#i can die in multiple places dw
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bookwyrminspiration · 1 year ago
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what if the elves reproduced asexually
That's what I'm saying! these elves are NOT having sex and you cannot convince me otherwise
i had the thought a bit ago that since they make trees out of themselves when they die, perhaps they should start from trees too. grow a baby out of a birch or something.
@lemontarto said they should combine the parents' hair with a seed to plant like a reverse wanderling, which I think is the answer that would fit best with canon even if not technically asexual (since it uses genetic material of at least 2 parents)
I was about to say "could you imagine if there was just clones of everybody running around? like a hundred or so identical appearances and that was it?" but then I remembered someone pointed out that the kids are very frequently described as looking very similar to their parents....connecting the DNA dots...
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sun-stricken · 1 year ago
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GRAY & LUCY HCS !!
intended platonic, but romantic is also *chefs kiss*
when the team first formed they didnt hang out one on one very often; but when they started they just,,, clicked???
they ARE each others ride or dies
They are mutually very protective of one another
theyd rather die than let the other go through something alone
Lucy is the first person to actually realize and take action against juvias harassment
while he knows Lucy can take care of herself, Gray has and will again put a man thrice his size in his place for her
random deep lore drops
dead silence between them , then out of nowhere—
“this reminds me of when i almost went to prison”
“pris-WH— HUH?????”
“oh yeah, dw tho i was framed”
“EXCUSE ME???”
their contacts for each other are impressively humiliating for both of them
* babe, sweetheart, honey (condescending) cunt, bitch, whore (affectionate)
ppl who dont know them think theyre dating
or they hate eachother
which is funny to the ppl who DO know them bc they’re literally two of the only ppl who you fr cant hate
theyre the type to just know each other
they also cant take each other seriously
theyll be on opposite side of the guild and catch one look at each other and deadass can NOT hold in their laughter
also, their drama debriefs are EVERYTHING
Gray is the only one in the team to have a key to Lucys apartment
like an actual, physical key
she went through the trouble of copying one for him even though she knew he could make his own whenever he wants
it was a very important moment in their friendship
Lucy will back him up in a lie on instinct
wont ask questions, just does it
(this has gotten them in trouble multiple times)
if one of them hates someone, the other will also, regardless of reasoning
bonding over mutual hatred is their love language
if one threatens the other they will respond with some variation of “promises, promises”, “kinky”, or “oh, please do”
they love flirting with each other in public
theyre both very pretty and they know it, and they will use it to their advantage
“i need to make someone jealous, be my bf for a couple pics”
“if im gonna do this, we’re gonna really sell it”
(they made fake accounts and backstories that day (and multiple others))
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queer-overwatch · 1 year ago
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okay hi I hope I'm not sending too many asks even tho this is only my second one LMAOO, I figured you would get a lot of venture requests so i was like "why not send an ask for someone else?" so here I am!! can I mayhaps request Sombra with a reader(she/her) who is very open about themselves? like maybe they tend to overshare or talk a lot about themselves,, again, any format is fine w/me! have a beautiful day!! (my name is Eden btw, so feel free to call me that <33)
Sombra with an open!reader!
You are 100% right almost all of our requests have been for venture lmao (dw tho we enjoy it <3) also NEVER FEEL GUILTY FOR SENDING MULTIPLE ASKS, please send as many as you want, we love them <3 decided to do headcanons for this one, hope thats okay! -Frisk
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When you first meet she so takes advantage of the fact that you're so open
Records basically every conversation she has with you, just in case she ever needs blackmail
Once you start getting closer, she starts actually paying attention to the stuff you say, just for fun, totally not because she wants to actually know you She can't help but think of you whenever she finds something you said you liked.
One time on a mission she found a mug with a funny quote she thought you'd like and took it, didn't actually give it to you though, just took it
She would rather die than admit it, but if you're ever on a mission with her she'll try to keep you from talking too much
She doesn't want the enemy to have too much info on you, that's her blackmail not theirs >:C
If/When you actually start dating, she really takes into account the things she'd heard you say
Listens to her own recordings on loop whenever its a holiday or anniversary so she can find the perfect gift
She'll finally let you know she's been recording your conversations, she doesn't feel guilty she just wants you to know
No point in hiding it anymore
She also gets more openly protective
Like she'll yoink you out of conversations with someone who she doesn't think should know the stuff you so openly talk about
She isn't really used to people being so open, she's used to having to find info on people herself, so it's a change of pace for her. She doesn't mind too much but she'll still instinctively try and dig into your life and find stuff you've already told her about
TLDR; She listens to what you say, kinda, but you talk a lot and there is a time and place to be doing so, and she's gonna make sure you only reveal sensitive information when she's around to make sure whoever you're talking to can be trusted <3
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variousqueerthings · 1 year ago
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DOCTOR... WHO???? (siiiigh)
ok. ok. so. ok. alright let's do this. i have a sneaking suspicion this will rate higher than some other M*ffat episodes, but don't let that fool you about me thinking it's good"
sexism rank objectification (female character is ogled/harassed/turned into a sex joke by the doctor and/or a lead we’re supposed to root for and/or the camera): 8/10
sexism rank plot-point (lead female character is only there to serve plot, not to have her emotional interiority explored): 3/10
interesting complex or pointlessly complex (does the complexity serve the narrative or does it just serve to be confusing as a stand-in for smart, this includes visually): 1/10
furthers character and/or lore and/or plot development (broader question that ties into the previous ones, at least two of these, ideally three should be fulfilled): 5/10
companion matters (the companion doesn’t always have to be there, but if the companion is there, can they function without the doctor– and overall per season how often is the companion the focus or POV of the story): 3/10
the doctor is more than just “godlike” (examines the doctor’s flaws and limitations, doesn’t solve a plot by having it revolve entirely around the doctor’s existence): 3/10
doesn’t look down on previous doctor who (by erasing or mocking its importance, by redoing and “bettering” previous beloved plotpoints or characters, etc.): 6/10
isn’t trying to insert hamfisted sexiness (m*ffat famously talked a lot about how dw should be sexier multiple times, he sucks at writing it): 4/10
internal world has consistency (characters have backgrounds, feel rooted in a place with other people, generally feel like they have Lives): 1/10
Politics (how conservative is the story): 3/10
FULL RATING: 37/100 (if I can count….)
OMFG NO IT'S THE LOWEST RATED BOY OH BOY OH BOY AND IT DIDN'T EVEN DO BAD ON OBJECTIFICATION RATING AND YET!!!!!! IT'S SO STUPID!!!!!!!!!
OBJECTIFICATION: Amy wears a suit in this one. River Song is also wearing a suit in this one. because this secret society thing? (I am unclear what they're doing in it in this world, but I mean... the world-building is rated one out of ten so we'll get to that) people wear suits
there is this weird fucking interaction between sci-fi Churchill and the Doctor:
Churchill: What’s she like? Attractive I suppose The Doctor: Hell.... in high heels Churchill (leering): Tell me more
PLOT-POINT: ok so like. this episode is called "the wedding of River Song." it's about... not River Song. it's technically about how River Song (REMEMBER HOW RIVER SONG IS SECRETLY AMY'S AND RORY'S KID AND SHE WAS STOLEN AFTER AMY WAS FORCED TO GIVE BIRTH TO HER IN ORDER TO BREED THE "PERFECT PSYCHOPATH FOR THE DOCTOR" SO SHE WOULD KILL THE DOCTOR FOR A REASON WE STILL DON'T KNOW BUT LET'S FUCKINDFG DKLJSLÖKGFHSK BUT THEN OFC SHE BREAKS HER PROGRAMMING BECAUSE SHE FALLS IN LOVE WITH HIM BECAUSE SHE'S INFORMED SHE WILL FALL IN LOVE WITH HIM AND SO SHE DECIDES NOT TO KILL THE DOCTOR BUT THEN THEY FORCE HER INTO AN ASTRONAUT SUIT THAT WAS BUILT IN 1969 BECAUSE THIS SECRET SOCIETY SENT HUMANITY TO THE MOON SO THEY COULD DESIGN THIS SUIT FOR RIVER SONG TO KILL THE DOCTOR THE MOON LANDING WAS ABOUT THE DOCTOR SDFJJJLKJÖARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH OKAY AND SO EVEN THOUGH SHE'S NO LONGER INTERESTED IN KILLING THE DOCTOR THEY CAN JUST KIDNAP HER AND FORCE HER ITO THE SUIT TO KILL THE DOCTOR BUT ALSO NOW SHE'S NOT BECAUSE LURVE MAKES HER BREAK TIME TRUST ME BRO JUST DON'T THINK ABOUT I- *tears M*ffat apart With My Fucking Teeth*)
okay so it's about how River Song broke time in order to not kill the Doctor, which is supposedly a fixed point in Time, even though it definitely is not in show canon up until this season decided it was, and then the whole episode is the Doctor building up to telling River "actually I've found a way to not die," and she's like "oh good" and then he doesn't die
that is the plot. why is this a season's worth of plot and then 48mins? I will get to the FUCKING MONTAGES in a bit
so River's Thing is like. she's in love with the Doctor. in fact according to this episode "I cant let you die without letting you know that you are loved, by so many and so much, but by no one more than me"
which, if you're into River/Doctor is fine, personally I think Matt Smith looks like a child and Alex Kingston for all her acting (and hindered by so much bad "sexy" dialogue) cannot convince me she's into this baby-looking person. maybe if they'd done this during Capaldi, but that would require doing more things with River Song and M*ffat isn't really interested in her beyond the fact that a. she's in love with the Doctor and uh... 2. she was raised by a secret society. or she lived with her mother while she was growing up? (how did that work, when she was a child, weren't there people wondering who this kid's parents were????) and 3. she's sexy and she knows it
it does not fucking matter how she feels about the brainwashing of it all. it Does Not
I give this SOME points, because finally Amy got to have an emotion about her baby being taken away from her, I had fully forgotten that: "You took my baby from me and you hurt her and now she’s grown up and she’s fine (is she, we'll never know), but I’ll never see my baby again," and then she straight up, deliberately murders the villain who's helplessly tied to a chair
wonder if her feeling about murder will affect the plot in the future (they do mention it at the end of this episode), and she hints that "River didn't get it all from you" so like. Amy care to explain the execution you just committed?
she also mowed down a bunch of The Silence, but they're creepy monster people and not real people, so that's fine
uhhh what else for Amy? idk, she's there, she still loves Rory
COMPLEXITY: Stupid! Fucking! Plot! wait I already did this in the above point, okay so after River Breaks Time to not kill the Doctor at this supposed fixed point (lol, no it still fucking isn't M*ffat, there's loose continuity, and there's not caring at all about making your shit make sense, because LOLLL it's scifi after all and you can do what you want I fucking guess), Time just... stops
and all of Time happens at the same Time, except some people are noticing (are people ageing? or experiencing the same day again and again? or.. hte same second again and again? why is Churchill really the guy we want representing this idea??? why are there cars being carried around by big balloons????? why is it all earth? no time to explore any of this world- wait that's below point IT ALL BLEEDS INTO EACH OTHER BECAUSE IT'S SO STUPID)
WE DON'T HAVE TIME TO EXPLORE ANY OF THIS BECAUSE WE NEED TO GET TO THE REALLY INTERESTING PART OF THE EPISODE!
montages
the Doctor is explaining what happened up to a certain point and does so through the artistic format of montage. that means that Every! FUcking! Episode! M*ffat wrote for this season has a montage at the beginning!!!!!!
and then at the end of the montage, they're like oh no there's The Silence around us, for some reason, and then the Doctor gets kidnapped by... Amy, who's in the secret society now?
but now they're good guys, dedicated to figuring out why Time has stopped (except it... I mean it clearly hasn't, things are moving and changing and why is this done in the Stupidest way possible)
and they captured some Silence. but actually they were never captured just waiting, and now they're free and they go up to the top of a pyramid, the Doctor gets married to River, time restarts, River shoots the Doctor, but the Doctor had a Plan all along, using the little guys in robot-people we met in Let's Kill Hitler to get that body shot instead
the end
except for setting up THE NEXT STAGE OF THE MYSTERY because aaaalll of this happenned from WAY back in s5, because of a Question that mustn't be asked... and that question is Doctor Who
this episode is doing like. 2 things. "I know I'm going to die, and I stopped it easily (not so fixed a point after all I Guess, M*ffat)," and River and Doctor got married
oh and Amy KILLED PEOPLE but this will not be important, that was just to make her More Badass
and for all that it is presented like it's so fucking complicated
CHARACTERS/LORE/PLOT: um so plot as above is nothing, as said, it's just another bit of silly mystery on top of an already unwieldy house of cards standing in a drafty room
characters. not much actually, I mean, yes the Doctor and River got married now, but it's like. anti-dynamic. it's just there now the characters are meant to get married for the set-piece
lore um... checks notes. fucking. "Doctor Who." Trenzalore is a place something is going to happen. yeah so, fuck off nothing
COMPANIONS MATTER: lol see above. nope they're still basically "The last Centurion and the Girl Who Waited"
which, defining Rory as the Last Centurion outside of the particular episode in which another version of him was the centurion never made sense to me, sure that's something he did in a part of the story, but it's not really what his character... is. it's just that M*ffat loooves a moniker and it sounds impressive, and also in the last episode, the Doctor said "it's time to stop waiting" there's just nothing! new here! they're never going to be anyone else, or like... just their flipping names
Rory in this version of events/this other different universe is a soldier, and Amy doesn't remember him (I'm assuming Amy remembers the Doctor because they have a bond from back in s5 where her remembering him brought him back from non-existence, I can accept this as an already-established thing), but she does remember someone who she draws completely differently to Rory (hearkening back to Rory not being as manly as Amy's ideal fantasy and I thought we were past that but whatever)
anyway, the Doctor goes up to soldier-Rory and says this: Loyal soldier waiting to be noticed, always the pattern
IS Rory a soldier ever outside of two episodes in s6, both written by M*ffat????? M*ffat has a different, less caring, more "masculine" version of Rory that he writes that is so different from Rory in near every other episode... I don't like this Rory much, because he has no personality outside of "shoot gun/be badass and run after Amy"
I do appreciate that he is about to die and Amy returns to save him (although I have questions about how easy it is to kill "the bad guys" in M*ffat's era)
I will take this from the same exchange as above:
The Doctor (trying to get Rory to go for Amy): she said you were a mr hotti…ness and she would like to go out with you for… texting and scones..."
“GODLIKE” DOCTOR: this episode is all about how the Doctor is so special that everything bends towards this Moment In Time, but wait, That Moment is actually all about an even more important Moment that is still to come, also about the Doctor
and the tension of the episode is simply everyone waiting to see what clever thing the Doctor has already done in order to stave off the events this whole season has ostensibly been building up to
River Song at the Doctor: You’ve decided that the universe is better off without you, but the universe doesn’t agree
I mean yes, I enjoy the narratives favourite chewtoy type characters as much as anyone, but the thing is this Doctor isn't that, because the Doctor already has the solution. it's just. doing the exact thing that the episode The God Complex was deconstructing! S I L L Y ! ! !
PREVIOUS DOCTOR WHO: there's a moment here that's kind of quick succession, and goes like this -- the Doctor is avoiding the moment of his death (that is easily avoided), and has a throwaway bit in which he say that Liz the First is forever waiting in a grove to elope with him (gross, stop gross stop with the ongoing Elizabeth the First banged the Doctor jokes stop! It!) or he could just "go and help Rose Tyler with her homework"
I can read this either as M*ffat's penchant of writing whatever he wants in terms of how the timelines of this series go (which is how he does it with Eleven constantly jumping forwards and backwards, up until the point it suddenly can't be done, because M*ffat only has rules when they serve a particular plot point), but I also can pretend/enjoy it from the perspective of "actually I could never go back and help Rose Tyler with her homework, because it's not possible to change how things went down or mess with her timeline, and that's the point, I'm pretending I can do what I want, but I know I can't"
ofc the episode then undermines this point, but still... it's a sweet point
also Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart dies. I didn't remember this in the episode, but I assume it just didn't land with me back in the day because.... who is the Brigadier if you haven't seen classic!who? it's something for the classic!who fans I suppose, but it's literally the moment that makes the Doctor stop running and it's completely unestablished why the Doctor cares about this character or even really who this character is
I'm being pedantic now perhaps, but I think if you're going to bring up classic!who (which I do enjoy) it needs to either be an actual Easter Egg/not affect the plot, oooorrrr it needs to be re-established in this text why this matters, and this does neither
I was sad watching it this time, because I've met the Brigadier now, but it's easy and lazy nostalgia bait
“SEXINESS”: so like. this isn't the worst episode for this, but the worst episode for this is so bad!
aforementioned gross mention of "Liz the first," River Song and the Doctor do boring, annoying flirting in which she mentions his past with Cleopatra (strike two, but at least??? Marilyn Monroe isn't also mentioned)
INTERNAL WORLD: none. nothing. montages of places that will never matter and a pocket universe world in which it seems like they thought two seconds about the functionality of it, I went on a rant above, I'm resisting ranting again, this whole thing is Stupid
POLITICS: there's not really politics. I mean, it's not a very big episode, it's just pretending to be, but in the end it's a couple of specific plotpoints inside a carnival that's on fire
but let's see, there's obviously the complete lack of interest in exploring female characters (including in episodes in which their names appear in the title)
oh and they mention psychopath River again
River: Take a child, raise her into the perfect psychopath, introduce her to the Doctor… who else was I going to fall in love with? fuck offffffffffff fuck off with all of this forever
also the plot culminates in a marriage -- now I was more annoyed when I thought the marriage literally solved the problem, when really it's more a sort of... segue into solving it, but the idea that this is a more important relationship than any the Doctor ever had or is ever going to have is what this plot works so hard to make the central conceit, and the way to prove this is by getting married, which segues into Fixing The Universe
and to be fair, it walked itself into this corner (on purpose) from the moment River Song was introduced, but the way it pretended at mystery as if the answer wasn't always "yeah they got married I guess, in an episode so boring, trying to be so big, that presents the Idea of marriage as the event that is more important than any other in the Universe (not like... individually, in the Universe) that for the Doctor in the same season as we had The Doctor's Wife is framed as more important than any other relationship because it is now defined by Getting Married...."
it's kind of a central problem with River Song and the Doctor, in the end it's... terribly normative. it tries not to be, but its structures struggle to break out of it, even when we get told that River has other partners (never seen, never important, often more of a throwaway innuendo to show how sexy she is), even with the tragedy of them moving backwards (sort of) in their respective timelines, it's still performing alloromantic heteronormative relationship hierarchy (big words meaning They're Straight TM writing)
the possible upside (we shall see) is that maybe now the stupid flipping marriage build-up is done River can be doing other fucking stuff, like being a character
FULL RATING: 37/100 (if I can count….)
okay so, the good. low on literally objectifying female characters on the whole, and isn't the worst on previous doctor who (except for of course saying a big fuck you to every past Companion and important relationship the Doctor has ever had)
and the bad is. that it is bad. bad across the board. it's a bad episode, made worse by everything that was bad before being doubled down on, so that in hindsight all the other bad stuff is also worse, like a horror ride funhouse mirror of non-linear watching reflecting backwards and forwards in time (kind of like M*ffat wishes the River Song and the Doctor's story managed to do, but in bad)
and that is s6. what a wild ride. epic highs and lows indeed!
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dogueteeth-fhr · 2 years ago
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FOr the WIP ask. Two in particular make me curious. Please tell something about "5 Camels and 10 White Horses" and "vice & vicodin".👀 I am looking forward to all parts of "capsaicin", but I will be patient and let myself be surprised.🙂
Ooh so glad you asked!!! (Also dw you won't have to wait long for most capsaicin bits >:3)
5 Camels and 10 White Horses
Tiny morsel snippet that works as a synopsis teaser:
" he doesn't have the same urges in Ace's body as he does in his own. doesn't feel the needy twitch in his left hand as it fumbles in his pockets for a cigarette, doesn't feel the oncoming headache that grows when he can't find any. it reminds him of darker times, fumbling blind through alleyways, the taste of grime and motor oil burning away behind a plume of smoke. "
This one is a one-shot between Dr. Mortum and Constantine!! I think this is my first fic for Constantine beside a capsaicin WIP between the two. It's a puppetstuck!ending that explores Constantine and his past, and it sheds some insight to him about how he could be different if he decided to change his ways. This fic is a reminder to him that he's not alone anymore. The title is a bit odd so I feel I should explain it— "Camel" and "White Horse" are the names of two cigarette brands! Not many people know of White Horse anymore but it's Constantine's favourite.
vice & vicodin
Long Snippet (WARNING TWs: Mentions of self-harm and drug abuse);
" But she's been bed-bound for weeks and only recently gotten the clear from Mortum's doctor-friend to whirl around in a wheelchair. She's not keen to rebreak her legs before they've even gotten a chance to heal, but it's been hell, trying to keep herself occupied. She feels like one of those ex-military dogs, retired and told to play house. Pent up and out of place. A lion put in a cart, pacing across straw and ten-by-fifteen wooden boards as the circus music plays. Lightning in a bottle.
She's already gone through pile after pile of evidence, cleaned up the lair, and repaired her armor. Downed some Vicodin after hitting her leg against the wall and organized more plans and files. Took another blunt, researched Carter's info, stared at the ceiling and wished it would fall on her, went through evidence piles again, avoided and failed staring at the knives and did it all over again. Twice. Took a bit more Vicodin than she probably should have. That's going to be awkward to explain to Dr. Halabi.
Did it all over again, thrice. Multiple times with more variations. Some involving more blood and bandages. Those ones were often spent reassuring the Rat King that she's okay afterwards. She's not going to die. Not yet. It's just blood. It's just more wounds that will heal. Horizontal. Not vertical. She promises the Rat King she'll give it a break. For now.
Rat King.
Now there's something that she can do. Something to occupy her mind with. "
Oh boy, vice & vicodin is the first part of a new series I have planned called "it's called "freefall" about Isa post-guilty crash, set after Retribution and crossing into Revelations; kind of like my own little continuation of Retri since we don't know what Revelations will be like yet!
Writing-wise, I feel very odd about this series, as I plan to kind of go at it with whatever my mind tosses at me. I have some POVs of other characters (Daniel and Ortega mostly) planned for the series that I will go through my usual process of writing for, but most of it will be from Isa's POV and what I'm trying to accomplish with that is the pacing and sentence structure that you can see a bit of in this snippet.
Her thought process is a bit everywhere, not sure if that reflects in my writing here in comparison to my other works, but it feels starkly different in tone to me at least. Not sure if it makes for a good read, so I do look forward to future feedback on that and deciding if I want to keep this style for this work or if I should comb through it to make it easier to read. But, then again, this series is not planned to be an easy, lighthearted read beyond syntax and grammar, but content-wise as well.
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b3achysurfur · 9 months ago
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ok just listen to the end 🙏
a lot of logan’s traits/talents could’ve been given to other characters to enhance their importance and presence in the story. as of chapter 76, logan hasn’t strayed far from the path of the typical nerd character. without his good aim with guns, he’s just like every other character who has been cursed by the nerd trope. if that’s your thing, cool, but I feel like it makes him stand out negatively compared to the rest of the main cast.
his abilities and the accomplishments he has contributed to the story could’ve easily been given to other members, with little to no alteration to the skill and plot of sbg. Here are a few examples:
Logan’s perfect aim -> Red explained on insta that Logan’s aim is close to perfect because it’s easy for him to understand math and make quick calculations and shi. PERSONALLY I felt his ability to shoot perfectly on the first try was unnatural and for plot convenience despite the clarification. imo, ashlyn having this skill would’ve been a lot cooler and would’ve made more sense. both of her parents were in the military and (mostly likely) actively used guns during their time serving. we’ve seen that they are very overprotective of ashlyn and her safety in chapter 30 when we see the flashback of them attempting to teach her self defense and their reactions when she agrees. teaching ashlyn how to use simpler weapons, like a rifle or hand gun, is not a crazy idea. they even trusted her enough to put a knife in her shoe despite the fact she was a little kid. so teaching her how to perfect her aim in the case of an emergency makes sense. this would make ashlyn stand out as well as give her parents’ backstory some plot importance other than their training arc. it shows how much her parents trust her judgement and emphasized their bond (would’ve made the whole secret keeping thing and hospital breakdown scene more painful to watch). also, since ashlyn has sensitive hearing, a muffler could’ve been added to their gun to help quiet it a bit. this would’ve been extremely useful in the phantom dimension because although it doesn’t completely silence the gun, it definitely makes a difference when trying to keep phantoms 5 miles away away. Ashlyn would’ve also been more adjusted to wearing noise canceling headphones in high stress/fast moving situations since she’d most likely wear one while practicing.
Logan’s intelligence + real world application -> honestly, it feels like logan is simply for plot convenience. kids are stumped on how they moved from place to place? dw logan can magically make a theory bc we trust that’s he’s smart (he has glasses and is shy). ashlyn bouta die? dw logan has perfect aim even tho it’s his first time using a gun. everyone is locked up in the facility? dw logan is a master manipulator (im being dramatic chill). everytime logan has saved the story, it was sudden and not explained. but if Taylor had been the one to bring solutions for these situations it would made more sense and BROUGHT MORE ATTENTION TO HER!!! logan’s intelligence is highlighted multiple times throughout the story. we never hear about how he’s so smart or why, but we don’t question him when he makes the distance theory because he obviously imbodies the nerd trope. Taylor, however, has specifically stated she was apart of the robotics club. Robotics is very difficult and requires a lot of skill and intelligence, especially mathematically. In robotics, members are able to effectively solve problems, think quickly, create and reason multiple theories in their head, and simultaneously see things as smaller parts and as a whole. all of these skills give taylor all the qualifications necessary to have been able to create theories about the phantom world. as a matter of a fact, she’s more qualified to make these sort of judgements/ideas than logan is. but her talents and potential are wasted bc logan is a nerd and can do it better 🤓 I think the time logan swiped the facility card would be put under this category so I’ll explain that too. logan taking the card so easily did make sense, because it was a simple solution but no one would think of it. so I won’t slander him or say it didn’t make sense for him to do. I just feel like Taylor was robbed of another chance to get screentime and use her ALREADY REVEALED skills. taylor is veryy social. she’s probably the most gregarious out of everyone in the group (aiden is socially inept so he doesn’t count). She could’ve easily befriended Alex and sway him into trusting her. if Alex initially refused to hand over the card, Taylor could’ve kindly persuaded and negotiated with Alex. As I explained before, Taylor is not stupid!! this is a plan she couldve been able to create and execute without a sweat.
Logan’s social anxiety/shyness -> idk if it was ever confirmed that logan has social anxiety but ik its, at the very least, a popular hc. from what I understand, logan has always been a shy kid and his social skills only worsened when barron socially isolated and bullied him. yes this makes a lot of sense for his character, but it could also have been a trait given to another character (if logan didn’t exist). Ben EASILY could’ve developed social anxiety after the incident involving shane (ik in the og post I only mentioned Taylor and ashlyn as replacements but I realized ben also works). For one, he’s always stuck to Aiden’s hip and lets him do all the talking. In the beginning of the series, he never communicated with ashlyn once despite being at her house and seeing Aiden talk to her daily (ep 7). this could eventually weaken his social skills and cause him to feel anxious to communicate with others again. Two, the fact that he doesn’t speak also creates a barrier when trying to communicate with others. even if Ben did have the social skills to talk with others, there could always be the underlying fear that he would be judged for using a text-to-speech bot / ASL. as seen in the flashback, he’s never been one to stand up for himself, so it’s likely he’d let taunts simmer inside of him until it developed into smth more serious (like social anxiety). Three, he was bullied. he might become extremely paranoid of it happening again, but even if he doesn’t, the memories and results of what happened will always be apart of him. he could try to cope using the same methods as logan, closing in on himself and becoming extremely shy and cautious around people. it’s hard to say how ben currently feels about people, but I think him having social anxiety would’ve given his silence (not the mute part but more the fact that he barely gets screentime/lines) and his fluster towards praised more meaning and attention. also once the gng starts learning and using ASL and Ben gets more lines, it would’ve shown Ben grow as a character and from his past.
obviously idk what red has planned for the future / logan , but as of rn he’s quite unnecessary and easily replaceable .. these are only a few examples but feel free to ask questions !!
Logan’s whole character could be replaced by Taylor and Ashlyn and it would give both girls more attention and depth as characters but y’all don’t wanna hear nun of that so I’ll shut my mouth 😒
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multifandoms27-blog · 3 years ago
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Painting your nails with the demons | Fluff
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Content: Akaza x gn!Reader, Kokushibo x gn!Reader, Douma x gn!Reader, Gyutaro x gn!Reader (all separate)
Warnings: Douma LMAO
Notes: I just painted my nails after a breakdown (I'm fine lol dw) over college and suddenly got the urge to paint their nails too. These hc's are incredibly short, I apologize <3
• ───────────────── •
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❥ Akaza
Akaza had walked in on you painting your nails a (color), and looked at his own pink nails
Turning to see him after you finished the first hand, you gave him a little smile
"Wanna join me, Aka?"
He'll happily sit with you, letting your hands hold his steady while you paint the same color on him
He loves matching with you, so this just makes him excited
Absolutely demolishes Douma if he makes any kind of comment about it
But the bastard just begs for more pain. He's got the fucking "Wow...your punch really turned me on!" energy going on (please tell me SOMEBODY gets that reference...)
Whenever you take the nail polish off, he's gonna wanna be there so he can take his off too. Then will probably ask if you're going to put on another color or not
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❥ Kokushibo
His multiple eyes scare the shit out of me, but I'd rather them be freaky than not utilized at all
I still love him tho <3
Koku's nails aren't painted like some other demons, but he suppose he'll do one hand in black if it'll make you happy
He's silent and keeps a neutral expression as he sits beside you, allowing you to paint his right hand and you can paint your left, so that when you hold his hand, it seems like you're joined together
He just likes the subtle domesticity
"Well, what about my other hand?"
"Do whatever you want." Koku spoke slowly.
"And what about your other hand?"
"No."
He only wants one hand painted, slightly questioning if Muzan would disapprove of his nails being painted in the first place
But then he remembers Douma's, Akaza's and Gyutaro's nails are painted, and then he suddenly doesn't care that one of his hands are painted
Wont do anything but direct a cold, neutral look at someone if they make fun of his nails only being painted on one hand
They were done by his s/o, eat shit and die, peasant
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❥ Douma
Is ecstatic
Immediately takes off his own blue nail polish to math whatever color you're putting on
Gives you kisses as you paint his nails, sometimes making you mess up and get the polish on his skin
"Not to worry, darling! I can always take it off my skin, you just keep painting!" Douma grins, continuing to kiss you
Parades your matching nails around like it's the greatest gift ever
Brags to Akaza about how he has "such an amazing s/o" and how Akaza doesn't
Of course he gets hit, but Douma then salivates for more negative attention from Akaza
Once the polish begins to chip away, he's going to sit you down, take off the polish from both of you and then paint your nails again himself, in a different color
"We should switch turns every time!" Douma exclaims
"Oh, maybe we could even mix and match depending on the upcoming holiday! How fun! Oh, this is the best idea you've had, darling~!"
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❥ Gyutaro
Okay, Gyutaro probably needs a serious manicure (and this is coming from someone who never gets manicures, but at least has a nail filer)
Would also probably do his skin some good to have his nails filed down, cause then it can't...y'know...COME OFF
But I do think the gray color on his nails is the natural color they are now, but I also like to believe that sometimes he paints his nails black to feel better <3
When he sees you painting your nails, he immediately wants to join. Ume is probably not too far behind, so she'll probably join in before Gyutaro
If the color you're painting your nails with isn't black, then he'll paint his nails himself while watching you and Ume match your colors
If it is black, then he'll happily let you paint his nails for him (the teasing from his sister later on is so worth it, because you touched his unworthy hands!!!)
Gyu would also probably keep re-applying the nail polish whenever it got slightly chipped, believing you'd grow angry and upset at what he deemed as "decimation to your art"
Whenever he sees black nail polish he thinks of you now, so have fun with that lol
Probably keeps a shit ton of black nail polish on standby cause he keeps stealing yours
• ───────────────── •
Here is my Masterlist in case you want to request, or look for more of your favorite character!
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henrysglock · 2 years ago
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im sorry but your journey from "henry apologists are so annoying! obviously 001 is the big bad of the show!" to "henry did nothing wrong hes being manipulated he has the tism and hes my little meow meow" is so funny to me 😭
(not hating btw i understand that those opinions are not mutually exclusive and also that people can change their minds and develop their opinions over time and also that you're half joking most of the time dw)
the thing is. god. augh.
Vecna/001 is the big bad. He is the final boss. That is very clear. He’s committed atrocities beyond true human comprehension. He’s likely to die, and tbh his death would be a kindness for everyone involved. They’ve all suffered more than enough…including him.
Henry Creel was not the villain…until he was made into Vecna/001.
That is what drives me insane!! and like i know you’re able to tell when I’m joking or not so this who spiel isn’t aimed at you anon but i just. apologists are annoying! I’m not forgiving him for crimes he’s committed though. I’m saying many of these ‘crimes’ never existed at all, and many of the ones that do were things that children tend to do as cries for help.
The catch is that Henry and Vecna/001 are fundamentally different people. Vecna did not exist until after the 1979 massacre. Henry doesn’t display Vecna-like behavior with El until after the absorption shit.
“Oh he was manipulating her” Well he was doing a shit job of it! His behavior, if manipulative, was missing perfect opportunities to get what he wants without any gambles…repeatedly. He just…never asks for anything in return. Even when he could in multiple places without raising suspicions. Especially then.
And even if we want to claim he’s a psychopath…they’re either genetic or created. Either Virginia was also a psychopath, or whatever happened to Henry as a child was bad enough to drive him to psychopathy.
Even so, he displays empathy, sympathy, and compassion during NINA…even when no one is watching him and/or there is no personal gain (002’s torture scene, the “it’s time you are free from this hell” scene, the scene where they run from the boiler room and he makes a point to take El with him). That’s…not psychopath behavior. Psychopath behavior would be getting El to take Soteria out and then killing her for her abilities while she’s still off-guard.
Henry Creel had a chance at a happy ending, pre-absorption. Vecna/001 has like…a 2% chance of a happy ending, and I don’t even think he should get one. He’s likely to die, and that fits with the story/fits with what he’s done post-1979. I am okay with this, this would be a good/well-written ending to me, even if Henry makes me sad.
I’m not an apologist, I just want to attribute blame where blame is due rather than pinning everything on a 12 year old.
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petty-crush · 3 years ago
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“The Hidden Fortress”
-two buffoon thieves find themselves witnesses to an increasingly absurd (and delightful) war of clans
-Akira Kurosawa and his big brassy style of filmmaking just makes me happy; even films I like look stillwater next to him
-one of his greatest strengths is his unpredictable and elastic editing
-a quick scene of stoping guards from ratting out a princess turns into a ten minute duel between generals
+and bounces back like a key in a lock
-Toshiro Mifune absolutely projects the presence of a general who should be followed to the end of the earth
-this whole film has a lived in, squalled, medieval vibe
+I fucking love it
-again, there is some cinema magic in threes; the two thieves are obtusely amusing, and the silent strength general is disarming; but together they form a riveting troupe of eccentrics
-the part where the thieves witness the last warrior of a clan killed nakedly via horseback is shocking
-even more so then his other films, Kurosawa’s influences from the silent age of film ring loud
+a scene of a crowd on the steps is clear DW Griffith and any moment of horse riding is awesomely John Ford (but in Kurosawa’s own voice)
-the princess is completely badass; her moments of covert silence is an emotional canvas and her carefully chosen mask droppings are tender inducing
-I again note how Kurosawa is amazing for placing scenes with multiple people but not cutting angles; we see all the faces and how they react to dropping their guard
-the part where the princess chides the rival general for blaming Mifune for the suffering the rival’s boss put on him is devastating
+as is her complete willingness to die, having tasted earthy beauty
-greatly amused how characters can be added(the prostitute)and subtracted (the two gold carriers) without a single loss of momentum
-I love Mifune’s laugh
-the widescreen film stock cinematography (and fluid camera work) is so suited to Kurosawa it’s a little surprising it took 18 films(!) and 15 years for him to fit his hand in like a glove
-think about that for a second; a film maker got to make almost twenty films (some rather great) before hitting his full stride
+this is why nurturing artists(and letting them practice in public) is so important to our collective well being
-it contributes to our hearts, even if in a galaxy far far away
-this film definitely has a 7th act; it’s almost another mini movie in the last 15 minutes
-I never get use to (nor do I hope I ever) the undertow of humanism in Kurosawa’s work
+it is impossible to imagine his films without it
-Kurosawa really is the eccentric’s master magician
-I cannot imagine this film being a minute shorter. It is just packed
-Also surprisingly funny as fuck at times
-This is a film that thrills the heart and makes people want to do their best work, in art or solidarity
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hailbop1701 · 4 years ago
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Only The Beginning
Chapter 4: My Bad...
Alas, another filler chapter. The reader finally meets Dorian! The bickering and fluff is on point my friends and I hope I got enough tension in there for you. If not there will definitely be more in coming chapters!
Thank you to my lovely Beta Reader @toppysammy! 🥰
-H❤🖖
John’s grip is tight on your upper arm. Wincing slightly, you allow him to lead you over to his car. A handsome-looking android casually leans up against the passenger side door with his arms crossed. He looks at you curiously, obviously scanning you for ID; you give him a little smile when he doesn't come up with anything. John yanks open the backseat and shoves you in.
“Rude,” you mutter, straightening in your seat and pulling your messenger bag close. Looking into the bag, you check on the heavy drive that is nestled inside. It has a small crack but otherwise is undamaged. Sighing in relief, you blow a strand of hair out of your face. Both car doors open up in front and the two detectives get in, bickering. 
“Come on, John, you can’t be serious.” 
“You heard what they said; rogue android turned on the security team.” 
At that, you sink down in your seat feeling more guilty than before. John’s android partner rolls his electric blue eyes. “Security," he scoffs, "more like black market mercenaries. One of those men had a rap sheet longer than your attention span,” 
You choke on a laugh as John sputters and glares at the DRN; you had heard about this model, but it's a wholly different experience to meet one. John shoots you a hard look in the rearview mirror. 
“You wanna tell me what the fuck happened?” he barks, turning around in his seat so he can fully scowl at you. Clearing your throat, you think over your words carefully. To give yourself more time, you hold out a hand and introduce yourself to John’s partner. 
“I’m John's friend--” you glance at said man; he's losing patience. Grimacing, you amend, “I think…”
The android smiles kindly and takes your hand, “Dorian, John’s partner.” His deep and polite voice puts you at ease. 
Pulling your hand away, you look back at your angry best friend warily. You mull over what happened for a second before opening your mouth to explain, “Well, I figured out what happened to Julia Lawson, and it wasn’t suicide,” you jerk your head in the direction of the building. 
“The creepy death squad murdered her and staged it to look like a suicide. Which, by the way, was completely obvious; they did a horrible job. Whoever had the case was paid off to keep it clean-cut and closed."
Both men in the front seat looked shocked. “You mean you figured this out in, what, three hours?” John asks with a raised eyebrow. You simply shrug, “I have no red tape I have to constantly cut through. I talked to Julie's brother; he told me what I needed to know and I figured out the rest by using the internet. Breaking in was easy--” 
John cuts you off mid-sentence with a warning. He pinches the bridge of his nose, breathing out his frustration. Dorian looks at you like you're an entirely new species; fascination, amusement, and disquiet all flick across his face. Biting the inside of your cheek, you watch the two carefully. 
“Look, Julie stumbled upon something very big and I think you should know about it,” you offer, holding out your bag like an olive branch. John watches you closely for a moment before taking the bag and looking inside.
“A hard drive?�� he asks skeptically, pulling it out and handing it over to Dorian to peruse. You shrug and gave a smirk, “I downloaded everything I needed on to that thing; Julie’s ‘suicide,' who ordered it, and the plans Julie overheard that caused her death in the first place.” 
Dorian plugs into the drive and the more information he obtains, the deeper his frown gets. “This is very...wrong,” he says with a wrinkle of his nose. 
You grimace, “Yeah, I forgot about that part; it’s also about Speartips. Horrible name for a private tech company by the way; it's the CEO getting down and dirty with underage interns and paying them extra to keep quiet.” 
Dorian stops looking through the drive and hands it back to John without a word. The android’s eyes are as hard as his partner's. John looks back to you, anger still in his gaze. Sighing, your shoulders slump. “If it’s any consolation, I didn’t mean to get caught by the mercs. The android was a new addition,” you defend quickly. 
“You threw him out a window,” John points out, losing patience with you. 
You throw up your hands, “HE started it! At least his body didn’t hit anyone."
John groans and shakes his head, “Pushing anybody off the fortieth-something floor is bad!” he scolds, starting the car. You scowl at John and cross your arms childishly, “Well, I didn’t like getting choked out. I panicked."
John winces at your words, his posture changing from tense and angry to sad and sympathetic. “I’m sorry, I know you wouldn’t have done any of that if you didn’t have to,” 
Dorian’s attention jumps back and forth between you and John, his eyes widening as he connects the dots. “You’re the one who--” he cuts himself off and looks at his human partner. 
John sighs heavily and taps his thumb against the steering wheel anxiously, “This is where the whole trusting me thing comes in.” He looks over at the DRN pleadingly. Dorian stares at John for a nano-second before nodding and keeping silent about the whole thing. He was no doubt currently wiping your presence from everything involving what just happened. From camera feeds to bystanders, taking pictures and selfies of the chaos. 
“I really am sorry,” you mumble, feeling guilty for more than just putting John in the position that he's now in. Your best friend looks at you in his rearview mirror. 
Pressing his lips into a thin line, his shoulders slump just a touch. “I know. You’ve been away from people--well, civilian people for a while. You have to be more subtle from now on, though, alright?” 
You grimace at John’s words but nod anyway, agreeing to what he's saying. This is his home after all. He built a life here; and here you were, wreaking havoc in that home like a maniac. 
“What now?” you say in a voice just slightly above a whisper. Dorian glances over at his partner, wondering the exact same thing. John purses his lips as he drives through the city. You can’t help your wry smile in response; he always makes that face when he is thinking hard about something. 
“We should get you settled into a place. I’ve been keeping an eye out and I got a message from a buddy of mine. There’s a little apartment right near where I live,” he says, handing his phone over to Dorian, who downloads the directions and information. 
“I guess you do want your bed back, huh?” you ask with a slight chuckle. John huffs and nods, “My couch is great and all, but it does get a bit uncomfortable after a while,” he mutters with a wrinkle of his nose. 
Dorian smirks, “That explains the changes to your sleeping pattern,” he muses, making John scowl. “How many damn times--” he hisses, pointing an accusatory finger at the android only to be cut off by your snort of laughter. 
John’s lips twitch upward at the sound, the tense atmosphere of the car lifting as the car crawls through city traffic. “So, Dorian, has John ever told you the story about how he became addicted to noodles?” 
You immediately have the DRN’s full attention; John sputters from the driver’s seat unsuccessfully, trying to shush you. 
“Well, you see, it all started when he and I traveled to China and we stumbled across this little mom-and-pop shop. The food there was to die for, what was it called…” you trail off, trying to picture the little restaurant in your mind. 
“Little Bo’s.” John supplies with a fond smile.
You snap your fingers, grinning from ear to ear, “Little Bo’s! Oh, my gosh, they had some damn good food, and the owner was so sweet; she tried her best to teach John how to use chopsticks.” 
Dorian chuckles, “He still can’t use them,” he whispers none-too-quietly. 
John shoots him an offended look, “I can too!” he yells indignantly. 
Dorian rolls his eyes. “Not very well.” he mutters, ignoring John’s slight pout. You giggle and gently squeeze John’s bicep. 
“Maybe when I get settled, I’ll make you dinner,” you offer sincerely. You yelp when John suddenly hits the brakes and looks back at you with wide eyes. 
“Seriously?” he asks with a grin. You snort and nod. Dorian looks bemused at the action and his jaw practically drops when John holds out his pinky for yours. Grinning, you seal the promise. 
“Just let me know what you wa--” 
“Chicken and dumplings," he answers immediately. 
You snicker at the quick response. “I should have known,” you sigh with a shake of your head. 
Dorian is at a loss for words; he tries multiple times to add something but he can’t. He’s never seen his partner this relaxed and happy before (despite today’s events) and it's odd. However, it's a good kind of odd. John deserves happiness and that’s what you seem to make him. 
Just friends, Dorian mentally scoffs, smiling to himself as you and John bicker about the best dishes you've made in the past. Something deep within Dorian’s circuits says that someday you’ll end up being so much more. The heated discussion becomes a bit louder and suddenly changes to whose fault it was in burning down a rental in Rio. 
Dorian sighs. Maybe not today, but someday, he thinks ruefully before verbally stepping in to divulge how John once ate a slug in hopes to not offend an old Japanese man. 
Tags:
Everything:
@thottiewithashotgun
@lauraaan182
@writerdee1701
@stileslover13-blog
@cowenby2
@bluesclues-1234
"Only The Beginning" :
@dw-writes
@marvelouslytrekking
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mirkwoodshewolf · 5 years ago
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Want to join the fam? 13th Doctor x child reader
*Author’s note*
Hey gang well here we are again with yet another Doctor who request. To the anon who requested this I THANK YOU FOR YOUR INCREDIBLE PATIENCE. Now I made some slight changes to the reader’s characteristics so I hope that’s okay. Now again most of these updates that I’ll be doing will mostly be Doctor who based (from the endless amounts of DW requests I’ve had on my phone since last year, again anons I thank you for your patience and I am getting through them) but some Marvel ones will come out as well. So just sit back and enjoy these requests ;)
Warnings: Child neglect, malnourishment, human captivity, some angst and fluff.
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Taglist:
@plethora-of-things​
@waddles03​
@psychosupernatural​
@ixchel-9275​
@jd-johndeacon-or-jackdaniels​
@platawnic​
___________________________________________________________
I’ve been in this prison for—what feels like forever.  In fact I think it has been forever.  For as long as I can remember, I’ve been the possession of a man known as The Collector due to me being the last of the Timelords.  At first I didn’t know myself what I was, all I knew was that every now and then right at the point of death from malnourishment, my body grew warm and my appearance would change.
When the Collector first saw my change firsthand, he moved me from one cell to another where I had nothing but needles shoved into my arms and every now and then he not only took my blood but there was also this glowing gold light that would also go up into a canister and once it got full after a month of draining, he’d take it away and replace it with a new one.
On and on this went on and I began to think that this was to be my life for the rest of my days. I couldn’t die because all I would do was regenerate into a different person.  I was beginning to think that I would never get out of this horrible place, that the Collector would continue to misuse and neglect me.
That was until…….she came into my life.
I was trying to sleep in my 4x4 cell (it is not comfortable let me just tell you that) when I heard a knock at the solid glass of my prison.  There I saw the Collector standing there, his eyes full of obsession as usual.  His mouth gaped in awe as he said.
“Today is the day my little one.” Oh yeah that’s right.  I’m dying today.  The Collector has even gone far as to make a schedule for when I’m to be expecting to regenerate.  My current 12 year old body had been put through countless hours of testing, blood draining, neglect, and aura extraction.  And now the time has come for me to regenerate once again.
“I can’t believe it’s been your 9th change and you’ve given me more money and immortality than I could ever hope for.” Oh yeah I forgot to mention this one little detail.
Sometimes when the Collector is in his greatest moods, when the Tourist season arrives, hell have his greatest displays out for the public for all the gawk, point and take pictures of.  I was displayed when I was in the process of my 3rd change so everyone got to see me transform from a small 4 year old white child, to an 11yr. old brown skinned girl.
Now that it was time for me to regenerate once more and it was the day tourists from around the galaxy, and across space and time for them to come see his fantastic collection of mistreated, abandoned and unwanted things.
“Now then remember to make this your grandest metamorphosis yet. And also try not to burn any of the clients. Always bad for business if someone gets hurt.” I didn’t respond to him.  I never respond to him, no matter what torture he does whenever he tries to make me answer, I don’t give him the satisfaction of being broken before him.
He can continue to drain me dry but he’ll never break me.
*3rd Person POV*
Meanwhile just in the outskirts of the Collector’s shop, the familiar wheeze of the TARDIS soon echoed out.  The TARDIS went from a faint image to a full solid picture.
“And here we are gang. As promised, welcome to the Bermuda Tri—” soon stepping out of the TARDIS was the Doctor herself, and her little fam, Yaz, Ryan and Graham.
“Uhh Doc, this isn’t what I pictured the Bermuda Triangle to look like.” Graham said.
“What? Ahhh no you stubborn ol girl you do this again!? Every. Time I want to go somewhere I tell you to go, you do a 180!” She snapped as she slapped the side of the TARDIS.
“So……where exactly are we?” asked Ryan as he stepped out along with Yaz.
“It kinda looks like a combination of London and Los Angeles.” Yaz said.
“Honestly I’m not quite so sure myself of where we are. Stay close everybody. Never know what could be lurking around here.” The Doctor said to them.
“Should we—have a look around?” asked Graham skeptically.
“I mean it’s the only way, right Doctor?” Ryan said to the Doctor.
“Well normally I would say no when I don’t know of a certain location but the TARDIS always has a habit of sending me where I’m needed. Alright listen up gang,” she turned to her three human companions and explained to them in a firm tone. “We’re gonna have a little look around. But again I have no idea who or what lives here. So there is to be no going off on your own, no touching anything, don’t even speak to anyone. You are to stay where I can keep an eye on you. Is that understood?”
“Yes Doctor.” The three of them answered.  The Doctor nodded and soon the three of them walked on ahead.
They walk up a hill till they finally arrive at the borders of the city.  All around so many different species of creatures and people across space and time were gathered around just going about their day.
“It—looks like an ordinary in London. People going about their day, nothing really out of the ordinary.” Graham said.
“I wouldn’t go that far yet Graham. Let’s go, blend in well with the crowd. There’s—something doesn’t feel right for some reason.” The Doctor said.  As they walked they soon heard a few voices say.
“Have you heard about the Collector’s new showcase?” a young woman with albino skin and purple eyes said.
“I go there every year. I’m told he’s got her on display once again.” Said a mechanical green woman.
“Wait you don’t mean…..”
“Yes. It could be another transformation.”
“Then let’s go.” The two women raced on.  Yaz leaned towards the Doctor and whispered.
“Did you catch any of that?”
“I don’t know who exactly they’re talking about, but that’s our best clue as to why the TARDIS might’ve brought us here. Cause out here in the streets there’s clearly no danger. No fights, no war, not even an invasion.”
“Couldn’t hurt to take a look inside and follow those girls.” Ryan said.  So they secretly followed the two women.
Soon the two women turned into a crowd as hundreds upon hundreds of people walked right towards a tower-like building.  As our gang of time travelers went inside, they found that this tower was almost like a warehouse.  It’s darkened hallways lit only by the hollowed lanterns above.  As they continued walking, they noticed that it soon began to remind them of some kind of art show.
“Hang on, I know that thing.” The Doctor said as she suddenly stopped.
“Know what?” asked Graham.
“Over there.” She pointed to a very large cube like cell with an intricate design on each side. It was a circle with what looked like a maze-like pattern decorated along the inside of it.
“What is it?” asked Ryan.
“My old prison in a past life.” The Doctor answered grimly.  Yaz and Ryan walked up to it and they saw on the plaque the words.
PANDORICA BOX.
Ryan and Yaz looked at each other and Ryan shrugged.
“And that, I recognize that weapon over there.” She and Graham walked to it and Graham asked her.
“Is—is that what I think it is Doc?”
“Yes Graham. A cyberman head.”
“So…..what is this like some sort of art gallery of everything you know?”
“Possibly. But none of this is Timelord technology. However this place does seem to have almost everything I’ve encountered in my many lives.”
‘Ladies and gentlemen. Creatures and species far and in between. Please make your way to the back room for a show like no other. For the first time in decades, the changeling child has returned.’ The voice of a women came on the intercoms from above.
“The changeling child?” Ryan repeated confused.
“So changelings actually exist?” asked Yaz.
“After all we’ve seen, I wouldn’t be surprised.” Graham shrugged.
“I’m not so sure about that guys. C’mon. Stay close and keep to the back.” Soon everyone started heading towards the back room where a giant arena-like stadium stood. At the very center, the Doctor and her friends saw a young girl laying there at the center of the stadium in a clear box like cage.
“Oh my god.” Yaz gasped as she covered her mouth in horror.
“That poor girl is she—she’s completely malnourished. She’s practically skin and bones.” Graham said.
“Doctor. Who would do something like this?” Ryan sneered softly.  The Doctor looked closer and that’s when she saw the glowing hands on the young girl.  That familiar orange, yellowish glow.
“Oh my……”
“What is it Doc?” Graham asked.  But before she could say a word, an elderly man with spiked white hair and wearing a leather attire with a fur coat with multiple colorations came right to the cage and he said to the audience.
“Greetings my dearly beloved guests. As you have ventured into the far outreaches of space and time to see all of my beloved collections. I am proud to announce and reveal to you all for the first time in a very long time, my most prized possession. The changeling child.”
“Calling a child their possession. Boy I’d like to give that crazy git a punch across the face.” Graham hissed lowly.
“Easy Graham. Just watch.”
“Watch what exactly? Doctor what’s going on?”
“Just want to prepare you guys for what you’ll see one day with me.” Soon the young girl began to glow brighter and brighter till her whole face and hands were starting to glow like the sun.
Then with a burst of Timelord energy, a powerful fiery blast exploded from her and the crowd was just in awe of what they were witnessing.  The Doctor shook her head and muttered.
“She can’t be contained when a regeneration happens. It can cause significant damage to the next body.”
“What’s happening Doctor? Is she going to explode?” asked Ryan worriedly.
“No Ryan, just keep watching.” A cry was soon heard and the next thing everyone saw was that the young 12 year old white girl now transformed herself into a young 7 year old brown skinned child.  Her once blonde hair was now pure black and cut into pixie style haircut.
“Wait did she just—” Yaz started off.
“Fam. I’d like to introduce you all to a Timelord child.” The Doctor said in a stoic manner.
“Wait but—I thought you and the Master were the last of your people?” Ryan said.
“So did I. But that there was a regeneration. Known only to the Timelords themselves. No other creature or species in the Universe can do a transformation like that.”
“And it seems that freak’s using her as a main attraction for his Collection around the world.” Graham hissed angrily.
“Well what do we do? I mean we can’t just leave her here. Maybe this is what the TARDIS wants us to do.” Yaz said.
“But how can we rescue her? I mean we don’t even know the layout of this place.” Ryan said.
“Leave that to me. For now I want you guys to play out the roles of interested travelers. If any security goes snooping around, just play them off in any way you can. Trust me gang, right now that little girl down there could use someone whose been through this. And believe me I’ve been through it many, many, many times.”
“Alright Doc. But just know should you need us, we’re just a shout away.” Graham said.  She nodded to them and as the crowd began to leave the stadium, Ryan, Yaz and Graham joined the crowd while the Doctor stayed behind in the shadows and watched as some of the Collector’s helpers moved the child out of her display case and moved her back down to her proper cell.
*My POV*
After being put back in my cell I finally got the chance to look at my new form.  My once white skin was now brown and my hands were smaller. I must’ve de-aged again.  I felt around my face and it was now more rounder than it was previously.  My hair was also shorter, way shorter actually.  So short that I couldn’t even see what color it was.  But I had fingers, lots of fingers, 2 legs, two feet, eyes, nose, mouth, ears.  New body, new rules.
“Magnificent. This is almost like your 4th form but—lighter skin. And your hair, don’t really like it that short but it is what it is.” The Collector said as he pressed his hands up against my glass cage. “After I count the profits for today, we’ll proceed with the Timelord aura drain.” With a flick of his animal skin cape, he turned and left the room.
I lowered my head exhaustedly and let out a deep breath and soon saw the familiar glowing fog coming out of my mouth.  Then out of nowhere, my cage began to unlock itself but the Collector was nowhere in sight. As the glass walls lowered back down, I sat up in shock and looked around fearfully only to see a woman with short blonde hair wearing a greyish-blue trench coat.
She also wore a dark blue shirt with multiple colored stripes around the front, the color yellow was the main color that really struck out cause it was just piled up on both top and bottom of the other colors.  She also wore what looked like suspenders and brown boots.
But what really caught my attention were her eyes.  Her deep brown eyes.  Unlike the Collector whose eyes were always filled with crazed obsession, this woman’s eyes were filled with kindness, curiosity, and—astonishment.
“It’s alright. I’m not here to hurt you.”
“How can I—trust you?” wow new voice.  It was lighter—almost like the sound of a bell.
“I know this must seem strange to you. Having a stranger open up your prison but tell me this. If I wanted to hurt you, don’t you think I would’ve done it by now?” she asked me. I pondered the thought and realized she was right.
The Collector’s workers who would transfer me from my cell to my display case, they always took a shot using their electro-whips on me just for the sport of it.
“Who are you?” I asked her.
“Well believe it or not. I’m just like you. A Gallifreyian Timelord.”  I looked at her shocked.
She was a Timelord as well? But—the Collector said that I was the last of my kind.  When he found me as a baby, he told me that I was the only sole survivor.
“You’re lying.”
“Actually I’m not. How do I know I’m not lying you might be thinking? Well I can tell you that seven months ago, I was a white haired Scotsman.”
“Prove it.” I asked her. “That you’re a Timelord. How do I know you’re not lying?” she looked around before finding a stethoscope from a nearby stand.  She grabbed it and came up to me and placed the earpieces in my ears.
“Have a listen.” She placed the metal part against her chest and soon enough I heard the 4 heartbeats of the Timelord.  I looked up at her and she looked right at me with those soft eyes of hers and she said, “Well, what’s your verdict?”
“But—it’s impossible. I thought I was……I thought I was the only one.”
“So did I.” she said solemnly.  Her eyes now appeared to have a hint of sadness to them.  “What’s your name?” she asked me.
“I—I was never given one.” I said sadly as I looked down.  I heard her hum softly and that’s when she said.
“Well we can’t just call you nothing. Hmm let me think……I’m not good with coming up with names but I’ll give it a go.” She said before she began muttering to herself as she paced around me.  I looked at her intrigued and she would look right at me before getting right up into my face.
It was a little awkward having this strange woman get right up in my face but it didn’t make me feel intimidated (not like how the Collector makes me feel whenever he gets up in my face).
“Ah-ha! I think I came up with the perfect name!” she exclaimed happily.  I tilted my head. “Lyra!” I looked at her in disgust. “What? Oh c’mon that’s a brilliant name. You’d be named after a constellation. And Lyra is a Greek name Lyre, a Greek instrument. And a marvelous one at that.”
“I’m sorry it’s just that with……this current form I don’t know if Lyra is a good name for me.”
“Yeah I suppose so. Most beings usually pick a name that fits their look. Well like I told you I’m not really good at coming up with names. I don’t think I ever was.”
“I…..” I started off before trailing off.
“What? What is it?”
“It’s nothing I….I can’t say it.”
“Course you can. Hey you listen to me now love, you can say whatever you want. I’m not like that—monster whose treated you like his possession. So if you’ve got something to say, you can tell me.”
“I—I once did come up with a name during my 3rd transformation. But I don’t know if it’s any good.” She looked at me with encouragement telling me through her eyes that I could freely speak it out. “(Y/n).”
“(Y/n). Hmm……I like it. Yeah it suits you. Alright, (Y/n) I’m the Doctor and I’m busting you out of here.”
“Busting me out?”
“Yeah. You know setting you free, freeing you from your cage, all those other freedom metaphors and sayings. Bottom line is, is that you’re coming with me and my friends.”
“But—the Collector. He’ll know that I’ve escaped. He won’t let me leave.”
“That’s why I’ve got a plan. Now c’mon let’s at least get you out of this storage room and into some real light.” She extended her hand to me and I looked at it conflicted. “I promise (Y/n), as long as you’re with me. I won’t let him or anyone else harm you. I can help you, but you have to trust me first.”
I looked up at her warm brown eyes once more and they gave me a fluttery feeling in my stomach.  Was—was this what it feels like when someone’s kind to you? Finally I lifted my hand and I placed my hand in hers.
“Brilliant. Now can you stand and walk? I know that regeneration still takes time to cook but we kinda are on the clock.”
“I think so.”
“Okay, let’s get you off this thing and then we run.” She picked me up and set me down on the floor before taking my hand again and we took off.
We came to the main door which the Collector always kept lock and only he or his workers knew the combination.
“It’s no use, we’ll never get out of this room. He has it locked 24/7.”
“Good thing I’ve always got this.” She then pulled out a long silver or iron like thing with a crystal point at the end.  She pressed a button and aimed it right at the door’s control panels and a loud hum came out of it as the crystal point became a bright yellow color.
Soon enough I heard the locks being unlocked and the doors opened up.
“There that’s better.” She tossed her magic stick in the air before catching it back into her hand and putting it away into her coat. “Now come on, we’ll rendezvous with the others in the main lobby.” As we left the room I asked her.
“What was that thing?”
“What was what?”
“That thing you used to open the door?”
“Oh right! That was my sonic screwdriver. A handy device of my own invention. It can basically be used for anything. Bio readings, translation analysis, but most of all it can unlock any door. The one thing it isn’t used for is for killing. Because killing is senseless and fighting never solves anything. I hate weapons of any kind especially guns.” Her voice started to trail off into anger which made me a little scared seeing this bubbly, whacky woman now become an ice cold queen. “Sorry. I—tend to get a little dark whenever it comes to hate for violence. Now c’mon let’s keep moving.”
After going up several more levels and her using her sonic screwdriver to get the doors unlocked, we finally arrived at the main level.
“Alright, now my friends are in the lobby like I’ve said. So it’s just a straight forwards to—hang on.” She suddenly said urgently.  She stopped and looked around. “Something isn’t right. There were hundreds of people here just now and now it’s—it’s completely empty.”
“The shop isn’t closed cause it’s still light out. So—where is everyone?” suddenly the alarm sounded off and every entrance, window and door, were sealed off.  The red light of the alarm was the only source of light we had for awhile before it went completely dark.
“You thought I’d let you escape that easily?” then a bright light shined down just a few feet in front of us and there stood The Collector.  Behind him were three people, two men and one a girl around the Doctor’s age.
All three of them were not only being held by the Collector’s guards but from their feet to their hips were trapped in the crystal prison that I was familiar with. In some of his collections, the Collector loves to showcase his ‘prizes’ in crystal form with specially designed rings that encases whatever he wants in a crystal prison.
Trapping them alive.
“We’re sorry Doc. They caught us just before we could meet up.” Said the elderly white man.
“Let them go.” the Doctor stated firmly.
“Or what? See I’ve got basically almost everything across Time and Space but pure humans—well imagine the attractions they’ll bring us.”
“We’re not your property you crazy old bastard!” the young black man spoke up.  Which resulted in him being shocked by the Collector’s guards and the crystal formation went higher up his body from his hips now to his ribs.  He groaned in agony after his shock treatment and the Collector said to him in that low voice of his.
“On the contrary. All those that trespass on my home are my property. No payment in, you serve as a part of my Collection.” He turned back towards us and he continued, “Who would’ve thought that I would get the chance to not have one Timelord, but two. Such a rarity indeed.”
“Yeah bet you didn’t think this was going to happen when you woke up this morning.” The Doctor said sarcastically.  The Collector chuckled softly and that’s when I noticed the Doctor’s sonic screwdriver in her back pocket.  I looked around to make sure that no one was looking at me and I quickly took her sonic and stalked away towards one of the cells.
This was the only option I could think of that could give us enough time to get all of us out of here.  And finally put an end to the Collector once and for all so that no one else could be captured and experimented on again.  I arrived at cell 722 and pointed the screwdriver at the keypad which soon activated.
“This is madness. But you’re our only hope.” I walked inside and went right to work.
*3rd Person POV*
The Collector stared at the Doctor with obsessed eyes and he said to her.
“Who would’ve thought that there were two Timelords left in the entire galaxy. If only you were a male, then once my female one would take a mature form, I could’ve had you both make more Gallifreyian children.”
“Believe it or not I was a man. Actually many times before I’ve been a man.” The Doctor said.
“Interesting. So you can choose which gender you want to be.”
“I don’t really have control over my regenerations. They just happen and I stick with the form I get.”
“Pity. But no matter, you will soon join the child and you both will become my ultimate supply source and tourist attraction. While your friends become one of the many other displays I will showcase in my museum.”
“That won’t happen.”
“You’re so confident about that?”
“Yeah. See, I’ve been in rougher scrapes than this. Now this here, sure it’s a bit of a pickle but it’s way low on the amount of danger I’ve been in on a regular basis.” The Collector stroked his chin as he continued to stare at the Doctor with interest.
“So you’ve been everywhere and seen everything?”
“More than you can imagine pal. Now unless you’d like to be overloaded with the knowledge I’ve got, which trust me you don’t want to know, I suggest you free my friends, let me take the girl, and allow us to walk out of here quietly without another word.” The Collector chuckled icily and lowly and he said.
“And allow you to take my immortality away from me? Do you have any idea how powerful the essences of your kind is?”
“And that’s what makes people like you sick to my stomach. What you’ve been doing to that poor girl is inhumane! No one should ever be put through the hell you put her through! Extracting her Gallifreyian aura, draining her blood. Yeah I’ve seen the needle injections on her arms.”
“What you see as inhumane. I see as an opportunity. The essence of a timelord can give the bearer an immortal life. Even at the point of death, you can just regenerate yourself and start off fresh again. And now that I have too, I’ll forever be immortalized as the famed Collector of the last two Timelords!”
Suddenly the alarm began blaring out loudly.  Everyone looked around in confusion, the Collector had both confusion and anger.
“What is going on?” it was then they heard screaming from down the hall as some more of the Collector’s worker’s were fleeing for their lives.
“Sir! Sir! Prisoner 722 has been reactivated! It’s going on a rampage!” one of the workers said before it was suddenly shot at and he fell to the ground dead.
“No.” The Doctor softly enunciated. “No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! Why did you have it here!? What makes you think you could contain such a monster!?” she sneered.
“Doctor what’s going on? What are you talking about?” then they heard it.  That haunting raspy, mechanical voice proclaiming.
‘WE ARE THE DALEKS! WE WILL REIGN SUPREME AND YOU WILL BE EXTERMINATED!!’ Soon coming down the hallway was the Doctor’s most feared and hatred rival, a Dalek.
It was an older generation Dalek but it still had it’s program to search and destroy everything that isn’t Dalek based.
‘SURRENDER NOW OR YOU WILL BE EXTERMINATED!!’ the Dalek proceeded to fire all over any everyone and everything.  While the Dalek was literally destroying everything in sight and bodies kept dropping like flies, over by Graham, Ryan and Yaz, they suddenly felt themselves getting free of their crystal prisons.
They looked down and there stood (Y/n) holding their three rings.  She slammed them on the ground and stepped on them.
“C’mon let’s go!” she whispered as the four of them raced over to the Doctor.  They dodged and nearly got blasted by the explosions of the Dalek’s gun.  Once they came up to the Doctor she turned to (Y/n) and said.
“Were you responsible for this?”
“I didn’t have a choice. This was the one thing they never went to. All of them were too afraid to go near it when it reactivated itself years ago.”
‘IDENDITY DETECTED. THE DOCTOR IS HERE!! THE DOCTOR IS THE ENEMY OF THE DALEKS! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!’ The Dalek suddenly screamed out.
“RUN!!!” The Doctor cried out as we ran out of the lobby and towards the side exit (that had no just been created thanks to our Dalek).  
*My POV*
We quickly raced out but I was suddenly grabbed and I was pinned against the Collector’s chest.
“You’re not going anywhere! If I die then you’re coming with me!” I squirmed and tried to free myself from the Collector’s grip when suddenly he was shot in the head and he dropped down to the ground.  The Dalek rolled up to me and it’s scope-like eye stared right at me.
‘TIMELORD ENERGY DETECTED! TIMELORD ENERGY DETECTED! EXTERMINATE!’ I quickly jumped out of the way and just barely managed to escape the death beam.
“(Y/N)!! RUN!! GET AWAY FROM IT!!!” As quick as I could I raced out of the building.
It wasn’t easy to escape the Dalek cause it kept coming right after us firing shot after shot, explosions coming up around us.  Finally we came up into a blue box that said POLICE BOX written on top.
“In here quick! The forcefield’s up now, but it won’t last for long!” the Doctor cried out.  One by one we each piled into the TARDIS before she shut the doors.  As we all ran inside my first reaction was that it was bigger on the inside.  Could this be more of my people’s technology or is this some kind of magic?
The Doctor quickly flipped a few of the controls and soon a wheezing sound came from the center of this room and a large light shined from the center console that stood in the middle of the controls.
“There. Daleks alone can’t navigate through space and time without a ship. We’re safe. Are you all alright fam?”
“I’m good.” Said the woman.
“I’m thankful that I won’t end up as a display case.” Said the elderly man.
“He’ll survive. And I’m okay too Doctor.” The young man said.  The Doctor sighed with relief and pressed her hand up against her chest over her two hearts.  She then turned to me and asked me as she knelt down in front of me.
“Are you alright (Y/n)?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Sorry about that—thing. It was the only thing I could think of as a distraction that I knew they would be too afraid to fight back against.” I looked down sadly but she lifted my chin up and she said as she stroked the back of my head, burying her fingers into my short hair.
“The most important thing is that you’re okay. And that you’re free now.”
Free.  I—I couldn’t believe it. For the first time in my life, I was finally free of the Collector, I would no longer be his lab rat or neglected ever again.  He was dead and he couldn’t hurt me or anyone else again.
“But I must ask you one important question first?” she said in a serious manner.  I tilted my head to the side in confusion and said.
“What?”
“How do you feel about going to Barcelona with me and the fam?” I looked around and these three people who had no idea who I was, all nodded with warm smiles on their faces. I turned to the Doctor and immediately hugged her.
There was soft laughter all around as she hugged me back.  I nuzzled into her shoulder and I whispered to her.
“Thank you, thank you.”
“You don’t need to thank me. Now then, let me introduce you to the gang.” The Doctor then took me over to the three people and introduced me to Ryan, Yaz, and Graham. And she introduced them to me as the second to last Timelord from Gallifrey.
From then on, I stayed with the Doctor and her friends.  We traveled throughout the entire galaxy and back and forth through time. Eventually there came a time when I went from calling her Doctor to mum.  She was my savior, my protector, my mother.  And I will always be grateful to the day when she and her friends came to save me.
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variousqueerthings · 1 year ago
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This is the most exciting thing that's ever happened to me in my life. The only exciting thing!
Bill! I've been writing with a friend while watching s10 and this friend really doesn't like m*ffat, and I think by s10 all goodwill had run out and they do tend towards the most negative read of every episode, and bill as character generally
and look, bill is introduced with a truly stupid, fatphobic, rambly-in-a-bad-way bit of dialogue. we breathe deeply. we remember that we're here to do a rating and so this will be included in that. but also that there are many many facets of bill's character that are very interesting, fun, and different to anything we've seen since m*ffat took the helm on this show, and that this line -- while fucking... argh... is not repeated. but also just never should have existed to begin with
(also oh gosh, fatphobia as sexism and/or as political... it's really both isn't it, it's going on both, y'all making your first lesbian main character say fatphobic shit, c'mon!)
sexism rank objectification (female character is ogled/harassed/turned into a sex joke by the doctor and/or a lead we’re supposed to root for and/or the camera): 7/10
sexism rank plot-point (lead female character is only there to serve plot, not to have her emotional interiority explored, or given agency to her emotional interiority): 10/10
interesting complex or pointlessly complex (does the complexity serve the narrative or does it just serve to be confusing as a stand-in for smart, this includes visually): 8/10
furthers character and/or lore and/or plot development (broader question that ties into the previous ones, at least two of these, ideally three should be fulfilled): 7/10
companion matters (the companion doesn’t always have to be there, but if the companion is there, can they function without the doctor– and overall per season how often is the companion the focus or POV of the story): 8/10
the doctor is more than just “godlike” (examines the doctor’s flaws and limitations, doesn’t solve a plot by having it revolve entirely around the doctor’s existence): 7/10
doesn’t look down on previous doctor who (by erasing or mocking its importance, by redoing and “bettering” previous beloved plotpoints or characters, etc.): 7/10
isn’t trying to insert hamfisted sexiness (m*ffat famously talked a lot about how dw should be sexier multiple times, he sucks at writing it): 10/10
internal world has consistency (characters have backgrounds, feel rooted in a place with other people, generally feel like they have Lives): 7/10
Politics (how conservative is the story): 7/10
FULL RATING: 78/100 (if I can count….)
m*ffat where was this energy five seasons ago???
OBJECTIFICATION: I knocked a whole three points off just for that "joke" to be honest. this episode is otherwise pretty good at writing its female characters, bill and heather
it's especially as a counterpoint to the paternoster gang, where lesbianism = sexy master/servant powerplay in leather, and look- look I am not averse to that as concept
but written my m*ffat on doctor who? yeurgh
point is, that's not bill and heather
PLOT-POINT: bill is the POV character in a way none of the other companions were in their first episodes (barring amy as a kid, but as an adult, not so much anymore). the doctor is some weirdo but compelling professor at her college, which she works at and secretly goes to classes at, her potential relationship with heather is what sets off the plot and carries it throughout, and is what drives the ending
it's pretty neat on the whole. my friend's main angry point about this episode (well one of them) was that bill was totally unconcerned with what happened with heather/that it should have had a bigger effect on her longrunning and... yehhh I'm not not in agreement but I do think that with doctor who being a bit of a bullshit-science type show in which characters don't die in a number of ways + that I know heather comes back at the end + there's that setup that they'll probably see heather again + the focus on bill's character as being in the closet to her foster mum (foster or adoptive, I've forgotten now) and working in a canteen and just not really knowing where her life is going and all of that wrapped up in meeting heather and that adventure with the doctor... it does work on the whole
it could have been more I do think that, especially heather's character, whom we know basically nothing about other than that she was probably depressed and wanted to travel places, but I think bill's emotions are far more grounded and long-reaching and important to the story than amy's or clara's ever were and this already in episode one
maybe I'm just happy to see something but I do think it's also something done -- for the most part -- quite well
COMPLEXITY: this plot as a mystery is quite fun. bill is just as much figuring out the doctor as she is the mystery of the puzzle. as such, it's kind of a slow-burnish that's not massive in scope, but I think it's rather delightful
CHARACTERS/LORE/PLOT: new companion called bill whom we already know a fair bit about, woman in a puddle, mystery in the cellar, nardole is still there, the doctor is having a bit of an emotional Time (when are they not -- but it's an evolving emotional Time)
COMPANIONS MATTER: bill does a lot in this episode, which is extra great because she's so new. it's a lot of questions, but also a lot of proactive behaviour, and it's also questions that are about bill learning and not about acting as a sounding board for the doctor all the time
“GODLIKE” DOCTOR: the doctor is mainly trying to stay out of things, and then bill drags them into things, and it's a bit about emotions and a bit about becoming a (grand)parental figure to bill, who needs some support, I like that this is the impetus that gets the doctor involved in the story... well, that and can't resist a mystery of course. and boredom. multitudes
also a defining thing the doctor does is go back in time and take some pictures of bill's mum for her. this is simply done out of kindness (and it doesn't hurt that it affects a later plot)
PREVIOUS DOCTOR WHO: I really like the callbacks in this one, it really says some stuff about the doctor-as-character where they currently are -- that is, looking with melancholy at the past. funnily enough, with river and susan on the same desk, it kind of ties river to that past more effectively than the show managed to do during her actual episodes, I feel
also by putting susan there, it says a lot about how the doctor is going to be interacting with bill. a very different kind of dynamic to any we've had before on nu!who
“SEXINESS”: I've put this highly, as I don't remember anything. generally this season I haven't remembered if there's anything (actually no lies, one thing just popped up, but not this episode), so I'll just have to operate on that assumption and... maybe take notes for the latter half. but I think we're relatively free of this anyway, considering a lot of the heteronormativity has been removed from the show at this point
INTERNAL WORLD: there is a university and bill lives with her foster mum because her mother is dead, and she works in the canteen and sneaks into lectures. honestly an old university is the perfect place for the doctor to hide, tenured professors are like cryptids
there's a biiit less on the queer side of things, and there will be throughout the season. this not to say that bill is not definitely a lesbian, in a way where I'd say (controversially perhaps) that clara never felt queer to me
but simply that it doesn't seem like bill's involved much in queer culture, and that culture doesn't affect the plot as such. I'm okay with this, I think there's still a lot to be said for how bill's lesbianism already affects the text for the better, but it is the point and I am doing this particular rating, so it should be said
POLITICS: I mean to strip bill to box-ticking (not in a bad way) for a second, but she's a black, working-class lesbian who's living with a straight, white foster mother, whom she's not out to
and she is the hero of the story. she's funny, she's kind, she sees things, she asks good questions, and she remembers very very well and applies what she learns to the situations she's in. while one might ask whether some of these aspects of her could have been explored more throughout her run, it's fair I think to say that they are explored and are recurring parts of her story and affect how she sees and moves through the world
I also think there's just something about this weird professor type seeing her in turn, singling her out as special, which is such a different way to how m*ffat has written the doctor opposite women since s2, in which only women who are suitably Special in particular ways (through being "well-bred" and "highly educated" and essentially very classist ideas of being from the right background, or by first being introduced as a mystery and then later as a character)
dare I say... he might have learnt something?
which is why, to bring the mood down for a second, her fatphobic ramble feels out of character for who we later learn she is, and just feels more like a throwaway joke on the side of m*ffat to show that... idk actually what it's meant to show. that bill rambles? that she's slightly awkward? and of course m*ffat doesn't know that fatphobia is a thing (I imagine) and so wouldn't have wanted to write it to show that bill has unexamined bigotries (which could be interesting, but not done in this way or with this character or with the themes of this season), especially is we're kiiind of seeing bill flirt with that woman in a later scene?
(I also think this ramble is weird in terms of how it describes the doctor, it's so nonsensical. is it implying the doctor was essentially sexually harassing this unknown woman? this unknown woman that she also objectifies before we even get to the fatphobia???)
I should actually just include it as a reminder to people, because it really does suck: "Okay, so my first day here, in the canteen, I was on chips. There was this girl. Student. Beautiful. Like a model, only with talking and thinking. She looked at you and you perved. Every time, automatic, like physics. Eye contact, perversion. So I gave her extra chips. Every time, extra chips. Like a reward for all the perversion. Every day, got myself on chips, rewarded her. Then finally, finally, she looked at me, like she'd noticed, actually noticed, all the extra chips. Do you know what I realised? She was fat. I'd fatted her. But that's life, innit? Beauty or chips. I like chips. So did she. So that's okay."
I am not negating that this was terribly written and offensive, but I do think it's also at odds with later bill and I don't take it in as part of her character, so much as a massive bit of bad writing on the m*ffat's part, same as, say, when the doctor grabbed jenny and kissed her without her consent, which would be a character-ruiner for me if I decided that that was part of my canon. this isn't quite as bad as that, but it's not a great way to introduce a character that you're meant to root for, and also just... I mean not that there aren't fatphobic lesbians but c'mon, you're showing an ostensibly queer perspective and you're turning her into a bloke????? nah nah nah, fuck right off with that
FULL RATING: 78/100 (if I can count….)
it's frankly wild how far and fast this jumped for the first episode of the season. its main detractor, really is that joke, and perhaps the general limitations in including a queer culture to bill's queer identity, but bill is -- on the whole -- fantastic and immediately shifts the show into a completely different gear
I feel like it's a shame she came here at the end, after a lot of people had dropped off, not just for one season in and of herself, but the final season of this entire era. it's a lot of weight to carry and I think pearl mackie does a fantastic job
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analyzingadventure · 5 years ago
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PSI THOUGHTS 2: THE ELECTRIC BOOGALOO
Aka time to share some thoughts on the profile blurbs and participate in some wild speculation
(Quickly though I just wanted to say that the new outfits are fine but there is something weird to me about them... It’s like this weird mix of taking the original designs, trying to modernize them while also keeping them looking the same and it like... It feels like they tried to Adventure-fy the old designs it somehow made the kids look like background extras of their own show?? IDK maybe it’s just nostalgic bias or something lmao. But yeah the kids look fine, I wish they had left Mimi’s hat pink and... Man they really did Koushirou a dirty, eh. He really looks awful in that outfit holy shit)
When it comes to the kids I actually don’t have much to say about them- they kinda sound like parodies/abridged versions of themselves from Adventure, like the way they call Mimi a “princess”, which kind of sounds like someone saw her childlike innocence from Adventure and figured all there is to Mimi is that she’s a whiny little brat (/”princess”). I am jumping to conclusions here but rn I feel like tri. had a better understanding of the characters than Psi, but then again Psi doesn’t have to stay through to Adv.’s characterization.
The only things I found worth mentioning were that Hikari indeed seems to have a sixth sense so she seems to still be the DigiJesus (or, well, techinically they made it sound like Hikari has a tendency to astral project but whatever lmao). But in a twist, based on Takeru’s profile he too may have that sixth sense! 8O And ngl I am very excited to see where they’re going with that
EDIT: I misread a good portion of the blurb, ignore the next these paragraphs lmao (leaving it here for people to laugh at tho)
Also; They mention Takeru lives apart from “his brother” due to “circumstances”... Now either these profiles are vague and cheeky because the writers don’t want to spoil to any kids that Takeru and Yamato are brothers whose parents divorced, OR... A) They are brothers but their parents aren’t divorced (yet) or B) They’re not brothers at all (they don’t have the same last names after all) and Takeru has another brother he lives away from for some reason.
I mean I do think it’s most likely the writers are being cheeky and trying to not spoil things for the kids, but the fact they didn’t mention Yamato being Takeru’s brother at all is super interesting to me.
ONTO THE DIGIMON, again, not much to say about the most of them. They did confirm the Adult form of every Digimon so my hopes of branching evolution trees has been smothered a bit but not killed yet, not entirely- it is still possible they could get new Perfect level forms and/or multiple Perfect forms. Or Ultimate (depending on how Psi will treat levels, like for all we know they could ditch the level system again like Frontier and Xros Wars did)
BUT THERE’S THREE THINGS WORTH NOTING IN THOSE PROFILES! The Great War, no mention of Angemon, and Tailmon.
Some people immidiately started speculating about a multiverse/AU theory from the mention of the War and how Agumon knew Taichi but considdering the other things mentioned in the profiles I doubt this is the same Agumon from Adventure... Unless it was specifically Agumon and Agumon alone while all the other Digimon were from this universe specifically. But still, I don’t think there’s any multiverse stuff going on here, Agumon just pulled a Hikarigaoka-esque stunt at some point but nobody remembers it, probably
The mention of the “old Internet” (and the war that happened there) makes me wonder if they’re going to pull an X-Antibody-esque kinda storyline with Yggdrasil or something where instead of a Digital World being destroyed, it’s the Network? Who knows, there’s only so much you can speculate based on a handful of words
Patamon totally evolves into Angemon, I think they’re just being cheeky about it and Angemon is like a “legendary warrior” and some shit like that, it’s totally gonna be like that and I’m sure he’ll die just like he did in the past
BUT WHAT’S REALLY INTERESTING FOR ME IS TAILMON
TAILMON WON’T JOIN THE KIDS/HIKARI, SHE’S JUST BEING MYSTERIOUS AND SHIT, LIKE REI IN APPMON
Now that’s a trope old as kids’ shows, but it’s still interesting due to its implications.
Tailmon could be a lone wolf because she’s on a secret mission. She could be a lone wolf because she has some issues. She could be a lone wolf because she’s teamed up with the enemy and is either playing Taichi and co into a trap, or she’s having second thoughts and is kinda two-timing the Chosen and the enemy
There’s many options, and it’s very interesting to see what they’re going to do
And if Tailmon is working for the enemy... Who is it?
There isn’t much left to discuss here actually... The enemies we see in the new trailer kind of remind me of the Virusmon in Appmon, but they look a bit... off? IDK maybe it’s just this weird whiplash of the old Digimon looking weird to the new enemies with more modern designs. That said I wouldn’t be surprised (and I would be a bit happy actually) if those new enemies from the trailer were not Digimon, but they probably are, and I’m sure we’ll find out what species they are
Now one last thing I found interesting about the trailer (which is definitely giving me that Hunters/Appmon feeling rn) is that we definitely see the kids entering the Internet in it (the Internet having that very DigiQuarts/AR Field look to it).
The thing is, we had it already confirmed way back that there is a Digital World, it’s the green foresty thing on the poster. So it’s going to be interesting to see how they’ll handle the Digital World- it already sounded a lot like to me that the kids could travel with ease from the Human World to (what has now been confirmed to be) the Internet, so how that’ll extend to the DW is interesting. Is it going to be like like how the Deep Web worked in Appmon where once you go deep enough you’ll find the DW?
So will we see a lot of the DW or will the show take mostly place on the Internet with very limited visits to the DW?
(Unrelated but hilariously that was kind of what I always expected Appmon would do, like they’d go deep into the Net Ocean and find themselves in the Digital World (with Digimon specifically) and I was sad nothing like that ever happened so it’s gonna be surreal and hilarious if that’s exactly what Psi does)
And.... I think that’s it? I can’t think of any other things to briefly discuss, I ran out of disjointed thoughts
I’m expecting Psi to be either pretty decent or an absolute, flaming trainwreck and if it’s the latter it’s gonna be hilarious to watch and my popcorn is ready for it
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murfeelee · 6 years ago
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I just want to speak my piece and voice my hopes & concerns about the ideas for a new Sims Networking site.
Disclaimer: Despite the length of this long effing post, I know absolutely nothing about creating a website, or hosting, servers, or anything like that.
In light of Tumblr’s clear and present determination to kill its own website, many ideas are being proposed about The Sims community starting its own website. This would be a safe haven for simmers, where we can all share our content without fear of overzealous censorship and nefarious politico-economic stunts and power-plays.
Having different simmers presenting different platforms and ideas about how to get a simming network started is great, and I support anyone who pitches an idea. I don’t care who figures it out, just as long as someone does, and it’s good. But at this critical point and time what the community really needs is to not be splintered -- that’s what the problem is: that when Tumblr internally combusts we’ll all mass exodus and go our separate ways (to LJ/DW, Twitter, Blogspot, WP, etc), and we won’t all be in one place anymore. :(
There’s nothing wrong with having multiple simming networks, and having a selection of simmers-only social media outlets, not at all. We do that already, with sites like TSR & MTS, etc, that embrace content from ALL the sims games (1-4, etc), but where different preferences/standards/visions naturally lead to different websites doing their own thing separately.
But I think it’s time we as a community had one main home.
IMO, ideally, it would be one that functions like Tumblr did -- just Better and More Positive. ;) It would not be moderated by admins like the other sims sites, and instead the site runners would be there strictly for site support and maintenance. We’ve been moderating the simblr side of Tumblr all these years pretty okay -- aside from the abuse/neglect of the Tags (which I hope we could come to a more unified system with on a new site).
The new site could have all the image uploading/storage and other features we enjoy (Follows, Reblogs, Likes, Comments, IM, etc) but possibly even with an additional forum aspect, with rich text text threads & private messaging, etc. Is that at all possible?
The forum half of the site could have moderators, if only to keep the threads organized, but there would be none of that censoring crap that gets users warned/banned over stupidness like language, adult content, or my personal favorite: filesharing (especially when cc users rely on WCIFs and reuploaders to share content from dead sites and creators who delete their content for one reason or another).
I’d also love to see a return of more community events:
more Simblreen-like photo prompts & challenges for other holidays & seasons
more creative contests (like the one recreating real movie posters as sims images to get featured as new cc)
more visibility for machinimas (those mofos work HARD)
the return of sims magazines for fashion & builders & whatnot
Age and Adult Content Restrictions
The Sims is a borderline Teen/Everyone/Mature-rated game. It’s got sex and violence and crude humor and weirdness that isn’t really suitable for little kids. It's at each parent’s discretion what their kids are exposed to, but most simmers are either in their teens or older (I haven’t come across any 7 year olds playing this crazy game, at least.) As such, I don’t feel this new site should be censoring/blocking adult content and nsfw. Let the tags do their jobs -- even implement a Safe Mode & parental controls if you have to.
When it comes to what the age restrictions are, can’t y’all just have a captcha or one of those buttons you click that says you’re 13+ or whatever the age needs to be? And there are pretty cool captchas out there, too -- we don’t need something as crazy as what Thaithesims had (for those of y’all who don’t know, it was freaking nuts, trust), but there are others that ask a simple math question, or makes you to click the picture of the vegetable, or some Where’s Waldo looking thing to find all the bicycles or whatever the heck. Y’all’ve seen them, I don’t know.
Again, I don’t even know what goes into making a website, and determining what it can & cant support -- or AFFORD.
And that brings me to Money:
While it’s so exciting and heartening to see different ideas coming out now, honestly, it’s not gonna work when all y’all are all asking for money and donations. That’ll have us scrambling to fund & invest in a million different people’s ideas, until someone gets a site working that we’ll actually use.
Of course we know money is THE issue, and of course websites are Expensive AF™. But it would be more realistic for all y'all to get a site up and running, have us use it and test it out, and once the community gives it our seal of approval, then start doing donation drives to keep the site/servers funded. That’s the way fan-made ad-free sites with adult content like Archive Of Our Own do it; I’ve been subscribed there for years, and they make $100k+ every drive, it’s amazing. Sites like Wikipedia & the Wayback Machine no doubt make more. (Didn’t SimFileShare fund itself to get started? They use ads, though, which might force adult content restrictions like what’s happening with Tumblr.)
I wish I had the disposable income to give to ANY of these fantastic websites that I know and love, just to show my appreciation, but I’m dirt poor, so.... But I just feel that it really shouldn’t be up to users to fund free websites, because that’s hardly better than having to pay for subscriptions to join paid sites. I don’t even like pay for CC, or DLC, or even video games at full price. So any bid for money makes me suck my teeth a bit, frankly speaking.
In Closing:
The Sims community deserves its own space, to freely express ourselves.
The Sims is unique from any other game ever made, because simmers create the stories, simmers create the content, and simmers create the gameplay -- it’s not a linear pre-determined storyline, but a more or less open-ended open-world mechanism by which the gamer decides (and can create) everything from the characters to the plots to the locations.
We’re not just posting pictures on the official forums of our customized Lara, Shepard, Geralt, Arthur Morgan or whoever beating a level or discovering a hidden location. No. We’re creating our own characters and worlds and directives, and sharing art through images, storytelling, and custom content. And we’re sharing a bit of ourselves in the process.
Tumblr used to be the one place we could rely on to embrace our individuality, freedom of speech, agency, expression, and be part of a community that supported us and our content. I don’t want the Sims community to be fractured, and certainly not die out. Y’all have been like family to me, for the 5 years I’ve been on Tumblr, and for almost a whole decade now in the online Sims community -- 2019 will make it 10 years (which is a lot, for an antisocial psychopath like me). If Tumblr fails us, I won’t know where else to go, and it really saddens me. The Sims is a Lifestyle.
So I really hope y’all movers and shakers out there who know about web development can come together, figure things out together, and create a Better, More Positive space for us to enjoy playing and sharing our love of The Sims games.
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sol1056 · 6 years ago
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two anons on rights
I have a pile-up of asks in various stages of drafts and just no time this month, but here’s two that just came in and are relatively quick to answer. 
What does the ‘no other producers can continue on’ mean? Is it different than “we'll end this in a way you have to go full reboot -- lions get destroyed, paladins die etc”? ... If they put their own copyrighted pilots as paladins in final battle & have them take over? You can’t continue this series with other EPs as they own the rights? Like that?
Here’s what the EPs own: their paychecks. Period, full stop. 
That’s it. The EPs got salaries, were employees, and thus the company owns everything they did. It’s called work-for-hire. The worlds of television, movies, comics, gaming, and even music are littered with the bones of people who created on behalf of a company and got nothing, even as their creations became billion-dollar industries. The law is very clear, and I’ve seen no indication the EPs are (or even had the power to be) exceptions to the rule.
DW may grant the current EPs some level of recognition in continuations, as a courtesy for their contributions to the story. It doesn’t mean the EPs own any of it. If they get residuals (some percent of profits from sequels, etc), that would’ve been negotiated in their contracts at the start. 
My guess? There are no residuals, and the EPs were betting on being asked to do a continuation (thereby guaranteeing themselves cushy careers shepherding the franchise). With DW apparently sending the EPs packing, the EPs may’ve retaliated by wanting to put the kibosh on any sequels. Basically, it’s a case of not being able to take DW’s toys and go home --- so instead, the EPs would choose to break the toys so no one else can have them.
What place do Koplars have in the franchise? They have EP credits, but the OG story isn’t theirs, DotU is a dub of Golion/another series; what place do [the Koplars] have in regard to [the GoLion] creators? Which rights did DW buy from them?
Technically, Voltron wasn’t just a dub. It was a complete reworking into a nearly-new story that happened to use existing visuals (thereby creating a quagmire of multiple copyrights for different parts, basically). Plus, DotU had a second season that never existed in the original. Effectively, the Koplars hold the copyright to Voltron in its American form. (See above for how EP is sometimes a courtesy title for past creators as well as present.) 
The Koplars own the franchise; DW is a licensee, and probably negotiated rights in the contract between the parties. At minimum: to produce a TV show, to sell toys and other merchandise of/with characters and images from the show, and to produce related comics. Lego did the same for its DotU Voltron lego set, but its license probably only covers just the logo, name, and likeness. In other words, we won’t be seeing Lego’s animated show featuring Voltron, just as we won’t be seeing a Lego-based Voltron sold by DW.
Think of franchises as renting a historical landmark. You’d pay some amount to the landlord (this is the license fee part), with a promise that you’d invest some amount more in keeping up the property (this is the ‘improvement of the franchise’ aspect). In return, you can live on the property, rent it out for parties, let movies be filmed there, or turn it into a hotel -- whatever way you chose to make money off renting the property. 
Violate the terms -- like, say, tearing the house down and installing a parking lot -- and you lose your license. It depends on the contract as to whether DW would pay additional fines. Generally speaking, assume they wouldn’t recoup any of their outlays to this point. I have no idea whether DW would retain ownership over their version of Voltron, but I can say the contract probably has extensive language covering who gets what, should the parties split.
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blayzez · 6 years ago
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I'm sorry, I know I don't usually post discourse on my blog. I'm just... really hurt right now.
At the age of 24, after spending my entire childhood forcing myself to believe I was straight because that's what my family and religion said I was supposed to be, I finally acknowledged that I was bisexual. Even then, I was still second-guessing myself: What if I only think I'm bisexual because the internet/social media makes it seem like the "In" thing? What if my sexuality is just a mask and not who I really am? What if, what if, what if. It was hard.
Then I saw Voltron. Lance seemed to have a bisexuality arc laid out for him, and it was obvious that he didn't quite know he was bi and/or wasn't emotionally ready to acknowledge it.
That was just so validating. It made me happy to know that being confused about your sexuality -- not being sure if you're the sexuality you think you might be -- was common enough to include it in a kid's show and it made me feel so much better! I was so happy, and with Lance's help (and the help of my friends and therapist), I was able to finally accept my sexuality for what it was. And I'm an adult. Think about how many kids his arc could have helped! Kids who were questioning, kids who were unsure, kids that might not being surrounded by a good support system and have to hide who they are. Lance was shaping up to be someone kids could really look up, admire, and in turn accept themselves for they are because of him.
And now that's washed down the drain. It meant so much to me, perhaps meant so much to a lot of kids that needed that role model, but it clearly meant nothing to the writers and that is just so disheartening.
This isn't even about shipping. I love K/ance with all my heart, but I would be okay with any endgame ship so long as it was written well. This includes keeping the characters in-character and allowing the romance to help in their character development. Keith was the most likely candidate -- he really did make Lance a better person and vice versa -- but if someone else filled that role and filled it well, I would have been perfectly fine with that! But that's not what we got. Instead, the boy who has been insecure ALL SERIES has to spend his only romance building up his partner and have that not be reciprocated. That most-likely-candidate boosted him up more than Lance's actual romantic partner, and that is just bad writing. That's not a good relationship. Relationships are two-way streets; you can't have only one of the partners be supportive -- they have to be EQUALLY supportive. And A//urance was not that. A//urance was rushed, did not help the characters develop in the slightest, and took away TWO great role models.
I don't like Allura. I think I've made this clear before, but I really don't like her. I was neutral to her in s1, then the whole Not-All-Galra arc happened in s2 and my opinion of her started going down at that point.
But she didn't deserve the hand she was dealt. She was the only woman of color in the main cast, and they KILL HER??? WHY????? I may not have liked her, but that doesn't mean she was a bad character! On the contrary, she was a great role model and I'm sure many girls of color looked up to her. And then they just kill her? First they take away the great role model Lance could have been as a confused bisexual character, and then they take away the only woman of color on the main cast. WHAT. THE. FUCK. You can't just do that! I feel so horrible for the kids who looked up to those characters only to have it all ripped out from under their feet.
Oh, but there was a random gay wedding at the end, so that makes it alllllllll better~
Except it doesn't. Adding in a gay wedding/kiss with little-to-no build-up is more likely to cause confusion than anything else. And it doesn't erase how dirty they did Lance and Allura. Both characters deserved better.
On the topic of shipping, yes, it was queerbait. I refused to believe the showrunners were doing that -- I absolutely refused because I trusted the showrunners completely. Surely they wouldn't have ALL OF THESE ROMANTIC PARALLELS between K/L with other canon romantic couples for nothing. Surely they wouldn't have developed K/L's relationship more than any other relationship unless there was a really good reason for it. SURELY THEY WOULDN'T BE OKAY WITH VAGUING ABOUT THE SHIP MULTIPLE TIMES AND BEING OKAY WITH DW USING K/L FOR MARKETING PURPOSES IF IT WASN'T GOING TO HAPPEN.
But nope. All of the media techniques to subtly hint at a romance used specifically for K/L meant nothing. It was just bros being bros nothing gay here.
And that is BULLSHIT.
Honestly, the whole season just screams, "SHOCK VALUE," to me. They wanted to shock people, but I don't think they really considered the repercussions of how they were doing it. I get shock value, bringing up the interest and encouraging audiences to rewatch the series to understand why the shock was actually built-up from the beginning, but there's right way to do it and a wrong way to do it. Voltron took the wrong way and screwed it up royally.
To be clear, I am not against straight ships. Far from it, some of my favorite ships are heterosexual. Nor do I fetishize mlm relationships -- K/L is only the second mlm relationship I've come to really love (the first being Hau and Gladion from Pokemon Sun & Moon). It's just that K/L really struck a chord with me and with so many other people, and to take that away for the sake of a straight ship and some shitty shock value? Dirty thing to do to the show's audience. Don't build up proper LGBT+ rep UNLESS YOU ACTUALLY FUCKING HAVE IT. The only rep? Shiro, and a hastily-added Zethrid/Ezor ship. Blaytz, too, but that was glossed over tbh and I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of the audience (not on tumblr because we analyze everything to death lol) completely forgot about Blaytz's interaction with that make Galra. That's not proper rep. That's throwing it in and thinking, "It exists so our job is done."
Media in general has being doing LGBT+ rep dirty for SO LONG. Even when we had positive LGBT+ characters in media, they were still characters based off of gay stereotypes. They were good positive characters, but were still perpetuating a certain bias against LGBT+ by displaying these stereotypes as fact. Times are supposed to be different now. We're supposed to be progressing, making it BETTER. I really thought Voltron was going to be part of that progress, that it would give us a well-written, well-developed, well-loved LGBT+ representation for kids of this generation to look up to and admire and learn acceptance -- about themselves and about others -- from. Instead, the showrunners three half-assed, tacked on LGBT+ reps and called it a day.
THAT'S NOT COOL.
This isn't about ships. This is about proper media representation for the LGBT+ community -- something that is really scarce, even now -- and how it affects the LGBT+ community when it's done badly. This also goes for racial rep. You can take two misrepresented groups and treat them horribly and then call it good rep. IT ISN'T. The poor representation of the LGBT+ community has proved to be detrimental in society's view of them. THIS DOESN'T HELP.
*sigh*
Off the topic of that, can we talk about how shit the writing was? Because it was really shit.
I'll admit that while I like s7, it wasn't written amazingly-well. Still, it wasn't bad and did have plenty of interesting episodes. Even with all of the asspulls we got in the last episode, it was still awesome because we got to see Shiro back in his element after losing almost everything in prior seasons. It was a mix of good writing and bad writing, but the good writing made up for the bad.
The seasons previous to that were well-done. Maybe not s4, but the other seasons were well-written and really enjoyable! There's a reason the show took off; the plot maybe standard, but the characters, character dynamics, and relationships were fantastic and were the true driving force behind the series and its success.
So why was s8 so all over the place? Why were plot threads that had been hinted at or outright confirmed left hanging or tied together hastily? So many things were alluded to in previous seasons only to lead to NOTHING. WHY???
Why did everyone BUT Lance get an arc?
What was the point of Lance getting a sword if it was never going to be brought up again?
Why was Keith's arc suddenly thrown to the wayside?
Why did Allura have to DIE for her arc to reach its conclusion?
WHY?
So many people complained about bad writing in Voltron, but I had always believed that the writing in Voltron was relatively good. Sure, it had its problems (like the entirety of s4, and the MFEs being boring as shit), but it was mostly a well-rounded show with well-rounded characters.
And s8... just threw all of that away.
All of that potential, all of those good arcs -- wasted.
The writing went downhill SO fast, and it's just such a shame. Something that meant so much to me has dissolved into the mess s8 was. It's disheartening.
I also want to apologize to all of my followers who followed me because my K/L optimism and metas. I'm sorry if I got your hopes up; I really thought K/L was the logical conclusion -- everything was building up to it, right from the first episode and even continuing in s7 (hell, even s8 added to it) -- and I truly thought the writers were going to follow through with all of the logical conclusions the previous seasons built up. I had faith in them, but I was wrong. For that, I apologize. I know it's just a cartoon show, but I also know how influential and meaningful media can be -- especially for marginalized groups -- so if my hype bringing you up made your fall harder when s8 was released, I am so sorry. You didn't deserve that; nobody in the fandom did.
I'm so jaded and disillusioned right now. Voltron has been a major inspiration for me; I originally decided to be a cartoonist to bring LGBT+ representation to children's media because of Steven Universe, but it was Voltron that really motivated me to reach that goal. I looked up to Voltron -- it was my muse, my main inspiration. I've learned so much about writing -- writing character arcs, relationships, etc. -- from Voltron and all of the analyzing people did. Seeing it devolve into what it did is upsetting. Something I loved so much has let me down, and I'm hurt and disappointed.
But more than ever, I want to create cartoons that don't do this; cartoons that tie up its loose ends, follow through with obvious character relationships, puts the main characters through complete arcs, and give proper development to them all. Cartoons that have proper LGBT+ and racial representation -- with LGBT+/characters of color that can be admired, that won't fall flat, that will teach the children of the generation about acceptance of others and acceptance of yourself regardless of sexuality, skin color, gender identity, etc. Voltron failed in that aspect; it was a compelling show that failed in everything it needed to succeed in. I refuse to make that same mistake.
With that, let's all look ahead to future and enjoy the fanworks that do these wonderful characters justice. Let Voltron's failure inspire you to create and make something better, something that will be much more impactful, much more meaningful.
Don't let it get you down; let it bring you up.
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