#alternative theory she’s not actually in love with him during tos she just wants more sex and Spock won’t fuck til marriage and divorce

[rivercule]

“Spock and Chapel had a little thing but he was much more into it than she was and so he got his heart broken when she left for her job and met someone else and completely lost any feelings he might have had for her in the pain of her singing a sexy little song about how she’s down for a fling but her real love is archeological medicine. She, however, probably never quite got over him because they had no proper closure” sure why not

#alternative theory she’s not actually in love with him during tos she just wants more sex and Spock won’t fuck til marriage and divorce #I really like that their breakup involved a sexy lounge number about how it was never that serious for her #one day she’s going to drug him into loving her. Spock baby call HR #also I’m 2/3 of the way through this episode and I don’t think Uhura has had any significant song time? I know she’s in a good place #emotionally right now but one would think the character known for her love of singing and music would sing a bit in the musical episode #Spock #Christine chapel #Star Trek #snw #liveblog #snw spoilers

[discotreque]

Red Yarn & Thumbtacks Into Darkness

We all know I can’t predict plot points to save my life, and my track record w/r/t this season of Picard is quite bad so far… but neither can I stop myself from formulating wild theories about where this whole hot mess is going. And maybe it’s just the meandering narrative, but the show keeps getting opportunities to disprove these, and it just hasn’t, which means now I have to inflict them on y’all so my head doesn’t explode. Buckle up!

Theory #1: Remmick’s Revenge

(Speaking of exploding heads…)

The thing in Picard 1.0’s brain that isn’t Irumodic Syndrome after all? The thing that’s also in his DNA, and has therefore has been passed on to Jack? The thing that isn’t part of Picard 2.0’s positronic body? The thing that seems to be beckoning Jack, with creepy red organic imagery, to join/connect with some kind of hive mind?

It’s one of the parasites from “Conspiracy” in TNG S1. It got into Picard during that episode, but after the other parasites were exposed and killed, it went dormant and waited for a better opportunity to strike, rewriting his DNA to make sure he’d be an ideal host when the time came.

But that time never came, and the DNA modifications and/or the presence of the parasite slowly damaged Picard’s brain (in a way similar to Irumodic Syndrome, I guess), which eventually killed his original body. And when Section 31 retrieved that body to take to Daystrom Station, the parasite was still inside: maybe dead too, maybe still dormant, but nothing that a nice fresh sample of modified, ideal-host DNA from Jack couldn’t fix.

Whoever’s giving Vadic her orders when she talks to the hand isn’t (just) trying to reignite the Dominion War—they’re trying to resurrect the parasite conspiracy.

Theory #2: Lateral Advancement

I loved that Lower Decks S3 presented not being in Starfleet as an equally valid and (at least potentially) equally rewarding path for Mariner. Obviously she chose Starfleet, but they made the alternative appealing enough that the obvious choice still had some weight to it. And every week I’m getting more and more sure that PIC S3 is mounting a similar challenge to the idea that every Starfleet officer, if they survive long enough, will—and wants to—become captain of their own ship.

Because listen, I love Shaw as much as the next damaged bitch who confuses “asshole” for “charm,” but babygirl does not seem like he’s thriving in the big chair. The only times we ever see him remotely comfortable—and neither lashing out nor squirming with the effort not to—is when he’s forced back into his old grease-monkey role.

If Captain Shaw survives the season—and at this point, it feels like he probably will—I think (and also hope) that he’s going to transfer out of Command entirely and become the first four-pip Chief Engineer since Scotty in the TOS movies. He and everyone around him would be so much happier.

Theory #3: Feint Praise

They had to know this season would be released weekly while they were writing it—like the seven preceding seasons of live-action New Trek were—so the fact that it’s obviously been written and edited for a binge-watch can only be deliberate sadism. Those fuckers.

However. Earlier this season, when I first watched 3.03, I thought it sucked pretty bad as a standalone episode: weird pacing, incomplete arcs, multiple anti-climactic lacks of payoff, etc. Then I rewatched it back-to-back with Episode 3.04 a week later, and realized 3.03 is actually a pretty decent first half of a two-part episode, and the absolutely outstanding second half corrected or cancelled out nearly every complaint I’d had anyway.

Well, here we are again, and I have a lot of complaints about 3.07. The pacing is weird, the character arcs feel incomplete at best, the amount of setup vs. payoff is way out of whack, and it seems to break some pretty fundamental rules of modern cinematic storytelling for no better reason than to suddenly start rushing this slow-ass plot along.

And all of those complaints are well within the ability of next week’s episode to retroactively address, if it’s indeed the second half to this week’s first. And especially so soon after my last volte-face, I’m more than comfortable giving them an extra week to dig themselves out of this one—they might actually pull it off.

#star trek #star trek picard #star trek picard spoilers #picard spoilers #picard season 3 #amy.txt

[redasatomato]

What If/Potential Scenario for consideration: Loveater Episode

Before Loveater comes out, I want to make a guess/what if post for what plays out in the episode, as well as long term set up for the Love Square? Considering what we know about Kwami Buster and the synopsis about Love Eater...

What if the idea of Marinette being Ladybug ends up not leaving Adrien’s mind since then Kwami Buster? He knows what he saw that day, the advice Plagg’s given, the current implications of what might happen if there’s an identity reveal too early—by all accounts, he shouldn’t spare thought to it too much anymore for the time being. For both of their sakes.

But instead, he ends up dwelling on it, finding himself really truly genuinely wishing that Marinette were Ladybug. That maybe in spite of current evidence, there’s some way she could be! That maybe there’s some loophole, something obvious he’s missing. And at some point, there’s a build up between Kwami Buster and Love Eater with him to connecting the dots that why he’s so hung up over the idea is less about identity implications or whatever else, but rather, he’s already fallen hard for Marinette, for awhile now, even.

On the other hand, Marinette doesn’t realize this and thinks he has eyes for Kagami. And with Kagami and Adrien being both her friends, and signs pointing to trying to move on for the meantime being the “proper” choice or something, she tries to sacrifice her feelings, leaving those two alone... Only for that act to provide the right opportunity/circumstances/time/leverage that allows for Adrien to realize and admit aloud yeah, he’s realized he’s fallen in love with Marinette this whole time.

Bonus: He says this out loud in front of Kagami, who’d gotten closer to him over the season, and had come to that conclusion herself much much earlier. This triggers a sort of “No chip, Sherlock. (Now what are you going to do about it?)” moment from her. Cue a but there’s Luka or some equivalent statement. There’s no way she’s ever seen him in that light. (Callback to WereDad, he recalls her confessing to Chat Noir, though he can’t tell Kagami that bit.) Cue a you actually asked her point blank how she feels? Do what you want, but know that inaction is also a decision in of itself, and you better be willing to pay the consequences of it if that’s the hill he’s willing to fry on. She steps aside as Adrien books it in the direction of where he saw Marinette go last.

Meanwhile, the akuma happens. Marinette had been there when Loveater became a thing and quickly discovers that they aim to devour the (romantic) love in Paris. (Scenario: She’s covering for Adrien and Kagami at the ceremony, so that’s why she has to come back to the ceremony after helping Adrien and Kagami escape beforehand.) Transformations occur and she has to fight Loveater alone since Adrien’s too far away to realize what’s happened still.

Quickly, the fight makes it so Ladybug has to run to where she knows she left Adrien and Kagami alone... to find Kagami alone, no Adrien in sight. This triggers Ladybug to think something is wrong, in a why Adrien would leave Kagami during a crisis like this, but since it’s Ladybug time, she can’t reveal that she knows Adrien is supposed to be there, and so can’t ask Kagami where he is. She’s able to get Kagami and whoever else to safety, just in time for things to click for Ladybug to conclude “What if Adrien is Chat Noir?” as for the reason for his disappearance. (Marinette’s never been more simultaneously right and wrong in that moment.)

There’s no time to process all the implications of this conclusion, as there’s still a very tough akuma to fight. No Tikki to talk things out with, like what Adrien had in Plagg back in Kwami Buster, since she’s transformed. Marinette’s still upset about her own love sacrifice, so she understandably glosses over the fact that the implication of her conclusions mean that Chat Noir aka Adrien was in love with Ladybug all along and not Kagami.

Turns out Adrien is running back to the ceremony to talk to Marinette in the wake of his realizations, finds it’s the aftermath of akuma time instead, so he transforms and runs back in the direction he left to fight.

Bonus: He finds something Marinette left behind in civilian form and takes it as her being attacked/victimized by Loveater.

So both she and Chat Noir fight against Love Eater distracted due to their respective situations to notice why they’re both so off key that time. Chat’s fighting but is more off key because he’s worried about what happened to Marinette, but feels he cannot tell Ladybug without risking outing himself as Adrien. Ladybug misunderstands it as him being worried about Kagami’s safety, but feels she cannot tell him outright that he can stop worrying as Kagami is safe without implicating herself as Marinette.

The Mistake™ Ladybug makes ends up making is giving Chloé her miraclous back when pressed for options. Victim of circumstances kind of mistake. Ladybug thinks she’s not vulnerable to Loveater’s devouring love thing (due to her sacrifice), while Chat Noir aka Adrien is. She feels she can’t let Chat take the hits for multiple reasons (Adrien theory, the feelings she thinks he has for Kagami, etc.), but she needs another ally in the fight. Normally, Alya and Nino are her go-tos, but they are compromised because they know each other’s identities as boyfriend/girlfriend and thus would be vulnerable.

Alternatively: They might have also been incapacitated at this point by Loveater in their civilian forms, if the identity issue isn’t what’s addressed.)

Additionally, Fu needs Wayzz because Hawkmoth and Mayura know him to be the Guardian still, as of Feast. It isn’t ideal, and it’s against her better judgement, but Chloé is the only immediate ally she can find that won’t get compromised by the akuma’s powers. There’s always a risk with plans and Ladybug decides that the risk involved with it being Chloé’s parents is a risk she’s going to have to take. Queen Bee proves competent in the fight for awhile, but is ultimately compromised long term (aka next episode) because Loveater knows she’s their daughter.

It becomes evident in the episode how important and complicated secret identities are, but also that the current system/policy on that is flawed—it’s not a black and white situation, so mindsets are going to have to shift long term. Additionally, it ends up reinforcing that Ladybug and Chat Noir need each other as partners, filling their own unique, but equally meaningful roles in their dynamic together. It’s implicated that in the long run, they’ll be better off knowing each other’s identities both in and out of the mask, but after they sort out/address the loose ends and messy bits. Both heroes might have been frazzled and distracted in the fight at first, but soon are able to get a grip and win temporarily before Hawkmoth and Mayura get to Chloé.

Ladybug and Chat Noir find themselves needing to recharge before going out to fight again, so they separate, detransform, and have Tikki/Plagg eat up quickly before meeting up again.

Bonus: They run into each other during the brief down time and Adrien can’t help but either ask Marinette what her true feelings are for him, confesses his own hodgepodge of feelings, or a mix of both. Marinette either refuses to expose her feelings if the former, rejects him if he confesses, or a mix of both. There’s a rejection no matter what, unfortunately.

The “Adrien is Chat Noir” theory Marinette came up with is challenged somehow in the next episode, so status quo can be somewhat returned without an identity reveal, but the wheels are in motion for some dynamic shifting. Luka and Kagami are still involved, but in a way that gives them all closure. I have a theory or two I feel might happen to those two in particular, but that’s another story for another day—this post is kind of getting long.

With everything that went down, it’s setting up for more of a full throttle reversal of the love square, while still maintaining the affections of the current love square set up. Basically, exploring and upping more of the romantic focus for Marinette/Ladybug -> Chat and Adrien/Chat -> Marinette, while maintaining/strengthening some Marinette/Ladybug -> Adrien and Adrien/Chat -> Ladybug. Feelings don’t go away in a day, and the implication here is for an even more solidified she/he loves him/her both in and out of the mask in a romantic light on top of the platonic light, before a proper reveal happens.

Bonus: Season 4 cues also a lot of wistful “Okay, but what if he/she is though?”

Post-Reveal Pre-Relationship is going to be a ride and a half when it’s time for it.

#miraculous ladybug #ml spoilers #ml leaks #marinette dupain-cheng #adrien agreste #this has been a text post #posting from mobile so please excuse the formatting #sodjisjdidkd i’m not 100% married to the ideas here but it’s been on my mind for awhile and Kwami Buster unleashed the floodgates for me #okay additional tags just in case i’m right on anything #loveater spoilers #love eater spoilers #ml loveater