#Tain Way

[vaguely-concerned]

there are a lot of daddy issues to go around on DS9 in general, but odo, bashir and garak are really in their own special little fucked up 'what am I but wrought in my father's image' club

#star trek #star trek ds9 #ds9 #odo #julian bashir #elim garak #(I personally think we should put their dads in a cage match and let them kill each other. tain would probably win #but we could just shoot him after he claimed that victory. I Would Like To See It) #the triumvirate of bad dads to karmically oppose the sheer power of good dad vibes benjamin sisko has #specifically dads who Cannot and Will Not allow the healthy individuation of their sons into whole separate people #apart from what their father's hands have shaped them into #where that is one of the first things sisko accepts and realizes he must allow jake to do right at the early seasons #the bad dad club boys seem more specifically forcibly held in place to serve as mirrors for their fathers #and have to find ways to break away from that in more or less graceful ways; breaking off more or less important parts of themselves #to do so #dr mora seems to have a 'oh fuck.' moment where he sort of realizes what he's done #but the sympathy that gains him from me is hm. neglible lmao at least tain is basically fully just a monster #what's your excuse mora #I haven't met bashir's dad properly yet but I've seen enough to suspect I'm not going to be very charitably inclined towards him either

[fauvester]

s2 garak you could not waterboard him to say a word that starts with O. s7 garak telling everyone around him Well when /I/ was the right hand leader of the Obsidian Order tm-

#dee s 9 #i know its bad writing #but i do like to believe that hes just done a 180 like Fuck It! Fuck It All! #his greatest point of pride! his Mission! fuck it though! fuck the OO! fuck tain! he's gonna turn it into JOKE FODDER! #OR he chooses whichever approach is most obnoxious #postwar disaster garak voice Well in the obsidian order we were taught how to meditate to lower our metabolic requirements #julian like bully for you but /i/ need to eat. and i suspect you must just enjoy the ritual of it #garak When i was in the obs- #young elim: WHEN I WAS IN THE OBSIDIAN ORDER WE WALKED TO THE SPACEPORT UPHILL BOTH WAYS NO SHOES ON A KLINGON BATTLEFIELD *bangs pots*

[lilareviewsbooks]

"You can't even tell the truth about pineapple." Tau threw up their hands. "Principles help you, you lied about pineapple. You are a hole in the heart."

The Tyrant Baru Cormorant, Seth Dickinson

#fantasy books #currently reading #the way i cackled #ttbc #the traitor baru cormorant #the masquerade #baru cormorant #tau indi #tain hu

[sapphosewrites]

Lots of discussion in lab meeting today about the human brain as a pattern recognition machine and how much resources it devotes to interpreting situations so that it will be better able to quickly predict their outcome in the future

And so I'm thinking about our boy Julian and his genetically enhanced pattern recognition machine, and wondering if part of the appeal of Garak is that he defies prediction

#did you bet he was going to blow up his own shop #did you bet Tain was his dad? #did you bet he's finally going to admit to being a spy because he thinks he's on his deathbed from his own addiction? #what else keeps you on your toes in a way that makes you feel intellectually engaged and challenged rather than lost and alone?

[comic-sans-chan]

Teenage Garashir is really something special. You know Julian was a crazy son of a bitch as a teen and Garak was a sarcastic stuffy little shit with his nose glued in a book. Julian obsessing over tennis and racquetball with a perpetual middle finger pointed towards his parents and Garak weeping over Cardassian Stephanie Meyer alone in his tiny bedroom while Tain throws knives at his door and Mila shouts at him to do the dishes. Julian's drooling over five different people at once and Garak's thinking hauntedly about that cute guy he had to kill last week while he mows the lawn. They both crave death, but sparks fly the second they lay eyes on each other. Garak's trying to figure out the logistics of balancing a secret agent career and an alien husband while Julian's just daydreaming about stuffing his face in his chest and suffocating. It's a shitshow and it's magnificent.

#my posts #garashir #awkward idiot teen garashir #garak sees julian and is like ''we will wed at dawn'' #julian's just thinking about smashing and dashing #until they rly get to know each other and julian realizes garak is a special princess spy guy and deserves diamonds and love ballads #and garak realizes tain's gonna be Big Pissed and starts trying to push julian away to no avail #julian's throwing pebbles at garak's window and tain's tossing grenades #garak pulling julian into clandestine meeting places just to dramatically proclaim ''we mustn't'' and cry a single crystalline tear #knowing full well julian's just gonna use it as an opportunity to snog him #and he loves it #garak grumbling to tain ''you and mila are together i don't see what the problem is'' and tain goes full mother gothel on his ass #literally just romeo and juliet but stupider and more than likely ends not with poetic death but them responsibly parting ways #only to stumble across each other again on ds9 #''but comicsans the age differe-'' sorry i seem to have misplaced my ears #''but the wars-'' oh my ears where did they go

[slippinninque]

Fontaine from they cloned Tyrone seem like the type to get jealous easy. What do you think he’s like when he’s jealous

I think he'll be jealous if he REALLY likes you.

I think he responds well to reciprocation, so it would be all the worse if you're all cute and flirty with him--you're his lol.

Even if ya'll don't make it official out loud, you're still going to be his lady lol.

A quiet forcefield would put around you but you're so smitten that you don't notice the ice cold glares he gives to eyes that linger too long.

If you are particularly friendly, it might be a bit of an...adjustment for him. Ultimately he would want you to be happy and he wasn't one of them dudes that wanted to isolate you but he couldn't stand the thought of ever losing you.

But he will be right there by your side, the doting boyfriend with the eyes of a hawk. Of course it could make his 'target' a it squirmy, but you know how your 'Taine is and you know what he needs.

Reassurance.

So you dial up the affection. Playing with his fingers, putting your hands together and grinning at the difference in size. Darting in to brush your nose against his, putting his arm over your shoulder and batting your eyes up at him. Every and any thing you can do to tell him "I'm all yours, baby" until he drops his shoulders and relaxes.

Until that squint vanishes from his gaze, you're all over him.

In his mind, he thinks he's being covert but you're like 👀🤭

#he would pout too but in a 'Taine way #fontaine #they cloned tyrone #him be so cute 🥺

[sofhtie]

aminata isisegu. hello. hello. do u all even care. does anyone even care that she’s the worlds worst girl. hello. hello

#sorry i read that chapter where she’s transphobic and then says the melon thing again. #she’s like if a girl had everything wrong with her. and was getting black holed 🥺 #halfway through book three when it’s the first time she’s been among other orati. 👍👍👍👍👍 #when tau confronts her about how bad she wants it to be her and baru against the world #all the ways she exists in the wake of tain hu but also knew baru before that 👍 #no one’s doing it like (as badly as) her 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 #traitor baru #nicki talks #baru cormorant #aminata isisegu

[raionmimi]

I love your art of Setanta and Medb Lily, is there any evidence of them actually being childhood friends in the Ulster Cycle?

Short answer: Not exactly, it was just me piecing together timelines that are extremely vague and plot points that would make way more sense if fleshed out more. So I started making comics based on my childhood and kids I know for a surreal idealization that would be the catalyst for their problems when they fight in the war

Long Answer:

All that I know is that Fergus is 20-ish years older than Conchobar. Conchobar is older than Medb, who would have to have been in the 10~16 range and been officially married at 15-16. (I’m assuming she’d be about 17-18 when divorced because she was forced to bear an heir) Cú was 5 when he came to Ulster and about 7-10 when he left, but it’s never mentioned that the two talked to each other at that time since it’s not relevant to the story

But it would make sense that they met considering their relationship to Conchobar, who was Medb’s betrothed and Cu’s uncle. Even further, Cu’s warp spasm when he was 7 was stopped by Mugain, who was Medb’s sister. Meaning, Medb was probably there when it occurred, but there wasn’t a reason to mention her

Then in one story, Cú and his friends decide to get Medb and Ailill to be judges for their “Who’s the best warrior” competition. They figured they’d be the most fair, but this was prior to the war. How would they be familiar with the Connacht rulers since Cú doesn’t really spend much time with official political shenanigans? All three had to have known of Medb and Ailill before this event. Since Medb often hosted people from other kingdoms, namely Ulster, they probably have all visited her nation before

It all kind of leads back to Cú knowing Medb personally, which could give more emphasis and weight as to why he listened to all her demands/schemes and refused to harm/fight her in the war. It’s unknown if he knew what abuse was happening to her when she was married to his uncle or what his uncle did to her after they got divorced. BUT we do know his uncle directly confronted Cú and demanded him to kill Medb, and Cú said he refused to his face

Then you have Fate’s interpretation. Medb is treated more like a troublesome neighbor rather than a threat. Cú lets her off with a slap on the wrist more than anything. He tells you in a voiceline that Medb is one of the women he broke a promise to so he wants to be more reliable this time. Fate has never mentioned what promise he made Medb, even though you can guess what he probs promised Emer, Scathach, and maybe Morrigan. Medb says she wants to dominate Cú but she never does much to actually do that because there’s some invisible line drawn that she herself put down

In my brain, it makes sense that there is something connecting the two with an unsaid past. One that drives Medb to having mixed feelings about Cú (both hating him but not being able to leave him alone) and Cú to feeling like he has to be there for Medb. Something that neither really wants to talk too much about, and especially not with each other

The easiest connection would be them being friends at a young age when they met in the Ulster kingdom. They’re both lowkey unwelcomed as Conchobar abuses Medb for her refusal to yield to him, and he didn’t even want Setanta to join his army at first. He kind of hates and fears both of them. Makes sense for them to just be regular kids together to set up the dynamic change for later.

A shattered friendship is one of the most devastating things that could happen to a child growing up, and could easily warp to an obsessive hatred and lingering guilt. Leads to feelings like “You betrayed me,” “Why didn’t you take me with you?” or “I wasn’t there for you, I need to make up for it.”

I like tragicomedies a lot, so I think it’s the best foundation for both causing and healing the severe rift between them when they’re older

So no, there’s no actual source material that would outright say that they’re childhood friends, it’s just something that would make the most amount of sense when you go back and align the dots. At least to me in my brain

#tain bo cuailnge #magical college girl medb #retained memories #long post #i hope that makes sense #rip mobile users #I like creating happy memories of Lily and Setanta #because it makes Cú and Medb that much more tragic and angst ridden #like it’s one thing to be angry that a warrior won’t take you seriously in a fight #it’s another when it’s your old friend who pities you and won’t let you take out your anger on him because he cares about you too much #it just gives them more depth and clarity for their actions #they’re kind of a cautionary tale that parallels rin and shirou in a way I guess

[smarti-at-smogwarts]

The thing about Jacob is that no matter how you write him you still have at the core of his story a sixteen year old kid who trusted the wrong person and got trapped for years like he’s sixteen and he’s in some magical version of solitary confimenent, He’s sixteen and he has to sit there and not see his friends and family he’s sixteen and his best friend is dead and he can talk to no one and like no matter how smart he could have been how was he supposed to see this coming he’s sixteen and does time even pass in the vault he’s sixteen and the last time he saw his loved ones he probably thought he’d see them again he’s sixteen he’s sixteen

#acey speaking #hphm #i go zero to feral real quick aboutt his like #hyperfixations come and go the jacob brainrot is eternal #it tains and gets stronger when im focused on something else #..ill be quiet now dont look at me lmao #i didnt have to do shit to make this kid a sad bastard he came that way #like a barbie but instead of accessories its sad lore

[riseupriseupandcomealong]

is it ethical to make my housemates listen to 20 minutes of this presentation? maybe not but it’s what they’ll have to live with

#once a semester we have a powerpoint presentation night which began as a way for the stem kids to tell the theater kids abt their #areas of study #now it’s just “talk about whatever you want night” #ulster cycle #tain bo cuailnge #the ulster cycle #longes mac nuislenn

[trans-cuchulainn]

okay so you know how there's a scene fairly on in In Loco Parentis where they mention the idea of going to see a new film about nureyev, like as a wee ballet nerd date. well i started writing ILP at the very end of 2018 meaning that the film being referenced is the white crow, only i never actually saw it, because it only showed in really select cinemas and i missed it. and i haven't been able to find anywhere to watch it. but today i finally got my hands on a dvd of it so i actually get to see it now, 4.5 years after i put it in a fic

#it's a shitty college au of the tain and i love it #i have no idea if it'll be any good but hopefully the dancing will be nice #first i need to find a way of playing a dvd though lol

[vaguely-concerned]

tain and garak are just the familial version of that 'babe/fellow associate' meme. the 'beloved father whose forgiveness I would do anything to obtain even knowing you'll never give it/this is elim he's a cherished colleague of long standing' situation here is. so grim fhsdkjafhsa

(not me thinking about julian's 'I forgive you. For whatever it is you did' and odo's 'garak, I was thinking that you and I should have breakfast sometime' and even parmak eventually forgives him vs. tain in this ep with deliberate cruelty going 'I can't forgive you for what you did, but I can try to forget'. the way he keeps making garak beg him for this one thing from him over and over just so he can deny him with incredible malicious precision every time.)

#is tain's semi-madness punishment enough. no. we must go mercymorn acid jail on this fucker #elim garak #enabran tain #star trek #star trek ds9 #ds9 #HE'S A CHERISHED COLLEAGUE OF LONG STANDING. and other normal ways of saying 'my child' #odo is so funny and so sweet around all of this tho. garak's daddy issues are so pitiful the good constable went #'you know what garak I think you've got enough to deal with here and you did apologize we're basically good'

[natjennie]

the captain. UM.

sooo himcore for real

#all cats are autistic. captain is such a catboy fr. #the silly way he peeks his head around the corner. cat behavior #the cat-tain #<- new tag for catboy cap posting #the captain #bbc ghosts

[soldier-poet-king]

Anyway. The traitor Baru Comorant. I will never recover from this. I need to sit and think about it for the rest of my life.

#i dont read fully entirely unhappy books #i need the hope #and this is just. unending pain. #it is a tragedy in the classic sense. a masterclass of intrigue and baru's fall (rise?) #what a psychologically harrowing book. what a disturbing book. what an excellent book #i won't even way i enjoyed it. that's not the right word. but it sure is smthn #where do I even start. father salm. amanita. muire lo. purity cartone. farrier. tain hu. lyxaxu. the sea duke. the xate siblings #THE APPARITOR. literally just gut punch after gut punch

[tainebot01]

My first ever D&D character! - a human sorcerer with blue dragon ancestry, Clementine dreams of being an artificer but has terrible luck with her own inventions due to her magic interfering with the technology. She’s trying her best though!

#dungeons and dragons #d&d #d&d art #d&d oc #d&d character #as for her personality… #I heard that the best way to start role playing in D&D is to act how you normally act #so she’s basically me #but with even worse social skills #‘is talking fast an anxiety thing?’ - one of our players #no it’s a Taine thing #her wanting to be an artificer is also a reflection of how badly I want to make an artificer character #despite being completely new to D&D #maybe she’ll multiclass one day? who knows

[athetos]

I was going to make a joke like “what do all these women fucking see in Baru?? She’s a self-described feral arithmetic ghoul! And it’s impossible to trust her, as far as everyone else in the books is aware of she’d sell them to Satan for one corn chip!” But I can’t because the truth is I would be part of the Baru harem. I would be crawling after her on hands and knees even though my brain would be screaming at my pussy that this is a bad idea. I’d let her tie me up then get distracted infodumping about joint ventures to someone who is actively trying to lobotomize her and id still be down to fuck when she came back 4 hours later. There’s just something about her autistic swag and charming mental illnesses and economy-ruining antics that I would throwing myself at her at the soonest opportunity.

#baru cormorant #and if I met baru AND Tain hu? say a prayer for me because there’s no way my pussy will survive