass market could diminish the essence of true luxury and be a death knell for luxury brands. Distribution channels are a vital reflection of this very distinction

From selecting prime retail locations to launching limited-edition collections and strategically choosing wholesale partners, every decision is critical. Reimagining the online shopping experience for direct-to-consumer channels – introducing live streaming for exclusive viewing of new launches, virtual exhibitions by invite only, easy access to support via chat, email, or phone, virtual appointments where customers can receive one-on-one consultations - could be game-changing. This approach, coupled with stringent anti-counterfeiting measures and initiatives to align with local preferences, could propel Burberry forward without relying on broad mass appeal. Ultimately, it is the allure of exclusivity and mystery that elevates the desirability of luxury goods.

[laresearchette]

Tuesday, January 31, 2023 Canadian TV Listings (Times Eastern)

WHAT IS NOT PREMIERING IN CANADA TONIGHT FIGHT THE POWER: HOW HIP HOP CHANGED THE WORLD (PBS Feed) LA BREA (NBC Feed/Premiering on February 01 on CTV at 10:00pm)

NEW TO AMAZON PRIME CANADA/CBC GEM/CRAVE TV/DISNEY + STAR/NETFLIX CANADA:

AMAZON PRIME CANADA NATE BARGATZE: HELLO WORLD

CRAVE TV EXTRATERRESTRIAL

NETFLIX CANADA COPENHAGEN COWBOY: NIGHTCALL WITH NICOLAS WINDING REFN CUNK ON EARTH PAMELA, A LOVE STORY

NHL HOCKEY (SN) 7:00pm: Kings vs. Hurricanes (TSN2/TSN5) 7:00pm: Sens vs. Habs

NBA BASKETBALL (SN Now) 7:00pm: Heat vs. Cavaliers (TSN/TSN4) 7:30pm: Lakers vs. Knicks (SN1) 8:00pm: Clippers vs. Bulls (TSN/TSN4) 10:00pm: Pelicans vs. Nuggets

CHUCK AND THE FIRST PEOPLES' KITCHEN (APTN) 7:30pm: Baie -Trinité, QC:  Chuck meets Norbert Fontaine, a skilled boat captain from the Innu community of Uashat Mak Mani-Utenam; Chuck joins Captain Fontaine and his sons on a snow crab fishing adventure, where he learns how to prepare bait for crab traps.

22 MINUTES (CBC) 8:00pm: You’ve made it through COVID, now can you get enough votes to stay on the island? 22 Minutes takes on the pandemic and Survivor on an all-new episode.

HUDSON & REX (City TV) 8:00pm: The Miranda Act

MARY MAKES IT EASY (CTV Life) 8:00pm: Taking cooking off the to-do list with Mary's batch-made meals to fill the freezer.

KARENA AND KASEY'S FOREIGN FLAVOURS (APTN) 8:00pm: Kasey and Karena travel to Ireland where they discover the importance of local produce, suppliers and people.

SON OF A CRITCH (CBC) 8:30pm:  Mark uncovers dark family secrets when he researches the Critch family tree. Meanwhile, a death in the family causes Pop to reassess his relationship with his son.

WORKIN' MOMS (CBC) 9:00pm: Kate spins a PR crisis using Nathan's recent guilty pleasure. Anne and Lionel grow suspicious of Alice's involvement in a club, and Val helps Sloane find community of her own.

WONG & WINCHESTER (City TV) 9:00pm: The case of Li Ying's cursed tea shop leads Wong and Winchester to uncover a shady developer's scheme and some surprising family secrets that hit close to home.

CATASTROPHE (CBC) 9:30pm:  A new headteacher leads to a sticky situation at Sharon's school, but Rob may be moving up the pecking order at Braeband.

MEAN MUMS (APTN) 9:30pm: Jess and Ryan are running late for school on a field trip day; together they must navigate various setbacks on their way to school to catch the bus to the zoo; Heather picks a fight in the school parking lot.

THE GREAT BRITISH SEWING BEE (Makeful) 10:00pm: The quarter-final takes the sewers back to the golden era of the 1930s.

WIPEOUT (CTV Comedy) 10:00pm (SEASON PREMIERE):  Contestants have a chance to traverse three of the most challenging courses in "Wipeout" history to win $25,000.

BEACH HUNTERS (HGTV Canada) 10:00pm (SEASON PREMIERE): A couple makes their dream come true by buying a beach home in Norfolk, Va.; a couple looks for a traditional, New England-style home in Cape Cod, Mass.

GOLD, LIES & VIDEOTAPE (Discovery Canada) 10:00pm: A family's decades long battle with the U.S. government to gain access to an alleged fortune. Doc and Babe take extreme measures to recover the billions in gold bars sealed underground; Alex and team explore the fissure and make a big discovery that brings them one step closer to the treasure.

IN LOVE WITH A PROBLEM (documentary) 10:30pm: Two innovative teens set out to rid the world of plastic waste. Along the way, they discover plastic-eating bacteria.

THE PRETENDIANS (documentary) 11:00pm: Anishinaabe author Drew H. Taylor investigates how and why Indigenous identity, culture and art are being appropriated.

[functionaxes]

breakdown of how 16personalities scores its test and why it is not a valid mbti test

it’s very damaging that 16personalities is the first result for a mbti test when the reality is you can’t quantify cognitive functions like that.

simply put, 16personalities is actually the Big Five / Global 5 with a coat of paint using the mbti letter dichotomy despite the fact it does not use any jungian concepts whatsoever. the result you’re getting is that of the Big 5. see for yourself.

so lets talk about the Big 5 and what it measures. i’m sure you’ve heard of it.

background of Big 5

the Big 5 model by itself is free-floating since you’re only getting percentages for each of the five elements. the Global 5 (aka SLOAN) is a way for you to give a name those results, in letters. there is no “SLOAN” test since it’s just a naming system that uses the results from the Big 5.

it’s explained here but i’ll explain it in simpler terms:

Reserved or Social = Big 5 Extraversion score

Calm or Limbic = Big 5 Neuroticism score

Unstructured or Organized = Big 5 Conscientiousness score

Egocentric or Accomodating = Big 5 Agreeableness score

Noncurious or Inquitisive = Big 5 Openness to Experience score

it’s a sliding scale where 50% marks the tipping point between which letter you use. the notation also changes depending on the strength of each element.

Uppercase letter = Strong tendency

Lowercase letter = Mild tendency

x = In between, on average

|?| = Your strongest element

you need to think of these results as like a statistical distribution. 50% is the average, where going closer to 0% or 100% is more extreme on either end.

there’s no hard rule for what percentile encompasses “strong”, “mild”, and “average”, but personally i’d divide it like such:

0–24 or 76–100 percentile would be strong tendency, use uppercase letter.

25–40 or 60–75 percentile would be mild tendency, use lowercase letter.

41–59 percentile would be average tendency, use “x”.

let’s use my results as an example.

on the IPIP-300 my Big Five dimensions were:

Extraversion - 15th percentile

Agreeableness - 78th percentile

Concientiousness - 64th percentile

Neuroticism - 16th percentile

Openness - 60th percentile

Extraversion is strongly low (15th percentile), so i would use uppercase R for Reserved. it is also my strongest element in either direction so i will put vertical bars around it: |R|

Neuroticism is also strongly low (16th percentile), so i would use uppercase C for Calm: |R|C

Conscientiousness is mildly high (64th percentile), so i would use lowercase O for Organized: |R|Co

Agreeableness is strongly high (78th percentile), so i would use uppercase A for Accomodating: |R|CoA

Openness to Experience is mildly high (60th percentile), so i would use lowercase I for Inquitisive: |R|CoAi

my Global 5 type is RCOAI, with the notation |R|CoAi giving more information about the relative strength of each dimension.

now that’s not to say there aren’t correlations to MBTI types but correlation does not equal causation and there absolutely are exceptions to the norm. also the Big 5 is NOT testing for cognitive functions, which is what the mbti actually uses (even if hidden behind a 4-letter code).

you can see by this, i am a typical INFJ according to these semi-correlations but just barely—had my Openness scored just a point lower i’d be on the fence between RCOAI and RCOAN (the latter of which is correlated with ISFJ). in mbti though, ISFJs have a completely different perceiving axis than me: they use the Ne/Si axis and lead with dominant Si.

that said, i’ll tell you how your ““type”” is calculated on 16personalities.

how 16personalities calculates type

i’ve consistently gotten INFJ-A on 16personalities but that’s because i’m RCOAI. i am indeed an actual INFJ in the NiFeTiSe sense as well, verified by understanding the cognitive functions, and it is merely coincidence.

this is how they score it. ready?

I / E = Extraversion score

S / N = Openness score

T / F = Agreeableness score

P / J = Conscientiousness score

-A / -T = Neuroticism score (tacked on because of course the fuck it is)

so you wanna know how and why so many INFPs (actually FiNeSiTes) test as “INFJs” on that site? it’s when they score high on Conscientiousness (so in the Global 5, instead of Unorganized its Organized).

RxUAI is normally correlated with INFP but RxOAI is normally correlated with INFJ.

that means there is just one dimension that separates the INFP and INFJ result on 16personalities. and the implications are fucking awful. using the MBTI 4 letter dichotomy for a Big 5 test is such a bad move i cant even BEGIN to describe why, but that’s partially why i made this blog in the first place— to rip apart typology myths that are fundamentally wrong or flawed while also offering explanations as to why (and hopefully getting more people to understand it correctly and pass on valid information).

in reality, INFJs and INFPs share absolutely nothing in common functions-wise.

an INFJ’s dominant-inferior axis is one of perceiving (Ni/Se) and their balanced auxiliary-tertiary axis is their judging (Fe/Ti). Ni(Fe-Ti)Se.

an INFP’s dominant-inferior axis is one of judging (Fi/Te) and their balanced auxiliary-tertiary axis is their perceiving (Ne/Si). Fi(Ne-Si)Te.

so what is MBTI then actually??

the MBTI and cognitive functions are not setting out to describe personality traits. they are describing patterns of cognition as feedback between two parts of the same process (the function axes), like systole and diastole of the heart, or a walk cycle with your two legs driving you forward. cognitive functions are not concerned with boxing people in to define motivations or disposition, it just tells how information is assembled and processed in the psyche. this has real value in examining and analyzing why and how people process and discern information the way they do, and how to understand oneself and each other in a deeper way using shared descriptors for how we perceive and judge information. it is especially helpful for me as someone who perceives things deeply but has trouble making sense of those experiences without the semantics to understand and to articulate them. it’s not a tool to box you in, but a tool to explain what already exists. it’s a lot more flexible than you think.

one’s cognition can be split into two divisions: Perception and Judging.

the role of Perception in the psyche is the incidental synthesis of information without discriminating, and the role of Judgment is to differentiate between information sources and organize that information into definite concepts and discrete ideas. this article explains it well.

everyone does both. however, people will have more of a focus on either Judgement or Perception, finding the most compelling sense of “truth” from one of these divisions over the other.

to an INFJ, an ultimate sense of truth is found in their Perception processes (Ni and Se), and their Judgement processes (Fe and Ti) serve to rationalize/make sense of those perceptions.

to an INFP, an ultimate sense of truth is found in their Judgement processes (Fi and Te), and their Perception processes (Ne and Si) serve to contextualize those judgements.

that is why the axes (the dominant-inferior and auxiliary-tertiary) are formed, and why the placement of these functions matter, because they will manifest differently depending on where they are and what “role” they play in the functional stack.

[autisticburnham]

Extreme Measures: Part 7

I let my Netflix autoplay and it started in the middle of the O'Brashir scene

The gang's back? I could have sworn the Cardassian Resistance arc was longer

Poor Nana, having to kiss what looks like the insides of tupperware that's been left in the fridge for months

I know Starfleet officers don't get paid, but Benjamin still doesn't get paid enough for this shit

Did Quark help them get the memory scanner?

Love the unintended fuck you to Miles that Julian's easily able to pick Quark's unpickable lock

Fucking mind boggling that he joins then in the novels

If Section 31 has had thr cure this whole time, why haven't they used it as a bargaining chip?

I feel like it would be easier to just bring in a Vulcan or Betazoid crewmember

Babe. Talk to a counselor outside of the context of wanting to fuck her

REALLY want to have seen the conversation that established that Julian's okay with Miles calling him Jules

The inside of his head looks like ds9 to save on budget

I simply do not care about Sloan and can't be bothered to give a shit about his eulogy

I think Sloan wants to have a mental foursome with his wife, Julian, and Miles

Are they in a Defiant set?

How is this supposed to not be gay?

Like I know it's misogyny and the idea that hanging out with your wife is "miserable," but that's NOT how it reads

Don't be stingy with your compliments, Julian. Benjamin's beautiful too

Miles, you insisted on coming

This is where the dart scene is from! It's used in an amv set to This Is Me from The Greatest Showman and I always thought it was from Doctor Bashir, I Presume, to go along with the finding pride in oneself despite how society treats you theme from that video, have Julian accept himself and his genetic enhancements. I was so confused when it wasn't in the episode. Idk why the creator used this shot in particular though

[queenbirbs]

sooner or later | Ethan Ramsey x MC

WC: 6k+

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: N*FW

Summary: In which Ethan and Sloane go furniture shopping, have a conversation, and reach the end of their stalemate. 

+ + +

“Hold the elevator!”

Sloane reflexively throws her arm out, stopping the doors from closing as footsteps pound down the hallway. Leaning against the opposite wall, Doctor Mirani grumbles at the idea of having to wait five more seconds. Over her shoulder, Sloane throws him a sheepish smile, to which he rolls his eyes at. 

“Thanks,” the voice says again, closer this time. 

She releases the door and steps back, allowing Ethan into the car. The glance they share is quick and flustered (similar to the last time they were this close, which was at her apartment before the trial) before they scurry to opposite ends of the car as the doors clink shut. 

Bringing up her phone, she pretends to find her home screen interesting; across the space, Ethan taps at the smartwatch on his wrist. The reflection in his glasses reveals that he’s merely swiping through the two screens, though his focused gaze would make it seem like he was reviewing an extremely important case. She bites back a grin at his fumbling attempt to act busy.

“Are you all doing anything for the holiday?” she asks as the elevator clanks to life and starts down into the parking garage. 

“Avoiding useless chit-chat,” Mirani snaps, not bothering to look up from the file in his hands. 

Sloane shrugs, considering a response from him a success in and of itself, before she looks over to Ethan. He’s still swiping across his watch, but he does catch her gaze to lift an eyebrow at her. It definitely does not make her insides feel funny. 

“Considering I’m not five years-old, no.” 

“I didn’t know if you would take Jenner out and--” 

A loud screech cuts her off. Several bangs sound against the top of the car. The elevator continues its descent as the walls rattle around them; Sloane grabs for the handrail when the car drops a few more feet, before it jerks to a sudden stop.

The three of them hold their breath, waiting. 

Then the elevator starts again, clanking its way down. No one speaks until the car slows and the doors open to the dimly-lit parking garage.  

“Thank god,” Mirani mutters. “If I had to be stuck in a confined space with the two of you, I would’ve offed myself with the edge of this folder.” Tucking it under his arm, he throws a hand up at them in a half-assed goodbye before heading for the far row of cars. 

“Goodnight to you, too, Zaid,” she calls, her voice echoing across the cavernous space. His immediate departure leaves the two of them alone, hovering on the concrete as the elevator doors close shut behind them. Ethan shoots her a curious glance.

“Did you get off on the wrong floor?” he asks. The question takes her off-guard for a moment, before she remembers the reason for her change in routine. 

“No, I’m waiting on--” she barely gets the sentence out before a figure comes jogging up to them. “Bryce! Hey, sorry I’m a little late, I got caught…” she trails off, taking notice of his outfit as he slows his approach. “Wait, why are you wearing scrubs?” 

Bryce’s handsome face pulls into a wince. 

“Yeah, sorry, Slo. Doctor Zimmerman wanted me here since two of the other residents called out sick. But now I get to assist on a carotid endarterectomy!” His attempt to point out the brighter side of her plans completely falling through does nothing to make her feel better. He must be able to tell by the look on her face, because the wince is back as he reaches out and squeezes her shoulder. “Listen, we can go tomorrow, right?” 

Sloane nods, trying for a smile. She knows it isn’t his fault that he was called in, just as she knows it isn’t her fault that she has a friend that’s excited to come in on their day off to help pick out plaque out of someone’s neck. 

But that doesn’t help her get over the fact that her plan is in shambles now. 

“Yeah, we’ll go tomorrow.” She steps aside, letting Bryce slap the call button for the elevator. The doors spring openly immediately and she nods at the little wave he throws her before the elevator takes him up. Only then does she let out a ragged sigh, pushing the hair out of her face for good measure, and tries to think of a solution. 

“Cancelled date, I presume?” 

She nearly jumps at the question, spinning to see Ethan standing off to the side, where he must’ve lingered to overhear the short conversation.  

“No, actually,” she explains, “he was supposed to help me pick up Sienna’s birthday present. He’s the only person I know with a big enough vehicle.”  

It’s not her imagination that his jaw suddenly unclenches and that the tightness around his eyes fades. His jealous streak is one of his unfortunate qualities that she finds attractive, if only for the enjoyment of experiencing the creative ways he works it out of his system. 

Or, well, experienced. 

That’s all in the past now, of course. They both set their feelings out on the table and walked away, after she was assigned to the diagnostics team as a junior fellow. All attempts to make it work never got off the ground, and after a while, Sloane stopped bothering to try. She worked hard to get where she is, and she didn’t see the point of wasting precious time by knocking at a door that was never going to budge. 

“Oh.” He fidgets with the strap of his bag for a moment, hesitation written in the dance of his fingers across the buckle. “Well, I do. Have a car, that is.” 

Sloane stops herself from replying with something stupid, like of course I know you have a car, don’t you remember the time we nearly tore each other’s clothes off in that dark parking lot of that restaurant when we couldn’t wait to get home? 

Instead, because she’s an adult and she understands what he’s hinting at, she goes for: “Oh, no, thank you, but I couldn’t ask that of you.” 

“But you didn’t ask,” he clarifies, a hint of a smirk on his lips. “I’m offering.”  

“No, really, it’s fine -- the store is down in Stoughton and that’s nearly an hour’s drive with traffic and I’m sure you would much rather go home than--”

“Sloane.” 

“--and you probably need to take Jenner out and feed her dinner and this would take too--”

“Sloane.” 

His interruption draws her up short. That smirk of his softens into something fonder, something she recognizes as that smile that only seems to appear when she’s around. Stepping closer, he nods his head at the nearest row of cars and pulls his key fob from his pocket. “Really, come on. If it’s as far as you say it is, we need to get there before it closes.”

“But what about Jenner?” 

“My sister is in town with my nephew, who will use any excuse to play with that dog. She’ll be well-cared for,” he assures as he steps backward towards the cars. “Trust me.”

Desperate enough to want her surprise to be perfect (and helpless to resist such a generous offer), Sloane follows him to the sleek Jaguar F-Pace that hums to life at the press of his key. It’s a world away from the twenty year-old Toyota Camry with its infamous faulty transmission that she drove during college. Sliding into the passenger seat, she inputs the address into the car’s navigation and sits back as Ethan maneuvers them out of the garage and onto the street. The students from across the bridge are already on the move, witches and firefighters and jedis and superheroes making their slow trek down to the bars off Congress Street. 

With the musical lilt of the classical station filling the car, they don’t really talk until they make it out of the city. 

“Thank you for doing this,” Sloane tells him over the sounds of Beethoven’s third symphony as they break away from the traffic on 93-South. The sea of headlights behind them acts as a backlight, making his eyes seem that much bluer in the rapidly-approaching dusk when he glances over at her. 

“You’re welcome.” His eyes flicker over to her for a moment before darting back to the road ahead. “I have to admit, I was relieved when this turned out to be nothing more than a birthday present excursion.” 

She frowns at his words, looking over at him for clarification, but his gaze is focused straight ahead. 

“What do you mean? I told you that’s what--”

“Originally, when you were talking to that scalpel jockey--”

“You mean Bryce,” she corrects. 

“--right, sure,” he gives a little shrug, as if her amendment means nothing. “I’m glad to know that it wasn’t going to be anything more than this.” He motions to the highway, to the pockets of traffic that they speed past in the fast lane. 

She resists the urge to cross her arms over her chest, but she can’t clamp down on the question that spills out of her mouth. 

“And what if it was?” Sloane meets his eyes when they move off the road and connect with hers. There’s a world of heartache and envy and regret swirling in them, blue flashing hot and quick under the red glow of the running lights ahead. “Because if you’re going to make me sit here and try to make me feel bad for wanting to be with someone else, after we’ve been over and done with for three months, then you’re going to take the next exit and I’m going to catch my own ride back home.” 

His head jerks to the side.

“That’s not what I’m--” he reaches across the console as if to comfort her, before he pulls back at the last second, as if remembering his place. “--hey, no, I -- wait, we’re not over with--” 

She plays him at his own game, cutting him off before he can continue his fumbling explanation. 

“Then what would you call it? After that conversation we had at the hospital, everything regressed and we went back to how it was before. It was like being in that awful limbo after Miami, where we both knew what we wanted, but one of us was too afraid to act on it.”

Ethan watches her for a moment longer, before he feigns interest in the semi in front of them. The space inside the cabin becomes tense and quiet, punctuated only by the somber notes of the symphony’s second movement and the occasional car horn. Sloane faces the side window and watches the cars they speed past, at the kids sleeping in the backseats and the drivers texting and the couples laughing and the friends singing along to the radio. She hates the silence, hates that she let herself hope that this time would be different, that he’d fight for what he believes in, what she’s sure they both want, rather than this miserable state of uncertainty they’ve been living in since--              

“You’re right.”

Turning from the window, she takes in his profile, sure that she’s misheard. “I’m sorry?”

“You’re right,” he repeats, his gaze still set firmly ahead. His fingers turn a distinct shade of pale from where he clenches the steering wheel. “I was -- I am afraid.”

“Of what?” She hates how quickly her question comes, but she doesn’t want to give him a chance to breathe on it, to fumble for some half-hearted explanation after such an admission. 

Catching her eye, he gives her a slow, sad smile, as if he can read her thoughts. 

“In one-point-four miles, take exit nineteen-bee toward Central Street.” 

“We’ll be there shortly,” he says instead, avoiding her question as he gestures to the navigation screen between them. “Do you need to notify them that we’re close?” 

Sloane watches him for a long moment, deciding whether or not to push at him. In the end, she relents and lets him have his poor attempt at avoidance. 

“No, they’ll have everything ready at the front for me.”     

“Oh. Well, good -- that’s… good.” 

“Yep.”

“Listen, I am aware that -- I mean, I know that we need to sit down and have an actual conversation about--”

“In point-three miles, merge onto Harrison Boulevard.” 

“Look, Ethan, we’re almost there. You can save it for the drive back.”

+

True to their promise, the store has her items ready to go when they arrive. It takes them all of ten minutes to go from pulling into the parking lot to jumping back onto the highway. The five boxes that contain Sienna’s new bedframe are all tightly packed into the trunk. 

Sloane texts the group chat with Jackie and Elijah, who assure her that Sienna is already out with them for the Halloween bar crawl and that she won’t be home until after three a.m. 

Any chance of having that conversation stalls when a ringtone plays through the speakers as Doctor Toussaint’s name pops up across the display. They spend the next forty minutes discussing a case of nephrotic syndrome with her. Ethan volleys questions over to Sloane to gather her input. She gets a laugh out of him when she’s able to pull up the Oxford Textbook of Clinical Nephrology on her phone through her e-reader app.    

“Why on earth do you have that in your library?” he asks, keeping his voice down as to not interrupt Toussaint’s monologue about opioid addictions and their role in damaging kidney functions. 

“I needed it for an internal medicine class. I paid more for it than I did my rent at the time.” She can’t help but smile when Ethan chuckles at her explanation. Their back-and-forth with Toussaint continues for the rest of the ride, until they pull up to Sloane’s apartment complex and Ethan hangs up. After throwing on his hazards and opening his trunk, he offers to help bring up the boxes. 

Deciding that she isn’t so prideful as to try and carry them all upstairs by herself, Sloane agrees. It takes them three trips, the last with both of them hauling the largest box through the front door and unceremoniously dropping it straight onto the hardwood. 

“There’s nothing… breakable in there, right?” he asks between sharp inhales. Sloane forgoes words in favor of shaking her head, drawing her own quick breaths and deciding that her choice to skip the gym in favor of watching reruns of Fringe with Elijah was probably not the best idea. 

As Ethan straightens up from the dining chair he’s been leaning on for two minutes, Sloane moves to the purse she dumped on the table and retrieves a twenty-dollar bill. 

“You’re not planning on handing that to me, are you?” His expression twists into a frown as he shakes his head. “I told you--”

“Ethan,” she sighs, gesturing towards him again with the money. “It was over forty miles.”

“I drive farther than that when I go up to Sudbury to see Naveen.”

“That’s not my point,” she interrupts. “I want to compensate you for the time and energy and helping me carry all this shit up here. I know this isn’t how you wanted to spend your night off.” 

The frown on his face deepens, though the tightness around his eyes does diminish some. It’s a familiar look that she’s spotted a few times since their parting. Something she only sees when he’s looking at her. While she tells herself that it’s disappointment or frustration -- in the quiet of her bedroom, late at night, she knows it’s regret. And maybe that’s why she’s been holding on to that sliver of hope all these months, those scraps of maybe-someday thoughts. And maybe that’s why she gets a little weak in the knees when he sets those eyes of his onto her now and takes the few remaining steps between them. His hand drifts up and takes her outstretched one. 

Only for him to pull the money from her fist and shove the dollar back into her purse. 

That flame inside her ribcage that she’s been feeding for months flares to life at the movement, at how close he is to her now. 

“Why do you assume that my evening is ruined if I choose to spend it with you? It’s just the opposite.” 

His admission takes her by surprise, though she stamps it out in favor of the bitterness she’s been carrying around since that day in the atrium.          

“Well, because when you said we’d ‘make it work’ and then proceeded to ignore me outside of work for three months, I assumed that’s what making it work meant to you. That we were…” she pauses to drag in a breath, unable to blame it on the heavy lifting this time. 

“That we were…?” he prompts. 

“Done.” 

Ethan winces at the sharp response. His hand lifts into the space between them before he pulls it back and crosses his arms. “It’s difficult.” 

“I know that,” she admits. “But what’s not difficult is letting me know, so I don’t feel like I’m waiting for something that will never happen.” 

His eyes widen at her words. “No, that’s not -- what I mean is: what we do is important. On that we agree, yes?”

“Yes,” she nods.

“And, on that same level of importance -- for me, at least -- is you. And the only way I apparently know how to focus on both things is to… completely shut out one of those, because I don’t know how to mix them.” 

“So, we don’t.” 

He makes a confused noise in his throat. “I’m sorry?” 

She shrugs off his bewilderment. “I don’t have a roadmap for a situation like this, but you act as if we aren’t fully-capable adults. You said it yourself: our work is important. So, if we were to hypothetically get together, when we’re at work, that’s it.”

“That’s it?” he repeats, unable to hold back his trademark scoff, even as a grin dances at the corners of his lips. 

Sloane leans her hip against the table and lifts an eyebrow at his skepticism. “You make this seem like it’s the hardest question on the Step 2 test.”   

“Right now it feels like the Step 3, actually,” he quips. Shifting closer, he comes to stand next to her, while giving her the space to move away if she chooses. Sloane scoots closer. “You make it sound so simple, but there will be times when it’s not going to be so easy.” 

“Good,” she hums as she tips her head up to look him in the eye. “Because nothing worthwhile is.” 

There’s that sharp huff of laughter and he’s shaking his head, but then he’s leaning down and she’s leaning up and--

--then Paul McCartney starts singing about flying in from Miami Beach. 

“Is that the Beatles?” Ethan asks, straightening to look around the room for the source of the noise.  

“Yeah, it’s -- my landlord, he’s afraid of communists, it’s a whole… thing,” Sloane tries to explain as she scrambles for her phone, retrieving it from her purse and swiping to answer the call. 

“Hey, Farley, what can I--” she’s interrupted by a garbled shout about her car blocking the fire lane and the charge from the city he’ll tack onto their rent if it isn’t moved within the next minute. The complaints are loud enough that Ethan steps back to locate his keys. Sloane imagines Farley with a bucket in hand, dousing the little flame in her chest until it’s nothing but a whisp of smoke. “Okay, I’m -- yes, I’ll move it right now. Yes, right now right now.” 

Hanging up before he can finish his tirade, she walks Ethan to the door. 

“I’m--” she starts and then cuts herself off with a shake of her head, “--thanks again for your help. Really, I can’t thank you enough.” 

“Yes, of course.” He switches the key fob to his other hand and then back again, before clearing his throat. “I should--”

“Yeah, it’s late.” Sloane opens the door for him and leans back against the handle, trying to keep her hands to herself. They have time, she tells herself as Ethan bids her goodnight and disappears down the hallway. 

It’s what she keeps telling herself when she shuts and locks the door and turns to see the five massive boxes taking up most of the entryway. Remembering the whole reason for their trip, she begins moving them back into Sienna’s bedroom. 

She’s dumping out the steel posts from the second box when there’s a knock at the door. Pulling out her phone, she checks for any texts from drunken roommates that might have misplaced their keys and are coming back earlier than planned, but there’s no new message in the group chat.   

So, to find Ethan on the other side of the door is a nice surprise. 

“Did you forget something?” she asks.

“No, I -- I got to my car and realized that I left things just like I did last time.” His breathing is a little erratic and he doesn’t seem to know what to do with his hands as he steps inside and hovers next to the couch. Sloane closes and locks the door behind her. “I needed to come back and finish that conversation we were having, or... whatever it was. I wanted to tell you how much I’m… disappointed in myself, knowing that my worries about us being together might have stopped you from finding happiness with someone else. Someone who could--”

“Ethan.”

“--no, it’s,” he shakes his head with a sigh. “Earlier, in the car, I shouldn’t have said those things. I shouldn’t have expected on you to always be there. It was selfish of me.” 

“I don’t want to talk anymore,” she interrupts. His face falls at her words, prompting her to shake her head at him as she approaches, a fond grin on her face. “All we’ve done is talk.”

The teasing tone of her voice finally reaches past his nervousness; his shoulders loosen and his eyes light up, fixed on hers as she comes to a stop in front of him. She places a hand on his arm and squeezes there, her thumb running across the soft cotton of his shirt and feeling the warm skin beneath. He reaches for her and brings her closer, with a hand at her waist and another carding through the loose strands of her hair at her neck. 

Tipping her head up, he leans down and presses his lips to hers, soft and unhurried with the lingering hesitation he must still feel. Sloane pulls back and then dives in, tilting her head to deepen the kiss. She swipes her tongue at his bottom lip and makes a little noise of pleasure when he opens for her. 

It’s all new again, at first, until it’s not. Until the familiarity comes rushing back, like pulling a book from a shelf and re-reading it, the interest sparking again as the pages turn and the story unfolds its familiar pathways.  

Sloane fits her arms around his shoulders and draws him closer, until the solid lines of his body are pressing against her. He pulls back to catch his breath and she can’t help but admire his swollen lips, pink and flushed from their kisses. His eyes meet hers; it’s a storm brewing over the ocean, the blue shrouded by the ever-expanding black of his pupils. Under his watchful gaze, she places her lips to the base of his neck. Her name escapes him on the end of a sigh, his grip tightening on her as she nips at his stubbled skin, brushing a trail up the sharp line of his throat. Her attention elicits a groan from him, as he slides his hands over her hips and down under her ass. Picking her up, he carries her down the hallway and into her bedroom, where he knocks the door shut with his foot and settles her down onto the bed below him. 

The room is too dark for her to see him properly, lit only by the street lights from across the channel. She stretches across to the lamp on her nightstand. A warm glow floods the room; it carves deep shadows along the walls and closes up the space, the city beyond her window disappearing behind their reflections.  

Sloane sits up to meet him for another kiss, tilting her head to let him trail kisses down her neck. His fingers pluck at her shirt, drawing it up and over her. 

“I missed this,” she says as she makes slow work of his buttons, pressing her lips each time to his chest as the shirt parts. 

“I missed you.” Something in his voice causes her to pull back, just far enough that she can catch his gaze with her own. He cups her jaw, his fingers tracing nonsensical patterns across the side of her neck. “I missed you,” he tells her again, sucking in a sharp breath when Sloane takes one of his hands in her own and kisses his palm. 

“Then let’s make up for lost time, then, hmm?” Unbuttoning the cuffs at his wrists, she pushes the shirt from his shoulders. With the wide expanse of his chest on display, Sloane can’t help but skim her lips across the warm skin. Goosebumps follow in her wake, the fine hairs on his stomach raising as she moves her mouth lower and lower. Ethan makes a strangled noise when her touch sweeps down to his belt. She unfastens the buckle and pops the button on his slacks, her curious hand dipping down to take hold of him. 

Her name is a curse on his lips, hissed under his breath as he grips her shoulders; his fingers are ten points of heat, marking her pale skin and spurring her on. Twisting her hand just so, she grazes a fingernail down and across the head. A groan rumbles out of his chest. He moves to sink his grip into her hair and tugs, tilting her head back so he can meet her for a rough kiss. 

It’s another long minute before they pull apart for air. Ethan brushes the loose strands of her hair back behind her ear, his thumb sweeping back and forth across her cheekbone. Catching his hand, she pulls him down onto the bed with her. 

They strip away everything else, until it’s only them and their shared heat, their bodies moving against each other as they map out old trails across familiar skin. There are sentences, speeches and conversations hidden in the languid touches and heady kisses, a shared language that lets them say what their mouths won’t -- not now, not when everything is just falling into place again. 

“Come here,” she beckons and he goes, crawling up to her and grinning when he slows down the progress by nipping at her shoulder, causing her to laugh as she moves him into place. The wooden slats of her headboard are cool against his back, evident in the way he shivers. 

All of his attention is on her, though; those potent eyes of his open and alert, tracking her movement as she straddles his thighs. Then she sinks down, rocking her hips against his, and she revels in watching those eyes clench shut. His mouth falls open with a ragged sigh and his hands latch onto her waist. She takes one of his hands and drags it down her body, suppressing her own shiver when Ethan chuckles at her insistence. 

“I don’t remember you being this bossy,” he murmurs against her chest, where he’s making lazy circles with his tongue across her tightened nipple. 

Sloane starts to serve him a clever comeback, but he chooses right then to put his hand to work, the bastard, so the only sound she can respond with is a whine. She can feel the smirk on his face as he circles where she needs him most. 

“Stop teas--” she cuts herself off with her own strangled moan when he slips two fingers inside her. Pushing up onto her knees, she spreads her thighs, humming in appreciation when Ethan correctly reads into the movement. His touch goes deeper, his fingers gently thrusting in and out as his thumb rubs quick circles against her clit. “Oh, god, keep going. Don’t stop, keep--”

“There’s not a force on this earth that would make me stop,” he says, his voice gone deep with hunger. His cock is a heavy weight against her belly. “Not when I’ve got you like this.” He punctuates his sentence with a twist of his fingers, moving in tandem with his lips on her breast -- and here, here she could fall apart only by his touch and his voice. 

But that isn’t how she wants to go. 

“I think you’re mistaken,” she tells him, clearing her throat when the words seem to get all tangled up. 

He hums in curiosity, pulling off her breast with a wet pop. Then: another hum, this time tinged with confusion when she pulls up and away out of his touch. 

“Are you all right? Did I hurt--” 

She stifles his worries with a finger to his lips. Dipping down, she gives him a kiss of assurance, using her finger to drag at his bottom lip until he opens for her again. And then, with her clever distraction at play, takes both of his hands in hers. 

“I’m the one who’s got you,” she grins, bringing his hands up and curling them up around the thin wooden slat next to his head. 

A warm shot of pleasure soaks her insides when his gaze scans over her, as if deciding if he wants to play into her game. His answer comes when his fingers clench tight around the wood. 

“It appears you do.” And if his words are a little too wistful for what the moments calls for, when he’s looking at her like that and her body is singing for release, she doesn’t mention it. Between the two of them, they have plenty they need to unpack -- but it’ll happen naturally, this time. Because they have it, which is a luxury Sloane never could bring herself to hope for, before the hearing. 

“Rookie?” Ethan asks, his fingers flexing around her headboard, as if suppressing the need to reach out to her.

She pulls herself out of her own head with a toss of her hair. Reaching down, she takes hold of him and lowers herself down, taking him slowly, filling herself up with him. That pleasure swells when she glances up to see Ethan watching her. His breath escapes him in hurried pants as she moves, rocking her hips down and arching her back. Her fingernails dig into the dewy sweat that covers his shoulders, slick heat under her palm. 

The wood in his hands creaks under the strain. 

“Let me touch you,” he begs into the little space between them, then again, muffled against her lips when she tilts his head up for a wet kiss. He thrusts into her, matching the rhythm she’s created. 

“You are.” 

He meets her next kiss with a growl, breaking it off to nip at her jaw. 

“Let me have you,” he demands instead, working his hips faster into her and driving himself right where she wants him most. The idea of the rest of him wrapped around her isn’t such a bad one, then. 

She puts her hands on his and the signal is loud and clear. In the span of a second, he’s gripping her waist and circling his hips and she’s grinding down onto him, desperate for a release that seems to always be just out of reach, as if she’s trying to hold a fistful of sand.    

Then: his touch, slipping down to where they’re joined and rubbing against her bundle of nerves; and then: neon, every color known to science exploding at the corners of her vision, a brilliant burst of technicolor that drowns out everything else. The lines of her body go taut, rigid with her orgasm as marrow-deep pleasure knocks into her. 

Beneath her, Ethan is cursing and crying her name as their bodies jerk and tremble. They collapse into each other, somehow, their sweaty palms sliding along skin to soothe and calm. Color is soon replaced by shadow, as Sloane settles down against his side and tries in vain to stay awake. She blinks once, twice, and then the shadows melt away as sleep takes their place. 

+

She’s warm. 

It’s the first thing she takes note of when she wakes up, the blanket tucked between her legs and pillowed under her head. The comforting weight around her waist shifts. Another warmth tickles at her chest -- his thumb, she realizes, brushing along the curve of her breast. Sloane opens her eyes, preparing to roll over into Ethan’s embrace. 

“Fuck!” she hisses at the bright sunlight that seeps through the curtains. Grabbing the blanket, she flings it off and untangles herself from its hold. “Did you hear them come home last night?” 

Mentally crossing her fingers, she whirls to face him, cursing her luck when she realizes that it’s all she’s going to get of him this morning: a gorgeous eyeful, before she has to put clothes on and go find Sienna and admit that yes, she was a shitty friend who chose getting laid over putting her new bed together, and yes, that’s right, she already had the air mattress deflated to have room for said new bed, and was her night on the couch comfy at all? 

“Yes,” he grumbles, propping himself up on his elbow to watch her. “They all came back around four a.m. Very loud and very drunk, I might add.” When she continues searching the floor in lieu of responding to his complaints, he continues. “Do you have somewhere to be? You’re scheduled off today, you know.” 

“Yes, I know.” Failing to locate her clothes from last night, Sloane rushes over to her dresser and yanks open a drawer. “I requested off because I thought I would be crafting furniture until the wee hours. Not sleeping off an orgasm.” 

Ethan makes a face at the wee hours phrase, then makes another -- much, much different -- face at the mention of sex. And then he laughs at her. 

She pauses, gripping her Oxford University shirt with the fist she wants to knock against his shoulder. 

“Why are you laughing at me?”  

He throws back the sheets and pats the empty space next to him. 

“Come back to bed.” 

“I can’t. Her room is still a mess and it’s her birthday and I feel terrible. I’m going to--”

“Sloane,” he sighs, affection working its way through his expression as he smiles. “It’s done. Come back to bed.”

She doesn’t, but she does stop putting her clothes on.  

“What do you mean?” 

“What I said. It’s done.” At her noise of frustration, he finally gives up on messing with her and lays it out. “I woke up and couldn’t go back to sleep. I thought about waking you up for another round, but I know you don’t get enough sleep as you should, so I tired myself out by building her bed. I even figured out the mattress-in-a-box thing and put on those Pepto-pink sheets. So, like I said before: it’s done.” 

All the anxiety floats out of her at his words. “And,” he shrugs, “I felt bad for leaving her room like that, even though your distraction was the reason for its state.” 

She tries not to play into his barb, but she can’t resist it -- as is her struggle with all things Ethan Ramsey. 

“Oh, I was the distraction? Need I remind you who kissed who first?” 

“Sure,” he agrees, settling her against him as she climbs back onto the bed. “Refresh my memory.”

+ + +

Author’s notes and general what-have-yous: 

“Nothing worthwhile is” quote is from Uncharted 4. Step 2 and Step 3 are separate tests that medical students take for the U.S. Medical Licensing Examination. 

Originally, this was going to be a ‘stuck in an elevator’ fic but then I wanted a little more space for them to move about (both figuratively and literally). And sex in a hospital elevator is questionable at best and illegal at worst.

Also, in my playthrough, MC convinces Farley to give them the apartment by using the ‘other renters are communists’ option, hence the Back in the USSR joke here. Which makes it less funny to explain, but I wanted to avoid the confusion. 

[chicagoindiecritics]

New from Every Movie Has a Lesson by Don Shanahan: EDITORIAL: Movies and the 9/11 effect

(Image: pathtoparadise.com)

EIGHTH EDITION: UPDATED SEPTEMBER 11, 2019– In an update to my annual editorial (after the original post on the 10th anniversary in 2011), I’ve got new movie inclusions in several sections, including the most recent section of faded and relaxed sensitivity in films.  I plan to make this an annual post and study for at least until the 20th anniversary in 2021.  (All poster images are courtesy of IMPAwards.com)

Never forget.  There’s no doubt that every American over the age of 25 won’t soon forget where they were 18 years ago at 8:46AM on September 11, 2001.  The world and our American lifestyle changed forever that day in more ways that we can measure.  I know movies and cinema are trivial pieces of entertainment compared to the more important things in life, but movies have always been two-hour vacations and therapy sessions from life, even in the face of immense tragedy.  Sometimes, we need movies to inspire us and help us remember the good in things, while still being entertained.  In seventeen years, they too have changed.

I’m here for an editorial research piece on the anniversary of 9/11 to showcase a few movies, both serious and not-so-serious, that speak to that day whether as a tribute, remembrance, or example of how life has changed since that fateful day.  Enjoy!

MOVIES THAT WERE OPENING THAT FRIDAY EIGHTEEN YEARS AGO

Call this a time capsule, but these were the notable movies that opened Friday, September 7, 2001 and Friday, September 14, 2001, the two Fridays surrounding 9/11.  Such a different time, huh?  Needless to say, few people were in the mood for a movie in those first weeks and the fall 2001 box office took quite a hit until the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone showed up in November 2001, followed by Ocean’s Eleven and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring that December.

The Musketeer  (September 7th)

Soul Survivors  (September 7th)

Rock Star  (September 7th)

Hardball  (September 14th)

The Glass House  (September 14th)

All were box office bombs at the time.  The Musketeer garnered a good bit of overseas earnings and Hardball got some of the best reviews of Keanu Reeves’s post-Matrix career and grew to be a DVD hit.  Still, talk about bad timing.

EXAMPLES OF 2001-2002 MOVIES CHANGED BECAUSE OF 9/11

Spider-Man— Many of you may remember seeing this teaser for the big comic book blockbuster before it was pulled post-9/11. (New remastered video in 2019)

Donnie Darko— Suggested by Feelin’ Film Facebook Discussion Group contributor Josh Powers. Released months before 9/11, few remember how much this film was somewhat buried and forced to become an underground cult favorite due to a pivotal moment involving a horrific plane crash.

Lilo and Stitch— See a side-by-side video clip of differences in Imgur.  The trivia notes behind it are explained on IMDb.  

Collateral Damage— The Arnold Schwarzenegger terrorism movie had its release date bumped and terrorist overtones mellowed down.  (trailer)

City by the Sea— The production on this Robert DeNiro/James Franco thriller was moved from New York to Los Angeles in July 2001, dodging the terrorism attacks that would have threatened their home Tribeca studios.  (trailer)

Sidewalks of New York–– Edward Burns intermingled love story movie was bumped to November and had to have its posters changed.  See right here on the left for an example.  (trailer)

Men in Black II— The original scripted ending of the movie was scripted to have the World Trade Center towers open up to release a barrage of UFOs.  (trailer)

Serendipity and Zoolander— Both movies had shots of the WTC digitally removed from the skylines of their finished films before they hit theaters that fall.

The Time Machine— Had its December 2001 release bumped to March because of a potentially sensitive scene of meteor shower over New York (which it cut).  (trailer)

Big Trouble— It too had its nuclear bomb-centered plot cause a release delay well into 2002.  The delay didn’t help this already awful movie.  (trailer)

MOVIES ABOUT 9/11 ITSELF

September 11  (2002)– International directors from around the world, including Ken Loach, Mira Nair, and future Oscar winner Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, made a two-hour anthology of short films showing creative expressions of other cultures and their reactions to the tragedy. 

United 93  (2006)– Bourne Supremacy and Bourne Ultimatum director Paul Greengrass took an unknown cast and directed a harrowing real-time account of the flight that fought back.  Hard to watch, but undeniably powerful without exploiting the tragedy.  (trailer)

World Trade Center  (2006)– Conspiracy specialist Oliver Stone turns off the urge to dig into his usual musings and delivers an incredibly humble, respectful, and understated (words that hardly ever describe an Oliver Stone movie) true story of the last two men (Nicolas Cage and Michael Pena) rescued alive at Ground Zero.  Worth every moment to see and a great tribute to the first responders and their families.  (trailer)

9/11  (2017)– I think we all knew a day would come where some hack film was going to come around and exploit the tragedy that is the 2001 terrorist attacks.  That award goes to Charlie Sheen, Whoopi Goldberg, and director Martin Guigui’s straight-to-VOD trash heap.  Sheen, a noted conspiracy theorist on 9/11, took it upon himself to make a glamour project stepping on history.  Do not waste your time with this film.

MOVIES WITH PROMINENT 9/11 CONNECTIONS

The Guys  (2002)– One of the first reactionary films to 9/11 came from Focus Features in 2002 and starred Anthony LaPaglia and Sigourney Weaver.  Based on Anne Nelson’s heartfelt play, LaPaglia plays a fire captain who lost eight men on 9/11 and Weaver plays the editor who helps him write eulogies for the fallen.  The film is only available on disc from Amazon.  (trailer)

WTC View  (2005)– Gallows humor bubbles to the surface in this off-kilter indie romance from Brian Sloan about a SoHo man who placed an ad to find a new roommate and September 10th and now lives through a more difficult and trying landscape.  (trailer)

Reign Over Me  (2007)– In a rare dramatic turn, Adam Sandler plays a fictional wayward man who lost his wife and daughters on 9/11 and tailspins through life fiver years later when an old college friend (Don Cheadle) tries to help keep him from being committed to a psychiatric care.  (trailer)

Remember Me  (2010)– Billed as a coming-of-age film starring Twilight star Robert Pattinson, it features a fictitious family affected by the tragedy, including the fall of the WTC.  Most critics found the 9/11 connections exploitative and offensive.  (trailer)

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close  (2011)– Speaking of exploitative, the Tom Hanks/Sandra Bullock Oscar nominee from this past year definitely rubbed more than a few audiences the wrong way in using 9/11 as a backdrop to a fictional family tragedy.  Critics (including this one) clamored that if you’re going to bring 9/11 to the big screen, use a real story.  (trailer)  (my full review)

September Morning  (2017)– Independent writer/director Ryan Frost crafted a small drama about five college freshman staying up all night after 9/11 weighing the impact it will have on their present and future.  The film won a youth jury award at the Rhode Island International Film Festival.  (trailer)

MOVIES ABOUT THE WAR ON TERROR

In the decade since September 11, 2011, our largest response as a nation to the terrorism of that day has been a pair of wars overseas in the countries of Iraq and Afghanistan.  The “war on terror” has quickly grown into a ripe orchard for possible movie storylines.

Home of the Brave  (2006)–Rocky producer Irwin Winkler earns the credit for the first mainstream Hollywood movie depicting the Iraqi War and the initial soldiers returning home to re-acclimate to society.  Starring Samuel L. Jackson, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, and Jessica Biel.  (trailer)

The Hurt Locker  (2008)– Of course, the best-of-the-best is the 2009 Best Picture winner from Kathryn Bigelow starring Jeremy Renner as a driven, yet dark Iraqi bomb specialist.  Its quality needs no introduction.  (trailer)

Grace is Gone  (2007)– In the Audience Award winner of the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, typical gender roles are reversed when John Cusack plays a homefront father (in my opinion, the best he’s ever acted) who has to find the best way to tell his two daughters that their soldier mother was killed in Iraq.  This movie is “guy-cry” level brilliant.  (trailer)

Rendition  (2007)– Jake Gyllenhaal, Reese Witherspoon, and Meryl Streep get together for a movie calling out the wrongs of detainment, interrogation, and torture.  (trailer)

The Kingdom  (2007)– Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Chris Cooper, and Jason Bateman investigate a bombing and throw down in the streets of Riyadh.  (trailer)

Lions for Lambs  (2007)– Robert Redford delivers a three point-of-view discourse on U.S. war affairs before home and abroad with the help of Tom Cruise and Meryl Streep.  (trailer)

In the Valley of Elah  (2007)– Crash director Paul Haggis leads Tommy Lee Jones (in an amazing Oscar-nominated performance) and Susan Sarandon as parents investigating with a local detective (Charlize Theron) the disappearance of their AWOL son returning home from Iraq.  (trailer)

Body of Lies  (2008)– Ridley Scott’s fictional take on the CIA’s involvement in preventing Jordanian terrorism starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe.  (trailer)

Stop-Loss  (2008)– Ryan Phillippe, Channing Tatum, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt play three young Texas schoolmates who are finally home from overseas but are forced back via the stop-loss clause.  (trailer)

The Messenger  (2009)– Woody Harrelson was nominated for an Oscar for his role as a U.S. Army Casualty Notification Team officer mentoring recent veteran (Ben Foster) on the uniquely difficult job of informing families the bad news.  (trailer)

Taking Chance  (2009)– Along the same bringing-bad-news-home lines is this gem of a HBO film starring Kevin Bacon (like Cusack earlier, in arguably his best performance as an actor) as a desk officer who never saw combat but takes on the duty of escorting a young fallen soldier’s body back to his old hometown.  Even though this wasn’t in theaters, it is outstanding and worth your time on DVD.  (trailer)

Brothers  (2009)– Jake Gyllenhaal takes care of his older brother’s wife (Natalie Portman) while he (Tobey Maguire) is declared MIA in Afghanistan, from director Jim Sheridan.  (trailer)

Dear John and The Lucky One  (2010 and 2012)– These two adaptations of Nicholas Sparks romance novels briefly touches on the War on Terror through Channing Tatum and Zac Efron’s lead characters’ return home to romance.  (trailer and trailer)

Green Zone  (2010)–Director Paul Greengrass followed United 93 with his Bourne series star Matt Damon in this taut and marginally-dramatized account of the early unsuccessful searches and the possible cover-up of Baghdad’s supposed stores of weapons of mass destruction.  (trailer)

Restrepo  (2010)– The highly acclaimed National Geographic documentary film follows a one-year look at the real men of the platoon embattled in the deadliest fortified valley of Afghanistan.  (trailer)

Act of Valor  (2012)– Disney pumped up the military with this fictional anti-terrorism film using active duty Navy SEALs.  Coming out after the death of Osama bin Laden, this was a welcome and well-promoted hero picture and recruitment reel.  (trailer)

Zero Dark Thirty  (2012)– The Hurt Locker director Kathryn Bigelow made a film about the SEAL Team 6 men and their story of taking down Osama bin Laden.  The film was my #1 movie on my “10 Best” list for 2012.  (trailer)  (my full review)

Lone Survivor (2013)– Peter Berg (Friday Night Lights) directed an outstanding and patriotic film based on the Afghanistan saga of Marcus Luttrell starring Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Ben Foster, and Emile Hirsch that echoes another true-life story from the ongoing War on Terror.  Very good movie!  (trailer)  (my full review)

A Most Wanted Man (2014)– Spy novelist John LeCarre’s multi-layered 2008 novel about the world of inter-agency espionage happening in Hamburg, Germany, the same city where the 9/11 conspirators hatched their plans, is an excellent and different post-9/11 film with an international flair and flavor.  It will also be remembered as one of the last performances of Philip Seymour Hoffman, who was phenomenal in the film.  (trailer)  (my full review)

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit  (2014)– This modern reboot or update of the famed Tom Clancy character, now played by Chris Pine, roots his pre-spy origins in the aftermath of 9/11 and the War on Terror that followed.  (trailer)

American Sniper  (2014)– Clint Eastwood’s Best Picture nominee war drama about the real-life story of the late Navy SEAL Chris Kyle (played by Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper) went on to become the highest grossing film of 2014 (north of $350 million).  Kyle’s journey from the heartland to the front lines was spurred by a sense of duty and patriotism that started from the attacks of 9/11.  This is, by far, the most high profile movie to date to feature the War on Terror directly correlating 9/11.  (trailer)  (my full review)

Good Kill  (2015)– On the smaller side, but just as solid with warfare and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is this under-seen film which had a limited theatrical release during the summer of 2015.  Andrew Niccol (Lord of War, Gattaca, The Truman Show) shifted his focus to the War on Terror by showcasing a Las Vegas base of drone pilots dealing with the ramification of their actions and the war being waged on their screens and with their joystick controls.  (trailer)  (my full review)

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi  (2016)– Director Michael Bay’s slanted look at the September 11, 2012 embassy attacks that have become a political firebrand since certainly qualifies to make this list.  (trailer)  (my full review)

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot  (2016)– Tina Fey shed her comedic image for a heavyish war drama loosely based the true story of Afghanistan/Pakistan television journalist Kim Barker.  (trailer)  

Snowden  (2016)– Renowned politicized filmmaker Oliver Stone brought his brush of dramatic license to the story of whistleblowing former spy Edward Snowden, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt.  The paranoia of the post-9/11 digital age was the mission field for Snowden and many other young men and women who sought the security and counterterrorism industries. (trailer) (full review)

Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk  (2016)– A company of soldiers who lost their commanding officer in Iraq are making a victory tour of press dates and public appearances when the reflections of the title character (newcomer Joe Alwyn) fill the day.  Ang Lee’s film felt ten years too late and was not well received.  (trailer) (my full review)

Thank You For Your Service  (2015) and Thank You For Your Service  (2017)– This popular conversation sentence was the title of two different works.  In 2015, Tom Donahue’s documentary opened eyes to the shoddy mental health governance for modern veterans and made waves that changed actual policies.  The 2017 feature film borrows inspiration from David Finkel’s 2013 nonfiction bestseller dealing with the PTSD topic of returning Iraqi tour soldiers adjusting to civilian life.  Miles Teller is the headliner and is joined by Haley Bennett, Beulah Koale, Joe Cole, and Amy Schumer.  (trailer) (trailer)

Megan Leavey  (2017)– 2017 was a busy year for War on Terror-connected films with five new entries.  Taglined “based on the true story about a Marine’s best friend,” Megan Leavey stars Kate Mara as the soldier leader of a bomb-searching pooch on deployment in Iraq.  Touching film!  (trailer)

The Wall  (2017)– Nocturnal Animals Golden Globe nominee Aaron Taylor-Johnson and emerging WWE movie star John Cena play two soldiers pinned down by an Iraqi sniper in a single-setting thriller from action specialist Doug Liman (Edge of Tomorrow).  (trailer)

War Machine  (2017)– Enough time has passed now in 2017 where the War on Terror has reached a point of being a target of satire.  Animal Kingdom and The Rover director David Michod puts a witty spin on things creating a fictionalized account of U.S. General Stanley McChrystal with Brad Pitt in the lead.  Netflix is the exclusive carrier of this one.   (trailer)

Last Flag Flying  (2017)– The last and best of the 2017 bunch is Richard Linklater’s dramedy about three old Vietnam veterans (Steve Carell, Bryan Cranston, and Laurence Fishburne) who come together when one of their sons is killed in Iraq and coming home for burial.  The excellent acting trio and Linklater’s writing (adapted from Darryl Ponicsan’s novel, a spiritual sequel to his The Last Detail) deliver touching brevity and sharp commentary on the echoes of war across generations.  (trailer) (my full review)

A Private War (2018)— Documentary filmmaker Matthew Heineman made his feature film debut with a biopic on British photojournalist Marie Colvin, who made her stops through the hellfire of Iraq and Afghanistan in her storied career. Rosamund Pike was snubbed for an Oscar nomination that year. (trailer) (my full review)

Vice (2018)— Speaking of biopics, writer/director Adam McKay brought his machete for satire to the life of former Vice President Dick Cheney. The film dove deep into the manipulated machinations from Cheney that engineered the War on Terror during the Bush administration. While not as good as The Big Short, Vice did earn eight Oscar nominations (winning one for makeup), including Best Picture and Best Actor for Christian Bale in the leading role. (trailer) (my full review)

Official Secrets (2019)— When invading Iraq was on the table to push the war to the ground, the United Kingdom and Prime Minister Tony Blair were lockstep next to the U.S. on seeking United Nations approval. The true story of whistleblower Katharine Gun unearthed secrets that led to questioning the war’s legality before it even began. This is a nice step-up for Keira Knightley. (trailer) (my full review)

The Report (2019)— Not yet widely released in 2019 after huge buzz at the Sundance Film Festival, frequent Steven Soderbergh screenwriting collaborator Scott Z. Burns made his directorial debut with this searing docudrama of the use of torture by American agencies during the War on Terror. Check out the film’s trailer:

MOVIES ABOUT THE CHANGES IN AMERICAN LIFE (BOTH SERIOUS AND NOT-SO-SERIOUS)

25th Hour  (2002)– New Yorker Spike Lee was quick to not shy away from the post-9/11 pulse of New York City following Edward Norton’s character’s last night of debauchery and unfinished business before going to prison.  Filled with scathing social commentary and visual reminders of 9/11 and Ground Zero, its amazing opening credits sequence alone set the tone as only Spike can.  (trailer)

Fahrenheit 9/11  (2004)– Documentary maverick Michael Moore’s slam at the handling of 9/11 and the war on terror became one of the most successful box office documentaries of all-time.  (trailer)

Sorry, Haters  (2005)– Robin Wright played a professional woman who receives conversation and unexpected interaction with an Arab New York cab driver in this IFC production.  (foreign trailer)

An Inconvenient Truth  (2006)– By contrast, in a small snippet and computer graphic on melting glaciers in this Oscar-winning documentary, Al Gore lets us know that half of Greenland or Antarctica’s melted ice would put New York, including Ground Zero, underwater within the next 50 years.  (trailer)

The Terminal  (2004)– Airports are now covered in bureaucratic red tape.  Heaven forbids, you’re not from America.  (trailer)

Anger Management  (2003)– Showed us that you can get kicked off a plane now for just about anything.  (trailer)

Soul Plane  (2004)– Then again, come on, guys.  Air travel can still be cool, even with the new security rules. (trailer)

Snakes on a Plane  (2006)– OK, maybe not so much… (trailer)

Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay  (2008)– You’ve got to hate racial profiling as much as you equally love a good parody.  (trailer)

Iron Man  (2008)– Marvel’s steely hero had his Vietnam origin story conveniently and modernly flopped for an Afghanistan-connected one.  (trailer)

Bridesmaids  (2011)– Now, that’s how an Air Marshall gets down! (trailer)

Source Code  (2011)– Our fear of catastrophes on planes can easily be translated to trains as well.  (trailer) (my full review)

The Reluctant Fundamentalist  (2013)– For a serious look at the warped view of Muslim citizens post-9/11, take a look at Mira Nair’s dramatic thriller about a young Pakistani man (newcomer Riz Ahmed) who is successful on Wall Street but viewed differently through profiling after 9/11.  (trailer)

The Fifth Estate (2013)– The film story of the WikiLeaks of Julian Assange carry a loose connection to the changed post-9/11 landscape of security and more.  (trailer)

Boyhood (2014)– Richard Linklater’s huge biographical opus was filmed over the course of 12 years with the same cast growing up and aging to tell their family story.  The film starts in 2002, where the incidents of 2001 are fresh on the minds of the characters and discussed openly during the first year sequence of the journey.  Later on, political mentions of Bush, Obama, and the War on Terror make it into a reflective conversation as well.  (trailer)  (my full review)

Won’t You Be My Neighbor  (2018)– A key moment in the extraordinary Fred Rogers documentary chronicled when a retired Rogers was brought back for a special televised message to young viewers about reacting to the 9/11 tragedy that played on-screen for so many viewers.  It’s a touching historical moment.  (trailer) (my full review)

MEMORABLE PAST IMAGES OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER IN MOVIES

Sometimes, all it takes is the camera making a fleeting, yet memorable, glance at those beautiful and now-gone skyscrapers to immediately remind us of a different time.  The WTC towers have been shown in innumerable establishing shots.  We’ll highlight some great ones.  Beginning with the closing credits to New Yorker Martin Scorsese’s 2002 film Gangs of New York, here’s a great montage of cinematic views of the WTC from various pre-2001 movies.

Superman  (1978)– Even a passing fly-by over “Metropolis” feels different.

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York  (1992)– Tell me this clip didn’t just go from cute to eerie to sad.  Wonderful then, but different now.

Godspell (1973)— Submitted by friend-of-the-page and larger-fan-of-musicals-than-me Josh Powers, enjoy this dance number from the summery musical filmed and completed before the skyscraper’s ribbon-cutting.

King Kong  (1976)– While it may not match the iconic 1933 image of the original ape towering on top of the Empire State Building, the World Trade Center plays a big role in the 1976 remake starring Jeff Bridges and Jessica Lange.  (trailer) 

Independence Day  (1996), Deep Impact  (1998), Armageddon  (1998), and The Day After Tomorrow  (2004)– These all constitute the prominent disaster movies that leave New York (and, in three cases, the WTC) in destructive shambles.  

HONORABLE MENTIONS:  Godzilla  (1998), Cloverfield  (2004), War of the Worlds  (2005), and Watchmen  (2009).  Kind of not so entertaining for few seconds anymore, huh?  See for yourself.  Here’s a montage of NYC movie destruction:

MOVIES THAT FEEL DIFFERENT IN THE POST-9/11 WORLD

I don’t know about you but a lot of movies just don’t resonate or feel the same as they did before September 11th.  We’ve changed and the perception has changed.  For some movies, their message and impact is only made stronger (in good ways and bad) since 9/11.  In other cases, what was entertaining then doesn’t feel so right anymore.

Airplane!  (1980)– Farce or not (and still funny to this day), we could never get away with anything that happens on an airplane from that movie now.  (trailer)

Passenger 57  (1992)–Let alone this movie… (trailer)

Executive Decision  (1996)– …and this movie… (trailer)

Turbulence  (1997)– …and this movie… (trailer)

Pushing Tin  (1999)– …and probably this movie too… (trailer)

True Lies  (1994)– Slammed even then for its depiction of Arab terrorists, it likely has picked up a little more egg on its face. Adding to its burial, the movie hasn’t been released on any physical media format since 1999, which includes zero Blu-ray editions in its history (factoid from Josh Powers). Do you think 20th Century Fox wants that movie to go away or what?  (trailer)

The Siege  (1998)– This frightening martial law thriller with Denzel Washington, Annette Bening, and Bruce Willis makes True Lies look like G.I. Joe starring Ken from the Barbie dolls toy line.  Scary and eerily prophetic in its over-the-top terrorism and bombing scenarios.  (trailer)

The Dark Knight Rises  (2012)– Though fictional with Pittsburgh standing in as Gotham City, the New York imagery and parallels occurring during its terrorist takeover led by Tom Hardy’s Bane have eerie 9/11-inspired ramifications.  (trailer)  (my full review)

Syriana  (2005)– George Clooney won an Oscar, but the touchy subjects of torture, terrorism, and the oil industry evoke a little dose of fear.  (trailer)

Munich  (2005)– The Black September assassination of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics and the Mossad’s reaction was probably the last time before 9/11 that terrorism made worldwide live media headlines.  (trailer)

Arlington Road  (1999)– While this resonates more as a comparison to Oklahoma City-style domestic terrorism, the Jeff Bridges/Tim Robbins underappreciated thriller is no less scary now than then.  (trailer)

Fight Club  (1999)– Watching Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt/Edward Norton) destroy New York’s credit district is another example of domestic terrorism and destruction that rings a little louder post-9/11.

The Sum of All Fears  (2002)– Many people found the Super Bowl bomb plot far too soon to see those images just a year removed from 9/11.  (trailer)

V for Vendetta  (2006)– Urban terrorism in London via a Guy Fawkes fan resonates a little different for a public scare on our side of the Atlantic.  (trailer)

Courage Under Fire  (1995)– Our first trip to Iraq foreshadows a lot of the equal futility, bravery, and loss experienced in our second trip… (trailer)

Jarhead  (2005)– …especially when told from the true account of a disillusioned soldier who was there.  (trailer)

Charlie Wilson’s War  (2007)– The same foreshadowing can be made out of our 1980’s Cold War involvement on the side of Afghanistan versus the Soviet Union as outlined by a gem of a Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman film.  To think that we could have stuck around and cleaned the place up before they became our enemy.  (trailer)

Rambo III  (1988)– Speaking of an American fighting on the anti-communism side of the Afghans!  (trailer)

Air Force One  (1997)– Not that George W. Bush or Barack Obama ever channeled Harrison Ford here, but don’t you now root a little harder for a take charge President… (trailer)

The Patriot  (2000)– … or a flag-carrying American hero from 230+ years ago… (trailer)

Pearl Harbor  (2001)– …or the last great American tragedy that galvanized a nation and sent us to war.  (trailer)

MOVIES SINCE 2001 THAT RENEW THE AMERICAN SPIRIT

These examples (as well as the aforementioned World Trade Center) will get your patriotic heartstrings going and boost your down spirit.

The Last Castle  (2001)– Opening just over a month after the tragedy, the military and flag-waving patriotism of Robert Redford’s underrated drama undeniably stirs you.  (trailer)

Behind Enemy Lines  (2001)– Leave it to Gene Hackman and Owen Wilson (of all people) to win macho patriotic points for loosely re-enacting the famous pilot Scott O’Grady Bosnian prisoner escape story.  (trailer)

Black Hawk Down  (2001)– Released during the 2001-2002 awards season, Ridley Scott’s powerful depiction of the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu showed the uncompromising courage of U.S. Army Ranger and  Delta Force soldiers at a time when our current soldiers were likely preparing for going overseas to similar urban warfare.  (trailer)

We Were Soldiers  (2002)– Mel Gibson may be embroiled in unpopular headlines now, but his 2002 action-drama from his Braveheart writer about America’s first official military action in Vietnam is as powerful and it is impressive.  Like Black Hawk Down, it added to the heroic mystique of the American soldier, even if it was set in the past.  If you don’t cry watching those wives deliver those first casualty letters, there’s something wrong with you.  (trailer)

Spider-Man  (2002) and Spider-Man 2  (2004)– New York’s #1 resident superhero always fights for a way for the citizen of the city to stand up together.  I suppose you can throw in the pair from the reboot (The Amazing Spider-Man and The Amazing Spider-Man 2) for some of the same reasons.  (trailer)

Gangs of New York  (2002)– Martin Scorsese is a quintessential New Yorker and his mid-1800’s history piece (while definitely violent) was a love letter to the city’s great history.  (trailer)

Elf  (2003)– Will Ferrell put the Big Apple back in the Christmas cheer.  (trailer)

Ladder 49  (2004)– Though it wasn’t set in New York, you can’t help but think of the 343 NYFD men and women that lost their lives on September 11th and ardent first-responders when you watch Joaquin Phoenix and John Travolta as macho Baltimore firemen.  (trailer)

Million Dollar Baby  (2004)– America loves a good underdog story and Clint Eastwood gave the public a heck of a good one that went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture.  (trailer)

Miracle  (2004)– What better way to boost American spirit than to relive our greatest Olympic triumph. (trailer)

National Treasure  (2004)– How about a history lesson to make you feel good about our great country?  Why not?  (trailer)

Hitch  (2005)– Will Smith brought popular romance back to the City That Never Sleeps. (trailer)  He would capture hearts for a different reason the next year with The Pursuit of Happyness.  (trailer)

We Are Marshall  (2006)– Another real-life airplane tragedy sets the stage for an amazing story of athletic and community rebirth.  One of the most underrated football movies out there.  (trailer)

Live Free or Die Hard  (2007)– Why not give NY’s best bad-ass cop a chance to save the nation’s capital? (trailer)

Captain America: The First Avenger  (2011)– Last but not least, you can’t get more patriotic and underdog than this skinny guy from Brooklyn transformed into a red-white-and-blue super soldier.  He followed it up this past summer saving New York in The Avengers.  (trailer and trailer)  (full review and my full review)

American Sniper  (2014)– The tremendous reception Clint Eastwood’s film had to become the highest grossing movie of the year made Chris Kyle a household name and heavily amplified a previously dormant red-blooded (and “red state-d”) surge of patriotism and soldier appreciation. (trailer) (my full review)

Sully  (2016)– Both the incredible true story of Flight 1549 from 2009 and Clint Eastwood’s respectful retelling featuring Tom Hanks as Capt. Chelsea “Sully” Sullenberger remind audiences of the strength of New York City.  There’s a great line in the movie where someone is trying to thank Sullenberger and says that it’s been a long time since the city has had good news about anything like the “Miracle on the Hudson,” especially about a plane. (trailer)  (my full review)

Patriots Day  (2016) and Stronger  (2018)– The way the city of Boston rallied from another terrorist attack on American soil during its marathon has key inspirational value.  It’s too bad the film was the Mark Wahlberg show rather than a well-rounded ensemble approach.  (trailer) (my full Patriots Day review) (trailer) (my full Stronger review)

Spider-Man: Homecoming  (2017) and Avengers: Infinity War (2018)– Much like the Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield web-slinger movies that came before, Tom Holland’s take on Peter Parker is a born-and-raised New York kid that supports and protects his neighborhood and city from dangers foreign and domestic. His protection, joined by fellow New Yorker Doctor Strange, expands with the united effort with The Avengers when Thanos shows up in Avengers: Infinity War.  One part down on that with one to go in the summer of 2019.  (trailer) (my full Spider-Man: Homecoming review) (trailer) (my Avengers: Infinity War review)

Only the Brave (2017)– Just as with Ladder 49 thirteen years before it, you can’t beat the sympathy generated by the hard work, dedication, and sacrifice of firefighters.  Forest fires aren’t terrorists, but the feels are all there.  (trailer) 

The 15:17 to Paris (2018)– Four years after American Sniper, Clint Eastwood dipped his filmmaking brush in the hero worship paint again to tell another true story.  The wrinkle of this one is that Eastwood called upon the actual heroes that thwarted the 2015 Thayls train attack to star in their own movie recreation.  Results were mixed, but the Eastwood prestige is there. (trailer) (my full review)

THE UP-AND-DOWN PULSE OF CONTINUED SENSITIVITY AND/OR CENSORSHIP TO 9/11 SIMILARITIES

For 2014 and going forward, this is a new section I’m adding to this study.  Now that enough time has passed since 2001, I’m beginning to notice that movies are starting to go back to some of the images and themes of violence, destruction, and terrorism that were hands off for so many years after 9/11.  Like all history, even 9/11 will fade.  What we were offended by after the horrific incidents have returned, in some cases, to be more tolerated and even acceptable and celebrated again.  Sure enough, there are plenty who vividly remember 2001’s events and images and are quick to point out when something is in possible poor taste.  That shaky barometer has led to some allusions and reminders to 9/11 and some flat-out censorship changes and corrections.  Some get flak and slaps on the wrist while some don’t.  Here are some examples in recent years.

Olympus Has Fallen and White House Down (2013)– Both competing White House takeover films from 2013, one from Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) and one from Roland Emmerich (Independence Day) had a bit of split audience reaction to their violent and terrorist content.  Some rooted and cheered as if it was the 80’s again and America is always going to win.  Others were not so keen or ready to see the White House become a target and battleground, even if it was just a movie.  Between the two, Olympus Has Fallen, the R-rated and more severe one of the two, was the bigger hit.  In a way, no one batted an eye. (trailer and trailer)  (my full Olympus Has Fallen review)

Man of Steel  (2013)– Despite being one of the most all-American heroes around, Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel gave Superman a very serious tone that, in a way, can’t be included on the category before this one of movies that renew the American spirit.  Also, many people were not very pleased with the immense city-wide destruction scenes of Metropolis during the film’s climax.  Even though Chicago was the filming location of a fictitious comic book city, there were staunch critics who had a problem with huge office buildings and skyscrapers in very 9/11-esque rubble. Its 2016 sequel, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice mildly addressed that a city can’t be destroyed without consequences, even on Superman’s watch in a colorful comic book setting.   (my full review)

Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)– Much like Man of Steel, the third Michael Bay Transformers movie features a great deal of city-wide destruction (again, in Chicago) that rubbed a few people the wrong way.  (trailer)  (my full review)

Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)– Throw in the terrorist label for the villain and his bombings and the big San Francisco starship wreck during this film’s ending action that was clearly a larger scale to a passenger jet taking out buildings.  (trailer)  (my full review)

Godzilla (2014)– Add the King of the Monsters to the list of more city destruction that raised an eyebrow for some.  (trailer)  (my full review)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014)– Outside of this string of modern and accepted examples of urban attacks and destruction, is the minor amount of hot water the makers of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles got it for a promotional poster that had an exploding skyscraper that cut too close to 9/11 similarities.  The study pulled the poster and had to apologize.  Censorship and sensitivity won that argument and mistake.  (trailer)  

The Walk  (2015)– A very big test to peoples’ memories of the World Trade Center will be coming in the Fall of 2015 with Robert Zemeckis’s film The Walk, the true story of the French high-wire artist Philippe Petit’s quest to tightrope walk between the twin towers of the World Trade Center in 1974 (previously featured in the Academy Award nominated 2008 documentary Man on Wire).  Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the film will prominently display, thanks to Zemeckis’s stunning use of CGI,  a tremendous amount of imagery of the two lost skyscrapers.  Even though it’s a period piece to a non-turbulent time, no film since 2001 has attempted to show this much of those building.  Public reaction was mixed and the film was not a box office hit.  (trailer)  (full review)

Independence Day: Resurgence  (2016)– I guess it’s OK for patriotic mass city destruction again.  London gets it worse than New York, though.  (trailer)  (full review)

Ghostbusters  (2016)– Well, New York was safe for at least a month anyway between Independence Day: Resurgence‘s release and the new reboot (which conveniently made sure its city destruction in Times Square and other places be easy to erase).  Not far behind was the fictional Suicide Squad and its over-the-city halo of supposed death.  (trailer)  (my full review)

Rampage (2018)– Larger in size than the old World Trade Centers used to be, Chicago’s Willis Tower, the former Sears Tower and tallest building in the world, was the targeted collapsed skyscraper spectacle of choice in the Brad Payton/Dwayne Johnson live-action video game adaptation.   Monsters aren’t terrorists, but the imagery hits close as the Willis Tower was one of many skyscrapers across the country evacuated on 9/11 out of fear of becoming another target.   See the collapse clip above. (my full review)

I hope everyone enjoyed this little (OK, large) retrospective about the impact of 9/11 in movies for the last 18 years and counting.  Take some time this coming weekend to appreciate the freedoms we have the people fighting to keep them for us.  Support your troops and first responders and, again, NEVER FORGET!

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[little-wintry]

Mistakes, Part 2 - A Short Fanfic Series

(Alternative title: My Guardian being an angsty dumbass.)

After an argument between Zelun and her Ghost, Pirul, Zelun strangly turns up missing - and Pirul realizes she’s in over her head

Last time, Zelun and her Ghost had a heated argument - Zelun was conflicted over her ‘mistakes’ and Pirul tried to convince her that it simply wasn’t her fault. They left things off on a somewhat sour note, with Pirul convincing Zelun to get some rest before she did anything else. Afterwards, Pirul realizes his Guardian went missing during the night, and sets off to try and find her. Find Part 1 here

Zelun had run off again.

Pirul, was… well, sadly, used to this. It wasn’t unusual for the two of them to go far out in the system, to sit on the highest point in they could find to just be away from everything. 

But then, if something was truly bothering his Guardian - he got good at telling when this was going to happen, and planned accordingly - she would just run away from everything. Even from her Ghost.

When this happened, safeguards were in place. Weather or not they lasted was a different question.

Pirul had a tracker in Zelun’s most beloved gun, her Ace of Spades, but then she stopped using it and sent it to Banshee to remove the tracker.

He had placed remote sensors on the planets they visited that tracked Zelun’s specific frequency of Solar Light, her favorite subclass, but then she switched to Void Light and disabled all of the sensors Pirul had so tediously put out.

Pirul even embedded microscopic materials in each and every one of Zelun’s cloaks, a unique blend that could be easily acquired with a basic scan - until Zelun bathed each and every one of her cloaks in radiolaria to rid them of the minerals.

With each safe measure Pirul put out, Zelun had already taken it apart and was preparing for the next one.

Pirul still isn’t quite sure why his Guardian runs. He’s talked to everyone he can think of about it, and what to do. Zavala thinks that part of it is simply the nature of a Hunter, taken to the extreme. Cayde used to think it was because of something that happened before she was a Guardian, some deep fear she’s subconsciously afraid of.

Pirul thinks Ikora had the best guess. Zelun has spent her entire life getting ready to face the next challenge coming her way - now she wants nothing more than to escape from it.

Of course, that still doesn’t solve the problem of when she does disappear.

That’s why Ikora Rey herself took Pirul out to flip through comms channels and see if there was any sign of a Ghostless Hunter.

After hours and hours of searching, even Ikora had to take a rest. She leaned back in her ship, sighed deeply, then turned back to Pirul, who had sunken deep into his shell. 

Devrim had seen nothing. Failsafe had seen nothing. Sloane, Asher, Ana- all of them had no sign of Zelun. Hadn’t even seen her enter atmosphere. It was as if this time Zelun truly disappeared off the map.

“When was the last you saw of her?” Ikora asked, rubbing her eyes. “What was the last thing she said to you?”

Pirul sighed. “We had been arguing again. She wanted to go out and try the Shattered Throne by herself.”

Ikora almost laughed. “I don’t know much about the Dreaming City, but that’s suicide.”

“That’s what I said.” Pirul shook his head. “Why doesn’t she listen to me? Doesn’t she know I’m just trying to keep her safe? I want the best for her - that’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

“She doesn’t listen to you for the same reason many Hunters don’t listen to people. You’re an authority in her life. Most Hunters - Zelun specifically - don’t do well with authority. Zelun has only ever wanted to get away from the life of a Guardian. You’re a constant reminder she can’t.”

“That still doesn’t-” Pirul could feel himself getting more furious. “That’s not an excuse to go running off without me.”

Ikora shook her head. “Nevermind. You’re as stubborn as she is. What else?”

“That was it. She went to sleep, I let myself rest, and when I rebooted she was just… gone.”

“You bothered to shut down after you and Zelun had a fight?”

Pirul turned away.

“It doesn’t matter. Where haven’t we checked yet?”

Pirul sighed as he turned towards the map of the solar system. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars - the list kept going, he kept looking further and further away from the sun - and he saw the Reef. The Tangled Shore. The Dreaming City.

“Let’s check in with Petra.” Pirul said. “She must know something.”

[weerd1]

Star Trek DS9 Rewatch Log, Stardate 1909.28: Missions Reviewed, “Extreme Measures,” “The Dogs of War,” and “What You Leave Behind.”

(Note: as we are in the last nine episodes which run as a continuous storyline, these three will be summarized together.)

Kira and Garak return an ailing Odo to DS9, and his condition is far worse than Bashir expected. Odo asks Kira to return to Damar so she doesn’t have to watch him die, and so Kira’s grief won’t be the last thing he sees. Bashir and O’Brien reveal their plan to Sisko who though angry, gives his approval. They also reveal they have Romulan mind-probes to use if the Seciton 31 agent does not want to be helpful. Soon enough, Sloan himself arrives, and Bashir springs his trap. Realizing he’s cornered, Sloan triggers a suicide device.

 Bashir stabilizes him, but they have about an hour before he dies. Bashir re-rigs the Romulan probes to create a mind meld, and he and O’Brien go into Sloan’s brain to find the material. At first there is little resistance, but the longer they stay the worse it gets until they are shot by a “guard.” They realize that must symbolize where the information is. Trying to enter, they find themselves awakened by Sisko, who puts and end to it. In his quarters, Bashir tries to read, but the book just starts over again right where he left off, and he realizes they are still in Sloan’s brain; Sloan can’t replicate what Julian has not read yet. He gathers O’Brien and returns to “the room,” finding Sloan inside surrounded by documents. O’Brien finds the cure for Odo, but Bashir does not want to leave given all the other information. 

O’Brien talks him out, and they wake up, really this time, as Sloan dies. Bashir replicates the cure and saves Odo. Starfleet however does not want to share the cure with the Founders, and Sisko follows those orders, asking Odo not to do it either. Odo mentions how the Federation wrings their hands about a Section 31, but they still allow them to do the dirty work, and accept that work. On Cardassia, Damar’s resistance cell is in trouble when betrayed by one of the officers he tries to recruit. Soon, it is just Damar, Garak, and Kira hiding in the basement of Garak’s childhood home, tended to by Mila, the servant to Garak’s father Enebran Tain, and likely Garak’s mother.  The ailing Founder decides to pull Dominion forces back into Cardassian space, solidifying their position, and allowing them time to build more ships and Jem’Hadar and extend the war. The Federation Alliance decides not to let this happen, and prepare to invade Cardassia. Kai Winn takes Dukat, whose sight is restored, back in, and the two plan to take the book of Kosst Amojan to the Fire Caves to release the Pah-Wraiths. Quark gets a message from the Grand Nagus that he’s going to be made the next Nagus, and begins to plan. Brunt shows up, ready to suck up, and tells Quark about the various reforms Zek has made, like taxes and wage guarantees and free healthcare. 

Quark vows to return Ferenginar to it’s corrupt, greedy glory. Ezri and Bashir begin to talk about whether or not they should pursue a relationship. Initially they decide not to ruin their friendship, but soon they are making out in a turbo lift. The Nagus arrives, and reveals that he thought he was talking to someone else when he named Quark Nagus…Rom. Rom becomes the Grand Nagus and Quark vows that HIS bar will always be the greedy and corrupt tribute to what Ferenginar should be. Dukat and Winn find the right place in the caves, and reading the right spell, they burst into flame. They await the moment. O’Brien makes the decision that he will return to Earth after the war and take a teaching position at the Academy. Kasidy reveals to Ben that she is pregnant.

The invasion of Cardassia begins. On the planet, Damar reveals he is alive, and the people begin to rise up against the Dominion in the name of Damar. In response, the female Founder orders a city destroyed. She promises every act of betrayal by Cardassians will result in another razed city. Jem’Hadar forces find and capture Darmar, Kira, and Garak.

 They are about to be executed. The Alliance fleet enters Dominion space and the fight is on.  Things are not going well for them. Winn on Bajor proposes that Dukat drink with her to celebrate, but he realizes too late that she has poisoned him and his death is the sacrifice that brings forth Kosst Amojan. Just as the Jem’Hadar are going to gun down Damar and crew, the Cardassian guards turn on the Jem’Hadar, and declare their allegiance to Damar. They prepare to raid the headquarters. In space, the Cardassian fleet turns its guns on the Breen and Jem’Hadar, turning the tide. The Alliance fleet pursues the Dominion to Cardassian orbit. There are thousands of ships and orbital emplacements there. The fight is not over but becomes a stand off. 

 Given the Cardassian change of sides, the Founder orders the elimination of all Cardassians on the planet. The world begins to burn. The rebels hit the HQ, but Damar is killed in the process. Kira and Garak make it into the control room, and Garak kills the last Weyoun.

 The Founder refuses to call off the attacks on Cardassia or surrender the fleet, telling them they will have to fight to the last Dominion soldier. Odo beams down from the Defiant, linking with the Founder, curing her in the process. In the seconds they are bound together, he negotiates a treaty between Dominion and the Alpha Quadrant. The war comes to an end. The alliance beams down to find the Dominion has killed 800 million Cardassians. Odo reveals the Founder will stay and face war crimes trials, but he will go back to the Great Link and cure his people, teaching them about the Solids. Kira asks when he will come back. He reveals he won’t.

On DS9, everyone gathers in Vic Fontaine’s lounge, realizing it is likely the last time they will all be together. Worf takes the position as Federation ambassador to the Klingons. Garak has stayed behind to rebuild Cardassia. O’Brien gets ready to leave to Earth. On Bajor, Kosst Amojan returns, but rather than come into the Kai, he reanimates Dukat, restoring him to his Cardassian form.

 Sisko senses it from the station, and goes there. Dukat/Amojan disintegrates Winn as she tries to stop him, distracting him enough Sisko can tackle him, and taking the book, knock Dukat, himself, and sacred evil text into the flames. Sisko is suddenly in the Celestial temple.  Sarah/Prophet is there and tells him that he has fulfilled his duty, Dukat will forever be imprisoned with the Pah-Wraiths on Bajor. But Ben’s corporeal form has been destroyed. He is now to stay in the temple and learn, so he may one day return to Bajor as Emissary. He reaches out and brings Kasidy into the temple, telling her what has happened, but telling her to make sure everyone knows Benjamin Sisko, The Emissary, promises to return.

Kira takes Odo back to the Great Link, where he changes his appearance to look as if he is in a tuxedo one more time and bids her farewell. He steps into the dying link, and it begins to heal around him, but he can no longer be differentiated from his people. 

Kira returns to DS9 where she has assumed command of the station. She finds Quark has started a betting pool on who will be the next Kai, which she immediately shuts down. Quark realizes he’s going to have to stay crafty to keep ahead of the new station commander. “The more things change the more they stay the same,” he says. Kira sees Jake Sisko, standing on the upper level of the Promenade, where he and Nog (Kira’s new Ops officer) used to look down on the others. Now he’s looking out, toward the wormhole, knowing his father is in the Celestial Temple. She joins him there, and the two look out as we pull away. Deep Space Nine, formally Terok Nor, hangs in space at the mouth of the wormhole, and as it has for the last seven season…it waits.

I’m not sure how you mourn a show that ended two decades ago, that you know is on Netflix, or that I know I have upstairs on DVD. It’s a show I can revisit anytime I want to in any amount, and dammit, I am sad it is over.  I want more, I would watch all of these people carry on tomorrow if I could. We’ve lost some of them, but dear lord how this all ends, enough to satisfy, but I would return to Bajor in a heartbeat if they announced it.

There are some things here I might have done differently. I still think Kira should have killed Dukat rather than Sisko, and with all the talk of the Alamo, it seems like the final battle of the show should have happened at DS9, surrounded by insurmountable numbers of Dominion ships, but perhaps that would have been too much like the battle that opened Season 6. The culmination of the Damar storyline, from “Cardassian Bridge Officer” to Dominion toady, to hero of Cardassia is so pitch perfect as to need the climax on his world. The fleet battle so ridiculously epic to this day, despite 20 years old effects, you need it to be where it is so you can cheer when the Cardassians turn, and be horrified when the Dominion turns its guns on Cardassia…formerly the villains. What a change from the first episode, and what a journey.

What a journey for the Ferengi as well, as Rom goes from “Pit boss” to Quark’s brother to engineer to Nagus.  Or Nog as he goes from child thief, to Cadet, to DS9’s operations Lieutenant. Garak, as the plain, simple, tailor with a mysterious past to the defacto ruler of a smoldering Cardassia.  As great as all the main character arcs where, those supporting characters are what really makes DS9 great. Brunt, Weyoun, Martok, Sloan, Cretak, Winn, Bareil, the list goes on. A couple of particular things I took away from the finale, the final battle between Sisko, Dukat, and Winn struck me this time as a nearly beat for beat homage to the final scene of the Classic Series’ second pilot “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” where Kirk has to face his friend Gary Mitchell who has developed god-like power along with ship’s psychologist, Dr. Elizabeth Dehner. The dynamic where Dehner realizes she’s wrong as she watches Gary force Kirk to bow to him as a God is remarkably similar to Winn watching Dukat do the same to Sisko.  More on that in a minute. Another character note I love, and something I missed 20 years ago, Worf becomes Ambassador to the Klingons…the same position once held by Curzon Dax. What a fascinating extension of his relationship to Dax, even as Dax’s current host Ezri has chosen Bashir.

Kira Nerys: Former freedom fighter, who may have delved into terrorist one time too many. Woman of faith, surrounded by a scientific world. Woman who owns her sexuality and her femininity, and is perfectly happy to kick your ass when you need it. A woman we watch grow from ready to kill every Cardassian she sees to co-liberator of their world. Who loved and lost a Changeling, but whose love will set the stage to bridge Odo’s people with the Solids.  Who served next to her Emissary, and stands now in his place waiting for his return. Rewatching DS9 absolutely reinforced my feelings that Kira Nerys is Star Trek’s best character.

Hindsight allows me to see what DS9 foreshadowed in television as well. Complex characters in morally ambiguous situations; long story arcs dependent on you seeing each chapter, and each episode leading into the next; women as leaders and peers who are not marginalized by the story; a brown man who is presented as a good father AND as the Messiah: Deep Space Nine is not just progressive for its time, it helped define what television would become. It’s continuity replicated in a thousand binge-worthy streams on Netflix like “Stranger Things.” Representation for women on shows like “Jessica Jones,” or “Game of Thrones” or of course “Star Trek: Discovery.” Though honestly, we have perhaps not learned enough from DS9, as there has never been another character quite like Benjamin Sisko, and all he represents. We can still learn from that; as I have said many times in this rundown, “Star Trek is always relevant.”

So now it is over, and I find that yes, DS9 holds up pretty well 20 years later. It’s still ahead of its time in some ways, and in those things that aren’t, serves as a roadmap of where we have been, demonstrating why we needed to move beyond such tropes. But in questions of faith, what it means to be human, and how one doesn’t have to be perfect to be better, nothing quite examines the human condition like DS9 does; and that’s why, hands down, at least for now, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is the very best Star Trek has to offer.

NEXT VOYAGE: After  173 episodes, 124 pages, and 71,819 words about DS9, how is there a Next Voyage? Join me one more time for my review of “What We Left Behind,” this year’s DS9 documentary. But let’s face facts: I will never be done talking about DS9.

[tlinbosuro1971-blog]

Immune-Based Treatment Helps Fight Aggressive Breast Cancer, Study Finds

Women with a forceful sort of bosom malignant growth lived longer on the off chance that they got immunotherapy in addition to chemotherapy, as opposed to chemo alone, a significant report has found.

The results are required to change the standard of consideration for ladies like those in the clinical preliminary, who had propelled instances of вђњtriple-negativeвђќ bosom disease. That type of the sickness frequently opposes standard treatments, and endurance rates are poor. It is twice as regular in African-American ladies as in white ladies, and bound to happen in more youthful women.

Researchers said the new examination was a hotly anticipated leap forward for immunotherapy in bosom malignant growth. As of not long ago, most progress had been in different tumors, including lung disease and melanoma, a forceful skin cancer.

These discoveries may prompt the principal endorsement by the Food and Drug Administration for an immunotherapy medication to treat bosom malignant growth. Be that as it may, the endorsement would probably be constrained to a particular sort of forceful cancer.

Although triple-negative tumors happen in just around 15 percent of patients with obtrusive bosom malignant growth in the United States (or almost 40,000 every year), they represent a lopsided portion of passings, upwards of 30 percent to 40 percent.

“These ladies truly required a break,␝ Dr. Ingrid Mayer, a bosom malignant growth master at Vanderbilt University, said in a phone meet. “Nothing has worked well.␝

Dr. Mayer, who was not part of the investigation, called the discoveries вђњvery significant.вђќ She said she had gotten counseling charges from seven medication organizations, including Genentech, which is the producer of the immunotherapy tranquilize in the examination and paid for the research.

The term triple-negative alludes to the tumorsвђ™ absence of affectability to the hormones estrogen and progesterone, and their absence of a protein called HER2, which is an objective of treatment.

The immunotherapy in the examination was atezolizumab (brand name Tecentriq), which has a place with a class of medications called checkpoint inhibitors; the chemotherapy was catch paclitaxel (Abraxane).

The discoveries were distributed on Saturday in The New England Journal of Medicine, and were to be displayed at a gathering of the European Society for Medical Oncology, in Munich. The examination included 902 patients treated at 246 medicinal focuses in 41 nations. Genentech, which is a piece of Roche, has just presented the information to the F.D.A. for approval.

Checkpoint inhibitors like atezolizumab work by helping T-cells вђ" a kind of white platelet that is a piece of the safe framework вђ" perceive malignant growth and assault it. Research that prompted these medications won this yearвђ™s Nobel Prize in medicine.

The tranquilizes by and large work for less than half of patients however can bring enduring recuperations even to individuals who were seriously sick. Reactions can be perilous, even dangerous, and treatment costs more than $100,000 a year.

In different diseases, specialists now and again portray the tumors as вђњhot,вђќ meaning they will in general have numerous changes вђ" hereditary anomalies that the safe framework can perceive as remote and attack.

But bosom malignant growths will in general be moderately вђњcold,вђќ with less transformations. The insusceptible framework is less inclined to remember them as intruders, which may help clarify why past investigations of checkpoint inhibitors in bosom disease have been to some degree disillusioning, specialists say.

In the new examination, the way to progress appears to have been giving chemotherapy alongside immunotherapy.

“Chemo removes the intangibility shroud the malignant growth has figured out how to put on,␝ Dr. Mayer said.

The chemo may touch off the invulnerable framework, to a limited extent by slaughtering malignancy cells that at that point spill substances the T-cells distinguish as outside and start to hunt.

The new examination вђњis a major ordeal and has been the buzz of the bosom disease inquire about world,вђќ said Dr. Larry Norton of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in an email. He was not associated with the examination, in spite of the fact that he said he had done paid counseling work for as far back as two years for the producer of Abraxane.

Beyond changing treatment rehearses, he said the exploration вђњopens the entryway to new ways to deal with bridle the insusceptible framework to battle bosom malignant growth, and there is each motivation to expect significant advances there.вђќ

He forewarned that the consolidated treatment would need to be concentrated further, to survey side effects.

Dr. Kevin Kalinsky, a bosom malignancy pro at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center, proposed that patients like those in the examination should converse with their primary care physicians вђњabout whether it is feasible for them to gain admittance to the medicine while weвђ™re sitting tight for F.D.A. approval.вђќ

He didn't partake in this investigation. He said he has gotten counseling charges from around 10 medication organizations, including Genentech.

The ladies in the examination had triple-negative bosom malignant growth that had been recently analyzed and had turned out to be metastatic, which means it had started to spread. When that happens, the viewpoint is bleak, with numerous patients enduring year and a half or less.

Half got chemo alone, and half were given chemo in addition to immunotherapy.

Among the individuals who got the blend, the middle endurance was 21.3 months, contrasted and 17.6 months for the individuals who got chemo alone. The thing that matters was not factually significant.

But when the scientists took a gander at ladies who had a marker called PD-L1 on their malignancy cells, the outcomes were striking: The middle endurance was 25 months in the mix gathering, versus 15.5 months with just chemo. That finding has not been broke down measurably, and the patients are as yet being followed.

Doctors state the endurance distinction is important.

“This is genuinely a game changer,␝ said Dr. Sylvia Adams, a creator of the examination from NYU Langone Health␙s Perlmutter Cancer Center.

Cancer patients with the PD-L1 marker will in general react preferred to checkpoint inhibitors over those without it. In this investigation, 41 percent of patients had the marker. Genentech is looking for endorsement for treatment in triple-negative patients with the marker.

Dr. Adams said a few patients, after introductory treatment with the two sorts of medication, have been doing admirably for a few years with immunotherapy alone.

The вђњmillion-dollar question,вђќ she stated, is whether they can securely stop the immunotherapy on the off chance that they have no indication of malignant growth. For now, they are staying with the treatment.

She noticed that patients in the investigation had a portion of the normal symptoms of immunotherapy, including lung and pancreas inflammation.

Dr. Adams said she acknowledged no cash from medication organizations, however her medicinal focus received cash from Genentech to pay for the research.

Maribel Ramos, 42, was being treated at another clinic, which prescribed chemo for her propelled triple-negative bosom cancer.

“I was extremely stressed on the grounds that I know with that sort of disease, chemo doesn␙t work,␝ Ms. Ramos said. She has three little girls: a 23-year-old and 10-year-old twins.

Her sister, a medical attendant at New York University, educated her concerning the examination there, and she started treatment in February 2016. She didnвђ™t know it at the time, yet she had been picked aimlessly to get the consolidated treatment. Inside a couple of months, her tumors started to recoil. Nine months prior, just because, an output found no indication of malignant growth. She is remaining on immunotherapy.

“I simply feel so upbeat that you can live longer,␝ Ms. Ramos said. “I wish that every one of the women that are battling disease, particularly triple-negative, could get this drug. I would prescribe that all ladies get a subsequent assessment, and some of the time even a third opinion.␝ She included, “This can spare your life.␝

About 266,120 new instances of obtrusive bosom malignancy are normal in ladies in 2018 in the United States, and 40,920 deaths.

[excreattade1972-blog]

Cancer’s Random Assault

It may sound sassy to state that numerous instances of malignant growth are brought about by misfortune, yet that is the thing that two researchers recommended in an article distributed a week ago in the diary Science. The misfortune comes as irregular hereditary errors, or transformations, that happen when sound cells partition.

Random transformations may represent 66% of the danger of getting numerous kinds of disease, leaving the standard suspects вђ" heredity and ecological variables вђ" to represent only 33%, state the creators, Cristian Tomasetti and Dr. Bert Vogelstein, of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “We do think this is a major component, and this is the first run through thereвђ™s been a proportion of it,вђќ said Dr. Tomasetti, an applied mathematician.

Though the scientists presumed that opportunity had a job, they were amazed at how huge it went out to be.

“This was certainly past my expectations,␝ Dr. Tomasetti said. “It’s about twofold what I would have thought.␝

The finding might be uplifting news to certain individuals, awful news to other people, he added.

Smoking extraordinarily builds the danger of lung malignant growth, yet for different tumors, the causes are not clear. But then numerous patients wonder in the event that they planned something for expedite the sickness themselves, or on the off chance that they could have planned something for avoid it.

“For the normal malignant growth understanding, I think this is great news,␝ Dr. Tomasetti said. “Knowing that over each of the, a great deal of it is simply misfortune, I think it could be said it␙s comforting.␝

Among individuals who don't have malignancy, Dr. Tomasetti said he expected there to be two camps.

“There are the individuals who might want to control each and every thing occurring in their lives, and for those, this might be very scary,␝ he said. “ ‘There is a major segment of malignant growth I can simply do nothing about.␙

“For the other piece of the populace, itвђ™s in reality uplifting news. ‘I’m cheerful. I can obviously do all I know thatвђ™s imperative to not build my danger of disease, similar to a decent diet, work out, abstaining from smoking, yet on the opposite side, I donвђ™t need to worry about each and every thing or each move I make in my life, or all that I contact or eat.вђ™в вђќ Dr. Vogelstein said the topic of causation had frequented him for a considerable length of time, since he was an understudy and his first patient was a 4-year-old young lady with leukemia. Her folks were upset and needed to realize what had caused the malady. He had no answer, however over and over heard a similar inquiry from patients and their families, especially guardians of kids with cancer.

“They think they passed on a terrible quality or gave them an inappropriate nourishments or presented them to paint in the garage,␝ he said. “And it␙s simply off-base. It gave them a great deal of guilt.␝

Dr. Tomasetti and Dr. Vogelstein said the finding that such a large number of instances of malignant growth happen from arbitrary hereditary mishaps implies that it may not be conceivable to avert them, and that there ought to be a greater amount of an accentuation on growing better tests to discover tumors early enough to fix them.

“Cancer leaves sign of its quality, so we simply need to essentially get more intelligent about how to discover them,␝ Dr. Tomasetti said.

Their decision originates from a measurable model they created utilizing information in the medicinal writing on paces of cell division in 31 kinds of tissue. They took a gander at immature microorganisms, which are a little, specific populace in every organ or tissue that separation to give substitutions to cells that wear out.

Dividing cells must make duplicates of their DNA, and blunders in the process can set off the uncontrolled development that prompts malignancy.

The scientists thought about whether higher paces of immature microorganism division may expand the danger of malignancy basically by giving more opportunities to botches.

Dr. Vogelstein said research of this sort wound up conceivable just lately, as a result of advances in the comprehension of immature microorganism biology.

The investigation did exclude bosom or prostate tumors, on the grounds that there was insufficient information on paces of foundational microorganism division in those tissues.

A beginning stage for their exploration was a perception made over 100 years prior however never truly clarified: Some tissues are unmistakably more disease inclined than others. In the digestive organ, for example, the lifetime malignant growth hazard is 4.8 percent вђ" multiple times higher than in the small digestive system, where it is 0.2 percent.

The researchers found that the internal organ has a lot more immature microorganisms than the small digestive tract, and that they isolate all the more regularly: 73 times each year, contrasted and multiple times. In numerous different tissues, paces of undeveloped cell division additionally connected emphatically with malignant growth hazard.

Some malignancies, including certain lung and skin tumors, are more typical than would be normal just from their paces of undeveloped cell division вђ" which coordinates with the known significance of ecological elements like smoking and sun presentation in those infections. Others more typical than anticipated were connected to malignant growth causing qualities. To help clarify the discoveries, Dr. Tomasetti refered to the dangers of a fender bender. As a rule, the more drawn out the outing, the higher the chances of an accident. Natural variables like awful climate can add to the essential hazard, thus can deserts in the vehicle.

“This is a decent picture of how I see cancer,␝ he said. “It’s extremely the blend of acquired components, condition and possibility. At the base, there is the opportunity of changes, to which we include, either in light of things we acquired or the earth, our lifestyle.␝

Dr. Kenneth Offit, head of the clinical hereditary qualities administration at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan, called the article вђњan exquisite natural clarification of the perplexing example of diseases saw in various human tissues.вђќ

He said the theory вђњappears to be correct,вђќ yet included that it is вђњjust a first approximation,вђќ and he noticed that particular kinds of malignancy didn't fit the model. One type of thyroid malignant growth, for example, has an a lot greater genetic segment than the model would propose, he said.

Although the article concentrated on elements in disease outside peopleвђ™s ability to control, Dr. Offit said that regarding half of malignant growth passings could be avoided.

“So one would not have any desire to weaken the significant general wellbeing message that albeit most disease is likely because of arbitrary occasions (influencing DNA replication) at the cell level, at the populace level, the most dominant mediations to diminish the weight of disease are to quit smoking, know your family ancestry and go for perfect weight,␝ he said.

[permian-tropos]

Armitage + Sloane Discourse (because I hadn’t realized how much of what I assumed I should just not bring up might’ve been talking past you)—I’m in the camp of ‘when I say I’m interested in Sloane finding blatant child abuse unproductive & some degree of alliance thereafter, I mean it’. I’ve /had/ weird on-and-off adults who were busy af and also possibly doing evil who I idolized because they weren’t beating me; and that’s what I mean when I want a long-term relationship, not... idk, health...?

(Literally just on anon because I’m anxious, for the record.) I’m sure there are people… happening, somehow… who actually want what they see as a healthy and productive (and… distinctly, stably one-way, I suppose?) parental figure relationship, but I don’t understand those in real life and wouldn’t be interested in them over here anyway, and I didn’t realize if that was much more what you’ve been arguing against, I guess? Sorry if this is incoherent or boring or anything!

No, no, it’s ok! I have only read a handful of actual short fics about Sloane and Armitage and a few of them used her as a side witness to kylux, some were pretty mild about agreeable interactions between her and Armitage. None of them were quite to my taste.

What I don’t really feel up for is stuff that is mostly about Armitage, stuff that prioritizes him, that makes her part of his story. I might feel differently if there was more content out there that focused on Sloane herself. If I had more to slake my thirst. But people are way thirstier for Hux content than for Sloane content. 

I don’t really care about Discoursing it, like, people can enjoy whatever kind of thing they want, and my preferences don’t need to be shared by anyone else. These aren’t morally weighted opinions. 

TBH I was sore that for years it was almost impossible to find independent Rax fans or gallirae shippers. One, maybe two. When Empire’s End came out, and so many people wanted to talk about kid Armitage and his angst, but didn’t acknowledge or even notice anything of Galli’s story, it stressed me out, because it meant I still had to be his hype blog. And I was in even worse mental health then. 

I decided to start distancing myself from people I might feel compelled to impress, because it was eating me up inside. And I definitely felt compelled to impress the Hux fandom because of the extreme BNF culture going on there, how many amazing artists and writers there were, and how I was practically salivating over the idea of having even a fraction of that attention on my ships and faves. It took me a while to untangle my brain to the point where I wasn’t uncontrollably torn up with jealousy. 

So people making Sloane & Armitage content became slightly off-limits. Didn’t want to embarrass myself. Maybe it was an extreme measure.

[latetothegreysparty]

Master Post

I’ve gotten several requests for a master post, so here you go. Please let me know if any of these links don’t work for you.

Stand Alones: Empty - post 14x08 anon prompt from omeliafics Black or Red - Amelia trying out the “friends who can talk to each other” thing with Owen 365 Days - anon prompt in which Amelia is injured and given opiates in the hospital Mistletoe Moments - fluffy story about a Grey-Sloan Christmas party Crazy - prompt from several anons about everyone worrying about Amelia at work after her tumor removal All of Me - Amelia finds herself pregnant and struggles with the emotions from the unicorn baby Shower Wars - anon prompt about Owen and Amelia being roommates after the divorce and Amelia taking the shower when Owen wanted to use it Sliver of Light - anon prompt also in the roommates story line in which Amelia is scared by a horror movie Heartbeat - anon prompt in which Amelia has a patient who has one of her unicorn baby’s organs Crop Tops and Hooker Heels - anon prompt in which Charlotte and Addison come to town for a case and stay with Owen Just Listen - request involving Amelia telling Owen about her experiences in LA Dates and Skates - super fluffy piece involving an ice-skating date Baby Steps - anon prompt in which Owen takes care of Amelia while she is recovering from her tumor removal Favorite Patient - anon prompt in which Amelia needs a tonsillectomy but is hesitant to schedule it Intern Wars - Owen’s interns are behaving oddly and he wants to know why Peacocking - cowritten with @omeliathehurricane for an anon prompt about Tom Koracick coming back, Owen finding out that he slept with Amelia, and Owen getting jealous Valentine’s Day - fluffy piece about an Omelia Valentine’s Day I Love That Laugh - request involving the line: “Fuck, I love that laugh.” Ginger Ninja - cowritten with @omeliathehurricane for an anon prompt about the episode in which Owen is injured by razor wire Playing Grab-Ass - prompt in which Owen is not pleased when Amelia changes her pants in front of Alex, Maggie, and Meredith while not wearing underwear Expert Hands - anon prompt in which Ellis Shepherd gets hurt and Amelia finds out and comes to help Extreme Measures - fic cowritten with @omeliathehurricane about Amelia trying to help Owen understand how much effort she puts into maintaining her sobriety Bosses, Brothers, and Boyfriends - anon prompt in which Owen talks to Derek about Amelia Learning from the Best - anon prompt in which Amelia helps Derek with the kids when Meredith is visiting Cristina Happy - Kimmie confides in Amelia Puppy Eyes - Omelia’s daughter, Ella, gets herself into a bit of trouble trying to get a cookie Bro Code - Amelia has been helping Owen out with Leo when she comes to a realization Sugar and Spice - fic cowritten with @omeliathehurricane about Omelia’s daughter, Madison, attempting to use her charm on Owen Tequila and Rubber Ducks - fic cowritten with @omeliathehurricane in which a dinner party in honor of Arizona ends in Amelia taking care of a drunk Maggie Accidents Happen - anon prompt in which Omelia’s child wets the bed and Amelia comforts her The Daily Grind - fic cowritten with @omeliathehurricane about a certain way Amelia likes to mess with Owen

Multi-Part: In the Name of Research - Part 1, Part 2 - Increasingly smutty two-parter AU about Amelia participating in Carina’s research, but she doesn’t have a tumor Bedtime - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 - fluffy three-parter about Owen and Amelia putting Meredith’s children to bed Fashion Faux Pas and Meeting Mishaps, Meeting - Fashion Faux Pas and Meeting Mishaps is from an anon prompt in which Owen’s friends are in town and embarrass him, Meeting is from a request for a follow-up Recertification - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4/One-Liners #10 - Amelia has to attend a class to get recertified in life support Shepherd Children, Riding Horses - Amelia, Maggie, and Meredith have a girls’ night at Owen’s house while he watches Meredith’s kids Biking Blunders - Part 1, Part 2 - anon prompt in which Owen has the idea to do a tandem bike tour, and Amelia gets hurt Bastard - Part 1, Part 2 - based on the elevator scene from the 14x14 promo, gets rather smutty Carsickness - Part 1, Part 2 - anon prompt from omeliafics in which Omelia’s child gets carsick Being Female - Part 1, Part 2 - anon prompt in which Omelia are babysitting Meredith’s kids and Zola gets her first period Home, To Build a Home - Owen discovers firsthand the heartbreak that can come with foster parenting CT - Part 1, Part 2 - anon prompt in which Owen is injured and Amelia is his emergency contact Intern Wars - Part 1, Part 2/One-Liners #6 - Owen’s interns are behaving oddly and he wants to know why

Mosaic - a multi-chapter fic dealing with the aftermath of the divorce (currently on hold): Chapter 1 - Family Dinner Chapter 2 - Morning Bustle Chapter 3 - More Messes  Chapter 4 - Step Back

Enough - a multi-chapter fic that starts with Amelia visiting the NICU on her birthday: Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8

She Gets That From You - a series of one shots in which Omelia reminisce about each others’ traits that they see in their daughter, Ella: Blowing Off Steam The Pose Chicken Scratch Love is an Open Door

One-Liners - I reblogged a numbered list of single-line quotations and asked my followers for prompts. I received a ton. Instead of naming them all, I’ve just numbered them: #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6/Intern Wars Part 2 #7 #8 #9 #10/Recertification Part 4 #11 #12 #13 #14 #15 #16 #17