#sci fan fam

[bewaretheidiotsofmarch]

[EXPRESSION REQUESTS]

Top left: CIF E1 Top right: Titinius E3

Bottom left: Casca A6 (right: eye variant)

◇The sheet for anyone who wants to use it◇

[schlock-luster-video]

On October 29, 1994, House of Wax, Child's Play and Motel Hell were screened as a triple-feature on MonsterVision.

[deadtiredghost]

Tmnt facts that are canon cause i said so:

All Leo's are sci-fi fans of varying degrees of old sci-fi series/movies

But MM!Leo thinks the old movies are old and thus has no major franchise to obsess over, he is just big into any of the more modern movies of the genre: I'm thinking Interstellar, Blade Runner, idk many more. And then he started watching Final Space and eventually got into Futurama.

But he still would think the other Leo's are old and a bit lame for enjoying old anime so much.

All the Donnie's and Leo's are the musical fans, but that doesn't mean that Raph and Mikey can't enjoy a musical too! Especially 2003!Raph who grew up watching shit like high school musical and teen beach movie with Leo and Donnie.

The 2003 boys all teamed up to sit on Mikey and tape Mikey's mouth shut cause he would dramatically and badly sing the songs otherwise.

2018 crew are hard into Hamilton of course while 2012 have a knock off version of it that flopped but Mikey loves.

2003 have a musical version of Lost Boys and Faries that could possibly be comparable with some rap songs and some emotional ballads.

Bayverse and MM have batman while 2018 have a weird mixture of some irl media and some really obvious knock offs. 2012 has Wingnut and Silber sentry as comics to replace Marvel and DC in their universe and we all know how 2003 is on superheroes.

All the Mikey's are naturally talented at drawing apart from 2012 who's skills apparently just got transferred to literally every single one of his siblings.

2012!Mikey's writing looks like chickenscratch and his drawings are chaotic in an abstract art kinda way, while 12!Leo can draw anime, 12!Karai is decent at drawing anything reallt, 12!Donnie preffers skatching items and backgrounds rather than people and 12!Raph is the one who does art the most in the fam.

The 1987 turtles are stuck in 1987 and have been since 1987. They like crossovers for the change of pace but 87!Raph and 87!Donnie very much dislike how other turtles have treated them in the past so take any and ever chance to fuck with their alternates in retaliation, feigning innocence well enough that they keep getting away with blatantly insulting their iterations to their face.

Leo is the tea drinker in the family across iterations but most of the iterations don't drink coffee - rottmnt gets into coffee wars (sans Leo and Splinter) but other than that 2007!Donnie and Bayverse!Raph are the only rabid coffee drinkers.

most of the Donnies drink energy drinks if they want a caffeine boost - the nonbinaries and their Monster especially.

The MM kids aren't allowed coffee because Splinter read a watched of child-raising YouTube videos and banned it. Of course that doesn't stop them from sneaking out. MM!Donnie is trying to convince him to allow coffee while MM!Raph just sneaks in his energy drinks.

2003!Casey was convinced the turtles were adults for at LEAST the first month into their friendship.

The ampunt Mikey wears stickers is directly proportional to the amount of leeway Splinter gives him - with the used-to-be-human Splinters being more strict on not personalising his weapon while the used-to-be-rat Splinters such as MM gives the go ahead.

The outlines of this rule are 03!Splinter and 18!Splinter of course who have entirely different ways of handling their adhd child.

And then there is bayverse!Splinter who said fuck the stickers, yes of course my 15-year-old children can have tattoos.

(And yes I firmly believe they were 15 in the first movie, and I attribute their tattoos to Splinter not really seeing the harm in it, or caring much as long as it won't hurt them.)

18!Leo is biologically the eldest but no one knows this apart from Draxum who will never tell at this point. Splinter aged them based on size.

On the other hand, 03!Leo is the biological youngest but only Donnie knows this (science shit to find it out) and will never tell anyone because he found out that 03!Mikey hatched first and that information can never be allowed to get to the turtle in question.

2012 Casey is transfem but doesn't know it yet and 2018 Casey is what 12!Casey will look like at 20.

All Donnie's watch anime and all Mikey's watch horror movies - despite how much they may or may not scream at the horror movies.

07!Mikey sells art online and 07!Leo becomes a language tutor in their 20's. Ironic as 12!Raph attempts to sell art online but becomes too emotionally attached to his work and 12!Donnie attempts to tutor for a time but is a terrible teacher.

Leo is a basketball or baseball fan, Raph likes wrestling and basketball, Donnie will partake in basketball or volleyball and Mikey prefers dancing but is open to playing anything... just not watching.

Splinter always watched the tennis, becuase his grandmother did. Leo likes to put it on but doesn't like playing it.

Mikey will forever be confused why the others enjoy watching sport. This stemms from when he was 12 and trying to watch his cartoons and Splinter would always take control of the TV during the Olympics. Mikey is still very salty and has an agenda against the Olympics and any other big sports match on their communal TV.

All the Leo's before 2012 just didnt use the Internet or any electronics as a kid and thus struggles with electronics massively.

Conversely 2012 and 2018 Leo were both on tumblr as kids and read fanfic about Space Heros and Jupiter Jim respectively.

And in addition: Donnie was on the Internet far too much as a kid.

(12!Donnie will never tell but 12!Mikey befriending Chris Bradford on Facebook hit a bit too close to home.)

After Don, Raph is the best at mechanics, other than 18!Raph who is kinda shit at them.

Splinter taught all of the turtles first aid but Raph and Mikey are patched up the most by the other two, which leads to the other two being more confident and skilled at first aid.

Leo's first aid experience is very much similar to an army medic, using improvisation based on his prior knowledge without any of the proper hospital procedure while Donnie's is much more based on his research into medicine and thus much more clinical.

The outliers are the 18!kids cause Donnie finds biological shit kinda disgusting unless he HAS to do it.

And then there is the 87!turtles who don't really get hurt for longer than an episode's run time. Despite this every single one of them are able to accurately and skillfully carry out any medical procedure should the need arise becuase cartoon logic and convenience. It is a skill they have and its usually 87!Donnie ordering them about while 87!Raph plays nurse.

Mikey and Raph spray paint together sometimes in all iterations other than 87.

87!Mikey and 87!Leo have never kmowingly committed a crime.

Mikey looks up to Leo most out of his siblings, and Leo would look up to Mikey in turn if he could get over the jealousy towards his youngest brother.

There is not a single itteration where Leo doesn't sometimes kinda wish he could be more like Mikey - he has never voiced these feelings and hates that he feels this jealousy.

If you wake Leo up from sleeping he will be alert, a bit grumpy about it, but will never turn you away. He rarely gets a full good night's sleep anyways, ans becuase of this he is prime target to bother when he is awake... up until they turn 14 where Leo gets into the habit of pretending to be asleep so Mikey doesn't bother him and starts meditating until he falls asleep.

The prior headcannon excludes rottmnt and mutant mayhem.

Mikey starts bothering Donnie more and joins him in the lab late at night a lot.

If you dare to disturb Raph's beauty sleep you will get a pillow to the face and a shouting to at the least.

Everyone of the turtles loves Kung Fu Panda or whatever similar movie exists in their world. They won't admit it but its because Poe reminds them of Mikey.

Raph maintains that he doesn't like physical contact much to get out of hugging the sweaty humans in his life. He is actually fairly chill with hugs he just hates the feeling of sweat on his scales so much, and learnt that the hard way when Casey brought him in for a hug after a fight and he shoved him off and blustered a bit. But any of his siblings hugging him is fine, he only ever shoves them off out of annoyance.

Donnie is the least huggy turtle, but he will sometimes lean his full body weight on April - which is fine in most iterations but some cannot handle the weight, I'm looking at Bayverse.

If Mikey were a human he would be a borderline nudist when home and everyone who lived with him would complain about it.

Like [insert hair covering here] and a fluffy dressing gown from when he was 9 wrapped around the waist if you're lucky.

[angelosearch]

Okay fam, how do we think Raine died? And please let me know if it's been word-of-god'ed somewhere. I don't think I've ever seen it.

I have a thought. I wouldn't even call it a theory because I have virtually no evidence to support it. It's more like... what I would find interesting.

I'm overthinking a 25-year-old videogame again...

Lil bit of a trigger warning here... Mention of some severe impacts of mental illness.

Honestly, I hate the "died in childbirth" thing. It's just... vague. Uninteresting. I don't know, kind of lazy. Okay, maybe she did die as a side effect of having Squall, but how? There's more than one way to die in childbirth.

And I am not saying dying in childbirth is unrealistic--it definitely is realistic, unfortunately--but I kind of hate how introducing a pregnant character and then killing them is always joined with the (again VERY BROAD) concept of "dying in childbirth."

Maybe it's just because I'm a Star Wars fan and Padme's death ruined me for "died in childbirth" as a suitable end for a pregnant character. I also just get annoyed in general how frequently pregnancy and childbirth in sci-fi/fantasy media is seen as something alien or bad or the end of a character. There's so many episodes where pregnancy is used as a parasitic plot point. I could go on.

And how often a mother is just killed off with "died in childbirth" off screen... It's just lazy! It's like saying a guy died because he "went off to war." Is it realistic? Sure. But specifics, backstory, please!!

But like!! These women have already done the incredible act of carrying a child, sometimes through war zones and major stressors, or, in Raine's case, while completely alone and waiting for her husband to come back from saving her adoptive daughter. If she "had" to die (at least in the eyes of the writers) immediately after Squall is born, I want her to have a death more specific to her character and more interesting overall! Also, it would be nice if she had SOME time with our little baby Squall, no matter the circumstances... Now, the way I think about Raine's death isn't exactly a nice way to die (if there is a such thing), but I think it would be enough to lock her ghost in Winhill. And, again, I think it gives her plot a realism that I want it to have.

Here is where I launch into some pretty reaching headcanons so... buckle up.

So Squall, we can all agree, exhibits signs of depression. He's able to push through it, because lots of us depressed people adapt to do that, but he definitely does. From what I know about therapy and psychology, I'd also say he has C-PTSD but that's another story.

But I'd like to propose that Squall is not just depressed, but potentially even bipolar.

Now, the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for bipolar disorder requires at least one manic episode followed by a depressive episode or hypomania. I don't believe Squall has ever experienced mania... But the thing about bipolar disorder is that a lot of times, it presents as depression until it isn't anymore. And for some individuals, that moment doesn't come until their late 20s or older. Hell, treating depression is sometimes what reveals the underlying disorder: Sometimes SSRIs trigger mania in bipolar patients.

I could see him experiencing hypomania, though. Accidentally training for 12 hours straight, racing thoughts, extreme agitation.

What we do see in the game is risk-taking behaviors, racing thoughts, anxiety, disregulated mood, feelings of worthlessness, difficulty sleeping, isolation... These are symptoms of C-PTSD, but ALSO bipolar disorder.

(which, his history of trauma makes him more vulnerable to bipolar disorder as well)

I will admit, I hc Squall this way because I see myself in him, and I was a high-functioning depressed person who had my first manic episode in my late 20s. But what I figure is, while he was probably never written to be bipolar, there's nothing in the game that completely refutes it.

ANYWAY, bipolar disorder is hereditary. It's not only hereditary, but it plays a part.

So here we go, this is the end I have in mind for Raine, and it's not a happy end, but I think it's realistic and I think it's worth representing in media. Trigger warning.

I think Raine was bipolar. We don't see enough of her in the game to know, but if Squall is (in my head) she might be too. I think she had a complicated pregnancy and that Ellone being kidnapped and Laguna leaving (reasonably) put her under a lot of stress. Any symptoms she had under control with medication/therapy/etc. probably flared. Who knows if she had her same access to resources, seeing that Laguna was gone.

I think, maybe, she suffered from postpartum psychosis. She might have had a few good days, weeks with Squall until things got bad. It would have been terrifying for her, and the people of Winhill, the delusions, the hallucinations. I can't imagine there is a doctor in Winhill that can help with that. And maybe, one of those hallucinations led her to her end.

Such a terrible death likely would have traumatized the people of Winhill, who we know cared deeply about her. Maybe they sent Ellone away so she'd never know; maybe they sent Squall away because he was too much of a reminder.

Thus ends my very sad Raine's death head canon.

My next long project may involve tackling this kind of stuff. I love writing/researching mental health!!

[gingersnappish]

The 2024 Fandom Trumps Hate Charity Auction is LIVE!!!

Bidding runs 5th March 8am EST to 9th March 8 pm EST!

@fandomtrumpshate is an online multi-fandom auction that benefits a lot of progressive non-profit organizations! Fans 'bid' to donate directly to a listed charity and the winning bidder receives a thank you gift for their donation in the form of the personalized fan work- You can read about exactly how it works HERE and see the FULL LIST OF NON-PROFITS!

Star Wars Fandom has a lot of really lovely works being offered this year - 34 creators are offering their time and talents as a big thank you to the winning bidders for their donations! Please, check them out!

And then...

Help out some wonderful progressive charities (and get a lovely custom fanwork as a thank you gift !

The following are brief summaries and not comprehensive. Please read the full offerings before bidding! The full Star Wars TAG contains all the following listings in their entirety!

Written Fanworks

@shadow-spires is offering a <5K piece for Prequel Trilogy or The Clone Wars! Loves working with Cody, clone culture, and fix-its, AUs, angst with happy endings, and more!

@marroniere is offering 20-50K for Andor, Thrawn Trilogy (new canon), Thrawn Ascendancy, or Ahsoka! Especially interested in anything Thrawn and Chiss, as well as Mon and Cassian from Andor! Versatile in genre and focussed on how characters relate to one another and heal!

finkpishnets is offering 5-10K for Prequel Trilogy or Clone Wars! Happy to work with Obi-Wan/Anakin or Obi-Wan/Cody in canon, diveregent, or AU settings! (also comfortably familiar with the Kenobi series canon)

@dirtbag-linecook-kyloren is offereing 5K per $10 donated! Sequel Trilogy Kylux author specializing in Modern AUs!

@captainlilja is offering 5-10K for Sequel Trilogy or Rebels! Especially interested in Finn/Poe, Finn/Poe/Rey, Zeb/Kallus, Hera/Kanan and happy to work with AroAce characters, AUs, fluff, and kinky-fluff where everybody is in love!

blackat_t7t is offering 5-10K for Book of Boba Fett, Clone Wars, or Mandalorian! Interested in M/M or Genfic, Angst, canon-divergent AUs, anything with a Clones focus or BobaDinn! Also appreciates rairpairs and characters!

Tathrin is offering 5-10K for any of the Trilogies and/or Legends/Extended Universe! Enthusiastic about world-building and plot and queering canon! Classic Legends stuff is a favorite, with a love for snubfighter pilots, YJKs, Leia, nb-Revan, and original flavor Boba Fett!

hoebiwan is offering 5-10K for Original and Prequel Trilogies or Legends/Extended Universe! Interested in crack, grief, recovery, anxiety, trans and queer themes!

@geekymoviemom is offering 5-10K for Prequel Trilogy, Clone Wars, Rebels, or Rogue One! Happy to write Anakin/Padme, Cassian/Jyn, Obi-wan & Anakin, Kanan & Ezra, and family stuff for Clone Wars and Rebels Fam! Canon-divergent or in-universe AUs please!

@treescape is offering <5K for any Star Wars! Familiar with all eras and happy to work with most characters or pairs!

@xenomorphic-warrior is offering 10-20K for Original or Prequel Trilogy, Andor, Clone Wars, Mandolorian, Kenobi, and Rogue One! Especially interested in Cody/Obi-wan, Bariss/Ahsoka, Din/Cobb, Lando/Han, Lando/Leia/Han, Cassian/Jyn, Cassian/Jyn/Bohdi, Cassian/Kino and are fond of speculative AUs like horror and sci-fi, mythology, and canon-divergence!

van1lla_v1lla1n is offering <5K for the Sequel Trilogy! Enthusiastic about Rey/Kylo (one or both of them queer) and will write in canonverse or modern AUs! Likes to work with erotic and heavier themes, ambiguous endings!

solas_oiche is offering 10-20K for any Star Wars! Enthusiastic about anything Ahsoka-centric and open to themes and tropes you may want to see!

Kartaylir is offering &lt;5K for Legends/Extended Universe and the Old Republic! Especially interested F/F, darker themes, world-building, and weird lore details! Familiar with Thrawn Trilogy, Shadows of the Empire, and Tales of the Jedi comics, KOTOR, and have written lots for SWTOR!

Ninja is offering 5-10K for Original or Prequel Trilogies, or Mandolorian! Especially interested in working with Fluff, H/C, happy endings, magic, plot twists, crack, and humor! Loves zany hijinks! Good at taking an initial prompt and running with it!

@s-c-g-s-c-g is offering <5K for Prequel Trilogy, Clone Wars, and Legends/Extended Universe! Especially interested in Jedi characters, pre-quel era fic, gen, bonding, H/C, canon-adjacent AUs, and found family! Primarily experienced writing Gen but open to some rairpairs!

Ternary is offering <5K for Prequel Trilogy and Clone Wars! Likes queer themes, ace&aro themes, and exploring disability themes, as well as trauma-recovery, and emotional H/C! Interested in Obi-Wan’s Legends padawanship, Obi-Wan/Quinlan, Obi-Wan/Cody, Quinlan/Fox!

geniecat2 is offering 5-10K words for the Prequel Trilogy, Book of Boba Fett, or Clone Wars! Especially interested in the AceAre spectrum, found family, platonic and romantic CodyWan, Jangobi, and lineage exploration, as well as Clone and Jedi appreciation, JediCorps too!

@musetotheworld is offering 5-10K for the Original and Prequel Trilogies, and Legends/Extended Universe! Loves Legends-inspired plots and has read most of the Legends books! Experience with writing F/F ships, M/F is fine too, also cool with AUs!

Stens_McHenry is offering 5-10K for All Trilogies, Book of Boba Fett, Mandolorian, and Kenobi! Prefers to write M/M ships and happy to work with AUs and canon-adjacent/divergent works!

MaudeZbornak is offering scaled-by-donation wordcount ($5 = minimum 5K) for All Trilogies, Book of Boba Fett, Mandolorian, and Kenobi! Happy to work with any pairing for Star Wars and welcomes detailed prompts!

thebeespatella is offering scaled-by-donation wordcount ($10 = 1K) for Andor, Clone Wars, and Rogue One! Especially interested in F/F, trans/gender and exploring corporate surveillance, identity and conformity, colonialism/diaspora, radicalization, trauma, moral injury, and interfacing with technology (cybogs)! Likes Clone troopers, clone culture and clone ships, Imperial/Rebellion era, and spy/thriller AUs! Experienced writer of Cody/Rex!

MayQueen517CactusDragon517 is offering <5K words for the Original and Sequel Trilogies, Rogue One, or Solo! Open to many ideas, smut included! Likes exploring alternative identities like a trans or non-binary or ace/aro interpretation of a character! Likes to communicate lots with their winning bidder, building ideas and sharing snippets!

@elthadriel is offering scaled-by-donation wordcount ($10 = 1K up to 10K) for Clone Wars! Especially interested in Clone troopers and their culture and ships, Imperial/rebellion era, missing war scenes, PWP, Cowboy AUs, bittersweet vibes, Cody/Rex, Echo/Fives/Fox, Thorn/Fox, Rex/Fives/Echo/Cody, Cody/Fox, Ahsoka/Bariss, Bly/Aayla, Cody/Maul!

@cabezadeperro is offering <5K for Prequel Trilogy, Clone Wars, Legends/Extended Universe! Interested in open endings, Imperial era, missing war scenes, cloneships, Jango Fett/Obi-Wan, canon divergence, complicated relationships, codex, Fives/Echo/Fox, Cody/Fox, rewalker, qi’rahsoka!

darktenshi17 is offering two auctions for 5-10K fics for the Sequel Trilogy as well as the Original Trilogy! Open to most ideas (with the exception of Kylo/Rey) and interested in working with F/F, polyships, genderswap, trans or nonbinary characters, unhappy or ambiguous endings!

commanderdameron is offering 10-20K for the Prequel or Sequel Trilogies or Kenobi! Loves character and relationship studies! Interested in exploring canon in more plot-centric ways and excited about world-building from a character-driven mindset! Obi-Wan, Poe, Leia, and Rey are favs, so things that focus on their relationships are welcome!

Visual Fanworks

c_art is offering a comic page (per $50 donation) for the Original and Prequel Trilogies! Enthusiastic about Gen and Femslash as well as rarepairs and unusual ideas! Fluff, angst, slice of life, and action all welcome! Black and white pages - will ask the winning bidder for a script or fic to adapt, higher donations = gets more pages!

@temporoyales is offering a drawing/painting for any Star Wars! Any pairings, genders, sexualities are welcome! Likes working with everyday interactions, environmental storytelling, symbolism, genderbending, and costume design! Starting bid gets a black and white portrait and larger bids increase up to fullbody/color!

@gingersnappish is offering a full color book cover/illustration/drawing/comic page/etc for any Star Wars! Specializes in Kylux but open to almost all characters, pairs, ideas! Happy to work with scifi-fantasy design, animals, detailed backgrounds and tech! Will make 2-4 small sketches for the recipient to choose from and then show a refined sketch before finishing the piece!

@nattyjae is offering a comic/drawing/painting/etc for any Star Wars! Scaled donations $5 = black and white, $15 black and white comic, $20 full color illustration, on up to a full color comic page! Loves Clone Wars, Rebels, and Bad Batch but will be happy drawing any Star Wars! Happy to design characters, redraw scenes or visualize AUs!

Beta Reading

@shadow-spires is offering to beta 10-20K for any of the Trilogies, Clone Wars, Rebels, Rogue One!

birbleafs is offering to beta for <5K for any of the Trilogies, Clone Wars, Legends/Extended Universe!

geniecat2 is offering to beta for 5-10K for the Original and Prequel Trilogies, Book of Boba Fett, Clone Wars, Legends/Extended Universe, Mandolorian, and Kenobi!

Podfic Recording

@shadow-spires is offering to record a <5K podfic for any of the Trilogies, Clone Wars, Rebels, or Rogue One: clones centric and Jedi-positive stuff always welcome, as well as OCs!

flowerparrish is offering to record <5K for any of the Trilogies, Book of Boba Fett, Clone Wars, Legends/Extended Universe, Mandalorian, Kenobi, Rebels, Rogue One! They are especially interested in canon-divergent AUs, fix-its, Poly ships, F/F, trans or nonbinary characters, rarepairs and crackships!

kbirb is offering to record fic with wordcount being contribution-based (Donations: First $10 = 2K, +$10 = Additional 1K)! Open to all three Trilogies, Andor, Clone Wars, Mandolorian, Rebels, Rogue One! Especially interested in found family, soulmate AUs, polyamory, trans clone troopers, neopronouns, Jon Antilles rarepairs, Hevy/Fives/Echo, Cody/Obi-Wan, and period pieces (Regency!) Loves recording for an author who wants to hear their fic aloud!

[theaistired]

Blog introduction

Hello, my name is Thea (she/they), I’m acespec, arospec, and autistic. I speak German and English and I am trying to learn Italian, Swedish and Arabic (learning three different languages at once is complicated, so trying instead of actual learning). I’m a big fan of the fantasy genre and like to read, write, draw, play the piano, and occasionally play video games. I also love birds and science.

Now, this is my main blog where I post about my writing, my art and also stuff in general. I might also post about some of my own music in the future. You can find a short introduction to my WIPs under the cut.

Hope you enjoy and I'll see you around on tumblr!

Galidean: A fantasy series that was supposed to be a trilogy but has grown into a much longer series. But I guess that is what happens when you look a three different projects and think to yourself "wouldn't it be hilarious if the took place in the same setting". So, the series can be divided into three different "eras" with their own little "main plot", but there is also a plotline running through all of them mostly in the background.

A hundred years after the joined victory over the Dark Sun, the human nations gather together in celebration. Future leaders attend a journey through each other's home, during which it becomes clear that scorching raids have left their marks over all the territories. With no apparent culprit, a prince, an orphan, a lord, and a sorcerer band together to find the power that turns banishment into death. With the help of a friend and a sibling, they start chasing mysteries and legends across the world, unaware that they all take root from the wounds of the world itself.

Old Gods: A fantasy series consisting of 3 – 4 books, while I also wanted it to be horror, that part has gotten somewhat lost while developing it. Oh well.

Cyr was young when the war started, he was young when he joined it and he was not so young anymore when the enemy captured him. After four years of imprisonment, he comes to terms with his inevitable fate. Surrounded by enemies, hated by his allies, stripped of his magic and will, there is no escape for him. While the voices and visions invade both day and night, Cyr prepares for his final day. His only true solace is the new courtesan who has endless stories of hope and rebirth to tell him.

The Human in Us: An urban fantasy series, that really is just two characters and my investment in their relationship in a trench coat. All started by me looking at different supernatural YA stories and going “wonder how I would do that”.

Students, alcohol and an abandoned house should have been the set-up for a fun, maybe spooky anecdote in their future. It should not twist and turn and talk, it should not turn nightmares real, it should not make Josephine’s hallucinations even more vivid and grotesque. Yet it does, and one month later, a burning girl appears to give her an envelope containing an address and a promise of answers.

There Are Voices In the Void: A sci-fi horror story, set in the same setting as a different sci-fi project of mine, but story-wise not connected to it.

While investigating a nebula, the scientists of the crew gather samples of cosmic dust, finding an unknown organism on it. The head biologists determines it to be deceased and proceeds with further testing. The death of two of his colleagues soon afterwards is just the beginning of the nightmare.

Little Remains: A bit of crime fiction/thriller, that happened by me looking at YA mystery series and going “wonder how I would do that”.

Detective Morgan has worked on many gruesome cases in the past, most of them took place in bigger cities with an anonymous population. When a teenage girl is found dead in the fields of a small town nearby, Morgan first assumes an outsider to be the murderer of the unidentified victim. However, with the murder of a local student a few days later, even the tight-knit community quickly realises that one of them is far more familiar with the gruesome case than the rest of them. Unwilling to sit back, the student’s friends start their own investigation, while Morgan begins to struggle with old ghosts.  

[seldnei]

So @thebibliosphere posted an ask response about what the Bat Fam would think of her book, and frankly this is fucking brilliant and I think everyone should do this as a thought experiment with various fandoms and original work OR fanfic.

Seldnei’s fandoms read her shit:

Glee: Blaine, Santana, and Tina love the Teachouts openly. Kitty loves them secretly. Kurt isn’t particularly into them, but he does go through the steampunk phase with Blaine. Mike LOVES the aesthetic. Tina tries to convince Artie to make a Teachout movie. Sue cosplays as Gwen so she can punch Will.

Ted Lasso: Look, it’s MY thought experiment and I say that Roy Kent would be my biggest fucking fan, okay? He loves the girls because violence, he digs the haunted houses because ghosts are cool, he buys FUCKIT on the regular, he subscribes to my blog, he’s almost positive he’s found a secret AO3 account that’s mine, and he refuses to examine his reaction to that Bloody Mary story, but that’s the one he hands to Jamie when Jamie asks him what he’s reading.

Jamie comes back half an hour later and asks if there are more like that. (Jamie, doll, let me aim you at the second part of “Four Cassandras” and whisper a secret about “An Oral History …” in your ear.)

Magnus Archives: They all hate “An Oral History … ,” except for Sasha for some reason. Um.

Tim loves my sci-fi romances. Jon reads “Primary Manifestations” and, of course, refuses to read anything else. Martin thinks my stuff is okay, but he’s more into my Tumblr for the poetry and paper art I reblog.

Lost: Fuck the timeline, Sawyer loves the Teachouts. He is not a fan of anything else, I don’t think, but Juliet likes the spooky stuff. Hurley loves the stick figures and poetry, especially my song about bookmarks.

[the-peculiarity-of-anonymity]

[ welcome to the shitshow fellas. ]

JUST KIDDING! It ain't that much of a shitshow! Anyways, Hi! Hello! Thanks for stopping by!

『 Pronouns 』

He/They/It/She/Xey/Leaf/Snow/Star

Snow/snows/snowself

Leaf/leaves/leafself

Star/stars/starself

『 Names 』

Aex, Aexifer, Axel, August, A, Icey, Anon, Anonymous, Korzac, Oleander

『 DNI 』

Transphobes, Heterophobes, Homophobes, Proship, Pedophiles, Rapists, Racists, Biphobic Lesbians's, Lesphobic Bi's, Antisematists, Islamphobes, anyone who hates on others religion, Conservatives, Southpark, Harry Potter, Family Guy, Zoophiles, Furry Haters, Altergen Haters, Therian Haters, Dragon Puppet Haters, Ableists, Most H.H/H.B fans.

Quick heads up I do cuss like a sailor and stuff, but no full on NSFW. There might be the rare once in a blue moon suggestive joke here and there but nothing fully explicit. Mod is currently unsure in regards to their romantic and sexual orientation. Please let me know if I mess up your name or pronouns, my memory is choppy. There will be the occasional vent here and there. I am leftist oriented and am not religious, and would prefer if you didn't discuss religion with me. I won't go into detail but I do have pretty bad anxiety and would prefer if your specific with what your trying to say and/or use tone tags.

『 Things I like 』

Space, Sci-fi, Weirdcore, Cryptids, Slenderman, LMK, Ninjago, Digimon, steampunk, Spiderman, The Spiderverse, Deadpool, DnD, Halo, Minecraft, Dogman, Zoology, Math, Squishmallows, Lo-Fi, Gore, Entomology, Insects, Ren fair/Medieval Fair, Fantasy, L4D2, Prehistoric Animals, Cats, Retro, Hippie Aesthetic, Nightcore

『 Tags 』

#tw: vent - self explanatory (block if you want)

#my art :}} - where all my art is

#odd inbox 📭 - sometimes used, usually forgotten

#tw: heavy/sensitive topic - posts regarding sensitive topics (block if you want)

#da mootz :] - moots tag!!

#the slendiscord - slendiscord shenanigans n stuff :p

#『 ic aex 』 - role-playing :D

#『anonymous one writes』 - Aex's (sometimes) short stories!

#『 neopronouns flag commissions! 』 - neopronoun flags I've done!

#*minecraft damage noise* - Aex complains about body pain

『Moots n Fam』

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『Blogs I Run』

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[All systems of any kind are welcome here with open arms and zero judgement, including Endosystems and willogenic systems.]

【Free Flag Commissions Guidelines】

[themovieblogonline]

Dark Matter Ep. 3: Boxed In, Shook, and Confused (Apple TV+ Recap)

Parallel pals, buckle up! We're diving deep into Dark Matter Episode 3, on Apple TV+, and things are getting crazier than a Kanye fashion show. This episode finally unveils the secrets of that mysterious box, and let's just say, it's a total game-changer. Our boy, Jason-1 (the real one, not the discount doppelganger Jason-2), is in a tight spot. Think Fifty Shades of Grey, but way less sexy and way more "handcuffed-to-a-bed-witnessing-trauma" vibes. Meanwhile, Jason-2 is living the dream life with the perfect wife, the cute kid, and zero existential dread. But hold on, this dream might just turn into a nightmare. https://youtu.be/HF7pQWwrtxo Spoiler alert (you've been warned!): We uncover some mind-blowing truths about Jason's past and a shocking secret about his family. This episode throws plot twists and existential dread at you like they're going out of style. But fear not, fam! Your resident movie reviewer, Anthony from Rubix Cube Reviews, is here to break it all down. Dark Matter Episode 3: The Good This episode of Dark Matter delivers on the suspense, finally revealing some secrets about the mysterious box and its connection to Jason's past. The exploration of the psychological toll of the situation adds another layer of depth, making us question Jason's sanity alongside him. We also get some laugh-out-loud moments, particularly with Dawn's... mishap, and with Jason-2's awkward attempts to fit in. Dark Matter Episode 3: The Bad While the multiple Jasons keep things interesting, it can be a little confusing to keep track of who's who at times. The episode throws a lot of information at viewers, and some plot points feel rushed, leaving us wanting more explanation. Overall Dark Matter Episode 3 is a mind-bending rollercoaster ride that will leave you questioning everything. The episode expertly cranks up the suspense as we finally get a glimpse inside the mysterious box and its connection to Jason's past. Prepare for some head-scratching moments as the show explores the psychological impact of this mind-bending technology. While some plot points feel a tad rushed, the episode delivers its fair share of laughs and keeps things interesting with the introduction of... well, let's just say more than one Jason. Overall, this episode is a must-watch for fans of sci-fi thrillers who enjoy a healthy dose of confusion with their entertainment. (Dark Matter on AppleTV+) Read the full article

[ineediptv]

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[thenerdynarrative]

Looking for an action/adventure story, loaded with humor and great characters...in space? I got you, fam!

[naruhearts]

I’m done keeping my composure.

Sorry, this will be a LOADED post! (And I’ll be repeating the points others have made)

for real, to everyone being nasty and telling heartbroken fans that “Dean was always supposed to die get a grip you’re just butthurt etcetera etcetera—” F you royally.

How dare you police the brutal feelings that’s been embroiling us since the Finale That Must Not Be Named aired. 

The show you think you all watched, the show you all believe was the same SPN from Season 1-4, changed at some point. Kripke wrote his original vision, put it to screen, saw it through in S5 as he intended, and closed the door on that era.

In 2008, Supernatural was adopted and inherited. As you know, there was a supreme paradigm shift post-Kripke era. The show FLOURISHED (we won’t talk about Gamble thanks). It evolved, transformed, grew beyond trauma-induced self-worthlessness and toxic masculinity and endless death and hegemonic social ideals and conservatism and repressive anti-revolutionary ideas. Castiel, the iconic favourite and beloved staple of the series portrayed by Misha Collins, was introduced in Season 4 as the core lead character, and he ushered in a brand new era of Christian mythos that SPN took advantage of. Longevity SKYROCKETED. Audiences were INTERESTED. SPN amassed an incredibly groundbreaking fanbase infused by non-nuclear principles. A massive subversive wave began, fighting the Status Quo of the times since 2008. It’s precisely why such an abysmal ending to a show of extensive Freud-Jungian metanarratively meta META complex stature and social POWER will render us totally and unbearably broken for years to come.

Point is, DEAN WINCHESTER NO LONGER WANTED TO DIE. HE WANTED TO LIVE. HE WANTED TO SIT ON THE BEACH, PLUNGE HIS TOES IN THE SAND, AND SIP UMBRELLA DRINKS WITH HIS BROTHER AND HIS BEST FRIEND. He said this in Season 13. And then, a season later, he told the ghost of his long-deceased father — the source of his deep-running trauma and the figure of self-reductive authoritarianism permeating his arc since Season 1 — after being questioned why he didn’t pursue the Nuclear Fam, that he already has his own: his brother Sam, his adopted child Jack, and Cas.

Dean’s best friend Cas. Oh god, Cas, who made his inevitably permanent mark on Dean’s soul beyond allyship. Castiel, renamed to Cas, God’s -iel removed by Dean. Dean, the human spark that lit the fire of pre-existing autonomy in the inherently rebellious angel who was, this entire time, the catalyst for free will in God The Writer’s puppet show. Their friendship set on goddamn fire. I can also write paragraph upon paragraph about my love for Cas while devastated tears stream down my face, but I digress—

Cas’ romantic love for Dean pushed our main Heart of SPN to love himself. Love is free will. Free will is also love. Of note, Cas’ love confession in 15x18 was supposed to offset something so vastly important and fundamental...to maybe (read: most likely) pull the trigger on SELF-TRUTHS in conjunction with free will. And The Great Anticipated Follow-Up to the episode penned by the passionate Berens should have included (read: seemed like it was going to be) Dean, closeted trauma survivor in love with his best friend, being given the opportunity to do it right: to SPEAK HIS TRUTH, and then that very singular opportunity was STOLEN so grossly. After poring over it for days, I refuse to believe we made their years-long story up out of thin air, spun it out of fantastical-delusional dream cotton candy, because we DIDN’T. IT WAS REAL.

As I said in another post: “I’ve just been feeling physically ill for the past >40 something hours with the terrible knowledge that 19/20 undid years of vital progression towards healthy interdependence, autonomy, and a positive endgame, where Sam, Dean and Cas close the ring of found family in final empowering self-fulfillment...where Dean, no longer repressed and set free, is able to use his words and speak his truth as a queercoded trauma survivor, henceforth confirming and self-affirming his own bisexuality since S1 by reciprocating — by telling Cas that he always loved him, too, loved him endlessly, which would have altogether divested Supernatural of its cult status and catapulted it into global worldwide significance as the longest running sci-fi genre show in American broadcasting history that actually dared to defy and, by proxy, empower LGBTQ2IA+ everywhere who found profound personal meaning in Destiel through VALIDATION,” — found themselves mirrored in Dean and Cas’ respective character journeys individually and as each other’s queer love interests.

THIS IS WHY DEAN WASN’T MEANT TO DIE.

THEY WERE SO ESSENTIAL, NOT JUST TO THE OVERARCHING STORY AND HEALTHY INTERPERSONAL THEMATICS OF MODERN SPN, BUT ALSO TO THE SOULS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ACROSS THE WORLD WHO FOLLOWED THEIR JOURNEYS, HOPED FOR THEM, ASPIRED TO BE LIKE THEM, TREASURED THEM, WEEPED FOR THEM, AND FOUGHT FOR THEM, LIKE YOU AND ME.

Heck, how could anyone think Sam Winchester had a well-deserved characteristic ending? He didn’t. Dean’s brother was shafted so badly. He stopped hunting when seasons ago, he had canonically accepted that he no longer wanted an apple pie life. He simply...turned the lights off in a resoundingly empty bunker and left — abandoning his dead brother’s room — never to return (he did return later to get the Impala, family photos etc, I mean this symbolically)...as if — dare I say it — Supernatural itself eerily told us, in the negative-spaced pitch blackness, that the organic show and the wonderfully complex, matured characters we’ve grown to love weren’t going to survive or be revisited...that it was all going to perish, and that they no longer gave a single shit about their own show, which, to me, is the worst cardinal sin, because how dare they throw Team Free Will, an immovable and indomitable and passionate found family they built from the ground up, a found family CHOCK FULL TO THE BRIM OF LOVE AND LIFE RAGING AGAINST THE AUTHORITARIAN MACHINE IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE FREE WILL, under the bus no matter who is to blame. Growth was stomped on.

Then Sam married a faceless wife who wasn’t his textually established (and deaf) love interest Eileen, named his son Dean Jr., and grew old miserably, still mourning the passing of his older brother, shaken and sombre. Back to square one. IT WAS ALL ANTITHETICAL, even OUTSIDE a shipping context, and I ripped my hair out at this point in sheer disbelief.

This 15x20 ending would have fit somewhere between S4-7. Now? IT DOESN’T FIT. IT’S A JAGGED PUZZLE PIECE THAT DOESN’T BELONG ANYWHERE. IT’S THE FOREBODING UNKNOWN STRANGER IN ITS OWN LAND, BOTH LITERALLY AND FIGURATIVELY. This kind of ending was basically an illogical, unsound cluster of metastasized cells that, to me, ruined the viability of previous seasons to sustain bold praise and respect and dignity and rewatches and classic nostalgia in such insidious ways.

Dean Humanity Winchester and Cas, after everything they’ve been through, were silenced and lost in death, ripped apart from each other, unable to love each other the way they deserved, because of disappointing, vile incompetency and homophobia. The greatest love story ever told, again obliterated in less than 60 hollow minutes.

You know what this tells your audience, CW SPN? Death without self-growth is the way to go, and no one is allowed to forge their own path to freedom.

HOW INSULTINGLY HARMFUL IS THAT?

I don’t think I’ll ever stop grieving.

We all deserve answers.

[cakebeam]

I really, really wish RNM fans would stop bringing up the timeline of season 3 in order to make excuses for the show sidelining Malex this season, again. It doesn’t matter how many days or weeks have gone by. The point is, Malex has not been given any development this season so far and we are already 6 episodes into a 13 episode season. There is no valid excuse for this. We were told a whole year had passed in season 2 and many of us were confused as hell. You want to know why? BECAUSE THE TIMELINE IS BOGUS AND DOESN’T MATTER. It’s a sci-fi/drama show, timelines are not periodically brought up (and in many fantasy/sci-fi shows, not at all) and it doesn’t dictate the pacing, the writing does. We know as an audience the storytelling for Malex is not being treated equally to the straight pairings and as a love story is still being delayed because we can see it on the screen. The timeline isn’t the issue, it’s the RNM writer’s room, showrunner and network.  

To compare this to other shows with LGBTQ+ pairings, Shadowhunters took place in less than 4 months in a total of 3 seasons. That was with multiple deaths, relationships, and massive character development. Unless the audience was told of this timeline, we would have no idea. It also was putting a gay love story (Malec) at the forefront of it’s show the entire time. Shadowhunters gave the queer/gay couple on the show respect with the screen time and romantic storytelling and that’s why it won a damn GLAAD award. It didn’t matter the entire relationship on the show took place in less than 4 months, again, as an audience we would have no idea unless it was told to us. Shadowhunters didn’t make excuses, it just provided viewers with positive LGBTQ+ representation.

RNM fans, especially Malex fans, should not be giving RNM any excuses for continuing it’s homophobic narration of storytelling into season 3. The timeline is not the reason why Malex isn’t developing fam, you know what is. 

[shes-an-iso]

OH. I GOT THIS ONE, FAM. THAT WAS THE DAY WE DIED.

In early May 2015, Tron 3 was about to be greenlit. Kosinski directing, Garrett, Olivia, the whole shebang. Some were nicknaming it "The Legend of Quorra" online, because the plot focused on Q as the protagonist, following her breaching into the real world directly after Legacy. It was due to film in fall 2015 in Vancouver. The schedule, I believe, was leaked, for clearance to film on some of the streets. Sounded like a dream come true. I was shaking every day, I couldn't believe it. It was my whole reason for living.

Tomorrowland released in late May 2015. Disney, for whatever reason, was banking on its success to bolster that love for Disney's original sci-fi IPs (which they don't have much of, this was only a few years after they bought Star Wars).

Basically, Tomorrowland TANKED. It had a bad opening weekend. And, for whatever reason, it blew the fuse on Tron 3. On May 29th, 2015, Disney pulled the plug. The articles blamed Tomorrowland's failure for killing Disney's hope of original sci-fi, and turned the lens to focusing on making money on Star Wars.

"Disney has chosen not to move forward with a third installment in the sci-fi series, sources say. While sources say the project was never officially greenlit, earlier this year it seemed that things were moving ahead with Tron:Legacy helmer Joseph Kosinski returning to direct and stars Olivia Wilde and Garrett Hedlund reprising their roles. Prep had been started on the third film, and production was looking to begin this fall, likely in Vancouver, British Columbia. Disney had been interested in adding Jared Leto to the cast, but an offer and negotiations never commenced."

(I may have started a joke about mailing frisbees with "TRON LIVES" sharpied on them to Bob Iger's office, which almost went too far and I had to calm everybody down. HA.)

So, just like that, Tron 3 didn't get the green light.

Olivia was comedic, as is her way. But parts of the fandom very much villainized her for this tweet, one user even saying:

Damn right. Real Tron fans didn’t come to see Legacy for you, anyway. Olivia is expendable. Bruce and Jeff aren’t. Don’t let the door hit you on your finely-toned keister on your way out.

A Change.org petition was made on May 29th, 2015. At the time of its closure, it had just over 50,000 signatures.

Boxleitner became particularly vocal about this in July, and the lack of faith from Tron himself broke our hearts.

"I don't really care anymore ... I'm done with it. I've moved on. I hate to say that but it's been too up and down for me. I would rather not just keep going." "It breaks my heart ... but I understand the times move on. Disney, it's not in their [wheelhouse] anymore. The animated series [had] a lot of promise, they didn't stick with that either. I don't think they really want it anymore. I think they've got Star Wars. They've got Marvel. Legacy was successful. I'm not sure that they really had that much interest anymore. I hate to say that because I think there's a lot more to go."

Yeah. That was a sad time.

To add a personal note here, I think it was Bruce that also had me look deep inside myself and decide to take a step back and force myself to let Tron slip a little bit from my hands, for my own mental health and emotional well-being. It was, at the time, truly the only thing keeping me going. But I still held out a sliver of hope for something, one day. Now, to see the third film finally happening, I sincerely think to myself: "Made it."

what is the connection between Tomorrowland flopping and the cancelled Tron 3?

...Actually, to my knowledge, there doesn't seem to be a connection other than "Disney got worried about the possibility of a movie flopping."

And come to think of it, I'm not sure this even does have the "same energy" as the 1980 Olympics thing. They just both remind me of this constant theme my mind keeps coming back to, about how things could have happened differently with Tron if (insert different event in the past).

I am not the obsessed dimension-hopping super-antihero in the fantasy I posted, but... I could be her, in a not-so-different universe.

[jthebookworm]

New Name, Same Old Bookworm

This is actually not my first Tumblr. Long ago in the days before the great exodus (when this site was being a twit about content) I used to be RomancingtheBookworm.

I helped to raise a might romance army, was one of a small but beloved community of Arthurian enthusiasts and retelling writers, and met some friends who are still part of my life today.

I'm Jessica Avery (aka JtheBookworm), a fan of all things horror, fantasy/sci-fi, and romance - particularly if it's a mix of all three. I write the Fright Stuff Newsletter for Book Riot (hey there, horror fam!) sharing my love of all things horror, and I'm finally making my return to Tumblr.

It's weird to be back, but hey, now Twitter is being (oddly appropriately) a twit in its own right. So just in case that ship goes down: Hello Tumblr, here we go again!

[songforten]

a criticism of chibnall era doctor who but i don’t hate women

this is gonna be a long read. i’m adhd and i know how hard this kinda shit is to read, but I worked super hard on this and i’d appreciate it if you gave it a chance :) tl;dr chris chibnall hasn’t bothered to develop any of his characters past two dimensions and it’s left the show wanting. also this is all my opinion you are legally allowed to disagree with me no hate mail please and thank you

I’ve been a fan of Doctor Who for a long time. Not as long as some, mind, I was two years old when the reboot began airing. I’ve never seen Classic -- I’d like to, just haven’t had the time, which is ironic -- but I don’t think that makes me any less of a fan.

For a long time, Doctor Who has been one of those “nerd things,” yknow? My dad knew somebody in high school in the 80’s who dressed like the 4th Doctor every single day. Scarf included. Not that my generation was any better -- I had a friend in middle school who wore suspenders and a bowtie for like 2 months straight until they got tragically “lost in the wash”. Doctor Who demands attention from its fans, and rightfully so. It’s a whimsical space romp with all the best elements of sci-fi. It’s funny at times, and heartbreaking at others. It explores so much, and by its nature, is constantly changing.

That changing nature is why it chafes with nerd culture so much, I think. Nerds HATE change. Just think about how star wars fans are every single time new content drops. And Doctor Who is changing every single episode. The title character is an ageless, godlike being who can change their face and personality almost at will. Companions come and go, as do writers, composers, directors, et cetera. It’s Theseus’ ship. Or Theseus’ TV Cult Classic, I guess. 

So when a fan complains about “doctor who isn’t the same anymore” or “[blank] ruined doctor who”. Of course it’s not the same. If you want consistency, this is not the show for you. Things are constantly retconned, resurrected, developed, and then undeveloped, done and undone, and then done again. That’s something I’ve always loved about it. The constant change means that if you don’t like the show at one point, you’ll just have to wait a few years and maybe you’ll vibe with it again. Gatekeepers can’t really talk about the “real” canon because there is no real canon.

All this being said, let’s get into what the Chris Chibnall era is doing wrong.

Let’s start with Team TARDIS, or as the Doctor likes to call them, her fam. I like them, I really do. I think the actors are incredibly talented and they obviously have fun making the show together. The problem is, well, it’s in the writing. 

The fam are extremely two dimensional characters. We meet them, we’re told basic facts. Graham is a retired bus driver. Ryan has dyspraxia. Yaz is a cop (why??). The audience doesn’t learn much about their personalities, their goals, their ideals. We don’t really get a sense of why they want to travel with the Doctor. Sure, they want to see all the wonders of the universe, but what else? Amy was running from her wedding. Rose was escaping a life she found unsatisfactory. Donna wanted to be appreciated. There’s almost always another reason why they travel, and that reason is integral to who they are as people. Sure, the audience is told the fam’s reasons, but what the Chibnall era doesn’t understand is saying something doesn’t make it true. You have to show it. And you have to trust that your audience will understand. You can’t spoon feed them through clunky dialogue the whole time.

We’re told that the fam are friends, that they trust and love each other, that they like being around one another. We’re told all this, but we’re not SHOWN it. Their interactions remind me more of three people sharing an UberPool and chatting with their wacky driver. In past seasons, we’ve seen those friendships develop. The Doctor meets somebody. They have an adventure. They invite that person to come along. The person agrees. The person learns that life with the Doctor isn’t as glamorous as they’d thought and are often freaked out by the fact they don’t know much about the Doctor at all. The companion challenges them, argues, demands to know more, and through this, they become friends. For Rose it’s The End of The World, for Martha it’s Gridlock, Donna, Fires of Pompeii. Amy, The Beast Below. I could go on.

(she just sits down and stares him down. martha jones i love you)

I honestly think Ten and Donna are the best example of platonic soulmates ever written on TV. She’s not in the least bit attracted to him, and she loves him deeply, and he loves her the same way. Donna is there for him after he loses Rose, she convinces him to keep going. She challenges him in Pompeii, not intimidated in the least by his whole “Last of the Time Lords” schtick. And in return, he shows her how brilliant and capable she is. She doesn’t believe in herself or her abilities, but he treasures her input and her company. She loses all of that in the end, but while she’s there, they have fun together. They are believably best friends, but the narrative doesn’t keep having to say, “Hey look at these two best friends!!” Instead, we see it in their interactions, in what they do for each other, in how they solve problems together.

We get something similar later, with 12 and Clara. With 11, Clara doesn’t often stand up to him or tell him off, and that puts a barrier between them. They’re friends, but it’s distant and awkward at times.I could write eight more pages about my problems with Clara in series 7. Her role in that season is so fucking stupid. I hate the impossible girl stuff. When 11 regenerates, though, I think that’s when Clara’s character arc really takes off. She’s distrustful of 12 at first - and rightfully so, he’s kind of a dick in Deep Breath - but by the end of the episode she’s accepted that he’s the same Doctor and still her best friend. And she’s his; Twelve, the emotionally distant, no-hugging Doctor, calls Clara his best friend out loud.

Clara’s arc later in Series 9 is her becoming too much like the Doctor, almost forgetting that she’s human, and that leads to her death on Trap Street. In her own way, she becomes her own Doctor, travelling the stars in a TARDIS with a companion, and she’s allowed as many years of adventures as she wants before going back to trap street. Series 9 Clara is leagues different from Series 7 Clara. She grows and changes so much over her 2 and a half season run. (Quick sidebar, I’m not saying these seasons are perfect. I could write a whole other essay about the problems with the Moffat era. Hell, I might do if this one gets any notes. Kill The Moon is un-fucking-bearable except for the one scene where Clara rips the Doctor a new one. Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman played so well off each other, even when the writing of their seasons got… Moffat-y.)

Chibnall doesn’t seem to follow through on a lot of stuff, actually. I think the best example of this is Series 11, Episode 7, Kerblam. Woof. This episode frustrates me to no end. I remember, actually, the week before the episode came out, I was chatting with some friends on Discord about how excited I was for another anti-capitalist episode. Doctor Who has a lot of these, Oxygen from Series 10 being the most recent. 

But then the episode aired, and it literally resolved with the Doctor talking about how “The System Works! People Are Just Using It Bad!” And… no. The system’s working exactly as it should. Kerblam was so strange because I felt like it was setting up for that anti-capitalist message, and then it does a 180 halfway through to suck Amazon’s dick. I don’t know if the network made them change it, or if it was just shitty writing, but it’s unsatisfying. The Doctor also… leaves and allows the antagonist of the episode, Charlie, to die in an explosion, which just seems very un-Doctor-ish. Again, I don’t know if it was shitty writing or if it was an intentional choice, but I didn’t like it. 

Something similar happened in the next season with Orphan 55. Holy shit, that episode had the subtlety of a sledgehammer. It also tried to make the viewer feel personally responsible for global warming, which is just fucking stupid. Global warming is the fault of corporations. Hence why anticapitalist episodes are so popular with Doctor Who. And literally nothing is gained by making people working minimum wage jobs feel bad about not doing enough to stop global warming. It’s just such a cold and privileged take which was forced directly down the viewer’s throat. You have to show and not tell. The Doctor’s speech at the end of the episode really just shows us how much Chibnall trusts his audience -- which is to say, not at all. 

We haven’t gotten any complex character arcs from the fam, I don’t think, and it’s left the show wanting. They have stories, but they go unexplored and underdeveloped. The companions aren’t given much to do at all, which sucks because there’s three of them. The TARDIS feels almost crowded. Don’t get me wrong, I love Yaz, Ryan, and Graham, I really do, but I’m just… not as emotionally invested as I have been with other companions. As a result, I’ll be honest. I don’t totally understand the people who ship 13 and Yaz. People who do ship them are 100% valid, of course, but I just don’t see it. I’m not opposed to Doctor/companion romantic relationships; I’m a big fan of romantic Doctor and Rose, and I liked romantic Doctor and River (which is to say, my personal fanon Doctor/River where River has a real character arc). The difference is River and Rose both knew the Doctor very well. They knew who they were, what they’d done. The Doctor shared their feelings with both of them, Rose especially. I feel like with how secretive 13 is, and where she is emotionally, I really don’t think she can do a romantic relationship right now. Also, as I said before, I barely believe 13 and the Fam are truly friends, I wouldn’t really be able to believe a romance.

I hope series 13 changes my mind. I’m a lesbian, I would LOVE a romance between two female main characters in my favorite show. I want to be able to root for that to happen. As it stands now, though, between the lack of depth from Yaz as a character and the Doctor’s emotional unavailability, I just can’t. (All this being said--let 13 kiss a girl!!) I was hoping we’d have a Yaz character arc since it would just be her and the Doctor, but they’re adding another white man into the mix, so we’re gonna have to see.

I don't think Chibnall really thinks about the consequences or implications of a lot of the choices he makes in his writing. I think he’s decided on a story that he wants to tell and doesn’t care what comes of it after he’s done telling his story. 

[Deep breath] I’m talking, of course, about the Master.

Spoilers ahead for series 12.

The Master is reintroduced at the very beginning of Series 12. He’s mostly there to kickstart the Timeless Child arc - more on that later. The reveal that O is the master is one of my favorite scenes in the Chibnall era so far. The Doctor slowly working out that he isn’t who he says he was had me on the edge of my seat, and then when the Master realizes he’s been made, he immediately drops the act and you can actually see the 180 degree alignment shift on his face. Kudos to Sacha Dhawan for that, cause holy shit. I want to reiterate that all of the actors in these seasons are incredible, and they’re doing the best they can with what they’re given. 

No, my problem with the Spymaster doesn’t lie with Dhawan, I think he does an excellent job portraying the Master’s general chaos. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, my problem is once again with the writers. Sidenote, as I wrote this, I kept trying to put this particular topic off because a.) I hate it and b.) it makes me SO angry. But I was three pages into the Google doc and I just needed to rip the bandaid off.

Remember that fun part in Spyfall part 2 where the Master, currently being played by a person of color, wore a nazi uniform and like, colluded with nazis? Uh, yeah. Hey Chris? Uh, hey. Hey Chris? Chris?? What the fuck was that??

I’ll be straight with you, Chris. I’m Jewish. I’m gonna be uncomfortable with any scene with nazis. Seeing swastikas in any setting sets the fucking Kill Bill sirens off in my head. Putting the Master in that position was not in any sense okay. He wears a nazi uniform AND uses a perception filter. But why does he need both? If he has the perception filter, he shouldn’t need the uniform. That implies that he’s literally just wearing it for fun.

The Master is, and to my knowledge, always has been, a silly and campy villain. In Series 3, he turns the Tenth Doctor into a very old man for… seemingly no reason? Just to fuck with Ten, I guess? Then he turns him into a wrinkly Dobby-man with the worst special effects I’ve ever seen on TV to date, including the Season 2 Buffy werewolf costume. And then after that, he literally CHOOSES to die in the Doctor’s arms to prove a point while the Doctor screams and cries over him. Holy shit. Total whiplash. The RTD era is absolutely off the shits, I love it. 

Sure, John Simm’s master is… incredibly evil. He murders millions and takes over the planet. Then later he, uh… eats people? End of Time is a weird episode. I don’t like him much as a character, but I think he’s a good villain and a good foil for 10. My favorite Master that I’ve watched so far is Michelle Gomez’ Master. I LOVE Missy. She’s fun and chaotic and evil (and pretty), but her goals have shifted from world domination to purely fucking with the Doctor, which I think is far more interesting. In Series 8, arguably the only season she’s an antagonist in, she says as much. 

“I need you to know we’re not so different!”

If you’re still reading this, and you haven’t gone to my inbox to call me some slurs on anon because you disagree with me, thanks! I appreciate it. But now, regrettably, I’m gonna have to make everybody mad. 

Let’s talk about the Timeless Child. 

I feel like I should warn for spoilers again, just in case. MAJOR Series 12 spoilers ahead. 

Possibly the most divisive thing to happen to the Doctor Who universe in at least the past 25 years, The Timeless Child is the reveal that the Doctor isn’t a Time Lord. They’re an eldritch being from another dimension who, we assume, can regenerate endlessly. The Time Lords of Gallifrey experimented on the Doctor as a child, eventually finding a way to allow themselves to regenerate using the Doctor. The Doctor has had many lives that she doesn’t remember at all, even meeting one of her past, pre-Hartnell selves who had been Chameleon Arched and hiding in Gloucester as a woman named Ruth. I will say, I liked the Ruth!Doctor. She was cool, and I hope we see her again on the show, or maybe that she even gets an audio series or spinoff. That’s one pro to the Timeless Child stuff - it opens up the extended universe of Doctor Who even wider than it already was. Presumably, at some point in her future, Ruth!Doctor’s memories will be erased and she will be forced to regenerate into a child, thus beginning the story we know about the Doctor.

I’m not 100% sure how I feel about this storyline yet. I haven’t made up my mind. I will say, a lot of people who don’t like it see it as changing the Doctor’s entire backstory… but… I disagree. The Doctor we know, the one we have known since the 60’s, was raised on Gallifrey and believed they were Gallifreyan for, what, three thousand years? Do we even know how old the Doctor is now? That’s besides the point. They’re still our Doctor, the one who stole a TARDIS and ran away, the one who traveled with Susan and Sarah Jane and Ace and Rose and Bill. They’re still the alien who went to see the stars and fell in love with the human race. I really don’t think it changes much of what we already knew, but it does make their past a mystery, which I think has the potential to be good if done correctly. 

Again, I’m not entirely sure how I feel about this storyline yet. Series 13 is gonna have to work really hard to convince me, to sell me this huge universe change for my favorite show. I was worried that it was just a dumb, convoluted way to give the Doctor unlimited regenerations, and then Chibnall would just brush it under the rug and move on, but Revolution of the Daleks actually gave me hope. 13 had a deep, insightful conversation with Ryan. I can’t find a clip, but it was a really nice conversation. That was an excellent scene in my opinion. That’s the kind of conversation we should have gotten back in Series 11. The Doctor tries to push it off, but Ryan does something unprecedented for a Chibnall character. He challenges her. He insists that they talk about it, and they do. The other interesting thing is 13 admits to feeling angry. This incarnation of the Doctor rarely shows any emotion other than bubbly excitement. It’s a direct opposite to 12, who often used his anger to show the gravity of a situation -- think Zygon Inversion war speech.

But 13 doesn’t often let her emotions show, so her admitting to Ryan that she’s angry is… big. That’s what gives me hope. Chibnall, the king of not following through, is hinting at Emotional Followup. I might be setting myself for disappointment again, I don’t know. I’m willing to give the Timeless Child stuff a chance. Doctor Who canon doesn’t have much grounding. It’s a massive, horrifying mess and everything contradicts everything else.

People who hate the TC stuff and want to Marie Kondo it out of their personal canon are valid, as are people who love it and accept it as canon. That’s something the Doctor Who fanbase -- and fandom spaces in general -- really need to learn. Different opinions are okay. Not everyone is going to agree with you all of the time. We need to be more accepting of different opinions in media, so long as those opinions are not harmful. 

Chris Chibnall, on the other hand. Chris, I am speaking directly to you. Don’t screw this up. Don’t bone this one. You’ve boned two seasons so far, Chris, and if you bone another, I... don’t know what I’ll do. But I’ll be really sad, so. 

I’m begging you, man. Here, I’ll even give you a free storyline you can use! If you recall, Chris, in Series 9 of the television show you are the head showrunner for, Doctor Who, the 12th Doctor, as portrayed by Peter Capaldi, banishes Rassilon and the rest of the High Council from Gallifrey. This implies that leaving Gallifrey is possible, and other Time Lords or even other Gallifreyans could be out in the universe. In my opinion, it would be very interesting if the Doctor ran into some of these people, most likely Rassilon and the High Council, somewhere in the universe. It turns out that they found out that Gallifrey was attacked again (because you and I both know, Chris, that planet isn’t staying destroyed forever) and worked out that the Timeless Child cat is out of its metaphysical bag. I think it should be revealed that THEY sent the Judoon after her and sent her to prison because they’re scared of what she’ll do now that they don’t have any power over her. And the Doctor said she’s angry. Let her be angry. Let her find the High Council and tear them a fucking new asshole. They’re afraid of her, but they don’t need to be, because she’s the Doctor and she’s not a god, nor a vengeful one. She never has been, and this new information isn’t going to change that. I want the narrative to SHOW that she’s still the same Doctor. She isn’t her genetics, she isn’t their lab rat, she is her own person. That’s something your Doctor has struggled with. She doesn’t seem to know who she is. Make her realize. 

After that, get on your knees and beg Michelle Gomez to reprise her role as Missy. Have her come back to the show, post the Cyberman ship they were on in The Doctor Falls. She knows about the Timeless Child and she knows that the Doctor knows because the Dhawan! master was her previous regeneration. Have her apologize and let her tell the Doctor that she tried to stand with her and wants to continue to do so. Maybe let them kiss, I don’t know. 

You should also let Yaz see the Doctor’s darker side. Let her realize that the Doctor isn’t a god, or a superhero, or a perfect genius. She’s a person. She’s flawed. She has questionable morals sometimes. And she’s so, so old. She’s lost so much. Let Yaz see that. Let her do what other companions have done and challenge the Doctor. You keep telling the audience that they’re such good friends. Now show us that. Give Yaz more character and a significant character arc. She’s been here for two seasons, and I feel like I barely know her. Oh, and have her quit being a cop. 

The Doctor should deal with the information she’s learned. She should relearn who she is. Because she’s not perfect. She’s just a person passing through, helping out, learning. An idiot with a box and a screwdriver. She’s not always a good person, but she always tries to be. She’s been dozens of different people for God knows how many millenia. She is all of them. That’s what her confrontation with the High Council should result in. And let Jack come back again and allow the Doctor an honest, emotional conversation with him. He of all people should understand, since he left the Time Agency because they stole two years of his memories, and he knows the burden of living forever better than anyone. They’ve known each other for so long, let them reminisce about Rose and the good times they had together. Reaffirm their friendship. Reaffirm who the Doctor is. She depends on her friends. For the Doctor, in this season, I think those friends are Jack and Missy. I think they understand her and what she’s struggling with. In my perfect world, you would bring back Rose and River as well because I love them (I just think they’re neat!) and I think they could help her. Or someone else from Classic Who, I dunno. The Doctor feels as though her world has changed. This season needs to show her that it hasn’t.

And basic criticisms, Chris: stop being so fucking preachy all the time. You don’t need to spoon feed the message of the episode to the audience. I realize Doctor Who is often a show aimed towards kids, but kids are so much smarter than we give them credit for. They’re not stupid. I promise they will understand. And not every episode even needs a message! You’re head writer for the dumbest, wildest, best sci-fi show on the planet. Just make a goofy sci-fi episode. Doctor Who episodes that are just stupid and fun are good. Boom Town. Unicorn and the Wasp. Flatline. 

And take more risks. I understand that casting a woman as the Doctor was a big risk, but for fuck’s sake, quit being a coward. It’s been nearly three years. People are used to 13, they’ve accepted her. Timeless Child was a risk, but it wasn’t a fun risk. Do a weird anticapitalist episode. Bring back an old monster other than Cybermen or Daleks. Have an episode with, I don’t know, the Racnoss or the Ice Warriors or the Silurians or something. Come up with a fun new monster. You have so much potential there that you just don’t use. Be better. I know you can be a better writer, man. If you can’t do any better, well, then maybe it’s time to step down and let someone else take the reins.

I’ll always love Doctor Who. It’s been an interest of mine for well over a decade. I’m not giving up on it, but these seasons have just failed to grab my attention or my emotions, and quite frankly that makes me sad. There’s so many options moving forward. I have hope that this show can hook me again. The writers just need to try harder. Hire more women and people of color and lgbt+ people. A diverse cast of writers will always make a show with diverse characters better. Segun Akinola is an excellent composer. Utilize his music more. This scene clip of 13 escaping the matrix at the end of s12. had the Doctor Who theme in the background. Which was fine, I guess, I love the theme. (Fun fact: the theme was realized by a woman with the same first name as me!) but Akinola wrote this theme for 13 and I don’t remember it ever making an appearance in the show. It would have been perfect for that scene! 

https://open.spotify.com/track/1kNyixkRpA8QEN7SFzPCeG?si=23e74ae95320427e

Series 13 has so much potential. I truly believe that. I have so much hope. Please don’t let us down again. I’m not just being a pissy fan. I know there’s literally hundreds of these posts and videos and whatnot complaining about these seasons, but again, I’m not here to complain about it getting “too political” or “ruined by sjws'' because that’s bullshit. Doctor Who has always been political. All I’m saying is I think you can do better. I know you can do better. 

If you’ve made it this far, thank you so much, holy shit. I really appreciate it. You can come talk to me about this in my inbox, or shoot me a message, or whatever. Just… please don’t be too mean to me. I already get enough anons calling me slurs. This is all my opinion. I know not everyone is going to agree with me, and like I said, you are welcome to whatever opinion you have so long as it’s not harmful. We’re all here because we love this stupid, wonderful show that takes us through all of time and space and made us fall in love with the stars. Let’s hold our show to the standard and hope for better.

Thanks for reading.