#cliff bole

[nerds-yearbook]

Lt Barclay (Dwight Schultz) was introduced in the Star Trek the Next Generation episode "Hollow Persuits" that aired first on April 28, 1990. He would play the character 5 times on Star Trek TNG, 6 times on Star Trek Voyager, and once in the feature film Star Trek First Contact. ("Hollow Persuits" Star Trek the Next Generation, TV Event)

[episodicnostalgia]

Star Trek: The Next Generation, 124 (May 9, 1988) - “Conspiracy”

Teleplay by: Tracy Tormé Story by: Robert Sabaroff Directed by: Cliff Bole

The Breakdown

The Enterprise is en route to Pacifica for… it doesn’t matter, because Picard gets a top secret late-night-call from his old buddy Captain Walker Keel, of the starship Horatio.  Keel implores Picard to cancel his appointment with Pacifica, because he has some piping hot tea (earl grey, presumably) that he can only spill in person, but it’s gotta be now …and also, don’t tell anyone why. Since Picard probably hasn’t had anyone to gossip with since his hairline met his forehead, he orders the Enterprise to “fuck our meeting with Pacifica, and take me to a nearby abandoned mining outpost instead,” much to the crew’s bemusement.

Upon arriving to their new destination, the crew find three other ships have also arrived, with three designated representatives already waiting on the mining-planet’s surface, so Picard beams down before Riker can admonish him about breaching protocol. On the surface Picard is greeted by Keel and the other two ship’s Captains, who are all pointing phasers at his head, and asking him a bunch of MFA questions (which Picard obviously crushes; the dude is nothing if not savvy). Since Picard has proven he’s not an imposter, Keel proceeds to explain that he suspects a vast Conspiracy within Starfleet, that may have permeated even the highest levels of command. Apparently Starfleet has been restructured in vaguely suspicious ways, and also Keel’s first officer and doctor have been acting super-sus. Picard remains unconvinced, but agrees to keep his eyes peeled, and leaves their clandestine rendezvous so he can get back to following orders like an upstanding person.

Of course, wouldn’t you know it, just as we’re getting back on track to the Pacifica story we all came here for, an even more interesting tragedy strikes; The Horatio has been destroyed, claiming the lives of Keel and his entire crew! That alone is enough for Picard to suspect that something is amiss, but when Data pours through all of the Starfleet command files at super-android-speed and finds that things do indeed appear quite suspicious, that clinches it. After bringing his key staff up-to-speed, Picard resolves to bail on Pacifica altogether [sorry Pacifica, sucks to suck. Maybe try being part of the main plot next time], and return to starfleet command to get to the bottom of things once and for all!

Upon arriving to earth, Picard is greeted by three Admirals we’ve never met before, which historically means they can’t be trusted. Fortunately however, Admiral Quinn is amongst them (along with his snivelling-sycophant-commander Remmick, leering in the background) who, you may recall, came to Picard several episodes ago, warning of a conspiracy against Starfleet. Picard explains to the admirals that he has something urgent to tell them, and they seem pretty happy to hear him out.  In fact, they even suggest that Picard and Riker both come down away from prying eyes, for a private little dinner where they can discuss it, and nothing bad will happen. First though, Quinn wants to come up and take a quick look at the Enterprise (because who wouldn’t), and Picard reasons that the Admiral probably wants to warn them about something.

But he would be wrong.

It turns out all three of the Admirals, including Quinn (and also that fucking weasel, Remmick), are possessed by alien-bug-creatures that burrow into the back of your neck at the base of the skull.  Thankfully Picard clues in that something is wrong when Quinn back peddles hard about his previous Conspiracy woes. Since the dinner is obviously a Trap, Picard orders Riker to hang back for a bit and keep an eye on Quinn, while he heads down and hopes for the best.

Up on the Enterprise, Riker starts asking too many questions, until Quinn is forced to admit that he’s here for nefarious possession-related purposes (he brought a possession-bug onto the ship, with Dr. Crusher being the intended target in this case).  But since the jig is up, Bug-Quinn starts beating the shit out of Riker, because being possessed gives the hosts super powerful bodies. 

Geordie and Worf show up to find the Admiral hunched over Riker’s unconscious body, and do their best to help, but they also prove to be no match for Quinn’s super-bug-strength.  Thankfully Dr. Crusher has more common sense than the chief of security and pretty handily knocks Quinn flat on his ass with a phaser (seriously Worf, way to drop the ball). With Quinn secured in sick bay, Crusher is able to determine what the heck is going on, and bring Picard up to speed. Suddenly Riker makes a miraculous recovery, and sneaks up behind Crusher, implying that he got body-snatched after Quinn shit-kicked him.

Meanwhile Picard is down on the planet surface, and the Admirals pretty much confirm that they have indeed been taking over key members of Starfleet, with the intention being to use humans as slave hosts. Right around then Riker shows up claiming to, in fact, be possessed with the bug that was intended for Crusher.  But it all ends up being a ploy (yep, that whole moment in sickbay was all just a classic red-herring), and once everyone’s guard is down he starts blasting the shit out of everyone in the room. The ensuing fire fight ends with Picard and Riker following a bug into a command station where Bug-Remmick is ostensibly plotting something evil. The possessed commander espouses some obligatory villain-monologue nonsense, but Picard figures enough is enough, so he and Riker straight up phaser Remmick’s head until it explodes. But it’s not over yet, because a giant queen-bug-worm-thing emerges from Remmick’s oozing chest cavity, and you can bet this thing isn’t going down easil- oh… never mind. Yeah, so Picard just vaporizes that too.

With the mother-bug reduced to space-ash, all of the possessed peoples are released, and the reset button has formally been activated.  Data does make one salient point, and informs Picard that prior to his death, Remmick had been sending a message into the far reaches of uncharted space.  The contents of the message are unclear, since the bug-dialect is unknown, but Data hazards a guess that the message may have been a homing beacon to earth…

Anyways it’s probably nothing! The end.

The Verdict.

If you had shown me this episode when I was eight years old, I would have probably identified it as a perfect hour of television.  A physically imposing enemy, who can’t be easily detected, and who could be your most trusted friend? Check. Creature FX, hand to hand combat, phaser fights, and corridor chase scenes? Check, check, check, and motherfucking check!  It’s actually kinda fun/interesting to see a number of preliminary concepts being experimented with, that would eventually be reworked and repurposed in other (arguably stronger) stories later down the line [more on that below].

Overall I’d say there’s more good than bad here, even though quite a few moments end up being unintentionally comical by current pop-culture standards, that’s also part of the charm.  An episode like this is a perfect example of classic pulp-camp television that has always been part of Star Trek’s DNA, and you have to go in with that attitude to enjoy it.  The clunky fight scenes barely hide the obvious stunt-doubles, the stop-motion creature effects are obviously inhibited by some clear budgetary & technological restraints, and the resolution is a bit overly convenient for how dire the circumstances were supposedly meant to be. As much as those things could be considered limitations, I almost appreciate the show even more for being so unapologetically sincere, even when it doesn’t perfectly stick the landing.

Overall, I think the creature work is actually quite impressive, and the practical special-effects used for Remmick’s gaping chest cavity/mother-bug are largely effective.  The other limitations might stop me from hailing this episode as a masterpiece, but they all work to the effect of telling an entertaining, if technically-over-ambitious story.  Even where our heroes make questionable choices, I can forgive on the grounds that the villains do the same; at least there’s an internal logic (or hilarious lack thereof) that remains consistent across the board.

Although, as much fun as ‘Conspiracy’ was, it didn’t have a lot to say.  Apparently at one point, there was an earlier draft of the script that was intended as a real-world allegory to the Iran-Contra affair, with the episode centering around an ordinary coup (sans body-snatch gimmicks), but was kiboshed for being too depressing/controversial. I imagine that iteration of the story might have still likely failed to hit the mark on any meaningful commentary, mainly because Star Trek historically has (especially during this still-early stage in the franchise) a very politically-liberal-colonial bias; ie, lots of good intentions, but with clear blind spots when it comes to addressing the root corruption that our core institutions are built upon, amongst other issues.  All the same, I kind of wish that earlier draft had been allowed to pass, even if it was a disaster, if only to see what it was that TPTB found so distasteful (it’s not like the season 1 scripts were batting 1000 anyways).

Overall, a harmlessly fun hour of camp TV, and a welcome change of pace after the last episode.

3 stars (out of 5)

Parting Thoughts

Silly things that I find interesting: I’d honestly never heard of this episode prior to watching it, but I wasn’t as avid a fan of TNG growing up (DS9 & Voyager for me, baby), so I was left to consider the possibility that I’d somehow missed out on even hearing about a major Space-bug-bodysnatchers story arc. Because, I gotta say you guys, that is one pretty ominous cliffhanger. So yeah, I obviously felt compelled to look ahead for answers, like the slutty little gossip that I am. [My “research” primarily entailed reading subreddits and fan sites. Which means, y’know… grain of salt, subject to error, and all that.] Supposedly, the bugs were meant to return as a recurring ‘Big Bad’ for the show, but the creature effects were too costly to produce on a regular basis. Although, it seems that the borg were possibly utilized as a more cost-effective alternative to achieving a similar hive-mind-themed existential threat.  Likewise, I’ve heard it suggested that some parts of the Changeling arc in DS9 may have been inspired by this episode, but who knows. All the same, one wonders how this story might have otherwise played out if given the chance, although it may be just as well that it didn’t; I think I still prefer the borg.

Remmick’s death is pretty violent for syndicated television. I suspect that level of gore probably wouldn’t make it past most network censors today. I realize that streaming has largely circumvented those kinds of restrictions now, but exploding brain matter still isn’t exactly a common occurrence, even on the newer (and notably more graphic) Trek shows.

So, are the events of this episode a matter of public record? Just before the climax, the bug-admirals indicate that they’re not far off from achieving total control of Starfleet, implying there were many other infected officers (which would support Keel’s suspicions). Is the invasion-attempt something that’s common knowledge across Starfleet (not to mention the general public), or was this all kept hidden somehow? A conspiracy this large could reasonably be expected to set off virtually every alarm across the entire Alpha Quadrant, rousing most governing bodies/empires to a vigilant search for a compact enemy that can turn almost any humanoid into an insurgent super-soldier. I dunno man, I don’t think I’d just let this one go, personally.

[spockvarietyhour]

Hey Cliff!

[dabeaudex]

Dragon Age: The Veilguard - Codex Entry

Mourn Watch - New Flora

Nature's overwhelming variety outside my kingdom has been a revelation. It's one thing to see the illustrations in botanical studies, another to touch the bole of a young pine tree, or pluck silver fruits from a bush unknown in Nevarra. I must note down the more interesting flora.

-Drake's tooth hawthorn: vicious leaves. Davrin showed me one rooted in a sheer cliff in the Anderfels. -The Brecilian bitter cherry: a wonderful scent, but the fruit's entirely what it sounds like. (Harding's giggling should have warned me.) -The Ansburg moaning willow: how novel! Unlike some of the willows in the Necropolis, these don't appear to produce any noises of their own at all.

–From Emmrich's diary

[spn20rewatch]

Season 3, Episode 6: Red Sky at Morning (December 10th)

Sam and Dean investigate deaths connected to the sighting of a ghost ship. -Super-wiki

Originally aired on: November 8th, 2007

Written by Laurence Andries, directed by Cliff Bole.

Fun fact: From Super-wiki, "The title of the episode comes from an old piece of weather lore: 'Red sky at night, sailor’s delight. Red sky at morning, sailor take warning.' Red sky at morning is said to signal rain."

Enjoy watching the episode and check out #spn20rewatch for more!

[liquidpaperfoundation1]

"Wondrous was made each mountainside

With crystal cliffs so clear of hue;

About them woodlands bright lay wide,

As Indian dye their boles were blue;

The leaves did as burnished silver slide

That thick upon twigs there trembling grew.

CHUG SOME OLIVE OIL BEFORE BED, SEE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT CLICK HERE!

When glades let light upon them glide

They shone with a shimmer of dazzling hue.

The gravel on ground that I trod with shoe

Was of precious pearls of the Orient:

Sunbeams are blear and dark to view

Compared with that fair wonderment.

TOP TEN NUDE CELEBRITY PHOTOS OF THE 60'S THAT WILL SHOCK YOU TO YOUR CORE!

In wonder at those fells so fair

My soul all grief forgot let fall;

Odours so fresh of fruits there were,

I was fed as by food celestial.

In the woods the birds did wing and pair,

DIETITIAN EXPLAINS THE NUMBER 1 VEGETABLE YOU SHOULD BE EATING

[greatcometcas]

a spin-off of this poll from @humandisorderincarnatedean

full list below

other one-off* directors are:

David Jackson (1x07 Hook Man)

Paul Shapiro (1x13 Route 666)

Chris Long (1x17 Hell House)

Tony Wharmby (1x20 Dead Man’s Blood)

Whitney Ransick (1x18 Something Wicked)

Tim Iacofano (2x05 Simon Said)

Bradford May (2x15 Tall Tales)

Adam Kane (4x13 After School Special)

Rick Bota (5x19 Hammer of the Gods)

Jan Eliasberg (6x06 You Can’t Handle the Truth)

David Barrett (6x13 Unforgiven)

Charles Robert Carner (8x07 A Little Slice of Kevin)

Nick Copus (8x09 Citizen Fang)

Kevin Hooks (9x03 I’m No Angel)

Rob Spera (9x06 Heaven Can’t Wait)

Misha Collins (9x17 Mother’s Little Helper)

Darren Grant (14x05 Nightmare Logic)

John Fitzpatrick (14x16 Don’t Go In the Woods)

*pour one out for robbie duncan mcneill who is the reason i wanted to make this poll because of everything going on in 1x06 skin but it turns out he also directed the great escapist! thank you for your service!

[various-things]

for the rare pair ficlet game

so many good options but intrigued by

📕 Julian Bashir/Picard

(closer to 400 words whoops :) Picard had been polite. “Doctor Bashir, I’ve heard excellent things about… I believe Doctor Crusher said it was stabilizing therapies for… EM field-induced viral mutations?” “Thank you very much, Captain. I hope we won’t see a need for it anytime soon, but we’re distributing the information.” Then, Picard: “We last met when you were on the Enterprise—” When a 27-year-old Julian snuck on board and into the sickbay to use its bio-imaging systems. “—after you assisted Commander Data with his dreams.” “Oh yes!” Julian said, smiling at the thought of his friend. “What an incredible experience. I know you were of great help to him as well.” The captain’s eyes flicked to the perimeter of their position in the reception area. Seeming to confirm that no one else was waiting to approach, he softened. "It was truly fascinating. And I was honored to be able to share in Commander Data's exploration of—well, in a way, strange new worlds." Who would have guessed? They got along wonderfully. It was now Day 3 of the commemorative event on Bolarus IX. The facility at the Cliffs of Bole was stunning, with well-appointed rooms and beautiful views. There were only a couple of scheduled events each day, which left a lot of time to kill. Sure, Julian could have been spending it on research. But the captain, a stunning man who apparently shared a great deal of interests with Julian, seemed to be quite receptive to them finding each other for meals and conversations. Julian was very attracted to him. And well, he was 35 and newly single—2 months out of a relationship with a 300 year-old Starfleet legend. Admiral Ross already avoided him whenever they were in a room together. Really, he could live with a bit of coldness from the captain of Starfleet’s flagship if a few comments were off base. By Day 2 he’d decided to flirt a little. Picard had matched it. Gracefully. Deliciously slowly. They were sitting in the building's outdoor bar, watching the sunset. “You quoted Poe the other day,” Julian said, keeping his tone light. “Have you read much of his poetry?” “I haven’t. Is there anything you recommend?” “Well, our discussion of Data reminded me of ‘A Dream Within a Dream.’ You know, I... I have a copy on a PADD I brought with me.” Julian made eye contact. “Maybe I could show it to you privately?” An expression of sharp interest spread across Picard's face. “I’d like that,” he said, voice low.

[scullysflannel]

hiiiiiiii i just watched bad blood and i love that both this and the preceding episode kill switch feature gillian anderson being so so so funny. you can just tell she is having a great time

famously her favorite episode!!! cliff bole really directed the shit out of bad blood (on top of vince gilligan turning in a script so sharp and funny I'd stake his reputation on it even if it were the last thing he ever wrote), because it doesn't feel the least bit repetitive to the audience, and clearly it didn't to the cast either. what's wild is that it's even more fun on rewatch. the line deliveries are like tennis to me. they're just lobbing them back and forth and never missing

[mytardisisparked]

Time for my weekly viewing of The X-Files Season 5 Episode 12 "Bad Blood" starring David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson guest starring Luke Wilson and Patrick Renna written by Vince Gilligan directed by Cliff Bole critical rating of-

[episodicnostalgia]

Star Trek: The Next Generation, 106 (Oct. 31, 1987) - "Lonely Among Us"

Written by: D.C. Fontana Directed by: Cliff Bole

The Breakdown

There’s a lot going on this episode so I’m gonna have to break this up.

Plot 1 – The Enterprise acts as host for two warring species (Lizard-ish people and pig-ish people) as they travel enroute to a peace summit. Along the way each species tries to kill each other using methods that one might expect to be employed by rival college fraternities in a wacky summer comedy, while Riker plays interference.

Plot 2 – Picard mentions something about solving a mystery just like Sherlock Holmes would, which piques Data’s curiosity. And boy does he get INTO it. For the remainder of the episode Data walks around cosplaying as Sherlock Holmes.

Plot 3 – Okay so THIS is where it gets weird.  Amidst all the chaos, the Enterprise crew scans a nebula and accidentally gets infected by one of those space-entity-consciousnesses (you know the ones).  From there, the entity starts jumping from one crew member to the next, taking over their bodies in the process, until it ultimately ends up inside Picard.

Dr. Crusher and the senior officers are savvy enough to figure out Picard’s LITERALLY not himself, but unfortunately too inept to do anything about it.  With the approval of the entire senior staff Riker & Crusher both tell Picard that he needs to be medically checked out because they think he might be possessed, but he deftly parries their blow with a devastating “No, YOU seem possessed!”, and that inexplicably works.  Having met their match, the crew have no other  choice than to follow body-snatched-Picard’s orders to return to the nebula.

It turns out that our resident Space-ghost (no relation to the cartoon) hates it here and just wants to return home, but has decided to bring Picard with it.  The Entity reckons that since Picard is a natural explorer, he would probably leap at the opportunity to explore space as a joined-discorporate-entity (courtesy of the transporters), and then successfully enacts that plan.  Of course this is Star Trek, so we find out that following the beam-out, the joining didn’t take, and Deanna is conveniently able to sense the Captain’s presence enough to help the crew retrieve their captain using the power of technobabble and plot armour.  Since the only person who died wasn’t a main character, there’s no need to reflect on these events any further.

The Verdict

This episode tries to be too many things. Body-stealing-space-entities, tense diplomatic relations between two warring factions, and Data becomes a Sherlock Holmes stan. Any one of these things could have made a decent episode, and at certain points each story arc is almost compelling, until they all fall apart because none of them are really connected to each other.

2 stars (out of 5)

Additional Observations

Data’s fascination with Sherlock Holmes is easily my favourite part of ‘lonely among us’, because as silly as it is, Brent Spiner fully commits to it and the physical comedy. This is the delicate line Star Trek regularly has to straddle, camp vs drama, and Spiner balances those two elements expertly.

The two warring races (I’ve already forgotten their names) are mostly pointless, and easily the least interesting part of the episode. Obviously they’re introduced as a Red herring, but there’s too much tension and build up surrounding them, which ultimately leads to nothing.

Star Trek has always employed liberal usage of Deus Ex Machina, but Picard was rescued from being a space-ghost far too easily.

Picard’s an asshole: Everyone knows Picard has been possessed because he’s suddenly nice. Someone needs to talk to HR about that guy.

[agent-troi]

omg cliff bole directed future’s end part 2 and bad blood

[ask-naraenil]

Unconditional Love - 25th Oct 23

Fatigue shot through her body, aching her muscles and burning her nerves. She felt heavy and worn in a way she never felt until a few decades ago.

Nara’enil grabbed the last handhold on the rise and pulled herself onto the ledge. Under the light of the two moons, she squinted at the Ohn’ahran Plains, its green vastness peppered with thickets of trees spread before her. 

Once upon a time, a girl with hair as blue as the depths of the ocean winced as the mighty bear whose scalp she grazed with her arrow transformed before her eyes into a full grown druid. With blood streaming down his white hair, he shouted at her so loudly she swore his voice echoed through the woods and scared away any other predator within the next mile.

She followed his footsteps as they departed for Feralas the following day. 

She remembered a pair of faces welcoming them when they arrived at his home after their lengthy journey. Both were similar in their dark hair and sculpted cheekbones; similar in their soft jawlines, and in the shapes and golden hues of their eyes. She remembered thinking that she had been adopted into a family of greatness, so the ancient stories went. 

She remembered the formal yet gentle kindness of the woman - the druid’s wife. She remembered sleepless mornings when the elder priestess sat with her by the sea, and taught her about the Goddess in ways that the sisters in Hyjal who looked after the orphans did not. 

She remembered the reticence of their son, who looked too much like his mother. A youth of her age who had yet to fully grow into himself. Who shied away when his father introduced her as his new sister. She remembered the realization that he - that they - were her family now, and for as long as she lived, she would protect them with her life. 

Once upon a time, a young Sentinel with violet leaf markings destroyed a cursed totem atop a peak in a mountain range. She was descending a cliff when the skies erupted with torrential rain. Her grip slipped on a moss grown rock and she could not grab another in time before lightning struck the outcropping just beside her, and broke the rocky shelf she clung to.

As she plummeted, expecting to be welcome in the arms of the Mother Moon, the beat of wings reached her ears and the pain of sharp talons dug into her shoulders, trying to slow her free fall. It dragged her mid air towards the trees near the shrine of Aviana, that was the nearest place of refuge. Her leg broke, as did her arm as she crashed through several layers of canopy and landed in a heap on the ground. The owl that saved her life turned into the most beautiful man she ever saw. He brought help and rushed to her side.

A century later, they tied the knot under the roots of their home, in the presence of their handful of friends and family, and with the stars as their witnesses.

There was a tall tree nearby with branches low enough to climb onto. Nara’enil scaled its bole and found enough space on a particularly broad limb to lie down. It was something she had done all of her life: find a safe vantage point and seek refuge in the open. The sky was a roof more familiar to her than those indoors. 

She could feel the leaks. The ‘surges’ of the Dream coming into the physical world, frontlines where the Circle’s archdruids went to contain them, while recruiting anyone willing to help not just with collecting the living energies, but to fight back the opportunistic incursions from the Firelands. 

The burns on her torso and her arms still stung, even though they were healing. Nara’enil rested her weight against the trunk, carefully unholstering the staff on her back. She tried not to let the flashbacks to the fires and flames stop her from seeing to her comfort.

“It’s a twig of Shaladrassil, given to me by my Shan’do before he passed on.”

“It’s from Andrassil up in the north, before it had to be destroyed. My An’do declared me its heir when I chose the path of the Branch.”

“Legend has it that it was stolen from G’hanir by one of the first druids, and it has remained hidden through the generations.”

Perhaps he was beautiful because he saved her life, despite the near-impossible chance of success. Perhaps he was beautiful because he was the only one who could pull a full bellied laugh from her, no matter how dire the circumstances. He never gave a serious answer whenever she asked where his cyclically blossoming staff was from. Each explanation only grew more ludicrous than the previous. It became a private joke between them in the millennium and a half they were together.

When the Circle returned from the first Silithus war, his staff, withered and dormant, was all that they could find of his remains. 

It took her another hundred years to learn to smile again.

It was a habit - a routine she had formed - ever since she started travelling alone. First, she removed her staff - the gnarled, dead stick, then her satchel and sickle, and finally her belt, onto which numerous pouches and containers were attached.

In the darkness of the shadows cast by the mountains and the forests, she learnt from her foster father the ways that were forbidden to her and all other women, during the few moments he found her alone on patrol and away from her various units over the years. He was already training her before she met her late husband; he continued to train her through her marriage, and he kept training her after she was widowed. Their lessons were kept away from prying eyes and ears, for nobody would ever approve. 

In the rarer times she managed to bring herself to return to the home she built after they were married, she took out her husband’s books and scrolls, and tried to learn the other craft for which he was valued by their compatriots. But she was no alchemist, and without a teacher to guide her, she learnt as any commoner did: by recipe, and by memory. 

His initials were sewn into the woven belt of ironbark. He wore it when he went to gather herbs. It hung from its hook on the wall near his laboratory table. “I won’t have the chance to forage in the desert,” he said before he left. 

Paired with the knowledge imparted to her by both him as well as her foster father about medicinal flora, she refused to let her husband’s legacy die with him, as she did her utmost to apply what she learnt, and pick up anything new.

A white ohuna flew overhead, lightly rustling the leaves as it whistled. Perhaps one of the local wildlife, or a messenger for the centaur clans. Nara’enil watched it disappear into the horizon as she hung the herbalist’s belt onto the bend of her staff, the latter secured to the branch beside her. Finally, she folded her cloak and laid her head on it as a makeshift pillow.

The stars peeked through the canopy like moonlight caught on ripples of water.

In the years that followed Nordrassil’s fall, her hair had faded into a dull grey as the navy strands were gradually replaced by white. Injuries and ailments took longer to mend. Worry and fatigue have etched themselves into increasingly noticeable lines around her eyes. 

After the orcs invaded their lands, min’do Ilisana no longer walked among them. Nara’enil’s heart broke at her failure to protect her. Shan’do Maldari wore his loss like thorns that pricked his son Meladriss so badly that he no longer spoke to his father. 

Every ache of her chest for her broken family and broken home felt as amplified as the aftermath of Veldrinath’s death. 

As she took up the mantle reluctantly given to her by the Circle, and threw herself into the frontlines of each conflict that affected their home, be it within their borders or away, Nara’enil learnt how to deal with the changes wrought from newfound mortality. Adapt or die: a lesson from ancient times. Change had become the new constant after thousands of years during the Vigil. Time had become a luxury they could no longer take for granted. 

After decades of numbing herself both in yet more learning as well as a different duty, whilst trying at the same time to find a semblance of peace in fleeting but simple moments - like the beauty of the stars in a clear night sky, and the comfort of a strong supporting tree - Nara’enil, for the first time since she learnt to adapt, felt the burden of her age. Of the tumultuous unrelenting beating her home and her kin kept continuing to take with only a pitiful couple of years of respite at most; of the tenuous ties to the only two people she had left in the world that she called her family.

After all, she was a puzzle, made from the pieces of everyone she ever knew and loved. Regardless if it was as brief as her formative years, or for as long as her lifetime, she carried them with her.  From near or far, she would protect them with her life. 

“Within this space that we have made for each other, you can say anything and I will not abandon you. Show me the worst things you have done. I will hold them with both my hands and I won’t flinch.”

Through the night, she kept watch along the ridge to the Sanctuary. The Green Flight sentries normally stationed to do so were more urgently needed in the Dream just now. Nara’enil did not mind. She always preferred solitude, especially now with the gradually swelling numbers in the Gardens.

She remained until day broke, and those who were diurnal took over once more.

[lesbianmarrow]

cliff bole directed episodes for both ds9 and xfiles omg. connection between my 90s faves :)

[edwardantes]

The attack had come close to the borders and as such it wasn't long at all before the crags of the capital came into view around the boreal boles of the old growth forest. Their shadows grew long upon the stone face of the cliff the kingdom was set behind. Though the daylight was not yet spent, the thriving canopy overhead bathed the forest floor in the hues of dusk. Few animals made their calls here, and those that did were servants of the crown.

Ferlyne had had ample time to pen his apology to the younger man, and with a sigh handed it to the carriage footmen. Once securely through the gate, a grand affair of coaxed marble, that in the light of dawn was adorned with intricate scrollwork and rubes of power, the Elven Lieutenant busied to be about his own business, looking after his mens horses as he sent them to bathe and eat and rest.

He was sure there would be little time for it soon enough.

Myth: Divine Rivalries

[defconprime]

TREKMATCH! # 792 - Voyager's "Lifesigns" vs 1986's Tampopo

TAMPOPO aka タンポポ

A couple cowboy truckers wandering Japan stop by a struggling ramen shop and decide to help turn the woman who owns it into a master ramen chef. Meanwhile there's lots of unrelated sketches about delicious food and food culture and meanwhile I'm on my couch watching it while eating a gd peanut butter sandwich.

GRADE: A-

STAR TREK: VOYAGER - "Lifesigns"

Voyager rescues a Vidiian woman dying of terrible space leprosy but the doctor manages to project her mind into a non-rotting hologram so they can hang out and even neck in a convertible on hologram Mars.

GRADE: C

Victory to Tampopo, so things are tied up 396-396!