#halfway mark for september episodes

[bobbie-robron]

I want you! But you’re so caught up in being some sort of a hero… I’m not sure I want that anymore.

06-Sep-2019

[being-of-rain]

I gotta get round to writing down my feelings on Dot and Bubble, before the next episode comes out! They're conflicted feelings. My opinion has been swinging like a pendulum.

For most of the episode, my main reactions was 'are they Seriously just doing a Social Media Bad episode? Surely there has to be something more to it.' And of course, there was. But... well, the last few scenes really committing to the twist doesn't really change the fact that for a lot of the episode I was cringing at the 'these people spend too much time on their phones' vibes.

The twist that everyone was bigots... well, at first I wasn't sure it landed as well as it could've. I've seen lots of accounts of people who didn't get 'space racists' right away, and I agree that most of the final read classist more than (or just as much as) racist. But then again, in many circumstances aren't the two things tied together? And the more I sat with the episode after it ended, the more I appreciated it. There were quite a few moments and microaggressions throughout the episode that were easily dismissed as simply the mistrustful and argumentative nature of many a Dr Who guest star. And I guess the episode WAS saying 'being on your phone too much is bad', but it followed it up with 'because you'll end up in your own little bubble of social media that could easily radicalise you or feed your inherent prejudices.'

But... after I fully digested all that, I was left thinking 'is that all?' The episode's big reveal is 'this society is bigotted,' and it did have a few things to say about that. But in the end, is that it? I know AI has been done to death, but 'social media becomes sentient and hates is userbase' is an interesting (and hilarious) idea that gets brushed over as quickly as possible, and the slugs don't get much more attention, all because the episode is too focused on the human aspect. And if this episode is so interested in racism, then what does it say that there's only one character in the episode who's experiencing that racism, and when he finally understands it he doesn't care about it at all. Because the Doctor's frustration in the end is just about not being able to save the humans, not about anything they've done to him.

Then again maybe we should circle back to this being just as much about other prejudices and not racism exclusively. Sure it's important, but as we've said, the episode does have things to say about bigotry more generally. About the mindset of mindlessly following instructions, and ignoring your own hypocracy, and throwing people you idolise under the bus if you need to because the only person more important than people like you is you.

But on the other hand, I'm extremely very white. I've seen fans of colour accuse the episode of being cheap and shallow. After all, why is it a big statement for an episode to have an all-white guest cast if there's tons and tons of other Dr Who episodes that do that without thinking?

You get the idea.

In the end... well, I'll be brutally honest. On top of my mixed reaction to the episode's politics, I've just never really vibed with 'sanitised dystopian utopia' aesthetic. So my current emotional reaction to Dot and Bubble is 'meh'. Mark it down in the same category as the previous episode: I'll be interested to see what I think when I rewatch it, but it's not going to be something I'll go to rewatch very often.

What else to say about the episode? I actually noticed that a lot of the colonists were white and blonde before halfway through the ep, but then drew the conclusion that maybe they were all clones. I didn't fall in love with Ricky September like it seemed many viewers seemed to, I just got a little confused about what role in the story a random perfect guy like him was playing (I found out eventually, and boy was it more brutal than I expected). But I did enjoy seeing the Doctor and Ruby both try to flirt with him. The Doctor is now a Gay Best Friend tm. Oh it goes without saying that Gatwa's acting is phenomenal, especially in his brief time appearing in-person.

I know it isn't the show's fault that Gatwa was busy filming other things, and I usually enjoy shows finding ways to work around production limitations like that, and I even tend to like Doctor-lite episodes... but it is a real shame that in the first season of an exciting brand new Doctor, there's two episodes in a row that he's hardly in. I've seen the next episode described as the most traditional of this season, and while I'm not going back on my opinion that I love the experimenting this season, I am looking forward to More Traditional purely because it'll mean more Gatwa. And regency Gatwa at that. I hope he has a fucked-up romance with Jonathan Groff.

[equallyshaw]

rut x rosie timeline + thoughts | rut x rose hughes au ⚘ thoughts. ⚘ au masterlist. ⚘ t/w at the end, mentions miscarriage

⚘ met on June 5th, 2023 ⚘ did not see each other until early august, as luke wanted one last weekend with the boys before the season started started ⚘ exchanged phone numbers before she left for madison, wisconsin ⚘ friends from august 2023 until march 2024 ⚘ oblivious friends to lovers trope lol ⚘ everybody around them could tell that they liked each other more than friends but had always thought the other didn't see them in that way ⚘ during world jrs, rose was a steadfast supporter of rut during his time as captain, despite rooting for team canada publicly ⚘ rose went to visit ann arbor, before heading to the frozen four in new hampshire with wisonsin right before it started ⚘ her and rut went to a diner at 3 am after watching the second episode of star wars - they considered it their first date (3/11/24) ⚘ when she was in new hampshire, rut took a quick trip to the last day of the tournament and watched her win player of the game & the title with wisconsin

⚘ became official on march 25th, 2024 ⚘ decided to keep it on the down low for two months ⚘ told her brothers in the june when she went home for the summer ⚘ posted each other on their instagrams in july ⚘ rose posted rutger on her tiktok, asking questions about each other and dunking each other's face in a bowl of water if they got the question wrong - it went viral ⚘ in august, before she went back to madison and him to michigan, she posted a summer recap of everything she'd done the summer. a lot of it included rutger - went pretty viral ⚘ they celebrate one year on march 25th, 2025 with a weekend trip to chicago, meeting each other at the halfway mark ⚘ her brothers invite rut to stay during the summer with them, if his training and schedule allows ⚘ rut and rose spend the summer together in michigan, taking trips up and down the state as well as visiting southern california and british columbia to visit connor, kent, and the rest of the bc crew ⚘ shortly before rose goes back to madison for her fifth and final year, her and rutger break up. rose is worried about the distance while he is in winnipeg and she is stateside.

thoughts: ⚘ their breakup is not amicable, and rutger carries some varying level of resentment towards the girl and shuts down anybody that asks about her. ⚘ definitely said a few choice words the last time they saw eachother ⚘ literally, blindside everybody in their friend groups and family ⚘ they archive their photos and tiktoks, and in media - they shy away or completely ignore any subtle questions about their relationship. something they had not done before ⚘ her brothers find out a few weeks after training camp ends for the NHL, after rutger goes viral on tiktok for not answering two questions about the hughes. one, he intends to play with the hughes at the olympics. second, if rose wants to represent the us at the olympics alongside the four of them. ⚘ despite them being broken up, she does watch his first official game in the NHL and she even texts him congratulations to which he leaves on read ⚘ in september, she ends up meeting a girl in one of her astrology courses and the two end up going out starting after christmas ⚘ rutger finds out from dylan duke - after she came to visit connor to watch dylan play at the UC from a late night ice cream insta story post with the two of them in the background holding hands ⚘ she ended up bringing the girl because connor wanted to meet her in person, and he falls in love with her. thinks they're a perfect match. (a perfect rebound match that is)

⚘ her and connor get in a fight the morning she leaves because he tells her what he thinks ⚘ rutger is hurt that she moved on but he knows she has every right to since she initiated the breakup & how poorly he treated her ⚘ her and her gf fizzle out in feburary after the girl realizes that rose isn't over rut ⚘ she ends up taking a week a week off and visits quinn to get some clarity and have a break from the semester and season ⚘ quinn tells her straight up that she isn't over rut and hasn't been since they broke up, even if she had said so ⚘ arranges for her to get on the next flight to Winnipeg, as he connects with a childhood friend he has out there to house her with him and his wife, until she can see rutger in person ⚘ literally shows up on rutgers doorstep and his ex girlfriend opens the door ⚘ rutger literally sprints down the stairs to the parking garage where quinn's friend's wife waits for her as she takes the elevator ⚘ rutger is there before the elevator opens and rose is in disbelief that he's standing in front of her because his ex - now - girlfriend is upstairs ⚘ rose left without saying anything ⚘ in December 2025, she gets offered placement for her country to represent them at the olympics ⚘ leans on her family heavily during that time because she doesn't know which offer to take in regards to the event ⚘ ultimately she makes the best decision and the team/country keeps it on the down low because they don't need any backlash ⚘ which prompts her to just show up to the training center and then to italy without it being outed

timeline: ⚘ the next time that they see each other are at the olympics (a year later), while rutger plays alongside her brothers and she plays for her country ⚘ jesse compher- her wing partner back at u of wisconsin, sets the two up to meet and convinces them to talk ⚘ they 'bump' into one another and head back to the village to have a serious discussion ⚘ get back together the night before her gold medal game and pick up where they left off ⚘ official rekindle: feburary 18th, 2026 ⚘ rose retires from hockey in march 2026 ⚘ red carpet debut at espys awards ⚘ august, 2026 they move in together in winnipeg ⚘ july 14th, 2027 - they get engaged ⚘ rutger is traded the next day to the new jersey devils- signs long term deal ⚘ august 2027, they buy a small townhouse in chicago for the off season ⚘ june 2028, they adopt a daschund beagle mix from the shelter ⚘ august 2nd, 2029 they get married ⚘ adopt a cat October 2029 ⚘ miscarried in 2031 ⚘ have twins in 2032, a year and a half after the miscarriage. decides that the twins are it for them. ⚘ twins are born: august 7th at 5:32 pm & 5:45 pm in chicago ⚘ twins: addison monroe & arthur grant mcgroarty

aaaaand that's all for rn, other things will come out over time!

[justkeepwalkingnothinghere]

So…tomorrow will mark one full month since Watching and Dreaming. One month since The Owl House came to an end. It’s kind of hard to believe. I haven’t had the mental energy to rewatch it or watch anything else since. It feels like I’m dealing with all 5 stages of grief at once, but to be frank I’ve been stuck in a mix of denial, acceptance and bargaining since it aired. I’m accepting of the fact that it’s over, completely denying the fact that it’s over, and willing to bargain with the universe for anything else from this show. Been holding onto any little sliver of hope that it’s gonna come back soon, when I know that’s likely not gonna happen in a very long time.

I remember April 8th like it was yesterday, so I figured I should recount it for everyone. Story under the cut.

My mom and I had spent the previous couple of days at my grandparents house watching their dog Charlie, something we’ve done a few dozen times already. We were leaving that morning as soon as my dad came to pick us up, and I woke up hoping to feel as I did the previous day, looking forward to the finale and genuinely happy about it for the first time, without any fear. As expected, I knew the feeling and happiness wasn’t gonna last, all excitement quickly replaced by fear once again as it dawned on me what day it was. I started watching the show in mid September and now was going to witness it end a mere couple of hours after sunset. My thoughts about it all danced and jumped through my head all day, the day going by a bit faster than I had wanted it to. The only constant emotions were anxiety, fear, and I could feel myself slipping into depression already.

As the hours ticked by and we got closer to saying farewell, the realization of what was happening continued to nag at me and make my anxiety worse. My parents were both going to my aunt and uncle’s wedding, a very small ceremony and reception in their backyard. And an adults only affair, meaning I would be home alone. Was only at the 5 o’clock hour, only a few more until the finale when they left. First thing I did? Listened to Lacrimosa on the tv for roughly 30 minutes while scrolling through here, the subreddit, and chatting on Discord while getting emotional with friends. I made one last post before the finale, and switched to It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday. Looped a few times before switching to YouTube and watching for a little over an hour.

Until I found this goodbye video in my recommended. Set to the chorus of As the World Caves In. It was a little over 5 minutes until the finale (was airing at 8:25 in my timezone) when I found it, and I rewatched it multiple times, learning the words quickly. I replayed it one more time with a full minute left until the end, singing along to it in the final 30 or so seconds until the finale finally aired. I was saving the Watching and Dreaming for the next morning, when my parents and I could watch it with our Easter breakfast, not wanting to be up all night crying and getting emotional. I proceeded to listen to the full song on loop for about 30-40 minutes straight, getting lost in thought, singing along with all I had, even breaking into tears at one point, wanting nothing more than a comforting hug from Luz.

The episode was halfway over from my calculations when I heated up my Stouffer’s meatloaf, and then vented and chatted with this little guy as we kept each other company and ate our meals. I let it all out to some pixels on the screen, relieving some stress. A mini chocolate bundt cake, episodes of 30 Rock and glyph doodles followed in the last hour or so before my parents got home. Somewhere during that, I swear I could feel a slight pang in my heart, a signal that it was done. The finale was over, and it took Owl House with it. With everything cleaned up downstairs and my parents in bed, I ended the night by having one last mental breakdown to Caramelldansen, my bedroom light turned off, and my phone brightness all the way up. I turned in for the night with a final sigh, and the knowledge that tomorrow morning, my favorite show would slip away from me.

The most emotional night of my life in recent memory and I remember every detail as if it was just last night. As the World Caves In now acts as a reminder of what went down whenever I listen to it. In the midst of it all, the only emotions that stayed with me was the fear and depression. I knew what was happening, I knew what I would be experiencing the next morning, and I still have yet to rewatch it. I can’t even watch the ending or epilogue without having my heart ache for half an hour or more. A fantastic finale? Absolutely! But a heartbreaking loss that is going to take me forever to recover from? Also yes. My heart wasn’t ready for it then, it’s not ready for it now, and it’s not gonna be ready for it anytime soon.

(I know a lot of people aren’t going to care about this, I just wanted to share how that night was for me)

[adizzyninja]

I posted 6,463 times in 2022

That's 441 more posts than 2021!

107 posts created (2%)

6,356 posts reblogged (98%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@cowboy-garfield

@flawlesschowchow

@sch4r4

@needsmorebirds

@rukafais

I tagged 1,933 of my posts in 2022

#later - 112 posts

#treasures from the blaze - 36 posts

#germy man - 19 posts

#twosday babyyyyy - 12 posts

#gorbachev - 11 posts

#splendid - 11 posts

#fav - 9 posts

#… - 8 posts

#💀 - 8 posts

#incredible - 7 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#not me voting firefighting cuz i thought it meant he’d turn into a crocodile firefighter where he looks the same but with a hose and hat 🙈

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

God I love V2 Ultrakill. It’s your perfect double, the second of your prototype line. It’s got it’s own bassy theme and themed levels and sassy intros.

It also has zero impact on the story. It shows up and you kick its ass so hard it’s arm falls off. After the actual plot of the game starts unfolding it shows up again and you launch it off a pyramid.

It’s your ultimate rival and you forcibly eject it from the plot well before the halfway mark.

Iconic.

336 notes - Posted August 14, 2022

#4

Fallout: New Vegas (2011) -> One of my favorite quotes

357 notes - Posted September 24, 2022

#3

Owl house really dropped those first 6 minutes just to say “yeah here’s all the lovely things we would have given entire episodes to. Anyways gay rights and burn Disney to the ground bye~ <3”

457 notes - Posted October 10, 2022

#2

What I love about Elden Ring is how for the most part the bosses are powerful dudes of varying degrees of evil, but they pretty much keep to themselves and don’t exactly pose a threat to the world at large. You’re mostly just fighting them for their Great Runes.

Except for Rykard. He’s the giant snake man of volcano manor. He’s eaten hundreds of people and lobs their screaming souls as projectiles while swinging a massive sword comprised of their viscera. He seeks to devour the gods and conquer the world.

Yeah, even without the Great Shard stuff… you should probably take care of that

516 notes - Posted March 27, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

See the full post

2,347 notes - Posted July 21, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[unprofessional-bard]

Chapter 15 - The Result

Unprofessional Bard's Masterlist

Losing My Religion Series Masterlist

Previous Chapter • Next Chapter (TBA)

Pairing: Joel Miller x Female!Reader/OC

Warnings: smut: oral sex (m! receiving), unprotected sex, joel breeding kink go brrr; talks of depression, anxiety and PTSD, detailed descriptions of bloodshed/death.

Summary: The confrontation the reader had been waiting for finally happens.

Word Count: 5.771

Author's Note: I apologise for the repost y'all!! The chapter didn't appear on the tags and I didn't notice it soon enough!! If this doesn't appear as well...

Enjoy!

The last heatwaves of summer started coming in with full force as September approached– a final storm before the calm. It wasn't completely intolerable, but it still messed with a lot of people: even you and Joel had to stay away from one another during the nights due to the heat making everything more sticky and irritable. It was annoying as hell, given that you had Joel all to yourself for a whole week now.

That certainly didn't stop you two from having sex before his departure, of course.

It took you some time to anchor yourself back to reality after what happened with Ward – the first three days were the worst with the episodes and attacks, but you don't think you could've made it this far in such a short time without Ellie and Joel. This was practically nothing compared to when you had first arrived in Jackson... if you had them both with you when–

Doesn't matter now. It took you months and it wouldn't have mattered if it had taken more– you made it. At the end, you got through it.

You and Joel talked about things, too. A lot of it mostly surrounding Kiki and Ward, of course. Things were cleared out, feelings were gotten off of chests and apologies were made: One day, after going out to get groceries while you chopped some vegetables for dinner, he put the sacks on the counter island and approached you, wrapping his hands around your waist.

"Smells delicious," He murmured into your ear and placed a kiss on your cheek, then put his chin on your shoulder, ever so slowly –with minimal movement– swaying you to the smooth jazz playing in the living room.

"I didn't cook anything yet?" You raised a brow and smiled at the way his beard scratched at the side of your face.

"Didn't mean the food," He whispered and kissed the back of your ear, sending a shiver down your spine as you chuckled. He then moved down the line behind your artery, peppering kisses there, each and every single touch of his lips sending a rather pleasant feeling between your legs.

You slowly leaned your head back against his shoulder as he took your hands in his, making you put the knife down and let him sway you to the wordless tune playing in the background.

He eventually stopped when he reached your collarbones and turned you around to face him: "Mrs. Miller..." Your smile grew at the name: "How're you on this fine evenin'?"

"Just fine, Mr. Miller." You grinned and mimicked his accent. He placed one hand on your waist while the other grabbed your hand. He smelled so wonderful and looked so good–

"Would ya fancy a dance, m'lady?" His teeth showed when his smirk grew wider, your faces were almost touching.

"Ain't you a dandy and a charmer?" You chuckled, your lips brushing against his and chests pressed against each other.

This? This was everything. All of your problems and worries gone even just for a moment or two– you'd do anything for him.

The small dance you two had going on lasted another minute before the track ended softly. Joel finally stopped teasing your lips and pressed a gentle kiss against them, which you returned with more hunger and passion.

"A little dance got you all excited?" Joel chuckled when he pulled back for air, noticing your hands had already unbuttonned his shirt halfway.

"You got me all excited," You beamed at him and dipped your hands under his shirt before reaching the last two buttons, feeling his warm skin under your fingertips and sighing into his chest. "We haven't done it in awhile..."

"Tsk," Joel shook his head with a soft grin, licking his lips as his pupils dilated the longer he thought of the last time you had sex, which was when he came in you for the first time. It had him weak in the knees, and would definitely do it again if you let him. He then softly leaned in and placed a wet kiss on your neck, making you sigh and close your eyes.

His hands placed themselves on your waist as he pushed you against the counter island, lightly marking your neck as he went: "Should'a done this a few days back, would'a marked you red and blue since y'ain't goin' out..."

You quietly moaned as he trapped you in place, lightly pushing your shirt up and massaging your sides as he did. You took the opportunity to place a kiss on his neck in return, hearing him growl softly, so you did it again, and again, and again...

Sex with Joel never ceased to satisfy you: He always managed to get you all giddy and excited like a child given a reward. His movements gained some speed as soon as his hands cupped your breasts, immediately taking your shirt off and kissing your lips hungrily. His arms closed around your waist and back as he moved down to your jaw and neck, biting and licking his way to your shoulders.

"Joel... the food..." Your chuckles mixed with moans the more his beard and lips caressed your skin. At your words, he picked you up and placed you on the counter, hooking his fingers through the waistbands of your shorts.

"I'll be full in a few," He smirked and started kissing down your breasts as he slowly dragged your shorts down your legs. His tongue worked wonders on your nipples while your fingers made their way through his hair, giving him soft hisses and quiet moans whenever he lightly bit on the skin.

Moments later, he was on his knees, caressing and kissing your inner thighs, not pulling back on leaving hickeys where he knew your shorts would cover to spare you the embarrassment; although that didn't keep him from lightly biting on the skin that showed too.

He then spread your legs and started giving tiny licks along your slit, making you slowly lean back onto your elbows, only to suddenly land on your back when he pulled you forwards by your thighs. You gave a brief chuckle as he feasted on your juices like a man who hadn't eaten in weeks.

As soon as you threw your head back, you opened your eyes to an intensifying sizzling sound, gasping when you saw the pan on the stove: "Joel! The food!"

"Oh shit–" He quickly left your wetness and practically threw himself over to the stove. After that was out of the way, you both stood still and giggled briefly. "Why'd you cook this much food?"

"Ellie asked if she could eat with us," You spoke as you got off the counter. "Said she didn't have time to cook for herself, I said sure. She then asked if Jesse could come too– Wait, what time is it?"

"Five twenty."

"Oh, good."

"Why?"

"Because," You gave him a mischievous smirk as you walked over to him and hooked your fingers behind his belt without breaking eye contact, pulling him back to the counter island. "That means we have at least another half hour before they arrive, but we still gotta be qui– Hmph!"

His lips were instantly on yours as he quickly pressed your back against the counter, but you stopped him before he could go down on you: "Nu-uh. I may be the cook–" You grabbed him through his trousers, making his hips jerk forward: "But I gotta eat too."

He made to protest –he's been going on about how you should take it easy and how your pleasure was more important than his (it was funny how he thought his pleasure didn't add to yours)– but you were already sinking to your knees, trapping yourself between his legs and the counter.

"There we go," You cooed as you got rid of his belt. Joel sighed deeply and closed his eyes, putting his hands on the surface above your head and leaning into your touch instinctively.

You were quick to pull him out of his underwear, pumping his cock a few times before giving it a few licks around the tip, to which he hissed quietly.

It was when you decided to take all his length to the back of your throat at one go that his hands shot to your hair: "Jesus– christ, doll!"

You offered a quiet giggle while you played with him in your hand, then slowly and rhythmically you took him in your mouth, but not even a few minutes later, Joel pulled your hair into a ponytail with both hands: "Can't believe I'm sayin' this but, food can wait."

You gave him a surprised look before he gently grabbed your jaw and lightly pressed your cheeks to make you open your mouth wider, then pushed his cock down your throat. Gagging and moaning you grabbed his hips, to which he responded: "A-ah, no hands Dolly."

You were perhaps too quick to drop your hands to your sides, then lace your fingers behind your back to keep yourself from grabbing him. You let him use your mouth for a few minutes: the sounds of wetness and gagging, plus occasional grunts and moans from him was heavenly for the both of you.

"Fuck– Dolly, up," He suddenly pulled out and leaned down to pull you up. He turned you around and gently, but with rushed movements, bent you over the counter a little. He entered you with one precise thrust, making you bend even more. You moaned simultaneously when he did, staying still a little for you to adjust.

He then leaned down over you, framing your body with his. Your bare back pressed against his naked chest, his hands wrapping themselves around your arms –then wrists– as his chin found its place like a puzzle piece in the crook of your neck. You loved it when he covered you like this, loved when he was so desperate, loved when he couldn't help himself and couldn't get enough of your–

"You get me so– shit," He growled as he pulled back and thrusted in again. He began with a steady rhythm, making you moan softly. You felt your eyes roll back when he nibbled at your ear and kissed your neck.

"Fuck– Joel, fuck–" You moaned, the pitch of your voice rising like it did when you began closing in on your orgasm. You both were aware how you were short on time and had to make this into a quickie, a promise of something more when night time fell and you both were alone in your room, hungry for one another like you were now.

"Want me to– to come in you again? Y'think I put a baby in you the last time?" He moaned at the way you squeezed around him, wriggled under his body and cried out at his words. "Don't matter, we can do it again to make sure– just say the words."

"Joel– ah, ah," You gasped when one of his hands left your wrist to draw circles around your clit, making you thrust back to his rhythm. "Fuck, come inside me, please."

"Shit, (Y/N)," He growled low, almost animalistically, into your ear. He placed kisses over your neck, then went up to your jaw and cheek, finally meeting your lips halfway. "Come on, babydoll, put one leg up for me?"

His other hand left your wrist as well when you nodded, helping one leg up to the counter. He proceeded to lean back and up, grab your hips and slam into you as fast and hard as he could, knocking the breath out of you.

"Oh my god!" You cried out, failing to keep up. The skin slapping against skin had long drowned out most of the surrounding sounds, minus your moaning and Joel's growling. "So– so close–"

"This ain't gonna work," He suddenly stopped, murmuring to himself. He put your leg back down, pulled out of you and turned you to face him. The sight of his cock –erect completely, thick and swollen– made you moan quietly. He lifted you up and sat you on the counter once more, spreading your legs. He grabbed your ass and pulled you forward, to the edge, where he thrusted back in.

You grabbed his face and kissed him hungrily, biting on his lower lip, then shoved your tongue into his mouth, moaning all the while.

"Ah," He broke off suddenly and put his forehead on your shoulder as he slammed, and slammed, and slammed...

Until he grabbed you by your thighs, his voice cracking slightly, and finally emptied his seed inside you, biting on your shoulder quite aggressively; you didn't mind, however, as it was the final stroke that threw you off the edge. You held onto his shoulders as you both trembled in the other's arms, panting as if you'd run all the way from the western gate to home.

His hips involuntary jerked forwards, his cock twitching inside you. He held you tightly in his arms as you came down your high, becoming sleepy all of a sudden. Him coming inside you had a wonderful effect on the both of you last time, it was no different this time.

"Shit," You hissed. "That was– that was–"

"Mind blowing?" He chuckled, reminding you of one of your quickies during patrol before you got married.

"That's one way to put it," You grinned back and claimed his lips in a sweet kiss. "You should come inside me more often."

You felt him tense a little: "Yeah, about that, are you su–"

Knock knock: "(Y/N)?" Ellie.

"Shit!" You jumped where you sat. Joel immediately pulled himself out of you and tucked his softening cock back in his jeans as you collected your clothing and ran to the bathroom.

After dinner, your love-making continued in your chambers. The pace slowed, the air became somewhat more sentimental, and tears were shed– both of you trembled in the other's arms, kissing and wiping away at the other's wet cheeks. You laid together: entwined, side by side, eventually parting because of the heat...

Now, you laid alone.

Alone in the house after that too-good-to-be-true week, you felt trapped and not as up to date as you liked to be about the town, so you asked Maria to sign you up for supply runs, extra shifts– whatever you were kept from.

People were more happy to see you than you thought they'd be– and more worried about you than Kiki. "You underestimate the place you hold in the community, (Y/N)." Eugene had told you with a pat to the back when you showed up to your first patrol in near two weeks. Before setting off for your assigned route however, Maria called you over with a half worried, half grave expression.

"Gonna tell you something you're not gonna like, so try to keep calm okay?" She stared right through you, making you gulp and nod: "Kiki wants to–" She sighed halfway when you scoffed quietly. "She said she wanted to talk to you, sort things out. She seemed pretty calm, maybe she made her peace with it."

"Nah," You shook your head. "She's got some folks riled up against me, they're giving me weird looks. Won't believe she's made her peace 'til that stops."

"All the more reason for you to talk. Her group's gonna wait for yours to arrive at the checkpoint. It's a good opportunity."

"... Alright." You exhaled heavily as she gave you an encouraging pat on the shoulder.

Your group was made of just you and Eugene, but Ellie and Jesse asked if they could join. Jesse was already allowed on paired patrols, but Ellie was a matter of debate as Joel still deemed her young– definitely not because he was worried sick over her.

"Ellie..." You made to protest, but your gut told you to let her tag along.

"(Y/N) c'mon, Joel ain't even here," Eugene.

"No, yeah," You blinked, snapping out of your deep thoughts. "I was gonna say yes, sorry. Come on, hurry then."

Once you reached the checkpoint, you asked Eugene to stay back: "What's up, Dolly?"

"Kiki's in there, she says she wants to talk to me," You explained, hands on your hips. "To sort things out– I don't buy it."

"Woah, hold on. She said that to you?"

"To Maria. She says she's made her peace with what I did, but I say otherwise."

"Like hell she did," Eugene agreed. "I heard she's been calling you a–"

"I–" You put your hand up: "–don't wanna hear what that idiot has to say. I see a few people staring at me whenever I go out, some straight out avoid me."

"You want me to–?"

"No– no I'll talk to her, no biggie. This has to end one way or another, but I don't trust her. Be my eyes?"

"Always, (Y/N)," He started walking towards the doors of the checkpoint, but you stopped him.

"Actually, you watch out for Ellie and Jesse. I'll handle this alone."

"(Y/N)–"

"It's okay, she's weak. Squealed to the softest touch when she first came here, remember? She wouldn't try anything."

"But that was when she first came here. Don't underestimate her."

A warning that had fallen on your deaf ears.

As you reached the doors, you saw Ellie and Jesse standing a feet or two from the entrance awkwardly. You took a deep breath and walked through the door with heavy steps and, as soon as you saw her sitting on the couch, you stood across her: "Let's talk," You looked around the room to find it quite small for you to have privacy: "Leave us. Let's finish this."

"Wh–?"

"It's okay, Ellie– Just step outside for a moment, all of you."

Kiki's group, three other people, left the room with your company while giving you dirty looks. You locked eyes with Eugene, seeing him signal you watch, then as he turned around he also signaled you with hand signals. You really were grateful for him.

"Alright," You straightened up: "Let's get to it. I'm done holding back on you, so don't you dare play coy with me and say what you wanna say and get this over with."

"Very well then." She got up and started walking towards you, but you stopped her.

"I can hear you just fine from where you are." You told her not to approach, eyes instinctively scanning your surroundings. She was around 20 feet away from you, the path between you and her were clear of any obstacles –furniture etc– minus the small set of stairs that led up to where you were standing. There was a table behind you that you spied when you first entered the room, otherwise there was nothing near the neither of you.

"Fine. I was here to talk about Ward."

"I guessed that much."

"You do realise what you've done to me, right? You've ruined my life." Her face didn't reflect the words she spoke, not one bit.

"Oh for god's– I know damn well what I did."

"Did you regret it?"

You clenched, then unclenched your jaw: "Why do you wanna know?"

"I wanted to know if I'm talking to a normal person, or a cold blooded murderer."

Your hands were quick to ball up into fists, but you had to keep your cool. Her face and her stance made your shoulders tense even more– despite how she had behaved when you shot Ward, she was quite calm. Let's not jump to conclusions, you told yourself.

You remained quiet and huffed after a moment: "Let me ask you something."

"Ask away." She was ever so slowly inching closer, but you let her.

"Do you regret it? Me, shooting a man who beats you to a pulp, a man who won't–"

"I loved him, of course I do," She scoffed, but there was no love in her voice, just irritation.

"Or was this your plan all along?" You smirked sardonically, trying to keep your anger away from her prying eyes– allowing her to slip up: "You hated him so much, then you saw Joel and me, wanted my place; that it?"

"Clever, very clever," She nodded. "And what better person to kill Ward than you? How is it going between you and Joel, anyway?" She was suddenly too close: "Does he look at you with disgust every time you go to bed, wishing that it was me instead, the poor woman made into a widow by his own wife?"

Your face scrunched up with disgust and fury: "You fucking–"

"I'm right, aren't I?" Her head was tilted forward, giving you one of the most chilling, emotionless smiles you had ever seen.

"No... you're a fucking psychopath, that's what you are," You frowned.

"Ah, you sounded like Ward. Have you also read those psychology books Doctor Katherine had given him?"

Your mind blanked for a moment, but you quickly replied to cover it up: "I was trained to deal with the likes of you."

It was partly true, especially after everything went to shit with the apocalypse and whatnot. You were trained, yes, but you had educated yourself about certain disorders which could help you train and read body language better– you were no expert of course, and you weren't police, or a detective; you didn't deal with people like her up close.

"Likes of me?" She rolled her eyes: "Ugh, you and your husband... In any case, I feel like I can be honest with you now, you're smarter than I imagined."

Eugene was right, you thought: "Decided to be honest, finally? When no one else is around? How brave of you."

"The point wasn't bravery," She looked angrier, but her voice was still quiet. "The point was exactly that– No one will hear this confession but you."

You stared into her eyes, confusion and stress taking over a bit more quicker than you liked, you didn't even realise she was inching closer towards you: "I hated Ward. I didn't love him. He was my means of escape and protection for all those years out there, but I was weak– he was abusive, yes. I was smaller than him in physique and had no training to defend myself, so naturally I was inferior. His love, I assume, was true at one point. Mine never was. And yes, I was aware of how we were the black sheep of the community once we had arrived. I figured, if Tommy, Maria– people who were looked up to, like you, liked us, we'd fit in. I did, more than Ward anyway. And yes, I did want Joel for myself, but I knew it wasn't going to be easy. You– you never really liked me, you had to move out of the picture."

Your stance became defensive as you listened: "Move out of the picture?"

"Joel will move on, eventually, and I'll walk him through his grief. For all of this to work out, you had to die. That's why I am being honest, because I am going to kill you."

You thought you were ready to evade her attack, but not mentally. Her words had made your mind go blank: despite being smaller than you in figure, she threw herself at you, grabbed your hair and slammed your head onto the table behind you. Twice.

"Ah!" You growled and grabbed her wrist in a death grip, however she didn't let out as much as a groan (unlike the first time you had tried something like this with her), even though you felt like her bones were going to crush under your palm. You cursed at yourself for letting her get as close to you as she did, giving her an advantage; your vision was getting blurry from the strikes you suffered.

You growled angrily as you turned your body towards hers again, her hands not letting go of your hair. She had gotten stronger over the time she's been trained in Jackson, but you could still have the upper hand. You landed the hardest kick you could on her stomach. Twice.

"You're not even pregnant, are you?!" You spat when you managed to push her off, but as soon as she backed off, she pulled out a knife and lunged at you again. Before the tip of the knife could pierce your throat, you crossed your arms and blocked her attack, the force bending you backwards across the table.

"I never was, yes," She struggled, voice still stable. "Though telling everyone I miscarried because of your little doing didn't really hurt nobo–"

————

"Eugene, what the hell?" Mike, someone in Kiki's group asked as soon as they stepped outside.

The older man didn't reply, sparing an angry look in the younger man's way as he began looking for a window, an opening, anywhere he could keep an eye on you from.

"Whatever, let's hope (Y/N) doesn't kill her too in there," Jennifer, Kiki's neighbour across the street, grumbled.

"What's wrong with you?" Ellie snapped and turned to her. "(Y/N) protected her!"

"I don't think cold blooded murder doesn't really count as protection," She sneered.

"The fuck did you just–" Ellie started walking towards her, but Jesse held her back.

"Ellie calm down," He spoke quietly, then turned to Jessica. "If it weren't for (Y/N), both Kiki and Paul would've died, don't you understand? Ward beat Kiki to her death, then actually tried to—"

"What do you know? You weren't there!" Jessica hissed at him.

"Neither were you," Jesse replied calmly. "(Y/N) isn't a murderer, she's a protector of this town."

"Her history with FEDRA says otherwise," Mike joined in.

"So you're telling me you haven't killed anyone in the past 20 years?" Eugene suddenly walked over to them. "You think you're so innocent in all this, huh? You're as innocent as the rest of us, Mike. We've all done– forced to do some fucked up shit before Jackson, but this what this place's all about; a second chance." He took a few silent deep breaths, before adding: "You don't know what anyone here has gone through before here, so shut your goddamn mouth."

Both Mike and Jennifer fell silent, as well as Jesse and Ellie as the older man death stared Kiki's group. He started walking back to continue looking for an opening too late however– he suddenly heard two loud thuds, followed by a shout, your shout.

"God dammit!" He ran to the door with everyone else behind him and almost kicked down the door when he reached it.

————

"Kiki, what the hell?!" Eugene came in  shouting, the door suddenly opening with a loud crash.

"What's the matter, can't handle me on your own?" She hissed at you, but her grip failed at Eugene's entrance. She had failed, and she knew this too, for her face morphed from ambition and triumph to anger and fear. That was your moment.

You directed her hands to your left with your forearms, the knife suddenly giving in and stabbing into the wooden table: "Oh I can handle you just fine!"

You twisted your arms around hers, grabbed her and push kicked her with all your might, sending her flying down the small set of stairs back near the couch she was sitting on previously. Driven by rage, you pulled the knife out of the table and jumped on her with scary speed. Before she could get up, you reached her and straddled her hips, ready to drive the knife through her throat like she had tried to do to you.

"(Y/N) stop!" Eugene yelled before you could, knife holding hand raised high, the other around her lower neck.

"Tell them, go on!" You suddenly yelled, moving your hand onto her throat. "Confess to them like you did to me."

"Get off me." She spoke calmly.

"Speak!" You yelled and shook her where you had grabbed her by the throat.

"(Y/N)..." Eugene, you realised when he entered your line of sight, was pointing a gun at Kiki's head. He kept his distance, his stance almost professional.

"Get off me," She spoke after awhile of silence. "And I'll tell them what I told you."

For whatever stupid reason, you believed her.

You believed, for a second, that she was actually going to make her confession and try to survive this, somehow. Jackson never took to execution as a form of punishment, so she had higher chances of staying alive that way.

Instead, as soon as you lowered your arm and simultaneously pulled your hand away from her throat, she grabbed you by your shirt's collar.

Everything happened so fast.

You gasped and shouted when you felt her teeth sink into the left side of your throat, dangerously close to the artery. Before she could completely bite off your skin, you embedded the knife in your hand to the side of her neck. Twice.

The tension in your body, the fear and anger you felt– everything came out on her neck. You stabbed her neck reflexively and as soon as she let your neck and shoulders go, you stopped, threw her back on the ground and fell on your back.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" You grimaced, panting and holding your neck as you backed away from Kiki where you sat. You stopped crawling back when your back hit one of the armchair across the sofa.

The outside voices started to drown out as you pulled your hand away from your neck to see a mix of blood smeared across your hand. Your head hurt so much; the beating of your own heart, the voice ringing in your ear– too much blood–

"(Y/N), christ!" Eugene knelt beside you immediately, followed by Ellie and Jesse. Mike, Jessica and the other person stood, dumbfounded and shocked, as Kiki gave her last breath.

"No, oh god, what did I do?" Tears finally started rolling down your cheeks as you panted, visions of old memories covered in blood flashing under your eyelids making you hyperventilate.

Joel... Where is Joel...

"You protected yourself, (Y/N), it's okay! Breathe!" Eugene ran a hand through his hair, then held you by the shoulders hesitantly.

"(Y/N)," Ellie spoke worriedly: "(Y/N), you're okay– it's okay."

You put your hands on your ears in an attempt to drown out the noises, tried opening your eyes but the images weren't going away: "I can't– can't breathe," You held onto Eugene's arms. "You're– Is she–?"

Your question died on your tongue when he pulled you into a hug, putting your chin on his shoulder, then turned to the side so you didn't see Kiki's now lifeless body: "(Y/N), we need to get you to Katherine, you're bleeding."

"She was trying to stab her?" Katherine.

"Yeah, then she said she was gonna confess something she had confessed to (Y/N), but bit her nearly in the damn artery instead." Eugene.

"And whose bright idea was it to let 'em talk alone?" Tommy.

"Mine," You weakly replied as you slowly opened your eyes.

"Jesus christ, (Y/N)," Tommy sighed, relieved, and sat to your right. You were back in the hospital, where Doctor Katherine, Eugene and Tommy had been waiting for you to wake up.

"We should put my name up outside," You said stiffly, in an attempt to make a joke. "Seems like I won't stop waking up in this room."

Katherine was sat to your left– she put a hand against your forehead, then the back of it: "I got a fever?"

"You had a mild fever while I was operating–"

"Woah, hold on– operating?" You sat up, holding your neck to find it patched up. "Was it that bad?"

"She almost tore out the meat, that crazy–" Eugene spoke, but huffed with frustration halfway.

"I don't wanna rush you," Tommy put a hand on your shoulder and gave you a worried look. "But I need you to tell me what happened."

You and Eugene exchanged a worrisome look: "Just back there, or right from the beginning?"

"Everything," Tommy said after awhile. You gave Katherine a hesitating look, which she didn't notice, but sighed and began telling everything: from the dirty looks you got, to the symbolism of flowers and the night before Ward's death; then how some townspeople were riled up against you, and finally how she confessed to everything and attacked you, ultimately resulting in her death. Tommy went a little pale throughout, especially when you told him of her confession– Same with Eugene. Katherine looked devastated.

"Some folk ain't gonna believe this," Tommy said with an apologetic look on his face.

"Well, fuck 'em– I believe her." Eugene shook his head from where he was leaning against the windowsill. You offered a brief smile.

"I believe you too, but it just sounds too absurd, no offence," Tommy said, scratching his beard. "A damn maniac and his psycho wife... Then this whole– confession?"

You just sighed and looked down, where you had been playing with your fingernails and tips nervously: "To be frank, I don't owe anyone in this town a goddamn thing, except for maybe Katherine here. I'm not gonna try and convince a bunch of people, who have no place in my business, that I'm right or whatever. I did what I had to– and I have you all, so..."

Katherine took your hand in hers, giving it a soft squeeze: "That you do. We got you (Y/N), you're safe."

You gave them all half a smile, struggling not to cry but you managed to keep your tears to yourself. Tommy smiled, tsked and put his hands on his hips: "Well, now I'm worried about how Joel's goin' to react."

"React to what?" Came a tired voice from the door, the voice of your husband who was supposed to be away at a run.

"Joel?" Tommy's shocked tone mixed with yours, which was laced with both relief and disbelief.

"Tony got injured before we could make it out the county, Earl and I had to bring him back," He said from the door, slowly walking in and taking Katherine's place by your side: "Ran into Daisy, said my lovely wife managed to land herself here again."

He put his hand through your hair and combed it back, giving you a solemn yet soft look, then kissed your forehead and kept his lips pressed there for a few seconds. He then pulled back and gently looked at your neck: "What happened?"

—————

tagging: @spideysimpossiblegirl @sherry-212 @joelsgeetar @peachymelon69 @assinteractions @gizmogurlie41786 @giselatropicana @unfinishedsynopsis @nervousmumbling @thewintersoldierswife @roxypeanut

[spockfan]

Hi - how long have you been into Star Trek? (You said recently but that could have been written years ago?) However long it's been, WOW do you have great ST content! I already reblogged a lot and there's so much more I didn't have time to get to yet.

Hi! First of all, thank you so much! I honestly didn't expect that I'd be posting stuff other than reblogs of things I find neat (which is why there is no tagging system yet) but I really enjoyed watching TOS that I just needed to air some of my thoughts in some way.

This little side blog is pretty new, created right at the end of August. Made because I got curious about Spock's character whose concept I really liked when I finally got curious enough to look up his general background (watched him from the new movies before but didn't really pay attention much). I was surprised that the blog name was available and I regret making it as a sideblog as I can't readily reply to posts because it confuses me when I see my main account name (which I don't really use.)

The answer to your question is since September 5, 2021, the day I watched the first episode of TOS. Currently, I'm halfway through season 2.

The date is exact because, prior to watching, to make things more fun, I made Bingo cards with what I thought would be common Star Trek tropes and that first Bingo card is saved in my tablet.

Before TOS, I've watched the reboot movies when they came out and although I enjoyed them, to myself who had no other background and appreciation for the world and the characters, they were ultimately no different from any other blockbuster movie–enjoyable momentarily but not something I would dwell on. I was also a bit familiar with ST:Discovery because I was told a bit about its plot. Also Galaxy Quest but I didn't relate it to Star Trek before.

Given the limited knowledge, I had a lot of misconceptions about the series so my first few Bingo cards barely got any marks. It wasn't really a show that I expected to take seriously so I put stuff like:

- Kirk flirts with pretty women

- Scotty beams people up

- Spock says something insensitve

- Enterprise goes 'pew pew'

- He's dead, Jim or Someone dies.

Naturally, I didn't get Bingo much during the first few episodes but I realized that I was really enjoying the show. The characters are memorable, the themes are simple but thoughtful, while it does tend to be obvious when the writing is confined by its era, one gets the sense that the ideas must have been innovative at the time. Most importantly, it's very fun.

I've stopped doing the Bingo cards since I've already won and I've gotten better at knowing what recurring elements are in the show. Some of my favorite updated Bingo items though:

- The Pringle-Mailbox gun is used

- A Utopia is destroyed or There is no such thing as paradise when the Enterprise visits your planet

- Not enough budget for the captain's shirt or Kirk fanservice

- Kirk illogics a computer/AI/robot to death

- Formless alien or Alien is just human with weird clothes

- Bad guy has bad guy makeup and Females (and Kirk) get better glowing lighting

- Kirk x Enterprise as the One True Ship gets mentioned

- Omnipotent aliens give someone time-out

I try to watch at least an episode a day right after work when I have the time. Sometimes I push it to two episodes because ♡.

[yeonchi]

Sea Princesses First Airdates

Getting accurate information for Sea Princesses has been a rather daunting task, particularly given that this series wasn’t that popular in the first place and barely anyone recorded this information at the time. It’s also because of this that I am unable to pinpoint accurate airdates for any episode. I’ll get into this after the break, but here are the major airdates for Sea Princesses that I’ve found:

Amazon: 31 May 2007

Australia: 8 September 2007

Brazil: 24 March 2008

Latin America: 21 April 2008

So here’s the problem I have with the Amazon airdates. The Amazon airdates are plausible, but I’m sceptical of them for a few reasons. One, Fabio Yabu’s old blog posts show first mentions of the animated series around September 2007 and two, if production started in July 2006 and it took 18 months to finish, how could anything have been ready in nearly 12 months? I’ll come back to this point later, but admittedly, even the Amazon airdates are more plausible than the IMDb airdates, which were used on the wiki before I edited them - those airdates had Season 2 premiering from December 2013 to February 2014, which is quite ridiculous when I vaguely remember watching episodes earlier than that.

In Australia, the first season premiered on the Seven Network on Saturday 8 September 2007, while the second season premiered on Saturday 12 September 2009. I did manage to get those dates thanks to the advance guides on TV Tonight, but I am unable to pinpoint when exactly each episode premiered because some of the links for 2007 and 2008 are broken thanks to the person using MediaFire instead of hosting the files on the site like they did for later years. From what I saw however, there were some weeks when the animated series was given a one-hour timeslot, so you would have four episodes premiering instead of the usual two. Returning to my previous point about production taking 18 months, production of the first season was still in progress when it premiered, so my theory is that the series was split somewhere around the halfway mark and the second portion premiered in a different cour to the first, thus there were episodes that would premiere in 2008 and 2010, assuming the production of the second series was the same as the first (either that or the Seven Network wanted to split the series anyway, which is kind of likely). If the Australian airdates are hard to pinpoint, then I’d imagine that the Brazilian and Latin American airdates are probably impossible to pinpoint, so I’m not going to bother.

So yeah, the Amazon airdates are used on the wiki for the sake of completeness and even though they may not exactly be accurate, I would rather have that than make the effort to pinpoint the exact airdates. However, I will commemorate the fifteenth anniversary of Sea Princesses on 8 September and not 31 May as stated above.

[lands-of-fantasy]

All Supernatural Entertainment Weekly Covers

2016, 2017, 2019, 2020

When and what, exactly:

September 2016 - Fall TV Cover Battle Winner

Nearing its 12th Season, Supernatural gets its first EW cover after being voted by fans as favorite fall TV show! 

Featuring Jared and Jensen on the cover with the Impala, the complete photoshoot also included Misha Collins and Mark Sheppard!

September 2017 - Entertainment Weekly: The Ultimate Guide To Supernatural

12 Seasons of SPN in a collector’s edition special issue, including a sneak peek at Season 13 and exclusive interviews with the main cast.

October 2017 - Halloween Special

Ahead of its 13th season, Supernatural gets 4 covers on the October issue! One cover for Jared, Jensen and Misha together + 3 collector’s editions featuring each of them solo - all in a fitting Halloween theme!

January 2019 - 300 Episodes of Supernatural

In celebration of the 300th episode of the show in season 14, Supernatural gets 1 cover for each of the main trio plus a special cover featuring a family portrait of the core 4 Winchesters in a photoshoot that brings in Samantha Smith and Jeffrey Dean Morgan!

March 2020 - Entertainment Weekly: The Ultimate Guide To Supernatural (Updated)

Halfway through the final season, EW releases an updated edition of the 2017 guide, with 15 seasons of content!

May 2020 - Final Season Celebration

On the last SPN photoshoot for EW, the series gets a cover of the trio and a special cover of the two who started it all!

[twentiethcenturymoviesandtv]

Star Trek: Facets of Filmmaking

As it turns out, before Star Trek was fully realized in the form we know today, the show was originally not going to be about Kirk and the Enterprise at all.  In fact, it was going to be about a ship called the S.S. Yorktown, captained by a man named Robert April, on a mission to explore the Milky Way galaxy.  The original concept, still named Star Trek and set in the 23rd century, was loosely based on the Horatio Hornblower novels, and took inspiration from The Voyage of the Space Beagle, the Marathon series and the 1956 film Forbidden Planet.

By the year 1964, when this idea began to take shape, Gene Roddenberry, creator of Star Trek was an experienced writer for western television shows, and was well accustomed to (at the time) television’s favorite and most popular genre.  By 1964, however, Roddenberry was tired of the shootouts, and wanted to do something different, something with a little more depth to it.

Still, Roddenberry knew what the executives, and the public, was used to.  As a result, the first draft of this new Star Trek idea was generalized as a sort of ‘Wagon Train to the Stars’, a formulaic type of show where every episode was a standalone adventure in the continuous exploration of the final frontier: space.

As Roddenberry wrote the draft, a few things changed.  Gone was Robert April, replaced by Captain Christopher Pike, who would be portrayed by Jefferey Hunter, and the rest of the crew.  The name of the ship changed too, to the more familiar Enterprise.  As these changes came about, so too did the true nature of Roddenberry’s dream show: both an adventure story, and a thought-provoking morality tale.

Armed with his script, Roddenberry brought Star Trek to Desilu Productions, (a rather large television production company headed and half-formed by Lucille Ball herself) and met with director of production Herbert F. Solow.  Solow saw promise in the concept, and signed a three-year development contract with Roddenberry.

Star Trek moved into the next stage of development.  Further drafts were drawn up and the idea that would later become the episode The Cage was revised, until it was shown to CBS as part of the ‘First Look’ deal with Desilu productions.  CBS wasn’t impressed with the show, declining to purchase it.  They had another ‘space show’ in development that seemed too similar, a show that would become Lost in Space.

However, another company became interested: NBC.  In May of 1964, Grant Tinker, the head of the West Coast programming department, commissioned the pilot that would become The Cage (which would later be reworked into the episode The Menagerie).  After it was completed, NBC turned it down, claiming that it was ‘too cerebral’, but although this was a mild defeat, Star Trek wasn’t beaten.  NBC still showed interest in the concept, and made the highly unusual decision to commission a second pilot: the episode that would become Where No Man Has Gone Before.

With this came quite a few changes.

Christopher Pike was scrapped as a character, as was the vast majority of other cast members.  Only the character of Spock, as portrayed by Leonard Nimoy, was kept, and of the other cast members, only Majel Barrett stayed, demoted from playing the second-in-command (scrapped due to the unthinkable notion of a woman Commander) to the ship’s nurse, Christine Chapel.  With this new pilot came an onslaught of new, more familiar names and faces: William Shatner as Captain Kirk, Chief Engineer Lieutenant Commander Scott played by James Doohan, and Lieutenant Sulu, (originally a physicist in the first episode, but a helmsman afterwards) played by George Takei.

This pilot passed with flying colors, and with that, NBC added Star Trek to their fall lineup for 1966.

Still, there were changes to be made.  In this first pilot, the ship’s doctor was Mark Piper, played by Paul Fix.  Dr. Leonard McCoy, played by DeForest Kelley, would join the cast when principal filming for the first season began.  Also joining the cast was Nichelle Nichols, playing Lieutenant Uhura, and Grace Lee Whitney as Yeoman Rand.  (Whitney would depart halfway through the first season, after being on the receiving end of sexual assault from one of the executives of the show, but would later appear in the film series beginning in the 1970s.)

Besides Where No Man Has Gone Before, NBC ordered 15 episodes to start off the show.  The first episode of Star Trek, The Man Trap, aired at 8:30 PM on Thursday, September 8th of 1966 as part of NBC’s ‘sneak preview’ time slot, received with mixed feelings.  While some papers and reviewers genuinely liked the new show, (such as The Philadelphia Inquirer and the San Francisco Chronicle) others, such as The Boston Globe and The New York Times didn’t.  Variety described the show as ‘an incredible and dreary mess of confusion and complexities’, and predicted that it would fail.

Fighting for position against reruns of previous shows, despite the critics’ warnings, Star Trek won a time slot, and began with decent ratings.  However, it didn’t last long.  By the end of the first season, Star Trek was sitting at 52nd out of 94 programs.

Star Trek was sinking, fast.

But even then, it wasn’t without its supporters.

The editor of Galaxy Science Fiction, Frederik Pohl, offered up his amazement that Star Trek’s consistency remained good, with no drop in quality after its Tricon winning early episodes.  He expressed his fear that the show would be cancelled due to its low ratings, and pleaded with audiences to help save Star Trek, writing letters to prevent its cancellation.

At this time, the only thing that was keeping the show on the air in the first place was the demographics it was reaching.  NBC had become interested in the demographics of the shows it was producing in the early 1960s, and by 1967, was using that as part of the decision making as to which shows got dropped.  

And something about Star Trek’s demographics interested NBC very much: it had managed to attract ‘quality’ audiences: high income, high educated people (primarily males).

As a result, NBC ordered ten more episodes for the first season, and ordered a second in March of 1967.  The network then changed Star Trek’s timeslot, moving it to 8:30 on Friday nights, a timeslot that seemed doomed for failure among the audience that Star Trek had gathered.

The next season, things didn’t seem to be getting any better.  It was at this point that the show added on Walter Koenig as Ensign Chekov (as George Takei was working on The Green Berets and was not as available for shooting), although some might have wondered why they would have bothered.  The show’s ratings were still dropping.  William Shatner, expecting the show to be cancelled, began to prepare for other projects.  

Again, the demographics saved the day.

Roddenberry’s initial concept of adventure alongside morality tales intrigued the audiences Star Trek had attracted.  The show had values, values that had to be applied to every situation.  The show was sincere, and serious in its exploration of issues like racism, war and peace, human rights, technology, class warfare, and imperialism, far different in tone and content than the other chief sci-fi show at the time: Lost in Space.  As a result, the show generated a more interested fanbase, perhaps the first true ‘fanbase’ of any franchise in history.  In the end, it was they who saved Star Trek.

By the end of the first season, NBC had received well over 29,000 fan letters.  During the second season, Roddenberry began a campaign to persuade fans to write in to NBC, to support the show and save the program.  Between December of 1967 and March of 1968, NCB had received nearly 116,000 letters from people who did not want to see Star Trek cancelled.  Science fiction conventions, magazines, and newspaper columnists encouraged readers to save what was called ‘the best science-fiction show on the air’.

The fans didn’t stop with letters.  Over 200 students of the California Institute of Technology marched to NBC’s studio in Burbank to protest the cancellation of Star Trek in January of 1968, carrying signs that said things like ‘Vulcan Power’.  They weren’t alone; other groups of students of MIT and Berkeley did the same thing in New York City and San Francisco.

Interestingly, the letters that NBC received were not of the typical ‘fan mail’ quality.

“Much of the mail came from doctors, scientists, teachers, and other professional people, and was for the most part literate–and written on good stationery. And if there is anything a network wants almost as much as a high Nielsen ratings, it is the prestige of a show that appeals to the upper middle class and high-brow audiences.” (Lowry, Cynthia (January 17, 1968). “One Network Goes ‘Unconventional’”. Nashua Telegraph. Associated Press. p. 13)

“The show, according to the 6,000 letters it draws a week (more than any other in television), is watched by scientists, museum curators, psychiatrists, doctors, university professors, and other highbrows. The Smithsonian Institution asked for a print of the show for its archives, the only show so honored.” (Scott, Vernon (February 7, 1968). “Letters Can Save 'Star Trek’”. The Press-Courier. Oxnard, California. United Press International. p. 17.)

After the episode The Omega Glory, on March 1st, 1968, the announcement came:

“And now an announcement of interest to all viewers of Star Trek. We are pleased to tell you that Star Trek will continue to be seen on NBC Television. We know you will be looking forward to seeing the weekly adventure in space on Star Trek.” (“Letters For 'Star Trek’ Hit 114,667”. The Modesto Bee. April 14, 1968. p. 26.)

If this was intended to stop the letter writing campaign, it was a dismal failure.  A comparable number of letters came in to NBC following this announcement, full of thanks for renewing the show for the third season.

In March of 1968, NBC moved Star Trek to another time slot: 10:00 PM on Fridays, an even worse shot than before.  To make matters worse, it was only being seen by 181 out of 210 of NBC’s affiliates.  Roddenberry fought the network to move it to a better time, but he was denied.  Exhausted, Roddenberry quit working on production of Star Trek, remaining executive producer in name only.  The running of the show went to Fred Freiberger, who was with the show as it stood on its last, shaky, legs.

And it was on its last legs.

Star Trek season three was a dying breath, the death-rattle of a show that was being intentionally destroyed by its own network.

To quote Nichelle Nichols:

“While NBC paid lip service to expanding Star Trek’s audience, it [now] slashed our production budget until it was actually 10% lower than it had been in our first season … This is why in the third season you saw fewer outdoor location shots, for example. Top writers, top guest stars, top anything you needed was harder to come by. Thus, Star Trek’s demise became a self-fulfilling prophecy. And I can assure you, that is exactly as it was meant to be.”

It showed.

While I hesitate to call season three of Star Trek a mess, it is difficult to deny that the show was definitely struggling.  Episodes dropped in quality, characters became more exaggerated and less ‘true’. Star Trek stopped filming in January of 1969, and after a total run of 79 episodes, the show  was cancelled.

As a newspaper columnist advised:

“You Star Trek fans have fought the “good fight,” but the show has been cancelled and there’s nothing to be done now.”

Rather incongruous with the image of the pop-culture giant we know it as today, wouldn’t you think?

So what happened?

As it turns out, Star Trek had enough episodes (thanks to the third season) to enter syndication.  Desilu Productions, which at that point had become Paramount, licensed the syndication rights in order to turn a profit, and reruns of Star Trek began airing in late 1969.

In syndication, Star Trek became a cult classic, finding a larger audience on reruns than it had during its original run.  The show, which was airing in the afternoons and early evenings, was attracting a young demographic, and, ironically, Star Trek became known as ‘the show that wouldn’t die’.  By 1970, Star Trek was boosting Paramount’s ratings, and becoming extremely popular.  In January of 1972, over 3,000 fans attended the first Star Trek convention in New York City, kicking off a previously unheard-of trend of organized fan gatherings where they could buy merchandise, meet cast and crew, and screen episodes of the show.  These people, coming to be known as ‘trekkies’, took pride in their knowledge and extreme love for this series, which was becoming renowned for being a smart, heartfelt science fiction show that had been cancelled too early.

17 years after Star Trek was cancelled and started reruns, Star Trek became the most popular syndicated show of all time.  By 1987, Paramount was bringing in $1 million per episode, and by 1994, reruns were still airing in over 90% of the United States of America.

The rest is history.

It has been over fifty years since Gene Roddenberry’s vision of a wagon train to the stars first took flight, and it was a hard battle fought to get as far as it did.  Never before had a show garnered the support and devoted love from a fanbase, never had it inspired such huge leaps and bounds in television and fandom alike.  Never had a television show meant so much to so many, and continued to do so well past its end.

For a show that struggled through a third season, it seems incredible that Star Trek still holds the weight that it does today.  The show that wouldn’t die gained new life beyond the grave, still capturing people’s attention decades after it was cancelled, growing to become one of the best known and best loved television shows ever made.

Against all odds, Star Trek lives on, remaining one of the greatest television shows of all time, for very good reason.

Join me for one last article as next time we take one last look at Star Trek in our Final Thoughts.  If you have any thoughts, questions, suggestions, recommendations, or just want to say hi, don’t forget to leave an ask!  Thank you all so much for reading, and I hope to see you in the next article.  

[flowingriver24]

This is my entrance for Day 1 of the September Macgyver Whump Challenge

I know I’m late to my own challenge

Episode Tag to 2.04

As soon as Jack sees Mac pop up on the facial recognition program Riley had set up to scan for Mac’s face, he runs to his car and drives to the address as fast as he can.

It doesn’t take him long to get there. He doesn’t even bother parking his car correctly before he jumps out and pushes through the large crowd gathered only to be stopped by a police officer when he tries to run to where Mac was lying, half on the road and half on the sidewalk.

 Two men who can only be some sort of medical professionals are crouching in front of Mac and talking to him. Jack can tell from this distance that Mac is panicking, and trying to get away from them, but not succeeding.

 His movements are sluggish.

 Drugged or concussed. Jack mentally diagnoses. Knowing Murdoc, it’s probably drugs.

 “Mac!” he yell, ignoring the officer who’s trying to get him to back away from the scene.

 Mac startles at his voice and turns to look at him. He can’t hear Mac, but he can read Mac’s lips when he says, ‘Jack’ looking relieved.

 This seems to be enough for the officer to let him through and he runs to Mac’s side and falls to his knees ignoring the slight pain from landing on the concrete harshly.

 “Mac,” he says again, relieved to see that Mac is alive.

 His hands hover, he doesn’t know how badly Mac is hurt, where he can touch him. He helps Mac sit up and then settles for holding one of Mac’s hands, holding back a wince at how tightly Mac grips his hand.

 He’s noticed the bruises around Mac’s wrists and one slightly bloody bruise on his lower arm. A bruise seems to be forming on Mac’s face that almost looks like a handprint.

 That bastard.

 Mac doesn’t say anything, his head seems to loll and he’s squinting and looking like he can barely focus.

 “Sir? We need to check you over,” one of the men says.

 “His name is Mac,” Jack says.

 “Mac, can we please help you to the ambulance?” he says.

 “Come on, Mac,” he says, hoisting Mac to his feet.

 Mac looks confused, but he goes along with Jack who’s pretty much carrying him at this point.

 “Thank you Mr…”

 “Just call me Jack,” Jack says as he helps Mac sit down and then sits down next to Mac when he refuses to let him go.

 The younger man (he should probably ask for their names) asks Mac to remove his shirt. Mac flinches, but slowly unbuttons his black shirt. He only let’s go of Jack’s hand to pull the sleeve off his arm and then grasps it again, like Jack is going to disappear if he lets go.

 Jack sighs in relief to see Mac surprisingly unharmed. He was expecting the shirt to be covering all sorts of terrible wounds but all he can see is a few burn marks. And Mac’s breathing sounds clear so it’s likely he wasn’t waterboarded either.

 He just prays that there’s nothing else wrong with Mac besides what he can see. Mac seems to be shying away from touch, but no more than usual when dealing with medical personal. And he’s clinging onto Jack like a lifeline.

 The man disinfects Mac’s arm and wraps the wound. Then he looks at Mac’s torso and frowns at the burns.

 “Can you tell me how you got those,” he asks gesturing towards the burns.

 “Taser,” Mac says quietly.

 It’s the first time Jack’s heard Mac says anything. His voice sounds normal, not like he’s been screaming or crying.

 The man nods and turns around and says something to the other guy. He goes through the supplies and comes up with some sort of ointment which he puts on the burns.

 Everything goes wrong when he pulls out an IV kit and says, “I need to start an IV to flush the drugs out of your system and then we need to take you to the hospital to do a tox screen.”

 Mac scrambles back, still not letting go of Jack.

 “No IV, I don’t want…please no,” he rambles.

 The man looks confused and Jack says to him quietly, “I think he was drugged with an IV.”

 A look of understanding passes over his face and he quickly puts the IV kit out of view. It takes Jack a few minutes to calm Mac down. The drugs aren’t helping.

 When Mac finally relaxes, he moves back to Jack’s side and leans on him, looking like he’s fighting to stay awake.

 “I think I should take him to his doctor, he would probably be more comfortable with someone familiar,” Jack says.

 The man frowns, “I can’t let you leave with him. He still has to talk to the police and go through the proper procedure. And even after that’s done, we can’t release him to you without Mac’s permission which we can’t get until he’s off the drugs.”

 “I can make medical decisions for him, you can check. My full name is Jack Wyatt Dalton.”

 The man looks over at Mac who says, “Mine is Angus MacGyver.”

 He checks something in his computer and then turns back to them, “Okay Mr. Dalton, you need to step outside while I talk to Mr. MacGyver privately.”

 As much as Jack would like to argue, he knows he has to. The doc is just probably making sure that Mac is okay with leaving with him.

 “I’ll be right back, okay kid?” he says squeezing Mac’s hand.

 Mac looks like he doesn’t want to let him go, but eventually he does and Jack steps outside and closes the door behind him. And officer approaches him.

 “Agent Dalton?” she asks.

 “That would be me.”

 “Your boss called and explained the situation to us. Once the doctors check over Agent MacGyver, you two are free to go.”

 “Thank you,” Jack says.

 “I hope you find whoever kidnapped him. If you need any assistance the LAPD will be willing to help you.”

 Jack thanks her again and then she leaves, leaving him waiting outside the ambulance. The crowd has dispensed.

 It only takes a few minutes for the door to open once again, and Mac is standing there, wearing his shirt again and being supported by the doctor.

 “You’re free to go Agent Dalton,” he says, “Please make sure to take Mac to the hospital, he needs to get the drug in his system tested.”

 “Will do, thank you for your help Doc.”

 Jack supports Mac and helps him to his car and carefully drives to Phoenix. Mac falls asleep halfway there.

 I’m not going to let him out of my sight anytime soon, Jack thinks, And we’re going to find that bastard and make him pay for what he did to Mac.

[addictedtostorytelling]

Hello! How are you? Stay safe! CSI episode 3, season 13, aired today on TV and I was wondering when the GSR wedding day was. I don't remember if you already posted here, I'm sorry, but I forgot the exact day. Thanks

hey, @chocolate-ship​!

i’m doing well. how are you? safe, i hope.

so, as per the csi writers room twitter account, unfortunately for us, the “anniversary” referred to in episode 13x03 “wild flowers” is the anniversary of when grissom and sara first get engaged, not their actual wedding anniversary.

within the universe of the show, episode 08x04 “the case of the cross-dressing carp” takes place on october 17th, 2007, and episode 13x03 “wild flowers” on october 17th, 2012.

why grissom and sara celebrate the anniversary of their engagement, we can’t be certain. do they do so instead of celebrating their wedding anniversary? in addition to doing so? are they one of those couples who celebrates every significant date in their relationship, from their first meeting to their first kiss to when they started dating to when they moved in together to when they got engaged to their wedding day?

back in the day, when csi was originally airing, some fans speculated that grissom and sara had secretly gotten married on the same day on which they got engaged (october 17th, 2007). while this sequence of events would make their engagement and wedding anniversaries one and the same, and therefore explain the nature of their celebration in episode 13x03 “wild flowers” somewhat better, i personally don’t find that there’s any textual evidence to suggest that grissom and sara are married at any point prior to grissom leaving vegas in s9 (and especially not as early as the beginning of s8), and i also dislike the idea that a newlywed sara would skip town and abandon grissom just one month after they got married. plus, as stated above, the csi writers’ “word of god” answer on twitter effectively puts the idea of a dual engagement/wedding date to bed. 

that being the case, we don’t have an exact date for when grissom and sara get married, neither having seen the happy event take place on screen nor having any point of reference as to when their real wedding anniversary is.

the best we can do is come up with a window of time during which the wedding had to have taken place.

we know that, within the universe of the show, grissom and sara get engaged on october 17th, 2007 (see episode 08x04 “the case of the cross-dressing carp”). 

sara then leaves las vegas on november 16th, 2007 (see episode 08x07 “goodbye & good luck”).

she attempts to “release” grissom from their engagement via video message sometime in early to mid-december 2008 (see episode 09x05 “leave out all the rest”); however, as grissom will later tell lady heather, he still considers his and sara’s relationship ongoing, even after this point. 

grissom then goes to costa rica and reunites with sara five weeks after she sends the video message, meaning sometime in early to mid-january 2009 (see episode 09x10 “one to go”).

early to mid-january 2009 therefore marks the earliest point at which grissom and sara may potentially get married.

sara eventually returns to las vegas on september 24th, 2009 to resume working at the lab (see episode 10x01 “family affair”). by the time she does so, she and grissom are already married.

the absolute latest point at which grissom and sara may potentially get married is therefore sometime in september 2009, just prior to sara’s return to las vegas.

however, considering that we know that grissom and sara take a honeymoon (see episode 10x14 “unshockable”), and, as it is unlikely that sara would marry grissom and then immediately fly halfway around the world to live apart from him, a more realistic “latest possible” date is probably sometime in summer 2009.

our window for when grissom and sara could have possibly gotten married is therefore between early january 2009 and mid-summer 2009.

given that we can’t be specific about when exactly grissom and sara get married, we also can’t pin down the logistics of the wedding. 

for instance, we don’t know where grissom and sara get married—whether it is in costa rica soon after grissom’s arrival or back in the states after leaving the scientific research expedition or even in paris circa when grissom gets hired on at the sorbonne. we also don’t know any details about the ceremony, including whether or not grissom and sara’s friends and work family are in attendance (or even notified beforehand that said wedding is taking place); what the venue is like; whether the nuptials are a spur-of-the-moment, “let’s run down to the courthouse right now” kind of thing (like the gsr engagement) or an actual planned-out event; etc., etc., etc.

what details we do have are scant: we know is that sometime after grissom and sara marry, they honeymoon, taking a canoe trip down a river to search for bugs (see episode 10x14 “unshockable”). we also know that at some point they move to paris, france, where grissom is hired to lecture at the sorbonne, and he and sara apply for a scientific research grant, for which they are still awaiting approval when sara moves back to vegas in september 2009 (see episode 10x01 “family affair”). they also have enough time together in-between when they get married and when sara returns to vegas that grissom is able to teach sara all about baseball in the interim.

beyond that, everything else is just headcanon.

i personally tend to think that grissom and sara marry pretty much immediately upon grissom’s arrival in costa rica in january 2009. i also tend to think they take their honeymoon canoe trip while still in costa rica—what better place to hunt for bugs than in the rainforest?—and then eventually, a month or so later, they return to the states for a time in order to tie up whatever loose ends they have there (such as, for example, selling the condo, picking up hank, visiting betty, etc.). 

they probably then move to paris by late spring or early summer 2009; grissom may begin teaching during the sorbonne’s “second spring session” in early-mid june or at the start of fall semester, in mid-september.

per this timeline, by the events of episode 10x01 “family affair,” grissom and sara have already been married for around nine months.

but, of course, that’s just my personal take (which is heavily reflective of my preference that grissom and sara enjoy as much time as possible as a married couple who lives together prior to when sara returns to las vegas).

like i said, we have no real way to pin down exact dates here.

sorry i can’t give you a more definitive answer! feel welcome to write again any time. i hope you’re well, friend. stay safe! 

[mingi-bubu]

Watch “Love O2O” with Me!

Episode 15

oh my gosh!  we have reached the halfway mark !!!

and this episode’s summary is Spicey

“Guang is angry at Weiwei and Nai.” are we surprised?  “Nai teaches Weiwei to play billiards.  Weiwei feels lost when she and Nai are about to be separated for two months.”

spicey oolong im telling you

anyways

i have my water, i have my cereal, my phone isnt plugged in shes just chilling

as my second favorite canadian mark lee would say ( @zhuzhengtngs is my favorite sorry mark :^/  ) lezgeddit

film class??

film class

oooh theyre making a short grad documentary

damn photo boy is being a dick again

shes so loud oh my god

called out by the professor again im screamning

its an elective

and he is scolding them

i love him

hes so valid

oh my god wait what does that mean

20 minutes late to class

at least she made it at all

theyre in charge of the grad documentary for the graduation gala im so weak aldkjfasklj

they need to charge the camera

bitch shut up and stop being a dick

so what if she eats

i’m *knife emoji*

she’s dramatic i love her

i really am knife emojis at him rn adjkfa;s

holy shit i just noticed hes not wearing a button down

stop doing that

library date

they let you borrow books over the summer from the campus library????

what the fuck

he really said skype dates

that guy thery were interviewing

he was funny

erxi is so fun

DAMN SHE CALLED HIM OUT

I

incredible

god nai looks pretty

erxi really pulled the guilt trip card incredible

he really is being a dick i hate him

alsdkfajsd shes really making weinai think about things tehy havent before huh

shut hupaiewraowk he really :D

i love her appetite its lovely

god her food looks so good

oh damn

his camera is soupy

and busted

rip

not to be all karma got its kiss but uhhhhh :)

sisi is wearing such a cute otufit

XIAOLING IM LOOKIGN

erxi is so dramatic

he so would buy you a phone without a second thought shut the fuck

is he really not even going to address the text?

i hatehow timid she is now

is that

is that september?

KODAK

OH MY GOD

IMMPECCABLE AL;KSDJF;ALKDSJ

i really love himmmm

HAHAHAHAHAH

KKODAK IM SCREAMIGN

kodak is a senior??

what the fuck

is

isnt that the same place they went for after the game

OH MY GOD IT IS

kodak really doesnt realize whats happening

sweetie

this man is a $3 bill

al;skdfjas;lkdjfas fatherly love im sicccccck

nai really went :]

i love this

september looks great

the way that she has to drink using two hands has me screamign

mirror fish really be dramatic huh

he grabbed your wrist

MENG YIRAN

BE CALLING NAI???

BITCH THE FUCK

kodak really faked being drunk huh

september im proposing even tho your scarf thing is ughly

out of all of them shes the only one who looks like her voice was dubbed

HE :D

OH MY GOD

moral charactera alkds;jfalksjd

inhumane

theyve literally only had like two bottles and they said that this was 3.7% alcohol

theres no way with the amount they apparently drink that theyre drunk

he really do

oh my god

doesnt like spicy food

coward

a sc

a scooter???

kodak is riding a scooter indoors

the audacity

theyre in a pool hall so i guess its fine

oh my god hes gonna do the thing isnt he

FUCK

GOD

GOD I WISH THAT EWMRE

ME

well now kodak is just chilling

she picked it up that fast?

oh my god he said he’d install a pool table at home

not at me wanting to propose to september

again

god like shes so skinny

to the point where im worried

he can adjust to the company

bitch im T.T

he :)

he’s not suited to those things?

its hist first time with a girl and he doesnt KNOW WHAT TO DO SO HE WANTS TO BE CAPABLE AT LEAST FOR  NOW FOR WHAT OTHERS CAN DO I

JUST FUCKING MURDER ME

NOT AT HOW SHES CRYING

ME TOO SWEETIE

god i wish we

his voice rasped fuck

anyways

i wish se could see more of nai being like...nervous

and not super confident

VULNURALEB

THAT STHE WORD

vulnurable

are her roommates not there?

is that why she was able to turn on all the lights

at curfew???

i guess not

her roommates arent there

and we are in game again

with her holding the hairpin she made

god they put a bumpit in his hair i know it

oh my god not at how his eyes slightly widened

fuck

this is her way of making up for the dowaery

hes like just :]

i wish we could see the detail of it

BIND MHIMSELF TO WHATM

god hes really taken by her huh

do you think the execs at fengteng are like sick of fucking seeing them flirt too

im so jealous they have a balcony

he really do just replay that in his mind huh

cards?

inch resting

iadfjaks hes in a good mood

bitch im weak

he cant lose once in this show huh

not at how he looked at his friends i might cry

wow so we’re just seeing the seniors on their sort of last hurrah night?

or is thsi all the students

theyre really 800 MEANLS

BITCH THE FUCK

no now we’re getting sad about the fact theyre out of education

stop im going to cry

nai really does have parents on campus alkjdfklsi iforgot

SHUT UP HE ALSO SAID BYE

WHY ARE THEY MAKING

burberry bag with a cactus in it????

mood

nai really do be waiting out there huh

someone is thinking about her akdfjsljj

he can drive on campus??

bc his parents are professors?

i dont understand but okay

did weiwei only have one suitcase of things

literaally they dont talk a lot in person its very awkward to say the least

like at leasat we have background music but they literally had to film that with dead silence between them

how did he know she was ill

she is not going to hand him a cactus while driving

why cant she take care of it

damn he really isnt going to say anything huh

i sometimes forget how big china is and the fact that there are students who maybe had to fly or ride a train into the university

bc like here yes there are int’l students and cross-country students but like

not to be its only an x hour drive but its only an x hour drive

liek idk its jsut interesting

i guess alsjfdlkw

anyways thats the end of this episode!

i feel like we’re just going to skip summer break or at least part of it

bc erxi has her internship and everything

but yeah

god yang yang’s job mustve been easy when he was in scenes with weiwei

he only has to look like this :| or :] / :) / :D and say like 3 things a scene

anyways

thank you for reading!!!

stay safe and stay healthy <333

[whenfrasermetbeauchamp]

In the morning Jamie seemed more cheerful, or at least more peaceful, as though a difficult decision had been reached. He promised me hot tea for supper, which was small comfort then in the frigid air. Sleepily I followed him back to the path, brushing pine needles and small spiders from my skirt. The narrow path faded during the morning to no more than a faint trace through rough sheep’s fescue, zigzagging around the more prominent rocks.

I had been paying little attention to our surroundings, as I dreamily enjoyed the growing warmth of the sun, but suddenly my eye struck a familiar rock formation and I started out of my torpor. I knew where we were. And why.

“Jamie!”

He turned at my exclamation.

“You didna know?” he asked curiously.

“That we were coming here? No, of course not.” I felt mildly sick. The hill of Craigh na Dun was no more than a mile away; I could see the hump-backed shape of it through the last shreds of the morning mist.

…

“It’s your place,” he said roughly. “Isn’t it?”

“Yes.” I stared as though hypnotized at the stone circle. “It looks just the same.”

Jamie followed me into the circle. Taking me by the arm, he marched firmly up to the split rock.

“Is it this one?” he demanded.

“Yes.” I tried to pull away. “Careful! Don’t go too near it!” He glanced from me to the rock, clearly skeptical. Perhaps he was right to be. I felt suddenly doubtful of the truth of my own story.

…

“I walked round the circle, looking at things. Just randomly, though; there was no pattern. And then I came near to the split rock, and I heard a buzzing, like bees—”

It was still like bees. I drew back as though it had been the rattle of a snake.

“It’s still here!” I reared in panic, throwing my arms around Jamie, but he set me firmly away from him, his face white, and turned me once again toward the stone.

“What then?” The keening wind was sharp in my ears, but his voice was sharper still.

“I put my hand on the rock.”

“Do it, then.” He pushed me closer, and when I did not respond, he grasped my wrist and planted my hand firmly against the brindled surface.

Chaos reached out and grabbed me.

The sun stopped whirling behind my eyes at last, and the shriek faded out of my ears. There was another persistent noise, Jamie calling my name.

I felt too sick to sit up or open my eyes, but I flapped my hand weakly, to let him know I was still alive.

“I’m all right,” I said.

“Are ye then? Oh, God, Claire!” He clasped me against his chest then, holding me tightly. “Jesus, Claire. I thought ye were dead, sure. You…you began to…go, somehow. You had the most awful look on your face, like ye were frightened to death. I—I pulled ye back from the stone. I stopped ye, I shouldna have done so—I’m sorry, lassie.”

…

At last he turned to me and grasped both my hands. He raised them to his lips and kissed each one formally.

“My lady,” he said softly. “My…Claire. It’s no use in waiting. I must part wi’ ye now.”

My lips were too stiff to speak, but the expression on my face must have been as easily readable as usual.

“Claire,” he said urgently, “it’s your own time on the other side of…that thing. You’ve a home there, a place. The things that you’re used to. And…and Frank.”

“Yes,” I said, “there’s Frank.”

Jamie caught me by the shoulders, pulling me to my feet and shaking me gently in supplication.

“There’s nothing for ye on this side, lass! Nothing save violence and danger. Go!” He pushed me slightly, turning me toward the stone circle. I turned back to him, catching his hands.

“Is there really nothing for me here, Jamie?” I held his eyes, not letting him turn away from me.

He pulled himself gently from my grasp without answering and stood back, suddenly a figure from another time, seen in relief upon a background of hazy hills, the life in his face a trick of the shadowing rock, as if flattened beneath layers of paint, an artist’s reminiscence of forgotten places and passions turned to dust.

I looked into his eyes, filled with pain and yearning, and he was flesh again, real and immediate, lover, husband, man.

The anguish I felt must have been reflected in my face, for he hesitated, then turned to the east and pointed down the slope. “Do ye see behind the small clump of oak down there? About halfway.”

I saw the clump, and saw what he was pointing at, the half-ruined crofter’s cottage, abandoned on the haunted hill.

“I shall go down to the house, and I shall stay there ’til the evening. To make sure—to be sure that you’re safe.” He looked at me, but made no move to touch me. He closed his eyes, as though he could no longer bear to look at me.

“Goodbye,” he said, and turned to go.

…

He stepped off the ledge and made his way down the steep incline, bracing his feet against tufts of grass, catching at branches to keep his balance, not looking back. I watched him until he disappeared into the oak clump, walking slowly, like a man wounded, who knows he must keep moving, but feels his life ebbing slowly away through the fingers he has clenched over the wound.

My knees were trembling. Slowly, I lowered myself to the granite shelf and sat cross-legged, watching the swallows about their business. Below, I could just see the roof of the cottage that now held my past. At my back loomed the cleft stone. And my future.

…

As the evening star began to glow among the black pines’ branches, I concluded that in this situation reason was of little use. I would have to rely on something else; just what, I wasn’t sure. I turned toward the split rock and took a step, then another, and another. Pausing, I faced around and tried it in the other direction. A step, then another, and another, and before I even knew that I had decided, I was halfway down the slope, scrabbling wildly at grass clumps, slipping and falling through the patches of granite scree.

…

I stood watching him for a moment, filled with an unutterable tenderness.

—Outlander/Cross Stitch

Photos: Starz, Season One, Episode Eleven, April 18, 2015

Photo: safer-place.de (Goodbye)

Gif:  gneppyuniverse.altervista.org (Jamie)

Gif: outlanderamerica.com (Jamie & Claire)

Book: Outlander (Cross Stitch), Diana Gabaldon, 1991

Tumblr: September 19, 2018, WhenFraserMetBeauchamp 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿❤️🇬🇧

WFMB’s Tags: #Outlander #Season One Episode Eleven #S1E11 #The Devil’s Mark #Outlander/Cross Stitch #Chapter Twenty-Five #It’s your place, isn’t it? #Chaos reached out and grabbed me #There’s nothing for ye on this side, lass! #I stood watching him for a moment, filled with an unutterable tenderness #Claire Fraser #Jamie Fraser #60 #091918

[smittenwithsugden]

Robron Awards 2018

It's the halfway mark and I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU to everybody who is already participating and I want to encourage everybody who hasn't yet to do so!

You can see the big masterpost with all the rules and guidelines here. If you still have questions after that you can always ask me.

The timeframe is beginning of September 2017 - end of September 2018.

Here is a list of things that happened:

Liv drinking the spiked alcohol and everything in hospital after (18th Sep)

Seb’s birth (9th Nov)

Aaron convinces Robert to take responsibility and not run away (10th Nov)

Aaron taking care of Robert after he was beat up by Lawrence (28th, 29th Nov)

Robert and Aaron talking about moving on (6th Dec)

The pub scene before the Christmas ep (22nd Dec)

Christmas Episode (25th Dec)

Robert giving Cain and Aaron an Alibi (1st - 3rd Jan)

Robert helps with Aaron’S birthday present and takes off his ring (5th Jan)

Aaron holds Seb for the first time (12th Feb)

Valentine’s Day (14th Feb)

REUNION (22nd Feb)

Robert moves back in (28th Feb)

Seb moves in with Robert, Aaron and Liv (13th March)

Everything with Liv and the ketamine (starts in March, through April and May)

Aaron gets kidnapped (5th April)

2 car kisses! (18th May)

Carbon Monoxide “accident” (17th July)

Hospital bedside scene (18th July)

Engagement (30th July)

Engagement party (31st July)

Stag do (28th Sep)

And here is a list of links to transcripts from that time:

September - October 2017

November - December 2017

January - February 2018

March - April 2018

May - June 2018

July - August 2018

September 2018

I hope this helps a bit with picking your answers and as always: Reblog to spred the word and if you wanna know anything else just ask!

[alexandrawilbraham]

Best of BBC First 2018 with a cheeky look at 2019

By Alexandra Wilbraham

First published in Dutch translation: https://www.bbcbenelux.com/blog/?article=bbc-first-benelux-best-of-18-19

Joy to the world and welcome to our round-up of BBC First’s best of 2018. Prepare to get festive as we celebrate a fantastic year of BBC series. Stick around to the end to find out what amazing new content you can look forward to in 2019.

So, pull on your Christmas jumper, the one you keep stashed away at the back of your wardrobe and pop on a Santa hat. Make yourself hot cocoa, go the whole hog and decorate your beverage with whipped cream, marshmallows and chocolate shavings. Light some cinnamon candles and snuggle up on the sofa as we dive into the pile of presents this year had to give.

In the first month of 2018, the BBC gave to me! Well, it kind of works. January started with fireworks and a new series of Silent Witness. First broadcast in 1996, the series has seen many cast changes over the years. Series 21, however, saw the return of the amazing Emilia Fox as forensic pathologist Dr Nikki Alexander. She and her dedicated team (Liz Carr, Richard Lintern, David Caves) work closely with the London police to solve a slew of mystifying murders. Sometimes the best witness is a dead one.

Travelling back in time, if I can remember where I parked the T.A.R.D.I.S., to London in the early 1960s, we were again joined by the nuns and nurses of Nonnatus House convent. As they provide care to the expectant mothers of London’s East End, they find themselves tested both personally and professionally. Series 7 of Call the Midwife puts a bit of a downer on the festivities as we said goodbye to the beautiful Barbara (Charlotte Ritchie) whose grave, decorated with a red rose and toy carousel, we lingered on in the poignant final moments. However, with sadness comes joy and we saw both new and familiar faces appear at the convent. Leonie Elliot (Black Mirror) joined the cast as Caribbean midwife Lucille Anderson and a return of Nurse Trixie (Helen George) was heavily hinted at.

Guess what, we’re still in January! But we’re off on our first holiday of the year as we join Detective Jack Mooney (Ardal O'Hanlon) on the sun-soaked island of Saint-Marie. Peaceful isn’t it? Sadly not. Because, even in the beautiful Caribbean, crime will always spoil your day. Series 7 of Death in Paradise has Jack rise to the challenge in a bid to impress the commissioner and make his mark on the island. Luckily, he has his team to support him as he has some almost impossible mysteries to uncover.

Wake up! We’re back from our island vacation and straight into February. Before heading back to city life, we get to spend some time in the English countryside, rolling hills dotted with small villages, rural parish churches and large country houses. There is also a fair bit of murder.

Don’t worry though, as series 6 of Father Brown sees Mark Williams (Harry Potter) return as the charming local priest and amateur detective. Although he is at risk from old foe Katherine Corven, who looks for revenge on Father Brown when she is suddenly released from prison. I think we should move on to March and hopefully, we’ll find ourselves in a safer environment.

To sleep, perchance to dream as March arrives with a series completely new to the BBC – Shakespeare and Hathaway: Private Investigators. No, not William and Anne. Although this comedy-drama mystery is filmed in Shakespeare’s birthplace, Stratford-upon-Avon. Two well-known TV faces, Jo Joyner and Mark Benton, star as chatty ex-hairdresser Luella ‘Lu’ Shakespeare and out-of-shape and short-of-money private inspector Frank Hathaway. The highly unlikely and hugely entertaining detecting duo quickly discover that all is not as peaceful as it seems in their picture-perfect theatre town.

Brace yourself. Our next March series drops us straight to the front line of series 3 of Our Girl. We do get to travel internationally, but this is no holiday. Series 3 takes female army medic Georgie (Michelle Keegan) and the tightknit unit of soldiers in 2 Section from a humanitarian mission in Nepal, across Afghanistan and to a Nigerian refugee camp. With the arrival of old flame Elvis (Luke Pasqualino) and new recruit Maisie (Shalom Brune-Franklin) tugging at her sleeve, Georgie must face the highs and lows of army life while also fighting her own personal battles.   As the soldiers face kidnapping and assassination attempts, they have to confront the ultimate battle: head versus heart.

May the merriness be with you. Or rather the conflict, since this family is already in the divorce court before the relationships start crumbling. New family drama The Split follows Hannah Defoe (Nicola Walker), a member of a family who all work as divorce lawyers in the same firm. Following a bitter argument, Hannah takes a new job at a rival firm where she reconnects with the only other man she ever imagined sharing her life with, and her estranged father returns after 30 years. It sounds exhausting but makes for a smashing series.

Ring the bells everyone! The month of June means we are halfway through our TV year. A perfect time for the first Agatha Christie story to be adapted for the BBC by screenwriter Sarah Phelps, who also penned the script for J.K. Rowlings’s A Casual Vacancy. A wealthy philanthropist is murdered and her son Jack dies in prison, accused of her murder. A year later, a mysterious stranger arrives to prove Jack’s innocence. If his story is true, the murderer is still in the family. In one of Christie’s most satisfying stories, the cast presents a host of well-known faces, including Bill Nighy and Anna Chancellor. Murder, plot twists and a fantastic cast. Can it get any better?

It most definitely can! September brings with it the second instalment of Christie magic. Now, how well do you know the person next to you? It’s the question that made Agatha Christie the best-selling novelist of all time. And Then There Were None sports an all-star cast, including Charles Dance (Game of Thrones) and Aidan Turner (Poldark). Ten strangers, each accused of a terrible crime, are lured to an island mansion and quickly find themselves at the mercy of their unknown host. And Then There Were None has seen many adaptations, but this is the first screen version to include Agatha Christie’s original, less cheery, ending.

It’s time for the home stretch everyone! With October we welcome a third Agatha Christie series. In Sarah Phelps’s second Christie adaptation for the BBC, the cast is headed by Toby Jones and Kim Cattrall. Witness for the Prosecution is the perfect Film Noir for a 1920s London. It’s a thrilling two-part drama about the murder of the rich and glamorous Emily French. All evidence points towards her young lover Leonard, but how will the jury decide?

The cold days and Idris Elba go together like bread and butter, or an attractively greying beard and a warm woollen coat. In Series 4, Luther introduces himself very non-dramatically: ‘There are some things you might have heard about me that could be true.’ If that is how Luther introduces himself to his colleagues, you should take care not to become his enemy. After a leave of absence living a reclusive life on the English coast, Luther is back in London on the trail of a cannibalistic killer, while also attempting to uncover the truth behind Alice's apparent death. With trouble following him wherever he goes, the case is fast becoming a test that will push Luther closer to the edge than he’s ever been before.

There we are. 2018 is all wrapped up, but there are more presents under the tree. 2019 is just around the corner and there is so much BBC content to look forward to. Why don’t you have a peek?

In 2019, fans can look forward to Emilia Fox’s 14th outing as Dr Nikki Alexander. Cast members David Caves, Liz Carr and Richard Lintern are also confirmed to return. Although not much is known about the 22nd series, actor Richard Lintern has said the new series will focus on bringing in London more as a character than has been done before.

New year, new Call the Midwife. Harry Potter star Miriam Margolyes, who will always be Professor Sprout to me, joins the cast for the Christmas special and the first episode of series 8. Fenella Woolgar (Victoria & Abdul) and Ella Bruccoleri (Genius: Picasso) move to Poplar as newcomers Hilda and Frances and (yeah!) Helen George returns as Nurse Trixie Franklin.

In series 8 of Death in Paradise, Shyko Amos joins the cast as officer Ruby Patterson. She has, what shall we say, a unique take on crime fighting. From a local radio DJ murdered while live on air to a zookeeper killed by a poisonous dart, Jack and his team definitely have their work cut out.

Welcome back to the beautiful English countryside. Let’s just take some deep breaths of fresh air and ignore Father Brown trapped outside on what is a dark and stormy night, with a murderer on the loose. Don’t bother yourself with the kidnap of Lady Felicia and Mrs McCarthy. I’m sure everything will be fine.

A new adaptation of Victor Hugo's 19th-century classic Les Misérables is packed full of big-name actors and this time none of them has to sing. A brave choice, considering the success of the long-running musical and Oscar-winning Hollywood film. Dominic West will lead the cast as Jean Valjean, with David Oyelowo as the obsessed and villainous policeman Javert. Olivia Colman takes on the role of the abusive Madame Thénardier, while Lily Collins will play Fantine. Adapted by Andrew Davies (War and Peace, House of Cards), the six-part drama will delve deeply into the story of love, revolution and survival, vividly bringing to life the vibrant and engaging characters.

When you manage to book Richard Geer (Chicago, Pretty Woman) in his first major television role for 30 years, you’d better have a story to match. MotherFatherSon is an eight-part original drama created and written by Tom Rob Smith (The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story). The story revolves around the toxic relationships of a mother, a father and, err, I forget the last one. Anyway, Gere plays Max, the owner of one of the world’s most influential media empires. When his son Caden’s (Billy Howle) self-destructive lifestyle spirals out of control, he and his estranged wife Kathryn (Helen McCrory) have very different ideas about how best to support him.

And finally, he might not be sporting Hercule Poirot’s trademark moustache, but John Malkovich as the iconic detective is already heading the list of 2019 must-watch television. Malkovich is joined by a collage of well-known faces, including Ron Weasley, I mean Rupert Grint, as Inspector Crome. 2019 sees the adaptation of the ABC Murders by the incomparable Sarah Phelps. 

Poirot faces a serial killer known only under the alias ABC. Using the British railway network, the killer strikes methodically, leaving behind nothing but a copy of the ABC railway guide. Poirot must find a way to match his nemesis and, in the process, everything about him will be called into question: his authority, his integrity, his past, his identity.

And finally, that’s 2018 dusted off and stored back in the attic. I hope you enjoyed our little excursion through the best of BBC First. With 2019 almost upon us there is so much more amazing BBC content to come. What were your favourite series and moments of 2018? Are you looking forward to a fabulous 2019 on BBC First? I definitely am.

From me and all of us at the BBC a very merry festive season and a happy new year!

Written for BBC First Benelux