#interesting I'm intrigued

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Welcome to the Dungeons of Fear and Hunger.

[soupdreamer]

hey brennan what the fuck

[shinynewmemories]

I believe Katniss had a pre-reaping crush on Peeta because girl went from THIS....

....... to knowing his name, how many siblings he has, how much he can bench, how he does in school competitions (and exactly who he loses to), the color of his eyes, etc.

[vaggieslefteye]

ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ᴍᴇ ᴄʜᴏᴏꜱᴇ ↳ anonymous asked: HUSK and ALASTOR or angel and valentino?

[corey-wh0re]

Stop smiling at me! Naomi Scott as Skye Riley in Smile 2 (2024) | written & directed by Parker Finn

[wildflowercryptid]

doodled some cycle nuts kiddos on a notepad i yoinked from a storage facility

[backjustforberena]

Princess Rhaenys + the positions of power that were never hers and yet...

[raconteur-wanpi]

Was.... was the ship Franky found after being hit by the sea train possibly the abandoned "Laboratory For Peace"??? Like, y'know, the MADS ship/headquarters?

Wait. That would... actually explain how Franky was able to run into such a strange ship. Completely devoid of people, yet full of technology and machinery that's almost never seen in the One Piece world. OK, damn. Incorporating that in my belief system.

Like, the design checks out, right? Look at the tall shape and the circular windows. Especially if you ignore the fact that this depiction of it seems to be intentionally "cutesy" and cartoony, since it's meant to evoke Lu Feld's propaganda about the true intentions of MADS.

[zorosroronoas]

so we're doing this infiltrate the games thing again, uh? i'm oddly intrigued tho.

[tubbytarchia]

I think it's endlessly more intriguing to think that the Watchers don't do crap, even if some characters place importance on them, like Jimmy praying to them (lmao) as if fate is in their hands when really Jimmy's tended to do horrible because of the environment the other characters have created for him and not because of any intervention from beyond

I love it when the characters are horrible to themselves or others in death games. They are flawed and interesting like that. They put a name to the canary curse and they expect and enforce it. Every fault that any character has showcased is their own. The Watchers don't sway anything because they don't have to, these people are all already insane and suffering. They're just hanging out playing pocker or something, but the thought of a characters THEMSELVES blaming things on them etc is an interesting one

[instantpansies]

life is hard for us oz fans who are only meh about wicked. have half a meme.

[elderwisp]

◁ || ▷

Atlas: I can’t believe you’re gonna let me read this.

Taryn: Only a paragraph.

Atlas: gimmie. Holy shit you’re blind.

Taryn: No me digas. Wait, let me skip over that-

Atlas: Why?

Taryn: Because I don’t want you to read it-

Atlas: It’s fine.

Taryn: Uh, no. Close your eyes. 

Atlas: Is it smut? Oh my god it’s smut-

Taryn: It’s not smut!

Atlas: Hah… HAHA! Let me see.

Taryn: No!

Atlas: Lemme see!

Taryn: Please no!

Atlas: Alright! Alright! Although I'm curious why you're so afraid of me looking. 

Taryn: It isn’t smut, it’s a really rough draft of some poetry. That’s all you gotta know. 

Atlas: Ah, top secret. I see, I see. 

Taryn: You sure about that? Your eyes are twitching. 

Atlas: My eyes hurt a bit. 

Taryn: Well duh. 

Atlas: No because I have contacts in as well. 

Taryn: Are you- WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?! 

Atlas: hehe

[ door opens ]

Atlas: Hola, chaparrito.

Kai: [ mumbles ] Hey guys.

Taryn: I left you some food in the fridge.

Kai: Thanks.

Atlas: I’ll be back. So…

Kai: So?

Atlas: How are… Things?

Kai: Things… Huh. I don’t know, maybe if you were around more, you’d know.

Atlas: I apologize, I know I haven’t been the best friend but I’m working on it.

Kai: Right, you look like you’re doing such a wonderful job.

Atlas: Kai, do not get snarky with me. I said I was sorry, okay?!

Kai: Atlas! Be fucking forreal, you disappear into the fucking back rooms for weeks and pop out like nothing happens.

Atlas: [ stifled laughter ] …Backrooms? Sorry, okay serious. 

Kai: You’re such a- GOD you piss me off. 

Atlas: I’m aware. Listen, I’ll make it up to you. Next week let’s go skating with Dan, yeah?

Kai: …

Atlas: Come on, Kai, say something.

Kai: Don’t be late.

Atlas: I won’t! Promise.

Kai: Fine. [ smek! ]

Atlas: Ow!

[mollysunder]

I've said this and that about Mel meeting Swain, uprooting the Black Rose, and just dealing with family politics, but I may be most excited with how she deals with Vladimir. To me, Mel and Vladimir have really similar stories, where they're sent away by their parent for political gain, achieve incredible magical strength under extreme duress, and ultimately kill their parental figure. The difference between the two is that under the weight of everything, Vladimir became the thing most people inaccurately accuse Mel of being.

Vladimir is a charismatic aristocratic manipulator who is completely and utterly looking out for his own self-interest. Despite being an incredibly consequential person to the very existence of Noxus, a co-founder of the Black Rose, and having helped seal Mordekaiser away, he was actually pretty checked out by the time the Swain's coup against Darkwill happened. Now he's just using the situation to bulk up his own cult, the Crimson Circle, and maybe carve out his own kingdom from Noxus at some point too.

Vladimir is just such a clear antithesis of who Mel could be if she didn't care, if she lost her compassion and gave into the cynical nature of power. And I think Mel's new title as a champion, "The Soul's Reflection" is so interesting when you include Vladimir in the dynamic. Vlad's a blood mage with vampire-coding, and vampires don't have reflections, and Mel doesn't need to "reflect" Vladimir because they're already so similar.

Also I think it's neat that Mel and Vladimir are the only Noxians with base designs that make them look like they're going to a ball. Is it the same ball? ?...Maybe?

(Extra also! Mel has sun related powers while Vladimir is as close to a vampire as you can get).

[gottagobackintime]

I can't stop thinking about how emotional Ted got during his little speech about his friend who had to watch the Super Bowl alone twice. And how he should have been there. It's been 25 years since he didn't watch football with his friend, and he gets upset when he talks about it. Surely there is more to it than what we're lead to believe by the silly comparison. His body language and way of talking (and the background music) reminds me of the scene in season 2 episode 1: Goodbye Earl when he talks about the dog that he took care of when he was younger. Go watch that scene and then go back and watch the scene from the latest episode from the moment he says "'Cause I wasn't there. 'Cause I "didn't care."" And then note when the music starts when he says : "I should've supported him." The way he's looking down, not meeting anyone's eyes. I don't think he's really talking to the team at that point, he's talking to himself.

I want to know what Ted realised as he was telling that story, because his mood changes, or he lets his mask fall, I don't really know. But you can see the change in the way he looks at the people in the room, and how he gets more and more emotional. To the point where he's not even really looking at the other people in the room. You cannot convince me that is a man who is simply upset about not watching two Super Bowls with a friend 25 years ago.

[bumblingbabooshka]

I hate when Chakotay is watered down to be Janeway's yes man because their disagreements are actually very interesting. [A lot of rambling analysis of this debate in particular below]

Chakotay in Parallax is very interesting in that he has to navigate a lot of different dynamics. Balance a lot of plates while being watched keenly by everyone around him. Immediately preceding this scene we see him ask B'Elanna for her opinion on the bridge - both as a chance to show her knowledge in his bid to make her chief engineer (because she wouldn't get a chance to otherwise as Janeway has clearly indicated that at this point she views B'Elanna as a troublemaker who won't be considered for the position) and because he just thinks she's a better engineer than Carey and wants the best possible chance of them succeeding. Janeway sees this as unacceptable. Carey is the chief engineer and so he should be called and Chakotay NOT asking for his opinion is an insult to Carey, Janeway, and might make the crew doubt Chakotay (and by extension the Maquis') loyalty to the Starfleet crew.

At this point it seems that to Janeway integration ["They're not your people"] means the path of least resistance, specifically tailored towards the Starfleet crew. She wants Chakotay by her side to keep the Maquis crew calm but also seems unwilling to consider them for important positions aboard the ship. Though she says that the Maquis are not Chakotay's people, not his crew, she certainly doesn't seem to consider them hers [Compare this to later instances where she stresses 'our' crew, here she simply says they aren't Chakotay's: Whose crew are they? Are they crew at all?]. This less leaves the impression of "We need to be a cohesive team" and more "You're not in charge here." She essentially accuses Chakotay of playing favorites. In her mind Chakotay's actions are not conducive to integrating the crews which would (again, in her mind) mean the Maquis being docile and accepting, obedient and content - not making trouble for the Starfleet crew. Chakotay counters Janeway's accusation with one of his own: That he IS trying to integrate them into the crew but her not allowing the Maquis any opportunity to prove themselves or succeed, not showing any trust in any of them (except, implicitly at this point, him) is making things difficult. At this point the Maquis crew are ready to mutiny on his word at any time. He knows this for a fact. Aside from that looming threat (the threat being that tensions are high and if nothing changes and they remain high there might be a mutiny even without his word) - Chakotay knows these people and trusts them. Though Starfleet and Janeway think of the Maquis as a violent bunch of criminal terrorists, Chakotay and a good number of the Maquis joined because they believed in the cause they were fighting for. These are people Chakotay knows WILL fight fiercely for what they believe in and conversely, AGAINST what they perceive as injustice. Even if they're not in the majority - they're used to picking fights which seem impossible to win. At this point Janeway admits that she ISN'T making it easy for Chakotay to integrate the Maquis - specifically talking about practical concerns; how she doesn't feel she can let Maquis crew have roles of importance on the ship because they lack the ability to hold them. "They don't have the discipline, they don't have the training," - asserting that they just aren't prepared for any such roles and it doesn't have to do with them being Maquis specifically. Ostensibly, she's treating them as she might treat anyone unqualified for the job.

Chakotay maintains that some of them, like B'Elanna, have the ability to be trained - challenging her point by saying that IF they're trained there's no reason for any Maquis member NOT to be given a more prominent role on the ship. He isn't suggesting they just unqualified people important jobs. If the problem is that they aren't trained, let's train them. These people have the ability to succeed if you give them the tools they need and a fair chance, he insists. Janeway then switches gears and her argument becomes not "The Maquis are untrained so they can't be given those jobs" but "The Maquis crew are unworthy of those jobs when compared to Starfleet personnel" saying that it'll cause insult and upset among the Starfleet crew if any member of the Maquis were to be promoted above them. Again, her idea of integration is based more on Maquis subservience to the Starfleet crew than it is the two crews working together. (Not that I believe she looks at it that way, it's just where her 'path of least resistance' leads) - though she accuses Chakotay of being too focused on "his" crew, she is admitting here that she believes her real crew are the Starfleet officers aboard, not the Maquis. She also admits here that the system she wishes to maintain (and is asking Chakotay to enforce) is one where there will ostensibly never be any chance of a Maquis crew member being promoted because no Maquis crew member will ever be more qualified, more worthy, than a member of Starfleet. We can see how it'd be difficult for Chakotay to convince his crew to remain calm under these circumstances. There's also Tuvok's behavior toward him at the beginning of the episode where the Vulcan nearly goes over Chakotay's head and when he doesn't do so (as Chakotay reminds him that HE'S the superior officer, the First Officer in fact,) Tuvok acts as if him backing down (partially) and conceding (partially) to Chakotay's authority is a favor to Chakotay.

Tuvok in this conversation is downright insubordinate to Chakotay. Despite Chakotay being the first officer, he doesn't take what he says seriously, argues that his own opinion on what should be done should be followed rather than Chakotay's, lectures the first officer about his conduct, and then almost seems to threaten him with a report. In Starfleet's rigidly hierarchical rules, acting like this to a superior officer (ESPECIALLY the first officer) wouldn't be tolerated and Tuvok knows this perfectly well. He isn't a rebellious character and clearly in other episodes adheres to these Starfleet hierarchies and codes of conduct very strictly. He values them highly. But Chakotay, a Maquis, shouldn't be First Officer. Why should he be given respect for a title he didn't earn? [Affirming Janeway's argument about how Starfleet officers won't be eager to follow a Maquis senior officer] Even though Chakotay tells Tuvok off for it ["I don't have to explain myself to you"] he doesn't threaten to put Tuvok on report or explicitly mention his insubordination. It's unclear if this is Chakotay's personality or if he just doesn't feel he CAN do that. Tuvok is one of the three most senior officers aboard and very close to Janeway. Chakotay has to think of the optics of any situation at all times - we see seconds after this conversation that rumors have already started swirling around B'Elanna being relegated to quarters that've fanned the flames of mutiny. Though we know Tuvok has personal reasons for behaving the way he does toward Chakotay (which he later admits), I really don't think it'd be out of the ordinary for this to be how most Starfleet personnel would treat the Maquis if they weren't outright hostile: Like they're only pretend crewmen. To a lesser extent we even see this with Janeway: In the following staff meeting, she clearly doesn't consider B'Elanna a viable option when Chakotay brings her up and almost ignores the suggestion entirely.

It also, again, leaves Chakotay in an impossible position. If he doesn't protect and fight for the Maquis crew, they won't ever be considered a true part of the crew and dissatisfaction will likely spread among them. Dissatisfaction which the Starfleet crew will then use to further label the Maquis as insubordinate, uncontrollable, unfit. Not to mention that if he doesn't advocate for them, he might lose their trust. However, if he DOES try to help the Maquis crew advance the Starfleet crew will view this as 'favoritism' and will further distrust him, won't respect the people he puts forth as worthy. Janeway seems to be intent on not advocating for any of the Maquis crew and also seems unwilling to ask that the Starfleet crew grant leniency. She implies that the Maquis crew need to learn to get in line and keep quiet and it seems almost like [we must remember the optics] she has Chakotay as the only Maquis in a position of power to facilitate that. Chakotay recognizes and pushes against that, saying that he won't just be her token Maquis - there only so she can point to him and say "See? We don't discriminate against the Maquis here." effectively a tool used to shut down any arguments of unfair treatment and a tool to quell the Maquis if any talk of mutiny DOES arise. In this model, Janeway can just tell Chakotay to calm them down and they'll listen because they trust him. She also doesn't have to really listen to anything he says: A token First Officer has no authority; his words don't hold weight. [Chakotay isn't Maquis anymore, they aren't his crew anymore - ok. What is he then? What are they? Nothing, without respect.] This plan seems untenable, as much as Janeway frames it as sensible: "I can't make it easy, Commander. Surely you can understand that," and alternatives as impossible "How am I supposed to ask them to accept a Maquis as their superior officer just because circumstances have forced us together?" - in the long run, how would this be sustainable? In any power structure, you cannot expect a group of people you're unwilling to grant trust or agency to obediently follow you forever. This proposed form of 'integration' in which the Maquis are kept on the bottom rung and told intermittently to stay there quietly by the only one of them granted permission to stand at the top would never be sustainable - especially with a group like the Maquis who again, were founded on the belief that its members should fight against inequity and are already on the verge of mutiny.

I specifically find the statement "How am I supposed to ask them to accept a Maquis as their superior officer just because circumstances have forced us together?" to be interesting because personally I'd say that being forced together for the rest of almost everyone's natural life is a pretty good reason to ask people to adapt and Janeway does understand this but only applies it to the Maquis - the Maquis are the ones who have to adapt, not Starfleet. The only thing the Starfleet crew have to do is tolerate their presence on board.

At this point Janeway again claims that if Chakotay can show her a 'qualified' Maquis candidate she'll consider them. I believe this is true but we already know that Janeway's standards for qualification will likely not fit the vast majority of the Maquis and Chakotay ignores the claim in favor of putting forth B'Elanna again, firmly. Janeway predictably dismisses her as unqualified and Chakotay disagrees, arguing that he knows her. He's worked with her. He KNOWS that B'Elanna can excel at the job even if she doesn't meet Starfleet/Janeway's qualifications. He doesn't value those qualifications over what he's observed about her - just as he didn't value Carey's title over what he knew about the gap between his and B'Elanna's abilities. Then, Chakotay switches gears. He admits that Janeway's right - he does view the Maquis as his crew but that's because Janeway (almost self admittingly) doesn't and if he doesn't, who will they have? [What kind of captain, kind of man, would he be?] "You're going to have to give them more authority if you want their loyalty." "Theirs or yours, Commander?" Janeway frames Chakotay's words pointing out the flaws in this plan which I outlined earlier, as almost a threat (if she doesn't have Chakotay's loyalty it'll most definitely mean mutiny). Chakotay asserts that it wasn't a threat, he's only trying to help by telling her how the Maquis crew will react to what she's telling him. "I'm sorry you can't see that" - not an apology for what he said but that she isn't willing to budge, not willing to listen to him and acknowledge that she might be as biased towards her crew as he is towards his. Chakotay is trying his best to acclimate his crew but if Janeway isn't willing to do the same, to talk to her people as he's talking to his, then this will not end well and that isn't a threat. It's just the reality of the situation. He then asks permission to leave, showing he is willing to observe Starfleet protocol (just as when he asked permission to speak freely), and Janeway lets him go, exhaling at the intensity of their debate when alone in her ready room.

[fereldanwench]

i was pretty sure i was gonna like emmrich but i can't get over how charming he is

i'm really fighting to finish my first run before i make another rook to smooch him :3