#sonequa could still play her!!!!!

[coredrill]

also i’ve come to terms with things (<- a lie) and am willing to make a trade. since disco’s ending after s5, i’ll admit that star trek 4 is essentially a corpse i’ve been carrying around weekend-at-bernie’s style for 7 years if the next trek movie we get is michael burnham & disco-focused like 5 or 10 years down the line. like A DISCOVERY MOVIE COULD YOU IMAGINE!!!!!!

[eastsideofthemoon]

Celebrating Black History Month

Captain on the Bridge: CAPTAIN MICHAEL BURNHAM

Seasons 4 was our first full season of Michael as captain (finally)! So I'm reflecting on things she did that stood out to me. Also, it's Black History Month! She's our first Black female lead in a Star Trek Series and our first Black female lead captain, played brilliantly by Sonequa Martin-Green.

1. The Queen of Chaotic Ingenuity

Michael is a master of thinking on her feet. If a plan goes awry, she can course correct on the fly (bars). Honestly, we've seen her do this throughout Disco, but as captain, we especially see it in the season opener, Kobayashi Maru, with the Alshain (aka The Butterfly People). When their re-contact mission goes sideways, Michael is able to identify that there is an issue with their navigation and work with her crew to come up with a solution while being chased and shot at.

The Alshain did not report the problem, but by providing them a solution - no strings attached - Captain Burnham was able to win over their trust with the Federation.

2. Collaborator

I love how Michael respects the expertise of her crew and encourages their involvement with problem-solving. Having personally been on teams where collaboration was encouraged, it does a great deal in boosting team morale, building teamwork, and communicating through action that the individual team members' skills and ideas are valued. This is seen best in Anamoly and Stormy Weather. It's also seen with how she suggested to Book that he talk to Dr. Culbert. As a counselor, he's more equipped to manage Book's mental and emotional state after losing Kwejian.

3. Recognizing the needs of her crew

"All In" was one of my favorite episodes this season. The fun, the action, and Owosekun getting to shine. One of my favorite scenes was seeing how Michael responded to Owosekun's outburst with Saru from a previous episode. Instead of choosing to double down with additional punishment or verbal reprimand, she saw an opportunity to allow Owosekun to do more in her service to the mission at hand.

O: Why bring me?

M: Saru told me about what happened at the subspace rift. How you didn't want to stand down when he told you to.

O: I was totally out of bounds. I apologized to him.

M: I know. I also know how it feels to want to do something. Anything. And how it feels when you can't.

Michael recognized Owosekun's actions didn't come from a place of rebellion but a place of wanting to do more to help. Michael found an opportunity to allow her the space to fulfill that desire and utilize that drive.

Also, allowing a place on her ship that provides mental and emotional support for the crew via Dr. Culbert becoming the ship's councilor is the sign of a leader that cares about the whole health of her crew. Yes, I know other captains have had a ship’s counselor. The point it Captain Burnham does too and it deserves recognition.

4. Balancing her heart and duty

Captain Burnham had the challenge of being the supporting partner to the man she loved, who lost his entire home planet while maintaining her commitment to Starfleet. And she did a stellar job. Yes, she loves Book deeply and was willing to do all she could to help him. But when he went rogue, she chose to stay committed to the course of a peaceful first contact, despite it putting her at odds with the love of her life. Furthermore, when she thought Book died (Sonequa gave one of the best performances in Star Trek), she was still able to see the mission through, despite her heartbreak.

5. How she handled the Magistrate

Although empathetic to their plight, Captain Burnham still set clear boundaries with the magistrate about WHO has the authority, what WILL happen while on HER ship, and some food for thought when they arrive to wherever they find refuge. And she didn't have to raise her voice to do it. One's ability to yell at subordinates is not a true show of power and authority.

6. The Beginnings of a Diplomat?

Now we know Michael is a Kirk-type captain. And this season, she does not like politics or politicians. But during season 4, as much as she can’t stand it, we are shown that Captain MB may have the makings of a Diplomat as shown best in All Is Possible and But To Connect.

7. Leading a successful First Contact

Captain Burnham led a first contact like none other. A true first contact with serious stakes riding on its success or failure. After successfully getting through the Galatic Barrier (shout out to Detmer's immaculate piloting) and utilizing her (Michael’s) xenoanthropologic skills to investigate the 10-C's home planet, she along with some of the Federation's best had to figure out how to connect with the 10-C. A truly alien species, where universal translators failed to help with communication and who Starfleet had 0 records of. What makes Captain Burnham stand out is her willingness to step out on faith. She led her team on a mission on the 10-C's home planet to find some form of culture context to aid in their ability to communicate with them. It paid off. It laid the foundation for the first contact team and the USS Discovery crew to help understand how to communicate with the 10-C. Also, it should be noted that Michael admitted to President Rillak that she was angry, but we don't see her anger and frustration run her emotions or hinder her ability to command. I've seen people accuse her of being emotional. There's a difference between emotional intelligence and being emotional.

Also, I admire her recognizing when to take the lead and when to be a team player. As already stated, her calm demeanor and unwavering trust in the crew were excellent in helping them get across the Galatic Barrier. But she also recognized that it was President Rillak's voice that needed to be heard when informing everyone that the DMA moved to the Alpha Quadrant. It takes maturity to know when someone else need to lead and humility to let them lead. All of these actions lead to a successful first contact.

Conclusion:

In closing, Captain Michael Burnham is not the same Michael Burnham we met in season 1. In season 4, she has inner peace. She has a balance with human emotions and her Vulcan-trained logic. She knows who she is and has confidence in herself. Her duty to Starfleet and the Federation is matched with joy in what she's fighting for. Captain Michael Burnham is THE captain of the USS Discovery. No one else.

I want to end with this. There's plenty of room for more than one Black Starfleet captain. We can celebrate Sisko, Burnham, and Freeman in a way that respects them all. There's no need to pit them against each other. They all matter and are important in representing Black people in the future.

Happy Black History Month

[kalinara]

Dream Movie

It's the Dream Show challenge again! This time, it's a movie! I hope you enjoy it!

The Marvelous Ms. Marbell

Quick Synopsis:

Sweet elderly Ms. Mary Marbell has quite the reputation for solving murders. But when an unpleasant business man with more money than sense, and more enemies than either, is found dead in his office, Ms. Marbell's investigation takes on some interesting complications.

Annette Badland - Ms. Mary Marbell, amateur detective extraordinaire. But does she have some secrets of her own?

Annie Murphy - Nicole Fletcher, Ms. Marbell's trusted aide. Ms. Marbell has the sharpest of minds, but she isn't exactly adept at wiggling through windows or creeping into closets. So when the investigation requires a bit more physical legwork, young Nikki is happy to oblige.

Elden Henson - Detective Jack Winchell, the investigating officer. He's never worked with Ms. Marbell before, and he's quite skeptical of her reputation. At least until he sees her results.

Michael Shanks - Darren Holt - Our victim. An entirely disagreeable fellow who any number of kind, simple folk would love to see dead. But who could have done it? And why duct tape?

Jeff Goldblum - Aaron Jacobson - One of many potential suspects, but the one with the most recognizable face. He lost a lot of money due to one of Darren Holt's shady business deals. He also made his fortune in hardware, particularly duct tape. Could he perhaps be the murderer?

Sonequa Martin-Green - Tara Mars - An American blogger and investigator who has teamed up with a like-minded British counterpart. Ms. Marbell once proved her father guilty of murder, but Tara still has questions.

John Boyega - Stephen Smith - A British blogger and investigator. He's been following Ms. Marbell's exploits for years, and he thinks he's started noticing a few concerning patterns.

--

Full Synopsis:

Businessman Darren Holt has been murdered and Ms. Marbell is on the case. Despite the skepticism of her new "partner", Detective Winchell, Ms. Marbell thorough and gentle examination of witnesses and evidence soon bring results, and Aaron Jacobson is arrested for the crime.

But that's when Tara Mars and Stephen Smith show up, with a lot of questions. While Ms. Marbell has been investigating murders, they've been investigating Ms. Marbell and they've come up with one heck of an alternate theory for the crimes.

Is Ms. Marbell simply a brilliant, yet underestimated, amateur detective? Or is SHE the murderer, carefully choosing the most unlikable, distasteful victims so that she can send her real targets to prison instead?

Complicating the investigation is the discovery that Stephen Smith and Nicole Fletcher had once been very close friends in their shared Ms. Marbell fandom.

Ultimately, the murderer is revealed to be Nicole Fletcher. She'd long admired Ms. Marbell, and as the elderly sleuth's reputation began to fade, she'd taken it upon herself to provide new cases. She's imprisoned, Aaron Jacobson is set free, and a devastated Ms. Marbell returns to her sad, empty home.

In the coda, Ms. Marbell is visited by her long estranged grandson, Philip (as played by Arthur Darvill). As they enjoy the fresh air, she notices a very angry fellow shouting at the women on the street. "That one next," she tells her grandson, who nods solemnly as they continue their pleasant walk.

Bonus:

[moistvonlipwig]

OUAT Week Day 3: Favorite fan theory

Who was Tamara?

Allegedly from the Land Without Magic, Tamara knew of magic's existence, hated it, and wanted to destroy it. Why?

It's been speculated by many fans that Tamara was actually a fairytale/literary character of some kind. The question of which character is up for debate; there are plenty of potentially interesting options. I've seen old theories that she was Wendy Darling or Dorothy Gale from before we met OUAT's actual versions of those characters. Of course, thanks to Season 7, we know that there are multiple versions of each story in OUAT's world, so she could still be Wendy or Dorothy after all. She also could've been a fairytale character we never met -- Baba Yaga, perhaps, or Morgan le Fay. Personally, I would've loved it if she had a strong connection to the main characters besides just Baelfire -- imagine if she had been Maleficent's daughter who the Charmings kidnapped and screwed over, or if she had been Captain Hook's daughter, now engaged to his greatest enemy's son.

Regardless of specifics, I would've loved for Tamara to be some sort of fairytale/literary figure, and for her to play a larger role in OUAT's narrative. Her character had a ton of potential, and Sonequa Martin-Green would've absolutely delivered. Alas, this particular fan theory will forever be just that: a theory.

[lorcaswhisky]

What's Past is Prologue

I had never watched any Star Trek before 2017. It wasn't something that seemed like it was for me, it wasn't something that had ever really appealed, even. I wish I could say that I decided to watch Discovery because I wanted to broaden my horizons, or even just out of a sense of general curiosity, to try something a little different - the honest truth is that I'd heard Jason Isaacs had been cast as a captain, and Gersha Phillips (thank you, Gersha) had costumed him in tight blue lycra.

I thought I knew precisely 2 (two) things about Star Trek at this point: the captains were always uncomplicated good guys, and the shows were a fairly sedate, gentle romp. In my naivety, I thought it would be a nice, relaxing way to spend 45 minutes a week, admiring his bottom enjoying a performance by an actor whose talent I greatly admire.

Ahem.

I couldn't have been more wrong. First of all, relaxing and sedate and gentle and uncomplicated it was not. Secondly - it turned out I'd fallen hard for the characters and the whole, huge Trek universe well before Lorca and his tight trousers ever showed up in episode three, and it was a love that lasted long after his unceremonious dumping into the mycelial core.

I realised I was in trouble when I switched my computer background to a Discovery-era tricorder blueprint, but looking back, my descent was a gradual and steady one. I wandered down the lore rabbithole - what was that reference? Who's that pointy eared bastard? Wait wait wait there are different universes??? - and before I knew it, I was completely and utterly hooked. I'd fallen in love with Sonequa Martin-Green's performance, with the slow unfurling of this complicated, brilliant character, and the stories of her warmth and leadership on set. I'd fallen in love with the absurd plotlines, with the gorgeous costumes (thank you, Gersha), with the stunning visuals and design. I'd fallen in love with Star Trek, of all things. I wasn't supposed to fall in love with Star Trek!

I'm still feeling a lot of sadness about the announcement that it's ending, and anger about the way it's been handled - but instead of dwelling too much on that, I suppose I just wanted to share some of the ripples Discovery started for me. It unlocked something in my writing brain after a decade of block, long after I'd given up hope of ever writing again. The openness of the cast helped me to finally feel comfortable in my own queer identity. And most importantly, I've made some incredible, wonderful friends because of it. I know I'm not the only one. The show might be ending, but those ripples will keep going long after the theme tune plays for the final time.

Discovery is a heartfelt, frustrating, glorious tangle of a show, and I'm going to miss it so very much.

[stereogeekspodcast]

[Transcript] Season 4, Episode 7. Star Trek: Discovery Spoiler Review

The Stereo Geeks review Star Trek: Discovery. Spoilers!

Listen to the episode on Spotify.

M: Hello and welcome to a new episode of Stereo Geeks. Today, we’re diving into 5 seasons of Star Trek: Discovery. I’m Mon.

R: And, I’m Ron. 

[music]

R: We’ve just finished watching the series finale of Star Trek: Discovery, or Disco as it’s also known. So, there will be spoilers.

Overall thoughts

R: I’ve loved Discovery since the first episode. It was so exciting and unusual, and tense! Yet it existed in a world we have known and loved for so long. 

I was immediately taken by Michael Burnham, played by Sonequa Martin-Green. She has the best character arc of any Star Trek character, and there have been so many! She’s aspirational but oh so human. I am going to miss seeing Michael every week.

R: I would say season 5 is a great send off for this show and this gorgeous cast of characters. We got a very fun adventure story, high stakes, so many Easter eggs, and wonderful character relationships. That last episode was so Star Trek and so emotional. 

M: Disco’s been a complex journey for me. I think season 5 is a particular high. The storyline and direction and acting has been outstanding. But I’ve grappled with a few demons with this show. I’ve often felt like I want to defend it, even when I don’t agree with it. 

But I love these characters so much, and I wish we’d got to see more of them.

R: This is also the show that gave us Star Trek’s first canonically queer romance. We have Hugh Culber and Paul Stamets, played by Wilson Cruz and Anthony Rapp respectively, and they’re together from the very first season. They each have their own personal arcs but they go through so much together. Discovery always knew how to bring them back to each other without it seeming forced. I love them and their little family with Adira. 

Criticisms

R: Seasons 3 and 4 were the weakest of the show. As much as I love the future Discovery landed up in, it felt like the show was a little lost with what to do when there wasn’t Star Trek lore ahead. I wish we’d got the cohesion of season 5 in season 3. I still love every season though!

M: Yeah, totes agree with you there. Season 4 actually made me wonder what the hell I was watching. But funnily enough, some people thought it was the Trekkiest thing the show had done. So, there’s a win out there for everyone. 

M: If I’m honest, there’s a huge part of me that will never get over the heartbreak of losing the Shenzhou, its crew, its vibe, and especially its captain. 

R: Absolutely. Captain Georgiou and the Shenzhou were what captured my attention in that very first episode. Seeing Michelle Yeoh in the captain’s chair made me realise how far we’ve come. For her to be taken away after just two episodes was so hard. I love Emperor Georgiou, but she’s not our Captain. 

M: I have never seen an actor belong in a role and a franchise more than Michelle Yeoh as Captain Georgiou. I thought we were headed towards watching a show about a badass female captain of Asian origin, with her stone-cold Vulcan-raised Black female first officer, but we didn’t get that. 

I’ve been trying to re-learn to love the show ever since. I do enjoy it, but my heart isn’t totally with Disco. It doesn’t help that Disco then made me fall in love with Ash Tyler, only for him to turn out to be a murdering turncoat Klingon.

R: Oh yeah, you can’t give us a wonderful character like Ash Tyler and then he turns out to be an evil Klingon in disguise! We have so few South Asians in Star Trek and Shazad Latif made Ash such a lovely and tortured character. And Ash’s romance with Michael, another pairing we rarely see, of a South Asian character and an African-American one. How could they take this away from us?

R: One of the characters I really enjoyed watching was Oded Fehr’s Admiral Vance. Not sure why there are so few ethnic names in Star Trek, by the way? But Fehr owned that uniform. The future that Discovery was in seemed so alien at times and it was good to have a familiar face guide viewers through it. 

M: Yeah, loved Admiral Vance though we didn’t get to know that much about him. Weirdly, the show has given us some amazing white male captains/commanders–they’re not all good people, but they’re memorable. Jason Isaacs’ Gabriel Lorca, Anson Mount’s Christopher Pike, and now Callum Keith Rennie’s Rayner, why are they such outstanding characters, while our characters of colour have either been left behind, or weren’t given that much emotional heft?

R: I agree 100%. Pike was so loved, he got his own show. And I still miss Lorca, even though he was awful. We had so many people of colour on the Disco bridge but nobody got the kind of depth the white dudes did. 

Having said that, I freaking love Callum Keith Rennie! Can we talk about what a fantastic addition he is to the Trek-verse? We’ve been watching him since we were kids and now he’s an angry first officer in Star Trek! He was amazing. Knew when to step aside and let Sonequa shine. Their chemistry as captain and commander was probably the best on the show. Just shows you what magic can happen when you’ve got great actors. 

M: Funny how he pops up everywhere. 

The final season

R: After season 1, this is my favourite. Every episode had at least one scene which made me go, oh this is so Star Trek. It’s how we felt about Picard season 3. Maybe having a finite end to the story forced the team to tighten up but whatever it is, this season was perfect for me.

M: The final season is literally the best of the show. It’s so tight, and so exciting–introducing the world of an old villain, the Breen. And the connections to the weirdest parts of Trek, the Progenitors, really work. I love that the message is, there is no end to learning, about us, about evolution, about anything. I love that. 

R: I was unsure of Moll and L’ak as antagonists though. They’re lovers on the run. How interesting could that be? But the show kind of handled it well. They were like the Ferengi. Very foolish and impulsive. L’ak literally dies from a stupid mistake!

M: Yeah–the whole star-crossed lovers thing dragged on too long, when the real enemy was the Breen and we should have seen more of those political machinations at play. 

R: Adira and Grey’s curtailed story was probably the biggest disappointment for me this season. Adira is the only nonbinary character in Star Trek, and played by a nonbinary actor, Blu Del Barrio. They are a joyful addition to the show. And complete the adorable queer family that is Hugh Culber and Paul Stamets. I’ve always loved how the two of them stepped up as Adira’s parents. 

R: Grey was the first trans character played by a trans actor on Star Trek. He spent so much time being dead and then had this short and cute romantic storyline with Adira. But in season 5, they get one episode together and it’s to break up? Wouldn’t it have been better to have them decide to do the mature thing of working this out long distance? I hated seeing our queer munchkins breakup!

M: Grey deserved better in general on the show. I’m glad Ian Alexander came back for an episode, but to have a trans actor on the show and get so little screen and character time, sucked.

M: I feel guilty saying this, but the penultimate episode was so dang good that much of the finale fell a little flat for me. 

R: That penultimate episode was stellar! The tension, the action, the humour, the editing, Jonathan Frakes in the director’s seat, he just knows this universe. Every time I see his name, I’m like, okay this is going to be the best episode. And it was! 

M: I was very emotional during the goodbye scene in the finale though–when the characters were saying goodbye to each other, but it was also a way for the cast to say goodbye to each other, and give the viewer a chance to see allllll the Disco crew come together to say bye to them.

R: Michael Burnham looking directly at us got me. 

Why you should watch this show

M: Disco has never got the love that it deserved. It was the first Star Trek show since Enterprise was unceremoniously cancelled in 2005. Disco heralded the era of Nu-Trek, which came about at the worst time—2017. 

The world, especially the US, is being drowned by fools who can’t consume any form of media without tearing it apart for no other reason than it doesn’t star people who look and act exactly like them. 

Disco came in swinging with a Black woman in the lead, gay characters and actors in the main cast, and lots of inclusive characters and plotlines across the seasons. People dunked on it because it didn’t feel like OG Star Trek–as if nothing new could ever come of a franchise that was created in the 1960s.

R: The reaction to Discovery and a Black woman being in the lead has made me wonder whether Star Trek fans ever really understood the point of Star Trek. Infinite diversity in infinite combinations has been the series motto but that was only okay for the “fans” when there was a white dude in charge. Don’t they understand the meaning of those words?

M: These people take passive viewing to a whole new level! They didn’t absorb even the most obvious point of Trek—being different is normal and accepted. 

But we’ve loved Disco from the start. My criticisms aside, Disco is eminently watchable, and re-watchable. In fact, after finishing the whole series, I feel like I need to go back and watch the evolution of Michael and the rest of the characters’ relationships on the show. 

Also, because of the serialized nature of its seasons, Disco is actually perfect for marathon-watching. You literally can’t stop watching from one episode to the next, especially as the clues for the plot are littered throughout the season, reeling you in. 

The Characters

M: I do want to give a shoutout to the Disco Bridge crew—the actors and the characters. A lot of them are Canadians, because the show is shot in Toronto, so that’s extra special to us. But more than that, these supporting roles filled out the world of Discovery and I was always excited to see them get their character moments, even when they’re for only a scene here and there. In another universe, where Nu-Trek got 22-episode seasons, we’d be seeing Rhys, Detmer, Owosekun, Christopher, Linus, Bryce, Airiam, Nhan, as well as the season 5 crew, get full-on arcs. But that wasn’t to be. And yet, they’re a part of Star Trek and an integral part of why I love this franchise. I foresee them living on for a long time in Star Trek books and other media. I hope. 

R: I missed seeing Owosekun and Detmer on the bridge in season 5. I understand the actors had other commitments and the new helm crew were incredible but I missed the two of them. But I loved that they came back, as did Bryce, for Face the Strange and the finale.

Speaking of Face the Strange, seeing Airiam again this season really got me. Season 2’s Project Deadulus was such a gut punch and seeing Airiam again was emotional, to say the least.

M: Project Deadulus was also directed by Frakes, I might add. 

R: Ah. That’s why it’s so amazing!

Season 5 also brought Tilly back. I am so glad that Tilly got to be here all season. She’s one of the few plus-size characters in Star Trek and she’s such a joy to watch. Just happiness and understanding. She’s had such growth throughout the show and it always felt well-deserved.

R: We are going to miss Star Trek: Discovery but I’m so glad we live in a world where it exists. We got these amazing characters, great stories, and so many wonderful memories. For the very last time, Let’s Fly.

[youngpettyqueen]

I was writing last night so I didnt liveblog my thoughts on it but! I am officially all caught up with Discovery, until s5 premieres later this week. gonna discuss my thoughts below, so spoiler warning!

overall, I really like Discovery! I love the characters, I love the dynamics between all of them, and I think the plots each season have been fun. sure, some of them are a bit convoluted, but hey its Star Trek so I expect that

I think jumping 930 years into the future helped with some of the issues I was having with the first 2 seasons, in that it was really hard to see this series as a prequel. ive talked a lot about how while the writing and everything made it clear this was a prequel, it just didnt look like a prequel. now, it doesnt have to, and the writing isnt held back by having to be a prequel, so we get to see and do some really cool shit. the new species introduced were awesome, ive loved seeing the federation come together, ive loved seeing different species we already knew and loved but so far in the future. I think the choice to go so far into the future was, overall, a good one

I think my biggest gripe overall with Discovery is that so many characters just. dont stay dead. I think this was fine with Hugh, I thought how they did it with him made as much sense (as much sense as anything in Star Trek makes) and it was pulled off really well, and I was satisfied from a writing standpoint and from an emotional standpoint. with Gray it was... fine. it was well-explained, but a bit of a cop-out. still, fine. Book's made me roll my eyes. im sorry, his was stupid. here's why I think so

I like Book. im not super attached to him, but I like him. I liked the conflict with him in s4. and I thought his death was actually done really well. it was sudden, and jarring, but you also realized pretty quickly that yeah. it was always going to end this way. Michael did everything she could, but she was never going to be able to save him. for a brief moment we think maybe he's saved, and then he's gone. it was harsh, but it was good (lemme give a shoutout to Sonequa Martin-Green's acting again cause her crying is VISCERAL) and then its immediately undone because Book is miraculously saved by 10-C. so, now, on top of having a cop-out resurrection, we also have an established pattern of Discovery being unwilling to kill characters and keep them dead

this isnt true with every case, of course. Discovery has absolutely no problem with killing villains and minor characters, and even killing characters we're familiar with but who dont play major roles. but now that we've done this resurrection thing multiple times, its going to affect how I view s5 and any situation they present where a major character might die. the emotional stakes just won't be there, because im gonna sit there and think about how we've been here before, and its never stuck. ill have a hard time taking any of those situations seriously, because ill be wondering how theyre gonna bring them back this time

that said, im still excited for s5 and cant wait to see what it has in store. of the newer Treks ive seen so far, Discovery is definitely one of the better ones. its absolutely better than Picard. I have a hard time comparing it to Lower Decks, since theyre such vastly different shows, but ive enjoyed it just as much as I enjoyed Lower Decks. from what we saw of the SNW cast in Discovery, im now cautiously optimistic that ill at least enjoy the characters in SNW, even if I have to deal with. another prequel

I probably won't liveblog Discovery s5 when I watch it, just to avoid spoilers. so, see yall when I start SNW tonight!

[onaperduamedee]

1, 2, 6, 8, 10 for any/all Star Trek :)

Hello again and thank you for your asks!

This got long so I am giving an out to my follower :

1. What originally drew me to it:

Okay, needed background here: I have tried to get into Star Trek in the past, both the original series and TNG. It didn't impress me. I didn't have time for this many men on a ship and the world itself wasn't enough to keep me invested. Here comes Discovery, with her Captain Georgiou and her First Officer Michael Burnham... Yeah, now you have my attention.

Even if Philippa didn't stay long, I was so drawn to Michael's story (and the terrible injustice she suffered, but that's for another time) it didn't really matter that the worldbuilding wasn't as compelling to me as Doctor Who or other sci-fi shows. Women fronting the show got me into Star Trek, and now I started watching Voyager and feel way more generous toward TNG.

So, whenever I see people complaining about the changes made to an adaptation or reboot that supposedly betray the author, I want to say "hello, those changes were for me. They got me into this fictional world, they helped me appreciate the greatness of these stories I had dismissed before. How can it be bad?"

2. What I like most and least about it:

I like that the show is essentially about a system that holds at its core humanism or universalism. It's about the people in this system and how human and alien and different and similar they all are. In a way, it is an office drama set in an administration, except the civil servants in this story have to fly across an asteroid field while leaking oxygen every once in a while.

I don't like the veiled military propaganda and how globalised the vision sometimes feels. It isn't always the case, but it does at times feel like an American utopia where the US expanded and unified an infinity of worlds under the Federation. It's probably a bit difficult to explain to North Americans, but it's a franchise that feels very American and it can be at odds with the proclaimed universal ideals.

6. A character I'd like to frame and hang on my wall and admire like a work of art:

MICHAEL BURNHAM

I used to want to know so much more about her and the way she ticks, how she is the way she is, what she is? She has always been layered and fascinating, but these past seasons she let go of so much guilt burdening her. Seeing her blossom as captain has truly been the most joyous experience, to the point where I could almost (but not quite) forgive the show for the hoops it made her go through. She is a joy of a character, both because she is incredibly entertaining (adrenaline addict much?) and because she is an endless source of questions and mental essays to me. Also, she's played by Sonequa Martin Green.

8. The character with the greatest wasted/unexplored potential:

Philippa, both prime and mirror, always and forever. I still can't believe the show had Philippa Prime and went "nah, this one's boring alive." Mirrorgiou is another matter since what we got was extremely enjoyable and I thought we were getting more, yet I am not holding my hopes up for a Mirrorgiou spin-off anymore. I fear a morally dubious Asian queer ex-spy in her sixties does not seem marketable enough to the higher-ups.

10. A ship I would gladly go down with... and then become Davey Jones, so I can continue to captain said ship for eternity

Milippa, both prime and mirror/prime.

A gift of a ship, with a dream of a blend, mixing duty, remorse, familiarity, devotion and banter, with a delicious twist of monsterisation when Philippa comes back as the Emperor. What do you do when the person who was your safe place, your rock, you blueprint for seven years comes back as something twisted and cruel? Do you kill her? Do you let her run free and tarnish the legacy of your beloved? Do you resent her? Pity her? Do you despise yourself for still feeling so much for her? If Philippa is Michael's Patroclus, Mirrorgiou is her undead Eurydice and I am here for that. The thing is, while both are completely different dynamics, they feed of each other so deliciously. It's like a perpetual angst machine.

[resplendentgoldenwings]

The Hope That is You II

So I’ve been meaning to do a longer post about the series finale of Disco but honestly I’ve just really been sort of absorbing it and the two previous episodes these last few weeks. Anyway here are my thoughts.

I haven’t seen much talk about the actions sequences (and yes I know Star Trek isn’t about fight scenes and shit but sometimes it is). Man I loved that shit, ok. Sonequa is a great physical actor and Michael is obviously a very physical person. That whole turbo lift scene was just blew my mind. Like grrrl what is you doin’? I love that Michael is just that fucking brave and bold and physical and terrifying and just out here kickin’ ass and takin’ names. There have certainly been better action scenes and fight scenes in shows but the intensity of that one- I loved it!

Watching her and Book handle Zareh and Ossrya was like yessss! Queen. From “Up here you sonofabitch!” to “No win scenarios, I don’t believe in those.” I was one super happy fangir!

After There is a Tide, I kinda wanted Ossyra to live and hang around for a while. I felt like the episode added some interesting depth to the character, especially since she was being somewhat honest and perhaps genuinely willing to be not horrible. Then Wednesday happened and we still have leaders quibbling about whether or not a certain megalomaniac should be impeached or put on trial because “maybe it’s divisive, maybe it’s not expedient and we need to heal” blah, blah, blah!

 Meanwhile that ass-hole is still making threats and we’re gonna live with what he stirred up for a long time (truthfully I don’t think I’ll rest easily as long as he’s alive, the piece of shit) so it was nice to see a leader who knew and understood what needed to happen, and even nicer to see that tyrant get what the fuck she deserved in the end. It may not be the Star Trek we want but damn if it ain’t the Star Trek we fucking need. 

It was also really great to see the crew working together, to  learn more about Joann and have that moment of Michael and Sylvia’s friendship be so helpful.  Also Joann and Kayla, a couple? Y/N

Book can fly the ship, woohooo!I know some people were a bit confused about the fact that Book could just fly it immediately but the way I understand it Stamets added the tardigrade DNA to his own and that allowed him to navigate the mycelial network itself. Book as an empath wouldn’t be able to navigate the network but the network is an intelligence of a sort that he could communicate with and ask for help. Like how he and his brother asked the locust to go somewhere else.

One moment that really stood out to me was when the crew reunited with Michael on the bridge and Tilly asks Michael to lead them, saying that they all wanted her to take charge. Tilly is radiating so much defeat here and while I was happy to see Michael taking charge I felt so bad for her.

First she never should have been put in that position and second while I think there were things she could have done differently in that moment it seems like even a more experienced officer would have lost the ship under those circumstance. I also caught Michael reacting to it and I hope Tilly’s now damaged confidence is revisited going into s4.

Speaking of Tilly not being ready for command who is Michael’s first officer going to be? I’ve seen two suggestions that I really like. Hugh Culber or Jett Reno.

 Jett Reno is my fave suggestion because I think she would serve as a great counter balance. Michael is level headed but extremely passionate and her emotions run deep. Reno is super steady and I think Michael would benefit from a really, steady down to earth first officer. Unfortunately this won’t be happening Tig Notaro, the actress who plays Reno, doesn’t want to take on a full-time gig, damn it.

Hugh Culber has a similar steadiness but such warmth, compassion and patience that he would be a great support and sounding board for Captain Burnham. And we already have another doctor who takes charges in the sickbay and Dr. McCoy was 3rd in command on the Enterprise if Bones can do it than so can Culber. 

These are my two favorite suggestions. Someone also suggested Owosekun which makes sense and it would give us the chance to get to know the character more. We could go with an outside hire which also makes sense. Discovery should have a liaison officer from the 32nd century. Sure they can look up information in the computer but having someone on hand who knows the places, the politics, the history would theoretically make things go more smoothly. Book can fill that role to an extent but they need someone who knows Starfleet’s current relationship with the rest of the universe first hand IMHO, so I’m all for an outside hire.

I’m just gonna say it Paul is a contentious ass-hole but honestly it’s also what we like about him. Difficult is what he brings to Discovery. And while we can empathize with Paul not wanting to lose Hugh a second time, especially since he’s been through it the first fucking time I hope with all my heart and soul that Michael doesn’t apologize to him or try to make things right. The decision she made to not go back for the away team was the right fucking decision. She’s captain now and this won’t be the last time she has to make a decision like that either. 

What I’d prefer to see for s4 regarding Michael and Paul is that maybe he has an attitude with her for a bit but then Michael has to do something similar with Book (he survives ofc) but Paul actually thaws then. He’s thinking she’s gonna be a hypocrite and inflict things on her crew that she isn’t willing to inflict on herself. Basically he thinks she’s selfish rather than having grown but when that isn’t what happens he ends up being the first to want to reach out to her. Both to maybe comfort her if there is a time where Book’s status is unknown and offer an apology.

It’s not on the captain to make amends for being the captain, it’s the crew to live with it or leave. 

I know this post is like super long already. I wanted to add some stuff about Su’kal and Saru but that’s honestly a whole other post on its own so maybe later. Right now just really looking forward to s4 and finally see Captain Michael Burnham, let’s fly.

[discotreque]

Disco 3.09: Terra Firma (Part 1)

That scene of [spoiler] flat on the ground getting just systematically pummeled by [spoiler]—punch after punch after punch after punch—was a perfect metaphor for what the themes this season have been doing to me emotionally. It’s been a pleasant, if occasionally heart-wrenching, surprise to feel something about this show besides “whoa, cool CGI!” or bone-chilling dread—but hopefully Season 4 won’t feel quite so much like it’s being aired directly at me.

So I went zero for two on last week’s predictions in the first goddamn scene, lmao. Turns out the post-TNG combadge on Vor’s early-TNG uniform was just a VFX mixup in the trailer, since he’s seen with the correct oval-backed delta in the actual episode—so that’s neither a meaningful plot element nor a cute inside joke about historical accuracy over the centuries, shame. Still got to see Gersha Phillips’s take on a spandex front-zip, though—that piping! *chef’s kiss*

I also thought Georgiou’s condition was “obviously” something engineered by David Cronenberg’s character (subtitles say his name is Kovich). Apparently he didn’t cause what’s happening to her; he’s just here to explain it. Now if only he’d explain what the fuck is up with his tie...

Speaking of the unfortunate Lt. Cmdr. Yor—he was from the fucking Kelvin timeline??? I wasn’t sure they’d ever acknowledge that in prime canon—and I don’t think the mainline Trek universe has ever been called “the prime universe” diagetically until now, either. (“Why not The Mongooses? That’s a good team name! The Fighting Mongooses.”) I especially love what a small connection it is: one guy crossed over from there, a long time ago, in what was apparently a one-off incident. (He also arrived a year before Lower Decks S1 is set—will we see an animated Vor on the Cerritos next year?)

Tilly: *aggressively eats lunch with you*

You can see how the hope and idealism of Discovery’s crew has softened Admiral Vance—his conversation with Captain Saru was so mentorly and almost tender that it gave me the terrible, terrible feeling that his character growth, and especially his soft “See you when you get back,” mean that he’s definitely going to be killed by Ossyra before they actually get back :(

Likewise, Georgiou’s goodbye scene with Saru and Tilly was a transparent attempt to manipulate my emotions, and guess what? I was successfully manipulated 😭😭😭

As a “computer person” myself, I found Adira forgetting to un-pause their descrambling program—then thinking, since it wasn’t running, it had broken—almost painfully relatable 😩 Also in that scene, Stamets sticks up for Gray’s presumable intentions in (sorry for this...) ghosting Adira (...it was right there!), and Adira says, correctly, “but he doesn’t get to decide what’s good for me”—and speaking of painfully relatable moments, I loved Stamets’s reaction there.

When you’re an adult of a certain age and you’re talking to someone a fair bit younger, you’re sometimes confronted with the uncomfortable reality that wisdom rarely comes from quantity of experience alone. To grow wise, you have to experience things that teach you important lessons, and you have to be willing to learn from those things. That can happen at 16 or 46, and realizing it’s more about luck than time when you’re closer to 46 than 16 can give you a little existential vertigo. It’s a lovely grace note in Stamets and Adira’s relationship (and Anthony and Blu’s performances!) that Paul doesn’t always have the high ground when it comes to emotional intelligence.

SPEAKING OF PERFORMANCES, just drive a truck full of Emmy statues up to the Martin-Green household and dump it out on the lawn. Every one of Prime Michael’s pangs of hurt and confusion and desperate affection for Phillipa comes through loud and clear—and Mirror Michael is just unhinged. Sonequa Martin-Green is one of the greatest acting talents any Star Trek production has ever had, she’s clearly having the time of her life sinking her teeth into this role, and it’s a genuine fucking privilege to watch her work every week. I can’t decide whether I want Evil Michael Burnham to have a SUPERLATIVELY AWESOME death scene or show up again down the line as a recurring villain—but this is Star Trek, so you never know, we could easily get both.

David Ajada shows up to collect a paycheque, ask Saru if there’s room in the A-plot yet for Book (not this week, sadly), and walk around looking like the goddamn Wikipedia entry for "compulsory heterosexuality" in yet another long black sweater from H&M’s 2019 "Gender? I don’t know her" collection. (Face it: there’s no man more attractive than a fictional one written by a lesbian.)

I guessed last week (privately; no points) that the barren planet we saw them on in the trailers was going to have some kind of Guardian of Forever situation, but I didn’t expect Paul Guilfoyle to be there, and I did not expect Carl—who, sort of like how Book has a Star Wars vibe, feels right out of Doctor Who.

(The only other headline in Carl’s newspaper that I could make out, by the way, besides the big one about the emperor, was about the USS Jenolan having gone missing—the ship that crashed into the Dyson Sphere with Scotty in its transporter buffer, as seen in TNG’s “Relics.” Easter egg? Or plot point???)

Michelle Yeoh has been so great in so many ways on this show, but she outdoes herself in this episode, in every single scene. Just like Michael Burnham, Georgiou was conceived as a one-season character—she wasn’t designed to have room to grow—and Season 2 didn’t really do anything to write her out of that corner. Season 3, though, has done a really compelling job of giving her interesting things to do and interesting ways to change.

And sending her back to the motherfucking Mirror Universe is possibly the most interesting way to show just how much she has changed, holy shit. (I guess Carl didn’t read about the Interdimensional Displacement Restrictions in that newspaper of his.)

There are two legitimate reasons for sending characters to an AU with extremely out-of-character doppelgangers: to highlight something about our regulars through contrast, and/or to let the actors vamp. The MU arc in Season 1 was grim and almost entirely joyless, and didn’t really shine a light on anything in the prime universe—it was just a generic escalation of stakes for our heroes. The Klingon War was the frying pan, and the MU was the fire.

This time we actually learn things about these people: Georgiou, of course, but also that the “real” Captain Killy has a lot more of Prime Tilly’s trademark nervous disposition than Prime Tilly pretending to be Captain Killy. (Too bad Killy’s destined to get blown up by Klingons with the ISS Disco in the Prime Universe.) It was also a ton of fun to see Rhys and Owo as deadly rivals, Rekha Sharma as Evil(...er?) Landry again, and Bryce throwing knives in the mess hall—at, please correct me if I’m wrong, a brunette Hannah Cheeseman as an un-augmented Airiam?????

Also, I don’t know why they got Mirror Stamets of all people (inventor of the evil spore drive—not, as far as we know, also an evil slam poet) for that dramatic recital at the evil ribbon dance, except I know exactly why: he’s played by Anthony Rapp, who’s a goddamn treasure. And Georgiou changed the timeline here—Mirror Stamets was still alive to get phasered by Mirror Lorca in S1—but I hope we come back to the MU in Season 5 and Stamets is somehow, inexplicably, still around—only to get killed in a hilariously blasé way again, because—again—he genuinely sucks at like, the logistics of betraying people.

Finally, those adorable little DOT-7 drones... but make them eeeeeeeevil.

Next week: We must leave behind all of that which destroys us. A mood for 2021 if ever I’ve heard one. (Plus, Mirror Saru grabs a dude—either Mirror Culber or someone else in medical red—and bodyslams said dude into the ceiling, which... is also a mood for 2021, tbh.)

[twdmusicboxmystery]

Suspicious Questions in the Cast Trivia Battle

Hey everyone! So, just before Christmas, someone sent me something about a TWD Cast Trivia video. I hadn’t heard anything about it, but quickly located it on YouTube and watched it. So, let me first give you some background for what this was.

Emily had participated it, so I was hoping her appearance could be another “weird” thing we could see as a TD-themed appearance. Strictly speaking, it didn’t entirely work out that way. But that doesn’t mean I was disappointed, either. It was just different than I expected.

Why couldn’t we call her appearance a TD thing? Because both Sonequa Martin-Green (deceased character) and Andrew Lincoln (alive, but not currently on the show) were there. So it’s not like Emily was the only deceased or “just gone” character who participated.

And before anyone rushes off to watch this (I’ll drop the URL at the bottom) let me say that I honestly didn’t love this. The reason they did it (and this is probably why it wasn’t widely publicized) was to support two local Georgia politicians who were trying to get elected to the senate the first week of January. Obviously, I don’t know anything about these guys or their politics. It wasn’t that that bothered me. But rather that every two minutes they did a political plug and it felt more like a political rally disguised as a zoom call (which I suppose it was supposed to be) than a TWD thing. That’s all.

So, Emily’s video appearance at the end was a plug for people to vote for the politicians they were supporting. And the actors proclaimed their love for Georgia and being able to work in Georgia and why this senate race is so important. Yada, yada. Like I said, I don’t judge them for it, but I found myself yawning because I don’t live in GA and obviously don’t have a stake in their local politics.

However. There is a silver lining.

The trivia questions. My jaw dropped open at some of the questions they asked. Most if not all of them had ties to TD in some way. And some of them were so obscure, ONLY a TDer would recognize them.

So, the first questions were just goofy things where they asked everyone to imitate iconic things. The first was to imitate Rick saying Carl’s name. The second was to imitate Shane saying, “Let me tell you something.” And the third was just to imitate Daryl grunting. Lol. All good fun.

Then they got to more trivia-like questions and this is where it got really good.

First question: who dropped the key to Merle’s handcuffs down the drainpipe? Answer of course was T-Dog. Honestly, I didn’t right away read into this as being TD. If anything, I just thought it was interesting that it concerned T-Dog, given all the weirdo stuff that’s happened lately about he and Emily being in the bonus episodes.

But given all the other questions they asked, I’m definitely side-eyeing it. We could see it as the beginning of a sequence where a character (Merle) disappeared and then reappeared several seasons later, alive and well. Of course there’s the key angle (Key Theory). And then the Emily/IronE thing.

Second question: What number did Shane wear on his necklace. (!!!) I can’t believe they actually asked that. Has everyone read @frangipanilove​’s Shane/22 theory. If you haven’t, do so HERE. But the point is, if you were ever skeptical about that theory, this just proved that it’s something they want us to pay attention to.  

Third question: I don’t remember how they asked it, but something about a grain Georgia exports. The answer was sorghum. Not a huge TD symbol, but given that grain can be turned into alcohol, and we saw it heavily in S6 around Denise….

Fourth question: What are Rick’s favorite statues at the airport doing? (This is a reference to the ones he discussed with Clara in 4x01.) The answer: playing leap-frog. (Frog = resurrection symbol.)

Fifth question: In what Atlanta hospital did Beth become a prisoner. Danai got it right.

Sixth question: Where, on his body, did the Termites start eating Bob? Again, not super TD, but of course Bob was a Beth proxy (X) and the fact that they focused on his missing leg is important, I think. (X)

Seventh question: What animal did Enid eat before she got to Alexandria. Answer: A turtle. (Turtle Symbolism.)

See how much TD stuff they included?

They asked what song Negan made Carl sing (You Are My Sunshine). Heaven knows TD had a heyday with that.

And there were a few that were kind of meh. What was the name of the woman at Alexandria who wanted a pasta machine (Ms. Nedermyer). And what did Deanna Monroe do before the apocalypse (congresswoman).

And there were other goofy ones about who would die first in other series (like Seinfield, the Simpsons, etc.)

Others I wrote down:

What trio saved Glenn and Tara in S4? (Abraham, Eugene, Rosita).

Whose house did Morgan stay in in ep 1? (I didn’t write down the answer, but no one knew it.)

Who was Eugene’s fake boss that he talked about? (T. Brooks Elison). I’m not going to go into this one too much here, but we (especially @wdway​) have been finding a RIDICULOUS amount of symbolism around Eugene, especially in past seasons. We didn’t always catch it before, but knowing what we know now, to go back and see the symbolism in those early episodes is jaw-dropping.

What tissue sample did Jenner accidentally destroy? (TS-19).

What fake name did the Gov give Tara and her sister originally. (Brian Heriot – side-eying that one, too. X.)

Then they did one where YNB would say a title and the actors had to say whether it was a real title or not. We can definitely read into some of these titles, but not all. The ones she named that were real were This Sorrowful Life, Dead or Alive Or, First Time Again, Twice as Far, A Certain Doom. The fake titles she gave were Beginnings End, You are Welcome, Gun Shy, Walker in the Well, A memory of Mercy, and The Grimiest Day Indeed. Lol.

In terms of the real ones, This Sorrowful Life was the ep where Merle died. Not only is he a character that disappeared and then returned to Daryl’s life, but Daryl and Beth discussed him in Still. Dead or Alive Or suggests resurrection. First Time Again and Twice as Far suggest a return or redo. And A Certain Doom was the CB issue where Andrea died.

Even the fake ones sort of imply something. Beginnings End sounds like Alpha and Omega. GUN shy. Walker in the Well is obviously supposed to be about the well walker in S2, but it also evokes water. Mercy was a title in S8, but I think a memory of mercy could apply to Beth. You get the idea.

So that’s pretty much all I have to say about it. I didn’t love all the political stuff, but the questions definitely felt purposefully TD to me. Thoughts? (Watch the video below.)

[biscuitreviews]

Biscuit Reviews Star Trek Discovery Season One (SPOILERS)

So I know I normally review games, but I figured I’d try out a different review, mostly because I have a lot to talk about with one of the new Star Trek series, Star Trek: Discovery. I recently subscribed to the CBS All Access streaming service and granted it was mostly for Picard, I figured I’d give Discovery a go in between episodes.

As for my history with Star Trek, it’s been around for pretty much my entire life. My dad is a huge fan. I remember that he used to have a huge VHS collection of TOS and TNG. My first introduction was actually through TNG and it holds a special place in my heart. I’ve also watched every series minus Enterprise (will soon be remedying that), watched every movie, was in the initial launch of Star Trek: Online and watched the fan series Star Trek Continues, where despite being “fanon”, has been regarded by Rod Rodenberry as the true continuation of TOS and has gone on record multiple times that his father, Gene Rodenberry, would consider the series canon. 

So yeah, I’d say Star Trek is a pretty big deal for me.

This review is going to cover the entirety of season 1 for Discovery. I won’t break down episode by episode as the season did have a continuing storyline throughout the entire season. I will go ahead and state that I’m not going to harp on the inconsistencies of Discovery’s technology. I know season 1 takes place 10 years before TOS. In fact, I gave it a pass because when it comes to long lasting sci-fi IPs, I feel that it’s an issue that has to be forgiven. How the 1960s audience viewed the future is vastly different than how we today view the future. So with that all of the technological inconsistencies, are just going to get a pass. As far as the subject of Lore such as well established events within Trek history, that will be taken on a case by case basis and I’ll be explaining those in my review as well.

Oh, and I will also be mentioning spoilers for season 1. A lot.

I walked into Discovery with an open mind, I was actually excited for the pitch on how it followed a first officer and would be more of a personal story. Discovery follows Michael Burnham (portrayed by Sonequa Martin-Green), first officer of the USS Shenzhou, a human who was raised by Vulcans. Immediately I loved this idea as Michael Burnham, which is traditionally a masculine name, is played by a woman and a person who identifies as a woman pushing another boundary that names are just names, they got no gender.

Even her backstory on how she got adopted by Vulcans was intriguing. Her home was attacked by Klingons which resulted in the death of her parents. This not only created depth but immediately establishes that Discovery is very much Michael’s story. Then came what is what I consider the biggest blunder to Michael and perhaps her greatest weakness. The Vulcan who adopted her was Sarek, Spock’s father. 

This is the first case of lore that I have a problem against. For one it’s never been mentioned that Spock had a sister, adopted or otherwise. Now you can argue that the idea of Spock having a sister is open to debate as Spock himself has teased that in the movies when he mentioned having a brother to Kirk. However, we never got any actual confirmation that it was the case. Also, we see that Sarek actually has somewhat of a close relationship with Michael which goes against Sarek’s character in that point of time in the Trek universe. Although Sarek is more open and accepting to emotions, he always still projected the outward appearance of Vulcan logic to his peers and his son. He was also always stand-offish towards Spock, yet despite that he did a lot for Spock and tried to teach him both his Vulcan and Human heritages. There’s also another issue with the Sarek/Michael relationship that I have that I will expand upon later in the review.

If you thought lore inconsistencies would be my major sticking point, my other major sticking point is the first two episodes of Discovery. These episodes cover the event that started the Federation/Klingon war in TOS, an event that would be known as The Battle of the Binary Stars. What’s my issue you might ask? This very episode actively contradicts a certain event, an event that Discovery itself established. That Michael’s home was attacked by Klingons. How does it contradict this? By having Captain Georgiou say in the same episode and to Michael that Klingons have had no known contact with the Federation for 100 years.

Now, we don’t know how old Michael herself is, but I’m assuming her tragic backstory happened 20+ years ago. Last I checked, Michael and her parents are considered Federation citizens. Having Klingons attack what is a Federation outpost, I would consider that a contact. So to have a character say that didn’t happen, when that very contact makes up Michael’s backstory was quite a head scratcher. You could argue that maybe the Federation is trying to cover that up, but if that’s the case, they’re doing a pretty terrible job by allowing one of their leading ambassadors to adopt a survivor of this attack and then accepting that survivor into Starfleet.

Aside from that bit of lazy writing, there’s also some really stupid character and narrative decisions that occured within the first two episodes. I feel that these two episodes were prisoners of the established lore so to keep in line with that, they tripped over themselves to make sure said event still happened.

You have Captain Georgiou not listening to Michael. Michael tells her how the Vulcans managed to open a dialogue with the Klingons. Despite Michael giving Captain Georgiou a proven working tactic, Gerogiou actively does the opposite thing saying, “no we can’t shoot at them, we have to talk, peace, Federation principles.” Yeah, but Federation principles are also figuring how to communicate with a species and seeing how Klingons respond with aggression and you have Michael who is citing how Vulcans established contact, nope, we gotta talk to them, not shoot them.

Now, there are a couple of sticking points that the first two episodes also show. For one, the Klingon redesign. Klingons have always had lore inconsistencies in terms of their design so I don’t see a reason to give Discovery grief on that so it gets a pass. The other point, Michael being labeled the first mutineer, with as controversial as that is among the Trek fans, I’m letting that one slide as well. I know TOS said that there has never been a mutiny on a Starfleet vessel. I know technically Spock was the first mutineer but even TOS itself has been weird about that detail. So, I feel that argument doesn’t really hold much water to count as a lore inconsistency if even the established canon likes to be wishy washy about the fact.

Anyways, it’s not until episode three that we finally get to the titular ship and meet its crew. We have Captain Gabriel Lorca, First Officer Saru, Lt. Staments, Chief Medical Officer Hugh Culber, and Cadet Tilly. There are some other regular crew members throughout the entirety of the series, but they have such little screen time that I’m not going to count them.

As far as supporting cast goes, Captain Lorca actually does an excellent job in helping establish that this Trek series is different than the usual fare. It’s more focused on war and he considers himself a Soldier more than he does an explorer. Saru, is by far the best new character introduced to this series. He’s a new race never before seen in the lore and the past he shares with Michael during the Battle of the Binary Stars creates good drama and tension in all these fronts. Staments is researching a new travel method that involves space mushrooms and his personality falls under the “cold and jerkish, but has a heart of gold” trope. He’s also the resident gay and how Discovery showed his relationship with Dr. Culber was so beautiful and amazing, that I really wish other series would take note. Then it had to do the typical “kill the gay” trope and it lost my respect.

Then there’s also… Ash Tyler. He is perhaps the most mishandled character in the entire Trek series. Honestly, he felt like someone that was just written to create problems for the sake of creating problems. I don’t mind showcasing PTSD and bringing awareness to it. But when you constantly throw the guy with PTSD at Klingons and even acknowledging it multiple times that’s not bringing awareness, that’s terrible writing and a blatant lack of understanding. Let’s not forget he’s also a result of Klingon torture, experimentation that caused his personality to be shared with a Klingon personality, brainwashing, and rape. When he recognizes something is wrong, he reaches out for help, but what does everyone do? They just keep bringing him on missions and then yell at him for fucking up. The crew keeps telling him he'll be fine, it will pass he has their support and then proceed to chastise him for not seeking help and having their back when he was having a mental episode.

The series also brought a classic TOS antagonist as well, Harry Mudd (portrayed by Rainn Wilson). I have to say if there was a way to bring a classic Trek character to help build the universe and show the relation between Discovery and TOS, having a minor antagonist from TOS was a great way to build that bridge. I’m talking about the episode where Harry Mudd attempts to steal the Discovery and he tries to do it in the most Trek way possible. Creating a timeloop with technology that is beyond our understanding, but alien enough and futuristic enough to have the audience intrigued about how the device itself works and the cast also trying to figure it out and finding a solution.

There’s also two other classic Trek trope episodes, first contact and saving an ambassador. First contact was amazing and further showcased Saru as a Starfleet officer. The saving an ambassador episode was a bit of a mess.

In the ambassador episode (which is episode 6) Sarek’s ship has been attacked by...Vulcan logic extremists. This is something that I’ll admit was a really tough pill to swallow, Vulcan logic extremists? I was against the idea at first but then I sat down and tried to think logically. I mean it’s not unheard of, as we do have Vulcans in the Maquis during the TNG and DS9 era. Having a Vulcan terrorist organization on Vulcan would make as much sense as there have been Vulcans in previous series that are in terrorist organizations. Then there’s also the Vulcans that followed and worked with Spock during his attempts to broker peace with the Romulans during the TNG era. They too were considered extremists, so much so that the Federation ordered Picard to get Spock for fear that he was defecting. So having a Vulcan logic extremist group actually isn’t as much of a leap as I initially thought.

However, it’s the event that followed the attack I have issues with. After the terrorist attack, Sarek reaches out to not Spock, but Michael. This is an issue because it’s been proven that although Sarek can be a bit callous, he will always reach out to Spock in times of trouble and need. I feel like Sarek reaching out to Michael, as he is possibly dying, is a bit of a slap to the complicated relationship showcased between Sarek/Spock throughout the years. “Sorry Spock, got to make way for your adopted sister that was messily written to have connections to us in an attempt to get the long time Trekkies to buy in the series.”

As mentioned previously, I want to make it super clear that I have no issues with Michael Burnham. I just wish that the writers treated her character with more respect to allow her to be her own character rather than have a sloppy connection to legacy characters. I feel that Michael would have stood out more if she were adopted by a Vulcan that was not Sarek, but rather some other Vulcan. I feel by having a different Vulcan adoptive parent, Michael could have had a lot more room to grow as a character. You want the connection to Spock still? Fine, make them childhood friends or something else other than adoptive brother/sister. Make them Starfleet Academy rivals, I felt anything would have been better than Sarek adopting Michael.

Then there’s the Mirror Universe, which I’ll admit the multiple episode arc that covered the Mirror Universe gave me a love/hate feelings. First, I do love that it continued and added on to the fan theory turned canon event of the USS Defiant being shifted to the Mirror Universe in the past. I love that it touched more on how a Prime Universe person, living in the Mirror Universe can take a toll on them as they do things against their morals to stay under cover. TOS only scratched the surface and with Discovery taking it further and actually having that impact Michael was truly a nice change of pace to other instances of Trek characters encountering the Mirror Universe.

But there were definitely weird moments. Again, continuing to put Ash Tyler in situations that trigger his PTSD or his dormant Klingon personality, Captain Lorca actually being from the Mirror Universe. Now I’ll admit I wasn’t a fan at first, but the way he left the Mirror Universe and returned was such a Trek way of going back and forth, I can’t help but actually admire it.

Of course we run into counterparts of other characters as well. For example, we find out that the Mirror Universe version of Captain Georgiou is actually the Emperor of the Terran Empire. It was such a beautiful build up and made so many changes to Michael and bringing the Emperor to the Prime Universe could and does lead to some great dilemmas. However, there is one very tiny thing that I feel negates all of that and something that plagued Discovery in its first two episodes. Being a prisoner to established canon. When Discovery makes their way back to the Prime Universe they are ordered to never reveal the discovery of the Mirror Universe to anyone, because you know, Kirk hadn’t found it yet. So how does Discovery explain this? The Klingons can’t know about alternate universes and that it’s possible to travel to them so they are ordered to never reveal the possibility of alternate universes.

Anyways the Federation is on the verge of losing the war and desperate means call for desperate measures, that being genocide. Now it’s the not first time the Federation has threatened to commit genocide, they’ve threatened to do that in the established canon a few times as well. TNG did it, DS9 did it, Voyager did it, and from what I can tell, Enterprise did it too. So being in the corner that they were in is not uncharacteristic of the Federation, especially with how desperate they were to turn the war around. It also establishes Emperor Georgiou as a recurring antagonist to appear in future episodes.

After turning the war around, the Federation and Klingons agree to end hostilities, the Klingons are united as one empire and glorious speeches all around then off to Discovery’s next mission: Escort Sarek to Vulcan and pick up its new Captain. However, during the journey, Discovery picks up a distress signal from none other than the U.S.S. Enterprise and ends with the classic ending theme from TOS, which I’ll admit really hit hard and brought many happy feelings.

Discovery does have a lot of potential. However, I feel the writers are trying too hard to keep within established lore. The attempts to also sell Michael as the sister of Spock holds her back so much that it weighs her down unnecessarily. A lot of issues I have with Discovery is with its writing. It has all the ingredients to be a great series, but it was greatly mishandled. I feel that if Discovery was either not a prequel series, or a prequel series that didn’t try to play coy with established events the first season would have been great. With as big as a universe there is to play with, they could have had the potential to truly explore new worlds and ideas and it wasn’t seized upon. Hell, despite a rough beginning, it had a great idea with introducing the theme of war it established in the beginning and how it affects someone on a personal level.

However, despite the good, it was mishandled in so many ways and did these new characters more of a disservice than anything.

Star Trek Discovery receives a 2 out of 5

[homenum-revelio-hq]

Welcome (again) to the Order of the Phoenix, Seb!

You have been accepted for the role of BRANWEN YAXLEY with the faceclaim of Sonequa Martin-Green! We adored your application for Branwen! You really took the bio created and brought her to life in your own way! We especially loved the bias/prejudice section and how you really went for the nitty-gritty and didn’t hold back. We’re so excited to have her on the dash! 

Please take a look at the new member checklist and send in your account within 24 hours! Thank you for joining the fight against Voldemort!

OUT OF CHARACTER:

NAME: Seb

AGE: 21+

TIMEZONE: CET

ACTIVITY LEVEL: I‘m on my winter-break for three weeks now, and while it might get busy for me around Jan and Feb, I should still manage at least one reply daily.

ANYTHING ELSE: Nothing really. Thank you for asking <3

CHARACTER DETAILS:

NAME: Branwen Yaxley

AGE: 30

GENDER, PRONOUNS, and SEXUALITY: Cis female. She/Her. Hard rock gold star lesbian with a(n unpopped) cherry on top.

Her sexuality was always something she was very straight-forward about. She was probably introduced to the term ‚homosexual‘ as a slur at first, and immediately decided to defend it, not even knowing what it actually meant. By the time she found out, she had spoken up about it too loudly to retrieve her opinion quietly. And because it seemed so magnificently radical to call herself a Lesbian and be attacked by homophobes first hand (which gave her a reason to do what she does best: fighting) that it became an identity she wore on her sleeves from a young age on.

I like to imagine that the pureblood side of the Wizarding World was – even in the 60s and 70s – less open about such topics than the Muggle World. The pureblood mentality is all about passing on ‘pure‘ genes, isn‘t it? Which could mean that they see homosexuality as something standing in the way of such goals. Nevertheless, I don‘t think Branwen would‘ve been quiet about her identity. For one, because it told the sweet, quiet and closeted pureblood girls that they were very welcome to approach her in the shadows of certain corridors at Hogwarts, and for two, because most pureblood families raised their daughters to be perfect future wives. And this train had long left the station for Branwen. Her parents – who still think this is just a phase and will pass eventually – always knew Branwen would choose a husband fit for her rough and brawny attitude herself. So as long as they think this will still happen, they mostly refuse to talk about it with her. After all, the Yaxley name will live on whether Branwen has children or not: through honourable, righteous Corban. The one everyone is so goddamn proud of…

So, yes, Branwen has made her experiences, with emotions as well as short-lasting relationships, but only ever with other pureblood girls. After all, even if an accidental child won‘t be a situation, the mingling of bloods is just ‘wrong and disgusting’.

(note: I just want you to know that personally I dislike the term ‘gold star lesbian’ as it‘s usually used to invalidate gay people‘s identity based on their past relationships, and the same goes for ‘popping a cherry‘, for obvious reasons. But when I thought about how Branwen herself would answer this question, this was the exact phrase that came to my mind. The nuances of terms don’t matter to her at all as she doesn’t care at all about offending people.)

BLOOD STATUS: Pureblood

HOUSE ALUMNI: Gryffindor

ANY CHANGES: I‘d love to change the FC to Sonequa Martin-Green. While Mackenzie looks very cool and has strong brawl vibes, I think Sonequa fits those vibes very well too.

She’s unashamed of who she is but, because of siding with the Order, does have to restrain certain parts of herself. I’d like to express this with some hair symbolism: whenever she’s being herself, unrestricted from either side, she wears her hair natural and open. Willing to fight anyone who might want to say something negative about her appearance. But then, for example when she joins the Order in a battle (or in smaller situations in which she has to act in a way that is unlike her), she prepares by braiding her hair. For this symbolism, I think black hair works best. It holds the most meaning, considering our society‘s prejudices against it, and that‘s why I‘d prefer Sonequa over Mackenzie!

Also, giving her a non-white FC is a nice way to visualise her name, which means ‘beautiful raven‘.

CHARACTER BACKGROUND:

PERSONALITY:

There are three things one needs to know about Branwen:

She knows exactly who she is. She acts before she thinks. She is unapologetic and relentless in what she wants and does.

I looked up the etymology of the name ‘Branwen‘ but accidentally typed ‚Bram‘, which apparently is the old English word for ‘broom‘. Even though the name Branwen has a different origin, I had a good giggle and it gave me a good idea to explain her personality. On the one hand, Branwen is extremely skilled on the broom, most likely having played on the Gryffindor Quidditch team during her years at Hogwarts (as a Beater, naturally). On the other hand there is this a German adjective, borstig, which means to be like the bristles of a broom/brush. More than any other, I believe that this adjective describes Branwen perfectly.

She is like the rough bristles of a broom, sweeping over whatever surface she deems messy, tearing everything away from their peaceful state on the floor, allowing no failures on her side. Crash your hand directly into the bristles and you might even draw blood from the wounds, but run your fingers over them carefully, putting up no counter-pressure, the bristles will tickle you at most. Perhaps even feel like a gentle caress.

When crashing your hand into the bristles:

It’s important to understand, that she doesn‘t prick for the sake of pricking. Nor is fighting for moral reasons. She‘s not a Nora Lynch type of a personality, despite their similar willingness to quarrel.

There‘s a saying which goes, your bubble of freedom ends where the bubble of freedom of another person starts. Branwen‘s bubble is larger than most people‘s. To be comfortable she needs to be able to swing her arms and be able to express herself loudly. She takes up a lot of space, not minding to take up other people‘s space but minding very much when other people take up hers. Whether it be opinions, physical space or emotions, she knows exactly who she is, anyone opposing her beliefs is – in her opinion – someone who tries to minimise her bubble of freedom. So when she pricks, it‘s not because quarreling with people is a way to alleviate boredom, but because she deems it necessary to gain her freedom back.

When gently touching the bristles:

In return this means that Branwen is – as long as one lets her be who she wishes to be – quite the enjoyable character. Because she‘s the opposite of whatever ‘social anxiety‘ is, she‘s easy to be around. There‘s no awkward silence, no struggle to understand what she wants, no hesitation when it comes to making plans. She leads the conversation, and because there‘s no topic too private for her, she can and will lead those conversations easily to blush-worthy places. 

She‘s always up for drinks and jokes, adores hearty jokes, never says no to adventures, and while she doesn‘t really care about ‘deep‘ topics or philosophising around, she does care about the problems of those she considers friends. The aforementioned caress, is a genuine one. It’s not particularly deep, has no healing effects, but it can soothe a momentary itch. She will lend you an ear and give you concrete advice, usually even offer to deal with the problem in question herself.

This being said, there is one scenario where she restricts herself and turns a little stiff, and that is when she speaks to Muggleborns or half-breeds.

Around all Order members she wears a mask of civility, which holds in her prejudices much like braids keep her hair tied back, making sure her fight for personal freedom never turns political. But around Muggleborns and half-breeds she’s too aware of how different she is from them.

Perhaps it’s something akin to disgust, but perhaps it’s also the fear that if she gets started on fighting for her freedom around them, she might go too far and unmask herself completely. She‘ll warily stalk around small-talk and listen more than she speaks, which is unusual for her. No leading of conversations, instead she allows herself to be led – but put a pin in this, we‘ll come back to it later. For now it‘s important to know that Branwen is not at all the same person around people she likes, and people she is convinced don‘t deserve her respect. People who thinks might one day take away her freedom on a political basis.

All in all, Branwen has the kind of personality that allows for fun threads. The war doesn‘t affect her the way it affects most Order members (again, put a pin in that) and so not all her conversations turn around its effects. There‘s no heaviness to her, no sorrowful pondering or air of hopelessness. After all, what has she got to lose? This being said, stir the conversation towards something she has an (utterable) opinion on, and you‘re in for a ride. (As long as you‘re not a Muggleborn, as previously mentioned.) She knows no shame, never thinks back about where fights went wrong, always runs head-first into what many people would consider ‘taboo topics‘. And even when fists and curses come and go flying, she will never think herself in the wrong. After all, she‘s not the one who started. It was her freedom bubble which was being stepped on! She only defended herself!

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE FAMILY:

To understand Branwen, it‘s vital to understand her family, her paternal side, the famous Yaxleys, as well as her maternal side.

Part of the sacred 28, an – in Branwen‘s opinion – honourable circle of British purebloods, the Yaxleys are Scottish and have their seat in a grand castle in the highlands, not too far away from Hogwarts. Most of the sons who carried down the name were in Slytherin, however it is not uncommon for the daughters of this family to land in Gryffindor, showing that the Yaxley‘s priority has always been honour and pride.

Lachlan Yaxley, Branwen‘s father, is your typical Slytherin. He‘s two-tongued and cunning, ceaselessly putting the appearance of what he does over its actual content. What he wants, he‘ll fight for with all his might, but contrary to his wife, he fights for it in the shadows, silently, in a way that leaves no traces of the sharp, unforgiving violence he exerts.

Bethan Yaxley, born Burke, Branwen‘s mother, went to Gryffindor. Although from another generation and an even stricter familial background, she always showed signs of rebellion, of a will to fight. Raised to be the perfect bride one day, always taught to be lady-like, beautiful and adorable, her ways to get what she wanted were never concealed or performed in secret. Stand in between what she wants and herself, and your life might literally be in danger. She‘s no less violent than her husband, but while his violence shows itself in emotional abuse, always making sure he‘ll be able to call himself innocent afterwards, she‘s unapologetic about her ways.

In fact, while she had been engaged to marry into the Yaxleys from a young age on, she decided herself that she wanted the older, instead of the younger brother. Her ways to get him were never concealed or performed behind closed doors, on the contrary, the whole Wizarding World watched as she made her family even more noble, even more rich, by catching Lachlan and putting him into her pocket. Did Lachlan disagree with what she wanted (his money, his nobility), no one ever learnt about it, though. He must’ve not been too disapproving of Bethan’s determination though, or else he would‘ve had his own, quiet ways to stop her. After all, make no mistake, just because he seems more subdued compared to her, it doesn‘t mean he‘s less powerful in their relationship.

Growing up as the daughter of two people, who, on the one hand, encouraged Branwen‘s large freedom bubble, always teaching her to take what she wanted, never make excuses, and on the other hand, had their own very large freedom bubble, which was so easy to overstep, was anything but easy.

The abuse – as modern Muggle psychologists would call it but which Branwen‘s would never see as such – strengthened her. From a young age on she had to fight for every inch of freedom she wanted to claim for herself, be it something small like which books she enjoyed reading (”Really?“ her father would always ask in a skeptical, hostile way. “That‘s something you enjoy?“) or who she knew she truly was (the day she came out to her parents, her mother wiped a spell over her, leading to a permanent scar across her shoulder which she carries to this day).

Psychologists would also be able to detect the ways it weakened her. Her fear of actually letting people come close, scared they might judge, scared she might never get the freedom back, for example. Her inability to be soft and gentle. Or her constant need to be right, as though allowing another opinion to co-exist with hers, would negate who she is as a whole person. Or her actual physical flinching at the idea of befriending a Muggleborn.

But Branwen would never admit to that, perhaps hasn‘t even figured it out herself yet. She firmly believes it made her strong, and perhaps it did. The ability to unapologetically demand what she wants, what she believes she deserves, it is a type of strength. To get through battles and duels with a grin on her face, because what is there more familiar and home-feeling than fighting with others? To never step down from a childhood feud that started for a reason no one quite remembers, simply because she can. To never hurt when yet another girlfriend ditches her, after all, she wasn‘t raised to share but to be self-sufficient, raised to never need people‘s friendly words and gentle touches…

To her, her surname means power. It means protection and honour, and she carries her head high because of it. Being way more outspoken about it back when she was at Hogwarts, she has however stopped mentioning who she is all the time now. Perhaps because the Order wouldn‘t see this as something positive. Perhaps because slowly she has stopped seeing it as something quite as positive either. Before, she was quite indifferent about the prejudices the Sacred 28 fostered, not really caring about the ‘deadborn‘ and enslaved Squibs, and definitely not bothering to question what there was to hate about Muggleborns. Nowadays, she still doesn‘t really care about any of that, but she understands that her noble name comes with those opinions.

However, she’ll never renounce this name. She won‘t let her parents disinherit her, she won‘t let herself be burnt off the family tree, she won‘t do anything that‘ll risk her nobility. Even if that means that one day, she will have to let her bubble of freedom burst and submit herself to her mother’s control… But it’s worth it, right? To give up ‘Branwen’ to be a proper ‘Yaxley’? After all, this name means strength. And she is strong because of it. If she were to lose her name, her family, what would be left of her? And, who knows, even though she’s determined to win this war to stick it to her damn cousin, what if they lose? At least she’ll have a proud title to go back to.

OCCUPATION: Blacksmith and vendor at Potage‘s Cauldron Shop, the Knockturn Alley branch.

After some splendid suggestions from the group, I have come up with a little idea: Wizards can conjure material goods but only for a limited period of time. It is therefore only logical that they need to buy the objects they expect to last for a whole year or longer, such as cauldrons. And therefore it is just as logical that those objects need to be manually crafted.

If some cauldrons are more expensive than others then it’s because they are more sustainable, and this is achieved by the kind of metals used, but also by the magic woven into them as they are crafted over a real flame (considering that elemental magic is the oldest and purest form, therefore also the strongest form of magic).

Branwen is clearly not in need for a job. Even if her parents disapprove of her choices, they still believe she‘ll come back around to marrying and giving the Yaxley genes to a child one day. (The name and heritage will follow Corban’s bloodline, anyway). They support her with a huge monthly allowance that make working obsolete. So why is she doing it anyway?

Well, the truth is, she started to work at Potage‘s Cauldron Shop because the branch in Knockturn Alley allowed her to overhear the telling chit chat between family members. Sellspeople are so easily overseen by the rich… It was one of the plans she had with which she talked her way into the Order. Told them that she had a great job where she could innocently inquire about this and that and learn about what was going on with the Dark Lord‘s supporters via their wives and babbling children. And because the shop is close to Borgin and Burkes, where a paternal great-uncle of her works, it not only put her parents at ease knowing he‘d look over Branwen, but also allowed her to be alone often, it was a winning argument.

What she tells her parents and everyone of the noble Pureblood Society, however, is: „I‘m doing this for fun.“ And it might‘ve been a lie once, but is it still?

Certainly, working as a friendly sellperson is mostly out of character for poor Branwen, who struggles with just letting the hostile comments of clients wash over her, but damn is she good at finding exactly the right cauldron the person is looking for. She‘s not someone who gives up or half-arses her job. If she is asked to help someone, find the exact right cauldron for a very specific potion, then she will not rest until that very cauldron has gone over the counter.

One day however she couldn’t find such a cauldron. So she went down into the cellar where the cauldrons are being made and it was the start unexpected: she began forging cauldrons herself. Manually. In the roaring fire, she‘ll stand for hours and hours, one hand holding the potion-soaked hammer, in the other the metal, as her mental strength turns into physical strength. She doesn‘t stop when the soot covers her face, doesn‘t stop when her clothes drench from the sweat, doesn‘t stop when her muscles begin shaking under the hard work. Seemingly inexhaustible she forges, refusing to think about how this work comes from a time when Muggles and Wizards still shared lives.

No one knows that she is more than a vendor, other than the other blacksmith, and she needs this to stay that way. She is proud of every single one of the cauldrons she makes, knowing they are perfect, but she is not proud of the manual labor. Yes, there is magic involved, but still. She is a Yaxley! And this is lower class labor at best… But there is something about holding the heavy hammer, about feeling the fire burn in her lungs that keep drawing her back down into the cellar, and she can‘t explain what it is. In a way she doesn‘t want to think about it, because what if she began to admire Muggles for their manual labor too? Began to envy them to live in a world without magic…

ROLE WITHIN THE ORDER/THOUGHTS ABOUT THE ORDER:

I think the bio does a beautiful job at explaining how Branwen feels around the Order.

On the one hand she just couldn‘t care less about the cause. She doesn’t care about morals or politics as long as the hierarchy of society stays in a way that she can keep her power, money and title. Most Death Eaters, she assumes are good, upright citizens, family and friends, who are just concerned about the Wizarding World. Not everyone who‘s on the Dark Lord‘s side immediately wants all Muggleborns dead, right? Most of them just want them apart so they can‘t mingle with the purity of their beautiful magical world, and isn‘t that very sensible? Surely most Muggleborns must agree, too!

On the other hand she has begun caring for the Order members. I love this part a lot so I don‘t want her to be too far into this caring yet but want to develop it as I play her. I don‘t want her to be too enamored with everyone just yet, but enough that she‘d consider some of them almost friends. When they talk to her about their private problems, she finds herself caring, and while she might hold back from seeking out their friendship, it‘s definitely begun forming, slowly, quietly, within her. No matter how much she pretends it hasn‘t, she can very much feel it. This feeling of fondness. Of admiration. Adoration, at times, even.

She values strength, doesn‘t she? She loves fighting and honours those who fight bravely as well. So this means two things:

One, her purpose in the Order is exactly that. She‘s not someone who will spy in other camps, or sit at home watching over a map like Edgar. She‘s someone who wants to be out on the field, her wand in her hand, curses on her tongue. And because she lacks moral values – the Death Eater values as much as the Order values – she has no trouble fighting with all her heart. She just wants to win, what for, it doesn‘t really matter. She just doesn‘t want to lose and so she fights without hesitation, and the other Order members will know that. That‘s perhaps why she‘s made it to Mid-Level at this point: because she has proven herself to be trustworthy on the battlefield. No hesitation, no laziness. When she fights, she fights. She‘s in it, with her heart, head and muscles.

Two, she has seen other Order members fight like that as well. When she initially joined she didn‘t know what she got herself into, perhaps even thought that they‘d need her to win this war. After all, they were just some silly rebels who just happened to oppose her cousin‘s side, she didn‘t really have faith in them. That‘s why she joined. To prove her cousin wrong. But then the months went by, years, eventually, and Branwen had to learn a harsh lesson: those people weren‘t joking around. They weren‘t wimps. They weren‘t pitiful. They were everything she had ever wanted to be, and at times even more.

Usually, when she argues with someone, duels them, she has no emotions or opinions about it afterwards. It‘s never really personal. During her time with the Order, she quarreled a lot (mostly with non-Muggleborns as explained above), however it never left her quite as cold as fighting did when she was young. She began rethinking what people told her in those arguments. 

And instead of despising her for being so head-strong, she began admiring them for it. Especially because they didn‘t fight like her father did, with jabs and a smirk, solely to leave you emotionally wounded. They didn‘t do it like her mother did it, with physical violence, rather wanting to lame you than to allow you to take up space. No, what they did, how they defended themselves, is by simply … standing their ground. By reminding her of other people‘s freedom she endangers. By taking her by the hand and guiding her to show her that them (the people who they‘re trying to defend) being free, doesn‘t necessarily mean she won‘t have any left for herself. That true freedom means freedom for everyone.

She‘d rather cut out her tongue than speak about this to anyone, but it‘s there. This knowledge. She knows it has happened. She knows how she feels. And she fears how it‘ll make her decide one day…

SURVIVAL:

Being a pureblood with a well-known family, she doesn‘t struggle much in this war. As long as she gets her few hours at Potage‘s in, no one wonders what she‘s doing during the rest of the time. She officially lives with her aunt in a city house in Wizarding London, but she mostly comes by to take a shower and change her clothes. Most of the times she‘s out at night, enjoying life, not worrying too much about all this war-trouble, and convincing people to let her stay in their bed. Yes, bed. Do you think a Yaxley would settle for the couch?

In recent times, she‘s begun sleeping over at other Order members’ places more and more often. Perhaps because they don‘t ask questions like “so what are you going to do with your life now”? Perhaps because … no. Branwen refuses to see them all as friends. Some perhaps. Close acquaintances who she happens to trust with her life. But friends? Never.

And yet, when she speaks words of comfort, holding them shielded from dark incidents, promising to be there for them, she can‘t help but wonder how much of her freedom she‘s already given up for their love.

It conflicts her greatly. You wouldn‘t see it in the way she interacts with people, but it almost scares her, all this. The idea that they might lose this war. Because it would make her cousin all too happy, yes, but also because, well, what would happen to them? Trial? Azkaban? Death?

She condemns no one from her family to be on her opposing side and yet is quite glad they don‘t know on which side she‘s on. Perhaps because she knows that one day she‘ll see her parents‘ shoes under the Death Eater‘s robes and will have less than a second to figure out on whose side she‘s truly on.

RELATIONSHIPS:

It is safe to say that Branwen never really had friends.

At Hogwarts she was the kind of person to throw those (in)famous Gryffindor parties; aword from her and everyone would come. She knew everyone, and everyone knew her. A party thrown by her meant a good time. And people usually liked being around her. This went on even after Hogwarts, in Wizarding London. And yes, she‘s the type of person to call people she met a few times ‘friends‘, to treat them like buddies, touching them and talking to them as though she knew them for years. But real friends? People she trusted with her emotions? With her pain? With her fears? Those were incredibly rare. Countable on one hand.

One of those people is Alice Longbottom, as she proved herself from a young age on the type of person Branwen respects. I‘d need to plot with the player, of course, but I like to imagine that they got into a terrible fight-at-first-sight, and Alice won in such a glorious way, that Branwen couldn‘t help but feel that through her bruised ego, she was mostly just proud of Alice for having such a big dick energy. And because they spent so much time together, eventually, the deeper conversations started to unfold, and she did grow attached.

But this doesn‘t negate what I previously said. She‘s not someone to get all touchy-feely with, and so many people would never place her high on their friendship list, even if Branwen does like them a lot. Like, she might feel close to someone, but they‘d never think about inviting her to their intimate wedding “for family and just a few closest friends”.

So the war didn‘t change much. That she can‘t talk to her purebloodist friends about what she does outside of partying and working at Potage‘s, or that she can‘t talk to the Order members about how little she actually cares about their cause, doesn‘t really affect her relationships. She was never someone to just talk about how she truly felt, anyway.

On the contrary. Because around Muggleborns she‘s forced to shut up and listen, she might‘ve grown to learn how to actually listen to other people for once. Before, when someone talked in a way that bored or upset her, she‘d just say so. Around those she can‘t do this, she is forced to listen to their side of things, to their opinions, their feelings, and as the years with the Order went by, she might‘ve begun actually caring for other people on more than just surface level. She got to know them, and because they are all brave in their own way, she began to like them.

No, she never really had friends.

But at times she wonders if she wouldn‘t like to be friends with those in the Order…

OOC EXPLORATION:

SHIPS/ANTI-SHIPS:

As literally everyone else, I‘ll obviously say Branwen x chemistry. However, I do think that romantic/sexual relationships with men will be out of the question. Deep, important friendships as explained in the point above? Heck yes! But no romance.

Also, I do like the idea that Branwen might fall for a Muggleborn girl. Not just for the beautiful star-crossed lover trope but also just to explore her bias and morals. I think such a romance could work well for character-development.

WHAT PRIVILEGES AND BIASES DOES YOUR CHARACTER HAVE?

Muggles are inherently dirty. Werewolves (as well as other half-breeds) shouldn‘t even be just kicked out of society, they should be killed. Or at least be castrated. It‘s a shame to even consider them human, and allow them to perform magic. Muggle music is stressful and too loud and chaotic, there‘s no grace to it. The same goes for all their other art. Halfbloods can stay but their magic is weaker. The magic of Muggleborns is weaker as well, in fact, so weak, that Hogwarts shouldn‘t even seek out British Muggleborns but just let them stay in the Muggle world. Squibs should consider themselves lucky that they‘re made servants instead of being completely kicked out of society, as it would be the Wizarding World‘s right to do. It’s for people with magic, after all. A marriage between a Muggle and a Wizard/Witch should be forbidden. Salazar Slytherin was right when he said Hogwarts should stay clean of mudblood, as Muggles are known to be inherently hateful. They have proven themselves incapable of accepting magic and it‘s therefore for their best to keep them unknowing of the Wizarding World. After all, what if the Wizarding World ended up being revealed to the Muggles? Would they come hunting Witches again? Or would the Wizarding World have to force them into submission, into oppression, perhaps making slaves out of them the way they do it with Squibs? It’s just for their best to keep them away, really.

Here a handful of prejudices Branwen‘s fosters. But mind you, she is not only outspoken about them but also doesn‘t have enough … incentive to fight about it. None of this really regards her, she finds. She will fight about everything and anything, but not for moral reasons. As long as her status of a mightier Witch isn‘t doubted, she won‘t fight with people who say Halfbloods‘ magic is valid. However if they say it‘s as strong as hers, she‘ll want to fight to prove them wrong. So if the war would end in favour of the Order, she‘d be like, okay, as long as I get to keep my privileges. Being rich. Getting an education. Having people respect her noble status. Etcetera etcetera.

All those beliefs she holds are beliefs because they were taught to her as facts. Not as opinions. What drives people angry are when opinions are being challenged. “This movie was bad”. She‘d fight people on that. But the same way no one would fight another person about the colour of bananas, she has no reason to fight people about the dirtiness of Muggles. It‘s just a fact. They clean their houses with mops! So that‘s perhaps a reason why she manages to not get into arguments with other Order members. Because she either thinks them uneducated about certain topics – or her silence forces her to listen to what they call facts, quietly challenging what she thought to be the only truth.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO?

I am easily uncomfortable in group chats and environments with new people. But this group was just so welcoming (the first night alone I received about five messages from people asking for plots!) that it made me feel terribly at ease. So I was very soon very certain I wanted another character to dive deeper into this game with all those lovely players.

I wanted a character different to my Edgar baby to explore the purebloodist side of the war, and open myself up to in-character conversations you‘d never see Edgar having.

Branwen immediately caught my eye because she joined the Oder out a joke-like whim, not because she already sees the problems in her purebloodist upbringing. It’s always a fun challenge to play a character who thinks very differently than me. The idea that someone might manage to challenge her prejudices and actually change to a point that one day she might even fight her own beloved parents in a battle, enthralls me.

PLOT DROP IDEAS:

I‘d love to see the Yaxley‘s being outed as Death Eaters, or getting hurt by the Order. To see how Branwen would react.

I‘d also love to see what will happen with the werewolves by the McKinnon farm next. Edgar seems to be getting it into his head that they should be allowed into the Farm and have a warm bed – and Branwen‘s reaction to even just the suggestion makes me laugh.

Also, I wonder what would happen if a mission such as the current event fails and members of the Order get injured. If Branwen‘s worry would show and if perhaps it would drive her to 1) question why their morals are worth dying for and 2) realise she does love them like friends.

Oh! Also: “[…] she won‘t do anything that‘ll risk her nobility. After all, this name means strength. And she is strong because of it. If she were to lose her name, her family, what would be left of her?” I’d love to explore this as well. Her being outed as an Order member, far far down the line maybe, and see what she’d do.

ANYTHING ELSE?

Thank you for your consideration and thank you for being lovely admins! (You put in an alternative subit-page!! :D) You can be very proud of yourself and I hope you‘ll make it through the (dangerous for RPs) holiday season without too many losses and without getting too stressed!

[bristlybranwen]

BIO

CHARACTER DETAILS:

NAME: Branwen Yaxley

AGE: 30

GENDER, PRONOUNS, and SEXUALITY: Cis female. She/Her. Hard rock gold star lesbian with a(n unpopped) cherry on top.

Her sexuality was always something she was very straight-forward about. She was probably introduced to the term ‚homosexual‘ as a slur at first, and immediately decided to defend it, not even knowing what it actually meant. By the time she found out, she had spoken up about it too loudly to retrieve her opinion quietly. And because it seemed so magnificently radical to call herself a Lesbian and be attacked by homophobes first hand (which gave her a reason to do what she does best: fighting) that it became an identity she wore on her sleeves from a young age on.

I like to imagine that the pureblood side of the Wizarding World was – even in the 60s and 70s – less open about such topics than the Muggle World. The pureblood mentality is all about passing on ‘pure‘ genes, isn‘t it? Which could mean that they see homosexuality as something standing in the way of such goals. Nevertheless, I don‘t think Branwen would‘ve been quiet about her identity. For one, because it told the sweet, quiet and closeted pureblood girls that they were very welcome to approach her in the shadows of certain corridors at Hogwarts, and for two, because most pureblood families raised their daughters to be perfect future wives. And this train had long left the station for Branwen. Her parents – who still think this is just a phase and will pass eventually – always knew Branwen would choose a husband fit for her rough and brawny attitude herself. So as long as they think this will still happen, they mostly refuse to talk about it with her. After all, the Yaxley name will live on whether Branwen has children or not: through honourable, righteous Corban. The one everyone is so goddamn proud of…

So, yes, Branwen has made her experiences, with emotions as well as short-lasting relationships, but only ever with other pureblood girls. After all, even if an accidental child won‘t be a situation, the mingling of bloods is just ‘wrong and disgusting’.

(note: I just want you to know that personally I dislike the term ‘gold star lesbian’ as it‘s usually used to invalidate gay people‘s identity based on their past relationships, and the same goes for ‘popping a cherry‘, for obvious reasons. But when I thought about how Branwen herself would answer this question, this was the exact phrase that came to my mind. The nuances of terms don’t matter to her at all as she doesn’t care at all about offending people.)

BLOOD STATUS: Pureblood

HOUSE ALUMNI: Gryffindor

ANY CHANGES: I‘d love to change the FC to Sonequa Martin-Green. While Mackenzie looks very cool and has strong brawl vibes, I think Sonequa fits those vibes very well too.

She’s unashamed of who she is but, because of siding with the Order, does have to restrain certain parts of herself. I’d like to express this with some hair symbolism: whenever she’s being herself, unrestricted from either side, she wears her hair natural and open. Willing to fight anyone who might want to say something negative about her appearance. But then, for example when she joins the Order in a battle (or in smaller situations in which she has to act in a way that is unlike her), she prepares by braiding her hair. For this symbolism, I think black hair works best. It holds the most meaning, considering our society‘s prejudices against it, and that‘s why I‘d prefer Sonequa over Mackenzie!

Also, giving her a non-white FC is a nice way to visualise her name, which means ‘beautiful raven‘.

CHARACTER BACKGROUND:

PERSONALITY:

There are three things one needs to know about Branwen:

She knows exactly who she is. She acts before she thinks. She is unapologetic and relentless in what she wants and does.

I looked up the etymology of the name ‘Branwen‘ but accidentally typed ‚Bram‘, which apparently is the old English word for ‘broom‘. Even though the name Branwen has a different origin, I had a good giggle and it gave me a good idea to explain her personality. On the one hand, Branwen is extremely skilled on the broom, most likely having played on the Gryffindor Quidditch team during her years at Hogwarts (as a Beater, naturally). On the other hand there is this a German adjective, borstig, which means to be like the bristles of a broom/brush. More than any other, I believe that this adjective describes Branwen perfectly.

She is like the rough bristles of a broom, sweeping over whatever surface she deems messy, tearing everything away from their peaceful state on the floor, allowing no failures on her side. Crash your hand directly into the bristles and you might even draw blood from the wounds, but run your fingers over them carefully, putting up no counter-pressure, the bristles will tickle you at most. Perhaps even feel like a gentle caress.

When crashing your hand into the bristles:

It’s important to understand, that she doesn‘t prick for the sake of pricking. Nor is fighting for moral reasons. She‘s not a Nora Lynch type of a personality, despite their similar willingness to quarrel.

There‘s a saying which goes, your bubble of freedom ends where the bubble of freedom of another person starts. Branwen‘s bubble is larger than most people‘s. To be comfortable she needs to be able to swing her arms and be able to express herself loudly. She takes up a lot of space, not minding to take up other people‘s space but minding very much when other people take up hers. Whether it be opinions, physical space or emotions, she knows exactly who she is, anyone opposing her beliefs is – in her opinion – someone who tries to minimise her bubble of freedom. So when she pricks, it‘s not because quarreling with people is a way to alleviate boredom, but because she deems it necessary to gain her freedom back.

When gently touching the bristles:

In return this means that Branwen is – as long as one lets her be who she wishes to be – quite the enjoyable character. Because she‘s the opposite of whatever ‘social anxiety‘ is, she‘s easy to be around. There‘s no awkward silence, no struggle to understand what she wants, no hesitation when it comes to making plans. She leads the conversation, and because there‘s no topic too private for her, she can and will lead those conversations easily to blush-worthy places.

She‘s always up for drinks and jokes, adores hearty jokes, never says no to adventures, and while she doesn‘t really care about ‘deep‘ topics or philosophising around, she does care about the problems of those she considers friends. The aforementioned caress, is a genuine one. It’s not particularly deep, has no healing effects, but it can soothe a momentary itch. She will lend you an ear and give you concrete advice, usually even offer to deal with the problem in question herself.

This being said, there is one scenario where she restricts herself and turns a little stiff, and that is when she speaks to Muggleborns or half-breeds.

Around all Order members she wears a mask of civility, which holds in her prejudices much like braids keep her hair tied back, making sure her fight for personal freedom never turns political. But around Muggleborns and half-breeds she’s too aware of how different she is from them.

Perhaps it’s something akin to disgust, but perhaps it’s also the fear that if she gets started on fighting for her freedom around them, she might go too far and unmask herself completely. She‘ll warily stalk around small-talk and listen more than she speaks, which is unusual for her. No leading of conversations, instead she allows herself to be led – but put a pin in this, we‘ll come back to it later. For now it‘s important to know that Branwen is not at all the same person around people she likes, and people she is convinced don‘t deserve her respect. People who thinks might one day take away her freedom on a political basis.

All in all, Branwen has the kind of personality that allows for fun threads. The war doesn‘t affect her the way it affects most Order members (again, put a pin in that) and so not all her conversations turn around its effects. There‘s no heaviness to her, no sorrowful pondering or air of hopelessness. After all, what has she got to lose? This being said, stir the conversation towards something she has an (utterable) opinion on, and you‘re in for a ride. (As long as you‘re not a Muggleborn, as previously mentioned.) She knows no shame, never thinks back about where fights went wrong, always runs head-first into what many people would consider ‘taboo topics‘. And even when fists and curses come and go flying, she will never think herself in the wrong. After all, she‘s not the one who started. It was her freedom bubble which was being stepped on! She only defended herself!

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE FAMILY:

To understand Branwen, it‘s vital to understand her family, her paternal side, the famous Yaxleys, as well as her maternal side.

Part of the sacred 28, an – in Branwen‘s opinion – honourable circle of British purebloods, the Yaxleys are Scottish and have their seat in a grand castle in the highlands, not too far away from Hogwarts. Most of the sons who carried down the name were in Slytherin, however it is not uncommon for the daughters of this family to land in Gryffindor, showing that the Yaxley‘s priority has always been honour and pride.

Lachlan Yaxley, Branwen‘s father, is your typical Slytherin. He‘s two-tongued and cunning, ceaselessly putting the appearance of what he does over its actual content. What he wants, he‘ll fight for with all his might, but contrary to his wife, he fights for it in the shadows, silently, in a way that leaves no traces of the sharp, unforgiving violence he exerts.

Bethan Yaxley, born Burke, Branwen‘s mother, went to Gryffindor. Although from another generation and an even stricter familial background, she always showed signs of rebellion, of a will to fight. Raised to be the perfect bride one day, always taught to be lady-like, beautiful and adorable, her ways to get what she wanted were never concealed or performed in secret. Stand in between what she wants and herself, and your life might literally be in danger. She‘s no less violent than her husband, but while his violence shows itself in emotional abuse, always making sure he‘ll be able to call himself innocent afterwards, she‘s unapologetic about her ways.

In fact, while she had been engaged to marry into the Yaxleys from a young age on, she decided herself that she wanted the older, instead of the younger brother. Her ways to get him were never concealed or performed behind closed doors, on the contrary, the whole Wizarding World watched as she made her family even more noble, even more rich, by catching Lachlan and putting him into her pocket. Did Lachlan disagree with what she wanted (his money, his nobility), no one ever learnt about it, though. He must’ve not been too disapproving of Bethan’s determination though, or else he would‘ve had his own, quiet ways to stop her. After all, make no mistake, just because he seems more subdued compared to her, it doesn‘t mean he‘s less powerful in their relationship.

Growing up as the daughter of two people, who, on the one hand, encouraged Branwen‘s large freedom bubble, always teaching her to take what she wanted, never make excuses, and on the other hand, had their own very large freedom bubble, which was so easy to overstep, was anything but easy.

The abuse – as modern Muggle psychologists would call it but which Branwen‘s would never see as such – strengthened her. From a young age on she had to fight for every inch of freedom she wanted to claim for herself, be it something small like which books she enjoyed reading (”Really?“ her father would always ask in a skeptical, hostile way. “That‘s something you enjoy?“) or who she knew she truly was (the day she came out to her parents, her mother wiped a spell over her, leading to a permanent scar across her shoulder which she carries to this day).

Psychologists would also be able to detect the ways it weakened her. Her fear of actually letting people come close, scared they might judge, scared she might never get the freedom back, for example. Her inability to be soft and gentle. Or her constant need to be right, as though allowing another opinion to co-exist with hers, would negate who she is as a whole person. Or her actual physical flinching at the idea of befriending a Muggleborn.

But Branwen would never admit to that, perhaps hasn‘t even figured it out herself yet. She firmly believes it made her strong, and perhaps it did. The ability to unapologetically demand what she wants, what she believes she deserves, it is a type of strength. To get through battles and duels with a grin on her face, because what is there more familiar and home-feeling than fighting with others? To never step down from a childhood feud that started for a reason no one quite remembers, simply because she can. To never hurt when yet another girlfriend ditches her, after all, she wasn‘t raised to share but to be self-sufficient, raised to never need people‘s friendly words and gentle touches…

To her, her surname means power. It means protection and honour, and she carries her head high because of it. Being way more outspoken about it back when she was at Hogwarts, she has however stopped mentioning who she is all the time now. Perhaps because the Order wouldn‘t see this as something positive. Perhaps because slowly she has stopped seeing it as something quite as positive either. Before, she was quite indifferent about the prejudices the Sacred 28 fostered, not really caring about the ‘deadborn‘ and enslaved Squibs, and definitely not bothering to question what there was to hate about Muggleborns. Nowadays, she still doesn‘t really care about any of that, but she understands that her noble name comes with those opinions.

However, she’ll never renounce this name. She won‘t let her parents disinherit her, she won‘t let herself be burnt off the family tree, she won‘t do anything that‘ll risk her nobility. Even if that means that one day, she will have to let her bubble of freedom burst and submit herself to her mother’s control… But it’s worth it, right? To give up ‘Branwen’ to be a proper ‘Yaxley’? After all, this name means strength. And she is strong because of it. If she were to lose her name, her family, what would be left of her? And, who knows, even though she’s determined to win this war to stick it to her damn cousin, what if they lose? At least she’ll have a proud title to go back to.

OCCUPATION: Blacksmith and vendor at Potage‘s Cauldron Shop, the Knockturn Alley branch.

After some splendid suggestions from the group, I have come up with a little idea: Wizards can conjure material goods but only for a limited period of time. It is therefore only logical that they need to buy the objects they expect to last for a whole year or longer, such as cauldrons. And therefore it is just as logical that those objects need to be manually crafted.

If some cauldrons are more expensive than others then it’s because they are more sustainable, and this is achieved by the kind of metals used, but also by the magic woven into them as they are crafted over a real flame (considering that elemental magic is the oldest and purest form, therefore also the strongest form of magic).

Branwen is clearly not in need for a job. Even if her parents disapprove of her choices, they still believe she‘ll come back around to marrying and giving the Yaxley genes to a child one day. (The name and heritage will follow Corban’s bloodline, anyway). They support her with a huge monthly allowance that make working obsolete. So why is she doing it anyway?

Well, the truth is, she started to work at Potage‘s Cauldron Shop because the branch in Knockturn Alley allowed her to overhear the telling chit chat between family members. Sellspeople are so easily overseen by the rich… It was one of the plans she had with which she talked her way into the Order. Told them that she had a great job where she could innocently inquire about this and that and learn about what was going on with the Dark Lord‘s supporters via their wives and babbling children. And because the shop is close to Borgin and Burkes, where a paternal great-uncle of her works, it not only put her parents at ease knowing he‘d look over Branwen, but also allowed her to be alone often, it was a winning argument.

What she tells her parents and everyone of the noble Pureblood Society, however, is: „I‘m doing this for fun.“ And it might‘ve been a lie once, but is it still?

Certainly, working as a friendly sellperson is mostly out of character for poor Branwen, who struggles with just letting the hostile comments of clients wash over her, but damn is she good at finding exactly the right cauldron the person is looking for. She‘s not someone who gives up or half-arses her job. If she is asked to help someone, find the exact right cauldron for a very specific potion, then she will not rest until that very cauldron has gone over the counter.

One day however she couldn’t find such a cauldron. So she went down into the cellar where the cauldrons are being made and it was the start unexpected: she began forging cauldrons herself. Manually. In the roaring fire, she‘ll stand for hours and hours, one hand holding the potion-soaked hammer, in the other the metal, as her mental strength turns into physical strength. She doesn‘t stop when the soot covers her face, doesn‘t stop when her clothes drench from the sweat, doesn‘t stop when her muscles begin shaking under the hard work. Seemingly inexhaustible she forges, refusing to think about how this work comes from a time when Muggles and Wizards still shared lives.

No one knows that she is more than a vendor, other than the other blacksmith, and she needs this to stay that way. She is proud of every single one of the cauldrons she makes, knowing they are perfect, but she is not proud of the manual labor. Yes, there is magic involved, but still. She is a Yaxley! And this is lower class labor at best… But there is something about holding the heavy hammer, about feeling the fire burn in her lungs that keep drawing her back down into the cellar, and she can‘t explain what it is. In a way she doesn‘t want to think about it, because what if she began to admire Muggles for their manual labor too? Began to envy them to live in a world without magic…

ROLE WITHIN THE ORDER/THOUGHTS ABOUT THE ORDER:

I think the bio does a beautiful job at explaining how Branwen feels around the Order.

On the one hand she just couldn‘t care less about the cause. She doesn’t care about morals or politics as long as the hierarchy of society stays in a way that she can keep her power, money and title. Most Death Eaters, she assumes are good, upright citizens, family and friends, who are just concerned about the Wizarding World. Not everyone who‘s on the Dark Lord‘s side immediately wants all Muggleborns dead, right? Most of them just want them apart so they can‘t mingle with the purity of their beautiful magical world, and isn‘t that very sensible? Surely most Muggleborns must agree, too!

On the other hand she has begun caring for the Order members. I love this part a lot so I don‘t want her to be too far into this caring yet but want to develop it as I play her. I don‘t want her to be too enamored with everyone just yet, but enough that she‘d consider some of them almost friends. When they talk to her about their private problems, she finds herself caring, and while she might hold back from seeking out their friendship, it‘s definitely begun forming, slowly, quietly, within her. No matter how much she pretends it hasn‘t, she can very much feel it. This feeling of fondness. Of admiration. Adoration, at times, even.

She values strength, doesn‘t she? She loves fighting and honours those who fight bravely as well. So this means two things:

One, her purpose in the Order is exactly that. She‘s not someone who will spy in other camps, or sit at home watching over a map like Edgar. She‘s someone who wants to be out on the field, her wand in her hand, curses on her tongue. And because she lacks moral values – the Death Eater values as much as the Order values – she has no trouble fighting with all her heart. She just wants to win, what for, it doesn‘t really matter. She just doesn‘t want to lose and so she fights without hesitation, and the other Order members will know that. That‘s perhaps why she‘s made it to Mid-Level at this point: because she has proven herself to be trustworthy on the battlefield. No hesitation, no laziness. When she fights, she fights. She‘s in it, with her heart, head and muscles.

Two, she has seen other Order members fight like that as well. When she initially joined she didn‘t know what she got herself into, perhaps even thought that they‘d need her to win this war. After all, they were just some silly rebels who just happened to oppose her cousin‘s side, she didn‘t really have faith in them. That‘s why she joined. To prove her cousin wrong. But then the months went by, years, eventually, and Branwen had to learn a harsh lesson: those people weren‘t joking around. They weren‘t wimps. They weren‘t pitiful. They were everything she had ever wanted to be, and at times even more.

Usually, when she argues with someone, duels them, she has no emotions or opinions about it afterwards. It‘s never really personal. During her time with the Order, she quarreled a lot (mostly with non-Muggleborns as explained above), however it never left her quite as cold as fighting did when she was young. She began rethinking what people told her in those arguments.

And instead of despising her for being so head-strong, she began admiring them for it. Especially because they didn‘t fight like her father did, with jabs and a smirk, solely to leave you emotionally wounded. They didn‘t do it like her mother did it, with physical violence, rather wanting to lame you than to allow you to take up space. No, what they did, how they defended themselves, is by simply … standing their ground. By reminding her of other people‘s freedom she endangers. By taking her by the hand and guiding her to show her that them (the people who they‘re trying to defend) being free, doesn‘t necessarily mean she won‘t have any left for herself. That true freedom means freedom for everyone.

She‘d rather cut out her tongue than speak about this to anyone, but it‘s there. This knowledge. She knows it has happened. She knows how she feels. And she fears how it‘ll make her decide one day…

SURVIVAL:

Being a pureblood with a well-known family, she doesn‘t struggle much in this war. As long as she gets her few hours at Potage‘s in, no one wonders what she‘s doing during the rest of the time. She officially lives with her aunt in a city house in Wizarding London, but she mostly comes by to take a shower and change her clothes. Most of the times she‘s out at night, enjoying life, not worrying too much about all this war-trouble, and convincing people to let her stay in their bed. Yes, bed. Do you think a Yaxley would settle for the couch?

In recent times, she‘s begun sleeping over at other Order members’ places more and more often. Perhaps because they don‘t ask questions like “so what are you going to do with your life now”? Perhaps because … no. Branwen refuses to see them all as friends. Some perhaps. Close acquaintances who she happens to trust with her life. But friends? Never.

And yet, when she speaks words of comfort, holding them shielded from dark incidents, promising to be there for them, she can‘t help but wonder how much of her freedom she‘s already given up for their love.

It conflicts her greatly. You wouldn‘t see it in the way she interacts with people, but it almost scares her, all this. The idea that they might lose this war. Because it would make her cousin all too happy, yes, but also because, well, what would happen to them? Trial? Azkaban? Death?

She condemns no one from her family to be on her opposing side and yet is quite glad they don‘t know on which side she‘s on. Perhaps because she knows that one day she‘ll see her parents‘ shoes under the Death Eater‘s robes and will have less than a second to figure out on whose side she‘s truly on.

RELATIONSHIPS:

It is safe to say that Branwen never really had friends.

At Hogwarts she was the kind of person to throw those (in)famous Gryffindor parties; aword from her and everyone would come. She knew everyone, and everyone knew her. A party thrown by her meant a good time. And people usually liked being around her. This went on even after Hogwarts, in Wizarding London. And yes, she‘s the type of person to call people she met a few times ‘friends‘, to treat them like buddies, touching them and talking to them as though she knew them for years. But real friends? People she trusted with her emotions? With her pain? With her fears? Those were incredibly rare. Countable on one hand.

One of those people is Alice Longbottom, as she proved herself from a young age on the type of person Branwen respects. I‘d need to plot with the player, of course, but I like to imagine that they got into a terrible fight-at-first-sight, and Alice won in such a glorious way, that Branwen couldn‘t help but feel that through her bruised ego, she was mostly just proud of Alice for having such a big dick energy. And because they spent so much time together, eventually, the deeper conversations started to unfold, and she did grow attached.

But this doesn‘t negate what I previously said. She‘s not someone to get all touchy-feely with, and so many people would never place her high on their friendship list, even if Branwen does like them a lot. Like, she might feel close to someone, but they‘d never think about inviting her to their intimate wedding “for family and just a few closest friends”.

So the war didn‘t change much. That she can‘t talk to her purebloodist friends about what she does outside of partying and working at Potage‘s, or that she can‘t talk to the Order members about how little she actually cares about their cause, doesn‘t really affect her relationships. She was never someone to just talk about how she truly felt, anyway.

On the contrary. Because around Muggleborns she‘s forced to shut up and listen, she might‘ve grown to learn how to actually listen to other people for once. Before, when someone talked in a way that bored or upset her, she‘d just say so. Around those she can‘t do this, she is forced to listen to their side of things, to their opinions, their feelings, and as the years with the Order went by, she might‘ve begun actually caring for other people on more than just surface level. She got to know them, and because they are all brave in their own way, she began to like them.

No, she never really had friends.

But at times she wonders if she wouldn‘t like to be friends with those in the Order…

OOC EXPLORATION:

SHIPS/ANTI-SHIPS:

As literally everyone else, I‘ll obviously say Branwen x chemistry. However, I do think that romantic/sexual relationships with men will be out of the question. Deep, important friendships as explained in the point above? Heck yes! But no romance.

Also, I do like the idea that Branwen might fall for a Muggleborn girl. Not just for the beautiful star-crossed lover trope but also just to explore her bias and morals. I think such a romance could work well for character-development.

WHAT PRIVILEGES AND BIASES DOES YOUR CHARACTER HAVE?

Muggles are inherently dirty. Werewolves (as well as other half-breeds) shouldn‘t even be just kicked out of society, they should be killed. Or at least be castrated. It‘s a shame to even consider them human, and allow them to perform magic. Muggle music is stressful and too loud and chaotic, there‘s no grace to it. The same goes for all their other art. Halfbloods can stay but their magic is weaker. The magic of Muggleborns is weaker as well, in fact, so weak, that Hogwarts shouldn‘t even seek out British Muggleborns but just let them stay in the Muggle world. Squibs should consider themselves lucky that they‘re made servants instead of being completely kicked out of society, as it would be the Wizarding World‘s right to do. It’s for people with magic, after all. A marriage between a Muggle and a Wizard/Witch should be forbidden. Salazar Slytherin was right when he said Hogwarts should stay clean of mudblood, as Muggles are known to be inherently hateful. They have proven themselves incapable of accepting magic and it‘s therefore for their best to keep them unknowing of the Wizarding World. After all, what if the Wizarding World ended up being revealed to the Muggles? Would they come hunting Witches again? Or would the Wizarding World have to force them into submission, into oppression, perhaps making slaves out of them the way they do it with Squibs? It’s just for their best to keep them away, really.

Here a handful of prejudices Branwen‘s fosters. But mind you, she is not only outspoken about them but also doesn‘t have enough … incentive to fight about it. None of this really regards her, she finds. She will fight about everything and anything, but not for moral reasons. As long as her status of a mightier Witch isn‘t doubted, she won‘t fight with people who say Halfbloods‘ magic is valid. However if they say it‘s as strong as hers, she‘ll want to fight to prove them wrong. So if the war would end in favour of the Order, she‘d be like, okay, as long as I get to keep my privileges. Being rich. Getting an education. Having people respect her noble status. Etcetera etcetera.

All those beliefs she holds are beliefs because they were taught to her as facts. Not as opinions. What drives people angry are when opinions are being challenged. “This movie was bad”. She‘d fight people on that. But the same way no one would fight another person about the colour of bananas, she has no reason to fight people about the dirtiness of Muggles. It‘s just a fact. They clean their houses with mops! So that‘s perhaps a reason why she manages to not get into arguments with other Order members. Because she either thinks them uneducated about certain topics – or her silence forces her to listen to what they call facts, quietly challenging what she thought to be the only truth.

[foughfaugh]

Thoughts on the new Georgiou show... (spoilers for DS9 and Discovery!)

OK, don’t get me wrong: I’m as pumped as anyone for the new Georgiou show. But there’s one thing that I’m really worried about--her sexual orientation.

In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, there are several episodes that take place in the mirror universe, where, to put it simply, good guys are evil and bad guys are good. (That’s a bad and inaccurate explanation, but it can work for now.) In this universe, Major Kira Nerys is Intendant Kira Nerys, a vicious and sadistic overseer of Terran (human) slaves. She is obsessed with sex and essentially keeps sex slaves. She is unimaginably wicked and malicious.

She is also a sex-crazed bisexual. Her prime universe counterpart, Major Kira, is nothing like this, and I promise you that her being bi was a deliberate and negative choice. In Deep Space Nine’s defense, they had one of the first lesbian kisses on TV, which was shown in a positive and sympathetic light.

However, the only other gay kiss on the show occurred in the mirror universe as well, between Intendant Kira and a character named Ezri, whose prime sexuality is far too complicated to explain, so I won’t get into it.

There was another gay interaction between Ezri and a woman Leeta, who also was never shown to be bi or gay in the prime universe.

Notice that these two mirror universe interactions are both between “straight,” hedonistic, morally corrupt women. In part (a large part, probably), Star Trek certainly included these scenes for their straight, male audience. However, it is worth noting that they made these changes to these characters with the intention of making them seem evil and disgusting. In fact, mirror Intendant Kira even “falls in love” with her prime counterpart, something that, for right or wrong, feels very incest-y.

Deep Space Nine was coming out during the 90s, and overall, it actually did a pretty good job. Many storylines and characters were queer-coded, and the Jadzia Dax and Lenara Kahn kiss helped cement Star Trek’s supportive stance on the LGBTQ+ community.

Last year, season one of Star Trek: Discovery came out, and tomorrow, season two (well, the first episode) will be coming out (pun intended). For Star Trek, at least, Discovery has been groundbreaking in its representation, the main character being a black woman played by the amazing Sonequa Martin-Green and the first two openly gay characters on Star Trek, Paul Stamets and Hugh Culber. 

Ostensibly, and practically, Discovery has fantastic LGBTQ+ representation (even considering that they killed off one of their two gay characters). However, I was honestly shocked to see that they perpetuated Deep Space Nine’s mirror universe trope with Philippa Georgiou.

Prime Georgiou was only in Discovery for two episodes before her death, meaning that we don’t know her sexual orientation because it was never touched upon. However, in the mirror universe, she is very explicitly bisexual. And, being the empress of the Terran Empire, a vicious and cruel power, she is also a very typically “evil” character, power-hungry and murderous. Like the Deep Space Nine mirror universe women, she does have some additional depth, especially regarding her relationship with mirror Michael Burnham, whom she raised as her daughter, but she is still clearly corrupt and immoral.

The question I have for Star Trek is: is her bisexuality a symptom of her evilness, or are they unrelated? I am tempted to say the latter because I do genuinely believe that Star Trek supports LGBTQ+, including bisexual, people, especially given their portrayal of Jadzia Dax and Lenara Kahn in 1995. However, given their history of creating hedonistic, bisexual women in the mirror universe, I don’t think that I can say that. With mirror Georgiou in particular, her bisexuality was revealed by her choice in Orion prostitutes, a very negatively-portrayed exchange, for right or wrong.

They have been talking about creating a show about mirror Georgiou for a while now, but it was only confirmed to be in-the-works just recently (yesterday, I believe). I am thrilled because of how much I love her character and Star Trek in general, but I am also nervous. This show is going to have a lot of power, and how it chooses to portray Georgiou’s sexual orientation is very important. If they want to break down this tired and inaccurate trope that links bisexuality and evilness, they can’t just make her not bisexual anymore. They need to maker her bisexual; they just can’t do it how they have in the past. Ideally, she could form a strong, emotional relationship with a woman, or she could even just have relationships with women that mirror her relationships with men. Alternatively, it could be revealed that prime Georgiou had a female partner at some point, clarifying that mirror Georgiou’s bisexuality is related to her genetics and is not the result of her power and corruption. Either way, they’re going to have to be extremely careful because they’ve put themselves in a delicate position. I trust Star Trek to do their best to make the right choice, but I hope they understand this situation as well as they need to to make that choice.

If anyone is interested in discussing this or anything else Star Trek-related with me, or if anyone disagrees with anything that I have said here, please tell me! I don’t get to talk about this in real life that much, so I am always thrilled to discuss it on Tumblr.

[douxreviews]

Star Trek: Discovery - ‘The Red Angel’ Review

Spock, to Burnham: "Perhaps you simply have a penchant for the dramatic."

By nature I love brevity: A serviceable 'moving parts' episode that gets us from Point A to Point B, and does it in a way that's often entertaining to watch. Quiet and subdued, building to an exciting climax that mostly works.

And the Red Angel is...

To the great bereavement of all, not Patrick Stewart in a lobster costume as a backdoor pilot to the Picard show.

All joking aside, I... think I like the big reveal? Maybe? To be sure, I am tired of the big mystery character being revealed to be a parent of the main character. It's absolutely a trope, and it often leads to recycled and stagnant storytelling. I do think it can done well, however, as it instantly injects emotion into a character dynamic without having to build the characters' interactions from the ground up. It all depends on how well the show uses it. Whether or not they will do a good job with this storyline remains to be seen.

I do think the writers are hitting their stride, though, and it definitely shows. The stories have suddenly been slowed down to the right pace, which improves the show by leaps and bounds. Part of this is perhaps the direction, which was fittingly subdued and understated here, but I think that even from that standpoint, having far less story to cram into an hour is helpful. 'The Red Angel' has time to spend on its key interactions, like 'If Memory Serves' and 'Project Daedalus' before it, and the show is far better for it.

That said, some of those interactions are better than others. I still don't believe a single thing that comes out of Shazad Latif's mouth, and I cannot for the life of me figure out what the purpose was behind Georgiou's scene with Stamets and Culber. On the better side of things, I liked the reconciliation scene between Burnham and Nhan, and I thought Spock's conversation with Burnham was good, if a little bit of an abrupt shift from their dynamic last week.

Leland and Georgiou are on the side of the angels this week (no, wait, they want to capture the Angel? I'm confused), with a few caveats. The first of these is the big secret that Leland tasked Burnham's parents with Project Daedalus, and that his actions indirectly got them killed. I'm not sure why Leland would think that Burnham needed to know this for the mission, however, unless he knew that the Angel was Burnham's mom. Wait, did he? Huh. In any event, the moment that I guessed the Angel's identity was in that scene, when Burnham told him what her parents were, and Leland said her mother was also a great engineer.

How Burnham processes this revelation is interesting. Her guilty perspective was, as Spock put it, 'a child's understanding,' but she was still living with that childish mindset. And her reaction to the news was emotionally quite childish. At first, she denied it and provided counter-evidence that showed her naïveté about the situation. In that scene, Sonequa Martin-Green's performance reminded me so much of a child that I'm unsure if it was an intentional choice or not. Then, confronted with reality, she got mad and expressed her anger by lashing out at anybody and everybody related to the situation, whether they were responsible like Leland, or not responsible like Tyler. It was only after Spock came and forgave her that she was released from the childhood burden of her guilt and anger. When he did so, Martin-Green's face beautifully conveyed the lifting of a heavy weight from her shoulders.

Let's talk briefly about the plot, before we unpack what this episode may mean going forward. From the outset, it didn't make a whole ton of sense - admittedly, as time travel plots do. To be fair, I at least have a better sense of this plot than I did of Enterprise's utterly nonsensical Temporal Cold War, but certain elements of the time travel irked me. Although the problems worked themselves out from a story perspective with the reveal that the Angel is Burnham's mom, it still made no sense that the characters weren't seeing the obvious flaws in their plans. For one thing, if the Red Angel was Burnham, then she would know in the future everything that they were planning and therefore be prepared. Secondly, and perhaps worse, having Dr. Culber there to resuscitate Burnham if she dies completely invalidates the 'bait.' Nobody except for Spock seems to understand that the only way their plan works is if Burnham will actually be dead if the Angel doesn't show up. This bothered me the whole time that I was watching the episode.

So what does this mean going forward? Disco now has the Red Angel, who is Burnham's biological mother, trapped on the planet. But something fishy is going on with the Section 31 ship, as evidenced by Leland getting The Phantom-ed. Could this be Control taking, er, control of Leland's 31 ship? It certainly seems that way, especially since the voice actor who recorded that line from the computer is credited as 'Control Computer.' As this show seems to be ready to start slowing down for meaningful conversations, I think we will see Burnham and her mother work out some of their emotional issues and baggage next episode. I suspect Stamets and Culber will do the same, as they will be trapped down there as well. How Georgiou and Spock will figure in is anybody's guess, but I don't think it's an accident which characters are left on the planet at the end of this episode.

Strange New Worlds:

Essof IV was a testing site for Project Daedalus. Its inhospitable conditions rendered the planet's surface unlivable, so the researchers built a facility to control the environment.

New Life and New Civilizations:

No new species or creatures in this episode.

Pensees:

-Good funeral scene at the beginning, that did the Wrath of Khan parallel a little bit but didn't overdo it.

-So, if the Federation and the Klingons were so close to developing time travel, why don't they all have it and use it regularly in the rest of Star Trek? The Temporal Prime Directive isn't until way later.

-The theme of faith has been lost in the shuffle here. We'll see how it ties in as the season draws closer to its end.

-Leland said they needed a time crystal for the Red Angel suit. That's the same thing that was in Mudd's time loop device in 'Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad' last season.

-Another chance for Cornwell to use her therapy background. I like that her profession is a consistent and recurring aspect of her character.

-There was a very interesting and important-feeling shot of Sara Mitich's character Lt. Nilsson taking Airiam's place on the bridge. Sara Mitich played Airiam in season one. Huh.

-Burnham was on a roll with her impressions this week, doing the bug-eyed look of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at one point (please note: no political statement is to be ascribed to this joke about a famous person's most distinguishing facial feature) and her best Nicholas Cage 'not the bees' when she was exposed to the atmosphere of Essof IV.

-Hanelle M. Culpepper directed this episode, as well as last season's well-liked 'Vaulting Ambition.' She will direct the first two episodes of the Picard series.

-Happy Talk Like William Shatner Day for anyone reading this on the 22nd! What's your favorite Shatner line delivery?

Quotes:

Tilly: "Some people choose to live their lives as if nothing is a miracle."

Georgiou: "I was thinking you might be smarter than the Stamets I knew. You're also much more neurotic. Have you considered medication?"

Tilly: "What just happened?" I'm with her on this one.

Admiral Cornwell: "Love is a choice, Hugh, and one doesn't just make that choice once. You make it again and again." Whew. Almost had this one as my opening quote.

Spock: "I do wish I'd been there when you struck him. I believe I would have found the moment... satisfying."

4 out of 6 lobster costumes.

CoramDeo doesn't like to lose