#i might do a poll about it

[rottmnt-residuum]

I love love love your comic and art style! I was wondering if you would be willing to say if it has a happy ending? Totally understand if you don't want to post spoilers or anything, even just posting the word yes or no would work. Only because I'm not sure if I can handle a completely tragic story atm. (Just wanna emphasize- absolutely no pressure, you do you, don't feel bad if it isn't something you want to share!<3<3) have a lovely day!

to be perfectly honest, i don't have a planned ending. Well, to be precise, i haven't decided on one yet. There are a couple that ive been deliberating on, but since we're so early in the story... i haven't really been worried about picking one.

i suppose there's a "good" ending, a "bad" ending, and a cliffhanger ending?

#i might do a poll about it #but i know what y'all'd choose #i am leaning towards a happier ending at the moment just due to how trashfire this is going to get #but the cliffhanger... is... more of a cop-out than anything else #so make of that what you will #residual asks

[panevanbuckley]

#(do option 1 or 2 and then promptly forget about them if you're anything like me) #but also i'm curious how many people bookmark their 'to read' fics because i might start this 🤔 #like you can FILTER them then! that's the feature missing in the marked for later page #ao3 #polls #fanfic #drarry #wolfstar #jegulus #merthur #ineffable husbands #gallavich #buddie #symbrock #sterek #tarlos #lokius #tomgreg #steddie #solangelo #narumitsu

[kelocitta]

In honor of the @rw-ship-showdown I wanted to write about Artihunter as someone who jokingly slapped them together pre-downpour and still thinks they are actually very compelling. Just not in the super soft love wins kinda way (Although I get why people like that more) And the only way I know how to do that is talking too much so heres a far too long slug essay-

Obviously the slugcats don't offer a ton of characterization but theres not nothing to work with. Their stories, whether by their roles in it or the overarching themes do provide a backbone to work with. Even gameplay itself can provide a bit. (for some more than others) Hunter, to me, is ultimately a story about selflessness. The goal is to revive Moon, which is very much an act of kindness from both Hunter and NSH. But the weight of that action is much more significant for Hunter- Hunter is deeply sick. They're on the clock, and for all their skill in combat none of that will ultimately help them to survive longer than their body can hold out. Moon is a close friend of NSH but that means little Hunter- Hunter really gets next to nothing out of helping them, and ultimately pays quiet a bit spending their limited time alive fighting to deliver that neuron so that someone else can live.

To spend ones limited days on helping another, in a game that very much stresses the unwavering cruelty of the world and nature- is pretty notable. (And you could even say that Hunter being the Hardmode of Rain World adds another layer to this)

And then we have Artificer. A storyline that very much stands out to people as more… villainous (so to speak) than the other slugcats. Artificer's story covers a lot of things. Trauma, violence, revenge, etc. Revenge is a bit of a selfish desire- That need to see someone hurt as they have hurt you. A punishment that ultimately does not fix whatever harm was done- but feels good to see because you were hurt and now those responsible share that pain.

Artificer's actions are founded in that need for revenge, their pups killed for overstepping boundaries they didn't know existed. Is it not fair for them to be angry at that, to punish the scavengers for their violence with their own? Why should the scavengers ever be forgiven when they and their pups were not? And that's how you get that loop- Harm for harm over and over.

The original action has been lost in a spiral of violence for violence. And here stands Artificer- their very spirit scarred. Not just because they sought revenge, but because they never ceased trying to scratch that itch for violence as an answer. Artificer only has two paths for their story- killing the scavenger king (Someone who, really, has little to do with the original 'crime' of the scavengers, but represents an important individual to them- as did the slugpups to Artificer), locking themselves as karma one for good and spending the rest of their life chasing creatures that no longer even fight back in a warped sense of closure- or to dissolve themselves in the acids of the void sea because they're too far gone to find any real peace.

They can't meaningfully recover from that state, not alone, twisting in on themselves. Even if they halt their actions, they've been using violence as a feeble defense against their own pain- violence that no longer has any real direction or basis. Artificer gets no real closure from killing the scavenger king. All they can do is continue the cycle, or try to scrub it away. No real peace in a prison of their own making. So you have a creature, who even with a strict timer on their life- a body that will crumble to disease, spends its last bit of time on saving another. And another who was so caught up in the pain of loss that were eaten alive by their own anger, poisoned their own soul on such a deep level even self-proclaimed gods have no solution for them. What peace can they offer each other? For Hunter, its only a fleeting moment of happiness- of selfish love, before their own body fails them. A bit of indulgence in something for themself. For Artificer, its a single, comforting thread to ground them again, something tangible to protect and care about again. But thats a thread that will ultimately be snapped under the cruel indifference of the world. Hunters timer will tick down regardless of if it takes another with it. Its a tragedy- its doomed to end badly. Whatever good it offers to either of them to find each other will only provide the fleeting comfort of a band-aid that will be ripped away too early. But all that can be worth indulging in anyway, if only for the moment. It doesn't change the ending, but the ending was never going to be happy. Its can so yuri

#rain world #rw shipping #tagging that just cause this is explicitly about that even though I usually dont do shipping stuff #with that said i dont even think this particular interpretation of a possible dynamic needs to be romantic its just kinda #about companionship in general. companionship thats going to absolutely shred an already unstable slug emotionally but thats #the point. friendship and love in spite of the unavoidable ending #just noticed this is like 80% theme analysis and 20% 'these go together just trust me' #but also theyre both girls because i want them to and also because im channeling hornet from hollow knight #who made me so deeply ill that my rain world tags still havent outcompeted my Hk tags because i drew her so much. so so much. #hunter is hornet coded to me and artificer is like if angela and gebura from lc combined into a deeply fucked up ferret #also i did tag the poll because they kinda inspired this but also. i wasnt gonna put all this out here WITHOUT a readmore thats embarassing #but i guess this is propaganda for a ship already seen as popular but like... idk i think theres something to it even as someone #who did literally slap them together originally because they were both red slugcats i considered girls. predownpour so we didnt have anythi #anyway hi tag readers i have so much work to do im being bad by writing about gay slugs. i need to get myself together #its so late this might just be nonsense bwaaaaaaa

[skitskatdacat63]

I've decided to do myself what the cowards at Aston won't. Behold.

#GAAAAAAHHHH REALLY HAPPY WITH THESE #GRRRRR I WANNA EAT HIM #not to pat myself on my own back too much but god he looks so fucking hot #woof woof woof man why isnt aston fernando miami 2004 redux not real :((( #only exists in art form :) teehee #ty for everyone who voted in my poll for this even if you didnt know it was for this! #apologies for not picking the most voted one. however...i didnt wanna draw it LOL #theres smth sexier to me about him wearing the unbuttoned shirt OKAY #was pretty fun to design the aston version of the shirt! lmk what you think #also small gripe: it sucks ive put all this work in and its probably gonna end up getting less than the poll i spent less than 10 mins on #idc that much abt notes but ugh the fact that lower effort notes tend to do better sucks :( #unless you wanna make this post more popular than the poll- be my guest :) #anyways god i though renault fernando was hot in these outfits and i obv still do but ggrrrrrr old man fernando when i get you #as i said yesterday. if he wont do well on track he might as well do well off track. so here i am. objectifying him #f1 #formula 1 #fernando alonso #2024 miami gp #f1 fanart #formula 1 fanart #catie.art.

[zsbrainrot]

Happy Buddy Daddies Friday!

#you guys voted for me to finish this WIP first #which I was honestly happy about cause this has been sitting in my WIPs for like 6 months #I might do more WIP polls in the future #cause I have…so many #I am the king of starting things but never finishing them lmao #happy buddy daddies Friday! #buddy daddies #kazurei #buddy daddies fanart #reikazu #kazurei fanart #my art #zsart

[beannary]

HELLO I AM THINKING OF MAKING TLP MERCH!!!!

Hi there! I've been wanting to try my hand at making keychains for a while now so here we go! Here are three different designs that I've come up with for potential tlp keychains.

#bean babbles #tlp #the little prince separated au #poll #1 and 3 are my fav #but we will see how this goes #i did a poll a while ago that was only up for a day but at least a few people seemed interested? #and if people arent interested i might just make these into stickers for myself #i would probably just do a run of about 20 keychains depending on how many people seem interested #anyways lets see!

[puppetmaster13u]

 Y’know, I was thinking about like, before the Justice League forms in this au. 

Just slowly rotating Bruce meeting Clark and Diana before they start the league, maybe even help each other out. Need another heavy hitter? Time to call in Clark! Someone mind controls Superman again? Time to call Diana! Need information about some sort of artifact? Diana is there! Want weirdly specific information that no one should know or to get into a place they can’t? Time to call in Bruce! Need a distraction? Boy does Bruce have you covered! Need diplomacy because this alien AI is pissed? Diana pulls on her training as a princess, warrior or not. Need to seem harmless- why, there’s a sunshine alien sweetheart with the same vibes as an overgrown puppy ready to help! 

Honestly it’s a surprise no one has realized they know each other yet, but then again Bruce really embodies being a cryptid and just doesn’t sit still for any potential photos. Sure there are some with Wonder Woman and Superman visible with him hidden in the shadows, but no one outside of Gotham really knows about him. Like I am imagining their friendship being both “two extroverts adopt this introvert” and “we’re coaxing this stray cat with its dozen of kittens over no matter what”

As always, I shall implore you to check out @phoenixcatch7 as this AU is a combo of my cryptid batfam au and theirs, called Possessed Doll

#meat marionette au #batman au #cryptid batman #wonder woman #batman #bruce wayne #diana of themiscyra #diana prince #superman #clark kent #Honestly they're the first to learn about the Tunnels #But Bruce insists it's not a problem or a danger so they leave it be #Little do they know that has put them in said caves' begrudging good graces #Not enough to snatch them thankfully but they *are* Its favorite child's friends #Best friends even! Maybe more but I might make that a poll #Actually what do you think Phoenix my dear mutual and semi co-creator #Gosh I wish I could make a chat or something to discuss this AU lol #Bruce: No one goes into the Tunnels #Clark & Diana: Okay why are you in the tunnels then? #Bruce: #Bruce: If I got adopted by the Tunnels that's no one's business #Omg when the kids first meet Diana & Clark lmao-

[pixelglam]

Hi Amelie! If u don’t mind me asking, what lots did u place in Llama Lagoon in Newcrest? Thanks in advance:)

Hello!

Georgian Family Home by Riemunen | Newcrest Colonial 3 by joeysimone252

Traditional Familyhome by Riemunen | Newcrest Colonial 2 by joeysimone252

Big Colonial Family Home by VickeHanviken

#Colonials are my favorite kind of home #I might do a poll about my next build for them #wcif #wcifs only for lots! #pixelglam's save file #newcrest

[exx-bee]

reasons to vote joe:

1. one time a friend of mine asked him for a bread recipe on twitter because i was too nervous to do it myself and he never replied and so then like 2 years later i @d him about it and then he said he didnt have the bread recipe so i never got to make sourdough bread but the bread looked really good so i had to find my own recipe and now i dont make sourdough but i do make french bread because i killed my sourdough starter on accident even though it had been going strong for like a year straight and it was super disappointing when i realized it had died and that sucked so much

anyways

vote joe

#fun fact ! #first fanart i ever posted was of joe :-) #its awful and bad but i might redraw it eventually who knows #JOE SWEEP #joe hills #digital painting #mcyt sexymen poll #again i never post about hermitcraft but i do find this INCREDIBLY improtant

[pocketramblr]

Absolutely love your writing for all the AU/5 headcanons asks. Can I ask: AU where Rei cheats on Endeavor with All Might? It happens after AM's injury, so she doesn't recognize him, and he ofc doesn't know that she's married in the first place, much less to whom

you make this very difficult for me by giving me a window of 6 and half years for them to have an affair and for every single moment of that window, Rei is institutionalized. how am i supposed to get them to meet, much less take their clothes off. ok. think. there are other fic writers who specialize in this kind of thing, surely. what would they do....

1- ok so. The fire alarm at the hospital goes off. Rei doesn't know if it's a drill or not, but she's been there for seven years and generally does not need a lot of support during something like this like other patients do, so the nurses wave her out and she stands around outside a bit waiting for the fire alarm to stop and them to go back in. (It isn't a drill, they wouldn't have evacuated everyone if it was, but Rei is on the other side of the building and facing away from seeing any smoke) (This smoke is from a villain attack that All Might is taking care of, though he's only got seconds left of his power to use that day. he quickly rushes off, deflating and stumbling out on the other side of the hospital. Where Rei is.)

2- Rei is like "huh that guy doesnt seem to be in good shape" and kinda waves attention at him, and a nurse who's passing out water to patients and keeping an eye on the road gives Toshinori some too, getting more concerned when he dazedly answers that he's All Might and coughs up blood, but the nurse figures he's concussed since he smells of smoke and must have been closer to the fight, and is just reeling from being able to see the number one hero in person. Then they get distracted and wave Toshi to wait nearby, where Rei offers to chill his water and asks if he's alright, if he breathed in any smoke.

3- They chat and then go back into the hospital as it's un-evacuated together, Rei hanging out in the lobby where he sits as the hospital staff focus on getting everyone else back to their rooms. It pays to be low priority sometimes. Eventually she tells him her name is Rei and that she's in room K18, if he ever wants to visit or call. She doesn't get to talk to anyone except doctors, family visitors, or other paitients, and most of them don't stay nearly as long as she does. It's been seven years, and she's very lonely. Toshinori is lonely too, and when he's out of time for a day and feeling useless with nothing to do, he likes to talk to a friend.

4- Rei has been in the hospital for eight years when it gets physical. At that point, Toshinori knows a bit about her family. She has kids, mentions visits from a son and daughter, and then quietly mentioned when her son turned seventeen- her daughter's already twenty. She's been there for so much of their lives. He asks if she's married, and she admits she isn't sure how to file for divorce in a hospital like she is, if she even can, if she wants to because she'd lose custody, if it matters when she's not raising them anyway. He doesn't ask much more, knows there is a dead child and a baby she says isn't safe with her there. Toshinori never called Nana 'mom' to her face while she was alive, and had a reason for it, and has a similar reason for not asking more, not asking for the other names when he gets Fuyumi and Natsuo's. Yes, the doctors and nurses all know Rei has a boyfriend who visits. they don't say anything. who would they even tell, anyway. I debated the humor of reusing the bit from candlelight shoto that Toshi and Rei could have a kid with a fire quirk, but yeah here? Rei ain't getting pregnant, absolutely not.

5- When Natsuo turns eighteen, Rei does actually file for divorce, or at least tries to get the ball rolling on that. Toshinori's trusted her that her marriage is over in all but name, but he's more at ease with it ended fully. Fuyumi is crushed but burying it all deep inside. Natsuo is like 'what are you talking about. divorce is the most normal possible outcome here.' But anyway, Rei also begins to bring up being discharged- something she never bothered with earlier, when it seemed like she'd never be able to go home while Shoto was there, and never would want to go back anyway. (Her parents are absolutely not an option either so where would she go once discharged? the hospital was her only security.) Toshinori then tells her at this point about his diagnosis, that he's supposed to be terminal, in a way. He doesn't have a lot of time he can give her. Rei says that's ok, she'll take what she can get. She moves in. Fuyumi still goes out to eat with her once a week, though Rei doesn't say she's moved in with a boyfriend, just says she's in a safe place and it's not Fuyumi's job to worry about it, please, let her do that, relax, be her daughter instead of a mother. Natsuo adds her to his cellphone plan and gets her one. Rei doesn't tell Toshinori her ex's identity. Toshinori doesn't tell her about OfA, though she does know he's mentoring a student for heroics and is very proud of him. (Toshinori is a secretary at Might Tower, he's a great mentor. Oh huh, he got a job position at UA at the same time as All Might, she wonders if they carpool.)

+1- OK THE REVEAL so the reveal is. Toshinori gets home from the SF. And Rei almost knocks him out by the door, eyes wide and panicked, asking if he's ok, if Shoto's ok. Toshinori is like "... young todoroki? yeah he's alright? i know his fight with young bakugo looked bad but- Rei???" And that's when it all clicks for him, he's having dozens of horrible realizations at once, all while Rei weeps over her youngest. Toshinori's been a hero for a very, very long time. He's felt hopeless, before. But even then, he's known what needs to be done, he just isn't able to do it. But now? he's at a complete loss with no idea what he should do.

#quick poll here. um. do we think shoto knows his parents are divorced #because i mean theres a lot of things he doesnt know about his family that he should #its not like they're really talking at that point #on the other hand. would enji have told him out of frustration for him clinging to his ice when rei left them? #basically. which one is funnier #Shoto going 'mom divorced you??? OH HELL YEAH GOOD FOR HER IM ONLY USING ICE TO CELEBRATE THAT i mean i know she hates me sure she should. #as long as she isn't tied to YOU anymore either we are going down hand in unlovable hand old man!!!' #or #shoto having no idea of the divorce and so when the truth comes out #either from toshinori or rei #hes like 'HELL YEAH YOUVE BEEN CHEATING ON DAD WITH ALL MIGHT???? HIGH FIVE MOM THATS THE BEST POSSIBLE REVENGE DABI WISHES HE'D #ORCHESTRATED THIS BUT HE NEVER HAD THE CREATIVITY TO!!! wait what do you mean its not cheating anymore because youre divorced' #these tags are funny because wow theres a lot of yikes and heavy stuff in the main post. ah ha ha. ah. #pocket talks to people #ask game #anon

[poetrysmackdown]

some informal thoughts

hello! hope the holiday season has been kind to all of you. and i hope all my jewish followers had a lovely hanukkah! anyways, since i said a few months ago that i’d pick poetry smackdown back up sometime around this time of year, i thought i should make a post. the gist of it is that i’m still quite busy, i have a break that’s about three weeks shorter than I was planning on, and i don’t currently have the mental bandwidth required to read, contemplate, and sort through poem submissions in a way that does justice to them, even if i were to recruit some friends to help out. since running a tournament format requires at least five weeks of continued engagement once it’s underway, and since i’m not at capacity to offer that right now due to the change in my schedule, i’m gonna have to bow out for now. sad bc i was looking forward to it!

my hope is that i’ll have some more time over the summer to hunker down with it, in which case you’ll be hearing from me. it’ll frankly depend on the kind of job i land in for the summer, but i find that my unemployed spirit can typically keep me doing stupid shit regardless of workload...to a point. i don’t want to make any promises because i don’t want to get anyone’s hopes up just to let them down again LOL. i do admit the amount of exposure the first tournament got has made me feel like more of a perfectionist this time around, doubly because i don’t feel that i’m very suited to being a public online presence (even a relatively quite small one)—i’m bad enough at responding to emails for my own real life responsibilities, let alone tumblr asks for the silly responsibilities i invent for myself lol. that’s not to say i no longer want to do it, or i don’t enjoy it, or even that i don’t feel capable of making a really interesting bracket—just that if i am working to put something new together, and if people are taking the time to submit poems they care about, then i don’t want to half-ass it.

my second admission is something like this. I made the original bracket as a celebration of poetry and our relationships to it. yes it was silly and competitive, and the poems were very tumblr, but still, celebration was the intention—I wanted to have conversations about poetry. I stand by the bracket format as a fun and valuable way to foster conversations about poetry, but truthfully, the poems i’m wanting to have conversations about right now—the poems that we should be talking about right now—are ones that i'm not comfortable putting in a bracket. I reblogged The Baffler’s Poems from Palestine collection on here earlier, and Najwan Darwish’s “Who Remembers The Armenians?”, which I still often find repeating through my head when I'm traveling from one place to another, walking home or riding the bus. I came across this beautiful thread recently where people have been translating Dr. Refaat Alareer’s “If I Must Die” into their own languages (this just makes my translator's heart sing!!!!!!). @havingapoemwithyou has been posting some great poems from and for Palestine as well—check out their tag here.

There's always more to add, and I'll be posting more on here as I come across it, but that's what I feel anyone should be focusing on right now when it comes to poetry. i think poetry can be an escape but it should never be a distraction. does that make sense? i wouldn't be against doing a one-off poll here or there, but it feels weird to be making a tournament for poetry right now, or anytime soon. i feel like what free time i have right now is still best utilized helping my friends with organizing in the real world. and god, a bit off-topic but while I'm talking, fuck poetry foundation—I have so much respect for all the poets keeping up the boycott, because while i think it's a simple decision, it's not always an easy one (Aurielle Lucier discussed that here).

anyways, if you read all of this, thank you for your time!! I could go on and on, but really this was just meant to be a message telling y'all that there won't be another tournament for a while lol. even so i'll be trying to use this small silly platform as best i can until palestine is free because that's the absolute least i can do.

#not a poll #also i'm closing my ask box for now because i know i don't have the bandwidth to answer anything rn. sorry :( #but feel free to reply here with your thoughts and any resources and i'll do my best to respond #or even messages might be fine. something about the ask format just gives me anxiety sometimes lmao #cannot stress this enough i am so so so bad at responding to things #even when i want to or enjoy doing it

[mumblesplash]

ok but it was a LITTLE funny of me to draw mean gills making out underwater exactly one (1) time and then nothing ever since. like you need to understand that was my first time drawing a kiss Ever. not first time posting, first time *drawing*

#mumbling #first ever attempt at drawing two people kissing and i make one of them martyn and post it on the martyn lives here website #does it make it better or worse that he had previously reblogged my art of him and scott About to kiss? who can say #those of u who were there for The Poll might remember #that all only happened because i was drawing limlife teams as if they had been told to pose for a photo #and the ONLY thing my brain would accept as an in character response for them was #‘obviously they would start making out in front of the camera as a bit’ #and only at the last moment did i realize the only thing that would be even more in character #would be to act like they were *about* to kiss without actually doing it #you know to be little shits. #but then you know. i was given a Decent Amount of Money and i was like weelllll

[so-bitya]

Ciel would still be attempting to learn more about Derrick by getting closer to his house's prefect and their fag. Here's my thoughts how those scenarios would go:

Ciel goes to Violet Wolf

Ciel enters emo wolf school (rip)

He has to get closer with Violet and Cheslock (double rip)

One is even more introverted than him, and the other one bullies people he likes

either Ciel attempts to be Cheslock's fag (difficulty 5 stars) or he kicks him out of the school (lol) and becomes Violet's fag

which seems super difficult to pull off, since Violet is hard to butter up and already seems to be on Ciel's tail

tension would be so good though, between Ciel investigating Derrick in the house (can't seem to find him anywhere) and the purple students on edge with outsiders

horror house levels of fun

Ciel goes to Scarlet Fox

very lively cause Ciel gets way more involved with so many characters in this arc: Redmond, Maurice, Joanne, and Soma.

attempts to become Mauric's fag? immediately backfires in his face, since Maurice is worried he'll steal his spot.

yknow, way too easy if he does, let's make it so Soma helps reveal the bullying, Redmond finds out, decides Soma is the right fit for his fag instead cause of his judge of character, Ciel is flabbergasted

Ciel now has to be Soma's fag (rip rip destroyed explosion 💥💥💥)

i didnt put Green Lion cause i know they're gonna lose. also don't care. but i'll tell you what would happen if Ciel went there anyway

because Edward is there (secretly happy Ciel got into the same house) i would assume Edward would be willing to introduce him to the prefects.

and i think Edward would be more willing to take him as his fag once he proves himself worthy (he wants to be fair, but i think he likes to support Ciel when he can).

ironically the easiest route so far in getting closer to the P4?

Ciel hanging out with all those jocks at the house becomes a mob psycho 100 situation

he's gonna get bullied into having a better psyche and a healthy diet, he hates it (good for him 😔)

in the cricket tournament, Ciel doesn't have to do much so he just takes it easy

but because the whole house wants to support their little buddy, they keep trying to give him the spotlight, aka sport feats he's in no way capable of, so he's being tortured out there

actually lowkey this is the funniest scenario, i would vote for it. too bad :p

#lol if you like it just tell me in the comments #or other ideas yall have #i might do more polls about these scenarios #i just dont often because i have to tag everyone augh #i like all these scenarios really #...blue house really was the worst wasnt #why yana went with the blandest option... #kuro #weston arc #o!ciel #public school arc #kuroshitsuji season 4 #b.polls #b.txt #ciel phantomhive #gregory violet #cheslock #edgar redmond #maurice #joanne harcourt #soma asman kadar #edward midford

[buck2eddie]

#and one for my mom cause she deserves one as well <3 #might do one about my brother just for fun i love these ahsgdkdk #polls #tumblr polls #hyperspesific polls

[mylittleredgirl]

much more context with an episode list below the poll!

more info below by episode (forgive me in advance if i forgot your favorite doctor-evolution episode) (also forgive me for all the mistakes i will immediately see once i hit post but will be unable to fix because we can't edit poll posts):

season one: "i wasn't programmed for any of this!"

"eye of the needle": after kes starts advocating for him, janeway offers him the power to turn himself off, and he asks for a name.

"heroes and demons": he leaves sickbay for the first time and has his first non-medical mission. he's emotionally affected by freya's death at the end.

season two: "before you, i was just a projection of photons held together by forcefields [...] just a profession, not a life."

"projections": he hallucinates an existential crisis about whether he's a human or a hologram.

"twisted": the doctor spends time recreationally with the crew on the holodeck for the first time (though it's not clear if he enjoys it).

"lifesigns": he falls in love with vidiian doctor danara pel. at first he says his program is malfunctioning, but later believes his programming is adapting instead. he also records his first personal log.

season three: "i'm footloose and fancy-free."

"the swarm": his program starts to degrade because he has been expanding it for hobbies like opera and friendships with the crew. he says his program should be rebooted so he can serve his "primary responsibility," but kes and the others convince him that his memories are important to keep. (factoid: we learn his maximum runtime was supposed to be 1500 hours.)

"future's end": mobile emitter time!!! and his first time off the ship.

"darkling": he starts editing his own program (and it doesn't go well).

"real life": he creates a holo-family for himself.

according to the stardate mentioned in "latent image" (see season five), the flashback part of that episode happens at the very end of season three.

season four: "i believe i've earned the respect of the crew as an equal."

"revulsion": we meet our first delta quadrant hologram (and it doesn't go well). this is the first time we hear about holograms being subjugated by "organics."

"message in a bottle": the doctor meets the EMH-2 and reveals that at some point he programmed himself a dick and had sex.

"living witness": we learn that the doctor has a backup module who seems to have the same emotions and self-awareness as the doctor himself (which i take to mean that whatever sentience is now in his program can be duplicated by copying).

season five: "we gave him a soul. do we have any right to take it away now?"

"latent image": we learn the doctor had a holo-breakdown (off-screen in late season 3) after his ethical subroutines could not reconcile his decision to save harry's life over another patient's. at the time, they determined that erasing some of his memories was the only way to repair him. at the end of the episode, after the doctor and seven both argue for his individual rights, janeway decides to let him work through his guilt rather than deleting his memories again. assuming this ultimately works after the episode ends, it means that he was able to overcome a critical programming conflict through introspection and social support instead of altering his programming.

season six: "haven't I earned the right to self-determination?"

"tinker, tenor, doctor, spy": the doctor formally complains that his sentience is not being acknowledged and argues that he should be allowed to grow his abilities beyond his role as doctor. he also wants his potential to be evaluated based on his holographic nature rather than humanoid limits ("my program can be expanded indefinitely. i don't have limits!").

"blink of an eye": he lives for three years on the time dilation planet and even has a son ("it's a long story").

"virtuoso": he tries to leave the ship to become an opera star, choosing his passion (and his ego) over his originally programmed purpose.

side note: "fair haven" and "spirit folk" are both in season six, and that's the first time that anyone (including the doctor) seems to consider the concept that regular holodeck characters might also have some kind of feelings, personhood, or right to continued existence (unlike in season three, when in "alter ego" it's both a joke and a problem that harry falls in love with a hologram, or in "real life" when the doctor is fine with b'elanna reprogramming his family without consulting them).

season seven: "the doctor exhibits many of the traits we associate with a person [...] but are these traits real, or is the doctor merely programmed to simulate them?"

"critical care": the doctor violates the hippocratic oath in his programming by harming a patient to save others, and it does not trigger the ethical subroutine breakdown he experienced in season 5.

"body and soul": delta quadrant holograms are in revolt. the doctor experiences humanoid pleasures and enjoys them.

"flesh and blood": he betrays voyager to save the hirogen-programmed holograms and (temporarily) leaves the ship to join them, "because i'm one of you."

"author, author": a federation arbiter decides that he's not legally a person, but is "no ordinary hologram" and has some limited rights.

#polls #star trek voyager #star trek thoughts #deep dives #at some point i might do a follow-up post about when the rest of them think he becomes sentient #because i suspect that answer will be different and perhaps a little depressing #god bless the real hero of this post chakoteya.net for letting me double check all the transcripts

[ingravinoveritas]

Revisiting a poll that I conducted last year to see what everyone's thoughts are now that we have David's take on his and Michael's kiss in GO 2...

#michael sheen #welsh seduction machine #david tennant #soft scottish hipster gigolo #good omens 2 #kissing #there's teasing the fandom and then there's whatever these two are doing #looking like that when thinking about kissing each other #at this point the subtext might as well be a billboard #truth disguised as a joke #i think neil will have to physically restrain michael from open mouth kissing david at this point #remember when i used that tag before i even saw the show #and now David is saying Michael brushed his teeth #good times #ineffable lovers #poll