#it’s funny that the characters I’ve identified with most are psychics

[itsapartyhey]

something something your past and present comfort characters in the Steven meme something something (they both have a catchphrase)

[wellnoe]

do you think a lot of jean’s costumes having padded/armoured shoulders is a deliberate design choice or just something a lot of artists think is cool? I’ve always found it funny considering she’s a psychic, and I think characters with mental powers make designing costumes harder/ more interesting. 

impossible to say with any certainty but i think it is deliberate. first i want to point out that when we first start getting a lot of shoulder pads and armor in jean's design its the 90s, and everyone is getting that treatment. its the fashion of the era. her costumes share similarities with wolverine, domino, cable, etc. i also want to point out that a really consistent design element in jean suits is this triangular design on her body, often emphasized by the armor/shoulder pads:

(using my own sketches for easiness' sake)

i think there are basically 2 reasons for this.

one is that triangles are a sexy shape, which is why you see them across so many superheroes

the second reason is the most interesting to me. and it basically comes down to artists trying to create a design that fits the character's brand through reference, and the struggle of doing that with a character like jean. when you're designing a character's new look, and you want to make sure it still scans as them, i think you tend to look at the classics:

things you immediately notice: big triangle shape emphasizing the shoulders (this is even true of the green mini dress, which was off-the shoulder)! you get this really neat straight across line. looking at the student x-men suit and dark phoenix, you also get this triangle shape over a full-body suit. this will be replicated in a lot of later costumes.

looking at these classic costumes i think you can identify a problem, which is that only one of these is really jean's. her first recognizable suit pretty much becomes the standard x-training uniform, and dark phoenix, while classic, carries a lot of implication. which begs the question of how do you make her distinct from the rest of the team and from her turn as dark phoenix? well, her 90's yellow and blue is almost an inverted version of the team suits from the 60s (and from the era immediately preceding it). you use the clear triangle neckline from phoenix but different colors. and hey, make that shape even bigger, throw in some shoulder pads.

the end result is that jean is often someone draped in x-men or phoenix iconography, even in eras that individualize her and other members of the team. and i think that's cool. it reinforces her connection to those two things in a really subtle way.

tldr: i think the shoulder pads are a way to reference iconic jean costumes' shapes without replicating them too closely (and sometimes matching them more closely to the trends of other costumes).

[laufire]

Supernatural s2

I’m halfway through s3 already (technically a rewatch, but there were episodes I didn’t watch the first time around), so this post is a little overdue lol. At this rhythim the posts will overlap. Plus I’m hoping I can finish s4-5 during the holidays to see the ~intended ending~ before I have to slow down on the binge-watch. After that, a season a month sounds achievable AND won’t take longer than 2021 xD

ANYWAY.

-Overall, I’ve enjoyed it more than the first one, but at the same time I’ve found myself missing how... claustrophobic? Insular? Compact? That one was. s2 was about the world opening up just a little bit more, introducing new characters to the brothers’ life, etc. I do love the detail that this is something that can only have, narratively speaking, once John is dead. Again: this show gets abusive families, consciously or not.

-The foreshadowing is beautifully done. 15 seasons make for a lot of unintentional and ironic foreshadowing later on, I’m sure, but the purposeful foreshadowing is superb this season. About the crossroads deals, of course, but especially about John’s last words. I already knew he’d told Dean he might have to kill Sam (father of the year, seriously. Though I side-eye the fandom even more for always having acted as if this is only awful for Dean lol), so I was hyperaware of every single detail. My favourite moment was the absolute horror of hearing Gordon proudly, cheerfully relate how he murdered his sister when she became a vampire (which, btw, as someone that’s still bitter about what went down with the Gunn siblings on Angel, I found it healing to see something like that treated as a horror story).

-Speaking of Gordon: I unashamedly love his character lmfao. Sterling K. Brown is mesmerizing, always. At the same time, I have serious mixed feelings (especially after seeing his arc in full in s3) because man, if it isn’t a racist mess. I’ve mentioned this before, but it’s not exactly revolutionary that the first time we see the story from the monster’s POV (something I want the show to do! Often!), it’s when white monsters are stalked and brutalized by our first black hunter. Especifically a white woman, btw (although I’m happy to see Tara Maclay as a brunette vampire. I didn’t know I needed that in my life, but I did). And you can tell that the show thinks it’s just so SMART and FUNNY to have a ~racist black hunter!! I mean, the comment about how psychic kids would be “betraying their race” if they allied with demons?? FFS.

And ofc there’s the fact that he’s condemned for the exact same type of stuff that makes Dean be hailed as a hero lmfao. Though I won’t like, I love the moment where, faced with the comparison, Dean’s response is “I might be like you, I might not. But you’re the one tied up.” I love those kinds of character moments. As of s2 I officially have a love-hate relationship with Dean Winchester, I hate it here xDD

But still, on his own, Gordon is an amazing character (it’s one of the most frustrating things about the show, the greatness tainted by the bigotry :))). Charismatic, terrifying, and ofc superbly acted. Also, I love that the fact that he praised John (as opposed to every other hunter having a rockier relationship with him) is clearly supposed to be a red flag LMFAO.

-I enjoy how the seasons delves more deeply into Sam’s ~~dark origins, since it was my fave thing about him way back when. I’m already mourning the (as I suspect) lost of his powers, ngl. There’s a little more attention in how he tends to over-identify with supernatural creatures struggling with their ~dark sides too (bitch me too, the fuck xD), which I LOVE to see (among other reasons because at least in that way we get a little of their POV in the forefront lol). One of my favourites in that sense was the episode centered around the ghost-who-didn’t-know-she-was-ghost, played by Tricia Helfer. I clocked early one what was going on, but it was still very enjoyable, especially with Sam’s empathy with her (contrasted by Dean being a total bitch about it, btw. I can’t believe I still see post about how Dean is all heart/kindness/compassion/whatever the fuck. Dean is all about selective empathy and only when it conveniences him, pls).

I was more divided on the episode with Madison the werewolf, tbh. OTOH it put Sam in a better position, for a change xD. As the one willing to make The Hard Choices by fulfilling his promise to kill her because she was dangerous, even when Dean offered to ~take the burden from him. OTOH I hate that kind of thing lol. YOU GUYS KNOW A HUNTER PRO LIKE BOBBY, I BET HE COULD’VE FIGURED OUT SOMETHING TO CONTAIN HER A FEW NIGHTS A MONTH. Also, my immediate reaction was to compare this to when my man Angel had a crush on a werelady and helped her every month lmfao. But then, very few characters can withstand a comparison with Angel, in any sense :P

I also liked Sam’s subplot with his fellow demon-psychic kids, though I wish it’d lasted longer :/ (also: RME at the queer girl dying almost immediately AND her power being killing people, her girlfriend first of all, with her touch. The black guy was the last one to die at least...?). My fave was Ava, by far. I loved her since her reaction to helping Sam stealing a psychiatrist’s records was yelling “I’M AWESOME!!”. It made it easy to buy that someone that appeared so mundane, with her easy life and her fiance and whatnot, would become so power hungry and go off the rails, IMO.

BTW: RME at Dean being all “oh Sam is going too dark/becoming to cold” when Sam kills Jake. Jake ripped off his spine and killed him first!! It both amuses me and infuriates me all the times Dean tries to push Sam to be more like himself and then freaks out whenever Sam is not all sunshine and rainbows (while still remaining, IMO, far less cold than Dean himself. Besides, it’s not easy to be colder than Dean, lol).

Lastly, a little character detail I loved was when Sam was jealous about Dean being in the federal database but not himself lmfao. 

-I loved the new foreshadowing crumb with Sam finding out Mary knew the demon, too (information he’ll withhold from Dean, which I approve of LOL). I mean, I know exactly what’s up, I’ve watched most of s4 xD (also, what is UP with this family and making deals with demons. Everyone but Sam so far!! And then HE gets dragged for ~getting too close to one smh. Maybe lead by example!! Also also: yes, it was meant to be ambiguous, but I can’t help but notice the only kiss-pact -or further, depending to how close YED was to Lilith’s levels, since to make a deal with her you have to fuck xD- we didn’t see was the one that must’ve happened between John and YED. Cowards!! xD). Still. I’m so curious about her. Her resurrection is one of the main reasons I’m determined to make it to the later seasons, ngl.

-Another thing I LOVED about this season is how they used sibling relationships to parallel/foreshadow stuff about the brothers, the way s1 did often with fathers. I’ve already mentioned Gordon and his sister, but the others are not less brutal imo: Andy having to kill his evil twin, who wanted him all for himself (... Dean is that you xD); the little girl’s ghost who wanted her grand-niece to commit suicide to stay with her, and didn’t give in until her old sister agreed to die in her place. It was chilling. Also, at one point the parallel was between the brothers and a married couple (the ghost-who-didn’t-know-she-was-a-ghost) and asñdlfkajsf. I’m guessing they had fun with the shippers lol.

Speaking of the brothers’ relationship, this season also goes a little further in escalating the violence between them, when Dean punches Sam in the face and he refuses to respond (“you can hit me all you want, it won’t change anything”. Fuck), or when Dean again punches Sam after Sam was possessed by Meg ¬¬

-Going back to my love-hate relationship with Dean, lmfao. My biggest beef remains how much validation his POV gets from the narrative, granted or not; he’s one of the most irritating cases of protagonist-centered morality and I know it’s only going to get worse smh. At least this season it feels a little more balanced than in s1, with episodes like the one where the civilian Sam had tried to keep away dies halfway through the ep because Dean allowed him to get involved, for example. Still, it grates on me xD. The continuing prison rape jokes/demonic possession rape jokes (with Meg and Sam), his general grossness with women and his lack of sympathy for non-humans even when they’re not trying to hurt anyone don’t exactly help. Also, I often see him praised for some of his political views, a lot of which I agree with (his mistrust of cops, saying convicts don’t deserve to die no matter what they do), but when contrasted with his general attitude across the show it’s really grating ngl.

But then he has such AMAZING character details thrown in, that make me appreciate him as a POV character nonetheless, as much as I often want to curb stomp the guy xD. I loved his speech about how there’s no such thing as a dignified death. I love how he refused to come near his mother’s grave, both at the beginning and at the end of the episode (this show is like, the cure to DCCW’s shows false fuzzy sentimentality istg). I love his pop-culture references, like when Sam mentions Dean always thought OJ was the murderer or Dean jokes about freeing Katie Holmes from Scientology’s cult xD (sometimes it really hits you how old this show is lol). I enjoyed his Wishverse episode, and his lines after Sam dies/he sells his soul to save him (“I had one job”, “my life can mean something”) hit HARD.

But most of all? I LOVE how and why he starts losing respect for John. It’s so fucking cold and abrupt and makes so much sense!! Like, yes, part of it is John’s message about killing Sam (... again, father of the year!), but most of all it’s about John making a pact with a demon and dying TO SAVE DEAN (and probably, simply that he died at all. That shit de-mystifies anyone). IT’S SO FUCKING GREAT TO WATCH. “He spent his life chasing that demon. He was supposed to die fighting, not making a deal with the damn thing. That was supposed to be his legacy, not this." Damn, Dean xDD. The *contempt* with which he said that killed me.

I also love his inherently atheist vision of the world (even if yes, it’s extremely funny knowing this show has canon God and angels and shit -no Jesus Christ though, which I find endlessly funny-, or that they actually meet the archangel Gabriel in disguise xD. Either way, the episode with the fake angel and its foreshadowing was hilarious), his anti-destiny stance, and that it’s him and not John who gets to kill YED.

-I liked Ellen and Jo. Not LOVED, but I liked them. I keep fearing that secondary (especially female) characters will feel empty/shallow but the show keeps proving me wrong, even with one-episode wonders, and at first I wasn’t sure about them, but I was sold quickly. Partially because of the actresses, they both had this... humanizing, endearing quality? It worked really well.  I also loved the explicit contrast between John and Ellen’s parenting styles, with Ellen wanting Jo to return to school and be safe from the hunt, and Jo wanting something different. Also, I wouldn’t ship it if you paid me, but LOL at anyone who actually buys Dean sees Jo as a ~little sister just because MEG said that rme.

This show is just REALLY good when it comes to giving depth to a character with only a couple of brush strokes, which makes it all the more frustrating when they abruptly die or disappear to never be seen again/only once more (to abruptly die!) :)))

I was less sold on Ash; he was amusing, but having a Genius Hacker TM helping them out seemed like the beginning of increasingly giving the brothers ways of deux ex machina-ing them out of problems, when one of my favourite things about the show is seeing them creatively find ways out themselves. I like when they’re competent! Like with the multitude of codes they have to improvise plans, like in the episode where with two words through a lawyer they implemented a quick scheme so that Sam would escape from a police precinct. I like that stuff.

-I’m still so bitterly jealous about the dead man’s blood hurting vampires detail. SO BITTERLY JEALOUS. I love a lot of what this show does with its lore but that little bit is the worst offender. I want it so bad xD

[go-events]

GO Rom Com Spotlight: @mllekurtz​

The most excellent @mllekurtz​ (also TheKnittingJedi on AO3) has claimed Just Like Heaven to adapt for Good Omens in the Good Omens Rom Com Event.

For reference, here’s a little background about the source material!

About MOVIE NAME: David (Mark Ruffalo) is a recently widowed architect moving into a new apartment in San Francisco. But the apartment isn't entirely empty; it's haunted by the ghost of a woman named Elizabeth (Reese Witherspoon). And although Elizabeth can't remember much about her life, she's convinced that she isn't really dead. While David recruits Darryl (Jon Heder), an absent-minded psychic, to get to the bottom of Elizabeth's identity, he and Elizabeth begin to fall in love.

We spent some time chatting about how the adaptation is coming so far, as well as future plans for it! Now, get to know @mllekurtz​ a little better!

* * *

goromcom: Let’s begin with that goofy thing I like to start with: You know how if you open a Tumblr chat with someone you haven't chatted to before, Tumblr tells you two things they post about? I wanted to tell you that yours reports that you post "about #good omens fanart and #crowley". I’ll ask you the same thing I asked the last time someone had one of the GO characters as a suggested tag for them: Is Crowley secretly your favorite?

mllekurtz: I love both my children equally! (It's Crowley.) Seriously, I love and overly identify with the both of them, but there's just something about Crowley. And fan artists have been doing amazing things with him, I can't get enough of all the different ways he's interpreted (especially when it comes to his hair).

goromcom: You chose to adapt Just Like Heaven as your rom com. Has this movie been a favorite of yours, or is there some other reason you chose it?

mllekurtz: Definitely one of my favourite romcoms. It's far from perfect, but it's got some great moments, and Mark Ruffalo as a romantic lead is everything. I've also read the book it's based on, but I was in high school and I don't remember much. Did you know that the same author also wrote a book about an angel and a demon falling in love? What a crazy idea. (I swear it's true!)

goromcom: Crazy!

What's your favorite moment of Just Like Heaven, and are you looking forward to presenting it in your adaptation? Any loose plans for that scene that you can share?

mllekurtz: My favourite scene is when David tells Elizabeth that he loves her. I've tweaked the plot a bit, so I'm looking forward to seeing how that will play out with my changes.

goromcom: Do you plan to stick very closely to the story beats of the original movie, or make bigger changes?

mllekurtz: There are many lines in the movies that are just too funny not to include. But I've changed the character's backstories and the way certain events play out, especially in the end.

goromcom: What's an interesting decision you've made in your planning so far--a notable casting decision, a changing of venue, or some other plan you have to paint Good Omens all over your rom com?

mllekurtz: As spectators, we see what's going on mostly from Elizabeth’s point of view. We only get to know David's backstory and motivations when he reveals them to her. In my AU, Aziraphale has Reese's role and Crowley has Mark's, and I wanted Crowley's to be my main pov, but at the same time I'm trying to retain that mystery and have his backstory revealed bit by bit. And I'm also changing the setting from San Francisco to London, for obvious reasons.

goromcom: Insert gif here of Crowley saying, “Obviously.” XD

I am blatantly stealing this last question from The Good Place: The Podcast, but here goes: Tell me something "good". It can be something big or small. It can be a charity you think is doing good work, or you can talk about how great your pet is.

mllekurtz: I'd be remiss if I didn't shower with praise my amazing partner-in-crime, @sparvierosart, who has enthusiastically agreed to make art for my fic and also tolerates me on a daily basis. And there's also Bianca, an arctic fox cleverly disguised as a dog. I know every dog owner thinks their dog is the most beautiful dog, but come on, I win.

goromcom: And we have photographic proof of Bianca’s adorableness!

Awwww.

Make sure you catch the GO adaptation of Just Like Heaven, coming soon!

[tricksheart]

❥ —— 𝐆𝐄𝐓 𝐓𝐎 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐌𝐘 𝐅𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐒 !

list the ten muses that you’ve enjoyed/you’re enjoying writing the most. one for every fandom !

1. Akira Kurusu / Joker / Persona 5 Protagonist from Persona 5. I’ve had Akira since 2016, with moving him from two previous urls and blogs. I just love this protag since he’s the one that I could see myself in. The other two protags from 3 and 4 were so polar opposite that I couldn’t really see myself when playing as them in the game. Akira definitely feels more real than any other self insert character that I have come across through gaming. Plus the whole rebellion thing and have to wear glasses for most of the game really stands out to me. And fine I’ll admit it, the ability to say/do memes and tease people once he really gets to know a person are also traits that I love to explore as well. A person who you both do and don’t know all too well.

2. Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd from Fire Emblem Three Houses. I’ve been playing Fire Emblem since 2007 ( Radiant Dawn ) and ever since have been a huge fan. There’s only a few games that I haven’t played because they are region locked but I have many favorites in the series. Ephiram from Sacred Stones used to be my favorite lord of all time before I played Three Houses and met one blonde lance prince from the Blue Lions house. Expertly well-written and not so black&white when it comes to character, I love writing him. I even supported the character when everyone else was hating on him because of his hair design. I’ve had my Dimitri ( @seekswrath ) since 2018 and I don’t know if I could ever say goodbye to such a great muse.

3. Back when I started tumblr rp back in 2012, my first muse was Peter Pan from Once Upon a Time, also my first time rping a villain character. I had a lot of fun on that blog and I wrote more too but we also used huge moving gifs and big images. But we all had fun and didn’t care too much about formatting, fancy icons, stylistic blogs that no one can navigate properly. I still have that muse floating around tumblr but I have lost the login and password to that blog so it’s going to be inactive forever.

4. 2010 had me having a huge interest with a little series called Durarara!! but it wasn’t until 2014 that I had made myself an Izaya Orihara rp blog. It’s funny since my friends and I used to have this little game when we all watched anime to see who was going to be who. And my bus friend was in charge one time and told me that I was just like that Izaya character. And I asked, ‘Isn’t he the bad guy?’ and he replied that even if he was, he still was cooler than the rest of the others on the show. So that somewhat stuck with me when choosing which Durarara!! character I wanted to play as.

5. I really miss writing my Light Yagami from Death Note. Not only do I have a birthday two days before his, I actually liked writing intelligent characters that were supposed to be more emotional since they were born in the Pisces part of the zodiac. Plus, he really wasn’t into romance and actually got annoyed when people did fall in love with him or his ideals. He just didn’t want to be bothered and that part was really fun to write.

6. Bede from Pokemon Sword and Shield is a fun muse to write because he’s a rival character and there hasn’t been a lot of rival ones that are basically rude and actually get in your way, save for Silver and maybe Green ( Blue ) depending on how you look at it. Plus, he’s basically a bastard version of a wooloo and likes Psychic pokemon, well mine at ( @psyprodigy ) does anyway.

7. I like writing all of my muses over at ( @hitobanju​ ) because I do love most characters from Otome based games because there’s a character in there for everyone. Don’t like this one character in the game? Then there is always another option. It’s fun choosing muses that speak to you and even if I am not one for romance, there is characters in those games that is not too focused on that as well.

8. Elsa from the Frozen / Disney franchise. This one is self explanatory for the most part because she’s my favorite princess / queen / royalty from Disney since she is character that I can look up too and also is an ACE icon for people like myself and others who identify as this. ( @glovenice​ ) is my muse blog for Elsa and I am really grateful for everyone on there.

9. I remade my Noctis ( over at @somnumsol​ ) but I had him as a single muse in 2018. I just loved how Final Fantasy actually had the protagonist to be laid back, liked to fish ( as I do ) and be extra tired all the time instead of the local brooder ( Cloud, Lightning, and Squall ) or the laughing comic relief ( Tidus and Zidane ). 

10. I just recently made him because the movie just came out last week but I’m having fun rping Sonic ( @blrings​ ) since it’s been a long time since I’ve played a sonic game that isn’t smash bros. It’s really nostalgic because sonic was the first video game I’ve ever played and writing the smart alec, chili dog eating, blue blur is something that makes me smile. Also, the memes. Gotta go fast.

Tagged by: @jokaito​ && @p0lymat​ Tagging: @praeteritus-memories​ and anyone else who wants to do this.

[kcwcommentary]

VLD7x05 – “The Ruins”

7x05 – “The Ruins”

With the Paladin roster finalized as Keith in Black, Lance in Red, and Allura in Blue, and Shiro in nothing, and with the death of Zarkon, the title sequence for this show is antiquated. It now functions at the start of every episode as a reminder of what the show used to be. The opening title sequence for a show should always be a statement about what the show is, but this sequence is so far from what the show has become. The title sequence not matching the current content of the show highlights how the show has lost its sense of direction.

I like the first shot of this episode in that the nebula is pretty, the smallness of the Lions creates some of a sense of immensity for space. I don’t like the white trails behind the Lions though. They’re not shown to be moving through anything, so what’s creating the white trails behind them?

Hunk’s sleeping, and Keith yells, “Everybody up!”

Pidge is dreaming about getting “only [a] 99 on the test.” I guess some people – I’ll say Mitch Iverson, since he wrote this episode – think grade anxiety is funny. Grade anxiety comes from a lack of parental support. A kid thinks they have to earn the absolute highest grades possible to be able to keep their parent(s) from criticizing them, emotionally abandoning them, or even at the most extreme physically abusing them. Pidge has always had endless support from her family, so having her demonstrate having grade anxiety reveals this show sees intelligence as a caricature. The creators of this show, or at least the writer of this episode, included grade anxiety without having even a basic understanding of what it is. They just thought it’s funny how some clearly intelligent people are scared of not getting perfect grades. They’re mocking people with grade anxiety, not revealing character with Pidge.

Lance and Allura want to sleep some more. Romelle’s sideways on her bed, foot on the wall, head hanging off the side: her posture made me genuinely laugh.

Everyone except for Keith and Krolia have been sleeping. Keith says, “We can’t let this long journey make us soft or dull our skills.” It’s obnoxious for this show to have Keith equate the need for sleep with weakness. They have all been through really stressful events, it makes sense that they need to rest and recover.

Shiro speaks (what? he’s still a character on this show?). “Keith’s right. Routine is what got me through being Zarkon’s prisoner and being in the infinite void of the Black Lion.” What!? Having a routine can be very useful, but neither of Shiro’s citations are instances in which he created a routine for himself. Shiro was a prisoner. Prisoners don’t manage their time, those who imprison them do. If he had a routine while imprisoned, while having to literally fight for his survival, then it was because the routine was imposed on him by the Galra. As for being in the Black Lion’s psychic space, what exactly was that routine? Literally, what actions is he supposed to have done while disembodied and existing in endlessness? This line written for Shiro is ridiculous.

Keith won’t even give the other Paladins a chance to wake up, he’s already calling or them to conduct battle simulations. Krolia has programmed a new one. I still don’t feel that she’s earned the prominence this show is giving her character. She presents the challenge. “You’re on a planet with double gravity—” what does that even mean? double what? double Earth’s gravity? “—dense volcanic fog, and eight [some kind of] raptors are attacking. What do you do?” Keith thinks that “this is a good one.”

What’s the mission objective that’s supposed to be at the center of this simulation? They’re on a planet and local lifeforms are attacking. Okay, why are they on the planet? If the challenge is solely to survive the creatures, then just leave the planet.

One of the raptors latches onto the Yellow Lion, and Krolia yells, “A [whatever kind of] raptor just melted your face off, Hunk!” Krolia has not earned the position of integration into the group that she’s being written to have. It makes her presumptuous. I guess the personalities being demonstrated in this scene are supposed to make Krolia and Keith look like badass personality types, but it doesn’t work for me.

Krolia says, “Now it’s eight-on-four,” and Hunk quietly replies, “That’s fine by me. I’m eating.” If you’ve read much of my commentaries, you’ll know that I usually have a big problem with how this show writes Hunk and food, but I like his response here. I don’t blame him one bit. Hunk, you go get yourself some food.

The planet weirdly shoots like twenty-foot wide columns of lava hundreds of feet up into the air. It looks silly to me. Keith orders everyone to “split up to thin their numbers.” For a story that’s supposed to be about the development of a team, these guys don’t really work as a team often. If you’re being attacked, you have greater safety and defense as a group. That’s why a lot of animals have herds or flocks or schools. Separating from one another makes the group weaker. This is not good leadership or tactics. Keith gets hit by an energy blast from one of the raptors. What is with this show having so many animals that can emit weapons blasts?

For a place that has “thick volcanic fog,” as Krolia said and Pidge now repeats, they all can see really well. Does this show know what the word “fog” means? Pidge says that the raptors “must use some form of thermal vision to see us.” Again, this environment has been depicted as having high visibility, not any kind of fog, so the raptors could see just like the Paladins can. But also, if they use “thermal vision” on this volcanic planet, then the raptors would have a hard time seeing. Unless this show is making up something else with its use of the term “thermal vision,” what is being referenced is the ability to see into the infrared spectrum of light. Things that are warm radiate light in the infrared portion of the spectrum. If we humans could see infrared light, every time we looked at another person, they would be glowing. I like the idea of the show presenting creatures that see more of the spectrum that humans can, but what Pidge says here doesn’t make sense. She’s presenting the idea of the raptors having “thermal vision,” as their natural ability to see, that it’s somehow supposed to be an adaptation to living in “volcanic fog.” But if the raptors see infrared, then the heat of the “volcanic fog” would inhibit that vision. And the heat of the lava on the ground would be blinding. This show really cannot do science.

Lance says, “Maybe I can lure them away with my heat-rays.” Have the raptors been distracted by the large, hot plumes of lava that jet up off the surface? No? Then they wouldn’t care about Red’s fire cannon either. But Lance blasts some rock with his fire cannon, and the raptors fly off to check it out. It’s senseless, and thus contrived.

Allura, Lance, and Pidge all get taken out simultaneously by a lava plume. Krolia chastises them for having “focused too much on the raptors and forgot about the volcano.” I still don’t like Krolia. She says, “I programmed the simulator to be unbeatable. I wanted to see how long you survived.” In other words, Krolia wasn’t trying to help them with training whatsoever. This wasn’t designed for them to learn anything, not new skills, not something about their character, nothing. Krolia was just being a troll. She and Keith woke up people who needed rest in order to mess with them.

Hunk is making burritos. He packages six of them, ties them around the space wolf, who teleports them to the others. Krolia and Keith each get one. The wolf gives Alura, Romelle and Coran each one. Then suddenly, the wolf’s bundle has more than what Hunk put in it. Pidge takes two, one for her and one for Shiro. That leaves one for Lance. I guess this counts as an animation error? Hunk only put six in the bundle, but there are eight given out. Team Voltron kind of discuss the wolf, nothing that explains the wolf’s narrative importance or reason for being included in the show or anything, but his name. Hunk suggests “Cosmo.” Keith objects to the name, “I figure when he’s ready, he’ll tell me his name.” Does Keith actually think the wolf is going to talk? Keith lived with this wolf for two years while in the quantum abyss, and he hasn’t named him yet? Who has a pet for two years and doesn’t name them?

Lance likes the way the burritos taste but doesn’t want to know what’s in them, saying, “I just want to eat it and pretend that it’s my meemaw’s home cooking.” Lance is supposed to be Cuban. Why is he calling his grandmother “meemaw?” The best I can tell, Meemaw is a southern United States thing, and I’ve seen one suggestion that it’s derived from French through Cajun culture. Why is a Cuban guy using Cajun or southern United States slang for his grandmother? As a Cuban guy, wouldn’t Lance call his grandmother Abuela?

Pidge picks up a signal that she only identifies as, “a signal!” Allura reacts with, “How did you get a signal?” Unless the Lions’ communication systems are broken or the rest of the inhabitants of the universe, including all the Galra, ceased to exist, the Lions should be getting more than a few signals. Getting any particular one they’re looking for is different, but the idea that it’s such a surprise for them to have picked up any signal at all is absurd. What is the signal? A television show from Bii-Boh-Bi’s planet. Bii-Boh-Bi is not and never has been funny, can the show please stop using him and his species? Please!? Team Voltron watching the show goes on for far too long.

There is what Pidge thinks is some interference in the signal, but Krolia – because of course it’s Krolia because why have the main characters have any importance in this show when you can instead give the importance and time to a side character like Krolia – can tell that it’s not interference. She has Pidge “amplify that signal.” She then listens to it with her eyes closed. Pidge says that it’s “just deep space interference.” Krolia says that that is “just what it’s supposed to sound like. Listen to the sounds in between the pulses. There’s a unique pattern.” Only after Krolia says this does the sound design for the show actually start including a specific beep to correspond with what Krolia is identifying. That beep did not exist in the sound until after she says so. That seems like bad sound design to me; the beep should have been there the whole time.

Krolia says, “Before the Blades were unified, we would use this crude way of communicating with each other.” Uh, when were the Blades not unified? Is this some undetailed period of the Blades’ history that the show hasn’t ever presented? Why am I expecting this show to have anything be deeper than the shallow instantaneous and fleeting use of anything just because it suits the individual moment of its usage? “Not many Blades know this code,” she says. “It must be a senior member.” I guess that means that she’s also supposed to be a senior member?

She says it’s a distress signal. They trace the signal to a specific area, which Hunk says is “a pretty severe detour from Earth.” So severe that it lasts only this one episode. So, yeah, not severe at all. Dialog like Hunk’s has no meaning, no impact on the story. It’s not like diverting to check out this signal will make them late to Earth and something bad will happen while they’re on this detour. The bad thing that’s happened to Earth has already happened because of the time jump (I’m still significantly annoyed by the time jump’s plot hole).

Cut to the Lions arriving at the planet where the signal’s coming from. That was such a big detour that it happened instantly. The planet is one of the most ludicrous planets this show has done. Like, it’s bad even for this show. It’s maybe the size of an asteroid, but it’s jagged and has weird holes and slopes. This show doesn’t even try, does it? Pidge says there are signs of a former civilization, but no signs of life. There are broken buildings. Team Voltron walks around – remember how the space wolf was injured and that’s why he supposedly couldn’t help Coran two episodes ago, well that’s resolved with no resolution.

Krolia says, “The signs are all around us. There was a massacre here.” This episode is really giving Krolia a disproportionately large amount of the script. It’s just so frustrating for a side character to be given so much screen-time, but main characters, like Shiro are nearly non-existent.

Allura says, “Some of this damage looks like it’s from magic.” What does that even mean? What are the characteristics of building damage that indicate it comes from magic? Ultimately, this line from Allura is leading. The show knows that the villain of the episode is one of Haggar’s Druids, so it has Allura make this comment to foreshadow that. Allura saying this right now though feels totally forced and manufactured.

Krolia says that some of the “strike patterns,” scratches in the rock, “look Mamoran.” If this signal is supposed to be a Mamoran signal, then is it a surprise that they might have gotten into a fight here? I know this episode thinks it’s setting up some mystery, but it doesn’t feel mysterious.

The space wolf growls and runs off and tackles someone to the ground. Keith yells at the guy, asking, “Who are you? Who’s broadcasting the signal?” Why does Keith assume this guy knows anything about the signal? Oh yeah, because characters make whatever assumptions the writers need them to, rather than behaving in a way that’s actually natural.

The guy says that he’s the one who’s broadcasting it, and Keith replies, “Impossible! You’re not Blade of Marmora!” What is Keith basing that on? Keith doesn’t know every Blade in the universe. If he’s basing it solely on the clothing the guy is wearing, then that’s senseless. Keith’s a member of the Blades, but he’s not wearing a Blade uniform currently. Krolia’s a Blade, but she’s not wearing a Blade uniform right now either. Why would Keith assume this guy couldn’t be a Blade? Again, it’s the writer leading the story, rather than the story unfolding in a natural way. The writer knows that this isn’t a Blade, so I guess it’s supposed to be foreshadowing. It gives the writing an unnatural, jerky development.

They let him up, and he takes them to his campfire. Romelle calls the location of what looks like someone struggling to survive “disgusting.” Good to know that her experience hasn’t changed her pampered, privileged mindset. At least she gets called out on her insult. She tries to cover, but it’s obnoxious. “‘Disgusting’ is Altean for lovely. You don’t speak Altean, do you?” She could have been written to recognize her privilege and apologize for her insult, but no. I don’t like Krolia, and I don’t like Romelle either. Ugh.

Pidge confirms the signal is from here. The masked guy reveals he knows they’re the Paladins of Voltron. Shiro asks him what happened here. The masked guy, with an ominous voice, says, “Bloodshed happened here. Death happened here.” I actually kind of like this line and how he sounds saying it. It actually has some creepiness to it. He identifies himself as Macidus and says that this is his home planet and that he’s the only one left alive here.

Krolia finds a not-really concealed set of blades from Blades of Marmora. She immediately turns her gun on him. He says he has them arranged as they are “in honor of their sacrifice. They died trying to protect the universe.” Knowing that he’s eventually revealed to be a Druid, he’s not exactly lying in saying that, the Blades were trying to protect the universe from people like him.

Macidus tells them how this all started when Voltron disappeared. He says that the “power vacuum that ensued destabilized much of the universe.” That again makes Voltron’s turn against Lotor look totally short-sighted. The problem I have with this is that, while this does reveal consequences to the Paladins’ actions, I never get a sense of them actually taking responsibility for those consequences.

Allura asks, “what happened to Haggar, the witch,” and Macidus says, “no one knows, but her Druids continued her work.” What work is that? This is a big part of my dislike of Haggar: Whatever she does off-screen that’s supposed to be so villainous is almost never shown. What her goals are for these actions are not revealed. We know that Honerva was obsessed with quintessence, and that drove her to poisoning herself. We know she would create Robeasts to attack Voltron, but that was mostly in support of Zarkon and his dictatorship. We know she used the komar (are we to assume there was ever only one komar?) to extract quintessence from the life on planets, but we only ever see that done once. We know she had a particular interest in Shiro – “You could have been our greatest weapon,” she said to him in 1x13 “The Black Paladin – but we have no idea why she was interested in him or what she was planning in thinking of him as a weapon. Are we supposed to think that she was just accumulating miscellaneous weapons? It’s not like Voltron had reemerged at the point she had started thinking of Shiro as a weapon, so with the Galra dominating the universe, what were the Galra lacking that meant they needed more weapons? We know she oversaw the clone program, but there was never anything that suggested the Druids were involved with that; instead, it seemed more like that was a secret side project she had. And we never are given an explanation as to why she was having so many Shiro clones produced.

So, Voltron has been missing for three years. Haggar hasn’t been seen in that time either. Given season eight, we’re supposed to understand that during these three years, she found Lotor’s colony hidden in the quantum abyss, establishing a relationship with the Alteans there, hyping them up into a vengeful fury against Voltron for killing Lotor, and using whatever powers she gained from killing the White Lion in Oriande searches through all the other realities to find one that she thinks of as being perfect? I guess I’ll get to all that when I get to those episodes, but the topic of who’s the show’s antagonist is a topic relevant to now. Once we get to Earth and dealing with the invasion and occupation there, Sendak becomes the primary antagonist. But Sendak has always only been a secondary antagonist. That’s one of the many weaknesses of the story in season seven. The villains are shallow. Ezor and Zethrid were villains for two episodes because they wanted power. Sendak wants to conquer and dominate. Haggar is off-screen, at best, only slightly coming into play with the Altean-controlled mecha at the end of season. There is no character motivation grounding the antagonism of the conflict of the season. That’s not to say the show has ever been all that great at having compelling villains because it hasn’t, but at least in the first two seasons Zarkon and Haggar worked as foils for Shiro and Allura. There was a character connection there. And as much as I hate that they played the Lotor’s-secretly-been-a-villain-all-along absurdity for seasons three through six, at least he was emotionally connected to Allura. But here in season seven, anyone that can be identified as the antagonist could be easily replaced by any other character and things are really still the same. Consider this season’s story, but instead of Sendak, it’s another Galra like Ranveig or Gnov from back in season five. The story doesn’t change whatsoever. Sendak behaves the same as every other villainous Galra.

Macidus says that Haggar’s final order to the Druids was to destroy the Blades of Marmora. Another problem with this is we don’t know anything about the Druids. Who are they? Why are they Druids? How are they Druids? They all use magic, so do they come by that magic on their own, and in demonstrating magic are recruited by Haggar into the Druids? Or does Haggar teach them magic after they join the Druids? Part of me kind of likes the Druids because they’re differentiated from regular Galra, but I find them frustrating because they don’t feel like characters. They’re masks and magic, and that’s it.

Pidge says, “After Lotor took over the throne, almost every Mamoran agent was exposed.” They were? This supposedly-multiple-millennia old covert organization failed to maintain their cover because Lotor became Emperor? This is a huge deal that’s never come up before. Did the Blades suddenly become incompetent when Lotor became Emperor? I could understand maybe Kolivan became exposed because he was broadcasting his face all over the universe when communicating with the Voltron Coalition, but every other Blade took explicit measures to conceal their identities. How were they exposed? This does not make sense.

Macidus says that “all Blades were called from their assignments and sent to this base. Kolivan knew they were being hunted and wanted to make a stand against them.” Are we to assume that the Druids were just so good at magic that the Blades’ covert methods were no protection? The Blades could conceal their existence for thousands of years, but now for no reason they couldn’t? Maybe this is the problem with all this story being told through exposition. None of the logistics of this have been thought through by the creative team.

Macidus continues, “When they arrived here, my people helped them fortify their base.” So, Kolivan wanted a base for the Blades to be able to defend against Druid attacks, and he chose an inhabited planet? I know Macidus is spinning a tale here, but thinking of it logistically, this planet has been established as having once had a civilization on it. Unfortunately, this means that once again this show reduces the concept of a civilization to a few hundred people and one city – they did it with Arus, they did it with the mermaids, they did it with Taujeerians, it also feels like they did it with the Olkari. The population of planets in this show are unbelievably too low.

“The Druids […] arrived without warning.” How were there no monitoring systems for this planet or from the Blades? Throughout human history, we monitor the borders of our respective territories, but not here.

The conflict was supposedly a long one. Casidus refers to it as “a long battle of attrition.” I guess. “Casualties on both sides were enormous.” There have only ever been a handful of Druids in this show. So, these enormous casualties had to have just been regular Galra. This show has had the Paladins blow up a lot of Galra, so this “both sides” crap feels manipulative. But then, Macidus is being manipulative, but his ruse should be such that he doesn’t care about the Druid+Galra side. Is this supposed to be another hint that Macidus is not who he’s pretending to be? The Druids have never been shown to care about Galra death before; like with Haggar, the Galra have always seemed as nothing more than pawns for them to use. I can’t believe that Macidus now cares about the Galra who died under his command.

“My people were the first to try to escape,” and they’re shown running through the city streets. I thought this was supposed to have been a war of attrition? That would require the Blades and this planet’s people to have hunkered down in a strong defensive situation. That’s antithetical to escaping. Macidus says he stayed behind with Kolivan, who “led those of us who remained to battle the last of the Druids, but for each one we were able to take down, nearly a hundred Blades would fall.” Again, there have only been a handful of Druids in this show. Allura, Kolivan, and Antok – just the three of them – were able to kill two Druids while also fighting Haggar in 2x13 “Blackout.” So, the Druids are more powerful now without Haggar than they were when they literally fought alongside her? I know that Macidus is spinning a tale, but is any of what he’s saying supposed to be considered accurate? And if it’s not, if this is all a total lie, then this episode is giving way too damn much time to his telling this tale. You don’t write a character to tell a tale like this unless most, if not all, of it is true. This conflict between the Druids and the Blades feels totally disproportionate to what we’ve seen of both Druid and Blade in the past.

Krolia can apparently “recognize every one of these blades.” She’s got a really good memory then. “I trained many of them myself.” This makes her character feel even more over-important than she’s felt already. Kolivan’s blade momentarily glows. I thought a blade only glowed for its owner. I guess the way the blades function for the Blades of Marmora is another instance of the show’s magic system never being defined. Krolia concludes that Kolivan must be still alive, and Macidus, with the cliché voice of an 80s villain, says, “Just barely.”

Surprise everyone! Isn’t everyone surprised? Macidus has tricked you all!

“Your hand is looking much better,” Macidus says to Keith, referencing way back to 1x12 “Collection and Extraction,” when Keith’s hand was injured fighting the Druid and was healed when quintessence accidentally splashed on it. That happened so long ago that it feels, not like a long-range plan for the story, but like someone in the writing staff went back and rewatched the first season and realized they never really explained that moment in that episode.

“You’ve been using that signal to draw Blades in,” Keith says. Thank you for stating the obvious, Keith. The Druid cackles like an empty, cliché villain. He teleports away, and in his place a grenade falls to the ground. Krolia yells, “No!” in slow motion as it explodes. It’s silly. The space wolf teleports to Keith and teleports him away from the explosion. The explosion creates a pink bubble of energy, and everyone is stopped inside it. I guess it’s some kind of time-stop bomb?

Keith, the wolf, and the Druid are in some tunnels. Keith and the wolf initially just walk off to the side, but then are suddenly underneath the platform the Druid is walking on. I guess the Druid is just assuming that his bomb took out everyone? Despite the thin, wooden walkway he’s clomping across, the Druid stops because he hears something somehow over his loud footsteps. I guess maybe he magically sensed something since magic is whatever the writers want it to be at any given moment in this show. A canister rolls out of nowhere, and the Druid zaps it with purple lightning and walks away. Keith turns around, and boom, the Druid is behind him and stabs down through the platform. His aim with the stab is not even remotely accurate though. I guess he’s supposed to have teleported to behind Keith after having walked away. It feels more like a fake gotcha moment.

The space wolf teleports Keith away. The Druid follows. Keith slashes at the Druid’s mask, and it breaks and falls away, revealing the Druid’s face. He doesn’t look Galra to me. He has no nose and circular ears. I don’t know if he and/or the Druids are supposed to be Galra or what. He screams and attacks. Keith fights using his Marmoran blade rather than his bayard. It makes me think of how Keith gets two weapons while Shiro gets none.

A ball of energy starts to glow in Allura’s hand, and then that quick piece of a scene cuts back to Keith. The Druid keeps teleporting after Keith, Keith and the wolf run and teleport. By happenstance, Keith and the wolf end up in a room where Kolivan is suspended by ropes from the ceiling.

The Druid arrives, and complains, “Our high priestess Haggar has forsaken us because of your treachery. But after I kill you and the other Paladins, Haggar will allow me to return.” Because the show does not show us her “forsak[ing]” the Druids, this is mostly just confusing. We’re not told or shown any specifics of what happened. Did Haggar tell the Druids off? Did she just disappear? Both could be considered her having “forsaken” them, but they’re still very different. Macidus seems to connect, I guess, the Paladins’ killing Lotor to Haggar’s leaving. I guess Haggar’s supposed to have blamed Voltron for it, but we’ve never seen anything to show what Haggar knows about Lotor’s death. The last we saw of Haggar was in 6x05 “The Black Paladins” when Lotor told her off, Axca tried to shoot her, and Haggar teleported away. Is it supposed to be that Haggar irrationally blames the Paladins for the emotional rift she created when she abused Lotor? If Haggar has forsaken the Druids, if they haven’t seen her for years, then how does Macidus think he’ll be able to present his having killed the Paladins to her? I imagine the show would just say, he’s a villain, he’s not thinking clearly, thus nothing has to make sense within the narrative. That’s just lazy writing.

The Keith-wolf-Macidus teleport battle resumes. Allura’s ball of energy glows blue, the air swirls around them, and then poof. The sphere of pink energy disappears and Allura is left glowing pink. I guess she’s supposed to have absorbed the time-stop energy? Allura asks Pidge to “lock on to Keith’s location,” and conveniently, he’s “right directly below us.” Allura slams her hand into the ground, which cracks underneath her. She blasts through to the chamber Keith is in. I guess the blast vaporized all the rock because there’s almost no debris. The other Paladins join Allura in jumping down into the chamber. They fight Macidus, and he knocks them around too easily. Again, I think back to Allura, Kolivan, and Antok killing two Druids while those Druids fought alongside Haggar, and that makes Macidus seem overpowered. He teleports behind Allura and zaps her unconscious.

Macidus looks at Keith and teleports away. Keith then closes his eyes, somehow sees flashes of where Macidus is (if he’s invisible) or will be (if he finishes a teleport to wherever he’s going to appear). Keith throws his blade at where Macidus appears, hitting him. What is this power? Since when does Keith have magic sensing powers?

Macidus has a couple of blue lightning sparks and then he glows and explodes. The other Druids we’ve seen killed didn’t explode like this, so what’s causing this other than inconsistent writing and production?

They get Kolivan down. He’s injured, but alive and will recover. We find out now that Keith gave Kolivan the coordinates of the Altean colony. Why this hasn’t been brought up before now, I don’t know. Kolivan says he “sent a team. There was nothing there, just an empty facility.” Keith would have had to have given Kolivan the coordinates sometime between the end of 6x02 “Razor’s Edge” and the beginning of 6x04 “The Colony” because he was too busy with fighting the clone and Lotor after “The Colony.” Did Kolivan sit on the information until sometime after Voltron was under the effects of the time skip during the battle with Lotor (again, ignoring the plot hole that Coran, Krolia, Romelle, and the clone would have experienced the three years that passed outside the rift since the Castle Ship never went in)? When did Haggar collect the Alteans from the colony?

I know throughout the entirety of this episode’s commentary, I’ve put a lot of work into trying to understand the logistics of events that are only halfway referenced, at best, and take place entirely off-screen. I have probably put more work into understanding this than the creative team did in writing it. I really doubt that any of them cared if any of this really made sense or not. Keith got to have a supposedly exciting fight alongside his magic space wolf, that’s all that mattered to them, really.

Kolivan says that he has to “find the others. The universe needs us now more than ever.” So, did any of the battle that Macidus described in his tale even happen? Or did he only capture Kolivan and lure other Blades to this location one-by-one to kill them? The show is not clear about what has actually happened.

Krolia declares she’ll join Kolivan to help rebuild the Blades of Marmora. At least she won’t be here to take up so much of the story for a while. She goes to Keith and says, “I’m sorry to have to say goodbye to you for a second time.” Yeah, remember when she revealed herself as his mother back in 5x05 “Bloodlines” when she couldn’t control herself in the moment and said, “I left you once. I’ll never leave you again,” remember that? Yeah, that overwhelming amount of emotion that got to her in that moment no longer exists. She’s going to leave Keith. I don’t mind her leaving (beyond my being tired of her character) because they’re both adults and they’re both fighters in a huge conflict. But her leaving here makes her previous proclamation that she would “never leave [him] again” lose meaning. It takes away whatever emotion that part of the story had. It makes her declaration hollow. Once again, this show has flipped a switch narratively, and things are just different now just because. Keith gives her his Marmoran blade, and they hug. “Thanks for everything you taught me, Mom,” Keith says. Of course, we have no idea what any of these supposed things she taught him are since almost all of their relationship has happened off-screen.

“Keith, it’s time to get going,” Shiro says. Oh? Shiro’s still in this show? Of course, the show would have it be Shiro to be the one to interrupt Keith and his mother’s moment. And why are the Paladins so eager to leave right this very minute? I know they want to get to Earth, but they’re all still in the decompression phase of this conflict with Macidus. This separation feels forced.

Krolia and Keith tell each other they love each other then cut to the Lions flying away from the planet.

I like the premise of this episode. I like bringing the Druids back into the story, but that’s mostly because the show has never treated the Druids like characters and I’ve always wanted to learn more about them. While we get a Druid as an actual character in this episode, because of his lying, we have no idea what he says is true and what he says is a lie. We still don’t have any sense of the actual organizational relationship between Haggar and the Druids.

This episode having Macidus be the specific Druid that Keith fought in “Collection and Extraction,” while kind of cool to have a reference back to that early in the show, it reminds me about Keith’s hand seemingly being healed by the quintessence. If quintessence, and not Allura’s generated quintessence, but the refined quintessence ripped from living creatures can heal wounds, then how is quintessence a substance that poisons people so that they lose control of themselves? So, unfortunately, this episode just leaves me with more questions than it answered.

While I spent a lot of time trying to understand the logistics of off-screen events, and I don’t think much of it makes sense, and I know that a lot of my questions have no answers because the show’s creative team never thought to have answers for them, this episode is still way better than the past three.

[mybookplacenet]

Featured Post: Full Force: First Novels from the World of Iniquus Romantic Suspense Mystery Thrillers by Fiona Quinn

"About Full Force: First Novels from the World of Iniquus Romantic Suspense Mystery Thrillers: USA Today Best Selling Author Fiona Quinn writes smart, sexy, suspense in the World of Iniquus where ex-special forces security teams live, work, and love in a tightly knit family. Here are the first novels from the first five Iniquus Series: Weakest Lynx - the Lynx Series What she wanted was a simple life. What she got was simply terrifying. A madman forces his way into Lexi's home. Her survival means she is the only one who can identify the stalker. Lexi becomes the critical witness who holds the key to stopping the serial killer, terrifying Washington families. Striker Rheas, an ex-Navy SEAL, and his team of expert operators are charged with protecting Lexi. Striker knows Lexi is keeping secrets and protecting her is not going to be an easy task if he's missing vital information, and losing his heart to her. With her psychic antennae tuned in, time is running out. WASP - Uncommon Enemies Zoe knows the secrets, now they're coming for her. The enemy will stop at nothing to get to Zoe and the military secrets that could change everything. What Zoe knows is getting people killed. Is she next? Gage is a hardened Marine special forces operative with only one soft spot: Zoe. Her desperate screams echoing from inside her home switch his instincts from lover to guardian. To keep America safe, to protect the love of his life, Gage is coming full throttle. Take a thrill ride, weaving through an intricate plot that puts Zoe’s scientific mind and Gage’s battle-hardened skills to the test. With the safety of the US at stake. In Too DEEP - Strike Force Sometimes Trust Can Get You Killed Retired Marine Special Operator Deep Del Toro watched the newscaster play the video of the woman he loves fighting off the FBI agent and escaping from a murder scene the night before. Now, Lacey's turning herself over to the police. What Deep’s practiced eye saw in the video was a highly-choreographed crime. But somehow Lacey had thwarted the professionals’ plans. She is in imminent danger. Enmeshed in a mystery that includes the FBI, the CIA, and a tangle of interconnected international crimes, Deep and Lacey work to discover who plays the good guy and who plays the bad guy in a gray world where right and wrong easily overlap. Lives depend on them. Mine - A Kate Hamilton Mystery Novella A sleepy town in southwest Virginia wakes up to a nightmare of untimely deaths. Not safe at home in Boston, science teacher Kate Hamilton seeks refuge in the small Virginia town where she was born and raised. Scarborough is no longer the bucolic village that she remembered. Pleasantries are only skin deep as big city issues and the politics of the world roil just under the surface. A string of untimely deaths has the whole town grieving. Kate is determined to solve the puzzle and save lives, especially her own. Open Secret - FBI Joint Task Force 280 characters can destroy a nation. Avery Goodyear, a romance editor from the suburbs, becomes a player in an international game of psychological warfare. Russia is playing mind games. The FBI watches the attacks unfold in real time. The enemy’s strategy: win hearts and minds to destroy American unity. The FBI focuses their secret weapon, ex-Army Ranger Rowan Kennedy, at the crisis. With a PhD in propaganda, Kennedy risks his life to expose the wealthy oligarchs and high-powered schemers threatening our way of life, and to protect Avery. Targeted Age Group: 18-50 Written by: Fiona Quinn Buy the ebook: Buy the Book On Amazon Author Bio: I have a philosophy. Actually, I have many philosophies and am glad to, with very little encouragement, wax poetic on any one of them. Subjects I know about, subjects I know nothing about -I'm an equal opportunity philosophizer. One of my favorite philosophies is that education should be a life-long endeavor and should look like a toolbox. You’d think this image was pretty funny if you knew me. I am awkward at best if you put a tool in my hand. That’s not to say that I wouldn’t give it a go. It’s just to say it might not be the most graceful display that you’ve ever seen. Living life directed by the Toolbox Philosophy means I'm acquiring new skills so that whatever life hands me, I have something at the ready to tackle the projects or emergencies that arise, and it explains a lot about my resume. I’m world traveled; I’ve ridden camels across Egypt, an elephant in Prague, and eaten horse in Moscow (sure wish I had Google Translate back then!) I’ve danced the jig in an Irish castle, hula-ed in O'ahu, and did some weird techno thingy in East Berlin (when there was still a wall). I have degrees out the yin-yang. I have B.A.s in History, Foreign Language, Psychology, (almost Art History), and an M.S. in Counseling from the Medical College of Virginia. I’m a Reiki Master/Teacher and Second Dan Tae Kwon Do Black Belt qualified. I am a certified archery instructor and shoot my Springfield 9mm in a very Zen fashion with much deep breathing and bulls-eye accuracy. I've restored an 1887 shotgun house and successfully trained a medical alert service dog for my daughter who has Type 1 diabetes. My paid jobs have been as far reaching as being a governess and model in France to bridal florist. Marketing for the symphony to suicide/homicide intervention for the court system (although those might be closer together than farther apart). I've even been paid to scream - but that's a different story for another day. Right now I’m writing a book series: one part romance, two parts suspense, with a twist. As I read that over, it sounds like the recipe for a cocktail. I promise you, this is no Happy Hour. Of course my heroine was raised as an unschooler under the Toolbox Philosophy. She’s a pretty cool chick. I’m having tons of fun! Canadian born, I am now rooted in the Old Dominion outside of D.C. with my husband and children. I homeschool, pop chocolates, devour books, and tap continuously on my laptop. I use my background to volunteer and give back to my community CERT - Community Emergency Response Team/FEMA Medical Reserve Corps - mental health support PSAR - Search and Rescue Proud Member of Sisters in Crime Follow the author on social media: Learn more about the writer. Visit the Author's Website Facebook Fan Page Twitter Instagram Read the full article

[ka-mai]

Death of the Inhumans Epic Rant

I hate Donny Cates' work and I must RANT. Profoundly.

1. The premise of this comics is weak and the exposition is wrong on many levels.

It retells us the origin we already know leaving behind the stuff important for the actual plot: namely, thinking behind Kree's decision and creation of “super inhuman” (SERIOUSLY, that's your name for a new race? a 4-year-old named it or what? don't even get me started on this Vox being a pimp rip-off of Black Bolt's image and the Latin name 'cause apparently Kree just love Earth Latin, like Black Bolt loves Rome, yeah, that's a thing, they are all so inhuman!).

2. And you got that origin wrong, it IS stupid but no that stupid, no one would just leave a part of Prophesied Menace people alive and well, that was sabotage.

3. Does anyone remember primagen? The uber-important stuff the previous series was all about? No? There must be a bucket of it somewhere on Arctilan. Do Kree care? Do they care about the defeated Progenitors sent to harvest the Inhumans? Do they think it's a solid tactical decision to wage war with the Inhumans who defeated freaking nigh unstoppable Progenitors? OK, maybe this could be viewed as a point when the Inhumans are weak from the recent attack - but we don't see Kree reasoning at all.

(Wouldn't it be cool to show how differently new Supremor thinks? It's kinda based on two psychopathic megalomaniac Reeds Richardses who had been originally captured by the Inhumans in question, and I say that's a hell of a missed opportunity for a captivating plot-line.)

4. Considering primagen, Medusa was exposed to it, so why the hell is she so ineffectual and basically put out with a single teeny-tiny blade to the gut? Did the author need the cheap drama so much that the Woman in Refrigerator seemed like a good idea?

4,5. Still, Medusa is lucky, the other wives are plainly murdered. I understand that no one, not even Hickman, it seems, knew what to do with the four queens but this is just killing off - without ever creating any attachment to these characters.

(And in my opinion they would never ever choose surrender over their “celestial messiah” husband, that's simply not how this works!)

5. You know who else was exposed to primagen? Maximus. Who's had a genius-level intellect and tech skills even before that. AND psychic powers. So why he's just sitting idly with a huge gun (not overcompensating for anything, no, sir) and simply shooting Vox - and not executing a genius plan? ANY PLAN?

The gun was funny, yes, but incredibly stupid. I don't like stupid. Maximus doesn't like stupid.

6. And that bucket of raw primagen is still somewhere outta there!

7. How and when did Gorgon return from the deep space? He was last seen surrounded by hostile Progenitors and no means of transportation in the galaxy far, far away. His family members mourned him! What the heck.

8. Also, does Medusa remember she's kind of in love with Gorgon? There's no reason for her to suddenly be all mushy towards Blackagar, they are divorced in all but name and their relationship is bittersweet and complicated (Inhumans - Judgement Day depicts it in a touching and interesting way, all to be blatantly ignored here).

9. Black Bolt never used a sign language, just the occasional signs and mostly with other people, not his family. Except in the TV show... And I know Anson Mount was the only good thing there but that does not mean it should influence comics Black Bolt. The lack of communication is symbolic, for fuck's sake. There's no good reason why he doesn't use a bloody smartphone to communicate. It's a metaphor. The writers usually get this.

(And he can be pretty expressive with his cowl on, so there's no reason for casually putting it off from time to time in the middle of war.)

10. Also, if Black Bolt whispered “shit” instead of “go” to hyper-jump, would their spaceship arrive to Arctilan in time? :D (This was also a metaphor but it doesn't work, if you think about it.)

11. Counting and identifying bodies that float in space is not the most effective AND respectful way of counting and identifying bodies. Maybe, I dunno, lay them down and use software recognition? You must have that. Moreover, that is not a ruler's job to do that, he should be creating strategy for the upcoming war. He can sulk later. He's great at multitasking!

12. I'm pretty sure I've read the “bury the good man, be the king” line somewhere - iic, it was said to T'Challa by his father in the Land of The Dead in Hickman's New Avengers.

Also, you announced democracy - well, okay, that was in New Attilan, let's have good old monarchy on this moon-based station. BUT Medusa was the last official ruler, Black Bolt abdicated the throne to her (or, rather, she announced him unfit to rule and then wiped said throne with him. I say this counts as legal demise).

13. God that was a long rant, I almost feel better, and oh! There was also no reason for Crystal to say “oh god”, they don't have religion and that is not a common phrase, the Inhumans usually swear “by Randac” and “by the mists”.

I am not mad, I am just disappointed.

[kanyniablue]

I binged all of Stranger Things & I have thoughts [may contain spoilers]:

-First season = good; creepy; interesting concepts

-Second season = really feels like a sequel; kept watching mostly because I wasn't ready to let the characters go yet

-This show is less subtle about shipping than the Harry Potter category of FFN circa 2008.  Literally at one point a stranger tells two characters to share a bed.

-From all the screenshots and gif sets and character analyses of Kali I've seen, I thought she was going to be more involved.  She literally gets one scene, one episode, and a few flashbacks where she-as-a-child sits still and says nothing.  And then a flashback to the episode she was in.  You could've cut out half the "Max's douchebag Kiefer Sutherland-wannabe stepbrother is an abusive asshole" scenes and given the screen time to Kali's punk rock assassins' guild instead with no downside

-The scene where 11 stops Kali from killing that guy is apparently controversial.  It's really not.  This isn't Kali & Friends Fun-Time Extravaganza, this is revenge.  The fact the man had kids in no way excuses his actions.  Depending on whether his kids were old enough that they were around while the experiments were happening, it just makes him worse.  The "Don't take away my choice" line should've been a more major theme.

-Kali's powers are actually controversial.  The whole Dr. Brenner hallucination-thing, that's creepy as fuck.  Possibly counts as torture, when it's being used to try to force 11 into what Kali wants her to do.  The way the whole gang says Kali's powers helped them--if she's messing with your mind, you have no way of knowing what's real.  There's no way to tell if she helped them or brainwashed them, and with a kid who was raised as a lab experiment, there's no way to tell if she even knows the difference between 'nice' brainwashing and real help.  I would give every romantic relationship in this series for better exploration of Kali's story.

-From all the screenshots and etc & etc of "Steve is Unofficial Nail-Bat Dad" I thought he was going to be in it more too.  I don't have problems with it like I do with how Kali was treated but I was just expecting more.

-Did 11 need a romantic relationship?  Be honest

-The answer is no

-The teenagers when they're alone:

Nancy:  "I wanted to be a normal teenager but I Know Too Much & now I'm pissed off and also in mourning over my friend's death & the subsequent coverup and I'm here to kick ass and take names"

Jonathan:  "I am holding this family together as best I can but I'm pushed to my breaking point & I would do anything for my brother but there's nothing I CAN do & I am Stressed and not coping well and this supernatural bullshit picked the wrong time"

Steve:  "I am beginning to realize how much of a douchecanoe I have been and am deciding who & what is really important to me even though it carries social repercussions and now I have Seen What is Not Meant to be Seen and I don't know what to do about it but I'm going to protect who I can protect"

The teenagers on screen together:  Love triangle love triangle love triangle love triangle love triangle love triangle love triangle love triangle love triang

-I am not impressed by the laboratory's security measures

-I am not impressed by their attempts at going undercover either

-Like it would've been funny if it wasn't meant to be taken as a serious 'The Man is after you' situation but they're out here killing people & not even being subtle about who they are and what they control

-Lucas in the 2nd season doesn't seem like the same character as the Lucas in the 1st season, and I don't mean in a 'character development' way.  He went from the suspicious kid who's jealous his best friend has a better friend but puts all that aside to help into...80's Adventure Kid who likes a girl.  I don't know what they should've done with his character, but something else

-Winona's acting annoys me but at the same time I get it; I just don't particularly like it

-As soon as I realized Bob was going to be an actual long-term character I said "he seems disposable"

-I did appreciate getting more of Hopper's backstory in the 2nd season

-Unrealistic thing I appreciated:  For the most part, when revealing The Truth(TM) to a new character, they have their moment of "but that's completely insane, that couldn't happen!" and 2-ish seconds later they get proof of The Truth(TM) or otherwise come to accept it.  I mean we've got a psychic kid who can make things fly on demand so there's the whole 'why don't you bring in the newsmedia' but I'm more than willing to let that go so that we don't have to go through the whole proving-beyond-a-shadow-of-a-doubt thing over and over

-I liked how in the first season the police are looking for one kid and getting reports of another, difficult-to-identify kid in the same area and seriously consider that they might be the same one. So many stories have their characters immediately dismiss all the possible-but-incorrect ideas even though there's no reason the characters would know

-I liked how in the first season we get Joyce's whole Christmas-lights Ouija board and axing holes in the wall and we can understand perfectly that she's not crazy and also understand why everyone thinks she is

-Will in the first season:  an object more than a character; sympathetic only as a child who is in danger and whom the on-screen characters clearly care about

-Will in the second season:  LEAVE MY TINY BOWL-CUT SON ALONE HE HAS BEEN THROUGH ENOUGH

In conclusion, I'll probably watch the pilot of the next season but unless it really hooks me, this was ok but not fantastic

[soholdmetightao3]

#1-100?

Oh wow #1-100 😂 you guys are going to know me really well!Get to Know Me Uncomfortably Well1. What is you middle name? Aerin2. How old are you? 19 3. What is your birthday? May 6th4. What is your zodiac sign? Taurus5. What is your favorite color? Dark green6. What's your lucky number? 11 or 97. Do you have any pets? I have two cats, a bunny, a mouse, and a puppy I miss but hopefully I will find another puppy to love!8. Where are you from? Michigan9. How tall are you? 5’6 1/210. What shoe size are you? 9 1/211. How many pairs of shoes do you own? 512. What was your last dream about? Hm, the last one I remember was Jensen Ackles salsa dancing in my room before my older sister showed him the right way to dance because she’s actually a dance teacher and I was really confused because Jensen is my little sister’s (“he’s mine”) and I didn’t want to take him from her so I was just wondering ‘Where is Misha?’ And then my sister and I gave my dog a dog with sparkling soap 13. What talents do you have? I like to sing, write, and play the piano.14. Are you psychic in any way? Some times parts of my dreams come true but I don’t think I’m psychic at all haha. 15. Favorite song? Sorry it’s too hard to choose!16. Favorite movie? Titanic & Lord of the Rings17. Who would be your ideal partner? Kind, funny, dorky, tall18. Do you want children? Yes.19. Do you want a church wedding? I’m not sure because I don’t really want to be married in a church because it’s s church it’d just be really pretty. I don’t think I’ll have a church wedding, no.20. Are you religious? Not really, I think there’s something out there but I don’t live my life according to whatever that is.21. Have you ever been to the hospital? Yes.22. Have you ever got in trouble with the law? Im pretty badass, I cried my way out of a speeding ticket once. 23. Have you ever met any celebrities? I met Barack Obama and fell deeper in love! Yes, I’ve met Jensen, Misha, and Osric specifically at a comic con. I’d love to meet Jared.24. Baths or showers? Showers, baths are just for relaxing.25. What color socks are you wearing? White.26. Have you ever been famous? I was an extra in a movie and the paper a few times but not famous, no.27. Would you like to be a big celebrity? I won’t lie I’d have fun as a celebrity. I’d love to sing or act in a fantasy world, or writing would be great. 28. What type of music do you like? Oh jeez, all kinds. I love alternative rock, some rap, classical, jazz ;), certain pop music. 29. Have you ever been skinny dipping? No30. How many pillows do you sleep with? One or two, usually one.31. What position do you usually sleep in? On my back.32. How big is your house? Two story.33. What do you typically have for breakfast? Toast or some fruit.34. Have you ever fired a gun? No.35. Have you ever tried archery? Briefly, yes. 36. Favorite clean word? 37. Favorite swear word? 38. What's the longest you've ever gone without sleep? 28 hours, maybe more?39. Do you have any scars? Yes.40. Have you ever had a secret admirer? Not that I know of, no. 41. Are you a good liar? Yes but I usually don’t admit to that 😂42. Are you a good judge of character? I’d like to think so, especially as I’ve grown older.43. Can you do any other accents other than your own? Yes, Irish, English, and a little bit of Scottish and Russian (for Russian its best when I’m speaking the language).44. Do you have a strong accent? I’ve been told by others it’s not that strong.45. What is your favorite accent? Irish or Russian.46. What is your personality type? INFP, 47. What is your most expensive piece of clothing?48. Can you curl your tongue? Yes.49. Are you an innie or an outie?50. Left or right handed? Right handed.51. Are you scared of spiders? Not the small ones.52. Favorite food? Lasagna or pizza.53. Favorite foreign food? 54. Are you a clean or messy person? I try to be clean but I’m rather disorganized.55. Most used phrased? ‘Dear lord’ 😂 ‘and such’ 56. Most used word?57. How long does it take for you to get ready? It depends. To have clothes on and could leave the house? 15-20 minutes. To slay? At least two hours.58. Do you have much of an ego? Not really.59. Do you suck or bite lollipops? I always tell myself to be patient but usually end up biting lollipops after a while.60. Do you talk to yourself? Yes.61. Do you sing to yourself? The less people the more I sing.62. Are you a good singer? I think so?63. Biggest Fear? 64. Are you a gossip? I think I dislike gossip too much to be a person identified as someone who gossips.65. Best dramatic movie you've seen?66. Do you like long or short hair? It depends, I admire short hair but I love having long hair to style or just pull into a messy bun.67. Can you name all 50 states of America? Not off the top off my head.68. Favorite school subject? English.69. Extrovert or Introvert? Apparently I’m an “outgoing introvert.”70. Have you ever been scuba diving? No.71. What makes you nervous? Singing 72. Are you scared of the dark? No, I quite like the dark actually.73. Do you correct people when they make mistakes? I try not to but sometimes I correct grammatical mistakes but only if they’re quite apparent. 74. Are you ticklish? I used to be but am somehow no longer ticklish?75. Have you ever started a rumor? No.76. Have you ever been in a position of authority? I’m an older sister if that counts lol.77. Have you ever drank underage? A little yeah.78. Have you ever done drugs? Just “the devil’s lettuce” as my friend said 😂 I proceeded to make fun of her for calling it that.79. Who was your first real crush? I think I was in third grade. I look back now and have no idea why he was my crush but I was a kid lol.80. How many piercings do you have? Two.81. Can you roll your Rs?" With effort yes.82. How fast can you type? Quite fast, actually. I had a lot of type to learn sessions 😂83. How fast can you run? I can run a 9 1/2 minute mile but nothing brag worthy.84. What color is your hair? Dark brown.85. What color is your eyes? Hazel.86. What are you allergic to? Nothing.87. Do you keep a journal? I keep two journals, actually.88. What do your parents do? My mom’s a nurse my dad’s a crew member.89. Do you like your age? Not really, there’s a lot of uncertainty with college and feeling a need to have accomplished more than is possible or likely at 19.90. What makes you angry? When people are treated cruelly. 91. Do you like your own name? Yes, sometimes I think it’d be cool if it were longer but I quite like it.92. Have you already thought of baby names, and if so what are they? Oh I’ve thought of them several times. I have a list actually 😂Names for The KidsCadenDmitriDamien/DamonWyattJasperAndersonCaspianNathanielEphraim SeamusSalvatore Nicholas Grayson LawrenceEvelynEmersonArabellaAdeline/AdelynDelilahImogen (Emogene)IngridCharlotteAdelaideMagdeline (Mage)SalvatriceVirginia(Ginny)Genevieve (Jane)AdiraGreyEleanorAspenGwendolynReeseVivian VeraLincoln 93. Do you want a boy a girl for a child? I think I’d do best with girls but I’d like to have at least one boy as well.94. What are you strengths? I can be quite set in things so I try my best to make things work. I want to make sure everyone is comfortable so I have a lot of experience in socializing with different people and can usually make most people feel comfortable. 95. What are your weaknesses? I can get quite nervous and sometimes I let people have their way to avoid arguing.96. How did you get your name? My mom wanted something classic and she and my dad went to see Titanic and she really liked the name.97. Were your ancestors royalty? No.98. Do you have any scars? Yes.99. Color of your bedspread? White and gray.100. Color of your room? Apple green.

[lesbianbeiovaz]

Parallel: From Another World 6/?

Chapters: 6/? Fandom: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Tenth Doctor / OC Characters: Tenth Doctor, Rose Tyler, Rita Stone (OC) Additional Tags: Friendship, Major Original Character(s), Season/Series 02 Summary:

Rita Stone lives in our world. The world where a big blue box bigger on the inside is simply impossible. However, this all changes after what is most definitely an impossible event. Then again nothing is impossible with the Doctor.

Follow Rita through time and space, learning about herself while struggling to comprehend her new life travelling with the Doctor and his companions. Doctor x OC

*I do not own Doctor Who or any of its characters. All original ownership goes to the BBC.

A03 | FF.NET

"What do you think of this? Will it do?" Rose walked over to the console spinning around a little in her denim dungarees, Rita wrinkled her nose a, personally thinking that it didn't suit the blonde.

"I prefer my new grey jeans with my plaid shirt and leather jacket, not to mention my new shoes" Rita laughed pointing at the new maroon vans on her feet remembering what happened to her red ones.

"You sure like vans don't you" Rose laughed.

"Yep" Rita popped the 'p'

"You can't wear that where we're going" the Doctor chuckled at Rita.

"You wear that suit all the time" Rita exclaimed crossing her arms over her chest and sighing, leaning on the TARDIS. "Where are we going anyways?" Rita raised a brow curiosity getting the better of her.

"Somewhere where you can't wear that" Rose laughed at her own comment.

"1979" The Doctor answered the brunettes question.

"Still not changing Doctor" Rita grinned "If you can get away with that suit with them Conversers in 1979 I can get away with what I am wearing" she gave a smug look, the Doctor being defeated smirked back at her.

"Very well then. Hold on, listen to this" he commented and then popped a CD into the TARDIS which then began to play. "Ian Dury and the Blockheads. Number One in 1979." He told the pair.

"You're a punk" Rose laughed at him.

"Hey, this isn't so bad" Rita nodded her head in thought.

"It's good to be a lunatic."

"That's what you are." Rose pointed and laughed "A big old punk with a bit of rockabilly thrown in." She waved her finger up and down at him Rita shook her head and chuckled at Rose.

"Would you like to see him?" The Doctor asked Rose.

"How'd you mean?" Rose asked "In concert?"

"What else is a TARDIS for?" He began to walk around the console, Rita behind him and Rose on the opposite side. "I can take you both to the Battle of Trafalgar, the first anti-gravity Olympics, Caesar crossing the Rubicon or Ian Dury at the Top Rank, Sheffield, England, Earth, 21st November, 1979. What do you think?" He grinned at them.

"Sheffield it is." Rose caught up with them and stood on the right side of the Doctor, Rita to his left, he looked over at Rita and raised a brow.

"Sheffield it is then." She agreed the Doctor smiled smugly at them both.

"Hold on tight." He pressed buttons on the console while turning knobs and pulling levers. He then brought out a large hammer and starts to hit the TARDIS to the beat of the music.

"I don't think she likes it when you do" Rita began but then was thrown to the floor on her back along with the Doctor and Rose. "That" She blinked and then looked over at the Doctor and then Rose.

The Doctor jumped up and placed the hammer down then helped Rose and Rita to their feet who followed him to the doors of the TARDIS while picking up his coat jacket on the way. "1979. Hell of a year." He grins at the both Rita then frowns

'You mean 1879' the brunette thought to herself.

"China invades Vietnam. The Muppet Movie. Love that film. Margaret Thatcher. Urgh." The Doctor shook his head slightly shivering. "Skylab falls to Earth, with a little help from me." He winked at the two "Nearly took off my thumb." He then exited the TARDIS followed by Rose and then Rita who already had her hands halfway in the air. "And I like my thumb. I need my thumb. I'm very attached to-" He stopped talking at the sound of well over 5 rifles being cocked and pointed in the trio's direction.

"My thumb" He finished raising his hands. "1879. Same difference." Rita shook her head

"Big difference" she whispers closely watching the men who were on horses and standing pointing their guns at the three.

"You will explain your presence." The man on a black horse the closest to the three "And the nakedness of this girl as well as this ones strange clothes" The Doctor caught on and began to use a Scottish accent which honestly sounded like he was from Scotland.

"Are we in Scotland?" He asked.

"How can you be ignorant of that?" The man on the horse frowned. Rita had to cover her mouth with her hands to stop her from laughing at the Doctors accent which she noticed sounded a lot like David Tennant's natural accent.

"Oh, I'm, I'm dazed and confused." he continued the accent looking over at Rita and winking "I've been chasing this, this wee naked child over hill and over dale." He looked over at Rose "Isn't that right, ya timorous beastie?"

"Och, aye! I've been oot and aboot." Rose tried to copy the Doctor but failed, Rita couldn't hold it in any longer and let out a chuckle.

"No don't do that" he dropped the accent shaking his head, Rita then snorted trying to stop her laughter.

"Hoots mon." Rose continued Rita then laughed louder.

"No. Really don't. Really" The Doctor shook his head then turned to Rita who then stopped laughing turning all serious.

"And what is wrong with her?" The man turned to Rita although she had stopped laughing you could see that she was desperately trying to hold another laugh in.

"Oh, she was with the wee naked child, wouldn't leave without her" He made up in a Scottish accent once again.

"Will you identify yourself, sir?" The man asked the Doctor.

"I'm Doctor James McCrimmon, from the township of Balamory. I have my credentials, if I may." He reached into the inside of his coat and pulled out the psychic paper and then held it up to the man on the horse.

"As you can see, a Doctorate from the University of Edinburgh. I trained under Doctor Bell himself." He took the psychic back a rather posh British female voice was then heard from the carriage.

"Let them approach" it ordered.

"I don't think that's wise, ma'am." The man on the horse recommended.

"Let them approach" she repeated.

"You will approach the carriage," He then ordered and the three walked over to the carriage following his orders. "And show all due deference." A footman then opened the door to reveal Queen Victoria.

"Rita, Rose," The Doctor beamed widely "might I introduce her Majesty, Queen Victoria. Empress of India and Defender of the Faith."

"Rose Tyler, Ma'am." Rose bowed before the Queen "And my apologies for being so naked."

"Rita Stone, Ma'am." Rita copied her friend. "apologies for.." she paused Queen Victoria raised a brow. "my strange clothes"

"I've had five daughters. It's nothing to me." She chuckled addressing them both "But you, Doctor. Show me these credentials." The Doctor then handed over the psychic paper to her, she looked over the psychic paper and frowned "Why didn't you say so immediately?" The Doctor then frowned in confusion" It states clearly here that you have been appointed by the Lord Provost as my Protector."

"Does it?" He questioned and then corrected himself "Yes, it does. Good. Good." he nodded "Then let me ask - why is Your Majesty travelling by road when there's a train all the way to Aberdeen?"

"A tree on the line" Queen Victoria replied.

"An accident?" Rita shook her head while Queen Victoria corrected Rose's guess: "I am the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Everything around me tends to be planned."

"An assassination attempt?" The Doctor raised his brows and nodded his head forward slightly.

"What, seriously? There are people out to kill you?" Rose questioned not believing what she was hearing.

"I'm quite used to staring down the barrel of a gun." She commented very seriously.

"Sir Robert MacLeish lives but ten miles hence. We've sent word ahead. He'll shelter us for tonight, then we can reach Balmoral tomorrow." The man informed the three.

"This Doctor, his timorous beastie and the girl in strange clothes will come with us." The trio smiled brightly at the Queen and nodded.

"Yes, Ma'am. We'd better get moving - it's almost nightfall." The man agreed.

"Indeed. And there are stories of wolves in these parts. Fanciful tales intended to scare the children. But good for the blood, I think. Drive on!"

The carriage then slowly began to move and the three walked behind following.

"It's funny, though because you say assassination and you just think of Kennedy and stuff." Rose thought out loud "Not her."

"1879? She's had, oh, six attempts on her life? And I'll tell you something else." He laughed "We just met Queen Victoria!"

"We did" Rita laughed.

"I know!" Rose giggled

"What a laugh!" The Doctor commented looking at the two girls beside him.

"Never thought I would meet the Queen." Rita told the too "You're impossible Doctor" Rita shook her head and smiled Rose did the same.

"Oh but you both love it really" He smirked at the two.

"She was just sitting there." Rose thought aloud again.

"Like a stamp" Rita commented.

"I want her to say we are not amused." Rose chuckled "I bet you five quid I can make her say it." She turned to Rita and then the Doctor

"Well, if I gambled on that, it'd be an abuse of my privileges of traveller in time." He said. "Plus Rita knows the future foreknowledge and all" He waved his arm in the air.

"Foreknowledge" Rita mumbled frowning.

"Like knowing something is going to happen before it does, that's foreknowledge"

"Oh" Rita nods in understanding.

"Ten quid?" Rose looked at the Doctor.

"Done" he smiled.

The three linked arms and continued to follow the carriage holding Queen Victoria in it, they joked around and told stories to each other on the way, Rita telling them both more about her life before meeting the pair.

----------------------------------------------------------------

"Your Majesty." A man walked out cautiously with a bold man a frown plastered on his face behind him. Rita looks down sadly knowing what was to happen to the man and most of the people in the house later today. There was nothing Rita could do and she knew that. The Doctor noticed her looking down with a sad expression he gently squeezed her hand to comfort the girl, Rita looked up at him and gave a sad smile to try and reassure him that she was ok.

"Sir Robert." Queen Victoria exited the carriage "My apologies for the emergency. And how is Lady Isobel?" She asked unaware of what was going on inside the house.

"She's" he paused thinking of the word to use "indisposed, I'm afraid. She's gone to Edinburgh for the season." he then tried to warn her: "And she's taken the cook with her. The kitchens are barely stocked. I wouldn't blame Your Majesty if you wanted to ride on." The queen waved it off not seeing the worry behind the man's eyes.

"Oh, not at all. I've had quite enough carriage exercise. And this is charming, if rustic. It's my first visit to this house. My late husband spoke of it often." She paused "The Torchwood Estate." Rita's eyes shot up at the Queen she knew what the house was called but hearing it in person brought it to a whole new level. "Now, shall we go inside? And please excuse the naked girl and the girl in strange clothes".

"Sorry." Rose and Rita both muttered.

"She's a feral child. I bought her for sixpence in old London Town. Wouldn't leave without the girl in strange clothes." he explained to those who hadn't heard earlier. Rita quietly groaned "It's was her or the Elephant Man, so" Rita rolled her eyes in annoyance. The Doctor was clearly enjoying himself. "You wore the clothes not me" He leant in and whispered into her ear. Rita then groaned again knowing that he was right. The Doctor smirked at her finding the annoyed look on her face quite funny.

"Thinks he's funny but I'm so not amused." Rose narrowed her eyes at the Doctor playfully "What do you think, Ma'am?"

"It hardly matters. Shall we proceed?" Sir Robert nodded at the Queen who then headed into the house.

"So close," Rose whispered to the Doctor and Rita.

"Yet so far" Rita smirked at her.

"Makerson and Ramsey, you will escort the property. Hurry up."

"Yes, sir." they nodded and headed for the carriage then took out a small box and carried to past the three. The Doctor looked at the box as it past intrigued as to what was inside.

"So what's in there, then?" The Doctor finally asked.

"Property of the Crown. You will dismiss any further thoughts, sir." He firmly told the Doctor "The rest of you go to the rear of the house. Assume your designated positions." he ordered his men.

"You heard the orders. Positions" One of the soldiers told the others. They then all followed going around to the back of the house.

The three followed the Queen and Sir Robert up to the observatory where Queen Victoria and Sir Robert were looking at his father's telescope. Rose and Rita peered over the three now including the Doctor to admire the telescope as well. "This, I take it, is the famous Endeavour." The Queen guessed.

"All my father's work." He nodded "Built by hand in his final years. Became something of an obsession. He spent his money on this rather than caring for the house or himself."

"I wish I'd met him. I like him." The Doctors smiled at Robert and then gleamed at the telescope "That thing's beautiful. Can I?" He gestured to it if he could touch it and look at it with more detail

"Help yourself" Sir Robert approved.

"It's amazing" Rita beamed and turned to Rose who nodded in agreement.

"Your father must have been proud" Rose then added.

The Doctor walked back over standing between Rose and Rita and looked through the telescope "It's a bit rubbish." The Doctor commented shooting down the telescope and wrinkled his nose. Rita rolled her eyes at him he just shrugged back at her "How many prisms has it got?" He asked but then it himself "Way too many. The magnification's gone right over the top." He pointed out "That's stupid kind of-" he stopped and then turned to the girls "Am I being rude again?" He raised a brow in question.

"Yep," they replied in unison pursuing their lips.

"But it's pretty. It's very pretty." The Doctor pointed out turning to the two girls who nodded in agreement.

"And the imagination of it should be applauded." Queen Victoria added.

"Mmm." Rose hummed "Thought you might disapprove, Your Majesty. Stargazing. Isn't that a bit fanciful? You could easily not be amused, or something?" Rita shook her head and grinned at the blonde finding her persistence to be funny. "No?" Rita looked up at the Doctor standing on the other side of Rose, looking down and shaking his head.

"This device surveys the infinite work of God. What could be finer?" The Queen asked, "Sir Robert's father was an example to us all." She turned to the man "A polymath, steeped in astronomy and sciences, yet equally well versed in folklore and fairytales."

"Stars and magic. I like him more and more."

"I thought you didn't believe in magic" Rita whispered to him who just frowned back at her in confusion. "Secrets" she smirked.

"Oh, my late husband enjoyed his company." She continued not hearing the pair "Prince Albert himself was acquainted with many rural superstitions, coming as he did from Saxe Coburg."

"That's Bavaria." The Doctor stated.

"When Albert was told about your local wolf, he was transported." Rita's eyes shot up staring at the woman the Doctor holding the same look.

"So, what's this wolf, then?" The Doctor asked.

"It's just a story," Robert spoke up looking very uncomfortable, Rita turned to him looking at the man with pity. She couldn't take knowing his future, knowing that she wouldn't be able to change or stop it without something like a paradox being created possibly harming Rose the Doctor and herself in the process, something that she couldn't see happen.

"Then tell it." The Doctor was persistent, Rita winced a little at that hating that he couldn't see what was going on with his own eyes then again she know he had no way of knowing what was going on below them in the cellar.

Robert stuttered for a moment and turned his head in the direction of the three bold men in the doorway "It's said that-" He was cut off by the man in the middle.

"Excuse me, sir." he cut in. "Perhaps her Majesty's party could repair to their rooms. It's almost dark." he smiled innocently a little too innocently for Rita's liking knowing what he had done or was going to do she shot him a glare that he did not see.

"Of course." Robert sighed "Yes, of course."

"And then supper." the Queen nodded "And could we find some clothes for Miss Tyler and Miss Stone? I'm tired of nakedness and strange clothes."

"It's not amusing, is it?" Rose smiled at the Queen who ignored her.

She turned to Robert "Sir Robert, your wife must have left some clothes. See to it." she turned back to the trio standing beside the huge telescope "We shall dine at seven, and talk some more of this wolf." Rita silently breathed deeply thinking to herself that she would rather not talk about the wolf. "After all, there is a full moon tonight."

"So there is, Ma'am," Robert commented and then bowed. The trio and the Queen walked out the room, Rita watching Robert closely wishing that she could help the poor man as the bold men stood behind Sit Robert.

----------------------------------------------------------------

"What do you think of the house then?" Rose asked Rita who thought for a moment sitting on the bed watching the blonde bring out clothes after clothes.

"Its, different than I thought it would be"

"Good different or bad different" Rose questioned not looking back while she scanned through the wardrobe.

"Just, different" Rita grinned at her reference to Christmas something the blonde most likely didn't think twice to remember, her face then fell as she remembered who else was in the room, her eyes darted around as she tried to remember where the housemaid was hiding.

Rose closed the wardrobe and moved over to another Rita's eyes then widened suddenly knowing what the blonde would find. The poor woman screamed and jumped back in fright as the housemaid looked at the pair scared to death.

"Hey, hey" Rita slowly walked over holding out a hand to try and calm the maid. "We're not here to hurt you" the maid cautiously stepped out of the wardrobe.

"Why were you in the wardrobe?" Rose calmly asked the woman in a soothing voice.

"They came through the house." The maid choked up tears forming in her eyes as she remembered the event. "In the excitement, they took the Steward and the Master, and my Lady."

Rose took the woman's hands and looked into her eyes Rita stood beside the woman with a hand on her shoulder trying to add as much comfort as she possibly could "Listen. we've got a friend." She spoke slowly so the woman could understand and calm down "He's called the Doctor. He'll know what to do. You've got to come with us."

"Rose we really should wait for the Doctor" Rita warned her calmly so she wouldn't scare the maid.

"No" Rose shook her head. "We should find him, he will know what to do," She said more to the woman than to Rita. "Right Rita"

"Right" she nodded knowing that she couldn't argue with Rose risking the new friendship as well as the course of events to come.

"Oh, but I can't, Miss." the maid said to Rose in a pleading voice now shaking, she looked at Rita begging for her to back the maid up Rita just slowly shook her head looking down.

"What's your name?" she asked the maid for Rose as she already knew her name.

"Flora." she choked up again, Rita moved her hand from the woman's shoulder and brought her in for a hug in an attempt to calm her.

"Flora, we'll be safe," Rose promised her, Rita knew that Rose couldn't keep that sort of promise knowing what would happen to many of the people in this house including possibly Flora. Rita couldn't remember if the poor woman died or survived the night, and she hoped it was the second option.

"There's more people arrived downstairs, soldiers and everything," Rose told her "and they can help us." She then looked into Flora's eyes and then up at Rita who nodded at the blonde before she looked back at Flora and with a serious expression told her: "I promise. Come on. Okay? Come on." She gestured for the maid and Rita to follow.