#the companions are so much more badass than the doctor every single one of them could rock some shit if and when necessary

[noodles-07]

a third doctor who poll because I thought of another fun fight idea. which COMPANION would most effective beat up THEIR DOCTOR. same fight rule apply: no holds barred, psychological warfare encouraged, etc just a full out beat down. if they’ve been the companion to multiple Doctors just pick whichever one your heart tells you to. not including River or Jack because I got bullied (/j) for calling River a companion last time and Jack Literally Can’t Die so he doesn’t count

[rapha-reads]

DOCTOR WHO The Flux - Chapter 3: Once, Upon Time

[WARNING: HUGE SPOILERS AHEAD]

THAT WAS THE BEST EPISODE SO FAR. Absolutely brilliant ! I took so many notes.

BEL AND VINDER

I absolutely adored Bel. Her sass and her courage and her voice. Her dedication and her love. Then the reveal that she is Vinder's love and she's pregnant ! I might have cry. Totally rooting for these two ! My favourite Bel lines: "Yeah? Convert this." and "Love is the only mission. Idiot." GIRL SASSED CYBERMEN AND GOT AWAY. Also she has a Tamagotchi. I love this. She's a badass good girl and she's sassy and funny and she's not afraid, even in the face of the universe disintegrating around her.

She's not afraid of Daleks, she's not afraid of Cybermen, and she's gentle. Full of love. She is brilliant.

Vinder is a badass good boy and I love him, he's so much more interesting than what I thought he would ! His storyline, his timestream, does something that I always find excellent : give us a glimpse of how the universe looks like on other planets. Other political regimes, societies, ruling dictators... And yet, the same thing across all of space : doing the right thing is often times difficult, even impossible and yet worth it. He tried to do the best thing, he tried to be the whistle blower, to be decent and honourable, and he didn't succeed. But he tried and he stayed true to his values and principles - "I swore an oath to our constitution, not one person" - and that makes him a very good person.

Also, Vinder seems to understand what's going on when he's lost reliving his past, AND he knows what a Tardis has. He is brilliant.

Really, really rooting for these two to find each other again across all of time and space, even if the universe is breaking apart. They deserve their soft epilogue.

TIME AND THE DOCTOR

So many things to say! Where should I start?

Doctor!Jo! We're discovering bits and pieces of the Doctor's lost past, and it's really fascinating to realize that she must be so old, she must have had so many lives, she must have been involved in so many important events! What was the Division? What was Karvanista doing there and who were the other two?

The Siege of Atropos is a good idea. I liked the way the temporal hazing blurred the lines between the Doctor's past, present and future. And her dark coat is awesome!

Time is breaking, time is broken, "time was unleashed for long enough and now the damage is done". Ooooh,now that is scary. A war between Time and Space? How does one stop a war between two laws of the universe ? They're not entities one can physically restrain, they're the actual backbone of all things!

Though... Who is the old crone ? Is she the one who freed the Ravagers, unleashed the Flux and decided to destroy everything ? Why is she so hellbent on blaming the Doctor for it all and destroying the universe? What did we ever do to her?

I love the way series 13 so far gives us so many questions, answers them and then leaves us with just as many questions as before. Although I'm very much enjoying it, I do hope we'll have most if not all (let's be real, Doctor Who has never answered every single one question they've raised no matter the showrunner) of the answers by the last episode.

MISC

Yaz is being stalked by Angels ! I really hope this will not be another Pond situation because I barely survived Amy and Rory's last episode, I'm not going through that another time. Yaz doesn't deserve it !

Especially considering how rude the Doctor is towards her. Listen, yes, the Doctor is under a loooot of stress, between the Timeless Child stuff and now the FLux and war between Time and Space maybe being her fault ? She must feel so guilty, she is so afraid and angry. But that is not a reason to be so short and cold with Yaz! I get that she doesn't want to answer or discuss the things that are happening, but you know what happens when the Doctor pushes out their companions and retreats into their shell? The companions go and do something stupid to prove that they're worth it, they can be trusted, the Doctor can talk to them. And then they die (or gets stuck in the past, or in another dimension, or forget everything...). So, now is not the time to be rude and cold, Doctor.

That being said, who else was losing it at Jodie the cop rambling in the car at Yaz? Damn, that scene was hilarious! Jodie's a damn good actor.

The music in this episode is excellent! Segun Akinola's soundtrack isn't on the same plane as Murray Gold's scores. Whereas Murray Gold made pieces that stand out, that were just absolutely stunning in their own rights, like "I Am the Doctor", or "This is Gallifrey", or "Tell no lies", Segun Akinola's music is woven into the episode. Each piece is composed for the scene or the character and accomanies it, instead of being masterpieces of their own. There are some episodes in which the music does stand out, like the Ghost Monument or Demons of the Punjab, but most of the time, the music is inside the episode.

Now onto the next point... WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY BELOVED TARDIS? STOP HURTING THE OLD SEXY GIRL ? The fact that an Angel managed to get behind the Tardis' shields, the black goo and the stalactites, the door changing places and the gravity going haywire... What is happening to the Tardis ? Is she breaking apart because of Time going wild and the Time/Space War, or is it because of the Doctor's losing it? MY theory si that it's both. Yes, Time going out of whack definitely has a huge, important impact on a literal time travel engine. But, the Tardis is also sentient, telepathic, and bound in ways we can't imagine to the Doctor. The Doctor's very core is being unravelled and she's losing herself, her identity, not only due to the Timeless Child revelations, but also after her stint in the time stream. It must have an effect on the Tardis.

In any case... "The Angel has the Tardis!" ooooooh, next episode is going to be... wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey crazy.

[ramblings-of-a-mad-cat]

I've never met ANYONE who actually likes the Chibnall era. Would you seriously say that it's objectively good?

Brace yourself for unpopular (albeit positive) opinions.

Objectively? I don't know, I tend to feel like media is very much subjective and down to opinion. But on the whole...yeah. I'm gonna say yeah. I think the Chibnall era thus far is every bit as good as the Moffat Era and Davies Era were. It actually blows my mind to see the fandom come together and almost universally agree that the show has gone downhill. It's part of the reason why I kind of stepped away from the Doctor Who fandom because there's something very demoralizing about re-watching clips from Season 12 and seeing literally every comment just talk about how the show is ruined. And if I re-watch old clips, very often I come across comments that talk about how the show "used to" be good, and should have ended with Twelve, etc. I know a little reluctance toward the new Doctor can be part of the transition process, but normally the fans are over it by now.

Things haven't really changed.

I've been re-watching Twelve's era, and found a new appreciation for him. But I re-watched Thirteen's era right beforehand, and you know what? It holds up. Season 11 is remarkably strong. I can't think of a single "bad" episode in that season. It focuses on the characters, and thus it doesn't have nearly as strong ambitions, compared to one of the Moffat seasons, which were clever but often convoluted. They couldn't always stick the landing. (Looking at you, Season 6) But every has it's good parts and it's bad. The same man who wrote The Wedding of River Song and betrayed the entire season's storyline in the process...also wrote The Doctor Falls, which is probably my favorite final episode of any season ever. The Chibnall Era is the same way. The Tsuranga Conundrum isn't really a bad episode, it's just kind of forgettable, apart from the Pting. But then it is immediately followed up by Demons of the Punjab, which is an exceptional story in every way. I want the Thijurians to return for Thirteen's regeneration, I'm saying it.

My point being that even if there are episodes you can't stand in the new era, is that really exclusive to Chibnall? All the way back in Season 1, they had The Long Game, which I remember disliking, but it was sandwiched between Dalek and Father's Day, which are in my opinion, the two best episodes of that season. A lot of people don't like Orphan 55, for example. But it's followed up by Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror. Does anyone really dislike that episode? You're valid if you do, but I think it's really good. Ask me about any episode in the Chibnall Era, and I'll find something to like about it. (Except maybe Arachnids in the UK...and that one's not even bad, just kind of weak.) Because like I said, there is good and bad in every season...and I do think that the fandom has overblown how "bad" the Chibnall Era is...though that may be in part because I think this era is generally good? Incredible companions, solid episodes, a great Doctor, and hey...this era actually made the Daleks scary again. That is impressive. Even most of the hated episodes, like Orphan 55 as I mentioned...I enjoy them.

I stand by that. I think this era is great. If anything, I don't like that they reduced how many episodes we get, because some of these stories, like The Witchfinders and It Takes You Away especially Fugitive of The Judoon, are just begging to be two-parters. Spyfall is the only real two-parter we've had, in my opinion (Ascension of the Cybermen and The Timeless Children feel like two separate stories to me) and the episode was much stronger for having the extra time. If I have one genuine criticism with the Chibnall Era as a whole, it is the stark contrast between Seasons 11 and 12. I love Season 11, I thought it was beautiful. I like it far more than most people. I also truly enjoyed Season 12. But they are worlds apart, with Season 11 feeling so standalone and Season 12 picking up with a big storyline that really hadn't been hinted at all in the previous outing. The tone is also different, with The Doctor and "the fam" having a distance between them that seems to have developed offscreen in between seasons. It was as though Chibnall wanted to give everyone a breather from big overarching plots after the Moffat Era, but then after one season he decided "break's over" because he wanted to tell his story. And that's okay! It is. But it's jarring. Anyway, let's talk about Chibnall's storyline. You know where this is going.

"That" episode.

I meant what I said before. There isn't a single episode that I actively hate as much as say, Listen. Now let's get very controversial, because I know what y'all are thinking. "Not even The Timeless Children?" And I'll just get this out of the way right now: I don't think The Timeless Children, or it's twist, ruins Doctor Who. I don't think it gets anywhere close. I mentioned before that I was demoralized reading the comments on a clip of Doctor Who...to no one's surprise, it was this episode. Now, I may just be biased...after all, I didn't even hate Hell Bent. But while I have my criticisms of Season 12, The Doctor's revised backstory accounts for exactly none of them. You want to know what really bothers me? That we had a seven season buildup to Gallifrey's rescue, a nine season buildup to it's return...only for the show to do nothing with it, and then just destroy it again a couple of seasons later. As someone who loved The Day of The Doctor, I'm mad about that. Among other reasons, destroying Gallifrey is the kind of card you can really only play once.

So no, I don't think The Timeless Children is perfect. The Doctor had a seven season character arc culminating in them learning the lesson that using The Moment would be wrong, and that it was never okay to do something like that. To hear her even consider using The Death Particle, that "Or, a solution" line in response to Ryan appropriately reacting in horror? Yeah, that upset me. I don't like that Gallifrey is gone again, and even if The Doctor wasn't the one to do it, she almost did, and she left someone else to do it in her stead. That bothers me more than The Timeless Child ever could. That being said...the Timeless Child doesn't bother me. Seriously, it blows my mind that people act like this twist ruins Doctor Who. It...really doesn't, guys.

It does not insult the legacy of William Hartnell. He is still The First Doctor. It's not like there isn't a precedent for secret incarnations from The Doctor's past. We didn't start calling Christopher Eccleston The Tenth Doctor after we found out about John Hurt. Nothing can change The First Doctor's status or take it away, nor do I think Chibnall is trying. He is doing what I've actually wanted Doctor Who to do for a while. Give us a story about The Doctor's childhood. (Listen doesn't count, I don't care, that was all kinds of bad.) Let me ask you, what does this really change? I've seen people complain about the revision of The Doctor's history...but there's a precedent for that too. We could play bingo with how many times Clara fundamentally altered or influenced the show's history. She is the reason he started traveling, the reason he chose his Tardis, and the reason he saved Gallifrey. Why doesn't that bother people, if this does?

I also understand it if people dislike this change because they feel as though it makes The Doctor a kind of chosen one, compared to them having just been an average person who wanted to make a difference. I get that. However, this is down to interpretation, and there are so many ways to interpret The Doctor. Some people love it when The Doctor goes dark, other people cannot stand it and view it as out of character. Some people love it when The Doctor is heroic and badass, when they save the day...others would prefer that they take the backseat, teaching the humans how to save the day themselves. "The man who makes people better." And which interpretation you get, where it falls on the spectrum...it will vary from writer to writer. Moffat loved to make everything about The Doctor, and Davies frequently compared him to an angel or a god. This is not the first time that the show has portrayed The Doctor as a godlike being. It's not even close to the first time. And honestly? I don't think this makes The Doctor special or supernatural. I think it makes them a victim, nothing more. A victim of child abuse.

People also disliked this episode for removing the mystery behind The Doctor...but I fail to see how it did that? There are so. Many. Questions. That this finale opens up. Where did The Doctor come from? How and why did they get to our universe? What exactly is The Division? What went down between them and The Doctor? Where is Tecteun? (No, she's not Rassilon...) As the Masters asks, "What did they do to you, Doctor? How many lives have you had?" Amid all of the comments that made me sad, I did see a great one about how the original creator of Doctor Who actually didn't like it when they introduced the Timelords, because she felt that it boxed the show in and removed the mystery behind The Doctor, and how "She would have loved this episode." I agree with that. (Still salty that they destroyed Gallifrey though...) You know, I am genuinely interested in this story and where it's going to go, especially with the sixtieth anniversary approaching. But it depresses me that they might scale it back now, after how much the fandom has risen up against it. Not that I'm saying the fans shouldn't be happy, but...it's clear that a story is trying to be told here, and I think it should have that chance.

To each their own, of course. But I will never understand why this era is so hated.

[moonlightserenadeeznutz]

(New) Doctor Who hasn’t been good since S4.

(Please note: This post is really only for people who already agree with me, rather than people who disagree with me, because I don’t want to change anyone’s opinions, nor do I want to ruin DW for anyone. So if you disagree with me, you have no obligation to read any further, and I hope you have a nice day). ~ Okay, look...

First of all: I love Matt Smith. I think he was a fantastic Doctor. He was an absolute sweetheart, and a wonderful actor.

I also loved Clara Oswald as a companion. And all in all, I enjoyed post-s4 of NewWho, with a number of episodes that stood out to me (mainly written by Neil Gaiman... please can we make him a permanent author) and genuinely didn’t dislike it.

However, I really believe that the Steven Moffat era (s5 and onwards) and especially the Chris Chibnall era (s11 and onwards), couldn’t live up to the Russel T Davis era (s1-4).

For starters, I found the episodes post s4 really difficult to get invested into. I feel like the writers tried too hard to make it dramatic, and in turn simply made it complicated to follow along and frankly, a little boring. Too many characters had an unnecessary amount of importance placed on them, and too many episodes contained more than one plot point (again, as an attempt to make it dramatic, and therefore making it too complicated).

I also disliked the complete disregard for anything that happened pre-s5. I understand the timeline to an extent, for example, by the time the Doctor met Amy it had technically been about a hundred years since he’d last seen Rose give or take (though it had literally only been a few days since he’d last seen Donna and she wasn’t mentioned at all). This may just be my inability to really cope with major change, but then, a lot of people are like me, so disregarding everything just makes the show inaccessible to a number of people. I was screaming at the TV screen half the time wanting the Doctor to mention Rose, or Martha, or Donna, or Jack, but they hardly got a look in. Even in The Day of the Doctor, the appearance of “Rose” was frankly disappointing.

And this is just talking about s5 and onwards. I haven’t yet mentioned how good pre-s4 was. I’m not saying every episode was a masterpiece, but there were an incredible amount of well-thought out and interesting storylines. The entire Bad Wolf storyline and how it threaded through all four seasons even after Rose had gone was, and still is, my favourite thing ever. The Daleks and the Cybemen were actually threatening (as opposed to just nuisances like they were post-s5, which I suppose by that time they were, but it’s funny how some characters were described as the most dangerous and evil characters when tbh they really weren’t, but the Daleks and the Cybermen hardly ever were. I’d also like to point out that the Cybermen hadn’t actually been seen again by the Doctor since the battle at Canary Wharf (although I may be wrong on this, someone please correct me), and when Eleven did see them again, he acted more as if they were just an inconvenience, rather than the reason he lost one of his companions).

And don’t even get me started on the companions of pre-s5. Yes I love Clara, but that’s really about it. I never got invested in Amy, despite the show making her out to be god incarnated and the most important person in the Doctor’s life. I actually got more invested in Rory tbh. I’m not saying I didn’t like Amy, I just didn’t really see the big deal. Adding this to the fact that my favourite companions (all of which are in pre-s5) were never mentioned made me genuinely angry at Amy. It wasn’t her fault, but she had an air of smugness around her, as if she knew everything there is to know about the Doctor, but out of all of the companions she actually doesn’t know that much at all. She barely even knows that the Doctor can regenerate.

The companions in s1-4 were on a different level. Rose Tyler is my beloved, who absorbed the time vortex and became Bad Wolf. Martha Jones was the most badass motherf*cker who literally became a walking legend throughout the entire world as she travelled for a year on her own to defeat the Master- which she did, single f*cking handedly. Donna Noble was Catherine Tate. (And also she was the most hilarious, wonderful won’t-take-shit-from-a-spaceman icon who literally became a Time Lord. AND JACK MOTHERFUCKING HARKNESS THE GUY I LITERALLY NAMED MYSELF AFTER THE IMMORTAL OMNISEXUAL ALIEN JOHN FUCKING BARROWMAN LGBTQ+ ICON ALL THE WAY FROM 2005 CANNOT BE COMPARED IN LOVE WITH THE DOCTOR FLIRTS WITH EVERYONE SMOOTH SON OF A BITCH WITH A SMILE THAT CAN KILL EVEN MY LESBIAN ARSE.

Amy was just... sort of nothing? I don’t want to criticise too much because I know she’s the favourite companion of a lot of people, and I don’t want to ruin her for them. I don’t think she’s a bad companion. A lot of my anger towards her is more to do with me rather than to do with her. I just feel that she was placed on a pedestal and treated way more than her predecessors for no real reason.

She was “The girl who waited”. She was an eight year old who sat outiside for a night waiting for the Doctor. It’s sweet and all, but why is that literally her only personality trait?

There’s probably more I can add, but I’ve gone on long enough. And I must reiterate this is only personal opinion. I understand the title is a bit too blunt, one of those “if you don’t agree with me you’re an idiot” sort of posts, but it isn’t. This is just how I feel, and I encourage you to disagree with me, because I don’t want to ruin anything for anyone. Believe me, lots of things have been ruined for me by someone giving a negative opinion about it (though I’m not calling those people out or anything) because I’ve felt obliged to agree, or I’ve felt that my opinion is wrong. So I’m not trying to do that, I’m really just writing this for the people who already agree, rather than the people who disagree, because I’m not here to change anyone’s opinion.

Amy’s great. Matt Smith is fantastic. S5 and onwards has some enjoyable storylines. Neil Gaiman is a fantastic writer, so is Russel T Davis. Chris Chibnall isn’t but I think we can all agree with that. Martha is underrated as shit. Catherine Tate is queen of my life (I met her once, she gave up her seat for me on the Tube when I was a kid. Didn’t know who she was back then but my mother was very excited). Rose Tyler can marry me. Jack Harkness is the only reason I’m happy. And Clara is a sweetheart who needs constant protection.

Thank you for coming to be TEDTalk.

[timeagainreviews]

Are you there Xoanon? It’s me, Leela.

At the time of writing this article, many of you will have in your possession the season 14 Blu-Ray box set for Doctor Who. Within it are classics like "The Deadly Assassin," "The Robots of Death," and the controversial, but still much loved "The Talons of Weng-Chiang." However, today I would like to talk about an often overlooked gem in the form of "The Face of Evil." While the serial does introduce the companion Leela and showcases some classic Fourth Doctor moments, it has also received a fair bit of ire from certain fans over the years. I’ve found myself defending it in the past, to people whose opinions I value. My hope is that by the end of this review, some of you may come away with a new appreciation for what is one of my favourite classic Doctor Who stories.

For a little bit of background, when devising the character of Leela, producer Philip Hinchcliffe and script editor Robert Holmes were looking to do something new with the companion. They wanted a female lead that could also do heroics. The initial concept for Leela was a mix of Eliza Doolittle, Emma Peel,  and Loana from "One Million Years B.C." The decision to make the companion more of an action star was one that was met with resistance from Tom Baker, who in this humble writer’s opinion would have been happiest acting alongside a sock puppet. While he claimed not to like the violence of Leela, I often wonder if it wasn’t because such a dashing co-star would pull focus from the main event- the Doctor.

The writer tasked with bringing Leela to life was Chris Boucher, an avowed atheist. And remember this fact, as it will remain relevant throughout this entire review. Right away, Boucher’s knack for comprehensive dialogue is laid out as we meet Leela, a young tribal woman, being cast out by the rest of her tribe, the Sevateem, for heresy. However, it is her own father that offers to take her place in the "test." Leela’s tone changes from defiance to pleas of mercy for the life of her feeble, but proud father. Right away we’re struck with a series of science fiction tropes, and it’s one wonderful pulpy delight after another. Also telling is the presence of anachronistic technology. Such as the gasket turned into a chest-piece adorning the tribe’s local zealot and shaman- Neeva.

In his element, the Doctor arrives at this frontier world by himself. However, as much as Baker would have relished travelling solo, it becomes immediately apparent why this would be a bad idea. Having no companion to sound off with, he resorts to directing his comments toward you and I, the audience. While I love the Fourth Doctor and his penchant for breaking the fourth wall, it’s not a sustainable recipe for good storytelling. The Doctor needs a companion, if for no other reason than to have someone to explain the plot to.

The Doctor walks through this wilderness without a care in the world as little critters scurry past in a Star Wars or Dark Crystal fashion. It reminded me of moments like when the First Doctor and his companions come across petrified creatures on the surface of Skaro. I wish modern Doctor Who would do more of this- tiny creatures that have no greater bearing on the storyline other than world-building. Leela, having been exiled finds herself walking deep into the jungle. However, it seems that exile wasn’t enough, as she soon finds herself being hunted by her former tribesmen. It would appear that allowing her form of heresy to live is not something Neeva, or his god "Xoanon," are willing to let happen.

Leela dispatches one of her would-be assassins, while another is taken care of by a sympathetic friend named Tomas, who followed the killers after overhearing Neeva’s scheme. While they never touch on it, I wonder if Tomas didn’t have feelings for Leela. It would make sense as she is fierce, intelligent, beautiful, and around the same age as him. Had things gone differently, perhaps they could have had a life together. However, Leela is past the point of no return, and his boyish crush. She pridefully tells him to turn back but warns him not to trust Calib, a man she sees as having more ambition than sense.

Leela walks past what is known by the Sevateem as a great protective barrier. Finding herself pursued by invisible monsters, she runs for her life but falls to the ground at the feet of a man unknown to her. Upon following her gaze up to the feet’s owner, she is shocked and terrified to see the Doctor, a face she of which she is surprisingly familiar.  Despite the fact that the Doctor resembles the "Evil One," the Sevateem’s own version of Satan, Leela doesn’t know what to make of his friendly demeanour. This is a moment of great internal conflict for her as only a few scenes ago she was telling her tribal leaders that their god Xoanon was a lie. Now here she stands, looking the devil in the face and he’s offering her sweets.

I’ve always maintained that the story arc for Leela is one of atheism but in the most Doctor Who of manners. Much in the same way that the Doctor will go into a haunted house and prove that it’s actually an ancient alien force, the show has widely maintained the stance that the spiritual is just science we don’t yet understand. Leela’s first lesson comes in the form of the Doctor deftly dealing with their invisible predator. After discovering that a protective boundary is a machine that projects a sonic disruption, the Doctor deduces that the creatures must be blind and sense things by vibration. Using an egg timer, the Doctor distracts the monsters, while he and Leela make a break for it. It’s a great special effect, as even now I can’t figure out how they managed to crush a clock with what looks like nothing.

Back with the tribe, we learn that Neeva speaks with Xoanon through a transmitter that he believes is a magic relic that allows only the holiest to speak to God. Xoanon commands Neeva to go to war with their enemies the Tesh. But the chief of the Sevateem, Andor, wonders why their God would have them go into battle on empty stomachs. A reasonable concern which is met by Neeva’s assertion that Xoanon will feed those of true faith. The tribe gears up for war, but on their way past the boundary, discover the Doctor.

The men shoot a couple of warning shots across the Doctor’s brow, embedding themselves into a tree. While the men deal with the fact that they are now looking eye to eye with their version of the Devil, Leela slips away. Upon seeing the Doctor, the men do a sort of "Sign of the Cross," gesture with their hands touching their neck, their shoulder and their waist. The Doctor notes this is interesting as it’s also the method one would use to check the seals on a spacesuit. Using his newfound infamy to his advantage, the Doctor holds one of the tribesmen hostages with a "deadly," Jelly Baby. But the men call his bluff and the Doctor is taken to meet Neeva and Andor.

Seeing this as an opportunity to prove their faith, Neeva declares they should kill the Doctor without haste. However, Calib, an atheist in his own right, sees this as an opportunity to make Neeva look bad in front of the whole tribe. He suggests they put the Doctor through the "test." Knowing that if the Doctor dies, it will prove that he wasn’t a god, and if he lives, Neeva will look just as bad, as the belief is that only mortals can survive the test.

Knowing her father to have died from this test, an eavesdropping Leela sneaks her way in to stop the Doctor from being killed. Leela uses local Janis thorns on one of the captors, paralysing him in a rigid posture with no hope of revival. The Doctor is appalled by this and commands her never to use Janis thorns ever again. After making a break for it, the Doctor and Leela make it past the boundary where the Doctor learns why his face is so infamous. Out across the horizon sits a giant mountain with his own visage carved into its precipice.

Meanwhile, the rest of the warriors continue toward the mountain for their attack. I was genuinely surprised as I had never noticed the inclusion of a single female warrior with black braids in her hair. Initially, I had thought Leela was the only female in the entire story, but there comes braids looking like a badass. I instantly want to know more about her and to see her in extended media. Sadly, braids and a bunch of other Sevateem are cut down by beams of light before they can meet the impenetrable time barrier. Clearly, something about this was a trap put on by Xoanon, but why?

The Doctor decides that the only way to understand what is happening is by going back to the tribe, despite the death sentence. Upon returning, most of the camp is still deserted, allowing him and Leela a chance to snoop around. Upon discovering the room of "relics," kept by Neeva, the Doctor reveals them to be nothing more than the scientific instruments of the human colonists from whom the Sevateem and Tesh descend. The Doctor finds the helmet Neeva uses to speak to Xoanon and realises that Xoanon speaks with his own voice. Furthermore, Xoanon seems to think the Doctor and he are one.

Being one of the first to return from battle, Calib discovers the Doctor and Leela. Afraid they will ruin his plans to make Neeva look a fool, he poisons Leela with a Janis thorn. With little time, the Doctor demonstrates to Calib that the equipment they've been worshipping for years is actually capable or analysing and concocting a cure for Janis thorn poison. Leela is revived but slightly incapacitated, which makes her and the Doctor easy to capture when more, including Neeva, return from battle.

Now, remember the little critter I mentioned earlier? Well, it would appear that they're a carnivorous bunch known as the horda. Much like piranhas, they are able to strip a body of its flesh when in large numbers. The Doctor is made to stand above a pit of them while a rock tied to a rope slowly lowers, opening the pit more and more with every inch. Leela tries to give the Doctor a pointer, which causes one of the Sevateem to strike her. The Doctor's response is to kick a horda at him which causes him to run in fear. I mention this because any time the Doctor is violent is cause to pause.

One of the things I find irritating with modern Doctor Who is the insistence that the Doctor is never violent. The Third Doctor used Venusian Aikido. The Fourth Doctor practically breaks a guy's neck in "The Seeds of Doom." Hell, even in modern Doctor Who we see it. Like when the Ninth Doctor punched that guy, or when the Twelfth Doctor punched that guy. Or how about the Eleventh Doctor teleporting a bomb onto Solomon's ship in "Dinosaurs on a Spaceship," written by Chris "I don't understand the Doctor's morality" Chibnall? My point is, that the Doctor isn't violent unless he needs to be. The Doctor is non-violent up until the point where either A) it's the only option left, or B) he's mad. In this case, it's B, he's mad.

What does it mean that the Doctor chose this moment to break his rule? I would venture to say he was punishing unnecessary cruelty in kind. But think even more about the theme of the episode. At this moment, the Doctor's morality isn't what's in question, it's his mortality. It's as if Boucher is taking this moment to compare the actions of a man to the expectations of a god. Before the Doctor shoots the rope with perfect precision, he's revealed himself to be a person subject to the whims of his own emotions. In this way, Boucher is asking the viewer to look at the vengeful nature of our own gods and to see the inherent humanity entangled within. Or in the Doctor's own words- "You can't expect perfection, even from me!"

With the Doctor somewhat exonerated by being able to pass this asinine test, he is given a bit more freedom to move about. But this doesn't mean an end to the unrest. The Doctor reveals that the Sevateem are actually descendants of a survey team (creating a portmanteau), and heads back to the mountain to discover the secrets of the Tesh. Meanwhile, Xoanon removes the barrier surrounding the Sevateem, allowing the invisible creatures free roam to terrorise the simple tribe. The Sevateem are quickly overtaken by invisible beings, which kill Andor and many others. The Doctor takes his leave to climb up the mountain into his own face.

The Doctor discovers a spacesuited man within the mouth of the carving. He also discovers a derelict rocket for the Mordee expedition. It's about this time that the Doctor begins to remember having come to this planet in the past. In an attempt to fix the AI, Xoanon, the Doctor linked his mind. Only instead of repairing it, he created a duality that drove the AI to madness. Thus creating a desire in Xoanon to reconcile these two aspects in itself. Its solution for this quandary was to influence the two groups of humans into two very different evolutions and see who would come out on top. The primitive yet cunning Sevateem, or the brilliant yet passionless Tesh?

At this point, the story takes a somewhat extreme turn as the Tesh are found to be rather advanced in every way by comparison to the Sevateem. The Tesh, being descendants of the technicians of the colonists, are more intelligent. They dress like the Great Gazoo if he went through a harlequin phase. They caper and cavort about in an almost jovial sense, but their belief in Xoanon is no less zealous than their primitive counterparts. They seem peaceful at first until the Doctor discovers they plan to atomise Leela. After showing his disapproval, the Tesh turn on the Doctor, subduing him with their mental powers which looks a lot like staring super hard at the guy until he collapses.

I absolutely love that with two reviews in a row I'm able to talk about two separate James Bond type laser scenes where our heroes are incapacitated in some way and are forced to escape the laser with a mirror. This isn't me calling out the show for overusing a trope. There were eleven years between these two episodes, and it's completely by chance that I decided to review them back to back, but how funny is that? And their titles both have to do with faces! I swear I didn't plan this.

As I said, the Doctor and Leela escape with a simple mirror. The Doctor uses the technology to imitate Xonanon and communicate with Neeva. However, Neeva surprises the Doctor when he calls the Doctor by name, showing that even the most fanatical is not so forgone as to be unreachable. The Doctor tells Neeva to instruct Calib to lead the men to the mouth of the mountain where the invisible beings cannot reach. Soon, the Doctor and Leela find themselves running from the Tesh through corridors. It's classic Doctor Who with the bad guys giving chase through endless corridors which are actually the same corridor. After a scuffle, the Doctor once more is forced to use violence as one of the Tesh comes at him and gets kicked into an electrified wall. The Doctor notes that the man appeared to be hypnotised, as if under the influence of Xoanon.

Leela is given a laser gun to fight off the Tesh, which I find to be the perfect metaphor for this entire story. The cave girl gives up her crossbow for a laser gun. It is as if her transition from a primitive to the scientist is coming full circle. It's as though she is claiming the birthright of her ancestors. She's gone from a person questioning her faith, to a person functioning within this new paradigm. Even though she still finds herself cowering when she hears the supposed voice of God, her confidence is growing. 

Leela continues trading fire with the Tesh, while the Doctor seeks out Xoanon within the "Sacred Heart," a large computer complex. An array of large screens project the Doctor's face. But as the Doctor enters the room, Xonanon experiences an identity crisis, causing it to repeat the question "Who am I?" The panic creates a psychic assault on the Doctor, causing him to drop to the ground. As the question repeats, Xoanon's voice fluctuates between the Doctor, a man, a woman, and a child. The child's voice is a particularly chilling juxtaposition with the Doctor's frantic orange face screaming in a panicked frenzy. Fun fact: the child's voice is provided by Anthony Frieze who won a competition at his local school to be in the episode. For a kid that won a contest, it's surprising how much he nailed that take. It's quite easily one of the most effective moments in the entire serial.

The fourth episode of this serial is easily one of the weakest as it degenerates into a lot of your common science fiction tropes. As I said, once they enter the mountain, the tone of the entire story shifts. This is really my biggest criticism of the entire story. But it's also a bit of a further metaphor for the whole atheism argument. Man leaves the primitive world into the world of technology. But with false gods present, man still struggles to find an identity beyond their god. In their own way, the Tesh are no more advanced than the Sevateem. It would appear that Xoanon's little experiment in eugenics was all a bust.

The Sevateem arrive and fight back the Tesh. They also bring the Tesh's weapons into the fight against the invisible monsters, which turn out to be manifestations of Xonanon's id. This explains why the one time we do see them, they just look like a giant apparition of the Doctor's face. Having saved the Doctor from Xoanon's psychic assault, Leela and the Doctor continue trying to stop Xoanon. Because of this, Xoanon, in a last-ditch effort to stop the Doctor, takes over Leela and the rest of the Sevateem to kill the Doctor. However, having been broken from his own religious spell, the unlikeliest of heroes appears in the form of Neeva. Neeva shoots Xoanon long enough to stop the link and save the Doctor but loses his own life in the process.

The Doctor finally repairs Xoanon but gets knocked unconscious in doing so. Upon waking, he discovers he had been out cold for two whole days. A casual Leela sits beside him eating chocolate in peace. The Doctor assumes this means his plan worked and that Xoanon was stopped. The Tesh and the Sevateem are living together in a sort of shaky truce. The invisible monsters are gone, and Xoanon is now at peace. To prove so, Xoanon offers the Tesh and Sevateem the option to destroy it at the push of a button. They discuss needing new leadership and decide Calib is not the right man. Instead, the people (see: Tomas) want Leela to lead. However, Leela turns down the offer to travel with the Doctor, much to his chagrin. Leela has seen enough of this primitive planet. It's time to see the stars.

If you can't tell by now, the aspect I liked so much about this story was its delving into atheism and theology. It may seem like a heavy subject, but at its core, it's something that represents the show as a whole. The perspective that all problems, at their core, can be met with logic and reason. Furthermore, I greatly admire the way in which they continue this story arc for Leela over the remainder of her tenure as a companion. This idea of a woman raised out of ignorance into the realm of greater knowledge continues to build in her character until she becomes someone capable of living among the Time Lords themselves.

That is not to say this serial is not without its faults. For some, it may not be a fascinating storyline. They may not be as enthralled by its themes as I was. Which is fair. There are also some silly moments, such as the invisible monsters leaving footprints, despite being the projections of a giant head. The use of the word savage is also a bit dated, as is the whole concept of the "noble savage." Also, Xoanon got off a bit light. It was like at the end of The Dark Crystal when urSkeks leave like "Peace out, sorry about all the genociiiiide..." What kind of society are the Doctor and Leela leaving behind? Can the Tesh and Sevateem find common ground, or will it be war in perpetuity?

Truth be told, I rather like that it ends on a bit of an open-ended question. I don't believe it's always the Doctor's job to handhold and change the diapers of every developing society. The most the Doctor can hope for is that things have found some sort of balance, free from meddling or outside influence like aliens, robots, or in this case, himself. Furthermore, I love the concept of the Doctor taking a companion on reluctantly. It's almost a form of penance for the Doctor. You created this madwoman with a knife and Janis thorns, and now you've got to tote her around the universe. In many ways, I find Leela very sympathetic. Having come from a religious background, I know the struggles inherent in losing faith, how it shakes your foundation. This type of representation happens so seldom in fiction, and it's rarely a positive thing.

"I too used to believe in magic, but the Doctor taught me about science. It is better to believe in science." –Leela, from "The Horror of Fang Rock"

[aetherschreiber]

The Cycle of Fandom

I am an early Millennial.  As a 1982 baby, I literally came of age in the year 2000.  A lot of hay has been made about how my generation does things differently from our parents.  And by now, plenty of it has been made about why, as well.  I won’t rehash the talking points, but it comes down to how much things changed in our formative years.  Our parents went from vinyl to 8-tracks.  We went from cassette tapes to CDs to MP3 players to streaming over our phones.  That’s a lot to have to adapt to and as a result adapting is just what we do.

But when it comes to fandom, the human condition really hasn’t changed that much.  People like things and when they like things they obsess, collect, analyze, and sadly they eventually eventually gate-keep.

Now, let me preface all of this by saying that I don’t really have any citations for any of this.  But, as someone who was thoroughly raised in fandom, I also have a tendency to get hooked on things a lot of my generation would scoff at for being old.  I love the original Lost in Space and Man from UNCLE, the very first Mobile Suit Gundam is my favorite, I’m fascinated by the puppetry in Thunderbirds, and I’m a complete sucker for just about anything with Cary Grant.  I will binge-watch classic Doctor Who as much as I will the new stuff and love every moment of each for what it is.

For most Millennials, this isn’t the case, for whatever reason.  It’s neither a good thing nor a bad thing.  It just is.  Most folks in my generation have heavy nostalgia for the 80s at the oldest and just don’t really concern themselves with very much from before that.  It’s not that they don’t have an appreciation, but they don’t have the resulting fangirl crush I have on David McCallum that I will commiserate with my mother about (Illya Kuryakin is an adorable badass and I will die on that hill).

I like to think that this has given me a bit of a unique view on fandom, in general.  I participate in some older fandoms, where things move a bit more slowly and where the average age is usually at least one generation removed from me and therefore a bit wiser in a lot of ways.  They’ve just sort of... already covered this ground, so to speak.

The difference is the pace at which they did it.  But the cycle is the same.

It’s never anything that starts maliciously.  No fan I know of has ever set out to point-blank keep someone else from liking the thing.  Rather it starts with a sense of seniority.  “You like this thing, now, too?  Great!  I was there for the beginning and let me tell you, back then...”  It’s always like a fandom big sibling who wants to show their younger counterpart the ropes; get them proper caught-up and versed in the lore so that they can better participate.

I love fandom when it’s at this stage and it’s the type of fan I strive to be at all times.  I don’t like setting conditions for fandom.  I think it’s partly because I am such a late-comer to so many.  The idea of being a fan of something that was made 30 years or more before you were born is a hell of a thing, but I’ve never let that stop me.  And for the most part, these fandoms that are much older than I am have reached the point where they are welcoming and just sort of stuck in the big sibling stage.  Sure, you have the occasional troll, the guy that scoffs that I can’t understand because I wasn’t there at the very beginning.  But they’re usually slapped to the ground pretty quickly by everyone else.

There is the occasional exception, of course.  But one of the things those such fandoms have in common is that there is still new content being made for it.  Doctor Who is a prime example, as is Star Trek, Star Wars, and Lord of the Rings (yes, I do count the upcoming Amazon series and other non-book content as new content, deal with it).  There’s something about new content being made for a fandom that causes an odd anxiety that thing that the fandom loves is going to be somehow ruined.

I’m going to use Doctor Who as an example for a lot of this.  The show turned 56 years old this last November.  56 years!  And the fact that it had a couple of decade-long breaks in there, which were themselves only separated by a single two-hour movie, only serve to highlight the changes it went through.

My second-oldest memory is of Doctor Who.  I remember the regeneration from Tom Baker to Peter Davison.  Now, Whovian historians, before you freak out because that change-over happened in 1981, before I was even born, remember that back then the US got episodes around two and three years later than the BBC, in syndication on public television channels.  So for me, that change happened when I was two.  I remember there being some Big Thing (tm) that my dad was anticipating.  I remember the burgundy and red outfit that Tom Baker was wearing while laying stricken on the ground, surrounded by his companions.  And I remember him suddenly turning into a blond and sitting up, wide-eyed and mystified.  I didn’t understand any of it at the time, of course.  And so I also remember turning to my dad, who was watching with excitement, while the credits were rolling and asking why the man turned into another man.  Oddly, that’s where the memory ends.  I don’t remember the response.  In fact, it’s only having since seen that episode as an adult that I have been able to identify it for what it was.

After that, I don’t have much in the way of Doctor Who related memories until the Paul McGann movie in 1996.  I was 14 and not well-steeped in Whovian lore at the time and I thought it was great.  My dad was more luke-warm to it because it just wasn’t the same as what he grew up with.  It was a sentiment shared by many, unfortunately, which meant that Paul McGann’s wonderful take on the Doctor was relegated purely to audio adventures until the 50th anniversary in 2013.  Sadly, in the early days of the internet, those of us who liked it weren’t quite able to find each other yet.  In the days of Usenet and mailing lists, it was still only the most hardcore fans of a thing who got together to geek out.  Meaning that most of the conversation was “oh, that’s all wrong.”  Lurking in those conversations, I saw pretty much every tremulous young person who dared to say that they liked it get slapped to the ground and told they weren’t a fan of “the real thing.”

Gate-keeping.  It’s nothing new.  And in 1996 Doctor Who fandom ran smack into its pad-locked closed barrier.  Around that same time other old but still active fandoms were starting to manifest the same thing on the internet.  It was when Trekkies suddenly separated into Trekkies (who had seen the original as it aired) and Trekkers (who came long later), for reasons I have never understood.

No, that’s not true.  I understand it.  Us humans tend to get possessive about our stories.  We have a sort of emotional ownership to them, even if not a legal one.  And when you feel an ownership of something, there is an instinct to protect it, keep it pure.  And to do that, it’s natural to try to set oneself up as an authority on the subject.

It took another decade for Doctor Who to come off the shelf again, in 2005.  I was 24 by then, the age that marketers tend to target.  A friend got his hands on a digi-copy of Christopher Eccleston’s first episode, “Rose,” that had been leaked to the internet in its entirety about a week before it actually aired.  We watched it before our D&D group met and I was instantly hooked.  And the friend that was responsible for the new addiction was only too happy to have new fandom friends.

The pendulum had swung.  Gate-keeping was out and welcoming people to the fandom was the MO.  Of course, there were and still are to this day old school Whovians who deny that anything past Sylvester McCoy exists, calling the 1996 movie and the current series a different show entirely.  There will always be those people.  But for the most part, Whovians welcomed new fans with open arms throughout all of Eccleston’s and David Tennant’s runs.

Now, that one cycle, from welcoming to gate-keeping, and back to welcoming, took 42 years.  Most things don’t last anywhere close to that long.  A show might be on for five years or a movie and its sequels be around for ten and after that, for the most part, it’s done.  And in the pre-internet age of fandom, the pendulum swung slowly enough never to hit a repeat in the cycle.

The internet has sped up everything about fandom.  The airing of just about any show in any country might as well be a world-wide premiere these days because it all just travels that quickly.  It has to if it wants to maintain any sort of surprise in its story lines, otherwise internet chatter will spoil it.  These days, things move so fast that even the few hours between an episode of Doctor Who airing in the UK and in the US is enough that one can be subjected to spoilers.  And the swing of the fandom pendulum has sped up accordingly.

For Doctor Who, it started swinging back again when David Tennant left the show and Matt Smith took over.  Tennant’s Doctor had a lot of fans who desperately didn’t want “their Doctor” to leave, many of whom took to the internet, swearing off the show.  They said it would never be as good because David Tennant was just the best Doctor ever.  By then, there were a number of us Millennial Whovians who had dug into the lore and were comfortable with the concept of regeneration as a part of it.  After all, it had already happened nine times.  And there was a bit of a tendency to call those people who swore off Matt Smith’s episodes as being fans not of Doctor Who but of David Tennant.  Meanwhile, of course, old school Whovians were patting us all on the head going “aren’t you cute.  Now you understand why Tom Baker leaving was such a thing.”

And so, the pendulum started to swing back.  You started having people call other people “not really fans of Doctor Who.”  That only got worse when Peter Capaldi took over and there was a significant portion of the fandom upset that the Doctor was now an older guy instead of the 30-something Doctors we had grown accustomed to.

Gate-keeping reared its ugly head for most of Capaldi’s run and, sadly, I think that kept a lot of people from the fandom and from really appreciating the 12th Doctor.  That cycle has started to swing back with Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor, but the gate-keeping is in a stage where it is desperate to hold on to what Doctor Who was when they became fans and therefore is very toxic right now.  It’s not pretty.  But those asshats are starting to be slapped to the ground on social media thanks to a new influx of fans who are now once again more comfortable with the idea of regeneration and its possibilities.

Similar swings are happening with many other fandoms.  The Star Wars fandom is a really ugly place right now, quite frankly.  Star Trek seems to be on the welcoming end.  There are always the exceptions to every generalization, of course.  There will always be “that guy” in fandom.

This swing has always existed.  Millennials are just the first generation for whom it has swung multiple times in the life of the show.  The internet is probably the biggest contributing factor to that.  What that means is that we’re the first generation to really have the chance to see the pattern for what it is.  A few of us have even been able to extrapolate back and understand that, no, this is how it always has been, just slower.

The hopeful part of that is this; by virtue of being the first to recognize the pattern, we are the first ones with the opportunity to learn from that history.  And now we’re starting to see fandoms that actively abhor gate-keeping and just want more people to come in and play.  But those tend to be very young fandoms.

The one that comes to mind for me is Critical Role.  This is a fandom that was wholly born on the internet, as the series is streamed live on Twitch.  It’s really unlike anything that has ever had a fandom this size before.  It’s only been around for four years or so.  But the cast is on its second D&D campaign which means it’s already had the opportunity to have the elitism gate that could be closed.  But something different seems to have happened.  The very moment that people started saying “I’m a real fan because I watched the Vox Machina campaign, not just the Mighty Nein,” they were told to shut the hell up and let people like things.  A foot was stuck into the gate and wrenched it back open before it could close.  And you know what?  The fandom has absolutely exploded in the last two years.  And I have yet to run into a single instance of someone gate-keeping for it that didn’t get an overwhelming and harsh rebuttal from the folks who welcome people to the fandom.

Sadly, the Critical Role fandom is distinct from the Dungeons & Dragons fandom on this point.  But therein lies the difference.  D&D is over 45 years old, ten times and more the age of Critical Role.  And the “satanic panic” over it in the 80s made a lot of D&D players very protective of the hobby, only amplifying that.  The age of your average Critter is only mid-to-late 20s or so.  At 37, I’m a little bit of an outlier, I have found.  The Critter fandom is big on TikTok which I... don’t grock, frankly, because I’m turning into an old fart.  But I’ve never, ever, been made to feel unwelcome because of that difference.  It’s been a refreshing experience, frankly.

In contrast, I really feel like I’m only now starting to be considered a “true Whovian” by the old school Whovians.  It took me 15 years and required me getting hooked on the classic stuff (which I was all too happy to do).  People who have never seen any of the classic stuff and don’t care to are often still looked down upon.  That needs to change.

The Critical Role fandom is still young and all of this may prove to be overly-optimistic in the end.  But I think it has the opportunity to be the first big fandom not to go through the gate-keeping cycle.  I sincerely hope we can hold on to that.  The cast and crew are a big part of that, with how they always hammer on the idea of inclusivity and engage so directly with the fandom.  “Don’t forget to love each other” is Matt Mercer’s sign-off at the end of every episode and serves as a constant reminder.  And if more casts and crews of more fandoms do that sort of engaging in the future, it will help break the cycle of fandom gate-keeping all the more thoroughly.  This is a fact that production companies are starting to awaken to as Millennials, comfortable with social media, age into positions of authority.

So, welcome people in, gate-keep, almost cause the whole thing to collapse, repeat.  That’s the cycle that fandom has engaged in for three generations and more.  But I think we’re on the cusp of breaking that cycle, for the most part.  The idea that you can be a fan of something without knowing absolutely everything about it has been gaining very visible traction in the last five years or so and it is wonderful to see.

Now, please, people.  Don’t prove me wrong.

[explodingcrenelation]

Tony Stark and the Messianic Archetype in Avengers: Endgame

* * * * * S P O I L E R S ahead for Avengers: Endgame * * * * *

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From a purely analytical standpoint, I don’t have anything against Tony��s character arc in Endgame culminating with his death. His last moments in the heat of battle weren’t rushed, poorly written, or unearned. If Tony Stark was going to die on screen, of course he’d do it like a goddamn badass—and he did.

At this point Marvel is telling a single story to millions upon millions of people and there’s no way they can craft a narrative to suit every single person. When I say Tony's death didn’t work for me, I do so knowing that Marvel wasn’t writing the story for me anyway. And I'm not trying to disparage the creative team's efforts and storytelling choices. They made a call. I don’t agree it was the right one.

For me, Tony’s death traps him inside a Messianic Archetype that doesn’t elevate his character in a wholly satisfying way and doesn’t fit the themes of the established, team-centric universe. In this essay I will…

…actually write a fucking 4000-word essay, so buckle up and read on if you’re in for the ride.

What Is the Messianic Archetype?

The Messianic Archetype is a messiah trope. It’s exactly what it sounds like—one person (usually (but not always) white, usually (but not always) male) who sacrifices themselves for the greater good. 

Here’s how TV Tropes puts it: 

In media, the Messianic Archetype is a character whose role in the story (but not necessarily personality) echoes that of Christ. They are portrayed as a savior, whether the thing they are saving is a person, a lot of people or the whole of humanity. They endure a sizable sacrifice as the means of bringing that salvation about for others, a fate they do not deserve up to and including death or a Fate Worse than Death. Other elements may be mixed and matched as required but the Messianic Archetype will include one or more of the following:

- The Chosen One. - True Companions who follow him. - Betrayal by one of those followers. - Persecution by nonbelievers. - Crucified Hero Shot (or other parallels to the Passion Play). - Figurative or literal resurrection. - A Second Coming. - The initials JC.

Some examples of Messianic Archetypes in popular narratives are: Gandalf in Lord of the Rings, Spock in Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan (or Kirk in Star Trek: Into Darkness), Harry Potter in The Deathly Hallows, Superman in Batman vs Superman, or Neo in the Matrix trilogy. The Doctor in Doctor Who is frequently and repeatedly presented as a messiah figure. Multiple incarnations of Sherlock also follow suit in multiple imaginings of the the Reichenbach Falls scenario. (I won’t go into details with any of these characters. I trust the Messianic Archetypes here are obvious to anyone familiar with these stories.) 

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe itself, we see Messianic Archetypes popping up all over the place—like daisies! Steve plays this part when he sacrifices himself in The First Avenger to stop Red Skull's plan to bomb several major American cities. His time in the ice is a kind of death from which he is subsequently “resurrected” in modern day New York. To a lesser extent, he also offers himself up as a sacrifice to save Bucky in The Winter Soldier. 

T’Challa follows this pattern in Black Panther when he’s betrayed by W’Kabi, defeated by Killmonger, and subsequently resurrected within the safety of M’Baku’s tribe. 

In the first Thor movie, Thor is betrayed by Loki, sacrifices himself to the Destroyer to protect his human friends, and he comes back from near-death with the return of Mjölnir, having proven himself worthy of the hammer. 

Carol Danvers destroys Mar-Vell’s engine in Captain Marvel to keep enemies from getting their hands on tech that could harm millions of innocent people. Her human life symbolically ends in the subsequent explosion, and she’s effectively reborn with superpowers.

Pepper Potts is betrayed by her former colleague Killian in Iron Man 3, selected as his “chosen one” for the Extremis injection, and she dies and is reborn from fire.

Yondu in Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2—

Well, I could go on for a long time, but... you get the idea. 

The Messianic Archetype isn’t particularly new to popular media, let alone the MCU. 

This trope is deeply, almost subconsciously, woven into the fabric of popular western storytelling. There's nothing inherently wrong with that. Tropes are tropes for a reason—they speak to us on a cultural and instinctual level. We want to hear these stories over and over, replay them in new ways and look at them from different angles precisely because there is something meaningful in the narrative. 

And Tony Stark's narrative is no exception. His repeated acts of self-sacrifice fit into the Messianic Archetype very, very well.

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Proof That Tony Stark Has a Heart

The MCU kicked off in 2008 with the first Iron Man movie and Tony Stark has ostensibly been the main character of the franchise from the beginning. 

The Iron Man movies establish early on that Tony has a savior complex to match the size of his ego. Our genius playboy billionaire philanthropist is a deeply flawed hero who started out his career as a maker of WMDs. He was widely known as “The Merchant of Death” before he saw the error of his ways. Tony understands he has done many Bad Things and he must atone for those Bad Things—with his life, if necessary.

“I shouldn’t be alive, unless it was for a reason. ... I finally know what I have to do and I know in my heart that it’s right.” —Tony Stark, Iron Man

The first Iron Man movie climaxes with Tony ordering Pepper to blow the Arc Reactor to stop Stane’s rampage, even though Tony might perish in the process. In Iron Man 2, Tony is actively dying from palladium poisoning, but he faces down Vanko (sans Iron Man suit) on the speedway of the Monaco Historic Grand Prix. In the first Avengers movie, we see Tony put his life on the line to get a nuclear weapon out of New York.

This is a repeated pattern for Tony, and like an addict, it’s one he struggles to break. Over and over Tony flings himself into the fray, believing he’s the one who makes the difference—he’s the willing sacrifice whose blood saves the world. 

Tony selects himself to be “the chosen one” because he sees himself as the one at fault for bringing evil into the world. 

“We create our own demons. Who said that? What does that even mean? Doesn’t matter, I said it cause he said it. ...So why am I telling you this? Because I had just created demons, and I didn’t even know it.” —Tony Stark, Iron Man 3

Iron Man 3 shows us just how deeply responsible Tony feels for the wrongs of the world. Because he made naive (and selfish) mistakes when he was young, Tony blames himself for creating villains that plague the earth now. 

We see this best in the aftermath of the destruction of Tony’s mansion in Malibu. 

“Pepper, it’s me. I’ve got a lot of apologies to make and not a lot of time. So first off, I’m so sorry I put you in harm’s way. That was selfish and stupid and it won’t happen again. ...And I’m sorry in advance because I can’t come home yet. I need to find this guy. You got to stay safe. That’s all I know.” —Tony Stark, Iron Man 3

Yes, Tony absolutely provoked the Mandarin, a known terrorist, and the result is the complete annihilation of Tony’s home. Tony accepts responsibility for the destruction as though he was the one who shot the missiles himself. He goes so far as to volunteer himself for a solo mission to find the Mandarin without even bothering to contact SHIELD or the Avengers for help. He made this mess, he’s going to clean it up. All the while he suffers through crippling anxiety and panic attacks, demonstrating that the burden he’s put on his own shoulders is, in fact, too much for him to handle by himself. Still, Tony denies himself the comforts of home and family until he can atone for his wrongdoings.

Miraculously, Iron Man 3 gives Tony a respite when the tables are turned and, for once, Tony is the one ultimately saved by Pepper. After her rescue (pun intended), Tony gives up the armor, commits to having the shrapnel taken out of his chest, and he starts rebuilding the literal ruins of his life—both physical and metaphorical.

The respite doesn’t last, of course, because recovery doesn’t go in a straight line—oh, and also the franchise isn’t over and the MCU kinda needs Iron Man. And so Tony slides back into familiar, self-destructive patterns. 

"Few years ago, I almost lost [Pepper], so I trashed all my suits. Then, we had to muck up Hydra. And then Ultron. My fault. And then, and then, and then. I never stopped. 'Cause the truth is, I don't wanna stop.” —Tony Stark, Civil War

Tony taking on the mantle of the Messianic Archetype once more in Endgame falls perfectly in line with his established need to compulsively and perpetually atone for his sins. As a perfectionist who needs to assuage his guilt for his ongoing (and perceived) failures, Tony simply can’t stop himself from offering up his life in penance. Statistically it was bound to catch up with him, and in Endgame it does.

And not only does Tony give his life in true Messianic fashion, we are “treated” to a hyper-realistic and painfully extended sequence where his life drains out of him as his loved ones gather to witness him gasping out his last breath. (Thanks for that, by the way, Marvel. I’ll put this scene with the dead baby bunnies my childhood cat used to bring home as gifts. How thoughtful.)

Maybe the reason for the intensity of Tony’s death scene is to make the audience believe his death is the Real Thing, not some comic-book-superhero-movie trickery that he’ll be back from in a few minutes’ time. Perhaps it’s the only way to ensure we commit to the emotional depth of the moment. Perhaps the filmmakers see it as an homage to RDJ’s acting talent and commitment to the role. Regardless of the rationale behind the camera’s unflinching gaze, Tony’s excruciating death hammers home the brutal and lonely reality of the Messianic Archetype: it’s cruel to put the fate of the world on one person’s shoulders. 

But Tony embraces that end. He throws himself into the machinery of fate, convinced he’s the cog that will make it all work. 

And he does make it work. 

So why is that a problem?

+

.

The Team-Oriented Universe

The problem with Tony doubling (tripling? quadrupling?) down on the Messianic Archetype at the apex of the franchise is that the MCU is an ensemble, team-oriented universe. 

“You think you're the only superhero in the world? Mr. Stark, you've become part of a bigger universe, you just don't know it yet." —Nick Fury, Iron Man

Fury tells us from the get-go that Tony isn’t the be-all-end-all of the MCU. It’s possible for Tony—for them all—to become something greater than the sum of their parts. 

“There was an idea, Stark knows this, called the Avengers Initiative. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people, see if they could become something more.” —Nick Fury, Avengers

The entire first Avengers movie is dedicated to establishing this premise, to getting these knuckleheads to work together because, alone, they’re too wrapped up in their own bullshit to adequately deal with the forces that threaten the planet. Things don’t start to go right for them until they set aside their personal issues and act as a unit. 

As we all know, our team passes the test and they establish an important principle of the MCU: teamwork is powerful and it’s more effective than working solo. 

True, Tony’s self-sacrifice in the context of the Battle of New York helps save the day; but it’s only one part of a coordinated effort. Tony chucking the nuke into space would have been pointless without the added efforts of Steve to coordinate civilian safety, Hawkeye to relay enemy movements, Thor to separate Loki from the scepter, Natasha to close the portal, and Hulk to subdue Loki and ultimately catch Tony as he fell from the wormhole. The team achieved a better outcome together than they each could have achieved separately. 

But even in the shared afterglow of winning the Battle of New York, the individual members of the team struggle to perfect their dynamic. New challenges present themselves. There’s always room for the team to grow and become stronger together as the franchise progresses. That’s the whole point. 

Tony, for his part, waffles back and forth between his desire to be the savior mechanic (to fix everything by himself) and his desire to work cooperatively with his found-family of superheroes for the common good. This internal conflict plays out over the course of the franchise as Tony takes on the Mandarin by himself in Iron Man 3. The issue then escalates in Age of Ultron when Tony convinces Bruce to help him create Ultron, unbeknownst to the rest of the team. Murder-bot problems and team drama ensue. Tony’s cycle of guilt perpetuates itself in the wake of the disaster in Sokovia, which prompts Tony to adopt the Sokovia Accords. He submits himself and the team to UN governance in Civil War. More team drama ensues.

The logical progression of this escalating team conflict should have involved Tony confronting his deep-seated compulsion to destroy himself for the sake of others. This is exactly the problem Pepper keeps trying to point out to him—his Messianic tendencies have started to cause more problems than they solve. 

“There is nothing except this. ... There's the next mission, and nothing else.” —Tony Stark, Iron Man

Tony has struggled from the beginning to find the right balance between personal sacrifice and sharing team effort. 

Pepper frequently tries to remind Tony that he doesn’t live alone in the world, he can’t do it all by himself. And there are people who want him to live. 

“You’re all I have, too, you know.” —Pepper Potts, Iron Man

Imagine how emotionally satisfying it would have been to see Tony outgrow his need for sacrificial penance and internalize a better lesson: that the savior can be saved, the burden can be shared, and life can go on. 

+

.

A Better Ending for Tony

The MCU had the perfect opportunity to give us an ending that would be happier for Tony and a better fit for a team-centric universe. 

In Guardians of the Galaxy we see Peter Quill and his team survive the power of an Infinity Stone by working together to share the burden of its energy. 

Peter Quill is the son of a Celestial—he’s basically immortal up until the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2. That’s why he and his team could hold the stone without any ill effects. 

Also, they only had to channel the power of one stone. Not six. 

That’s a fair point. 

But by the time Tony had all of the Infinity Stones in Endgame, the battlefield was chock full of all kinds of superheroes. Wanda and Carol by themselves are  embodiments of two of the Infinity Stones. Hulk had managed to bear all of the stones by himself earlier in the movie. Steve, T’challa, and Bucky are enhanced super soldiers. Thor, Valkyrie, and the other Asgardians might not be Celestials, but they are gods—and there were a lot of them on that field.

And we’re supposed to believe none of these characters could offer any help to Tony whatsoever? None of them could hold Tony’s hand for a single minute to save his life?

There are plenty of arguments that could be made: Tony was too fast, no one knew what was happening, or everyone else was occupied in battle. But at the end of the day, it’s a choice the creative team made. Tony died because they wanted him to die. 

And not much would have to change to save his life. 

Imagine this: Tony gets the stones from Thanos and, in true Messianic Archetype fashion, he commits to making the snap, fully expecting it means his death—but then Pepper is there and Pepper has always been the one asking Tony to stop offering up his life to pay for some imaginary debt he thinks he owes. He hesitates, and it’s just long enough for Carol and Wanda swoop in, putting their hands on him and taking the brunt of the energy. Thor and Steve and Bruce and Clint pile on. Peter Parker links up, too, and on and on until the entire rest of the team, all across the battlefield, are in contact with each other and alight with power, channeling the energy of the six stones, keeping Thanos and his monsters at bay. 

Tony can still have his ultra-badass “I am Iron Man” moment as he stands at the center of this surging and fluxing cosmic energy—but this time he does it with support. There are people who care about him (and each other) on all sides. And there are so many of them. Tony isn’t the only one who matters, he’s just the lynch pin that holds it all together. 

Tony is Iron Man. 

More importantly? Together they’re all the Avengers. 

*SNAP*

The universe is set right.

Maybe Tony doesn’t escape entirely unscathed. Maybe he loses his arm as suggested by this post. Maybe the others all leave with their own scars, too. But Tony’s alive and he’s finally, deeply aware of what it means to transcend the limits of personal sacrifice and share the hero’s burden with others. 

He knows now exactly what the Avengers are capable of. Oh, and by the way? That protective shield he wanted around the world in Age of Ultron? Here they all are. All these wonderful, powerful people are going to protect the Earth. And you know what? They don’t need Tony Stark’s myopic self-sacrifice to do it. 

Tony finally feels like he’s done enough—and maybe now he believes there are other heroes out there who can do better than he can. Anyway, he gets to go home to Morgan and Pepper and he finds that it’s not so hard for him to let the new kids do the tough jobs now. He happily goes back to his role as “consultant” for the Avengers, he’s a mad inventor helping change the world for the better, and he also gets to have the long adventure of being a husband and a dad. He doesn’t have to choose one identity over the other—he’s Iron Man. He can redefine what the job means whenever he wants to.

(Also, he finds a way to rescue Nat because she didn’t deserve to be fridged like that. Just saying.)

This ending, or any number of variations like it, would have allowed Tony to finally show real growth at the end of his character arc, instead of succumbing to the same old self-destructive pattern we've seen from him time and time again. And it would have reinforced the theme of teamwork and its power to elevate all those who participate. 

Maybe it’s cheesy, but you know what? It’s the ending I wanted. I know I’m not alone. 

+

.

Tony’s Not Really Dead, You Say? 

“There’s no need to be upset about Tony’s death,” some might say. “Tony’s gonna come back!” 

Resurrection is a huge part of the Messianic Archetype—and it might be that the filmmakers do intend to bring Tony back in some later movie. It might be they simply want Tony’s death in Endgame to sit a little while longer so it has a greater impact. (Gotta push for that best picture Oscar, right? The Oscars hate superhero movies, but they do love a sad ending.)

While I’m wishing for things, maybe Marvel will also release the multiple alternate endings they filmed for Endgame, essentially creating a “choose your own adventure.” Maybe we’ll all be able to pick the ending we like best and forget the rest exist. 

But I can’t make a judgement based on what might be, I can only say how I feel based on what we were given in the theater—for all intents and purposes, that’s the official story Marvel wants to share. 

The Endgame narrative insists there’s only one possible path to victory against Thanos. The “one possible path” is basically the equivalent of the creative team saying, “Don’t @ me.” There certainly must have been an impossible number of endings they could have put on film. Tony’s death is the one they picked. 

So, sorry for @ing you, Marvel, I guess, but there’s just one more point I want to make...

+

.

A Personal Note

RDJ acted the hell out of Tony's final scene. He acted the hell out of the whole franchise. Tony's death was powerful and intensely moving. I wanted to ugly cry in the lobby after the movie was over, and I was upset for days after. 

So. Good job, Marvel. You got in some surprises and you wrung out some feelings from viewers like me. Now that the movie’s taken the world by storm, the surprises will play themselves out. So, I guess the big question is: Will audiences want to revisit this adventure and the feelings you ultimately left them with? 

For me? My reluctant answer is: no. I don’t want to see Infinity War or Endgame again. Not really. Not in their entirety. I didn’t mind the slog through Infinity War in 2018 because I thought, Hey, maybe this is leading to an ultimately happy and satisfying conclusion for these characters I care about so much. And, to be fair—right up until the last 15 minutes of Endgame, I was ready to say, “All’s forgiven.” 

There’s this thing in storytelling called “payoff.” It’s when you deliver a satisfying resolution or fulfillment to your audience after they commit to your narrative journey. Payoff can be extraordinarily subjective, so, again, I acknowledge that there’s no way to please everyone. 

For me, there’s no reward in the resolution of Endgame that makes the slog to its conclusion worth it. Tony’s ending is so needlessly sacrificial, so unnecessarily brutal, that it erases much of the enjoyment I otherwise had in watching the entire rest of the film. 

Don’t get me wrong. I like sad movies and scary movies in their own context. I like them when I can choose them and know that’s what I'm getting myself into. Sometimes I want the catharsis of being utterly terrified or brought to tears. Sometimes we need stories to give us the chance to feel deep and scary emotions in a safe environment. That’s an important function of creative work.

And, I mean, truly, Endgame gave us some great acting, great effects. Amazing talent. Really fun and creative moments. I’m not trying to disparage all the work that went into its making. 

But I feel like someone took me in a limo to a high-class restaurant to eat caviar and watch sad arthouse theater when all I really wanted was to go into town with my friends for some ice cream and a fun movie. 

I didn’t need rainbow-colored sprinkles on my ending, but something a bit sweeter would have been nice. So, well done, Marvel. But also—no, thank you. 

As it stands, Endgame was too bitter for my taste.

[random-gay-writer]

I've been dying for some Mal/Simon stuff. Especially if its Simon being stubborn or reluctant about his relationship or sex with Mal. Like he knows he wants too but resists for whatever reason.

(Not my go-to ship for Firefly, but I can roll with it. I hope I didn’t disappoint)

Simon Tam was nothing if not proper. He had kept a hold of that tattered piece of who he was even harder once he was thrown out of his pristine life and had to settle into a much more rough and dirty world than he had ever let himself he a part of.

So when he found himself drawn to the captain of the ship he was residing in, he shoved it down deep within himself.Captain Malcolm Reynolds was the exact opposite of proper. He was rough and sarcastic and spoke his mind… which all just made Simon want him even more.He loved how different Malcolm was than anyone he had ever been attracted to, or told he should be attracted to, in the past.

The doctor didn’t even really care that it was a man he was interested in, though he knew in the back of his head that was a factor to his intrigue as well.Simon refused to let himself play into his wants though, he was above that. He may have been cast out but he was still the same brilliant doctor from a stuck up family that he had always been.

He reminded himself of that every day when he got dressed in his much too formal clothes, fixed his hair in a much too tidy way, and treated the other inhabitants of the ship like they were his esteemed colleagues instead of a bunch of criminals, a confusing preacher, and a companion. He treated his sister more like a daughter sometimes, but he supposed that was normal given her fragile state.He had taken on more of a fatherly roll with her, and didn’t see how it was messing him up.

He couldn’t get sad anymore, he couldn’t get mad anymore, he couldn’t lash out, he couldn’t go after the people he wanted. She came first and only in his life, even Simon himself sometimes didn’t get any attention from himself because of how involved he was in making sure she was ok.Sometimes he’d forget to eat for days because she’d refuse to eat the food because it was “evil”, sometimes he wouldn’t sleep for a week because she’d had nightmares so he’d sit by her bed and calm her every single time one started.

As a doctor, he should have realized how repressing everything could mess someone up.

River had finally gotten through six hours of sleep without waking up, so Simon held out hope that the nightmares were over, at least for the moment.He was looking over his sister’s serene face when he felt his chest tighten. He found it harder to breathe and felt the panic rising in his throat.His first thought was that he was having a heart attack, but since he had no numbness and he was a healthy man in his prime, he quickly concluded that he was having a panic attack.

Simon quickly left his sister’s room and just kept walking to try to get away enough that she wouldn’t wake up.He went to the bridge since that was the furthest he could go on the ship. He sat on the floor in front of Wash’s station so he was hidden from the door and began sobbing into his knees.

He hugged his knees to his chest as he cried hard.He was so caught up in his tears and trying to breathe that he didn’t notice anyone come in.He jumped when he felt a hand in his shoulder. He looked up and sniffed when he saw Mal kneeling before him.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you.” He told the captain.

“You didn’t Doc. I wake up early sometimes, especially when I have to deal with people who had tried to shoot me.” Mal chuckled and shrugged.

“Yea, I can see why.” Simon nodded and wiped his eyes.

The captain just laughed and nodded once more. The doctor smiled back at him, then found himself surging forward to kiss Mal passionately. He let one hand rest on his neck, his other on the captain’s thigh to help steady himself.Mal was a bit surprised but kissed him back without a question, gently tangling his hand in the doctor’s soft hair.

Simon pulled away sharply when his brain let him realize what he was doing.

“I am so sorry, I-i don’t know why. That… I’m sorry.”

“Relax, Doc. Things are different out here in the black.” The captain assured him with a warm smile before he stood up. “Get something to eat and some shuteye before we land for supplies. You know Jayne can wake up the whole gorram ship with those boots of his.” He chuckled some before heading out.

The doctor was very confused and nodded as he got up as well. He took a deep breath before heading back to his room to crash as long as he could.

After that he tried to keep his distance from the captain, not knowing why the captain hadn’t pushed him away. The more time went on, the more Simon couldn’t explain it to himself. He knew things were different out on the rim, but he didn’t think they were that different that people let others they didn’t like kiss them and act like it was fine.

Finally his brain couldn’t take it anymore and he found himself climbing down into the Captain’s quarters.

“Got something on your mind there, Doc?“ The captain asked, turning to look at the doctor with a raised brow.

“Why didn’t you push me away when I kissed you? It’s very clear that you’re interested in Inara, so why did you kiss me back?”

“Just because I tend towards womanfolk don’t mean those are the only folk I enjoy.“ Mal told him simply with a shrug.

Simon was stopped by that sentence, not just because it was so vastly different than the sentences he had grown up with, but also because of the blunt statement.

Just like before, his body moved before his mind could catch up. He was rushing forward and yanking Mal into another heated kiss. He pressed close to him and wrapped his arms around his neck.

Mal happily kissed him back, wrapping his arms around Simon’s waist. He kissed him back easily, slightly surprised when the doctor heated up the kiss.

Simon nipped his bottom lip before moving his leg between the captain’s to grind against his clothed cock.

Mal growled into his lips and easily picked up the doctor before moving them to his bed. He laid Simon on his back before moving over him, straddling his one thigh.

The doctor moaned as well, hands quickly going to unbutton Malcolm’s shirt and push it off of his shoulders.

Mal smirked and happily pushed Simon’s shirt up and off of his pale torso before yanking him back into a heated kiss.

Simon let his nails gently scratch down the captain’s back while grinding up on him. He bit his lip and looked down when he felt the captain’s impressive shaft pressing against him.

“You’re hard.“ He told the man on top of him, still grinding up on him.

“The human male’s shaft can become fully engorged in under five seconds given appropriate stimulation.” River’s casual voice said.

Both men jumped at the sudden voice and pulled apart, looking towards the ladder. River had laid down on her back in the hallway that held the hatch to his room and had let her chest, head, and arms dangle down into his room. She was running her hands through her dark locks while she watched them with disinterest in her eyes.

“River, this... it, it’s not... it’s just not. This is... uh...“ Simon stammered, quickly getting up from under Mal to pull his clothes back on.

“I want soup.“ She cut him off to say simply.

“Yea, of course, mei mei.“ He nodded and climbed up the ladder, not looking back at Mal because he knew he was blushing.

He stayed very clear of Mal after that, not trusting his body around the captain. He was a proper man from the Core, he courted gorgeous women who had been picked by his parents to help elevate the family name. He didn’t have a hot and heavy dust-up with a male browncoat.

Just because his brain knew that, didn’t mean his body knew that. Now that he had gotten a taste of it, he couldn’t think of anything else whenever he saw the captain.

It was a small ship after all, there were only so many places he could go.

It took several months, but finally Simon convinced himself that having some physical fun was the new normal. Everyone did it out on the rim and he knew he needed it.

So he finally went to the captain and they finally had sex, and promised to never tell Wash because it had been on his desk.

They kept meeting for physical relief and Simon assured to himself that it was a simple thing, just sexual relief that they both needed.

He didn’t let himself realize that they were kind of dating as well. He said it was just sex, but they were spending more time together while not having sex as well.

They would talk after they had sex, they’d have meals together as often as possible, and Mal had been spending more time in the infirmary with Simon. He usually spent time with Zoe and Wash, every so often with Jayne as well, but now it was all Simon.

Everyone else seemed to notice what was happening but Simon kept it in his head that they were just having sex. He had to admit though, he liked seeing Mal. He liked spending time with him, he liked getting to know him.

They talked about Simon’s childhood, Mal loved seeing the twinkle in the doctor’s eyes when he doted on River as a young child, loved hearing the pride in his voice when he talked about how hard he worked at school.

Simon was absolutely fascinated when he heard Mal talk about his childhood. He was thoroughly surprised to find out that Mal actually grew up on one of the Core planets and moved out when he noticed how evil the Alliance could be and since then was a badass pirate and veteran.

They actually had a lot in common and it made both of them very happy.

It wasn’t until River intervened that Simon finally got past his wall of stubbornness towards him and Mal being together.

“You should be together.“ River informed her brother simply, making marks in one of Book’s books he had left at the kitchen table accidentally.

“What? Who? What?“ Simon asked her, very confused as to what she was trying to tell him or if he even knew what she was about to say.

“You and our captain. You like him and he likes you. You’re dating even if your brain is confused on it.“

“What? We... we’re not, we’re just..“

“You’re in love. It’s ok. You can love him too.“ She smiled at him in a way that was both like a wise old woman and a small child.

“It’s not love, River. It’s... it’s different out here.“ Simon sighed softly and gave her a happy smile.

“It’s not. Your heart is your heart no matter what.“

Simon just gave her a smile and nodded, not thinking about it too much for the moment.

His head didn’t let it go though, and that night while he was bathing it rang through his head. He was fighting with himself over whether or not he could date the captain, but River was the most important person in his life and she was telling him to.

Simon was nervous about it, but he decided to just go for it before his brain could overthink. He took a deep breath and headed to the cargo bay where he heard Jayne, Wash, Zoe, and Mal playing basketball.

He came down and couldn’t keep the smile off his lips when Mal saw him and smiled brightly.

“You coming to play, Doc?“ He asked playfully.

“Not right now. I... Mal, when we land do you want to go out to eat with me?“

“Why Doctor Tam, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were asking me on a date.“ The captain commented playfully.

“I am. I am asking you on a date.“

“Well I’m honoured, Doctor. I’ll wear my finest holster.“

“Ok.“ Simon laughed and nodded.

He turned to head back up before turning and taking a few steps closer to Mal before kissing him. Mal happily kissed him back but didn’t get the chance to deepen it much as Simon pulled away when Wash began cheering and Jayne made gagging noises.

“See you later.“ He chuckled before heading back up to the infirmary to check the Cortex to see what decent places there were to eat at on their next planet.

(This ended up longer than I thought and I hope it was roughly what you were dying for lol. Thanks for the submission =) )

[dr-nero-is-god]

i know why dr. nero read a tale of two cities: you’re welcome

let me assure you, you do not follow someone with an english literature degree for nothing. today i will deliver unto you some thoughts on a tale of two cities by charles dickens.

did it take me two months to read the whole book? yes. did i like it? kinda yeah. but did mark walden really pick this book for a reason? yes. yes. i promise you: it’s not just a random, old, boring book picked for the sake of being boring and old.

but before you fight me on that point, let’s all make sure we understand the story (under the cut). 

what is a tale of two cities about?

a tale of two cities (henceforth abbreviated as ATTC), in one sense, is about the triumph of family and the ability for social order to survive great evil—that is, the French Revolution—bonded with themes of great sacrifice and salvation. 

Doctor Mannette was a prisoner of the Bastille for ten years, and when he escapes he hardly knows himself. He is rescued by the love of a daughter he has never met before, Lucie, and though she is nearly an adult they form an unbreakable father-daughter bond that carries them through Lucie’s marriage and eventual motherhood. Lucie marries Charles Darnay, who, like herself and her father, is of French nationality but lives in England. Unfortunately, Charles is the son of an aristocrat, and so when he is caught in France during the revolution, he is sentenced to death. Ultimately, though, a friend of the family (Sydney) redeems himself by arriving to die in Charles’ place, and Lucie’s family sets out back to England.

in one sense, ATTC is kind of a proto-political thriller—it's asking big questions like, what is justice? how should people respond when they are oppressed? how do they respond when they are oppressed? how do families survive when injustice reigns?—in the setting of spies and political clout.

and that’s well and good, but it’s also very abstract. in the concrete, why might mark walden have picked this book, out of all the books?

we can get the simple things out of the way. it’s long. believe it or not, dickens is a great author to read aloud, because his prose is very sparkly. it’s a weird book to use to try and get a teenager to like you. all of this is a factor, sure. but i have three reasons that I think *might* have mattered to this book’s selection. 

Neither Raven nor Nero is quite so stainless as these characters, but they are likewise united by a found family relationship. Nero pulls Raven from a life of death and torture and misery—a place where she has been just as much a captive as Doctor Manette or Charles Darnay. Though they must face the possibility of death every day, Nero says, “Hey. I’ll walk with you.” As I mentioned before, ATTC is about social stability winning out against chaotic violence, which is an apt parallel to the life Nero offers Raven against that which Anastasia Furan has provided so far. Nero is the stability that helps Raven find new life, and we know it to be a good thing. 

1) Because this is very much a book about found family.

Lucie first meets her father when she is about to finish the second decade of her life. Her father is a stranger to her, and yet their connection is immediate and saving for the both of them. At the beginning of the book, the relationship they build represents the first victory of family—and the hope that they survive the end is likewise our consolation. Yet even at the end, when only the guillotine awaits Sydney, found family is in play. Sydney goes to die in Charles Darnay’s stead and finds himself in the company of a seamstress, who also does not deserve to die. They don’t know each other, and yet they find refuge in each other at their point of death: companions on the road to the next life.

Dr. Nero would never love a book if the villains were not sympathetic, if not justified, if not right. And this is one of those books where—even though the protagonists are a little too perfect to deserve anything nasty—the villains might be right. In fact, they may not be sympathetic, and yet there's the possibility that they are right. The system has to come down, people have to be ripped from their pedestals, and things have to change. The ensuing conflict is violent and unjust, and yet it's that kind of evil and firmness I can see Dr. Nero admiring. Furthermore, it is the conflict that Raven might wish to embrace as retaliation against what she has experienced at the hands of Anastasia. There is a system that Raven would be ready to tear down, and this novel offers space for that.

2) Because despite the fact that our protagonists are a family we want to see win, the antagonists are extremely easy to root for.

The villains in ATTC include the government, a man named Defarge, his wife, The Vengeance, and agents Jacques 1, 2, and 3. It is true that guillotining a lot of people without necessarily requiring evidence is pretty bad, but you can also understand why these people are angry. People have been starving. The aristocracy has absolutely abused its power. Men are indentured in hard labor, women are held captive, children are murdered, and that’s life, because aristocrats are kings. Again, I am *not* saying that everybody in the French Revolution was altogether justified, but their motivations remain valid.

Now, let’s pause. I stand by my first two reasons—these are clear elements of intertextuality between ATTC and H.I.V.E. that absolutely exist between the books. They are valid, but I would also feel comfortable saying that maybe Mark Walden didn’t have them in mind when he published Deadlock. 

However, I still stand by my assertion that he picked this book for a particular reason, and this last one is that reason:

“‘Then tell Wind and Fire where to stop,’ returned madame; ‘but don’t tell me.’”

3) Because Madame Defarge is a fucking badass.

I could tell that Madame Defarge was a great character from the beginning. Though she was mainly in the background to start, she received a few flourishes of detail that indicated she was something special. Like a deathly Fate, Madame Defarge develops as the personification of the French Revolution: a violent, chaotic quasi-assassin character who is determined to rain hell down upon everyone she hates. (note: she hates the protagonists. a lot.) Madame Defarge is unfettered by constraints of family and so she is free to arm herself with a pistol and a dagger and take people’s lives into her own hands. She single-handedly leads her fellow women into the fray when the Bastille falls. She, too, is a character with whom one would not want to mess. And some of the things said about her are just FANTASTIC. 

“Of a strong and fearless character, of shrewd sense and readiness, of great determination, of that kind of beauty which not only seems to impart to its possessor firmness and animosity, but to strike into others an instinctive recognition of those qualities; the troubled time would have heaved her up, under any circumstances. But, imbued from her childhood with a brooding sense of wrong, and an inveterate hatred of a class, opportunity had developed her into a tigress. She was absolutely without pity.”

“Lying hidden in her bosom, was a loaded pistol. Lying hidden at her waist, was a sharpened dagger. Thus accoutred, and walking with the confident tread of such a character, and with the supple freedom of a woman who had habitually walked in her girlhood, bare-foot and bare-legged, on the brown sea-sand, Madame Defarge took her way along the streets.”

Wow, right?

What we have here is a woman who is more immovable than the elements, a primal embodiment of predatory strength, and, one might even argue, a picture of liberated femininity whose freedom is rooted as much in her body as in her weapons. 

This is something I know: Dr. Nero and Mark Walden both would notice and care a great deal about such a character. 

I shan’t make mincemeat of Walden’s personal thoughts, but I can speculate why this woman would matter to Dr. Nero. 

One, Madame Defarge is cheated of her victory. Dr. Nero would absolutely take issue with the way the madame exits the book, not least of all because he would know that she could do better. You know those books where you think the villain should have won? This is one such book.

Two, Madame Defarge parallels the violence in Anastasia Furan. This is a woman whose family has been shattered by violence, who may well deserve remuneration for what happened, who is hurt and beaten but not yet killed... and she’s also totally stuck in the past. A main theme of ATTC is that oppression will only beget violence, and likewise, Anastasia doesn’t have anything in her future but death. 

But third, and most importantly, Madame Defarge is the character with whom Raven is most likely to identify with, and the character she most needs to escape. Raven starts her story also shattered, also violent, and, most tragically, trapped in somebody else’s past. I think teenage-Raven would find Madame Defarge the most engaging character to listen to, but she is also the character she must break away from—leave behind the chaos and accept a more reliable structure in her life—to avoid being smothered by anger that will never really get anyone anywhere. 

In other words, it may be that Madame Defarge is the villain who first inspired Nero and who he hopes will inspire Raven as she reinvents herself apart from Anastasia’s chaos. Madame Defarge is a call to action.

If you’re still with me after all of that, you might be thinking, cool, but why does this matter? Who really cares about a book that got mentioned one time and nothing came of it?

I’m glad you asked.

At the end of the day, Nero and Raven’s relationship parallels the love that ATTC’s characters find when they are trapped in darkness and death, but their business parallels the grim revenge that Madame Defarge sets out to wreak upon the world—and it is the business of their enemies, as well.  

It matters because we get a more complex moral landscape with morally complex characters.

In A Tale of Two Cities, the good people are saved and the bad people do not get their revenge. Things in H.I.V.E. are not so simple. Nero and Raven share the stability of family at the same time that they long for revenge; traditional poles of “good” and “bad” occupy the same hearts at the same time. 

Why does Dr. Nero read this book to Raven? I think one way to read it is that it’s his way of saying, “We’re together in this, and I believe that you can be saved and have your revenge too. We can admire Madame Defarge, and we can do better. ” 

For Dr. Nero to read this book to Raven when nothing but a story can save her, A Tale of Two Cities is a promise that there is room for badass assassin ladies in literature and in life. Raven’s story doesn’t close with her first failure.

For those of us who live outside the pages of the book, the presence of this book means something for us as well. If you, too, can hold an assassin in your heart, then you are also participating in the work of salvation. When you listen to a story and get to know someone, you pluck them from obscurity and bring them into the fold—if even the most chaotic and violent of us can belong, then anyone can. 

Raven can. 

Nero can. 

And so can you.

[theonceoverthinker]

OUAT 3X03 - Quite a Common Fairy

Well, I’m FAIRY certain we’re in for a good time today, and I hope you’ll agree!

(That pun works in two ways. I’m proud.)

And if you want to hear my non-pun thoughts, meet me below the cut! (Though who would ever want to read thoughts that don’t come in pun form? Those who do are not to be trusted!)

Press Release

In their continuing quest to find Peter Pan’s hideout and save Henry, Hook suggests tracking down Tinker Bell in the hope that she will lead them straight to his camp. Pan reveals to Henry why he has brought him to Neverland and in the Enchanted Forest, Neal has a plan that could transport him to Emma, but it would involve using one of Robin Hood’s most precious possessions. Meanwhile, in the Fairy Tale Land that was, Tinker Bell offers to help Regina improve her life.

General Thoughts - Characters/Stories/Themes and Their Effectiveness

Past

So I like how Regina’s air has really changed in the opening of the flashback. The flashback before this, from what I gather, is “The Doctor” and you can see how the murder she committed there has affected her after the fact. It’s clearly darkened her, as depicted by the way Lana plays it (Her voice and posture, specifically), but what I like is how that affected her. She doesn’t want to be evil and takes a step back to see what she wants.

”He’s dead and I suffered. What you sent me towards wasn’t going to change that.” This line is fantastic because Regina’s right in a way. Meeting something new won’t change the hurt she’s already felt and is likely still feeling over Daniel’s death. That said, it’s appropriately framed as something she absolutely needed to do for her own sake. While the past can’t be changed, there can be a good future if you allow for it to come to pass.

“I no longer believe in you.” I still hold onto my headcanon about Blue not necessarily being evil, BUT by being such a bureaucrat, she sort of became a villain in her own right. Tink, Nova, Dreamy, and countless others all have their hearts in the right place and Blue just can’t (Or won’t) bend the rules to help them. While not completely devoid of redeemability, I can’t fault anyone for hating her. Her character is incredibly annoying, not at all a paragon or even an inspiration of goodness. She’s a Rubix Cube and finding out what circumstances will allow her to give one magic and advice is a puzzle (And not even a fun one). She’s also not especially engaging on other levels, making her importance in the series something of a dead weight.

Neverland

You really see how dark Neverland has turned Tinker Bell. From the costume design to her more flight-or-fight mannerisms portrayed in Rose’s performance, Tink’s character in Neverland is almost unrecognizable here to what we see in the flashback. It’s incredibly effective in showing the consequences of Regina’s decision. I love her wild eyes.

What an amazing episode for Regina! Her characterization here was simply fantastic. The episode doesn’t playing around with the fact that Regina...well, she’s not the greatest person in the world just yet. She eggs Tinker Bell on and makes snippy comments. But her choices are improving and that happens in a natural way. Her test to Tinker Bell is harsh, but Regina does it in a way only Regina would do. The way she challenges Tink’s potential to do bad is effective in showing how she still believes in her, making the tepid resolution they settle on work.

Enchanted Forest

“So because I know what it’s like to lose family, I should risk mine?” This sentiment honestly holds true in this segment so strongly. I get Neal’s frustration, but he is risking a four year old’s safety. The good thing is that it’s framed to give exactly the feelings that it solicits and Neal’s speeches do help a lot with the balance of sympathy. While I didn’t like Neal basically guilting Robin into using Roland to summon the shadow, it does make sense as a desperate move needed for him as a father. I do wish for that reason though that the speeches were more about Henry specifically. It would make the main conflict more of a relation to a father and his son, strengthening his bond with Robin. That said, the discussion of romance was nice and it did give way to Mulan’s storyline.

Insights - Stream of Consciousness

-David, get over your fucking machismo! You literally JUST got poisoned because of it!

-Fuck! A moving map! Pan is dastardly as all hell!

-Who doesn’t like apples?” “It’s a family thing.” Oh come on, Henry! I’m sure they’d be the APPLE of your eye if you just APPLE-y yourself and eat one! XD

-I like how Neal demonstrates the cleverness that helped him survive in Neverland and eventually escape through his deductions with Mulan. It’s a very logical process.

-ROLAND!!! BABY ROLAND! FIRST APPEARANCE! BEST EPISODE EVER!!! AWWWWW!

-Seriously, the casting department found the single most adorable kid in the world to be Roland!

-Neal...are you sure this is a good idea? He’s a baby, Neal.

-Not gonna lie, I’d try roast swan.

-”I’m the queen, but I’m practically a prisoner with a husband whose heart is still with his dead wife, and his insipid daughter.” Regina’s dynamic with Leopold, while undeniably abusive to her, fascinates me. This line makes me wonder if she has tried falling for Leopold and to a degree, succeeded. She’s bothered by Leopold still only holding feelings for his dead wife and being stuck in that position and I’m not sure if the next scene either strengthens this mindset or diminishes it.

-Rumple analogy of the diner and the feast is very interesting to me. It plays the darkness off as something predatory, more of a hunter than something to be sought. It makes sense because Rumple kind of did get stolen by the darkness in that he was unprepared to have to take it on and the consequences of that choice.

-I really appreciate that at least one of the fairies is actively acting as a suicide hotline!

-”But, if I had, here’s to good reasons.” That’s...really fucking dark!

-”It is possible to find love again.” I love this sentiment. Once can never rule out the possibility of new love! <3

-*Henry attempts to shoot Pan in the fucking chest* What a badass!!!

-*Goes to the fairies’ den* Show, you cannot throw that many colors at me AND spin! Talk about sensory overload!

-”My name isn’t green. It’s Tinker Bell.” So fairies have names. What’s Blue’s?

-Blue! Who died and put you in control of the fairies?! Because they were kind of an idiot!

-”Are you out of your mind? He’s four years old!” My sentiments exactly, Robin!

-”What did you do to her?” That line was delivered flawlessly! It’s so chill and it cracks me the fuck up.

-”Operation Henry.” Awwwwww!!!!!

-”Does anyone really own pixie dust?” “The fairies are quite proprietary about it.” Fairies are dicks. Or really, just Blue.

-”The beginning of your happiness.” I really applaud the carefulness of the show with lines like these. Robin isn’t the sole component of her Regina’s happy ending, but he is still part of it.

-I honestly forgot there was a standoff here between Tink and Regina and was thusly as shocked as the audience probably originally was!

-”A complicated history. That’s quite a diplomatic way of describing it.” Well, she is a queen and a bit more refined!

-How was there never an episode called “The Man with the Lion Tattoo?”

-You can see how well Lana plays Regina’s goodbye to Tinker Bell in the flashback. She starts out scared (As Tinker Bell suspected) and hesitant, but you see her Evil Queen persona come in, pulling off a wicked goodbye to ensure that she leaves.

-Blue, you are just the worst.

- “It’s too late for me.” ”Only if you kill me.” I wouldn’t even say that’s the point of no return. Half the people who came to Neverland have killed tons.

-Part of why I love season 3 is I love seeing groups strategize and work together and the payoff that comes with it. It’s such a satisfying sensation.

-So I love how Tink was so clearly gamed for tracking down for Regina but had NO idea about her companions! XD

-Felix says “Baelfire” so freakin’ creepily.

-You didn’t just ruin your life. You ruined his.” I actually hate this line. Robin’s life wasn’t ruined. Derailed, perhaps, but he was genuinely in love with Marian and Roland is the most precious child in the world!

Arcs - How Are These Storylines Progressing?

The Mission to Save Henry - This arc is moving so smoothly along! So far, every episode has progressed this in a natural way that still feels like a lot of progress was made and here is no exception. There’s a real momentum to this season and it’s chugging along well. I feel like we’re taking a big step forward and it’s making for quite the nice walk.

Regina’s Redemption - Regina’s redemption this season is progressing also quite smoothly! Here, she’s a mix of herself -- kind of an asshole at times, but focused and genuinely trying to do better. I feel like Regina’s redemption is starting to come into its own here. It makes sense that there was some turbulence in late Season 2, and now, it’s more settled, making the growth more gradual and at the same time, quick.

Emma Accepting Her Parents - We only get a brief bit of this while exploring Tink’s pad, but it’s incredibly effective to help further bridge the gap between Emma and Snow. Lack, whether it be family or material possessions, is such a big component of Emma’s pre-Storybrooke life and to see how Snow dealt with that in the past was a clever move!

Favorite Dynamic

Emma and Regina. “So what did you do to her?” First and foremost, this line just cracks me in the casual way it’s brought up. Emma’s casual shrug and drinking-buddy tone is honestly funny. But continuing on, Emma and Regina share an amazing scene together. Both ladies have this genuine moment of kindness, all the while completely staying in character. It’s not overly friendly, but it’s friendly enough and focused enough to be believable and powerful at the same time. It also says so much about Regina. Regina’s throwing herself in danger and risking never seeing her son again and so quickly defaults to Emma taking care of him and saving him. It’s really meaningful!

Writer

Jane Espenson is up for her first episode of Season 3, and she does an incredible job here. The writing is smooth. Any episode that has three plots across three different realms has the challenge of balancing and weighing screen time and Jane makes the whole episode feel as smooth as peanut butter. It’s also smooth in the respect that this episode requires the characters to make bold choices and take hard chances (Ex. Regina letting Tink take her, Robin letting Neal use Roland to summon the shadow) and she makes the dialogue work for her so that these decisions don’t feel too harsh on the audience. That’s an admirable trait.

Rating

10/10. This was a really enjoyable episode. Tinker Bell’s introduction and Regina’s character development is great! It’s enjoyable seeing more of the characters working together and getting closer to finding Henry. I used the word “smooth” a lot in this review, and that’s because it’s honestly true. This whole episode feels smooth, from its development to its storytelling, it feels like driving on a freshly paved road, and given the broad strokes of what happened here that wasn’t an easy thing to do.

Flip My Ship - The Home of All Things “Shippy Goodness”

Captain Swan - Regina’s definitely getting those CS feels!!! And why wouldn’t she when there’s a COCONUT sharing between these two?!

Outlaw Queen - It’s interesting that the music playing in the background as Regina sees Robin’s tattoo is something akin to the wedding march. A lot of the same notes are hit, though it’s not a 1:1.

Swan Fire - Neal’s regret in his speech is really heartwarming! He wants so badly to get back together and make things right.

Sleeping Warrior - *Starts crying from the unrequited feels like a baby who just had their candy stolen*

Swan Queen - As said before, I really like Emma and Regina’s scene together! There’s a growing sense of trust between them now and it adds a heartwarming undertone to the scene to the melancholy overtone of Regina splitting off from the group.

-----

Thank you for reading and to the fine folks at @watchingfairytales!!! <3

Next time, uggh, sorry for the tangent, but I can’t scratch my lotto ticket because I chewed my nails too much. Man, I really need to take care of this...nasty habit. ;)

See you guys then!

Season 3 Total (29/220)

Writer’s Scores: Adam and Eddy (9/60) Kalinda Vazquez (10/40) Andrew Chambliss (10/50) Jane Espenson (10/30)

Operation Rewatch Archives

[the-barrens-are-ours]

I was just imagining how the Losers would all be HUGE fans of both “Doctor Who” and “Steven Universe”. And I was wondering who you think each of their favourite characters on those shows would be.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, I’m so sorrrrryyyyyy this took foreverrrrrrrr!!!!! Please forgive meeeeeee.

BUT! Those are both quality ass shows and the Losers are definitely the type of nerds that’d love them so here’s my take on their fav characters.

Eddie- This sweet little boy LOVES Captain Jack Harkness. Lowkey his biggest celebrity crush, but David Tennant is also definitely up there as well. His fav SU character would probably be Pearl. His friends tease him because they think he probably likes her because she’s a stickler for rules and keeping clean and organized like he is, but really he just is inspired by how brave she can be and how she still sometimes struggles but prevails at the end of the day. He also deeply admires her love for her friends and how she’s willing to sacrifice herself and her happiness for those she loves.

Stan- The boy resonates hardcore with Lapis Lazuli. He constantly watches her episodes over and over again and he just loves her development as a character who still is trying to heal and find herself and be okay again. When it comes to Doctor Who, he’s personally a bit more in love with the older episodes from when it first came out, so his favorite character is actually the First Doctor. Can’t go wrong with a classic.

Beverly- While Beverly really does all the Ponds a lot, she goes HARD for River Song. A badass redheaded woman who’s also part timelord and goes around fucking shit up and kicking ass? FUCK YEAH. SIGN BEV THE HELL UP. Also, Donna Noble? Same deal. She will literally fight anyone who says she was a shitty companion (this is how she ended up accidentally breaking Richie’s nose once. She felt bad for a bit, but ultimately, no regrets.) And frankly, Bev enjoys nearly every female character, both in Doctor Who and Steven Universe. Some of her favorites from the latter include Connie, Garnet, and Sadie. Although, Amethyst also has a soft spot in Bev’s heart for sure.

Mike- This boy loves his characters soft and sweet. She may not have had a lot of on-screen time, but Mike LOVES Topaz. He just wants her to be happy and feel loved. He’s constantly annoyed that she hasn’t come back yet. And speaking of coming back, Mike also loves Rory Williams so god damn much and was ready to throw fucking hands when he watched Cold Blood for the first time, he could not believe that they were gonna kill Rory off. But when he came back at the end of Season 5, Mike vowed to treasure and appreciate Rory more from then on until Angels Take Manhatten. His favorite episode is lowkey The Girl Who Waited even though it makes him cry every time.

Bill- This boy personally is a big Danny Pink man. He’s constantly disappointed that he only got one season, but all be damned if he wasn’t incredible during every single second he was on screen. He’s also still a bit salty that he didn’t get to end up with Clara. His favorite Steven Universe character would probably have to be Stevonnie. He just really enjoys their whole character and stories and he gets super pumped whenever they come on-screen. He also lowkey really digs Greg as well, like whatta dad. 

Ben- Sweet Ben the romantic obviously loves Ruby and Sapphire the most. He just loves The Answer so much and when he heard they were getting married he cried a few happy tears. And when he actually watched the wedding, he cried way more than just a few happy tears. He just loves their love. And speaking of loving love, this boy freaking loves Rose Tyler, especially Season 2 Rose Tyler with the 10th Doctor. He was an emotional wreck for like, two weeks after watching Doomsday. It was just too much for him.

Richie- Richie’s super weird. We all know this. He’s loveable, yet weird. As such, he is constantly drawn to all the weird and lovable characters in the shows he watches. The big one in DW being Drax. He loves that funky little potato man. He also stans the Eleventh Doctor p hardcore. He definitely tried fish fingers and custard, like, that’s just a fact really. No debate. He did it, for sure. One of his favorite Steven Universe characters (besides the title man himself because frankly what a weird and wonderful guy Steven is) is Ronaldo. He loved all his outlandish theories and absolutely lost his shit when he realized they were all little bits of hidden foreshadowing. In addition to them, Richie also loves Onion, Nanefua, Jamie, and Peridot. He also digs Lars’ vibe, as well as Smoky Quartz because they’re both cool but hot messes at the same time. Basically, this boy’s just got a lot of love to give. 

Anyways, that’s my take on their favorite characters from DW and SU. Thanks a bunch for the ask! Sorry again it took so long!!

[lamujerarana]

Nowadays there many seem to dislike the FF (usually based off the films). So FF fans are hard to come by, especially younger ones. What brought you to the FF and what story made you a fan? Also, what do you think Marvel can do to potentially increase new fans?

Well, I’ve said before that I think a lot of the FF's lack of popularity is bred from just sheer ignorance on fandom’s part. People don't know or get them -- or their limited exposure to the FF gives them a false sense of what they're like. 

So I think that just...doing a better job of marketing the FF could help. But more specifically, off the top of my head: 

Make Sue the official leader of the FF. Shift the narrative focus off of Reed and onto her. Give her a solo series. I think Sue could easily become the FF’s most popular character -- she’s a complete, badass warrior-woman and one of the most powerful superheroes in the MU. But so many people just...insist on seeing her as a weak, submissive housewife, and it irritates me. She isn’t like that. She’s not even a housewife -- she’s a CEO, a superhero, a celebrity, a philanthropist, a queen, a part-time SHIELD agent...it’s really a miracle that she has any time free to spend with her family.

Make Johnny on-panel bi/pan/poly. Let him date boys and other genders (...although he has canonically done the latter)! Let him talk openly about being queer and how struggling to come to terms with that factored into his depression, anxiety, and insecurity as a younger hero. Let him mentor younger queer heroes. That would both diversify the team and bring in more queer readers. I’ve been pushing the idea of Johnny as m-spec for years, and it really does seem to have helped increase his popularity, based on what I’ve seen on tumblr.

Make Reed canonically autistic. He’s been coded autistic for ages -- just...let him say it. Or write a story about him realizing he’s autistic later in life. (Personally, as an aroace person myself, I also think he’s a fairly sex-indifferent ace with a pretty low sex drive, but I think that’s less likely to be canonically confirmed any time soon, given the complete dearth of asexual characters at Marvel. We do, on the other hand, really need...ANY kind of aro/ace representation at Marvel.)

Ben...is pretty popular as is. But leaning a little harder into his rocky skin as a transparent metaphor for full-body disfigurement couldn’t hurt. 

As for how I started liking the FF...I kind of stumbled across them accidentally, to be honest. I was busy reading all of She-Hulk’s comics because I love her, which led me to read Spider-Man/Human Torch (she’s in the fourth one), and I completely fell in love with Spideytorch because of that. They were witty and banter-y! They had been best friends for decades! Supported each other through all of their darkest moments! So I started reading FF comics for Johnny and just…ended up falling in love with the whole team. Funnily enough, while I still love Spideytorch a lot, I’ve ended up drifting more in the direction of BenReedSue lately.

It was also around the same time that I’d grown very bored and disillusioned by Doctor Who – during Moffat’s tenure – and was looking for a new fandom to get into, and Fantastic Four comics were perfect. They had everything! They were all about fun adventures in space and time and other dimensions like Doctor Who, and they had that same undercurrent of tragedy and sadness that I’d always loved in NuWho. But they were better because they were about a family who loved each other, and there were cute little kids, and sweet moments between friends, siblings, and parents and their children. So it was Doctor Who if it was centered on a family instead of one man. I loved that! 

Needless to say, a lot of my love for the Doctor and his companions has wound up getting transferred to Reed and Sue. And they are similar! Reed and the Doctor were both very much created in the mold of the 1960s, professorial scientist hero. Reed and the Doctor both can be overly cerebral and prefers talking to violence, he is endlessly kind, warm, and compassionate like the Doctor, they’re both eccentric, charismatic, and likable, and they’re both tragic figures who are overwhelmed by guilt – the Doctor (at the time, at least) had destroyed his homeworld to save the universe, while Reed accidentally destroyed his family’s lives. To be honest, I kind of see Reed as being what the Doctor would be if he had been born human and was a loving family man to boot. They’re really very similar in terms of their personalities. Sue, on the other hand, has got companions’ badassery, cleverness, strength, and bravery. And Reed and Sue both have an incorrigible love for adventure, exploration, and discovery and a knack for getting into trouble that felt very familiar. And they all just wander around the multiverse helping people and fixing suns, planets, etc. 

And one thing I always loved about Doctor Who too was that it had been around for so long that I’d never run out of things to watch and read and listen to. And the FF had actually been around longer, so there was more than enough canon to keep me busy for ages. Even now, I still haven’t read everything.

So yeah. It was what I found to replace Doctor Who....and I really do think that Doctor Who fans in general would adore the FF. My ideal FF movie, actually, would be very much in the vein of Doctor Who. I think previous movies erred by keeping the FF too tied to Earth and not going all out with a outer space adventures and hijinks. 

[followingfallout4]

Companions reacting to a pregnant Sole going into labor in the middle of no where.

AN: Oh I’ve got a thing for romanced companions ones :D Thank you for the request! Because of this I now know what to do if a woman (or me for that matter) is about to gonna give birth in the middle of nowhere or in a car or sth. I’m learning some life skills here! ;) PS: the first ones got a bit long I tried to kinda restrain myself after those to avoid tldr but man this ask is technically fanfic/oneshot material. Prologue: Sole’s eyes widened. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” She figured she could make it back to Diamond city in time to give birth to this kid and settle down there for a while... take it easy. Clearly she had been mistaken. This baby was coming and nothing was going to stop it. She looked over at her companion, who was still oblivious to what was happening, and pointed at a very, very shabby looking hut-like thing in the distance. “Let’s check that out.”  She figured that was exactly how far she was still going to get. As soon as they closed the door behind them she hunched over, stumbled over to the remnants of a bed and grabbed on to the upper arm of her companion. She looked him straight in the eye. “ Looks like this baby isn’t waiting around for the due date. I’m having this baby. Now. “ 

Codsworth “ Oh dear! Okay, it’s happening! Let’s... let’s get you comfortable, Mum!” Codsworth put on a brave face and tried his best to keep his cool but could not for the life of him hide his panic (or excitement, Sole wasn’t entirely sure) in the slightest. Sure, he wasn’t exactly programmed to help bringing children into the world but he was sure that they would manage, after all "it is a beautiful and natural part of life, mum". His peptalk, including those exact words, served more to soothe himself than to soothe Sole, “Codsworth I appreciate you wanting to make me feel better but let’s focus on this tiny human getting out safely rather than on peptalking me, please?” “ Certainly! Oh, it will be such a beautiful child! I bet it’ll have your eyes,Mum.”  “ Codsworth... I’m in a lot of pain.” “ Err... right. What should I do?”  “ Get out water, some clean cloth or clothing to wrap this kid in, anything helpful.” Another contraction hit her. “ Right. Now.”   Codsworth tried to hide that he felt at a loss considering he had no clue on how to proceed next. In between contractions, Sole just told him what to do next as he meticulously followed her every instruction. He hated that he couldn’t help her with the pain but it’d have to do. 

Danse: Danse stayed remarkably calm and got out of his power armor. Sole kept his eyes on him. Sure, she hadn’t expected him to be the kind to go  frantic but he was far too calm... did he think she was kidding or something? “ I’m not joking.” “ I am aware of that. There is no need for concern. Breathe in, breathe out and relax.I won’t let anything happen to you or this baby.”  “Danse, I know for a fact that ‘how to be a midwife’ is not part of the Brotherhood’s training process.”  Danse smiled, she didn’t think she’d ever seen him more in love with her than in that moment. “  Ensuring that you are prepared for the mission you will embark on is part of the training. I made sure I was well-informed  and therefore know precisely what to do. Our only concern is potential complications.” Sole’s stomach turned at the idea of that being a possibility and regretted not listening when he had urged her to just lay low and stop travelling around sooner.  He took some clean cloth, water, a stim pack, a pipet... out of his backpack and took his top off. Sole’s tried to smile but the pain made it difficult.  “Danse... I appreciate the distraction but ...” “ We need to keep this child warm, body heat is ideal. I presumed you are in enough discomfort already however you can certainly opt to use your own body heat.” Sole grimaced. Yeah, she was in enough discomfort already indeed. “ No thanks. “ He got a blanked out and put it over her after helping her out of her pants, presumeably to keep her warm.  “  You might have to breastfeed the child as it will lessen the bleeding due to the hormones.” She smiled at Danse. “Thanks for having my back.”  Danse gave her a reassuring smile and brushed some hair out of her face as gently as possible. “ Thank you for being the love of my life and giving me a family. Hang in there Sole, you're going to be allright. Both of you. I will protect you, no matter what. Both you and our child. "

MacCready:  MacCready seemed to be lost in thought. “ Don’t just stand there, now what do we do?”  He sat down beside her. “ We don’t have time to get you to a doctor so we’re gonna have to make do with whatever we’ve got here. But hey, how hard can it be right?” “ You have no idea.” “ Right, sorry. Lucy made it very clear to me that it wasn’t easy when she had Duncan. The things she yelled at me, I thought I’d pull back a bloody stump considering how hard she squeezed my hand. I’ve only seen it and even I felt traumatised. I mean, damn what you women do is way more badass than anything that I...“ “ Yeah, real comforting there, MacCready.” “ *ahum* Anyway I think I’ve got this.” He grabbed a somewhat clean shirt from his duffel bag and started ripping it up after putting his coat underneath Sole. The house may have come with a bed but clean sheets were something else entirely.“ You’ve still got some purified water, right?” He looked through her stuff and lifted the bottle. ‘Found it!’ “ I appreciate you trying to stay calm but I doubt having watched it once makes you any more of a midwife than me.”  “ Someone once told me the second kid is easier though?” Sole groaned and shot him a vicious look. “Sure as hell doesn’t feel like it.” “ Okay, you’ve got this. I’ve got you. This baby is gonna be come out you’ll forget about all the bad stuff. Start with those puffy breathy things.” “ Puffy breathy things?” “ ‘C mon you know what I mean. "   MacCready focussed on her, showing to be much calmer than she was. However she noticed some tears welling up in his eyes.  “ You’re gonna be fine. “ He grabbed her hand while she was still puffing.  “ It’s always nice to see you this emotional, MacCready. “ She was expecting an excuse, from the dusty place to a full-blown twig in his eye. Perhaps onion-cutting ninja’s for the occasion. “  I’m about to see my second child. This ...  This is a big deal all right? You’ve done so much for me. You’ve given my son his life back, you’ve given me my life back and now you’re bringing another one into this world. And I get to raise them with you. Damnit Sole, I love you.” “ No cursing.” She squeezed his hand at another contraction.  “ Yeah you’re gonna have to let go cause I gotta get there now though.”

Deacon:

“ Ohkay... well I used to be a nurse once upon a time, all the doctor’s fancied me... probably because of the blonde wig and my long legs. “ “ Deacon, this is really not the time.” “ I could be telling you the same thing.” She shot him the kind of look that made him count his lucky stars for her currently not being capable of fighting him because she would’ve handed him his ass. She hissed at him; “Look I know humor is your way of dealing with stressful situations and usually I am all for it. But not. Now.” Deacon couldn’t supress a wide grin. “Well I helped get it in there I suppose I can help gettin’ it out.” “ I swear if you’re gonna keep blurting out ‘funny’ shit you’re gonna make me a single mother.” Deacon was still smiling. “ That would be a crying shame, especially because you would be dealing with the crying. Actually, maybe that’s preferable, then I get some peace and quiet.’ “ Really, Deacon? That’s your reaction? Don’t you think it’s a bit early for bad dad jokes?”  “ No. Panic. I would say panic is my reaction. This is the scariest thing I’ve ever had to deal with. Feel better knowing that? What do you suggest we do?”  “ Get some things ready and please, please don’t do the fake being hurt thing when I yell insults at you because my sense of self-control is at an all-time low.” “ Gotcha, By the way, you’re doing great, keep up the pushing.”  Sole groaned. “Less peptalk more getting your kid out because just like their dad it loves to get me stressed out.”  “ Aww, they take after me already.” “ Deacon, shut the hell up and get my pants off.” He opened his mouth again when Sole yelled ‘NO innuendoes.”

Gage: Gage’s eyes widened... “ Come again? This is some sort of bad joke right? Here?”  Sole shook their head. “ Not the kind of thing I joke about.” Sole doubled over, hand on her belly, at another contraction. “Some help’d be nice” He sighed and picked her up. “ Well shit boss, I’m not prepared for this.” “ Should’ve thought about that before you got me knocked up Gage.” He smiled a little." That’s what you get for always taking what you want I guess.”  “ Oh please, if you had taken anything without my say-so you wouldn’t be breathin’ anymore. For now you’re gonna have to take off that armour and make sure you get this kid out safely.” Gage sighed. “I didn’t sign up for the getting it out part.”  “ And I didn’t sign up for defeating your Overseer with a squirt gun, shit happens. We need to get this child out safely.” The look on Gage’s face shifted as he got out some clean water. Shit, what else did he need for this. Sole noticed. “ Wait... is that concern Gage?” “ I... No.” “ It actually easy, that I’d live the day to see this.” “ This is my kid too ya know. I don’t want it to have the kind of fucked up life I’ve had, but it’d be a good start if it comes out kicking and screaming. But cause someone refused to stay put I’ve gotta help you get my kid out." “  Say whatever you want, I’ve found a soft spot in that cold cold heart anyway.“ Sole winked before another contraction plastered a look of pain on her face again. “ I’ll guide ya through it Gage. But I can’t hold your hand through this cause  you’re gonna need them. So get something to put this baby on.” She decided that the last thing she had to do now is get insecure, wouldn’t help either of ‘em. “Damn boss, you’re somethin’ else. Fuck it, let’s do this.”

Hancock:

" Looks like this kid takes after their dad, life’s to the fast and the rebellious. “ “ Yeah, high five it when it gets out but help me first.” Hancock looked rather happy until he noticed just how much pain Sole was in. “ You alright?" Sole looked at them. If looks could kill... “ And people say there are no stupid questions.” She folded double, grabbing at her abdomen. “ This hurts like hell.” He guided her to the bed and let her lay down on it.  “ I’d give ya some chems but that’d be bad for the baby.” “ No kidding, I’m not having any of that filth now regardless Hancock.” “ Guess we can’t make it to Diamond City anymore? I was looking forward to finding out whether they’d really let me in with you by my side, me being the father and all that.” “ Hancock, focus. No small talk. I could use some help getting my pants off.”  “ Ah, just what you said when we conceived the little one. Good times.” Hancock winked. Sole would laugh if the contractions weren’t hurting quite as much as they were. “ “ Alright... let’s fuck this shit up.” Sole slit her eyes. “Let’s fuck this shit up? Seriously? Look I know you’re a man and all but I speak from experience when I say this is not that easy.” “ You’ve been dating a me for a while now darling, in comparison this is gonna be a freakin’ breeze. You’re a fucking superhero and I love you. Now, lay back, push and let’s hope this baby gets their looks from mommy.” 

Maxson: Maxson didn’t waste any time and picked her up. He put her down on the bed gently and seemed extremely calm.  “ Maxson, are you even processing what I just said?”  “ I know precisely what I am doing and  yes I have. We have this under control.” Sole groaned in pain. “ Speak for yourself ... the pain is getting worse.” Maxson got out a wide array of things he needed to deliver the baby . “ You do what I tell you what I tell you and there ought to be no issues.” Sole scoffed. “Sure, cause you know all about babies. Maxson, with all do respect, this is not exactly the same as commanding an army.”    Sole clenched her teeth and dug her nails into what was left of the matress on the bed before screaming out. Maxson rushed over and for a moment his facade cracked, he was worried about her, brushing some hair out of her face.  “ Are you alright?”  Sole grimaced. “ Hardly. What happened to having everything under control?”  “ Our child will be safe, it’s you I am concerned about.” “ What makes you so sure Maxson?”  “ I asked Cade what I would need to help you deliver this child if he wasn’t nearby. I have prepared for this potentially happening and have all the required equipment at the ready.” Sole screamed again, he grabbed her hand.  “ I swear I will protect you and this child. I will send a message to the Brotherhood after this and they will come pick us up in a ventibird. And then you will rest.” Sole grinned. “Never listened before.” “ I’ll lock you up if I have to, I care more about your safety than about some missions.” “ You mean you love me more than the Brotherhood? That’s the most romantic thing you’ve ever said to me.” She screamed again and grabbed his hand, he didn’t even flinch as she squeezed as hard as she could. “ I love you and this child more than anything. Now focus on doing this. You are my goddamn Sentinel for a damn good reason, you can do anything. That includes this. Just... whatever you do stay with me.” 

Kent:  “I really don’t think this is the time. I mean...” Sole grimaced. “ I don’t think this kid cares about whether it’s the time for it.” Kent supported Sole and put her on the bed.  “ Are you sure we can’t make it to Diamond City?” “ On the list of things not even the Silver Shroud can do: delaying childbirth.”  Kent looked around nervously. “Okay... okay. What should I do.” “ Stop looking so panicked for starters? Just do as I say and this will be fine.”

Preston: “ We’re having this baby now? Really?” Preston could hardly hide the happiness and excitement on his face when it dawned on him that the circumstances were hardly ideal for someone to give birth. He looked around. They were in a small shack in the middle of nowhere... panic crept up on him. He looked at Sole who seemed very busy with putting on a brave face but he knew when someone was scared. He picked her up, knowing he had to be the strong one. She had enough on her mind now. “ I got you. This baby is going to be fine.” He gently put her down on the bed in the hut.  “ I was hoping for better circumstances but at least it isn’t raining, right?”  He held her hand.  “ This is not the first time I’ve helped someone getting a baby out in the world by the way.” Sole laughed a little, very faintly because of the pain.  “ You mean you’ve got a bunch of kids running around?”  He laughed and brushed some hair out of her face and helped her take off her pants and get a little more comfortable. “ No, but we do a lot in the Commonwealth. There was once a pregnant lady among the people we saved. The stress made her go into labour sooner than expected. But the baby pulled through.” Knowing that he had done this kind of thing before soothed her  a little. “ I’m going to look for things we can use. Some clean cloth, water,... You’re going to have to take your top off too I’m afraid. Saved the mother. The child’s grandmother was with us and she told us it could stop the bleeding faster. I’ll get you a blanked though.” Sole nodded.  “ You’re going to be okay. I promise.”

Nick: Nick immediately focused on getting Sole calm and comfortable on the cot in the hut. “ Listen to me, kid. You can do this. We’re going to get this baby out safely do you hear me?” Sole nodded, still biting down on her lower teeth. “ I guess it’s gonna have to come out somehow.” She smiled a little but still looked panicked. What if something went wrong? They first thought there were complications with Shaun’s birth as well but it quickly turned out to be a false alarm, she might not be as lucky this time. “ The first thing you need to do is slow your breathing, relax.” “ Easy for you to say.” The pain of the contractions wasn’t getting much better. He took off his coat and put it underneath Sole. “ That’s gonna be messed up if this kid when the baby comes out Nick. Blood doesn’t wash out easily.” “ Do you honestly think I give a damn? This is our child. I’m going to try to get you comfortable.” He did as much as he could to make Sole lay down in a comfortable position. “ It’s not my comfort I’m worried about.” Nick sat down next to her and grabbed her by the back of her neck until his forehead touched hers. “ First of all; I love you. Second; when I say push you’ll have to push. I will support the baby’s head and make sure they’re breathing, okay?” Sole nodded. Nick planted a kiss on her lips. “ Everything is going to be alright. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me, I will not lose you or this baby”

Sturges; Sturges’ eyes widened. “Oh... okay, no need to panic we can do this.” Sole grimaced. “ I’m not so sure about that.”  “ Hey this is nature, you’ll be fine. I’m right here, I won’t let anything happen to you or to our baby.” He smiled at her in such a proud way that her heart melted a little.  “ This is not exactly how I wanted things to go down sturges.” “ Hey, look at me alright? You’ve got this. You’re a badass, I’ve seen you save so many people and survive against all odds, even if you can’t properly install a tap. This baby is going to conquer the world with a mom like you. Everything’s gonna be okay. I’m gonna get something to wrap the baby into, okay? Lay down and try that breathing thing.” He walked to his backpack but immediately walked back over to her and brushed some hair out of her face. “ I forgot to say one more thing... I love you.”

X6-88: “ The nearest point we can transport to the Institute is 5 minutes away. I suggest we start moving.” “ I’m not gonna make it there.” “ You are.” He lifted Sole up and carried her to the place they were supposed to be. X6 seemed to be convinced he had it all under control although he looked more stressed than Sole had ever seen him. He barely managed to get Sole to a point where she could be transported to the Institute and once there started yelling orders at each and every doctor. As they frowned at him for presuming he, as a synth, had the audacity to doing so Sole yelled that he was officially her second and would be obeyed. Especially in these circumstances. He continued his orders and Sole noticed a hint of a smile. Someone stood beside her and urged her to calm her breathing to delay the birth a little. X6 soon sat beside her, holding her hand. “ I’d hardly considered you the sentimental type.”  “ I am aware of the fact that squeezing someone’s hand aids them in getting the focus off the pain to some extent.” With her next contraction she squeezed again, hard. Part of her didn’t give a damn but she looked at X6 regardless, trying to figure out if she hadn’t hurt him. “ I can take it. Do whatever you need to do.”

[dielittlehero]

PLS ignore

I wish i could use some of my photos, but I had some problems with my mac and 2016 claimed my 40GB photos library. I’m mad as hell.

Anyway, without further preamble, thanks @n3rd-p0w3r for tagging me. Love ya, kid.

· Relationship status?: Single.

· Lipstick or chapstick?: I use more lipstick these days, mostly because I lose the lip balms constantly. 

· Last song listened to?: Hmm, I think it was “Life’s Too Short” of the deleted Frozen soundtrack. I read something about the sequel and I started investigating how the first movie was made and I think I like this movie again, I hate the fandom, but I like the movie.

· Favourite colour(s)?: Blue. But a light blue. I also like red a lot. Ironically, my room is green. 

· Last movie I watched?: I watched Frozen with my brother and my cousin when I babysat them a few days ago.

· Top three shows?: UGH, I am not someone who likes TV shows that much, I always forget to keep up with them. 

Doctor Who, even though it is shit 90% of the time, it has managed to keep my attention for 9 series. 

Black Mirror is my current obsession

???

· Top three characters?: HOLD YOUR SEATS YOU MOTHERFUCKING ASSHOLES BECAUSE THIS IS GONNA BE LONG

Clara Oswald. I love Clara Oswald with all my heart and I can’t believe that the fandom has such a complicated history with her. By that I mean that I do believe it, I hate fandoms. Basically, her whole character arc is a subversion, even in series 7, when people said that she had no personality, she was a subversion. She was meant to be both similar enough to be close to the other companions, but she did have a personality of her own, even if it was in the background because The Doctor (and the audience) was too engrossed by her supposed mystery to pay attention to her. Actually, all those things that she exhibits in s8 more prominently are anchored in s7. In s8 you see her grown from the recent uni grad that she was in s7 to a mature, controlled woman. It is a mask, as always, and her flaws and assets are still one and the same. After the end of s8, though, she has learnt so much, she can lie both to save her life and to control others, she is smart and quick witted, she is a leader and a control freak, and she has to keep her masks. S9 is a direct result of that, with her lying and cheating and that wanderlust she had at the very beginning becoming recklessness, which all combined lead her into a suicidal attitude. Man, I love Clara Oswald.

Cosette Fauchelevent. I can’t believe that after all these years I can still spell her last name. ANYWAY LET ME SPEAK ABOUT THIS LITTLE SHIT. In the musical, Cosette barely appears and when she does, it is only to sing with Marius about their love and be cute, IN THE BOOK SHE IS ALWAYS MOCKING MARIUS. Marius is a loser no matter what I love you too Marius but Cosette is literally one of the most motherfucking badass characters in the book. I mean, she is literally the embodiment of what Les Amis are fighting for, she is the destitute that rose because someone was kind to her, because everyone can rise, and also everyone can fall--that’s Éponine’s story btw. Also, I cry every time when I read about Valjean trying to hug her as a child and her thinking that he was going to hit her. 

Barbara Gordon. Aka Batgirl aka Oracle aka Batgirl again. First of all, comics are not my thing and I’ll admit that I’ve read only a small quantity of them and that I find Batman incredibly boring. But, boy, I love the Batfam. Babs story has changed a lot, because that’s apparently something that comic writers do a lot, so obviously I’m gonna kind of ignore some continuities, but basically Barbara is the daughter of James Gordon aka the Commissioner aka the cop that helps Batman and she wants to be a cop but her father won’t let her so she makes a homemade Batman costume to a Fancy dress party to make her father mad, but some C list villain tries to kidnap Bruce Wayne and she saves him and since nobody knew who she was she becomes Batgirl, eventually earning the seal of approval of Batman himself. She operates mostly alone, though she is friends with Robin/Dick. In some continuities she is older than him, in the current one, they are the same age. Anyway, she was doing it because it was fun, but it is Gotham and it fucks people up, so after Bruce and Dick fight and Dick leaves to be with the Teen Titans, Babs quits being Batgirl to take care of her father. The Joker shows up one day at their place and he shoots her, leaving her paralysed, and takes pictures of her bleeding out, naked, to torture her father. She becomes Oracle, though, a hacker that specialises in fucking villains plans and is a leader to like 3 superhero teams. In the current continuity she is cured and goes back to becoming Batgirl again and everything else is really controversial to get into but that’s why i like it. 

· Top three ships?: 

Whouffle. Any Doctor and any Clara, I’m in for it. Especial shout out for souffez because it’s been forgotten by the fandom for quite a while now. Also, I love that this was a ship that  was a) kinda love at first sight from the Doctor’s point of view and b) something that grew with friendship from Clara’s point of view and c) something that was both so good that its dissolution was both foretold and feared, but it was a prophecy so it obviously was self fulfilling. Also, I really like that it can be read as either a romance or a friendship even though everyone says it is a romance

Dick and Babs. Friends to Lovers is my favourite romantic trope, well that and when the characters flaws that have nothing to do with a relationship fuck the relationship and hoop boy these two are fucked up. I mean, they worked with Bruce Wayne, they needed to be fucked up. I actually really dislike the current continuity version of their relationship but I still think that it can be saved, like extremely easily saved. Fuck you, Didio.

Jane Eyre and Rochester. Okay, but this book took me by surprise because I thought that it was gonna be one of those creepy romances in which the main dude does a lot of fucked up things and nobody calls him out BUT THIS BOOK DOES THAT AND PUNISHES HIM. Jane takes none of his shit until he learns and even then, she too has to change. I love Jane Eyre.

yo do this if you want @/anyone