#lari cameo

[thebigbiwolf]

My type summed up

[nicksolemnlyswears]

HOTD S2 EP3 THOUGHTS

SPOILERS AHEAD

Where do i fucking start? So much happened Im still reeling

Im laughing cause we were all expecting to see more of the Blackwoods at the beginning and we just got the trailer scene. So that left me cackling. Granted it was quickly wiped away by the massacre scene.

I truly love how Criston Cole is utterly clueless and regretting every decision he’s made. He’s way in too deep and everyone knows it.

Let’s give a big shout out to Rhaenys who keeps speaking the truth and honestly being a great Hand to Rhaenyra even if she doesn’t hold that title. She’s the OG

Was expecting more of Daemon and bloodshed and dragonfire but my dude was simply in a fever dream of sorts? maybe he did get poisoned or something? Maybe the dark haired lady is a witch? So many questions and not enough answers

Talking about that scene I was so happy to see Millie back if only for a scene. It was such a nice surprise! I thought it was Aemma when he entered the room.

There’s the bit of Aegon saying he can be feared and baby boy just wants to prove himself. I can’t blame him literally no one sees him capable. They only use him.

It was so hilarious when the white cloaks where talking about one of the younger ones having never bed a woman and he was like 🤔 didn’t you swore celibacy. It seemed very innocent at the moment but that clearly went to hell later.

Fuck Larys Strong is all I gotta say. One manipulative motherfucker. Not even his house wants him.

I lowkey really like Mysaria. She’s an interesting character.

Rhaena baby I know you want a role in war but literally get that ticket out of the bloodshed and thank me later.

Rhaenyra is such a good mom protecting her children from the ugliness of war.

Were those Daenerys eggs? 👀 I really want there to be a cameo about them.

Jacaerys is so impatient. I can feel him shaking. He wants to fight he wants a purpose but he respects his mama at least.

Jacaerys hugging Joffrey? My heart ached.

Can’t fucking believe Criston Cole took the time to get a fucking haircut. Looks so stupid on him too. Good for me though it’s easier to hate him.

…does Alicents brother seem fruity to you? or just me? 👀👀 Guess it runs in the family

A dragonseed at last? But where’s the blonde hair? I thought the blonde was like a dominant gene? The dude was so invested in his family history. Bless his heart. Looks like he supports the Blacks so I’m all for that.

Okay the brothel scene. I got pikachu’d like three times. First, when he opens the first curtain and there’s a woman giving it her all. She was gagged (almost literally). Second, AEGON FINDING AEMON. I was so shook I really didn’t think it could get worse from there. But then Aemond stands and it’s like shocked pikachu x3. Respectfully Aemond looking good.

Aemond really put that mask on so fast. He was like “eh fuck her see if i care” baby boy…you care very much.

Moving on! Baela! How the fuck can she see anything from so high up! My miopía could never!

Alicent and her fucking candles. She needs a lighter.

I’ve been pikachued once more! I can’t believe Rhaenyra went through with the plan! It’s so odd seeing them together once more!

Our mothers are together once more!!! I had to laugh they were so awkward at first. Rhaenyra didn’t know what to do with herself. She even admits knowing she went about it all wrong. Peak Comedy.

You guys don’t know the joy I felt when Alicent realized it’s about Aegon the Conqueror and not her son. OMG.

At the same time I wa so sad for Rhaenyra cause for a moment she really though Viserys had changed his mind but suck on that Alicent.

She went to being a bitch so quickly. God I hate her. Rhaenyra is trying to make peace and she refuses. Fuck her. Can’t stand her. Even knowing Viserys never meant for Aegon to be king.

Overall, another great episode although I expected more from Daemon.

[igordumbra]

Rant time. Beware spoilers

I just finished the DaD questline and i wish i could say the ending impacted me in anyway, but it didn't.

In the course of four mission I never once cared for any of the characters, partially because they always die at the end, but mostly because I didn't care for them and their struggles and their war?

Like we met Axelus once before, and he was a nice guy, helpful and good morals. And then we never see him again for like idk how many levels and quests. And then suddenly he's back and he's trying to tell us this whole plot about the kings lying to the people about doguns being demons and genociding them. And i was like, okay,sure.

Cuz at this point, I don't know shit about dwarves, I've never even seem a dogun, all the lore we have from dwarves is from the play at the beggining of the mission and it's like, nothing? It doesn't have any weight really, I don't even know the place, there aren't any quests in the molten highs besides this storyline for me to care about dwarves or doguns.

But sure, we go with the plan and slaughter a bunch of innocent at one point, even the doguns that were on our side? And then he dies, and they sign peace. The end. (There's one more quest there but I'm not at the level and it's not part of the questline)

The story started from nowhere and it ended anywhere, and in the end they lost a possible likeable character for impact and conflict resolution. And that's a trend that I'm really bothered with, not the killing of characters, but just not really knowing how to work with them?

Cuz I was looking through the hashtag and the ao3 and people really liked these characters so I thought 'Oh, these characters are going to be interesting, maybe I'll like them just as much as Lari' and then Boom, nothing.

Axelus and Korzin have no personality outside of wanting peace for their kingdoms.

Poor Ava is so sweet and interesting and only shows up in two missions and then you can't even see her again.

Maxie's the same, interesting guy, electromagic cool, shows up in three missions and gone.

Olom, shows up in one mission and never again.

And then, there's Lari, sweet and traumatized Lari. She's an amazing character which we see even before her questline trying to help people, we see her at the secrets trying to cure the corruption but not killing the vermin. And then we find her and learn about her ways, we take her place as orphion's light and see her desperate to be useful, we see her getting bitter at us, because who wouldn't? We see her break her ways, in the climax of her character, and try to kill us in a rage.

And at this point we know she didn't kill the Parasite, we know she didn't kill any of the corruption vermin, we know she didn't kill Dullahan. But it's US, the player who stole her place and purpose after 1000 years of silence and failure, who make her snap and change ways, only for her to finally accept her purpose to destroy the dark and save the light realm. Only for her to succeed but fail at the end, getting caught by Bak'Al and thrown into a portal to the darkness, leaving US to complete her job and save what she tried to save for a thousand years, before going MIA.

THAT'S HOW YOU MAKE A CHARACTER INTERESTING. Let me see them, let me bump into them in missions even if it's a couple lines of dialogue, let me know them before their quest starts.

Give them life besides their questline, let us grow attached to your characters beyond their usefulness. Letting Maxie show up in Ava's questline was a start, but that's like one cameo and that's it.

Please let us see the characters evolve, and lend a hand to us or interact with us before or even after their questline.

I already know a bit of what happens at the end, so I'll talk about Aledar and Tasim too, cuz wtf.

You have this two characters, who literally begin with us and have their own classes, you have us do a dungeon together, discover the secret behind our amnesia. And then one of them says 'I'm going to gavel, I need some time, don't tell Tasim' AND YOU DON'T SEE HIM UNTIL THE LAST QUESTS, WHERE HE BETRAYS YOU?????? WTF

There's so many mission in gavel ffs and you don't see aledar in one of them. Someone would probably even forget who they were, with the amount of time in between. Like, throw Tasim into corkus or smth maybe he's been drawn there to try and know more about fruma. Make Aledar appear in Cinfra, in Llevigar idk just something for us to care for these characters, since they are supposed to be cared.

Idk, anyway these were my thoughts after 2 months playing everyday

[neonwizardheehee]

Just finished the most recent EP of HOTD, how are you enjoying it?

(jsjsksk I know we don't chat as much but it's fun seeing HotD stuff on my timeline haha)

i missed u!!!!! didn't know you are watching hotd too so that's super exciting!!! :DDD

but yes WHAT AN EPISODE :DDD such good visuals WOW O.O

I'm so excited Rhaenyra is getting some power back on her side again (i love how the scales are tripping in favour of sb else so fast ngl they are all so unhinged) and I'm very curious what she'll do now (but finally a chance against vhagar, i was wondering so much how to bring this granny down but apparently it's just "more and quite as old dragons" XD)

another paddy considine cameo had me cheering in my seat and also.. daemon did not take the crown??? WHAT DOES IT MEAN AHHHH also finally he is getting somewhere (esp in favour for him bc he gets his army now!)

aemond OOF the speed he took to get to vhagar? v hot and v pressed and v deserved XD

larys oh BOI what is he playiiiing, I'm so intrigued by him and what he is planning ahhhh :O

ALSO i wanna mention the theme of "crown of jaeharys" played again which is my fav OST theme and that made me so SO happy XD

I had such a good time watching (during breakfast what a joy to have a day off today)

hbu tho? :)) tell me all u want (as long as there are no book spoilers, i want to watch the show first and then read the book <3) but i'm already in too deep as u prob could've guessed from my posts XD

SENDING GREETINGS OVER <3<3

[presidenthades]

Hi, what do you think of the latest episode. Frankly for me the season has been a bit of a dissapointment so far … but highlights of the latest is the Daeron mention he is kind, good with a sword and a lute, and all implied that he is like that because he was not raised by Alicent.

I’ve been pretty negative with most of my reactions so far this season (Episode 6 is no different), so I’m gonna do something different and focus on all the fanfic fodder I’m harvesting from the episodes. Just so it isn’t all negativity all the time.

Paddy cameo!! It reminded me just how good of an actor he is, because for a minute I forgot how much I dislike Viserys. 😅 I usually try to avoid character bashing in my fics, which can get difficult with Viserys when I’m writing from POVs like Aegon and Aemond. But the Viserys scenes helped me remember that for all of Viserys’s flaws, he’s definitely not evil. He is in fact very human, subject to his emotions and instincts.

Although the Harrenhal scenes have been getting a bit much, I still really enjoy Alys as a character. Joff would love her.

We already knew from S1 and earlier S2 episodes that Aemond is arrogant and impetuous, and his scenes this episode reinforce that. I’m not a fan of what they did to his character arc this season, but it’s validating to see that what I think is his most fatal flaw—hubris—is in the spotlight this season.

As a member of Club Targbro, the Aegon and Aemond interaction was really painful to watch. 😢 But it was interesting how Aegon, who’s drugged out of his mind and in a heckton of pain, was able to remember to play dumb when Aemond asked if he remembered anything. Considering how Aegon initially flinched away from Aemond, I think he definitely remembers Rook’s Rest.

(And please, just let Orwyle do his job.)

Larys was interesting. I think this was the nicest we’ve ever seen him. Of course he’s still manipulating the heck out of people like Aegon, but there’s some genuine emotion and empathy. It’s always better to have a villain who isn’t just 100% evil.

Gwayne continues to be the most relatable character. I love the continued Daeron mentions, though it feels like the show is trying to make up for pretending he didn’t exist at all in S1. I definitely pointed at the TV when Gwayne mentioned Daeron plays lute. Must be the Targbro instrument of choice.

We get a little more insight on the Hull boys. They’re definitely Corlys’s sons. Alyn seems to be Laenor/Laena’s age or just a bit younger, so Corlys must’ve been unfaithful pretty early in his marriage. Rhaenys can’t have liked that, especially since it had to be a prolonged/ongoing affair for Addam to also be born. 👀

Not a fan of the Rhaena/Sheepstealer arc they’re going for. But I really like Jeyne Arryn, she’s sassy and sensible. And hatchling Stormcloud 🥰. (But he’s so little, I wonder how the Gullet is gonna go…)

RIP Steffon Darklyn, you were a real one.

[mejcinta]

HOTD S2 Episode 4 Review: OK, let's do this.

1.“I love my grandsire!” Lil Oscar Tully you are PRECIOUS!

2. “The only reason we know any of this is because of Baela’s efforts.” Look, I might just be slowly becoming a Jace shooter, lol. Especially if he continues justifiably challenging Rhaenyra’s reckless political choices idk.

3. “That castle is more crippled than I am, Your Grace.” Larys can be funny. I find it very interesting that he speaks of the ‘sapping’ nature of Harrenhal that takes up people’s mental faculties, which he supposes is already happening to Daemon. I wonder if this is a setup for what Aemond will sort of be unable to escape when he takes Harrenhal????

4. Aegon and Aemond tussling like siblings at the war strategy board was kind of adorable. On a serious note, however, it is BAFFLING witnessing how absolutely everything happens behind Aegon’s back and everyone undermines his authority. The council is rudderless and it quite frankly never felt that way for me in the book. This is overkill. I cannot suspend my belief.

5. Poor green council members always have to suffer Aegon and Aemond’s bratt-offs on the daily. It’s comical.

6. Aegon really cared so little to learn of his Targaryen heritage because for the longest time he felt disconnected and hated by Viserys who should’ve no doubt walked him through it using love, approval and attention as a means. He understands High Valyrian but bothers little to speak it. He is rebelling against his oppressors by not cooperating while Aemond rebels by perfecting and showing off. It really shows how they coped with Viserys’ neglect, their rivalry aside.

7. Daemon following Aemond’s phantom and encountering Alys Rivers. Very interesting! She definitely already knows about Aemond and the role he will play in the near future. Taking my Alysmond crumbs and running with them.

8. “YOU BORE ME. YOU ALL BORE ME.” Kingie, please. Chill!

9. “Do simply what is needed of you. Nothing.” Alicent does realize that Aegon isn’t pliable, submissive and passive like Viserys was, doesn’t she????? Aegon actually wants to DO something, not to be held captive by the designs of people in the shadows. And while his view might seem naïve it does show more initiative and drive than sitting and waiting to be controlled the way Viserys was with Otto. Also, you’d expect this amount of desperation from a father that’s grieving after his CHILD’S murder!!!!

10. “Grown tired of living?” Gwayne continues to make me laugh.

11. And Criston has been surreal as a hands-on, experienced battle commander so far. Love that for Fabien. I feel like respect is finally being put to Criston’s name.

12. Jace and Aegon both being their momma’s firstborns sons and being underestimated by them because of their youth, naivety and inexperience. I’m loving these parallels!!!!

13. SUNFYRE and Aegon playing in the dragonpit was so cute to watch. He’s like a golden retriever and Aegon pats him like a doggy. Sunfyre’s pink flames...amazing!! We’ve lost them way too soon, saw them for so short a moment!!!

14. Aegon really seems to be ‘stumbling upwards’ like Steve Toussaint once said. Charging into war unannounced so that he literally appears as protector of the realm, almost successfully killing his rival when he permits Arryk to impersonate Erryk, buying the approval of the smallfolk by offering free drinks in bars, surviving dragon fire�� He is building something of a reputation for himself and it’s all by accident lmao.

15. More of this stupid prophecy shit from boring Rhaenyra uwuuuuuu.

16. LAENA cameo. I won!!! I love seeing Daemon acknowledge her importance and effect on his life.

17. I can’t believe they are they making me feel sorry for Rhaenys. I wonder what motivated her return to faceoff with Aemond: his heinous kinslaying/lawlessness OR the fact that the council would not appreciate her returning with no good results (i.e not having dealt the Greens a blow) or BOTH!

18. I demand to KNOW how Vhagar hid in the woods without House Staunton detecting her presence. Also her popping up out from under the RR castle to attack Rhaenys…wish I’d see how Aemond got there, you get me. I love observing the logistics. Ewan/Aemond is so PERFECT on Vhagar. That’s some serious dragon riding.

19. Aemond was straight flying  back to the crash site to finish Aegon before Rhaenys came after him. The fact that he didn’t care she was getting away is crazy to me. Allow Aemond some military intelligence, please.

20. Sunfyre fighting with every shred of strength he has to land on his belly so that Aegon won’t be crushed, and cradling him. Oh, my heart!

21. Was Sunfyre crying out for meemaw Vhagar as she was falling or am I insane???

22. Dad Criston was great. I cannot imagine the drama that lies ahead after this and how his relationship with Aemond and Aegon will be affected.

23. Alicent, girlie, you about to find a new thing to make you guilty and suicidal all over again! No worries, though, because you are STILL a million times more interesting than boring, righteous girlboss queen.

[startreklasirena]

What is Star Trek: La Sirena?

Most fans and more-than-casual viewers of Star Trek: Picard would probably agree that the three seasons of the show form something of an anthology. It was never officially called that, and some of the characters appear in (almost) every episode. Even some events and backstories do get referenced across season boundaries. But at the end of the day, each season is very self-contained, and many themes, storylines, and characters are limited in scope to one or two of them at the most.

Even the characterization of recurring characters can differ between seasons, from more superficial details (Agnes Jurati going by "Agnes" in S1 and "Jurati" in S2) to some deeper shifts (Elnor seeming more concerned with honour than candour in his brief season 2 cameos).

As such, some of us fans were thinking it would be helpful to have a shorthand with which to differentiate between seasons. Say you're interested in reading Saffi stories that centre the characters, themes, and characterization from season 1. It might be difficult to filter for that, since the "Star Trek: Picard" fandom tag on AO3 will contain fic that is set throughout all three seasons, and it won't always be clear where in the anthology it fits.

Or you might be writing stories about season 1 Agnes that you know won't sit right with people who expect season 2 Jurati when they filter for "Agnes Jurati", and you want to make it clear which version of the character you're writing about without using convoluted tags.

Enter Star Trek: La Sirena (suggested abbreviation: LAS). In essence, this is a shorthand to describe the first part of the Star Trek: Picard anthology. ST: LAS stories, art, gifs, meta, memes, etc centre around the characters, events, relationships, and themes from PIC season 1. They can be prequels, set during season 1, or take the end of season 1 as a jumping-off point to spin new stories from there (think: the sort of art/meta/fic/... you would have made before season 2 came out or if the show had been cancelled after season 1).

A Few Examples (or: is it Star Trek: La Sirena?)

A fic about the crew of La Sirena going on wild adventures after the end of season 1? That is basically what this tag was invented for! A gifset of Elnor and Soji's outfits throughout season 1? Absolutely! The story of how Seven came to join the Fenris Rangers, exploring her relationship to the work and what it means for her characterization post-Voyager? Yes please! Meta about how Hugh would have survived the crash of the Borg Cube and what the protected status of Coppelius and the defeat of Oh's armada mean for his work with the xBs? We'd be lucky to have it! A fic about how Raffi and Rios met that involves six OC's and a bunch of semi-sentient holograms? Sure! A Victorian AU, where Jean-Luc Picard, Duke of La Barre, has to navigate the uncertainties of (near) fatherhood when he suddenly finds himself with a young ward, Dahj Asha, after the mysterious disappearance of her parents overseas? Hell yes! (Also: Zhaban is his butler and Laris his housekeeper. Just saying.)

On the other hand: A discussion of how season 2's evil!La Sirena compares to her prime-universe counterpart? Doesn't really fit. A fic about Agnes and Shaw meeting at the academy and becoming fast friends? Also not really, since Shaw is very firmly a season 3 addition. Meta about Seven's changing hairstyles from VOY to season 1 to seasons 2 & 3? That is more general PIC territory, rather than LAS specifically. A gifset comparing the Troi-Rikers from TNG with their appearance in Season 3? Probably not. Not even if it also includes season 1.

All of these things are wonderful and we're lucky to have them in the Picard fandom! But they don't necessarily fit the brief of "Star Trek: Picard, if it had been cancelled after season 1."

Of course, none of this is an exact science! Say you wrote a post-canon story back in 2020, before we got any details about season 2. And say, by sheer coincidence, it includes Agnes breaking up with Rios and going off on a diplomatic mission with Soji, while Rios and/or Raffi join Starfleet. Does that fall under the LAS umbrella or not? At that point (and many, many similar ones), I'd say it's up to your own best judgement.

Where do I find/post Star Trek: La Sirena Stuff?

A bunch of people have started tagging their tumblr posts with "star trek la sirena" (or "star trek: la sirena". I'm afraid the variability is a cornerstone of the Trek-tumblr tagging experience 😅). It's not much yet, and a lot of things are reblogs, so they won't show up in the regular tag search. But hopefully, we can get this tag into more wide-spread use to make it easier for season 1 enthusiasts to find stuff they're interested in. (If you tag this blog in the replies to a post you think fits the brief, I will reblog it!)

Some writers have also added "Star Trek: La Sirena" to the fandom tags of their relevant fics on AO3. It's usually in addition to "Star Trek: Picard", since it falls into both categories, so it's more an additional filtering option/sub-fandom.

I'm not entirely certain this tagging is going to be permitted by the AO3 tag wranglers. I have written to AO3 support about this and am currently still waiting to hear back. I think there are precedents for similar sub-fandom distinctions, but I'm not sure what the logistical considerations might be behind canonizing a new fandom tag. If AO3 comes back asking people to re-tag their fic or deciding they won't be able to canonize the "Star Trek: La Sirena" fandom tag, we'll decide on a different tagging convention. I'll post here if and when I get a reply to my email.

Speaking of:

A Quick Note on the Role of this Blog

I'm not the fandom police. At the end of the day, this is an entirely made-up category, and how you interpret its boundaries is up to you. My goal here is not to exclude anyone or tell people they're doing fandom wrong, it's to make it easier for fans of one specific part of a very heterogeneous show to find art and stories and discussions they're interested in.

I want to really emphasise this: I'm not the high priestess of this fandom tag. I'm not the authority on what does and doesn't count. If you have a story or post that you think might be well-suited to be tagged as "Star Trek: La Sirena", but you're unsure, I'm happy to chat about it and give you my take, and/or to reblog it here and hopefully open the floor to others' opinions. If you think something I posted or reblogged doesn't really fit, please let me know, I'd be happy to hear your thoughts!

Mostly, I just want this blog to get the ball rolling for people in this corner of the Picard fandom to find each other and have an easier time sharing their work and their passion with each other.

So, that's what I'm doing here. If you have any ideas for events we might get up to as a community (I still dream of one day having a fanfic book club :D), posts you'd like me to reblog, meta you'd like to share, or anything else that might bring your fellow fans joy, I'm always eager to hear about it!

Thank you for coming along on this ride on our little speed freighter! I hope we'll all find community and a lot of fun with Star Trek: La Sirena!

[fast-moon]

Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Thoughts

Pretty much the entire reason I started watching Picard in the first place was because I'd heard: 1) Season 3 was actually really good, 2) Season 3 followed up on the end of DS9, 3) Season 3 got Kevin Feige interested in tapping Terry Matalas to head the Vision Quest D+ series. So, did it deliver on those expectations?

Compared to the first two seasons, hell yes.

So, first and foremost coming straight out the gate, the intro has been simplified, returned to more classic Trek stylization, and most importantly, back to playing the original Trek theme.

It's not like there was anything particularly bad about the music in seasons 1 and 2. But for something to feel like Star Trek, it needs more than a couple people in rubber foreheads spouting some technobabble keywords. There's a specific visual and audio style that people associate with it, too.

And friggin' hot damn, season 3 knew what that musical style was. Including call-backs to things like the Klingon theme from the TOS movies, the Voyager theme when Voyager or its crew were referenced, and the liberal usage of TNG's original theme. I am an absolute nerd for leitmotif and the association between a character or event and a particular piece of music, and I give mad props to writing staff who understand how to use that effectively.

Although, it almost feels like they went, "You know what, scrap seasons 1 and 2, we're starting over." Pretty much all of the new characters from the first two seasons are gone. Rios's absence can be explained by him staying back in 2024 to help fight against the upcoming ethnic cleansing of Latinos. Jurati went all Borg and then went to sit in front of the Anomaly of Great Future Plot Importance (No Really Trust Us). But Soji and Elnor just kind of disappeared off the face of the universe with no explanation. And pretty much the entire point of Season 2 was to let Picard come to terms with his feelings and open up to Laris. But in this season it's like, "lol, bye, going back with my baby momma." Raffi is the only new character still around.

Also, how did she get the La Sirena back (also, is "the" La Sirena redundant)? Last we saw at the end of Season 2, it was commandeered by the Borg queen in 2024 and then flown off never to be seen again. Or are we assuming that was the Mirror Universe version of the ship and the Prime Universe version was still floating around somewhere?

But they're facing a new threat this time around and it's... the Changelings! Yeah, turns out when Odo returned to the Great Link to deliver the cure to the Section 31 virus and teach them to play nice with solids, a portion of them were like "Hell no" and broke away to keep on Guerilla Dominion Warring.

I get why Odo wasn't a guest appearance in the series proper due to Rene Auberjonois passing away before the series was even produced, but it's weird that they didn't even mention him by name the several times he and his actions were directly referenced. Doubly weird that there were no DS9 cameos at all despite this season being about the DS9 overarching villains (I don't count Worf since he's not a character who was first introduced in DS9). No calls to Bashir in reference to Changeling physiology or his work on the cure for the Section 31 virus? No reaching out to non-Starfleet like Kira or Garak while they were on the run and hiding in the Chin'toka system? Or use the opportunity to canonically confirm that Sisko came back? At least Worf receiving intel from Odo confirms that Odo at some point re-established contact with the Alpha Quadrant.

Though, I was a bit disappointed that the Changelings were mostly a red herring and by the end it was just "but wait, more Borg". Although, the revelation that the Borg had been performing stealth assimilation via patching in rogue genetic code through the transporters was pretty clever. And in true TNG fashion, the ending is "the transporters can fix all that ails you".

But not content with the mere cameos in the previous seasons, this time we're bringing the entire original TNG crew back together for one last hurrah. Including like the eleventeenth incarnation of Data, because there's always a spare Data lying around when you're missing one.

And not only the entire original crew, but the original Enterprise-D, too, including a rebuild of the original TV bridge set. And the main thing that struck me about that is how bright it was. I seriously don't understand the modern production habit of having very dimly-lit sets where everything in it is some shade of grey, and all the characters are wearing black. But the Enterprise-D set is like... colors! And wood! And light! Like Picard said, "I missed the carpet".

Yeah, maybe my approval of this season is being clouded by the rampant nostalgia bait, but I also feel it was more tightly-written than the previous seasons. It still suffered from quite a bit of "this conflict is only happening because people refuse to talk to each other" and "I made a terrible decision because aaaaaangst", but it didn't feel quite as overbearing as the other two seasons. That and it completely re-used the "character hallucinates about a colored door that teases you for 90% of the season" from season 2.

So it certainly ended on a high note with a heartwarming send-off to the original crew (who thankfully don't get stupidly killed off for drama). It did make its attempts at light-hearted banter once the whole crew was back together for the final two episodes, but I still felt like the series as a whole still had a pall of cynicism hanging over it, where I preferred Trek when it was more bright and campy. DS9 showed that you can still tackle tough topics without sacrificing the energy that makes you care about the people whom those topics are happening to in the first place. And I do wish more modern productions that are stuck in their "edgelord" phase could learn from that.

[hotchfiles]

lari i’m not a fan of thomas but seeing you so happy with that cameo makes me happy too idk why!! like that is the greatest level of fangirling and I hope one day I get to fangirl as much as you do with matthew (this is me manifesting)

THANK YOU SOOO MUCH 🥺🥺🥺😭😭😭 i sincerely hope everyone gets to experience something like this fangirl wise like 😭😭😭 WE ALL DESERVE IT SOOO MUCH

[youngpettyqueen]

alright, thats Picard in the books. what to say about Picard...

overall? I wasn't impressed. the first season had the potential to be intriguing, but failed to live up to that potential and instead felt like it dragged. the second season was stronger, with stronger writing, but was again bogged down by some pretty stupid writing choices. still, I think the second season was the most strongly written. the third and final season was also fairly strong with most of its writing, but unfortunately where it was weak, it was really weak, and made it difficult to enjoy what I thought would be the easiest season to enjoy

the character writing in this show, when it came to the new characters, left a lot to be desired. season 1 was the worst for this, and things improved in season 2, but season 3... it was alright, in season 3, except for Jack. I could go on an entire rant about Jack, but ill spare you. it was just overall not great, the character writing, and it made it difficult for me to get invested in these new characters

Raffi was the best of the bunch of the new characters. her writing was also the best, and she really got to shine. I came around to Agnes in the second season, and enjoyed her. I never, at any point, cared about Rios. his entire thing bogged down season 2. I was glad to see him gone. Laris and her arc turned out to be entirely pointless, which. thats a whole other rant. lmao. Elnor was good, I really liked him, wish we got to see him in s3

I won't go on the Jack rant just know I hate him from a writing standpoint. Shaw was annoying and I didnt care for him. I did, however, quite like Sidney. and I wish we could've seen more of Alandra, we didnt get much so I dont have much of an opinion about her

there were good elements of this show. I enjoyed the focus on Picard letting himself feel, and express his feelings. I enjoyed the callbacks, and some of the cameos were really cool- I loved seeing Wesley, and Guinan, and even Moriarty. there were some good moments of closure, like Data and Lore, and Ro and Picard. I particularly loved Q and his role in the second season. the dynamics and interactions between the original members of the TNG crew were great, there was a lot of love, and I laughed a lot- shoutout to "I hope we die quickly! :D" and every single interaction between Worf and Riker. and, again, Raffi- cannot praise her enough. absolutely loved her, and would love to see more of her

this show could've been something really good. unfortunately it doesnt quite get there. I find it took itself far too seriously, and the writing often felt like a cop out. the changes to established lore were also annoying- trying to make Picard's father out to be more sympathetic, Picard having been infected by the Borg, etc- and felt like they were shoehorned in. I also wasn't a fan of how they kept bringing in more minor characters- Icheb, Hugh, Ro- just to kill them off. felt cheap

overall, im not a fan. I won't be rewatching this series. I wouldnt call it terrible, it has its good moments, but I wouldnt call it good. pulling off a sequel for a 30+ year old beloved series must be difficult, and I wish Picard had hit the mark, but unfortunately it falls short and fails to live up to TNG's legacy

[writingsofwesteros]

Robyn actor AU!:

The psycho thriller involves Robyn’s character being a burlesque dancer that is trying to elude Ramsay’s obsessed stalker character. There’s a scene where Larys the Director makes a cameo. He had his fun with her too. Robyn is performing and it’s literally this scene: (specifically around the two minute mark)

https://youtu.be/7oJ6sbYRSmw

Petyr is very hands-on as an intimacy coach. Especially for this next film featuring BDSM scenes. He’s teaching Ramsay how to tie her by binding her himself. And, oh, it’s really much better that she be undressed for the lesson. The clothing might effect the tightness of the ropes. Of course she can keep her panties on… so they can see how wet she gets. She cums at one point just from Petyr talking out the scene while she’s hanging beside him “You’ll want to pull at the rope and it will lift her leg. Slowly. Then you can lap at her without her being able to move. This scene is domination, but also worship. Your character is obsessed with her and you finally have her. Whatever else comes to mind, try it. Larys set out this wand so test out its strength before we film—-“

Robyn keens and her panties are ruined. Ramsay puts on a shocked face and goes “She’s not actually into this, is she?! I don’t want her to get confused, I’m strictly professional.”

Meanwhile, Ramsay is an actual dom so he knows exactly how to do everything Petyr is demonstrating. He just loves to play dumb and “accidentally,” stimulate Robyn.

the humiliation here as well is delicious !

i may need to hunt for my nsfw quarters for this and i blame you ;)

[hnarsyah]

Mari kita usahakan keluarga dengan visi besar itu

Hari ini aku bersyukur sekali ikut seminar binar cinta muslimah yang diadakan dpw pks bandung dengan pembicara teh patra... iya teh patra yang hanya aku dengar lewat kisah-kisah kerennya sekarang aku bertemu langsung dengan beliau....

diawal teh patra bercerita tentang sosok yang mungkin kita kenal sebagai idola para umahat yang juga pernah menjabat jadi anggota DPR kala itu yaitu Umi Yoyoh Yusroh, beliau memiliki 11 anak dan bercerita tentang pengalaman umi yoyoh berkunjung ke Palestina saat itu bertemu dengan ibu lain disana dan ditanya

Ibu Palestina: "Sudah berapa juz kau hafal Al-qur'an?"

Umi yoyoh: "Sudah 20 juz Al-qur'an"

Ibu Palestina: "kenapa belum hafal semua? bukankah diIndonesia adalah negara yang aman?"

MasyaAllah disamping umi yoyoh yang belum kholas hafal al-qur'an itupun sudah terbilang hebat di Indonesia yang notabennya menjadi hafidz sangatlah jarang berbeda dengan di palestina disana menjadi hafidz sudah biasa. dari sana kita mengambil pelajaran bahwa sosok ibu yang dekat dengan Qur'an akan melahirkan anak-anak yang cinta Qur'an juga.

kemudian membahas terkait nasib perempuan dulu didunia hanya menjadi kelas ke2 hanya menjadi pelengkap, pemain cameo saja. namun setelah adanya islam peran perempuan sangatlah penting. di masa nabi musa, sosok perempuan penting ialah ibu nabi musa, kakaknya maryam yang menyelamtakan dengan menhanyutkan dan istri firaun asiyah yang menemukan nabi musa. kemudian dimasa Rasulullah ada khadijah yang jadi perempuan (female lead) yang rela berkorban harta dan nyawa demi keberjalanan dakwah rasulullah. hingga jatuh miskinnya beliau menangis karena tak ada lagi yang dapat diinfaqkan, bahkan khadijah berwasiat pada rasul jika aku mati nanti galilah kuburanku dan gunakan tulangku untukmu berdakwah ya Rasulullah... itulah mengapa rasulullah tidak akan menggantikan khadijah dihatinya.

dari kisah-kisah perempuan diatas tadi dapat diambil hikmahnya bahwa perempuan menjadi dasar peradaban dunia. setiap ruh yang dititipkan kepada perempuan (anak) itu haruslah di waqafkan dijalanNya. Perempuan punya peran dan kekuatan yang penting bagi peradaban yang akan diturunkan pada anak turunnya kelak.

Teh patra bercerita ia membangun keluarganya dilandaskan dengan cita-cita dan misi besar yaitu MENGALAHKAN ISRAEL DAN WNA dengan menjadikan anak-anaknya sebagai global citizen (warga dunia yang melalang buana), dibreakdown dirapat-rapat keluarga menjadi aksi-aksi nyata yang dilakukan dikesehariannya.

Dengan cita-cita yang besar dan jelas tadi teh patra dan suami mendidik anak-anaknya dengan target dan kurikulum yang jelas dan terarah, beliau memilih untuk mengajar anak-anaknya sendiri (home scholling) agar dapat dipatau perkembangan anaknya sesuai dengan cita-cita besar keluarga.

Berikut beberapa targetan keluarga beliau dalam rangka menuju cita-cita itu:

Yang pertama beliau mengarahkan anaknya sebagai seorang muslim haruslah dekat dengan Qur'an dan menghafalkannya lalu memberikan tenggang tahunan berapa juz yang akan kamu hafalkan? setiap anak berbeda sesuai dengan kemampuannya. menjadi hafidz qur'an seperti yang kita tau banyak kemuliaannya dan menjadi berguna di manapun sebagai imam sholat misalnya.

Sebagai global citizen harus bisa menguasai bahasa dunia yaitu bahasa inggris, maka anak-anak beliau belajar bahasa inggris

Sebagai hamba yang bercita-cita masuk surga kelak harus bisa bahasa surga yaitu bahasa arab maka anak-anak belajar bahasa arab

Sebagai global citizen yang ingin mengalahkan israel harus bisa menguasai bahasa asing 1 saja, maka anak-anak dibebaskan memilih bahasa yang disukainya.

Menjadi pribadi yang bertubuh kuat anak-anak juga harus berolahraga seperti berenang, lari jarak dekat (sprint), lari jarak jauh, dan bela diri untuk melatih kegesitan, ketangkasan, stamina, dan fokus

Dari visi besar tadi maka teh patra tidak terlalu peduli dengan permasalahan-permasalahan kecil seperti tidak mandi sore dsb..

namun lebih fokus ke visi besar keluarga yang ingin dicapai. kemudian apabila anak belajar suatu hobi/kesukaan haruslah ditanyakan tujuan akhirnya apa? dan harus dipelajari hingga tuntas,seperti anak beliau yang suka masak, harus belajar bagaimana memilih bahan-bahan, membedakan bahan satu dengan yang lain, bagaimana ia tumbuh, nutrisi kandungan bahan dan makanan, kuasailah hingga akar-akarnya.

Teh Patra juga menyebutkan seorang ibu itu tidak boleh sakit, ada 3 elemen penguatan bagi ibu:

Fisik yang kuat

Ilmu yang banyak

Kuat secara Ruhiyah

mengajarkan anak dari bayi, agar saat tumbuh terbiasa melakukannya.

kemudian tadi aku dapat kesempatan bertanya "apa yang bisa dilakukan untuk persiapan membangun keluarga?"

beliau menjawab:

memaknai sirah nabawiah (perjalanan dahwah rasulullah)

dekat dengan qur'an (menghafalkannya)

MasyaAllah ilmu hari ini yang akan menjadi bahan bakarku menulis visi besar keluarga versiku karena seperti yang teh patra bilang tadi hari ini adalah mimpi kemarin.. semoga aku juga bisa mewujudkan visi itu Aamiin Yaa Rabbal'alamin...

[dgcatanisiri]

Sir Patrick Stewart talking about a Picard-centered movie doesn't seem like an inherently bad thing to me - y'know, considering that Picard the series basically said 'okay we're done with the Borg' by the end (I mean, not even just in season three - Jurati's speech to the Confederation!timeline Queen also brought up something along the line of "in every timeline, eventually the Borg are brought down," so it was made clear that the Borg who've dominated Picard so much are done), I think there's still room to explore him in his final sunset or some such.

I mean, bare minimum, it'd be nice to get proper wrap up of Laris, considering that for something that season two built up as being very important for him, her contribution in season three was a cameo of "hi Laris! Bye Laris!" in the premiere and not even a mention of him meeting her after everything as planned.

Honestly, if David Warner hadn't passed away, I'd even argue that Gul Madred and the fact that he'd managed to break Picard would be worth revisiting in some fashion.

Like in the end, I think that Picard as a series failed to truly balance being the intimate character study AND explore the new characters brought into Picard's orbit, even before getting to being overridden by the nostalgia factor, in large part BECAUSE they had the extended run of multiple episodes going in. Mostly because it made the writing uncertain of how much to focus on either side of things, so didn't really manage either well.

But with the idea of Section 31 paving the way to further streaming movies (or, as TrekCulture has taken to calling them, Long Treks), I can see there being room to do one last farewell that is just about Picard and a select few characters.

So if I were writing a last great Picard adventure, personally, I'd take Picard into his rift with Starfleet over the Romulan evacuation - that, particularly given Laris and Elnor (because I'd want to bring in Elnor, considering he was the most neglected of the Picard-original characters, really even during Season One), he wants to do something to make up for that failure, help the Romulan people as his final mission, to the point of maybe spending his remaining years on and passing and being interred on the new Romulan capital world. It'd even tie in further with him as a character, given that he's melded with Sarek and Spock, since Spock spent years on the work of Unification and Sarek hadn't supported the idea, bridging things posthumously between father and son, potentially give some connective tissue with Discovery/SNW in that way. And maybe could even offer Sela room to appear, since Denise Crosby wasn't in Picard. Hell, for that matter, revisit Narek, since he never came back for the series. At least, that'd be MY choice of a "last Picard tale" - the events around the Romulan supernova drove him to first leave the bridge of the Enterprise and then, when the Federation pulled out of the effort, drove him to depart Starfleet after it being his home and life for over half a century, it feels like the kind of thing that would be worth centering his finale on.

I don't know, I don't think it's an inherently bad idea, no matter where you fall on the spectrum regarding Picard as a series. I think it may even be better for the character than a series. And, honestly, I have a soft spot in my heart of Picard in general, since he's this father figure who's always been there but I recognize that he's not going to be there forever, and, realistically, perhaps not even for that many more years, so if he wants to offer one more adventure together, I want to take that opportunity.

I do understand being worn out on things around Picard, but I DO feel like a movie would be better at focusing on a character story, rather than going to the extremes of "save the galaxy," wouldn't compel them to put things into the elevation of stakes and instead keep things more centered on character.

[marymoss1971]

Random thoughts, Picard 3.10 "The Last Generation

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As a tribute to the TNG crew--this was beautiful. Matalas was right--this ending was much more satisfying than Nemesis.

As a conclusion of the season though--I thought it was anticlimactic.

 So, Jean-Luc hooks himself up to Jack so he can "speak" with him. Jack frees himself from the Queen's control because of Jean-Luc's little pep talk. I know I'm supposed to be touched at how beautiful this moment is and reflect on the power of a father's love. But, I'm sorry, it just seems too easy.

 I also feel bad for all those young officers who have to live with what happened when assimilated. There had to have been a lot of counseling going on that year.

 I did LOVE the Enterprise flying into the Borg cube to destroy the transmitter. It brought back memories of the destruction of the Death Star in Star Wars. It was fantastic. In fact, every scene on the Ent-D and the Titan was fantastic. I don't know why Geordi doubted Data could do it. Data's an android who can calculate and amazing speeds.

 I LOVE, LOVE, LOVED Shaw's glowing recommendation, before all this even started, of Seven being promoted to captain. I also absolutely LOVED the Titan being rechristened as at the Enterprise-G. Captain Seven in command with her first officer, Raffi-- it warmed my heart. Ditto to Worf hugging Raffi. Oh, and the voice cameo for UFP President Anton Chekov was awesome!

 Well, Matalas was right--no Janeway. Not a surprise to me because I believed him when he said so. I am bummed we didn't at least get Harry Kim. All the cameos this season were great. I just wished we'd ha a few more from Voyager and it would've been great to have at least one from Deep Space Nine! (and, no, Worf doesn't count)

 Wow. Jack was fast-tracked to ensign. I guess I could see that--he does have the life experience from working with his mother. Plus, if Seven can be fast-tracked to first officer, Jack can be fast-tracked to ensign. I did love the part when he beams onto the Ent-G and starts giving orders. Jack is fun. I wish Seven had given him a specific duty instead of just creating one. However, I’m sure since he's on the command track and he'll be trained in other things. (I'm thinking of Worf's line in TNG Season 1 "the captain wants his junior officers to learn")

 I liked Picard's statement that "names mean almost nothing" when Jack mentioned nepotism because I ALWAYS think that when someone brings it up. Yes, having a name could very well get somebody in the door, but they need to have the talent as well.

 No mention of Laris. We know she has important work but what of her and Picard? You'd think she'd be mentioned in passing at least at the end. [Full disclosure: This comment only occurred to me because I've seen other people complain about lack of Laris this season. I don't know if I would've thought of her if left to my own devices]

Speaking of Laris, I've seen comments on Twitter like "She's waiting for Picard." Yes, she was, I'm sure, but she knew the score. She recognized Jean-Luc had feelings for Beverly. So, I highly doubt she was pining for him. When he didn't show up, she knew the reason. (plus, he may've contacted her off-screen after everything was over)

I've seen lots of people bringing up lack of mention for Kestra but I never saw the big deal. Riker says "I knew you and Kestra were safe" Deanna doesn't contradict so she's safe. I just used my imagination and figured she was either at the Academy or visiting her grandmother on Betazed. 

Lack of Seven/Raffi didn't bother me, neither did lack of Picard/Beverly (or even Picard/Laris) since I cared more about the story than any romance. However, I do feel a sad on behalf of others that it did bother. Matalas said there wasn't room for romance, but he should've been able to squeeze in some kind of meaningful moments--especially for Saffi. 

I think it's for the best that we didn't learn Geordi's wife's name. That way, people who ship him with Leah can imagine it's her and others can imagine it's someone else.

 That ending shot of the old crew playing poker--OMG, that was a pitch perfect ending!

 I've seen some reviewers saying that this finale "stuck with the landing." In terms of the season's arc, I disagree. The whole Borg/Changeling plot just didn't work for me and neither did the resolution with Jack. However, in terms of wanting a satisfying last hurrah for the TNG cast--it definitely succeeded!

 I could've done without the Q cameo though. I get that he's a beloved character and it was a nice call back to Encounter at Farpoint. But, still, it's overkill.

 In closing, I really, really hope we get Star Trek: Legacy. We need another 25th century show.

[regionalpancake]

Let’s have a quick look at the Picard bracket so far…

LOOK at all those original Picard characters knocked out of the Picard bracket by TNG cameos

(Counting Ranger!Seven as a PIC original since the concept is so different from VOY)

Did your fav Picard character get knocked out by 80’s nostalgia in a leather jacket? 🙄If so- VOTE ELNOR to prevent TNG takeover! ✨ Sirena fans, Laris stans, Romulan appreciators, and anyone who’s blorbo isn’t Data-

YOUR FANDOM NEEDS YOU!

✨⚔️💙VOTE ELNOR!💙⚔️✨

PIC FINALS!

[syensy]

Everybody gets the chance someday Call it once, at last, you think you've got it made Not a word that anyone can say That can change the way you feel 'Cause you know that love is real