#the tension they'd have-

[stfulara]

okay but s01 Dean with s04 Cas, just thinking out loud here-

[lizasweetling]

Ok, ballsy, but it's not like slow playing at this point has any specific bnefit

so you might as well deny the time to your enemies

[bumblingbabooshka]

I hate when Chakotay is watered down to be Janeway's yes man because their disagreements are actually very interesting. [A lot of rambling analysis of this debate in particular below]

Chakotay in Parallax is very interesting in that he has to navigate a lot of different dynamics. Balance a lot of plates while being watched keenly by everyone around him. Immediately preceding this scene we see him ask B'Elanna for her opinion on the bridge - both as a chance to show her knowledge in his bid to make her chief engineer (because she wouldn't get a chance to otherwise as Janeway has clearly indicated that at this point she views B'Elanna as a troublemaker who won't be considered for the position) and because he just thinks she's a better engineer than Carey and wants the best possible chance of them succeeding. Janeway sees this as unacceptable. Carey is the chief engineer and so he should be called and Chakotay NOT asking for his opinion is an insult to Carey, Janeway, and might make the crew doubt Chakotay (and by extension the Maquis') loyalty to the Starfleet crew.

At this point it seems that to Janeway integration ["They're not your people"] means the path of least resistance, specifically tailored towards the Starfleet crew. She wants Chakotay by her side to keep the Maquis crew calm but also seems unwilling to consider them for important positions aboard the ship. Though she says that the Maquis are not Chakotay's people, not his crew, she certainly doesn't seem to consider them hers [Compare this to later instances where she stresses 'our' crew, here she simply says they aren't Chakotay's: Whose crew are they? Are they crew at all?]. This less leaves the impression of "We need to be a cohesive team" and more "You're not in charge here." She essentially accuses Chakotay of playing favorites. In her mind Chakotay's actions are not conducive to integrating the crews which would (again, in her mind) mean the Maquis being docile and accepting, obedient and content - not making trouble for the Starfleet crew. Chakotay counters Janeway's accusation with one of his own: That he IS trying to integrate them into the crew but her not allowing the Maquis any opportunity to prove themselves or succeed, not showing any trust in any of them (except, implicitly at this point, him) is making things difficult. At this point the Maquis crew are ready to mutiny on his word at any time. He knows this for a fact. Aside from that looming threat (the threat being that tensions are high and if nothing changes and they remain high there might be a mutiny even without his word) - Chakotay knows these people and trusts them. Though Starfleet and Janeway think of the Maquis as a violent bunch of criminal terrorists, Chakotay and a good number of the Maquis joined because they believed in the cause they were fighting for. These are people Chakotay knows WILL fight fiercely for what they believe in and conversely, AGAINST what they perceive as injustice. Even if they're not in the majority - they're used to picking fights which seem impossible to win. At this point Janeway admits that she ISN'T making it easy for Chakotay to integrate the Maquis - specifically talking about practical concerns; how she doesn't feel she can let Maquis crew have roles of importance on the ship because they lack the ability to hold them. "They don't have the discipline, they don't have the training," - asserting that they just aren't prepared for any such roles and it doesn't have to do with them being Maquis specifically. Ostensibly, she's treating them as she might treat anyone unqualified for the job.

Chakotay maintains that some of them, like B'Elanna, have the ability to be trained - challenging her point by saying that IF they're trained there's no reason for any Maquis member NOT to be given a more prominent role on the ship. He isn't suggesting they just unqualified people important jobs. If the problem is that they aren't trained, let's train them. These people have the ability to succeed if you give them the tools they need and a fair chance, he insists. Janeway then switches gears and her argument becomes not "The Maquis are untrained so they can't be given those jobs" but "The Maquis crew are unworthy of those jobs when compared to Starfleet personnel" saying that it'll cause insult and upset among the Starfleet crew if any member of the Maquis were to be promoted above them. Again, her idea of integration is based more on Maquis subservience to the Starfleet crew than it is the two crews working together. (Not that I believe she looks at it that way, it's just where her 'path of least resistance' leads) - though she accuses Chakotay of being too focused on "his" crew, she is admitting here that she believes her real crew are the Starfleet officers aboard, not the Maquis. She also admits here that the system she wishes to maintain (and is asking Chakotay to enforce) is one where there will ostensibly never be any chance of a Maquis crew member being promoted because no Maquis crew member will ever be more qualified, more worthy, than a member of Starfleet. We can see how it'd be difficult for Chakotay to convince his crew to remain calm under these circumstances. There's also Tuvok's behavior toward him at the beginning of the episode where the Vulcan nearly goes over Chakotay's head and when he doesn't do so (as Chakotay reminds him that HE'S the superior officer, the First Officer in fact,) Tuvok acts as if him backing down (partially) and conceding (partially) to Chakotay's authority is a favor to Chakotay.

Tuvok in this conversation is downright insubordinate to Chakotay. Despite Chakotay being the first officer, he doesn't take what he says seriously, argues that his own opinion on what should be done should be followed rather than Chakotay's, lectures the first officer about his conduct, and then almost seems to threaten him with a report. In Starfleet's rigidly hierarchical rules, acting like this to a superior officer (ESPECIALLY the first officer) wouldn't be tolerated and Tuvok knows this perfectly well. He isn't a rebellious character and clearly in other episodes adheres to these Starfleet hierarchies and codes of conduct very strictly. He values them highly. But Chakotay, a Maquis, shouldn't be First Officer. Why should he be given respect for a title he didn't earn? [Affirming Janeway's argument about how Starfleet officers won't be eager to follow a Maquis senior officer] Even though Chakotay tells Tuvok off for it ["I don't have to explain myself to you"] he doesn't threaten to put Tuvok on report or explicitly mention his insubordination. It's unclear if this is Chakotay's personality or if he just doesn't feel he CAN do that. Tuvok is one of the three most senior officers aboard and very close to Janeway. Chakotay has to think of the optics of any situation at all times - we see seconds after this conversation that rumors have already started swirling around B'Elanna being relegated to quarters that've fanned the flames of mutiny. Though we know Tuvok has personal reasons for behaving the way he does toward Chakotay (which he later admits), I really don't think it'd be out of the ordinary for this to be how most Starfleet personnel would treat the Maquis if they weren't outright hostile: Like they're only pretend crewmen. To a lesser extent we even see this with Janeway: In the following staff meeting, she clearly doesn't consider B'Elanna a viable option when Chakotay brings her up and almost ignores the suggestion entirely.

It also, again, leaves Chakotay in an impossible position. If he doesn't protect and fight for the Maquis crew, they won't ever be considered a true part of the crew and dissatisfaction will likely spread among them. Dissatisfaction which the Starfleet crew will then use to further label the Maquis as insubordinate, uncontrollable, unfit. Not to mention that if he doesn't advocate for them, he might lose their trust. However, if he DOES try to help the Maquis crew advance the Starfleet crew will view this as 'favoritism' and will further distrust him, won't respect the people he puts forth as worthy. Janeway seems to be intent on not advocating for any of the Maquis crew and also seems unwilling to ask that the Starfleet crew grant leniency. She implies that the Maquis crew need to learn to get in line and keep quiet and it seems almost like [we must remember the optics] she has Chakotay as the only Maquis in a position of power to facilitate that. Chakotay recognizes and pushes against that, saying that he won't just be her token Maquis - there only so she can point to him and say "See? We don't discriminate against the Maquis here." effectively a tool used to shut down any arguments of unfair treatment and a tool to quell the Maquis if any talk of mutiny DOES arise. In this model, Janeway can just tell Chakotay to calm them down and they'll listen because they trust him. She also doesn't have to really listen to anything he says: A token First Officer has no authority; his words don't hold weight. [Chakotay isn't Maquis anymore, they aren't his crew anymore - ok. What is he then? What are they? Nothing, without respect.] This plan seems untenable, as much as Janeway frames it as sensible: "I can't make it easy, Commander. Surely you can understand that," and alternatives as impossible "How am I supposed to ask them to accept a Maquis as their superior officer just because circumstances have forced us together?" - in the long run, how would this be sustainable? In any power structure, you cannot expect a group of people you're unwilling to grant trust or agency to obediently follow you forever. This proposed form of 'integration' in which the Maquis are kept on the bottom rung and told intermittently to stay there quietly by the only one of them granted permission to stand at the top would never be sustainable - especially with a group like the Maquis who again, were founded on the belief that its members should fight against inequity and are already on the verge of mutiny.

I specifically find the statement "How am I supposed to ask them to accept a Maquis as their superior officer just because circumstances have forced us together?" to be interesting because personally I'd say that being forced together for the rest of almost everyone's natural life is a pretty good reason to ask people to adapt and Janeway does understand this but only applies it to the Maquis - the Maquis are the ones who have to adapt, not Starfleet. The only thing the Starfleet crew have to do is tolerate their presence on board.

At this point Janeway again claims that if Chakotay can show her a 'qualified' Maquis candidate she'll consider them. I believe this is true but we already know that Janeway's standards for qualification will likely not fit the vast majority of the Maquis and Chakotay ignores the claim in favor of putting forth B'Elanna again, firmly. Janeway predictably dismisses her as unqualified and Chakotay disagrees, arguing that he knows her. He's worked with her. He KNOWS that B'Elanna can excel at the job even if she doesn't meet Starfleet/Janeway's qualifications. He doesn't value those qualifications over what he's observed about her - just as he didn't value Carey's title over what he knew about the gap between his and B'Elanna's abilities. Then, Chakotay switches gears. He admits that Janeway's right - he does view the Maquis as his crew but that's because Janeway (almost self admittingly) doesn't and if he doesn't, who will they have? [What kind of captain, kind of man, would he be?] "You're going to have to give them more authority if you want their loyalty." "Theirs or yours, Commander?" Janeway frames Chakotay's words pointing out the flaws in this plan which I outlined earlier, as almost a threat (if she doesn't have Chakotay's loyalty it'll most definitely mean mutiny). Chakotay asserts that it wasn't a threat, he's only trying to help by telling her how the Maquis crew will react to what she's telling him. "I'm sorry you can't see that" - not an apology for what he said but that she isn't willing to budge, not willing to listen to him and acknowledge that she might be as biased towards her crew as he is towards his. Chakotay is trying his best to acclimate his crew but if Janeway isn't willing to do the same, to talk to her people as he's talking to his, then this will not end well and that isn't a threat. It's just the reality of the situation. He then asks permission to leave, showing he is willing to observe Starfleet protocol (just as when he asked permission to speak freely), and Janeway lets him go, exhaling at the intensity of their debate when alone in her ready room.

[stormyoceans]

if GMMTV doesn't give them a period piece drama im gonna take that building by storm and commit grand scale larceny to cope im not even kidding JUST LOOK AT THEM

[quietwingsinthesky]

Lucy lives!au where both lucy and desmond are tensely sitting on the fact that Clay Told Desmond She Is A Templar and neither of them know how to approach this without outing that fact to everyone (Desmond does not want his dad to kill her)

OUGHHHH.

and the way it completely flips the little power dynamic they had going on. because whether desmond likes it or not, whether he wants it or not, lucy's life is now completely at his mercy. one wrong word and. well. they're called assassins for a reason. and while i think there's multiple stories in the series of assassins becoming templars, there's basically none about templars becoming assassins (or assassins again) which tells you about all you need to know about how willing they'd be to let a "traitor" back into their little gang.

and that's just got to feel terrible, right? especially now that desmond knows. if he can just read between the lines of what lucy has told him about vidic from her perspective, what clay has shown him about how she was turned. terrible awful moment of realizing that it's playing out all over again; only now lucy owes her life to him for not giving her over to the assassins. i don't think desmond would like that at all.

and like. to me there is zero question that part of the reason lucy latched onto desmond more than she was probably supposed to according to the whole templar double-agent plan was that he was someone she had a modicum of control over. she was very much in control of the flow of information to him, he owed her for getting him out of abstergo, and in all likelihood, she probably intended to protect him from them as best he could (a track record which does not reflect well on her! considering what happened to clay! but i really do think she intended to.)

so, that is gone. not only is that gone, but her world's been up-ended, again. she's not a quite a templar, not quite an assassin, and oh, right, the sun is still going to explode, and they barely know how they're going to stop it. desmond was in a coma for who knows how long, and now he looks at her different. he knows. and now they're all going to be in close proximity with his dad and her mentor who will not risk the whole world for either of them, shaun's still being twitchy about 'what if desmond was a templar spy' with no idea how close and how far off that assumption is, and there's also that fucking alien isu ghost lady who tried to kill her through desmond! not a fun time for lucy, all things considered.

and like despite that, i think the old dynamic they had still remains. desmond relies on lucy. she's now proven that she's a completely unreliable anchor to reality, but still, she's the one he's got. they started this animus shit together; they're gonna finish it together. lucy is still trying to pull the incredible balancing act of pushing desmond far enough to get what they need without breaking him entirely, something that's getting harder and harder by the day because like. three. well, no, four, huh. haytham, too. so four memory dives in, there's... if not damage, then a disconnect. between desmond and reality. that can't be undone, only managed.

everything that happens already leaves their little team so isolated from the outside world, but alsjdlksa i fucking love the idea of lucy & desmond being even isolated from the other assassins. terrible secret gang.

[booasaur]

Minx (2022) - 2x01

[shiraoyagi]

I miss fantasista squad . does anyone else miss fantasista squad

[br1ghtestlight]

paper and oj sharing a bedroom is cute but also Now im just thinking in the event of a fight or breakup one of them is gonna be condemned to sleeping on the couch in the living room? or i guess in my fanpaper fic paper would just bunk with paintbrush and fan which paintbrush is sooo happy. about /s

[followfire]

I’m rather disappointed that Genshin has a tendency to go for the friendship is magic trope where everyone gets on well and become friends after spending two minutes together… I want to see tensions subside between the different nations… I want to see people have conflicts and never manage to resolve them… And I don’t mean just relationships like Kaeya and Diluc who hate each other as much as they love each other for very plot relevant reasons, I mean also very petty reasons, people who dislike each other from afar just ‘cause.

I’m pretty sure Genshin will never take this direction because everyone is love and sunshine, but I headcanon that Jean and Alice don’t really get on well…

Jean would never admit it to anyone, not even herself because come on, Jean cannot dislike someone in Mondstadt, she wasn’t raised like that. But still. Alice is chaos and havoc and everything that Jean isn’t and is working her ass off to avoid. Alice is supposed to be this old and wise mage yet Jean had to punish her once for playing with a wind current she created with anemoblobs. Alice raised Klee to be as carefree as her and even encourages her to play with bombs, and then Alice disappears and leaves little chaotic Klee to the understaffed Knights. Jean has to be the one to step in and try to teach Klee to not be so destructive but she doesn’t have time for this. Also I don’t think Jean likes having to punish Klee, she’d rather see her enjoying herself but Klee’s enjoyment tends to go out of control because her mother never taught her to mind the consequences of her actions. It’s like those relationships between parents where you have one parent who is the fun one, who never scolds the children, is always playing with them, while the other always has to be the one stepping in to set limits and be the responsible one and the joy killer because the fun parent is actually irresponsible and cannot be trusted to act as a reliable coparent. Jean is the no fun parent because Alice never acts responsibly. Jean is presently doing more to take care of Klee than her own mother, meanwhile Klee adores her absent mom to bits but thinks Jean is scary. And I like to add the fact that Alice was the one who encouraged Diluc to travel after his father’s death while Jean wished he wouldn’t leave and even wanted to persuade him to stay. So… I don’t think Jean allows herself to dislike Alice, but she probably sees her and know it means trouble. She sees her and wonders “why do you always have to put a spoke in my wheel?”. Alice is not mean and Jean knows that but she’s like a headache: you have to work with it because it’s not going away.

And Alice doesn’t care enough to actually dislike Jean, but that’s exactly the problem! She’s not bothered enough to see Jean as an obstacle! Actually, she’s probably rather fond of Jean and doesn’t even realize the turmoil that she causes in her.

[dear-mrs-otome]

So given that his story is in Part 3 of the anniversary, and that the maid story event comes after the anniversary stuff (unless they change the order and somehow cram it in before the 7th which I doubt) ...basically they won't be doing any of the pre-relationship events for Silvio before his actual route releases?? That's pretty friggin lame.

[crimeronan]

re last post: i think the only core relationship that's not some form of "i worship the myth i make of you" right now is devin & ruby. n that's because the two of them are too busy being the unwitting recipients of other people's worship. shoutout to the extremely rare character dynamic of "wow. you two actually Would be healthier if you were monogamous."

[werewolfdog]

I wonder if most of our coworkers have come to see how close M and I are

[noahtally-famous]

keith! the throwaway name in tdpi to you; but to me he's an actual character

younger me is screaming rn, ever since i watched tdpi when it came out, i was super interested in keith as a character (and his dynamics with sky, and with dave)!! finally here we are, some picrews of what i think he looks like & some basic info! (cant do the 16-slide presentation with him rn like i did with gabriel 😔 but maybe i will in the future!)

here's a fic abt him! (plus i do have an rr au idea with him in my drafts)

below the cut are gonna be some keith (and keith & sky) hcs:

-> keith is exceptional in almost any sport he puts his mind to! his favorites are baseball and basketball though. he met sky through a school game and they bonded over their love of athletics!

-> keith never rlly considered sports as a career, he's always default thought of it as a hobby. sky was the one who wanted to take her skills farther, and he did support her for it

-> their shakiness started when sky brought up auditioning for tdpi. keith has heard the shit that happens in many reality shows and worried for her, saying they could try another solution. they argued, sky signed up for tdpi (she said she'll miss him in the audition bc he was filming and it was sort of as a 'im sorry for the fights pls try to understand' thing). however, despite keith trying to understand, he didn't watch any of tdpi until the finale episode

-> as a loyal person in relationships, keith was extremely hurt and upset by sky kissing dave and then leading him on. it made him feel quite worthless, and despite any reconciliations, he knows he can't ever trust her again

-> he doesnt like dave bc the guy went ballistic and put sky's life in harm's way, he considers that a bit of an overreaction on dave's end and he does resent him for believing he played a part in sky falling for him

-> this guy places trust to a high degree, if you break it, you're seeing a different keith

-> he's the type to maybe be good/proficient at chess. might have him be good at it actually!

-> he and sky are both bisexual. sky is bi with a preference for women; keith is bi but used to pretend he was straight due to the environment he lived in

-> sky and keith's relationship tropes: friends to lovers, mutual respect for each other, relationship for convenience

-> in actuality, sky & keith's relationship is more of a friendship. they only made it like they're dating bc of their families, and when their individual sexuality crisis came up, that caused some issues. prior to tdpi, sky already had a feeling she liked women, but she kept it to herself; keith, for his part, already was aware of his bisexuality when he and sky started dating but he thought their relationship would "get rid of it". in the end, sky got the courage to push aside the veil in front of their relationship first (hence the dave moments), and keith tried to hide behind their relationship bc he didn't know if he had the guts to confront the implications

-> keith's fully ready to confront/fight anyone who gives him bad vibes and isn't afraid to show that--all except for his father (the man gave this guy too much trauma for that)

-> he got his piercings as a nonverbal 'eff you' to the old keith he used to be. back when he was worried abt his parents judgements and his friends. before tdpi, before sky and his breakup, before he made an effort to come into his real self

-> his mum and he have a complicated relationship. she's low-key homophobic at times that he cant get a proper read on her. but he does love her (def more than he does his dad), and he hopes she's willing to accept him

-> has heterochromia; one eye is dark blue, the other is light hazel (he tends to wear contacts, making it seem like he has two blue eyes)

-> he shaved part of the side of his head in a fit of impulsiveness at a concert with several friends, but then he realized he looks good in it and he likes the style, so he kept it that way

-> the type to wear sweatshirts/shirts/hoodies with lowkey memes on them (as shown in the pics with him wearing the orange hoodie with the two fingers almost touching)

-> he and sky were the epitome of 'what we have is better off as a wonderful friendship than a romantic relationship'

-> he and sky tended to help each other sports-wise in various ways; like she'd play scrimmages with him, and he'd race hurdles with her. this helps both of them grow and bond at the same time. it's a fun pastime they both enjoyed and feel nostalgic for now

-> clothing style: the stuff in the pics, along with jeans (not rlly baggy jeans though) along with sports sneakers or light brown hiking boots

-> one time sky twisted her ankle and refused to get help, and keith had to literally piggy-back her to his car bc she said she "can just walk it of, its fine!"

-> strong emotionally/mentally/physically. more so abt the first two, he's good at hiding his feelings bc of the environment he grew up in and his family (his dad more so). if he and dave ever have a heart-to-heart they can discuss their shitty father figures and how that lack impacted them lmao (the dave in my head has a shitty and distant father)

-> this also makes him more suppressed emotionally and more uncommunicative

aaand think that's all i've got so far!!

[coldercreation]

Do the O's ever get to watch Kit and Liam together (like the stuff that's harder to get Liam's A to allow) or does having them there make it harder for Liam to let go?

👀 yeees... they do get to watch xx

[ivan-fyodorovich-k]

we had three sad little slices of bacon left in a package in the 'fridge that I decided to cook up and I feel compelled to confess I had an embarrassingly long internal struggle over whether I was going to share it with my family

[explorerspack]

hi guys i'm posting again. as much as i love playing characters who have a self-preservation instinct it's so much EASIER to play characters who do not have one even at all especially in situations Like This