#perhaps my real and true otp in justified

[queercodedcowboy]

but no one does husbands quite like them :)

[dangermousie]

Just finished Exodus from Genesis aka start of my ship!

I love that it is yet again, Crichton’s plan, or more importantly, Crichton’s ability to think outside the box, that saves the day. In a way, his unorthodoxness is helped by the fact that he is an outsider, no preconceived notions. We open the episode with his being frustrated by the fact (as he puts it to Zhaan) that with Aeryn and D’Argo everything is a test, he has to prove his worth every second and I love that he frustratingly asks Zhaan how he can do that, short of cutting off someone’s head. But by the end, in a way, he’s achieved the goal in incremental steps. This episode (an episode of so many firsts, about which more below) is the first moment where D’Argo and John bond (they will later develop into one of my favorite on-screen friendships, but this time is far far from now). It’s a little, brief, ‘glance at each other and chuckle together’ bit, and how Farscapian that this bonding comes as a result of D’Argo chucking a protesting Rygel into a vent hole to explore what is wrong with the ship.

Of course a bigger, and more significant first, is the bond John develops with Aeryn. I get the sense that from the very first, Aeryn is special for John. It’s attraction and something indefinable and all sort of other things, but also in a way, it has to do with how she looks: she looks human. Even though objectively John knows she isn’t, she is the one bit of familiar in this crazy place.  

And also, John is an immensely protective guy (side note - I love how he can be protective without being macho or superior. Just genuine concern. And it comes through with so many: with Chiana, with various beings they meet on the way, even with Jool. Though by season four this is largely gone. It’s ‘us against the world’ mentality, which is justifiable but sad). And in a way, ridiculous as it may seem in light of the fact that Aeryn can break his arm seven times without pausing for breath, Aeryn needs to be taken care of a lot more than anyone else on this ship. She is the one being on it who is almost as lost and marooned as he is. Zhaan, Rygel, D’Argo, they are escaped prisoners, true. But they have lives if they get back home, into their society. Aeryn has been exiled forever from the only life she knows. John, who is literally lost in the Universe, can sympathize. And of course, Aeryn is the one who tried, however clumsily (she is not used to dealing or receiving kindness, not yet) to save his life.

So we have that hilarious chemistry laden conversation between John and Aeryn in the beginning where she tells him “No offense, human, but what can I possibly need from you?” and I love how John mutters under his breath ‘Oh, I don’t know. Manners, personality, stock tips?’

But, but, but, but.

This whole episode is about how she does need John. It’s interesting that if John is drawn to Aeryn, so is she drawn to him. It’s automatic: when she is suffering heat delirium, it’s John she turns to for help, it’s John she asks to kill her. Which, for Aeryn, is a demonstration of trust: this demonstration of weakness, this hated reliance on another. She doesn’t turn to D’Argo (who is, like her, a warrior, so on some level, more compatible for that sort of thing). Perhaps it’s because in John’s eyes she is new and clean. D’Argo and Zhaan and Rygel and even Pilot? They all hate her, more or less, as a Peacekeeper, a symbol of the oppression and pain. John sees her as a person.

And of course, even this early on, I love how the show shows (brrrr, tautology) that Aeryn is special to John. This is the first time we’ve seen him really lose his temper, snap at D’Argo that he (D) wants Aeryn to die etc. He is losing his cool. And I love the scene where Aeryn is lying on the cot, and she is asking John to promise to kill her if it gets worse and he cannot and just the way he looks at her, this all-enveloping, amazing way, and he tells her that they will fix it…I am sorry. I am a puddle of goo on the floor.

The little thing especially that kills me is when he very gently, very tentatively, reaches a hand to stroke her face. It’s a very light, brief caress, and it’s not even sexual or romantic. It’s just caring and loving and guuuuuuh…

But of course, John can never kill her. Ever. Even if the Universe were to die, John would pick that over having Aeryn die (I am reminded of the brilliant scene in S4 CoD, one of the show’s darkest, where John literally sells his soul for a mere possibility of getting Aeryn back). He is not yet at that stage of utter obsessive, co-dependant, consuming love, or anywhere near it (this show is the only one that ever sold me on the protagonist literally being unable to function without his OTP. Mainly because by the end he is in pieces and Aeryn is the only glue holding him together. Of course, this is also true of Aeryn by the end), but even then, at this early ep…he cannot (at this stage, he has never killed anyway and I don’t think he can, with anyone).

I love that he does order the heat cranked up, temporarily, though it’s risky to Aeryn, in order to defeat the Marauder commandos. That’s John and Aeryn. Picking the best of horrible choices.

You know how I mentioned firsts? There is also a first of Pilot and Aeryn rapport. They work well together and have an innate understanding on some level. I love Pilot commenting quizzically that it’s odd to be near a PK and not fear one. And he cradles her in his claw when she faints and it’s somehow a very gentle gesture.

And there is another first. John, unarmed, facing someone with a nasty weapon to his throat, and managing to get his way through sheer bluffing conviction. He is nowhere near the edge of insanity yet, but the way he faces the Commando with the knife, the possibility of that edge is there. The deadly intensity, the all-consuming concentration. There is something dark and unbending in John that hasn’t been brought out yet. But oh poor boy, it will, it will.

I also find it interesting that this Crichton gives the Commandos a choice. Leave or die. I get the sense later Crichton wouldn’t think twice of not offering a choice. He hates the body count even by the end, but oh boy, he is capable of it.

Oh, and then we get that amazing final scene on the terrace with Aeryn and John. With the smile and her telling him that she always thought before lesser species were only to be controlled etc etc and he starts replying and pauses and smiles and it hits him and he asks her ‘You are not talking about the [hive]?’ And continues that on behalf of lesser species, he accepts the compliment. I just love how he is smiling at this and amused and not annoyed or offended or anything. And I love that when she asks him if he could have killed her, he doesn’t answer. And they just stand on the terrace, side by side, not touching, and look out and he tells her there are worse ways to end the day.

(I love that when he finds out she means him as a lesser life form, he’s not angry but wryly, self-deprecatingly amused. He really doesn’t have much of an ego, and that never changes.)

I really think in so many ways, this is a turning point for Aeryn. Not because of John’s promise, or John’s utter dependability or even his problem solving. He is tender and however much she might dislike the idea of it due to PK training, a part of her is really drawn to it, especially when she realizes as time goes on, that one can be tender and yet not weak.

P.S. I like the short little convo about arbitrariness of life John has with Zhaan. Oh yeah, he is beginning to learn it for himself and soon will learn much more. I am also fascinated by Zhaan who is calm and priestly yet with a strong overlay of crazy. She might talk about reverence to life blah blah, but she is the one who in a later S1 ep hacks off Pilot’s arm and doesn’t apologize. She is also the only real criminal there…

[yamayuandadu]

For the character breakdown, I’d love to see hadad, anat, shapash, yam, mot, athtar, kothkar and khasis... really any of the ugaritic pantheon, of course you don’t have to do all of them >.<, I’d just love to see your hot takes

I shall rise up to the challenge! I’m the only person on this site obsessed with Ugarit as far as I can tell... I covered everyone you asked for plus Ashtart and Yarikh. As much as I like burrowing through jstor and academia edu and persee and so on, I kind of wish there were more people approaching Ugaritic, Mesopotamian, Hittite etc. myths the way many do with Greek ones tbh - sometimes i’d just like to see which figures people think would be into gossiping and so on or which tacky modern fashion they think suits them equally as much as I want to find out if Yarikh’s portrayal in Ugaritic poetry owes more to Nanna/Sin or to the Hittite moon god. ALSO as far as this sort of light hearted takes go, there are two japanese artists on twitter who draw Baal cycle fanart: here and here.

Hadad: How I feel about this character: one of my fave mythical protagonist. I think I genuinely only like Inanna more. Going from a very relatable desire to get his own house to triumph over death is quite the journey. The relative powerlessness many interpreters point out is interesting, too - the fact he mostly gets somewhere because of allies and because even if El was the king of gods, Hadad’s attributes made him the king of people’s hearts arguably, so he has to win against overwheming odds. All the people I ship romantically with this character: Anat, Ashtart/Astarte/however we transcribe her name this week... Kothar? My non-romantic OTP for this character: given the Seth-Baal equation in Egypt and the uncertaininty over whether Astarte papyrus is about Seth or Baal under Seth’s name it’s funny to imagine them as friends. Also I’ll talk about it more underneath but since Dagan was a god with similar purposes further inland (and is attested earlier iirc) and Ugaritic texts - even though they rarely feature him - call him Hadad’s father - it would be cute to assume he also taught Hadad everything. My unpopular opinion about this character: I’m a Dagan parentage truther against all odds. It was the norm outside Ugarit! I think “Dagan isn’t in Ugaritic myths because they take place in Ugarit but people thought Dagan lives further inland in Tuttul based on prayers etc.” is enough to explain his absence from myths, and also note that in the epic Baal is “Dagan’s son” even when he’s at a low point (ex. when Yam demands he gives up his freedom or when he’s dead) and only El’s and Asherah’s son when he’s victorious for the most part (ex. during palace construction) - imo this makes it plausible that Dagan is his real dad and El and Athirat are only his parents in the way vassal rulers called emperors fathers. Likewise I think any references to siblings can be interpreted in the light of ex. kings of Ugarit calling kings of Carchemish or Alashiya brothers. One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: I really like how corny the Hittite/Hurrian storm god cycle is with Kumarbi constaly raising new challengers to attack Kummiya and dethrone Teshub/Tarhunna, I actually wish the Ugaritic one was longer too via a similar plot device. Also I wish Dagan actually appeared in myths alongside his son - Noga Ayali-Darshan had a theory he was in some oral tradition predating Baal cycle as the god announcing Yam demands a tribute since in Hurrian “Song of the sea” and in Egyptian “Astarte papyrus” a grain deity does this but a possible reconstruction isn’t much... Anat How I feel about this character: well, she’s not Inanna, but she’s still pretty good. I mostly like the parts of the Baal narrative which show her unpredictable character, like her probable parents being afraid of her, listing various never shown enemies she vanquished, or Mot’s death. Aqhat myth doesn’t interest me much. That myth fragment where she and Ashtart pity Yarikh because other gods treat him poorly is interesting, too. All the people I ship romantically with this character: Baal, Ashtart, that’s it I think. My non-romantic OTP for this character: she seems to get along really well with Shapash during the segment of the Baal cycle where Baal is dead. My unpopular opinion about this character: I really hate the speculation popular among bible scholars which amounts to making her, Ashtart and Athirat interchangeable to justify her irrelevance in the iron age. One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: honestly? I wish an “Anat cycle” existed. She pretty clearly had a fair share of own adventures considering Baal enlists her help on the account of past accomplishments. Yam How I feel about this character: out of all antagonists in the basic middle eastern “storm god vs sea” narratives I think he has the most fun personality - Hedammu is barely a “character” and Tiamat lacks the more human dimension Yam has. All the people I ship romantically with this character: nobody, he has to move past the Astarte papyrus characterization and learn some respect for that smh My non-romantic OTP for this character: his nameless rude messenger who refused to bow down when speaking to the assembly of the gods My unpopular opinion about this character: contary to what this (very good) paper says, the Yam battle is more thrilling than the Mot one - the strength of the Mot part of the narrative comes from the visceral descriptions of Anat’s emotions but Mot is a flat villain compared to Yam. One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: he had a seemingly positive role in cult and there are 13 known people with Yam theophoric names (out of 6000 or so people from Ugarit known by name) so I sort of wonder if there’s some lost myth where he’s the hero or something. Mot How I feel about this character: if nothing else, feeling offended by being offered bread and wine instead of corpses is pretty funny and a great introduction. And the pathetic attempt at a comeback shut down by Shapash is All the people I ship romantically with this character: unshippable by design tbh. My non-romantic OTP for this character: if the theory about Horon - the god from the “anti-snakebite text” and the “may horon crack your skull” curse - being a cthtonic god too - just a generally benign one - is true I think they could have a lot of comedic potential. My unpopular opinion about this character: I don’t understand where the idea of a nonexistent myth about Mot kidnapping Shapash and Yarikh comes from and I wish it wasn’t all over the place online. One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: some more detailed description of the afterlife - Mot, rephaim, Horon if he really lives there - would be useful... Shapash How I feel about this character: she seems severly... underrated? There are maybe two papers about her (and one underlines the fact there isn’t much research on her) and yet she’s the second most prominent goddess in the Baal cycle AND has her own narrative in the anti-snakebite texts! She might actually be more remarkable than her Mesopotamian counterpart - with all due respect for Utu/Shamash, in myths he’s the boring sibling between himself and Inanna/Ishtar... All the people I ship romantically with this character: I don’t have any real ideas, some papers assume she and Horon were a thing but this is disputable and Horon is pretty nebulous himself... My non-romantic OTP for this character: “Kothar - your close friend!” from that one hymn has that covered. Since she’s basically a divine herald perhaps they travel together? My unpopular opinion about this character: I suspect the reason why she isn’t studied more is because many researchers are stuck with some sort of false “good mother goddess - evil sex goddess” dichotomy of ancient middle eastern religion and while you can force Athirat, Anat and Ashtart into these roles, Shapash with her aura of a divine equivalent of a mundane earthly official doesn’t fit into it and as such is ignored. One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: I said I hate the false Mot myth spreading online but I actually do wish there was a myth or at least a cult text of some sort showing what sort of relation existed between her and Yarikh - safe to say it didn’t mirror Shamash and Sin... Kothar-wa-Khasis How I feel about this character: huge fan of artisan gods and he seems genuinely nice. One of my Ugaritic b-list favorites. I like that he’s a reneissance man - armorer, architect, even a musician... The theory that he was developed based on Ptah since Memphis had a large foreign population is great. All the people I ship romantically with this character: Baal sort of? I imagine Baal is actually relatively knowledgeable about architecture given the length of the window debate in the Baal cycle... My non-romantic OTP for this character: Shapash, as I said earlier. My unpopular opinion about this character: based on the tale of King Keret some researchers argue he’s meant to be ugly like Greek Haephestus, but since I like the Ptah theory and his appearance isn’t described elsewhere AND King Keret might be satire where everyone is their worst self possible, I prefer to imagine him as handsome One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: supposedly from Caphtor and yet we never see Caphtor (Crete) in Ugaritic myths... come on, ancient scribes, surely someone went there? Maybe even recorded some proper Minoan myths? Ashtart How I feel about this character: she’s my favorite Ugaritic figure of limited relevance. An Ishtar/Inanna equivalent who seemingly curses other gods and presides over political pacts is a pretty solid premise! And it’s funny she rebukes Baal seemingly for insufficient dedication in battle. I wonder if the Egyptian fragment which implies Yam acted lecherous towards her is a factor in this tbh. Perhaps an earlier oral tradition had both these elements...? All the people I ship romantically with this character: Baal (her title is “face of baal”/”of the name of baal”, c’mon...), Anat (almost always listed together!) My non-romantic OTP for this character: Keret curses his son with a formula invoking both Horon and her so perhaps that’s who she’s learning curses from. My unpopular opinion about this character: I hate that “Astarte is Asherah” is widespread just because people want to defend the historicity of the biblical Jezebel narrative which probably even the biblical compilersdidn’t view as historical. One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: I wish she didn’t vanish from the Baal cycle after Yam’s defeat :C Attar How I feel about this character: this sure is... a guy. He’s so pathetic in the Baal cycle it’s hard to even see him as an antagonist - sorry, Handbook of Ugaritic Studies... All the people I ship romantically with this character: nobody, Shapash points out he’s single as the reason why he can’t rule and i don’t think that changes in any subsequent texts? But then Marriage of Nikkal and Yarikh iirc mentions he has a daughter... My non-romantic OTP for this character: again, nobody. My unpopular opinion about this character: he’s actually a pretty vital part of the Baal cycle and the fact he gives up on own accord makes him more interesting than the other “failed god” in a similar narrative, Ashtabi. One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: a god with the same name was prominent in present day Yemen so I guess finding some direct connection would be nice - it fits with him leaving to “rule elsewhere” in the myth! Yarikh How I feel about this character: he’s so pitiful in the fragment which compares him to a dog begging for scraps... His main myth is pretty good too, tbh it’s the best middle eastern marriage myth imo - I actually don’t care for Dumuzi much, but Yarikh is cool. All the people I ship romantically with this character: only Nikkal-wa-Ib My non-romantic OTP for this character: given his mistreatment and Nikkal’s father(?) saying he could be a son in law of Baal I assume that in some unknown texts they must have been allies. Note that the Hittite storm god has the sun and moon gods acting as his metaphorical eyes warning him against Kumarbi’s new plots in song of Ullikummi. Also I assume Anat and Ashtart must consider him a friend given how they help him when nobody else does? All around he feels like a god in Baal’s orbit even though we have 0 direct proof for it. My unpopular opinion about this character: I think trying to correct him to Nanna is a doomed endeavor tbh. Their wives have similar names but Yarikh doesn’t give the impression of a “Father of gods” type deity in what little we know about him. One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: more myths. None we know show him as the moon even though it’s literally his name! I am afraid I don’t have anything interesting to say about El and Athirat. Handbook of Ugaritic Studies has an amazing El summary that I generally stick to, I can post a cap if you are interested.

[cowboyjimkirk]

ok so I’m a massive aos fan which is sometimes a problem bc I hate breaking w canon. I wish I didn’t, but I do, & the issue here is 90% w jim’s objectification of women (sex? that’s fine. but he’s almost predatory. also why is he Always right) and 10% w loving how sweet spuhura is but having spirk as my otp and tryna write spock’s conflict; I don’t want to just ignore his love for nyota. I guess idk entirely how to view/write them. jim is way better in beyond but?? it’s hard to ignore his past

i completely get where you’re coming from! and i’m sorry, this is going to be a bit wordy because i really do want to help you.

one thing that in no way justifies the sexism in aos but is still worth remembering: literally all the Treks are problematic. some more so than others. it’s in part a reflection of when they were made (i know 2009 doesn’t feel like all that long ago, but if you look at popular movies from the mid to late ‘00s (the 2008 Iron Man, the 2006 and 2008 Batmans, the 2006 James Bond, Sin City (2005), 300 (2006)), they feature an amount of sexism and womanizing that wouldn’t be tolerated in 2020) and in part a reflection of their creators.

again, i don’t want to justify sexist attitudes simply because they were consistent with the zeitgeist at the time. the sexism in tos is still embarrassing and harmful and can’t be shrugged off with “well, it was the ‘60s. of course it was sexist.” and that’s true for all the other Treks, including and especially aos.

for anyone seriously involved in the Trek fandom, it’s important to acknowledge and discuss the flaws of each show. and while that can be accomplished through meta and discourse, it can also be accomplished (and perhaps with more nuance and success) through fanfiction.

so i think fics that tries to rationalize and justify aos Kirk’s sexist behavior with “he was going through a dark time,” “he was sad and self-destructive,” “it was a defense mechanism” aren’t....quite doing their job. they’re making excuses without really exploring what he did wrong. i don’t actually condemn those sorts of fics, nor the ones that rewrite Jim’s childhood/early adult years in order to side step that behavior entirely. canon is fake, god is dead, etc., and i think those fics are perfectly fine.

but there’s more nuance to stories that maybe assign the same reasons to his bad behavior but don’t try to brush it aside. “he was in a dark place and was self-destructive, but he still hurt people and part of his character arc in this story is trying to make up for that” is a much more nuanced and responsible way to write Jim Kirk.

really, i don’t expect that from all or even most fics. writing is already hard enough and we’re all here to have fun. but since you have qualms about breaking from canon and seem to feel guilt over brushing over his mistakes, i think that kind of storytelling might help you.

and when it comes to spu/hura, i think, again, it’s a matter of nuance. there’s a common trope in spirk fics where Uhura breaks up with Spock because she’s realized he’s in love in Jim and wants to “set him free,” etc. which has always frustrated me because i can’t imagine anyone doing that without being at least a little angry and resentful. i’d be pretty hurt and pissed if someone i was dating formed a spontaneous soul bond with someone else. most people would. she has a right to be angry about it, and expecting her to be mature and calm just feels…low-key disrespectful to her emotions and depth as a character.

so allow Uhura to feel angry. allow Spock to love her, in a romantic sense or otherwise. give their relationship depth and search out the reasons it doesn’t work out in the end. just do them justice!

(i personally think of them both as repressed gays. falling for a guy who’s unattainable, first because he’s your professor and second because he’s a Vulcan, sounds like a classic lesbian move. comp het can be a real bitch. which isn’t to say i think their relationship is meaningless. it was what they both needed at the time and helped lead to important realizations about themselves.)

ok, i hope this was helpful and not just rambly and indulgent. if you have more questions or if anyone else wants to weigh in, i’m happy to share!

[sometimesrosy]

everything you've said so far about the whole jessica twitter situation is SO true. I dont get why people think harassing actors or writers is ever okay.

I think people think that bullying others isn’t bullying if they don’t like that person or they say something rude or that doesn’t support their fandom or OTP (or whatever.)

Bullying is what *evil* people do, not what good people like my friends do. And I couldn’t possibly be a bully, because what that awful person said was so awful I am justified in bullying them and we really should all tell her what for because she was

*gasp*

UNPROFESSIONAL

Listen. 

This is a very simple rule here.

Don’t bully people. Don’t attack them because they say something you don’t like. Don’t feel the need to defend people who don’t need your defense (seriously you’re defending bullies and looking for reasons why it’s OKAY to bully people.) 

Did they say something unflattering to you? Okay. And? 

OMG NOT SARCASM!!!  

Are you okay boo? Will you survive the deadly assault?

Do you not know how to unfollow or scroll past? Did they address you personally? No? Then why do you think they are talking about you? Are you perhaps doing what they have a problem with? Is there a REAL problem there? One that you’re afraid to look at because it might make you see YOU have been contributing to something toxic?

No? None of that?

Okay, then go back to bashing JR, Jess, and whoever said something you didn’t like this week.

But don’t expect me to be on board. 

[weerd1]

Star Trek DS9 Rewatch Log, Stardate 1909.17: Missions Reviewed, “Inquisition,” “In the Pale Moonlight,” and “His Way.”

In “Inquisition,” Bashir is repairing Chief’s shoulder after a kayaking accident (again) and preparing to go to a medical conference. When he wakes up for his trip he is remarkably groggy and matters are made worse when he is called to ops because Starfleet Internal Affairs, led by a Director Sloan, has come to investigate DS9’s senior staff as someone has been leaking information to the Dominion. 

After some time confined to quarters, Julian is just briefly questioned by Sloan, but all seems well. Returning to his quarters, he finds they have been searched, and he receives a cryptic message from O’Brien that Miles had been questioned for two hours, and ONLY about Julian. In a second interrogation, Sloan reveals that he believes Bashir was actually turned during his time in a Dominion prison, and has sublimated all memories of this, making him the perfect spy. Sloan admits that Bashir’s motivation is to save lives, hence using the genetically engineered think tank from “Statistical Probabilities” to try and convince the Federation to surrender. Bashir continues to deny, but Sloan, seemingly with no accountability to anyone but himself begins to raise the stakes. Things just become difficult when Julian is suddenly whisked away in a transporter, and finds himself with Weyoun on a Dominion vessel. The Vorta tells him that in fact he HAS been working for the Founders, but now he has been compromised. Bashir, still simply can’t remember any such programming.  Soon after though the Defiant arrives, and Kira and Worf beam over to rescue Bashir. When he’s back on the Defiant though, he is treated as a prisoner.  The crew has turned against him. When even O’Brien literally turns his back on Bashir, Julian reaches out to turn Miles back to him, and realizes that O’Brien doesn’t have the shoulder injury he just treated the day before. Everything disappears and a black-clad Sloan is standing with Julian in a holodeck. Sloan explains to Bashir that he runs a branch of Starfleet intelligence called “Section 31” and all of this has been to confirm Bashir’s loyalty for recruitment into the covert organization.

 Sloan promises Bashir will see him again. Back on DS9, Bashir realizes he’s been gone since the morning he woke up (which was actually after just an hour’s sleep to keep him off balance).  Sisko makes inquiries to Starfleet about Section 31, and the admiralty will neither confirm nor deny their existence. Sisko and Bashir decide they want to infiltrate this organization, so if 31 comes calling again, Sisko advises Bashir to join.

The introduction of something that will become a major plot point throughout the rest of Star Trek. Section 31 will of course continue to appear in DS9 for the rest of the show, we will find out they were already operating in the Earth Starfleet in the 2150s during “Enterprise.” Section 31 is responsible for thawing Khan and trying to provoke a war with the Klingon Empire in “Star Trek Into Darkness.” And finally, the existence and actions of S31 play heavily into the second season of “Discovery.” The Kafka-esque feel of this entire episode is perfect, even if it seems like this is something they would generally do to Miles for the annual “let’s screw with O’Brien” episode. Bashir is a perfect choice though- well placed, genetically engineered, has already made friends with men like Garak, and someone who replicates espionage on the holosuite. Can’t overstate how perfect William Sadler is as Sloan either. It’s a pointed discussion. A utopia like the Federation may not be able to exist without someone behind the scenes doing the wrong things for the right reasons.  At least one of out main crew would never do that, right?

“In the Pale Moonlight,” is told entirely as a personal log entry from Benjamin Sisko. He is talking about how “it all went wrong” when he posted a casualty report; the Federation/Klingon alliance is not doing well against the Dominion. Talking with Dax, he realizes they need to get the Romulans to break their non-aggression pact with the Dominion and come into the Alpha Quadrant alliance. Sisko is convinced that the Founders plan to invade Romulus when the main war is done, but will need proof to get the Romulans to act. He approaches Garak to see if anyone can get such records off of Cardassia, but Garak reports back that the Dominion has killed every operative he still as contact with on Cardassia. 

 Garak suggests faking the proof; he can get a blank Cardassian data rod, and he knows a forger who could build a holo program to demonstrate the “briefing” regarding turning toward Romulus. Sisko is resistant…until another casualty report comes, and Sisko realizes perhaps the ends do justify the means. They proceed with the plan which keeps having moral red flags pop up, but finally convince a Romulan senator to stop at the station and see the “evidence.” The senator analyzes the data and discovers the forgery. He leaves, potentially to tell his government that the Federation tried to trick them into the war, likely leading them to join the Dominion. The senator’s shuttle explodes on the way home, and the Romulans discover the forged rod, believing it to be real and the reason the Dominion destroyed the shuttle. Sisko knows it was Garak who killed the senator (and the forger on the side) and had really planned this from the beginning. But when the Romulans attack the Dominion, Garak tells Sisko they may have saved the Alpha Quadrant, and all it cost was one senator, one criminal, and the self-respect of one Starfleet Officer. 

Sisko closes out the dictation of his log:

“So… I lied. I cheated. I bribed men to cover up the crimes of other men. I am an accessory to murder. But most damning of all… I think I can live with it… And if I had to do it all over again… I would. Garak was right about one thing – a guilty conscience is a small price to pay for the safety of the Alpha Quadrant. So I will learn to live with it…Because I can live with it…I can live with it. Computer – erase that entire personal log."

I know I say this more than once during this show but: Holy shit. First there’s Avery Brooks’ performance throughout the episode. As he dictates the log he is just mesmerizing to watch. Andrew Robinson as Garak of course is fantastic. This is of course the origin of the internet meme “It’s a FAAAAKE!” from Senator Vrenek. 

And the moral conundrum is really captivating. This is an episode a lot of DS9 detractors use to point out how antithetical they believe DS9 is to “Gene Roddenberry’s vision.” I would argue they forget that classic Trek had many of the same tropes. Watch “Errand of Mercy” and how quickly Kirk and Spock are willing to risk the lives of what they believe to be simple peasants in order to stymie the Klingons. Or “A Private Little War” where Kirk provides rifles to a stone age tribe so the can fight a proxy war against a side supported by the Klingons. Kirk referring to himself as a “soldier” or his line from “A Taste of Armageddon,” “We can admit that we’re killers, but we will not kill today.” Yes, Trek offers a positive view of humanity’s future, but it also uses its science fiction setting to examine the human condition without ever saying humans are perfect. There is no way to examine the human condition without examining what we as a species are willing to do in war. As someone who still periodically has to assess what I did defending my county (and more than once found myself not meeting my own ethical standards) I appreciate Trek asking us to do that, asking us to take a look at ourselves, what we have done, and what we can live with.  I can live with it. I will learn to live with it.

Will you?

“His Way” introduces us to Bashir’s new holosuite program, a swinging 60’s Vegas club and lounge singer named Vic Fontaine. The AI in the program is remarkably astute and quickly sums up everyone Bashir introduces to “Vic.” Even Odo becomes intrigued when Vic looks at he and Kira, begins to ask about their status but shies away. Odo begins to go the holosuite to ask Vic for advice on Kira.

 They run through a series of exercises to help Odo learn to be “smooth,” and eventually program another 60s character, a torch singer based on Kira. Vic actually on his own reaches out to Kira to tell her to be in the holosuite to have dinner with Odo, and tells Odo that they are working with the hologram again.  The two are having a wonderful date when Odo begins to lament that this isn’t the real Kira. When he find out it is he storms out. The two of them meet on the promenade and begin to argue about whether or not they should try it again. “Well then after dinner, I suppose I should try to kiss you then!” Odo shouts. “Maybe!” Kira counters. “Why wait, maybe I should just kiss you now!” “Maybe you should!” and he does.  After five years of mooning over her, Odo and Kira have finally come together.

Oh. MY. GOD. How frickin’ sweet.  This episode is simply adorable, and the whole scene with them on the promenade is just lovely.  Always good to see your OTP (that’s internet talk- “one true pairing”) made canon.  It is just about damn time, and their joining is perfectly executed.  Also, my sincere and heartfelt thanks to whomever on the DS9 writing staff decided we needed to see Kira in a slinky 60s dress perform “Fever” while laying coquettishly across the piano Odo was playing. I just can’t thank you enough for that. 

From the larger Trek standpoint though, we are beginning to deal with questions on the sentience of AI.  Yes, The Doctor over on “Voyager” would seem to have been “awake” long enough to gain a self-awareness, but is Vic simply a hologram, or are these “lightbulbs” a new lifeform as much as Data was on TNG? There are some big SF philosophical questions going on behind this delightfully romantic episode.  

NEXT VOYAGE: Ancient Bajoran prophecy comes back into play as it is Prophet vs. Pah-Wraith in “The Reckoning.”

[jaggedwolf]

agent wu isn’t on duty tonight (or: tscosi 1x10)

because I remember when I did this for wearp and it was fun so here we go with arbitrary section headings again

Top 3 things I had feelings about, in reverse order, or: in which jaggedwolf is deeply predictable

3. "But I like it when you talk" + the speech it was in response to. I'm just picturing Arkady standing there injured and tired but with a kinda silly smile on her face as she listens to Violet ramble and at no point thinking to herself "perhaps Violet's statement calls for a response". nope. she could just hang out there forever listening to Violet alternately say flattering things about her and go on about whatever. 

Violet’s entire rambling? Amazing

“Normally I’d take this as a sign of disinterest but with you it can go both ways” Ha!

Have I mentioned that my real OTP for this show is Violet’s weird sincerity (even when using sarcasm to cope) colliding with Arkady’s barely held together recoiling from any sincerity? Because it is.

“Dating in a romantic sense?”

what the hell, Arkady

Violet would have been 100% in her rights to have made a terrible carbon dating joke here and I’m half-disappointed she didn’t

low-key mourning the loss of a good slow-burn, but also knew it wasn’t tenable as soon as Krejjh mentioned the kissing

2. The Rumor is no more ;_; look it makes good sense as a plan which my head acknowledges, but my heart is mostly going "but Sana mADE IT". 

though that brings up another question: did she like, always have that self-destruct fail-safe or did they jerry-rig that in two weeks because I am completely on-board with either possibility

I’m equally here for Sana making spaceships ad Sana stealing spaceships so I guess I just like Sana and spaceships content in general

I imagine that once your home’s been invaded by invisible brain-washed nanobots, it probably is a little easier to let it go

let us all mourn the remains of the hammock

how much of their stuff did they manage to move to the new ship during the blip in security footage?

1. The scene with General Frederick, Violet and Arkady. Sometimes all you want is Arkady getting shot to make Violet blab and I was anticipating it as soon as "Source A apprehended" was said. Good stuff. 

Totally would not have minded that scene going longer and Arkady getting more hurt. :)

me: already contemplating scenarios where Violet gets shot instead? Of course. (naturally, it couldn’t be for the same tactic on either side)

Important (to me) facts we learned:

Brian is capable of carrying Krejjh (easily, I would think, given that no one offers to help.)

Sana was arrested for hot-wiring spaceships

I like to learn more about that plural

McCabe guessed "revolution" the same time at which my brain thought it

McCabe is an excellent shot

Unsurprisingly, the answer to my question about the IGR’s college-to-spying pipeline is: spy college

wonder if my answer to McCabe’s daemon question should change to something more akin to hunting dog

I admit, I was a teensy bit hoping for McCabe to die, purely for narrative reasons, but this is cool too

In a meta-joke, Ensign Best was the real traitor all along

this makes Ensign Best Ricky Q's contact and that's so funny to me

At least according to Violet, Arkady looks good in a tank top

we all subliminally knew this already, but still, good to have confirmation.

Stabbing people with needles is indeed a Violet Liu-style plan.

Arkady still had her IGR jacket

possibly for scams, possibly to broodily stare at while thinking about her past, who knows

Dwarnians have at least one knee

More under the cut, because I am incapable of shutting up. 

Things I did not see coming

Agent Park coming back, let alone as a pirate

I assume plans were made for Shelly but I still hope she’s okay

Brian talking to the bots

 in retrospect, was very telegraphed

 I am just very bad at thinking of the swarm as as sentient and sapient as they are

The bots didn’t attack Park and McCabe, who as far as I can tell were still in uniform and still holding their weapons?

hmm if any of the agents had listened to the live audio of the crew during the episode, pre-bot reset, I wonder if it would’ve changed things

everyone saying their own names for the credits was very cute and I hope that sticks around

COWABUNGA

You know, if Dwarnian soldiers in general have a tendency to just yell dramatic lines while also being very good at shooting humans, I feel like humanity’s terror at them is pretty justified

I want to know how much Krejjh enjoyed their fake death

Agent Park going “humankind” very dramatically while shooting into the floor? Krejjh has got to be a little impressed once they got over the whole almost dying thing

Injured but is definitely still the person piloting them off-planet, if their legs don’t work Crewman Jeeter will be their legs

Sana: Capable of flying a ship. Uninjured. Also clearly confident that even an injured Krejjh is their best shot or she would’ve said something, I presume

Side-note: Was vaguely hoping for a mention of Dwarnian blood colour, a guy can dream.

we love you :)

once a caterer, got shot at a lot

is as always, very chill even when all the things are happening

probably the only human to say “we/I love you” to the swarm

the swarm has not had a good time so they probably appreciated that

sometimes your knowledge of advanced xeno-linguistics does save the day (in the background: krejjh, still a little embarassed at how bad their vree-chel-noke is)

the angry angry general

if I heard right, the agent said she was only down, not dead right?

Good

I want her to come back and menace people again, she’s a good menacer and great to hate.

the invisible blue-collar

how many spaceships did Sana get away with hot-wiring by playing the old “I’m just here for repairs” trick anyway

I assume it’s a more involved process than hot-wiring a car but I don’t know much about that either

has had several different versions of that post-mission inspiring speech in her pocket and is very glad she got to use the version she did

the Iris!

I mean, I knew that name was coming as soon as they got a new ship but I’m still delighted

Sana to the IGR: -the universal i’m watching you gesture-

I hope she gets to reconcile with soup man (I almost called him tomato man because the other day I was thinking about him growing tomatoes. I am sorry)

she can change her own dressings (no she can’t)

Already mentioned this but Arkady getting shot as leverage over Violet? Delicious. 

Also is too sensible for a dramatic kiss goodbye and I approve of that 

not sensible enough to acknowledge she can’t change her own dressings. on one hand, she got shot in the thigh. on the other hand, embarrassment is not a good reason to risk an infection, you fool!

the “That’s not possible” at the general saying Krejjh was dead was very good 

I’m not sure Arkady believes Krejjh capable of dying, deep down

report 1: violet liu

forget ship names, the true full circle is Violet starting the season ramble-flirting with a girl and also ending it that way

her entire exchange with the general 

“swayed by moonshine and some pretty words” is such a fun accusation to throw at Violet because it’s true. those things just mean more than their literal definitions.

channeling her very real reaction to Arkady getting shot into a long-winded spiel that actually reveals nothing <3

it wasn’t until she literally asked that I realized that duh, Violet doesn’t know any of their Source designations

she was supposed to die in space alone. slowly, as the air supply ran out. maybe quickly if something else in the ship failed. knowing that no one was coming for her. not knowing it was because of a paperwork mix-up. filled with the belief that, whelp, this is the sum of her tiny insignificant life.

it isn’t

[rough-tweed-action]

🔥 about tjlc and the tinfoil hat conspiracists

This is a tough one. I'm guessing my opinion (why are they doing this to themselves?) is actually a popular one. So, an unpopular opinion about these people, hmm.

Have you seen Rowan Atkinson's sketch about Toby the Devil? He welcomes souls to hell and divides them into groups: murderers, thieves, French and lastly, Christians. 'Christians? Ah yes, I’m sorry, I’m afraid the Jews were right.' Apart from being hilarious, it makes me wonder: what if we, the non-johnlockers, are wrong and they are right? What if everything I think I know about Sherlock is wrong because I'm a straight, adult woman and judging from the post-TFP dramatic posts, the majority of the cult consists of gay youth. What if BBC Sherlock really is a romantic story and I saw none of that because I'm biased?

What if they were rightfully angry after series 4? I mean, from what I heard, they predicted TAB's content pretty well. Maybe they aren't as delusional as we think. Maybe they were, in fact, portrayed on the show not only as the First TJCLer Hudders but also as the league of furies. Maybe today's gay youth needs more recognition than suffragettes. I don't know.

What if Mofftiss did betray them? What if they intentionally made Sherlock gay and John bi to attract the attention of gay fans? What if they wanted to give them the kiss, but the BBC didn't let them?What if Mark Gatiss, who seems like a lovely person, is actually the evil incarnate and a homophobic, cruel gay who likes to torment people like him? How can I tell? I don't know him. What if Mofftiss are lying liars who lie about lying about lying about lying and they really are playing a long game here. Maybe they intentionally made series 4 not gay and hurt the fans only to make the kiss in series 5 sweeter? Who can tell?

Did Gatiss honestly tell gay fans via Mary that it doesn't matter who they really are? Would he do that? Will he and Moffat butcher Dracula and make him not explicitly gay?

What if I, a Sheriarty shipper, completely misinterpreted the Moriarty episodes? What if Sherlock is, in fact, scared of Moriarty and there's no chemistry? Perhaps Sherlock wanted to catch Moriarty to save John and be gay with him? Could the Sheriarty content be just a cynical milkshake to lure the hungry Fannibals to the yard? What if the Sheriarty scene from TAB was not sentimentally and sexually charged? What if Moriarty's motivation was 'if I can't have you, then no one can'? WHAT IF SHERLOCK JUST HAD A GUN IN HIS POCKET AND WASN’T PLEASED TO SEE HIM?

What if Adlock isn't canon? Is Irene's theme really a johnlock theme? The person who deflowered Sherlock, Irene or John? Were Irene's pupils dilated because she was scared? Did she say 'Well I am [gay], look at us both' to prove there was no Adlock, not because saying 'Well I am bisexual' would make no sense? Were all the reminders of Irene meaningless? Do I ship it bc I'm straight? Was I.... straight-baited?

Was it a coincidence that Sherlock said 'I'm you' to Jim and played Irene's theme when asked to play himself? Was the Adlock/Sheriarty mash-up (TAB) unimportant? Is Sherlock actually attracted only to his exact opposite, John boring dull predictable Watson?

What if that Arwel guy is not a funny person who likes elephants and things that glow? What if he taunted the cult with gay elephants all those years? I'm actually surprised to have heard of the Eurus' glass elephant just recently and not from a cult member. Huh. Is the glowing skull a secret sign? What if the billboards from HLV were not a coincidence?

And what if all the small inconsistencies like the disappearing John from the T6T scene with Hopkins are, in fact, important? Look, as a Holmescest shipper, I watched the Unwise, brother mine scene many, many times. Two inconsistencies there. 

What if the First TJLCer and John are actually likeable characters? Is John's abusive behaviour excusable bc of sexual frustration and being closeted? Was his awful comment about Mycroft (what goes around comes around) justified? We may never know.

Is johnlock actually a sweet, lovely, vanilla ship, romantic and pure? Despite all the women deceived and used to stop the gossip? It bothers me, actually. Maybe it's because I think that honesty in any relationship is crucial. Did Sherlock and John really flirt with each other in Mary's or Irene's presence? Did John make a decision to marry Mary just to prove he's straight, although he could have just ditch the bitch and make out with his loved-up booooooooooyfriend? Is it ok for a bi-curious person to lie to their straight partner and use them a shield? Should I root for a gay couple who try to get together on the fucking WEDDING RECEPTION in front of the clueless bride? Is this good? Do I find it disgusting and inexcusable bc I'm not gay? Maybe it is a gay fantasy, the opposite of the hetero wish to turn a gay person straight?  Mystery.

Is this theory that the true villain of BBC Sherlock is anyone who thinks Sherlock is not gay right? Do I erase an important part of his personality bc I don't want Sherlock the fictional character to be happy the way he should have been from the start? Was ACD inspired by Oscar Wilde and the original Sherlock Holmes was in as gay as Wilde? Did Watson invent Mary Morstan to be safely gay with Holmes?

Is the unaired pilot gay and I can't see it bc I am not? Did Sherlock say that he knew being gay is fine not because John said his 'which is fine' the way I say 'I do like the Germans and I’m not scared of the German nationalism and do not resent them for using the most hideous language in the world, no sir'? Did Sherlock never correct the people who assumed he was John's boyfriend not because he simply didn't care what they thought about him?

What if Mary killed herself to make Sherlock commit suicide? What if Sherlock hated her the whole time and only pretended he liked her, so very convincingly? Did he and John conspire to murder her while she was heavily pregnant and sipped tea in John's chair? Was she the real Moriarty? Did she work for CAM? For Mycroft? Did the homicidal Sherlock and John try to protect her from Ajay because... they wanted to kill her themselves?

Was the Warstan reunion in HLV not sweet and realistic but sinister? Did John threaten her while she was pregnant with his child?

Is the *sigh* M theory true? Moriarty, Mary and Magnussen using Mycroft to destroy johnlock? Because nothing else that universe is more important than these two Brits licking Marmite off the other's prick.

What if our perception of the acronym cult is wrong? Maybe it's not just toxic. Maybe it helps its members embrace their sexuality. Maybe they were just trying to defend themselves? Maybe the only member who needed therapy was one of the leaders? Was it ok for another leader, the one who's still active, to respond to my message by going through my blog and judging the content? Despite my having mentioned twice in the message that I was just curious and had no evil intentions. I'm no expert.

Is the concept of a slow-burn romance (with a huge portion of miscommunication) between John and Sherlock possible? Wouldn't Sherlock just say: 'John, we should kiss, for science!' or John, when Sherlock returned, 'I have missed you so much. Don't ever leave again. Also, I love you, I can say this now.'

Did the suggestion to name the baby Sherlock actually meant 'I wish we have got married, I'd love to be your Sherlock Watson'? Did John the free widower say 'the chance doesn't last forever' and put so much emphasis on the word 'alive' because... I dunno, really.

Does John's 'I am not gay/not Sherlock's boyfriend' mean: 'I'm bisexual and would love to show Sherlock some military discipline'? Wouldn’t bi-John feel comfortable with Hudders, enough to tell her his secret?

Was John's reaction to Mary's death really less emotional than his reaction to Sherlock's suicide?

Was John's WTF when Janine strode out of Sherlock's bedroom jealousy and not the strong feeling that Sherlock either changed overnight or was doing some serious bullshitting?

Is Sherlock’s reaction to Janine and that other female character flirting with him a definite proof that he does not want to offer his virginity to a woman? Even... The Woman?

Was the idea of Warstan bad enough to make Sherlock suicidal on FIVE separate occasions? I counted: the sad, suicidal chips in TEH, the conversation with Sholto through the door, the post-wedding relapse that was NOT for a case, the TAB overdose and the TLD relapse. Dude. Sherlock, son, maybe find a hobby.

Did Mofftiss lose their minds and made not one but TWO 'all in your head' series? Is John dying? Is Sherlock in a coma? Was Eurus real? Is Redbeard a dog? Do I care?

Are Adlock and Smallcroft shippers delusional bc both Holmes brothers are so obviously gay? Is it all right to say that a character's sexual orientation cannot be different from the actor's (but only if the actor is gay)? Does Gatiss have a right to play or create non-gay characters?  Is he morally obliged to make every Sherlock character gay? Does he owe anything to the gay community?

What if having your otp work together and raise a kid together is not enough?

WAS THE LAZARUS REAL? I do agree with finalproblem on this particular subject, 100%.

Is Jim Moriarty alive? Is Mary alive? Is Rosie real?

IS FUCKY a real, useable word?

WAS IT HUDDERS WHO SAID 'SOFTER, SHERLOCK' IN TFP??? That old, stoned witch, I knew I shouldn't trust her.

WHAT IF THERE WILL BE A LOST SPECIAL/LOST GAY BAR SCENE/THE KISS AND WE, THE NON-BELIEVERS/CASUAL ANTIS, WILL DIE OF SHOCK AND CHOKE ON OUR HOMOPHOBIA?

WHAT IF IT WAS TWINS???

Seriously, though. Do I think conspiracy theorists are crazy in real life? No. I think I'm fairly normal despite my strong belief that General Sikorski was murdered by the British. I will NEVER accept that it was an accident. Never. 

Thank you, that was a journey.