#and it can be stressful to see stuff that reminds you of that bigotry and the way those ppl use the work to justify their own worldview

[pacificgasandelectric]

Current Events in Silm fandom rlly reinforce my feeling that, despite claiming an ethos of acceptance/tolerance of anything that doesn't hurt ppl, a lot of ppl in the section of Silm fandom I frequent do follow a set of socially-agreed-upon mores about what concepts are "not acceptable" to discuss or propose (or the ways in which certain topics must be discussed to be acceptable), that you all seem to have agreed on despite the things those mores restrict not being harmful to anyone.

And when someone does say smth that violates those mores, the response is disproportionate to the amount of harm done (which is typically none, imo). I know it's tempting to say "but we just want people to be comfortable and safe", but treating ppl badly for the sin of sharing thoughts you dislike is NOT the same as preventing people from doing things that are harmful. The former is much more of a harmful behavior than the sharing of the thoughts that sets it off. Fannish etiquette, people: you shouldn’t act like someone’s meta makes them morally suspect just because you disagree with it; save the “this is morally bad” for things that are ACTUALLY harmful. We're all stuck on this website together & if you want to have any sort of community, you need to ACT like you're in a community, and that means letting other people say things you dislike. Block them if you need to! I block people all the time because i know it's better for me AND for them if we can both blog in peace.

I am not particularly comfortable with the young-queer-on-tumblr silm fandom rn due to this tendency to rebuke things that are uncomfortable rather than harmful. Maybe that's fine with you. But if your goal is to make all fans feel comfortable and accepted, you need to actually do that. If your goal is to make people who share your unwritten rules comfortable in your space, you need to admit that, and write those rules down, and curate your space so it follows them.

Edited 8:10am PST to clarify the specifics of the behavior I find concerning.

#mine #if there had been Actual Harm done i'd feel differently #but when ppl are this worked up over 'what if [female character] was Also a bad person in a way that's reprehensible to our current morals' #and start going ‘hm this person is morally suspect for their Taste In Fiction’ im like. yikes! and you do this in the War Crimes Fandom?! #and like listen i Get that esp in this fandom there's a high incidence of like. ppl who are genuinely bigoted and stuff #and it can be stressful to see stuff that reminds you of that bigotry and the way those ppl use the work to justify their own worldview #but that STILL doesn't give anyone the right to police stuff that Isn't Bigoted. that's just not how this works. #and then in terms of 'well it's not policing it's just disagreeing' i have to say. that's where Etiquette comes in and i'm frankly #unhappy & annoyed that so many ppl in my age group seem to care more about being Right than being comfortable to share a fannish space with #but again whatever maybe they don't want me in their space. that's fine! i don't want to be in your space if it doesn't want me. #but i wish they'd fucking ADMIT THAT instead of going 'ooooh we accept everyone' and then turning around #and censuring ppl whose ideas they find icky. you can't have it both ways is all i'm saying. pick one and actually do it. for all our sakes #haha i might regret this tomorrow but i'm sooooo sleep-deprived and so annoyed #sorry to my non-silm followers it's just that i'm right and i should say it

[withinstarrynightskies]

Rules & Things to Know

SELECTIVITY. Somewhat selective about who I interact with. Mutuals centric(?). Bigotry will not be tolerated here. Crossover and OC friendly!! I will do threads with personal blogs, and you don’t have to be my mutual to do a thread with me.

TRIGGERS. I refuse to roleplay anything with nail gore, trypophobia, or sexual topics. Suicide and self harm are iffy- if you want to include that stuff in one of our threads, please tag it as tw suicide or tw sh. Spoilers and triggering things will be tagged to the best of my ability, and if I do something in one of our rps that’s triggering to you, please let me know!! I can fix the response up!

RELATIONSHIPS. Pre-established relationships are iffy to me. Please ask me beforehand if you wanna do a preestablished relationship plot. Nothing romantic though. Shipping is low priority on this blog!! I don’t mind shipping our muses, just dm me first!! Do not force ships onto me.

THREADS. Since Tumblr notifs r wack, If it’s been a hot second since I responded, you can remind me abt a thread, but please don’t force me to reply. It makes me stressed. Most of the time, I like to wing my plots. But if you wanna plot, go ahead and dm me!! I’ll do the same to you if I’m confused on something, or wanna take the plot a bit further!! If an rp isn’t going well for you, please let me know so we can do something better!! I try my best to match writing length.

INTERACTIONS. Only mutuals can have my Discord. I don’t really do rps on there. If you no longer wish to interact with me, please hardblock me. I will do the same to you- please don’t take it personally.

ACTIVITY. School is up right now, so I won’t be too active. This also isn’t my main blog, so I’ll only log onto here like. Probably once a week or something. You’ll usually see me chilling at @caniscreamintoanabyss .

REBLOG KARMA. If you’re going to rb an ask meme/starter/other from me, please send an ask for that meme or thing before doing so or reblog from the source.

ABOUT THE MOD. Hi!!! I’m Moss, he/moth pronouns- I’m a minor. I use tone tags whenever I talk ooc! I don’t have too much rp experience, but I have been writing for. A shit ton of years!!! I’m looking forward to writing with all of you! All of these manga panels I reply with have been colored by yours truly, and if any one of you steals it I am going to hunt you down for sport.

[consumption-ofsins]

MANUAL

FOREWARNING. Due to the nature of Geto Suguru and Jujutsu Kaisen; this blog is sure to contain themes of gore, depression, genocide, weird relationships with food, and general violence. To add on, Geto is an unfamiliar character to me, so if some things are wack, please be patient!! Also, I’m unable to cut posts because of beta editor.

SELECTIVITY. Somewhat selective about who I interact with. Mutuals-centric. Bigotry will not be tolerated here. Crossover, OC, and duplicate friendly!! I will do threads with personal blogs, and you don't have to be my mutual to do a thread with me.

TRIGGERS. I refuse to roleplay anything with nail gore, trypophobia, or sexual topics. Suicide and self harm are iffy- if you want to include that stuff in one of our threads, please tag it as tw suicide or tw sh. Spoilers and triggering things will be tagged to the best of my ability, and if I do something in one of our rps that's triggering to you, please let me know!! I can fix the response up!

RELATIONSHIPS. Pre-established relationships are iffy to me. Please ask me beforehand if you wanna do a preestablished relationship plot. Nothing romantic though. I love to ship! Shipping is amazing!!! Please just let me know first if you wanna ship our muses. Do not force ships onto me.

THREADS. Since Tumblr notifs r wack, if it's been a hot second since I responded, you can remind me abt a thread, but please don't force me to reply. It makes me stressed. Most of the time, I like to wing my plots. But if you wanna plot, go ahead and dm me!! I'II do the same to you if l'm confused on something, or wanna take the plot a bit further!! If an rp isn't going well for you, please let me know so we can do something better!! I try my best to match writing length.

INTERACTIONS. Only mutuals can have my Discord. I don't really do rps on there. If you no longer wish to interact with me, please hardblock me. I will do the same to you- please don't take it personally.

ACTIVITY. School is up right now, so I won't be too active. This also isn't my main blog, so l'll only log onto here like. Probably once a week or something. You'll usually see me chilling at @caniscreamintoanabyss .

REBLOG KARMA. If you're going to rb an ask meme/starter/other from me, please send an ask for that meme or thing before doing so or reblog from the source.

ABOUT THE RESEARCHER. Hi!!! I'm Moss, moth/him pronouns- l'm a minor. I use tone tags whenever I talk ooc! I don't have too much rp experience (been here for a few months) but I have been writing for. A shit ton of years!!! I'm looking forward to writing with all of you!

[retiredshinigami]

Rules

WHAT TO EXPECT. Interactions come from @withinstarrynightskies. I am very unfamiliar with Isshin's character, so if I get something wrong, please be patient with me. This blog is not spoiler-free, but I will try my best to tag spoilers. For the time being, I will remain iconless. I will write for both past and present Ishhin.

SELECTIVITY. Somewhat selective about who I interact with. Mutuals centric(?). Bigotry will not be tolerated here. Crossover and OC friendly!! I will do threads with personal blogs, and you don't have to be my mutual to do a thread with me.

TRIGGERS. I refuse to roleplay anything with nail gore, trypophobia, or sexual topics. Suicide and self harm are iffy- if you want to include that stuff in one of our threads, please tag it as tw suicide or tw sh. Spoilers and triggering things will be tagged to the best of my ability, and if I do something in one of our rps that's triggering to you, please let me know!! can fix the response up!

RELATIONSHIPS. I love pre-established relationships!! Please ask me beforehand if you wanna do a preestablished relationship plot. Nothing romantic though. Shipping is very low priority on this blog!! I don't mind shipping our muses, just dm me first!! Do not force ships onto me.

THREADS. Since Tumblr notifs r wack, If it's been a hot second since I responded, you can remind me abt a thread, but please don't force me to reply. It makes me stressed. Most of the time, I like to wing my plots. But if you wanna plot, go ahead and dm me!! I'II do the same to you if l'm confused on something, or wanna take the plot a bit further!! If an rp isn't going well for you, please let me know so we can do something better!! I try my best to match writing length.

INTERACTIONS. Only mutuals can have my Discord. I don't really do rps on there. If you no longer wish to interact with me, please hardblock me. I will do the same to you- please don't take it personally.

ACTIVITY. School is up right now, so I won't be too active. This also isn't my main blog, so lIl only log onto here like. Probably once a week or something. You'll usually see me chilling at @caniscreamintoanabyss .

REBLOG KARMA. If you're going to rb an ask meme/starter/other from me, please send an ask for that meme or thing before doing so or reblog from the source.

ABOUT THE MOD. Hil! I'm Moss, he/ moth pronouns- I'm a minor. I use tone tags whenever I talk ooc! I don't have too much rp experience, but I have been writing for. A shit ton of years!!! I'm looking forward to writing with all of you! All of these manga panels I reply with have been colored by yours truly, and if any one of you steals it I am going to hunt you down for sport.

#IF YOU SEE THIS NO YOU DONT #[ || Kurosaki Clinic is Closed! || ]

[pudgecuddles]

My Content & Boundaries

[No need to be alarmed! Nothing has happened to prompt this, I just figured it was about time that I pin a post like this.]

Welcome to my kink blog! This post is here to introduce myself, disclose what type of content that I may reblog or post here (including trigger warnings) and state my boundaries concerning who I want and don’t want interacting with me or my blog.

Intro:

Hi! I’m pudgecuddles! I’ve been here in the community as a lurker since 2018, and finally got around to making this sideblog about 2 years ago under the handle “prettypudgy”. I changed my username slightly after some twitter douchecanoes took screenshots of my content and made threads mocking it.

I am 24 years old and identify as female. Please use she/her pronouns when referring to me. I won’t be mad at all though if you use they/them or he/him, but I’ll probably just gently let you know what I prefer  :)

I am aromantic/asexual, meaning that I do not experience romantic or sexual attraction to people of any gender identity or expression. I still experience aesthetic attraction, and of course enjoy the concept of weight gain as a kink.

Although I am participating in them, I am not looking for RP partners at the moment!

My Content and the Content I Reblog:

Although I do like fluffy and mild WG content (ya’ll who make that type of content are amazing and beautiful and deserve all the love and reblogs in the world), I do enjoy darker and less popular tropes/kinks as well. Up until recently the majority of the stuff I’ve reblogged has been cute and moderate, but I have been working on my own stories and RPs which happen to be on the more intense/darker side.

My content going forward may include topics such as:

Extreme Weight Gain Immobility Mind Break Pet/Pig Play BDSM Humiliation Manipulation Feminization Dub-Con Watersports Eproctophilia Slob Abusive Relationships (it’s not something I enjoy writing, but I may reblog it)

I will always tag specific topics and tropes that may not be for everyone such as immobility or fart kink stuff. And definitely triggering content such as dub-con or degradation. For example, I will tag it as “Immobility”, “cw Immobility” and “tw Immobility”, in case someone has only one tag blacklisted.

Please keep yourself safe! This community is supposed to be a comfortable, creative area where users can curate a homepage of content that matches thier tastes and respects their boundaries. I will not be offended at all if you decide to block me or my written/rendered content. All I ask is if you’re already an acquaintance or mutual of mine that you let me know before you do  :)  You don’t even need to tell me why, I just don’t want to wonder if I made you mad or were ignoring me on purpose.

Zero hard feelings, seriously! The block button is there to protect you!

Boundaries:

Please do not hit on me, or unexpectedly discus sexual topics without me knowing your age and instigating it. It is different if I already know you and am comfortable speaking with you like that.

Yes: Pudgecuddles: Wow that drawing is ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) You, 18+: Wanna see him get bigger? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

No: Pudgecuddles: Wow! I love your line work! It’s so clean and really compliment’s the shading! You, 18+: Wanna see him get bigger? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

No: Pudgecuddles: Wow! I love your line work! It’s so clean and really compliment’s the shading! You, 16: Wanna see him get bigger? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Yes: Pudgecuddles: Wow! I love your line work! It’s so clean and really compliment’s the shading! You, 16: Thank you so much! ^_^  What do you think about the shape of his hands?

Minors: If you do not have your age, (or at least an 18+ only, or “I am an adult!”) in your bio, I will either ask you for your age or choose not to interact directly with you. This is not a punishment or a personal vendetta. I just do not feel comfortable interacting directly with minors when it comes to NSFW kink content. I am okay with reblogging your content, as supporting those in the community that are still young and exploring their identities in a safe and distant way is very important to me. I am so happy for you that you have found a welcoming and protective space to safely explore your sexuality and discuss your favorite groups. It’s what I wish I had when I was younger.

But I ask that you don’t attempt to private message me or participate in conversations that are sexual in nature.

Bigotry: Do not interact with me, my blog or my content if you do not support all LGBTQ+ identities. This includes but is not limited to: Transgender folk, Bisexuals, Pansexuals, Polysexuals, Omnisexuals, Asexuals, Aromantics and Non-Binary/Agender peeps. TERFs, exclusionists and Battleaxe Bisexuals are not welcome and will be insta-blocked. Same with those that participate in “discourse” on these topics.

If you do not believe that Black Lives Matter or support Donald Trump or any conservative party, politician or policy, please unfollow and block me. They have killed thousands of people and actively lobby against minorities.

This is the only time that I will be political on this blog. I am infinitely more outspoken/advocating on my main, but this sideblog is supposed to be a stress-free, kinky escape from the horrors of reality. I go on my main to reblog petitions, I go on here to reblog erotica.

This does not mean that I do not care, or that I am not an ally or that I enable racists or transphobes. It just means that I recognize that sometimes people get burnt out from constantly being reminded of the policies that harm them, or acts of violence against their race. I want this blog to be an escape, for both myself and my followers.

Hate/Trolling: Hateful or negative comments on me or my friend’s content will get your account blocked. This ranges from “ew” to telling them to kill themselves. This behavior is not tolerable anywhere, and the more extreme comments will be reported to Tumblr staff. Comments saying our content is disgusting will automatically tell me you think it’s hot and are in denial. How very sad. I will dedicate my grossest story to you specifically.

Inter-Community Drama: Mob behavior, brigading, witch hunting, call out posts (vague or by name), vitriolic hate and bullying of any type is something that makes me extremely uncomfortable due to having experienced cyberbullying in the past. Making people deactivate, continuing to attack them after apologies and other related behavior will get you blocked no matter the quality of your content, your standing in the community or our relationship history.

I cannot deal with seeing that behavior and it scares me continuing to interact with those that I learn can so easily turn on their friends like that.

That’s All Folks!

#tw mention of abuse #tw mention of self-harm #tw drama #tw politics

[kinetic-elaboration]

September 17: 3x07 Day of the Dove

I am incredibly discombobulated today—usual weekend nocturnal shenanigans I guess! Anyway it’s somehow midnight. Gonna try to write up these note on the Classic episode The Day of the Dove in as efficient a manner as possible.

Hmm, a planet with wavy pink Fraggle plants. I like it already.

But where is Spock? Very suspicious.

I really appreciate Kirk giving a little speech to set up the overall question/issue for us. (I know he does this all the time with the Captain’s logs but this is out loud and so… more obviously expository.)

Oh no, it’s our old friends…the Klingons.

I will admit that this ONE TIME, the Klingon is being reasonable. Like, it is reasonable to think that Kirk and the Enterprise attacked his ship, given that his hip WAS attacked, and who else would it be?

Three years of peace between the Klingons and the Federation? That is inclusive of the show so all this tension must technically be “peace” and also implies there was something more like a direct war going on, like, right before Kirk got the captaincy.

Zoolander voice: What is this, a colony of the INVISIBLE?

“We have no devil. But we understand the habits of yours.”

No takers? No takers on the torture? No volunteers to be mercilessly tortured by the Klingons?

Star Trek Beyond could have had Kirk and Chekov bond over being brothers! I mean, to other people.

They’ll kill 100 hostages at the first sign of treachery. He does know there are only 400-some people on the ship right? Maybe you should pace yourself, Kang.

Kirk’s so badass he needs MULTIPLE guns trained on him just to use the phone.

Oh-ho secret message to Spock. Which version of the iPhone will be capable of doing THAT?

The Klingons are “suspended in transit” is an awfully nice way of saying they’re just dematerialized atoms in space. Philosophy major and/or Bones nightmare fuel.

How did Kang not see this coming, by the way? Like, he just says “I’m taking your ship now, me and my 6 men versus your 400-some men, and I’ll do this by simply declaring it to be so. Now let’s beam up to your ship, where I’ll be greatly outnumbered, and there are armed security guards all around me.” Guess he’s been reading The Secret!

WIFE AND SCIENCE OFFICER

Aka the most important part of this whole episode.

Kirk’s face is very ?????? You can have both????

It’s legitimately not even important for her to be the science officer tbqh. Like that is so gratuitous. That’s just in there to drive me insane.

"We're prisoners, somehow, after I demanded to come on the ship, assuming they'd just give it to me without any kind of fight. How DID this happen?”

Federation death camps lol—someone’s been watching Fox News.

I do kind of wonder… is this an actual rumor that goes around the Klingon homeworld or is it something that the alien entity put in her head specifically to make her angrier right now? I mean it really could be either.

I also appreciate this episode for being pretty much the only one to actually attempt to give the Klingons a reason for being as they are. The Romulans… maybe aren’t well-described, but they do have a sort of regalness to them, appropriate for being related to Vulcans, and you can kind of imagine that they are the way they are because they’re Vulcans without the intense self-control. Plus they’re literally only in 2 TOS eps and in the second, the Federation are the aggressors. But the Klingons show up a half-dozen times only to be depicted each time as just like Cartoonishly Bad, aggressive, violent, and selfish for basically no reason. And I mean, some people really are!! But TOS has so much nuance in other places, that it always seemed a little disappointing to me that the Klingons are really just like ‘well we’re just bad and we hate everyone and we really like killing I guess.” At least in this ep there’s a little more added to that: that there is poverty on their world, that they feel aggrieved, that they feel unprotected, that taking and conquering is how they look after themselves…

I think that’s later in the episode though.

He’s detaining them in the LOUNGE lol. With their favorite dishes available to them to eat. Absolutely barbarous conditions.

I can’t believe Chekov is hanging in the elevator with the cool kids. Like, one of these things really isn’t like the others.

Kang is officially sure of himself for someone currently imprisoned in the lounge, that most fearsome of Federation death camps.

Hmm, could the glittery light alien have taken over??

You know what, that's a lot of tasks for Johnson to do all by himself: search the whole ship, fix the engines, and free 400 people.

Sulu would love this: everyone gets a sword!!

“Bridge. I gotta show this to Sulu immediately.”

Klingons have maintained a dueling tradition. That’s interesting. Finally some characterization going on.

Spock is really living up to his logical nature today. Everyone else has gone off the emotional deep end and he’s like “have you considered this completely rational explanation that accounts for the actual, observed facts??”

Whoops Chekov is actually an only child. Scratch that previous Beyond headcanon. (Interesting that his dead brother does really resemble Sam though—killed on a research colony??)

Love that Sulu knows that about him though.

Oh, that’s a pretty schematic picture of the Enterprise. I want that on a t-shirt.

Lol the pan out to the armory, now filled with… swords!!

Do ALL of these men have a fetish for swords? Sulu and fencing, Spock displaying swords in his quarters, and Kirk in his San Francisco apartment, and Scotty salivating over this Scottish blade.

“Klingon units.”

Finally Sulu gets his sword! It’s what he deserves.

Love that the shiny light alien also has a fetish for swords.

Oh no, it’s our old adversary, an alien life force.

What is the alien’s purpose? Um, I’m pretty sure its purpose is to start shit.

“An appropriate choice of terms, Captain.” I don’t even remember what this is referring to but I think it’s pretty clear that Spock is enjoying himself during a crisis again.

Bones, being so dramatic. Were there atrocities? He’s talking about the Klingons as if they were literally hacking off limbs—it’s a few stab wounds here and there, chill.

Oooh, time to behave like military men—strong words. (But I thought it wasn’t the military?? @ S**** P****) (This might not even be my best argument, given the context of this episode, but I’m sticking with it.)

This is like a giant game of capture the flag.

AU that’s just about the Enterprise crew playing capture the flag with the Klingons.

Sulu in the background standing guard with his sword

Damn, turning on Spock with the slurs now!!

Spock was absolutely ready to kill him. Like he would 100% have taken him out with a blow to the head. And he’d been doing such a good job of not feeling the alien’s effects so far! Admittedly, that was a strong provocation though.

Honestly, I really like this scene. It’s uncomfortable and tense and you can really see how the alien is bringing out the worst possible influences of their respective races. And I liked how Spock was definitely full on pre-Reform Vulcan for a minute there. It was a more effective portrayal of what that might have looked like than All Our Yesterdays tbqh.

A result of… stress?

Kirk got himself out of it first. He’s so strong. He knows himself so well, he cannot be outsmarted by any alien.

“We’ve been taught to think in terms other than war.”

“The alien brings out the worst of us—patriotic drumbeating…even race hatred.”

He’s so sad; he can’t imagine thinking like that about Spock :(

Sulu in a Jeffries tube! A man of many talents. It’s okay bb, take credit for turning on the lights.

The alien must have been getting bored. The Klingons must have been doing too well, and the playing field needs to be leveled for maximum shit-stirring.

“Let’s find that alien.” That’s how I ALWAYS feel.

Oh, Kang, you’re so close—“What power supports our battle but thwarts our victory.” So, so close to getting it.

ALIEN DETECTED.

Spock takes his sword, of course.

“Jim.” Obligatory Jim moments hit differently when they’re not so obligatory.

“Jim—stop hitting my protégé. And put that sword down.”

Kirk looks so sad, picking Chekov up to carry him bridal style.

Also in addition to ‘race hatred’ I think we need to add ‘rape-y tendances’ to the bad stuff that the alien is inspiring here.

“A brief surge of racial bigotry. Most distasteful.” Spock winning for understatement of the year.

They're assuming the alien is trying to test out their relative powers but I think it just wants entertainment. I mean, doesn’t it look like a naughty little thing?

Mara’s outfit is… little shorts? Interesting. Usually not my style but she makes it work.

Spock doesn’t even look at Johnson as he falls lol. Another one bites the dust.

“It exists on the hate of others.”

What does this remind me of? Oh, the Vast of Night and the whole “aliens made us do every bad thing ever” conspiracy theory. At least this one makes more sense, in part because it is not quite so overwhelmingly broad!

All hostile attitudes must be eliminated, he says, and there's Mara right behind Kirk giving him a death stare lol.

Kang is so obviously posing. Google Earth, always taking pictures.

Only a few minutes before drifting forever in space becomes inevitable? Good thing Kirk works well under pressure.

“Well… do whatever you can, Scotty. You know the drill.” Doesn’t even bother giving real directions anymore. We’ve been in this scenario before.

“So we drift in space, with only hatred and bloodshed aboard.”

And the 392 people below just get to…live in Enterprise prison, I guess.

Star date: Armageddon. So dramatic!

I’m not even making that up; that’s an actual quote. Can you imagine being an Admiral listening to this?

“Stop the war now.” An actual line, really aired on television.

Spock wants to threaten the wife lol. That's the old pre-Reform Vulcan seeping through. Surak who?

Damn, Kang is cold. “Eh, she gets the concept of being killed in battle.” They’re gonna need marriage counseling after this.

“There is another way. Mutual trust and help.” Yes that’s my hero!!

“No one can guarantee the actions of another.” Can’t remember the context of this entirely anymore, but great line.

The entity is loving this—multi-person choreographed sword fight!!

"Those who hate and fight must stop themselves. otherwise it is not stopped.” Another baller line. Spock has a lot of deep thoughts today. And so does Kirk. And Kang.

Kirk tries to reason with the alien. Nice try.

“Shoo. Shoo, alien. Off the ship, go away.”

Omg that last moment—Kang slapping Kirk’s back way too hard, Spock’s completely ridiculous wide-eyed expression when he does, like some sort of combo of amusement and confusion, and then Sulu just passing on by in the background….

Then the alien just yeets itself into space. And that’s the end!

Always feels weird when there’s no wrap up on the bridge.

Also, what are they going to do with the Klingons? They have no ship. They really did come out of this a lot worse than Kirk and co. No ship, huge casualties—and no one to blame even, but the alien.

I feel like the alien messed up a little in killing so many Klingons. Like, it could have accomplished its purpose, angering the Klingons and turning them on Kirk, by attacking the ship a little less violently—you know they’d react to 5 deaths pretty much the same as 400, and then there would be many more people to fight forever and produce that sweet sweet anger!

Maybe the alien’s powers aren’t strong enough to influence 800 people though. Also it wants equal forces and 800 people wouldn’t fit on the Enterprise, one assumes. So it still makes sense.

That was, of course, an excellent episode. 100% agree with is classic status, even though the main things I remembered going in were the wife + science officer bit, and everyone laughing at the end in a really forced, fake way, in order to make the alien go away.

I thought the Klingons were a lot better/more interesting today than usual. First, I think Kang is a better character, or a better actor maybe, than the others; he has a certain way about him that is… more watchable, more sympathetic. And he’s always saying these really dramatic things that make it seem likely he writes patriotic Klingon war poetry in his off time. Also, including his wife made them seem more… not human obviously, but normal. Not just cardboard cut-out villains. And of course the actual lightly specific motivations I earlier mentioned helped too.

Also, the plotting was very good: it built up slowly but surely over time, so at first the alien’s influence wasn’t that obvious, and then it became more so, and then it became horrifically obvious and extreme. And then you had to re-evaluate earlier moments: was that the alien changing facts in their heads, or a real part of the animosity between humans and Klingons? And it wasn’t always clear, which I appreciated. The tension when the people were at their worst wasn’t overdone, like in that moment with Scotty, Spock, and Kirk—or even in Chekov’s assault on Mara, tbh. The various strategies of the different sides were very entertaining too; there was never a dull moment, and they fit in a lot of straight-up actions and twists into 50 minutes.

The possible threat was truly terrifying, also: stuck in a space ship, forever, unable to die, feeling the worst possible emotions all the time, besieged, angered, despairing, fighting a war that can’t be won, being injured and suffering only to recover and fight again, and it never stops… A perfect nightmare mixture of insanity and violence and pain. And the alien, in encouraging hatred and anger, doesn’t discriminate between sides: they turn on each other just as much as on the Klingons, breeding paranoia and infighting. For eternity.

The episode also felt much more strongly anti-war than I remember tbh. Like it was not subtle. Kirk literally says “stop the war” in so many words. He has a part in his speech where he talks about the possibility of other aliens out there, encouraging other wars. And while I do think “maybe the aliens are making us do it” is a cop out explanation, or would be if it were real, the scenario gave the show a lot of room to say, like, pretty ballsy things: to include “patriotic drum beating” along with “race hatred” in a list of corrupting feelings they were experiencing; to show how the same instincts that lead to warring also lead to sexual assault and the aforementioned ‘race hatred;” to reveal the true horror of an endless war by making the participants unkillable and sticking them in a singular space ship in the middle of nowhere; to imply that the combatants of war gain nothing from it, but outside or third-party entities will pull strings of their own design to profit from the conflict as long as possible; even to make an impassioned plea to camera to stop the endlessness of the conflict. Like I can’t even totally unpack this but it is a lot!

Finally, it was also a great Kirk episode, which of course is my most important factor. He’s smart; he’s strong; he’s so sure of himself and his values that he cannot be manipulated to mindless hatred, he represents the values of the Federation, and the show itself; he treats even his enemies with basic respect and humanity; and ultimately, he saves the day.

Okay I was not efficient in writing this up at all! It is very late!!

#the year 2021 #2021: star trek #2021: fandom thoughts #star trek tos

[sunnylildragun]

I'll be coming for your love, okay?

Day 5 of the Bumbleby Week! Hope y'all enjoy this ^-^

When Sun contacted them saying Weiss needed to relax and that she was driving him crazy by taking all the stress out on him, Blake and Yang were a bit concerned about how they could help. The two had barely been able to survive the Schnee's overwhelming stressful routine when they were students at Beacon. They couldn't imagine what it would be like having to live through it as she was working as the CEO of a whole company.

Not that they blamed her. Her family- her father- didn't leave a kind legacy to her, and Weiss wanted to rebuild the SDC to fit the world after war. She wanted it to be a symbol of the new era in which the racism and the abuse towards faunus, the corrupt ways and the bigotry were not associated to her name. It was a long road to travel, and a lot of weight on her shoulders too, especially for someone as young as her. Weiss Schnee being Weiss Schnee believed that doing it all by overworking herself would be plausible.

It wasn't.

Sun understood her, of course he did. They had been dating for some years, after all. It had been enough for him to learn to read her and know how her mind worked. So if he called to ask for help, it meant that things were bad. Really bad. A whole new level of bad. Probably not as bad as she was when they started at Beacon, but still.

So these beach days at Menagerie weren't really about Blake and Yang. They were about getting Weiss' mind off of work and saving Sun's ears from exploding. They figured they would make the best of it, though, and enjoy their brief break.

Blake had forgotten how good it felt to smell the salty waters of the Menagerian sea, to feel the warm and smooth sand under her feet, to be free from the busy life at Vale. So she rested her head on Yang's shoulder and sighed, looking at the horizon as the waves crashed. The blonde had her left arm wrapped around her girlfriend and smiled at her friends as they played volleyball. Nora and Oscar had teamed up againt Jaune and Ren. The woman said it was to keep both teams balanced, which made Jaune let out a high pitched "hey!"

"Place your bets." Yang whispered to Blake and Ruby. "I bet fifty bucks that Nora and Oscar win."

"You know I don't like losing," Blake answered and got laughter out of the brawler.

"I wanna bet on a tie!" Ruby said.

"You're on, sis."

The match went on. It was a very smooth win for Nora and Oscar, who high fived each other and teased Jaune for losing even with Ren on his team. The blond was pouting while his teammate patted him on the back.

"It's not that bad, Jaune." Ren's soft voice was soothing. "You could've been hit on the face more."

"Ya bet he could!" Nora shouted.

"Aww man..." Ruby pouted beside Yang. "Can't believe I lost fifty lien..."

"You should know better than to make bets against me. My Yang-tuition is the best!"

"Yang-tuition?" Blake raised an eyebrow.

"Yup! Yang intuition. The best, hottest and sharpest intuition in all Remnant!"

"Of course it is." Blake's eyes rolled.

"Ooohhh is that a challenge, Belladonna?"

"I don't know. Is it?" the sarcasm in the faunus' voice could actually cut flesh.

"You're on. I bet I win against you and Sun."

"Alone?"

"Of course not, dummy. I'm gonna team up with Weiss."

"Oh no, the short princess and buff blonde. How am I gonna win now?"

"Do I have to remind you of that time you lost when you played against us?"

"I was sick."

Yang laughed. "Of course you were. Now come on, let's get the lovebirds out of their make out session. There are children in the beach." she helped her girlfriend up. "Nora! Gimme the ball!"

The redhead threw the ball at her, which she caught with her prosthetic. The pair walked to Sun and Weiss, who were kissing in an isolated corner. Yang threw the ball at them, which caused yelps to come from the couple.

"Yang Xiao Long! What was that for?!" Weiss yelled at the taller woman.

"Blake thinks she and Sun can beat you and me in volleyball. Wanna give these two babies a show?"

A spark of confidence and competitiveness sparked in the CEO's eyes. "You are going to regret the day you challenged my abilities, Blake Belladonna. I'm gonna beat you so hard in this game that you will never set foot in this beach court. I'm gonna burn down your legacy! I am going to-"

"Let's go!" Sun shot up, running to the improvised court. Weiss rolled her eyes affectionately and walked there too, with her friends right behind her.

"A hundred lien?"

"A hundred lien."

When the trio got there, Sun was already stretching. Weiss slapped his butt playfully as she passed him. "Such a nice butt, Sunny boy. Too bad it's gonna be kicked into oblivion."

Blake and Yang laughed out loud and then got into position in the opposite sides. The game started, and Sun and Blake were the first ones to score. They teased their girlfriends about it as they started setting an advantage, but they didn't notice that the duo was purposefully going easy on them. The tallest woman was letting the ball hit her for the sake of absorbing impact, storing up energy. By the faunus' tenth score, Weiss and Yang cut the fairplay off and started taking the game seriously.

Soon enough, they surpassed the other team, only taking two aces. The game was about to end. 14×12. Yang was about to serve and smirked as her eyes turned red. She used her semblance to throw the ball at the opponents, and aced powerfully. Weiss' arms were up in celebration and the two women did a small victory dance. They were receiving indignant stares from their respective girlfriend and boyfriend.

"Hey! I didn't know semblances were allowed! Cheaters!" Sun accused.

"Sun, Sun, sunny Sun... I just gave back the ten points you two aced." Yang smirked. "And Blake knows semblances are allowed. She just never uses hers."

"Because I play clean." Blake narrowed her eyes, causing Yang to stick her tongue out.

"Yang and I took it easy on you two. We let you make ten points and think you were going to win!"

"I want a rematch." Sun crossed his arms.

"So do I." Blake raised her hand to high five her friend.

"Okay. But if you lose again, you owe me two hundred."

"Bring it on."

The game started over, and this time both teams gave their best. It went on and on, none of them being able to keep an advantage for too long. The four were exhausted by the time both teams had aced 26. Ruby got up and walked to the court.

"Okay! We get it! You're all great and very competitive and stuff. Now get off so Ilia and I can kick Uncle Qrow and dad's butts."

And that's how the legendary game of the four best volleyball players of their group- as Weiss liked to call it- ended with a tie. She and Sun went to a kiosk to get themselves some coconut water, bickering as usual. Blake and Yang observed them with fond smiles, glad to see them back to their playful banter.

They decided to get in the water to refresh themselves a little, and Yang left her prosthetic with Blake's parents so it wouldn't get salt in it. Not that it would break, but it was a pain to get it cleaned up later. Yang really didn't want to have to do it, so she just took it off. They walked to a more secluded area of the beach, wanting to share a more intimate moment. When they got to a calmer spot, they looked at the ocean for a while. Then they went in, playfully splashing water at each other. At some point, though, water got in Blake's cat ears, which made them stop before somthing like that happened again.

The couple decided to just let the waves hit them pleasantly, and to hold each other while they did. It was unclear who kissed whom first, but they were soon making out with the the ocean and the rocks as their only witnesses. Blake's hands were on Yang's boobs as the blonde's own hand made their way to the shorter's butt. They teased and groped and moaned in each other's mouths, holding their pleasure to themselves.

Yang separated from the kiss and started sucking on Blake's pulse point. The ravenette's hands went to her girlfriend's hair, pushing her more into her neck. As she felt the tension rising, with Yang's hand traveling from her butt to her center, she tried speaking through her small moans.

"Yang... not here. Someone might show up."

Yang raised her head, and looked Blake in the eyes. "Do you really wanna stop?"

"Yes." Blake answered, pecking the blonde on the nose. "We can always finish later tonight." her voice was seductive, sending shivers down Yang's spine.

"Okay." the brawler smiled softly. "Can we... keep kissing, though?" This was one of the things Blake loved the most ablut her. Yang never pressured her, never pushed her to beyond her limits, and never did anything she didn't consent to. She was always caring and respectful, always trying to make her as comfortable as possible, if not more.

"Of course, sunshine."

And so they did, sharing soft kisses. Then harder ones. They kept going like that until the sun began to set, and the purples and oranges and pinks got their eyes. They were awestruck by the beauty of what nature was displaying right in front of their eyes. Their smiles reached their eyes, and their gazes fell back on each other. It was like the beauty of the setting sun and the rising moon was reflected in them, and they were melting and mixing with one another.

"Blake?" Yang called as the other woman rested her forehead against her own.

"Hm?"

"I love you. So much."

"I love you too, sunshine."

And with ocean kissing the sun behind them, they finished their day with a final kiss.

#bumbleby #yang xiao long #blake belladonna #rwby #sun wukong #weiss schnee #sunflakes #bmblbweek #bumblebyweek

[buff-pink]

Again, you make impressive works on Zarya's characteristics analytics and I'm so so glad you answered my ask on Zarya's thought on relationship; and the other analytic about her at work and at home. Please ignore this ask if it bothers you, but can I ask for your opinion on how she would act face-to-face with an activist on omnic's rights (a human, whom she has to work with in specific situations). Thank you so much for spending time with these asks I'm really appreciated every of your effort

Wow, thanks for the compliments. I just like to help if it’s asked of me. And, I seriously don’t mind answering stuff like this! Lately there’s nothing else for me to do on tumblr and I love characterizing lots of characters. 

Just keep in mind that I’m only going off of what I know about the character herself, based on how she behaves and the occasional communication she has with others in the game itself. And it’s still, as always, just a reach because of that.

Also, this is a bit dark.

Now - In order to understand what Zarya is thinking, it helps, first, to understand why she thinks how she does. At the moment, we have limited information on the extent of the battles she’s had to fight against omnics in Russia, let alone what she grew up through. 

What we do have, though, are clues about her that tell us she likely suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.

This is a very tragic and painful thing to deal with, but not uncommon for soldiers, military workers, firefighters, or abuse victims, just to name a few. It causes the memory of something traumatic, like the hardships of war, witnessing an injury or death, and more, to burn itself so deeply into one’s mind that it doesn’t go away as easily as other memories. 

One of the most obvious symptoms of PTSD is an obsession with the event that caused the trauma, sometimes for years, especially if the sufferer doesn’t get help for it. The other is flashbacks, which are typically triggered by something - in Zarya’s case, every omnic she meets appears to put her into fight-or-flight mode. Rather than let an omnic be, she has to remind them that she hates them, doesn’t trust them, and won’t hesitate to destroy them if she needs to. It’s possible she does this because omnics trigger flashbacks.

What else tells me Zarya has PTSD? Her scar.

The scar on her face is very likely to have been caused by a direct bullet wound fired at a mid to long range - something an omnic like Bastion would have gotten her with, as it’s an older model that still uses lead bullets. She also has had experience fighting Bastions, as she likes to remind us occasionally.(Were she hit at a closer range, at least by a Bastion bullet, she’d be dead or have a very different injury, like a second scar wherever the bullet exited her head. At a long range, it’d lose momentum and become stuck in her forehead instead. With that said, it’s still possible pulse ammo can leave a bullet-like wound, but we don’t have evidence of that right now.) 

Long story short, getting shot in the face, in my opinion, is pretty damn traumatic, and that’s just some of the context you could hypothesize based on the things you see in the game, or in the one comic we have about her.

With all of this said, it’s a bit easier to understand why Zarya’s so mean to omnics, whether we approve of it or not. We can sympathize a bit… but it’s hard to argue that her experience hasn’t made her into an immutable bigot when it comes to the topic of omnics, and there’s absolutely no stopping her from sharing her negative opinions about them, whether it’s to other omnics or to humans. 

Luckily, she’s not a lost cause. The extent of her bigotry is her extremely outspoken tendency to share her opinions, which is, again, a result of a traumatic memory burned into her head and constantly replaying itself. She’s not out to separate humans and omnics, and she’s most importantly not dangerous to omnics. She will still work with humans and even other omnics, showing that despite how she feels about them, she can look past that when it’s necessary, albeit reluctantly.

As far as we know, she appears to have no interest in changing how she thinks, because to her, doing so would be like flipping Russia off and forgetting the struggles of her people - but there is a glimmer of hope for her if she ever confronts her PTSD. Otherwise, anyone she works with has to accept and forgive this flaw in her personality for what it is, and try to understand why it exists. We all have our flaws, after all.

And thanks for coming to my ted talk, “Zarya needs therapy”. 

#get help zarya #character study #zarya #she's not the only one with ptsd symptoms by the way

[thesearchforspirk]

1 x 8: ‘Balance of Terror’ {Subtext Study}

Please read my manifesto here if you haven’t already- it better explains my beliefs as per the Kirk/Spock dynamic and what I aim to accomplish with this blog.

An admittedly shorter study as this episode is without any strong Kirk/Spock interaction to mull over. There are some interesting possible parallels here, but even in that respect I’m not sure I’ll say anything that the TOS Commentary hasn’t already said about this episode. For all these reasons this episode was a bit of a white elephant for me, so if you want to skip this write-up I’ll understand. Either way:

Our episode opens with a wedding on board ship and never has Kirk looked happier to perform his duties as Captain. The fact that this wedding goes smoothly is very important to him (because he cares that much about his crew and is that much of a romantic and I just love him ok) so when he gets a message from Spock that some Earth outposts are in trouble he privately, quietly acknowledges so that no one else will hear. Some shit is about to go down for sure.

(the fact that Scotty escorts the bride down the aisle thrills me to no end- it has nothing to do with this blog, I’m just a shameless Scotty fangirl) 

Sure enough the shit does, indeed, hit the fan and two Earth outposts are attacked by some mysterious vessel. The wedding must be abandoned and postponed (someone really does NOT ship this) so everyone can assume emergency battle stations as the Enterprise runs to help. On the bridge Kirk tries to gain as much info as he can about the attackers, though there doesn’t seem to be any definite info. A certain navigator is keen to help though, offering up, “there can’t be much doubt who’s attacking, sir”. 

He may be right about that, as it seems the earth outposts are in place to guard the neutral zone, an area agreed upon after a war with the Romulans a long time ago. It turns out said navigator had family members who died in that war so he’s got a bone to pick with the Romulans. Kirk tells him, however, that it was their war and not his so don’t make this a personal thing, bub...even if the attacker of the hour is Romulan, I guess. 

Spock replies that a few of the earth outposts have been completely decimated, indicating that the Romulan power must be greater than they thought. Kirk and Spock exchange some concerned looks as the gravity of their situation becomes apparent. 

Do you remember our cute wedding couple from earlier? We see them again, hard at work in what appears to be the engineering sector. The groom says, “Happy wedding day- almost.” and the bride jokes, “You won’t get off my hook this easily. I’m gonna marry you mister, battle or phaser weapons notwithstanding.” “Well, meanwhile, temporarily, at least, I’m still your superior officer- so get with it, Mister!” So, apparently cutie pie groom who has a striking resemblance to another certain cutie pie on the ship is his bride-to-be’s superior officer. She just so happens to be seated at a control panel acknowledging orders. I guess that’s pretty inconspicuous enough. 

(yeah...nothing to see here)

More on this later.

The bridge crew have to watch helplessly as Outpost 4 is taken out while they’re talking to one of the guys on it. Despite being surrounded by iron and deflector screens the Romulans were still able to disintegrate another outpost so, understandably, Kirk and Spock share some more increasingly concerned looks. After this, Spock says that the vessel appears to be turning back towards Romulus. Kirk wants the Enterprise to follow the ship silently, but the navigator argues (as well as Sulu) that all decks should maintain security alert. Since the vessel was able to do so much in such a short time, it could be that there are spies aboard. Kirk decides to oblige them (another thing I love about Kirk- not letting his crewman talk down to him, but taking and considering and sometimes even heeding advice when its given to him by his inferior officers).

Anyway, Spock manages to get a peek into their ship and what do you know, it’s Sarek! I mean. It’s a Romulan. Same actor as Spock’s dad. The significance here is that they look like Vulcans. It’s telling that it seems everyone looks over at Spock in some kind of horrified realization, except for Kirk- though I think ultimately this is more testament to Kirk’s character than it is anything subtextual; he’s not the sort of person to assume that a person’s resemblance to someone else means they’re in some kind of cahoots with them because he’s not a racist asshole. 

Until Undiscovered Country, anyway. Anyway! 

Everyone else is staring accusatory at him though and I guess Spock can feel the eyes on him, because he looks over at a very hostile bridge. Kirk is having none of it. He sweeps around the bridge, most of the eyes going back to their work as he passes except for the impassioned navigator. Kirk has to tap said navigator’s panel to remind him where his gaze should be. Even still, this jackass can’t help himself but mutter that Spock should be in charge of decoding anything from the Romulan ship. 

You’d think most people on the Enterprise would know what a dumb thing that’d be to say in Kirk’s presence, but alas. 

Kirk orders that he repeats himself and offers that he really means he’s complimenting Spock on his ability to decode. Navigator says he’s ‘unsure’ of that. Kirk spins his chair around and says, “Well, here’s one thing you can be sure of, Mister. Leave any bigotry in your quarters, there’s no room for it on the bridge.” and the navigator gets the message- as one would hope. 

It should be noted that Spock’s reaction when Kirk starts laying into the guy says a lot about how Kirk must usually react when someone talks smack about his first officer. I have no doubt Spock could handle himself if he had been left to do so, but Kirk won’t hear of that. So, in my humble opinion, this is still a precious moment between them even if not anything irrefutably subtextual. 

(this is totally an ‘oh shit he’s gonna kill him’ look if you ask me) 

Meanwhile we get an inside look into the Romulan’s ship and see an exchange between Captain Sarek and who appears to be his second in command. They talk of war and stuff, the point being they seem to know each other well and are brothers in arms. We also get a preemptive look into the fact that Captain Sarek and Kirk seem to think a lot alike as commanders. It would seem a parallel is being drawn here perhaps. 

So, what about the almost-married couple? Their presence in this certainly isn’t incidental and is yet another pairing of people who know each other well, have fought and worked alongside each other, but seem to share a romantic layer to their relationship as well. 

Huh. Interesting stuff, that.  

Kirk calls another emergency briefing, including the bigoted navigator from before. He makes some more implications about Spock knowing all about “these people”, to which Kirk tells him to back off again, but Spock actually agrees with him, that if the Romulans are anything like how Vulcans were in the pre-logic time then attack is necessary. Thankfully, they also realize that a comet is nearby and if the Romulans should go through the tail they would end up dragging out debris enough to be spotted even with their cloaking device.

They attempt this in what appears to be a huge gamble- and lose. Captain Sarek has them turn away at the last minute, having guessed Kirk’s move. Kirk himself says “He did exactly what I would’ve done” further cementing a parallel between him and Captain Sarek. They do manage to finally hit the Romulan vessel by firing blind, which causes the second in command to sacrifice himself by being hit by falling debris in order to push Captain Sarek out of the way. 

Unfortunately for the Enterprise something short-circuits (near Spock’s panel for some reason) and they’re helpless when the Romulans fire back at them. They back up enough that the shot doesn’t hit them as hard as it might have. Rand also uses the opportunity to press herself against Kirk a bunch and he obliges her, but once again looks moreover pretty uninterested. Can’t blame a girl for trying. We also get another shot of cute almost-married couple, groom-to-be helping bride-to-be to her feet after the impact. So. That’s a thing. Just file it away for now.

More parallels are drawn to the way Kirk and Captain Sarek think and the Romulan second in command is hurt and eventually dies. Fortunately, Spock has the phasers working again, which for reasons I do not understand, rely on the wiring beneath his panel. Whatever, technology. He sure looked cute lying there fixing it, anyway. Kirk is full and ready to violate neutral zone treaty to follow and finish the Romulan vessel if needed, but Captain Sarek utilizes some trickery by throwing debris and the body of his second in command out the side of the ship. Spock and Kirk call his bluff, but have lost the ship on the senors. They decide to turn everything off and hide to see if the Romulan vessel will reveal itself.

The waiting game lasts over nine hours, in which Kirk goes back to his room, conflicted. Rand walks in to offer him something to eat and he looks rather loathe to see her, honestly- but he’s polite and tells her no thanks and please make sure the door closes behind her on the way out, thanks very much. However, when McCoy walks in Kirk looks genuinely pleased and relieved. Rand, honey, it may be time to swim for open waters. Anyway, he and McCoy have a sweet moment in which Kirk is feeling lost and stressed under the circumstances and McCoy says there’s only one of him, only one that could get them through this situation. 

Back on the bridge their silence is interrupted when Spock accidentally presses a signal button (which is hilarious in and of itself) and of course now racist navigator is newly convinced Spock is some kind of Romulan spy (to which Kirk attempts to assure him otherwise). Kirk manages to match the Romulan vessel’s moves by blanket firing again, but Captain Sarek’s got another trick up his sleeve; he sends out a nuclear warhead with the debris. Kirk manages to intercept it with a phaser but the Enterprise suffers its own casualties. 

The two of them remain in a holding pattern as Captain Sarek is hesitant to attack again, he just wants to go home- alas, he has a duty to crush the enemies of his homeland. He seems as tired as Kirk, honestly. Racist navigator moves to go help groom-to-be with weapons control and when Spock asks if they need any help, he spits back, “This time we’ll do things without your help, Vulcan.” It’s no way address a superior officer and maybe Spock should’ve said something- or maybe he realizes now isn’t the time or place. Either way, he leaves without reprimand just as the weapons room begins to flood with, uh...toxic purple gas, I suppose.

Anyway, time’s up for the Romulan vessel. They hit critically, Kirk interfaces with Captain Sarek one last time and they relate as kindred spirits before Captain Sarek is forced to self destruct. Elsewhere, Spock has managed to rescue racist navigator from the purple gas (and Kirk pointedly asks Spock first if he’s alright even though it’s the navigator that’s laying wounded on the table lmao) but was not able to save groom-to-be. 

Kirk goes to comfort the bride and says, “It never makes any sense. We both have to know that there’s a reason.” She assures him she’s alright, but Kirk looks to be on the verge of tears after she leaves. He’s defeated the Romulan vessel, but there’s no victory in it on either side. 

While, again, this episode lacks any strong subtextual interaction directly between our boys, it is interesting that the two other pairings featured (Captain Sarek + his second in command, the groom/bride to be) hold resemblances to the both of them and the various aspects of their dynamic. It would certainly have been sufficient to have had the Romulan commander and his SiC be the only parallel present, there really isn’t much need for the soon-to-be married couple that I can think of outside of plot stakes. Heck, we don’t even see much of them. I would argue the stakes are high enough in this episode without the engaged couple, so what purpose do they really serve?

Indeed, it could simply be an addition they put in to highlight just how tragic war is- as Kirk and Captain Sarek come to find within one another, even without the groom’s death. For this reason, this explanation is a bit flimsy, given especially that we already have a parallel drawn between the Romulan commander and his SiC. Groom-to-be even looks like Kirk and happens to be his bride’s superior officer. Coincidence? The universe is rarely so lazy. 

That’s about all I have for this episode. I anticipate something a bit meatier to chew on with our next episode, “What Are Little Girls Made Of?”

#spirk #space husbands #balance of terror #episode eight #season one #slash #subtext study #star trek tos #this one is boring sorry yall

[valerepoet]

I'm back and forth on whether or not I want to make a post about this. It kinda relates to the post I reblogged. It reminded me of something.

My manager is a black lady, as are several managers of some stores in my area. I love these ladies. I have so much appreciation for them as people. They are fucking amazing.

But the amount of unjust criticism they deal with is insane. And it's because they're black women. One of these ladies that isn't my manager, is apparently "infamous" for being mean and hard to work with. I've worked with her and I'm fucking mad at that criticism cause its untrue. And I've learned that it mostly comes from non-black people.

She's got a tough ass work ethic, but if she's working, nothing she says is personal. And if you just treat her with basic fuckin respect and human decency, she has no problem with you. She's actually goddamn funny. She's so free with her compliments. She's kind. She's just herself so unapologetically and I have appreciation and respect for her. I get along with her. So I find the shit talked behind her back so fucking irritating. This one white girl she hired, whined so much about how tough she was and I straight up told her that she is just doing her job and if she just interacted with her like normal and realized that she's trying to be understood, then you wouldn't have a problem with her. That girl quit a month later.

I've noticed that a lot of white people do not actually last long at the gas stations around here. They have different expectations. I really dont have the energy to get into the bullshit with that. But the people who shit talk her are ones that dont want to actually do anything but run a cash register. And look, that's cool, but I wouldn't recommend a gas station if that's what you want to do. Cashier is not technically the job title, it's one of the many duties of what we do. Yeah it's unfair that we get paid minimum wage for doing more work than just cashiering. It sucks. But it sucks worse for everyone when you slack and have no respect for the people you work with. We're dealing with the same issues. But this isn't what this post is about. She is trying to run a store and the people who shit talk her dont want to do their job. She isn't going to be sweet to them about it. If I made a mistake, I dont expect the people around me to walk on eggshells. That is unfair to them. When my previous manager - a white man, was tough on someone, he wasn't shit-talked the way this other manager is. Its fucked up. I'm all over the place, ugh.

I'm not certain why, but even with the reconditioning I have been putting my brain through over the last decade with biases I was raised in, I've just never been one for judging someone based on stereotypes to begin with. I grew up poor. I grew up being friends with poor hispanic people and I got along better with non-white people because I happened to be poor. I can't relate to a lot of white people because I grew up poor. I cant relate to my racist cousins who are completely white because they had money. But I do recognize that this cant cover up biases and it's why I fight against internal biases.

I think getting along better with hispanic and black people to begin with makes the reconditioning easier, causs I already see them as human beings to begin with. My mom was careful to instill that in me and its something I appreciate.

But anyways. All of the black women I see, they get treated like shit. Because they're loud and tough and dont act like the ritzy white people in the area. But I dont see them that way? And its fucked up that they are treated that way. I'm loud. And I dont get treated that way. I'm the one that has the worst potty mouth in the store (several stores in our area tbh) and I dont get treated that way. And its cause I'm white. Its fucked up. Hell, if my manager criticized our area manager to his face the way I do, she would be fired. I get away with it cause I'm fucking white (I mean, i use it to my advantage tbh I still criticize that motherfucker cause he is such an asshole to my manager and I will not put up with it).

I just. I see how the black women are treated around me and it's something i actively try to fight against cause it matters to me, and they matter to me. My manager takes care of so much, and she has a face that she puts on that is so impeccably professional and patient. I want to help her out when I can, cause she deal with so much. I think it's one of the reasons why she and I mesh so well - we try to take care of each other equally. She is the manager, but I am someone who doesnt just work under her, I work with her. Idk how to articulate this. I just try to do some of the more store-adminstrstive stuff when I can cause it helps her out. And I like doing it.

Several of my regulars have tried to criticize my manager due to racist biases and I just do what I can to shut it down. Several have also tried to do the same to another coworker who is hispanic. There are of course different biases against hispanic women and it's another fight unto its own. I love this one coworker cause the moment I'm there, I get her laughing until the moment one of us is literally leaving. We work well together, but she is soooo easy to make laugh and it's fun to get her to laugh. So many make the complaints against her that are obviously based on biases - she is uncaring, mean, and just being a hispanic lady. To which I disagree and tell them that all they have to do is smile at her. These people look at me like the suggestion is revolutionary and my god. It's so fucked up.

These rich white people around are so fucking stupid. They try to say they aren't racist. Maybe not overtly, but they are. Their egos cant handle admitting it. But the fact that the basic suggestion of 'smile to her' or 'tell a joke like you tell me' is so fucking revolutionary to them is just. Its fucked up.

My black manager and my Hispanic coworker deserve so much more respect and appreciation. They are both so kind and so sweet and fucking hilarious. And I love them. I'm louder and ruder than them, my god, and I dont get treated half as bad as they do. I could go on and on about all the sweet little expressions of softness these ladies have that just get ignored by people. It sucks.

I just want the community I live with, primarily black and hispanic, to be happy and stress free and respected. I just want them to be loved taken care of. I enjoy the idea of being a steward of my community. I enjoy cultivating a happy relationship with these people. I enjoy confounding the biased people and making them question their biases and bigotry. I just want my community to be happy.

I'm sorry, this post is long and all over the place. I have a lot of feelings about this. It matters to me.

#nameless #chatty kathy today #long post #racism #a rambly mess of a post by a white person whos meds just kicked in and is making them mentally wonky af #i just love people #i just love people so much and i just want people to stop being racist assholes to each other

[greenjacketwhitehatdocmui]

Anime Detective:  Relaxed Recap, Part 4

(Author’s note:  This takes place several years after the main series as I’ve already written it.  Don’t be surprised if a few things have changed.)

    The one good thing about having a reputation in the precinct is that everyone knows what to expect.  The bad thing is, sometimes the reputation is a little overblown. I consider myself to be pretty lucky to have lasted as long as I have.

    What that boils down to is that sometimes I get odd looks from people in the precinct.  They hear what I've been through and they think that I'm some unbeatable supercop.  

    They couldn't be farther from the truth.  I've met some of the greatest detectives of all time at a local bar.  Compared to them, I'm a rank amateur with a lot of perseverance.

    I flinch as my phone rings.  Digging it out of my pocket, I see that Nene's calling me.

    "Hey," I greet her.  "How's it going?"

    "Well, I've got good news and annoying news," she said.  "Which do you want first?"

    "Let's go for the annoying news first," I said. "C'mon, you know me by now."

    "Yes, I know you," she teased. "Anyway, anti-Animate groups have been hitting the college campuses and the train stations.  It's a seasonal thing."

    I tried to suppress a groan.  I didn't quite succeed.

    "Perfect timing," I said, sounding less than enthused.  "The city council elections are a few months away, so they're seeding doubts into peoples' heads."

    "They do it every year," she reminded me. "The good news is that they haven't had many takers.  Most people agree that life’s pretty good as it is.”

    “I don’t know,” I sighed.  “The average voter can be pretty fickle.  It’s amazing what they’ll fall for.”

    “Andy…”  She was using her patient tone.  That was my cue to ease up on the cynicism.

    “Fine, fine,” I grumbled.  “Do you have anything on our girl?”

    “She doesn’t have any links to any anti-Animate groups that I could find,” Nene said.  “She does have a sister, Justine, but nothing else stands out.  She’s just an average girl from a small town.  It has to be overwhelming for her.”

    “Yeah, not everyone can adjust,” I agreed. “I’ll go easy on her.”

    “You were thinking of giving her your coffee, weren’t you?”  She had just the tiniest bit of dread in her voice.

    “It’d be a nice wakeup call,” I mused.  “It’d also save a lot of time.”

    “Andy…”

    I sighed heavily.  “Fine, fine.”  I looked at the clock.  “I have to go.”

    “I love you,” she said softly.

    “Love you too, kiddo,” I returned.

    I must have been smiling when I put the phone away.  I pretended not to hear the murmurings in my wake as I headed back to the office.

    “…how long have they been married?”

    “…still like newlyweds.”

    “…so cute together.”

    Yeah, you’ve gotta love office gossip.  It’s a fact of life.

    Sally looked a little more composed when I entered my office.  She still looked uncertain, but determined to see this interview through.

    “Are you ready for a lesson on Animates?” I asked.

    “Are we talking about the lesson for public consumption, or are we talking about something a little deeper?” she countered. “Call me a little paranoid, but maybe getting information from a police officer isn’t an unbiased source.”

    I paused.  Then I nodded and sat down at my desk.

    “You’re not wrong—“ I began before she cut me off.

    “AHA!  I knew it! You’re just a shill for the establishment!” she exclaimed.  “I have better sources of information—“

    “Like the pamphlets in your purse?” I asked.

    She did the wrong thing:  She hesitated and looked at her purse.  That told me everything I needed to know.

    “What pamphlets?” she said quickly.  She wasn’t good at hiding her expressions.

    “I’m talking about the pamphlets from the train station,” I said.  “They’re given out by respectable-looking men and women in sharp suits and dresses. They talk about the grand conspiracy in the city, how it’s not too late for the `sane’ people.  Does any of this sound familiar?”

    She hesitated again.  That took some of the wind out of her sails.

    “Maybe,” she allowed.  “Why?”

    “How about this:  I tell you what I know about Animates and then you show me the pamphlets. Then we'll compare notes.  How does that sound?"

    "That sounds...fair," she acknowledged. "You first, Detective."

    I took a swig of my coffee.  This was going to take a while.

    "First of all, Animates are living, sentient beings just like you and me," I said.  "The law grants them equal rights with human beings."

    "But they're not equal," she protested, pointing to one of her pamphlets.  "This says that any particular Animate is a disaster waiting to happen.  This city has 100000 of them, just...ticking time bombs, all of them."

    I shrugged.  "Some Animates are more difficult to handle than others.  Just like everyone, you've got your good and bad apples.  But you know...this city hasn't had a single Animate-related fatality since I took office. What does that tell you?"

    "That you're very good at your job?" she suggested.

    "It means that I have a lot of help.  When we're done with this, I'll show you around the precinct house."

    She didn't say anything for a moment. "Where did they come from? What are they, really?"

    I sighed.  "Nobody really knows.  I mean, there are theories, but even the oldest Animates I've talked to don't know where they came from."

    "You're kidding me.  They don't know?"

    "Some say that Animates are our imagination given life, the love of a character given form.  Others think that they came from another dimension and this was how they could survive.  Still others believe that they're akin to proto-gods."

    "Gods?" she snorted.  "Really?"

    "Hey, don't knock it," I said.  "In another time and place, gods are all around. They're only as strong as the people who believe in them."

    "So, if we stopped believing in them, Animates will just fade away?"

    "I don't think that it works that way.  Besides, even if you don't believe in the Animate car coming at you, it probably believes in you," I joked.

    "Can they die?"

    I pause.  That was the big question.

    I haven't seen an Animate die in front of me. For the most part, they're pretty tough. Like any living person, they can die. In their case, it takes a good amount of dip, a special whiteout light, or any number of really difficult conditions to meet.

    When I went to a certain bar, my Uncle Eddie told me about the dip.  It's a nasty cocktail of turpentine, acetone and benzene that was, at that time, the only sure-fire way to kill a toon.  There wasn't any reason why the stuff wouldn't work on Animates as well--but I sure wouldn't want to see it in action.

    "My question is, what do you get out of killing an Animate?  Why would you try?" I countered.

    "It was--just a question," she said hesitantly.  "I heard that Animates were indestructible."

    "It depends on the Animate.  Pamphlets, please?"

    She handed them over, her hands shaking slightly. She probably hadn't expected me to be honest.

    I had to sigh as I flipped through the pamphlets. It was full of half-truths and exaggerations.  Moreover, I knew the group who was putting this stuff out.

    "This is from an anti-Animate group called Natural Order," I told her.  "They've been trying to wipe out Animates for years.  They haven't succeeded.  You want to know why they hate Animates?"

    "Why?"

    "It's the usual reasons:  Bigotry, fear and greed.  Animates are obviously different and some people are afraid of what's different. They're greedy because they want the technology, but not the people.  Now does that sound like a bunch of fine, upstanding people to you?"

    Suddenly, Sally found the wood grain on my desk to be immensely interesting.  Her hand shook as she gripped her phone.

    "No," she whispered.

    I ease up on the intensity.  It comes out when I'm angry or stressed.  I've been trying to cut down on my Mylanta consumption, seeing as how it didn't do much for my stress.

    "You want to take a minute?  After that, I'll show you around the precinct and introduce you to some people."

#anime detective #My writing