#this is just louise at her prime

[frostise]

𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐓'𝐒 𝐑𝐄𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐆𝐍

a huge update on KF's uniform: louise will now be wearing a titanium battle suit instead of a leotard! the official name for it is called 'thermo-armour'. it'll be very similar to her arkham uniform, especially the cool blue accents and the jagged, black Y's marking it front to back. due to her ability to skate on ice thanks to the 'clicker ice blades' built underneath the sole of her boots—T.A.B had specifically made her attire be similar to snowboard armour protecting her from hard hitting blows, making up for the fact she's not the most durable operative in their operation. the suit is lightweight enough for KF to remain a nimble and evasive opponent in battle. it functions as a heater as well and amplifies her limited super strength to the point she can easily break someone's bone! the white fur will still be presented around her upper forearm and lower kneecaps ofc. the snowflake emblem/gemstone marked upon the centre of her chest serves to easily identify her character. the inspiration for her redesign will be stored here on pinterest for visual purposes.

thermo-armour: made out of titanium because of its heat resistance properties so it doesn't melt if the user is consuming tremendous amounts of heat and is durable enough to last in close ranged fights. if she ever finds herself suffering from a harsh blow then her armour will take most of the damage. it was designed to be lightweight enough for her to remain a nimble operative in the battle. most of her gear is coated in the navy blue and medium navy streaks from head-to-toe and along with it is a black jagged Y marking the uniform from front-to-back. the armour mimics the appearance of snowboard armour used in competitive sports. it's also covered in breathable pads to ensure proper air circulation. the simplistic snowflake emblem shines like a crystal blue gem stapled against the centre of her chest. there's a heating function system installed within it that serves to regulate her body temperature.

titanium ski goggles: has transparent and thin lenses to maintain visibility. mainly used as a safety precaution when she transverses the city in her fancy figure blades and ice trails at high speeds. it also shields her eyes from potential hazards that could cause injury like debris.

titanium ski helmet: there's shock-absorbing foam inside of the helmet to cushion her falls and ensure her survival. overall a tough shell to break through.

hockey skates: built underneath the sole of her boots. can be used as transversal equipment with her ice surfing and in rare cases lethal weapons to slice against someone's skin with the metallic blades.

[blueshistorysims]

February 1939, London, England

Unlike any of the other bar mitzvahs or bat mitzvahs Simon-Elliot had attended in the past, his was a quiet affair. He hadn’t wanted a big party and since it was held in London, none of his schoolmates could come anyway. 

Uncle Albert and Aunt Odette couldn’t make the trip since two of his cousins had gotten the mumps, which he was upset by because he liked hanging out with his cousin Marie-Louise, but he was also glad his parents hadn’t invited anyone other than family and family friends living in England. No one could see them arguing.

“I understand you’re upset, Byron, but today is one of the most important days in Simon-Elliot’s life, so can we please leave the politics at the door?”

“Our existence in this fucking continent is political. Franco is going to take Spain, and no one here cares, our idiotic prime minister is only now realizing that Appeasement is not a good tactic after countless people including myself told him, and now it is only a matter of time before the world erupts into war, with Japan and China in the east and Mussolini and Hitler here. I was a fool to think we could prevent another war. Another bloody fucking war.”

Eleora sighed. “Byron. Just for today. Please.”

Simon-Elliot frowned, turning away from his parents.

“Have you ever been to a bar mitzvah?” He asked Lydia, the only person around his age who was actually at the event.

“No. I’m from Hong Kong. Your family are the first Jews I’ve met.”

He chuckled. “I’m glad you’re here. None of my friends from home could come or family from India and France.”

“Aunt Francesca asked if I wanted to come, and I will take every opportunity to get away from my brother. He’s so annoying.”

“I can relate. Amalia is so insufferable sometimes. Miranda is fine by herself, but when they’re together… it’s like they become stupider.”

She laughed.

When Aunt Francesca had told him she was bringing Lydia, he almost thanked her. Ever since they had met, he’d harbored a massive crush on her, which had only grown worse since he’d turned thirteen. He was aware that she definitely was not someone a duke’s son should court, but both of his father’s marriages had been extremely unconventional. If she returned his feelings, would his parents mind? Or better yet, would hers?

[docgold13]

Batman: The Animated Series - Paper Cut-Out Portraits and Profiles

Baby Doll

Marion Louise ‘Mary’ Dahl was an actress who featured in a very successful situation comedy early in her career.  Dahl was born with systemic hypoplasia, a rare endocrine disease that prevented physical growth.  Even as an adult, she appeared no older than a toddler.   

While her time in the roll of 'Baby Doll' on the show ‘Love that Baby’ garnered Dahl fame, she found getting subsequent acting roles to be extremely difficult.  She wanted to play serious and adult roles, yet her size and recognizability caused casting directors to disregard her.

Over time, Dahl’s anger and depression intensified to the point that she descended into an unhinged rage.  Feeling that the only time she was truly happy was on the set of 'Love That Baby,' Dahl set about abducting the various actors and producers of the show in a desperate, crazed effort to recreate the show. Her ultimately plan was to set off an explosion that would kill her and the entire cast, allowing them to be together forever.  

Batman and Robin investigated the disappearance of the various actors.  With assistance from news reporter, Summer Gleason, Batman was able to identify Dahl as the prime suspect.  Batman tracked down Dahl and rescued her hostages.  

Dahl herself fled to a nearby fairground, hiding inside a funhouse.  There she encountered a hall of mirrors with one of the distorted mirrors showing what she might look like had she been able to grow into an adult body.  

Realizing it all to be fake, just as her life and character was, Dahl shot out all the mirrors before breaking down and weeping.  Batman comforted her until the authorities arrived to take her into custody.  

Actress Alison LaPlaca portrayed the troubled Mary Dahl, first appearing in the ninth episode of the second season of Batman: The Animated Series, ‘Baby Doll.’ 

[thedragonchilde]

Going back and making notes for the first dozen episodes, since I downloaded the series! Here I have 1-6

"Gundam Fight Begins! The Gundam That Fell to Earth"

-some prime worldbuilding opportunities already!

-Domon’s first smile of the series is toward a child :)

-I wish we'd gotten more of Rain’s gadgets

-if these kids lost their parents in the last Gundam Fight, Sophia would've had to be just a baby. These boys raised a baby!

-we never get more on how the KoH title (and by extension the rest of the Shuffle Alliance) is actually known to belong to an elite fighter

-it's a shame that Michelo is such a hate sink because he's regrettably quite fashionable

"Roar of the Winning Punch"

-second episode, second instance of Domon in a bar. Is that whiskey?

-when the hell did he have time for 100 bouts? Even if you fudged his age, that doesn't make sense. They have to be counting practice or something

-Chibodee does NOT take embarrassment well

-and this is why they're rivals - that was a solid punch!

-ah, the shady government officials, who assassinate rival fighters and… hypnotize/brainwash people?

-little Chibodee!

-why is Mount Rushmore on the colony?

-the phallic sword positioning makes its debut

-”we'll eliminate you as well!” Damn, okay

-how can she know what Domon's suit-up sequence looks like and call Chibodee the showoff

-“Oh yeah”

-”why don't you just finish me off/I bet you pity me/my dream is now over” shit, the “Star of Hope” isn't very optimistic, though I guess that appellation was given to him to live up to rather than him choosing it

-he doesn't get why the crowd is encouraging him, let alone Domon. Oh honey

-”you're one of the good guys” hee :)

"Beat the Dragon Gundam"

-Sai, why are you sleeping in the road

-you little shit

-lol Chinese Gundams and water

-there's a lot of moving parts in this plot so I feel like I don't have much to say

-besides various versions of “you little shit”

-a draw! Nice to see Domon not winning handily

"Challenge! The Red Rose Knight!"

-They actually designed a Sand family crest

-ah, early installment weirdness, Raymond (or his lookalike) is with the princess

-DAMMIT DOMON

-is George psychically interfacing with his Gundam? Like, he's not in it, and he doesn't have a remote. Voice activation? And he's able to stand on it while it's moving, that's some A+ balance

-what is that bottle? Booze again?

-is he gently shooting her down or is he just oblivious? Probably the latter, since he's confused that she didn't want to listen to him wax poetic about his Gundam

-Marie-Louise how did you come up with this

-okay Domon going along with the plan is actually pretty funny

-who makes a toilet with an outside lock

-”I see nothing before me with the exception of this man” das gay

-he's not going to finish you, George, because that would mean you'd let go of the tower

-the French in that letter actually kind of sucked. And with @amplexadversary's headcanon that Domon is a polyglot, I wonder if he theoretically could have written it

"Great Escape! A Captive Gundam Fighter"

-“Why are there names of countries on this?” How do you know how to read Japanese?

-oh, this will be a huge scandal when it gets out

-for someone his size, Argo is quick as hell, being able to knock Domon out of the sniper's way

-okay, is Nastasha military or law enforcement?

-the eternal question: are suit-ups usually like this and just truncated for time, or is it only that difficult for Domon?

-Nastasha is a little turned on by being talked back to

-is it an asylum or a prison??

"Fight, Domon! Earth is the Ring"

-Kyoji shows more outright attraction to Rain than Domon does :P

-Domon gushing about Master is adorable

-saved by the mom! I'm guessing Domon didn't want to talk about the science stuff he could never get into

-so the finger snap activation is a Kasshu trait

-more early installment weirdness, with evil!Karato and an alternate explanation for Ulube’s mask

[deafchild2000]

I don't care how you guys feel about Charlotte, if there's one thing I'm glad S2 (in it's prime) explored - it was generational merfolk magic.

(Admitting Charlotte truther here) I find it fascinating exploring Mako Island and the generations of mermaids over the years for many reasons. Let's be honest, there's plenty of H2O fanfiction on Fanfiction.Net that tried exploring the H2O gang growing up and having powers to various degrees. Some focus on adulthood and drag it out while others get to the marriage and children phase a bit too quickly, but a few stand out just right (and by right, I mean "I could read this as if I'm watching it on TV"). But what I gather trying to read is Next Generation fics. Some writers opt to say the girls had normal children and don't tell them the Secret - which leads to history repeating and the daughters and/or sons finding their way onto Mako and going through the Metamorphosis. Others say the children are born with their powers, therefore automatically in on the Secret. And I think I recall a fic that ventured into the girls (or maybe just Cleo) becoming grandmothers themselves.

(FYI: It's a lot more telling how long ago a fanfic was written if the mermen in them have orangey-gold tails or any other colors pre-Mako Mermaids.)

Overall, I do appreciate those stories, but that doesn't diminish my preference for the past mermaids or what they could've/would've done if taking the present canon into account. I wanna explore how being mermaids in the 50s had worked out, if Gracie's choice was what split the group up, or if it was the tip of the iceberg. But mostly, I wanna know why Gracie was the only one to have a family and the implications of her ties to Mako after no longer being a mermaid. Did Gracie leave and never look back? Could Annette have been an 80s mermaid if she had returned? And regardless of how she came in, was Charlotte being drawn to Mako and becoming a mermaid really shocking?

Or what about Julia? The only reason we found out she died was because her locket sold at an estate sale and ended up at a jewelry shop. But did that have to necessarily mean she was alone or could it be implied she did have family and they sold her stuff without realizing the significance of the locket? What if someone did try to look for it and couldn't track it down? Maybe, if not directly a grandchild, but a grand-niece or nephew?

So in that hypothesis, out of the 4 known members of the 50s group, Gracie and Julia had more reasons to have had families in their lives while Louise (an elderly widow) and Max (a recluse hermit) didn't.

I understand we got used to the iconic OG girls, but there are too many holes and plots to be left unexplored.

((Before I end on this note, let me send this off that next-generation tropes don't necessarily have to apply to children and grandchildren. I'll fan the flame that Kim Sertori could have received the torch and become a mermaid. Cleo and co. were off the college and with the moon pool supposedly damaged, it wouldn't be like more mermaid hijinx could occur...that they'd be aware of. And what if Taryn Marler (Julia in S2 and Sophie in S3) had been brought on as a twenty-something woman who endured Metamorphosis, unlike the teenagers before her? Her character - Rachel Samuels from Blue Water High S2, free to watch on YouTube - had a much more preferable persona for H2O, so why not combine them into someone fleshed out? Instead of the main characters having children or having them help out the next random group of teenaged Merfolk - why not focus on a narrative of a mermaid's siblings finally stepping into her shoes and a woman entering her adult years as a mermaid?))

[solar-halos]

okay i watched speak no evil (2022) and it was just as frustrating as u all promised. here are my thoughts

1. patrick seemed a bit more unlikeable in this one?? like even at the beginning when he was supposed to be in prime Manipulation Mode. idk maybe i’m biased to the 2024’s british-ness though

2. i also watched this one with my brother and right from the beginning he was being a certified complainer about the acting. i liked it though bc it felt less scripted in a way?? like idk they truly did just seem like an awkward little family that was excited to have new friends

3. i liked ciara here haha. im sorry im so awful with names (as u could tell by my last speak no evil rant LOL i couldn’t even remember ant’s name). i liked her in the 2024 version too, she was very (outwardly) bubbly and sweet, but i like how in this was she lowkey was not monkeying around. like louise said their house was small and she went “sorry we’re not made of money :/ get fucked idiots.” if anything i feel like patrick was the one getting all 🥺🥺

4. speaking of abel… why did they change his name to ANT in the remake?? like okay. maybe they were worried about a name like abel sticking out but like… i don’t know. they’re eccentric i feel like they could pull off having a kid named that

5. the stuffed animal scene!! lowkey think i prefer the twist of it being in the car the entire time bc it made everything so much more pointless but in a good way. like. yeah of course everything they did was for nothing bc whether or not the stuffed animal was in the car the entire time they still would have met the same fate bc the parents have no BACKBONE. if that makes any sense

6. okay… i think in europe nudity isn’t really that big of a deal and stuff, but i still was like literally so shocked that louise let the whole “patrick sleeping next to my daughter NAKED” thing slide. like even in the 2024 version where he was (minimally) clothed and ciara went into her whole sob story i still was so upset that louise let it slide bc the fact of the matter is that they still shouldn’t have had agnes in their bed. i do think that “where were you?” line ate downnn though

7. with that being said, the parents seem to love each other a lottt more. i actually did like how in this version they heard agnes asking for them but ignored her, maybe that’s why they didn’t try arguing with ciara and patrick that much about it (but even then… girl. patrick was butt booty naked. how the fuck was that not something we lingered on)

8. so many of the scenes were shot for shot with the remake, except for the last leg of the movie. i won’t talk about how the americans changed it into a thriller instead of unnerving dark cautionary tale and blah blah blah but i am gonna say that i prefer the american one ONLY BECAUSE there was an attempt to fight back. like im not asking for this big action-y scene where they crack skulls and shank their captors. im just asking for them to at least TRY. the biggest example that sticks out to me was when patrick left the car to go piss and the husband literally just sat there and stared at they keys. i feel like if we tried to grab them but then he got smacked around by the wife (or even if the wife stabbed him w the scissors she had!!) it would have given everything more tension while still making u frustrated that the husband didn’t just try to stick it out even though it was a losing battle

does that make sense? lol like maybe he could be lunging for the keys and ciara stabs him but he’s still trying to squirm into the drivers seat. but he’s not fast enough. and we as the audience know he’s not gonna be fast enough—especially when patrick notices something is wrong—but we’re still screaming at the screen anyway to tell him to hurry the fuck up

9. they drowned abel!!!! :o

10. as u can prob tell i’m not very smart so when i watched the 2024 version and ant showed agnes the shed of all their victims i lowkey didn’t understand the specifics. like i knew that they were tryna kill the parents + take agnes but that was only bc of context clues. so when this scene came on in the 2022 version i felt like i could enjoy the creep factor much more as it showed the progression of their victims

11. i lowkey did not understand that scene where their car got stuck. like i guess they ended up calling patrick but personally if that were my family my dad would be like “hold up… im pushing the car forward” which would arguably be a worse plan than leaving ur wife and children in the vicinity of literal murderers but. yk. if me and my family were in this movie there wouldn’t BE a movie bc my dad does not fuck w the white man

12. lowkey louise was so robbed of agency in this movie. no wonder she started stripping without knowing what was up, in her pov her husband was acting strange and then her daughter got ripped away from her she literally had none of the desperation her man did to escape!!

13. the babysitter being a part of this. yall can’t tell me that what they’re doing isn’t some sort of cult-y community thing bc wtf. the same could be said for the 2024 version i suppose but i think the most american thing about this was we went “oh a brown immigrant man assisting in murdering and abducting children…? we have to scrap that” (which just to be clear i am glad we did scrap that. it’s just interesting seeing what other countries are doing esp since this movie was only made 2 years ago)

14. them stripping and getting stoned to death wtf!!!! again i don’t have a problem with this ending trust me. i love how dark it is. i just have a problem w the fact that they didnt TRY to do anything even though they knew patrick and ciara didnt have weapons. when they took agnes away louise started hitting at things instead of ciara and patrick, and my brother took a real big problem with that (he called it a temper tantrum lol) and yeah it made me roll my eyes too but i didn’t mind it bc at least she was given SOME fire. but idk maybe im just too american it seems like every time ur like “i just wish they would have pushed back a lil more” film critics are like “classic americans… not everything needs a big action scene to be considered cinema” like trust me im not asking for that. even when patrick threw like two (2) punches at the husband it would have been so much better if the husband got a blow in. not bc it would have turned the tide but bc they’re all already in too deep that a lil punch wasn’t gonna fix anything by a long shot

15. oh! my brother pointed out that at the end when they were getting stoned to the death the same italian opera song came on to parallel the beginning

16. okayyy i think that’s it

[consanguinitatum]

David Tennant's Obscure TV Appearances: 1989's Biting The Hands

I'm back from my visit with my family and ready to dive straight into my latest find - I'm excited to share I've finally obtained access to David's 3rd earliest TV performance! His first two performances were in 1988: his anti-smoking ad, and in Dramarama: The Secret Of Croftmore. And in 1989 he did a Play On One called Biting The Hands. And I've FINALLY got it! Biting The Hands has been one of the most elusive pieces of work David did in his early years. First, it wasn't a sitcom or an ad but a one-off play, and it was broadcast in the late 1980s, limiting its exposure to those who might be recording on beta or VHS. It was part of the second series of the prime-time contemporary single TV play series, The Play On One (which was itself a re-tooling of an older series called The Play For Today.) Biting The Hands was directed by Carol Wilks and produced by Norman McCandlish. It was 75 mins in length, and was broadcast at 9:30 pm on 11 Apr 1989. Here's the play's synopsis: "Linda and Gail are Hell's Belles - an alternative comedy double act. When success begins to beckon, they must decide whether to change their act or keep doing what they believe in. Are their principles justified, or are they just 'biting the hand that feeds them'?"

The writer of Biting The Hands, Rona Munro, was born in Aberdeen in 1959 and is an award-winning Scottish playwright. She started writing professionally in 1981 and has written for film, television, stage and radio. Biting The Hands was Munro's first play for BBC-TV. Given today's excitement about the Doctor Who 60th Anniversary trailer, it might interest Whovians to know Munro wrote the classic DW story Survival as well as the New Who story The Eaters of Light, making her the first (and only!) writer to do both Classic and New Who!

But Munro has yet ANOTHER connection with our dear DT! For their production of Scotland Matters in 1992, the 7:84 Scottish People's Theatre asked established Scottish writers to consider aspects of life in Scotland and write playlets about them. Munro was one of these writers! She wrote a playlet called 'The Fence' for Scotland Matters which concerned the interrogation of a Gulf War peace protester. In a turn around of questioning technique, we are told the story through the security police and not via the protester. David played the protester Keith!

But back to Biting The Hands - which was produced three years before Scotland Matters and filmed when David was still in drama school. Let's take a look at what the play was about, and go more in depth about its stars: Judith Sweeney (Linda) and Louise Beattie (Gail).

Judith Sweeney (Linda McKay) attended David's alma mater - the RSAMD, now the Royal Conservatoire - and graduated in 1977. She played the role of Sally Shaw on the Scottish soap opera Take The High Road. Louise Beattie (Gail Graham) later went on to star in Emmerdale.

Here are a few more articles on "Biting The Hands" from the time of its broadcast:

Beattie's older sister Maureen has ALSO starred with DT many times! Among these are For One Night Only (an evening of theatrical prose, poetry, and gossip at the Swan Theatre for the 1998 RSC Fringe Festival) and a 2001 staged reading of Medea at the Cottesloe Theatre. More recently, Maureen has played David’s mother in Deadwater Fell, and Kelly MacDonald's mother in The Decoy Bride!

Now we've been introduced to the stars of the play, and we know what it's about, let's get to David's part! His part begins about 47 minutes into the play, and it's a role which makes up a total of about 20 whole seconds. He plays one of three squaddies (low-ranking military) and is in a group of soldiers who travel on the train the main characters Linda and Gail board in Edinburgh to go to London - but he's not seen in this particular scene. After the ladies board the return train back home to Edinburgh, by coincidence these same squaddies happen to be traveling on their train. David's character is the only one of the squaddies to speak, and his words entail wolf-whistles at the two women and calling them "Pet"! Here are some screenshots:

In a later scene, Linda and Gail happen to bump into another friend on the train, and the three open a bottle of liquor and sing and drink. David's character sings and drinks with them. Here are a few screenshots of that short scene:

You may notice in the first set of screenshots David is clean shaven & in the second, he sports a mustache. These scenes all supposedly occur on the same train from London to Edinburgh so it seems there's a continuity error here. Perhaps these scenes were shot at different times?

These short scenes are the only times David appears in the play. He's given credit in the end titles. Of significance, though, is he is NOT credited as the "Third Squaddie" (a designation I've seen all over the Internet for close to a decade). He's just the third squaddie listed.

The BFI (British Film Institute) holds a VHS video recording of Biting The Hands. The copy is in "pending" status, which means it's unlikely the copy can be viewed.

Before I close this post on Biting The Hands, two more little benefits: here are its opening sequence, and its title frame!

[istherewifiinhell]

... i have the stupidest post to make later oh my god

istherewifiinhell august 15, 2024

Bob Budiansky has said that he named Ratchet after the less-friendly medic Nurse Ratched from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

Ratchet_(G1)#Notes

Nurse Ratched (full name Mildred Ratched in the movie, also known as "Big Nurse") is a fictional character and the main antagonist of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, first featured in Ken Kesey's 1962 novel as well as the 1975 film adaptation. A cold, heartless tyrant, Nurse Ratched has become the stereotype of the nurse as a battleaxe.

Nurse_Ratched

Oddly, his handwritten notes refer to Ratchet as "her" and the Autobots' "go-to gal" for repairs. While this obviously was not the final direction the character took, it is an odd coincidence...

Ratchet_(G1)#Notes

Well, I remember bringing up that question early on with Hasbro, "are any of these female?" And then I think Hasbro's attitude was, "this is a boy toy. We don't wanna have, you know, girl robots." So, I said, "OK, just want to clarify that." Bob Budiansky, Rusting Carcass interview

Female_Transformer

[...] Her rough language and manners belies the stereotypes associated with her sex [...] She's more prone to giving her leader, Optimus Prime, a lot backtalk than the other autobots

Close-up of Bob Budiansky's original handwritten bio for Ratchet

A battle-axe is a derogatory traditional stereotype describing a woman characterized as aggressive, overbearing and forceful.

Battle-axe_(woman)

Agreed. I only hear Jeffrey Combs as Ratchet these days. He's the best Ratchet IMO" —Alex Milne, Twitter, 2016/04/03

Jeffrey_Combs#References

Louise Fletcher as Nurse Ratched in the 1975 film adaptation

Nurse_Ratched

Combs is also known for playing a variety of characters on multiple Star Trek TV series, most notably recurring Deep Space 9 villain Weyoun.

Jeffrey_Combs

Fletcher had a recurring role as the Bajoran religious leader Kai Winn Adami in the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993–99).

Louise_Fletcher

WRONG FUCKING DS9 ACTOR YOU FUCKING DUNCES

[melishade]

Attack on Prime Chapter 87: Retaliation I

Summary: Eren has escaped from prison and is beginning to sow seeds of chaos in Paradis.

Sneak Peek:

Yelena heard the sounds of screaming, forcing her to wake up from her bed. She slowly stood up when she heard a gun shot go off. She then became more alert when she saw someone thrown across the hallway. Yelena gasped when she saw Eren step into view, his eyes glowing blue, and his hands stained in blood.

“Eren,” Yelena began. She didn’t understand. What was he doing here? He didn’t reply to her; however, and merely walked over to the soldier he had just thrown. He came back to the opening of her cell with the key in hand before unlocking it.

“You’re helping me?” Yelena couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed.

“I need to get to Zeke,” Eren declared coldly, “And I need your help to do it.”

Yelena was off-put by the cold demeanor, but ignored it for the time being. “What should I do?”

“Grab anyone that still might be on your side,” Eren ordered, “Marleyan, Restorationists, whatever. I also need help getting Floch and Louise. They helped me get to you.”

Eren grabbed the pistol on the ground next to a dead soldier, stained in blood, before tossing it to her. “You shouldn’t have any issue with killing.”

“No.” Yelena stared at the blood that was now staining her hands.

“Let’s go,” Eren ordered as he continued walking down the hall. Something felt…wrong about this. Why did this feel wrong? She had never seen Eren act like this in the first place. So why…? Yelena shook her head. She needed to get to Zeke to fulfill the mission…even if she was only doing it for selfish reasons. She gripped the pistol tight before following Eren. Just ignore it for now, until she can get what she wants.

[sophisticatedgia]

Black turtleneck, green tank top but not spaghetti strap. Dark blue, almost black leggings. Black sports socks. Dark green long scarf. Granny panties. Nike sports bra. Same ol sneakers.

Love you. Remember you are each sacred and so special.

Walking to gym. The sky is periwinkle. That used to be my favorite color and word. My best friend in fifth grade and sixth grade~named Courtney, loved navy and periwinkle. She died when we were 14 or 15. I couldn't believe it when I heard the news. So I called her home phone and her dad answered and I asked, "is Courtney there?" And he replied, "she's no longer with us." I was probably just 14. I lit a blue candle for her after that phone call.

💙🩵🕯️ R.i.p. Courtney 🕯️🩵💙

*********

Ok my hair is sweaty and I'm walking back to boyfriends after gym and grocery store. Got steel scrubbies for dishwashing, lemon ginger kombucha (no caffeine), two prime hydration drinks,(just downed mine real quick), more pepperoni pizza rolls for him and carrots for me! Because I have plant powered ranch sauce already to go with. I'm excited for more banana. But I only eat one or two today, Okie? Jeez Louise. I really go hard on those bananas. No, not anymore. I eat gently, mindfully, considerately. Not ferociously.

Walking walking bladda blah blah. I miss my parents and brother and dog and cats. I miss my cute family home. My mom is so girly and loves to decorate with horses and little critters all over the front yard, not to mention she gardens! I am astounded at our differences. I have gardened, but not well I daresay. I'm good at pulling weeds though! Thats all I can say about my gardening skills with the utmost confidence! My mom is a real life socialite of sorts. Me however, am very friendly online but quiet or goofy in person. My mom loves shopping. I used to abhor consumerism and think less of her for that. As I age I realize we can't help what world we are part of, we can only adapt and survive, sometimes miraculously thrive. But anyway I started becoming a shoppaholic this past September and this October. I remember enjoying the book "confessions of a shoppaholic" when I was younger. That's another boring mundane thing about me.

Perhaps I am more feminine than masculine. But truly it's all just a bunch of fluff. Unnecessary terms to describe sacred sentience. Is that how y'all feel? I find some discourse on tumblr so interesting. I believe I am an uneducated intellectual if one can be such a thing. But I am also very slow, earthy, and scared. Scarred. When I see other girls self injury scars I think to myself damn, did I do that to them? Me being the universe experiencing itself, as the model life inhabits and reflects. Interesting concept but just plain psychotic and I refuse to believe it in actuality. But thanks for listening tee hee . Almost to my bf now.

Remember, nature is always there for you. We are each flawed, and some of us broken, but we are all so lovable and have Jesus on our side. Please Jesus be on our side. A side of learning, love, humility, wholesomeness, and joy. Buhbye TTYL 🐾

[atyd1960]

Marauders era characters and ships as TTPD lyrics (pt.1)

“And for a fortnight there, we were forever, run into you sometimes, ask about the weather. Now you're in my backyard, turned into good neighbours. Your wife waters flowers, I wanna kill her.”- this so Regulus to James because for a 00.0007 secs they were truly happy but then Regulus broke it off to become a DE and he had to watch James build a life with Lily.

“I'll build you a fort on some planet, where they can all understand it. How dare you think it's romantic, Leaving me safe and stranded? 'Cause fuck it, I was in love, so fuck you if I can't have us.”- James after Regulus left him because “their relationship is too complicated and dangerous and they’re better off separated.”

“I stopped trying to make him laugh, stopped trying to drill the safe. Thinking how much sad did you think I had, did you think I had in me?”- Mary falling for all the wrong guys and losing all her friends and feeling so alone and desperately clinging to lovers who can’t save her until she is forced to just let it go because she can’t go on like this.

“Now I'm running with my dress unbuttoned, Screaming, "But Daddy, I love him! I'm having his baby.” No, I'm not, but you should see your faces.”- These lyrics are so chaotic and I think the only person who’s capable of living up to them is Sirius Black.

“You can beat the heat, If you beat the charges too. They said I was a cheat, I guess it must be true.”- it’s giving the 7 husbands of Louise Zabini.

“What if I roll the stone away? They're gonna crucify me anyway. What if the way you hold me is actually what's holy? If long-suffering propriety is what they want from me, they don't know how you've haunted me so stunningly. I choose you and me religiously.”- every gay ship in the fandom like ever. But also DORLENE.

“You shit-talked me under the table, talking rings and talking cradles. I wish I could un-recall how we almost had it all. Dancing phantoms on the terrace, are they second-hand embarrassed, That I can't get out of bed 'cause something counterfeit's dead?”- Remus after Sirius got into Azkaban.

“I can read your mind, "She's having the time of her life". There in her glittering prime, the lights refract sequin stars off her silhouette every night. I can show you lies.”- no explanation just Mary McDonald.

“'Cause once your queen had come, you'd treat her like an also-ran. You didn't measure up, in any measure of a man.”- Snape🥰

“Hey, you, what if I told you we're cool? That child's play back in school is forgiven under my rule.I haven't come around in so long, but I'm making a comeback to where I belong.”- JILYJILYJILYJILYJILYJILY.

“I am someone who, until recent events, you shared your secrets with. And your location, you forgot to turn it off, and so I watch as you walk into some bar called The Black Dog, and pierce new holes in my heart. You forgot to turn it off, and it hits me, I just don't understand... How you don't miss me in The Black Dog.”- Mary watching Lily move on and being unable to do so herself.

[pbaintthetb]

Invincible s2e8

spoilers ahead

angstrom's anger with being "just some guy" makes perfect sense but also for him to be just some guy to mark

oliver crying :-( he so little, does he even know what's going on?

I really thought mark was going to circumvent levy's expectations and instead of going for him drag his family out of there but now mark is in a whole new dimension

DINOSAURS???

okay so like oliver's ages and develops wayyy quicker than mark so like... are his powers gonna come through?

too many memories

Yellow and black suit? damn damn dang very ominous- and the tone and the lines, feels eviller than s2e1 evil mark although

heh it was the walking dead dimension

go debbie!?!

debbie joins up sometimes too? firstly damn but scondly debbie's character aside- Nolan lets her?

"Not me, I raised the boy who defied his father and saved this planet" YES you tell him Debbie!

feck Debbie's arm

mad max world? and why he shirtless

oh jeez louise mark

"You have no idea what I've been through! How much I am holding. back!" -> again, gret line but JEEZ LOUISE mark

mark omg no pls stop you're beating him to death lease noo (and other than I feel you may regret this even though yo've been heading for a snap, if you do this you also can't get home)

holy fucking shit

I thought you were stronger.

the rationalisation, that's not gonna help you sleep any better at night Mark

oh, ok the evolution of mark's desert rambles are fantastic

oh so they are mark's guardians- interesting there is no Rex then,

was half way through a thought about eve's new look when robot took his helmet off and REX? (or is it just rudy aged and with his hair styled to look like rex, sounds like rex though (and i know they have the same vocal chords but like it soudns like rex but also the tech reads robot)

it is rex??????????

debbie hugging mark :-(

bad guys, good guys... indeed mark, how do you tell, and if breaking an arm is bad what is beating someone to death. Mark and Cecil have different... views

You weren't there.

dang there is a kate prime

guyyyyyyys ladies look perhaps it is sexist but maybe just take it as a win that you won't be posessed today and don't argue about it

just noticed the episode title llol adhfakdjfalskdfj

"I wanna do what you do! I want to be just like you." -> "You will be son." feels uh more like a threat than a promise now, the looming cliff over head oH GOD. Dont like the music though

Amber!!! :-((((((

I love the Debbie and Mark roof scenes

also yeah, thought mark was gonna quit college after the amber scene and he probably does need the break- but also the "why would i do any of that" please mark please don't do a dick grayson, have a life outside of heroics

Allen time

anyway overall really really incredible episode, but of course, end of season sadness cos now long time, but it was great and I shall have thoguhts for a while

[royalhouseofcarrington]

Anastasia's Office, Nimben Palace

Transcript below the cut

Elissa looked across the desk at her oldest daughter, who was partially hidden behind her computer screen. “This has to do with Lucas, doesn’t it?” She asked.

“Yes.” Ana replied, glancing back at her computer screen, watching more emails fly into her inbox. 

“You’ll have a father.” Elissa began. “Kris and Cece will have a grandfather and-”

Ana cut her off. “That title is for Douxie and I to discuss.”

Elissa frowned. “But-”

Ana shook her head. “ No. I have, however, spoken to Parliament, because I’m unsure as to how this would work.”

“ You’re not going to stop me?”

Ana shook her head. Her and her siblings weren’t thrilled with the decision, but knew it wasn’t theirs to make in the end. “I- no. It’s your decision and I respect that. Anyway, when you marry Lucas, you will lose the title of ‘Her Majesty.’”

Elissa blinked at her daughter in confusion. “You’re joking.”

Ana bit her lip. “I’m not. When you marry him, you’ll stop being Her Majesty, Elissa, the Queen Dowager. The Prime Minister and I, alongside other members of Parliament, agreed that you’ll be ‘Her Royal Highness, Princess Elissa Munch, the Queen Dowager.’”

“You can’t be serious.”

“I’m just telling you what Parliament told me.” 

Elissa’s frown deepened. “Well, go back and tell Parliament that they’re wrong and don’t know what they’re talking about. There’s no precedent for them to base it off of.” 

Ana almost touched her necklace before she realized that it wasn’t there as she said, “Crown Princess Louise.” 

Elissa rolled her eyes. “She was Crown Princess. I was the Queen. There’s a distinct difference between the two.” 

Ana nodded in agreement. “Yes, there is. But Parliament chose to follow the precedent established for Crown Princess Louise.” 

“Then make them change their minds.” 

Ana scoffed. “Have you tried to change Peter Gathen’s mind about anything?” 

“He’s your ex.”

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, and he was and is a piece of shit. There’s a reason he’s my ex.” 

Elissa glared at her. “Anastasia.”

Ana sighed and rolled her eyes again. “What? I’m almost 30 years old, married with two young children, I  think I’m allowed to curse. If you want to argue your case to them, you are more than welcome to, but I’ve done literally all I’m legally allowed to do in this case.”

[hudson-whorenet]

Random Cars thoughts I think about all the time pt.1

It’s currently fairly late (early?) and I can’t sleep so imma talk about things in the cars universe that I think about near constantly. Ok 1 2 3 GO

Mater private eye

Dude I think about this short all the fucking time man, but do you know what the best part about it is imo?

This character design RIGHT here. DUDEEEEE ok this might just be my sheer adoration of classic/vintage cars but this bitch showed up and I went feral a bit. First of I cannot believe they created such a bomb ass character for this five minute short and he’s just never seen again but dude it fits the 1920’s theme so perfectly, the way they’ve exaggerated the front fenders to resemble the turned up collar of a trench coat, the way his roof resembles a flat cap like it’s literally so COOL MAN. I actually can’t stress enough how excited my pathetic little monkey brain got when I saw this design for the first time. The fact (In my opinion) that they were trying to mirror the car seen in peaky blinders (1927 Bentley 6.5 litre) is also extremely cool as you can see the whole gangster element really come through in the character before he’s even properly introduced RAHHHH. I’m so incredibly biased about this because this design alone hits like three of my hyper fixations at once but RAHAHRBHAHAHSBS HES SO FUCKING COOL I NEED TO OWN HIS DIE CAST AHHH

The Thomasville racers

I would just like to state my love for the thomasville racers. YES I know they play a moderate role in the third film and get plenty of screen time I guess but in my humble opinion THEY DESERVE MORE. Do you have ANY idea how hard a prequel movie/series would go (I KNOW ITS EXTREMELY UNLIKELY AND KINDA IMPOSSIBLE) I would give a kidney to see these characters in their prime, just from the flash backs of their races I just know it would be so much fun to watch. Seeing them interact with Doc would be an absolute highlight, being able to gauge their own personal relationships with him, Louise’s feelings towards him (fucking pop off babe love her) it would all be so interesting to see and I would start backflipping irl if Pixar EVER announced they were going to expand on them as characters. Also river is the best I didn’t talk abt him here because I don’t have any immediate thoughts but be’s silly and I enjoy him.

Car biology

Now there is one thing that comes to mind in this fucking fandom when you talk about car biology, and that is the obvious how the fuck do they reproduce. DOESN’T MATTER I HAVE A BIGGER QUESTION. Are their eyes wet. Hear me out here ok, cars cry, we see it happen and there’s implications at multiple different points throughout the franchise that they have tears. Does this mean their eyes are wet??? Or are they crying wiper fluid or something? I feel like that would make sense but the line between what are bodily fluids and what are yummy delicious beverages is so painfully blurred that It wouldn’t surprise me if they’re chugging wiper fluid too. The eyes are wet argument is overall kinda silly because we see lifeless car wrecks in some of the shorts and the windshield is still intact! So this presents something worse than eyes are wet, it implies that the car itself is like an exoskeleton and all the meaty important parts are on the inside! Yay! I only say this because we know they have brains obviously and it’s mentioned in some official book that I can’t remember the name of right now but it’s CANON they have brains. So are the brains MEAT? Because if the brains are meat then the eyes are probably squishy too!! But if they have windshields and we think about the exoskeleton thing are their eyes just freakish gelatinous cubes smushed behind the windshield? BUT IF THATS THE CASE WHY DO THEY NEED EYELIDS? I’m aware that this is all highly stupid and trivial but Pixar made too many decisions with absolutely no was to explain them in a child-friendly way and ultimately backed themselves into a corner about stuff like this and now there’s sleep deprived neurodivergents on tumblr dot com trying to pick up the pieces.

Anyway that’s it for this one I might post more of these in the future because it’s fun to just rant about ridiculous shit for no reason lmao

[drawmanations]

Tagged by @cyanichexanthine a while ago to list 9 favourite characters (ty for tagging me). This is very much late, my brain was just blanking. So, here's the list. It's in no particular order, apart from the first two

Rick Sanchez (Rick and Morty)

You gotta expect Rick to be in here. RnM is my main fandom right now, and of course Rick would be a favourite character. He's sarcastic, snarky, an asshole and has a lot of emotional baggage.

I wouldn't say he's too complex, but definitely not simple.

2. Rick Prime (Rick and Morty)

Prime is very interesting. We somehow get so much information with how little time we have. Although, most of it may be headcanonning. Tbh, I think that's why he's fun, we can headcanon Prime bc of how little screentime he has when you step back and look at the series as a whole.

Of course, we do know a lot about him from what we were shown. Like he's also a snarky asshole who likes to toy with other people and mess with them. Even when he was dying he could still get under Rick's skin.

3. Louise Belcher (Bob's Burgers)

Louise has that kind of chaotic energy I vibe with. I think she and Bob are two of the best characters in the show, though that's not saying the other characters are worse.

4. Peril (Wings of Fire)

Peril is a very complex character with a very fucked up past.

When she was young, her mother was forced to give her to Scarlet, where she was then forced to grow up as a killer. Scarlet was very much abusive and she was isolated from everyone and everything.

Because of that path, everyone sees her as a killing machine and nothing more. Her attachment to Clay is unhealthy because of him being the only dragon to hear her our and see her for who she is, a traumatized dragon who only knows how to kill because of how she was raised. And I guess her having firescales and him having fireproof saes helps with that.

I like Peril because of how complex she is. And I hate how some of the fandom is victim blaming her.

5. Ex-Queen Scarlet (Wings of Fire)

She's a villain. A queen. She slays. Scarlet is my favourite villain in wof. Her design with the melted face is awesome, I really love her sadistic attitude too, bc off course I do.

I would strangle Scarlet lovingly

6. Steve Harrington (Stranger Things)

Mom Steve is all I have to say, and the fandom will get me. (I think... I'm not in the stranger things fandom, I just watched the show).

At first, I hated Steve, I thought he was an asshole and I watched to punch him. Now, if he dies, I will punch my TV. I've never switched so quickly with my liking for a character between two seasons of a show. I think... idk I don't watch many shows.

7. Jim Hopper (Stranger Things)

Jim is a cold and distant person turned adopted parent and I love him for that.

I also thought I would hate him. He seemed like lazy dude who would do nothing during the case. (Fun fact, I thought all the adults would be clueless and I would only like the kids, since most shows are like that). But he actually steps up in a big way.

I was worried that they would fuck him up in season 3 with him trying to break up Mike and Eleven. But, they made up for it, and I cried at the end of season 3.

I love him and Steve sm. Pls don't die.

8. Clive (Littlebigplanet 2)

Okay, this may be a bit weird, but hear me out.

This man is the best character in lbp2. He's so fucking depressed and I love him. Clive and his world are my favourite in LBP2.

9. Bob Belcher (Bob's Burgers)

Best cartoon dad, hands down. He's so chill and actually pays attention to his kids. Plus he isn't rude, offensive or a baby waiting for his wife to clean up after him. He's just a dad trying to do his job while also having 3 (if Tina counts) chaotic kids.

One of my favourite characters in Bob's burgers, fr.

That's the list. Idk who to tag so uh-...

👍

[episodicnostalgia]

Star Trek: The Next Generation, 122 (Apr. 25, 1988) - “Skin of Evil”

Teleplay by: Joseph Stefano & Hanna Louise Shearer Story by: Joseph Stefano Directed by: Joseph L. Scanlan

The Breakdown

Deanna Troi’s shuttle craft suddenly loses power on it’s way back to the Enterprise and she (along with her pilot) end up crash landing on a barren planet.  Fortunately, Enterprise was in communications range when the shuttle went down, so the gang zips off to help.  UNfortunately the planet is controlled by a quasi-omnipotent puddle of crude oil named Armus, who has a developed penchant for inflicting pain, and emotional turmoil in others; and he senses a prime opportunity to do just that.

As it happens, one of Armus’ vaguely defined abilities is to emit a forcefield around Deanna’s shuttle to stop her from being beamed to safety. Not yet aware of what-or-who he’s engaged with, Picard sends an away team comprised of Will Riker, Tasha Yar, Dr. Crusher, & Data, where they first encounter Armus as a black puddle that keeps blocking them from reaching Troi’s shuttle (it/he slithers in front of wherever the away team attempts to go). Eventually Armus re-forms as anthropomorphic garbage bag covered in tar, and threatens to kill anyone who attempts to save Troi. Since Tasha isn’t one to take shit from a villain-of-the-week, she bravely pushes forward… and is immediately killed.

Armus allows the away team to return to their ship (although still without Troi), where Dr. Crusher tries her best to revive Tasha, but to no avail; Lt. Yar is very dead.  To make matters worse, the crew is also no closer to saving Troi.  Indeed, at barely 15 minutes, the bulk of the episode has yet to play out, which effectively remains in a stalemate, as Armus psychologically and physically torments the next away team (but mostly Riker).

While Armus spares no opportunity to remind everyone of how evil he is, Troi slowly manages to pump him for information back in the shuttle wreckage, with the aid of her empathic abilities.  Meanwhile, Worf notices that Armus’ anti-transporter forcefield seems to weaken slightly whenever he’s busy taunting Troi.  The meaning of this isn’t initially made clear, but since the episode is starting to run out of time, Picard figures it’s safe to start wrap things up, and heads down to the planet for this week’s big philosophical showdown!

Upon beaming down, Picard offers himself to Armus in exchange for his crew’s safe release, but only after he’s been allowed to have a private conversation with Troi.  For reasons that aren’t entirely clear, Armus agrees to these terms, giving Picard the opportunity he needs to figure out a solution.  Troi explains that the Armus is a living manifestation of all the hate and rage (akin to a “skin of evil”, if you will) from some race that somehow had those traits removed from themselves, and then presumably discarded on this planet in the form of a sentient waste byproduct.  It turns out his one weakness is receiving emotional validation over being abandoned, which is remarkably convenient.  Armed with that knowledge, Picard unleashes an unrelenting barrage of sympathy in the manner that only a grumpy French dude (with an English accent) could deliver; using pretentious soliloquy, and verbose sentiment. 

And it works!  Armus feels so seen by Picard’s observations (namely that he’s just a sad and empty shell of a tar-monster), that he lowers his guard just enough for Worf to beam the survivors and Piccard back to the Enterprise.  With everyone safe and sound (except for Tasha), the crew of the enterprise leave their exasperated foe behind, along with a warning buoy for future explorers to avoid the goopy incel stranded on the desert planet. 

All-in-all, a close call, but another happy endin-

...oh wait, that’s right.  You see, since the crew member who died also has a star billing in the opening credits, we actually have to spend some time showing the bridge crew in a state of grief (whereas if Deanna’s barely-mentioned pilot had croaked instead, we’d be halfway through the credits already).  Picard holds a funeral wherein he plays a pre-recorded holo-message of Lt. Yar herself, which I guess must be a normal thing to do in the future.  Her hologram proceeds to give a VERY long, personalized thorough message for each person in attendance.  Data wonders aloud if he’s missed the point of this gathering, since he keeps thinking mostly “about himself and how empty life will be without Tasha”, and Picard is like “Nah, you’re pretty much dead on.” [No pun intended]

So… another happy ending, I suppose.

The Verdict

Honestly though, I’m with Data.  ‘Empty’ is basically the only word to describe how I feel about this episode, and that’s a shame.  It’s widely known that Tasha was only killed off because Denise Crosby asked to be released from her contract, but the writers could have chosen a more interesting episode to feature this story beat.  The thing is, I actually appreciate that Tasha’s death wasn’t built up beforehand; I tend to fall in the school of thought that character deaths are often better served when they aren’t heavily projected or drawn out.  The problem is everything else about ‘Skin of evil’ effectively amounts a nothing-episode, with very little to say, and even less to show for it.

Armus as a villain is… certainly a villain I guess, but his motivations and what drives him would leave me with more questions than answers, if only what little we did learn about him wasn’t so dull.  Too much of the episode is spent on the incessant back-and-forth of Picard and Co. insisting they be allowed to save Troi, to be met with Armus regurgitating one insufferable tangent after another about how he won’t because it pleases him not to.  Pretty much the only character who moves the story forward is Troi during her verbal sparring sessions with Armus, while everyone else effectively spins their wheels (I’ll give a few points to Worf though).

I don’t blame the cast for any of this though, as all my criticisms fall to the writing.  In fact, most of the cast have some really solid moments whenever they’re given something to work with.  Worf resisting his warrior impulses in order to take up Tasha’s mantle is well executed by Michael Dorn, as is Data’s confusion over grief (courtesy of Brent Spiner).  Also, despite the fact that I didn’t find Troi’s scenes particularly compelling in-and-of-themselves, Marina Sirtis gives a strong performance, if only because she’s given something to do beyond serving as Picard’s personal lie detector.

The whole episode is such a squandered opportunity to tell a story that could have been one of this season’s (very few) highlights.  Bearing in mind, this episode marks the first time in Star Trek history that a series regular dies without being brought back to life (not counting alternate realities or time travel).  From the stories I’ve heard about the working conditions on the show, especially for the women cast members, I can’t say I blame Denise Crosby for wanting to leave.  Still, there’s a selfish part of me that wishes she stayed until the later seasons when the show began to improve; there was just so much untapped potential for Tasha’s character.

1.5 stars (out of 5)

Additional Observations

So exactly how long ago had Tasha prepared that “in the event of my untimely death” holo message?  She’s presumably known most of the crew for slightly less than a year, but had a full speech for each main character, as if she’d known them for considerably longer.  I’m not saying she couldn’t have made close friends with the crew in that time, but that still means her recording must have been made fairly recently.  Timing is everything, I guess.

Given Picard’s rigid adherence to following rules, and borderline obsessive code of honour, I would have half-expected him to stay on the planet with Armus.  I wouldn’t even be all that surprised if there was an episode in season 2 where a corrupt Admiral calls out Picard’s actions from this episode, by reminding him that a “Starfleet Captain’s word is his bond”, and that he must return to Armus and be tortured for eternity, or give up his rank as captain.  Of course, Picard would accept his fate because his devotion to Starfleet is absolute, but then Data would probably find a loophole in the rules somewhere, which the Admiral would have to begrudgingly accept.  But seriously, you can’t tell me that premise is any less preposterous than a good chunk of season one.

Troi-SPIRACY: In an earlier post, I put forth a scenario that Troi has actually been faking her empathic abilities in order to get her lousy mom off her back, and now she’s in too deep to admit the truth. This episode would seem to refute that theory outright as evidenced by the use of her abilities on Armus, but she’s not fooling me!  We mustn’t forget that Troi is a professional counsellor, who attended one of the most prestigious, and well funded academies in the galaxy.  Clearly, she just used her training and experience to make some astute observations about Armus, and later attributed it to her ‘abilities’ in order to keep up the ruse.  And I know what you’re thinking, “But Troi’s counsel has always seemed hiliarously antiquated in the past, almost as if it was a caricature 80’s pop psychology”; but I maintain that even that was all part of her deception.  Think about it.  Really THINK about it.  What better way to trick everyone into believing you have superpowers than to draw attention away from them with questionable guidance?  Then, having thrown everyone off the scent, all you need to do is to utilize your intellect and sharp deductive reasoning in moments of great need, and pass it off as an ‘empathic ability.’  NICE TRY Deanna! You may have everyone else fooled, but I see you for what your really are.  A keenly proficient student of the human experience, and a valuable ally!  Consider yourself exposed, you fraud!

Worf and Tasha were clearly flirting, right? That can’t just be me.  If she hadn’t died, those two would have done the warrior tango for sure. Poor Worf. Oh well, I’m sure his future romances will all end less tragically.