#(this is also a thing doctor who does wonderfully i think)

[sisterdivinium]

You know, for a show with so many female characters that so many of us love given how they all get time in the spotlight one way or another and they fill that time up rather wonderfully since they are deeper and more developed than what we're used to seeing in general media, it is peculiar (to say the least) to see so few "alternative" ships to the main one.

I'm not saying the canon ship doesn't deserve its attention -- I'm wondering instead why the canon ship and it alone seem to guide the WN fans who just so happen to enjoy writing/reading fic or fanart or whatever.

You'd think all these cool women would inspire more ships or combinations thereof, but those of us who aren't invested in avatrice just... Float along, around one another, ignored (and, yes, mostly undisturbed too; being unpopular does have its advantages and that includes a lot less weirdos leaving you strange or awkward messages -- it does not, however, shield us from people flooding our goddamn tags on AO3 with fic that has nothing to do with our little ships and I do wish such negligence of the pairing itself meant we didn't have to deal with this spam...)

I am also not saying that fandom activity should be based solely on shipping (and recently someone on Reddit was rather confused by the fact that a lot of it is, which is quite an interesting topic to discuss in itself -- after all, there is more to fan creativity than shippy fic... Or there used to be), merely that, here, it appears that a canon relationship can outshine interest in the other, non-canon ones. It's already there and it was doubtless well-done by the show, so it's natural that it should claim people's attention, sure. It's just that being canon was never the parameter for whether people were interested in these or those two (or more) characters maybe being involved and trying to explore what that could mean through fanwork.

There has always been a complaint haunting fandom spaces concerning the minuscule amounts of f/f fic, art, discussion, w/e based on how few (interesting or sympathetic or relatable) female characters there are in media at large. So what I'm curious about is why fan creations made around WN -- a show that finally gives us a whole cast of female characters that are what we have been craving for decades -- don't also reflect its diversity.

There are alternative ships (I'm here, all happy in my tiny Doctor Superion bubble, and I know there are Camila/Lilith, Ava/Lilith, Mary/Shannon, Mary/Lilith shippers out there, so a warm hello to you if you're reading this), but go on AO3 and compare the numbers of things tagged with these proper pairings to the grand total of WN stories. Better (or worse) still, do so with the "otp: true" trick or simply by excluding avatrice from the search to see how many are left.

It's... A considerable difference. And a mystery, at least to me.

#tagging this as #warrior nun #simply because i'd like to talk about this and maybe some of you have thoughts or theories about it #i just ask you engage in good faith if you do. i'm not pointing fingers at avatrice people i think they're fine and dandy #i'm just -- to reiterate -- surprised at how little interest there is in other ships when the potential is all there #(is it because they're nuns? that never stopped avatrice so why should it stop others...) #(besides lilith is hardly still a nun after s2. bea left. mary didn't really take vows did she? you really thought i was a nun she says...) #meta fandom talk i guess #then again about the nun thing... i have noticed a lot of people just go for aus. i can't recall ever being in a fandom with SO many aus #is the religious aspect an issue by any chance? i also recall someone commenting on how little a part religion played in these aus #curious. very curious. #i imagine some of you are wondering why i care when i don't even read fic but -- #-- to quote jillian salvius herself i am a curious person and well you are a curiosity lol

[prettyboysdontlookatexplosions]

GOD!!! is this My Very Favorite Moment In All Of Dracula? it might be, friends. it might be. let's consider:

as always i love bram's concern for the practical logistics. mina has no reason to expect that dr. seward is talking to himself to record his diary, so she thinks he has company and then enters all, "uhhh...."

techbro seward finally able to show off his gadget to someone who gives a shit

MINA HARKER DOCUMENTATION NERD SUPREME dorking out about the incredible coolness of the phonograph ("why, this beats even shorthand!" just absolutely kills me

they have known each other for five minutes and are brought together because of wildly unrelated circumstances but they immediately fall into being dweebs together which is so awesome because it's so true to both of them and also a wonderfully bittersweet belated confirmation that lucy knows her friends and was right when she said they would get along great

seward is so excited about playing his little high-tech phonograph diary for someone that for a moment he lives in a world where it's not him rambling on about his his favorite homicidal maniac's spiders buffet occasionally punctuated by expressions of depression and heartbreak before turning into an accounting of the horrific death undeath and redeath of mina's best friend with whom he was in love

i think i actually missed last year the detail that when he first says he can't find a particular spot he's just trying to lie and doing it so badly he both is totally transparent to mina and accidentally says something true

and, also, HE REALIZES JUST NOW THAT HE HAS SPENT FOUR MONTHS KEEPING A DIARY OSTENSIBLY FOR SEMI-PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES AND HAS NEVER EVEN CONSIDERED THE QUESTION OF HOW TO FIND A PARTICULAR SPOT!!!!

bram your MIND

jack is such a loser i love him so much

"with the naivete of a child" kills me like he got so distracted by his own dumbassery that he forgot that he's trying to play the serious and impressive doctor

mina can't help but laugh at what a loser he is and he gives her a little :[ about it

but then it's like once the jig is up he can't find it in himself to bother anymore

in general after months of mr. serious doctor muttering darkly into his phonograph this is i believe the first description we've had of seward's behavior from another character's perspective since may, and it sure does match with the guy playing with a knife to try to seem chill and accidentally sitting on his hat!

before she got there seward was like "gotta keep things chill for the Lady" and mina is like "oh lucy died by vampire got it i gotta get my hands on those the vampire details"

she is DETERMINED she is RESOLUTE she is PUTTING THE PIECES TOGETHER which can only mean one thing: TIME FOR THE TYPEWRITER!!!!!!

scene of all time book of all time characters of all time everything about this brings me so much screaming joy it makes me wanna punch the sky

#dracula daily

[heyidkyay]

Oh my god now you’ve got the image of G and Birdie with a little baby girl into my head… you can’t not write it now! I’d love to see maybe them introducing their baby girl to the rest of the band… or anything else you can come up with 🤣

I guess I'll take this pain, instead of your name | The aftermath

A little snippet:)

--

My due date was March 23rd. Which meant that George would be getting quite the birthday present (if the baby had perfect timing) and that they’d most definitely be an Aries, which were two things I couldn’t quite get behind, but something G was ecstatic over. 

Matty had been hoping the little one would arrive a little late, two weeks late to be precise, just so that he could get one over on George and have the baby share something in common with him instead. He really had been an absolute sweetheart throughout the entire pregnancy, but my God was he pushing it trying to get me to extend the absolute hell I’d endured. 

I’d gone through almost every symptom pregnancy had to offer, from day one I’d felt absolutely vile and then when my second trimester had rolled round I’d had to deal with Braxton Hicks, an undeniable appetite (I’d felt like an actual monster), and dizziness that rivalled anything I’d ever felt before. Including the time when I’d been hit by a fucking car. 

Still, all of Matty’s efforts appeared in vain now seeing as though I went into labour on February 13th, five whole weeks before I was even due. 

To say I’d shit myself would have been an absolute understatement. I was fucking terrified to give birth, let alone that early, and to make matters worse, George had been set to play a show, which meant that he’d had no idea my water had broken until I was high as a kite on fucking gas and air, and he was finally off stage. But thankfully, I’d also been at work and Delia had been the one to walk me through the whole process, we’d headed straight to hospital, due to the fact that I should not have been going into labour this prematurely, but also because she was afraid I was going to give myself a sodding aneurysm simply down to the amount I was panicking. 

But who could blame me?

Anywho, the whole thing seemed a bit small in comparison to when I finally did give birth. We’d been blessed with a tiny, little baby girl- 7 lbs 4 ounces and with a head of thick unruly hair. But before George and I could even get a look in the doctor had told me to start pushing- again.

“They’re coming along quite quickly now, just a few more deep breaths.” 

“You what?” I ask the man in scrubs settled between my legs. Baffled wasn’t even a word I’d begin to use to describe the emotions that hit me right then, having thought I’d heard him wrong until I saw the alarming look on George’s face.

“We need you to push, you can already see baby’s head.” A midwife informs me, ushering George to once again take my hand, to comfort me. He does but he’s caught in a daze. 

“But, but I just did that bit.” I say, mostly stunned, delirious almost for a moment. 

“I know, and you did wonderfully. But baby two isn’t too far behind.” She replies, smiling down at me sincerely even as her attention diverts between a handful of other people stood in the delivery room. 

Her words seem to startle G back into reality, “Baby two? As in twins?”

“Twins! What the hell do you mean, twins?” I feel dizzy once more, head darting between the nurse beside me, G, and the doctor who’s seen a little too much of my insides for my liking. I think I start mumbling then, rambling off a ton of questions, a mile a minute, to anyone and everyone who will listen. Twins. “Are you sure? Twins?”

The nurse laughs, not unkindly, then nods, “Definitely sure, even saw it for myself.”

I’m still not really pushing, too confused, too stunned to really do much, in truth. “Are you having me on? Is this a prank?”

She appears to realise G and I aren’t messing about here and I watch on, frozen, as her whole demeanour shifts before my eyes, “Yes, sweetheart, twins. You really didn’t know?”

I shake my head and am just beyond grateful that George is here with me, holding my hand so tightly that I can truly feel it start to numb- because, what?

Things seem to take a turn then, the entire atmosphere in the room drops when beeping starts up and lights start flashing worryingly. The doctor at the other end of my bed is coaching me through it again, his voice high and harried almost, and I know then that something’s wrong and that it’s all my fault.

“What’s going on?” I ask, eyes immediately snapping over towards the nurse standing beside me but she’s gone, fiddling with the oxygen machine behind my head and then the heart monitor. “G, what- what’s happening? Are they okay? The baby. Are they?”

“You need to push. The baby is losing oxygen, we need to get them out as quickly as possible.”

My heart plummets. I start to panic. It’s my fault. My fault. I’m doing it wrong. I’m to blame. It’s all my fault. I’m messing up and they’re not even really here yet. I’m doing it all wrong.

“We need you to push harder.”

“Breathe.”

“Come on, mum. We need you to really push now.”

“That’s it.”

“Birdie, it’s alright. You’re okay, love. The baby is okay. You just need to push a bit more. Just a little longer, okay?”

I feel my head move- nod?- but the room is spinning, I reckon I’m screaming too. Sobbing, even. My mind so focused on the baby I hadn’t even known I’d been housing, let alone created. My baby. 

Two babies! Two.

I let out a loud groan. Barely even aware of the careful fingers on my temple. 

“Good girl, B.” George whispers to me, lips pressed against my cheek as he brushes hair from out of my face. “You’re doing so well. So good.”

I cry harder, I push harder.

Time seems to have stilled in its entirety, the minutes won’t move, the seconds don’t count. I am lost in this moment, my mind screaming at me to just try harder. 

“And it’s a boy!” I finally hear and then I’m weeping again, crying and clinging to George before he too is dragged away from me by nurses to cut the umbilical cords. I stare up at the ceiling, unable to do much else, chest heaving, thick tears streaming down my cheeks, and all I hear is an overwhelming buzz. The kind I’d grown so used to, starting in my left ear before it soon echos in my right. Jumping, back and forth.

“A boy, Birdie. A boy and a girl.”

I blink and George is there again, hovering over me. He takes my face in his careful hands and holds me so close that we are nose to nose. I realise then he’s crying too.

“Twins.” I whisper breathlessly, every inch of me burns, but I itch to get up, to move and see them.

“Twins.” George repeats with just as much disbelief. “Twins, B. Ours.”

A baby boy, he’d told me. A tiny thing, so full of surprises. He was born smaller than his sister, an even 6 lbs and only ten minutes behind, but his eyes are unlike anything I’ve ever seen, huge and so very innocent, placed between a scattering constellation of tawny freckles that dot his cheeks and kiss his lids. 

A girl and a boy. All ours. 

I’d been taken with them both the moment I’d set my sights on them, ‘the twins' people had dubbed them. ‘Let’s go see the twins!’ ‘The twins are finally crawling!’ ‘Somebody grab a camera, the twins are being cute again!’

Never did I ever believe I’d have a family of my own, let alone a husband or these two beautiful beings that always seemed to stare back up at me with an incredible amount of innocence. It stirs something deep within me each time they do, both the thought and the very sight of them, and when their tiny little hands wrap their way around my fingers I know that I’ll never feel this type of love again. I don’t think I could even begin to describe it.

They are beautiful and they are ours, and I know from the very bottom of my heart that I will protect them until the day that I die. Because, how could I not?

How could anyone not?

#the 1975 #george daniel #george daniel the 1975 #george daniel fic #george 1975 #george daniel x reader #matty #matty healy #george daniel x you #1975 #best friend matty #the 1975 band #fic #adam hann #ross macdonald #carly holt #1975 band #matty 1975 #series #work #exes to lovers #y/n #reader #multi part fic #x you #x reader #angst #fluff #humour #drama

[variousqueerthings]

I think it's also interesting to see how things change depending on the time in which they're being engaged with. so I see things about rose today that point out that she's written to be 19 when she meets the doctor and that's a big age difference (which... I understand the point is it's a big age difference because billie piper was 23 and eccleston was 40, and then dtennant was like 34/35 when he started which isn't so big of a shift but anyway the optics I get what people are getting at, but also I think it does oversimplify a lot of what's actually going on in the written dynamic, anyway-)

and also that the rtd run's Themes start coming together properly around s3 (although they are present from day one), and in some ways at this point, because nu!who has been running for... fuckn. actually quite a few years, which is wild to me as someone who started watching as a kid, and I wonder if classic!who fans felt the same way about their show and anyway -- she shifts from being Literally The First Companion You'd Seen For 17 Years (not counting the movie and fan things and the sketch) Who Was Defining A New Era For A New Generation to... a companion

comparable to other companions, comparable to the rest of the show

we sift through the writing to see what worked and what didn't (in our opinion), and we know how the ten-and-rose storyline Really ends, and how the ten storyline ends (sort, of because now that doctor and donna are Back), and we know what happens afterwards, and we talk about tenrose with a 2020s eye, and rose is "just" one of the people that travels with the doctor, one of several, and notably the one who gets most of the sunshiney doctor that buries a lot of the (wonderfully portrayed) angst of the latter half of the rtd show, and doesn't have as much lore as everything after that, so the story is "just" more simple overall

and to me she's kind of incapable of being just that. doctor who was still a risk that first season, it wasn't a done deal that it would have legs at all, never mind that it would continue for as long as it has. rose was created to be the Face of what nu!who was, moreso than nine/eccleston, because even with the extra angst and the eccleston gravitas, we know the doctor, the doctor is established, it's not actually the doctor that needs to sell what the new show is going to become and what the Feel of that new show is going to be (I mean, partly ofc, but-)

rose was doing so much heavy lifting and she succeeded! she was the face of who before dtennant or any other doctor or companion of his era and subsequent eras. she was created to appeal to a demographic of girls who wanted someone relatable in science fiction, because rtd wanted this to be for the girls, and billie piper came into it off the back of being a popstar and it changed her entire trajectory (for the better I think/hope -- there's a lot of bad shit in billie piper's past and I'm always sending her a fond thought)

nine/ten-and-rose were It! not calling it romantic or platonic or any secret third thing (haunting the narrative), but simply It! that's why it has so much staying power as a ship (which, my opinion on shipping has been somewhat *eh shrug* in later years, but in early-days when that was how you engaged with dynamics that got to you, of course it was going to be massive). it's so hard to properly describe how "for the time in which it was made" that this dynamic was written for, and how successful it was. it was rose that breathed doctor who -- and the doctor's character -- to life, as much as herself

she sets the stage for everything that comes next, both within and without the show proper

and I'm always so pleased that rtd at the time was thinking about what was needed to create this character and he opened with a shot from a girl on the estate with messy hair, clumpy eyeliner, and a minimum wage job, and went "that's the girl who's going to go on the adventure of a lifetime, that's the girl we're seeing the story through and relating to, because that's what girls (and uh... those who were girls at the time - and their parents and the boys) should be seeing."

I know rose isn't the first working class companion including classic!who, but she set the tone for nu!who and her family and background are important to why she is who she is, and is explored

"I've got no A-levels, no job, no future-" said the girl about to see the universe

she was very much for teenagers, and so she reads differently when you're an adult watching it back (much like those "teenager saves the world," novels you loved as a kid), but that's why she's 19 at the beginning. that's why she's billie piper (who does a perfect job). she was there to bring a new generation into this story, and it was perfect. and then she grows up. and we grew up. and she had adventures and it was brilliant and she survived and she made a life for herself. that's her story

#doctor who #dw #rose tyler #of course 2005 who is a simpler story #and of course rose is basically still a kid #because it was (is?) for the kids who were going to be taken along for a much much bigger story over a longer space of time #when i started watching i didnt know what a dalek or a timelord or a tardis was #and i didnt know what sort of adventures dw was known for and ofc nobody watching knew where it would go #it was brand new -- rose in my head is always that brand newness #before you get to the more complex narratives of martha and donna #and the more in-depth lore of s5-onwards #there was a girl on an estate seeing the future stretch on and on -- and then she embraced the future and grew up #and it wasn't all happy all the time of course and the ending may have been quite bittersweet but that's also growing up #it's a growing up story that isn't depressing! crucially! #and yeah it includes falling in love with an incarnation of a near-immortal alien and getting with that alien's other human self #and also inhabiting some element of a godlike being/self that maintains an eternal connection with said alien in some way #it's a bit fanfic-y for good reason #i cannot overstate how much she means to me Because i saw her as a kid and she made the future seem possible #long post

[weirdmarioenemies]

Name: Chemitory

Debut: Kirby: Planet Robobot

Hello everyone! I hope you’ve remembered to take your medicine lately! And I hope you take it from a secure and clean container received from your pharmacy, and not from a funny robot who throws ambiguous pills at you! Because that would not be healthy. That’s a Science Fact!

Of all the robobots they put in Planet Robobot, Chemitory is my favorite! This design is so so pleasant, and as it idles, it waves its hands gently and happily. Perfectly pill-shaped, since it is all about pills, with floaty hands and an eyes-in-a-void face! That is such a common kind of face for Kirby characters, but it works so especially wonderfully here! Perhaps this is a Haltmann Works Company healthcare robot, here to allegedly help. Instead, it throws pills at what it considers a problem in hopes that it will go away. A scathing satire of modern psychiatry!

Of course, Chemitory has a big clear dome full of pills, and it is here to throw them at you! This dome, delightfully, swings back on the two hinges on either side of its head, allowing it to reach in! What is Chemitory’s prescription?

Chemitory has been officially diagnosed as Mad Scientist! If it doesn’t have its pills, it probably turns into a boring ol’ Regular Scientist. Doing dilutions in a lab. Wearing proper protective equipment. That’s not Chemitory’s style! Chemitory would rather endanger lives and not be approved by the FDA, like a GOOD mad scientist!

Kirby can swallow Chemitory, OR its pills, to obtain the Doctor ability! I am a little surprised the ESRB was fine with letting Kirby consume strange pills, and receive a benefit from doing so. Again, please don’t consume strange pills. But I’m glad Kirby does it, because Doctor is perhaps my favorite ability! It is so fun! Kirby can throw pills like Chemitory, as well as lots of other medical-themed stuff! It is also probably the silliest looking Copy Ability. That is so many accessories! Wonderful.

Something I think is so delightfully wacky about Chemitory, and Doctor as a whole, is that they may very well owe their entire existence to the Dr. Mario amiibo! Planet Robobot allows for amiibo to be scanned to give Kirby certain abilities, and it seems that its new abilities were designed with this in mind! ESP is obviously a Ness reference, almost obnoxiously so. Poison, while the most original of the three, can be reasonably linked to Splatoon, since it features goop that splatters onto surfaces, and damages enemies that touch it. Doctor, of course, is heavily based on Dr. Mario!

Do you think, if amiibo did not exist, or if Dr. Mario was not added to Smash 4, the Doctor ability, and by extension Chemitory, would have never even been conceptualized? It feels rather possible to me, so I am glad both of those things happened!

Chemitory is a sort of one-hit wonder, appearing only in one game. At the end of Planet Robobot, when the mechanization is reverted, maybe every Chemitory even ceased to exist! I have faith, however, that we will see Chemitory again, since Copy Abilities always make their return eventually! And hopefully, Doctor will make its comeback in Kirby Star Allies 2: Chemitory Is In This One And Is Playable!

#chemitory #kirby #kirby planet robobot #kirby enemies #not mario #funky friday #mod chikako #a very funny thing about Chemitory is #before its name was confirmed #the Fandom Kirby Wikia just sort of assigned it the name Pillah with no actual basis #and we all just went with it #because a wiki is supposed to be trustworthy #always check sources for claims folks

[imagination-overreaction]

I've been really into Team Fortress Two lately, and seeing as I cannot get the Actual Fic Writing to go, I wanted to do a little character analysis thing as a silly, so here's my favorite tf2 pairings and how i think they'd act:

Soldier x Spy / Freedom Fries

This ship is utter chaos and honestly I love it. There's a lot of light, passive-aggressive bullying (from Spy) and a lot more heavy, just plain aggressive bullying (from Soldier) and they may seem like they want to kill each other at points. However, neither one of the two will hesistate to mow down anyone who threatens the other.

Spy is stuffy with how he shows affection, especially when there's witnesses. Maybe he moves past him a little too closely and brushes his hand on Soldier's arm as he does. Maybe he hides a small smile as he rolls his eyes at what idiotic thing his partner says. Maybe he doesn't immediately call Soldier stupid to his face when he really really wants to, because he's trying so hard. These quiet attempts at passive affection are ruined by Soldier being the antithesis of subtle, in every way imaginable.

Going off of how Soldier is with Zhanna in the comics, I wouldn't say Soldier is the most verbally affectionate person, but his constant antics and comments and death-defying combat skills would certainly help to pry Spy out of his shell just a little bit. I also think that Spy would teach him how to do a few openings on his butterfly knife. Soldier would get the quickdraw down, and possibly the basic opening. Jury's out on anything more complex than that.

Engineer x Medic / Science Party

Evil mad scientist x Morally questionable tech genius. There is no universe where this ship is bad. Well... it can end badly for other people if their forces combine, but that's how it is.

Long, coffee-filled nights in the lab, each one taking turns to listen to their partner's incomprehensible speeches full of science jargon. They nod, half understanding as the other points to different blueprints or medical diagrams, explaining concepts far beyond their own paygrade, and only mostly hold themselves back from interjecting about their own project that would go wonderfully with this one.

The night Engineer finally starts crashing from exhaustion he goes down to where Medic is in the lab and asks when he's coming to bed. Medic, being Medic, says some shit like "Oh no I don't sleep, I removed that part of my hypothalimus years ago."

Engineer says "Alright darlin', see you tomorrow," before kissing him on the head, going to bed, and not worrying about what a hypothalimus is nor how Medic is even still alive at this point.

Does Engineer somehow dodge Medic's request to be some sor tof test subject? Maybe, but there's the even higher possibility that Medic was requested to assist with Engineer's mechanical hand.

Heavy x Medic / Red Oktoberfest

What is there to say that hasn't been said already, by authors far better than i?

Evil mad scientist x All-too-willing test subject that could also crush this scientist like a bug if he chose (but he doesn't. He doesn't, because he loves this doctor). No notes, 10/10, moving on.

Sniper x Spy / Bloody Suit

Also called Spyper, which is the best ship name ever made imo.

Same Spy characterization as before, but instead of the extreme of Soldier it's the general curmudgeony attitude of Sniper. There's also a lot of bullying in this one, probably more than there is with Freedom Fries because Sniper is also not passive aggresive, he just likes to pick on Spy to get a rise out of him, and Spy likes to pick on Sniper to get a rise out of him, and so on and so forth until something is broken and they're either aggresively arguing or aggresively making out. Who's to say.

There's so many possible ships and honestly? I haven't seen a single one I could automatically dismiss (other than Scout/Spy, but Scout & Spy as a familial relationship is good). I wanna do more of these as I find more ships I like, obviously I didn't even mention anything with Demo, Pyro, or Scout, and I barely mentioned Heavy, but what can I say I'm biased <3

Part 2

#character analysis #headcanons #team fortress 2 #tf2 #sniperspy #engimedic #soldierspy #tf2 spy #tf2 soldier #tf2 sniper #tf2 engineer #tf2 medic #long post #feel free to suggest a tf2 ship i want more things to avoid homework with

[jim-kirks-bubble-butt]

ok ok ok it’s time for my amok time thoughts-

first of all: s p i r k

spock what do you mean your omega heat was resolved by you rolling around in the dirt with your captain??? 🤨

but also just the way kirk was so respectful and understanding about spock’s pon farr and dodn’t make fun of him for it.

can’t believe the 1960’s scifi show had a fuck or die episode which did not result in heterosexuality. truly ahead of it’s time.

and also the way jim and spock were rolling around in the dirt was so gay. no one can convince me otherwise. the way spock slashed his axe thingy (forgot what it’s called) exactly so that it would give jim a tit window??? i know what you are spock.

and of course the biggest moment: JIM :D. seriously what the fuck was that. only time he smiles the wide the whole series (times when he’s under the influence of drugs excluded). homosexuality at it’s finest.

speaking of drugs i find it very funny that the only time spock likes women if either when he’s under the influence or when he’s being mind controlled.

the way spock grabs him and just gives him the biggest stupidest grin. i love spock and spock loves kirk. they are in love you can also see how wide kirk was smiling from the way his cheeks move.

spirk was just so soft with each other this episode, even on vulcan. the way spock was so hesitant to fight him and tried his hardest to convince t’pau even when under the pon farr influence.

the way jim clearly tried not to hurt him through the whole fight,

they make me fucking insane.

anyways

second thing i liked: BONES

i love bones mccoy

spock saying that he’s also one of his closest friends 😭 😭 😭

but he was so smart with the neural paralyzer and i love the way he clearly cares so much anout both of his dumbass friends under his grumpy doctor exterior.

third of all: women

t’pau and t’pring were so powerful and so wonderfully played.

obviously the whole thing with calling t’pring the property of whatever man wins her is very icky but as progressive as star trek was (and still is!), it is a product of it’s time unfortunately.

but besides that, they both just radiated power, and it was so nice to see a woman in a seat of major power.

on another note, stonn has a strikingly small forehead t’pribg i promise i could treat you better.

in my mind uhura wants t’pring (“she’s very lovely mister spock!” i know what you are ma’am.)

fourth: the episode was just. really good.

all of the tension build up before we find out about that spock is basically an omega is masterfully done, and even though i kinda new the plot, i was still sitting on the edge of my seat. incredible.

i also think tbe fight choreography during the gay sex fighting scene was actually really well done, especially when compared to other fight scenes in season 1 (the gorn fight comes to mind).

also the set design for vulcan felt like an actual planet. like usually when they go off the enterprise and onto a planet that’s not basically earth, you can tell that it’s just a bunch of foam blocks, but vulcan was very well made!

the conversation between spirk and kock kirk and spock about “vulcan biology” was very well written and acted in a way that was slightly awkward because of the nature of pon farr, but still felt natural and very in character.

side note: i see online that there’s a lot of people who think that shatner overacts. and i just don’t see it. idk i think he’s really good at playing kirk. i don’t really like the guy, but i like how expressive his acting is.

anyways this was very jumbled but i had a lot of thoughts and yeah.

i too would write the first slash fic in the 60’s if i saw this shit on my tv.

also does anyone know what tag i should use for kirk? i use like 4 different ones each time but is there one that’s more common? same for mccoy.

#star trek #star trek tos #spock #spirk #james kirk #jim kirk #leonard mccoy #first time watching #bones mccoy #james t kirk #amok time #star trek the original series #k/s

[actualbird]

i ended up on the tot wiki page for aaron recently and some details there really brought me so much joy and sparked some thoughts on my end

1 ) huh....did luke and aaron become friends because they were both DETECTIVE FANBOYS?????

"[...] With a passion for detective novels, Aaron uses his alternative identity, Sphynx, in order to challenge and defeat misfit detectives who walk on the wrong side of the law." -from the Big Data Lab Entry on the wiki

i find this funny cuz i already knew this, what with how heavily the Sphynx thing is featured in luke's personal stories, but it only now clicked in my head that, occupations aside, this is a common interest they both have. theyre both detective fiction NERDS.

we know luke is into sherlock of course, and he might also be into agatha cristie because of the book hes got on his bed with "AGATHA CHRISTIE" loudly emblazoned over it---

--but it makes me curious as to what specific detective novels and fiction aaron is into. does he also like the sherlock novels? does he have a favorite? did he and luke meet at the NSB because they got into an argument over which sherlock adaptation was best? in the year 2022, luke pearce was 17 years old and already in the midst of his Disappearance/NSB Recruit Boogaloo, and also the mystery movie Glass Onion came out, did luke take a break from the training to watch it together with aaron?

"he's a friend from the NSB" luke says about aaron to mc in the beginning, completely glossing over many details like how aaron's saved his life in the past and how aaron has a vigilante alternate identity and, Most Importantly, how aaron is a fandom buddy.

[at some point in the past]

aaron: youve totally written johnlock fic, havent you, kid?

luke: shut up

aaron: can i read it?

luke: what! no! it's---special to me, youre not allowed to--

aaron: i can beta your writing for you. fix up any pesky grammatical errors

luke: ..................i'll consider it

-

2 ) his featured quote on the page

i have no comments here aside form the crying actually, im just extremely emotional about aaron and luke all the time but especially Now because of this, because aaron is so wonderfully unwaveringly stubbornly a believer even the faintest glimmer of hope and how one needs to hold onto that, and that kind of mindset is what luke needed when he was at his lowest and aaAAAA

...MOVING ON

-

3 ) aaron the PECAN MAN

"Originally, Aaron is from a hometown outside Stellis that grows pecans, and he sometimes leaves boxes of them as gifts for his fellow doctors." -from the General write up on the wiki.

i cant believe i missed this detail, but it's true, it happens in luke's blossom chapter personal 02-01 (thank u @scientistsinistral for letting me know where!!)

i wonder how i missed it because it is JUST the kind of perfect tiny mundane character detail that i LOVE. aaron the pecan man from pecan town who leaves pecans from pecan town as gifts for others. im immensely endeared by this and think it wld be very funny if this became a running joke between him and luke

i now hc that whenever luke's birthday rolls around, aaron's gift to him is pecans. when luke gets injured on a mission and wakes up in the hospital, the "get well soon!" gift left on his bedside table is pecans. when aaron learns that luke finally confessed to mc and that theyre dating, his congratulations gift to luke is pecans. when luke and mc get married, guess what his wedding gift is to them? pecans.

also

[at some point in the past]

aaron: hey, so what did you end up naming your new pet bird?

luke: pe---

aaron: :D

luke: ----eanut. peanut.

aaron: :|

luke: what?

aaron: you really set on that, already? there are better nuts out there

luke: ...

-

in conclusion: i love aaron.

#tears of themis #aaron yishmir #luke pearce #tot aaron #tears of themis headcanons

[thavron]

Oh good Lord, I'm going to write about the Nightingale thing again. And whilst I’m at work no less. I’m not going to try and interpret the scene again. I’ve done that already, and honestly I’m not sure if I even agree with my own points, it just made sense to me at the time of writing. But I’ve been having some thoughts as to why that line of dialogue sticks out like a sore thumb. Because it does, it feels alien in the moment. 

Currently, because I am a huge nerd, I’ve been putting together a table of what Crowley knows and what Aziraphale knows, because it was quite correctly pointed out in a meta that I read yesterday, that they actually don’t have the same information. That means they are going to react very differently to the same situation (I may or may not use that to write another post about the final fifteen, maybe I won't, I'm obsessed. I think I’m just in denial honestly…). And that’s when it occurred to me, the nightingale reference does not exist within the narrative. Or not for us as an audience, not yet anyway.

So, Nightingales are referenced in series one directly by God, where she says:

"While they were eating, for the first time ever, a nightingale actually did sing in Berkeley Square. Nobody heard it over the noise of the traffic. But it was there, right enough."

This is actually a joke, a reference to the song which is playing over the scene "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square”  which contains the line “There were angels dining at the Ritz.” Which is funny because there is, but obviously no one knows that either.

Edit to add: It also means that impossible things do sometimes happen. We have two impossible things happening at once right now. (like and angel and demon falling in love *cough*)

But it’s also a wonderfully romantic song and that scene is just beautiful, you can not convince me that that was not intended as a date. 

The song becomes synonymous with their romantic/domestic interlude, and little references pop up during series 2. 

But the references are kind of like Bad Wolf in Doctor Who, they’re in the background or in the soundtrack, and not meaningful to the characters within the flow of the narrative. We notice, if we’re paying attention and gigglesnort at the implications, but it is not actually something that means anything to Crowley and Aziraphale, or it doesn’t from our view point. The only instance really I can think of where the song is actually being used diegetically, is in the Ritz scene is series one. But it’s background music at a restaurant, it isn’t meaningful unless there was more to that scene. (which might be the case, in a flashback.)

But, Crowley references Nightingales directly. Which means it must mean something to them. For us it is shorthand to refer to their blossoming relationship, but to them it could mean something quite different. But until we know the context, there is no way to interpret what he means. But that line does stand out, and the reason I think it does, is right now it feels like a fourth wall break. Like Crowley is turning to the camera to say “don’t worry kids, this kiss isn’t the romantic kiss.” I’m not quite sure what to make of that really. It’s like they put a little mystery in a box and left it in full view next to one of the most harrowing moments in TV history. How am I meant to look at that and not go feral? It makes it difficult to take that entire scene at face value because of the question mark hanging over that line (and also some of Michael's acting choices, which have been spot on throughout so again makes me feel like there is more to the scene than meets the eye). I would imagine it's meant to be that way, and when we finally see the context that scene will have us in tears all over again. I should just sit back and wait and see, because I am sure that whatever Neil has planned is better than anything I can come up with, but my God has he put an itch in my brain that I can’t scratch. 

#good omens #good omens meta #I'm going to stop obsessing now #and just feel sad #and fix it with fanfic

[oopsiespooks]

idk if you reblogged the ask meme but if so. 👑 👕!

👑 - What dragon(s) in your lair are best dressed?

mmm it's so hard to CHOOSE so i'll do 4?? first up are eclipse and skoll, father & son duo! similarly outfitted, eclipse is the main doctor/physician in the clan (who also works with a necromancer), quite cold and analytical given his line of work being quite.. daunting. his son skoll is more of an assistant at his office that serves beverages and does errands, preferring to not get their claws dirty.

next up, 2 of my favourite ladies. sandstorm is the scout for crescent (one of my first oldies, turning 7 in may), and scavenges weird trinkets in her spare time when the clan doesn't need her assistance. qaitei is my first lvl25 & main trainer, very passionate and most of the clan finds her a bit overwhelming, but is good friends with the blacksmith. love them both to bits qwq

had a bit of help from the old oaks discord for most of my dragon outfits, but i'm still super proud of them :D

👕 - What are your favorite apparel items/sets?

hmm never really thought about it, but considering i had my first NotN just go by, i do adore the Unearthly Onyx & Echo Eater sets! for non-NotN stuff, any of the garden sets make me go :D i love the baggy trousers, would definitely have them irl if i could.

a big lover of the mandible helmets! geshyor is wearing the creeping helmet and i think it wears it wonderfully. also the sage sashes! delightful things that i enjoy utilising. such a huge fan of so many apparel pieces individually given on a good day, anything can work !!

thanks so much for the ask <333

ask meme

#ask meme #flight rising #spooks' dragons #it took some thinking and brain went HUHGHG dragons so enjoy this word soup with a side of lore #hmm i should make a lore tag so i dont lose stuff #!! crescent clan lore #there we go

[summer-r-storm]

A short discussion of light and dark

Have you ever noticed how people seem to treat darker topics as the more "serious and adult" form of entertainment?

Because I do and it kinda bothers me.

Light, hopeful, whimsical stories seem often seem to be connected to children, while darker topics are regarded more mature and to a point that makes sense. Children don't see the bad things in the world as we adults do or at least we try to protect them from it. Stories written for them therefore don't delve too deep into topics that are considered too dark for them.

But the thing is: mature and dark are not the same thing. Serious and depressing are not the same. A story can be lighthearted and still be very serious.

Since I am a fantasy nerd I most often see this with fantasy stories. Be it games, movies or books. And I think it was my teenage years where I first noticed this phenomenon. If a story was darker, maybe bloodier, more deadly or dealt with mature themes like sex or abuse it was deemed better or more interesting by my peers. It wasn't that uncommon to hear critisism against a more lighthearted piece of media that boiled down to "it's unrealistic". And I think that is really nihilistic? The world isn't all sunshine and rainbows, no, but it is also not a horrible hell hole. Of course people who said this could have been just some teenage edgellrds who would eventually grow out of it, but here is the thing: some never did.

One piece of media I see this jappen to a lot is Legend of Zelda. While I haven't heard the critisism that it is unrealistic, I did hear people say that it is for children and then compare it to something more "mature" like Elden Ring or Dark Souls. Which is ... wild to me? Like yeah, both are fantasy games, but the target demographic is wildly different. At this point you are judging a game based of a colour palette.

"The old story of one hero defeating evil is so overdone and boring! It's so naive."

Yeah but it's also beautiful???

The hero that saves it all is a trope that lasted generations for a reason and while you can critisize aspects of it, it is simply fun. Maybe not to all, but to many who aren't always children.

I also hear that darker subjects are more thought provoking which I don't always disagree with, but I don't think the overall tone needs to be overly depressing for that. Lots of thoughts can also arive from how wonderful the world is.

I recently started watching Doctor Who and while yes, the show does have some really dark elements at times, I would consider it a very light hearted show. Because when I think of The Doctor I think of joy and wonder. I think about his laugh and his fascination with anything new he discovers. You could call his attitude to the universe almost childlike, with the biggest questions and thoughts raised not at how cruel the world is but at how wonderful it can be.

Another piece of media that manages to find a balance so wonderfully is Lord of the Rings. I don't think I have to explain anyone how beautiful those movies are, not in what you see, but what you feel. Lord of the Rings depicts a brutal war, people dieing, victories being bitter sweet. It is a journey full of hardships but also full of love. Love for your fellow soldiers, sworn brothers, for your people and land and the world in general.

"There is good in this world, Frodo."

And it is. The hope and the light are so wonderfully balanced with the dark ess and the death.

If anyone would have made the claim these movies would have been better if they were darker and the characters were more depressed due to the hardships they suffer, I would have called them a lunatic.

I've heard people say that they don't like reading YA fiction because it is too idealistic and prefer classic like Edgar Allen Poe like ... okay that can be a preference but the tone in which it is said sometimes suggested that they think it is "better" literature. And I don't like this elitism when it comes to fiction.

The cureent remake of Avatar - The last Airbender is another good example. Why did they try to make a show that is about war and genocide more mature and therefor darker, calling it something that would appeal to fans of Game of Thrones? Did they think it would be higher Art then? Or is it just because it was a cartoon which is for kids which is why it is less?

There is a similar thing going on in the shonen anime fandom. We all like to make fun of the "power or friendship" trope but people who call it cringe or unrealistic make me raise an eyebrow. The things I did for my friends that I couldn't have done without them is insane. I published a book and yeah it was a lot of hard work on my own but the only reason I could even get that far was because of the love and support of my friends. It's a real thing and if someone says it's unrealistic I just feel pity bc it just sounds like they didn't have very good friends growing up.

Light is wonderful. Joyful happy characters are inspiring. And I say that as an enjoyer of Angst. I like my stories to be dark and fucked up and pretty much every second character of mine deals with depression of some kind. But all of those dark moments couldn't work without light. If everything is depressing what should motivate my characters to fight?

There has to be good in this world. And fighting for it by overcoming the darkness is wonderful.

If there is only dark in a story I will not like it, just as much as I won't enjoy it if we sjy away from all of the darkness that could bother us. But neither of those sides speaks of maturity or quality and I wish some people would stop acting like it does.

Anyway, that was just me rambling. Find some light in your darkness, you deserve it. ✌

#writing #stories #long ass rambling #lotr #loz #doctor who #atla #dark #light

[rottingraisins]

Also. andrea adams !!!

ADAMS beloved. another scp character that i like a really disproportionate amount there is arguably not all that much to her but i love funny fail bi woman

fav thing: she is so fucking funny and bounces off every character she shares the page with wonderfully. resurrection is unfortunately such a fucking slog to get through sometimes but all her scenes are literally so good whenever she appeared i internally started cheering

least fav thing: author clefs writing is very. how do i put this. michael bay action movie-esque when it comes to women sometimes. its not egregiously bad but why does her combat suit need to be skintight

favorite line: Admit it, Doctor Clef. You're just jealous that I've accomplished something you never could. I decommissioned a Skip… and stayed within my budget.

brOTP: Ive already talked about both her and iris and her and clef already so shoutout to her and foxx. Theyre so code geass im at soup video to me.

OTP: /

nOTP: /

random headcanon: its canon that much like lament she doesnt remember anything about her past before joining the foundation and i do think although she tries not to she gets melancholic about that sometimes. shes a very affectionate sort of person so i think the idea that she has a family and friends out there that shes functionally abandoned forever gets to her and is also why shes very overbearing to her foundation-era friends like roth and elliot. its also an interesting contrast to iris who gets very hung up on her life pre-foundation

unpopular opinion: /

song: /

fav pic: i love like all your designs holly but your adams is probably my favorite take on her ive seen shes so aerodynamic

#not art #ask game

[afirewiel]

I just finished watching The Artful Dodger and boy do I need a second season of this show.

Let me start off by saying that I've only read Oliver Twist once and that was years ago for school. I have only vague memories of the book, but one of the things I think the show does wonderfully is to fill in the gaps and rely mainly on people's cultural knowledge of the characters and events of the book. It was easy to follow and understand and I was never confused.

Another thing that was done wonderfully was reminding us, the audience, that Jack (aka Dodger) was only a child during the events of Oliver Twist. As such, he was heavily influenced by the adults in his life, mainly Fagin. Were Jack a modern man, the justice system would have more compassion on him do to his upbringing and his young age when he committed those crimes (at least in the U.S., not sure about the UK or Australia).

Now, let's talk the characters.

First, Jack Dawkins, the titular character. Thomas Brodie-Sangster did a masterful job with the character. I've only seen TBS in a few things, but I've always been impressed with his acting and this show is no exception. I certainly believed that here was a young man who had lived a hard life and was genuinely trying to turn things around for himself, but who also couldn't escape his past and still felt the thrill of the heist. TBS balanced those aspects of his character beautifully and I just want more.

And David Thewlis as Fagin! Perfect casting choice. David is another actor I've always enjoyed and just like TBS he did not disappoint. He kept you guessing as to where his truly loyalties lie and for a more I really was afraid that he was going to turn Jack into Gaines.

Speaking of...oh man. Gaines truly felt like a Dickins villain. An overly enthusiastic officer of the law who goes too far. It's a shame he's dead (or is he?) cause I'd have loved to have seen his reaction to Fagin and Jack getting off (which we know they will).

Oliver Twist! I was hoping he'd show up, but I had no idea that he'd turn out of be one of the bad guys. I was hoping he and Jack would patch things up and be friends. Oh, well. Guess that isn't happening now. One question though, were his feelings for Fanny genuine or was he just using her to smuggle the gold back to England? I can't tell.

Fanny...she was a little over the top at times. She certainly filled the role of annoying younger sister, but was still sweet. The only thing I didn't really like about her when she kissed Sneed when she thought he was asleep. Not a fan of that.

Sneed...very arrogant at times, but genuinely realizes Jack is the better doctor (probably why he's constantly belittling him), and even admits it at the end.

The governor....hm...he does seem like a caring father, but does seem rather oblivious. But he earned my respect by trying to stand up to his wife and say that he should be the one to return to England and take responsibility for the gold. Props to him for that.

The governor's wife...look I get being shocked at finding your daughter in bed with man (especially back then), but to totally disregard both said daughter and man's insistence that said daughter is dying and brush it off as manipulation...that's just not good. Especially when you know your daughter has been interested in medicine and reading all sorts of medical journals before she even met the man, who you yourself said was brilliant.

As for Belle...well...I appreciate what they were trying to do with the character, but I think they should have chosen someone else for the role. Maia Mitchell just gives off very strong 21st century vibes. Everyone else looks like they fit in the 19th century, but not her. She felt more like someone from our time who time traveled back to the 1850s and was just trying to blend in. Plus, her acting at times felt a little wooden to me and I just wasn't as impressed as I was with some of the others. Neither of these things would be a problem if Belle were just a side character, but she's Jack's love interest. Normally I'm not a fan of recasts, but in this case I wouldn't mind if they found someone better.

#the artful dodger

[strangerthings4theories]

This is all based on a single viewing, so hopefully I'm not misremembering anything, but here are some thoughts on Peter...

I didn't personally take the way they presented Peter as having been born evil. He doesn't do any of what he does for fun or just for the sake of being cruel. When he was a kid, he saw humans as a poisonous and destructive force against nature. He saw how humans try to control absolutely everything and found it suffocating and cruel. I don't think he wanted to kill people just because he's evil. I think he had an entirely different set of morals that was centered around undoing the harm that humans have done to the planet and its inhabitants. He even called himself a "predator, but for good."

I think those morals were slowly corrupted over time as he was experimented on, but I think he still held to them to some extent. He saw the staff in the lab as people who tortured and experimented on children and saw the other kids as bullies, so in his mind they all fell into that category of "destructive force." I also believe being stuck in the Upside Down (and who knows what all may have happened to him there) corrupted him even further. A few of his victims still seem to align, in his mind, with the wrong side of his original morals. He believed Fred was a murderer for the accident he was involved in, and that Max allowed and wanted Billy to die, and believed both therfore were problematic to the world.) He said he used the visions as a mirror to show people who they truly are, but in reality he's showing them who he believes they truly are based on his view of the events of their lives he's seen in their minds (and the person's memories would likely be coloured by their own perception of that event and any guilt they may have about it, so naturally Peter would see that as a truth even though it may not be.)

He seemed like a kid who was different, who was bullied, poked and prodded by doctors, and told by everyone he was broken and needed to be fixed, but he believed the rest of the world was broken, too. I think when he was young he believed he was fixing things. As he got older, he became more cruel, corrupt, and evil. Potentially without ever realizing it.

---

Also as a side note... If I recall correctly, Peter says both of his parents had done awful things and that's why he started to torment them with the visions, and while he and his father both talk about Victor's past, I don't recall Peter ever saying anything about what awful things his mother had done. Makes me curious...

I like your reading of him, it's wonderfully nuanced. Perhaps I shouldn't use the word 'evil.' However... when a 12 year old kills rabbits in a gruesome fashion, then graduates to killing family members in the same way... it's a challenge not to use the word. My personal feelings of revulsion are just very strong.

And that basic arc, of 001 making those choices before Brenner even touched him, is what I'm reacting to. It doesn't seem to flow with the overall theme of the show. Maybe if we'd seen the ways in which Peter/Henry was bullied and mistreated, it would've made better sense.

And yeah, we never saw what his mother has done. I wonder what that means?

#stranger things theory #stranger things analysis #peter ballard #001 #vecna #stranger things 4 spoilers #stranger things spoilers #answering your mail

[jemstarearrings]

S01E07: Starbright Part 2: Colliding Stars

While watching this episode and taking my notes, I immediately got derailed within the first minute. We pick up from the last episode in the ophthalmologist's office and learn Ba Nee has a wonderfully vague condition only described as "a degenerative eye condition."

This is not a diagnosis and describes at least half a dozen disorders.

Narrowing it down to disorders that can affect children and match the presented symptoms, the most likely condition Ba Nee has is cataracts; a clouding of the lens of the eye. Now I'm no doctor, but here's what I learned about cataracts AND cataract surgery within 20 minutes on the Internet:

The first cataract surgery was performed in 1747 with a 50% success rate, which only improved over time.

Without insurance, a double-eye cataract surgery and lens replacement can cost as little as $3,200.

Medicaid (signed into law in 1965, 21 years before the show) covers cataract surgery and lens replacement.

Foster homes have Medicaid, and Starlight Home is a foster home for girls.

TL;DR Ba Nee doesn’t need a $250,000 experimental surgery and could probably get her relatively common eye problem fixed for free or for a reduced cost through the state.

Forget the Misfits, the real villain of this episode is Ba Nee’s doctor:

Anyway, back to the other 21 minutes of the episode.

Thanks to a series of setbacks, the Holograms have to return to the movie to earn the money to save Ba Nee’s sight, and man is it hard watching the crew gossip about the Holograms. Even Rio’s a jerk when they come back and uggghhhh God I can’t stand Rio in this episode.

I get that Rio's supposed to have a sad backstory or whatever, but for every one thing he does that makes you like him, he does 5 more things that make you hate him. When he isn't saving the day like Superman, he's assaulting people, yelling at his girlfriend, cheating on his girlfriend WITH his girlfriend, and judging everyone as if he has any moral high ground. Then when his tantrum subsides, he has to go sulk in the corner until the plot needs him again.

Honestly, cringey teenage me who thought she would treat Jem better was probably right. A potted plant could treat Jem better than Rio does. Oh wait...

My favorite part of this episode though has to be the hologram logistics. Jerrica has to be both herself and Jem only a couple feet from one another and has to switch back and forth so her physical body can interact with the right people. It’s fantastic when hologram Jerrica can’t pick up a script thrown through her torso and she reacts like Jerrica naturally would. Synergy’s programming really is that impressive, and it’s just amazing.

I also can’t help but think, y’know, part of me sees stuff like this and wants to go “How did nobody notice that,” but it reminds me of something my aunt once told me a long time ago: We see weird things happen all the time, but we rationalize it away with more “realistic” answers. Those weird shadows by the road at night aren’t highway trolls, they’re probably racoons or plants blowing in the wind. The glasses you lost in the car didn’t fall into another universe, they probably just fell into a crevice you can’t reach. The person standing next to you didn’t disappear because she was a hologram projected remotely by the earrings of someone nearby, she just stepped out of your line of sight for a moment.

Makes you wonder how often crazy, unrealistic things actually happen right in front of you but your brain tells you it’s something more understandable so you don’t notice.

On a less schizo note before the Misfits Crime Counter commences, I also have to ask; what the fuck is Starbright even about?? There’s a casino scene, a jungle temple with a fight against pirates, a chase through the forest, and a motorcycle ride through the desert between explosions. The music videos aren’t even diagetic, they’re set in space or abstract neon futuristic backdrops with fire spouts. Is it some kind of space opera? That’s the only possible explanation I can give that would string all the scenes together correctly and it still doesn’t seem right.

idk someone go tweet at Christy Marx and let’s get a real answer lol

Eric makes Jem perform dangerous stunts with none of the safety precautions met. This is a good ol’ fashioned OSHA violation and runs Eric a hefty fine of $70,000.

Roxy and Clash sabotage the pyrotechnics with the intent to hurt Kimber, and had Jeff not acted valiantly Kimber could actually have died. This counts as Attempted Voluntary Manslaughter, earning both Roxy and Clash 11 years in prison and $10,000 fines each.

TOTAL CHARGES: $90,000 and 22 years in prison. Still not as much as Ba Nee’s “experimental eye surgery,” which goes to show that the true villains were the ophthalmologists we met along the way.

#episode reviews #jem #jath #jem and the holograms #80s

[h-worksrambles]

Xenoblade Chronicles 2: I wanna talk about Tora

With the release of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 less than two weeks away, I’ve been thinking a lot about Xenoblade and the Xeno series in general. And I wanted to use this time to talk about a thought I’ve had for a long time about Xenoblade Chronicles 2 specifically. That being, the one character in the main party who had severe missed potential, the Nopon inventor, Tora.

Now, before I go on, I want to pre-emptively state something. I love Xenoblade Chronicles 2. It’s one of my favourite games on Switch and I go back and forth between it and Xenosaga Episode III as my second favourite game in the whole Xeno series. Furthermore, it has overall my favourite cast of characters in the franchise. It’s full of likable, complex figures with great chemistry. But no game is perfect, and even a wonderfully realised title is going to have missed opportunities. I know how much flack 2 gets from portions of the fanbase and I don’t want this post to either become a rallying point for bad faith criticism, or for fans of the game to feel like their game is gettting still more unneccesary hate. Plus, much like the last time I did one these character critiques/rewrites, I must remind you that writing from scratch is incredibly hard, and me playing script doctor after the fact is not me claiming to be a better writer than the people who worked on the game. Everything I say comes from a place of love for this title. But I think Tora is the victim of several missed chances and poor writing choices that result in him being the weakest member of the party by a long shot, probably the only one I dislike. And I wanted to talk about how he might have been improved. Also full spoilers for Xenoblade 2 naturally.

Tora enters the story in Chapter 2 when he shelters Rex and Pyra from Ardanian soldiers. Tora is a Nopon mechanic who lacks the aptitude to resonate with a Core Crystal and become a Driver. Becuse of this, he and his family have been working for generations to build an artificial Blade, one that can resonate with anyone, regardless of potential. This Blade is the android girl, Poppi. Tora and Poppi befriend Rex and Pyra and join them on their search for Elysium, as Tora hopes to one day find his father, who vanished several years ago.

There’s a lot about Tora’s character that does actually work. Tora is very different from previous Nopon party members. Unlike the deceptively mature Riki or the outspoken, sometimes cocky, Tatsu, Tora is an introvert who spends most of his time tinkering in his home. He doesn’t have much in the way of friends or a social life and latches on to Rex very quickly. To him, Rex, this ordinary kid who became a hero by wielding the legendary Aegis, is exactly what he wishes he could be, and he respects him greatly. He’s basically a nerdy shut-in orphan learning to get out and make friends, all while fulfilling his dream of being a real Driver.

Unfortunately, whille Tora is pretty well established as a character, between a lot of ideas not being fully explored with him, and poorly executed comedy that actively makes him less likable, he falls short compared to the rest of the characters. I think the first step to fixing Tora is pretty obvious to anyone who’s played the game: We’re taking any of the ‘jokes’ about him being into maids or moe, and we’re throwing them out of the window. I was gonna talk more at length at this, but frankly I believe it’s self explanatory. The last thing we needed was to make this character into Mineta 2.0. Stuff like this casts really ugly implications on to Tora and Poppi’s relationship, which we need to buy into for this character to work. But it comes up in Poppi’s very first scene and makes an awful first impression, especially considering Poppi goes on to be arguably one of the best characters. And it’s not like it’s in service of any character arc. Whenever it comes up in cutscenes or heart to hearts, it only amounts to ‘Tora does/implies something creepy, the other characters get annoyed, but he gets off with just a slap on the wrist’. I think a lot less people would deride Xenoblade 2 for being ‘too anime’ if it didn’t pull stunts like this. Not funny. Never funny. Always gross. Stop it. The other issue is that Tora is relatively tangential to the story, with his only big moment of relevance being Chapter Four. Problem is, Chapter Four...kind of sucks. It’s a filler episode full of half explored ideas, cringy jokes, and the worst dungeon in the game by far (Screw you, Old Factory).

This is where that plot about Tora’s missing dad gets resolved. When the party is in Mor Ardain, they find another artifical Blade, who Tora recognises as Lila, Poppi’s prototype, who was stolen the same night Tora’s father, Tatazo, vanished. It turns out that Tatazo was kidnapped by a group of Nopon, led by Charmain Bana, who wanted to use his research to create weapons of war to sell to the already tense countries of Mor Ardain and Uraya, lining their pockets as the people of these Titans go to war.

I think this is a great idea to introduce to Tora’s character. Tora and his family designed Poppi with the best of intentions shut up that other thing isn’t canon in my version. They wanted to become Drivers, and to allow even those like them who lacked the aptitude to do the same. But now that same technology is being used by selfish people as a tool for war. And it gets worse, because by Chapter Six, Torna are using that same technology against the party. Tora’s family legacy is now being used by a group of murderers who want to destroy the world and kill his friends. This could have been used to make the young, naive Tora reflect on his part in this, since he and his family effectively opened the door to allow them all to do this. Heck, we could have even seen him wonder if it was even right to create Poppi at all. But he doesn’t. Tora gets briefly mad at Bana but otherwise never brings it up again , nor does his outlook or attitude change at all. Sure Poppi gets a power up, and this is actually a great moment for her. But this is supposed to be the resolution of Tora’s character arc and he doesn’t do or say anything meaningful. Plus, after this he fades into the background, only providing unfunny otaku jokes. Sure, Mòrag and Zeke also kind of fade in and out of relevance, but at least their dialogue and actions in major story scenes subtly show new or changing aspects of their characters as the story progresses. I can’t say the same for Tora.  The thing is, we do get hints of this theme...in Poppi’s arc. In Chapter Eight, Poppi reflects on her nature as a living weapon, on what her technology could be used for down the line, with or without her say in the matter. And this is something Mythra is able to empathise with, having spent centuries being afraid of her own power, and wondering if the world would be better off without her. It’s a wonderful scene for both characters. But I can’t help but think this should have been an ongoing concern for both Tora and Poppi’s characters for most of the game, rather than just bringing it up now with just Poppi. It could have given Chapter Four more weight if its events had more of an impact on Tora, and if Poppi picked up on Tora’s own doubts, before she voices them to Mythra.

You could even have given more substance to the PoppiQTπ sidequest. Maybe make this scene the resolution to this arc as Tora, now reunited with his father, talks through his worries with him, as they work on upgrading Poppi, if he’s ok with knowing that people could use their research for evil, only for Tatazo to sadly explain that that’s the sad reality of being a pioneer. You can’t predict what your discovery could one day result in, and it’s up to Tora to decide if he’s willing to press on despite that. Then after QTπ is complete, we could see Tora and the now almost fully sentient Poppi, discuss this, reaffirming that Tora’s proud of Poppi, that he’s glad they met, and that they both still want to be Driver and Blade knowing the risks. I actually like the subtle detail that PoppiQTπ looks a lot like Mythra. It’s a great subtle expression both of how far Tora’s skills as an inventor have come, and of his admiration of Rex. He’s built a mini-Aegis so he can be like his hero. But I think this side quest could have been a much stronger conclusion to Tora’s character arc if the writers cut the cringy humour, and went all the way with the themes and ideas they set up.  

Truthfully, I didn’t need to change much because the ideas for Tora’s character arc are all there. What it lacks, is any real response from Tora that suggests the game’s story has impacted him in any way. But in the actual game, he feels like the exact same character he was when the game started, and compared to how much growth the various heroes and villains of Xenoblade 2 go through, he sticks out like a sore thumb.

Tora had the potential to be a really sympathetic and interesting character, a lonely boy genius who made a huge step in his scientific field, who gets to see the world with his new friends, but also has to come to terms with the ugly realities of not just the world at large, but his own creation. Unfortunately, the writing doesn’t commit to the ideas it introduces with his character, and drags him down with misguided attempts at humour, that cause many players to dismiss him outright. At best, he’s an accessory to Poppi, who is a far better developed and more likable character. The result is a huge wasted opportunity in an otherwise splendid game. And that’s a real shame.

#the pieces are there for tora #but it just doesn't come together #xenoblade 2 has a lot of great characters #but to me tora is the exception to the rule #xenoblade chronicles #xenoblade 2 #tora xenoblade #poppi xenoblade #character discussion #i rant about obscure characters who i think could have been better maybe perhaps?