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howlingday · 8 days

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Team RWBY face off against White Fatalis from Monster Hunter.

COLD RAGE

"Are we there yet?" Yang yawned, walking at the rear of her team with her hands folded behind her head. "We've been walking for hours."

"Will you take this seriously?" Weiss chided from beside her leader in the front. "This mission was ranked five stars and handed to us specifically. We're essentially being told to fight on the same level as headmasters!"

"Is that weird for anybody else?" Blake asked, walking between Ruby and Weiss in the front and Yang behind. "If this mission is so dangerous, then why only send the four of us?"

"Apparently, the one who posted the mission said they didn't want to risk spending more than he needs to." Ruby said, tapping at her scroll. "The five star was actually something agreed on by the headmasters."

"It's still weird." Weiss said, cupping her chin. "Why only send us four without a headmaster?"

"Maybe it's to test us?" Ruby smiled.

"Maybe it's to be bait." Blake worried. A cold wind blew, making her shiver. She then felt an arm drape over her. "Huh?"

"Don't worry about it." Yang smirked. "Whatever it is, it won't stand a chance against Team RWBY!"

Yang pumped her fist into the air, making Blake smile. Ruby giggled as Weiss rolled her eyes. The trek uphill became a lot easier, though the cloudy sky did little to improve morale any further. Looking ahead, the team saw the path open up where it had previously been blocked by an avalanche. Upon passing over the crest, they eyed their mission objective.

"There it is." The team stopped, looking over the frozen remains of the former Castle Schrade. Legend said that a once great kingdom, now long past, was ruled by a good king. But then disaster struck and wiped out everything and everyone within the kingdom in a single night. Blake looked to Ruby. "What's the game plan?"

"Hang on, I'm getting an update from the headmaster." Ruby tapped her scroll. Her lips then pursed as she scrolled through the message. "Uh oh..."

"Uh oh?" Yang repeated. "Why uh oh?"

"Uh..." Ruby started. "Oh, well, um, see, the thing is that we... might need to go back?"

"Go back?" Weiss repeated this time. "Why in the world would we need to go back when we're so close?"

"Well, it's kinda because of the ranking."

"See, I told ya it was nothing to worry about." Yang said, tapping Blake's shoulder with her fist. "Rank's probably only a three at best."

"Well..." Ruby winced. "See, um, the thing about that is-"

"Oh, will you just spit it out already!" Weiss barked.

"SIX!" Ruby yelped, covering her head.

"Six?" Blake repeated, completing the set. She then asked for clarity for what she feared the only logical answer. "Six what?"

"Six... stars. This is a six stars mission."

The wind blew again but had no effect on the already chilled team. Their battles against Salem's Inner Circle, in which they had assistance from far more experienced huntsmen and huntresses, were four to five stars. Six was an all-headmaster emergency, as in it required ALL headmasters to accomplish the mission. It wasn't until somebody spoke up that the long silence ended.

"So, what do we do now?" Blake asked.

"Obviously we retreat!" Weiss shouted.

"Should we really leave the mission like this when we're already so close?" Ruby asked. "What if the threat only just got bigger and us leaving would only make it worse?"

"It sounds like a stretch, to be honest, Rubes," Yang sighed, shaking her head, "but it's also your choice. What's the plan, Leader?"

Ruby stared down at her scroll, then looked to the ruins of Castle Schrade. Something about it seemed to be calling to her, though it was more like a monster luring its prey than a friend beckoning their ally. She took a deep breath, then turned to her team.

"Here's my plan..." Ruby said with confidence. "I'm going to message the headmaster, let him and everyone else know that we're going to continue the investigation." At this, Blake and Weiss noticeably stiffened. "It could be nothing, but if there's a chance that there's something there that could hurt more people by us just sitting around and waiting, then we should at least try to slow it down." Though it wasn't by much, her team softened. "And if things get really hairy, then we'll pull back and regroup with the headmasters, who are probably on their way."

"Getting hairy, huh?" Yang grinned. "Sounds like we'll need a Schrave and a haircut~!" Everyone groaned. "Huh? Get it~?"

"You're gonna get it if you don't keep quiet." Weiss grumbled. "And while I can't say I like the idea of us charging headfirst into danger without knowing what's waiting for us, I like the thought of us doing nothing even less."

"Agreed." Blake nodded. "And if we can keep it stalled long enough for people to evacuate, then it's all the better." She then rubbed her arm a bit. "The headmasters are coming, right?"

"In the message, I got told that they were coming to relieve us of our tasking." Ruby answered.

"Not even sending somebody else in?" Yang whistled. "This thing must be pretty serious."

"Unlike some of us." Weiss said, getting a giggle from Blake.

Ruby tapped her scroll to message the headmaster. She'd likely get told to fall back and might even be scolded via some form of a strongly worded e-mail, but she had to hold firm. Especially when such high stakes were at play. She looked to her team as she pressed 'Send'.

"Ready, guys?"

--------------------------------------------------

Walking into the ruins of Castle Schrade was an eerie experience. Once a mighty and near-impervious fortress, what remained was little more than rubble upon rubble. Old weapon racks had become decayed wood piece that once held rusted swords and spears now strewn about the charred floor. Atop short-reaching steps were ancient bowguns that still functioned, in theory, but were unlikely to last longer than a few shots, if even one. What calamity that had befallen this once noble military outpost had rendered it completely uninhabitable and indefensible.

Blake rubbed her hand against the cold stone as she walked by the long-destroyed pillar. Her cat-like ears twitched and a shiver ran through her body. Looking over the ruins, she voiced her suspicions to the team. "Whatever did this wasn't a natural disaster."

"I think that depends on your definition of natural, huh?" Yang agreed, looking over the scorch marks on the wall. "Whatever happened here happened a long time ago, right? Has to be something unreal to leave scars this deep."

"Anything from the headmasters, Ruby?" Weiss asked.

Ruby tapped her scroll, hoping for an update. "Nothing new." She sighed. "They said they were on their way, but they couldn't give an ETA clearer than 'as soon as we can'."

"Ruby, I don't think we should be here." Blake said, looking to her leader. "I think this is way above what we're capable of."

"I hate to say it, but I kinda agree." Yang gave a sigh. "The last time we took on something capable of destroying a city, we nearly got wiped out. This..." She gestured to the smashed walls and collapsed arches. "This is way beyond that."

"I know, guys." Ruby nodded. "I'm nervous, too, but... I don't want to think about what would happen if..."

Dark clouds started to swirl above. Not just dark, but blue with red lightning. In the distant sky above, the shining sun was blotted out by a swirling mass as a dark circle took it's place. From the hole in the sky, in perhaps reality itself, like something out of a nightmare, a silhouette made its approach to the castle.

As it drew closer, the monster became much clearer to see. On beating wings, a reptilian beast with silver scales and snow-white hair made its descent onto the failed fortifications. With its long, ancient snout, it bellowed its declaration as red lightning crackled across the sky above. Team RWBY readied their weapons in defiance to the ancestral wyvern, White Fatalis.

With a thundering crash to match the sky above, the dragon-like monster spread its wings and let loose a mighty roar, shaking the ground and huntresses beneath it. The girls split apart, Weiss and Yang circling one direction with Blake and Ruby going the other. Leaping ahead of her Faunus friend, Ruby swung Crescent Rose around onto the scaled hide, only to find the blade bounce off without leaving so much as a scratch.

"It's too tough to cut into!" Ruby called out, hoping Weiss and Yang heard from the other side. Blake readied a cartridge of ice dust and loaded it into Gambol Shroud. "Look out!"

Blake was lifted off the ground, her former position swept away by a massive white tail. Before she could thank her leader, she shoved her away in time for red lightning to fall from the sky between them. Looking over to White Fatalis, it lowered its head from what seemed to be a roar to the skies. It had control of the weather and could call forth thunderbolts to strike its foes.

"Ruby-!"

"I saw!" Ruby replied before Blake could say anything. "I've never heard of Grimm doing that!"

"I have, but it wasn't red like that."

"What dust do you have in right now?"

"Fire." Blake lifted her weapon. "It's white and covered with fur, so I thought-"

"Got it." Ruby pulled out her own cartridge. "Do you think Weiss and Yang are okay?"

"We're fine." Weiss said, panting next to Blake.

"You don't look fine." Blake noted. "And where's Yang?"

Weiss pointed to the blonde brawler currently wreaking havoc on the monster ahead. Checking Weiss' aura, Ruby saw that she was already low in her reserves. Without saying a word, Blake ran in, opening fire on the titanic for. If she missed, she missed. If she hit, she hit. If she hit Yang, then it would make her angrier at worst. And she was already blazing with rage.

Yang crashed into the monster again and again, colliding like a comet with the white dragon, noticeably knocking it to the ground. Blades did nothing to pierce it's hide, but blunt force weaponry seemed to be doing the trick. Either that, or the flames of Yang's semblance made it noticeably weaker. Blow after blow was delivered, until finally the beast could take no more and fled to the other side of the ruins.

That's when things got worse. Either out of rage or pain, or a mixture of both, the scales around its eyes and chest began to glow red, like blood had been spilled in excess, and it bellowed a mighty roar that shook the world around them. In a blink, the monster was on top of Yang and slammed its claws down on top of her. She'd barely managed to dodge, and the near miss caused her to trip and roll on the ground.

"Yang!" Blake threw Gambol Shroud to her partner and, on her catching it, pulled her away in time as a lightning bolt came crashing down to where she was.

It was at this point that the sky itself was rumbling with rage. Beneath their feet, with little doubt in the danger presented and little room for shelter from the incoming danger, light began to glow all around, save for beneath the beast itself. All of Team RWBY rushed in, getting as close to the enraged monster as they could, as red lightning danced across their battlefield. Pillars crumbled and rubble was reduced to more rubble. Most concerning of all, however, were the less solid structures like the weapon racks and bowguns, which were destroyed with little evidence of their existence. Had any of the team been caught by this attack, then it was very likely that this mission would no longer be a problem for them in the worst possible way.

"What do we do, Ruby?" Weiss asked.

She looked to her sister. "Yang, when you were punching it, did it look like it was getting hurt?"

"Well, I don't think it's putting on this light show because it likes it." Yang answered.

"How much fire dust does everyone have?"

"I have enough for myself and to refresh one of you if you run out." Weiss replied.

"Okay, then stay out of the way until your aura recovers." Ruby said. "We can swing by to refill if we need to. Yang, stay angry and keep hitting him."

"On it~." Yang grinned with red eyes still blazing.

"Blake, you and me will shoot from a distance." She looked out to see the lightning die down. "Everyone ready? Let's go!"

Once the crimson lightning storm had settled, Yang immediately leaped out from beneath her mighty foe and began her head-first charge into the monster. Weiss, using as few glyphs as she could, retreated into an alcove and watched as her team spread out to avoid being hit all at once. Ruby ran to the beast's left, peppering its wings and hide with fire dust rounds while Blake used her ribbon to pull herself to the remains of a column and swung around and unloading a magazine of fire dust into their foe's left side.

With a loud cracking sound, the white wyvern reeled in pain as its horn snapped off from Yang's strikes. Tossing her down, it jumped into the air and landed on top of her, using its weight to crush her. The blonde brawler struggled beneath her enemy's mountainous strength, finding her semblance failing her to keep the giant held aloft.

"Yang!" Ruby cried, looking around for something to do more damage. It was then she noticed a ballista hidden away, untouched by battle and ready for use. Using her semblance to arrive sooner, she aimed the ancient weapon at the ancient devil, lining up her sights to the back of its scaled neck.

Click! Shoomp! Shing! Thunk!

The massive gear rattled and shook in place as the ballista released the ancient missile. Time, however, was not on the weapon's side as it's rusted metal and frayed wire broke and snapped, thankfully waiting until Ruby had already fallen over from the kickback to avoid being struck by the shattering apparatus. Climbing to her feet, Ruby awed that her target had been struck, though not where she had intended.

In her haste to strike a killing blow in the neck of White Fatalis, she'd failed to account for its shifting form. However, this proved to be a boon as the shifting monster had moved itself just right to be struck through its right eye. With a piercing scream, it fell over, thrashing on its side and release Yang from her weighted prison. Ruby ran out to her sister's side, though Blake was already there to help her to her feet. Together, the three unloaded every fire dust they had into the flaming red core of the raging cataclysm. With a few short clicks, they were out of ammunition.

"Weiss!" Ruby shouted, noticing the shattered building where Weiss had retreated. Terror gripped her heart.

"No need to shout." The heiress huffed. "Here." She tossed the remaining fire dust into the air before spun her rapier and stabbed it the ground. A glyph appeared ahead of the team as a giant, flaming knight took form. Jumping from Blake's hands, Ruby took hold of the fire dust and loaded it into Crescent Rose.

"Hey, Blake." Yang tossed her fire dust. With a crack of her knuckles, her hair flared to a golden shine. "I ain't gonna need it."

In a coordinated assault, the team of four huntresses unleashed a blazing fury unlike any felt before. White Fatalis screamed on the ground as it thrashed against its attackers, tail whipping around before it was cut off by Weiss blazing gigas. Blake moved to the side, carefully aiming inside the massive maw where it was likely weaker than its snowy scales. Ruby fired into the exposed wound of the eye, hoping for a quick end through the brain to end the monster's pain, though the scenario grew more and more hopeless with each pull of the trigger.

Yang blasted punch after punch at the red core, ignoring how red it was making herself and the ground around her. She could feel the blood burning her skin through her aura, but she didn't care. All that mattered was taking this thing out.

However, despite their efforts, it rose to its feet and bellowed a ground-shaking roar. The sky filled with black clouds that blotted out any light, save for the largest red thunderbolt zooming through the air to the highest object it could...

"RUBY!" Her team cried as red light vaporized any remaining rose petals. Tears filled their eyes as the petals drifted into ash. The clouds began to part to reveal the shining sun once more. It was as though the heavens wished to aid in finding the missing leader. Sadly, she was nowhere to be found.

Until they saw that the clouds had been perfectly cut. Like a scythe through its harvest tasking. And from the clouds, they saw a red dot growing bigger and bigger. In a red spiral, they saw Ruby Rose, weapon in hand as red electricity danced across the blade of Crescent Rose. In arrogant defiance, White Fatalis took flight and charged the descending huntress leader.

In a scatter of rose petals, the ancient wyvern was split in twain, blood spilling from its severed torso and body. Its chest smashed into the ground before Team RWBY while its body destroyed what was left of Castle Schrade. Landing atop the head was their team leader, dizzy and stumbling before falling off. Yang ran and caught her little sister, grateful she was alive.

"Ruby!" She called.

"How did you do that?" Blake asked.

"Since when could you do that?!" Weiss shrieked.

"Well..." Ruby chuckled. "I just changed my scythe and..."

"Team RWBY?" The girls looked over to see their headmaster, accompanied by other headmasters who each had their own variant of shock on their faces, approached them. "I believe I told you to abort this mission." A smile then grew in place of a scowl. "But I am grateful for both your initiative AND your productivity. I believe you have a mission report for me."

"Uh..." Ruby stood to her feet, looking back to the slain monster behind them. "I think this speaks for itself, doesn't it?"

"It does, but..." The headmaster leaned in with a smile. "I'd like to hear your side of the legend."

#rwby #monster hunter #ruby rose #weiss schnee #blake belladonna #yang xiao long #white fatalis #fatalis #old fatalis

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biblioflyer · 19 days

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Is Star Trek Insurrection anti-progress?

In which I take a stab at trying to be generous towards one of the Star Trek takes that annoys me the most.

This is a continuation of a series analyzing Discovery’s finale and the different worldviews in the Star Trek fandom. This is also, in part, a reaction and analysis of a discussion about conflicting values behind Trek between Michael Heaton and Tim Sandefur on the Political Orphanage podcast. For more like this, use the Star Trek ethics tag.

In the last post, I focused on the fandom skepticism of the geopolitical assumptions of The Next Generation. Another key complaint Sandefur raises is that Next Generation seems to have turned its back on techno optimism in favor of neo-pastoralism, my words not his.

Neo-pastoralism being the vague notion that not only was the pre-industrial world more ecologically sustainable, to some degree life was better for humans under those conditions. By virtue of being more ecologically sustainable, preindustrial pastoralism is morally superior to the way society would be organized at any point from the industrial revolution onward.

I’m painting with an extremely broad brush and am almost certainly guilty of caricaturing both Sandefur’s objections to TNG’s relationship with technology and also the beliefs of people who would prefer pre-industrial ways of life for aesthetic, moral, or practical reasons.

Let's set aside the obvious contradiction that TNG takes place on a spaceship outfitted with technological doodads that render industrial scale agriculture if not obsolete, then much less necessary. That’s a point well worth litigating but the savvy thinker recognizes that these are backdrop elements intended to be observed and then quickly taken for granted until they become plot relevant.

The setting’s philosophy of technology and the intrinsic goodness of progress, in the material sense, is found in how characters react to plot devices. The MacGuffins and scenarios that warrant scrutiny by the characters and audiences rather than disappearing into the background.

I’ve got to be honest, I’ve forgotten most of Sandefur’s argument on this point, except that he really, really didn’t like Star Trek Insurrection and had nothing but contempt for the Baku or the idea that anyone would feel sentimental about taking away their unnaturally long lives to maybe confer superior medical care to people offworld, and destroy the planet’s ecology in the process.

I suppose if I was going to steelman this, there are times where it is judged that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one. Imminent domain laws in the US are sometimes used to break a stalemate between the representatives of the many, i.e. the state, and individuals or small groups of people who are standing in the way of a major development that theoretically would improve the lives of the many. It would stand to reason that Sandefur would be unsentimental about mountaintop removal mining as long as humans aren’t directly exposed to any pollutants that result.

I guess he sort of has a point?

Except that I think it's pretty clear that Insurrection is a metaphor for the forced removal of people from their land for the purposes of exploiting their natural resources under the assumption that the more materially powerful and numerous society has more of a right to those resources than the people who are not utilizing them “properly.” Furthermore, any resistance to resettlement and “fair compensation” is characterized as irrational sentimentality.

Although I wonder how many people who think more in terms of whether resources are being properly exploited would be in favor of demolishing the Washington Monument to build a Walmart or dynamiting Mount Rushmore to get at a newly discovered vein of platinum? Are there proponents of forcibly resettling the Baku who oppose resettling the Federation colonists who found themselves on the Cardassian side of the new borders?

Reviewing some of his recent work just to make sure that I wasn’t name-dropping someone who had undergone a massively problematic character arc since the original recording, I do find that in the present Sandefur actually has strong beliefs about private property protections. So I wonder what the threshold is at which private property rights are overridden by collective benefit.

Ultimately, I think Insurrection largely invalidates the arguments of the pro-Baku removal side. Even Admiral Dougherty’s appeal to people with chronic illness only moderately softens the overall impact of seizing the metaphasic radiation. Especially since it's depicted as a natural phenomena. An exotic one to be sure, but anything of nature ought to be something that the Federation can throw its best minds at and eventually replicate in a lab rather than having a finite quantity of whatever charged particles emit the radiation to ration. Of course to give credit to Dougherty and Sandefur, this may not be easy, timely, or even possible in the long term and many lives will be lost from chronic illness while the effort is underway.

This is where its worth talking about virtue ethics vs consequentialism. Because I do believe that TNG definitely leans more towards virtue ethics than consequentialism, but its all contextual. In the context of the Baku removal, Picard opposes it because he believes in his core its wrong. Even though the applications of the metaphasic radiation would presumably help many more people than the 600 people on the Baku planet, the removal of the Baku against their will represents a moral violation of a sort that, under virtue ethics, undermines the habit of disciplined commitment to ethical behavior and invites easier rationalizations of would otherwise be deemed unethical behavior. This is of course, something a consequentialist would likely describe as a slippery slope fallacy.

Ironically, while this is depicted as an example of TNG era Trek being all in on environmentalism to a fault and “anti-progress”, that this seems like something that could ultimately be whipped up in a lab and ultimately being deployed as a resource without practical limit seems pretty consistent with established Treknology and doesn’t seem like a reach.

So where I end up is feeling that it's just kind of weird and icky to hate on this movie for reasons other than it not being particularly cinematic, it being another cliched “badmiral” story, or the way it utilized particular characters: Data’s emotion chip was disabled and thus his growth as a character reset, Worf was just comic relief and muscle, Beverly was in that movie too I think.

#star trek ethics #star trek politics #star trek morality #fandom commentary #star trek #badmiral #jean luc picard #Star Trek Insurrection #star trek the next generation #st tng #virtue ethics #consequentialism #eminent domain

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jinsai-ish · 4 years

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I have very long, complex dreams as anyone who's read my journal before knows. I dream in novels/full-fledged series. (I also have a lot of dreams staring a transgender character.)

So, background information first. It was AU-Gundamverse, only without any actual Gundams. The colonies in this functioned more like planets in, say, Star Trek or Firefly, in that they are each run by independent governments only loosely united through a ‘federation’ of sorts. Some colonies are tied very closely, others barely if at all.

L2 in this case is a fringe colony with little to no Federation-influence. It has a strict caste system in place, with a rich elite class at the top and casteless ‘untouchables’ at the very bottom (street people basically). The casteless are barely considered people, have pretty much no rights, can be used as slaves by the elites, aren’t allowed to hold legal jobs, enter certain areas, etc. (Think DragonAge casteless dwarves.) Right below the elite caste is the military, which is also pretty much the only way someone can advance their caste. Any caste can enlist in the military, except casteless of course.

(The Federation maintains trade relations with L2 despite not agreeing morally with their whole thing. People from the Federation can travel and do business but must abide by the rules of the colony. This ties in later.)

Okay, back to the military. This isn’t like a modern military set-up but more like SPARTA. Children can be enlisted as young as 10 and as late as 13, and some begin training at home even younger. Enlistees attend a central academy for five years where they live, study, and train until they ‘graduate’ as full-fledged soldiers, anywhere between age 15-18. Training is very strict and regimented, but the majority of low-middle caste families have children enlisted because again, it’s like the only way to advance. The military is controlled by the elite caste, but not many elites enroll. Those that do are highly respected, however. Within the military, things are pretty much egalitarian/achievement-based. Males and females train together and have the same standards, although they do have separate sleeping and showing quarters. During their time at the academy, trainees are forbidden to leave except for being released to their family at holidays, and only then if the family requests it. Post-graduation, all soldiers are enrolled for life or until injured past ability to serve. They serve as police force, quash rebellion, and have the potential to combat wars in the colony’s defense, although it’s been a generation or two since that’s been necessary.

The reward? Status, pay, and basically the ability to do anything you want to anyone lower than an elite. In fact, at the Academy, there is a ‘Game Room’ staffed with lower caste ‘employees’, open for use by both trainers, soldiers, and trainees in good standing. Think light stuff like food and entertainment, but also things like gambling, porn, and prostitution.

Okay, so character stuff. Duo starts out more or less the same: an orphan on the streets of L2. This means he’s casteless. Solo cares for him, before dying of the plague. Duo survives and is taken in by the Maxwell Orphanage, which is run by volunteers from the Federation to care for casteless children. This is border-line following the colony’s rules so while it’s allowed by L2, they don’t have support from the Federation government. This means that when rebels shelter there, and the military destroys the orphanage, the Federation can’t really do anything except pass some pretty ineffective sanctions. Same as the original, Duo survives. He’s caught at the ruins, having stolen military weapons (his canon) to get the rebels to leave, and when the military attempts to capture them, he attacks them and does pretty damn well for a kid. The commander grabs Duo and notes that the kid has no fear of death and no computation about killing and decides on a whim to make Duo his new pet project.

The commander is also an elite and concerned to be a little eccentric but brilliant and effective, and he’s able to use his influence to get his way. There’s no actual LAW about casteless not being allowed to enlist, just custom. He overrides everyone’s protests and forcibly enlists Duo in the academy. Duo HATES it and tries to get away numerous times but is well and stuck. He’s also brilliant at it, so despite all protests, he continues as head of his class for years.

So, some complicated stuff in the mix here. When the commander – we’ll call him Commander G… He’s not G, but maybe like his son (but, you know, handsome)? When Commander G gets Duo back to the academy and scrubbed up clean (they let him keep his hair… it’s anime military, all in uniform but crazy hair everywhere), it turns out Duo is a GIRL. More accurately, Duo is biologically female but has never identified ‘herself’ as such, which Solo, Sister Helen, and Father Maxwell were always very accepting about, so ‘she’ hasn’t really had to deal with too much. Despite the caste system, L2 is pretty loose about homosexuality and gender equality. So, actual gender identity isn’t a huge deal in society, but it obviously for Duo, who at age 10/11 is suddenly bunked up with a bunch of women and not able to quite put his finger on why he feels so uncomfortable with that. ‘She’ also hasn’t hit puberty yet (childhood malnutrition + the extensive training at the Academy = delayed puberty and a lot of female trainees never getting their period), so dysmorphia hasn’t quite become a thing yet. In addition, at the start, the casteless thing is a bigger deal. Despite the military being pretty much egalitarian, a lot of that develops the longer trainees are together, plus casteless is not just low, but pretty much untouchable. Like, no one wants to sit near Duo, or be on ‘her’ team for assignment, she has to bunk on her own way over in a corner, etc.

Eventually, this starts to improve a little. Duo still passionately hates being forced into the military that slaughtered ‘her’ family but knows the skills will be useful and is basically just biding ‘her’ time. But like I said, Duo is brilliant when it comes to training. ‘She’ still keeps to herself mostly but eventually a group of other trainees take Duo with them to the Game room, half as a joke on the misfit. Duo eventually becomes sexually active and Does Not Like. To clarify – Duo is bisexual and capable of enjoying sexual activity but at this point is starting to develop so the body dysmorphia is coming into play. He starts to become more aware that his body doesn’t match his identity and starts to have issues with this that affect his training. THIS grabs Commander G’s attention who’s been keeping a distant eye on his little pet project. Duo obviously doesn’t trust anyone and isn’t about to talk about it, so Commander G pretty much gets to the bottom of it by raping Duo (not considered rape in L2 because remember, Duo is casteless and still effectively has no rights).

Next? Now that Commander G knows the issue, he solves it. He gets Duo top surgery and moves him to the male dorm. Easy-peasy if you’re an elite and have endless wealth, resources, and rights. He also basically promises to cover Duo’s full conversion so long as he behaves until graduation – ie. no more attempts to run away. This leaves Duo basically beholden to the man he hates the most in the world.

Fast-forward to Duo’s last year at the academy. He’s one of only a dozen students selected for an elite class, who after graduation will be L2’s version of special forces. This is also the first-time piloting is involved, because the special forces gets all the aircraft. Duo gets thrown into the pilot seat kinda accidentally in training and ROCKS. He’s already excelled at stealth, hacking, assassination, infiltration, etc. Piloting he’s better than his instructors and Commander G is super creepy proud. He’s become a little obsessed as one may notice, as in his mind, Duo is a resource that he’s taken and developed into a very useful, deadly tool. This is also the first time Duo actually starts to bond a bit with his other trainees. They don’t quite become friends but the closest thing to it at this point. This whole time though, he’s contriving a plan to escape on graduation day, knowing at that point security will be the lowest. He gets his surgery along with a creepy speech from Commander G about how he’s been a successful gamble. Graduation day, he hightails it out, knowing everyone is going to be occupied until it’s too late.

Of course, he’s still stuck on L2 and pretty much aware at this point Commander G at least is going to be after him.

Remember that bit about others being able to travel to L2? Well, the circus has arrived! Trowa’s circus in fact, which has travelled from L3. The dream didn’t get too much into detail about backstory, but Quatre is with them and it’s kinda inferred the Winner Corp is funding the circus. It’s also inferred that although the circus is real enough, Quatre and Trowa are also working together to travel around the Federation incognito to help people and look out for potential issues, which L2 is FULL of. Duo runs into them and is prepping himself to get turned in and is shocked when they instead agree to help him (Trowa a bit more reluctantly/suspiciously than Quatre).

The dream pretty much ended with them helping to smuggle Duo off-planet using the circus as cover. The rest was kind of like to “next time on such-and-such” preview. We see Duo piloting a ship with Trowa and Quatre behind him, implying that he’s teamed up with them. Heero is seen working on another ship with the implication they’ll be meeting up soon, and there’s the briefest glimpse of Wufei. Back on L2, we see Commander G steaming and gathering the special forces graduates from Duo’s class who he ‘betrayed’ to go after him. There’s some arguing about it between G and the L2 government which kind of foreshadows a military coup and the L2 military possibly declaring war against the Federation for ‘interference’.

And then I woke up, lol!

#gundam pilots #gundam wing #duo maxwell #epic dreams

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benmendo · 5 years

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Captain Marvel Mendo review round-up (pt 1?)

Ben Mendelsohn’s Talos is so great, and a huge improvement and complete change from the comic original. He’s played many genre villains by now, from Star Wars to Ready Player One, but here he’s given perhaps his best yet. Much of the marketing focused on Jude Law’s Yon-Rogg, but Talos is the character people will remember long after the credits finish rolling. [x]

But the film’s MVP is without a doubt Ben Mendelsohn, resplendent in layers of lizardy prosthetics as the Skrull leader Talos but still sporting his indomitable Aussie charm. He’s given much more to do here than in his last high-profile Hollywood gig, Ready Player One, and appears to be having an absolute blast doing it. [x]

Mendelsohn's Talos will be a surprise to Marvel comics die-hards, but a welcome one – he's a far cry from a traditional MCU villain, but what he lacks in deviousness he makes up for in a genuinely charming sense of humor. He doesn't quite fall in line with other recent villains like Zemo with his devious plot and tragic past or Vulture with his take-no-prisoners family loyalty, but he's cut from a very similar cloth with motivations that stem from complicated, surprisingly nuanced places and give him a real depth of character. [x]

Mendelsohn, re-teaming with Boden and Fleck, plays the film’s chief villain, Talos, a shapeshifting Skrull (a new kind of alien plucked from the comics world) and manages to do something fascinating with the role. So many Marvel bad guys are anonymous, but Mendelsohn is the clear stand-out of Captain Marvel’s supporting cast—a darkly funny, world-weary lizard monster whose lidless eyes belie hidden depths. [x]

It’s a good thing that the Skrulls are more than meets the eye, because their leader — Talos — is asked to shoulder most of the film’s emotional burden. Giving the best performance in a movie that relies on its excellent cast to compensate for its empty characters, the ever-reliable Ben Mendelsohn elevates Talos into a genuine menace, first in his reptilian form and then as a Ben Mendelsohn-looking body snatcher once Carol escapes from his clutches and crashlands into Los Angeles circa 1995. [x]

However, by far the smartest creative decision is casting Ben Mendelsohn as head Skrull, Talos; not only does the villain also get some amusing comedic moments due to earthly inexperience, he’s also another morally complex individual that shows Marvel is continuing to step up their bad guy game. The only issue is that he’s not exactly well-written (after the movie you will probably question his motivations at various junctures of the story realizing that not everything adds up as soundly as it should), and that it’s mostly the acting talent of Ben Mendelsohn alone (he also gave an incredible performance working with the directors on the underseen Mississippi Grind) that gets you invested in his emotional character arc. This also might be heresy to state about Marvel’s first female-led superhero movie, but he’s easily the best character.

Further confirmation arrives that Ben Mendelsohn is doing his best to salvage a by-the-numbers origin story script when it becomes apparent that other subplots involving supporting characters don’t really register as anything substantial. [x]

Ben Mendelsohn steals the show as Skrull leader Talos, who becomes the film’s shapeshifting MVP thanks to signature “Ben Men” charms that are sweeter than the milkshake he’s seen drinking. [x]

A chase ensues as more Skrulls have landed looking for her, led by Talos, portrayed to perfection by Ben Mendelsohn. [x]

On the other side is Ben Mendelsohn’s Talos, the Skrull leader and primary antagonist. Even though he’s often hidden under an inflexible mask that wouldn’t look out of place on Doctor Who, Mendelsohn manages to do something different with this role, evading cliché and earning a pass for taking yet another big bad role. [x]

Ben Mendelsohn as the Skrull leader Talos forces you to challenge your preconceptions without an ounce of contrivance. [x]

She also strikes up a fun rivalry with the wily Skrull commander Talos, played by a superb Ben Mendelsohn, who sells his full face mask of preposterous lime green prosthetics simply by acting as if he isn’t wearing any at all. [x]

Then Ben Mendelsohn shows up as a particularly crafty Skrull named Talos, and he starts stealing scenes from Jackson.... Mendelsohn and Jackson are both so funny, they’re basically worth seeing all on their own. [x]

Both Ben Mendelsohn's Skrull leader, Talos, and Goose the cat are also bound to be fan-favorites, though there isn't a lot that can be said about either role without spoiling too much of the plot. [x]

And a huge reason this movie works is Ben Mendelsohn, of all people. (I say “of all people” because, under his green Skrull makeup, a lot of people might not even realize he’s under there until they see the movie.) Mendelsohn plays Talos, the leader of the Skrulls sent to Earth to look for Carol. When I first heard he was cast in this role I was a little worried! All too often, great actors kind of get lost in these type of alien/villain roles – but Mendelsohn brings a humanity (Skrullanity?) to this role I was not at all expecting. And it’s no wonder why Boden and Fleck wanted to work with Mendelsohn here again. We are all better off as a society now that Ben Mendelsohn is part of the MCU. (We will talk a lot more about this role after audiences see the movie. There are a lot of surprises I wouldn’t want to spoil.) [x]

Mendelsohn provides another solid source of humor in the film. The CG-assisted Skrull morphing is a wonderful effect, tinged with body horror, but the physical Skrull prosthetics seem to have impeded their actors somewhat. Talos’ face might have moved like a demon on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but Mendelsohn imbues him with the charm of a fan-favorite Star Trek role. [x]

Ben Mendelsohn has been feeling a bit typecast in antagonistic roles (see Rogue One, Ready Player One), but brings a fresh, fun energy to the shapeshifting villain Talos. [x]

Ben Mendelsohn as the antagonistic Talos, for example, totally flips the script on your expectation for him, playing the character with the strength of a military leader, but also injecting him with a weird comedic wryness and attitude that changes the energy of each of his scenes for the better. [x]

She’s well-matched by an antagonist played by Ben Mendelsohn, sorry, meant to write BEN MENDELSOHN! The wonderful Australian actor has lately earned some good beach house money, I hope, with sniveling baddie turns in Rogue Oneand Ready Player One. His role in Captain Marvel is something different, and something special. We meet him as a Skrull with one accent, and then he’s a “human” with another accent. [x]

Last but not least, let’s talk about Mendelsohn. The Australian actor is clearly having the time of his life playing the shape-shifting Skrull, using the opportunity to shift between accents and personas at the flip of a coin. Mendelsohn seems to be the only one aware that he is in a movie about blue aliens fighting shape-shifting reptiles, and hams it up to the nth degree, chewing scenery like he was a starving man. His roughshod, Australian-accented Talos is an unexpected source of great comedy and heart, and a scene-stealer for every minute he’s onscreen. [x]

Ben Mendelsohn’s scene-stealing Skrull boss Talos is also quite the gem of an addition. [x]

And Ben Mendelsohn, as the Skrull commander Talos, makes some of the film’s most memorable choices. [x]

Ben Mendelsohn's Aussie accent is a little bit weird as the Skrull leader, Talos, but he brings some surprising layers to that character best left unspoiled. [x]

And as Talos, the shapeshifting extraterrestrial after Carol's secrets, Ben Mendelsohn emerges as Captain Marvel's secret weapon — a mustache-twirling villain with hidden depths, and a mischievous sense of humor to boot. [x]

#ben mendelsohn #captain marvel

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douxreviews · 5 years

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Star Trek: The Next Generation - ‘Inheritance’ Review

Data: "I find I am having difficulty separating what would be best for her from what would be best for me."

By nature I love brevity: Eh. What's here isn't bad. It's just a shame what's not here is wildly more interesting.

Here we have an example of one of TNG Season Seven's better ideas, although it's kind of uninspired in its execution and it all gets wrapped up in material that's less interesting to watch. I mean, the central principle is interesting, and there's a lot you could do with it. Data is one of the show's most beloved characters, and his past is shrouded enough that you can get away with a lot concerning it. And to have Data's 'mother' be an android herself is kind of fascinating. But it's at this point in the progression of ideas that 'Inheritance' falters.

Picture with me, if you will, a very different version of this episode. It starts much the same way, as Data discovers who this woman is and figures out their relationship. Then, at the end of the first act, he discovers that she is an android. He finds the chip in her forehead and watches the message from Dr. Soong. Then he talks to his friends about what he should do, and they give him differing advice. It's this that the episode spends the bulk of its time on. It's a fascinating moral question, and there are no easy outs or obvious right answers. Data makes a decision, and the episode refuses to tell us how to feel about that decision, and whether it was right or wrong. Or, maybe even more interestingly, he doesn't tell her, and she finds out anyway. She becomes angry, and maybe in the end he even wipes her memory of the incident to make her happy again.

My point, as I hope you see, is that this question and this problem facing Data is the most interesting thing in this episode, and I would have really enjoyed a thoughtful exploration of it. Instead, 'Inheritance' makes the baffling decision to spend almost its entire runtime on this mystery. And we aren't even fully informed what the mystery is until near the end, because the moment we are made to question who she is is the moment we begin to figure it out for ourselves. That takes up well over two thirds of the episode, along with the technobabble problem that absolutely nobody cares about in the slightest. Then, finally, it spends approximately five minutes barely scratching the surface of its intriguing moral quandary, before it has Data make a decision, tells us it was the right one, and ends.

This is one of the many signs that this season gives us that the TNG writers were losing their groove. They still came up with interesting ideas and concepts, but when it came time to execute them, they wound up hitting the same old story beats, with the same old twists and tired cliches. It wasn't that they couldn't tell stories anymore, it's that they couldn't tell new stories anymore. Every new thing became an old thing very quickly, and they could no longer see the potential in their stories. It's a sad thing, but TNG needed to end. It was just about done.

The actual beats of the episode were pleasant enough to watch, but they weren't particularly interesting and they certainly didn't captivate me like the best episodes of TNG do. Everyone's performances are just fine here, although Brent Spiner's Dr. Soong hologram feels way too jovial for the information he gives Data. It would have worked better had he been more solemn. I thought Fionnula Flanagan as Juliana Soong was quite good; I believed her in her role as Data's mother, and would have gone on believing it had they gone the straightforward route. William Lithgow as her husband is capable in his fairly useless role, with a subplot that barely exists about his belief in Data's abilities because he's an android.

If this episode had been made in the golden age of TNG Seasons 3-5, it would probably would have been among the show's great morality plays. Instead, here, it opts to play out the least interesting approach, and falls flat as a result. Unfortunate.

Strange New Worlds:

The planet we visited was called Atrea IV. It never shows up again, and the technobabble problem with the core is its only distinguishing feature.

New Life and New Civilizations:

Juliana Soong is a new and improved sort of android, with tear ducts, emotions, and aging. It seems unlikely that nothing ever happened to make her discover who she was, but I guess that's the suspension of disbelief here.

Pensees:

-Brent Spiner really does get to play a variety of characters just by doing his regular job on this show. He's kind of like the Tom Cavanagh (The Flash) of Star Trek in that way.

-Yet another concert aboard the Enterprise-D. I'm honestly surprised the crew hasn't heard every piece of music ever written yet. Maybe they have, and that's why they always look so bored in most of those scenes.

-Honestly, how do they keep coming up with new technobabble problems to use? Like, do they just have some 'Science Problem' generator where they fill in the blanks to get a new one? Like, 'The *optional particle* of *something that's in space* is *verb ending in 'ing' that sounds bad*, and we need to *science action* the *science material* into/out of the *thing in space or part of the thing in space* by recalibrating the *part of the ship*!'

-I have no doubt that somebody has brought Juliana back in a novel to tackle the untapped wealth of material this episode ignored. In fact, I'll go check Memory Beta right now.

-Never mind. The only thing anyone ever did with the character happened after her death.

Quotes:

Juliana: "He's dead?" Data: "Yes." Juliana: "I had no idea it would hit me so hard." I like her performance here.

Geordi: "That's life, Data. Part of being human is learning how to deal with the unexpected. To risk new experiences even when they don't fit into your preconceptions."

Data: "I am incapable of embarrassment. Please continue." His delivery here cracked me up for some reason.

Data: "I have been told that my playing is technically flawless, but no one has ever described it as beautiful." Juliana: "It was. Really." Data: "Are you certain you are not saying this because you are my mother? I have noticed that parents tend to exaggerate when it comes to their children's accomplishments."

3 out of 6 science materials.

---

No matter where CoramDeo goes, there he is.

#Star Trek #Star Trek The Next Generation #TNG #Lt Commander Data #Star Trek Reviews #Doux Reviews #TV Reviews

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loquaciousquark · 7 years

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Critical Role Wrap-Up Tell-All, Summary Post

Missed the first few minutes, but here we go! New campaign starts Jan. 11! No episode next week for Christmas.

First round of questions: Episodes 1-23: The Underdark.

They trusted Clarota more than Kima because the girls were super proud of finding him and they liked the underdog story of befriending the cast-out. Travis brings up writing “I don’t trust Clarota” five weeks running.

Matt designed the entire duergar city around the stronghold (including social encounters) that they missed. They also saw a shimmering portal to the Far Realm that they could have used but bypassed.

Matt had multiple layers for the actual pyramid he’d envisioned as a dungeon crawl, which the players completely bypassed by flying up & dropping a giant on top of it.

Re: Vax’s insight check on Keyleth: the DM said that Keyleth seemed unsure, scared, and cut off from the surface. Liam found that was the first time in the entire campaign he didn’t feel Vax questioning Keyleth’s decisions. This may have been the beginning of the crush. (Sidebar: Marisha is wearing a slate blue dress, gold heels, and stockings, and looks stunning.)

The Earth Ashari visions occurred right after Keyleth killed the kid in terms of plot. She was having a hard time with magic & spells out of fear, and Marisha used it as a catalyst to have her come to terms with the costs of inaction. “You figure it out or you die.”

None of the players felt there was much of a change in their characterizations in transferring from the home games to the show. This is also the point they switched to Vox Machina instead of the SHITS. Taliesin feels they would have done this in universe even without the show; Laura felt it was driven by the knowledge they would be streaming shortly.

Matt: “It would have had to have been a lot of work and roleplaying” to get Clarota to turn on the Elder Brain, but it was not impossible. Laura: “He’s Hugh! From Star Trek. :(”

Percy flashed his name so much in the beginning in an effort to put out feelers for information. Matt points out that what happened to the de Rolos was kept very quiet outside of Whitestone--the Briarwoods circulated a rumor that the de Rolos had gotten ill and died and their close friends had taken over. Percy would have been assumed to be a distant relative if recognized at all. “Who knows the name of the royal family of Nova Scotia?”

Ashley wanted Pike to be stronger after she died so that she could offer more to the fights than just healing. She felt that spending time on The Broken Howl would have improved her strength. (Brian tells us that Ashley lived on a boat for a while as a kid and knows her way around ships, which surprises some of the cast too.)

Percy had to make his bullets (as opposed to Vex having to buy arrows) because bullets don’t exist in this world. Vex also bought a thousand arrows right before the show started and put them in the bag of holding, and Matt was glad not to have to track it.

Liam thinks the real feelings for Keyleth may have started with the whisper, but does remember intending to keep it very very quiet up until Vax almost died in the Briarwoods arc.

Grog has no idea where/who his mother is. In the herd, you love who you love, have a kid, and teach the kid to fight, and he did not care about her existence until he met Pike and learned what a nurturing relationship could be like.

Matt forgot Grog’s last name was Strongjaw because they didn’t use last names much in the home game. That his dad’s name was Stonejaw was a complete coincidence that wasn’t put together until much later.

One of the members of the Arcana Pansophical was the one who put out the contract on the rakshasa. The idea was that they were working on a portal that connected to the Nine Hells and needed parts for the ritual (either not understanding or caring about the cycle of revenge).

Matt already had the Kima/Allura relationship in his mind from the second session ever in the home game. He had envisioned a past possible fling, but the Underdark arc allowed them to rekindle their relationship. He had no idea that they would become so beloved in the fandom.

Marisha had no idea that Keyleth’s antlers would become so iconic. In the home game, she had an undescribed circlet that was the last relic from her mother, and Kit Buss was the one who drew it as antlers. Kit also created Vex’s feathers, and everyone wove them backwards in time to create them. Kit also created Percy’s four-lens glasses.

Matt designed the Thunderbrands to be allies in the journey in the Underdark, including sending a Thunderbrand family mage along with them--there was a lost family member they were supposed to find. (Instead, VM attacked their wards with magic and Scanlan snuck inside while invisible for no reason, so that plot thread died.) They did find the necklace that belonged to this person.

When Ioun was wounded during the Calamity, her followers had to go into hiding (including Osysa, who is apparently quite old). Matt envisions them as equivalents to modern-day truth societies that emerge, disseminate truth, and go into hiding again. The Slayer’s Take is a cover for this society.

Matt declines to divulge the location of the other Horn of Orcus, as it still exists in the world. :O

CR Stats Break! 10,819 total rolls throughout the campaign, 548 total natural 20s, 497 natural 1s. Most natural 20s: Vax with 107, Percy with 104. Most natural 1s: Vex with 76, Vax with 61. Travis gets great delight out of Laura’s dice’s betrayal.

Episodes 24-48: The Briarwood Arc.

Seeker Asum’s dinner plan (before Vax ruined it) was to find proof that the Briarwoods didn’t actually have the political power to build the bridge over the Searing Channel to Wildemount.

Travis, re: the shaving of half of Grog’s beard--”That was a pretty hot moment.” That kicked off months of Grog trying to get Vax back. “A new world order had started.” However, Vax was too slippery and often frustrated Grog. Liam didn’t realize how furious Travis was until much later. “It was magical, I figured it would just come back! I thought it was tit for tat. I was wrong.”

The woman Percy saw with his natural 20 was just a hunter citizen with her wolves, which was intended as an opportunity to either gain information about the state of the city or (if it had gone poorly), a chance for her to report back to the Briarwoods and given them an advantage over VM.

Liam genuinely thought Vax was going to die during the Briarwood attack. He intended it as a monologue to exit the game. (”The stuff with Kiki had started, but Vax’s world was still 98% his sister.”)

Sam knew Percy’s gun had to be destroyed because he “did crazy shit with it and--weren’t you marking stuff off it all the time? That’s weird!” Everyone enjoys the memory of Percy/Taliesin’s real shock and upset. Sam genuinely hadn’t thought he would be upset at all and was surprised at how mad he was. Taliesin is still upset he never managed to build another one because of how priceless it was. “It was priceless! It was--Two magical elements welded into--oh, Lord!” Matt says the only other way to break the curse would have been to go kill Orthax in the Abyss. Taliesin points out that means Orthax is still out there. Matt: “As far as you know.”

Matt wants the new story to be wholly unique and new. There will be VM choices that will affect the world, but it won’t be a direct continuation.

Taliesin only told Matt that the Briarwoods murdered his family & deliberately kept it as limited as possible. He didn’t know anything about them. (Matt points out it’s good to only write as much as your character knows when creating a backstory.)

Matt: Delilah was a lesser mage working at an academy in the Dwendalian Empire (they were minor nobles), and her husband had gotten sick. She went to find a cure & found one, but by the time she got back, her husband was dead. She was so distraught she began “screaming into the astral sea and one day, a whisper answered back, ‘I can help you,’” which was Vecna. These whispers continued, leading her to one of Vecna’s old laboratories (guarded by an undead creature so old he’d forgotten his own name), where she found the secrets of vampirism in exchange for now owing Vecna her life. However, because of her toying with illegal necromancy, they were pursued, discovered, hunted, arrested, escaped, and hunted again for execution, which is why they fled the empire to the Menagerie Coast, which is where they ran into Ripley who was fleeing her own hunters. They began working together there and had heard about Whitestone, so this is where they began getting them to take their guard down (since Whitestone had gone to such lengths to cut themselves off politically). Taliesin notes that he’d not intended to give them supernatural powers, but during their creation he had thought of a ghost story in New Orleans where survivors of a horrible fire got into a coach and left, even though they shouldn’t have been alive, so he enjoyed the similarities in the tone of their love story.

Vex had feelings for Percy already at this point. “Darling, take the mask off.” She also thinks the darkness attracted her to him more.

Percy didn’t know the voice in his head was real. The smoke in the show was the first time it had ever happened. Liam notes they’d never had any hints of demonic power in the home game. Matt says the demon would never have manifested until Percy confronted someone directly from his revenge list.

Trusting the DM with your stories and mysteries is half the fun, according to Laura. Matt feels it gives him the opportunity to collaborate with the players.

Sam: “The first session [of the new campaign] is just going to be asking Travis why he’s talking like that.”

Keyleth was close to leaving the party at the beginning of this arc. She had issues with some of VM’s moral decisions and felt she had to continue her Aramente.

If Ripley had been left in her cell & was unable to escape, and they had figured out who she was, she would have done everything in her power to convince them she was as used and abused as everyone else (such as Cassandra) until the first opportunity to escape.

The dead de Rolos were left in public in Whitestone after the coup (they were the first to hang from the Sun Tree) in almost the exact same arrangement Matt used for the VM effigies later. VM did not ever fight their skeletons. Percy: “It’s just one more ghost story for that bloody castle. It’s highly appropriate for Whitestone.”

Ashley likes to think Pike’s ability to astral project is because she’s special to Sarenrae, but feels it’s just a reality of her city/film situation.

Matt says Delilah’s ritual actually succeeded, that she just didn’t know what she was looking for. She created the siphon, which was the whole purpose of the ritual. VM might have discovered that it had been successful if they’d spent more time with it. Delilah realized later (after reincarnating into her clone body) that she had fully done her part and Vecna was pleased.

Re: Craven Edge: Travis had no idea what a sentient weapon was and was just entranced with the description of the fancy sword. He was excited when Percy got nervous reading the card and was completely surprised when Matt began talking. “Grog was just enjoying this new friend that helped him shish-kabob people really well.”

Matt intended the acid trap to be broken by strength towards the wall, blocking the acid chutes, or by using another button on the wall Vax didn’t find. No one remembers how they actually got out.

If Scanlan had learned of Kaylie first before she found him, he would have probably run away from the information.

For Taliesin, the final barrel on the List was meant for “Percy’s acknowledgement that the List was not the end,” that this was an unending cycle he was starting. The empty barrel was meant to be the start of a brand new List, that he had started a revenge run that would never end. Percy was glad to kill thousands of people indirectly to kill these five directly--he knew what he was doing the whole time in the creation of these deadly weapons, which is part of why he says so often that Percy is a terrible person. (He clarifies it was never intended for himself.)

Vex got Simon back by flirting with the guards. “There was a lot of winking involved.”

Matt had always intended Cassandra to be the final name on the gun. Matt didn’t know Taliesin had intended the same thing in re: revenge not ending and reveals that if he’d killed those six, another six would have appeared. Tal and Matt are both delighted by this reveal of their minds working in the same direction. (Sam: “I knew that. I knew aaaaaaall that.”)

Marisha hadn’t intended Keyleth’s leadership to begin to emerge here (the roc, the skeleton army), and thinks Keyleth didn’t fully believe it herself until she got the mantle. She does remember the kraken fight as one of the first moments she forced herself to step up and take responsibility. Liam notes her decision to take as many as she could at the end of that fight as a good leadership moment.

Marisha asks Matt what would have happened if she hadn’t rolled a natural 20 on the ziggurat. Matt says the DC was an 18 to resist the impact--if she hadn’t, she’d have gone through, taken a ton of damage, and been thrust into the Shadowfell on the outskirts of Thar Amphala. It would have changed the story if Keyleth had survived the damage to return safely & reveal Vecna’s plot early. However, no one would have even known she’d been gone. Matt realizes belatedly that it would have been horrible to have such an emotional success on this arc only to have a beloved character suddenly disappear without warning (if she’d failed the DC and died in Thar Amphala). When they’d finally gotten to Thar Amphala at the end, there would have been an undead Keyleth to fight.

CR Stats Break! 50,074 damage dealt in total. Most damage taken: 5646, Grog. Most damage dealt: 10,038, Grog.

Episodes 39-83: The Chroma Conclave!

Matt had decided who would die in Emon before the attack. He wanted a central figure (and a powerful ally) to die to emphasize the danger. The most brave, resolute members of the Council were the most likely to throw their lives away.

Liam doesn’t know if Vax would have left VM if the Conclave hadn’t attacked. He would have been conflicted, tap-dancing around why he was there. The prank war with Grog had escalated into head-butting; Vex would have left with Vax if he’d firmly made the decision, even if she didn’t like it.

The attack was just a coincidence with being the same day VM messed with the orbs. It was all long-planned by Raishan. However, the orbs allowed Thordak & Raishan to recognize VM as meddlers & to get information on them earlier than otherwise.

Matt had planned the Conclave attack since Krieg’s original introduction. Coincidentally, if they were still playing at the home game pace of once every six weeks, that would have been this weekend.

Percy was calm in the Grog fight because he knew what was in all the bottles/kilns and because he knew he could give Grog disadvantage on every attack. He would have set him on fire/acid and blinded him as quickly as possible. Liam thinks Grog would have still turned Freddy into paste.

Gilmore was one choice from dying when they found him. If they’d gone for the treasure, he would have been dead by the time they found him. It was meant to be a crux choice in learning what it meant in moments of crisis to choose against your own greed. Liam points out that the last times they had dealt with death at this point were the home game and Vex’s death. They had no idea what the rituals were or really what they entailed; they had no idea what permanence it would have. Every death was rough, but in the beginning it was very unsettling.

Vex found a bunch of love letters from Gilmore and his first boyfriend under Gilmore’s bed. It was good confirmation they were in Gilmore’s actual room. Matt says it was another Marquesian (Markeesian?) boy that he would have had to name on the spot if pressed.

Vesh was “a dangerous entity for the levels you were dealing with at the time.” Vex’s resurrection ritual piqued her interest and would have resulted in her turning her eyes to VM if the Raven Queen had not intervened. Matt: “So much turned on that choice!” Also Matt: “Vesh isn’t necessarily a god, though she likes to say she is and Kashaw believes she is.”

The boon of the Dawn Martyr was a huge part of Pike feeling important in battle/getting the courage to be in the middle, knowing it would be okay if she got knocked out a few times. Grog, tearfully: “It’s not okay!”

Sam asks who the guy she was in love with for the second time. Ashley ignores him. “Oh, I heard him, I’m just not acknowledging it!” Everyone, including me, dies a little inside.

Matt envisions Kevdak getting the Knuckles by chance, by beating the previous owner to a bloody pulp. (Kevdak was not the herd leader at the time.) He had no aspirations beyond taking what he wanted and expanding the herd. Then the Conclave attacked and distracted the guards of Westruun, and he saw this as an opportunity to carve their way into the city. He saw himself bending Umbrasyl to his will later once the herd was stronger.

Ashley interrupts the timeline to ask Matt about what was in Senokir’s box because she can’t stand it anymore. She forgot to tell Matt she wanted to go look for it during the plot break and has been kicking herself the whole time. Matt confirms it was legitimately, 100% his wife’s ashes. “Let this be a lesson to you; not every NPC is out to get you.” Ashley: “I still don’t believe you!”

Liam had planned on multiclassing into Paladin even before the Raven Queen’s tomb. He saw purpose he lacked in Pike, then began to consider it when Taliesin made an offhanded comment about him going cleric. Liam alludes to a rough time in his personal life and talks about an out-of-game meeting where he was very, very upset with how the game had turned that day in the tomb. “It was heavy on top of my heavy, and I was not happy.” He says he wouldn’t change it for anything, now.

Liam asks Matt about Fate-touched. Matt says he knew Liam was going through tough stuff and wanted to give him a little hope in the middle of personal difficulties. He had no idea when it was going to come up--he’d envisioned later in the story when they were dealing with more divinity, that one of the gods then would have commented on it. Liam gets up and briefly bows at Matt’s feet.

Laura asks if there are more cookies and is given permission to get them at the break.

Travis had no idea if he could win solo against Kevdak, but wanted to start the fight that way. He got to face him on his terms, and that was all he wanted. Matt says he could have actually won the fight, but the dice were against him.

Laura doesn’t think she deserved that change in alignment. “All I did was steal a broom! I was gonna give him a whole bunch of dragon scales but he walked away too fast!” Liam is shocked Vex’s alignment changed and Percy’s didn’t; Matt says thoughts don’t necessitate alignment change, but that shooting the kid through the hand put him very, very close. If Laura had stolen the broom for a greater purpose, he wouldn’t have changed her, but it was purely selfish. However, he feels alignment shouldn’t guide roleplay, it should be reactive to the roleplay. “It’s not a big deal.”

Sam reads the letter he wrote to Pike. [Edit: transcribed here.] My fingers wither in anticipation. I can’t keep up. He tells her his age and says he realized his soul would be forever incomplete the moment he met her. It’s a darned good letter and Sam comments on that: “Jesus, this is good.” He compares her gloriously to the sun and asks her to protect Kaylie. “Don’t you see? This whole time, I thought I was chasing a lover, but instead I was chasing a mother for my child. You are the savior for my daughter I could never be. In death, my heart will be beside you in Kaylie.” Sam legitimately tears up reading the end and I do too, a little. Wow. Travis: “Don’t you feel bad for reading that early?” Ashley: “Nope!”

Matt intended certain vestiges for certain players, but didn’t have plans for the Ward, Cabal’s Ruin, or other open-ended vestiges. He didn’t know who would take the Ward. Laura’s still bitter about the wings.

Re: Percy’s death ritual--Taliesin planned to ignore any attempts to call upon a god to help him. He was looking for reasons to come back, but thought it would be a great end to Percy’s character if it panned out that way. Elements of Taliesin’s next character started originally as Percy’s replacement.

Raishan was trying to do an ancient variant of Speak With Dead with Thordak’s corpse. She was concocting an intense version that tortures and forces information that would be true. She wanted the secret to getting rid of her disease and got Opesh’s lair location, then the rest of the information she needed once she arrived at the lair. (Matt confirms the soul curse on Raishan was real, and that she can see truth, which is how she knew Thordak genuinely knew how to cure her.)

Eggs: Thordak was mutating, becoming something new. The Soul Anchor began to change him in the Fire Plane & allowed him to asexually create progeny (”like Jurassic Park!”). They were a new elemental species. “We killed them all!” “As far as you know.” “Oh no!”

CR Stats Break! 86 total Grog rages. 3658 healing from Pike. 474 Vex arrows shot. Percy misfires: 36. DM facepalms: 264. Keyleth beast shapes: 110 (most used: 15 Earth elemental). 136 Scanlan inspirations, and every one of them gold. Vax: 21 one-shot kills. (Tal: “21 friends we never got to make.”)

Episode break, featuring guest stars! (No actual break, which means that bottle of water I drank earlier is now only suffering.) Attending tonight are Darin de Paul (Sprigg), Mary Elizabeth McGlynn (Zahra), Will Friedle (Kashaw), Jason Charles Miller (Garthok), and Noelle Stevenson (Tova).

On the biggest difference between the show & their home games: Mary & Will had never played before, so it was all new to them. Both preferred learning by fire. Darin feels it’s ultimately acting, “yes, and,” and loved it. Noelle points out that people are a lot more invested in her character than other players would be in a home game, and enjoys that feedback. Will agrees, since he never cared about anything like this before playing himself. Darin: “When you play at home, you don’t get fanart.” Mary loves the community & shared world-creating. Jason loves “what happens after” the game and how people can love your character more than you.

Mary was terrified on her first game. Her whole philosophy was, “Don’t kill the team. Don’t kill VM.” However, since she was so comfortable with Laura & Travis, she felt free to make mistakes. Will’s philosophy was to “smile, nod, and shift papers like I know what I’m doing.” At one point, Wil Wheaton told him to “turn undead” & he had no idea clerics could do that. However, when Will and Mary got to go back on the show, they spent time ahead teaming up and figuring out what their bond was, and that’s how their relationship started.

Darin’s first live show on set was the one where Kash kissed Keyleth & he dreamed of being part of that world. Will had no idea what he was doing would matter to people and thought it was tons of fun seeing the huge reaction to the kiss that he hadn’t expected. Zahra decided she would be pregnant right before they came onstage the last time, and Will loved the idea and told her to roll with it.

Jason has the CR theme as his ringtone. He enjoyed the uneasy tension of the truce with VM but expected foul play if the relationship had continued. He was surprised by the instant feedback of Twitch chat (Liam had it open on his phone during his game) being happy he called for an attack of opportunity.

Noelle jokes she wished she’d played a shopkeeper so she could have gotten into her episode earlier, but found it very intense once she arrived. She created Tova as something of a “burner character,” so that she would be okay if she died, but was glad she survived. She didn’t want to step on any big moments for the team and wanted to help them get to their next fight. She was glad she was there for their last scene--it felt important and was cool to see. She laughs about running the bear society from Marisha’s oneshot.

They all comment on the excruciating wait to be introduced in each episode. Will comments on the reality of being a guest star and being okay with dying for that reason, but also being terrified they might take someone from VM with them.

Will, Brian, and Mary had a death pool going for the final fight.

Sprigg’s theme of redemption was intense and unintended. Brian comments on Sprigg existing 37 years ago in the game with Matt’s mom; Darin loves that he intended him to be a Fagan character who steals everything, but ended up having a wonderful exit while arguing with Ioun. Darin loves funny, tragic characters and loves that Sprigg got to have his hero moment.

Mary mentions how surprising emotional moments could be (specifically mentioning Vex’s resurrection) and the complete investing of yourself in your character. Mary points out that she’s not a writer--this is one thing she has created herself, and she’s very proud of it. Darin: “It’s as special for all of us as it is for you.” Jason had someone yell, “We love you, Garthok!” at a concert. Will knew Matt from Thundercats and everyone else a little, and he loved the games, but he treasures the friendships he developed with the game’s players more. Darin deeply treasures the moment he had with Marisha in his game.

Brian remembers Darin taking pictures of the TM set the first time he saw it.

Will: “A good story is a good story.” Noelle: “There’s a universal nature to D&D.” The first time Mary met Noelle, Mary was wearing a d20 necklace and they bonded over both playing tiefling warlocks. Brian loves the idea of mainstream entertainment being about creation, not just observing.

Episodes 84-99: Taryon Darrington!

If Revivify had been successful, would Scanlan still have left? Yes--it was the act of dying, not really the circumstances of waking up, that put him over the edge. “There was a long buildup to him leaving.” He felt unloved & between Kaylie and the drugs, and the terrible streak of loss/dying, he felt nothing was going well. The prank on waking up felt poorly timed, but he admits he probably would have done the same to someone else if the situation had been reversed.

VM could have killed the kraken, but the lodestone sources that maintain the Water Elemental rift & keep Vesrah aloft would have lost power over the next five or so years. They’d have had to find another kraken & lure it back to preserve the city and the rift.

Pike was able to say most of what she wanted to say at Scanlan’s leaving in follow-up games, but Ashley as a player was sad that she was gone when he left and came back to “a new guy. I wanted to play with Scanlan!” Once Pike got up the courage, she was able to say what she wanted, but doesn’t feel she would have changed his mind at the time. Sam: “She absolutely could have stopped me. She was the only one.” Sam notes the rest of VM (esp. Vex) did persuade him to go with Kaylie instead of alone.

If Keyleth had failed her Aramente, she would not have been allowed to try again. She would have been allowed to join a council, and someone else would have gone to the Aramente instead. It’s not blood-determined--someone else worthy could have gone instead.

Tary’s wealth had little effect on tempering Vex’s greed. “Once she got money, then she mellowed.” Sam: “That’s how rich people work. They get money, and then they stop.”

(Funny aside where Brian forgets who Hotis is, confuses the rakshasa with the Pit Fiend, and Matt immediately pulls out the Pit Fiend’s name as Utugash.)

By the next time Hotis would have come back, the campaign would have been over (i.e. Vax would be gone), and his rage would have turned towards Ashley.

Vax’s Invisibility Ring was the only reason Tova survived.

Sam had no exact plan for Scanlan’s return, but only intended Tary to last one or two sessions before dying. However, “Tary was so dashing and charming and everyone fell in love with him instantly” that he lasted a little longer. Scanlan went back to Ank’harel for revenge, but it took some time for the two guys who wronged him to come back to town. He took their antiques counterfeiter away from them, publicly shamed them via the Meat Man, and chased them out of town. He and Matt did a whole series of rolls in which he identified the counterfeiter, chased them out, and created this small power vacuum, and when Matt asked what he wanted to do, he decided to step into the role himself.

The soulstones from Dis weren’t meant for much besides the temporary rush right before battle. (This makes me think of a really creepy 5-hour energy drink.) Vex still has one in her inventory.

Percy never wanted to kill Scanlan after the scrying eye; he wanted to sneak in, cripple him, take all his stuff, and tell him to never come back again. Percy didn’t like that he’d taken a vestige and other stuff from the house and felt he’d not deserved any of it. (Liam: “Neutral good, folks. Neutral good.”)

None of Grog’s lady friends were “the one that got away.” Liam, then Sam and Tal shortly after: “Nymph! Nymph! Nymph! Nymph!” and Travis reveals they didn’t sleep together. Grog was very meek and intimidated; Matt was mostly trying to make Travis uncomfortable in his own kitchen. Travis: “He just wanted to let you wonder for five years.” “Who, Grog or Matt?” “Yes.”

Laura reveals Vex & Percy briefly broke up during the break, then married each other quietly in front of the Sun Tree with Trinket.

Feywild theater: if you’re found listening to the theater without being a member, they converge on you to make you a member (e.g. pull out your soul and force you into it). However, there are members that have sought it out by choice.

Vex & Percy were out on a loch, talking about marriage and not wanting to be Vax & Keyleth, and decided to just go for it. The priest from one of the temples performed the ceremony. Tary knew first because he was in the same house. Liam: “Probably one of the biggest heartbreaks of the entire campaign. If there had been any other circumstances, [Vax] would not have known what to do with himself.”

Scanlan never heard Pike talking into the earring. :( However, he did do a fair amount of praying to Sarenrae “on his Aramente.”

No one found Scanlan during the break. Ashley and Grog were the only ones who seriously searched for him (everyone else decided to give him his space), but they didn’t look far enough, only staying in Emon & the surrounding area.

Scanlan never shot the gun except for that one time at the end.

Laura doesn’t even remember telling Vax not to get married without her. Va wouldn’t have been bitter or angry, just would have asked “why.” Liam says it would have been different if Vex had not specifically said not to get married without her. Laura’s genuine agony gets even worse for not remembering it. “I’m a terrible person!”

Marisha points out it’s another facet of Keyleth’s struggle to not waste time on inaction. “If you love someone, go marry them RIGHT NOW.”

Keyleth feels the Spire best serves the world by being in her hands right now, but has considered donating it to Melora’s followers after death.

Ashley would have enjoyed playing an evil Pike if the Trickfoot curse had been real. “That would have been fun!”

Matt: if Tary had not rolled well on his final roll, it would have been the end of the Darrington family unit: “an unfixable divide between him and his father. His mother would have had to choose; it would have sundered the whole family.” Matt had actually forgotten about the fate die. “You can’t call it a fate die more than that fucking moment!”

Laura sidelines to ask about Vax’s favor to the hag. Matt had had plans for it, but by the time it came time for him to try to use it, Vax already belonged to the Raven Queen and she wouldn’t try to interfere with that. “It’s a lost investment.”

Grog was not angry at Scanlan at all until he came back, disguised, with a new barbarian at his side. “An idiot, a barbarian, a half-ass imitation of Grog. I was ready to pick Scanlan up and smash his brain into jelly.”

CR Stats Break! Most-cast spell per character. Keyleth: 43, Transport Via Plants. Scanlan: 47, Healing Word. Percy: 27, Hex. Vex: 80, Hunter’s Mark. Vax: 25, Lay on Hands. Pike: 40, Guiding Bolt Up the Butt? No, Cure Wounds. (Aw.) Grog: 18, Enlarge.

Episodes 100-115: Vecna!

They could have acquired boons from each deity they tried to talk to, but others they didn’t have a strong connection to would have required research, searching, and time Vecna would have used against them. If they’d gone for a fourth deity, Vasselheim would have been destroyed and Vecna would have begun to understand his powers after achieving his miracle. If they’d gone for a fourth trammel, his power would have spread beyond the oceans. Matt thinks they struck the perfect balance.

Scanlan stayed so long in Ank’harel because he had to wait for the two guys to return, and while he waited he got a taste for “crime power!” and decided to stay. “Tastes like pleather.”

A lot of Pike’s feelings started with the letter, but she and Scanlan did flirt slightly in the home game. She didn’t take it seriously because she didn’t think he was serious until the letter. “That letter is very intense.” When he left, she realized how much she cared for him and missed him, and when he came back she thought he was more mature and maybe the time had passed. It was a slow climb after the letter.

Matt declines to say where Vecna keeps his phylactery. “That’s not campaign information, that’s world LORE information!”

Vex took the name “de Rolo” after her marriage.

When the Knuckles were resonating, it was because they were close to the surface from which they were carved (the earth titan), and because they had a structural extra bonus to sieging the titan from the inside. They could have slowed down the titan by attacking its legs, but that would have alerted Thar Amphala and they’d have had an uphill fight the rest of the way. They had lots of options to stop the titan.

Percy was not troubled by Silas’s escape. He’d transferred that angst to other people and felt at that point they could handle him if he attacked again. “It was never about Silas.”

The Death Knight was the nameless servant that had been keeping Vecna’s laboratory for countless centuries, rewarded for his service.

If he could have, Vax would have said goodbye to (at least) his father, Korrin, Gilmore, and Velora.

Marisha feels Keyleth was at last ready to lead her people by the end of the campaign. She had made her peace and was ready to be done. Brian: “Heavy is the head that wears the antlers.”

Matt guessed what Sam wanted to do with his level 9 Wish spell in the final battle. Sam had asked him about its limitations ahead of the game, and he tried to answer in general terms in case he was wrong. He didn’t realize the exact implications until the moment Sam used it as Counterspell. It’s one of Matt’s favorite moments of the game. Sam: “Great. Awful.”

Scanlan can’t reconcile his immense power with being unable to save his friend. He feels he ultimately failed, but suspects that in his older age he will realize it’s okay to fail & you don’t have to succeed at everything to make a difference in people’s lives. He’ll try to be a hero for his wife & his kid, and he still might use Wish every once in a while to see if he can get a message to or from old Vax. Liam: “Vax would never have seen that as a failure.”

Matt: “I imagine there are a lot of stories told about Vax’ildan and what he did.” Sam: “It’s okay not to be the best at everything. It’s okay to do what you do.”

The opposite side of Entropis had ancient holy relics that had been destroyed (the site of the seed that ascended Vecna).

Percy wanted to save Vax by selling his soul, get the punishment he deserved, and use the contract to get something out of his certainty he was going somewhere awful anyway. Then the moment of uncertainty crept in and he wondered why he kept making all these awful deals. Matt says that was one of his favorite Percy moments of the whole show & that he loved how he could see him break.

Matt says both Percy and Scanlan could have gotten the Wish off in a way that could have possibly circumvented the RQ’s will, but Liam had no idea how that would have played out, because in his mind the only way he could live was if the RQ gave him her blessing.

Re: reading--Grog just wanted to get smarter.

Syldor was grieved at Vax’s death & regrets the treatment of his children--he’s been spending a lot of his life trying to reconcile the choices he made in how he raised them with the pride at what his children have accomplished. “He’s learned a lot of lessons” and is doing the best he can do improve acceptance of outsiders in Syngorn society.

Vex feels she made peace with Syldor after having five kids with Percy and beginning to understand what having children means--it became important in a different way to reach out to Syldor.

Matt feels Vax is able to reconnect with his mother occasionally, but also prevents loneliness for the small mortal sliver left in the RQ & doing her will. He declines to explain the ethereal further.

The titan could only really be damaged from the inside.

Keyleth tries Speaks with Animals on the large raven that visits after a long, long time, without expecting the results she hopes for. “Almost better to keep the illusion that it’s Vax, rather than have the confirmation that he was never there at all.”

The Bag of Holding contained at the end: “silverware, candles, caltrops, handcuffs, stones, dried poo, some armor, the big black sapphire, bottles of wine. It was like a busted-up Home Depot.”

Liam declines to answer how Vax felt after his death, but in the moment itself he felt very heavy and very full. He knew his sister was taken care of.

FINALLY. Pike’s other love interest was....drumroll... “For a very long time, it was Percy.” She felt that through her faith and the light she had from Sarenrae that he was a marked man, and she did so much thinking and praying for his soul that everything became very confusing for her. She feels now, though, that it never would have worked out between them, and that somehow in the end, “...it was always Scanlan.” Tal: “He was oblivious, man.” Sam: “Even Tary was in love with that guy! He’s the worst!”

Favorite moments. Travis: "Dropping on Kevdak.” Liam: “Saying goodbye.” Marisha: “Cherry blossoms, and the tree.” Sam: “Cows.” Laura: “Talking to Trinket for the first time.” Sam: “Trying to kill Trinket for the first time.” Liam: “Gilmore stabbing me.” Marisha: “The hanging tree.” Taliesin: "Letting go when Ripley shot me. Realizing that Percy was in love with Vex. I’d never had a PC turn on me like that before that moment.”

Sam realized at the end that while he’d always imagined Scanlan spending his days telling their stories grandly, his favorite moments in the end were just healing his friends, impressing his friends and making them laugh. Marisha thinks about the cannonball contest, and Liam loved that Sam played the whole last fight against the gods with one hand held behind his back. Matt thanks Sam for playing bards to their full power. Ashley thinks about her first game, and how personal it was. How it changed her life.

Matt finds it strange that he’s a 35-year-old man who has spent his whole life trying to make something, and who genuinely believes the greatest thing he has ever accomplished is this story he’s told with his friends.

#critical role #critical role spoilers #matt mercer #talks machina #kind of #very very very VERY long post #cr spoilers #vox machina #epilogue of sorts

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redscullyrevival · 6 years

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Vid Notes

The process behind my Star Trek: Discovery vid “Flickering”.

Get a drink, this one is a dozy.

There is a lot (a lot, a lot, a lot) I love about Discovery’s first season as a trekkie and on many specific personal levels. But I’ll be honest, making this vid had me a little nervous because the fandom for this series and perceptions on this series’ connection to the wider franchise is a very intense place to be putting forth any fan works. Especially, I feel, a fan work such as the one I was deeply compelled to try and make; something free flowing that isn’t exactly directing any one solid opinion or thought on the series.

It feels to me that a very vocal part of this show’s audience wanted reassuring morals explained at face value more than they wanted to wade around in the presented media. Like, some of the Discovery crowd really wanted those captain log wrap ups y’all - at least that’s the take away I got through lurking the fandom tags in real time as the season progressed. Which isn’t necessarily a criticism, but personally I find the gimmie-info-and-answers-now approach towards art limiting and as a result was left feeling very out in the cold fandom-engagement wise with this series (which is something that’s really foreign to my experiences with Star Trek).

Which in turn has made for a new experience in me choosing to make this fan vid: As a form of self-assurance due to feeling dopey and jilted by strangers I wasn’t engaging with. Fuckin’ wild! I’m a mess.

“Flickering” is exactly the kind of vid I would not have shared last year, but I’m trying to push the boundaries of my comfort zone and continue on in the progress I’ve recently made. Years past I never would have wide shared “Dark Doo Wop” or “Take You There” either but here we are.

What I’ve tried to do with my edit is string the season’s contexts, primarily in the form of emotions and repeated imagery, together (in a previous post I explained it as “sewing seemingly unrelated contexts together like a big cozy feelings quilt”). I did not try to directly answer or comment on anything Discovery was saying except in the broadest sense of “lives are connected”.

I know though that the nature of vidding, of re-arranging given footage and stories, I can’t help but comment on them. It’s all a transformative act. The music and images I choose shape a new take on a shared audience experience. Cutting up Discovery changes the media to my will and thoughts even if I try to be impartial, but I wasn’t editing impartially anyway - that was never my goal!

My goal was to try and NOT shape a direct thesis. Which of course naturally shaped one, lol.

I have no desire to dictate my thought process for picking which scenes to use for which lyrics and why or any of that - I feel like the vid is pretty straight forward once you see it (as long as you have ~context~ of the show anyway). I will say though that this was one of the most extensive vids I’ve ever made planning wise.

Usually I make an outline of what I want to do in my vid and usually I’m vidding from media I know well so a simple outline with key words is enough to keep me on track as I fill in scenes towards my goal. This time around though, I basically edited the entire video on paper first with episode numbers, scene times, and lyrics; once at the computer I played seek-and-find and plugged in the numbers. The entire base edit was done in under three hours! But I had been compiling those chosen scenes on paper for almost two months. It was like a taste of the old VHS days.

As for the song, most of the time I hunt for songs for my vid projects; I tend to have an idea based on the media and then I find a song to best fit my preordained goal. That wasn’t the case this time around. I was kicking around two songs in my head when a few episodes into my rewatch I remembered a completely different song and suddenly an idea came with it, so that was kind of a new experience as well. Serpentwithfeet (Josiah Wise) is a phenomenal talent and the entire album Blisters is heavenly. If you hate my vid that’s fair but I don’t believe for a second anyone will fault the song.

Editing to a slow song is something I’ve rarely done and don’t have a lot of practice with. It was nice to be less held hostage by rhythmic editing but the freedom was at times a bit scary. I have to dictate my own cuts?! My god.

Using stock footage of “space” (ink on water) just felt right, to zoom out of the context for a moment. I found it helped with the pacing and gives things a more reflective bent. Maybe to some seeing the vast indifference of space makes them question, does anything matter? Personally I feel like zooming out into the cosmos doesn’t put the vid’s drama into perspective of “it’s all trivial” but rather “in all this, there are things that matter”.

Also, I just liked it. That’s the answer in tandem with the ‘artsy’ answer a lot of the time, okay?! I just liked it! Space is pretty!

I feel it’s obvious but there was no way to do this vid in narrative order. Most of my vids aren’t in strict chronological order of the media they use - but I absolutely rely on withholding narrative points until they are best exposed. Which is dumb editor talk for “I utilize narrative moments in my vids for impact.” I tried to not do that this time. Which was challenging as such a choice completely goes against my usual rhythm and tactics. I’m glad I tried it, it’s a form of experimentation I’ve thought about before but never got around to playing with until now (which factors into what makes me so nervous about sharing the final product - but I’m always nervous soooo).

While I was actively trying to not edit towards a build up (boy did it help that there is no chorus) I did go along with the turn of tone in the song and used it to direct the vid into a more positive outlook, although absolutely keeping everything still tied up with the negative. I wanted to try and parallel character’s successes with their failures, I wanted to show that how we respond to our failures can inspire successes. These characters, and of course we the audience, all have our own personal contexts of emotion and response but we’re also all linked and connected to other’s emotions and responses for good and for bad. No man is an island and all that.

Anyways, blahblahblah, literally none of that matters.

What I want is for people to feel a whimper of hope and the effort of improvement radiating off my vid, and if that happens even once then I’m happy. Other than that, I hope everyone brings whatever else they want to it.

#vid #vidding #editing #star trek #discovery #fandom talks #vid notes

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emubop · 6 years

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Adding on to my post from yesterday, I’m just gonna list all the issues I have with Disco (a separate list of the things I love soon to come!)

Under a cut for length and for spoilers. Seriously. Major spoilers ahead. And tw for discussions of character death, if that bothers you.

With that in mind, let’s get to it! (This is in no particular order, btw.)

Starting with the last two episodes, since they’re pretty fresh in my mind - they felt very rushed. I’ve seen some people say that the season should have ended right when they got back from the mirrorverse, and I completely agree. The final arc felt like it needed at least two more episodes to be fleshed out. I wanted to see more of the characters actually dealing with what happened in the mirrorverse, and having time for development; and while we got a little bit of that between Michael and Ash, it wasn’t very much. And like, I get why. When you’ve only got two episodes to get the plot where you need it to go, of course character development is going to be sacrificed for time. Which is why I think they should have either a) added more episodes to the end of season one, or b) ended the season with the mirror arc, so that they’d have more time to explore the Klingon war thing at the beginning of season 2. Disco has some very wonderful characters who are very deserving of development and growth, and it’s unfortunate that they didn’t get it.

Culber’s death... This is the main point where I’m like “yeah, I don’t blame you for not liking the show anymore,” because I came very close to that too. In the end, I do still think I like the rest of the show overall, but this part... I just about stopped watching. In short - the way the show treated Dr. Culber was absolutely shitty. Sure, I’m like 99% certain they’ll end up bringing him back in season 2, but in the meantime, he’s still very much dead. And NOT ONLY did they use the “bury your gays” trope, but out of only TWO gay characters, they buried the man of color. Like... that’s just... what the fuck.

I’m expanding this into multiple points, bc it’s the biggest point I have. Culber’s death is legitimately the worst thing Disco has done. Not only just the fact that they killed him, but how they did it. His death was violent, sudden, and meaningless. The main characters barely even get to react to it before moving on. His killer doesn’t face trial or repercussions. (Note - I personally see Voq as being entirely the murderer and not Tyler, since Tyler had no agency in the killing and was if anything just a tool, but either way, no justice is served.) And then we, the audience, have to see the brutal killing scene AGAIN in the “previously on” section of the next episode or two, which makes it seem like they’re using this horrific event as mere shock value. I literally felt sick to my stomach watching it. What happened was disgusting, and I can’t blame anyone for not wanting to watch the show anymore because of it.

I trust Wilson Cruz. I trust Anthony Rapp. I trust them when they say that there’s a plan, that Culber will come back, that this will work out at some point. Their reassurances do help me personally to make some measure of peace with the situation. I don’t want to think that two openly gay actors would sign onto the script if this is how it ends between their characters. But right now, Culber is still dead, for no good reason that I can see, and it still stings. This is justifiably upsetting. And until I see him come back with my own two eyes, yeah, I’m not gonna be happy about it.

Aaaaand speaking of death, let’s talk about Georgiou. I just... that’s not a good way to start your show off, ngl. You take a very strong and deep character, played by Michelle Yeoh no less, and then just kill her? It’s bad writing. They could have easily had Michael transferred off the Shenzhou and arrested and kept Captain Georgiou alive. They could have even kept the whole “tragic backstory” thing in play, with Michael and Philippa no longer on speaking terms, and Michael mourning the loss of what was once such a close relationship. (I do appreciate that they brought her back as her mirror counterpart - and boy howdy the Emperor is a good character - so that does take a little bit of the sting out, but still. Not the best way to open the show.)

And then Landry dies in both universes?? I can accept mirror!Landry dying because of the whole “Lorca’s second hand” thing, but like... god, this show has got to stop killing off poc. Especially woc. I can understand that they’re trying to do a “raceblind” thing, and I understand their reasoning - the whole “it’s a utopian future and everyone is treated the same!” thing - but it doesn’t really work like that irl for the audience. Unless someone is actually literally colorblind and sees everything in greyscale, no one has any business saying they “don’t see color.” And no one should be casting with that mindset. The situation could certainly be a lot worse - they’ve got Michael, at least, and she’s fucking amazing - but it could also be better.

And yeah, it’s a warzone, and people are going to die. I get that. But just... do some critical thinking about who you’re killing, why, and if it can be avoided. If for no other reason, it makes the story a lot stronger in the long run.

It’s the year of our lord twenty-gayteen, can we stop having the makeup on white people playing Kingons being so hmmm questionable maybe?

(With regards to several of the above points, I’m white, so please let me know if I’m overstepping my bounds here. And like the point about Culber - I wouldn’t blame anyone for disliking/not supporting the show because of these reasons, and I’m not ever going to try to convince anyone that these things are okay. Because they aren’t. Just because I like certain elements enough to give the show a second chance with season two, doesn’t mean that anyone else will or should do the same. Continuing.)

Why the fuck is this show so obsessed with eating people? Stop it. Get some help.

The only explicitly bisexual/pansexual person we see is the Emperor, who sleeps with both a man and a woman and seems very satisfied with both parties afterwards. Which, okay, cool, except she was also trying to get information out of them, so whether or not she was even attracted to either one is debatable. I personally think she was - thanks to Michelle Yeoh’s acting, which is a goddamn gift - but that still leaves us with the only representation of bi/pan people being a murderous emperor from the mirror universe. And the “relationship” is entirely sex-based, as well as being with multiple people at once, which only furthers the stereotype of bi/pan being promiscuous, being only bi for a threesome, being untrustworthy. And to be clear, there’s nothing wrong with one night stands or poly relationships! Those things are perfectly fine! But when that’s all that bi/pan people are shown as, it can play into really damaging stereotypes - and as a bi/pan person, I’m frankly getting a little fucking sick of it.

(I mean, it’s better than DS9′s “mirrorverse=gay/bi/pan” thing, I’ll give it that, but I’m not going to give any show brownie points for reinforcing harmful stereotypes. You’ve improved slightly, Trek, but not nearly as much as you should have.)

I’m just making another point here for Dr. Culber’s death because seriously. Fucking seriously. What the fuck.

I would’ve liked to have seen more one-off episodes, like “Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad.” That was a fucking awesome episode. It’s fun! It’s got character development! I wanna see more of that!

The portrayal of Klingon culture is a bit inconsistent. And okay, to be entirely truthful, I’m really not that into Klingons in general? So having a plot centered around them wouldn’t be my first choice anyway. But if you’re going to do it, please do it right. It felt like the writers sometimes “forgot” important elements of Klingon culture for the sake of the plot, and just... come on. The Klingons are brutal warriors, yes. They’ve killed innocent civilians in the course of battle, sure. But they have a whole honor code, and going out of their way to murder thousands of helpless, defenseless people? Correct me if I’m wrong, but it just doesn’t quite seem to fit.

I really, really wanna see more of the bridge crew! I wanna get to know them! They seem so cool who are they please Disco I’m begging you

This is a very dumb, very tiny thing, but I was kinda hoping I’d see some Cardassian makeup in the crowd while we were in the Seedy Black Market on Qo’noS. Did appreciate the Trill lady tho!

I dunno, the ending almost felt... too neat? If that makes sense? I would have liked things more ambiguous, a few more loose ends. It felt like they threw in a happy ending out of nowhere; it didn’t really match the tone of the rest of the show.

Speaking of tone - it felt to me like Disco was trying to mix the upbeat, thoughtful, philosophical tone of classic Trek with the grittier, more critical, more heavy tone of DS9. I love both classic Trek and DS9, but they don’t exactly mix very well. Disco’s tone felt a bit confused and convoluted. And like, here’s the thing - classic Trek doesn’t preclude heavy subjects (”Conscience of the King” from TOS is a great example), and shows like DS9 don’t preclude fun and optimism (there’s episodes like “Explorers” that are uplifting, and “Take Me Out to the Holosuite” is a fucking delight). Star Trek at its best should always tackle difficult issues, should always have determination, should always have hope. DS9 had a more morally gray outlook, yes, and certainly questioned the idea that the Federation is utopian, but it was still underpinned by the main characters wanting to do good. Wanting to improve the world around them. It managed to do a very good job of adapting Trek’s message to its darker tone - whereas Disco feels like it’s flip-flopping between having a darker tone and trying to be like TOS. Like, buddy, just pick one. You just gotta pick one.

The more times Sarek shows up in Disco, the more he looks like a complete dick to Spock in TOS. This isn’t necessarily a complaint, because Sarek being a dick is certainly in character for him, but I’d like to see that disparity in how he treats his children addressed. By his wife. Specifically by his wife. Amanda is a national treasure and I need her to call her husband out.

idk I think there’s more but like, I’ve been working on this for hours - WAIT HANG ON

This has been bugging me since the beginning of the show, because while Michael’s mutiny was certainly a bad idea, she technically... didn’t really do much of anything before being taken to the brig? She almost has the ship fire on a Klingon vessel, but Georgiou shows up and stops her. Helm locked phasers on the vessel on Michael’s orders, yes, but earlier they locked phase cannons on the vessel for a short time, which Georgiou agreed to. Her actions during the mutiny didn’t really change their situation at all. So why does everyone blame her for starting the war?

“But she killed that Klingon during her spacewalk!” Yeah, she did, because he came charging at her with a bat’leth with the intention to kill. In that scenario, her actions were self-defense. She attempted to talk to him, he then proceeded to try to kill her, so she fought back to save her own life and ended up killing him in the process. And all this happened while she was investigating a foreign object in Federation territory. So while I can see why she was charged with mutiny and assaulting a fellow officer, I don’t think it’s fair to say that she started the war. The Klingons on the ship of the dead were planning to start shit before anyone even got there.

I can understand why Starfleet would have thought Michael started it, at least at first, because unlike the audience, they couldn’t see the Klingons planning beforehand. That’s fair. But then Ash Tyler shows up, and he’s revealed to be Voq - who was there! he knows what happened on that ship! - and eventually, he loses Voq’s consciousness but retains the guy’s memories. So Ash knows how the war started. Ash knows, or should know, that the Klingons on that ship were the instigators. Why wouldn’t he tell Starfleet before fucking off with L’Rell? He says he loves Michael, so why wouldn’t he want to set the record straight? And most importantly, why wasn’t Michael told any of this?! She’s been blaming herself for this whole war, she’s been suffering needlessly for it, let her fucking rest! Yeah, she was exonerated and accepted back into Starfleet, which is great, but it came across as “welp you basically cleaned up the mess of a war you started and saved Earth from annihilation, so I guess we’ll clear the slate for you.” It should have been more like “well given what we know now, we can say that you’re innocent of starting interstellar war; and as for the rest, stopping the destruction of Earth is a hell of a community service, so you know what? Welcome back.”

My point is, Michael Burnham has done nothing wrong, ever, in her life

Alright, at this point I think that about sums it up, and I’m tired of looking at this anyways because it’s been hours now, so uh, yeah. Thanks for coming to my ted talk

#star trek disco #star trek discovery #caps lock #death mention #violence mention #star trek discovery spoilers #star trek disco spoilers #long post #(like. really fucking long. this is not a drill)#anyway welcome to 'i love star trek - now let me tell you how i hate it'#a novel by me #star trek #i mean i guess this counts as #star trek discourse #sort of? idk man its more of a ramble than anything else #but i needed a place to put my complaints so here it is

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xhxhxhx · 7 years

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Robert Tombs:

Many humanitarians, however, were eager to use British power to do good, and they constituted a significant lobby. Anti-slavery was the most urgent cause. When in 1814 Castlereagh successfully pressed the French to agree to abolish their slave trade in five years’ time, this delay was denounced as the “death warrant of a multitude of innocent victims” and a huge national campaign was organized, claiming 750,000 supporters. Wellington tried to renegotiate the treaty, and the government put pressure on its allies Spain and Portugal, the main slave-buying nations, to stop the trade. Castlereagh wrote: “You must really press the Spanish…there is hardly a village that has not met and petitioned.” London even asked the Pope for support. Castlereagh persuaded the reluctant Great Powers to attach to the Treaty of Vienna (1815) a condemnation of the slave trade—the first such “human rights” declaration in a major international treaty. This began a long effort to end slaving, against the resistance of the slave-trading and slave-holding nations and their African suppliers.

Campaigning peaked in 1833 with more than 5,000 petitions, containing nearly 1.5 million signatures. One, more than a mile long, was signed and sewn together by women, who played an unprecedented part in the campaign, among them Elizabeth Heyrick, author of Immediate, Not Gradual Abolition (1824). Parliament responded in 1834 by emancipating 800,000 slaves in the empire, paying a huge £20m in compensation to the owners—equal to a third of the state budget—and requiring a four-year “apprenticeship” by slaves. This was thus a compromise measure, but still its anniversary was publicly celebrated annually by American abolitionists as a great achievement. In 1843 British subjects were forbidden to own slaves anywhere in the world. The abolition of slavery in the empire in practice applied to slave ownership by whites. Greatly affected was the Cape Colony, one of the most rigid and oppressive slave societies in history. The “Boers” (Dutch-speaking settlers) responded by trekking out of British territory, outraged that black people were “placed on an equal footing with Christians, contrary to the laws of God.” Traditional forms of servitude remained endemic in Africa and Asia, however, and in places still remain; and colonial authorities were very cautious about tackling them.

Even when other states agreed to outlaw slave trafficking—sometimes (as with Spain and Portugal) with compensation paid by Britain—they commonly winked at evasion. So the Royal Navy placed a permanent squadron from 1808 to 1870, at times equal to a sixth of its ships, to try to intercept slavers off West Africa. It was based at Freetown, the capital of the colony for freed slaves at Sierra Leone, which had the first African Anglican bishop, Samuel Crowther, rescued as a boy from a slave ship by the Royal Navy. Patrolling was a thankless and gruelling effort, exposing crews to yellow fever, hardship and even personal legal liability for damages; it also cost a large amount of taxpayers’ money. France and the United States refused to allow the Royal Navy to search ships flying their flags. There was continual diplomatic friction with slave-trading states. British officials there were often threatened with violence. During the 1830s and 1840s several American ships forced by bad weather into British colonial territory had the slaves they were carrying released. In 1839 in the famous case of the slave ship Amistad, when captives rebelled and killed the captain, British testimony proving illegal action by American officials helped to secure their freedom. A serious dispute with the United States occurred in 1841 when American slaves on the ship Creole, being taken from Virginia to be sold in New Orleans, seized the ship and killed a slave-trader. They were given asylum in the British-ruled Bahamas, where they were acquitted of any crime and declared free.

Britain signed forty-five treaties with African rulers to stop the traffic at source. They were very reluctant to give it up, even threatening to kill all their slaves if they were prevented from selling them. In several cases, Britain paid them to abandon the traffic. Abolitionists urged that Britain should maintain a territorial presence in West Africa, to combat illegal trafficking and promote legitimate commerce, such as palm oil, to wean African rulers and Liverpool merchants away from slaving and towards soap manufacture—a good example of cleanliness being next to godliness. By 1830 palm oil exports were worth more than the slave trade. But the trade continued, and the Royal Navy adopted more aggressive tactics, including blockading rivers and destroying slave pens on shore, even when these were foreign property. In 1861 it occupied Lagos, deposing the ruler who refused to stop the trade, and thus blocked one of the main slave routes. Over sixty years the navy captured hundreds of slave ships off the African coast and freed some 160,000 captives. As one recalled it:

They took off all the fetters from our feet and threw them into the water, and they gave us clothes that we might cover our nakedness, they opened the water casks, that we might drink water to the full, and we also ate food, till we had enough.

Several hundred thousand more were prevented from being shipped from Africa by naval and diplomatic pressure.

Palmerston, as Foreign Secretary, was prepared to put pressure on slave-buyers too. In 1839 he simply ordered the seizure of Portuguese slave ships, and in 1845 his successor, Lord Aberdeen, declared Brazilian slave ships to be pirates, and 400 were seized in five years. In 1850 the Royal Navy even forcibly entered Brazilian ports to seize or destroy hundreds of slave ships—decisive in forcing Brazil, the biggest slave-buyer of all, to end one of the largest forced emigrations in history. Palmerston said this had given him his “greatest and purest pleasure.” Cuba, supplied by fast United States ships, came under similar pressure. But American ships were treated more cautiously, as searches of suspected slave ships carrying the Stars and Stripes caused threats of war from Washington. As Palmerston expostulated, “every slave trading Pirate” could escape by simply hoisting “a piece of Bunting with the United States emblems.” The American Civil War caused a reversal in American policy in 1862, when Abraham Lincoln’s government signed a secret treaty allowing the Royal Navy to intercept American slavers. The Spanish and Cuban authorities bowed to circumstances, and the Atlantic slave trade was effectively ended. Slavery itself remained legal in the United States until the 1860s, and in much of Latin America until the 1880s. As late as 1881 the Royal Navy arrested an American slave ship off the Gold Coast.

The British campaign against the slave trade has often been debunked. French and American slave-traders accused Britain of using it as a pretext to try to gain control of West Africa, Cuba, even Texas. Some later historians claimed that slavery ended only because it was no longer profitable. But recent research is practically unanimous that slavery was booming, and it would have been in Britain’s economic interests to expand it, as the United States did. But Britain was rich enough to let its powerful humanitarian and religious lobby get its way.

Did Britain—another accusation at the time and since—use the slave trade as a pretext for colonial expansion in Africa? In fact, successive gov-ernments were reluctant to rule inhospitable and relatively profitless territory, and movement inland was negligible until the late-nineteenth-century “scramble for Africa.” The exception, which involved campaigns against the aggressive slaving kingdom of theAsante (Ashanti)—a magnificent and exceptionally cruel warrior society—was done at the request of Africans on the coast, who were subject to repeated attack from the 1820s onwards and requested British protection. Central Africa meanwhile was being devastated by Muslim slavers supplying the Middle East. The Foreign Office estimated that they were taking 25,000–30,000 people per year during the 1860s, and the nineteenth-century total has been estimated at between 4 million and 6 million people, huge numbers dying as they were dragged across the Sahara or to the coast, and many others being killed in the violence of capture. British anti-slavery groups—inspired by the adventures and writings in the 1850s and 1860s of one of the most revered Victorian heroes, the working-class missionary and explorer David Livingstone—demanded government intervention in what Livingstone had rightly called the open sore of the world. He hoped optimistically that a “Christian colony” of “twenty or thirty good Christian Scotch families” would lead to moral and commercial improvement and would put an end to slavery. Instead, a long diplomatic effort was required to throttle the trade, by persuading African rulers to stop supplying and Muslim states to close the great slave markets of Egypt, Persia, Turkey and the Gulf. Britain had far less power to act directly in the Muslim world, where slavery had ancient social and religious sanction, so action had to be discreet. The consul-general at Cairo in the 1860s, Thomas F. Reade, spied out the Egyptian slave markets disguised as an Arab. He estimated that 15,000 Africans were sold in Cairo annually, and reported on “the cruelties and abominations” involved. Other diplomats were active in helping escaped slaves, including by purchasing their freedom with official funds, and the consul in Benghazi maintained a safe house for escapers at his own expense. British interference in the slave trade—however cautious Whitehall tried to be—could cause serious tensions and even led to mass uprisings in Egypt and the Sudan. However, careful but persistent high-level pressure on the Egyptian, Turkish and Persian governments to forbid the trade, backed up by naval patrols, treaties and even bribes to officials to apply the law, eventually had considerable effect. Pressure and financial inducements to the sultan of Zanzibar (a vast slaving entrepôt) shut its slave market in 1873. Pressure on Egypt resulted in an Anglo-Egyptian Convention of 1877 to end the trade, and in 1883 a similar convention was signed with the Ottoman government. Further afield, the navy even patrolled off Australia to stop “blackbirding” (bringing quasi-slaves from Fiji and other Pacific islands) for the sugar plantations of Queensland.

Britain pressed for the insertion of an anti-slavery agreement in the 1885 Berlin Act on the partition of Africa, though it was notoriously unequally applied. As a Foreign Office official noted in 1896, Britain, “with small military means,” could only govern “countries full of Arabs…with the assistance of the Arabs.” Moreover, the partial abolition of slavery was no panacea—indeed, it gave rise to other social and economic problems. There was a huge multiplication of indentured labour, particularly of Indians shipped to theCaribbean and Africa, who were also highly exploited. Suppressing the slave trade meant at first unsaleable slaves being held by African rulers, and treated even more cruelly. Generally, the British stopped slave trading and abolished slavery as a legal status in territories they controlled in Africa and India (often with financial compensation to the slave-owners), so that slaves could free themselves—which many did. The colonial official Frederick Lugard claimed that 55,000 became free without violence in northern Nigeria between 1902 and 1917. Gradual abolition weakened the brutal hierarchies of slave-owning societies, indirectly benefiting women and the young. The fact that emancipation was supervised by “alien and disinterested authorities” smoothed the process.

#fp cw

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voyagerafod · 7 years

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Star Trek Voyager: A Fire of Devotion: Part 1 of 4: Louder Than Sirens: Chapter Four

Chapter Four

"I think it's safe to say that the new astrometrics lab is huge success," Harry Kim said, holding up a glass as he spoke. "A whole week without any bugs or problems whatsoever."

"If I were inclined to superstition," Seven of Nine said, "I would say you are tempting fate with that remark. Also, please do not hold that beverage so close to the console."

Harry shrugged, and gulped down all the liquid in the glass in one go.

“How are your PTSD treatments going?" Seven said. “We have not had the chance to speak since the incident with the Mari.”

"Well, the medication the Doctor has me taking daily makes me feel dehydrated, but the stress relief holodeck program he gave me is helping a little. I don't find myself randomly crying in the middle of the mess hall anymore."

"It's only been a few weeks Ensign Kim, give it time."

"Oh how would you know?" Harry snapped. "Like the Borg ever have to deal with post-traumatic stress."

Seven allowed her concern for her crewmate to show on her face, instead of trying to maintain a neutral expression like she did most of the time. The fact was, while she wasn't attracted to Harry the way he had been to her before, she did find that she respected him. In fact she might even one day go so far as to call him a friend.

"You are correct. While I did witness combat as a member of the Collective, I have never experienced anything quite like what you've been through."

Harry sighed.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you Seven."

"No apologies necessary. Such behavior is a common symptom of your condition based on what I’ve read. If you would prefer to continue the routine diagnostics of this lab on your own, I will not be offended."

Before Harry could reply, the door to astrometrics opened. Captain Janeway and Chakotay entered. Harry looked for somewhere to hide his glass, but failed to before it was noticed.

"Ensign Kim, are you drinking on duty?" Chakotay said. Harry opened his mouth to reply, but Seven decided to intervene.

"I can vouch that the beverage in question was non-alcoholic Commander," she said. "The medication that the Doctor has him on currently leaves him feeling dehydrated."

Chakotay didn't look like he believed her, but after sharing a look with Janeway, he abandoned the point.

"We just came by to see how the new and improved astrometrics lab was doing," Janeway said. "We haven't had much of a chance to look at it when we're not in the middle of some kind of crisis."

Seven's eyebrow raised at that. "Captain, there have been approximately three days within the past week where you could've come down here to observe its status."

Janeway nodded. "True, true. And it is entirely my own fault for not taking advantage of those opportunities. I can’t put all of it on me trying to help B’Elanna last week."

“That was a pressing issue at the time,” Seven said. “And I do not see a way in which an astrometrics lab would’ve been useful in that situation. It is also worth noting that the day we first activated the upgraded lab was the day that-” Seven stopped abruptly.

“That the whole thing with me showing up a year older and battle fatigued happened?” Harry said. “You don’t need to walk on eggshells around me Seven. I’m damaged but I’m not broken.” “So,” Chakotay said in an obvious attempt to get the conversation back on its original track. “The new lab. Let’s see it in action.”

---

"While I'm flattered that you feel I can help with this issue, Ensign Wildman," the Doctor said, "I am a medical doctor, not a counselor. Psychological issues are not my area of expertise, and when it comes to romance, my experience is limited to one Vidiian doctor and one hologram, so I’m not sure how much help I could be there."

"I'm well aware of all of that, Doctor," Samantha said. "In fact you often like to remind everyone how you are a Doctor not a whatever. But in case you forgot, we do not have a proper counselor on board. I probably could've talked to Kes about this if she were here, but she's not. My daughter is too young, and while he's certainly gotten better about it over the years, Neelix still has issues with letting things slip, and I’d rather not have the whole crew know about this."

The Doctor titled his head and looked up slightly. "He has gotten better about that hasn't he?" he said. "In more ways than one in fact. I remember how he used to-"

"Doctor," Samantha said, her arms crossed and face stern like it was whenever she needed to chastise her daughter. "My issue, please."

The Doctor rolled his eyes.

"Coming to me for relationship advice," he said. "That should end well. You want my thoughts on the matter? Very well.” He turned to face Samantha Wildman directly, his arms crossed now as well. “Having thought about it over the past few days since you told me, I have come to the conclusion that if you didn't want to start a relationship with Seven of Nine, you wouldn't be talking to me in the first place. You simply wish to use me to assuage your guilt over your husband, who I remind you, almost certainly believes you are dead. You would hardly be the first person with a partner or partners back home who has started a relationship on board, and unless we were to somehow stumble across a wormhole that would take us back to the Alpha Quadrant before 0100 hours tomorrow you wouldn't be the last either."

Samantha sighed, mouthed an expletive, then turned around and left sickbay.

"You're welcome," the Doctor said behind her before returning to his reports.

---

The next day, Harry Kim and Seven of Nine were both in the astrometrics lab again, making some additional improvements to the consoles. They worked silently for the most part, only talking about the work, until Harry suddenly stopped working.

"Look, Seven, about yesterday, you didn't have to cover for me," he said. "It was synthohol in my glass. I'd still be in trouble, sure, but it's not like I'd be drunk or hungover on duty."

"Hopefully it is not something that I will need to do again," Seven said. "I don't have any particular moral objection to lying, I just find it far more pragmatic not to. I made an exception in your case out of concern."

"Concern? For me?"

"Ensign Kim, I tell you this in the strictest confidence. You are one of the very few people on this ship that I would consider not just a shipmate, but a friend. Friendship is a new concept to me, but on a ship of individuals I believe it to have its benefits. You were among the first people on this ship to treat me as more than just a drone. I have not forgotten that, and I do appreciate it."

Harry seemed shocked at what he just heard.

"Wow," he said. "I'm not sure what to say except, thank you. I-" Harry stopped when he heard the door to astrometrics open. He turned to see Samantha Wildman standing in the doorway, as if she was unsure whether or not to actually enter. Harry looked at Seven and winked, much to Seven’s confusion.

"I'll leave you two alone," he said as he headed for the door. That was the moment she realized what Harry meant by his wink, and was suddenly nervous.

"Ensign Wildman, how can I help you?" Seven said.

"Your name, before you were assimilated? It was Annika, right? Annika Hansen?"

"That is correct."

"It's a pretty name."

"I've been told that by more than one crewmember. What is the purpose of this line of questioning?" It was only once she'd finished that question that Seven noticed that Samantha was slowly getting closer, like she wanted to stand right next to her or in front of her, but was reluctant for some unknown reason.

Samantha took a deep breath.

"Seven of Nine, before I continue I need you to answer my next question as honestly as you possibly can. It's important, so I need you think long and hard about it before you answer. I don't want whatever just pops into your head, understand?"

"That should not be difficult," Seven said, her tone still level even though her heart rate had quickened considerably. Samantha had stepped closer know. Seven could tell from her Borg enhanced hearing that her heart was beating faster as well.

A metaphorical voice in the back of Seven's mind that she had heard before, a voice Tuvok had referred to as “an inner monologue,” was screaming at her now. This is it! This is what you've wanted. She wants you as much as you want her.

"What is your question," Seven said, slowly, not wanting to betray her unusual excitement.

"I've been thinking about that night, weeks ago when you touched my hand during dinner. And before that, when you were, um, looking at me when I walked away. What I want... no. What I need to know, is this purely sexual attraction, or do you have romantic feelings for me?"

Seven of Nine found herself speechless; a feeling she did not often have. Another voice in her mind started speaking now, this one much more cynical. She doesn't love you, even if she thinks she does. You're more machine than human. You're still a Borg no matter what you look like now, and she probably knew people who died at Wolf 359. Just let this go. Why do you want a relationship anyway? What does that get you? If she likes you at all it's for your breasts, or your behind, same as everyone else on this ship.

"I am not 100% certain," Seven said, slowly, deliberately choosing each word. "I have attempted... relations, on the holodeck with women from a program the Doctor suggested to me, but I was, um," Seven took a deep breath. "I was unable to perform." Seven stopped and looked down, feeling embarrassed. “I don’t know” was almost certainly not what Samantha was hoping to hear.

"Seven?" Samantha said, concern obvious in her voice. "What are trying to say? About the holograms I mean."

"They weren't you," Seven said. "I do not know where this attraction came from, I barely know you any better than anyone else on this ship, but, but..." Seven couldn't find the right words to finish her answer, so she elected to take a desperate action. She took a large step forward, put her arms around Samantha's waist, and pulled her in close.

"I apologize in advance for this very inappropriate behavior," she said quietly before closing her eyes and pressing her lips to Samantha's. Samantha Wildman seemed to resist for approximately one-half of one second, before she started to kiss back, moving her own hands to Seven's back. After nearly a full minute, Samantha finally pulled away.

"Apology accepted," she said before she started to laugh, putting one hand on the side Seven's face.

"My inner monologue is an idiot," Seven said, smiling for what she was pretty sure was the first time since she'd been a child, before she was assimilated.

Samantha's face scrunched up in confusion. "You're gonna have to explain that one to me, Annika."

"Later," Seven said. "But, for the record, I'll only let you call me that."

"Fair enough," Samantha said, as the two of them held hands and looked into each other’s eyes.

"I suppose now's as good a time as any to address the issue of how public we are with this," Seven said. "I'm not sure I'm ready for all the questions I'll inevitably get from the rest of the crew just yet, though the Doctor already knows about my attraction to you, as does Harry Kim."

Samantha's head tilted at that.

"Why would you tell Harry-"

"I didn't. Apparently in the alternate timeline, during the so-called Year of Hell, you and I began a relationship after the Krenim attacks began. According to him, I died calling out your name."

"Ah, I see. That's rather sad actually. Did he tell you what happened to me and Naomi during that year, by any chance? I’ve been meaning to ask him, but I’m just never sure how. Plus I don’t want to trigger him." Before Seven could answer, Samantha winced slightly. "Right, Naomi. I wonder what she'll think of this. Us, I mean."

Seven thought about it for a moment. "The two likely outcomes that spring immediately to mind are that she'll feel like you stole her friend from her, or she'll be excited at the prospect of me spending more time in your quarters."

"Hell, maybe it could be both. Obviously I'll have to tell her, I don't like keeping secrets from my daughter. Do you want to be there for-"

The ship suddenly shuddered. The red alert klaxons began going off, and Samantha let out a frustrated groan. “Oh you have got to be kidding,” Samantha said. “Don’t we usually get at least a week between crises?” “I believe that is the average for this ship, yes. One would think you’d be used to this by now,” Seven said with a smirk. Samantha laughed briefly, then looked contemplative. “You do have a cute smile. Just don’t ever feel like you have to do it on my account. I’d rather earn it than ask for it.” Samantha started to head for the exit, but stopped. “Oh, um, Annika, next time we meet, we need to have a talk about this little thing called ‘oversharing.’” Seven thought about that statement for a moment. “Are you referring to me telling you about the holodeck program, or your death in the alternate timeline?” “Yes,” Samantha said. “I don’t really like thinking about my own mortality, you know?” “Understandable,” Seven said. “I’ll see you later then?” “Of course.”

---

By the time Seven of Nine learned what had happened, the damage had already been done. The ship had been attacked by pirates, whose ships were equipped with high power transporters. A number of piece of technology had been stolen from Voyager as result, most importantly the main computer processor.

“Ensign Kim,” she said as he spotted him leaving the conference room. “I heard about what happened. I believe I can provide assistance in tracking the pirates responsible.” “You read my mind,” Harry said. “I was just going to head down to astrometrics. You were going to suggest extending the ship's sensors using the deep space imaging system?” “Correct,” Seven said. “I must apologize, it had not occurred to me you would come to that conclusion on your own. I underestimated your intelligence.” “It happens. Let’s get to work.” “Very well. We’ll need to decompile databanks 59-17 in order to isolate an algorithmic feedback that is interfering with the resolution.” “Started already. Good call. The sooner we can find these people the sooner we can get back everything they stole from us.” “Is it true that they got the Doctor’s mobile emitter as well?” Seven asked. “Yeah,” Harry said. “He’s not too happy about that.” “Knowing the Doctor as I do I’m certain that’s an understatement, but hopefully the Captain considers retrieving that as high a priority as the computer core.” “If she does she didn’t say anything about it in the briefing. Why do you say that?” “I would think it obvious. That emitter was built using 29th century technology. If that level of technology were to fall into the ‘wrong hands’ as I believe the saying goes-” “Damn, you’re right.,” Harry said, quickening his pace. “We better hurry then.”

---

Samantha Wildman listened as Seven of Nine filled her in on the situation, though she was already aware of the pirate attack and subsequent thefts. “I imagine the Captain took a whole security detail down there to get our stuff back,” she said. “An incorrect assumption,” Seven said, contemplating the drawing that Naomi had made for both of them before going to bed for the night. “She took Lieutenant Commander Tuvok, Lieutenant Paris, and Mr. Neelix with her, though I believe they are going to separate locations. The planet seems to be a trading hub for this sector. I believe the intent is to pose as traders to locate our technology.” “Well that’s good,” Samantha said as she sat down next to Seven, putting an arm around her shoulder. “So, what do you think?” “Of the mission, or of the drawing” “The drawing.” “It is, colorful,” Seven said. “I find that I am more pleased by the effort put into the drawing than the actual result.” Samantha smiled as she gave Seven a quick kiss on the cheek. “And to think I was afraid you’d say you didn’t like it.” “That would be inappropriate. Naomi is a child. If art is something she decides to continue to pursue as she ages, she will doubtless get better with practice. Any negative comments I make would only discourage her.” Samantha’s mouth hung partially open in shock. “Wow. Annika, I’m not sure how you’ll take this, but you already seem to be thinking like a parent. That is amazing.”

Seven leaned to the side, resting her head on Samantha’s shoulder. “I take it as a compliment,” she said, closing her eyes and sighing contentedly. “Shall I leave it here? I can’t think of any place in cargo bay 2 where I could put it.” “No problem. I can put it with her other drawings. I’ve been saving all of them of course.” Samantha looked over at the door to her daughter’s room. “Do you think she’s asleep by now?” she whispered. Seven glanced in the same direction. “I can hear her reading,” Seven said. “I think she’s trying to pronounce some of the longer words in the text.” “Enhanced hearing?” Samantha said. “Yes.”

“You don’t use that to eavesdrop, do you?” “Never intentionally, but I can’t exactly turn my audio implants off. At least not currently. I would be willing to talk to the Doctor about adding that as a feature. It would certainly come in handy. There are a number of things I have learned since coming aboard that I feel I would’ve been better off not knowing.” Samantha snorted out a laugh. “I can believe that,” she said as she started gently stroking Seven’s hair. “With regards to your question about Naomi, I do think it’s likely that if we attempt what we were planning tonight, she would likely hear us.” “Yeah, you’re probably right.” “Perhaps it is for the best. I believe it is customary in many human cultures to wait until the third date, and we may not agree on if this counts as our second or not.” “What do you mean?” “Our dinner, the night I accidentally revealed my affections for you, just after we survived our encounter with the Srivani.” “Oh, that,” Samantha said, regretting how she’d handled things when Seven had touched her hand that night. “Well, that wasn’t a date per se, but at the same time we could probably count it as being one in hindsight.”

Seven seemed to think about that for a few moments, before shrugging. “I’m not an expert on human relationships in general, let alone romantic ones. I’ll defer to your judgement.”

“The three dates thing isn’t really a hard and fast rule,” Samantha said. “but if that’s how you want to do this you don’t have to worry about me pressuring you.”

“Admittedly it does seem rather arbitrary. That said, the concern about Naomi walking in on us is perfectly valid. And there is the possibility that I may be called upon to aid in acquiring our stolen technology.” Seven sighed, sounding disappointed. “Perhaps I could use the extra time to read up on more techniques,” Seven added.

Samantha patted Seven on the head, smiling. “There’s only so much you can learn about sex from books babe, trust me,” she said.

“Well I would ask any crewmembers who I know to have experience with sexual activity, but I believe that would be considered impolite,” Seven said.

“Depends on who you ask, but that’s probably a good idea. I wouldn’t worry though. As long as we communicate with each other properly I see no reason why it won’t go well. If at any point I do anything that makes you uncomfortable let me know, and we can do something else.” “I can’t imagine anything you’d do to me would cause discomfort,” Seven said, smiling. Samantha chuckled. “Unless you’re into that sort of thing.” “What?”

“I’ll explain some other time.”

---

“I really wish you would keep up with your appointments more often Seven,” the Doctor said. “Your ocular interface is out of alignment. Again.” “I hadn’t noticed,” Seven said. “My vision has not been impaired today at any point.” “Regardless, you are supposed to come in for your examinations once a week.” The Doctor continued his scans with his tricorder before putting it down to pick up the piece of equipment he’d need to adjust Seven’s non-organic eye. “It’s a good thing you did come in today, since I can’t go to you at the moment.” “The Captain and Lieutenant Tuvok should have our stolen technology recovered in a short time. You will no doubt have your mobile emitter back by tomorrow at the latest.” “I’m sure the Captain appreciates your confidence in her abilities,” the Doctor said. “So,” he added while he continued his work. “Have I missed anything interesting on board lately?” “Nothing of import,” Seven said. “Have you completed the necessary adjustments?”

“Oh, yes certainly. It wasn’t a serious misalignment. If it were, you wouldn’t need me to tell you.” The Doctor smiled and put down his instrument. “As for there not being anything of import, I heard there was something of a fuss in the mess hall today.” Seven sighed. “Lieutenant Torres and I had a disagreement, but it is no longer a matter for concern.”

“Just a disagreement? I heard there was shouting involved.” “None of this is relevant to either the status of my implants, or to the Captain's efforts to reclaim the computer core and your mobile emitter. Why are you so invested in such trivialities?” “Isn’t it obvious?” The Doctor said, not trying to hide his annoyance. “Without my mobile emitter, I’m stuck in sickbay. Again. I have no means to move about the ship and hear about what’s going on unless someone tells me, but people don’t stop in sickbay just to chat, except for Kes when she was still here. And Naomi sometimes. But that’s beside the point. I feel like I’m in a prison.” “One that you will be able to leave once we have retrieved the mobile emitter,” Seven said. “You must be patient. And before you say anything, I am aware of the irony of that statement coming from me considering my own behavior. Pointing it out to me would be redundant.”

The Doctor sighed. “Yes, yes, you’re right of course. Forgive my outburst.” Seven sighed as well. “If you must know, Torres and I were working on some astrometric data. There was a disagreement, and she chose to become hostile rather than counter my argument. She called me an ‘automaton,’ and uttered a string of profane Klingon insults.” “Interesting,” the Doctor said. “So, who was right? About the data I mean.” “I was. May I go now?” “Wait, wait, I want more details. Maybe you could translate B’Elanna’s-” “Tuvok to Seven of Nine. Please report to the astrometrics lab.” Seven tapped her comm badge to reply. “I’ll be right there,” she said. The Doctor nodded. “Very well,” he said. “Perhaps we can continue this conversation later, assuming you don’t mind discussing such ‘trivialities.’” Seven of Nine started to leave sickbay, but paused at the door. “Doctor, perhaps I may have something for you more interesting than a minor spat with Lieutenant Torres if you are truly that starved for information. I will require the permission of the other party involved however, so I make no promises.” The Doctor actually felt giddy at the prospect. “Thank you Seven. Thank you very much. Anything to make my internment more bearable.”

---

“Wait, so you want to tell the Doctor about us?” Samantha said as she stood next to Seven of Nine in the astrometrics lab. Seven had called her there shortly after Tuvok had left to return to the bridge with the data Seven had gathered from the maps obtained from the Da Vinci hologram. “If you are concerned about him telling the rest of the crew,” Seven said. “I can convince that that would be against his best interests.” “I get that it must be frustrating for him. Having had the freedom to leave sickbay at any time for over a year only to have it sntached away like that. But I don’t know if what you’re suggesting will make him feel any better.” “I will simply leave out key details. He will doubtless ask me to fill those in the way he wanted to more about my argument with Lieutenant Torres. When I refuse to give him that information, he will likely attempt to piece it together himself. It will keep him distracted until the Captain has recovered our technology, he’ll get the emitter back and if we are fortunate he will be too enamored his regained freedom to be bothered with such matters as our relationship.”

Samantha thought about it for a moment. “I don’t know,” she said. “It seems a bit convoluted. I wish you’d talked to me first.” “I believe I did.” “No, I mean before you suggested you might have some juicy piece of gossip for him.” “Ah. I see. Perhaps that in itself will serve as adequate distraction for him, trying to determine what it was I may or may not have told him.” Samantha nodded. “Yeah, yeah, that could work.” She sighed and leaned back against the console. “And that’s all setting aside the fact that we don’t even really know what kind of relationship we have yet. We really haven’t had that much time to talk about it. This whole thing with the stolen computer core has kept us pretty busy. And when we do get time together, Naomi’s there too which kind of limits our exploratory options.” Seven made a noise that Samantha has not heard coming from her before. “Why Annika, are you giggling?” “I believe I am. I am amused at your choice of euphemism.” “What do you mean?” “‘Exploratory options?’ We’re alone currently, there is no need for such obfuscation. You are referring to both sexual activity and adult conversation, correct?” “Well, yes.” Seven shifted a little closer to Samantha, and put her hand that didn’t still have Borg tech it on Samantha’s back. “Once we have the computer core back, I believe it would be possible to arrange some time on the holodeck. I have a list of programs that the Doctor gave me last month that-”

“Hold it,” Samantha said, putting an index finger over Seven’s lips. “Annika, why exactly did the Doctor give you those programs?”

Seven proceed to tell Samantha about what she had done after their unofficial first date; not being aware what blushing was, going to the Doctor about her concerns, everything. “So he already knows you are attracted to me,” Samantha said. “Yes.” Samantha then let a laugh loud enough that it visibly startled Seven. “Why was that amusing to you?” “Because it makes the conversation I had with the Doctor the day I decided to take a chance on us kind of hilarious in hindsight.” Seven opened her mouth to say something, closed it, then sighed. “So you’re saying that it’s likely he already knows about us,” she said. “If he didn’t before today,” Samantha said. “he probably figured it out after your little tease about new information.” “It would seem I have a lot to learn about keeping secrets then,” Seven said. “On this ship? Good luck with that, honey.”

“In hindsight, perhaps it would be considered cruel to keep the Doctor waiting. Hanging by a thread is the correct expression?” “That would be a yes on both counts. You go ahead and stay here in case Tuvok needs you for anything else, I’ll go talk to him.” Samantha gently patted Seven on the butt before leaving, saying “And send me that list of holodeck programs!” she said as she exited the lab.

#a fire of devotion #part 1 #chapter four #star trek voyager #fan fiction #sam7

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