#i still think chrisjen is to blame

[menkhu]

regarding my last reblog. y'all i am Not doing well at watching the expanse with non fannish people

[jbk405]

So “Why We Fight” had a rough start, probably the roughest of any episode of season six so far.

The Martian attack on the ring gate was unnecessary, and both it and the response come back around to a post I made a few days ago that Chrisjen Avasarala is being portrayed as significantly less competent here than she was in the novels, or even earlier in the series.  The problem isn’t that she’s “soft” in her decision making like she feared she was becoming -- which carries a whole lot of sexist baggage by the way -- it’s that she hasn’t been able to control or influence her own side so things are spinning out of control.  The problems between Earth and Mars didn’t just disappear in the novels after the initial Inaros attacks, but Avasarala was able to focus them on the greater mutual threat and held them together through pragmatic, focused dealings.  So the risk of their alliance fracturing and the different factions going off on their own wasn’t there.  Not because they’re suddenly in love with each other, but because they’re smart enough to adhere to the thousand old adages about not dividing your forces.  It’s skill we need here, not “strength” (which the characters seem to be equating with “Choose military force each time” and which is contrary to the very moral of the series).

Plus, having Kirino be the one to lead the attack seemed like a bizarre spit in the show’s own face.  She is a character created specifically for the show with no book counterpart, and she was the one who extended the olive branch in the Earth-Mars war.  She saw an opportunity for peace and she took it, even though it was a risk, because she saw that it was the best option for her own side and with that combination of pragmatism and optimism she saved countless lives.  To have her be the one that leads the stupid, ill-advised assault after Mars says “I’ll do it myself if you’re too much of a wimp!” is ridiculous.

However, as I was beginning to think that the episode would wind up in the negative column, they did turn it around in the back half.

Camina’s storyline continues to just break my heart.  I did not expect her and Naomi’s scene to go that way, but my heart was goddamn breaking.  I’ve said that Camina is deeply in love with Naomi, we’re talking drawing-hearts-in-notebooks-”Mrs. Camina Nagata”-I’d-Choose-You love.  And that has brought her nothing but pain and heartache and pain.  And she still loves her, but so much has happened that it is poison now.  It really does look like Naomi has “sold out”, and even though we know she hasn’t, and even though deep down Camina herself knows she hasn’t, to see her with her living crew and big political connections and apparently choosing the Inners over the Belt.....goddamn.

The meeting between Chrisjen and Camina was fascinating.  Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but it seemed to me like Shohreh Aghdashloo and Cara Gee were performing as though the characters were reciting their lines from a script.  Like they had already worked this all out over the phone and were now performing for the masses to try and sell it to the Belters.  Their word choice and tone seemed deliberately artificial.  If true, this says a lot.  It’s also interesting because Chrisjen most definitely is a liar, and Camina knows that.  Chrisjen has never let the truth stand in her way, she’s lied publicly and privately since the very first season.  Some of this only we-the-audience know about, like how she fed Frank DeGraaf false information to try and suss out information from the Martian government, and let him twist afterwards.  However she also publicly blamed Fred Johnson and the OPA for the creation of the stealth warships and instigating the conflict while trying to backdoor connect with him at the same time, and Camina worked for Fred when this went down.  To try and present herself as “I may have been evil before, but I was trustworthy evil” and to have Camina agree says that they are deliberately trying to sell this meeting.

All told not the best episode of the season, but not a total loss, and I can clearly see where they are leading to for the finale next week.  I had hoped for more, but at least it wasn’t all bad.

[rocinawanda]

The Expanse Season 4 Thoughts

No, it’s over! The binge ends. I am sad I want more but i’ll just have to wait with the rest of The Expanse fans until season 5 is filmed and released.

So that ending showed us that next season will really focus on Marco and Filip aka Naomi’s family and the boulders that they are throwing at Earth. Also the new Secretary General is opening the Ring gates and people will flood in and take any systems they can.

I really enjoyed this season, it was definitely different to the high-octane space madness of seasons two and three but when exploring a new planet and the mechanisms of Ilus they needed to focus their time on it.

RIP Miller. Again. For good this time I’m assuming (I’m also wondering if that means no more voices in Jim’s head but maybe the protomolecule will take a different form in season 5). It was so great the way he formed into that mechanical spider and spoke to Dr Okoye I found it funny.

Speaking of Dr Okoye, I have a feeling like Prax last season, this was the last we’ll see of her but I loved her character this season! A great addition to the madness as she brought another perspective to what they are going through. She was a scientist and just wanted to understand it all, and I loved basically any scene with her and Jim, the amount of sarcasm was great.

Focusing on the Roci crew, well obviously Jim went through ordeals this season with everyone thinking he is crazy, him trying to keep the peace and trying to keep everyone alive when they went blind. I felt so bad for him at times as everyone blamed him but he didn’t know what would happen.

Then with Naomi who eventually realised that she has to stay on the Rocinante for her own health. It’s really sad for her but I’m sure she can still explore planets on the surface but not for long and she needs to slow down. Her and Alex’s story joined towards the end where they were helping Lucia and the Belters. I really liked how Alex was giving Lucia advice from his own experience with his family.

Poor Amos this season, he was exploring Ilus with Jim, had a relationship with Wei and then had to kill her. To be fair, she should’ve stood down. We saw a scared side of Amos when he went blind and it revealed a bit more about his background and again I just wanted to give him the biggest hug. I also hope he killed Murtry at the end there or at least hurt him very badly because I’d been yelling for it every episode this season.

Bobbie’s Mars story was quite interesting this season as it showed us more of Mars than we had seen before but also how much has changed because of the Ring opening up. How much crime is rampant now that the Martians know there is no point in trying to make Mars a garden when they can go find an available garden elsewhere.

But YES I’m so happy she’s hopefully going to work for Chrisjen I need them back together and with the boulders heading straight for Earth, Chrisjen heading for Luna, there is going to be chaos coming for the Inners. I also just realised that since Chrisjen isn’t the secretary-general now, will Jim have any sway with the UN anymore or??

I’m so sad this binge watch is over. The Expanse is an amazing show I highly recommend it! I don’t know when season 5 is likely to be released as it hasn’t even been a year since s4 and covid put so many productions on halt but I hope it comes soon as I haven’t had enough of the Rocinante crew.

[presidentlauraroslin]

Types of kisses prompts: 16. Chrisjen/Cotyar, 33. Bobbie/Cotyar, 42. Bobbie/Chrisjen (I'm not even gonna bother putting any "or's" between these anymore)

So, shocker, I did do all of them. Behind a cut, because otherwise it would be a hella long post. 

16.Chrisjen/Cotyar - One person pouting, only to have it removed by a kiss fromthe other person.

Therewas something oddly satisfying in watching Chrisjen be out of her element.Cotyar didn’t necessarily enjoy seeing her be this uncomfortable, but she wasthe kind of person who could walk into any situation and own it, made it play out exactly the way she wanted it. To see her brow furrowed, her lips pursed and practicallyjump out of her chair as soon as they had gotten the all clear that the dropshiphad docked and leave the cramped area was new and it was interesting. Althoughprobably not a good thing to have her in this nervous of a mindset if they weregoing to deal with Mao.

He leftthe marine to fend for herself and followed Chrisjen to a small private areawhere he found her pacing, the click of her heels muffled against the carpet.She shot him a dirty look as he closed the door behind him. Oh good, she wasstill in a terrible mood. “If you mention that we’re walking into a trap onemore goddamn time, I will have you tossed out of this fucking ship.”

“I wouldn’tdream of it.” The look in her eyes could have melted the hull of the ship andit said that she knew he would definitely dream of it. For now he would keepthose comments to himself. He never was sure when she was serious with herthreats to do grievous bodily harm. But the amusement he felt at watching herbe uncomfortable was starting to fade and he sighed, watching her walk thelength of the space. “You need to breathe.”

“I amfucking breathing,” she snapped and stopped pacing. Cotyar raised his hands insurrender and carefully approached her, glad to see that she was letting him.He could see that she was breathing, but it was a little shallow and irregular.It made sense in a way. She could fight any battle, take on any enemy, but thiswasn’t a fight. This was fear, or at least a huge discomfort, and she wasn’t goodat fighting herself.

“No, youneed to breathe, properly.” He placed his hands on her shoulders and ignoredthe incredulous expression on her face. “I’m afraid your heart will give outand I would hate to blame your death on the Martian back there.”

Chrisjengave him a spectacular eyeroll, but he spotted the smallest hint of a smile inthe corner of her mouth and there wasn’t any anger behind her next curse as herhands lightly landed on his hips. “Motherfucker.”

“Youalright?” he asked a little more seriously. As much as he had smirked when shehad been seemed a little scared, even though he knew her fear was justifiedafter the transport from Pallas incident, but he kind of needed her to bealright. Chrisjen looked up at him and he immediately realized he shouldn’thave asked her that. He shook his head slightly and squeezed her shoulders. “Stupidquestion.”

“It was.I just fucking hate space and space travel and everything associated with it.” Thegrip on his hips tightened and she looked almost more defeated than she didannoyed. She was even pouting, even though he had learned to not point that outanymore, because she always vehemently denied it. It was endearing and theallure of her bottom lip was too much to resist. Giving her plenty of time toshove him away, he leaned closer until there was only a hair’s breadth betweenthem.

When shedidn’t stop him, he closed even that small distance, kissing her softly,capturing her bottom lip between his own. He actually felt some of the tensionin her shoulders disappear as she kissed him back. It made him wish they hadmore time, that there wasn’t a Martian marine on board whom he still didn’tquite trust. He wanted to be on Earth with a bed so he could give her what sheneeded, what they both wanted. But for now a kiss would have to do, until thismess was resolved.

“Wasthat supposed to be distracting?” she asked, arching an eyebrow, her lipsticksomehow still perfect. Cotyar shrugged, tracing her bottom lip with his thumb.

“Yep.”It had been as much a distracting move as it had been something he had wantedto do before they reached Mao’s ship. It was a trap they were flying into and atrap he wasn’t sure he was prepared for, could prepare for. But Cotyar didn’twant to tell her that, even though he suspected Chrisjen already knew. Sheusually did.

“It didn’twork.” She raised her chin defiantly. Her pout was gone, so was the worry inher eyes and tension she had carried. Kissing her had worked, but he wouldgladly play along to make this moment last longer. Her hands moved from hiships to underneath his jacket, her palms warm through the fabric of his shirtagainst his lower back.

“I cantry again.”

“I thinkyou should.” Chrisjen met him halfway when he leaned down to kiss her again.

33.Bobbie/Cotyar - An unexpected kiss that shocks the one receiving it.

Cotyarfelt nervous which was a strange sensation that he hadn’t felt quite like thisin years. By some miracle he had survived getting off Mao’s ship, had beenpicked up by the UNN, had a gut wound healed and then had managed to get to vacsuit before the protomolecule had reached him. And now here he was, on JamesHolden’s ship with Chrisjen, who had slapped him squarely across the facebefore wrapping her arms around him and cursing him into the next century. 

Theremay have also been some kisses which would have ended up in some desperate sexif they hadn’t gotten the message that Holden was coming back with a bunch ofkids and more importantly, an injured Draper. He had watched her being carriedin by the pilot, limping, every inch of her bruised. She had given him an emptylook before the drugs kicked in and she had passed out, which was probably forthe better.

So nowhere he sat, watching her heartbeat, waiting for Chrisjen to return or for thedrugs to slowly stop working, whichever happened first. It turned out it was the latterwhen Bobbie’s heartrate increased a little and her eyes began to flutter open.Cotyar immediately moved to her side, carefully taking her hand, wanting to bean anchor for her as she returned to reality.

“HeyMarine,” he whispered. It took a moment for Bobbie’s eyes to focus on him andthen another for her to realize who she was looking at. When it finally clickedshe gave him a groggy smile and squeezed his fingers. He felt a warmth settlein his stomach as he looked at her.

“Spy.You made it.” Her skin was still more bruise than its original shade, but therewas no mistaking that accent or that tone. This was Bobbie Draper and she washere and she was alive. He had to resist the sudden urge to hug her as reliefcoursed through his veins. She was a marine, she was supposed to risky, stupidshit, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t been scared when Chrisjen had told himwhat she had done.

“Barely.You look worse though.” What was gunshot wound and a little protomoleculecompared to going one on one with a hybrid and living to tell the tale? Bobbietried to smile.

“Ah, youshould see the other guy.” It was probably for the best that he couldn’t. The Rocinantehad nuked the site of the lab, destroying all evidence of the protomoleculethere, including Bobbie’s hybrid. But the big mechanic had already told himBobbie had done quite a number on him, emptying her gun into its head.

“Youkilled your dragon, huh?” Bobbie took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Whenshe opened them again, there were tears in her eyes and Cotyar felt his heartbreak a little. She was so strong and powerful, had saved his ass and Chrisjen’s,had destroyed something that was impossible to destroy, but she was stillhuman. Carefully he wiped away a tear that nearly rolled into her hairline,letting his thumb rest against her cheekbone.

“I did.”She didn’t sound proud or victorious. She sounded tired, like it hadn’t beenthe catharsis she had sought. He could have told her that slaying your dragonsdoesn’t give you the peace you seek, but she wouldn’t have listened. At leastnow she knew.

“Youscared her, Marine. You scared me when I heard what you did.” He had no doubtChrisjen would tell her all about how terrified she had been in a less thansubtle way, but he wanted to say it as well. He got wanting to get revenge, butnot at the near cost of one’s own life. The tired expression on Bobbie’s facewas changed into of sadness as if it suddenly hit her that she had people whocared about her on this ship.

On animpulse, on the feeling that he didn’t want to lose her, Cotyar leaned down andpressed a soft kiss to her lips. Bobbie inhaled sharply, but after a moment aher lips started moving against his, the grip she had on his fingers tighteninguntil it hurt. Cotyar smiled and pulled back, kissing her forehead beforelooking down at her. “Don’t scare us again.”

Bobbielooked thoroughly confused and speechless, pressing her lips together as if shecouldn’t quite believe what had just happened. Somehow he could barely believeit himself. “I – what?”

“We’lltalk about it later. Just rest and heal.”

42.Bobbie/Chrisjen - Distracting kisses from someone that are meant to stop theother person from finishing their work, and give them kisses instead.

Chrisjenhad the talent of firing orders at people faster than any PDC could. Bobbie wasa little awestruck watching her as Chrisjen walked into the apartment in the UNbuilding, talking to one of her assistants no doubt. Bobbie almost felt sorryfor who was on the other end and she hoped they were recording thisconversation. Confirming appointments there, canceling them somewhere else,blacklisting one motherfucking idiot and inviting another to dinner.

As shepoured herself a drink, Chrisjen smiled at her, rolled her eyes and continuedtalking. Bobbie smiled back as she muted the television, smiling wider when shewas handed a glass of whiskey most Martians could only dream of. She caughtChrisjen’s wrist before she could walk away and brushed her lips against theinside of her palm, looking up to watch Chrisjen’s lips part and the tip of hertongue flick out to wet her bottom lip.

“Fuck…No,not you. Where was I?” Bobbie felt an immense of amount of pride that such a smallgesture had managed to momentarily distract Chrisjen. Chrisjen caressed hercheek and walked away, gesturing to open the door to the small outside area.She looked so beautiful today, draped in gold and blue that moved like it wasliquid. She looked like royalty from centuries ago and it just made Bobbierealize that she had barely spent any time together.

Abandoningthe whiskey without ever taking a sip, she decided to take advantage of the factthat Chrisjen was on an audio-only call. Bobbie walked up behind her and trailedher fingers down her arm before wrapping her arms around Chrisjen’s waist andresting her chin on her shoulder, breathing in the fresh air, even as thecomforting sound of Chrisjen voice continued to hurl orders.

WhenChrisjen didn’t stop, even though she had once stated she preferred to do aslittle work as possible at home (before grumbling that this fucking apartmentwould never be home), Bobbie turned her head. The line from her neck the edgeof her shoulder was bare, except for a necklace. Smirking, she kissed justbehind Chrisjen’s ear, knowing it would make it shiver. She wasn’t disappointedwhen she could her stiffen in her arms.

Sadly,she barely faltered in her fairly one-sided conversation, so Bobbie moved tokiss her neck, barely there kisses at first, slowly building up the pressure,until she was just shy of leaving a mark, nipping at the sensitive skin withher teeth as Chrisjen seemed to lose her train of thought several times andcovered Bobbie’s hands with her own, seemingly to steady herself. Bobbie smiledagainst her neck and bit softly just above the necklace.

Withoutwarning, Chrisjen muted her earpiece and spun around her arms. She was a littleflushed, her eyes were dark and she looked a slightly heated. Good. That hadbeen exactly what she wanted.

“Bobbie…”Chrisjen tried to sound exasperated, but Bobbie could see straight through that.She was turned on and it wouldn’t take much to have her put down work for thenight. She missed her and she wanted her.

“Yes, ma’am?”she tried innocently.

“Don’t ‘ma’am’me. You know exactly what you’re doing.” Chrisjen actually poked her in thechest with her finger and Bobbie smiled. It was cute when she was pretending tobe annoyed with her.

“And I’mnot gonna stop. Earth will continue spinning if you stop working for a moment.Send that poor girl home and spend some time with me.” Chrisjen narrowed hereyes, but Bobbie didn’t budge. She just held her close, looking down at her,waiting for her to give in already. Thankfully, that didn’t take long when Chrisjensuddenly sighed.

“Fuck,fine.” She unceremoniously hung up on her assistant and tossed her earpiece onthe table. “You have my full attention.”

Bobbiedidn’t bother responding. She simply picked Chrisjen up and kissed her properlyas she walked her over to the bed.

[tinykings]

a post about how well the album reputation (taylor swift, 2017) matches up with chrisjen/sadavir (this is in no way an endorsement of taylor swift, who i enjoy but you certainly don’t have to)

Ready For It?-- 7/10 what the actual fuck taylor. bitch marathoned s1 and s2 of the expanse and came up with this, which is seemingly about an older woman preying on a younger man (!!!!) and she literally opens the song with “knew he was a killer” I CANNOT also “let the games begin” x3???? ALL THEY DO IS PLAY GAMES TAY TAY PLEASE STOP ALSO THIS IS CHRISJEN’S FACE DURING THIS SONG:

“End Game” -- 4/10 this song has ed sheeran on it so therefore it sucks...but it is essentially about wanting to be another’s end game (that is...the text of the song) also sheeran (sigh) sings the line “we connected when we were little bit older”  and like???? like???????????????????????????? also whereas the first song is from chrisjen’s perspective CLEARLY this song is from sadavir’s perspective because he’s the sap in this relationship

I Did Something Bad -- 5/10 OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD “’cause for every lie i tell them/they tell me three/this is how the world works/now all he thinks about is me” if that ain’t it in a nutshell also there’s a reference to but then it goes to a weird place about burning witches and idk taylor

Don’t Blame Me -- 10/10  “don’t blame me, love made me crazy” seriously, did she just alternate between the two of them and secretly CREATE A CONCEPT ALBUM (taylor swift, not-so-secret fucking nerd) “for you, i would cross the line” YEAH YOU CROSSED SEVERAL LINES, SADAVIR essentially this whole song is about someone driven crazy by their love of another person and LIKE. LIKE? OKAY.

(YOU FUCKED UP, BUDDY)

Delicate -- 0/10 eh...a rare misstep from tay tay for what is clearly a ship concept album at this point

Look What You Made Me Do -- 10000/10 HOLY FUCKING SHIT “i don’t like your little games” “the role you made me play/of the fool” sadavir errinwright and taylor swift might be the same fucking person not gonna lie “but i got smarter/i got harder in the nick of time” BOY DID YOU EVER, BUDDY “locked me out and threw a feast” OKAY taylor you’re over-identifying baby “i’m sorry, the old sadavir taylor can’t come to the phone right now/why? oh!/cause he’s she’s dead!” but like just imagine him saying that on the call with jules-pierre...it fits IT FITS 

So It Goes... -- 2/10 hmmmm another misstep which is making me think taylor can’t get into chrisjen’s head most of the time (tbf, can any of us????) (the ironic bit about that being that chrisjen’s headspace is preeeeeeeeeeettty similar to sadavir’s, so WHAT GIVES taylor) it does have the line “come here, dressed in black now” which is funny because virtually all sadavir wears is black ha this song feels really fucking long

Gorgeous -- 6/10 the making fun of the way someone talks reminds me more of esteban but whatever. chrisjen does have a boyfriend husband who’s (slightly) older than them (OR HE WAS...THE MYSTERY OF TIME LORD ARJUN)...this is very much a younger chrisjen/sadavir song because it makes chrisjen sound timid which...weird but it fits a little for a younger chrisjen a little smitten by her handsome (sorry, gorgeous) aide...ALSO IT CONTAINS THE LINE “ocean blue eyes, looking in mine” and like...sadavir’s eyes are...well:

Getaway Car -- 3/10 “it was the best of times, the worst of crimes” huh more CRIMES, eh????? there’s a mention of a prison break, clearly indicating taylor’s hope that sadavir gets his ass out of prison on the show...but eh, this isn’t the best one, even if it’s catchy in general

King of My Heart -- -100/10 “we rule the kingdom inside my room” okay fine yes there are PARTS of this song that work but like...eh this again is not great...and NOT A GREAT SONG

Dancing With Our Hands Tied -- 25000/10 “i, i loved you in secret” “oh, twenty-five years old” “oh, how were you to know” OKAY WOW STRAIGHT TO THE FUCKING POINT sadavir errinwright has been in love with chrisjen avasarala since the day they fuckin’ met and by god if she didn’t return it eventually really just this whole song is perfect in every way “people started talking, putting us through our paces” OH OKAY (STFU ESTEBAN) and i’m not sayin’ that this whole “dancing” theme fits with my desperate desire to see them dancing at some diplomatic function BUT IT DOES

Dress --  ∞/10 “our secret moments in your crowded room”????? finally taylor gets fucking chrisjen avasarala and it’s about fucking time okay “i don’t want you like a best friend” WOW OKAY I HAVE BEEN BLINDEd BY HOW FUCKING AMAZING OH MY GOD “and if i got burned, at least we were electrified” chrisjen always knew this was fuckin’ doomed, but she was fine with it (until she wasn’t and just shut the fuck down :( ) (also: “flashback when you met me/your buzzcut and my hair bleached” okay but I Would Like To See It) “even in my worst lies, you saw the truth in me” ASfiOHGOIHSGIOHIOG THIS ONE BREAKS THE IMAGINARY SCALE THiS SONG IS THe MUSICAL MANIFESTATION OF HER POSTURE IN THIS SCENE:

This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things -- 1/10 like from the title you would think it matches but it really doesn’t *shrug* (admittedly: “but you stabbed my back while shaking my hand” okay that is very them)

Call It What You Want --  3/10 “my castle crumbled overnight/i brought a knife to a gun fight” really i could quote this whole song because it is the chrisjen post-monster and the rocket song...it’s not perfect cause it imagines that she’s still very much in love with sadavir after ALL THE SHIT (and before he redeems himself even AND SHHHH HE WILL GET THE CHANCE) 

New Year’s Day -- -1/10  eh...not a great closing song, friend! (taylor’s my friend now) “i can tell it’s gonna be a long road” does work as a lyric for ‘em tho. because oh IS IT EVER. OH IS IT EVER. also the theme of “hold onto the memories”...well it would be nice if chrisjen would do that, yeah...YEAH “please don’t ever become a stranger/whose laugh i could recognize anywhere” oh wept nvm can i change the rating for this one????

thanks for coming to my taylor ted talk

[charteredlibertine]

Been meaning to watch The Expanse for a while and finally started season 1 today and I’m already so in love. Here are just a few of my favorite things about this incredible damn show.

I mean, first of all, the DIVERSITY. I haven’t counted, but I’d say there’s an equal number of white and non-white characters -- and I mean major characters, not just one-offs or background extras. There’s been at least one explicitly gay couple, in a scene where they were having dinner with a straight couple, and it was so wonderfully casual and ordinary, without any “othering” or special attention drawn to their sexuality.

On the subject of diversity, the linguistics nerd in me gets GIDDY whenever the Belters start speaking that lovely pidgin-creole. It seems like a mix of Chinese, Spanish, Russian, and maybe some Swahili or Hindi? Goddd, I love that shit.

I’d be so fascinated to read about how their linguist cobbled those all together into something that feels so believable in that world. I’m a diehard Firefly fan, but this is so much better than white people speaking crappy Mandarin lol.

The politics are incredibly realistic -- specifically, the way all three sides assume the others are to blame when shit hits the fan, the way these heads of state and militant terrorists manipulate the common people by planting their people to start riots, cutting off vital resources and blaming the other side, and using the media and the innocent people caught in the middle to rally support for their causes.

And, of course, the fact that it’s all underlined by petty greed and corruption.

That said, however....there’s also an impressively genuine human element to this show. Even though the focus is often on the politics, the show never lets you forget that real people are suffering the consequences of those politics, or the impact a few people can have when they work together to protect one another.

Every time I think a character is being written as a scripted stereotype, they do something to totally defy my expectations.

Amos -- the slightly unhinged, macho jarhead who takes the time to warn a gay hustler that his trick has a knife, because he grew up around sex workers. Detective Miller -- the cynical veteran cop who always sees the worst in people, yet demonstrates mercy and even kindness. Chrisjen -- the ruthlessly cunning politician who plays to win in every game, but who also still grieves for her son and shows a deep sense of empathy for a fellow mother.

Which makes the stakes that much higher whenever there’s imminent danger, because so far, The Expanse has also done a fantastic job of making me feel like none of the main characters are ever truly safe. Any one of these people could kick the bucket at any time.

Add to that the Lovecraftian horror element of the abandoned ghost ships and the creepy alien-like bio-weapon that started this whole mess, and it’s a perfect recipe for the kind of character-driven suspense I fucking love.

And...Alex. Just...literally everything about Alex.

[feather-aesthetic]

Pick Me Up

A/N: I don’t think there’s been a tickle fic of these two yet (or of anyone in The Expanse), so I present to you... the first Bobbie/Chrisjen tickle fic.

Rating: PG

Fandom: The Expanse

Pairing: Platonic Bobbie/Chrisjen (can be interpreted as romantic)

Summary: Bobbie finds Chrisjen on the roof, and in order to get her down she makes good on her threat from the Guanshiyin to pick her up.  Chrisjen draws on her skills as a grandmother to get revenge.

Words: 2,282

The wooden shingles were warm against her back, heated by the lingering strains of sunlight meandering across the horizon. A breeze tugged at her clothes, languid and pleasant, caressing the corners of her mouth and rustling the crisp leaves scattered around her.  Chrisjen nestled deeper into the blanket she’d brought with her, hair splayed out across the roof.  The sky greyed while she watched, the azure of daytime sinking into a deep evening indigo.  Soft sounds of the night came to life, crickets humming in the tall grasses.  Chrisjen relaxed, inch by inch, in the solitude her roof provided. Luna loomed at the edges of her vision, silver and black craters unchanged despite the cities spread beneath its surface. Arjun and the rest of her family were there, she knew, safe from the shitstorm that had come with her rise to Secretary-General of the UN.  That thought alone loosened six muscles in her back.

A clattering to her right caught her ear, and Bobbie climbed through the window, bare feet crunching one of the Autumn leaves.  She was staying with her for a few weeks while Chrisjen sorted out her reinstatement and return to Mars.  The tank top and shorts meant for sleep seemed out of place on Bobbie, lending her a softened, tousled look. She sat down next to Chrisjen, curling her knees to her chest and her arms around her legs, and with her hair falling around her shoulders and blowing in the wind she looked so like the day Chrisjen had found her on the beach, stoic and tired and in awe of the beauty of Earth. Chrisjen flicked her eyes over to the younger woman, who was staring out over the tops of the buildings on the horizon.

“Look up,” she grated, voice rough from disuse and exhaustion, and Bobbie complied, lying back next to her to avoid straining her neck.  “You can see Mars from here,” Chrisjen pointed out, gesturing to the bright gleam in the sky.  Bobbie was quiet.

“You can see Earth from Mars, too,” she said eventually, voice low in the dim light.  “I used to look up at the Earth all the time when I was young, wonder if some Earther kid was looking up at Mars the same way I was.  More than anything, I wanted Mars to have the chance to look like Earth, all blue and green instead of red dust. I watched all the holovids of Earth, thinking that someday, future Martians would get to look up at a sky like this one, would get to see an ocean not filled with garbage and dying fish.  I thought that knowing future generations would get that would be enough.  But…” she trailed off, hesitancy clear in her voice.

“But?” Chrisjen prodded her onwards when it became clear she wouldn’t finish the sentence on her own.

“I think I just wanted to see it for myself.” She could never tell another Martian that, that the planet that had raised and provided for her wasn’t good enough, that she longed for the open fields and fresh air and rolling oceans only Earth could provide.

“I suppose Earth with its light pollution and poisoned oceans will have to do.  Is it everything you’d hoped for?”  Bobbie was silent, letting the chirping of the crickets surround them.  Chrisjen turned her head to the right to look at her. The marine was staring up at the sky, stars reflected in her eyes like moonbeams scattered across a choppy ocean. Her lips were parted slightly, as though she couldn’t quite catch her breath, and as Chrisjen watched, a tear escaped the corner of her eye and slid down into her hairline.

“It’s beautiful,” she whispered. Chrisjen reached out before she could stop herself and smeared the salty trail with the pad of her thumb, wiping it away.  Bobbie’s breath caught in her throat at the movement, but she made no move to stop the older woman.

“It is,” Chrisjen agreed, voice gravelly in the relative quiet of the night. Another wind blew across the roof, stronger this time, worming its way through her silken pajamas and sending a ripple of goosebumps through her body. She suppressed a shiver at the sensation, and felt Bobbie shift closer until she was pressed against her side.  The girl was like a furnace, firm and radiating heat, and Chrisjen melted into the contact.

The soft huff Avasarala made when she shivered alerted Bobbie to the Secretary-General’s plight—Martians ran hot, always had, so she’d barely noticed as the temperature had dropped steadily around them. Bobbie impulsively scooted left a few inches, until she felt the older woman’s cool skin press against her own.  Chrisjen seemed to relax at the touch, resting her head against the marine’s shoulder. Bobbie let a small smile grow over her face as Avasarala stilled, apparently having settled down. From her brilliantly cutthroat politics to her seemingly contradictory ability to be heartwarmingly sincere, the newly appointed Secretary-General never failed to surprise her, and her apparent penchant for cuddling was no different. It was a huge sign of trust for Avasarala to let her guard down, to be so vulnerable in Bobbie’s presence, and the marine’s heart swelled at the realisation. It occurred to Bobbie, then, that mere months ago she wouldn’t have spared a thought for the woman, and now she was offering her own body heat to stave off the cold. An unexpected but overall pleasant turnout, Bobbie surmised, turning her attention back to the stars.  They looked different from Earth, through an atmosphere. They were fewer, dimmer, faded by a barrier of air and water vapour, and seemed far more inviting than the cold vacuum of space she would stare into from beneath the domes of Mars.  Seeing them like this, she understood why her distant Terran ancestors had taken to the stars.  The night sky had been to them then what the ocean was to her now—an unknown, a mystery, an adventure. Another sound joined the chorusing crickets around them, a faint, stuttering grumble by her ear that she quickly categorised as snoring.  Avasarala really must have trusted her, then, that or she was completely exhausted. Bobbie could hardly blame her; the woman had been working herself to the bone ever since they had returned to Earth and she had been ‘promoted’.  The marine resolved to let her sleep as long as possible before bringing her inside. Shifting so that she was curled more securely around the older woman, ensuring that she wouldn’t fall off the roof in her sleep, Bobbie allowed her eyes to fall closed and her breathing to even out, drifting into a light sleep.

Chrisjen fought to open her heavy eyelids when she felt someone squeezing her shoulder. Bobbie was wrapped around her, and judging by the pleasant warmth she felt where their bodies met, she had been for a while.

“Ma’am,” Bobbie was saying.  “Let’s get you inside.”  Chrisjen closed her eyes in displeasure.

“Fuck off, Bobbie,” she muttered, not an ounce of venom behind her words.  Bobbie laughed quietly.

“Should I pick you up?”  Chrisjen snorted at the reference to their conversation aboard the Guanshiyin.

“Don’t you fucking dare,” she mumbled, snuggling deeper into Bobbie’s side. The older woman let herself slip back into a doze, falling backwards into sleep—and then she was being lifted up in a rush of cool air, arms beneath her knees and shoulders, and she snapped awake. “Roberta Draper, put me the fuck down,” she grated, shoving at the marine’s chest in an effort to squirm away—a futile one, as Bobbie’s arms only tightened around her. Chrisjen’s eyes widened as Bobbie stooped to step through the window, tilting her at an extreme angle, and she clutched weakly at Bobbie’s muscular arm as the ground rushed up to meet her.  Bobbie straightened, glancing down at her cargo in amusement.

“You really are tiny,” she teased.  Chrisjen looked her dead in the eyes in an attempt to convey her irritation.

“I’m a perfectly normal size, you’re just fucking huge,” she shot back. Bobbie nudged the door to Chrisjen’s room open with her foot and deposited her on her bed, a little rougher than was strictly necessary in Chrisjen’s opinion.

“That wasn’t so bad, was it?”  Bobbie sprawled on the edge of the bed, near where Chrisjen was pushing her mussed hair out of her eyes.

“You’ll regret that,” she threatened, apparently not seriously enough because Bobbie laughed.

“What are you gonna do?  You’re too small to cause any damage.  And I’m too strong for you.”  The smirk spreading across Chrisjen’s face was nothing short of diabolical.

“Perhaps,” she conceded.  “But you forget I’m a grandmother.” She lunged, and Bobbie barely had time to realise what was happening before she dissolved into a fit of laughter.

“What,” she gasped, flailing, “what are you doing?”  Chrisjen grinned at her, a rare, genuine smile. The older woman was an excellent and completely merciless tickler, and was using both of those traits to her full advantage. Already, Bobbie was lost in hysterical giggles, twisting her body away from the tingling sensations.  “Ma’am!” Bobbie spluttered, so startled and flustered that she was at a loss for words. Chrisjen dug into any open patch of skin she could, finding and exploiting weak spots Bobbie hadn’t even known she’d had. Her sides and ribs, Chrisjen found, were particularly susceptible to the same squeezing that would have her grandson in stitches. Bobbie arched her back as Chrisjen’s dexterous fingers lingered at her hips, laughter taking on a higher, more breathless pitch.

“I did warn you,” the older woman deadpanned, apparently deaf to the plight of her guest. Chrisjen hadn’t been kidding when she’d warned Bobbie of her grandmotherly skill set; she managed to evade all of Bobbie’s increasingly feeble attempts to grab her hands. The girl’s uncoordinated efforts to protect herself only made it easier for Chrisjen to get at the ticklish spots she’d discovered.

Bobbie curled her arms around her waist in a last-ditch effort to fend off the scritching, squeezing, evil fingers. Chrisjen took it as a personal challenge, spidering fingers all across her stomach and feeling the muscles twitch and contract beneath her fingertips. The girl was surprisingly ticklish for a marine, although she certainly didn’t seem like one now—any semblance of danger was gone, the soldier weakened by her own helpless giggles.  Her laughter was hearty and strong, bubbling from deep in her chest as she squirmed weakly.  She kicked out when she felt Chrisjen pinching at the tender flesh above her kneecaps.

“Stop!” she squealed, a flush forming on her cheeks from laughing so much. The girl practically shrieked when Chrisjen’s fingers found their way under her arms, digging her heels into the mattress and arching her back in a desperate bid to escape.  

“I hope you’ve learned your lesson about picking me up,” she teased, rich accent making Bobbie blush more.  Sensing that she was about to reach her limit, Chrisjen withdrew with a final squeeze to the younger girl’s side.  As soon as she was freed, Bobbie curled into a ball, gasping for breath.  “Well,” Chrisjen began, reclining smugly on her pillows, “if I had known the secret to taking down Martian marines was so easy, the war would be long over.”  Bobbie wasn’t sure if slapping the woman would be going too far. It had been decades since anyone had touched her like that, playfully, without fear or rank getting in the way.

“The kids used to mess around with each other during training.”  Bobbie sighed shakily, unfurling her limbs and stretching them out.  “It was a waste of time, but I never had the heart to tell them to stop.  Those were some of the only times I’d seen joy on their faces.  I couldn’t take that away.” She could feel Chrisjen looking at her, but Bobbie continued to stare up at the ceiling, steadfastly avoiding her gaze. Chrisjen’s face softened, that almost imperceptible relaxation of the skin around her eyes and cheekbones, at the realisation that Bobbie still mourned for her fallen unit.  The politician reached out and placed a tentative hand on Bobbie’s shoulder. Bobbie released a controlled breath, blinking rapidly, and turned onto her side, facing Chrisjen.  “Do you ever—” she halted, seemingly losing her nerve, before pushing on, “do you ever see them?  The faces of the people you couldn’t save?”  Chrisjen blinked slowly.

“No,” she finally said.  “I don’t see the people I couldn’t save because I’ve never tried to save anyone.  I see the faces of everyone I’ve gotten killed.” Her voice was thick with loathing, and she closed her eyes against the sudden onslaught of heartache.  Bobbie reached up, grabbing the wrist nearest her shoulder.

“Ma’am,” she begins, “all due respect, but that’s utter bullshit. Maybe that’s what you see when you close your eyes, but when you open them—every single person on this planet owes you their life.  I owe you my life, for all it’s worth.”  Bobbie bit her lip, wondering if she’d said too much, but Chrisjen opened her eyes after a few moments.

“Thank you, Bobbie,” and she knew she’d said the right thing.  They were silent after that, words no longer necessary in the darkness. Bobbie sank into the mattress, cheek nuzzling against the blankets as she glanced at Chrisjen. The woman was nearing sleep, Bobbie could tell from the way her eyes dimmed and her grasp on Bobbie’s shoulder softened. Bobbie let her eyes drift closed, allowed the warmth of their contact, hand to shoulder, palm to wrist, to fill her up until she felt the tug of sleep overwhelm her.

[thetruecaptain-blog]

Assured Destruction

Dumping my feelings here and it’s probably going to be a total mess and in no particular order because I’m just typing it as it pops into my head. Spoilers for 3x03 “Assured Destruction” below

1. That scene with Jim and Naomi in the first five minutes was fucking painful. I knew as soon as I watched it that this was going to be an hard ep, and boy was I right. I’d like to think that Jim doesn’t actually want Naomi to leave, he’s just still so hurt and everything is still so raw and there’s that petty voice in the back of his head saying “what’s the point, she’ll do whatever she wants anyway.” Naomi’s face there killed me. Jim no, this isn’t what you want, you don’t want her to leave. I’m clinging to comfort in knowing that there’s no way they don’t make it through this. They’re going to come out the other side even stronger than before. 

2. Mei!! Katoa!! They are so adorable, but also it’s killing me knowing what’s happening to Katoa and how this is going to turn out for him. And wow, are we actually seeing hints of a soul in JP Mao?? Hard for him to maintain his distance and pretend they’re doing a good thing when he’s looking a test subject in the face and she undoubtedly reminds him so strongly of his daughters when they were her age. He’s called a halt to the experiment but from the look on Strickland’s face it’s not going to be so simple. That was the look of a desperate man, a man who will do anything to keep his project going. I have a feeling things will not end well for JPM. 

3. Talissa’s reply to Alex. Ouch, but also... on some level I was rooting for her?? I love Alex but she’s right. And honestly she was a hell of a lot more reasonable about her reply than I think I could have been?? Still, it was hard to watch. I think Alex was sad and full of regret but ultimately relieved because... well, they’re no longer an obligation. 

3. NAOMI AND ALEX IN THE GALLEY. FAM. THIS IS WHAT I WAS WAITING FOR. Or... one of the things I was waiting for. God, I almost cried. Alex seeing through his anger to recognize that Naomi is standing by her people. Alex being able to relate to that and respect that. “I wish I was that strong.” Oh, Alex, you are. You are. And we’re going to see that when you fight to keep this family together. The lasagna. She refused at first but then his line “the cheese isn’t real but the love that went into it is.” kfjaksdjfkdfj like just rip my heart out why don’t you. I swear Cas gets better every time he is on the screen. 

4. I was disappointed that we didn’t have more from Naomi on a personal level but my god I enjoyed seeing her go toe to toe with Avasarala. To be honest I’m with Naomi - I don’t think Chrisjen is being totally up front and Naomi absolutely senses that. She's not totally on point about Avasarala's intentions, but of course she's not going to trust someone like Chrisjen. Likewise, Chrisjen exhibited some pretty blatant racism/prejudice, though it's always hard to tell how much of that she actually believes and how much is meant to provoke a particular reaction.

5. “I’d say cry me a river if I thought you knew what one was.” Rude. But I laughed. 

6. AMOS AND PRAX. YES. I NEED MORE. 

7. Oh maaaaaaaan that hit on Earth. Fucking Errinwright. The way he’s turning that blame around on Anna when that shot never would have happened if Earth hadn’t fired in the first place. Anna’s face, though... god, Elizabeth is so perfect in this role. You could see it dawning on her, could see how it cut right down to her soul. All those lives. 2 million people. 

8. I HAD MORE and I definitely have a LOT of feelings about Jim but tbh I’m gonna leave that subject to @rociposse because she always has fantastic Holden meta, and if you don’t follow her already you should!! My mind is super scrambled with feelings so I’m gonna stop here before I become totally incoherent. Also this post is probably unnecessarily long already.

Each episode is getting better and better, I can’t wait for what’s to come this season! 

[rikerssexblouse]

Chrisjen

Headcanon A:  realistic

Chrisjen is a loving, but not very attentive mother. Arjun did most of the child-rearing while Chrisjen worked. She is more the distantly disapproving parent. 

Headcanon B: while it may not be realistic it is hilarious

I’ve given up on coming up with hilarious headcanons. 

Headcanon C: heart-crushing and awful, but fun to inflict on friends

Chrisjen has cheated on Arjun many times and Arjun knows it. He may not have known about each individual one, but he knows about enough of them. But he accepts it. He is willing to accept Chrisjen’s indiscretions so long as she keeps it quiet and always comes back to him. Which she does. She really does love Arjun and there is no one else she could ever trust the way she trusts Arjun. 

Chrisjen, however, didn’t realize that Arjun knew for a long time. He hadn’t said anything because he’s tolerating it, not because he’s unaware. But she’d assumed it means he doesn’t know. And as a result, she got a little careless. 

They are having a dinner party and Chrisjen is flirting with the (very beautiful) district governor of the Indo-Malay Communal Interest Zone when Arjun hits his limit. He doesn’t say anything while everyone is there (always the good politician’s spouse), but after the last guest leaves, he turns on Chrisjen. He tells her he can handle the fact that she is not completely faithful to him, but FOR GOD’S SAKE, NOT IN THEIR HOME. 

Chrisjen feels terrible. Not enough so that she doesn’t meet up with the district governor again later that week, but she spends one very guilty and sleepless night next to Arjun, and she respects his boundaries from then on out. 

Headcanon D: unrealistic, but I will disregard canon about it because I reject canon reality and substitute my own.

Maybe not unrealistic, but it’s probably a stretch. So this is based on the tv canon, rather than the book canon, where Chrisjen’s son, Charanpal, died in the Marines, attacked by Belters (rather than in a skiing accident at 15). Cotyar, Chrisjen’s… bodyguard? Aide? Helper person? I’m going with bodyguard. He says that he protects Chrisjen, not because he is loyal to her, but to make up for letting Charanpal die. It’s not clear how his death was Cotyar’s fault, but they were apparently in the UN Marines together and he certainly believes he was responsible. 

Additionally, Chrisjen and Arjun seem to be responsible for the care of some of their grandchildren (well, Arjun is obviously, not Chrisjen), and I feel like the natural assumption is that those must be the children of their dead son, because why else would Chrisjen and Arjun have them? I don’t think it ever makes any of this explicit. But if it does, let me know. 

So that’s what we know. Charanpal had kids (and presumably a spouse?) and was later killed while in the Marines. 

So, of course, I had figure out the story behind all this. And I’m pretty sure this wasn’t what they had in mind. 

So, in the future we see, you don’t really NEED to do anything. and Charanpal has a cushy fucking life being Chrisjen’s son. But he doesn’t have her drive. He isn’t passionate about WINNING AT EVERYTHING like his mother is. So he grows up and doesn’t do anything immediately. He doesn’t go to school. He doesn’t join the Marines. He finds a nice boy and gets married and they adopt some kids and they live with Chrisjen and Arjun. And it drives Chrisjen UP THE FUCKING WALL. Because he’s SO smart and SO capable and he could do anything with his life if he would just put some fucking effort into it! (can you hear the mothering going on? lol) So she pushes and pushes but it doesn’t get her anywhere. So she finally kicks him out. 

So now he’s got to suffer with being on basic assistance for the first time, and it SUCKS because he’s used to having nice shit. So he finally decides, okay I’ll go to school. He still doesn’t want to run the world, but he wants a nice normal job so he can have nice things again. but then she says she won’t pay for school unless he joins the Marines. She’s hoping he will get a sense of duty beaten into him. 

So he does. 

He joins the Marines and his husband and kids get to move back in with Chrisjen and Arjun (a reward for Charanpal doing what they want). But in the Marines, he and his husband struggle with the distance. They are young and it’s just hard. So one day, his husband just leaves. He tells Charanpal he’s done and leaves the kids with Chrisjen and Arjun. Chrisjen goes on a LONG rant about young people not taking any responsibility. They continue to care for the boys while Charanpal is still in the Marines. 

Meanwhile in the Marines, Charanpal and Cotyar have been into each other for a while, but they’d been trying to ignore it. Charanpal was married, after all! They fooled around a few times before Charanpal’s husband left but had dismissed it as a one-time mistake (okay, three-time mistake). It was just being in close quarters like that under so much stress, things just happen sometimes, right? It didn’t mean anything. But now all of the sudden, Charanpal is single and they fall together HARD. 

It isn’t something he tells his mother about because his divorce is so fresh and it’s not like they are ready to deal with real life (there’s no way he’s ready for Cotyar to meet the kids). But then Charanpal dies. And Cotyar blames himself. When Cotyar later goes to work for Chrisjen, she still doesn’t know about what their relationship really was; she thought they were just friends. 

Send me a character and I will give you 4 headcanons. 

[bonesingerofyme-loc]

in which what the fuck happened

so i’ve finally gotten around to watching season 4 of the expanse, everyone’s favorite science fiction tv show. i shall not call it a space opera because i actually know what a space opera is.

i’ve just finished episode 8 and what precisely the fuck happened though

this season is a mess

in no particular order, we have

* the Ilus plot, in which it appears the Bezos Bux weren’t enough to afford a larger cast, so there’s three belters with speaking roles and a really, really bad rebellious teenager plot that makes me feel like i’m watching a fucking scalzi novel (which is not praise). The Ilus plot in which murtry swings between being a Bad Man with Justifiable Reasons to being a mustache twirling villain, where Holden doesn’t just hold the idiot stone, he fucking swallows it along with Elvi and also the TV show does that TV show thing where they make really, really stupid design choices that leave you scratching your head. more on this all later

* the earth plot, in which Chrisjen Avasarala is never wrong once but everyone around her acts like she’s executing her political opponents in the streets and trying to sacrifice babies to satan

* the mars plot, in which bobbie has a nervous breakdown over the course of about three days and resets all her character development to her first introduction

* the belter plot in which Dummer continues to be a national treasure and Not-Ashford is still very enjoyable and they prove they are the only competant fucks in the entire fucking Belt but the writers do their level best to sabotage every second of it

Right, so, specifically

Let’s start with Ilus

I think my overall issues here can be summed up with this statement

“The set design, knowing that the heroes would be riding out a world spanning tsunami and flood, decided the optimal way to adapt the descriptions of the shell buildings from the novel to be THIRTY FEET UNDER THE SURFACE OF THE FUCKING PLANET THAT IS GOING TO BE FLOODED.”

My brother and I looked at each other and burst out laughing at the end of the episode in which Holden gets yote across the room by the deluge of water. The deluge of water from the planetwide tsunami. The deluge of water from the planetwide flood that placed the water a good forty feet ABOVE the interior rooms.

The planetwide flood that did not begin to recede for days. In a building riddled with holes and also one big giant one they made. 

This encapsulates to many of the problems in this season in a single example. Writing choices and design choices that appear to be conceived of in the moment without any thought to the rest of the plot. Drama for the sake of drama. Convenient reveals after the fact to patch holes set up by the previous lack of foresight. 

We later see the entry area is flooded, appearing to imply that the room they descend into initially is just a lower area that totally flooded and that they are at ground level in the rest of the complex. As if to acknowledge that, oops, yes, maybe having this complex be situated forty feet under the water level with holes all the fuck over means everyone would drown, so here’s a solution - except, except

When everyone got in right before the flood, they were all standing packed like sardines down in that low entry room. Which started flooding due to the fucking firehose deluge that came in because hello a piece of reinforced sheet metal isn’t going to be watertight in the slightest. So you’ve got water pouring into a small contained space packed with about forty people and supplies - that’s going to be ruining supplies and equipment because it’s saltwater and people are going to be panicking. How do they climb out the other side? There’s no ropes or lines there, it would seem, since everyone was still shuffling around in the entry area when the flooding started. How do they managed to get ropes or lines up to the higher areas in the building before people are trampled or drowned or all their supplies ruined? Why the fuck didn’t the goddamn building just have openings on the ground level leading into a bunch of interior rooms like it fucking did in the fucking novel because the fucking authors despite their other fucking flaws at least fucking planned ahead and had fucking editors that fucking made sure that things were fucking intelligently designed?

Oh, right. So that we could have a fucking scene where Holden has to escape from a closing door or be smushed. Because Holden definitely was in danger of dying and everyone believed it. Fuck. PLAN MORE THAN ONE EPISODE AHEAD.

Related to that - I’m loving the insistence that TV and movies have to make everything related to the main character, and not even tangentially. Directly, directly related. Remember how Ilus fucking asploding was a major oops that wasn’t anyone’s fault? Now it has to specifically be Holden’s fault since he can’t stop sticking is dick in things, so all the deaths are directly on his shoulders. Great job. Really, really great. 

A nitpick here that doesn’t matter - remember when the moons were described as low-albedo and the nights were super dark? Pepperidge Farms remembers.

The Felcia plotline is awful too. Some random teenager stows away to orbit and then becomes instrumental in saving the Barbapiccola despite no experience and completely overriding the actual crew on board. Come on. Come on.

Also - thanks Holden and Elvi, you utter mouthbreathing nonces for not once thinking ‘Gee, maybe I should ask/tell about the MEDICATIONS THAT I AM CURRENTLY ON.’ It doesn’t make it an epiphany moment or a revelation when they realize his oncocidals are the cure, it makes them looking like absolute idiots. Holden, you shoot up daily. DAILY. You told Elvi about being a genetic hybrid. You didn’t think to tell her about the eighty gorillion rads you ate like soup on Eros and the fact that you’re swimming in anti-cancer meds?

Come the fuck on. Come. The. Fuck. On.

Stop making characters idiots to make the plot work. 

Leaving Ilus, there’s Earth.

Fucking Earth.

So Arjun is now Avasarala’s campaign manager and a completely different person. The lack of chemistry between the two actors is so profound that scientists are considering writing a thesis on it as quantum mechanics actually should forbid such an extreme effect. He’s also not Arjun, since he’s alternating between unctuous and judgmental about as often as Naomi switches between an English accent and a butchered attempt at Belter. So that’s swell, we have to deal with a new actor and a brand new character who is awful and should never have been because Arjun was a chill lad and didn’t deserve this.

On the poitical side is Avasarala, who literally cannot stop being right all the time. Seriously, why is everyone up her ass about THE MEANS AND THE ENDS AND YOU LIE AND ITS ALL ABOUT YOU.

I mean sure it is all about her but she hasn’t been wrong yet. And a person can be both selfish and helpful. I couldn’t believe with Arjun got asspained about Avasarala leaking confidential footage of ancient inimitable alien machines that melt moons and blow up hemispheres of planets when the 0 and 1s are switched as a completely reasonable attempt to instill a very healthy and very justified caution in the general populace over the gigantic alien relic that was made out of a hundred thousand people ground up into blue gatorade and marinated on Venus after it broke the fucking laws of physics several times to link up to a pocket dimension that casually rewrites it’s own rules. 

Like what the fuck Arjun, where do you get off judging Avasarala for releasing information about the extremely unpredictable and dangerous two billion year old alien doom machines that are scattered around the galaxy. Is it totally to her own benefit? Absolutely. Is it also totally the right thing to do? Also absolutely because you’ve got Gao hot under the collar about wanting to yeet every willing body through the ring gates into a hotbed of who-the-fuck-knows and acting like it’s the best thing since sliced bread.

Fuck.

Then we’ve got the marine raid. Avasarala is approached by her military advisors and generals who present to her a plan of action to go after a known terrorist who just attempted a direct attack on Earth’s defenses, defenses that I might add are not like ‘to keep people out’ but are actively existential defenses. So they bring a plan to her, lay it out, and she approves it, then when it goes tits up, the fucking General who planned it, brought it to her and executed it has the gall to blame HER for it failing (what) then resign because he can’t serve someone who plays loose with his soldier’s lives (WHAT) and then everyone gets assmad at her for costing like twelve marine’s lives in an attempt to capture a terrorist responsible for several hundred deaths already (WHAT) and then, and THEN siding with the OPA for Avasarala ‘breaking the peace’ when the UN went after a terrorist the OPA is known to have let go???

What the FUCK was going on in the writing room.

Meanwhile on Mars, Bobbie is going batshit insane. After btfoing a bunch of druggies to save her nephew she gets roped into some illegal stuff and then has a moral conundrum about it for maybe five seconds and then it like yeah nvm let’s steal this shit Y E E T. The very same Bobbie that was willing to go AWOL from her command, run to her own nation’s enemy during a cold war and refuse to ever budge on her testimony because the truth and honor meant that much to her.

Yeah.

Okay.

Then she meets a dude on sunday, goes on a date with him monday and tuesday, they bang on wednesday, then on friday he gets a job on Europa and is gonna leave and they have a fight as if they’d been seeing each other for months.

Uh.

Unless this show is doing completely different time scales for different plots, which they’ve failed utterly to communicate, we know how much time has passed. Bobbie met the dude like a fucking week ago, why is this full bore romantic drama as if they’d been in a committed relationship for months? They’ve literally banged twice in a hotel room and not even stuck around for cuddles.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

I don’t have much to complain about with Drummer and Ashford. I really like them both and both are fun to watch. They’ve also been treated the most reasonably too in terms of not acting like fuckwits or being dealt retarded hands by the plot thus far.

This season is awful. The Expanse was always subtitled ‘The Expounding’ because of how characters could, at the drop of a hat, produce a minute long monologue about anything, but this season it’s taken that and cranked it to eleven. Every other sentence is an ingratiating platitude about ‘hopeful we’re hopeful future happy live we’ll live yay see each other again strong be strong and brave firm strong and hopeful’. Fuck. Naomi exists to look sad and give brave monologues to people, especially the now lobotomized Lucia who apparently did die and came back without agency. Alex sort of just exists, drifting from scene to scene as if saying ‘I’m still here, guys. Guys? Guys...’ every antagonist takes three minutes to lay out their life story and evil beginnings and rationale only to suddenly flip the tables a few episodes later only to play a reverse uno card and be mustache twirlingly diabolical right after. 

Oh yeah, and because this is my personal autism button:

NO, ELVI, THAT IS NOT HOW LIFE WORKS. LIFE MIGHT NOT ‘JUST AS EASILY’ BE BASED ON SOMETHING ELSE. THAT IS NOT HOW FUCKING PHYSICS WORKS. OTHER ELEMENTS ARE NEITHER AS PREVALENT NOR AS USEFUL IN FORMING BONDS AS CARBON. YOU COULD SAY ‘LIFE MIGHT RARELY AND EXTREMELY DIFFICULTLY BE MADE OF SILICON’ BUT DON’T YOU FUCKING DARE SAY ‘JUST AS EASILY. ALSO IRON. IRON. ARE YOU REALLY, REALLY GOING TO SAY IRON COULD BE USED AS A CHEMICAL BASIS FOR LIFE, BECAUSE HOLY COSMIC BULLSHIT BATMAN.

IN THE WORDS OF HERMIONE GRANGER: ARE YOU A HARD SCIFI OR NOT??

[presidentlauraroslin]

Drabble prompts: 23. “I immediately regret this decision.” Amos/Chrisjen OR 34. “Are you testing me?” Chrisjen/Nancy Gao OR 76. “I wouldn’t change a thing about you.” Bobbie/Chrisjen OR 99. “Don’t look at me like that.” Gerri/Roman if you're feeling adventurous

So I basically did all of them, except Gerri/Roman, because, oh boy, I am not confident in enough in my writing to tackle that. So pairings are:- Chrisjen/Nancy- Amos/Chrisjen (Rated E)- Bobbie/Chrisjen

34. “Are you testing me?”Chrisjen/Nancy Gao

“Why do you want this?” Chrisjensipped her gin-tonic and tilted her head. She knew she shouldn’t have done this,cleared the venue where Nancy was about to hold some campaign event, but witheverything going on in the campaign, and mostly outside of it, she hadn’t had achance to talk to Nancy and something in her, had pushed her to do this. Totalk. To break with all informal rules and basically disrupt Nancy’s campaign.Just like she had expected, Nancy wasn’t shocked or impressed, almost as if shehad known this would happen sooner or later.

“Why do you? You never wanted it inthe first place.” Nancy crossed her long legs, hands folded in her lap. On theoutside she looked calm, but the fact that she had just answered Chrisjen’squestion with another question told her that she wasn’t feeling certain, notsure of Chrisjen’s motivations to be there. Chrisjen couldn’t blame her for thesuspicion. It hadn’t exactly been a clean battle up until now.

“Because I will do anything toprevent the end of humanity, even if I have to do shitty job until the day Idie.” Something she sincerely hoped wouldn’t be necessary. She hadn’t ever consideredretirement, but the prospect of doing this job for a decade or more might causeher to seriously think about getting out of politics.

She just wouldn’t be able to forgiveherself if the protomolecule reared its ugly head again and she could have preventedit.  

“And I will do my best to give thepeople of Earth a chance at a better future. A chance to get off basics, to geta job, to do something other than wait for an opportunity.” Chrisjen smiled andshook her head, downing the rest of her drink. Nancy’s lips thinned. “You don’tbelieve me.”

“I do, that’s the fucking problem.” Sheknew Nancy wanted the best for the people of Earth and once upon a time,Chrisjen had wanted that too. Her focus had shifted however, to wanting toprotect the entirety of humanity. An impossible task that she had imposed uponherself and Holden, though how much he was aware of that, she didn’t know. “I knowthat you believe the Ring gate is our best option for the future. If theprotomolecule didn’t scare the shit out of me, I’d maybe agree with you. So Iwill fight you, to the bitter end, even though I think you could make aformidable Secretary-General. If we didn’t disagree so fundamentally, I’d bemaking sure you won.”

It wasn’t a lie. She had always seenNancy as a possible Secretary-General, would probably have pushed her forwardas a candidate to run against Sorento-Gillis, if the coward hadn’t slinked offat the first sign of trouble without any of his advisors around. But Nancy’sexpression had hardened, her hands tense in her lap. “What is this? What areyou doing? Are you testing me? See if I respond in a way that gives you aweakness you can exploit?”

“No, hard is that is to believe.”Slowly she stood up, straightening her clothes. Nancy looked as if she wantedto stand up as well, use her height to her advantage, but she remained seated.Chrisjen gave her a small smile. “I don’t like what you stand for, but I likeyou. You’re young, smart, ambitious, not a some castrated bobblehead likeSorento-Gillis. This is me saying I wish the situation could be fucking different.”

“Thank you. I wish the situation weredifferent too. Not the Ring gate. I wish it wasn’t you I were running against.”Chrisjen gently squeezed her shoulder when she walked past her and swept out ofthe hall. It was time to return to reality, being opponents once again. Asingle election decisive in what would be the future of humanity. What a fuckingmess.

23. “I immediately regret thisdecision.” Amos/Chrisjen

Chrisjen groaned out a quiet fuck asshe sank down on him, thanking whatever fucking god she had prayed to that morningthat she had some lube on her. Even with the orgasm he had already given her, shehad been no where near wet enough to take him or anyone really, and JesusChrist, did she need this.

His hands were on her hips and shehad the urge to pull them away, pin them beside his head. She didn’t mind himtouching her, obviously, but Amos, even with highly inappropriate comments andhis interest in whatever she was wearing, had something dangerous about him.She had seen men like him before, men who knew no fear, who had seen it allbefore and weren’t fazed by anything. He could hurt her so easily, if he wantedto.

Maybe that’s why she find herselfwith his cock inside her, her nails digging into his chest as she rolled herhips. He had something nobody she had ever fucked had had. And it just feltgood to have someone she could fuck and it wouldn’t bring her any difficulties.Being the goddamn Secretary-General had severely limited her options of sleepingwith people other than her husband. Amos had been easy, convenient, clearlyinterested in her and his mouth was more talented that she had expected. She’dbe feeling the chafe of his beard on the inside of her thighs for days.

“Come on, Chrissie. You can do betterthan that.” He squeezed her hips and then had the fucking gall to smack herass, not hard, but she narrowed her eyes anyway, digging her nails in a littleharder.

“Fuck you, Burton,” she spat at him.His eyes closed for a moment, a moanfalling from his lips. It didn’t deter him for long, the look in his eyes fartoo mischievous when he opened them again. 

“I thought you were.” He thrust upinto her, his hands holding her hips and ass tight enough that she wouldn’t besurprised if she found some bruises tomorrow. He looked so incredibly smug, theasshole, she resisted the urge to hurl another insult at him, knowing it wouldprobably only spur him on. He had never made a secret of liking her choice oflanguage. It also didn’t help she could still see the evidence of him eatingher pussy in his beard.

“I immediately regret this decision,”Chrisjen muttered, without any venom, although she really did want to slap himfor calling her Chrissie while being inside her, and Amos chuckled, squeezingher ass a little tighter. They had their rhythm now, it wasn’t soft or sweet,and she hadn’t wanted that either. She wanted to feel fucked and he seemed toget that, his thumb seeking out her clit, as she moved on his cock. She moaned,clenching around him, determined to make him come as well.

“You’re not the first person to saythat to me.” He was starting to sound a little breathless and she smirked, eventhough he was fucking good at getting her off as well, circling her clit like agoddamn pro. Chrisjen clenched her jaw, trying to hold off, but he really wastoo good at this. She was well aware of the fact that she was panting, her hairhaving come undone, her nipples still aching from when he had sunk his teethinto them.

“Probably not the fucking last either,”she replied. Whatever smart retort he had ready, he never managed to say it asraked her nails down his chest and arched her back, letting this absolute brickof a man with the subtlety of a nuke to the face make her come again. She bitback a cry as her legs trembled and her knees ached. He didn’t stop moving histhumb, not even when he let out a groan and followed her over the edge.

She looked down at him, letting thelast waves of her orgasm wash over her as she pushed his hand away from herpussy. He had his eyes closed, biting his bottom lip, muscles in his chest andarms tense. Ridiculous how easily he could snap her in half if he wanted to. Shedidn’t think she had ever fucked with someone quite as built as he was. Therewas definitely something in riding a man like that, making him come.

He opened his eyes and grinned ather. “Goddamn Chrissie.”

This time she did lightly slap hischest, where the red lines her nails had left behind stood out against hisskin. “Don’t fucking call me that.”

76. “I wouldn’t change a thing aboutyou.” Bobbie/Chrisjen

Bobbie sighed and leaned back intothe way too comfortable sofa that was situated in the luxury that was Chrisjen’sLuna home. She had seen her house on Earth. It was hard to believe some peoplewere rich enough to own two enormous houses while some people wasted away onbasic, a topic she had learned not to bring up, didn’t even want to bring upright now. She just felt tired and was glad to have a place away from the messon Mars to relax.

“Drink. You look like you fuckingneed it.” Chrisjen waved a glass of scotch in front of her and Bobbie took iteven if she wasn’t much of scotch drinker. It was liquor and with Chrisjen,sitting down next to her, her skin so warm and soft against her own, it wasenough to settle some of the thoughts racing through her mind. Not enough to getrid of the weight resting heavily on her shoulders.

“I’m a fuck-up,” she said after alarge sip of the nicest scotch she had ever had. Chrisjen scoffed and leanedcloser to her, her head resting on Bobbie’s shoulder. Bobbie looked down ather, the inky black hair, the expression on her face soft, her fatigue showingwithout any makeup to hide it. The nightgown was new, at least Bobbie thought so.The woman probably owned on in ever color of the rainbow.

“If you’re a fuck-up, then what am I?Lost an election that should have been easy, caused the death of twelve marinesand a few dozen Belters, and oh, failed to stop a fucking goldrush that will atbest, empty the sol system, and at worst wake up some alien threat that willwipe out humanity.” Bobbie smiled and rested her cheek on top of Chrisjen’shead.

“You’re a colossal fuck-up.” Chrisjenlet out a short laugh, placing a hand on Bobbie’s forearm. Bobbie wanted sobadly to feel better, but Esai’s face, the Belter tattoos, the air rushing outaround her, it was all burned into her memory and she couldn’t shake the overwhelmingfeeling of guilt that joined the images. “I should have done something. Anything. Ishould have tried harder to stop it.”

“It’s not your fault, Bobbie. Therewere a lot of moving pieces and if Belters managed to sway part of the Martianmilitary, you couldn’t have stopped it. Fuck, I probably couldn’t have stoppedit. We’ll be lucky if the two of us can figure out what the fuck is going on.”

“I should have been better. The dreamof Mars is going to shit and I’m following close behind. Or maybe leading thecharge. Who knows.” She watched how her fingers absentmindedly played with therim of her glass. She wasn’t the type to be self-chastising, but then again,she had changed a lot. And she needed to put this feeling of helplessness somewhere.Chrisjen sighed and plucked the glass from her hand, putting it on the table,her fingers underneath Bobbie’s chin.

“Bobbie look at me. We all makemistakes. We’re human, we’re not perfect. You’re not perfect, god knows I’m notfucking perfect. But I wouldn’t change a thing about you.” There wasn’t a liein Chrisjen’s dark eyes and Bobbie smiled, albeit a little sadly. Chrisjenreturned it and leaned in to press a soft kiss against her lips. “So stop weighingyourself down. Without you, I wouldn’t know that the Belters were up tosomething. Now, we can figure what. Together.”

Bobbie traced her thumb over Chrisjen’scheekbone and stole another kiss, making a little slower this time. “I’m stilla fuck-up.”

“We’ll be fuck-ups together.” Chrisjenunceremoniously dropped her tumbler back in her hands, the liquor nearly sloshingover the rim. “Finish your scotch. I’m tired and I’d like to go to sleep withyou next to me.”

[presidentlauraroslin]

“It could be worse.” - Amos/Chrisjen OR "Wanna bet?" - Alice/John OR “Boo.” - Missy/your choice OR “If you die, I’m gonna kill you.” - Team ABC

Mkay, so I am genuinely working on the other two prompts, but here are the two Expanse ones written already.

Amos/Chrisjen – 16. “It could be worse.”

Amos wasa little surprised when he saw Avasarala in sickbay, standing next to thesleeping Martian. She had been hogging the tightbeam from the moment they hadset course for Tycho, talking to Earth, Mars even Fred Johnson. He had wonderedif she had even moved from her quarters since the war had ended. The answer wasright in front of him, her hand hovering above Draper’s, but seeming unsureabout touching her, with the marine’s skin all shades of black and blue.

“It couldbe worse,” he offered up, knowing the extant of Draper’s injuries and with afew rounds stuck in that medcuff, she’d be alright. Avasarala looked up at him,as if she had just realized he was there.

“Whatthe fuck would you know?” she snapped, but it lacked some of the heat Amos hadseen when she chewed out Holden, Naomi, or anyone on the ship really. She lookedvulnerable, tired and he swore he saw tears in her eyes. It was everything hehad never associated with her.

“I know yourMartian could be dead, the hybrids could have been fucking up Mars and no doubtEarth next. Your man could have failed to blow up the Agatha King and Mao couldhave escaped. It’s still a mess, but we call this a win.” He placed a stool downnext to the bed. Avasarala stared at it and then slowly sat down. Amos didn’tmiss the way she let her hands rest just a hair’s breadth away from Draper.

“That isa very simplified way of looking at things.”

He shrugged.“Shit is complicated enough as it is.”

Avasaralalet out a wry chuckle and shook her head. She looked at the sleeping marine,concern flashing over her face. Whatever that relationship was, it was morethan employer-employee. Amos thought it might not be the smartest thing to do,but he carefully placed a hand on her shoulder. Even a woman like her neededsome support. Avasarala stiffened for a moment and then relaxed, as much asprobably could.

“Uncomplicatethis, I’m going to be Secretary-General as soon as I step foot on a UN ship.”Huh. Secretary-General Avasarala. He didn’t pay any attention to politics, butthat was bound to be interesting. For a politician, she didn’t bullshit around.But this was clearly a job she did not want.

“I likeyou better than the current guy. But that sucks.” Being in charge was a jobthat he had never wanted. It’s was why he was grateful for Holden. Nobody onthe ship envied his position and Amos didn’t envy Avasarala for being passedthe leadership of Earth.

“It does.It sucks big, hairy fucking balls.”

“Are yougonna talk like that when you’re the boss?” She rolled her eyes at him. Hecould picture it, some important bullshit speech with words like ‘motherfucker’and ‘cunt’ thrown in. It would certainly make politics more interesting. “Still,it could be worse.”

“Shutthe fuck up,” Avasarala said with a weak smile, her attention moving backtowards the marine. Amos softly squeezed her shoulder and left the two of themalone. She needed all the alone time she could get, before all hell broke looseagain.

Team ABC – 44. “If you die, I’m gonna kill you.”

“Don’tforget your antibiotics,” Chrisjen said quietly, a vulnerability in her voicethat didn’t belong there, tears in her eyes that he wanted to wipe away. Cotyarglanced at the few antibiotics capsules that she was placing in his hand, fingersdigging into his wrist. He wished he didn’t have to leave her, give at leastsome peace of mind.

“I won’t,”he promised. If the impossible happened and he somehow managed to survive thisattack, he’d try to stay alive for her. If only to never see that look in hereyes again. He turned to walk away, before he couldn’t anymore. But Chrisjenstopped him, yanked him back, his name whispered in the recycled air.

SuddenlyCotyar had his arms full of an impossible politician who pulled him down for asearing kiss, leaving him speechless and frozen, for a moment, before he kissedher back. Soft lips moving against his own, a familiar hand against his cheek. Fora moment time stopped and all he could feel and think about was Chrisjen Avasarala.All too quickly reality came crashing back and with regret, he pulled back. Asingle tear had rolled down her cheek and he wiped it away. She smiled sadly andtook a step back.

Thistime she let him leave, but the heaviness in his heart was even worse now. Hewasn’t ready to say goodbye to her yet. The tall Martian stood on walkway, aquizzical look on her face. He couldn’t blame her. He was still wondering whathad just happened back there.

“Goodjob, Marine,” Cotyar managed as he passed her, but Bobbie stopped him as well, hergloved hand landing on his shoulder.

“Don’t die, Spy. If you die, I’m gonna kill you. Or she’ll have you killed.”

“If anyonecould kill an already dead person, it would be you.” He grinned weakly and Bobbieshook her head in her helmet. Cotyar pulled her closer until the helmet touchedhis forehead. He couldn’t hug her or kiss her, not with that armor, but he neededto say goodbye to her as well, in his own way. “Take care of her. She needsyou.”

“I will.Just make sure you get back to us.” He was going to try his hardest, even ifthey had no allies left and missiles were flying at them. He wished he couldpromise he would find his way back to them, that they’d all make it out aliveand fine. But he had learned a long time ago that wishes were worth nothing.

Hewatched them as the doors closed between them, Bobbie’s hand on Chrisjen’sshoulder. The Martian marine and the Earther politician. They made for astrange couple, but he was certain they could turn the system upside down ifthey put their minds to it. Bobbie was exactly what Chrisjen needed right now,her knight in shining Goliath armor. He knew he ought to leave, but something toldhim he wasn’t going to see them again and he wanted to remember this moment.

Bobbielooked away first, making preparations to save their lives. Chrisjen gave himone last look through the small window and it almost made him want to open thedoors and run towards them, gut wound be damned. Instead he turned away and ran,hoping beyond hope he would see them again.