#i have watched many more starred treks now and will probably continue to

[scribefindegil]

finished Lower Decks tonight and ohhhh I'm gonna miss it. Community in space my beloved . . .

[elephant-in-the-pride-parade]

Prodigy Recap

I love it I love it I love it I could watch it forever

I'm truly irrevokably in love. I'm done for. I'm probably going to rewatch this all month before I am satisfied I've fully taken it all in. I NEED to rewatch Mindwalk and Supernova again ASAP because knowing what I know now about the memories HJ had just recovered. I know it is going to wreck me to watch her in those episodes with S2 in mind.

My ship HELD HANDS GUYSSS. HE TOLD HER SHES HIS HOME. HE DIDNT FEEL LIKE HE BELONGED ANYWHERE UNTIL THEY MET. SHE BROKE TIME FOR HIM AGAIN AND AGAIN. HER EYES GOT SO BIG! THAT HUG LOOKED SO GOOD. (I'm getting off topic a lot but i need to get the "my ship is canon - in a way i don't hate!!!" fangirling out of my system.) breathe. breathe. okay gonna keep going.

Its gonna take me a few more watch throughs to fully wrap my head around the paradox. And around how you fit a humpback whale in the original ISS Voyager (seriously. has that been there the whole time? does OG Voyager have a whale? was she retrofitted in the AQ? did Mirror J steal a whale from 1996?) And if that timeline where KJ was lost on the infinity means shes also trapped on future solum with Chakotay or just dead. and and and... so many things. so many fic ideas. so many plot bunnies

(wait no -- shoves the plot bunnies away -- go away. not ready for more wips yet)

There. was. so. much. that I loved. it was such an ambitious story to tell in 2 seasons and oh my god, i really feel they mostly pulled it off. They brought back Voyagers legacy characters and put them to work in a plot that fit them, and it was such a joy to see them again. They stay true to who they were on Voyager - thoroughly wonderfully 100x better than on Voyager in Chakotays case. and i really believe theyre the same characters with a few more years of life since ive last met them.

And the new characters too. I love Dal and Gwyn and Rok and Murf and Zero and Jankom and Maj'el to pieces. (Majel!!! is such a perfect tribute!) I want to see so much more of Noum and Tysses. I am in tears over Adreek. God how much i want Season 3 just to see how their stories continue.

But I think... what strikes me most and what I appreciated the most was how much this show wholeheartedly respects its fans!!!

It never dumbs things down or babies it's younger audience. its very mature for a kids show. it is a great introduction to star trek and the universe without over explaining. there are storylines in these 40 episodes that would be right at home in TNG or Voyager. it's really more of a fun for the whole family show than a kids show in that way. (it says something that it's the first "cartoon" my parents have ever cared for and they are watching it wholely for themselves.) It really manages to tell the story in a framing thats aimed at kids without taking anything away from the story its telling for all ages.

And it's adult audience...

I worried about how it would feel to have enjoyed such a rich fanon universe in the 3 decades since the show ended. There were advantages to having a ship with very little canon. the fan universe thrived on how much room there was to work within. After that - having headcanoned and written and imagined so many futures for the characters - I feared having some new canon come in and make a new story for them that would invalidate so much if that imagination, or create something so unsatisfying or rigid or antithical to their last canon encounter that nothing new would be inspired by it. (P/C in Picard was like that for me)

Prodigy didnt do that. Prodigy made no grand sweeping canon for the years in between Voyagers homecoming and the new show. Prodigy didnt shoe horn any character into a rigid relationship status. Prodigy picked them up, set them on a new adventure, sprinkled in tantalyzing new details, and left a wealth of room around the events of the season and the relationships between the characters for so much fan imagination to thrive. The possibilities before and during and after the seasons for the characters are bountiful and perfect for imagining their other adventures. I couldnt have imagined my ship becoming canon (or maybe affirmed by the canon is a clearer way to put it) in a better way.

And then they went and added Tank Top Action Janeway in there as a treat.

Truly a masterpiece. i'm so grateful for this show. i hope it gets the 3rd season it so dearly deserves.

[dabuerre]

so, normally, i would post way more, about specific episodes, as i tried to do, but like damn. my watch of season 2 absolutely flew by.

i have so many thoughts about everything. i think this is for me the same thing as star trek. thats the highest compliment i can give it.

i love the "crew". with every new episode, sam grows more beautiful.

"Holiday" hit me pretty hard, which i didnt expect.

apophis is dead? damn bro. like finally. but he died the most horrible death. i feel awful for his host. because, even though Daniel Jackson did the whole capture the soul in the statuette thingie, it doesn't matter, because heru-ur probably keeps torturing him eternally. not sure.

my god. "One False Step". also incredibly good. i knew, that Jack cared deeply for Daniel, but their friendship wasn't really there. something was missing for me, i guess. this episode completed it for me. that scene, when they are sitting on the hospital bed apologizing to each other? perfection. and the whole idea behind the concept, with the singing mushroom guys, i love this episode so fucking much. when daniel exploded with the whole "we are genociding a people" i was genuinely very worried that they are just gonna all die.

"Show and Tell". the Retoor. so fucking cool damn. but creepy asfuck aswell. that whole mother business creeped me the hell out. when the boy told Jack that he wanted to be called "Charlie" i was devastated, because i thought for the third time, Jack was gonna lose his son. atleast that didnt happen, ig. i do think though that the Retoor are possibly even a bigger threat then the Goa'Ulds.

"1969" was my kind of episode. absolute perfection. we got. time travel shenanigans check. we got hippies in a cool fucking bus? check. we got young lieutenant hammond? check. loved the whole road trip feel that the episode has. i think the actress for "old" Clarissa was not well chosen though. small nitpick.

and now, "Out of My Mind". now i immedietally you know that only Jack being in 2077 was impossible. the show couldnt continue if they got off-screened. but in my mind i assumed that maybe Jack is gonna time travel back to 1997 or something. but then when the Tok'ra doctor gave him the "high-tech hypnosis" device, i suspected that something shady is going on. the Teal'c insert, with the whole speech, and Bratak being beaten, was suprising to me. i genuinely thought more people would rally. but again, stargate is perfection, cuz yeah. these people completely lost their identity. like, jaffa, to me, is a title, right? Teal'c is not a jaffa, he is Tauri, i guess, be grew up on Chulak. so are they Chulakians? were there ever a time when they weren't occupied by the Goa'ulds? idk. cool to thing about. more to come i hope.

and then of course came the peak moment. now i dont really ship Jack and Carter yet. atleast i didnt use to. i thought they worked completely well as just great friends who have huge respect for each other. but when Jack killed Hathor, in that manner, and then the hug... yeah man, i knew. i knew haha. but yeah, not possible. fuck regulations. so i guess this will be another Beverly situation.

gonna start watching season 3 now. im so happy that i found this series haha. i thought it would take longer to find something on the same level as startrek. you people got it good in the 00s. haha.

[iamafanofcartoons]

We need to address how media, and media critics, portray female characters poorly. What can be done about it? What are examples of media works that portray complex female characters well? What are writing tips for people trying to write complex female characters? Why do media critics hate on women?

Its just something I noticed.

Male writers drop the ball with female characters all the time. They'll give the men all the good lines but women get weak roles and no sense of humor. When we complain they then make a female character who has too many boyfriends and too much ego and too much power but no resourcefulness, or she's super powerful but still needs a man to save her, and of course they make her complain about everything and fight with everyone who helps her. I could go on and on.

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

I'm been having a huge problem connecting to media. The only women around are very young or very old and their main defining feature is usually motherhood. If a woman my age exists who isn't a mom she's usually either obsessed with men or desperate to have a baby (or will be once the right dude comes along).

Fanfiction has great female characters , but you keep running into people who will only write a complex woman who's tied to a male main character.

Michael Burnham from Star Trek: Discovery . POC Female Protagonist. You probably have heard or seen a lot of hatred against.

Korra from The Legend Of Korra. Sequel Series to ATLA. POC Female Protagonist. Despite losing fights and suffering extreme trauma and making mistakes, critics passionately bash the show, calling her a Mary-Sue, and accusing the show of being Protagonist-Centered Morality.

A lot of the time if there is a military high ranking female character or just female leader that is masculine or butch she will be the villain to be defeated by the traditionally feminine or at least more feminine heroine/love interest of the hero. I hate this because it basically implies that a woman can only be good if she’s conventionally attractive or a love interest. It’s saying being butch is bad/evil.

Even movies trying to be feminist, like “Contact” which I had to watch for homework? With Jodie Foster from the 1990s told the brilliant, focused woman scientist to not be so “confrontational” (as two male characters stole credit for her work right after they stole her funding) and to be happy with “small moves.” They continued to pat her on the head and tell her to be quiet through the whole movie. The one time she even spoke to another woman was to ask where she could find a really pretty dress. This was supposed to show growth in her character arc.

If I recall correctly, one of the playable characters in the next release of the grand theft auto series is gonna be a women. People online were flipping out over this saying they are being too "woke", among other things. Its funny to me because there has been 5 gta games with only male protagonists, and now there's 1 female in it and suddenly its a problem. Its like these people think there are only 2 genders in games, male and woke.

Heck, people love basic trope laden protagonists..... until they are women.

People love unreasonably over powered characters that are loved or feared in equal measure by the entire cast..... until its a woman.

Then all of a sudden, she's a Mary-Sue and the show/game/book is "Protagonist-Centered Morality"

Some characters who are torn apart for their initial naïveté like Sansa Stark or Usagi Tsukino (Sailor Moon) are immediately written off as stupid girl characters. Never mind that one becomes a political powerhouse and the other routinely saves the world. People just write their characters off as too “girly” or “annoying” before they even have the chance to redeem themselves in their stories.

Feels like at it's core, people don't like women trying to build self confidence and play out power fantasies. The only difference with the original Mary Sue was that she was imagining being liked by everyone, which was every woman's dream back then and to a certain extent, now. The power was being well liked, and that made her annoyingly boring because there was no struggle for her. Men think struggle is needed, even in fantasies and dreams, but it isn't.

The term Mary-Sue gained a new popularity by shaming female characters (such as Rey, Galadriel, Captain Marvel,…). I am not saying the term is not used towards male characters as well, but it is more rare, and it is rarely as violent as when it is used to characterize a female character.

More importantly it is used against female characters unevenly compared to male characters, its accepted as a genre trope for a male character to be extremely capable or to acrue experience and ability rapidly throughout the narrative. But when it's a woman suddenly "realism" must apply, a real person doesn't simply gain strength and talent through endless perfectly leveled hardship. In simpler terms, Batman can launch a thug across the room with a single punch and it's awesome, Black Widow, however, is breaking the laws of physics when she does her famous around the neck takedown.

Neither are realistic, arguably any grown man launching another grown man bodily through the air with a casual punch is less realistic than a woman pulling off a skilled takedown, but the unequal application of standards says all that needs to be said about the critic.

Writing a "mary sue" to be male often results in a praised character that people don't really worry about. Like Goku or Kirito. People are fine with it. Enjoy it. And there's massive amounts of rather popular fanfiction taking random male characters in series and sue-ifying them, making them the protagonist over the actual main characters, and slapping in poorly developed romance arcs. It's "mary sue" 101, but hardly anyone talks about them in that light.

Meanwhile a woman shows a level of competence similar to another character in the same series (e.g. Rey to Luke or Anakin) and the accusations are everywhere.

Calling these characters one-dimensional is one of the dog-whistles of the modern [whatever]-gate colony creature.

They know that they'll get savaged if they come out and say they're mad because this character is a woman, so they couch everything in these subjective terms. She's one-dimensional. She's flat. She's badly written. She's a mary sue. I just couldn't relate to her.

You can argue with them, you can point out that, say, in Star Wars, that Rey's ability to handle weapons intentionally established in the early scenes of TFA, that we see the setup for the skills she's going to display later in the movie/series, and that her first win is against a badly wounded Sith apprentice. By contrast, Luke successfully fights his way through a huge space station against professional soldiers, then hops into a starfighter he's never flown before, outflies a bunch of experienced pilots, and pulls off a physically impossible shot to save the day.

But sure. Rey is the one who strains credulity.

You can point all that out, but none of it matters. They're not arguing in good faith. They're just mad that there's a girl, and know better than to say that out loud.

He pulls off the shot because he has a throwaway line about murdering animals the size of a camel for fun in his civilian craft that just so happens to have controls similar to the military superiority fighter because they were manufactured by the same company. Because that doesn't strain credibility. Also guess which parts were filled in later by novel writers who were like, "holy **** that makes no sense at all"

Sailor Moon and Sansa Stark are two female characters that start out as whiney cry-baby girlie girls who evolve into political powerhouses and heroes in their own right. But most people write their characters off immediately, because they’re disgusted by their girlish-ness.

While our media gives male characters a chance to grow, female characters are generally written off unless they either show masculine traits, or are used for fan service. It’s why women in movies and TV are usually a kickass tomboy or a girlfriend character.

So anyway, I guess my point is that there are amazing kickass women characters who are well-written and evolve and grow, but their growth tends to be written off as frivolous and not as cool as their dude counterparts.

Imagine an anime where the woman is the main character and she's strong, smart, and not sexualized ?

How about Guardian of the Spirit (seirei no moribito in Japanese)? The MC is a mercenary woman who fights with a spear. She's a complex character, maybe somewhat emotionally stunted because of growing up on the road. She meets a wonderful, compassionate male healer and I love how they break stereotypical gender roles. There's also a complete badass old lady with magical powers and a temper. One of my favourite characters in any genre.

But I'd like to add SuleMio to the list.

Some people did not like that Gundam had its first female protagonist last year, or that she's engaged to another girl, or that they have a romantic moment where Miorine makes Suletta "promise to be with me forever".

It's my first Gundam show and I was nowhere near the fandom, but even I heard the howls of rage from the otakus over that show while it was airing.

“ I highly recommend reading Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson. Strong female main character with a supportive cast of male characters. His Skyward series is also good for this.  Sanderson is great but there are some female fantasy writers that do this even better IMO. NK Jemisin has tons of great female characters. Tamsyn Muir’s Locked Tomb series has a majority female cast and I’d say 4 or 5 of them are in the top ten most interesting and complex female characters I’ve read. “

You heard of The Bechdel test: Two women have to talk about something other than a man. There is no time window. It came up in a 1985 comic Dykes To Watch Out For and although it is not a great indicator of more feminist content, it's a wonder much media fails to pass that test.

Have you seen

Arcane? That is a wild crazy masterpiece with awesomely complex awesome characters. It's animated, yeah, so what? But I mean, to say "it's animated" is a heavy  understatement. Have you seen Jinx? Have you seen her portrayal of psychosis and godknows what else was happening in her head? No one in history came even close to that.

Queen's Gambit? Anya Taylor-Joy brought Beth Harmon flawlessly through immense complexity of the character

Mare of Easttown - Kate Winslet there is, I kid you not, the best acting I have ever seen. Her character is going through complex situations and emotions and learning to deal with her human side. Bryan Cranston raised the bar ridiculously high with Walter White, but Kate Winslet pushed it further up, set explosives on it, and walked away like a badass without looking at the explosion. No one is topping that anytime soon.

I'm sure there are more examples. But what I love about these, and a big part of what makes them perfect is that they are their own characters and aren't defined by men around them. Their greatn

I wish female characters were given better in terms of development and characterization. Honestly, I feel like a lot of people hate female characters simply because most male dominated media does such a poor job of writing women, and those characters aren't given the same excuses as poorly written male characters.

Anyway, yeah, sorry for my rant. Having grown up on Anime, Harry Potter, Star Wars, you name it?

I later in life realized what was missing, what is needed, and really needed to hear other people's input on this stuff.

I never understood the need for every main character to be only a cishet white guy. I had already come up with several characters of my own, all of them LGBTQIA+, and half of them women, and several also POC. But my writing and art skills are poor so I can't visualize them properly...

We need more female authors, and we need to promote the ones that are out there more!

(there are plenty of really, really good female authors, in all genres, but often they get less attention, because, well, misogyny)

Edit: If you want an example of how the double-standard towards women and LGBT is applied? Go watch RWBY or Legend of Korra. Both involve a deconstruction of tropes. Both involve women standing up against an authority that demands respect based on being authority, not based on respect. Both shut down the white male savior trope so hard, that men and women who love the patriarchy despise both shows.

But of course, anything that Team RWBY or Korra does is immediately held to a double standard and ripped into for anything that they do NOT because they’re flawed or because of writing decisions. Its because they’re LGBT women that they’re held under a microscope. Or have you noticed that every fixit fanfic for both series involves defending the Patriarchy while supporting toxic masculinity and trying to revive the White Male Savior trope that both shows have tried so hard to bury six feet under?

[phosphorescentspaceman]

phosphor's voltz rewatch, the lore collecting saga continues.

warnings for: heavy xephos bias to lore coverage, past yogscast members who were in voltz, excessive reaching on my part

Episodes 6 - 10 under the cut:

"who would nuke someone from under their base?" says lalna, the man who does that.

i do love the chemistry info dump, working that into my xeph headcanons

worlds worst nuclear engineers. these two are going to end the world accidentally.

xeph getting stressed when someone does something wrong and dangerous is so iconic - he gets so snippy so quickly, but it doesn't last long.

voltz was a really janky modpack wasn't it? i didn't remember how jank it was. very unbalanced.

"there'll be a lever under the reactor - you know like in those films where someone has to go sacrifice themselves? yeah" i'm now imagining a xephna recreation of that scene in wrath of khan (the literal only star trek thing i've ever watched) where spock has to enter the reactor to save the ship and dies against the glass as kirk watches.

they are both so silly goofy with their insults. idiot hole is not a normal thing to call someone. lalna and xeph bad at being mean canon.

xeph and lalna on a sipsco heist, what will they steal? (leather, primarily)

ridge has started building his base, xeph has noticed him - its an actually subtle base vs the big bunker or the house in the mountain.

i forgot how blatantly they cheated in this series - do we have a bit of fanon explaining this away or are we simply pretending we do not see it.

"i kind of like dying, its a refreshing experience." lalna this is why xeph makes so many clones of you, hes concerned!!

one of the boys gets radiation poisoning counter: 1 "Why do you always do this!" "I'm a scientist! I like to test things!" "But - that's not smart!" <- the early xephna dynamic, to me

and now the reactor has exploded! well done everyone

i don't think xeph's managed to get radiation sickness yet, so i've decided this is evidence for my 'xeph just is naturally radioactive' headcanon

episode 10 and we get honeydew! i like how he just kind of noticed xeph was missing and went looking for him and, somehow, found him in a concrete bunker. honeyphos real forever.

"you look almost dangerously unprepared for nuclear radiation" "well, yeah, i'm half naked -" honeydew should not be allowed in the lab, he is not wearing the correct PPE

"why are you [working on stuff] without me!" honeydew has separation anxiety for realsies. considering the shit xeph gets up to, its probably justified.

lalna is the bloodthirsty one here, trying to justify the whole nuclear war thing while xeph starts off recommending a nuclear deterrent instead -> surely looking back at this interaction from the future will not feel like a gut punch. surely.

xeph saying: "don't worry about it" counter: 1 2

i like the idea of honeydew being a lot better at maths than xeph - at least mental maths. this isn't lore its just the vibes.

sipsco may have bugged the bunker! i bet they heard more than theyd bargained for

[blue-eyed-cutiepatootie]

who will take care of me

established destiel, kid!jack, single parent castiel

wc 780

Castiel is ignoring his ice cube toes when he hears the front door open. He burrows further into the blankets. Covering his face, he wills the shame away.

It's been building all day. He hears boots hit the floor and keys jangle on the table. 

Jack woke up cranky and it all went downhill from there. He had forgotten to buy more blueberries for the oatmeal. Jack refused bananas as a substitute and Cas couldn't blame him. Wrong texture. Looking for Jack’s other Thomas the Tank Engine shoe put them late to preschool which in turn put Castiel late for work. Jack was in tears as he walked away. Castiel tried not to cry as he called his boss.

Continue reading below or on AO3

Work was a steady stream of students and coworkers in sour moods as the cold and rainy Friday stretched on.

And on.

And on.

The water runs in the kitchen.

Who will take care of me? Castiel used to wonder as he juggled single parenting with a full time job.

Jack was at least in a better mood when Castiel picked him up on his lunch break. Fridays were always half days at the preschool and it was Anna's turn to watch him. His sister's house is always a favorite of Jack's. Lots of craft supplies and an old dress up trunk keep him occupied for hours. Castiel is forever thankful Anna works from home.

And that she knows him so well. 

Why don't I keep him overnight? I'll take him to the library in the morning and you can pick him up there?

Castiel squeezes his eyes shut even tighter. He knows he can't do everything on his own but the shame at being relieved to have a night to himself engulfs him.

He's not even making use of the time.

His bedroom door creaks open. Clothes softly fall to the floor and then Castiel is enveloped in strong arms. His toes come in contact with warm shins and there's a yelp in his ear.

"Shit, Cas! Would it kill you to put some socks on?"

In response, Castiel turns in his arms and buries his face in Dean's t-shirt. He inhales the smell of coffee and baked goods. Hands come up to stroke his hair, followed by a kiss.

"Rough day, huh?"

Castiel nods, tears finally leaking down his nose. 

"Jack still with Anna?"

Another nod.

"You in the mood for pizza or chinese?"

Castiel taps Dean's bicep once. 

"The Two Towers or Star Trek Beyond?"

Two taps. 

"Excellent choice. Today really was crazy. Is it a full moon?" Dean claws his fingers and gently scratches circles on Castiel's back. Castiel doesn’t believe in the full moon affecting people’s behavior but he’s starting to rethink that. His phone pings several times on the bedside table, most likely videos of Jack from Anna.

After a few moments Dean says, "Alright, I’m gonna go order the pizza." 

Dean starts to pull away but Castiel clutches at his t-shirt. Dean makes a wounded sound, "Baby, c'mon I’m starving and I can hear your stomach growling." 

Castiel lets Dean roll out of the bed. He hears Dean open a drawer, probably for some sweatpants, and is also greeted with clean socks in his face.

"I hear the couch calling your name!" Dean says in a sing-song tone as he leaves the room. Cas grumbles, but after watching the videos Anna sent, he’s shuffling down the hall, wrapped in the comforter. The sight greeting him in the kitchen nearly makes him weep. Again.

They’ve only been dating a few months, but Dean has already made himself at home. He's great with Jack and always helps out with chores that Castiel can never seem to catch up on. Like, right now Dean is tackling the mountain of dirty dishes in the sink. Castiel flops onto the couch in the front room and draws the comforter tightly around him. Maybe it’s time to ask him to move in. 

The sound of Dean’s singing lulls him into a doze that the doorbell ringing tears him out of. Dean plops the pizza, sodas, and paper towels on the coffee table before lifting up Castiel's legs to sit on the couch. He presses play on the DVD menu. Subtitles already on. They've both seen this movie too many times to count and Dean says half the lines along with the movie. 

Castiel is in the middle of his third slice when he reaches out for Dean's hand. 

"I love you." His voice breaks as he interrupts Dean's running commentary. 

Dean smiles tenderly, pulls Castiel into a hug, and says "I love you most."

Castiel doesn't have to wonder anymore.

[gosiksmallspace]

Shipper Tag Game

Thank you @godotismissingx for the tag! ❤️❤️❤️

Sorry that it took so much time 😅

Okay let's go!

1. What ship were you completely obsessed with when you were a teenager, but now you don't care anymore?

There were some k-pop ships I used to ship but as time went by I just stopped. Maybe because I’m not as much into k-pop as I used to be.

I also don’t ship any of Hetalia’s characters anymore.

2. Which ship would you consider your first one?

Stella and Brandon from Winx Club or Kevin and Gewn from Ben 10: Alien Force. That was even before I was aware of what shipping was.

While I was aware, I think it was Shizaya? Durarara was one of the first animes I watched. And Heiwajima Shizuo and Orihara Izaya's love-hate relationship was so good for a 12-year-old me.

Or it could be SasuNaru…

3. Your first fanfic belonged to which couple?

Written it was Merciless. 

But read? That was so long time ago...

I remember I found some Ben 10 stories on the Internet and I read a lot of them as a kid.

But when I read and I was aware I was reading fanfics it was most likely SasuNaru or Darry. It was most likely still on Wattpad or fanfiction.net. On or those self-publishing blogs. Those were popular back then.

4. Do you remember the first couple you saw a fanart over?

Probably SasuNaru. Or another ship that was popular at the beginning of the 2010s.

5. Did you ever get into ship discourse?

I try not to. I mostly believe that fiction is fiction and when I don't like something I just don't read it.

I like to read people's points of view though.

6. Did you used to have any no-otp or have it currently?

Not really. I used to hate UkFrance from Hetalia but now I just don't care. And I never really shipped Destiel. But I'm not sure I would call them a no-otp.

7. Who were the couple in the last fanfic you read?

A new chapter of Merciless fic that I'm always waiting for was published. It's called Hidsight by duty_free. AND IT'S AWESOME, GO READ IT. It's a wonderful continuation to The Merciless that can actually fix those two morons (I have hope, it's still ongoing)

Before it, my friend @frayed-at-the-seams published her fic about Junho and Hoyeol from D.P. It's called Dogs and Cats. It's an interesting supernatural spin on the original story and it allows Junho and Hoyeol to be cute ❤️

8. Currently, do you have any OTPs?

Of course. My absolute favorite obsession is Han Jaeho x Jo Hyunsoo from The Merciless

But there is more:

Roronora Zoro x Sanji (Zosan) from One Piece

Sakata Gintoki x Hijikata Toshirou (GinHiji) from Gintama

Shizuo Heiwajima x Orihara Izaya (Shizaya) from Durarara!!

Oga Tatsumi x Furuichi Takayuki (OgaFuru) from Beelzebub

Lee Dongsik x Han Juwon from Beyond Evil

Kang Yohan x Kim Gaon (GaHan) from Devil Judge

An Junho x Han Hoyeol from D.P.

Miyuki Kazuya x Sawamura Eijun (MiyuSawa) from Ace of Diamond 

James T. Kirk x Spock from Star Trek 

Merlin x Arthur Pendragon from BBC Merlin

James Bond x Q (00Q) from James Bond movies

Harry Hart x Gary "Eggsy" Unwin from Kingsman movies

Tony Stark aka Iron Man x Steve Rogers aka Captain America from Marvel Comics (comics only.)

Peter Parker aka Spiderman and Wade Wilson aka Deadpool from the Marvel Comics

Loid Forger x Yor Forger from SPY X FAMILY

Hino Eiji x Akhn (EiAn) from Kamen Rider OOO

Shijima Go x Chase from Kamen Rider Drive

Kiryu Sento x Banjo Ryuga from Kamen Rider Build

and many many more

Also as an exception to my k-pop rule, I still ship ChanBaek from EXO.

9. Is there any couple that, to this day, you are extremely mad about not getting together?

Robin and Barney from How I Met Your Mother. I get that it was planned from the beginning for Ted to end up with Robin but did they have to make Robin and Barney so good???

Also, Merthur, like they had a whole story about them? All 5 seasons?

And Sterek. 

10. Is there any ship you used to dislike but now you think they are kind of interesting?

Zeke x Levi from Shingeki no Kyojin. I used to not be much into it but there is an amazing reincarnation comic AU on twitter (here) with them and I have to say that they have a potential.

11. Do you have any ship that, in the past, was considered normal but now you would be canceled over?

Not sure... There were some ships that I wasn't aware of age. I don't mind ships with big age differences but I like for both parties to be over 18.

So maybe as an example Levi x Eren? Eren was 15 and now looking back I'm not sure if I would ship it. 

12. What was your favorite crack ship?

Tried to think of something but my head is empty. I don't believe I don't have any crack ships!

13. Who is the couple you read more fanfics of?

Shizaya, GinHiji or ChanBaek. They have big fandoms so I could just move from one fic to another. 

Also YoonMin. I used to ship them a lot but now not really but I read a lot of fics with them.

14. What most of your ships usually have in common?

They usually banter or tease each other. Those love-hate relationships are my favorites. And more of them lately have an age difference.

15. What you absolutely hate in a ship?

Lack of chemistry? I hate too much drama but also don't like where everything is fine. And cheating.

tagging (no preassure): @daxianme @yardmargs @frayed-at-the-seams @bobafvcks @babischlong-six @stanaclown @igonecrazy @chhagiya @lovemevermore @ilikeallthepenguins @manproposes-goddisposes @backtomanyang @inashoe @darktecno @areththeimagine and everyone who wants :)

[whollyjoly]

tag game

✨get to know me✨

thank you @xxluckystrike @panzershrike-pretz @luckynumber4 for the tags my loves 💕

- Name:

em! (although Occasional Cult Leader and Obsessed With Alton More are acceptable as well 😂)

- Pronouns:

she/her/hers!

- Star sign:

CRAB SIGN CRAB SIGN CRAB SIGN 🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀 ...no but actually im cancer sun cancer moon cancer mercury, the stars really said fuck you you're gonna be an emotional wreck and they were goddamn right

- # of siblings and fun facts about them (if you have any):

only child babyyyyyyyy ...well technically i have three step-sibs, but they are all older and were out of the house by the time our parents moved in together, so i never really? experienced sibling-ness with them?

- # of pets & their names:

my baby, my child, my little monster, the love of my life, my sweet cat BD-2 💕 she is an absolute fluffy menace, little miss priss, the queen of the castle, and im obsessed with her. nicknames include: Squeaky (cause she doesn't meow, she squeaks), Squeaks, The Squeaky One, The Lord Squeaketh (and The Lord Demandeth the Play), Shrimp Whiskers, Menace, Floof Creature, Angel Who Has Never Done Any Wrong, and Baby 🥰

- Fandoms:

lord i have been in so many fandoms over my many tumblr years...right now its full Band of Brothers hyperfixation season, but I'm watching M*A*S*H for the first time right now and slowly am falling into the rabbit hole also im a star wars girlie from way back (shoutout to all my old clone wars moots who were probably like "what the fuck" when i started posting about wwii men, sorry not sorry) also also: watcher, doctor who, star trek (tos mostly), chernobyl, and various other things, as a treat✨

- Favorite color:

im an olive green girlie, although deep purple has a special place in my heart!

- Favorite song:

holocene by bon iver ❤️ it's my all time favorite song, the song i listen to when my anxiety feels overwhelming, what i put on when i need to center myself and get out of my head. (someway, baby, it's part of me, apart from me)

- Favorite author (of anything readable - books, fanfics, zines, webtoons, whatever!):

sooooo my all-time fav book is Invisible Cites by Italo Calvino!! i am absolutely obsessed with the way he describes physical places and emotions, the metaphors and imagery and the way he describes the feeling a place or person can give you without actually describing it at all? it's both dreamlike and ethereal and grounded and real at the same time, and i just....love it so much. here's one of my favorite bits from the book:

Cities & The Sky [3] Those who arrive at Thekla can see little of the city, beyond the plank fences, the sackcloth screens, the scaffoldings, the metal armatures, the wooden catwalks hanging from ropes or surrounded by sawhorses, the ladders, the trestles. If you ask, "Why is Thekla's construction taking such a long time?" the inhabitants continue hoisting sacks, lowering leaded strings, moving long brushes up and down, as they answer, "So that its destruction cannot begin." And if asked whether they fear that, once the scaffoldings are removed, the city may begin to crumple and fall to pieces, they add hastily, in a whisper, "Not only the city." If, dissatisfied with the answers, someone puts his eye to a crack in a fence, he sees cranes pulling up other cranes, scaffoldings that embrace other scaffoldings, beams that prop up other beams. "What meaning does your construction have?" he asks. "What is the aim of a city under construction unless it is a city? Where is the plan you are following, the blueprint?" "We will show it to you as soon as the working day is over; we cannot interrupt our work now," they answer. Work stops at sunset. Darkness falls over the building site. The sky is filled with stars. "There is the blueprint," they say.

- Favorite fic type:

oh i will eat up...anything. literally anything. BUT if i had to pick, i have a special place in my heart for: soulmate AUs, angst with a happy ending, fake relationship AUs, hurt/comfort, time loops, magical realism AUs (particularly if canon-divergent), and the good old classic, fluffy modern AUs 💕

- Favorite Holiday:

i fucking...love christmastime okay?? i love the traditions my family has for it, like Short Feast on the winter solstice (where we eat Short Ribs and Short Grain Rice and Short Vegetables and Shortbread and put on our Short Pants and drink Short Bottles of Whiskey and go outside to Welcome the Coming of the Light, after the Longest Night of the Year), as well as finding/writing poems on Christmas Eve and walking to the large 600+ year old sequoia trees in our neighborhood to recite them and bring good energy to the new year, to watching It's A Wonderful Life every year. holidays and traditions are so much what you make of it, and i love the energy my family brings into it - nothing is precious, but everything is sacred.

- Do you have a partner (romantic, qpr, anything!)?:

ye, i have a bf!

- Hobbies:

i love to cross-stitch! it helps my adhd ass brain focus on things, so if ever im watching a show or listening to a podcast, i usually have a hoop in my hands. i also love board games - particularly social deception games! and of course - watching tv/movies, reading fic, consuming media, making moodboards, dreaming up fic ideas, and all the lovely things you see me talk about here on tumblr 💕

- Fun facts about you:

uhhhhhhhhhhhh i dont?? know if i have a fun fact?? about me??? OH WAIT okay this is for the bob fans out there - so i was visiting philly not all that long ago, and went to both front street and 17th street in south philly For Our Boys, bill and babe ❤️ and while i was there, i went into a bookstore that was right on s 17th street... and they had a SINGLE copy of bill and babe's book!! i got it of course, and it felt like it was absolutely meant to be!!

tagging, if you want!: @sweetxvanixlla @ronsparky @coco-bean-1218 @onlyyouexisthere @mutantmanifesto @samwinchesterslostshoe @ewipandora @blood-mocha-latte

[sshbpodcast]

Character Spotlight: William Riker

By Ames

A Star to Steer Her By is continuing on our diplomatic conference Who’s Who in Starfleet with the Enterprise-D’s bearded dynamo, Commander William T. Riker. He’s The Next Generation’s answer to the Captain Kirk character, but with possibly more manwhoring around and he leaves the actual leadership to Captain Picard. Ya know, so he can do more manwhoring!

But of course, Will Riker is so much more than a pretty beard. So swing your leg over the back of that chair and have a seat as we focus on Picard’s number one (and we don’t mean the dog). Some of our favorite and least favorite Riker moments are outlined below and you can listen to this week’s podcast episode (jump to 1:05:52) for the full discussion. Shields up! Rrrrrrred alert!

[Images © CBS/Paramount]

Best moments

Guess I’ll go eat worms Whoops, I was wrong on the podcast when I said Riker ate the mealworms in “Conspiracy” (I was probably thinking of the next item on this list); he’s about to take a big bite before he turns the tables on the baddies. But he still does get to pretend to be mind-controlled by the bug monster, infiltrate the admirals’ dinner, and then utterly explode Remmick and the queen bug!

Gagh is always best when served live Now in “A Matter of Honor,” Riker does get to eat some gagh when he’s on the officer exchange program with the Klingon ship. And he really takes charge while he’s serving aboard the IKS Pagh, punching the biggest brute in the room, making eyes at all their women, and challenging Captain Kargan all while upholding Klingon customs to a T.

Pinocchio is broken. Its strings have been cut. Ignoring that Phillipa Louvois put Riker in a situation that could have been avoided if they had an actual attorney represent Bruce Maddox in Data’s sapience trial in “The Measure of a Man,” Riker actually does a pretty good job lawyering. But what really does well for his character is the final scene where he is lamenting how close he got to getting Data dissected, and that’s lovely.

The illegal move, hachidan kiritsu We discussed a little bit how shitty a father Kyle Riker was to Will in our Parents blogpost, but we’ve got to give the younger Riker some credit for figuring out that daddy has been cheating him for years and years in anbo-jyutsu in “The Icarus Factor,” overcoming the influence that he’s had over his life, and making the decision for himself to stay on the Enterprise.

Mr. Worf, fire Not only does “The Best of Both Worlds” introduce us to Picard as Locutus, in all his glory and defeat, but we also finally get a taste of what Riker would be like as a captain. He’s been dodging getting his own ship for years now, and it’s rather surprising since we see that he can make the difficult decisions when he needs to, in this case firing on his own Borgified captain.

You don't have to be alone anymore We also see in several episodes on our list that Riker tends to get abducted an awful lot, and he figures out the respective ruses pretty smartly! In this case, in “Future Imperfect,” there’s practically a multi-part escape room for him to solve, and at the center of it is an abandoned young orphan who was one of the better children we discussed in our Kiddos post!

Star Trek says LGBTQ rights! You’ll see when you move on to our naughty Riker moments that a lot of his shitty relationships made the cut, but an actually meaningful and progressive relationship comes out of “The Outcast.” It was very moving watching Riker stand up for Soren, the J'naii scientist who just wanted to express the gender she identified as, which makes the episode’s resolution all the more heartbreaking.

Computer, create table Don’t worry, this won’t be the last time Riker gets abducted by aliens and deduces his way out of the problem. In “Schisms,” many crewmembers have been getting stolen away and experimented upon in their sleep, but Riker (with help from the holodeck’s renowned table program) goes in mostly conscious, saves a crewmember, and escapes. Now it’s time for a well-deserved nap!

Don't let them tell you you're crazy We have one final alien abduction in this list because we have to include the absolutely phenomenal “Frame of Mind”! Jonathan Frakes acts his ass off in this mindfuck of an episode, alternating between screaming about hallucinating things to actually hallucinating things. When he finally figures out that he’s being experimented upon yet again, it feels like a triumph.

Play “Night Bird”! For all intents and purposes, Tom Riker is the same entity as Will Riker, so we’ll include his great moment in this list as well! We’ve got to give him credit in “Second Chances” for staying sane while abandoned for eight years on Nervala IV, which is a feat unto itself. So it’s just gravy that he also finally mastered playing “Night Bird” on the trombone and creating some fine phaser art!

I think the resemblance is rather striking We’ve got a couple of moments from “The Pegasus” to recount to you, on both batches of lists, so let’s start off with how cute it was for Riker to be so into celebrating Captain Picard Day! It’s just a delightful little exchange that shows the admiration that the first officer has for his captain. Imagine how fun Commander Riker Day must be!

It was wrong twelve years ago, and it is wrong today Riker impresses us throughout the rest of “The Pegasus” by turning against one of Jake’s Corrupt Admirals, Eric Pressman, who is planning on using a phased cloaking device, utterly violating the Treaty of Algeron. It’s a great little character arc watching Riker’s guilt trip from having taken Pressman’s side years go to watching him defy orders to be on the side of what’s right!

—

Worst moments

If you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it The Troi-Riker relationship throughout a lot of TNG was a bit confused and inconsistent, especially in the early episode “Haven” when Troi’s arranged marriage pops up. Riker is suddenly super jealous all episode long, moping about, whining at Troi, being mean to Wyatt, the works. Dude, you had your chance. And dude, she’s not pleased about it either! Chill out!

Taking mansplaining to another level Have we ever had a take on a matriarchal planet that wasn’t just plain sexist? That’s definitely on display in “Angel One” when all the Elected One of the society needs to see the errors of her people’s ways is for Riker to swoop in, take her to bed, and then have him take charge in that manly way of his. Why couldn’t this have been a job for Troi? Or Bev? Or Yar?

I don’t mean to be indelicate. But who’s the father?! Speaking of Troi (but not Yar because she was dead by this point), that weird relationship between Imzadis gets weirder in “The Child” when Troi gets knocked up by a lightning bug. And Riker, in full crazy ex-boyfriend mode, gets on her case about who the father is, and then starts trying to make decisions for Troi about the fate of her child. 

You can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs This is just a small detail we like to harp on, and that’s that Riker is supposedly making omelets for everyone at the top of “Time Squared” but what he actually makes are scrambled eggs. And not even good scrambled eggs! And evidently his cooking never gets better later in life, as we’re forced to watch him burn a pizza in “Nepenthe” in the series Picard as well!

One William Riker is unique, perhaps even special Oh boy, we’ve already talked a little bit about how problematic “Up the Long Ladder” is in our Picard post, but it’s more messed up than that. The Mariposans end up stealing DNA from Riker and Pulaski, and Riker is so enraged by this that he murders the clones that are created without any discussion first. Pretty much everything about this episode is a travesty though.

Always look before you leap I just think this one’s kinda funny but worth including if only for how dumb it is that Riker gets snared by some kind of trap Kevin Uxbridge set in “The Survivors.” A dangling Will Riker is just so goofy and ridiculous that I wanted to rewatch that scene a couple of times to laugh at what a buffoon this scene made of him.

I've always wanted to make love with an alien So it’s pretty much implied that Riker bangs Lanel in the episode “First Contact” (not to be confused with the movie First Contact), right? I’ve said it to Nicolai Rozhenko and I’ll say it again: No sleeping with primitive people you’re observing while under cover, no matter the circumstances! No matter how thirsty she is! No matter what she’s offering in return! No!

You will follow Starfleet uniform code aboard this ship, Ensign You rarely see hardass Riker come out and it’s really inconsistent when he does. So it practically comes out of nowhere when he suddenly orders Ro to take out her Bajoran earring in “Ensign Ro” even though it’s a part of her culture. No one makes Worf take off his baldric. And it’s not until Captain Jellico demands it that Troi has to get out of her damn pajamas.

Let's drop the ranks for a moment Speaking of my man Jellico! Riker not only acts insubordinate to Picard’s replacement during “Chain of Command,” he just comes off as a whiny little bitch the whole time because Jellico does this differently than Picard. And Jellico has to come begging this petulant brat to pilot a shuttlecraft. Do your damn job, Riker. You’d never act like this to Picard.

Mutiny on the Pegasus On the flip side, Riker had no problem following orders like a little sheep when he served with Pressman. Sure, he makes up for it later as we described above in “The Pegasus,” but first Riker sided with the obviously wrong and dangerous Captain Pressman, effectively sentencing every mutineer on the ship to a horrible death. Grapple with that, Riker. Oh, you already did.

Smooth as an android's bottom It’d be kind to just call Insurrection extremely uneven. On the one hand, we get great speechifying from Picard, as we mentioned last week. But on the other hand, the fountain of youth jokes and the failure to explore whatever the hell was happening with time are just as groan inducing as watching Riker shave off his magnificent beard because he was feeling horny.

Full-beard Riker > Goatee Riker Because we’ve already decided Tom Riker is fair game, let’s give the transporter duplicate a little bit of guff when he appears in the Deep Space Nine episode “Defiant.” Just… what the hell was his plan? Steal the Defiant for the Maquis… and then what? Kill Kira? Kiss Kira? Make up your damn mind! I’m glad this idiot is stuck in the Cardassian mines for life.

—

It’s time to put our trombones away now until the next time someone requests a recital of “Night Bird.” Join us next week as we have more TNG crewmembers to analyze, specifically the fan favorite yellow-eyed android of the show. We’re also still fighting our way through Enterprise over on the podcast side of things, so keep up with our warp-five watch through over on SoundCloud or your favorite podthing, beam on over to Facebook and Twitter, and toot toot toot!

[swankpalanquin]

in 2023 i fully got a handle on my job and celebrated my one year work anniversary. i moved twice (!) and am now settled in an apt that seems very nice so far. i visited new york city four times, went to the met opera twice, went to the met museum twice (two of my dreams!) and travelled by train multiple times! i read over fifty books, watched some movies (not as much as other years but i did find some new favorites), and played some really good video games (tears of the kingdom and undertale especially… even though still haven't finished either lol). i watched the entire star trek original series and watched yuri on ice at least three times (lol). i went to the doctors for the first time in many years (big accomplishment for me). i'm finally learning homeric greek, something i've always wanted to do, and i can even read words without having to think very hard about the letters (most of the time). i'm so grateful for the friendships that continued into this year, more than words can say.

looking ahead to 2024... there is going to be a lot of changes and uncertainties in my personal life (and also in the wider world). looking back, 2023 was better than expected for me, and i'm pretty sure 2024 won't be able to top it. but it's going to be a year of hard internal work that will slowly become externalized and i think at the end of it all, i will be more at peace with myself and my life. i can actually live my life rather than be stuck in this waiting mode i've been in since like middle school. so like, yeah its probably going to suck at times but the only way out is through. and maybe by the end of next year i won't be scared anymore to say i'm trans... that is probably my main goal. i have a lot of other goals and plans and nebulous long term ideas... but not being scared and not hiding who i am anymore is the main one

[cicaklah]

star trek picard posting like its 2020 (bear in mind I am Not watching it I just have a lot of FEELINGS about something that ISNT EVEN A PLOT TWIST REALLY but cutting to save your eyes)

OH FOR FUCKS SAKE

bev deserves better. she deserved better than most of her plotlines lets be very real but her and picard dancing around each other was PART of why tng was Different and I genuinely love the episode where they get psychically linked and she realises that he's been in love with her for YEARS but is too Picard to do anything about it. Picard being bad with women is a plot thread I genuinely love, I find it very relatable, very unkirk about him. it is the subversion of the trope of spaceman with a lady on every planet!!! it is his hamartia! Apart from all his other flaws, which he has many!!!! because hes actually kind of a terrible person!!!!! but it is what makes him sad!!!!

THAT SAID....

if this ends up pressing any more of my stupid romance buttons I'm going to be forced to watch it???

OR AM I????

no. a line must be drawn!!!!! this far and no further!!!!!! I really loved s1 of picard in all its flawed glory for painting a picture of a federation and a starfleet that was starting to buckle under the strain of bad decision making and its ideals when it bit off more than it could chew. the glory days are gone. there is rot there. the federation went headlong from the dominion war into saving the romulans and it ruined them, it ruined everything, and we SAW this, we saw it in the new characters, in good officers and heroes outside of the system who should not have been there, old threads picked up and pulled on and unravelled, it stretched itself too thin. now, as with modern trek they still managed to do TOO MUCH, but on the whole...yeah. it worked enough. but much like disco s1 (which had very similar problems but ultimately wasn't bad) they ruined it with season 2.

anyway we know from the trailer that there is going to be holodeck shenanigans and Lore and other UTTER BULLSHIT and we probably will not have the nice nuanced 'how the fuck did we get here' minimum 3 episodes, explaining howe 50-something beverley crusher has a fling with picard and it goes so badly that when she gets pregnant she...never mentions it, literally runs away, no one either of them knows ever mentions it, she drops off the face of the galaxy to go do what I assume Seven was doing??? does seven know?? did she know??? doesn't the federation have some kind of MSF type of shit that she should be RUNNING?? THE WOMAN IS NEARLY 80 SHE SHOULD BE RUNNING THIS SHIT BY NOW.

(ALSO I KNOW I YELL ABOUT IT EVERY FUCKING TIME BUT THE LAST BEST HOPE WAS BETTER CANON THAN CANON SORRY I AM YELLING BUT LIKE A DECADE AGO BEVERLEY WAS IN A PLACE WHERE SHE WAS THE BEST CANDIDATE FOR JOINING THE VERITY BUT PICARD COULDNT GET OVER HIMSELF ENOUGH TO ASK HER AND I'M SORRY BUT THERE ARE OTHER JOBS IN THE GALAXY OTHER THAN NOBLE SPACE COASTGUARD OR SEXY SPACE PIRATE)

(IF SHE WAS A SEXY SPACE PIRATE SURELY RAFFI KNOWS ABOUT HER, OR RIOS, BUT OH WAIT HE DIED IN WW3 BECAUSE FOOD WAS BETTER BACK THEN)

(I AM STILL VERY ANGRY ABOUT SEASON 2)

anyway the only thing worse than all this isn't that somehow both troi and crusher are love interests whose plotlines revolve around the tragedgy that happened because they had babies with their strong space coastguard love interests, because that is bad, its not that once again the noble space coastguard man has been spermjacked by a woman like wot happened to worf and many other dudes across the series, the only thing worse that this is that its probably going to be a fakeout and they never actually did have sex.

(yes i realise that is a very stupid ending to this extremely stupid rant but sorry I will continue to be a complex idiot when it comes to star trek for as long as I live so help me god.)

[chris-aok]

Star Trek

I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but I'm a Trekkie.

I don't think I would cosplay it (Maybe I might?), but I do love Star Trek.

It's interesting because I loved it for a few years, then I was just into it, and after recently playing Star Trek: Bridge Crew with some friends a few weeks ago, I rediscovered my love for it. I'm now rewatching all of TNG.

I of course have some series and movies I prefer more than others, but it's fair to say I love most of Star Trek.

The ideas of the Federation and Starfleet are incredible to me: Idyllic, and utopian, but also aspirational.

Bridge Crew does a good job of approximating the experience of being on the bridge of a Starfleet starship and keeps the pressure up throughout. Your success and survival depend entirely on your ability to work together and communicate effectively.

However, while Bridge Crew scratches the itch of being on the bridge of a Starfleet starship, it does nothing to feed the imagination: No real story worth mentioning. That's ok, but it makes me realize we need a Star Trek game with a good story, good characters, and some challenging & serious sci-fi themes. I wish someone could do for Star Trek what Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (2003) did for Star Wars.

Games aside, my philosophy on Star Trek series is as follows: There is no such thing as bad Trek. It's all good, but it's also all different. Each series had a different goal and tone it set out to achieve and that's ok. If they just kept trying to reproduce TOS decade after decade, it would have gotten real stale real quick. By deliberately having different themes each series engaged with, we get to have so much variety to choose from as Star Trek fans. I also think each series targeted a different audience and therefore had to adapt to that audience accordingly. The people watching television in the 60s were not the same people watching television in the 80s were not the same people watching television in the 2000s, and so on: Their views of the world evolved. They evolved and Trek evolved with them.

There is no such thing as "the best" Star Trek series or movie, just your favourite. I'm personally divided between TNG and Discovery. I love them both for different reasons. To be fair, it's entirely possible I love TNG because it was the first Star Trek I was introduced to. I personally think that the idea of choosing Patrick Stewart for captain elevated Star Trek as a whole as well as its ideals. He might just be the most important actor to have ever worked in Star Trek for that reason.

I also want to clarify that I love science fiction in general. This is relevant because I recognize Star Trek as a vehicle for sci-fi. A platform with which sci-fi stories can be told. There are many Star Trek episodes that could probably be told in different contexts or in other settings outside of Star Trek canon: Very few Star Trek episodes could only be told in Star Trek. Again, that's totally ok; but let's not forget what Star Trek is: A way to tell sci-fi stories; and sci-fi itself is just a way to tell stories about ourselves. If your sci-fi doesn't have something to say, it isn't shit. When I was younger, the themes and critique went way above my head. All I was into was the spectacle, discoveries, and cool technology; and sci-fi should be able to provide that if it can; but sci-fi's main purpose should be to critique us. Superficial sci-fi is cool for a season, but sci-fi should leave an impact on your way of seeing the world; or at the very least invite you to reconsider your view in the first place. Star Trek delivers on all that and has continued to do so for decades.

[britesparc]

Weekend Top Ten #676

Top Ten Jedi

Sometimes I nurture these things like a big-time CEO in a 1980s movie would nurture a Bonsai tree. And sometimes I just kinda bash ‘em out. I’ll leave you to decide what today’s list is most like.

Anyway, I was going to do something vaguely Star Wars-related due to the launch of new TV series Skeleton Crew. This show looks great fun, like Explorers or Goonies but with a delightfully Star Wars twist; and it’s amusing that now Jude Law is having a go at being a Jedi.

Truth be told, I've fallen off the Star Wars train in recent years. I think it’s a combination of fatigue – so many different new things to keep up with – and the fact that they’ve had a couple of mediocrities. I really didn’t get on with Rise of Skywalker, and as great as I thought The Mandalorian was, I have to confess to being disappointed by both Boba Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobi. In fact, I've still not got round to watching Andor, Ahsoka, or The Acolyte (which I guess makes me part of the problem now they’ve gone and cancelled it). However, i will make more of an effort for Skeleton Crew (and catch up on those other ones before the release of The Mandalorian and Grogu in cinemas).

So basically all this preamble is me saying that I hope I can start to feel enjoyment for all things Star Wars again. For a while there, it was a pretty huge part of my entertainment life; now, though, it has been utterly usurped by the MCU (and probably the DCU too). In fact – whisper it – I'm way, way more excited for Star Trek nowadays. Please, whatever you do, don’t go back in time and tell teenage me that. I don’t think he’d ever recover.

Anyway (again), one of the things I really love about Star Wars is the Jedi. I've said this before, but because we’ve got so many different outer-space type shows these days, it’s really the whole mythological thing that continues to set Star Wars apart. A sort of industrial/Wild West/used future thing, with bantering, wisecracking leads? You kinda see that in everything from Firefly to Guardians of the Galaxy and even – oh no! – modern Star Trek. But you add in some mystic, magic space monks with their sexy laser swords? Oh baby, now you’ve got a Star Wars on our hands. More of that please.

And that’s what this week’s list is celebrating; those pyjama-clad denizens of Force Goodness, the Jedi. They’re cool in the original trilogy, with their whole magic, thought-control, telekinesis, swordfighting schtick; but it’s the prequels that added so many fascinating wrinkles to the concept. The structure of the Order, their Byzantine rules, the way the Jedi comported themselves, and ultimately the fact that their adherence to old rules (as well as a dose of hubris) allowed the Sith to take over. And then there’s the fact that there’s, like, tons of them. One of the huge failings of the sequels in my view is that they didn’t lean back into the Jedi as a force (no pun intended); imagine an army of them fighting an army of Sith? That would have been epic.

Something else to note is that this list is pretty light on extended universe characters or those introduced in the “Disney era”. This isn’t a criticism; it’s just that I’ve not really seen, read, or played loads of that stuff. But in, I guess, the “core” Star Wars stories, there are plenty of really cool characters who embody lots of aspects of what makes the Jedi so… Jedi-ish. Unique, otherworldly, and just all-round cool. I mean, how many sci-fi or fantasy groups become so popular that people end up claiming it as a religion on a census? But, yeah, if you happen to be reading this and you’re a big fan of Mara Jade or Cal Kestis or, er, whoever they’re called in The Acolyte, and you’re wondering where your favourite character is, that’s basically it.

So there’s nothing more to say except “begun, this Top Ten has”. Sorry.

Luke Skywalker: yes, it seems like a basic and obvious answer; he’s basically the Jedi of the franchise. But that’s just it: he exemplifies all the best aspects of what the Jedi are meant to be, without the trappings or structure of the Order. He’s the prototypical boy hero, but just through his own inherent goodness he overcomes both the temptations of the Dark Side and the failings of the older Jedi. And then. And then! Older, wiser, and with failure hanging over him, he still manages to redeem himself, save everyone, and pull out one of the greatest feats of power in the whole saga. Basically, growing up watching Luke as a young man, then being a dad and watching him in sort of grumpy dad mode, is an incredible experience as a Star Wars fan.

Obi-Wan Kenobi: I like his as Alec Guinness’s wise old mentor in the first Star Wars, but really it’s Ewan McGregor’s take that seals the vote. At times pompous and arrogant, he’s also very human and empathetic, straddling a line between emotionless fealty to the Order and his brotherly love for Anakin. Plus he manages to be both a bit of an action badass, and also a sassy camp git: “Hello there.”  

Anakin Skywalker: whilst there’s a whininess to him in the early years, he’s a brooding presence over the prequels. Also, whilst he’s a bit of a dick about it, his grievances are genuine: the Jedi are simply awful to him from the get-go. He’s also a war hero and a fantastic swordsman, and then he gets to become Darth Vader. And what’s more iconic and badass than Darth Vader? His whole arc – the fall and redemption – is the spine of the first six films and really needs to be celebrated.

Qui-Gon Jinn: the wise old mentor of the prequels, in a way, but there’s a humanity to him that’s lacking in most of the other Jedi. He might be the ideal of what the Jedi should be; dedicated to helping everyone, incredibly empathetic, but also serene, wise, and very powerful. If the Council had listened to him none of the bad stuff would have happened. Plus: he has a noble end. Not like that you filth.

Mace Windu: it’s almost all in the performance, but there’s a swaggering sense of badassery to Windu. He’s basically the Jedi’s number two, the second most powerful member of the Council. He has some great lines, a sexy purple lightsaber, and gets to chop off Boba Fett’s dad’s head. He’s just so cool, dammit.

Yoda: in a way it’s a surprise to see him this low! But he’s the mentor of the Jedi Order, who manages to be incredibly wise and venerable but also has a quirky sense of humour and iconic speech pattern. There’s a sense that he maybe understands the failings of the Order, how they’re sleepwalking to disaster. He gets an awesome fight with Dooku, and arguably the best scene in the prequels (“we are what they grow beyond”).

Rey Skywalker: the sequels are depressingly short on Jedi – so much so that the only new one really is Rey herself. But as the lead across the trilogy, she’s terrific; skirting a line between light and dark in such a way that we did all wonder whether there might be a (temporary) fall on the cards. she’s empathetic and sees the good in others in a way reminiscent of Luke or Qui-Gonn but also carries a bit of the arrogance and physicality of Anakin. She was, all told, a very charismatic presence in the films. I hope they do eventually manage to get her new film off the ground.

Kyle Katarn: ah, here we go – onto the expanded universe at last. It was really the games that drew me into the franchise in between trilogies, so it stands that the star of the Jedi Knight games would have a presence here. I like his arc in the games: he basically goes from being a Han Solo stand-in in Dark Forces to being a secret Jedi, combining the two best aspects of the original trilogy. I love his look, his voice, and his beard.

Ahsoka Tano: like I said earlier, I’ve never watched a lot of the supplementary spin-off shows – whether that’s the likes of Clone Wars or the newer Disney ones. But Ahsoka is a cool new character even in the ones I’ve seen, starting out as a young apprentice to Anakin. She’s full of spirit even back then, an excitable force of nature. Whilst the specifics of her leaving the Order I’ve not seen, when she reappears as an adult – older, wiser, perhaps a bit more world-weary – she’s remains a great character in a different flavour, doing that cool thing of combining the best of the Order’s teachings with a more humanist approach to the galaxy. Plus she has two lightsabers.

Leia Organa: she’s only this low because across the whole saga she doesn’t really do a lot of Jedi-ing. She clearly has a connection with her brother, and is just a generally empathetic presence. It’s only in the sequels that we get any proper examples of her using the Force – subconsciously pulling herself across space, and the flashback of her training. So, as a result, we don’t really get a real sense of her as a “Jedi”; but, look, it’s Leia. She’s one of the best characters in movies. She’s gotta be on the list.

[tilliwriteapine]

Fandom Tracking: How I Got To Where I Am Today

Because sometimes it is wild to review how I got where I am today because of all the fandoms I have been immersed in. And someone once said, you don't forget fandom - it goes to sleep until it effing wakes up again one random day and oh no, you're back in deep!!! *lmao*

This is long and wordy, so if you do read my journey - thank you! And thank you to those who have influenced my fandoms over the years. So many have been through Tumblr, and I can say I continue to have multiple friends (that I still talk with!!) just from Tumblr because of fandom. And if we don't talk anymore, know that you shaped me, I am grateful for you, and I still care about you. <3

My first fandom was probably Adventures in Odyssey. And the internet proved to really fuel that obsession, especially with the Town of Odyssey website. Interacting with other fans was exhilarating (and pissed off my father because dial-up connection impacted his ability to call home during the day ;)) I believe I got into AIO in 2004 (maybe 2003, but the events of 2004 still ring in my brain that fueled some of my life choices about going into healthcare and nursing).

At almost the same time, I got into CSI:Miami, and then filtered through all of CSI (regular, Miami, NY) (this all happened really off the internet, tho, so it honestly was more of an obsession without the fandom). 2005/2006.

And that was in the early 2000s. I was staying up to watch CSI:Miami at 9/10pm even though I was barely an 8th grader *lmao* And I was a budding fanfiction writer - AIO, CSI:Miami, mary sues everywhere, crossovers left and right (I crossed AIO with CSI:Miami and NY so many times).

But my earliest fandom interaction on Tumblr (which was the typical medium of choice to fuel my trajectory through various fandoms since about 2009/2010) was for Firefly. I don't remember exactly how I got into Firefly—whether it was a combo of my sister mentioning it while we were watching Castle together or Tumblr—but I fell head-over-heels into It. Plus Castle became an obsession (the fanfiction I wrote - oof) - oh Nathan Fillion.

Firefly then led me to Chuck; I've noticed an unending trend of getting to new fandoms by just the actors alone (re: Star Trek). Adam Baldwin led to Zachary Levi.

Chuck (Zach, oh Zach) catapulted me into the Tangled fandom in 2010/2011 (there were so many glorious fanfics, both written and read!!). Tangled became my most-watched movie in theaters (11 times if I remember correctly).

Somewhere amongst the odds and ends of finishing high school and beginning college, I collected all of Prison Break on DVD (what a show). I wouldn't say I was ever "in" the fandom, but I certainly have held that show in my heart for *years*.

A friend in the Tangled fandom began posting Thor-related posts, and I was interested. Went to Thor in 2011 and walked out going, "Who is the sexy villain, and can I have that?!" - fell head-over-heels for Tom Hiddleston.

Hiddles was something else entirely for about three years - the movies I watched, the TV shows I watched, the absolute obsession with magazines and anything I could get my hands on. Bonkers time of my life! I saw The Avengers movie in 2012 twice on opening day (midnight, and then again later that evening). I would say Hiddles did get me into the Marvel universe (cinematic. I have never gotten into the comics).

Now this part is fuzzy. Which came first - the chicken or the egg? Did Hiddles get me to see War Horse, which led me to Benedict Cumberbatch? Or had I already been intrigued by BBC Sherlock? Not sure. Honestly, this time of my life was a blur. Nursing school. Needless to say, I then found Cumberbatch.

Watched all of his filmography (I think I did for Hiddles too), and then Cumberbatch was cast into Star Trek.

Growing up, I had watched some episodes of Enterprise. My sister seemed to enjoy bits and pieces, but I couldn't fully commit.

Well, considering Cumberbatch was cast into the sequel movie from the 2009 hit, I guess I needed to watch the first one.

At first, I kind of hated Chris Pine. No idea. Might have been the cockiness. Plus, I had to watch Star Trek 2009 about a million times to understand the entire plot. I do remember live-streaming ST 2009 for all my tumblr friends while working on care plans in nursing school. Bro, those were the days.

But now that I remember, I fell in love with Chris Pine when Rise of the Guardians came out Thanksgiving 2012. His voice acting was magical. And I was forever smitten.

Thus began the 12-year+ never-ending obsession with Chris Pine. And as we got closer to STID, I fell in love with Star Trek. 2012 changed my world - Star Trek was new worlds, galaxies, and adventures - everything I couldn't even imagine. Granted, I started off with only the new movies, but over the past 12 years, I have successfully watched every single series entirely at least once (I have been a loyal Trekkie of all the new stuff, love it so damn much!). I watched Into Darkness 13 times in theaters (still holds the record. Nothing beats my maternal grandmother and her 17 times seeing Devil Wears Prada, but ya know...)

But the friends I have made and still cherish today just from Star Trek and fandom alone was worth every single painful detail of growth I have had to experience to get to now.

I think I stagnated between 2013 and 2015. School ended, I started my first nursing job, and then in May 2015, I moved to North Dakota. Somewhere in there, I did watch Doctor Who and went to the Doctor Who-themed bar in Portland (so cool!). My first comic con was in - 2014? 2015? I got to see Alan Tudyk, Stephen Amell (my sister liked him a lot), Karl Urban, and a few from the cast of Agents of Shield. What a time to be alive! Also looks like this was the first budding relationship with Powell's Bookstore in Portland (best bookstore on the planet!). I was steady in my love for Star Trek. I likely watched many different tv shows and movies for various actors (Heroes was up there; Almost Human), but Chris Pine, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Tom Hiddleston reigned in my mind.

Cue Christmas. 2015. This orange round droid called BB8 has been all over the merch. I think he is adorable. I believe I had tried to get into Star Wars before, but it never stuck. I grew up watching the original trilogy, but never made the connection on how amazing Star Wars was. (there was also a lot of heat for fans liking both Trek and Wars - which, even now, I still don't get it. They are both so very, very different! I say BOTH, DANG IT!).

So I go to the first possible screening of the Force Awakens I can get. Magic. Pure magic.

Then this - this youthful man takes off the mask. And I'm like "Okay, who the hell are you and when can we get married?" (this was 2015, I wasn't mature - yet).

Oh Adam Driver. He sparked my interest for a short time (I watched a few of his movies after seeing TFA), but for some reason it wasn't meant to be.

I flitted with Star Trek some more - and then we lost Anton Yelchin and my world seemed to topple. I don't know why his death hit me so hard, but I was a wreck when I went to see Beyond, I was a wreck watching any of his beloved films, and in December 2016 I got a second Star Trek tattoo in memory of Anton and a patient I had cared for before moving to Denver.

I found myself getting into Hannibal somewhere in that first year in Denver - 2017 (I also then watched all of Chris Pine's filmography, and... maybe Cumberbatch's? I'm not entirely sure when Hiddleston slipped from my focus. I know sometime after BBC Sherlock ended and Cumberbatch got married I also let him slip from my focus). I know I saw The Last Jedi in theaters, but was so bored that I couldn't connect with Star Wars (yet). (ironically, TLJ is now my favorite ST movie, hands down.)

Things kind of blur again. I cannot for the life of me remember how I got into MacGyver 2016 (of course I had seen the OG, I was there when my father bought the DVD sets, and I can recite the very first episode of the entire series from memory (oh Richard Dean Anderson)). Something, something, maybe it was a tumblr influence? I know I binge-watched S1 & S2 right as S3 started in 2018. I don't know if the connection was between George Eads or Lucas Till (CSI vs X-Men First Class) that likely enticed me - but, well, look at me now. 6+ years strong and I'm still addicted to MacGyver. and Lucas Till.

Leverage happened somewhere in there.

And, of course, the next biggest fandom that fell into my lap actually became - Star Wars & Adam Driver. December 2019. I see TROS. And I see TROS again. And again. And again. I think I saw it around 9 to 10 times in the theaters. (When the pandemic hit and there was a delay in getting the physical copy of the movie, I was so mad. It was the thing keeping me going in that first period of isolation. Oh, and all the Adam Driver movies I was binge-watching, lmao). Needless to say, in December 2019, I fell in love with Star Wars and Adam Driver and literally haven't looked back. Ever.

It's been pretty steady since then. MacGyver, Lucas Till, Star Trek, Chris Pine, Star Wars, Adam Driver.

Until this past week when I finally watched S1E1 of The Legend of Vox Machina. GUYS, I THINK I'M A D&D FAN NOW. I just binge-watched 36 episodes of a masterpiece, I went to Powell's and bought three fucking books, and I'm literally about to start Critical Role; this is exhilarating!! Absolute insanity. That one came out of nowhere (Amazon Prime Video showed a picture sometime in October, and I was like "okay, what is this? Hmmm. I'm interested" - VEX AND PERCY WILL BE THE DEATH OF MEEEEEE!!)

I also cannot forget to mention Lee Pace ended up enthralled in there somewhere (Pushing Daisies! The Fall!!!). And a childhood favorite for life, The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Crazy this journey. I'm sure it won't end like this - it will continue to always evolve.

Much love <3

[qs63]

Tag game: Eight shows to get to know me!

I was tagged by @lassusog thank you!

It might come as a surprise but I'm not much of a TV person. I play more video games than I watch TV — even with anime included. I also have a strong preference for animation, and despite watching many of the most popular live action TV shows — and enjoying them — most of them never got stuck in my head.

Stark Trek series

I love science. I love technology. I love astronomy. I love science fiction. I've probably watched more Star Trek than any other TV continuity. I like most of the shows, old and new, and I've found something to enjoy even in the ones that are not my preference. My favorite old Star Trek is Enterprise, which is not very popular and was — to my eternal disappointment — cancelled. Don't ask me why I like it so much, something about it just clicked with me.

Monster

If you haven't watched Monster, and you like mystery and/or psychological thrillers. You must go watch it. Now. I don't care if you don't like anime. Monster is one of those master pieces that transcendents media. Naoki Urasawa is probably one of Japan's best storytellers and Monster is one of his best works. It's full of mystery, compelling characters, and an excellent exploration of the human psyche and nature. It's a shame how overlooked this story is outside of the anime community. If there's one show/manga I would recommend it is this one.

Cosmos

Lol no one specified what type of show and this is one that impacted my life. A lot. Is anyone surprised after I put Star Trek on top? I love Carl Sagan as many people do, and seeing this love letter to the evolution of science and humanity on my TV just hits in all the right places. There's something humbling but moving in seeing how far we have come and how much more we have to go.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Excellent characters. Really good storytelling. Solid exploration of themes like grief, loneliness, sadness and duty. Not without its flaws, but I love this story so so much. It is my favorite out of everything here. The one story I rewatch once or twice a year. The 2003 anime also deserves a shout-out, and every fan must read the manga at least once. So much world building lost in adaptation.

Daredevil

This is one a lot of people here will know me for. I love superheroes, and in my opinion this is one of the best superhero adaptations out there. I can think of very few others I've liked as much, and no other lives in my head rent free.

Fruits basket

I don't watch much shōjo because I tend to like action/adventure, mystery and thrillers the best (shout-out to CLAMP), but GDI Fruits Basket made me cry like a baby every single week. Even if it has flaws and issues, I loved this story to pieces. It's just wholesome and makes me want to try harder and be a better person.

Arcane

I can't believe they made a genuinely good story based on League of Legends. Arcane is excellent. Great animation. Great music. Great characters. Great Story. One of my favorite f/f ships. I can't wait for more.

Eighty six - 86

So I like war stories and mecha. Sue me. I also like sad stories that don't end in tragedy — why I like this above Gundam. 86 checks all the boxes for me. I especially like the light novels which have more world building and politics. I love Anju who is so kind despite her pain, Raiden who is so grumpy but also so caring, and Lena who grows into one hell of a person and leader.

There are other shows I've really enjoyed watching, like House MD, BBC Sherlock, Avatar, Dragon Ball, etc, but while I really like them, I don't LOVE them.

[glitter-and-metal]

fic author q&a

As usual, comes in like a week late but I wanted to do this when I had enough brain cells to think lmao. Thanks @deadheaddaisy and @saintzenni for the tags.

1. why do you write fanfic?

So. I got back into writing fanfiction after a decade when I watched Star Trek Enterprise and got a few ideas that would not leave me alone. Now... Well, first of all I am enjoying writing so much. In a year my skills have improved and I am enjoying that too, as well as understanding the characters more and more.

Also, through fanfiction I have met so many cool people who I am now honoured to call friends. Finding the Enterprise Fans Discord was SUCH an incredible stroke of luck. I enjoy talking to the people there about anything and everything, but the fact that there is so much encouragement for writing, fanart, and other creative pursuits, it's just a treat to be there and it has made writing even more fun.

2. which of your posted stories do you think about the most, even though the story is “finished”?

I do have ideas for continuation within the same universes as Wedding Bells and Matters of House and Heart but I can't seem to get a start on them. But they often cross my mind.

As to completely finished that I sometimes think about...hmmm. Maybe Anything's a Weapon If You Throw It Hard Enough, You Hungry?, and Darling! because they hold a special place in my heart.

3. if you could give yourself fic advice from when you started writing fic, what would that advice be?

If this means the very first time I was uploading terrible fic and then gave up after like...6 fics? I don't know, genuinely. I had no idea what I was doing lmao. I'm barely the same person I was then. I guess then the advice would be "Grow up, experience the world, then come back."

If I look at one year ago, I'd probably say the same thing I'd say now - "have fun with your writing...just have fun."

4. what’s your relationship to fic stats?

I admit I look at my stats daily, and yes, seeing a kudos or a comment makes me extremely happy. But also, I accept fandom for what it is. If I'm writing for a small or very small fandom, I know numbers are gonna be low, and if I'm writing an AU or a rarepair, it's gonna be even worse. BUT! I try to keep in mind that every kudos, every comment is a person. A person who read and liked my story. And that is incredible, really.

5. is there a pairing or scenario or friendship that you miss writing? if not, why not?

Miss...not massively. Sure I haven't written for Desmond's since July but I'll just write them when inspiration hits. Probably need to watch a few episodes again.

I tend to think more about things I haven't written yet that I'd like to write. I'm still thinking of T'Pol/Hoshi from Enterprise - I really want to write something for them. I've also been wanting to try writing some rough or kinky (or both really) smut but again...inspiration where?

6. what motivates you to write?

An idea that grips my brain and won't leave me alone

The characters/ship themselves

A shitty piece of canon that makes me irrationally angry

Talking and bouncing ideas with people, especially other writers

Participating in a challenge or event

However, there are also times where the idea is sitting there in my brain and I don't want to write. Like...wtf this is my hobby. Wtf brain what do you mean ... you don't want to have FUN??? So sometimes I just make myself write down the story, no matter how shitty I write it, just to actually get something on paper and jump-start the writing process. Then I slowly wrangle that disastrous first draft into something publishable lmao.

7. why do you write for the fandom(s) that you write for?

Considering that I once wrote for a fandom I wasn't yet in...I don't know what to tell you lmao.

Joking aside, it's usually the characters themselves and their relationships (platonic or romantic) that interest me. So I guess I just wanna put my blorbos in a jar and shake them.

8. if you’re stuck on a wip, what do you do?

I have a 4k one shot that took me MONTHS to write lmao. I got stuck and just ignored it for ages until I decided to try finishing again.

Also, talking to people can help a lot with both ideas and motivation.

9. what do you wish people knew about comments?

Personally, I appreciate any comment - from a simple emoji to a long, detailed comment.

But, if you want to make a writer extra happy and have no idea what to say? Quote the fic! Seriously, copy paste a line from the fic and detail why you loved it or that it made you laugh/cry or what it made you think about. I would LOVE to hear my readers' thoughts.

10. maybe there’s a question you wish had been on here. what’s that question (and answer)?

Not really a question. But I just want to say how in awe I am of people who write longfics. I am a rather concise writer who mostly writes oneshots. Yes, I have a 13k reader insert - and I have zero idea how I wrote that and how it was my first fic after a decade. I can't seem to write anything long now lmao. Anything 20k and above is incredible to me. There is no right or wrong length for writing and we are all here to have fun. But I just wanted to pay a compliment to people who have a skill that I don't have.

Anyone who wants to do this, feel free to join in!

fic author q&a

I was tagged by @deadheaddaisy for a fun and great fic author game. Thank you for tagging me, @deadheaddaisy! ❤️ As happy as I am to be tagged, the thing is, y’all, I’ve done that particular game a few times already and, even though it’s a great game, I was in the mood for something different. So, I’ve made new questions — and answered them — and I’ve tagged some folks in case they want to answer them, too.

1. Why do you write fanfic?

Life can be stressful, and writing fanfic can be like a little vacation. It’s not my life, anymore, it’s the characters’ lives.

2. Which of your posted stories do you think about the most, even though the story is “finished”?

I think about Malleable and Unmalleable Orders (Mirror Pikeone, E) probably because it’s so different from what I usually write. I also think about The Light Before Dawn (Pikeuna, M) because, even though it would have bogged down the story, I do think they eventually get married and the details of all that sometimes cycle through my brain.

3. If you could give yourself fic advice from when you first started writing fic, what would that advice be?

Enjoy this time of not really knowing fic conventions or expectations.

4. What’s your relationship to fic stats?

I try to avoid them. I love every kudos and comment and bookmark and subscription. But I don’t go looking for the numbers unless I have to.

5. Is there a pairing or scenario or friendship you miss writing? If so, why? If not, why not?

I miss writing Kathryn Janeway/Tom Paris. I had a lot of fun with that pairing for a while.

6. What motivates you to write?

If I don’t write the stories down, they get stuck in my brain. So I guess setting them free (in good ways) is my motivation.

7. Why do you write for the fandom(s) that you write for?

I really do believe in the ideals of Star Trek — IDIC and peaceful coexistence and all that stuff. Even though I often write for the spin-off series, not the original Star Trek, creating stories in that universe lets me be part of it, even in a small way. Also, as a bonus, I do think Trek readers are great about comments, kudos, etc., and that helps a lot.

8. If you’re stuck writing a WIP, what do you do?

I might work on something else or take a break. The problem will rotisserie in my head and probably work itself out if I don’t push it too hard.

9. What do you wish people knew about comments?

That any nice comment is welcome and appreciated and, if the person doesn’t want a reply to their comment, they can just say so and it’s easy enough for the author to honor their wishes.

10. Maybe there’s a question you wish had been on here. What’s that question (and answer)?

How about, “Do you read public AO3 bookmark notes on your stories?” Yes. Because of bookmarks like these on The Autobiography of Kirsten Clancy (Gen, T):

Tagging with no pressure: @deadheaddaisy, @iamstartraveller776, @fiadorable, @sun-lit-roses, @coffee-in-that-nebula, @grissomesque, @enterprise-come-in, @starrybouquet, @lorcaswhisky, @marymoss1971, @emilie786, @cnrothtrek, @elephant-in-the-pride-parade, @pc-corner, @divinemissem13, @meddow, @missparker, @jazzfic, @the-lady-general, and you. If my tag anxiety got the best of me and I didn’t put your name here, please consider yourself tagged. ❤️