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psyga315 · 1 year ago

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A breakdown of an analysis of female portrayal in media

Originally the entire post was going to be a takedown of the post, but to iamafanofcartoon's credit, a lot of the points they make are valid. However, given their bias towards RWBY, some double standards come up ironically as they bring up double standards.

"A lot of people are incapable of viewing female characters as anything other than an innocent saint or a portrait of pure evil. Arguably the best characters are morally ambiguous ones who live in the gray area between good and evil, but women are much less often afforded that distinction than their male counterparts."

This is the biggest piece of irony ever when you remember how they treat Ironwood, someone who has moral ambiguity (at least in Volume 7) or even how they regard Ruby lying to Ironwood as something that isn't something morally ambiguous, but rather 100% guaranteed the right thing to do.

"I’m been having a huge problem connecting to media. The only women around are very young or very old and their main defining feature is usually motherhood."

They say as the protagonists of RWBY are women who are very young.

"A lot of the time if there is a military high ranking female character or just female leader that is masculine or butch she will be the villain to be defeated by the traditionally feminine or at least more feminine heroine/love interest of the hero."

Oh, military being evil is just a trope in of itself. You should be familiar with it because you like to bring up a certain someone who fits that trope to a T over and over:

Wonder why he gets shit.

I'm going to pause and heavily commend I Am A Fan for bringing up the overuse of the term Mary Sue and how it's now used as a phrase to shut down any female protagonist who just happens to be just a little too much in the screen time, especially given its ironic origin being that it was to parody the "I get into Starfleet, befriend literally everyone, and then tragically die" trope that cropped up in several Star Trek zines.

There's a lot of debate with Rey and the sequels, but we'll leave that for another day. All I will say though is that holy shit, the defense for Rey here is top notch, especially that part where they compare Rey's handling of weapons to Luke's handling of weapons.

A lot of the post starting from when they criticize the overuse of Mary Sue is actually a really solid read and I recommend you giving it a look, even if you don't agree with what they say.

That said, it comes crashing down over to here:

"You heard of The Bechdel test: Two women have to talk about something other than a man. There is no time window."

Ignoring the fact that the Bachdel test isn't meant to be taken seriously (something that the linked page literally points out), RWBY failed this test numerous times.

Ruby: (putting the pamphlet away) Yeah! Great idea, sis! (holding out her hand as she clears her throat) Hello, Weiss! I'm Ruby! Wanna hang out? We can go shopping for school supplies! Weiss: (seemingly enthusiastic) Yeah! And we can paint our nails and try on clothes and talk about cute boys, like tall, blond, and scraggly over there!

That's just the straight up example. "But Psyga, she was being sarcastic!". Okay. Well, the condition is that they have to be talking about a man and not specifically someone they're dating, so pick your poison with these two Bumblebee exchanges. One has them talking about two men!!!

Blake: I had someone very dear to me change. [...] you're not him. And you've never done anything like this before. So... I want to trust you. I will trust you. But first, I need you to look me in the eyes and tell me that he attacked you. I need you to promise me that you regret having to do what you did. Yang: (wipes her eyes of tears, then says as calmly as possible) I saw him attack me, so I attacked back.

Yang: Do you… (loud exhale) Do you think we should've told Ironwood about Salem, before he put so much on the line for Amity? Blake: Sounds like you do. Yang: (sighs) I trust Ruby, but I think he deserves to know what he's stepping into. We all did.

But you wanna know the most batshit insane part? Stretch the definition, and you can have RWBY fail this test first try.

Glynda: I hope that you realize that your actions tonight will not be taken lightly, young lady. You put yourself and others in great danger. Ruby: [Roman and his gang] started it! Glynda: If it were up to me, you'd be sent home... With a pat on the back... (she notices Ruby's smile) ...And a slap on the wrist. (she demonstrates with her riding crop, which Ruby barely avoids as she gives out an "Eeek!) But... [Ozpin] would like to meet you.

Like, I would bring up that Rick and Morty pointed out how it's not meant to be taken seriously, but then I remembered it's called Rick and Morty and not Rikki and Morticia, so it might not even be in I Am A Fan's radar.

"Go watch RWBY or Legend of Korra. Both involve a deconstruction of tropes. Both involve women standing up against an authority that demands respect based on being authority, not based on respect. Both shut down the white male savior trope so hard, that men and women who love the patriarchy despise both shows."

What they don't tell you is that the "standing up against authority" bit in RWBY only lasts for two Volumes and it ends up making the main character's deep-rooted depression outright suicidal because their actions in doing so had lasting consequences to their psyche. Not to mention that up until Volume 6, they had been following the instructions of authority.

A straight white male one at that who in Volume 4 went into the body of a person of color and has to possess him in order to continue giving instructions. And that's when the girls start to question his authority and even yell at him. If that's not fucking yikes, I don't know what is.

Korra's standing against authority is more "let the bad guys depose the authority and then we'll clean up the mess" but that's neither here nor there.

Also, I don't think adding a fe in front of male counts as shutting down the white male savior trope.

But of course, anything that Team RWBY or Korra does is immediately held to a double standard and ripped into for anything that they do NOT because they’re flawed or because of writing decisions. Its because they’re LGBT women that they’re held under a microscope.

No, it's because people explored the long-standing consequences of their actions and what it means for upending society as a whole. I haven't been in the Legend of Korra discourse but I definitely know the discourse of RWBY to know that them being LGBT has nothing to do with them getting criticized.

In fact, two of the four girls aren't even LGBT in the first place and the other two are B but you keep denying that and call them L.

Or have you noticed that every fixit fanfic for both series involves defending the Patriarchy while supporting toxic masculinity and trying to revive the White Male Savior trope that both shows have tried so hard to bury six feet under?

Have you noticed that RWBY involves four girls defending the patriarchy while supporting toxic masculinity and trying to revive the White Male Savior trope that it ironically tried to bury six feet under?

Because after Volume 3, the plot is about them going from Kingdom to Kingdom and protecting the Academies, which the last King of Vale had essentially turned into castles to house powerful relics.

When all four of these relics are gathered, they summon two brothers who will pass judgement onto mankind and are seen as, so far, one of the only ways to truly deal with the true threat of Salem, i.e. they are the white male saviors.

Despite being even more trigger happy and axe crazy than Volume 8!Ironwood.

And just to show just how much of a tangent I Am A Fan's post is... That's the very last paragraph. Do you see why I call them FNDM-GPT?

EDIT: This motherfucker reposted this from March! https://iamafanofcartoons.tumblr.com/post/711784852348878848/we-need-to-address-how-media-and-media-critics

#rwde #rwby

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mswyrr · 1 year ago

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Star Trek: Voyager, 4x26 "Hope and Fear"

This was so refreshing. It was this moody contemplation on choices and consequences without any villains, without moral simplifications.

-Arturis isn't a puppy kicker the way he'd be in, like, MCU style stuff. His problem with Janeway is clear and has limits. He's not here on a rampage, though he is driven by a grief that has clearly broken him inside. When Janeway cannot convince him out of it though - I couldn't blame him, I couldn't say he was wrong. That final image of him entering Borg space (the place that used to be his home, where everyone he loves is now dead and dismembered by the Borg, where he too soon will join them in that living death) is gonna haunt me, in a good way.

-People constantly jump Janeway for her moral decisions but I think this episode puts a neat point on something here which is that, oftentimes, there is no purely good decision for her to make. Just a choice among a bunch of bad decisions. She doesn't have the might and resources of the Federation at her back, she doesn't get to make clean and pure decisions. Every option has problems, consequences she cannot foresee, but she has to make a decision or they lose people, they lose the chance to get home.

As Sisko put it re: the Federation. "It's easy to be a saint in paradise." But Janeway, like Sisko, is not living in paradise. She tries very hard to be a decent person, but she doesn't have the resources necessary to make that easy.

I LOVE that she isn't a saint, a perfect Mommy, or a devil. She just is and this -- this is the best she can do in the circumstances she's in. It hurts and it's not good. But there it is.

Her shift from a kind of predatory rage--once she realizes Arturis is playing and deceiving her and he's a threat to her people-- to grief over what she's inadvertently done to Arturis and his people and the way he cannot be persuaded out of his decisions was beautiful.

-The lovely, funny J7 shippy moment actually captures the episode's themes beautifully:

Janeway: In a brig, nine months ago, I severed you from the collective and you weren't happy about it.

Seven: No, I was not.

Janeway: In case I never get a chance to say this… I realize that I've been hard on you at times, but it was never out of anger, or regret that I brought you on board. I'm your captain. That means I can't always be your friend. Understand?

Seven: No. However, if we are assimilated, our thoughts will become one, and I'm sure I will understand perfectly. [a beat] A joke, Captain. You have encouraged me to use my sense of humor.

Seven is another imperfect decision Janeway has had to make - a person who exists (and has a sense of humor! because of Janeway) and yet continues to have the right to complicated feelings about being made to exist in this way by Janeway's decision.

Perfect choices - perfect understanding - those aren't possible. (Not even for Starfleet captains with all the resources Janeway does not have). Unless you're Borg and have the absolute unity (and erasure of personhood) that involves. Unless you are, as Arturis puts it, more like a storm or a force of nature than a person, the way the Borg are.

Instead of perfection we have a spectrum of what is possible here and now, for Janeway - Arturis and his people, destroyed and unreachable, due to Janeway's decision. And the grace of Seven, who is alive and in front of her and reachable but not fully, not totally at peace with what she's done and maybe Seven never will be. Janeway has to accept that; a choice had to be made, there were no perfect options, the only thing she can do is face the consequences with as much decency as she can muster.

(People who say she never faces consequences confuse and befuddle me so much - but enough of that lol)

#star trek voyager #kathryn janeway #arturis #my meta #star trek meta #seven of nine #j7

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delta-pavonis · 1 year ago

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July Kinkfest Day 20: Star Trek AU

The Sandman (Star Trek human AU) || Dreamling (Dream of the Endless/Hob Gadling) || Rated E || 4k words

Prompts: Lingerie | Domming from the Bottom | “We need to leave right now.” (maybe the middle one if you take a different direction with it?)

Warnings (in addition to the prompts above): Star Trek AU, Star Trek Discovery seasons 1 & 2 minor references (you don't need to know any Star Trek to enjoy!), mostly I just love an excuse to put Ash Tyler in anything, Getting Together, Dirty Dancing, Dirty Talk, Face-Sitting, Rimming, Cowgirl Position, Idiots in Love, they are both unhinged for each other

Author's Notes: Inspired to finally do a Star Trek AU because Dr_Lecteur wrote this

Read below or on AO3.

He has officially reached his breaking point. He has been in love with the Chief Security Officer on his ship for a total of one thousand nine hundred eighty nine days.

Yes. He has been counting.

It is time, as his friend Matthew would say, for extreme measures.

Because he has it on the word of at least a half dozen other friends and crewmates, people whose opinion he actually trusts, that no, Dream is not imagining it, and yes, Hob is interested, and no, Hob doesn't consider everything Dream has done so far as enough of a 'first move' to overcome his anxiety about being Dream's superior officer, even if they are in different departments.

So when the crew finally gets a week of shore leave at Starfleet HQ because the ship is being refitted with updated nacelle architecture, Lieutenant Commander Morpheus Endless, known as Dream to his friends, decides to draw of a new definition of extreme in terms of seduction techniques.

Dream is nursing a brandy at the bar of the 602 Club just on the outskirts of the Academy. He knows that Commander Gadling will meet his friends here after he stops by to say hello to one of his old professors. He knows that in nineteen minutes, when the dancefloor in the basement opens up, one of Gadling’s friends from his Academy days is going to be the opening DJ. And he knows that Hob has a very specific kink that happens to fit under a tailored suit. All of these things he has learned not from his Section 31 connections – which he damned well could have used, you're welcome for the restraint – but from being a close enough friend shipside to get invited to parties where Hob lets his hair down.

He watches as Hob arrives without much fanfare, meets up with some friends who work at HQ, people who he hasn’t seen in a long time, clapping shoulders and giving hugs and offering cheers for being on leave. Laughing, they head downstairs. The rumble of the bass is just starting to make it up through the floor.

Downing the last of his drink in one swig, Dream follows.

As he slides through the crowd to head to the stairs Dream unbuttons the top two buttons of his black shirt and rolls up the sleeves to his elbows – not only is he going to be sweating while he is down there, but he is quite sure that Hob has never seen so much of his skin. Just one more weapon in his arsenal.

Dream prowls along the edges of the dancefloor, already thrumming with a small group of people that is getting bigger by the second. He can see Hob’s head bobbing amongst them, flashing lights making his hair gleam with amber and brass. He gives the man a few minutes to enjoy his friends, because Dream has every intention of thoroughly distracting Hob away from them. He will figure out how to make it up to Hob later. Much later.

He is a predator waiting for his opening. He feels terribly alive in this moment, aware of his blood and his breathing and his skin and his saliva. The crowd grows. The three fingers of liquor buzz pleasantly in his veins. The crowd grows further. The room gets hotter with the warmth of bodies. Dream starts sweating. The music is resonating in his chest and he is all coiled muscle and ready. Then he sees Hob with his head thrown back, lost to the music, and Dream pounces.

It is easy to slide through the writhing bodies when he is so focused on his target; physical contact with strangers is the least of his worries right now. He circles around to come up behind Hob, puts his hand gently on Hob's bicep and leans in to speak next to his ear. “Might I have this dance?”

Dream knows his expression is smug as Hob nearly jumps out of his skin, twisting around at the same time that he yelps “Dream!” Then the Commander takes in his friend and colleague with an obvious look up and down. To Dream's thrill, he watches as Hob blushes. “Holy shit! Dream? What are you…”

He puts his bare forearms on Hob’s shoulders and looks at him through his lashes. “I am asking you if you want to dance with me.”

“Dream!” Hob chuckles, nervous, but does not back away. “Christ, are you wearing eyeliner?”

“Yes.” He dismisses the question quickly as he steps in, maybe an inch between their bodies now. “Do you. Want to.” Hob is watching his lips and he has to stamp down a smile. “Dance. With me.”

“Fuck.” Hob hisses and wraps an arm around Dream’s waist, pulling them flush. It is like an ocean wave crashing into his body, a force of nature, flowing into and up his torso, eroding away any barriers Dream has left. “Yes. Of course I want to dance with you, you absolutely irresistible, gorgeous personification of hedonism. I have wanted to touch you from the moment we met.”

So long? Dream shivers with the excitement that his feelings are reciprocated. And the anticipation of what awaits them. “Then touch.”

Hob moans and buries his face in Dream’s neck, grinding their hips together in time with the beat. He doesn’t kiss or bite, just breathes and presses them close. But he doesn’t touch. Not like Dream wants him to.

Dream drops his hands to Hob’s wrists. “I said,” he moves one hand to grope his chest and the other to grab his ass, “touch.”

“Fucking hell,” Hob swears into Dream’s ear, breath heavy. “Who are you and where did you put my friend Dream?”

“This version of your friend has always been here. Waiting for you.”

Hob chuckles and it vibrates through Dream’s chest, a rush of warmth. “So you are saying I have been an idiot.”

Dream smiles. He pulls on Hob’s hair, pulling him back so that they are nose-to-nose, breathing on each other’s lips. “You are only an idiot if you stop.”

Hob melts into Dream’s kiss, paws at Dream where his hands were placed, and Dream feels the exact moment that he realizes it – Hob’s entire body stutters and he pulls back from the kiss with a gasp. “Oh no. Oh fuck. Did you? Are you?”

He responds with a smirk and unbuttons more of his shirt, enough to bare his shoulder and one pectoral. The black lace and red satin of the bra stand out in stark contrast to his alabaster skin, pale from a life almost entirely on starships.

For a moment Hob just stares at the garment, mouth agog. Then he is dragging Dream by the hips through the crowd growling, “We need to leave. Right. Now.”

They are in Dream’s temporary dirtside quarters so fast they might as well have beamed over. Hob slams him into the wall as soon as the door whooshes shut, the impact hard enough to cause the digital picture in the wall to flicker. Dream snarls and shoves back, driving Hob into the wall opposite and knocking a vase and flowers off the small table.

“Fuck me.” Hob gasps, pulling Dream’s shirt hem from being tucked inside his charcoal trousers. The motions are jerky and frantic and the last button just zings across the room as he reveals Dream’s torso and pulls the shirt off of his arms. Hob’s hands burn as they stroke from shoulder to hip, down once, then back up. “Fuck me.”

Dream fists both hands in the sweat damp umber hair and yanks Hob’s head back so that he can look into his eyes. “Actually, I was thinking the other way around. Would you let me strap you down? Could I tie you to my bed and ride you, Hob?”

Hob’s kiss is biting, a pact made in blood. “Yes. Fuck yes.” Dream may be taller but Hob easily lifts him and maneuvers further into the apartment. “Anything. I will do anything for you. You perfect fucking dream.”

Suddenly the bed is beneath them and Dream is straddling Hob’s lap and he can only smirk as he shimmies his trousers down. Beneath the charcoal wool is more black lace and red satin – garters, thigh-high stockings, and panties. Hob makes this nasal, desperate noise, so Dream backs away, stands up and lets the pants drop as he kicks off his boots. Then he turns around to show Hob his ass.

“You glorious minx, Holy Christ.” Hob’s large hands are bracketing Dream’s hips pulling him in between Hob's knees. Fingers travel over the exposed skin of his ass, not pushing in between but almost, confirming that yes, he is exposed from waistband to balls. “You are gonna ride me with all this on, aren’t you? Is that your plan?"

"Have to get your clothes off first but y-aah!" Dream is flung to the bed on his back and Hob is shucking off clothes as fast as a cadet getting out of full formal dress. Then he is over at the replicator and back with lube before Dream finishes laughing.

"I'm gonna leave you to getting any tying down supplies, since you sound like you know what you are doing and I decidedly don't."

Dream watches, soaking in the view of Hob naked as he kneels beside him on the bed. "Are you asking if I am an experienced dom?" He trails his own hand from collarbone to thigh, back up, preening under the rapt attention from Hob. "Yes, I am, which is why I won't be tying you down tonight. We can negotiate that at another time. I am too desperate to get your cock in me to have a proper talk."

Hob drops down onto all fours over Dream, cups his jaw and plunders his mouth. "How can you just say shit like that?" He is trailing little bites and kisses down Dream's neck and he arches into it, holds on to Hob's shoulders like a lifeline, fingers sliding in the sweat building there. "You are going to be the death of me."

"Can we please leave my sister out of this?" Dream growls as he pushes himself up, wraps a leg around Hob's hips, and twists, rolling the other man under him. Hob grunts as he is pressed onto his back and drags Dream into another round of kissing. "Now pay attention, this question is important,” Dream says, pulling away even when Hob whines with the loss, “Will you let me sit on your face so you can open me up with your tongue?"

The moan Hob gives is something out of pornography; Dream would have thought it faked if he wasn’t watching as his lover’s eyes went hazy and his whole body shook. Hob can’t even get out words, although his throat seems to try. Then more kissing, getting sloppier and more uncoordinated by the second.

“Is that a yes?” Now Dream is just being a brat. He knows it. That isn’t going to stop him. If for some reason this is the only time he gets Hob in his bed he is going to damned well enjoy every second of it, smug bastard that he is. "Use your words, lover."

"Yes. Yes, get up here. Yes." Hob starts scrabbling at Dream's thighs, tugging him up the bed and snapping the garters in the process.

Dream has a moment where he considers turning around so that he might more easily touch Hob, bring him pleasure – but no, he hasn't earned his pleasure yet. When Dream settles his calves parallel to Hob's ears, Hob makes an inquiring sound, nudging Dream's feet with his biceps.

"Give me a proper rimming and maybe I will deign put my hand on your cock." Hob whimpers beneath him, but brings both hands up to cradle Dream's hip bones. "And keep your hands there, pet. No touching yourself and ruining all the fun.”

Hob sounds like he wants to respond but doesn't get a chance to because Dream grabs the top of the headboard and drops his body down onto Hob’s mouth.

Hob takes the cue and dives in, zero hesitation, neck arching so that he can get a better angle, fingers digging around Dream’s hips so he can pull himself up and in. A few long flat swipes of his tongue over Dream’s hole then he is stabbing inwards, twisting and curling his tongue to pet and stroke where the skin turns smooth and wet and sensitive.

Dream cries out, grasps at words, trying to encourage, but finding only vowels can escape. Oh fuck, Hob knows well what he is doing, has clearly had practice in this type of sex, and sweet Christ he wishes that he had Hob’s cock in his mouth. It would sit heavy on his tongue and he could drive it deep enough to close off his airway, make himself even dizzier using Hob’s body. Instead, Dream grinds down onto Hob’s chin with an ecstatic, drawn out “Aaaaaaa!”

A pleased moan rumbles from Hob’s throat up Dream’s spine, making him snap his head back and sob to the ceiling. And still Hob pulls him down further, pushes himself deeper. Dream’s grip on his hair is no doubt painful, and the way he has started fucking himself down onto Hob’s tongue might bruise his nose, but this is what they have advanced medicine for. Death no longer even asks when he shows up in medbay, him or his partner looking fucked five ways to Sunday and asking for a quick heal-up.

Fuck it. Dream wants to come like this, Hob’s tongue and lips and teeth buried in his ass, rutting down onto his face slick with spit. It feels too goddamned good not to. So he shoves the panties down, grabs his prick in his fist, and fucks up into it as he rocks down onto Hob’s tongue and yes, there just like that. He comes all over the headboard, multiple spurts creating tangled stripes of his seed across the metal, and then he is empty, so empty, it is an ache he needs to fill and suddenly Hob’s tongue is nowhere near enough.

With a growl Dream is crawling backwards and now here is the benefit of this position because can grab the lube from where it has rolled to sit against Hob’s waist, continue backwards and he only needs to slather Hob’s cock liberally before he can sink down onto it and yes, oh yes. That. There.

Hob has barely caught his breath when Dream impales himself and he sounds like he has gone six rounds of bareknuckle boxing in three seconds. Looks it, too – all wide-eyed and sweaty, jaw slack and hair mussed to all hell, gaze unable to quite focus as his chest heaves. It takes a moment, but then Hob closes his eyes and smiles, laughing breathlessly as he swipes his fingers across the headboard and then brings his cum-smeared hand to his mouth. “Mmmm, you came riding my face.”

Now fully seated, Hob’s cock buried to the hilt, Dream stretches forward, sliding his hands up Hob’s belly and into his chest hair and over his shoulders. “That wasn’t my original plan, but yes. Felt too good not to.”

He pushes a hand into Dream’s hair, pets him. It is soft and affectionate and makes warmth bloom again in Dream’s pelvis. “Glad to know all that practice I got during my Academy days didn’t go to waste.”

Dream smiles, truly smiles, not something snarky or smug, and runs his fingertips over Hob’s lips. Hob nips at them once and Dream flicks his nose in return, both of them huffing out laughter. He is happy here, Dream realizes, stretched around Hob’s cock and across his chest, so, of course, his mouth goes and tries to do something exceptionally, extraordinarily stupid. “I luh–”

Dream slaps his hand over his mouth so hard it makes his teeth rattle and freezes. Too much. Always too fucking much. And now he’s gone and ruined it again and maybe he should just give up and go full spy like Ash is always trying to convince him – just disappear into the ether never to be heard from again. The Section can always use innovative neuroengineers like you, Dream. Ash says as he smiles that fucking charming ass smile. And I can always use a good deep dicking to keep my head on straight during tense missions. First Officer with benefits?

He closes his eyes and shoves the image of Commander Tyler away. Big brown eyes and a roguish smile always were his biggest weaknesses.

Hob wraps an arm around Dream and levers them both up, up until Dream is sitting in his lap and he is reminded that yes, he still has Hob’s fucking lovely cock inside him. He keeps his eyes wrenched closed, can’t bear to look at him as he whispers, “I’m so–”

“So help me god if you apologize right now Dream...” Dream’s eyes slam open and his mouth snaps shut. Hob gently removes Dream’s hand from his mouth and threads their fingers together. “Do you have any fucking idea how many of your friends and exes I have talked to while trying to figure out how to catch you for myself? Now who is too much, eh?”

Dream blinks about a hundred times in rapid succession. “You…”

“Please,” Hob presses their foreheads together, “please don’t stop. Just let me make love to you once. Then we can put all of our cards on the table and see if our baggage matches up.”

Make love to you. Dream cups Hob’s sticky face with his free hand and smiles. “That metaphor makes no sense.”

Hob’s relief is palpable as he presses their lips together in a soft, chaste kiss. “I am so worked up you are lucky I am even vaguely coherent.”

A smirk is back on Dream’s face, “So I shouldn’t do this?” Dream clenches down with his pelvic floor muscles.

“Fucking hell.” Hob lowers himself back to the bed and rolls his hips up into Dream, whose eyes flutter with the sliding sensation. “Only do that if you want me spent in 30 seconds. But if we play this just right,” Hob rolls up again and forces a soft unf from Dream, “I can fuck you into another orgasm so we can go together.”

They are rocking into each other, slow gentle movements that set Dream’s nerve endings on fire. “And what do you know of my refractory period?”

“Darling, I’ve spoken with both Calliope and Ash. Who send their blessings for us, by the way.”

“Traitors.” Dream says with exactly zero heat behind it, speeding up slightly and then leaning back. He puts his hand below his navel, snaps his hips down and imagines he can feel Hob’s dick buried in him. The image, of Hob filling him, thrusting deep into the guts of him, shoots arousal into every limb and he starts fucking himself harder, but with a steady slow pace.

He loves this, the ebb and flow of a lover into and out of his body, could do this for hours if given the chance. Once, years ago, a relatively unobservant dom tried to use this as torture when Dream got it in his head to sub for her, only to find him coming for the fifth time, completely dry, not a drop of liquid left in his cock or balls, screaming in ecstasy.

Hob’s hands are everywhere, petting every inch of skin he can reach, running over the lingerie and sliding beneath it, but never even grazing Dream’s half-hard cock. Speaking of traitors.

"So beautiful." Hob whispers, almost reverent. Dream can feel the flush bloom on his cheeks, but sitting astride Hob leaves him no place to hide, so he looks away. Only to have a firm hand turn his face back to forward. “No. None of that. You are. Come on, dove, let me see you.” He tugs at the band of the bra. It is quick work for Dream to unlatch it, shrug it off and Hob is grinning stupidly by the end. “You did that real fast. Like you do it all the time.” His hands roam up Dream’s thighs and snap the garters. “How often are you wearing these while on duty, Dream?”

Dream doesn’t answer, just starts moving faster, breathing puffing with exertion now. He caresses his stomach and chest again, pinches one of his nipples with his fingers until Hob bats him away to do it for him. He keeps tugging and twisting, harder and harder, alternating between them, until they are deep pink and Dream is crying out above him.

Finally, he is bouncing himself in earnest, hard cock bobbing with it, and Hob grabs one of his hips to hold on as he starts thrusting up to meet him. The slapping of their skin is loud in the small room �� Dream can hear it even over the sound of his own moans and wails. It is so good. Better than good. It feels like Hob goddamned well belongs there, stuffed inside Dream, laid out between his legs, moaning his name from scream-chapped lips.

Hob goes to grab for Dream’s dick and he smacks his hand away. “Absolutely not. Wait until I tell you.”

“Oh fuck.” He watches as Hob’s eyes close and he starts gripping Dream’s hips hard enough to bruise. “I’m close. You better… soon…”

Dream leans back again, changing the angle and ramming his prostate directly onto the head of Hob’s cock. “Yes! Yeessss. Just let me… oh fuck yes.” Again. And again. And again. And again. And, “Now Hob!”

Hob grabs Dream’s cock, too tight and perfect and Dream fucks up into that calloused fist just once before he is screaming out his orgasm, hands reaching back to claw up the backs of Hob’s sweaty, furred thighs. Streaks of white shoot onto Hob’s chest, across his neck and collarbone and chest hair.

His cock stops spurting and twitching but Dream does not stop moving, fucking himself through the start of the aftershocks and shouting, pleading with Hob. “Come in me. Want your seed dripping down my thighs. Fill me, Hob.”

One more snap down of Dream’s hips and Hob is obeying, body going taut and arching and he damned well looks like some ancient painting of a person succumbing to a lustful demon, skin shining with sweat in the dim lights of the room. And then Hob’s moans turn into sobs when Dream keeps fucking himself well into Hob’s oversensitivity, until Hob’s cum is being pushed out of him around the softening cock, making an obscene squelching noise that has Dream smiling and almost purring as he slows to a stop.

Dream collapses like his strings have been cut, flops down gracelessly next to Hob, chest a heaving bellows. He lets his eyes close under the weight of the pleasure had. There is an absolutely dopey grin on his face and he cannot bring himself to care.

Silence, warm and comfortable, settles between them. Eventually Hob’s hand finds its way to tangle with one of Dream’s. He squeezes once. Dream squeezes back.

When Dream finally gets around to opening his eyes he finds Hob watching him, a soft smile on his face. “You are so fucking beautiful.” Hob turns onto his side so that he can bring one hand up and trail gentle fingertips across Dream’s cheekbone. “You are stunning, Dream. And if someone hasn’t told you that every day of your life then I damn well volunteer to finish the job, whether I ever have you in my bed again or not.”

Dream gets up just enough to bring his lips to Hob’s so that they can kiss, leisurely and languid, savoring taste and texture. Dream feels like he could fit here, make a home for himself in Hob’s body. He wants to. “How about we start with a shower?”

#Dreamling #Star Trek AU #human AU #Dream of the Endless #Hob Gadling #The Sandman AU #julykinkfest2023

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leolaroot · 9 months ago

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in regards to your bruce horak post, i always loved him as hemmer but i hated how snw did the trope of killing off the disabled character for no reason just to support other character's character development 😑 (i also hate how uhura in turn is used as a prop for the white characters sometimes but that's besides the point)

also the klingon........ why the fuck is star trek still putting white actors in brownface when they play klingons jeez. shouldn't they know that that's bad by now

sorry for the random ask, idk if these were the same as the issues you had with these roles but this is why i was frustrated with them personally. anyways i hope ur having a good day i love your blog and you're super funny and cool 👍 snw haters forever and ever

yup you got it boss 👍🏻‼️ i stopped watching before they killed hemmer (in part bc i had heard abt his upcoming death, in part bc of the weird transmisogynistic tropes in the serene squall. (that i will admit i didnt notice at first. thank you moon for helping bring them to my attention ❤️))

i saw so many people praising and getting excited for the musical episode, i was excited when i heard Bruce Horak had returned for a cameo, and i considered skipping ahead just to watch that episode... until i saw someone mention bruce was playing garkog, and the character was him in blackface, and then i was just disgusted lol.

i know people hated the discovery redesign of klingons, and i will admit that i am not very well informed on why exactly that is, but the one thing thst came to my mind when i saw them, was that at the very least by switching to more fantastical and less human skin tones, they could steer the franchise away from the tradition of klingons being played by white actors in blackface...i guess when fans protested the design change, paramount took that to mean that audiences wanted black face back. after all, how can you say you miss "tng era klingons" without evoking Robert o'reilly as gowron and suzie plakson playing k'ehleyr?

also regarding Uhura. i have to ask this every time snw comes up but how fucking weird was that scene where spock tried to shame her into leaving starfleet because he thought she didnt deserve her position because he perceived her as not working hard enough for it........... i admit i dont have a great memory of that scene but like what the hell was going on lmao.

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bardicious · 1 year ago

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Star Trek TOS' wrongs

So I said I'd do it so I'm doing it. This is just a handful of, honestly, insulting details of the original trek. Now, TOS is still my favorite trek, but it is outdated. You, frankly need to remove significant parts of canon to cope with this in a modern day mindset. Which is why I find it so hilarious that people are so precious about star trek canon. This, like comic books, is the last thing you should be taking literally.

A brief list of outdated trek:

Established in Turnabout Intruder, Woman are not permitted to be Starfleet Captains

Takes place in Elaan of Troyius, in Kirk's attempt to coach Elaan into being more "womanly" he threatens to spank her. (Also possibly Kirk is raped with Elaan's magical pheromone tears?? Which is not acknowledged as rape. I have to fact check this one.)

Takes place in The Enemy Within, Janice Rand is presumably raped and then interrogated by her rapist. The rapist is Kirk (the barbic side)

Established in Amok Time, T'Pring is considered property to either Spock, Stonn, or Kirk, going to the winner to a battle to the death.

Takes place in Bread and Circuses, showing a civilization influenced by ancient Rome. The episode ends with a group of people worshiping the son of god… alluding to Christianity.

Takes place in Omega Glory, Enterprise encounters a planet where the "Kohms" and the "Yangs" are in conflict. We learn these terms actually refer to "Communist", and "Yankee", respectively. The episode ends with Kirk reading straight out of the Pledge of Allegiance that is identical to Earth's. Somehow this planet has developed… exactly to earth to a point...

The countless amount of planets that developed parallel to earth, ie: the Nazi planet, the gangster planet, the cold war planet, native american planet, SO many greek gods, jesus fucking christ (literally), cowboy planet??, space hippies, Halloween planet... sigh, the one with goddamn Lincoln...

TOS' general treatment of women, especially seen in: Mudd's Women, Metamorphosis, Wolf in the Fold. And sprinkled in all the rest TOS.

And many more… I'll possibly add more to this post later since I'm planning a full rewatch. But if anyone has some glaring additions, feel free to add! (Ideally with the episode in question)

In conclusion, forget your canon! For the love of god! If you don't like SNW, don't watch it! It didn't happen! If you don't like a particular episode, banish it from your mind! What? Are you writing character metas or something? Pray tell, how? And good luck.

And yes, stop bothering people who enjoy a series with your criticisms. Fans and writers do not have to adhere to your particular perception of a character. We are given only glimpses into how these characters work. They're tools for self expression, not real people.

At some point, you'll want to choose what you're going to be. A person who creates and uplifts? Or someone who can only destroy, and rage at the unfairness of the world. And for that, I say good luck as well.

#Where No Man Has Gone Before and Then Some #star trek #star trek tos #strange new worlds #star trek snw #reminder that I love this show #doesn't mean it doesn't have countless flaws #With it's own ooc moments #like season 2 is actually super tos!#I hope it stays this way for however long they make them

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roobylavender · 2 years ago

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So I'm pretty new to comics and the DC comics fandom and I've been noticing this interesting parallel in the cultural ideas and fandom discussions with the star trek fandom, specifically the concept of Kirk Drift. In brief the term was coined by an article talking about how the cultural perception and modern conception of Jim Kirk is completely made up and utterly divorced from the Kirk we actually see in the original series. And your analyses of male characters as they were portrayed in the 70s and 80s (Hal Jordan and Bruce Wayne in particular) really reminded me of this article.

It's interesting how similar the warping of these massive cultural icons is given the similarities (being a part of a decades old property and having been written by multiple writers over a long stretch of time) and the differences (the sheer volume of material that dc characters get as opposed to 3 seasons of a tv show plus some movies, the mediums, different industries, and being a part of a genre that kind of espouses different ideals). Another interesting commonality is that they're both media that everyone knows about but very few people have actually engaged with.

I don't know how much of star trek you've watched but the idea of a hotheaded, rash, womanizing dick is wildly different from the canon Kirk who was a nerd, pretty by the book, utterly devoted to his ship and his duty to his crew as a starfleet officer, was on really good terms with his exes who were all accomplished and intelligent women with lives and aspirations of their own, sensitive, and extremely professional.

The reason why I'm explaining that is that it's really striking how the imagined version of Kirk and various superhero characters ends up diminishing the point of these stories and the progressive themes that they actually did have and ends up creating a version of the story that is significantly more regressive than the source material. This not only affects the character in question but often also ends up flattening and erasing female characters that actually existed. For instance the whole purpose of star trek is to imagine a better future, a world where we've moved beyond the issues of today. It wasn't always great at it but the intent was always clear. Similarly the superhero comics genre to my limited understanding is meant to inspire the idea of regular heroism in the readers, to make you feel like you could be a hero too. And I get that these male characters get treated significantly better than their female counterparts but the destruction of their characters doesn't just affect them it also affects the overall story and the world of the story and ends up destroying anything good these stories had to say in the first place.

I don't really have anything to conclude this with just noticed this similarity and thought you might find it interesting given your interest in looking at stories within their cultural context and would love to know your thoughts. Have a nice week!

i unfortunately never got into star trek! i do think i've watched the first chris pine movie but i imagine going off of what you're saying here that it wasn't entirely accurate to who kirk is as a persongjkdfjlhdf. still though, this totally resonates and i couldn't agree more! i really believe there is a huge issue with with the life span of various media allowing their core message to deteriorate over time, esp bc that life span means they evolve in response to political changes in the real world. we are progressively moving into a very conservative time period in our history right now and that could not be reflected more than in what is being propagated via popular, long-standing source material. it's a very worrisome and disheartening phenomenon and i imagine much won't change unless the public political spectrum changes first :/

#esp agree with the part about male characters treating sort of having a ripple effect on everyone else #that's a belief i have about media in general tbh #misogyny is obv a significant contributor to poor writing of women but the chances are if women are being written poorly #the men are being written poorly too. and often in facilitation of the misogyny that in turn affects the women #outbox

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thesevenwondersofawitch · 2 years ago

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Watching Star Trek: Picard, s3 ep2 'Disengage'

Getting some guardians of the galaxy vibes with the music

FENRIS RANGER SHIP? IS IT SEVEN??!

Damn, it isn't

This Ranger dude is sketchy, and I don't think he's legit

I don't trust him as fr as I can throw him

Ah, Romulan Ale😂

Oh Jack, you're a sketchy dude but I respect it

OH SHIT, WHO TF IS AFTER JACK

I don't think the Titan Captain is gonna want to aid Picard and the Crusher's

"COMMANDER Hansen." I WILL HURT YOU YOU BASTARD THAT IS NOT THE NAME SHE PREFERS

The way everyone looked like they wanted to speak up on behalf of Seven but don't because they have to listen to the Captain 👀

What's so familiar about Jack?🤔 IS HE ACTUALLY WESLEY'S SON THAT BEVERLY RAISED

I SWEAR IF THEY KILL OF BEVERLY I'LL SCREAM

Oh Raffi😭 she looks so upset

"Here... We are." I'm sobbing the emotion in her voice has me sobbing 😭

She definitely seems to be at her breaking point with this mission Starfleet sent her on

"'Disengage?' No. Hell no." IS THIS WHY SHE GETS IN A FIGHT

"118 should you continue. Do not join the dead." I really think Worf might be her handler

"I guess I'm on my own." 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 You're on your own kid, you always have been

"I love how Seven "You could be the hero who saved heroes. Or you could be the Captain who let two Legends die." YEAH WHAT SHE SAID

Since they went after Jack, and Picard did the transport inhibitors, it makes me wonder if Jack isn't Beverly's son by blood, but was entrusted with him for his protection (it would certainly make sense why she kept him secret from her friends

YEAH BABY THE TITAN HAS ARRIVED!

"Bring em all onboard, we're basically a hotel now." 😂 Hotel Titan that just makes him a Hotel manager😂

WHERE'S BEVERLY

If they left her on the ship I'm gonna scream

Oh Raffi is so gorgeous

OH MY GOD IT'S JAE

"Gabe says you ambushed him at his baby's doctor." While not wrong, still rude

"Ambushed? So that's what my son thinks of me?" I'm sobbing she just wanted to meet her grandbaby

"I chose my son, my art. And that was enough for me. But not for you." I'm sobbing so freaking hard rn

Fuck, he's making her chose between her son and talking to the guy who could be responsible for killing hundreds of people, that isn't fair at all

Thank God they got Beverly

"She said not to trust anyone and you've basically brought, everyone." I like Jack😂

The way all of them turned when the Ensign said Captain 😂

I don't like this other Captain Lady, she's big creepy

Oh shit, they're outside of their justification

Oh damn, the Captain Lady just threw a ship at them👀

Holy hell, it tore a hole through deck 11👀

Love how Geordi taught his daughter that any law of physics could be broken

"The Fenris folk." I would like to punch you sir for how disrespectful you are being

I don't think he's a con man in that he's not Beverly's son

"And you? You are no better." FUCK YOU

"You are relieved of duty for insubordination." FUCK YOU YOU ASSHOLE

"This man is getting what he deserves, so is she." I HATE YOU

OH MY GOD, 'Do the math, Jean-Luc." OH MY GOD IS JACK PICARD'S SON

I'm screaming a bit

I love how Jack is calling Picard out on his bullshit

"Who is your father?" "I NEVER HAD ONE!"👀 The plot thickens

The fact Jar owns a bar is not surprising, kinda funny honestly😂

Haven't you heard Sneed? Smoking kills.

"In my experience, Artists are unknowable assholes who live in their head instead of the real world."👀

First wife? Does that mean he remarried?🤔

SECTION 31?!👀

I feel horrible for Raffi that she had to do a drug 😭

Oh my god, Sneed beheaded T'luco👀

HELL YEAH SHE STABBED SNEED!!!!!

Oh no, she's fallen🥺

WORF!!

I KNEW IT!!!!!!!!!!! I RECOGNIZED THE SPEECH PATTERN AND KNEW IT! HELL YEAH!

I get why Shaw doesn't want to endanger his crew and I respect that, but I still don't like him.

Love how Jack broke out of the brig😂

OOOOOOO RIKER IS WAKING BEVERLY!!!!!

I don't like this Captain lady, but I applaud the actress because wow

"That was some specific standing up, Admiral." 😂

Oh shit, the whole ship is now looking for him😂

"I don't give a damn what rank I do or don't have, I need a tac team to Shuttlebay ASAP." VOYAGER SEVEN VIBES!

"He's protecting his mother." HELL YEAH

BEVERLY!!!!!

Oh MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD

That look😭 she looks kinda ashamed that she kept him from Picard

"Because he's my son." I'M SCREAMING

Now that kid is protected because his dad is an Admiral

Yeah I'm loving this so much

AND AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Oh wait till Laris learns she's gonna be like a stepmom

So awesome

I'm screaming so much I fell off my bed😂

I WISH I HAD THE NEXT EPISODE ALREADY

Also, based off the body language, I feel like the Captain Lady is actually Moriarty

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biblioflyer · 1 year ago

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Procedurally Generated AI Cults, Situational Vulnerability, & Lower Decks

Dear reader, I'm not as caught up on Lower Decks as I should be. So I'm working on amending that. S3E8 "Crisis Point 2: Paradoxus" struck me as giving the game away. Lower Decks isn't just good parody, its good Star Trek. Of course I knew that, but this reinforces it so well.

So lets get into the meat of it.

Boimler and the gang are enjoying a shameless self insert holo novel about the Lower Decks team being cool action heroes and saving the Cerritos from a time traveling Romulan scheme. Brad is shaken when he finds out that this transporter clone on the Titan has died in a senseless accident.

No longer able to enjoy the cinematic adventure he's constructed, Brad strays from the main plot line causing the holodeck to improvise. Brad is captivated by a street preacher promising answers to the biggest questions such as the meaning of life. A street preacher he didn't directly program into the story, the holodeck just inserted the preacher into the background for flavor. He was supposed to be just another voice in a procedurally generated cacophony. What's more the street preacher is an obvious cliche.

Unless you're devastated and unmoored.

Suddenly the affectation of secret knowledge scans as real and compelling. What was once silly and easily dismissed is intoxicating.

Set and setting as Morpheus would say quoting Timothy Leary who was almost certainly paraphrasing earlier thinkers.

When Boimler starts taking the street preacher seriously, like any good TTRPG storyteller, the Holodeck computer has to start improvising frantically. At one point Mariner even points out that the way an AI character is behaving is transparently a stalling tactic while the holodeck generates the next story point. Brad is not deterred.

Boimler is not stupid. He's Starfleet. He's memorized procedure manuals that put Vulcans to sleep. He knows he's talking to a machine. That none of this is "real" but there is a broken part of him in this moment that is open to the idea that through a sort of chaos magic, something real will be revealed in the AI's kludging together of hollow symbols that represent significance but have no deeper meaning behind them beyond what Brad reads into it.

Later on, the procedurally generated cult even stumbles, fails to make progress on its quest for enlightenment and falls apart in recrimination and bickering. Sound familiar?

However, this is just a momentary lapse because Brad is still unmoored, still desperate to find meaning from something that is coded as a higher power, and the moment his large language model messiah returns, Brad is all in.

This episode was hysterical but it was also painful. I have a grandmother who is all in on reactionary conspiracy theories and its hard to find things to talk to her about that aren't landmines. Especially considering my day job is in education, so now I don't know how much I can actually talk about my work without having to disarm the groomer bomb.

But anyway this episode does such a great job of showcasing concepts that have been discussed in many places but I would argue that the most genuine and informed discussion has taken place on the Conspirituality podcast with an honorable mention to Behind the Bastards for their "AI is Coming for Your Children" two parter. I feel like this coincides nicely with Robert Evans' less sensationalist takes on AI in which yes, people can immerse themselves in their own alternate realities even more so, but with the greatest threat very plausibly not coming from the malignancy of elites but rather the willingness of unthinking machines to tell us what we want to hear and other cynical actors trying to figure out how to profit by creating the illusion of meaning at scale.

That isn't to say that the designers of the holodeck mean any harm but its clear that even with appropriate safeguards in place, situational vulnerability remains quite real even after Barclay's unfortunate experiences. We're all searching for validation and meaning, and when we're at our lowpoints is when our BS detectors are weakest.

#star trek #holodecks #brad boimler #QAnon #cults #situational vulnerability #Conspirituality #Behind the Bastards #AI #grief #Star Trek Lower Decks #Lower Decks s3e8 #Lower Decks season 3 #uss cerritos

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walkingstackofbooks · 2 years ago

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SNW 2x2 'Ad Astra per Aspera' thought-stream

Obviously this has spoilers, so I’ve put it under the cut :)

My mind is far too DS9. First thought on seeing little Una's parents argue? 'I wonder if this was ever a problem for Julian'. 😅

But also, poor Una, how scary that would be? Her parents aren't even hiding this argument from her!

"Two year prison sentence minimum" oooh like Richard Bashir got

"I can wait" I love Pike's stubbornness. He's a Very Good Egg

Genetic engineering as a metaphor for queerness is something I cannot unsee

Gosh I need to rewatch the last series

"Congratulations, you discovered empathy." Ohh I like her.

"You're a piece of work, Pike." "Yeah, but you still haven't said no..." His grin.

"After 25 years..." - if Neera and Una have been fallen out for so long, how come Pike appears to know her?

"Until two months ago my record with Starfleet was spotless. When they didn't know, they didn't care. The only thing that's changed is that they know the truth." ... "And now Starfleet are asking me to hide again so that no-one has to know an Illyrian climbed the ranks of Starfleet." ... "I shouldn't have to hide anymore. None of us should."... "I'm doing this for me. And for all the Illyrians who can't or just won't pretend to not be who they really are." (GENETIC ENGINEERING AS QUEER METAPHOR I CANNOT)

Pike in his apron!

I just don't see how this can work out for Una, knowing what we do about augmentation laws in the 2300s. Unless it's an Illyrian-only exception I guess?

20 YEARS?!!!!! Fuuuuu-

I really love Neera. She's unapologetically herself and she doesn't lessen herself or force herself to be nice just for people to accept her.

Neera's "Lieutenant Noonien-Singh." is SO pointed

Erica's Spock impression XD

Interesting to see Erica being a little Vulcan-racist, that makes future-her in 1x10 make more sense... Not a great look, but we know the Federation aren't always the best and I like the way this has been put in

"I regret you had to witness that outburst" -oh, Spock. That was very Spock of you.

If La'an obtains her evidence that the evidence about Una was gained illegally by her acting illegally, won't her evidence get turned down by the same rules?

YES UHURA. I mean I want Una freed but standing up for what you think is right against your mentor is pretty damn awesome

"My client is only here because of who she is and because she felt she had no other choice than to hide that fact, just like the millions before her who were forced to hide how they worshipped, how they loved, what they truly looked like, because it made others uncomfortable. Because it made others afraid." I am crying. Damn, Star Trek. You do good.

Frick. That didn't work. I thought her line of questioning was great, but I thought it would come to a point - maybe to make April say he would have liked to sponsor her, if he had known, or that he thought it wasn't a just law?

I still really love Neera, even if Una is probably right that this isn't going to help *specifically* Una

The hate in La'an's eyes when she's asked "Do you have any relation to Khan Noonien Singh?"

I do love their dress uniforms. They just fit in so well.

"An affinity for Gilbert and Sullivan musicals." On one hand I agree it feels weird when Spock is the comic relief but on the other hand I love this and I think it is actually a precursor of Spock's more subtle humour in TOS

"Would it be fair to say that you would not have joined Starfleet if not for Commander Chin-Riley?" "Counsellor, I wouldn't be alive if it weren't for Una." Una's unsteady breath <3

"I think it is illogical for Starfleet to punish itself." SPOCK IS AWESOME PLS OUTLOGIC THAT OTHER VULCAN

TOS music underneath their who is Una to mes!!!

If La'an thinks it was *her* personal log can't she see where that went?

"There is nothing wrong with you, Lieutenant. No hidden monster inside." Boy I love this plotline so so much (and wish we could have seen more of this for Julian shhh...)

"They look down at us for so long that we begin to to look down at ourselves." Damn.

Is La'an genetically modified or just has legacy DNA 200 years later?

Would it make sense for Una to have turned herself in? I feel like she's the only person we *know* who could have done it, and I feel this is leading up to the reveal of someone we *know*. But why wouldn't she have told Pike? And why so angry at Neera for putting the Illyrian cause first?

I'd... always though aspera meant hope XD Welp. It's not like I did ten years of Latin and have a degree in it right? 😅😅

(I looked it up - I'd got confused with "sperare" which means "to hope". Feel less bad :P)

"So many people from so many planets" pans to the mostly human command crew of Enterprise XD

"On what date did Captain Christopher Pike..." OH NO OH NO OH NO

Well, fuck.

He is a Very Odious Vulcan. Ugh. "She is clearly toxic" NO YOU ARE SHUT UP

Oh gosh, Una's going to be so guilty if Chris goes down with her

"All this tribunal needs to do now is confirm that status to absolve them both." I said I loved this woman.

"A law is not a mirror to society a law is an ideal a beacon to remind us how to be our better selves."

Yay!!!! She's free!

The communication whistle! phWEEE-oooo! I'd missed that <3

"But I am looking at a Starfleet crew who proudly serve under an Illyrian Commander." Idk why but this made me tear up again.

"If you're all here, who's flying the ship?" XD XD XD

HUUUUUG, Chris' face of scared upset relief 💔

YAY WE GOT UNA BACK, NOW THE WHOLE GANG CAN GO ADVENTURE!

Just realised we never got Chris' response to Spock stealing the Enterprise - more important things, I know, but man I wanted to be a fly on the wall there!

#snw spoilers #strange new worlds spoilers #ad astra per aspera #andi watches snw #WSB

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scp11325s-library · 2 months ago

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Fanfic Review #4: Hope Is The Thing With Feathers by Lelinor

site: ao3

fandom: Star Trek The Next Generation

ship: Beverly x Picard

words: 34k

This is the first part of the No Other Will Do series by Lelinor which got me into the Beverly x Picard ship so I'm excited to reread these and review them.

I just want to start this by saying the freaking set up for S3 of Picard is a complete butcher of the relationship between Beverly and Picard and I'm so glad that fan fic writers do it so much better

I love how vieament Picard is that he can't have a son like man's never considers the possibility until he is told it 100% and even then it isn't until Beverly is brought up that he accepts it

They way he reaches out to form a connection with his son through the starship models, like he just knew his son would love him the way he loved them 🥹

I can't read/hear I don't want to set the world on fire without thinking about fallout 3

Jean Luc teaching Jack to ride a horse amd giving it to him for his birthday 😢 it's so cute!

I always love the conversation that happens between Beverly and Picard about whether or not he wants to be a father. She's so convinced he would hate it and he is certain he wouldn't want it with anyone but her

Seven of Nine mention pog! Can't wait to see her character in Voyager

Beverly and Jacl reunion makes my little heart ache, it's so cute! And Picard still having Beverly's horse ahhhhhh

The scientist and the poet ❤️❤️❤️

"Do you know how many times, during our observation lounge meetings with the senior staff, my mind was on making love to you rather than listening to Data’s briefings?”

Leave my boy alone I'm sure his briefings were fascinating!!!

Oof I forgot this fic delves with some heavy implications, wish that was tagged properly

Jack telling Lune that he'd hurry 🥹🥹

You know it's a good thing that Picard never gets with other people once Beverly disappears (I have read some triad fanfics, I have a review lined up for a good one just you wait) because in all these fics man's is so freaking fertile, Picard would have like 100 kids at this point

"She's yours, Jean-Luc... You're her papa."

Listen I'm not a Picard Papa enjoyer but fuuuck man that's so touching with the whole Jack Papa thing!!!

Jack is such a little doctor and cares for his mother so much by holding the tricorder and helping her through labor

I'm a sucker for a sweet mother son relationship

Jack helping teaching Isabeau how to walk while Beverly is worried about adjusting to her more basic life

I love the idea that Beverly and Picard struggle to adjust to modern slow down life. Its pretty well established that Picard struggles with a homebound life and longs for the stars every time that he's planet bound. Beverly is different because we really haven't seen her planet bound (besides her leaving between S1 and S3, which doesn't get referenced at all), so seeing how she will interact to trying to live a normal life is interesting. I like the fear that she has being separated from her children especially with her motivation to flee for her children's safety (also side tangent but fuuuucck that plotline, I hate the idea that Beverly would completely flee from all the people that she cared about and depended on to keep her child safe, she knew the dangers of Starfleet life but still volunteered to bring Westly onto the enterprise, I get her anger about being constantly pulled back and forth by Picard and wanted something permanent but fleeing into total isolation and still putting him in some danger by doing her medical ship stuff, it just feel hypocritical and like poor writing)

The honeymoon on Casperia Prime <3

Whole side tangent about Beverly leaving aside, I think the line "I will be able to protect mine, but I didn't know if I could protect yours" is a really good way of summarizing the complexity of Beverly's internal world

The postludes <3 they are so in love

#star trek fic reviews #No Other Will Do works #This fic is so cute!#Im a sucker for family Picard and Beverly fics

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nebulouscoffee · 2 years ago

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OP I looove what you're saying about narratives and roles here, because I think another very compelling character arc to view through this lens is that of Dukat's main foil: Benjamin Sisko! (I can already feel a giant essay forming so I'm just gonna warn for that and then put it under a cut lol)

So DS9 gave us a great set of parallel stories, I think: one about a man who sees himself as The Hero, progressively going more and more off the rails as the story refuses to cooperate with him- and one about the actual hero, who surrenders himself to faith and lets the currents of the narrative sweep him along instead.

See, as far as the Ben Sisko of S1E1 is concerned, he is literally Just Some Guy. He's a Starfleet officer and single father and he's got his own demons and loved ones and a vaguely defined job to do; nothing more. He doesn't yet know he's the hero of the story- a story that's so much bigger than him, that spans across space and time, that will make him a historical figure in more than one century and change the fate of the quadrant. He doesn't know his birth was arranged by the Prophets. He never asked to be the Emissary. He didn't even want to be there on DS9! And he decides to stay and help Bajor, sure- but he doesn't presume to consider himself Of Bajor.

And then there's Dukat, lol. This guy decided he was the hero of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine right from episode one- and, like you say, he never lets anything change his mind. Unlike Sisko, he very much sees himself as someone who belongs on Bajor- who has every right to be there, who should be celebrated as their hero- and it just kills him that the Bajoran people straight up adopt (and quasi-worship) Sisko almost immediately, but still refuse to acknowledge him! Sisko just showed up and instantly got what he'd been wanting for years lmao!

I love how the show sets this up- Dukat walks into Sisko's office like "hi, this was my office too, btw ;)", and from this moment, becomes obsessed (obsessed!!) with trying to convince Sisko that they are, in fact, just the same. Which they're not! And Sisko never, ever gives him that satisfaction. What drives him crazy in the end is that nobody- not Sisko, not Kira, not anyone else- ever tells him what he wants to hear. Dukat is irredeemable because he's literally incapable of seeing his actions as wrong- there'll always be a justification, a way to make himself the misunderstood victim. Dukat is the villain precisely because he never stops seeing himself as the hero.

Over the seasons, we see Sisko growing more and more connected to the Bajoran people. He respects their religion and culture. He starts using Bajoran terms to self-identify, instead of forcing the opposite (I'll admit the show didn't always do the best job with this, but it does remain a significant difference.) He even fights his own people (Starfleet and the Federation) to protect Bajoran interests, and after a certain point, visibly grows uncomfortable with Starfleet's attempts to fit the Bajoran people/wormhole/Prophets into terms they can understand- because that's so fundamentally colonialist- and as far as he's concerned now, his job is to protect Bajor. He even intends to settle down there- not as a Federation colonist, but as a Bajoran. Yes, he is an outsider- but he put in the work, he formed relationships with the planet and all the Bajorans he works with, and by the end of the show, The Sisko really is Of Bajor.

Dukat, on the other hand, wants to put in no work, and still receive not only Bajoran forgiveness, but Bajoran adulation and gratitude. He fundamentally believes he's of a superior race- and, unlike other Cardassian characters on the show, he never unlearns this. Everything about the way he interacts with Bajorans is modelled on conquest and possession. I think the way he treats Ziyal is very telling here- he expresses love for her only when she's respecting and loving him back. Every time she expresses disapproval of him or loyalty to anyone else, he abandons her. One of my favourite such scenes is when he tries to give Kira that dress during the S6 occupation arc- she rejects it, and Ziyal walks in a moment later, and he just smoothly gives it to her! He straight up acts like it was always meant for her! (Literally framing him trying to "win" one Bajoran's love, failing, and then picking an "easier" Bajoran target- see how interchangeable they are to suit his needs!)

His obsession with Kira is also very "my narrative demands it" imo- she is, in Dukat's mind (where he is the Hero and she is his love interest), his ultimate conquest. And he simply cannot handle that she never stops rejecting him. He tries to make do with the "love" of other Bajorans- Ziyal, those cultists, Kai Winn (by deception)- but it's never enough. He needs Kira to love him, he needs to defeat Kira by making her love him. I also think, in some twisted way, a small part of the reason he values Ziyal so much is because she's his best chance at this- the only time Kira shows him the barest shred of approval is when he's kind to Ziyal, and Ziyal's death means losing that opportunity forever. (Contrast this with the way Sisko loves Jake so unconditionally and respects him and his individuality and takes care of him and literally would do anything for him and... wow.)

This is one of the reasons I actually quite like the pah wraith arc at the end- it's just Dukat losing the final bit of his chill! Deep down, he's realised that Kira and Sisko will never give in, so he lets himself go Full Villain Mode. Dukat's story was always one of godly delusion, imo- and the fact that Alaimo and some of the 90s audience thought this arc reduced Dukat's complexity or made him "suddenly evil" is quite telling of how insidious people like Dukat are irl. This is a great ending for him! He literally tries to become a Bajoran god and amass worshippers, but it's The Sisko who ascends. (I know many people wish Kira had offed Dukat, and I agree it would've been satisfying but like- Sisko just makes sense to me! It's the outsider Bajor chose, banishing the outsider Bajor rejected- all to protect Bajor.)

I think the way Garak works as a foil to Dukat is very interesting too- they're both proud Cardassian supremacists with histories of violence, but unlike Dukat, Garak actually allows other people (most notably Bashir, Odo and Kira) to reshape his views. Garak may mythologise himself a lot, but none of his stories ever cast him as The Hero- or even a hero, really. He freely owns that he's not a "good person". Dukat is incapable of doing something without making a big show of it (Civil Defense), while Garak prefers to operate from the shadows (ITPM). Dukat demands that Ziyal love and worship him, Garak straight up says honey nooo I'm literally using you to feel less lonely and pathetic and you deserve so much better also I honest to the State thought I was your gay uncle girl wHAT

Like- okay, Garak is genuinely a messed up person in a lot of ways, lol- but he doesn't have Dukat's ego, and that self-awareness is what makes their arcs diverge so sharply imo. I love this scene from 'Tacking Into The Wind', after Damar finds out his family was killed:

DAMAR: What kind of state tolerates the murder of innocent women and children? What kind of people give those orders? KIRA: Yeah, Damar, what kind of people give those orders? (Damar steps forward threateningly, then leaves.) KIRA: Oh, that was stupid. GARAK: Not at all. Damar has a certain... romanticism about the past. He could use a dose of cold water. KIRA: I could have picked a better time. GARAK: If he's the man to lead a new Cardassia- if he's the man we all hope him to be- then the pain of this news made him more receptive to what you said, not less.

I just think it was such a Choice to have Elim "truth is in the eye of the beholder" Garak voice such a black and white take! Here, Garak is doing precisely what Dukat failed to do for seven seasons- acknowledging that Cardassia had no business occupying Bajor at all, and any Cardassian who disagrees is Bad Actually. This is someone who, in earlier seasons, said stuff like "servile work is in their nature" and "Cardassians taught many worlds including Bajor how to keep records"- he's taking a firm stance against his old mindset here, while Dukat is still trying to justify his. This doesn't erase Garak's past wrongs, of course- but it's why he gets to share a laugh with Kira Nerys and start a new life post-canon, while Dukat burns in a fiery pit.

There's a scene early on where Kira says Cardassia and Bajor might be on friendlier terms some day, but not her and Dukat. And it's really cool how that turned out to be true! Kira goes on to form positive relationships with Tekeny Ghemor, Ziyal, Garak, even Damar- but never Dukat. Personally, I think this was a great decision and I thank the Prophets every day that Nana Visitor put her foot down and rejected any possibility of a Kira/Dukat romance lol

Part of what makes Dukat such a compelling character is his core belief in his own superiority and that he is the main character of the universe. This is accomplished through writing but also because Marc Alaimo really, really believed in Dukat as a character. He never plays him with a hint of self doubt. If he experiences opposition to this self image Alaimo plays him as deeply embarrassed, angry or even mentally compromised - all signs of someone who's self hinges completely on this image of himself he has constructed. To the point that any real opposition, like the realisation the universe doesn't revolve around you, crushes him if he can't reconstruct it to fit his own narrative.

Alaimo wanted redemption for Dukat and a romance with Kira. I'm very glad that didn't happen. But the fact that Alaimo never accepted Dukat as fundamentally bad is part of why Dukat works. Dukat can't be redeemed. Not because he doesn't have the opportunity. But because he is fueled by greed and lust for power and that's always behind the choices he makes.

So he needs to be played without self doubt. Without a trace of any remorse. Another actor might have been tempted to play Dukat with cracks in the armor of his bravado where he shows remorse or realisation. Because we want to believe villains have complex feelings about their behavior, right? That deep inside, they doubt? But Dukat always carries this unfaltering belief in himself. He doesn't feel sorry. He doesn't regret anything. In fact, he revels in his crime. In his oppression of the Bajoran people.

It really is interesting how Alaimo having a different view of the character is such a big part of what makes him a good villain.

#SO sorry for writing a whole essay on your post op #apparently I was having thoughts about the emissary and the bajorans and the fascist lizards on this fine 3am #oh well! hehe #ds9

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mybleedingboy · 2 years ago

Text

My Favorite Star Trek Fics

Well, after seven years of being in this fandom, I had to make one at some point.

You Don't Have to (Say Yes)

by luminousbeings

Rated: Mature

Word count: 192,321

The abridged sexual history of James Tiberius Kirk.

Or, Jim’s varyingly unhealthy idea of what sex is supposed to be (a it-gets-worse-before-it-gets-better story)

Please read the warnings before you decide to read this. This is one of my favorite fics ever, but I recognize that it is also very triggering for many people. What I do want to tell people about this story is that it's incredibly healing. Yes, it's very painful, but it's worth it for the way this fic handles everything. Other than pure plot, I also love this fic for its dialogue. There's a scene where it's nothing but dialogue, and it always amazes me how I didn't even realize there were no markers. I just knew who was talking because the author gives all the characters such distinctly beautiful voices. I've never been one for rereading, but for seven years now, it's been a tradition of mine to reread this fic from beginning to end every single year. For good reason. Hard recommend.

The Genetic Soap Opera (or, One of the Less Dignified Royal Weddings)

by waketosleep

Rated: Mature

Word count: 6,181

Turns out Jim Kirk's more than meets the eye, genetically speaking. There are a lot of consequences, mostly for Spock and his sanity.

A classic for a good reason. I usually stray away from shorter works because I get too attached, but this work was perfect in length. Just the right thing to get you laughing in the middle of the night while you're trying not to wake anyone up. I read this at least once every time I circle back into Star Trek.

West of the Moon

by distractedKat

Rated: Teen And Up Audiences

Word count: 71,443

They meet Jim in phases, and through him find each other. Once the layers begin to peel back, though, the future bridge crew of the Enterprise finds more than they ever could have dreamed. When the fight to keep him starts in earnest, the cadets and officers of Starfleet begin to learn that not all wars can be won.

Because long before he had friends, Jim had Family, and the Scaretta crime syndicate didn't survive to the 23rd century by letting go of its own.

Jim Kirk will always be a frustration to Spock--even when that's not his name.

I'm honestly surprised I haven't read this until now. I'm still in the middle of reading it, and I'm reeling both from how absolutely insane the idea of this fic was and how well-executed it remains. Insane stuff right here. Heartwarming and kicks right in the main crew feels with a special center on Chekov as the best guy ever.

Know All Your Enemies

by BAMFspock

Rated: Mature

Word count: 351,857

"The thing about being able to tell what people are feeling and thinking is that people generally don't like that."

Jim can't deal with his problems, so he deals with everyone else's instead. Spock can't deal with his emotions, so he pushes them all away. Starfleet can't deal with a post-Kelvin universe in any way except badly.

And what exactly is t'hy'la, anyway?

A story about dangerous conspiracies, doomed crusades, inadequate coping, imperfect control, important connections, and taking care.

The fic that made me wish Jim was actually a telepath. I started creating fanfic in my head for this particular fic. I would think about this fic, and spend my entire break-time reading it every minute I could. That's how much I love this fic. Beautifully slow burn, but I'm not here to talk about that. I'm here to talk about the monstrosity (in a good way) that is this plot. It's huge. It's detailed. Somehow, it holds great cohesion despite all the factors. This fic's plot made me question my ability to creatively think. I also, of course, love the interactions between the entire cast and crew. I think Star Trek is Star Trek when the entire crew plays a big role in things. What an absolute delight.

Breaking Points

by Ragdoll

Rated: Mature

Word count: 68,869

When the Enterprise is asked to transport Vulcan colonists to their new home, Spock Prime comes with them. His presence changes everything – and leads to certain revelations for Jim and Spock. A story about growth, self-discovery, and new beginnings.

I am in love with this author, and I might put some more of their fics up here, but I'm sorely disappointed that they didn't transfer this fic into AO3. That, of course, did not stop me from reading it. I personally hate the formatting in the K/S archive, but I squinted through the starkly white pages just to take this entire fic in. Love for Leonard Nimoy aside, I just love the concept of Spock Prime. The idea that this guy we all know and love, this old man who has suffered the death of his loved ones—worse yet, his loved one—being allowed to see his crew and his Jim once again, but only from a distance? Fucking brilliant. I so wish JJ Abrams wasn't the one who thought the thing up. Anyway, this fic hits right in those places. I thought that by now it would be a tried and tired trope for me, but this fic defied those expectations and actually made me cry in the end.

The Sparrow People

by Wingittofreedom

Rated: Mature

Word count: 80,708

5 months after Nero, tensions are high between Jim and his first officer Spock. After a crash landing on an unknown planet, they're rescued by kindly aliens…who happen to think Jim is Spock’s wife. A story about secrets and fruit.

The only unfinished fic I will put here, and for good reason. The summary is incredibly misleading in that it makes the fic sound like it's purely a comedy when it's so, so, so, so, so much more than that. I never expected to fall in love with an original world in fanfiction form, but I did, and I fell hard. I fell in love with the original characters that populate this story. I fell in love with the writer's style, the intimacy behind every interaction, and just the pure love that glows in every written word. I am incredibly sad that this fic hasn't and probably will never end, but to be honest, the author has given me enough emotionally to work with to the point where I can safely say that this is an unfinished fic I am truly satisfied by. I don't think I can say that for many other unfinished works.

The Morning After

by noodleinabarrel

Rated: Mature

Word count: 50,381

Jim convinces Spock to take shore leave with him on Risa, hoping the time together will help re-solidify their bond of friendship after some recent tension. Meanwhile, Spock convinces himself he's on Risa for one reason and one reason only, to prevent his wayward captain from getting into trouble.

After a passionately illogical night of Romulan Ale and chocolate infused liquor, everything changes when Jim wakes with something other than a hangover filling his head. Something he's sure neither he nor Spock can handle. Because if Jim knows anything for sure, it's that his messed up thoughts belong nowhere near Spock's clean, ordered mind.

(Please remember to read the fic's warnings.) From what I remember when I first read this, this fic is very Spock and Jim-centric which means little interaction with the crew. That should already set alarms because I'm suddenly acting incredibly OOC because from my recs, you should know by now that I love crew dynamics and would sacrifice a main ship for them. But! This fic is an exception apparently. I love the interactions between Spock and Jim here. There's a sprinkle of Bones in there too which always makes everything better. A fic that gives you the hurt before proceeding to give you the best comfort in the world. Deals a lot with Jim's insecurities in a way that actually kind of helped me with mine. Trickle-down therapy through fanfiction is very real.

How to Inefficiently Acquire a Human Male in 98.6 Earth Days

by noodleinabarrel

Rated: Teen and Up Audiences

Word Count: 30,391

When Jim Kirk joins the xenolinguistics club, Professor Spock is drawn to the cadet despite his better judgment. Soon, Spock finds himself in a friendship he never asked for, a relationship that is quickly evolving into something more than he can handle. In an effort to free himself from Kirk’s persistent affection, Spock makes use of his anthropological research on human relationships, which has unexpected consequences.

Yes, another noodleinabarrel fic. I am in love with them. I found this fic on one of those "find fic" pages on LiveJournal, and I can safely say that I will take great care never to lose this one for myself. I fell in love from premise alone. I never expected to love this fic as much as I did, but the characterizations? Noodleinabarrel absolutely killed it. Spock was a delight in this fic, and I somehow fell in love with Jim again just this time from a Spock perspective. The writing style is great of course. I've always found it hard to find fics that could successfully do a Spock POV without sounding like a dictionary recitation, and this author did it seemingly without effort. Please read if you want a short, fun, and funny way to spend an afternoon (or midnight or morning, if you're like me.)

A Logical Return

by walkandtalk

Rated: Unrated, but it's Teen And Up Audiences

Word count: 15,417

Alternately titled: A Very Chekov Easter: Prequel to A Logical Match

Jim gets front row seats to one of Spock's emotional epiphanies, but doesn't notice, of course.

Inspired by Jim's remark to Spock about awkward family dinners involving our favorite Navigator and his large family. This could still stand alone. Set directly after STID

I actually read this fic before I read A Logical Match. I actually love this fic much more than I love the original probably because of the whole crew dynamic again, but also because of the absolute hilarity the author crafts in just 15,000 words. Especially that ending. Talk about an ending; I just sat there guffawing at the screen at around 2 AM, screaming.

Definition

By most_curiously_blue_eyes

The life of five-year-old James T. Kirk changes when an elderly Vulcan lost in time crosses his path and saves him. In the years to come, as the boy grows up into a young man, Spock is his driving force, his mentor, his friend, a constant in his life.

Because in every universe, Jim Kirk is destined to meet a Spock. In this one, he gets to meet Spock twice and the experience defines him, shapes him into the person he is supposed to be. A child. A man. A genius. A captain. A son.

I don't think I've convinced you enough that I love Spock Prime. Let me show you again. Almost gave me a heart attack from just how pure it was. If you ever want to be happy? Read.

Another Life

By LullabyKnell

Rated: Teen and Up Audiences

Word count: 61,861

In one moment, James T. Kirk is the acting captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise, on his way home to Earth after stopping the Narada. In the next moment, without explanation, James T. Kirk is an Academy cadet on academic probation again, barely a day before Nero will destroy Vulcan.

He dares himself to do better. And with a planet on the line and no proof but his own memories, he knows that "better" means he'll need some help.

Heartbreaking. To see Jim so desperately try to get everything back? Oh, God, don't even get me started on the plot. From the premise alone, you should be hooked, but please, please, please stay for the lovely characterization, for the great use of Pike, for the lovely Spock Prime, and for the absolute angst that is the prospect of time travel. Makes ties into TOS as well which is always a beautiful little thing. The Superior Fix-It Fic.

AT THE SAME STARS

By Spicyshimmy

Rated: Mature

Word count: 136,398

First Officer Spock of the USS Enterprise is part of the away team that discovers the survivors of Tarsus IV. Captain Pike assigns him to the curious case of James Tiberius Kirk, who steals one of Spock's sweaters. There were no sufficient Vulcan poetics to describe the emptiness of the colony as it was found on the morning of stardate 2249.43. The fully-completed residential sector was neither ugly nor beautiful but simply remote; a hollow landscape of metal alloys and sensible architecture, with determined vegetation growing alongside the support beams. They did not flower.

I binge-read this entire thing over the span of three consecutive days (in my defense, I had 12 hour work days for two of those three days.) I'm a killer for characterization, and the way the author crafted Spock and Jim's relationship was perfect and incredibly original. The slow progression to their love was made with such careful... attention to detail I guess is how you could call it. It might be weird to try to describe this, but as I read the fic, I had an image in my head of the author just... letting the words be. Like they were their children. If that makes sense. What I'm basically trying to say is that the author is great at their job to the point where you can sense their love for the characters, for the movies, and for the work itself.

t'hy'la

by Itar94

Rated: Mature

Word count: 137,131

Jim and Spock meet at the Academy as cadets, and history unfolds. A story of first meetings, tentative friendships, and findings of self. (Spans through the Academy Era and onward.)

(Warnings! Read them!) Okay. I lied. Here's another unfinished fic. But just like the last one, I have good reason again. In the notes for this work, the author admits this is their first Star Trek fic... and I just have to say... that is not at all obvious. In fact, you have no idea the sorrow I had when I realized this was their only Star Trek fanfic to date. The fanfic blows you away immediately with its prose. The entire story itself is immersive, and not just because of its word count. So much happens in this fic and yet somehow everything lies fresh in my head. Many painful experiences occur in this fic, and the writing was just so superb that for a second, I let the suspension of disbelief get to me. I just had to put my phone down and walk for a bit in some scenes. It took me days before I could continue down a certain act. I finish this fic in my head all the time. I thank the author for all the work they put into this.

Sanctuary

By WhyMrSpook

Rated: Mature

Word count: 73,351

Eventually, Jim will tell them about Tarsus. Eventually, he'll let Bones be his Doctor and accept that they all want to help him. Eventually, Jim will find out that which Pike would rather he never did.

Academy AU, where Pike and Boyce practically adopt Jim and Bones, Jim and Pike both keep secrets from each other, and Spock is thrown into the mix too.

(Warnings!!!) Some fics make you forget canon and accept their fiction as word. This is one of them. And God, I wish it was the real thing. I love this fic so much, yes, because of the interactions between Pike, Boyce, and Jim, but also for the fun writing style. God, I need to use better words for it. You'll get what I mean just from reading the first paragraph though. Each word, each sentence, each paragraph, every single thing this author puts down has a unique energy to it—an energy the author can use to literally any effect. I believe I first read Sanctuary around when it came out, so I have a long history with this one, and it's always a delight to rediscover it and relive the found family in this fic. I can't wait to read WhyMrSpook's other works tonight (read: this morning since apparently 1:00 AM is considered morning.)

Petrified

By cowboyjimkirk

Rate: Not Rated, but I don't remember any scenes

Word count: 46,492

Two months into his captaincy, Jim comes to a startling realization: he's deathly afraid of his first officer. Spock, meanwhile, starts to develop a crush.

"Jim's afraid of Spock" sounds terribly angsty, but this is mostly rom com with hints of angst and horror. Updates every Tuesday.

One of the greatest misunderstanding fics out there. That's really all I can say here. I feel like the premise should have already sold you alongside the author's tags of: "Romantic Comedy, Horror, this one's hard to categorize because spock thinks he's living in a rom com, while jim thinks he's living in a horror story." As soon as I saw this again in my iBooks I just knew I had to put this here. (Also unfinished for the last chapter, but I don't remember being dissatisfied by that at all. I think it actually stops at a good place.)

(Halfway) Human Nature

By crescentmoonthemage

Rated: Mature

Word count: 37,533

(Enlighten me again, the cadet says. He stands proud and stupid and human, blue eyes hinting danger as he takes in Spock and dismisses him in that same instant. He’s heard the rumors, everyone has. And so Spock tries.)

It happens in four moments.

Set in early 2260 and chronicling the first months of the five-year mission. Mostly epistolary, partly serious, partly pure crack.

I don't usually like fics with what is arguably texting in them, but there are exceptions to everything, and this is it. Is it weird that even though I don't have any friends in the Star Trek fandom because I'm a loser and that even though this fic was only relatively recently published (2020-2021), I consider this a classic? God, I love this fic. It's just so funny and somehow so emotional at the same time. Hits the right balance. I think I'll add this to my list of yearly re-reads (alongside the other fic with parentheses in its title.)

It Only Leads to Trouble and Seat Wetting

By Leafling

Rated: Explicit

Word count: 18,541

In spite of his reputation in the academy for being promiscuous, Jim's actually a virgin.

(Warnings. Again.) When I was writing this review, I was incredibly surprised to learn that the fic was so short considering in all of my memories, I had such a deep experience with this fic. Another one of the fics I delightfully rediscover everytime I circle back into Star Trek. So incredibly wholesome. I love Jim and Spock here, but Uhura takes the spotlight.

Atlas

by distractedKat

Between what was and what will be stands James Tiberius Kirk, in all his fractured patchwork glory. Because saving the Federation was only the beginning.

A novel-length continuation of the 2009 movie told in four parts. Cross-posted from FFN.

Oh my god. I didn't even realize distractedKat had written two of my favorite fics. Anyway, this fic, especially the first part is permanently ingrained into my head. I remember this fic all the time. It's just an absolute classic for me and most likely the entire fandom. A must read. Love the crew, love the Genius!Jim in here, absolutely in love with the forever confused and obviously (to us at least) in love Spock.

#spirk #jim kirk #spock #star trek fic recs #star trek

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astoldbygingersnaps · 3 years ago

Note

⭐ Star trek au

Lovers alone wear sunlight

Oh Hell YES

let's talk about star trek au, aka "the love of my writerly life," and What The Fuck Happened in part three, chapter three:

from the very beginning, my goals for this chapter were simple: a) i wanted to push shisui, as a character, to his absolute breaking point; and b) i wanted to make such a significant change to this crew and inflict such obvious damage that you knew these people and their relationships would never be the same. y'know, fun stuff!

Plot Beat #1: How Shisui Uchiha Broke Bad

let's start with shisui. every plot beat in this chapter is specifically designed to jerk shisui around and back him further and further into a corner via luring him into a false sense of security.

your klingon peace talk is going scarily well? just kidding, you're going to get eviscerated!

your starfleet mentor is alive and well after months of radio silence? actually, he's going to give you a horrible mission and nearly force you to your death for some freaky bio-weapon that makes you a huge target!

the douchebag politician you've been scheming against is going to go quietly into that good night? oops, it's a trap and he's coming to fuck all your shit up and murder your crew!

over and over again, shisui's hopes get raised and then are almost immediately dashed. the best example of this is when, after months of being skittish and guarded and fatalistic, he finally lets his guard down around asuma and allows himself to imagine a better life. and less than twenty four hours later all that gets him is covered in the man's blood as he bleeds out and dies.

and we know, and have known for a while, that as good a person as shisui fundamentally is, he does have a dark side and some nasty instincts that have been, for the most part, kept in check by his loyalty to and affection for his crew along with his sincere belief in the federation's goals. but danzo's attack and asuma's death, along with the shitshow that his relationship with itachi devolves into, completely throws shisui off his axis, and it will certainly be interesting to see who--or what--he's become when i finally get off my ass and publish chapter four. all i can say is that for shisui, things are about to get Dark, and they won't clear up for a long, looooong time. which leads me to...

Plot Beat #2: Itachi And Shisui Are Never, Ever, Ever Getting Back Together (Like, Ever)

Look.

we all knew it was coming. considering that the series literally starts with itachi fucking off and leaving the corvus seemingly for good, it's clear that their time together was never destined to last. that in mind, my sincerest hope is that i've deepened and strengthened this relationship enough that when the two big bombs went off--namely, shisui's danzo-related betrayal and his being in love with itachi--everyone is attached enough to them and their bond with one another to be like. bummed about the inevitable.

given how Big the emotions that were destined to be involved are, i felt a lot of pressure about making sure i really nailed that final scene between shisui and itachi, because in a lot of ways that is the last scene they will have together as the characters we once knew them as. that easy, affectionate intimacy that existed between them in part two is gone, and it's not coming back for a long time, if ever. again, it was about pushing these characters past a point where we could have another ~*~wacky adventure in space~*~ and reset their dynamic after a mission of the week. there just is no coming back from this, for them.

i think i'll have more to say about the collapse of the itachi/shisui relationship in this au once part three is finished and the dust has settled, but basically the last third of this chapter is the perfect illustration of why, as much as i love them and they love each other, itachi and shisui are just. not right for each other at this moment in time. because shisui, as a captain, placed the safety of one person in his command over everyone else, and countless other people--including the one he was trying to protect--paid the price. because as long as they serve together, things like this will just keep happening, and eventually enough has to be enough.

in the same way, ino, chouji, and shikamaru will never be the people they were before now that asuma is gone. and even anko, for all that she's Like That, is going to be a changed character because of the, like, twenty-five batshit crazy things that happened this chapter. by the end of this chapter, the fun times on the corvus where they explore the universe and lovingly insult one another are long gone, and all that's left is to see how these people pick up the pieces (or perhaps fail to do so.)

i could talk about this fic for literally the rest of my life, so i'm just going to quit while i'm ahead and warn everyone that this next chapter, when it drops, will be a doozy, so stay tuned!

#asks and memes #star trek au #my fic #there just aren't words to describe how much i love star trek au #and shisui. my sweet stupid beautiful boy. my dumb prince.#i adore you and that's why i make you suffer

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staringdownabarrel · 2 years ago

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My other unpopular Star Trek opinion that nobody asked for is that I think Insurrection is a good movie, and the moral premise is pretty good.

I feel like a lot of people write it off because the Ba'ku planet "only" had 600 people on it, but that's the entire point. You're supposed to think about how many people it takes before it becomes wrong. Picard says it outright.

I don't really agree with the approach a lot of people have towards that issue, which seems to be that it only becomes wrong once you can no longer heard all those people onto a single starship. If you apply that logic, you're talking about an upper limit of something like 15,000-30,000 people at this point--Memory Alpha cites the upper evacuation limit for a Galaxy-class to be around 15,000, and no doubt a dedicated transport could carry more. I think it's an absolute thing. I think it'd be wrong to force even a single person to be moved from that planet if they didn't want to leave.

This is also the approach Picard takes in the movie, and it's actually pretty consistent with how he acted in TNG, too. One of Picard's defining attributes throughout TNG was that he tended to side with the individual over the state where possible. It's why he sided with Data over Starfleet in episodes like The Measure of a Man and The Offspring, for example, and why he eventually argued to allow the Native American colonists to remain in their village in Journey's End. Broadly speaking, his position is that people need protection from the state just as much as they need to be protected by the state.

I guess the obvious counter to this would be something like how Picard was initially going to follow orders and evacuate the Native American colony. And yes, this is true, albeit reluctantly. However, I feel like this experience in Journey's End may have informed his decision in Insurrection: that forcible relocations became a red line for him after that.

The other counter would be something like, "Sure, but the Prime Directive doesn't apply to the Ba'ku". After all, this is the point Admiral Dougherty brings up. I don't agree with this, either. The actual wording of the Prime Directive goes, "No starship may interfere with the normal development of any alien life or society."

During the TNG era, this tended to be interpreted as an absolute thing. This is why Picard was able to basically tap out at the end of The Hunted with apparently no consequences to him: how the Angosian government handled its dispute with its veterans was part of the normal development of that society. It's also one of the reasons why the admiralty was hesitant to give Picard a fleet to blockade the Klingon-Romulan border in Redemption, Pt. II: a civil war over the succession of the Chancellor could have been a normal development in Klingon society, if it weren't for the Romulan interference.

Really, the only part of this where the waters get murky is that the Ba'ku aren't native to that particular planet. The thing is that after living there for 300 years, while they as a species might not be native to that planet, their culture effectively is. Even assuming there's a bit of leeway in that 300 years line--that it's based on a year for Ba'ku, which probably isn't exactly one Earth year, and that it's about 300 years and not exactly 300 years--that still means that the Ba'ku have been there for longer than the Federation has existed. Depending on the specifics of the maths involved, they may have even been there for longer than humans had warp drive.

The other thing to note here from a Prime Directive standpoint is that it's never actually stated what the Ba'ku's standing with their original home planet's government is. It's implied that there's no contact there and there hadn't been for a long, long time, but it's never stated what it was before that. It could be a general "not good", or it could be that the original species would be willing to reintegrate them into their culture--it's a blank spot.

Because of that, this is also a culture that had diverged from its host culture quite a while ago. While it might not have the long, several millennia old historical ties to a planet that the Federation is used to dealing with, there's still that deep cultural connection with that village.

I'm not really sure if I'd be completely willing to discount this as a Prime Directive issue on those grounds just due to how long they'd been there. Plus, given that the Son'a and the Ba'ku were the same species, this could be read as an internal conflict of the species, which would broadly fit with how the Prime Directive had been applied in other circumstances.

There is one other defense for removing the Ba'ku that I've traditionally seen, and that this was all happening during the Dominion War, therefore it's justified.

I don't really agree with this, either. This is a little too "the ends justify the means, especially in times of war" for my liking. I don't think it's right for the Federation to sacrifice the population of one planet that's neutral in the war, and more than likely hadn't even heard about it up until this point, just so a few thousand others might live.

I think it also assumes good faith on the part of the Son'a. This can't be assumed at that point, both due to how they'd concealed how they were the same species as the Ba'ku and how they saw the Dominion War as a sign of the Federation's growing weakness. It could be that once they'd developed the medicine, the Son'a would have turned around and said, "Thanks for that, see ya never", and then disappeared.

The other question about removing the Ba'ku in my mind is whether or not this counts as genocide. The current definition of genocide that the United Nations uses includes a provision about how deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part. This tends to be an aspect that nobody really talks about, both due to how small the Ba'ku population is and how inflammatory the suggestion seems to be.

Given how the rings of Ba'ku increased the lifespan of those in the village by huge magnitudes, removing of them from the planet really would be doing that. While there were only 600 of them so it was only a very small cultural/ethnic group, that's still large enough for me to consider that this could actually count as a form of genocide in this context.

This is something that most likely occurred to Picard as well. Maybe there was a legal precedent for a culture so small in the Federation and maybe there wasn't, but if it were me, I don't know if I'd care if there was. It'd be something I'd want to stop.

Even putting aside the genocide question specifically and the moral dilemma more broadly, there's still a lot of things I like about this movie. I like how it's basically a two-part TNG episode with a much bigger budget. I like the designs of the new starships they introduce. I feel like there's a lot of stuff here that generally gets overlooked.

#star trek #tng #insurrection #star trek insurrection #star trek tng #the next generation #rant

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