#she is refering to the 2 years spent with vash

[fifthmooon]

Every time i read this line i think it is saying so much more, and telling of how this whole story will end. It's obviously inside the topic of death and the loss of loved ones that is present across the manga through multiple characters, but i also think that it is speaking directly of Vash and Rem, and how eventually (not yet), he will learn to live with it, or at least in a bit better way, because right now and for 150 years, Rem's death has been weighting down so much on him that he hasn't been able to really live with it. He has been living horribly, carrying the weight of her death and values, fighting tooth and nail for humanity even when everything was against him.

That is until he shoots Legato volumes later, and with this, he finally lets Rem go, now completely losing her. Wolfwood is also gone, and Knives too, and the circular aspect of the story, how it ends in the same tone as how it started, reflects this - with Vash the Stampede learning to keep living despite losing them, and his life returning to (his) normal.

[feekins]

today, as I re-read ch 3 of Trigun Maximum vol 1, the focus of our story shifts to post-timeskip Meryl! what's she up to? what strange new translation discrepancies will I stumble upon next? let's jump right in and find out! 😁

(NOTE: I'm reading the Dark Horse [physical] and the Overhaul [online] translations side-by-side)

ok so the moment I saw the first page, I had to go grab Trigun vol 1 for comparison purposes.

SO. a couple things I wanna note about the in-'verse timeline, for posterity:

Lost July happened on July 21, 0104

Fifth Moon happened in October of 0110

at Fifth Moon, Vash references the Fall as having happened 150 years ago...

...which has me thinking that some major post-Fall event led to the decision to start a new calendar "era" - like how, in tristamp, the "Planet Era" was heralded by humanity managing to establish a planet-wide radio network using a satellite that was launched pre-Fall (source: Studio Orange on Twitter)

(SIDE-NOTE: on the sheet we see Meryl hand Roberto towards the beginning of tristamp ep 1, we see Meryl's birth year marked as "PE081" and her age as "23" - which tells us that tristamp starts in the year 0104 - which tracks with the date the manga gives us for Lost July! and also has me thinking we won't have a Fifth Moon in the new anime, but I digress;;;;; )

Trigun Maximum picks up 2 years after Fifth Moon (0112)...

...but we first see post-Fifth Moon Meryl on her 23rd birthday in February of 0113...

...meaning a few months have passed since we met Eriks!

oh, and that office lady, Karen, says Meryl's Vash assignment was 4 months long, which puts the start of Trigun vol 1 at July of 0110!

anyway. I thought that was interesting. if it hasn't been done already, it would be cool for someone to keep track of the manga timeline (someone who isn't me, lmao - I've already spent over an hour on this post;;;;; )

(Dark Horse on top, Overhaul on bottom)

anyway! here's the first little translation discrepancy that jumped out at me this chapter! similar wording, sure, but to me, subtle differences in meaning and overall vibes the phrasing gives off rly emphasizes Vash's softness in the Overhaul 💕

(Dark Horse on left, Overhaul on right)

but this? lol idk, man ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

additional shit in the Overhaul's translation! not surprised that Keele seems like even more of an asshole here lmao

...ok but it's rly funny to think about the possibility that all Vash knows about insurance agents comes from his impressions of Meryl and Milly. so. I guess in his mind, Keele's just par for the course 🤣

subtle difference in wording here, but thanks to the Overhaul, this little bit makes a lot more sense to me this read-through =u=

same deal here!

wow, they're married... 🤣🤣🤣

and again! Dark Horse had me thinking Meryl was talking about Vash here. the Overhaul makes it clear that, no, she's talking about that asshole Keele

[vaultsixtynine]

26 & 28 for Vash and Darcy and as a little treat for me, 58 for WHF and Johnny

firstable. thank you <3

secondly let's do johnny and whf first because i miss them:

58 - Who’s more likely to hold a grudge after an argument?

The obvious answer is Johnny - and he does, for a little bit. They bicker often but a full-on fight is rarer and usually he bites harder than whf does in the moment - their chip keeps them quieter at the ignition point, but they actually hold onto the things he says to them for much longer after he's cooled off and had time to regret and forgive. He might churlishly remind her of something she said for a few hours, maybe a couple of days - but it's like three months later and he'll say something in a tone that might be considered snide and she'll just be like. I don't want to hear that from you, [repeats what he said to her in an argument 3 months ago verbatim].

Luckily! (for him), she will Let It Go if he apologizes if/when something gets brought back up, or it spawns a deeper discussion to map the edges of the hurt and navigate how to patch it (this is not done with therapyspeak, they are both terrible at Therapy). They've spent much of their life subdued in arguments and actually I think after awhile Johnny challenges them on it. Hey you're not gonna just not say your piece here but yell at me about it later, are you? Phrased LIKE THAT she realizes it's a bit silly - and as she gets more comfortable with him and also eventually gets the chip removed, she gets more comfortable in her anger also.

CUT FOR THE OTHER 2 :]

26 - What are their vices?

OUGH. Many of their vices directly feed back into their virtues in an ouroboros but that can be said of many people/characters.

Darcy - curiosity, dedication to a purpose at the exclusion of MOST other things, thinking she's always right (she is often right. however. don't be a fucker.), stubbornness, taking care of other people too much, is kind of goddamn reckless and assumes she can think her way out of any situation. i should give her some more vices/flaws tbh, i'll work on that

Vash - passive (common) and active (less common) forms of self-destruction, alcohol, "deserved" punishment, saying sorry too much, aimlessness, dedication to a purpose at the exclusion of all else, refusal to process anger productively or really at all, convincing himself he must be alone for the scales to balance correctly, is kind of terrible with money actually. i'm loathe to label most of his Coping With Being What He Is as a vice, so i won't. the alcohol is here because it is a problem that it's one of his only hobbies, regardless of how much it is or isn't a coping mechanism.

28 - What are there thoughts on pet names? Do they have any?

hi. yes. of coursseeeee. Darcy is a Nicknamer which means she had a nickname for Vash within 24 hours of meeting him - Sunshine, for the hair, but also Sunshine, for the smile and the general ease of being around him, even when he's being a bit odd and trying so hard to pretend he's Normal Normal Normal. it only gains more credence based on the fact that he burns noticeably warmer than the average human (because he isn't and also is a nuclear generator sewn into a human sock puppet) - which she didn't know at the time of giving it to him. She has a couple of others and will mimic other people's nicknames for him from time to time but Sunshine is ol' reliable.

Vash is less of an overt nicknamer but does like nicknames very much, they feel so special and individualized. Darcy has a threadbare little stuffed cow (one of her only possessions from childhood) named Clover and that was sssssoooo fucking cute when he found out but also something Vash could be annoying about, so he started calling *her* Clover as well. He also consistently referred to her as Miss Tanis to be a bit cheeky in their early days together where she was technically His Employer/Boss.

In terms of regular pet names - they take almost three and a half years to enter something resembling a formalized relationship (a blip on Vash's radar but also an eternity of longing for both of them bc time seems to move like molasses when you want something very badly and cannot have it), but they DO like standard pet names as well. Sweetheart is probably the most reliable one but darling and babe/baby will pop up as well.

[iblameashley]

Star Trek Picard S1 Ramblings

Not that anyone from CBS will ever see this or even care if they did �� once you create art you create a critic. I’m the critic and I am not a “toxic fan” for not praising every little detail from Star Trek Picard Season 1.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Spoilers<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

So ST: Picard ended its first season and I have spent the last week or so thinking over the series. There was so much and yet so little I am still finding it difficult to find the words to describe how I feel about it.

Lets start with the pilot (Season 1 Episodes 1, 2 & 3.)

First and foremost, I despise 3-episode pilots. They are almost always a waste of time, and the story can almost always be condensed into 2 episodes. This was no different for Picard. I understand that this was meant to set-up the world of Picard and also allowed new fans to be introduced to the world of Trek, but it seriously delayed the plot.

I also believe that if you are new to Trek, you don’t really need a whole lot of set up. The basics can be conveyed rather easily; Picard was a part of a Space Navy called Starfleet. He lives on Earth, it’s a paradise in the 25th Century. He’s being asked for help from a stranger and that will launch him on an adventure that takes him back into space. Honestly, Trek is easy to slide into.

What could have been:

This is the part of my review where I get to Fannon my own idea’s.

Season one as it was could have been completely different and still lead into the events that we had. I would start my ret-con around the attack on Mars.

Pew Pew

The Pitch: Its is only a few months before the Hobus Supernova explosion will reach the outer Romulan colonies, killing hundreds of millions. Admiral Picard is attempting to oversee the final phase of the operation when he discovers a Romulan Spy in Starfleet Ranks. He sets out on a search to discover the true identity of the spy and stop their plans to hijack the Synth construction workers. Along this adventure he meets with Dr. Soji from the Daystrom Institute – a genius cyberneticist, and his trusted friend Raffi who discover the plot may be more sinister than just hijacking of synths, and may hold a dark fate for the planet of Mars.

Episodes 1 & 2 Would be the set-up. Episodes 5 & 6 would reveal the plot about the Zhat Vash and their goals and Episodes 9 & 10 would have the Mars attack happen, reveal Soji as a Synth and the connection to Data and that he (or some part of him) may be alive.

There are things from season 1 I enjoy, though! I just feel this story was rushed and yet… so poorly executed it felt slow.

Excuse me, this is my emotional support crew. Where I go, they go. #foundfamily

For Example, my Pro’s:

·      Visiting Chateau Picard

·      Ex-Tal Shiar agents working for Picard

·      Use of real-locations! Real sunlight! It felt more REAL.

·      Swearing (subversive opinion!)

·      The Archives

·      The holograms of Rio’s as the crew (And by extension the use of Holograms more freely in the Star Trek Universe)

·      Elnor. <3

·      Seven of Nine <3

·      Hugh <3

·      Picard and Hugh hugging

·      Locutus (any reference)

·      Soji’s meditation Journey

·      Soji-hulk. Soji-smash.

·      TNG REUNION!

·      7 of 9 tertiary adjunct of BORG QUEEN

·      Spot II

·      More Synths (though less than I was hoping for)

·      Synth alliance (in concept)

·      Picard flying a ship

·      Gay Seven (or, Bi? Not-straight Seven!)

...My face says “where am I” and my eyes say “not a single thought has ever passed through this head”

And then there are some things that I would put on my Con’s:

·      Soji Dying so early on

·      Jurati / Maddox relationship. Gross. (age difference)

·      Far too little of my favorite Ex-Tal Shiar Romulans

·      Narek. I like nothing about him.

·      The holograms of Rios and their “backgrounds” / Accents

·      Ichebs death!!!! >:(

·      Vjayzl (Don’t know if that’s the spelling. Don’t care. She and her name were terrible)

·      The whole Stardust City episode. Ugh.

·      Narek / Soji Relation-shit

·      Riker and Troi having a dead child because ~~reasons~~ Wasn’t necessary.

·      Borg rebellion too short.

·      Dr. Alton. Should have been Maddox.

·      The flowers? Like??? ????? !!! ????!?!?!??!!?

·      Beacon = Large; shoots beams of light.

·      Tentacle porn Synths (also obvi evil)

·      Ctrl + C, Ctrl + V Starships

·      Gay Seven (or Bi?) **see below**

 And that’s it I guess. Overall, if I had to score Season 1 of Picard out of 10, I’d give it a solid 6.5.

There was a lot that could have been done better, and they should have created a more cohesive story that would leave a few threads open for a renewal (before they knew they were being renewed) but have a conclusion to the main arc. The references to prior Trek were nice, but references don’t make for a good story. I hope going forward we get a more tightly bound story. And for fucks sake, someone show Elnor the damn cat! He’s waited long enough!

Role model and Queen.

** Now some of you may be wondering about the Gay 7 of 9 thing being in the con’s too. Let me be clear. I am Gay, and I support the LGBTQ+ community and its representation in media. My issue is less to do with Seven being gay or bi, and more about how that was literally just dropped at our feet last minute. FIRST OF ALL, she’s clearly been eye-banging Janeway for years. Gimmie that or nothing! I’ll write v-jazzle off as rebound fuck during a rough patch with Janeway.

This part is harder for me to articulate, but I hope y’all will get the gist. Showing lesbians sharing an intimate and non-sexual moment on tv is taking the easy route. Its in the same vein at Catsuits for women on old trek. It is meant to appeal to Straight Boys. In this way, lesbians are generally more accepted than gay men. The flip side to that is, lesbians become more fetishized.That is a separate issue and another topic for another day. It deserves its own post.

If Star Trek wanted to really be more progressive, give us some more gay men in non-sexual yet intimate moments. I know we have DISCO and Staments/Culbur, but there is still such a huge stigma around gay men because TV still equates it with sex. Show me men who just like to cuddle! Get them holding hands and making heart-eyes at each other. Maybe season 2 will open up some possibilities on that front. Until then… if they majorly fuck up what they started with Saffi(Seven/Raffi?? Anyone? Is this a thing?), imma be pissed.

[aion-rsa]

Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 2 Episode 1 Review: Strange Energies

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This STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS review contains spoilers for Season 2, Episode 1.

With very few exceptions, each new season of any given Star Trek series always feels like a moment for the specific show to change things up. Riker grew a beard in Next Generation Season 2. Worf crashed Deep Space Nine in season 4. Archer started unbuttoning his collar and mussing up his hair in Season 3 of Enterprise. Discovery has literally had a different captain and premise every season. Even in The Original Series, the crew got themselves some Chekov. after their first year. You get it. A new season of Trek usually means one question: What’s new? What’s the same?

But, with the debut Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 2, that question doesn’t work. The show doesn’t feel remotely different, retooled, or radically changed from Season 1. If anything is different it’s simply that it’s even funnier and nerdier than Season 1. In 2020, Lower Decks was still novel and strange, but, now that we’re used to it, the show is proving to be better than perhaps anyone gave it credit. The debut Season 2 episode — “Strange Energies” — is hilarious, but it’s also deeply layered, so much so, that each part of itself is like a tiny replica of itself. Like a hilarious member of a funny, and thoughtful Borg collective.

The episode begins with Mariner playing out a badass fantasy on the holodeck, in which she is such a kickass Starfleet officer, that she escapes a Cardassian prison without really even trying. In this world, like last year’s “Crisis Point,” Mariner is god. She even leaves a hologram of Boimier because she’s “still pissed” at him for ditching her on the Cerritos in Season 1. Mariner has let her privileged status as Captain Freeman’s daughter go to her head, which is an arrangement neither of them likes and is pissing everyone off, including Ransom. So, when Ransom accidentally gets hit with the titular “Strange Energies,” and turns into a faux space god, the idea of someone else becoming a control freak takes over the plot. On top of this, Tendi is convinced that Rutherford isn’t his most authentic self, because — following a memory erasure in Season 1 — he now likes things he didn’t use to like, including eating pears and dating Ensign Barnes.

This layered theme works in all three storylines: Mariner and Freeman aren’t being their authentic selves and abusing their authority. Tendi is accusing Rutherford of not being himself and abusing her authority. Meanwhile, Ransom isn’t being his authentic self — actually, no, Ransom is totally being himself! But, of all the people “playing god” in this episode, Ransom has an excuse — he’s been imbuded with some “sci-fi stuff,” which Dr. T’ana likens to Gary Mitchell’s glowy eyes flip-out, a great callback not only to the famous TOS pilot episode “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” but also a reference to the very first episode of Lower Decks, “Second Contact.” In that episode, Mariner hit Boimler with a litany of famous Trek characters, including Gary Mitchell, who Boimler had never heard of. Lower Decks isn’t just content to reference other Trek, now with this new season premiere, it’s also referencing itself. Mariner feels a sense of faux-déjà vu when she asks Rutherford questions about his date with Barnes which is exactly what happened last year. The ship runs into a crisis because a second contact mission uncovered something the first contact mission missed. And, it all ends up with Mariner getting busted, even though she tried to do the right thing.

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The only thing missing is Boimler. At the very end, we see our wayward Bradford on the USS Titan, freaking the fuck out because whatever this crew is up to it’s way more hardcore than what’s happening on the Cerritos. Or is it? What’s great about Boimler losing his cool over a chase sequence on the Titan is it allows Lower Decks to make a statement about Star Trek’s bizarre ability to vary tone and style within the same narrative framework. The Next Generation arguably perfected this kind of thing in an episode like “Data’s Day,”; most of Data’s famous day is spent learning to tap dance, feeding his cat, and trying to not screw up Miles and Keiko’s wedding. But, the subplot also involved a Romulan spy who was gaslighting Data, stealing intel from the Federation, and was probably a secret member of the Zhat Vash! We don’t think of “Data’s Day” as an episode that sets up the dark Romulan action in Star Trek: Picard, we think of it as a goofy, heartfelt little Trek ditty. But that’s the trick. Ransom turning into a space god and trying to eat the ship, is, on paper, 100 times scarier and more dangerous than whatever “fluidic” action was happening with Boimler and the Titan at the end of this episode. The Titan is doing run-of-the-mill Star Trek stuff and so is the Cerritos. Kirk and Picard were always being hassled by space gods, who yes, were sometimes members of their own crew.  The joke of Lower Decks is that the spectacular things that happen in Starfleet are treated as run-of-the-mill. This lets the show refine a formula created by TNG, use the sci-fi backdrop to tell a heartwarming character story. And in this way, Lower Decks has captured the essence of why so many people love Trek in general, that unique combination of likable characters, who are good people, doing “sci-fi stuff.” In this way, “Strange Energies” is near perfect. The only reason it can’t get five stars out of five is Boimler isn’t in it enough. Let’s hope he Boims-up next week.

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