#just a monk is piloting a robot and after he gets out he puts the robot in a meditative posture

[no1ryomafan]

Of all my talk of robot concepts I forgot if I ever went in depth about my love for the idea of robots with religious/spiritual imagery attachment to them, or more specifically the concept of a robot meditating.

In general I have a bit of a meditation bias-despite not doing it enough even though I should since mental health benefits-I really like it in concepts of characters finding their peace and balance but I feel like it’s a untouched area when it comes to robots. While robots experiencing painful emotions humans face is strong characterization of them being human, I feel it be interesting to look at them in the light of them gaining their own inner peace. To try to learn to even out and control their emotions instead of their programs being override by one or them lacking any at all. They get to experience a true feeling of calm, and not just being “emotionless”. And also, what their meditation feels like in comparison to humans. If they mimic human techniques even if it raises questions of “do robots breathe?” or have to do it in some other fashion to truly achieve an empty mind. If they manage to fully mimic human meditation, what does that raise for humanity and robots blurring on a mental level? And if they do it in their own way, is it just data being flushed out? Like a computer removing unnecessary programs or closing all its tabs but still running?

I rotate this so much and I’m going to continually rotate it probably lol.

[nyrandrea]

Broken

Riding on that sweet Rift Apart hype so I’ve written a little one-shot that takes place during the events of the game. (So spoilers, obviously).

Summary: Ratchet and Clank have a bit of a heart to heart while they wait for Rivet.

Also available to read on AO3 here!

Enjoy!

Clank let out a rattled sigh as a wave of relief washed over him when the large prison cell that held Ratchet and Kit finally tumbled to the ground. Albeit a little more roughly than he would have liked, but they were safe, that was all that mattered.

He and Ratchet may have had a fair number of close calls during their dangerous endeavours, but even he had to admit that he was a little shaken up at how close this one had been. If it hadn’t been for Rivet…

The small robot shook his head, deciding just to be grateful that they were all alive and well.

He gave Ratchet a quick smile as the lombax hopped down before his optics wandered over to Kit, who was still sat in the cell, hugging her knees to her chest. Clank frowned, thinking back to what Rivet had said about Kit being the one responsible for the loss of her arm. He couldn’t even begin to imagine the weight of guilt she must have carried on her shoulders.

Silently, he thanked his lucky stars that he had been created as a defect from the get-go.

Clank knew Rivet was stubborn and slow to trust, but he had seen a softer side to her during their short time together. He only hoped she had taken his words on board about forgiving Kit, because he knew that, deep down, Rivet really wanted to be friends with her. To have a partner. Someone to watch her back.

“Thanks for the save,” Ratchet said with a smile before frowning and turning back to see that Kit wasn’t following. “Kit, are you—?”

“Give us a minute,” Rivet interrupted, looking a little forlorn.

Ratchet’s eyes shifted between her and Kit, and he looked like he wanted to assist in the situation, but Clank understood this was something the girls needed to sort between themselves. Luckily, it only took a shake of the head for Ratchet to get the hint.

“We’ll meet you at the ship,” he finally said, still looking torn as he took Clank from Rivet’s back, slowly walking away.

“I understand you only wish to help,” Clank said once they were out of earshot. “But we can’t interject too much into their personal matters.”

“…I know, pal,” Ratchet mumbled back as he climbed up to the co-pilots seat, giving Phantom a nod as he did. “It’s just…”

Clank angled his head to give him a fond look; one that they had shared many times as a silent understanding. Ratchet smiled back, though his eyebrows were still slightly furrowed.

“If they are anything like us, I am sure they will make up quickly.”

Ratchet scoffed. “If Rivet’s anything like me, she won’t make it easy. I know I didn’t.”

Clank felt a shiver go through the lombax as he was settled into his lap, probably cringing at some memory of his teenage-hood. Whether it was his stubborn pride or tendency to whip out the snarky insults and sarcastic remarks; their first adventure had been quite the rocky one.

“You were quite hard-headed,” the robot admitted. “But you always did the right thing.”

“Then there was that stuff with the Zoni—”

“Ratchet,” Clank warned. It was a little awkward to glare at this odd angle, but he still managed somehow.

“I know, I know,” Ratchet said, putting one hand up in mock surrender. “I must’ve apologised a thousand times.”

“And continue to do so to this day, you really must stop.”

“Sorry, pal.”

Clank playfully elbowed Ratchet in the gut, to which he replied with a flick to the antenna. The robot couldn’t help but giggle, already feeling his frazzled nerves starting to calm down from their daring prison escape. Even more so when Ratchet started chuckling along.

“Besides,” Clank started, his laughs dying down to something a little more bittersweet. “I have also made my fair share of mistakes.”

“Oh yeah? Name one.” Ratchet challenged.

“Trusting Quark.”

“To be fair, you’d just been ‘born’, you were naïve.”

“The time portal on Zanifar?”

“C’mon, pal, you were trying to save your dad. I would’ve done the same thing.”

Clank could detect a hint of dejection in Ratchet’s tone, no matter how much his friend liked to think he was good at hiding his emotions. It made him a little more nervous at his next choice of words.

“This.”

“…What?”

Again, there it was. He was soft-spoken, like he knew exactly what Clank meant, but feigned ignorance, because he didn’t want to admit that the robot was right. He hated how good he was at reading his friend.

“This,” he reiterated, throwing up his one arm to gesture at the neon cracks in the sky that led to who knows where. “The dimensions collapsing. Us ending up here. Why, I am probably the reason that Nefarious even came out of retirement!”

If Clank could breathe, he probably would have been hyperventilating by now. He had tried to accept that it had just been a simple mistake; parading the Dimensionator in front of the entire galaxy and placing it right where it was ripe for the taking. Oh, how could he have been so irresponsible—

“Clank,” Ratchet prodded, and it was only then that the robot realised he had been trembling with self-loathing so much that he hadn’t noticed the hand that had been placed on his head in a bid to calm him down. “You know I don’t blame you for any of this, right?”

“Yes, well, I do,” he said, and he couldn’t help the acid that was laced in his voice.

A silence fell between them then, and not one that felt comfortable in the slightest.

“Actually, y’know what? I do too,” Ratchet finally piped up, removing his hand from Clank’s head, and when he turned to look up at him, the lombax held a frown that was usually reserved for the likes of Nefarious or some other dastardly villain. A sharp pain jabbed up through his circuitry along with guilt and shame, and a dash of dread.

“I mean, if it weren’t for you, we’d probably still be retired.”

“Yes…”

“We wouldn’t have met Rivet and Kit.”

“I…what?”

Ratchet’s frown slowly morphed into a gentle smile.

“And I wouldn’t have found the courage to finally go look for the other lombaxes.”

Clank wasn’t sure how to respond to that, all he could do was avert his gaze down to where Rivet and Kit were still talking. He noticed they seemed to be getting quite flustered with each other. An odd feeling suddenly fluttered in his chest as he watched them; one that he couldn’t quite place.

“That’s all down to you, buddy,” Ratchet said, squeezing Clank a little tighter against his chest.

“Then I am more than happy to take full responsibility,” he said, responding in kind. “Even with the added complication of two Nefariouses and the impending doom of a Dimensional Cataclysm.”

Ratchet waved a hand. “C’mon, we eat dimensional cataclysms for breakfast!” His ears drooped a little. “Or, at least, we used to.”

“You are still under the notion that we are ‘washed up’?”

“Not you. You’re the one fixing all the dimensional whatchamacallits—”

“Anomalies,” Clank corrected.

“Right. Meanwhile I’m…”

“Re-building Dimensionators, rescuing monks from undead bone creatures and searching for me,” the robot stated matter-of-factly as he counted with his fingers, before adding a despondent, “Again.”

“Yeah, I really gotta put a leash on you, pal.”

Clank tried to appear unamused but, in spite of his mild irritation, found himself smiling.

“My point is,” he continued. “Despite what you may think, you are an irreplaceable hero that any galaxy, dimension or even universe would be incredibly lucky to have.”

For once, Ratchet didn’t have a witty comeback, and merely blinked in surprise as Clank patted his hand.

“And an irreplaceable friend that I am incredibly lucky to have.”

He couldn’t help but feel a little flustered; the two of them were never really this outwardly sappy with each other, but after everything they’ve been through, perhaps they could make an exception just this once?

Even though Clank’s little speech sounded like it had been recited from some corny poem book that he would sometimes read as a guilty pleasure, Ratchet smiled fondly.

“Thanks, Clank.”

“Ugh…get a room…,” a voice mumbled behind them, startling the robot a little. He had forgotten that there was someone else on the ship. Turning to get a better look, he blinked and narrowed his optics a little.

“Is that…?”

“Yup,” Ratchet said with a wry grin, before adding, “Pretty weird, huh?”

“Not any more bizarre than anything else we have seen, I suppose,” Clank replied. “Though it does make me curious as to who else might have a dimensional counterpart. Ooh, we could make it a game!”

“So long as we don’t have to see Helga.”

“Ratchet…”

“What? It’s bad enough having a Qwark—”

“If you’d stopped to help me that night instead of running away, things could have been different. Or if you just told the truth, maybe—!”

Ratchet and Clank were stunned into silence at Rivet’s outburst, and shared a worried look as Kit retorted back.

“Why do none of you understand?! I am broken. I will always be broken!”

“Oh dear…” Clank mumbled, his brief time with The Fixer flashing across his mind. It seemed like the term ‘broken’ was becoming something of a theme recently.

Just like Ratchet, he desperately wanted to jump down and act as peacemaker between them, make them see that regardless of their differences, they could form a friendship that would stand the test of time and provide them with something precious that a life of solitude had robbed them of.

But he held his nerve and stayed put; this was a delicate situation, and not one that forced friendship could solve. So, he watched on sombrely.

“Fine. Go hide. We have a universe to save,” Rivet snapped, before throwing her hands up in frustration. “Universes. Whatever.”

The silver lombax turned and started walking back towards the ship.

“I don’t need a partner, anyway.”

There was a brief flutter of hope as Rivet slowed to a stop and turned her head slightly, as if she were reconsidering. Perhaps she would take his advice and give Kit another chance. Then they could all face down their enemies as one unified—

The robot flinched as her face twisted bitterly and she strode for the ship again; her choice had been made. He couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous as she practically catapulted herself into the pilot’s seat and started the ship up, punching the buttons as if she were blaming them.

“Wait,” Ratchet started cautiously. “Where’s Kit?”

“She’s not coming,” Rivet bluntly replied, not even bothering to make eye contact with him.

“But…”

Clank felt Ratchet’s fingers unconsciously tighten against his body, and in turn, he laid his hand on top and patted it lightly to reassure him. Deep down, he truly believed they would reconcile eventually, even if they had to take their time to come to terms with their inner struggles. After all, Kit and Rivet were his and Ratchet’s dimensional counterparts.

Despite the universe’s sense of humour, it would always find a way to mend the broken.

 X

I’ve been a fan of this series since I was a kid and yet I’ve never written anything for it *shock horror*

Anyway, I know it’s a little short and sappy but hey, let me know what y’all think! Might write more in the future if my adhd lets me. :,)

[jacqcrisis]

omg second surprise dnd mutual this week 👀👀 tell me about ur characters plssss

Okay, so I have several I've played and I like a lot so I'm gunna put this under a read more

my first dnd character was for 3.5e, and his name was Deklan and he was a half-elf ranger who honestly did not want to be an adventurer, but who dreamed of being a carpenter. He was very good at shoot and talk, and had a very tired, over-all-of-this personality when not rolling charisma and spent a lot of time carving ducks. 

Next was was Mehlz, a bronze Dragonborn cleric for 5e. She was neutral good, believed in helping and healing those in need, was naive and kind of gullible as she was raised in a Temple of Bahamut as an orphan and oh God I have so much character work for her and so much worldbuilding for the insular Dragonborn nation she came from that I actually am going to re-use it somehow. Anyways, she was very good at hit thing with hammer and shoot lightning and the only character figurine i ever made off roll20 like 6 years ago

i love her so much. My favorite thing about her gamewise is that she had the Tavern Brawler feat and used that liberally to proficiently throw her best friend and fellow party member as an improvised weapon. Said bff was a sentient red panda who was also a monk.

There was Virga for a modified Curse of Strahd campaign that took place in the real world so we were forced to be human. He was a terrible French Catholic priest who was extra as hell, a warlock for the Raven Queen, sarcastic and mean, and his preferred mode of fighting was smacking people with his silver tipped cane. He became a wereraven, had a Charisma score 22, and was the cause of one party member dying due to a critical failure which I felt SO BAD FOR. I genuinely liked playing as the Bird Man and his bitchy attitude and his ending was finally getting a date with the other wereraven dude he got cockblocked from flirting with twice previously.

Right now, we have Isaria, another half-elf and they are a circle of spores druid. They are very quiet, shy, have rather poor people skills (which is a first for me to make Charisma a dumb stat), and are often very blunt when talking to someone and in their actions. Their goal is to find a way to prolong life using necromancy after the traumatic death of most of their home village due to a famine and often slips away from the party to experiment with various poisons and potions and undead. They are honestly a druid for all the wrong reasons and I'm digging them so far. They are also the shortest character I’ve ever made.

Special mention to my Star Wars ttrpg character who was my all time favorite and a character I want to reuse elsewhere. Dekle' was a cyborg Zabrak space pirate with a Southern accent, a giant metal phrik-coated arm, and a penchant for robots and punching things really really good. In session three, she took a grenade to the face from a guy running into her on a speeder, in which her response was to punch the guy off the speeder, eat the explosion like a champ, and then steal the vehicle. She was a brick shithouse who dished out bullshit damage because it turns out the Star Wars ttrpg just has a lot of perks specifically for hand to hand combat and why the fuck would I be a jedi when I could be a walking tank? Her and her ward (a fellow party member and a force sensitive Twi'lek teenager who used force lightning and a wrist rocket) were the cause of many DM headaches for the dumb shit we did, up to and including jumping onto a TIE-fighter and punching in the windshield to pull the pilot out, nuking a room of stormtroopers, and beating in Darth Vader's face.

My favorite exchange EVER was when the game was starting out, and the jedi who joined up with Dekle' and her ward Ro'ena had noticed that Ro was force sensitive and used force lightning untrained. So she pulls Dekle' aside and asks point blank if Dekle' had ever notice anything off about Ro in the seven or so years she's been raising the Twi'lek. To which Dekle' responded 'who? the living taser?' before looking over at Ro for a second or two and then shrugging and continuing 'no, I ain't noticed nothing weird about her. why?' Just a defining moment for one dumbass butch space pirate.

And also special mention to a character I only played in three sessions of a Fallout game a friend was testing out. His name was Anders, he was a ghoul, and he was a lucky charismatic crackshot who broke the game so bad, I was jokingly banned from further playtests after he oneshot a dude in power armor with his shitty revolver. He's an OC I still think about because he's a trashfire, just an absolute garbage boy, no redeeming qualities, would sell you for one corn chip, 10/10 I love him very much.

[bisexualmikisayaka]

it’s also really fun to describe your favorite characters weirdly! pivoting to star wars here but we also have:

a guy who is very determined to do the right thing but because he was groomed since age nine and also never confronts his incredibly toxic world views and personality traits, he slides right off the deep end and becomes the harbinger of galactic fascism. this continues until his beloved son gets him to do the right thing again for once in twenty-something years, and then he kicks the bucket. other really great descriptions for him include “guy who decides when the grim reaper needs to die” and “xenomorph in a middle management position” 

former child soldier who gets framed for a crime she didn’t commit and leaves her monastic order/family to go and experience the real world, then has the worst day of her life after working one last job for the people she was child soldiering for. the guilt from these experiences combined haunt her in her new role as an intelligence agent until she literally sacrifices herself for it (and then gets saved through dave filoni’s love for her the supermagic room in some space monk temple)

another former child soldier with accelerated aging who was genetically engineered to be the ultimate fighter in peak physical condition and is put through unimaginable trials by virtue of his position as literal property of an intergalactic republic, and also experiences the worst day of his life with the other former child soldier as they have to sacrifice all of his brothers and friends just so they can live. however he manages to outlive pretty much all his other brothers (and his detractors!) and becomes the cool uncle to several young revolutionaries

deeply loving space monk who is so haunted by his failures and the genocide of his people that he fucks off to the most hellish planet in the galaxy to protect his kind of nephew-grandson while never speaking to him, prematurely ages forty years, then has one final battle with his wayward sonbrother (mentioned above) and becomes one with the cosmic life energy that both of them manipulate. also tries to convince his nephew-grandson to commit patricide multiple times because he couldn’t finish the job, but thankfully fails in that respect

massively traumatized and highly skilled guy who really fucking hates the deeply loving space monk because said space monk cut him in half (after he killed the space monk’s shitty dad mentor) and does things like become part spider or forcibly take over several crime syndicates and planets out of sheer spite for the aforementioned space monk. also kind of a villainous serial adopter; really likes having little brothers he can teach about evil space wizardry. ultimately dies in the space monk’s arms. fellas............

teenager who is introduced as a space street rat morphs into a slightly more vengeful and kickass space disney princess (trusting, kind, a friend to all, can talk to animals) with the help of his found family, which includes his semi practicing genocide survivor space monk dadbrothermentor, his ace pilot and deeply loving mom, his kickass warrior sister who briefly becomes warrior president, the jerk with a heart of gold other genocide survivor family member, and their homicidal robot (all of whom are also favorites of mine)

wide-eyed and naïve but sweet farmboy from desert hell planet who decides to go attack the reigning fascist government with his weird old neighbor and two guys he meets in a bar who later finds out that his dad is the second most evil guy in the galaxy, but saves him and everybody else with the power of love. also in charge of restarting the local space monastic order while his kickass princess twin sister restarts, uh, democracy. they’re both very busy people

[armageddon-generation]

Fiddling with Series 10 of Doctor Who

Series 10 had a ton of great ideas, but I felt most of them - especially the Monk storyline - kinda fell flat. This is just an attempt to tie it in more cohesively with the rest of 12′s era (the whole ‘frssh start’ mandate is a bit pointless with Jodie startinng in S11) and make the themes more cohesive.

(P.S. As it’s pure fantasy, it’s a 13 episode series like with RTD and Matt Smith, not 12)

1. The Pilot

2. Smile

This script is too busy. The theme of this series is death, memories and accepting loss. Forget the ‘killer robots become sentient and nice’ and focus on the grief aspect of the story, and how it affected the robots. It’s a good idea that’s rushed and poorly explained.

You can link it to Bill’s mum, and possibly Heather

3. A non-Victorian historical

12 and Bill establish ground-rules for time-travel here (like in Thin Ice), possibly with a plot similar to The Eaters of Light

4. Knock Knock

Mention Heather – after she disappeared, people think she’s dead Bill’s friends know Bill liked her and her moving in with them is an act of emotional support.

Maybe there’s a shrine to her on campus or something? Keep her in the audience’s mind so her re-appearance in The Doctor Falls doesn’t come out of nowhere.

Explicitly link the old man not letting his Mother die to how Bill remembers her Mum – keeping her alive in memories, the way she used to be, not letting her become a monster

5. Oxygen

6. 2ND HISTORICAL in Victorian Times – based on Thin Ice?

A blind 12 seeks help from the Paternoster Gang (Vastra, Jenny and Strax) as he always does in times of trouble (after the loss of the Ponds, then after his regeneration)

I NEED Bill to interact with her gay aunties Vastra and Jenny, and she’d be comedy gold with Strax

I like the idea of Nardole and the Paternoster Gang bonding over having to take care of the Doctor

The Paternoster Gang are surprised by 12’s growth (last time they saw him was in Deep Breath), putting a nice bow on his era and his growth

Bill is made aware of Clara, and that the Gang can remember her but 12 can’t, setting up her giving 12 his memories back in Twice Upon a Time

The Gang and Bill defeat the threat on their own, while 12 is forced to take the ‘man in the chair’ backseat

Maybe put Nardole getting stuck at the University in the TARDIS during the story’s climax, and having to ask Missy for help, here – he returns just in time to save everyone

MAKE THE MONK STORY A 4-PARTER – like a Classic Who serial

7. Extremis (Part 1)

There’s a simulation portal leading to UNIT headquarters as well as the Vatican/Pentagon etc

8. The Pyramid at the End of the World (Part 2)

Introduce UNIT (Kate and Osgood, representing the Zygons) as advising the world leaders during the Pyramid crisis, but unable to intercede in their actions

9.  They Walk Among Us (Part 3)

Build up a resistance in the Dystopian world from UNIT introduced in Pyramid going rogue (i.e. Kate and Osgood)

Osgood and Bill persuade the hiding Zygon community to fight against the invasion – but if they do, they risk being exposed

The Zygons use their shapeshifting to infiltrate and spy on the Monks’ control system trying to find the Doctor

You know who would be perfect to bring back in this series? Doctor Martha Fucking Jones, brought back into UNIT by Kate because of her experience with the Doctor, and having lots of practice with doomsday scenarios (The Last of the Time Lords)

(Mickey could be abroad, helping Torchwood)

The episode focusses on finding 12, who is creating propaganda for the Monks as in the original

Martha and Bill team up, using the Zygon infiltrators to get to him

Bill idolises Martha, they joke about how lucky Bill is with no romantic attachments to 12

10. The Lie of the Land (Part 4)

This episode is Missy advising 12 and the Resistance on defeating the Monks

Martha dislikes this because she remembers Simm’s Master and doesn’t trust her (setting up Simm’s return is the finale)

Now the Zygons are exposed to the human rebels they want to use them as weapons against the Monks, and Osgood, 12, Bill and Martha have to defend them

It still comes down to Bill defeating the Monks using the memory of her Mum, but now there’s a whole episode of setup so it doesn’t feel rushed

Draw parallels between Bill talking to her imaginary Mum and 12 talking to imaginary Clara to cope with his captivity (imagined based on what the Paternoster Gang told him about her, facing backwards like in Heaven Sent)

Neither of them remembers these people but use them as emotional support – they understand each other

11. Empress of Mars

‘The British Empire in Space’ is an incredible idea ruined by Mark Gattiss’ writing

Change the focus from the soldiers’ PTSD to deconstructing and criticising colonialism and the British Empire, with the Ice Warriors standing in for native peoples – the humans are the invading monsters

Missy saves 12 at the end like in The Eaters of Light

12.      World Enough and Time

13.      The Doctor Falls

[ninja-muse]

Science Fiction Recommendation Masterpost

$ for LGBT characters £ for characters of colour € for characters with disabilities * for problematic content ! for #ownvoices

(all based on my slightly spotty memory, so feel free to correct if I’ve missed something)

Does not include time travel, superheroes, or alternate history.

Classics

1984 - George Orwell

Winston is a patriot, until a chance encounter and his job altering history start him thinking. Big Brother, it turns out, isn’t acting in his best interests.

A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter Miller

In the centuries after a nuclear war, a group of desert monks have devoted themselves to preserving scientific knowledge with the hope of someday rebuilding civilization.

The Chrysalids - John Wyndham *

In a Newfoundland rife with religious fundamentalism and genetic mutation, a boy, his cousin, and his sister must hide their telepathy or risk everything to live freely.

Dune - Frank Herbert $*£*

Even before fleeing to the open desert of Arakkis and its taciturn worm-riding nomads, Paul Atreides’ life was fraught with danger. Now he must use his understanding of people and politics to weather everything his world can throw at him, including sandstorms, a baron with a grudge, and those who want him to be a prophesied hero.

Foundation - Isaac Asimov

Hari Seldon has designed a program that predicts the paths of civilization. What better way to test it than to start a utopian colony at the furthest edge of known space?

Frankenstein - Mary Shelley

Victor Frankenstein is fascinated by anatomy and determined to prove resurrection possible. Once he succeeds, he’s equally determined to get as far from the sentient corpse as he can, when all the Creature wants is a hug and someone to talk to.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams

When Arthur Dent woke up, he thought the bulldozer levelling his house was the worst his day could get. By teatime, he’s halfway across the galaxy on a ship that runs on probability, with his alien best friend, the two-headed President of the Galaxy, and a depressed robot—and things are just getting started.

I, Robot - Isaac Asimov

A series of short stories that outlines the evolution of robotic technology and society around it.

The Planet of the Apes - Pierre Bowles

An astronaut crashes on an alien planet populated by sentient, speaking great apes. They put him in a zoo until he proves he’s not an animal. A brilliant examination of race and what it means to be human.

Space Opera

the Expanse series - James S.A. Corey $£€

Humanity has colonized the solar system, but hasn’t fixed its other problems. The Belters are disenfranchised and preparing a rebellion. Earth and Mars are in a paranoid arms race. Corporations can do just about anything they want. Throw in a terrifying virus, an alien threat, and a space crew who do the right thing and damn the consequences, and things are about to get very interesting.

Fortuna - Kristyn Merbeth - $ - *

Scorpia Kaiser is a screw-up, the family pilot, and out to prove she has what it takes to take over smuggling operations from Mama. Corvus Kaiser, exiled from his family to fight a war he doesn’t believe in, is finally coming home. Then a smuggling deal goes massively south and suddenly, what was going to be a difficult time becomes much, much worse.

the Saga series - Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples $£€

An inter-species family flees the military powers tearing the galaxy apart. Their luck goes up. Their luck goes down. They meet the best and worst the galaxy can offer—and through it all, a little girl grows up. A nuanced look at prejudice, hope, and love.

the Shieldrunner Pirates series - R.E. Stearns $£€

A lesbian couple arrives at the pirate base on Barbary Station expecting a welcome to the crew, but are assigned to take out the murderous station A.I. instead. As much about social skills and interpersonal dynamics as it is about guns and hacking.

the Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold $*£€

How do you solve a problem like Miles Vorkosigan? He’s too smart for his own good, too impulsive and progressive for his military culture, surely too disabled to amount to anything. And he (and his accidental mercenary fleet) are going to prove everyone wrong. Dryly witty and generally feminist.

Horror, Apocalypses, and Dystopias

The Rampart Trilogy - M.R. Carey $£€

Koli wants more than his future offers, starting with becoming a Rampart, with control of ancient technology. His attempts to change his cards send him on an unforgettable journey of discovery.

Devolution - Max Brooks $£€

An elite sustainable community outside Seattle finds itself stranded after Mount Rainier erupts—and there are creatures in the forest. Hairy ones, with big feet.

The Girl with All the Gifts - M.R. Carey £

Melanie gets up, goes to school, eats her food, and idolises her teacher just like any pre-teen. However, when her school’s attacked by Hungries and she, her teacher, a doctor, and the surviving soldiers have to flee, Melanie begins to realise she’s … not exactly normal after all.

The Giver - Lois Lowry

When Jonah turns twelve, his regimented community assigns him to apprentice to the Keeper of Memories. The memories Jonah receives throw everything he knows into question, and he must choose between the quiet life laid out for him and the emotion and independence he’s discovering.

The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood

In a world where most women are sterile, Handmaids are stripped of their identity and given out as surrogate wombs. This is Offred’s story of oppression, resistance, and escape.

the Hunger Games trilogy - Susanne Collins £€

In an America where teens fight to the death for entertainment and the survival of their District, Katniss Everdeen volunteers—and finds herself the unwilling face of the rebellion.

Into the Drowning Deep - Mira Grant $£€ !

Was the terror on the Atargatis a hoax? Are there mermaids deep in the Pacific? A ship full of scientists has been sent to find out. They are not prepared.

the Newsflesh trilogy - Mira Grant $£€ *

A generation after the zombie apocalypse, humanity’s secure behind blood tests and heightened security and Georgia and Shaun Mason, and their Newflesh team, have been hired to blog the Presidential campaign, which is perfect until the first outbreak. Conspiracies, mad and sane science, and social critique ensue.

the Parasitology trilogy - Mira Grant $£€

Sal awoke from her coma to a family she didn’t remember, a body that wouldn’t respond, and restrictions on her autonomy that seriously chafe. Now she’s on her feet and resisting, but at the worst time. People are starting to die from their miracle-cure tapeworm implants and it’s looking like Sal’s implant might be … different.

the Passage trilogy - Justin Cronin £

A century ago, a virus turned most of humanity into bloodsucking monsters or food. Now the descendants of a group of survivors must strike out across a wasteland, looking for a safe new home. Better and darker than it sounds. Christian overtones.

The Space Between Worlds - Mikaiah Johnson $£ !

Cara’s climbed out of the toxic slums and into a job as a traverser, visiting parallel worlds and capturing data. She’s this close to having all her dreams—and then she uncovers a murder.

Other

Blindsight - Peter Watts

An independent observer is sent on a first contact mission, but the aliens and the secrets on board push him into a completely different role. About perception and ethics more than anything else, and I nearly “shelved” it in the horror section.

Congo - Michael Crichton £*

A team of scientists push deep into the African jungle in search of a society of mythical sentient gorillas, but the jungle pushes back.

The Diamond Age, or, a Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer - Neal Stephenson £€

An inventor misplaces a one-of-a-kind book. A girl from the slums finds it and it changes her life. A nearly Dickensian future full of hope, tenacity, vim, and nanotech.

Eifelheim - Michael Flynn

An alien ship crashes in the medieval Black Forest and the village priest, steeped in heretical philosophy and medieval science, must intercede between the survivors and the peasants who see only demons.

The Martian - Andy Weir £

Mark Watney wakes up to find he’s been left behind on Mars. Fortunately he’s a botanist, he’s smart, and he has potatoes. A thrilling survival story paired with hilariously explained science that will leave you believing it already happened.

Passage - Connie Willis €

Joanna Lander is a psychologist studying near-death experiences, which is hard when you never know who in the hospital will have one. When a new (and cute) neurologist finds a way to induce them, she turns to the closest subject she can find—herself. The most heart-wrenching of Willis’s novels.

Shine - Jetse de Vries, ed. £

An anthology of optimistic, uplifting science fiction, with stories ranging from space opera to solarpunk and everything in between.

Snowcrash - Neal Stephenson £

Hiro Protagonist is the hacker’s hacker. There’s a virus in the Metaverse that’s killing people and he’s on the case. At least when he’s not delivering pizza. Both glorious cyberpunk and a send-up of the same.

[whenthenightfalls224-blog]

Backstory for all overwatch heroes

Here is a quick backstory for all of the heroes in overwatch, if you are just starting out the game and want to just get a simple run through of the hero’s backstories or if you just want to learn more about the heroes in the game.

THIS IS ABOUT HERO BACKSTORIES, NOT HERO ABILITIES

Background info:

Overwatch was a group founded by the UN that recreated people from all over the world to fight Omnics.

Omnics are sentient robots which can function by themselves.

The Omnic Crisis happened when omnics were being mass produced to kill. They devastated the world.

Blackwatch is an offshoot of Overwatch, which was not revealed to the public and carried out Overwatch’s dirty work.

Talon is a terrorist organization and an enemy of Overwatch, and has no clear goal.

The Vishkar Corporation is an Indian Corporation which manufacturing hard light, a substance that can become anything.

Doomfist

Doomfist’s name is Akande Ogundimu, he is Nigerian. He lost his arm during the Omnic crisis. He killed the former owner of the doomfist, who was involved with the organization Talon, and took the doomfist and gained control of Talon. His goal is to make the world stronger with conflict.

Genji

Genji is one of the Shimada brothers, his brother is Hanzo, and they are Japanese. The brothers are from a family of criminals, and Hanzo was ordered to kill Genji. However, before he was killed he was rescued by Overwatch and healed by Mercy. To keep him alive, he got a cybernetic body. Genji joined an Overwatch offshoot called Blackwatch, but ended up leaving to make peace with his cybernetic body.

Mccree

Jesse Mccree is the stereotypical cowboy/vigilante and has a cybernetic arm. He was formly part of the Deadlock Gang, before being caught by Overwatch. He was given a choice: join Overwatch, or go to prison. He choose Overwatch, and therefore became part of Blackwatch.

Pharah

Pharah’s name is Fareeha Amari, she is the daughter of Ana Amari. They are both Egyptian. Pharah grew up around the heroes of Overwatch, and wanted to join them one day. However, Overwatch was shut down before she could join, so she joined Helix Security National, a private force that protected an articulate intelligence facility, from them she got her flight suit.

Reaper

Gabriel Reyes was a soldier, but was chosen for a program to create the perfect soldier, along with Jack Morrison (Soldier 76), in light of the Omnic crisis. Reaper was chosen to lead a new organization called Overwatch that included the best people around the world to fight the omnics. However, Soldier 76 was later named the leader of Overwatch, which put a rift between the two. Reaper was later put in charge of Blackwatch. His jealously got the better of him, and he fought against Soldier, destroying both organizations. Reaper and Soldier were believed dead but both survived, and Reaper joined Talon.

Soldier 76

John (Jack) Morrison was a soldier who was recruited to be in Overwatch. He was ‘enhanced’ and later became the leader of Overwatch. After his fight with Reaper, the world believed him to be dead. With Overwatch destroyed, he became a vigilante determined to discover the cause of the fail of Overwatch.

Sombra

Sombra, real name Olivia Colomar, is a Mexican hacker. She was orphaned at a young age. After developing her skill for hacking, she joined the Los Muertos gang to fight against the corrupt Mexican government. However, she was discovered by an organization that forced her into hiding. Later, she got cybernetic enhancements to help her hack and joined Talon to uncover the organization.

Tracer

Lena Oxton was a British pilot. After an accident with a fighter jet called the Slipstream, which could jump in time, she was presumed dead, but turned up later lacking the ability to stay in the present. Winston, a gorilla scientist, made her a chronal accelerator which gave her control of her time jumps. Tracer later joined Overwatch, and tried to stop Talon from getting the doomfist, as well as trying to stop Widowmaker from assassinating the omnic monk Tekhartha Mondatta. Tracer also has a British girlfriend (Emily).

Bastion

Bastion is a omnic that was created during the Omnic crisis to fight, but was damage and deactivated in a forest for years. He later reawoke, and was found by Torbjorn. He is accompanied by Ganymede, a bird.

Hanzo

Hanzo Shimada is a Japanese archer. Being the oldest brother, he was in line to lead the Shimada clan. When his father died, he was told to by the elders to ring Genji into line. When he couldn’t, Hanzo fought Genji, and believed he killed him. Grieving, he left the Shimada clan and traveled the world to try and restore his honor.

Junkrat

Jamison Fawkes is an Australian scavenger in the Australian outbacks, called a Junker. Evicted from Junkertown, Junkrat found a valuable treasure, making him a target. He teamed up Roadhog, and they split their profits 50-50. Junkrat is a criminal pyromaniac.

Mei

Mei-Ling Zhou is a Chinese climatologist employed by Overwatch to find the cause of climate change. While deployed in Antarctica, the facility she was at was damaged by a polar storm. Mei and the other scientists their entered cyrostatis. However, the pods malfunctioned, and Mei woke up a decade later, the only one at her station alive. With the help of Snowball, she decided to continue her work there.

Torbjörn

Torbjorn Lindholm is a Swedish engineer. He creates machines that are non sentient, as he has a fear of sentient machines, which was justified during the Omnic crisis. Torbjorn was also a member of Overwatch, his engineering and weapon building skills being invaluable to Overwatch’s success.

Widowmaker

Widowmaker, or Amélie Lacroix, is a French sniper. She was the wife of an Overwatch agent that was working against Talon. Talon kidnapped and brainwashed her. She was later returned home by Overwatch, but she killed her husband after two weeks and returned to Talon. Her physiology was altered and her heart rate slowed, turning her skin blue and removing her emotions.

D.Va

D.Va (Hana Song) was a South Korean pro gamer. She was a world champion in Starcraft II. When the Omnic crisis broke out, the government recruited pro gamers to pilot mechs.

Orisa

Orisa is an omnic built by the 11 year old Efi Oladele. She was made from the wreckage of an OR-15 in Numbani, while the city was recovering by an attack for Doomfist. Orisa was built to protect the city, and she performs her function.

Reinhardt

Reinhardt Wilhelm is a German crusader. He was recruited by Overwatch, and follows a strict code of ethics. He was respected by the members of Overwatch, but later was forced into mandatory retirement and watched Overwatch collapse.

Roadhog

Mako Rutledge is the bodyguard and partner of Junkrat. Roadhog lived the Australian Outback after the omnic crisis, but the Australian government gave the Outback to the omnics. Roadhog and other angry humans rebelled, and created the Australian Liberation Front. In an attack against the omnium, they overloaded the fusion core in an explosion that scarred Roadhog’s face and made the Outback into a radioactive wasteland.

Winston

Winston is an enhanced gorilla born on the Horizon Lunar Colony on the moon. When the gorillas revolted and killed the humans on the colony, Winston escaped to Earth. He joined Overwatch, to help share his scientific knowledge. When Overwatch disbanded, he went to Gibraltar, an old Overwatch base.

Zarya

Aleksandra Zaryanova, or Zarya, is a Russian bodybuilder and weightlifter. She broke world records, but later stopped to help defend Russia against an omnium.

Ana

Ana Amari is the mother of Pharah. She joined Overwatch and became second in command. During a fight with Widowmaker, she hesitated to kill her because she recognized her as her old friend. Widowmaker shot her through her sniper lens, leaving her blind in her right eye. Everyone believed she was dead, and she left combat for awhile, later reamerging to help protect her country.

Lúcio

Lúcio Correia is a Brazilian DJ from Rio. When the Vishkar Corporation took over the city and exploited the people, Lúcio stole a Vishkar weapon and rose up against them, inspiring his people to revolt. When Vishkar out of Rio, Lúcio became a national celebrity and now DJs around the world.

Mercy

Angela Ziegler is a Swiss field medic. Her nanobiology she used to heal caught the attention of Overwatch, and she joined the organization. She became the head medic there, and designed her Valkyrie suit to get to people faster, to treat them.

Moira

Moira O’Deorain is a scientist originally in Blackwatch. Later, she became part of Talon and helped Reaper obtain his wraith form and shadow step.

Symmetra

Satya Vaswanin is an autistic Indian architect. She was recruited by the Vishkar Corporation at a young age, trained in hard light, a substance that could be bender into anything. Symmetra combined hard light into her traditional dances. She was a top member in the Vishkar Corporation and traveled around the world overseeing it.

Zenyatta

Tekhartha Zenyatta is an omnic monk. He is studied in Nepal with the Shambali, who believe that omnics have a soul, and wants to make omnic-human connections better. After disagreeing with their leader, Tekhartha Mondatta, he left the monastery to travel the world and help people. Along the way, he met Genji and helped find peace with his omnic body.

[anghraine]

for the otp meme - 29 and 30 - jyn/cassian

Late, sorry, but you’ll see why :P

29) One headcanon about this OTP that breaks your heart?

So if, theoretically, they died on Scarif—okay, I’ve already said that I think the idea of Rogue One being forgotten is completely ludicrous for Jyn and literally impossible for Cassian. And I completely stand by that! 

(I’ve seen people trying to fanwank obvious problems to make the tragically forgotten narrative work. None of the rationalizations are remotely credible.)

But there is just so much that people wouldn’t know. Apart from Force visions, there is no way to know personal details of who they really were and what they went through. They’re well-known heroes, the leaders of one of the most pivotal missions in the entire history of the war. There are some pictures—personnel files for Cassian, whatever they might have found to identify Jyn to the rescue team. There’s a long service record for him, a detailed dossier for her. But nothing personal. Nothing about what drove them, what made them heroes.

Nobody knows why Jyn Erso left as a disaffected criminal and come back preaching about how rebellions are built on hope. Nobody knows that Cassian saw her throw herself into crossfire for a child she’d never seen before. They don’t know that Jyn could wreck a team of stormtroopers with some batons or that Cassian kept her alive with one perfect shot. They don’t know that Jyn’s nickname was Stardust or that Cassian had nothing but a robot friend and a crusade against the Empire. They don’t know about Galen’s message breaking her heart or Cassian carrying his prison with him. They don’t know how they went from mutually suspicious barely-allies to seamless partnership. They don’t know about the fight on Eadu or the heart-eyes in the hangar. 

They’re interesting and extremely important to the eyes of history. But they’re also ephemeral. A pair of names, and faces, and data records. That’s it.

30) One headcanon about this OTP that mends it?

OKAY, so while that breaks my heart, there’s also… the combination of prominence and mystery doesn’t make people consign their heroes to the dustbin of history. It makes them try to put the pieces together! 

And I honestly kind of love the idea of people later on—“later on” meaning literally any time from ANH onwards—really trying to figure them out. They had such narrow lives, and what they did over a few weeks has entire swaths of the Rebellion fascinated with them, trying to figure out who they were as people from all these different directions. There are serious interpretations of the facts, but there’s also just this wealth of story and imagination that grows up around them.

I mean? Basically, they know that Jyn Erso, daughter of the scientist who built the Death Star and (mostly) petty criminal, was busted out of Imperial prison by the Rebellion. She reluctantly accepted their bribe to try and negotiate contact with Saw Gerrera over information from a defecting pilot. The Rebellion sent Cassian Andor, a young but extremely valuable spy who’d obediently served the Rebellion for nearly his entire life, to work with her as a partner/handler. Ideally, they’d be able to rescue Galen Erso, but at the very least they should be able to identify his facility for the Alliance to wipe out.

Some time in: Andor sent back a message saying that the planet-killer was real, it had obliterated the Holy City, UHHHH WHAT NOW

Some time after that: Andor provided the location, but quickly tried to call off the attack. He was shouting something about “Jyn” and the platform.

Erso, who days before dismissively described political opinions as a luxury, returned calling for open revolution and swearing that her father had sabotaged the planet-killer. After the Council’s rejection, she headed out with the defector and monks, while behind the scenes, the otherwise by-the-book Andor scraped up a crack intelligence/special ops team and went rogue with her. 

Maybe someone paid attention to their extremely public conversation/gravitational pull in the hangar, maybe not. In any case, all that’s known is that they managed to transmit the plans and must have died shortly thereafter under the Death Star.

I am personally 100% convinced that��given their personalities and drastic swerves after spending time together—a romance would be generally assumed. I mean, undoubtedly there’d be some killjoys who insist there’s no way to know, and they only spent a few weeks together at most, blahblah, but most people tune them out and “unexpectedly Erso and Andor fell in love” gets more and more embedded into the standard narrative.

Okay, and what I love here isn’t just the idea of people believing they fell in love, but having no idea how it happened. Like I was saying, people always fill in blanks in stories. So instead of having one love story, Jyn and Cassian have many of them! Wildly different, and most of the time wildly inaccurate. 

My favourite version is easily the First Order’s (really):

So, the official account is pretty common knowledge under the New Republic, but of course the ex-Imperials (“ex”) have their own perspective. For them, the story begins with a mad Imperial scientist whose beautiful daughter gets seduced by a Rebel spy. It’s all very pulp serial à la Flash Gordon.

And the scientist turns traitor himself and plots with a faithless Imperial pilot to destroy the peace and stability brought by the Empire. They’re all rightly defeated, OF COURSE, but the damage was done (DUNDUNDUN), and no one knew just how much damage was done until after the fact. LO THE DANGERS OF HUBRIS

There are probably really cheap holodramas about this. They turn Krennic into a tragic, twenty-something hero, a protégé of Galen’s who was secretly in love with Jyn from boyhood but LOVED HONOUR MORE. He nobly died stopping the now-corrupt Jyn and her ruthless lover.

…This is the version Finn grows up with, ofc. He was mostly intrigued by Galen and Bodhi, the Imperial defectors, but he’s sentimental enough for the DOOMED BADWRONG LOVE to appeal. Rey’s knowledge of the entire Rogue One mission is probably minimal, so of course, he enthusiastically provides a dramatic performance of The Mad Scientist’s Daughter. 

Poe, naturally, was brought up with the story of the brave Rebel captain, the dashing outlaw he recruited, and the passionate romance that led Andor to defiance and Erso to conviction. They planned a daring rogue mission because they knew it was right, no matter what anyone said!!!, and though they they themselves died (martyrs for the cause!), their doomed heroic love brought HOPE TO THE GALAXY (*soaring music*). 

(There are a lot more schmaltzy kisses and declarations of eternal devotion in that version, though his father once admitted that he vaguely knew Andor and found it … uh, really hard to picture. That just makes it better as far as Poe is concerned.)

Anyway, he is both horrified and delighted by the First Order version and keeps adding well ACTUALLY asides.

…Damn is this long, but anyway, iconic lovers Jyn and Cassian whose story is constantly repurposed and debated does make me happy on a certain level.

[suki-schiffer]

Why does season 10 suck?

Within my small group of whovians we all agreed that this season of Doctor Who has definitely seen a decline in quality to the point some of us felt like we were going to stop watching it. Of course none of us did, just hoping that there was another reason we were mourning the show, maybe we were mourning Clara (my friend L hated her though so...), maybe we didn’t like Bill and Nardole (but actually I’ve been better able to relate to Bill than any other companion, I like her, she points out and question the same things I do, like how the acronym TARDIS wouldn’t work in other languages and while I first thought Nardole was annoying he does serve as a nice comic relief), maybe the so called mistakes and plot holes I have issue with will all be corrected in future episodes, maybe all my questions will be answered. And so I waited and waited and continued to watch and one or two questions were answered and then I realized that in two days season 10 is over. The writers literally have only one episode left to save this season for my friends and I. What bugs me the most though is that I haven’t heard anyone complaining about this, in fact people are singing praises and I’m sitting here wondering if people are blind and/or why people are putting up with this. Just in case you are unaware of the show’s horrible story line this season, or if you are aware and want to compare notes I have made a short list of some of the mistakes and plot holes thus far. (Spoilers)

Episode 1 Pilot: so the Doctor is earth bound, has been guarding the vault at St. Luke’s for about 70 years and yet he doesn’t notice a space ship land on campus and leak fuel. He’s living in the TARDIS and apparently avoiding some unknown enemies, he should have some sort of scanners warning him of unusual occurrences and aliens approaching etc. And he’s probably bored so it’s not like he’s going to let these aliens land and take off without investigating, even if they are friendly, because he’s bored and curious. Also we never found out why Heather had a star in her eye, surly that couldn’t be natural.

Episode 2 Smile: I found this episode very nonsensical. The robots are smart enough to program themselves to kill off the humans to prevent dissatisfaction but they can’t/aren’t smart enough to kill someone who walks outside the city even though they can go and have been shown outside the city. Also they are dumb enough to need a badge to tell them if humans are happy or not (originally if oxygen, water, food was optimal) this is supposed to be hundreds of years in the future, robots today can assess mood through posture and facial expression. For some reason everyone tries to trick the badges into thinking they are happy by smiling so that the Vardy don’t kill them yet no one thinks of taking the badges off. When the Vardy kill they manage to destroy everything but the bones and the locket, including those suits that seemed to have metal components and I refuse to believe that only one person was wearing jewelry, therefore where is all the jewelry/metal? This isn’t the only planet humans have colonized, wouldn’t other colonies be using similar technology, shouldn’t they be warned. And the fix for the episode seemed ridiculous, turn them off and on, no one else thought to try resetting them? It took the Doctor 45 minutes to figure this out?

Episode 3 Thin Ice: my favourite episode so far, pretty well written but for the fact the Doctor says he’s been to the Frost Fair before and Lord Sutcliffe says the monster (and we never do find out what it is, why it’s on earth and where it goes) has been chained in the Thames and the secret passed down in his family “forever”. This means the Doctor obviously should have known something was amiss and already solved the problem.

Episode 4 Knock Knock: another ridiculous episode. What were the bugs? Why did they save the mother but kill/eat/destroy everyone else? Why did they need six people every 20 years? The landlord was old, it was unlikely he would like another 20 years, what did he plan to do then? Didn’t anyone notice these people going missing? How was it the Doctor could save all of Bill’s friends/roommates but not the other people? Why did Bill suddenly need to move out of her foster mother’s house? It wasn’t like getting to the university was difficult if she was working there everyday. When Eliza was ill wouldn’t her son have been sent away? After her “death” wouldn’t his father, a relative, or even an orphanage take him by request of the doctors who presumably announced Eliza dead, or the servants a house that big probably had? Like who was paying taxes if the landlord was a child at the time and his mother had turned to wood? I’m going to stop ranting about this one here.

Episode 5 Oxygen: this episode was okay. I liked the portrayal of the dangers of capitalism and the racism reversal (Bill being called racist). So I get that the people had to buy oxygen but they were all talking about running out, wasn’t there a way to buy more? They were obviously going to be working there for awhile so there had to have been a way. Killing the workers off seems really harsh, wouldn’t it just be better to fire them and take them back to earth/wherever they came from? The fact that the Doctor didn’t figure out that Bill’s suit wouldn’t kill her due to low battery until after he was blind really bugged me. He made a major sacrifice for her when he didn’t have to, and maybe he was trying to save her from pain but in the end her suit got stuck again and so the “inevitable” still happened. Also the lying, I sort of get why he lied to Bill/the crew to make them feel better, but why have Nardole “fix” his vision only to tell him a few minutes later that he really is blind? Again he mentions that his enemies can’t know he’s blind/weak but he shares this with Missy.

Episode 6 Extremis: ah yes, the horrible monk trilogy that no one asked for. First of all this breaks standard Doctor Who format, when have we ever had a three part episode in the middle of the season? The horrid sonic sunglasses are back and somehow the Doctor’s managed to hook them to his occipital lobe so that he can see outlines, read emails, and view statistics about the living thing(s) in front of him, but he can’t see patterns, colours, textures, etc. For some reason in this alternate universe the TARDIS translation matrix doesn’t work as it doesn’t translate the pope for Bill. And that’s a strange device that’s never been used, seen, or eluded to before, very convenient the Doctor decides to make a potentially fatal trade to read the paper version of the text before figuring out it’s already on the computer right in front of him and he can listen to it instead. Oh and the fact that his sight takes awhile to load is very useful too. So Missy being in a vault and how Nardole joined the Doctor is explained in part. Why did these people want Missy dead and how did they capture her? How did they convince the Doctor to come to their planet to be the executioner? When did he have time to fiddle with the device? What exactly was so scary in the records that caused the others to run away and how/why did they not check the records and know this before they brought the Doctor in? How did Nardole get from Darillium to this planet? 

Episode 7 The Pyramid at the End of the World: Out of all the disasters throughout history why did the monks choose this one? They seem generally surprised that the Doctor manages to stop them/turn back the clock, but claimed to have studied him in the simulation world and won against him many times. Where on earth is UNIT? Why do the monks need consent that comes from love? Why could they not just create a link with anyone who agreed to meet their demands if they saved the world? And why did it have to be a person with power? Later on it seemed like any human would have made a successful link. Why a pyramid? Since when can’t the sonic screwdriver not open doors/locks? It’s never just told him the code/showed him what the key looks like, it opens things, so long as they aren’t made of wood and that door definitely wasn’t wood. Why couldn’t the Doctor tell Bill that he would regenerate to prevent her from making the deal? How did these monks fix his vision? 

Episode 8 The Lie of the Land: how was the Doctor “captured”? Why were some people able to overcome the brainwashing? What exactly was the monks’ plans? The had earth and the citizens of it enslaved for over six months yet didn’t seem to be doing anything, not taking resources, not using the humans as slaves for labour power, not preparing for battle of any kind. In the last episode they said that they had taken on the forms they had to essentially relax the people even though they looked like corpses (all humans looked like corpses to them) we never do see their true forms. Why are there so few of them? How did the Doctor manage to convert an entire prison ship to his side without alerting the monks who clearly could get on board and were checking on him? Bill didn’t know the Doctor could regenerate, why did he pretend, how did he manage to pretend? Why hadn’t he acted sooner? Why did he need Bill and need to test her to the extent that he did? Seriously? The answer was love? Love for a woman Bill never knew? And of course everyone forgot everything afterwards, why wouldn’t they?

Episode 9 Empress of Mars: Why didn’t Friday wake his queen up earlier? Why wait months for the humans to discover the “tomb” and do it? Why couldn’t Friday have convinced her to make peace with the humans before she killed so many of them? There’s a fair number of military personnel on Mars, this is 1881, I’m pretty sure someone will notice they’ve gone missing. Isn’t this a bit of a paradox? The Doctor essentially sends himself to Mars because he sees the message “God save the Queen” at NASA then goes to save the humans and the Ice Warriors so that they can create that same message. If he wasn’t there there would be no message, but without the message he wouldn’t be there. Finally the thing that bugged me most about this episode: Since when does the TARDIS lock her doors and leave on her own and then refuse to return for her Time Lord?

Episode 10 The Eaters of Light: actually liked this one probably because of the scenery and mysticism involved. Major critique though is how a small group was able to hold off the creatures for centuries. While it might appear as if they broke the portal because too many went through at once the fact that you can still hear the music is an indication that it’s still functional to some degree. 

Episode 11 World Enough and Time: I was really mad at myself for forgetting about how time and gravity interact however I found the episode very predictable. I mean the way the Razor first scurried from Bill? Totally something John Simm’s Master would do. If the bottom of the space ship is experiencing time much faster than the top and the city is dying doesn’t that mean all the parts are wearing out and will eventually stop powering the top of the ship? Are you telling me all those people originally came from just 20 humans? No wonder they are dying with that little genetic variability. How did the cybermen know to come for Bill (yes they have cameras but Missy, the Doctor and even Nardole look human, how were they able to figure out it was her)? Why was someone sending them up to take the rest of the humans (not just Bill but the other 20+ crew members)? Can they only convert humans, is that why they didn’t try to take anyone else? Why doesn’t Bill’s heart work outside the hospital but the other incomplete cybermen were able to leave to fetch her? Why did the cybermen freak out when she opened the window? Why didn’t more people attempt to go upstairs? I have more questions about this episode but since it is a two parter it is likely some, if not most, will be answered on Saturday.

So there is obviously a writing problem this season and yet very few people seem to be complaining. Personally I think Moffat is trying to take the show down with him, that perhaps he wanted a raise or more creative freedom BBC said no, so now he’s trying to set it up to fail so that he can look back and say “see, you should have just given me what I wanted, I told you guys you wouldn’t be able to survive without me”. My friend C gives Moffat the benefit of the doubt, compares him to a minimum wage worker who’s handed in his two-week notice, he’s run out of ideas and there’s no need to work hard to make the show amazing because so long as he does the work he’s getting paid and this will be his last season whether or not he does well. My other friend, V, is actually blaming the new head writer, Chris Chibnall. She says he might be asking they set the story up for him in some way and the current writers are struggling to do so. Or on a more minor level since Bill is the only character who seems to be staying she could be Chibnall’s character and the current writers are having trouble setting her up to be the character Chibnall wants while fitting her in their stories and having her interact with their characters. 

Okay this has taken much too long to write but it is done. I don’t have much hope for season ten as I find it impossible for the writers to address all these questions and plot holes in a single episode but maybe I’ll be surprised. If it does go down in flames hopefully season eleven will be better. I wrote this solely because I couldn’t find anything on the net expressing similar opinions about this season that I had and I sort of wanted confirmation that my small friend group and I weren’t the only ones disappointed so hopefully someone else who felt the same way has discovered this post. 

Anyway goodnight/day/whatever (it’s now 4am here, oops) and thank you for reading.

[jonasmaurer]

WIAW (What I Ate Wednesday)

On a Thursday because days don’t matter right now.

Hi friends! How are you? I hope you’re having a good morning and hanging in there. We’re still doing our thing over here. Yesterday, the girls were asked to decorate our neighbors’ driveway with chalk, so that was one of our big adventures. One of our other neighbors ran over and gave them ice cream drumsticks as they were finishing. Even though we’re here at home, I feel SO blessed to be surrounded by such amazing people. The neighbors here in Tucson are unlike anything I’ve experienced. We didn’t even know our neighbors in some of the other places we’ve lived, and here, it’s not unusual at all for someone to ring the doorbell with a plate of brownies or water your plants when you’re out of town. (You know, back in the day when we could go out of town.)

For today’s post, I thought I’d share a little What I Ate Wednesday post since it was so commonly requested in my annual survey. I always love getting new ideas for quick and healthy eats, so here’s a little peek into our day of eats. I always love to hear any family-friendly or quick healthy meals you’ve been enjoying!

When I’m super stressed one of two things will usually happen: I snack on a lot of sugary sweets and salty processed food, or food sounds totally unappealing. Right now, it’s the latter. (Ok, except for chocolate and tacos. Those always sound appealing.) I’ve been making myself full meals and even if I don’t want it at the time, once I start eating, I can usually finish my serving. Nutrition is so important for so many different factors: mood, blood sugar levels, hormones, immune system function… it’s worth it to fuel yourself even when there’s a lot going on and you may not quite feel like it. Just wanted to throw that out there if anyone else is also feeling kinda blah right now, too.

8:00am: Two pieces of Hu chocolate while I make breakfast for the girls. They have blueberry Morning Rounds with cream cheese, berries, and chicken sausage.

I make myself a collagen decaf coffee while pondering a profound question from Liv,

“Are you more of a future person or a past person?”

I’m glad I asked her what she meant because it sounded like things were going to get deep right before I’d had any coffee but she said,

“I mean would you rather be a robot or a cowgirl?”

*sigh of relief*

(P started sucking her thumb again and I’m just like, “Live your dreams.”)

For my collagen coffee, I use the decaf Peruvian coffee from Whole Foods and add a scoop of collagen, a splash of almond milk, liquid monk fruit, and froth it up with the coffee frother.

I set up this activity for the crew to do with the girls and they get a kick out of it. It’s the ball drop from Busy Toddler. Savin’ my bacon with all her great ideas.

The girls alternate having Zoom meetings with their classes – while Liv is on her call, P and I practice letters and numbers, and I clean the kitchen, and while P is on her call, Liv works on some homework. I throw in a load of laundry, make the beds, and feed all of the animals in the house.

10:50am: I decide to make some bfast for myself and have a bowl of protein oats:

(I cook 1/2 cup of oats in water and then stir in 1/2 scoop of Truvani protein powder, about 1 teaspoon of maca powder, cinnamon, and top with blueberries, a tablespoon of Nuttzo, and a drizzle of maple syrup)

I make the girls a quick stack (a bar and some carrots) and they play downstairs while I take care of some cleaning: the upstairs bathrooms, wood floors and dusting. I also disinfect the most commonly-used surfaces, like doorknobs, the fridge door, the dishwasher handles, etc.

12:30: Lunchtime for the crew. They have a frozen Amy’s Margherita pizza with apple slices and garbanzo beans

We head outside for a long walk and come home. The girls scooter in the driveway for a bit while I catch up on emails from my computer, and then I turn on a show for them while I head upstairs for a 30-minute Peloton class. I put on “real clothes” – jean shorts and a Madewell t-shirt- for the first time in a couple of weeks and it feels normal and nice.

(A matcha latte with almond milk, organic matcha powder, collagen, and monk fruit)

2:30pm: Lunchtime for me, a snack for the girls. I enjoy a mixing bowl salad with tuna, greens, broccoli, bell peppers, carrots, and Primal Kitchen dressing. On the side, I have a piece of toast with vegan cream cheese and Everything But the Bagel Seasoning.

(The girls each have cheese and jerky sticks)

We pick up a quick Target drive-up order – I try to minimize them as much as possible but it feels like a safer option than taking the girls to the store with me when the Pilot is out of town – and come back to decorate the neighbor’s driveway. It ends up taking about an hour and it’s nice to be outside so much during the day. The girls are being nutty and come up with some really fun and cute designs.

When we get home, the girls ride their scooters in the driveway while I sit and watch them and catch up with madre on the phone.

5:30 We’re back in the house and the girls play on the floor of the kitchen while I cook dinner. I’m extra thankful for Sunbasket right now. They’ve always been game changers, but even more now since I can add groceries onto our delivery shipment and it simplifies the meal planning process. (My link gets your $40 off your first box. I’m not sure if they’ll hit any shortages or delays with everything going on, but wanted to share it in case you were thinking of giving it a whirl.)

Two Reese’s eggs while I’m chopping all the veggies:

We have crustless chicken pot pie (it’s not the most photogenic meal but tastes like Thanksgiving) along with salads:

and after we’ve had dinner and played a couple rounds of Jenga, the Pilot comes home from his trip! He braved Trader Joe’s for some of the necessities and said it was AWESOME. It wasn’t busy at all – the evening must be a good time to go – and they had everything we needed. (The did cut him off at one butter. I’d asked him to buy three so we could bake cookies but they have a limit. I’m glad, though, because it’s probably the reason why they still had butter and many other necessities at the store!)

I used to joke that chores, like emptying the dishes and doing laundry were parent foreplay. Now with everything that’s going on, a bag of Trader Joe’s groceries does the same thing haha. I was SO stoked when he came home with the goods. We clean up the kitchen together and get the crew ready for bed.

8:30pm: the Pilot takes over bedtime duty while I fold laundry mountain and then write up this post.

10:45pm: a glass of red while while watching the end of Love Is Blind on Netflix. I’m so sad it’s over already and it’s been such a welcomed distraction. Why do the brightest stars burn the quickest?

11:30pm: lights out and ready to do it all over again.

Tell me friends: what was the best thing you ate yesterday? Have you discovered any new snack faves? I forgot how much I love toast with vegan cream cheese and EBTB seasoning.

Thanks for stopping by the blog today and sending you a virtual hug. <3

xo

Gina

More WIAW posts:

More WIAW posts here, here, here, here and here. For the original WIAW fun, check out Peas and Crayons. 

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