#so i've recently watched star trek 1 and 2

[verbenaa]

thank you so much @xxnashiraxx for tagging me! it's been awhile since I've done one of these 💖🥹!

Last Song: Is It Over Now? (Taylor's Version)- Taylor Swift

Currently Reading: nothing 😭😭😭 I haven't had time to read much of anything this week or last and there's been so many amazing fics released by my friends recently so those are all at the top of my list ALONG with the fics I need to catch up on!

Currently Watching: Almost done with season 3 of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (but the last thing I watched that wasn't Star Trek was Shogun about 2 or 3 weeks ago and it was GREAT)

Currently Craving: chips and a dr. pepper 🤤

Coffee or Tea?: COFFEE FOREVER ☕️!!!!

A Hobby You Would Like to Try: embroidery 🪡

An AU You're Working On/Thought Of: so, I had a super random idea for a modern day AU the other day actually, haha. you know, just your standard fake dating/mutual pining/best friends to lovers and second chance romance vibes 😅

I have a lot of feelings about it and its been ruining my thoughts so I’ve been forced to completely outline it and begin writing chapter 1. clearly I wasn’t inflicting enough damage onto Rin and Astarion in to eden, so I needed to come at it from a different angle.

no pressure tags ✨ @elinorbard @khywren @ladyduellist @inkymoonbunny @justabiteofspite @kalmiaphlox @roguishcat and anyone who sees this!!!

[forsakenqueer]

Two things I wanna know! (feel free to ignore obviously ^^ )

What are your top 5 favorite characters and why are they your favorite? Could be current favorites, favorites over the years that you still like, favorites in general, etc. Also any media

And/or gimme 1-5 of your ocs - whether they're your favorite, most recent, the one you've been having fun with recently, etc. Tell me some fun facts about them, and why you picked them!

Hope you're having a great day/night - and remember to stay hydrated!

Sorry it took me so long to answer I got excited and thought about it really hard and then didn't do it lol

I'm just going to do off sort of the top of my head because if I try to do all time I really will never get this done.

Favorite characters:

1. Kon-El/Superboy

There's probably some recency bias here because I just finished his 90s run but anyway- The thing about Kon is that it would have been really easy for me to dislike or only tolerate him, mostly because when he was created the chauvinism and misogyny in comics was really on full display and his run in particular does NOT help with that. However, I actually ended up really loving Kon. The thing that won me over was that no matter what Kon always sets out to do what he thinks is the right thing. And it doesn't matter who's against him or what it is, he's going to go out and do it. Now obviously this hastiness and recklessness causes some issues, but it always stems from a place of good intentions. His pride and dignity mean a lot to him, but he's still willing to wound both in order to make up for mistakes he makes. Kon makes mistakes, but he always works his ass off to do better.

2. Leonard "Bones" McCoy

I always love a character who is willing to break the rules placed on them in order to follow their own moral code, and while a whole lot of characters do that in Star Trek, I like McCoy maybe the best. The grumpy guy who cares so so much about other people character is like prime blorbo to me. Bones is always having such a bad day out in space but he's still in it to help people. Plus him and Spock are always so fun to watch interact and try to out-bitch each other

3. Stephanie Brown

She's so much an example of wasted potential I would almost assume it was really good on purpose character writing if it weren't actually because she's a female character in DC comics. She is again and again acknowledged as talented and determined and driven. Cass acknowledges her potential and Bruce says she could be as good as or even better than Tim with proper training, but no one gives her a chance long enough to get there. She doesn't get to raise her daughter because of her father. She gets tortured by Black Mask, escapes, and dies. She has been beaten to hell by the narrative and had her characterization whipped all around and she's still hanging on. For every stupid sexist thing DC pulls on her I'm determined to love her twice as hard.

(It's been over two weeks since I typed the first half of this.)

4. Vash the Stampede

I again really love characters who can't catch a break and also characters who have a very strict moral or personal code they adhere to throughout everything. Vash's refusal to kill and his refusal to give up on believing in humanity paired with his horrible experiences and depression and struggles with his own existence make a story that really speaks to me. He's so goofy but he's also just permeated by this unshakeable sadness. Trigun, to me, as a series, has done one of the best jobs I've ever seen of portraying emotions in such a way that they feel real and that made me feel very connected with the characters.

Also side note: half the time whenever you reblog pictures of that guy from the tangled cartoon or whatever it is (Varian?) I tend to think it's a stylized Vash for a second before I'm like oh no wait it's that guy

5. Cissie King-Jones

I feel she's a very interesting character, and I like the way that how she's handled is very different from how you might expect it to go. I think it's very cool to have a character who quits superheroing as a result of sort of her own moral ideas and standards for what a hero should be and then sticks with it. Because like all the core four or whatever of Young Justice have at one point stopped heroing but they always come back. (And I'm ignoring whatever the hell was happening recently with her going back to being Arrowette with a bomb in her head or whatever I ignore most DC after 2011) I also love how integral Cissie remained even after quitting to her friends and the plot of yj. Like her competing in the Olympics, her being a a medic in our worlds at war, her being on Wendy the werewolf stalker, she doesn't stop being a main character just because she's a civilian now.

OCs! I'm just going to go with some from the WIP I've been working on most recently

1. Carmen

Carmen is a werewolf who is going on a journey of self discovery of sorts. Being adopted by human parents, she never really had a pack or did any of the normal stuff a werewolf might do growing up, like lessons about controlling her more wolfish impulses and her transformations. Carmen is deathly afraid of conflict, and needs to learn that asserting herself and differences of opinion are not the end of the world. She is big-hearted and a little clueless, and very anxious most of the time.

Fun facts about her!

She loves cats. Cats do not love her.

She's a big film buff.

She knocked out her two front teeth as a kid falling at a splash park.

She mains monty mole in Mario party

2. Marsh

Marsh is by all accounts a fledgeling vampire (he's only just coming up on his fifth vamp-iversery) but has the control and demeanor of a much older vampire. The fact that he has achieved this through his fear of not being in control instead of through hard work and confidence in his abilities is definitely not going to bite him in the ass soon (it will). If he was in a self-flagellation contest, he would take second place because he would feel he hadn't earned first. He lives his life through an elaborate and painstaking persona that is so stifling and punishing to him. (Because his story is not finished) he's a very unhappy person in general, with his main solace in his afterlife being that he really, really loves his friends.

Fun facts about him!

His favorite shirt is an old band tee he stole from Cole which is two sizes two big and old and soft. He only ever wears it as pajamas and it's one of his most prized possessions.

His most common emotional response to things is to cry, which he hates.

3. Cole

I was just gonna do Carmen and Marsh but if I do Marsh I feel like I gotta do Cole and then if I do Cole I feel like I have to do Marion. Anyways, Cole is sort of the token human of his friend group. He has an affinity for creating codependent relationships with all his friends. Cole often feels unmoored and like he's fighting just to want to exist in the world, let alone have a place in it, so he throws himself at any chance to be useful. He can't handle change, and feels like he can never stop having the rug pulled out from under him, but he's still fighting and scrapping, hanging on by the skin of his nails.

Fun facts about him!

He is a seamster. Dresses are his favorite thing to make, and Marion is his favorite model.

His friends are always stealing his clothes, because he's got the most simple and cozy style of them and he's the tallest.

4. Marion

Last but not least, my girl! Marion is in a new chapter of her life where she is completely, uncompromisingly, being true to herself after an adolescence of self-repression. A witch, Marion finds a lot of joy in her magic and connection with her family, who she's close to (unlike all the other ocs on here somehow). While she may be mostly comfortable with herself again, Marion still doesn't know herself very well. She's working hard to find her ambition in life. (Perhaps a bit too hard and perhaps she's looking in the wrong places)

Fun facts about her!

She and her sister have matching flower tattoos.

She is allergic to pistachios and cashews.

Her familiar is a rat.

It's been like well over a month since you sent this ask so I'm sorry about that and I'm just gonna end it here. Thanks for the ask! I love to ramble about characters even if it takes a stupid amount of time for me to finish

[twig-tea]

Rules: List 10 of your comfort shows, then tag 10 people

I was tagged by @sorry-bonebag and @bengiyo (thank you both!). It's funny to see so many folks talk about not having 10, when I had trouble narrowing it down 🤣 So, here are shows I've reached for for comfort recently, in no particular order:

Until We Meet Again. Listen, I get that it's depressing, but it also ends and mends the intergenerational trauma set up in the first 15 minutes, and in the Dean/Pharm storyline the show queues up typical drama problems just for everything to be fine, it is SO comforting. And if I need to cry, ep1 part 1 will get me there, guaranteed.

Azumanga Daioh. This show...is so weird lol. It's a 20-year-old anime at an all-girls high school. There is a 10-year-old prodigy, a weirdo transfer student, a butch beauty, a simp, a loud class clown...it's not exactly GL because the girl who has a massive crush on her classmate never does anything about it and that's not really the plot. There is no actual plot, it's extremely slice-of-life except when it ventures into absurdity. It's extremely quiet and chill for this reason. The stakes are so low!

Star Trek: The Original Series. Like Ben, I am a Star Trek fan forever. TOS is my favourite and I've rewatched... a lot. Rather than the stakes being low, they're high but everyone is exceptionally competent and can solve impossible situations. And I really, deeply love the problem-of-the-week style storytelling and found family vibes.

What Did You Eat Yesterday? Everyone already knows this one, it's so good. Their relationship is so wonderful and the food is delicious and inspiring. In this show, things aren't perfect and that's ok, and I get deep comfort out of that.

HIStory 2: Crossing the Line. I love a sports anime, and this hits the key notes: you have to have love for the game and play with integrity and with your team in mind, and never give up on your dream. And this installation was pretty short, so easy to binge.

Our Dating Sim. This is recent but I've already decided to go back and rewatch this rather than start something new at least twice, so I'm counting it. Something about how these two settle into the friends to lovers dynamic is just delightful their familiarity and ease transfers to me through the screen.

Ingredients the series. Everyone calls this our pandemic comfort commercial for a reason. I have rewatched it a LOT. It is incredibly domestic and very chill, and once again full of good food. It helps that the episodes are so short so again, it's an easy binge.

Avatar: The Last Airbender (series). Another one that lands on multiple people's lists. This show is incredible and has such good character arcs. I will never get over how perfect the change in Zuko was handled. This one is partially comforting because of how long it's been in my life and how many times I've watched it, but also the found family vibes and the problem of the week format once again is very comforting to me.

Love Sick. I know. But it is the first BL I saw, and it stuck with me. I usually skip around the BL cut when I go back to this (which I still do). Pun and Noh spend a lot of time together in silence or with the OSTs playing, and do a lot of talking in body language and eye contact. Even though they're young and awkward and things are unresolved for so long, when they're together just the two of them this show (and their relationship) is easy and comforting.

60s Batman. There are several sitcoms that I would watch an episode or two if it's on (Frasier, the Nanny, Third Rock from the Sun, Golden Girls, Schitt's Creek), but the Adam West Batman is just... incredible. It is so silly. It is so earnest. It was ahead of its time. And once again, that problem of the week storytelling with incredibly competent characters is deeply comforting to me.

[Also shout-out to sorry-bonebag's Taskmaster mention because i have definitely rewatched it a bunch too!]

Tagging @italianpersonwithashippersheart @callipigio @my-rose-tinted-glasses @chickenstrangers @justafriend-ql @belladonna-and-the-sweetpeas @visualtaehyun @solitarywandering @thewayofsubtext @respectthepetty no pressure as always!

[oreniaa]

About me!

Find me on ao3! I have works in: (✅ means that these works are completed and that I am not working atm on works in this fandom even if I have a bunch of ideas)

Dexter (1+) - writing, expect multichaptered fic to begin soon

Stranger Things (1) - spontaneous updates (2/3 times a year)

Top Gun (1) ✅

Star Trek (1) ✅

Hannibal (1) ✅

Sherlock (1) - spontaneous updates, writing

Works planned in: the Primal Hunter (several slash + angst), Dungeon Crawler Carl (gen whump), Pkciv (one-off for someone 🤭) Hi, so I'll be putting things about me (fandoms, fun facts) here. It will probably get updated sporadically, but anyways if you have any specific recommendations for books or shows, etc then don't hesitate to ask me :)

Also!!! I take fic requests :) I’m in a bit of a writing block, so just request a fic from any fandoms below OR any you like which I may potentially be involved in!

Fandoms:

TV Shows (not obscure)

Hannibal - I am pretty familiar with the show, I'd say I'm not an expert but I'm no beginner either

Sherlock BBC - OMG I LOVE THE FANDOM, I have so much head canons but I can never get to writing :(

House MD - i love myself some malpractice MD :D

Merlin - used to be more obsessed, but I still love it, especially soulmate AUs

Psych - YES THE BEST, I've recently started watching this but I really love it

Stranger Things - I have watched all seasons & ofc, I AM A BYLER WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT NO IM NOT DELUSIONAL

Star Trek - mostly TOS & AOS, and I REALLY dig Tarsus IV, Academy pics and Spirk childhood friends w/ Tarsus

Books & such (not obscure)

The Inheritance Cycle - read all the books and halfway thru Murthag & i am really sad that there's not more fan work about this series :(

Fractalverse - YES I DIG IT SO MUCH ITS AMAZING, Kira is so badass, I love her, and there's barely any fan work on this, so... give it a try?

Grishaverse - decently into this, I have a lot of head canons but not much time to write anything bc I procrastinate too much

Obscure stuff

Lupin (the Netflix series) - I NEED MORE MORE MORE, in my head Assane, Benjamin and Guedira are in a throuple because why not

B13 (District 13) - I watched it once and... what if Damien was a trans guy? I see it.

LitRPGs

note: I have too many good litrpg series that I am reading. I have read most of the mainstream litrpgs, so you can hit me up whenever about that

Dungeon Crawler Carl - **IF YOU HAVEN’T CHECKED IT OUT THEN DO IT** in the process of writing an angsty whump!Carl fic hehehe

HWFWM - I adoreeeeee! There’s just so much humor, angst and of course an MC with dark powers :D

(on a tangent here about HWFWM, i image this clive/jason oneshot 5+1 which is basically 5 times people didn’t know who clive’s wife was + 1 time they did)

Reborn as a demonic tree - YES.

Tree of Aeons - yeyy.

Cradle - obv yes

Primal Hunter - love it! (however, I do hope that Jake doesn’t end up with a harem bc it’s not rly my cup of tea) ++ I unironically ship Jake with the Fallen King. In my lil AU, the fallen king’s nickname is Green :D

Other writing:

I write poetry mostly but I do some original stories, and occasionally I will try out playwriting or some other media

my writing is usually depressing and dark, which is exactly why I feel I can write well - so don’t hesitate to hit me up on that! I’m welcome to any discussion :)

tell me if you want me to post some original works!!

Fun facts:

I can do the 3x3 Rubik's cube in 30s

my method to write is just to put depressing adjectives next to random nouns, tweak it a little... and there. p o e t r y

that's all :)

[coraclavia]

20 questions for fic writers

tagged by the inestimable @mylittleredgirl. I could be doing Actual Things, but nah. This.

1. How many works do you have on Ao3? 112

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count? 338,559

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Mostly: Stargate Atlantis, Star Trek Voyager, Stargate SG-1, and recently added X-Files. I have also written a handful of things for The Rookie, I once wrote a gazillion things for Castle and Bones, and I've written for Due South, Cupid, Agent Carter, etc. It's a crazy quilt of "they're pretty; they should kiss."

[I also admit, shamefully, that I wrote 26 fics for Brad/Claire back in the Bon Appetit Test Kitchen days. They were posted under my other pen name, badtemperedchocolate.]

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

dark switch (Stargate SG-1, Sam/Jack; a re-imagining of what might have happened once Jack returned from Edora)

Five Times Sam Gets Married (Stargate SG-1, Sam/Jack; exactly what it says on the tin)

Guest Lecture (Star Trek Voyager, J/C; Kathryn delivers a lecture at Starfleet Academy after their return home)

Acquired Taste (The Rookie, Chenford; 5+1 in the form of a bakery AU)

here's a dumb idea (Stargate SG-1, Sam/Jack; "what if they had to kiss")

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yes! I try to. Sometimes I'm slow, sometimes I miss one, but I try to respond.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Hmm. I don't do a lot of sad stuff, I guess? I guess I see the end of fall in place as angsty, just because it's in line with the real end of the season (John and Monica are on the run, with everything they had now long gone).

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Uhhhhh. Maybe The Woman in the Snow? "And then I fixed it and they got to be happy, finally, unlike canon. The end."

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not really. Many moons ago, I got some rude comments on Castle fic, but that was a long time back, and it wasn't bad. So not really.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I have, but I rarely do anymore. For me it has to be part of a larger romance; I really can't do pwp. I much prefer a tasteful fade-to-black which means I don't have to keep calculating bare skin and body parts 😂

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

Not often, but I did write one: Stolen Sky, a Castle/Firefly crossover. iirc, it was the first, or maybe one of the first, Mal/Kate stories? It did pretty well, and it was funny reading comments that said "I only watched one of these shows, and this fic convinced me to watch the other one, too." It was originally posted on ffnet; I have since transferred it to AO3.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Yes! Only once that I know of. It was a (not very good) (since deleted) Bones fic that got stolen in its entirety; all the thief did was change character names. I reported it, and it was taken down.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? 

I have! It was very flattering.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes! I co-wrote Castle fics with chezchuckles, Cartographicals, sandianecarter, and shimmeryshine back in the day. It was a DELIGHT. I would love to do it again!! (looking at you, @mylittleredgirl 😜)

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

I honestly don't know if I could pick just one. John/Elizabeth from Stargate Atlantis, Janeway/Chakotay from Voyager, John/Monica from X-Files, and Castle/Beckett are all up there. It rotates based on what I'm watching at any given time.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I have this wonderful giant Voyager "missed connection" fic in my brain, where KJ and Chakotay belatedly realize they met at the Academy and fell a little bit in love in just one silly, lighthearted, adventurous evening of running around San Francisco together. I have a very long, detailed outline for it; we'll see if I ever tackle it for real.

16. What are your writing strengths?

@mylittleredgirl would say fluff, and I don't disagree. I love characters bantering, I love teasing, I love when they're kind and heartfelt to each other. I think I'm good at little moments like that.

UPDATE: LR has reported that my strength is, in fact, "FEELINGS."

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I do not enjoy writing smut; sometimes it's good for the story, but I do not like writing it and I don't think I'm particularly good at it. I have trouble fleshing a thing out from first idea to polished product. Physical accounts of action baffle me sometimes. Also, I often find it hard to come up with convincing conflict. I'm fluffy at heart, I guess.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

It can be effective, I guess? But there's usually a way around it if necessary. I haven't really had to deal with it, so I don't have strong feelings about it.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Oh shit, I think this was Numb3rs. It was a really fun crime show on CBS featuring a mathematician who did Big Complicated Math to help the FBI solve crimes. I wrote a bunch of fics for it, they were all absolutely terrible, and yes, I have long since deleted them.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

Letters From War, a Voyager fic where KJ and Chakotay keep in correspondence with each other through the Dominion War. It's the sequel to By Firelight, but took a long, long time to put together, and once a few conversations and ideas clicked into place, it felt like it all came together. I was happy with how it turned out.

--

Thanks for the tag, Little Red! I am tagging @cfr749, @captaincarriekathryncoffee, and @neverenough37 (apologies if y'all have already done this and I missed it).

[lovethistoomuch]

10 characters 10 fandoms

I was tagged by @birdkeeperklink thank you so much! I really had to think on these since, as per my url you can guess there are a lot. (sorry for the late reply. I got no excuse, really, except life continued to happen around me and deciding who to pick was really hard.)

in no particular order (though Loki is Number 1, I'm sorry everyone else), here we go:

1. Loki Odinson from MARVEL

I just love him so much I've written a 78K fix-it fantasy novel (not finished) to give him the happy ending he deserves. there is no other character I identify with harder than this one: a younger sibling full of rage, always feeling overshadowed by the older one, just wanting to prove their own worth and show the world that they are capable (i got over this a lot in recent years but my love for him still remains.)

Tom just plays him so perfectly and I am so heartbroken that the writers at MARVEL did not know what to do with him, so they killed him off (the Loki show doesn't count because that's not him okay.) he's always having a good time, he's snarky and clever and desperately needs a hug. how can you not love him?

2. Mr. Spock and Leonard (Bones) McCoy from Star Trek TOS

Yes, they are two people but I just couldn't choose between them!

The grumpy surgeon with a heart of gold an the emotionally suppressed but deeply loving vulcan live in my heart rent free ever since I was a child. Spock was my first crush ever and his complicated relationship with McCoy has always fascinated me. they are two incredibly complicated people and there isn't enough space here to describe why. writing them is just as much fun as watching them and I actually own the autographs of both Leonard and De.

3. James Wilson from House M.D.

he's a man of many contradictions: he is kind but also House's best friend, he loves people dearly but can also tell them to fuck off. he is confident and funny and he helps people without being a pushover. he loves all of his his wives but cheats at least once. he is a walking mystery which makes him a great friend for House and a nightmare to write. I just love him! also, that smile!

4. Castiel from Supernatural

Cas is the character, truly! he can go from nerdy to badass in the blink of an eye. a cosmic being that plays dress up just to make one human smile, who should be nothing but an ant to him. he fiercely protects the people he loves and always tries to do the right thing. the character that inserted himself into the story against the writer's will and changed the narrative for ever. when he came on the show, I hated his guts. and look at me now...

5. Zuko from Avatar the last Aribender

you simply cannot talk about redemption arcs without mentioning Zuko at some point. an exceptional character amongst a cast of exceptional characters. I once joked that 90% of his lines were just him screaming but that poor boy has so much rage inside him, and with all that trauma, can you really blame him? he is the epitome of character growth and a fascinating example of how the villain can become a hero without taking any shortcuts.

6. Stephen Maturin from the Aubrey-Maturin series

if you read the books, you'll know why. this fucking lunatic is so oblivious to his own eccentricities that you just have to love him. nobody does it quite like him to be honest. no, Stephen, people will not think you're eccentric because you practice sword fighting on deck, however they might think that because you let loose 1000 bees on the ship and run around naked. he has no sense for proper etiquette and i love him so much for it. also, he get's on a ship without being able to swim and performs open brain surgery on deck. he is incredibly skilled and the best damn doctor in the entire fleet. also, his dynamic with his best friend/captain is one of the best friendships I've ever seen/read.

7. Scrooge McDuck

this might be an unusual choice but i grew up reading comics and at one point in my life i figured out that all of my favourite stories were writen and drawn by the legendary Don Rosa, who in his book "the life and times of Scrooge McDuck" created one of the most fascinating and fun to watch characters i've ever seen. starting from humble beginnings and rising to the top through his percevierence, fearlessness and ingenuity, inevitably losing everything he loved and ending up alone, only to be found by his family again, his story is one of my absolute favourites in literature. i know that due the never ending nature of comic books, he can never truly get his happy ending but I really wished he could.

8. Keeley Jones from Ted Lasso

I don't think I've ever seen a woman like her in any media to be honest. she is so clearly feminine and embodies all the traits of a woman that would normally be depicted as bitchy, toxic and self obsessed but she is just none of those things. she is a girly woman who loves pink and cries and she is just so human and lovely and i love her so much for it! her friendship with Rebecca is also so amazing and feels very real and true to what friendships between woman are actually like. I just love her as a beacon of healthy femininity and can only hope that there will be more characters like her in the future!

9. Kim Kitsuragi from Disco Elysium

the voice, the looks, the everything! the moment I met him I knew I wanted him to be my best friend for ever! his deadpan delivery combined with his dorkyness and his shere competence had me on the floor on multiple occasions. I have not finished the game yet but I have never had a companion this incredible in any video game ever! I could listen to him read the phone book for hours. when he went "daba doop doop dead" I died. also him jumping in when I fail a check has to be the most badass thing ever. I love you, Kim. please be proud of me. (also, I know he probably has a darker side to him that I am not seeing right now because I am always choosing the nice options but hey, the best characters are the complicated ones.)

10. Cole Turner from Charmed

this show was so much better when he was in it! the half demon who crosses over to the good side without ever really changing his ways. he burns someone alive and laughs about it, drags a detective to hell and doesn't give a shit about civilians. even when he is completely human his solution to assholes is to punch them in the face. he loves power and controling others and looking good while doing it. I know him beind "good" was a whole thing on the show but to me the most fun about him was that he continued being evil but was now using his powers to help the good guys. show me another character that got redeemed into the hero team without losing his evil edge. Cole was just so much fun to watch but unfortunately his character got totally buthcered by bad writing.

No pressure of doing this but tagging:

@catzy88, @uponxhorhaus, @accrov

[wwillywonka]

two for you, if you like!

🪐 ⇢ name three good things going on in your life right now

🍬 ⇢ post an unpopular opinion about a popular fandom character

hiii thank you so much for the ask!

🪐 - i definitely have a hard time being positive so i'm always grateful to have an excuse to tell my brain to rewrite itself for a while lol.

1. made a new friend recently and we've been hanging out a lot! i've been pretty lonely post-college, and this person and i not only have so many overlapping interests but also happen to be the same ethnicity, and i genuinely don't know how we never managed to meet before this, especially considering they grew up in the next town over. it's been wonderful. we went to a record store yesterday, and i was perusing the soundtrack cds, and my friend goes, "omg i see something. how did you miss it???" and it was the fucking charlie and the chocolate factory broadway soundtrack. my beloathed. and yes i bought it. we also spent the entire car ride talking about mcspirk. really good.

2. i might be (maybe) getting a full time position (hopefully)! i don't want to jinx it, but i've been doing part time work for a bit now and it's finally looking like it might turn into something more! i'm tentatively excited.

3. overall, i am once again just so grateful for all my friends (both online and especially off) in fandom spaces and having the ability to share my love for these stories with others. the star trek fandom especially has been such a welcoming and loving place, and after years of pretty much only being obsessed with very niche things, it's been such a breath of fresh air. kissing you all, mwah!

🍬 - oh god, completely different vibe. i tend to steer clear of fandom discourse unless i feel like a story reaaally messed up (aka the way racism was handled in the newest season of doctor who...), so i don't really like to bash on characters specifically because i know what it's like to be on the receiving end of someone's hatred for your fav. most of my opinions tend to be unpopular anyway a) because my favourite characters are always the morally grey ones who i like precisely because they're controversial, and b) because so many people on this site don't understand nuance. it's just... so frustrating when people can't see beyond their need for a ship to be canon/a ship is the only reason they're interested in the story. arcane, for example, is not only incredibly nuanced, detailed, and, yes, full of morally grey characters, it exists to raise questions about politics and history that intentionally are not meant to be solved in 18 episodes because humanity has been trying to answer them for thousands of years! i agree that the writing felt rushed, but what people can't seem to grasp is that just because a story doesn't answer every one of life's questions doesn't mean it's a bad story. aaaahhh. anyway, sorry for the rant, that didn't really answer your question.

i'll say this: (arcane spoilers!!!)

i think jinx dying was a perfect way to end the story. i literally predicted way back when i first watched s1 that one of the sisters was going to die. i thought vi was going to kill jinx to be honest. it wasn't a cheap ending or a cop out; in the same way silco had to die in order for the story to move forward and for change to occur, the same goes for jinx. the cycles!!! they only end when we find the will to walk away!!!! that line has stuck with me since the finale premiered because it's so goddamn true. what if the people trying so hard to force the world into their own empire just... stopped. why can't they see that it doesn't fucking matter, that all that matters is loving one another and making sure we're all okay. like aaaahhh. change is necessary for us to move on and stop having the same arguments we've been having for thousands of years.

that being said, i don't think runeterra is going to necessarily be a better place post-jinx's death, especially because it keeps caitlyn in a respected position of power and i reaallllyyy hate how much the show makes you sympathise with her. i really don't like her... or vi... aaannnddd that's all i'll say about that because this is not an invitation for people to start yelling at me lol.

anyway!! thanks for the ask and sorry for turning it into an arcane rant lmao

[u2fangirlie-blog]

I made a thing! First real attempt at sharing a meme with a group.

Recently, I started watching Star Trek: Lower Decks. I unashamedly love it. As a lapsed Star Trek fan, it helped bring me back into the fold. I started following the Facebook "gronp" Star Trek Shitposting. I had an idea to make a meme about the Caitian characters M'Ress, from Star Trek: The Animated Series, and Doctor T'Ana, from Lower Decks. Here's the original post and photo.

I made a thing. New OC. What would Caitians think about Earth cats? Are polydactyl cats from outer space?

22 Sept. 2023 on Facebook group Star Trek Shitposting

Within the first hour, it had 100 likes and 75 comments. This went on for hours! I felt endorphins and happiness! I liked and replied directly to comments to encourage participation and show my appreciation for people interacting with my meme. I wrote a lot of comments! Lost track of how many comments are mine. So here's what I wrote on my timeline:

OMG GUYS! In an hour, it got over 100 likes and the discussion has 75 comments. I'm a Star Trek Shitite! Everybody wants to talk about Star Trek and cats! All the science nerds and weirdoes are commenting! Look, Mom! I'm not the only damn weirdo!

22 Sept. 2023 on Facebook.

Then the next morning I realized I needed to create an alternate text description of the image for people using text-to-speech readers, so I wrote one.

Image description: Two pictures. Right Panel is M'Ress from Star Trek: The Animated Series at her communications station on the bridge of the Enterprise. Left panel is Doctor T'Ana from Star Trek: Lower Decks in sickbay treating a patient on the Cerritos. Caption across the top. "Xenobiology Report on Caitian Anatomy: Polydactyl Traits." Caption above left panel: "Communications Officer Lieutenant M'Ress: 3 fingers, 1 thumb." Caption above right panel: "Chief Medical Officer Commander Doctor T'Ana: 4 fingers, 1 thumb."

23 Sept. 2023 on Facebook group Star Trek Shitposting

After 24 hours of trying to keep up with responses and comments, and boring my parents with talking excitedly about how freaking cool it is to find a group weirdoes who think about the same stuff, I made another post on my timeline.

STSP meme 24 Hours - 235 likes. 214 comments. My favorite comment so far. "Y'all are WAY overthinking this." No, my dude, we are not way over thinking it. My response: "Nonsense! I've been thinking about this for years. It's about time people started talking about cartoon science fiction feline species' fingers. LOL!" Everyone is having a good time. No one is fighting. So far people shared photos of their polydactyl cats.

The nerds have dug into deep lore in what is or is not canon for felinid species in Star Trek and depictions of Caitains and Kzinti in other ST books and media. We've discussed seafaring history of 6-toed Earth cats, and the frequency of polydactylism in big cats and domestic cats. Based on sex characteristics of lions, does that make M'Ress trans because she has a male lion's mane? That's valid headcanon! What advantages do extra toes provide for cats? Are they more stable and agile?

Are the differences between M'Ress's and T'Ana's fingers an oversight by the artist (working on 2 different shows 50 years apart) or was it a deliberate choice by the Lower Decks artist? A lot of people are talking about different animation styles depicitng people with 3 fingers and a thumb (as seen in Disney cartoons and The Simpson and Futurama) as opposed to 4 fingers and a thumb, which is artistically messy. The nerds confirmed that all the main characters in Star Trek: The Animated series, where M'Ress originated, are drawn with 4 fingers and a thumb. So the Caitian hand with 3 fingers and a thumb was an artistic choice. What explains the anatomical differences among Caitians? Living on different continents? Alternate universes? Or natural diversity within a species? Infinite diversity in infinite combinations.

Other differences between M'Ress and T'Ana people pointed out: Their feet. As one person wrote "digitigrade caitians vs. plantigrade caitians and their use of shoes." M'Ress walks on her toes and does not wear shoes. T'Ana walks flat-footed and wears shoes. Someone else pointed out that footwear would be a requirement for a medical officer. Their pupils: Someone pointed out that M'Ress's pupils are vertical slits, where T'Ana's pupils are round but can change into vertical slits. My final thought of the night is on the evolution of Caitain hands and whether or not the fingers and palms have hairless textured skin to better manipulate tools or if they adapted tools for hairy fingers. I need to know!

Next time we'll talk about the number and position of Caitian mammary glands. Stay tuned for future content!

23 Sept. 2023 on Facebook

[hakka84]

Meta: (half)Vulcan's temperature

@jennelikejennay interesting meta reminded me that I never shared here on Tumblr the meta I wrote about Spock's temperature back in 2011. So here it is. Copy/pasted from Livejournal.

----

To be hot or not to be hot? This is the question.

Ok, I'll be serious: your host here has finally found the answer to one of the most controversial things in the Star Trek K/S fandom: Is Spock's temperature higher than a human's? The answer is in TOS so I'll play with pure canon here: no need to read books or such but just watching closely the series itself. I'm sure I'm not the first one to notice but... hey, repeating doesn't hurt, especially when people keep going on about Star Fleet Medical Reference Manual being not canon.

Evidence n°1: Dagger of the Mind

Spock isn't seen near a monitor's biobed except as witness of Van Gelder's apparent craziness. But let's take a good look to the values in the monitors when Van Gelder is on the biobed. Don't mind the actual arrows, as the human isn't really healthy at the moment, but look at the values' scale: we can disregard all the others as we don't need them. Take a look at the brain's waves if you like but save only the temp, the first one on the left.

On my dvd player on tv this work was easier because of an useful zooming function but, thanks to the power of aleniakalain's dvd, I hope this cap will work for you too: I'll help you.

.  .  .

Evidence n°2: Naked time.

Lieutenant Junior Grade Joe Tormolen's readings, just to see how a healthy human reads.

Let's have a better look at the readings

.  .  .

Evidence n°3: Naked time

Spock is healthy, Bones makes us sure of that. By the way, how hot is Nimoy in the black undershirt? Let's take a look at the readings. Bear in mind that these are Spock's average readings, when he's not influenced or under disease.

As you may see quite well, Spock's reading of temperature is quite under the green line, somewhere between 33 and 34°. At a rough guess the double arrows are marking 33.7/8. Spock's brain waves are far above the average.

So… canon speaks: Vulcans (and Spock) are colder than humans and Bones line about "that green ice-water you call blood" isn't a pipe dream.

There are two others times where we can see a Vulcan's reading but they can't be taken into account because in both of them the Vulcan wasn't really health.

Mirror, Mirror: Mirror Spock is, to Bones words, “dying” and all the lines are fucked up: I keep the brains waves as base and when these change too much then I consider the readings null for this little essay.

Journey to Babel: Sarek's readings. His temperature is higher than Spock's but he is under surgeon and all his readings are scrambled. Again, I can't really consider them reliable.

Anyway, canon says quite clearly that Spock isn't hot but cold. We're speaking of two C°, nothing excessive, but that’s it. It may have no biological foundations and you may say it has no sense at all: I can agree. However, Star Trek (TOS, in this case) made us quite used to biological nonsense. If a brain can be removed from its rightful body to then be put there again without any damage, if androids can be infused with a human's "pattern", if one's soul can be transferred in lightning globes (and so on), then we cannot really be squeamish on a simple change of temperature, right?

I know this sounds like a minor thing but since I've read that bit about Vulcan's temperature on Memory Alpha[memory-alpha.org/wiki/Vulcan#Medical_conditions] I have been curious to know why many people insisted on still writing Spock as "hotter". The old school is quite frankly excused as they had no captures to work on (later it came VHS but really, you can't read tiny bits on a recorded video). Recently I raised a geek discussion about it on Deviant Art and I've been quite puzzled by the replies (being cooler not biologically explainable, the book being written without scientific basis and all). They all had their reasons and they weren't just saying "it's this because I want it!" - hell, that's what I love about this fandom: things are discussed! - but I entered one of my stubborn mode... and I can be quite stubborn if I want to.

Then aleniakalain came to my house and brought the dvds... when watching naked time I jumped from the couch (killing her in the process), almost hit my head on the screen (blame the carpet) and zoomed until I found the answer. Then I searched a better view of the monitor for better reference and so on.

This's the result of half an hour spent with aleniakalain searching the right captures! Hope that helps clearing the issue!

*      *      *

Addition n°1: What this makes of us K/S shippers

verizonhorizon's comment reminded me that, originally back in January when I got home from vacation with my First Officeraleniakalain, I wanted to add my two cents about what happens to K/S bed scenes.

Ok, we have Spock who's colder - a little bit - and we have a room hotter than usually - for keep Spock warm because we don't want for our favorite half-Vulcan to have his pointed cute ears drop off. We have also a cute quilt with a little Enterprises' pattern, because our Vulcan likes to sleep under blankets. Logically our hot Captain Sexypant would die in a pool of sweat, right? But, what if perhaps Spock, being cooler, helps our snuggle-ish Jim from feeling like during a sauna session? Hugging Spock could give him the little cold he needs to feel right even in a warm room and under a blanket (even if I'm sure he ends up out of said blankets in the middle of the night).

Basically when Spock is made hotter we have a snuggle-ish Jim with his personal warmer while Spock endured having cold feet and a... well, cooler against himself. We just turned this upside down and is now Jim who has to be the man with the woman's cold feet and hands against his body in automatic search for warmth. XD

.  .  .

Addition n°2: Does this make sense? Again verizonhorizon, who points out that has no sense having a cooling system overworking to keep blood cold in a hot room (well, not these same words... :P). This makes me think, and it's probably the only issue that is still unclear in this matter. As far as I remember (and my mind has more holes than Gruyere cheese), in the series (TOS) nobody says Vulcans need higher temperatures. We know they live on a desert planet and the climate is freaking hot when Kirk jumps on the Kal-if-ee wagon. But, if we keep the desert reference, usually during night the temperature considerably drops. Perhaps the only logical explanation could be found seeing how desert animals' inner system work. Off course I'm not speaking about scorpions or snakes, but mammals like meerkats, foxes and such. This may start a great discussion! Unfortunately, I'm not expert enough to examine datas about these animals... anyway I can provide what I found.

Meerkats have a temperature similar to humans' (36.3ºC / 97.3ºF). They have an efficient ability to regulate temperature and, living in such harsh climate, they have a lower metabolic rate than their cousins living in other parts of the world, allowing them to live with less water and food. Their oxygen consumption is 42% below the value expected from body mass (Vulcan has a thinner atmosphere than Earth - if I remember right - but at least I'm sure there is less oxygen there and Kirk has difficulties to breath right).

Fennex foxes have a temperature of 38.2˚C (100.8˚F), but they are typically nocturne animals and during the day they live in deep dens under the sand to protect themselves from hot climate of desert's day. They are also provided with large ears (*coff coff* Spock?) to dissipate heat.

Camels vary between 34°C to more than 40°C, depending of how much they can dissipate the heat through evaporation. If they have free access to water they tend to have lower temperatures.

.  .  .

Addition n°3: Cold or hot? Both? alliegator as an interesting hypothesis. I'm quoting her, because there's not need for me to elaborate.

"I'm no biologist, but it is my personal head canon that Vulcans are both hotter AND colder than humans. My science-fictiony, pseudo-xenobiology reasoning that would actually fit with the above source: Vulcans have a normal core body temperature (91 F) lower than humans (98.6 F). Humans lose heat through their skin and extremities, so the surface of the skin can be much cooler than the core temp. Now I see Vulcans with their fast pulse as having a very efficient body heat regulation system, so possibly their surface skin temperature is much closer to their core temperature.

"So, theoretically, if a Human (98 F core temp) were to walk up to a Vulcan (91 F core temp) and touch them, to the Human (estimate 80 F hand skin temp) the Vulcan (estimate 87 F hand skin temp) would feel warm. Even though the Vulcan's core temp is lower than Human, the Human's skin temp is lower than the Vulcan's."

.  .  .

Ok, off-topic conclusions: 1) I feel a trekkie and I always hated people (a Star Wars' fan I'm friend of) who wasted time to search for things the canon left unclear or making essays about "no it's like this" and "what if...?"... 2) I've done again a biology little research because of Star Trek, the first being about wolves/canines and feline reproduction - you don't wanna ask believe me... 3) I have now in my mind's eye the disturbing image of meerkat!Vulcans standing at meerkat!Spock's failed wedding... The Lion King can ruin an innocent life!

[widthofmytongue]

List 5 things that make you happy, then put this in the askbox for the last 10 people who reblogged something from you! get to know your mutuals and followers (ू•‧̫•ू⑅)♡

I have answered this several times before I think, but in order to keep up and spread the positivity, let's gooo.

1) Reconfiguring my outward aesthetic appearance to better reflect my true self. What I will say about having pink hair and wearing a keffiyeh and a jacket covered in queer and Jewish and leftist badges and carrying a trade union bag is that young people of colour with non-British accents smile at me and are comfortable approaching me to ask directions and stuff. Having spent the 2010s presenting as a white male hipster nerd, no one really approached me, and I did receive occasional comments that I looked like a middle class twat (usually from people who were more middle class and definitely more twat-ish than me). Returning to my roots as a visibly queer, Jewish, commie punk puts the right people at ease.

2) Working from bed. This is obviously not about working, especially as I don't think the work I'm actually paid to do is super meaningful, but the freedom to WFH (work from home!) three days a week is amazing. Awhile ago I watched the LOTR trilogy while running reports and updating spreadsheets.

3) Making delicious food for myself and eating it in massive quantities. During lockdown I got into the habit of living almost exclusively on ready meals, and aside from some (amazing restaurant-quality) omelettes, I only recently got back to cooking for myself. Also turns out that a lot of the food I think of as staples are very Jewish? I guess I kinda knew that, but like goyische potato salad sounds boring af y'all are missing out.

4) Deviant sex. I'm not sure I want to elaborate on this too much, but I am very glad of my engagement in d/s and how strongly I lean into T4T stuff.

5) Gotta say my animal buddies again. A couple of my avian neighbours were recently moulting, and when they grew their feathers back, they looked like dinosaurs armoured with spines. So cool. Also my feline housemates train me to do things in the dumbest but sweetest forms of symbiosis.

I'm gonna keep going.

6) Stimulating conversation on deep and complex topics. I've had lots of interesting and invigorating interactions lately with people on tumblr and in person about Palestine, Jewish values and identity, community organisation, gender, King Crimson, John Carpenter, Star Trek, London, the intersection of poststructuralism and historiography, and of course postcolonialism.

7) Union work. As mentioned above, I do not think the work I get paid for is especially meaningful. What I do think is meaningful is being a hard leftist (and yes, also queer, Jewish, immigrant, neurodiverse, erstwhile lumpenproletarian) voice in my professional environment. I think it's both important for me to represent union members, uniting their concerns with systemic initiatives, and also to provide a more outright Marxist approach on my union branch's Executive Committee.

@derdra @gucci-shinigami @comm1e-dyke @thottacelli @jewishdumbass @verticalceiling @deanorino161 @thewindstealsyourvoice @lizardbytheriver @xocomilxolo @oh-youprettythings @anyone else reading this who fancies taking part.

[dragonsongmakhali]

10 fandoms, 10 characters, 10 tags:

Basic rules: choose 10 fandoms that you are part of/support, and choose a favorite character from each of those. Then, tag ten folks!

Tagged by: @jigschosai @sealrock @reikatsukihana and @sasslett! Thank y'all :'D

This is not ordered by how much I'm into them, they're just in whatever order came to mind :) I will caution that I don't tend to choose favorite characters, I'm more of an OC maker. Feeling chatty, so I'm putting the actual list under a cut. You're welcome.

1. FFXIV : Pretty self-explanatory for the xiv sideblog. Since I'm not as in to the MSQ, I don't think I actually have a favorite character (which I know is illegal, I'm sorry :<). I really love seeing what the community does with the characters, though!

2. Halo : The storyline went to hell long ago, but I do still adore the original trilogy and constantly mine it for gpose captions. It was basically what I lived off of in high school. If I had a tumblr back then, I'd have been insufferable. Favorite character is easily Rtas 'Vadum.

3. WoW : Kind of. Asterisk. I really only know Classic, and even then, I'm way more Horde than I am Alliance. I have approximate knowledge of many things. No favorite there either - I'm all about the world and making OCs. We have two concurrent WoW tabletop games running at the moment, so this is where most of my headspace is. Their shared timeline is different from the canon, so I'm not really in the fandom per se.

4. Mass Effect : Alien dating sim, my beloved. I even enjoyed Andromeda (jump jets implemented perfectly, fun combat, the Jardaan reminded me of Forerunners). If you ask me to choose a favorite, I'll cry. How is a mother supposed to choose between her two sons (Legion and Grunt)? Drack also gets an honorary mention for his 100s of low res pictures of guns email.

5. Elder Scrolls : Mostly Skyrim, some Oblivion. I know, I'm one of those fans. Anyway, I've probably played over 1k hours of Skyrim by this point and yet. And yet! I don't have a favorite. The entirety of the Companions? I just wish that the faction questlines in Skyrim weren't "you killed 3 wolves and have been here a week. You lead us all now", but it does give me good scaffolding which. As an OC fiend. Grabby hands.

6. The World Ends With You : This game made me good at calculus in high school. My favorite character from here is Sho Minamimoto, and I was a completely normal teenager who dealt with that by doing calculus problems for fun. Turns out, the trick to get good at math is repetition.

7. Pokémon : Probably my earliest fandom. Still play the games now and again, just got Legends Arceus (super late, I know), and that's been a lot of fun. My favorite character from the franchise is Sinnoh's Rock type leader, Roark. I had a long-running sideblog dedicated to the Sinnoh region because gen IV is my favorite in general! It's inactive at the moment.

8. Guild Wars : 2, to be more precise. I started playing about a month after release, and since it's f2p, I still drop in from time to time. Like every MMO, I have no favorites. I really love playing Sylvari, though! (The glow!! The nightmare!! The [[Heart of Thorns spoiler!!]] They're just so neat)

9. Star Trek : we're now getting into "shows I watched and didn't hate" because I'm definitely not in the 'fandom' for Trek. We've been going through the old series as a way to wind down before bed, starting with TNG. We're on Enterprise now, and I'm sad that it got canceled. Still will probably have a better ending than Voyager. I don't have a favorite, but I can tell you that the writers' collective favorite must be either Seven of Nine or Data.

10. Uh. Various anime? I can't say I've recently loved any particular series to the point of fandom, but as a whole, I've been a weeb since I was in middle school. "Recent" series that I've enjoyed have included Mob Psycho and Love is War. Coincidentally, they both saved the most banger opening for their third season.

We had to stretch a little bit, but we made it to ten! Proud of this community (this community is my brain desperately trying to remember 10 things I like)

Have no idea who's been tagged in this, so if you've done this, please ignore! Or reblog it again!

@miqojak @airis-ray @wilanserulia @ahollowgrave @blackestnight @starstrider @iron-sparrow @sumifinalfourteen @jump-n-dive @otherworldseekers

[dreaminghour]

Nixie tagged me in that 9 people tag game, so here you go 😂

thank you @nixie-deangel ❤️

1. 3 ships — right now my main brain rot is Qui-Gon/Anakin (QuiAni) but I'm also still obsessed with Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan (QuiObi) and Obi-Wan/Anakin (Obikin)... yes it's all Star Wars lol I've been into QuiAni and QuiObi for about a year (Sep '22) and it's been two years for Obikin (Sep '21)

2. first ever ship — omg... I don't know. it was probably something Harry Potter but I wasn't really into a ship over everything else per se probably until I got into Charles/Erik from X-Men First Class in 2011 :D I joined a fan exchange and posted my first fic on AO3 for that ship :3

3. last song — ラビリンス (Labyrinth) from Hikari Mitsushima and Mondo Grosso

4. last movie — had a nice movie night recently and rewatched Princess Mononoke

5. currently reading — I have a billion books beside my bed, last one I picked up was Witcher: The Last Wish

6. currently watching — Star Trek: The Next Generation now in the sixth season and I'm still occasionally sharing my silly thoughts

7. currently consuming — just finished my water and some chocolate raspberry ice cream

8. currently craving — hugs

9. tag 9 people you want to know better — @titaniumpsychologist @chibilostsoul @palfriendpatine66 @raeality @sarunohadaki @insertmeaningfulusername @piecesofeden11 @sugarpsalms @darbydoo22 @mikeygurl13

no pressure tho ✌️

[bibookmerm]

9 people you would like to get to know better

tag game time! thanks for tagging me @miscellaneums ! New post because the original was illegible.

Hope it goes without saying, to everyone I tagged, no pressure if you find this annoying!

1. three ships: Griddlehark, and...yeah no that's all that's on my mind rn lol. Aziraphale and Crowley get an honorable mention, always.

2. first ever ship: Wow, I don't remember! I would hazard a guess that it could have been Rose x Jade from homestuck. I think that's called grimbark.

3. last song: A Stóirín Bán by Aeons (I found them on Spotify looking for Irish language music and I love this whole album, Fís.)

4. last movie: I think I've watched a couple others more recently than this, but one I can't get over is Marry My Dead Body. Keep in mind before you watch it that the main character is a homophobic cop. :/ And it's a Netflix original. But honestly, great movie. It's funny, emotional, and really weird.

5. currently reading:

•Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey

•The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab

•The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix (the premise being "what if my mom fought Dracula")

•oh yeah, Dracula Daily, too.

6. currently eating: popcorn

7. currently watching: It's so funny that you mentioned JJK, Mars. I'm watching it now with my brother! I'm also watching Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Angel mostly in order. And Star Trek: Lower Decks.

8. currently craving: a nap, tbh.

9. tagging: @mxnotmrdarcy @aconfusedidentity @positivelyqueer @cyan-eyed-princet @b0rtney @princelydisaster @thespeedycricket

[fortheloveoflatinum]

Just Finished Watching Discovery Season 5 Episodes 1 & 2

Clickity-click below the spoiler bar to see my thoughts & reactions to the fifth and - sob - final - season of Star Trek: Discovery. SPOILERS ahead. Beware.

Well, starting en media res really worked for me - until the flashback scene. It felt like fluff and filler. Also, is Adira even old enough to drink? I don't think they are! They don't look it! Is skincare different in the 32rd century or what?

But what I did like - was the dynamic between Adira and Tilly. Here is Adira, basically a kid (see above point) and they are a product of their time - but so is Tilly. And they are thinking in a very 32rd-century way, and Tilly (presumably) has all the benefit of that knowledge but she was classically trained almost a millennium ago. And it takes Captain Rayner - a bridge of sorts - to shake them up and get them thinking. Really thinking.

This tells me two things: 1. Captain Rayner is going to be a great first officer, even if I do kind of object to it. I kinda feel that 'two is too many captains to have in the chair;' I honestly hope they demote him.

And secondly, I personally - I could be wrong - but think they're setting Adira up for leaving Starfleet. Don't quote me on this. Just a feeling that they're not long for the uniform. I mean, especially - the next episode being on Trill? Maybe they want to go 'home,' or at least to somewhere resembling home.

Also - who else is not-so-secretly hoping for a Dax appearance? I loved Jadzia! (Ezri not so much but she would have had potential if the writers hadn't thrown her at Julian.) I also kind of think it's a missed opportunity for a Dax first officer! Omgosh how cool would that be? I think that in terms of rank, only Worf and Jadzia ranked near to Sisko, and Worf came only later. I lose track of exactly when they each became Lieutenant-Commanders.

I also love the throw-back moments. To TNG. (Obviously, I'm going to have to watch the episode they're referring to.) I love the self-sealing stembolts.)

And I also kind of like the villains. Especially Moll. I've got a thing for villains, what can I say? Tarka was my fav - my absolute fav - last season - and I have a feeling I'll totally be shipping Moll and L'ak by episode 5 or sooner.

One thing that didn't impress me much? The dialogue. I kept thinking, "Hmmmm that's sort of cringe," or even, "Who would say that?" or the infamous, "You're saying that now?"

And the break-up! Between Book! And Michael! They are totally getting back together, though. You can see it in their eyes.

Also, the season-one-flashback conversation between Micahel and Saru was kind of heavy-handed. Don't get me wrong. I love Discovery. I do. It's my favorite Trek. But Season 5 is off to a tepid start. Every other season? Drew me right in. Maybe I can't enjoy it quite as well because I know it's ending.... I mean, both DS9 and Voyager ended in my lifetime too. I was watching Voyager as a child who was much too young to be watching Star Trek. But I waited to watch DS9 until just recently, hence I am a somewhat well-adjusted adult.

So yeah. My two slips of latinum.

[spockfallsinlove]

hey!! responding to your most recent post - I would definitely give SNW a watch, but here's a list of things I've noticed that are different/divergent from old trek that you might want to mentally prepare for: 1) they dedicate (what feels like to me) a lot more screen time to fight scenes than in old trek. it feels like there's at least one 3-5+ minute fight scene every episode, which I personally find boring/uncreative/a lil out of place for star trek. 2) others may not agree but I do feel like they're butchering Spock's character. I don't want to give spoilers so I won't say too much, but a lot of what's happening with him just feels unnatural and like they're not thinking of his long term character development. im also not a fan of their depiction of jim, but that might be more of a personal preference. 3) SNW in general seems to be following the trend of most modern TV shows where everything is high stakes and grim and overly cinematic (idk if that makes sense) with like super dramatic shots all the time and that kinda thing. I personally feel like relying too heavily on dramatic/aesthetic shots and montages leaves less time for scenes with more substance. 4) they changed the klingon head ridges?????? there's probably a lot more that could be said abt snw but I binged it all at once a couple of weeks ago and can't remember most of it lmfao. these were just the most obvious things I noticed without stopping to critically analyze it. I think they do a good job in regards to having moments of levity and actually showing the characters interacting casually, which I appreciate. hope this was helpful and not weird to send to you :)

this is very helpful and not weird to send at all!! i appreciate the info. it's nice to know what i'm getting into from other people's perspectives if i decide to watch it

[swedebeast]

What are the most important video games, books, movies, and/or tv shows that really shaped your taste today?

Oh man, the problem here is not just in remembering which ones that fit the bill but also reducing the numbers so this doesn't become a bloated mess of an answer.

Howevah, I will try.

Video games: I've played most genres growing up and it was a bit of console but gravitated towards PC pretty much by my mid teens. I really thing it was Civilization III that solidified by taste for strategy games after being exposed to Civ II in a bootleg CD game pack, but Red Alert really did a number on me as well - especially Command & Conquer Tiberian Sun. But I cannot lie, Fallout 2 and Fallout: Tactics were instrumental in developing my taste for RPG's and my borderline obsession with the post-apoc genres which I carry with me 25 years later.

I read much more when I was younger, but I only recently had a rediscovery of the earliest science fiction novels I read that without a doubt set the first brick on the road that I would go, and it was the Swedish YA Science Fiction series "Andromeda" published 1979-1986 (I even made a post about it earlier). I am sure it lead me to other classics like War of the Worlds which remain a favourite for me. That, and I think graphic novels might fit - and then Tintin, Spirou, Asterix & Obelix fit as formative. But also the more adult ones like Buddy Longway.

And movies.... man, apart from 1980's and 1990's Disney animated movies that I devoured, I have to say that monster movies of the same time remain close to my heart. Aliens, Predator remain favourites. Jurassic Park was fundamentally formative for a lot of kids of the time, but I also consider Tremors (one and two anyway) to be one of the most fun monster movies out there. In general though, I also think the bad movies that came out were also formative in developing my tastes. Everyone saw the Star Wars prequels - being any kind of sci fi fan meant that they were mandatory viewing - but they never *wowed* me. So, I knew I loved the originals more. Not fanatically so, that is more reserved to-

Jumping into TV-shows specifically, I can't understate how much Star Trek blew my goddamn mind. I have no idea where it started - I remember seeing mid-90's on Swedish Kanal 5 around noon on weekends re-runs of Star Trek TOS, later also DS9, I remember some of the earliest shows I pirated was TNG, AND also religiously watched Babylon 5 also on Kanal 5 when it was a new show, and I followed Voyager -and- Enterprise when they first ran on... SVT 1 or 2, 19:00.

And on that, I just remembered how much I followed ANYTHING Star Trek in the video game space as well. Starfleet Command, Bridge Commander, Klingon Academy, Elite Force, New Worlds, even games that were supposed to come out but never did (Like, Star Trek Borg or whatever the fuck).

But on the note of TV-shows and my youth, I would be remiss if I also did not give a shout-out to Babylon 5. I have a sweet spot for space operas, very much due to this show - and together with TNG it has made me a very, very picky fucker with my science fiction writing. It set a high bar for me. Thanks, btw.

In general, I can remember movies, shows, books and games I grew up with or at least had exposure to, but it takes some introspection to realize which ones actually influenced by - and then by how large of a degree. I still remember the ending scene from the "Death of Computers" Swedish cyberpunk novel nearly 30 years ago when I was not even 10 years old reading it - but did it really shape my taste in fiction? Did reading the follow-up novel give me a love for language, when a space traveler killing a giant alien bird with a laser knife on its last powerpack - but to avoid culturally contaminating the strange human cave men - at the end he just picked up a rock and gesticulated smashing the bird on the head - later on having his partner deliver her baby and the caveman midwife saying "flekka" - and it was strangely similar to the Swedish word girl - "flicka"? And this gave rise to a theory that these people were transplanted by some alien force?

No idea, man. But what I do now is that every so often I see if Good Old Games have released Klingom Academy yet - 23 years after its initial release - and I know that the main composers were two people collaborating, one is the original composer for TNG and also worked on several Star Trek game projects, and the other is Inon Zur - who later worked on Bethesda's Fallout games?

If these games and showes are not influences, I sure do think a lot about them.