#Continuum Season Three

[fortune-maiden]

The more I think of what Bridon has implied about the original timeline, the more I feel like Lu Guang was not being anxious enough actually xD

[sunnydbeam]

If Y/N had a bad day or was sick, how would the guys react? Who would be more likely to do something about it? I can only imagine something very wholesome out of this!

So this sat in my inbox for a while, but I finally got around to writing something about it! Sorry for the late reply!

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"What if?" I: Not at home

Gamma Code AU

• Word count: 4,784 • [ Beta x Reader x Gamma] Platonic or romantic. Fluff. • CW: mild language, mild angst, hurt/comfort.

Link to AO3

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It’s written all over your face, undeniable and frankly embarrassing that you can't hide it in the slightest. Head bowed, hair disheveled, eyes dull behind exhausted lids – you know full well you resemble a miserable creature starved of motivation and sleep. Yet, you care little that your current appearance is more zombie than human.

Stumbling, you collapse heavily into your chair, burying your face in your hands. The pain is a relentless jackhammer against your skull, making it impossible to keep your eyes open for long. Why on earth did you drag yourself here, knowing deep down this was more than just seasonal allergies? Everyone asked you that, a question you couldn't quite answer.

You lean back, tilting your head against the chairrest. Eyes squeezed shut, you still feel the ambient light piercing your thin lids like needles. An anguished groan escapes your lips.

Three hours left on your shift. The thought is agonizing. You’re far too embarrassed to ask the manager to leave early, not when you insisted coming in was the right decision, despite every sign screaming otherwise.

"Ugh…" you whimper softly.

Time melts into a hazy continuum, but through the fog of discomfort, you're vaguely aware of someone speaking to you. You try to ignore it, but the voice persists, gentle yet insistent.

A subtle movement beside you, then a light pressure on your shoulder, almost like a tentative massage. It's followed by a dizzying whirl as your chair abruptly spins, your eyelids flying open to meet a pair of wide, luminous blue eyes mere centimeters from your flushed face. You yelp, startled, instinctively trying to push back, but large, firm hands immediately clamp onto the chair, steadying it, and preventing you from tipping over.

"I— I apologize! I didn't mean to startle you…"

This time, you truly look. The large, purple robot is kneeling before you, his four arms outstretched, hands gripping the sides of your chair as if bracing against its imminent collapse. He seems to tremble slightly, his usual friendly expression warped into a nervous grimace, a mask of perpetual anxiety as if bracing for a reprimand he hasn't yet earned. But God knows, you don't have the heart for that. Not with Beta.

"Sorry," you murmur, rubbing your temples, the ache flaring. "You just surprised me."

It's not unusual to feel a flicker of nervousness around him sometimes – a primal awareness of your own fragile, fleshy body compared to his powerful frame – leading to exaggerated reactions. But Beta has always been too gentle, too considerate for those worries to take deep root.

Beta tilts his head, those blue optics scanning you like an open book, making you feel momentarily exposed. He knows. He sees your pitiful state and likely has a dozen observations ready. But, to your relief, his expression softens into a subtle, warm smile. His grip on the chair loosens, then releases it entirely. Two hands rest on his knees, while the other two carefully extend towards you, a silent question seeking permission.

"You're not feeling well, are you, sweetie?" His voice is soft, melodic. "That's awful… Are you sick?"

Oh, that robot is impossibly sweet every time he speaks. It still catches you off guard, given everything. You have no illusions about his artificial nature; rather, it’s something in his intuitive, caring manner that's undeniably charming. It's in the way Beta chooses his words so meticulously, clearly intending to evoke warmth without a hint of condescension. He almost always succeeds. Why that matters so much to him, or even to you, remains a puzzle you haven't tried to solve.

But lately, that once-clear line dividing your perception of true life and sentience feels increasingly blurred.

Receiving no verbal response from your foggy mind, his eyes shine brighter with concern.

"You should have stayed home."

"Mm… I know…" You mumble, the admission tasting like defeat.

You grumble under your breath, and Beta offers another small, sympathetic smile.

"May I touch you?"

"��� Uh, what…?"

Blinking, puzzled, you watch as Beta carefully removes one glove, revealing the intricate mechanics beneath, and looks at you with a soft, pleading expression.

"Your face," he clarifies, gesturing with his bare mechanical hand.

Though still disoriented, you manage a small nod. The cool, smooth fingertip, tinged with a neon purple, gently brushes against your cheek. You instinctively close your eyes, letting out a sigh you immediately feel embarrassed about. When you cautiously peek at Beta, he doesn't seem fazed, his focus absolute. With immense care, his large hand cups your face, sliding upward to rest against your forehead.

Oh. He's taking your temperature. That makes sense.

A fresh wave of embarrassment washes over you, realizing your subconscious craving for simple physical contact.

"You have a high fever, Angel," he observes softly. "I'll take you to the recovery room. I’ve heard they have a very comfortable, fluffy couch and soft blankets, perfect for a nap during break time."

You almost want to laugh at how endearingly he phrased that.

"But first stop, the infirmary," he adds firmly.

Without further warning, Beta scoops you effortlessly into his arms. A small, surprised gasp escapes you, which he seems to absorb as he cradles you securely against his chest, a gesture meant to reassure you. Being carried by a robot is a novel experience, and the distance from the solid ground feels disconcertingly vast.

"They’re going to scold me…" You mutter against the slightly rubbery texture of his hazmat suit.

You hear him chuckle, a sound still strangely localized, not resonating from his chest as you might expect.

"That would be logical," he says, his voice soft, almost playful. "But don't worry too much. I won't let them be too harsh with you, sweetie."

You snort, which turns into an abrupt sneeze, burying your face against him again. A gloved hand settles on the back of your head, fingers gently, tenderly stroking through your hair. He pushes open a door, entering a room bathed in light so jarringly bright you groan, squeezing your exhausted eyes shut tighter. You dissolve into a fit of coughing and sneezing, feeling utterly wrecked by this flu.

Lost in your misery, you're barely aware of the worried glances Beta casts down at you, nor how steadfastly he refuses to put you down while the nurse examines you and dispenses some painkillers. You do get scolded, but Beta keeps his word, defending you with absurdly sweet excuses about you being an exemplary worker, too responsible to miss a day even when clearly unwell. Still, leaving isn't an option now. Not like this, without someone ensuring you make it home safely. You feel perilously close to fainting.

So, Beta proceeds with his plan, heading towards the recovery room, you still cradled in his arms. Some colleagues shoot you curious glances; others stop you both, their voices laced with concern as if there's something inherently unsettling about seeing you carried, vulnerable, by a robot. A few even offer to take over. You have to summon the patience to reassure them, insisting Beta's company is perfectly fine, that there's nothing to fear. Throughout these exchanges, Beta's eyes briefly divert as his head slightly bowed. He never utters a word.

It must be tough, you think fleetingly, being judged simply for being different. Being perceived as some kind of monster.

You know he feels it.

Beta knows that you know.

His gaze returns to you, softening instantly. He pulls you a fraction closer against his chest, his hold firmer now, as if afraid you might slip away, vanish, and he'd never get to hold you again. There's a unique quality to Beta's hugs – laced with an anxious undercurrent, a fear of crushing your fragility, yet overwhelmingly full of affection, as if trying to shield you completely within his embrace.

He enters the recovery room. Your tired eyes flutter open, vaguely scanning the surroundings. To your immense relief, the room is empty. The next thing you know, Beta is gently depositing you onto a plush couch, then hurrying towards some nearby cabinets, searching for the blankets he mentioned. You hear a soft, happy humming sound when he finds them. Moments later, he's back, carefully tucking the soft fabric around you, right up to your chin. You gratefully sink into the cushions.

"I’ve never been in here before," he reflects, his voice quiet. "It’s nice."

"Hm… I don’t come here often either…" You reply, your voice muffled.

He looks down at you, his large frame looming slightly. It’s a touch intimidating, but you bite back the comment, not wanting to make him anxious. Instead, you quickly ask, "Are you going to stay?"

Your face flushes instantly, heat rising that you hope the fever masks effectively. Why did that sound so needy?

Beta smiles, a tender, understanding expression.

"I can, if you want me to."

Somehow, that makes it even more embarrassing. But Beta doesn't laugh; he just seems to find your flustered state endearing. He sits down carefully beside you on the couch. Even seated, he's significantly taller, and his weight causes the cushions to dip, drawing you slightly closer to his side.

A dense, slightly awkward silence settles between you. You can't help but notice the way Beta looks at you – calm, thoughtful, as if carefully weighing his next move. You cough again, your head swimming.

He shifts, and in one smooth motion, you're drawn onto his lap. Four arms gently envelop you, holding you as if you were the most precious, fragile thing in his universe. You don't know why. You don't understand it. But somehow, it feels… right.

Maybe it's like this for everyone he interacts with. A loving robot shouldn't be such an alien concept. But emotions aren't typically associated with circuitry and code, yet Beta… Beta is a being of circuits and code who feels, sometimes overwhelmingly so.

You dislike the word 'machine' when thinking of him.

You remain still, your body limp and weak. But even if you had the strength, you wouldn't fight this. Not when, finally, you feel so at ease. The blanket cocoons you, warm and secure. One of his hands moves soothingly along your back, tracing patterns up to your nape. Long, gloved fingers gently tangle in your hair, massaging your scalp, combing through the strands up to your crown. He leans his face close, murmuring against your tousled hair.

"Shh… You can rest now. You’ll feel better…" He closes his eyes briefly. "Humans feel better when they sleep, don't they?"

It’s strange seeing him so calm, so centered. Usually, he's a bundle of nerves – jumpy, anxious, always seeming to anticipate the worst possible outcome. That’s the Beta you know most of the time. This quiet optimism feels almost foreign, yet it brings an unexpected peace. If Beta is this calm, perhaps it’s because he genuinely feels comfortable with you.

The thought warms your chest.

"We’re going to get in trouble for this…" You sigh, the words punctuated by a sniffle as you battle a congested nose. "They’re already so hard on you…"

Beta’s soft chuckle vibrates slightly against you, somehow. You can't quite gauge if it holds amusement or disbelief.

"They’ll understand," he replies lightly. "Helping is also part of my job description."

"Don’t take this the wrong way," you begin carefully, glancing up at him sideways, "but you’re… way too calm right now."

Beta tilts his head again, his hood dipping slightly, casting his face in shadow. The Beta you’re used to would have likely flinched at the implied scrutiny. He makes a small, strangled sound and looks away, suddenly tense and nervous again.

Ah, there he is.

"I was just trying… uh… I read that staying calm can help others feel calm too," he mumbles, fidgeting slightly. "If it bothers you, I—"

"No, it’s fine! I promise it’s fine. I was just curious…" You interrupt quickly, rubbing your head as the headache threatens a resurgence. You push the pain aside. "Actually… I’m glad to see you relaxed."

A soft, fascinating purple hue washes over Beta’s face. You still marvel at your ability to elicit such a reaction from him; it's simultaneously hilarious and utterly adorable.

You sit in comfortable silence as Beta's hand resumes its slow, circular motions across your back and shoulders, gradually lulling you toward sleep. Your eyelids grow heavy, protesting the effort to stay open. Your body trembles slightly, the fever playing tricks, making you feel chilled despite your internal heat. But wrapped in the blanket, held securely in the arms of someone who cares, the world feels a little less harsh. More comfortable, warmer. And blessedly, you're not facing this alone in the cold silence of your empty home.

Beta glances aside, his expression thoughtful, distant. Perhaps he could make you some tea? Or order it from the café? Honey and ginger, he recalls reading somewhere, is good for a sore throat. And food? What do humans eat when they're sick? Soup is the only thing that comes immediately to his processor.

Lost in these considerations, Beta looks down and realizes you’ve already drifted off. His eyes widen slightly, and a soft, almost silly smile spreads across his features.

Humans look so cute and peaceful when they sleep.

He watches your finally relaxed face with fascination: the way your disheveled hair curtains your closed eyes, your lips slightly parted, breathing slow and even, though still a bit heavy. Your rosy cheek is pressed trustingly against his chest. Beta feels something akin to melting just looking at you as if you are the loveliest sight he has ever seen. And crucially, you allowed yourself this vulnerability, with him. He, a being who often feels like an outsider, is regarded with suspicion even by his creators. But you… You always manage to make him feel accepted, special, as normal as any human among them. Like one of your own.

Beta feels fortunate for that.

He gently traces your cheek with one fingertip, a subtle, exploratory touch, slowly mapping the contours of your face. Up across your cheekbone, towards the delicate skin of your eyelid, his touch feather-light so as not to wake you. He brushes a stray strand of hair from your face, studying your features – so different from his own – with intense care.

"So peaceful…" he breathes, the sound barely audible. "Precious…"

He notices a subtle shift in your expression – eyelashes fluttering against your cheeks, eyebrows knitting almost imperceptibly, lips forming a vague pout – yet you remain asleep. The robot can’t quite interpret these micro-expressions, assuming humans generally look untroubled in sleep. But suddenly, you no longer look quite serene, and an uncomfortable static prickles through his circuits, a warning that something is amiss. Beta feels an urgent need to fix it.

"Poor thing… You’re in so much pain, aren't you? Your breathing is strained, your body tense, trembling…" he whispers, instinctively tightening his hold, trying to envelop you completely. "What should I do? What ought I to do?"

Panic begins to bubble beneath his calm facade. He's confused, terrified, but desperately trying not to wake you. Truthfully, he's never cared for a sick human before, striving with all his processing power not to overreact. But oh, he was sure your skin wasn't burning quite this intensely just moments ago.

"The infirmary… Maybe we should go back, hm? The painkillers don't seem to be working effectively…"

The robot presses his face briefly against the crown of your head, mimicking a sigh.

"Aha! There you are."

Beta’s head snaps up, gaze darting towards the doorway. Gamma stands there, greeting him with a wide, toothy grin, hands planted firmly on his hips, surveying the scene with mock judgment.

"What's that suspicious package you've got there?" Gamma raises a metallic eyebrow, sauntering closer. Beta offers a nervous grimace. "Yeah, it looks suspiciously alive!"

"Please keep your voice down; they're trying to sleep," the purple robot half-whispers, half-reproves, his anxious blue eyes flicking between you and his newly arrived companion. Gamma claps his hands over his mouth in mock horror, though the sharp grin remains visible beneath.

"I was wondering what I saw flickering on the security cameras."

"W-what?" Beta stammers, optics widening.

Gamma muffles a laugh. "Kidding! I don't have access to the cameras. Though, I won't deny, catching this would have been pretty damn funny." The neon-green robot teases, but his usual antics fail to truly rattle Beta this time. Gamma's gaze sweeps the room, landing on the couch with keen interest. "Whoa, didn't know we had one of these here. Quite the find." He stops beside the couch and crouches down, folding his tall frame close to the ground, an attempt to seem less imposing, even though you're asleep. He looks at you and tilts his head, his grin softening into something gentler.

"So," he asks, his voice lowered to an even, quiet tone, "what’s the issue? Sick or something?"

Beta adjusts the blanket around you, his expression pensive as he looks down at your sleeping form before nodding.

"I just thought… it would be nice to keep them company," he murmurs nervously, bracing for a potential reprimand. "I apologize if my absence caused any inconvenience."

"You're adorable," Gamma laughs, a genuine sound that makes Beta blush faintly purple again. "Relax. I'll tell them you were on a recharge cycle. No problem."

Beta looks genuinely, pleasantly surprised.

"Th-thank you."

"Uhm… Consider it a favor. Now you owe me," Gamma replies with a cheeky green smirk, eliciting a small sound of indignant surprise from Beta. "Seriously, though, you could have invited me. You two look ridiculously comfortable over here; I'm getting jealous."

The purple robot looks away, face flushing deeper, shoulders tense. Two of his hands fidget nervously with the edge of the blanket covering you.

"If… if you want to…"

"Aw, hell yeah. My actuators were getting a little stiff anyway." Gamma straightens up, looking down at you with those inscrutable, mismatched eyes. His smile softens once more. "Yeah, probably the only human around here I wouldn't actively wish a headache upon, y'know?" He strolls over to a nearby water dispenser, carefully filling a flimsy disposable cup, holding it with exaggerated care as if terrified of crushing the tiny object. It looks absurdly small in his large hand, but he manages to return without spilling a drop, simultaneously wheeling a small side table closer with one foot. He makes a show of checking an imaginary watch on his wrist. "Anyway, looks like we've got about an hour and a half before the café gets swarmed by hungry organics. Might as well take advantage of this wonderful couch and leave all the grunt work to Alpha."

"He’s going to be furious," Beta points out hurriedly, apprehension coloring his tone.

"Pretty sure he can handle it. Besides, that sounds like a 'future us' problem," Gamma responds dismissively, shrugging with a sly, cat-like grin. He settles onto the couch next to Beta, leaning in towards you, almost as if intending to scoop you up himself. Instead, he props his head on one hand, studying your face intently, whispering conspiratorially near your hair, "What's one or two wasted hours of productivity when you've got another eight thousand seven hundred and fifty-eight left in the year to catch up?"

Gamma places the cup of water on the small table, his mismatched eyes scanning your curled-up form with an expression that borders on tenderness. One long finger gently prods your cheek, lingering for a moment. His smile widens, looking immensely pleased with himself.

"Ah, see? Infrared vision is remarkably useful for diagnostics~"

Beta looks at him, eyes wide with surprise.

"I— I hadn't considered that!"

"That's because I'm the genius."

Gamma idly plays with a strand of your hair, tousling it slightly before smoothing it back. There's a subtle tension in his movements, suggesting a desire to be careful not to wake you, yet simultaneously wanting you to somehow know he stayed too, offering his own form of company. "Fever's dropped. Perfect, perfect."

Beta lets out a quiet sigh of relief at that, pulling you closer, protectively against his chest. Gamma watches him for a long moment, head tilted.

"So… you gonna hug me like that too, or do I have to beg?"

Beta would have choked if his respiratory system worked that way.

"I… Umm… I—I don’t know… I mean…" Beta seems utterly mortified, flustered beyond words. "W-why would you want to…?"

His reaction seems disproportionately funny to his companion.

"The real question is… " Gamma leans in, raising his eyebrows dramatically, " Why wouldn’t I want to?"

Beta makes a muffled, strangled noise, and Gamma finally bursts into unrestrained laughter, no longer bothering to keep his voice down. He wants to wake you now, eager to see the inevitably perplexed expression on your face when you find yourself sandwiched between two massive robots cuddling you like a shared teddy bear. So funny.

And, admittedly, adorable.

"Maybe I should—" Beta starts.

"Leave it to me."

Without any warning, Gamma grabs Beta firmly by the shoulders and gives a sharp tug. The motion jostles Beta's hood back, causing his purple rays to flare outwards, inadvertently smacking Gamma right across the face.

Gamma lets out an exaggerated yelp of pain, the sudden noise jolting you awake, while Beta dissolves into mortified sobs and a rapid-fire barrage of apologies.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!"

"Damn, Beta, you pack some serious hidden weaponry there!"

Meanwhile, you blink, consciousness returning like a slow-motion wave crashing over you.

You have never felt so utterly confused and disoriented in your entire life. Your small, blanket-wrapped body feels like the filling in a very strange, very large robotic sandwich. They’re being careful, you register dimly, not crushing you, but their towering figures loom over you as they seem to bicker about the recent assault, momentarily oblivious to your awakening.

"W-where the hell am I…?" you murmur, voice thick with sleep and confusion.

"In the paradise of my arms, obviously," Gamma replies instantly, his grin back in place, the earlier slap forgotten. Beta, however, still looks borderline traumatized by the incident. "Surprise!" Gamma continues cheerfully. "Decided I wanted my own human plushie too, but Beta here wasn't sharing. Rude."

The poor purple robot just gives you an anxious, apologetic look, optics wide, seeming perpetually on the verge of tears. You feel your face heat up again at the sheer absurdity of the situation.

"Guys… this is… really strange…" You mumble, rubbing your temple. You do feel marginally better, though. The sleep, despite being punctuated by vague fever dreams, was surprisingly deep. You have hazy recollections of gentle pressure, comforting weight, large hands holding you with unexpected tenderness, and soft, murmured words that felt like a warm shield against the discomfort. It was strangely restorative. “You two are lucky that I trust you both enough.”

Beta is now a complete mess of embarrassment, looking like he wishes the floor would swallow him whole. Gamma, conversely, seems utterly unfazed, laughing heartily. He gives your head a few friendly pats like one might pet a dog.

"You're welcome!" he teases.

Beta shyly holds out a small pill and the cup of water Gamma had placed on the table earlier, avoiding direct eye contact. As you take them, he fidgets nervously with the edge of the blanket still draped over you.

"P-please drink this… before you go home."

You feel a pang of sympathy for him now.

Offering a small smile, you swallow the pill. It scrapes slightly against your still-raw throat but goes down easily enough. Gamma makes a sound like snapping his fingers.

"Alrighty! Now that our precious human is awake, I think it's high time you drank your magic robot tea and then skedaddled home to sleep in your own soft, warm bed, instead of being draped over the hard, cold chassis of two poor robots desperately craving validation and affection."

You raise an eyebrow at him, unable to tell if he's being serious or deeply sarcastic. Beta’s immediate, unbridled reaction, however, strongly suggests the latter might hold a kernel of truth.

He practically throws you into Gamma’s arms, scrambling off the couch and dashing towards the café area, calling back, "I’ll go get the tea!”. All you see is a purple and yellow blur disappearing around a corner, his two flexible grabber appendages flailing behind him like overexcited tails, narrowly missing several chairs.

An awkward silence descends as you realize you are now solely in Gamma’s lap. You sniffle, then sneeze, fumbling in your pocket for a tissue.

"What a weird day…" You whisper, mostly to yourself.

The silence stretches in response.

When you look up, Gamma’s mismatched eyes are fixed on you with an intensity you’re not accustomed to seeing from him. They gleam, a deep, assessing green; they seem to judge, penetrate, yet hold you captive, making it impossible to look away. His hand comes up, fingers firmly grasping your chin, tilting your head back slightly. His thumb traces the faint line of a scar near the right corner of your lower lip, a mark barely visible but not missed by his scrutinizing gaze.

"What was the point," his voice is suddenly low, resonant, cutting through the quiet room, "of dragging yourself here when you knew you’d only be inefficient?" The reproachful tone lands like a physical blow, stinging your chest. "Suffering, far from home? Why? Nobody pins a medal on you for martyrdom. Are you some kind of masochist?"

His words slice deeper than you expected, hitting a nerve you didn't know was exposed.

"I didn't come here… intending to be a burden," you manage, your voice trembling slightly. "I just…"

But the words die in your throat.

Gamma remains silent, his gaze unwavering, first on the tiny scar, then locking onto your eyes, waiting. All you can do is stifle a sob, hot tears welling up unexpectedly.

It must be the lingering fever, you tell yourself, or perhaps the accumulated exhaustion from the preceding days. But a sense of powerlessness washes over you – the dizziness, the melancholy that descends when you contemplate the tangled mess of past choices, the things that might have been, the decisions made and unmade. It hurts with a sharp, selfish pang because you know, deep down, that your actions often stem from a desperate search for something, anything, to fill the echoing void in your existence. Because, subconsciously, you ignored all logic and dragged yourself here, yearning for mere crumbs of the connection that feels so distant in your life. Because buried beneath layers of denial, you knew they wouldn't leave you alone. Because you crave the simple, fundamental comfort of affection and care.

Because at home, there's no one.

It’s a selfish desire, isn't it? To simply matter to someone. And even if this fragile connection feels illusory at times, who is the universe to deny you the right to cling to those who are here, offering solace, even if just for a fleeting moment? Who is to deny you the right to feel content and at peace?

Gamma’s intense gaze softens. His gloved thumb gently brushes against your damp skin, wiping away a stray tear tracking down your cheek. A small, conciliatory smile touches his lips.

"Foolish human," he grumbles, but his eyes now hold a mischievous glint, something that strongly resembles affection. "You’re damn lucky we all trust you enough."

Fresh tears spill over, fueled by embarrassment and a confusing surge of relief. Gamma lets out a chuckle.

"Thank you… guys…" You manage between sniffles.

"Yeah, yeah. Now you owe me," he repeats, the teasing tone returning.

You snort, a watery smile finally breaking through. Whether any of this is 'real' in the conventional sense… You find you no longer care to dissect it. Whatever this is, whatever complex web of programming and emerging sentience is unfolding around you, it’s already more than you ever dared to ask for.

"B-Beta is taking a long time…" you murmur after a moment, wiping your eyes.

"Maybe he hasn't decided on the optimal tea blend yet," Gamma opines dryly, raising an eyebrow in amusement.

Meanwhile, unseen by either of you, the tall purple robot remains partially hidden. Peeking cautiously from behind a large column, a steaming cup held carefully between two large hands, his default expression of faint anxiety is starkly contrasted by the sweet, gentle smile slowly blooming across his face. Blue eyes gleam with an undeniable light as they fixate on you, a soft blush coloring his cheeks.

"If only you knew, Angel," he breathes to himself, adjusting his hood, "that all of us share the same dream… and someone just like you is the only data stream appearing in them."

______

[inhuman-obey-me]

Power + Control: Lessons 55/56

As the main story of Nightbringer has been announced to be coming to an end, there is a lot for the writers to try to wrap up! Plus, we're approaching what is probably the climax of the season, which means shit's getting serious again.

Naturally, this means there's also a lot going on. Shall we get into it?

(spoilers up to Nightbringer Lessons 55 + 56)

MC and Their Power

In Lesson 55, we find ourselves back at the Sorcerer's Society, this time with Mammon and Satan in tow. When the two brothers question why they need to be there, Solomon explains that it helps solidify MC's reputation, as the spotlight has been on them for a while now. The Sorcerer's Society has been keeping a wary eye on MC for a while -- and we wonder if that might be since OG Season 2, when MC's powers were destabilizing the Three Realms. But they seem to be keeping an eye on them not only for their power, but also because of concerns that MC's loyalties could shift due to their close relationships with everyone, thus endangering the human world.

The actual reason for their visit, however, is that Solomon wants to use a device the Society has to measure MC's powers. On the initial reading, it doesn't seem like MC's powers have gotten particularly stronger, much to everyone's confusion.

Solomon then decides to test a theory (without warning, of course) and sends an attack spell in Mammon's direction. This, like before, triggers MC's magic to defend Mammon -- and causes the instrument used for reading magical power to break. Solomon mentions that the only time it's broken before was because of him, but he reinforced it when he repaired it. So, for a brief moment, MC had even surpassed Solomon in magical power.

We speculated a bit about MC's powers in our last lesson post, and Lesson 55 proved us right on the theory that this growth in power is due to now having two pacts with each of the brothers. This is also allowing MC to generate magical power, which is rare. We have to keep quiet about it, though, because otherwise we risk messing up the space-time continuum if others were to know of our trip to the past and all that occurred. (Though, one would think it would be safe to talk about it with Barbatos, who would probably also be more knowledgeable...)

However, there's no time to worry about any of that time travel shenanigan nonsense in depth, because *drumroll*...

The Angels Are Troubled

When we get back, we learn that Raphael has been acting very strangely since the Devildom Math finals. Mephisto, being his boyfriend a concerned fellow student, notes that he hasn't been to school at all in a while, and it turns out that he has holed himself up in his room pretty much ever since the Devildom Math finals, when he overheard Diavolo and Lucifer talking about Simeon's little turning-demon situation. And hey, speaking of Raphael acting weird, it seemed like Lesson 55 opened with some kind of prophetic vision of him having an emotional breakdown...??

Anyway, so MC and the brothers make a plan to visit him after school, loaded up with treats and Raphael's favorite demonus, courtesy of his boyfriend Mephisto, who would never himself go visit an angel at home for any reason... However, when they arrive, it turns out that Raphael is not actually home. And, at around the same time, Simeon is out walking with Lucifer and gets a text from Michael saying that Raphael went up to the Celestial Realm, though he leaves the reason for the visit cryptically vague -- though, Simeon suspects Michael just couldn't be bothered to explain. About what we should expect from the one Raphael called socially inept weirdo, we guess?

As Simeon and Lucifer get back to Purgatory Hall, where everyone else is deciding what to do about Raphael, suddenly the ground shakes, and next thing we know, everyone is in Babel again!

Confused and quite literally shaken, everyone tries to figure out what caused them to suddenly be transported to Babel. Both Simeon and Lucifer suspect it has something to do with Raphael -- especially as the brothers take on their angel forms soon after arriving. We end up finding Raphael fast asleep, which further confirms Lucifer's and Simeon's suspicions.

When Raphael wakes up, however, he can't actually remember how he got there -- he remembers he went to visit Michael to talk to him about something, but can't remember what happened after he passed through the Celestial Gates on his way back to the Devildom. After some coaxing and interrogating, Raphael confesses why he went to speak to Michael, and it was to beg him to speak to God aka Father and convince him to forgive Simeon, as Raphael believes he has been punished enough.

Luke apologizes to Simeon, thinking he hasn't nearly done enough in comparison to Raphael to help him. They all have a heartwarming discussion of just how much Simeon is loved, but there are still questions to be answered.

Lucifer asks Raphael if he's responsible for all that's happening, seemingly determined to goad Raphael into some kind of realization that the seraph is too distressed to confront, even as the others try to stop him. Solomon makes a desperate move to come help, which has the more-than-geriatric human sorcerer showing up absolutely exhausted -- with a little anime-style help from all the demons left behind back in the Devildom!

After catching his breath, Solomon says he understands everyone wants to protect Raphael, but that this conversation needs to happen. Lucifer, now backed up by Solomon, again coaxes Raphael to think about what he wanted in that moment, saying it's important (more on this later). On that question, Raphael begins breaking down, much like we saw in that earlier vision, and losing control of his power.

Amidst the shaking and panic, Solomon takes a moment to explain that Raphael's power is probably what pulled them all there to Babel, and Simeon in particular remarks that Raphael's feelings of wanting to live peacefully with everyone are probably the reason that the brothers were in their angel forms.

But now, as Raphael unfurls while acknowledging what he wanted, the entirety of Babel starts to collapse.

OM's #1 (Deadbeat) Dad

So now, of course, the big question is what did Raphael think and feel in that moment, which is causing him so much distress? And the answer, it seems, may be that he disagrees with God.

We've seen time and time again that the Celestial Realm is one of extreme obedience, shown more recently by the entire situation with Simeon. So, Raphael trying to make an appeal to God takes the brothers by surprise. Leviathan in particular says he can't believe that Raphael would do something like that, "knowing it might make Father mad" -- with Asmodeus and the others agreeing but admiring him for it. After all, the brothers became fallen angels for rebelling against God themselves.

Lucifer in particular probably sees the way Raphael's actions and feelings mirror his own old feelings -- he thought the way Lilith was being punished wasn't right and wanted God to change his mind and see reason. He too tried to appeal to God to change Lilith's punishment, and encountered the same obstinate refusal to listen. Those feelings led to him starting the Great Celestial War, which resulted in him and his brothers all being the demons they are now. And now, Raphael is experiencing something similar with Simeon, someone who he admires and is considered his mentor.

If so, that's certainly a very troubling track record for the Celestial Realm. Of the four angels we know of who have been seraphs, we have Lucifer (fallen), Simeon (demoted-about-to-become-demon), Raphael (now questioning), and Michael (...socially inept weirdo).

And yet, is it any wonder? The idea of even questioning Father is seen as blasphemous. With such authoritarian absolutism in place, of course those at the next tier of power might begin to wonder as their own loved ones face these overly harsh punishments. And as a seraph whose loyalties are otherwise so unwavering towards the Celestial Realm and the other angels, it's no wonder his magic is getting unstable as Raphael comes to terms with these feelings. He already went through the loss of Lucifer and the brothers, and being faced with losing Simeon after Simeon's already been "punished enough" drives him over the edge.

In his breakdown, which parallels MC's prophetic dream from the start of Lesson 55, Raphael says he's never felt so alone and miserable and he just can't take it.

Gee, good job Michael.

Now, we've long held a theory that God is just...not around. From a practical narrative sense, the devs have said that their original plan to have Diavolo himself be the Demon King felt like it made him too intimidating, and when they changed it to Crown Prince instead, they probably wanted to try and make things more "equal" between the Devildom and Celestial Realm. Thus, we have Diavolo and Michael as the acting leaders instead of the Demon King and, well, God.

But it's interesting because way back in OG Season 3, Simeon mentions that he hasn't seen Father in an extremely long time, even though we know he'd already received his "human" punishment by that time. Now, Raphael mentions that he's been unable to get an audience with Father. In fact, it seems like Michael is the only one who might be able to, and when Raphael says he pleaded with him to do so, it seems that Michael denied him -- in spite of the fact that, according to past speculation from Lucifer, Michael is also very worried about Simeon and was said to probably be trying to work out a way for him to come back! Though, by the way, the thing that got Simeon punished with human status was stealing from Michael, not the Celestial Realm itself, which itself is quite interesting. But even Michael has never been outright mentioned to be in contact with Father, as far as we've ever heard.

So...where the fuck is he??

[kradogsrats]

I've been kind of hesitant to voice this analysis/theory because honestly even I find it hella depressing, but... here goes.

At the end of s6e5: "Moonless Night," we have this kind of cryptic sequence with Viren:

Now, this isn't exactly subtle. It starts with a callback to Aaravos's "the human mage, already tainted by darkness and destined to play right into my hands," line (and a nice Callum > fake pearl > real pearl > Viren cut sequence) and ends with the kind of spider-and-fly imagery you bust out when you want the audience to really get the point. This sequence tells us in no uncertain terms, Aaravos will inevitably use Viren again... at least one more time.

I say it's cryptic because the eventual payoff is a lot more subtle, particularly since everything escalates so rapidly and is actually presented as a crazy, unexpected twist. Basically, there's no follow-up until s6e8: "We All Fall Down," where we have a highly specific series of events:

Sol Regem, under Phaaravos's direction, attacks Katolis

Viren decides to make the sacrifice of both doing dark magic again and losing his own life to protect the people from Sol Regem's fire

Viren successfully casts the spell and the people are protected

Phaaravos does this:

Once Viren has cast the spell (and is probably dying), Aaravos is pleased and ends Sol Regem's attack.

Aaravos needs three things to free himself: the pearl, the staff, and a sympathetic mage. He can't just possess Callum and free himself at the start of the season, because—whether that would work or not—he doesn't have the staff. He knows, however, that Viren is going back to Katolis, so he can influence Callum to switch the real and fake pearls. Then, when Viren arrives, the pearl and the staff are lined up... but Viren is no longer sympathetic (and possessing him wouldn't really do any good because like, come on... he's in prison).

The way that the attack on Katolis plays out gives him everything: the pearl and staff are abandoned in the chaos, leaving them free for Claudia. Viren, being dead, is also now unable to influence Claudia directly—not to mention that, despite what he told her in s6e1, he chose to do dark magic again.

There are several reasons that could be behind Phaaravos's smarmy little smirk there—either he's satisfied that the staff is in play and will be easily accessible to Claudia instead of buried under a castle's worth of rubble, or he's satisfied that Viren is going to die and that removes what could actually have been a very serious obstacle to Claudia's persistence, or... he's pleased that Viren has caved and done dark magic again, whether because that's leverage he can use with Claudia, or for a more insidious reason.

We can stop here, because "Aaravos uses Viren's loyalty to his family and Katolis to manipulate him to his death and to set up his daughter for digging herself deeper in aiding his own return" is honestly plenty of payoff as far as Aaravos "using" Viren a final time. BUT just to get a little tinfoil-hat, here:

How exactly are we supposed to understand the pearl got from the subterranean secret dark magic workspace to outside in the ground-level courtyard... except by Aaravos walking the dying Viren down there to bring it back out, then neatly arranging pearl, staff, and Dad's dead body in close proximity for Claudia's homecoming? Which is pretty fucking grim.

As a counterpoint, the one thing this series sometimes plays extremely fast and loose with is the space-time continuum: like, working out travel times? Good fucking luck—it takes exactly as long to get somewhere as the plot demands, regardless of distance, terrain, or mode of transportation. So "how did the pearl get into the courtyard" could just be one of those "how did Soren and Claudia get up the Cursed Caldera without Lujanne knowing"-situations where the answer is "it's fine, don't think about it."

Sure, the staff, pearl, and Viren's body are all suspiciously accessible, but we also don't have screentime for Terry and Claudia to do an extensive search of the rubble overlaid with sad music and intercut with flashbacks. Sometimes shit just has to be convenient so we can move along... but I'll probably still always kind of wonder.

[familyvideostevie]

tlou season 2: episode 5 thoughts

phew sorry i did not watch last night, here are my notes belated. i promise to watch the finale as it airs. tldr liked this a lot, hated the usual bullshit. we cookin with gas spoilers for tlou hbo and tlou part ii below.

feel her love! lets gooooooooo. tldr liked a lot, hated some stuff. just another day in the life.

GOOD -cold open, love. the chills i got at the story. cause like, fuck yeah! we are at the mercy of this virus! it is the antagonist that lurks in the shadows! -day 2, my favorite day. starts strong. my girl dina got a hairtie finally. sexy bun lets go! ellie in her almost-iconic outfit! i miss her converse but whatever! also gas mention, that's funny! rip courthouse you are missed! -the theater, wow. the seats, the shot, the music. future days does exist despite the time continuum. i love this moment and i wish the flashback happened HERE. i wish ellie was talking to joel! i wish a lot of things! oh, sorry. this is the good section. -i know it is brutal but i really like the sheer starkness of the war that is happening around them in Seattle. the mural was perfect, the graffiti, the dead seraphites. it's just so absorbing. -running through the lights, i hated doing that in the game but fun callback. the hallway, the scene setting. haunted but empty. oh! just like us! that's me funny girl! -i love you after 1 day of being together checks out for these girls. its canon, i support it. -this place is fuckin scary. it's scary and it made me remember all the things i screamed playing this game and the stalkers, it's no office building but it's damn close. the whimpering and the breathing and even if the CGI sucked for a second i love these stalkers i love how scary they are -when i tell you i jumped off my fucking couch when i realized jesse was there. my BABY my MAN my DARLING ONE. i missed him so much, he's so. and the sets they run through, love. and THE PARK. man i love the fucking park -there is so much to address here. the dynamic of the three of them is instantly compelling in a new way because of what's happening and all the info we know but they do not. the map you left (ohhhhh boy, what a foreshadow), do i look like i want to fucking talk to you he was so hot when he said this my god me and tommy interesting, interesting. the way they came alone, too. interesting! tommy i hope you are sniping somewhere -i had chills once again once the whistling started. it reminds me of the gameplay trailer and my god. the torches and the execution, the noises, it's so crazy and chilling and i love it. -the blonde seraphite with the braid crown looks just like that one npc you know the one. -ellie hiding in the tree and the shot of her and the torches -- what a fun easter egg. so clever -wlf dog! bonnie! stay safe bonnie. avoid the girl with the knife, trust me. tall grass also sooooo fun. -nora looks amazing i love her. i kind of wished we got to sneak our way up and in but like, wow, how chilling for ellie to sneak up on us instead. that little bitch got what he deserved delivered like a champ. nora remains a track star, i love the way the hospital was laid out, i love the combat here, and i love the lower level. the infected in the walls, the spore breath, poor L PARK. the red light...the particles. god. god. god. the wheezing. how i wanted to hear her wheeze. -you're...you're her. that goes so fucking hard and i love it I'm glad they included it. and while i have platters full of beef with they way they're framing ellie and joel pre golf, the way she tells this story and the way ellie goes i know. that's cold as fuck. and it's honestly? smart. because we don't know anything. we don't know if she knows, we don't know when/if he told her, we don't know what happened. is she lying? if she isn't how does that change things? nora clearly sees it changes nothing, and knows she's lost all the way. the ellie crouch....i saw stars. that's my psycho girlfriend, that's my best friend, that's my girl. the music. the pipe. frankly, this was so fucking good. she's scary, she means it, she will get what she wants. it's scary! and i will take it! it fits with this ellie, it has the right amount of my ellie, it's horrible and it's scary and then to cut it to the flashback....(more on that later)

IFFY -so i, like everyone else, thought hanrahan was the prophet. this might still be the case. they are obscuring the time of this cold open on purpose, i'm sure -- i mean, this entire sequence and set up is really just the Pittsburgh episode from season 1. if she is the prophet (the more interesting approach) then this has to be earlier. everyone knows about the hospital, they are clearing it out and know not to go down there. I'm just interested in what we are going to do with this. the mother son parallel was interesting lol -dina explaining the amish to ellie was so out of pocket but at the same time probably a smart add-in for us to understand some things about the seraphites before we encounter them now and later with abby -okay, the whole ellie being scared about dina and the baby and blaming herself? and dina's reply is her story about revenge -- her first kill? i am really trying to articulate why this bothers me, instead of us learning about dina's past in casual conversations (mostly) and out of curiosity from ellie/things she already knows that we are learning. but to have this backstory reveal be a part of the tragedy of the whole thing -- it makes Dina more bitter, more upset. Which I understand, cause combined with her guilt and trauma over joel, it keeps her here now that she's got a reason to go. it's just interesting. because in the game, i feel like dina is justifying tommy's actions, not ellie's, when she talks about her own ability to seek revenge. and she does not justify ellie's rage, not really. she just allows it, tags along as support. and it sort of changes this power between them? both of them having suffered, both fighting to be here? what does it mean that ellie, given the choice for both of them, chooses to keep going? and what does it mean to dina that ellie makes that choices? I'm thinkin bout it -dina superhearing strikes again and for what but also that was funny -i get that to get ellie alone we have to send jesse and dina away back to the theater but like. why does dina have to get IMPALED WITH AN ARROW. i personally thought that was fun character building for ellie to have the wound and then dina gets to stitch it up but whatever. -i am interested in this choice we get to witness from ellie -- going to the hospital or circling back and going to the theater like she said she would. it kind of fits with this ellie -- who is not yet settled in her recklessness, does not know how to admit to herself how far she will go on this mission. -the cut.....to the flashback....being here. man, i wish the whole thing had been back in the theater. i just think this makes it all sad in a different way. i understand why it's this way for this ellie and joel -- but i don't love it. they are attaching these good memories of joel to the moments that ellie seeks revenge -- something that happens at the end of the game. and it's crazy. the way, in the moment of her success, ellie sees joel on that last night of his life and she lets abby go. but here we are doing something different. it's almost bleeding them together, implying that ellie's memories of joel will be tainted forever, hinting that she will never have peace because she will always feel so much and so big that she will always seek revenge. and then to cut into present tense by pearl jam...are you insane -sorry but pedro saying hey kiddo in his regular voice and then putting his hands on his hips. what the fuck is going on

BAD -i just don't get why we have made ellie stupid. she's literally smart. quick, clever, likes to learn things. loves space and science and history. like, let's be so real for a second. what's wrong with you guys. come ON. -wish dina got to keep her hair tie. the generator in the theater is actually so she can plug in her dyson air wrap -ellie being trigger happy??? that's crazy. that girl ain't using a damn bullet if she don't have to. give her a BOW. HAVE YOU SEEN HER WITH THE KNIFE? again with this like, ellie is bad at this! no! she is capable! she is scary! why are we going to such lengths to make her capacity for violence seem more like a switch that is flipped! come on! -idk if I'm seeing things but there are these moments of CGI that are just so...bad? like, the first glimpse of the stalker. the blood dripping down the wlf's pants in a stain. it's like, small small moments but they editing is so weird and blatant

[fictiongods]

Top 5 Faith episodes (in either Buffy or Angel)?

Okay I struggled with this initially because I feel like all of her episodes are all so important to her character, she’s never really on screen unless she is there telling a story. But top five going from least to best would be:

5. Revelations

I feel like this is our real first hint to who Faith actually is, not the Cool Party Girl she tries to be. I know that there are plenty of hints that are present within the first few episodes she is in (her whole first episode is filled with it) but I do feel like it is missed to the casual viewer, especially as there are still people who think she’s just a flat monster no real reason (or reason they care to find) to it. But this episode to me is like the first one that really dives into all of that with Mrs. Post and her trust issues and her authority issues, all that good stuff.

4. Enemies

I mean, what can I say? I’m a sucker for gay forehead kissage. But no for real, I do actually really like this episode as one for Faith alone, I feel like sometimes it gets diminished into just for fuffy (or at least from some spaces I’ve seen) but it shares a lot about Faith. I can’t remember if she’s said it earlier than this forgive me if I’m wrong — but I think this is the first real piece we get about Faith’s mom besides the one line in FH&T that I don’t really think the writers put much thought into. While I think Faith did bury a lot of her motives, she also told a lot and showed just how lonely and jealous and insecure she really was, and a really great post from herinsectreflection put the loser line into perspective as well which was intriguing and fun to dig into (Plus just generally I was actually shook by that plot twist and didn’t see it coming at all. Like I thought they’d get his soul back but I didn’t know that he never lost it in the first place and that Buffy was in on it, so that was pretty cool, I just liked the episode).

3. Orpheus

This is what I mean when I say that all of Faith’s episodes are in conversation with each other because her three episode arc in Angel were all so connected that anything thematically relevant I wanted to talk about just came down to picking one. You can find crumbs of everything I would have wanted to say across all three. I loved how this was a direct call back to enemies (as someone who already obviously enjoyed the episode), Faith fighting so hard to get Angel’s soul back as the exact inverse of what she did there. Also, I love that they finished her prison arc. She was only hiding! She felt so (rightfully) guilty of what she had done and instead of living in the world and making redemption, she hid. And they literally paralleled that directly to Angel himself with him in the alley for 20 years with rats, so like add that to the Angel Is Faith continuum. Plus s6 really put me right in the feels with this, so then it also paralleled Faith to s6 Buffy (as season s6 was being Faith) and it was just like a whole parallel fest. Plus Angel and Faith Faith and Angel my two gremlins who go evil from lack of/having sex <333 ( just an amazing arc of beating Faith down and getting her all bloody, shower scene, breaking the windows cause None Will Survive around her and a magical mind mushroom trip. Amazing. (special shout out to that woman who asked Faith to make out and Faith immediately pushes her against the wall and threatens her. Fantastic I think about you everyday.))

2. Five by Five

Can you even call yourself a Faith fan if this isn’t in your top five? It gives you everything. It really gets into the heart of Angel too, asking the questions of what does redemption mean, is it different for different people, can you atone for what you did after all this darkness etc etc. It also allows Faith to be a bit darker than she was in Buffy* and lets her spiral in a way that is really impactful. This episode again is one I wanted to include sanctuary in, because what comes after all the violence and chaos is equally important to this episode, but ultimately I just find this one more interesting scene wise than anything. The rain scene was one of the most devastating things I have ever seenand easily wormed its way into one of my favorite scenes in basically anything I’ve ever watched. The way it’s just two of the most fucked up people you’ve ever seen in your whole life just holding each other, because what else is left? What else is left after all this death and destruction and chaos other than love that somehow made it through? It falls into the category of Xander and Willow in Grave (6x22), and to a bit of lesser extent Buffy and Giles in Passion (2x17), and probably others I cant remember off the top of my head. I think it was just extremely well written and makes you feel every single emotion you have.

1. Who are you?

This one just hits you over the head with a red brick on fire and goes “Look at her!!! LOOK AT HER!!! LOOK AT DAMAGED GIRL!!!!” So like. Easily one of the best Faith episodes that Eliza Dushku wasn’t even really there for. I don’t think I need to say how amazing SMG did as Faith, she got every last mannerism down. This episode gives you everything you could ever want as both a Faith Stan and a Fuffy Shipper, and I would say her start to redemption begins here, not on Angel. She’s no where done, but this is something. She is literally becoming the light as a shadow, transforming into something more than she is. It’s the first step to being the Good Slayer and a person who is capable (and capable of believing) she can do some good in a life that only ever beat her down. It is also arguably, one of the must fucked up things you see in this show. It connects to the darkest parts of Faith and shows every aspect of Faith out in the open (being that we see it; characters may not) such as her own issues with sexual abuse, her sexual abuse of both Riley and Buffy, her intrusive thoughts, her death wish, her running, her views on her and Buffy’s relationship as BUFFY LITERALLY IS COMPARED TO A GOD FOR HER. Crazy shit. And there’s so much imagery and little parallels or nods to other things that every time I rewatch I get something new to see. Just generally is a fantastic episode, who doesn’t enjoy a body swap? (Soulmatism of Fuffy soulmatism of Fuffy soulmatism of Fuffy soulmatism of—)

*I say a bit cause I definitely think Who Are You? is darker than that episode, but Angel I feel just has darker themes in principle than Buffy does.

[stellarred]

THROUGH LINE

I've heard that writers will often link separate stories like in a trilogy, for example, with some kind of connector or through line, I think it's called.

There's reason to believe that Q is the through line in all three seasons of Picard. He is subtly woven through the series, from start to finish.

Season 1: Episode 1

Data draws the Q cards--either because Q inserted himself into Picard's dream. Or Picard dreamt of Q on his own. But, it involved Data.

Season 1: Episode 10 Pt 2

We have a butterfly/moth guiding Picard's soul to his android body after Irumodic Syndrome had finally taken its toll on his body.

Q has a butterfly motif in his dialogue in Season 2, doesn't he?

"I am the flutter of a butterfly.."

"...your griefs, your pains. You're like butterflies with your wings pinned..."

(I challenge you to listen VERY carefully when Data shows the Q cards. I can hear the sound of something flitting--like, butterfly wings beating hard. Not joking, I swear. It's very quick.)

Where does Q lead Picard to?

The sitting room in his own chateau, but with everything a monochromatic beige. The clock on the mantle has no hands. Hence, Time doesn't matter. The room is bland, with no character. It has no meaning, really.

Even the ceiling of the room is nothing but stars.

The sitting room is a fabrication.

Data is there, waiting for him. He even tells Picard that they're in a "quantum simulation", a stage of sorts, courtesy of a few red computer chips.

But, Data seems to know a lot about his "circumstances" for someone, who's been by himself. Has he had any visitors (of the omnipotent variety, lately?) Or has someone perhaps, helped in the creation of Data's "world"

all for the purpose

of *helping Picard to let go of the persistent feelings of guilt he has been carrying around with him since the day when Data sacrificed himself in Nemesis to save him?*

Picard didn't want to let go, to "unshackle" himself from the past with Data's death in the first episode, didn't he?

"I don't want the game to end."

But, here he does let go.

Picard was able to let go of Data at last, and Data literally disolved into dust.

Kinda like this?

And courtesy of the brilliant and spot-on analysis by @celestialholz ,showing how Q is represented by the Sun (which is canonically confirmed in the post-credits scene of the final episode of Picard:Season 3, btw), you can see how dark Picard's sitting room is while he's talking to Data:

And now look, as Picard lets Data go:

The Sun is shining brightly.

Q had to be involved.

Through line.

Check this out, too. In the Sitting Room/Data Goodbye scene, notice that the camera focuses--not once, but TWICE at a few **specific** artifacts in the room.

The sculptures of the Hindu gods on Picard's table:

It's rather interesting that these Hindu artifacts would capture the attention of the camera more than once during this scene.

After all, the other objects in the room are tucked away in the background behind Data and Picard, with no color to them, no prominence. They're just filler.

But, what is so special about these figures?

Honestly, it's hard to say.

However, they are in the last episode of Season 1, and I'm proposing that Q was a "through line" from start to finish in Picard's story.

What is Q wearing in THE final scene of Season 3?

As @celestialholz explained, Q is wearing a silver eight-pointed star with nine rubies in it, the largest, representing the Sun, in the center.

It's akin to the "navaratna", which in Hinduism, is where each of the nine planets is represented by a specific jewel, and they surround the Sun.

The navaratna shows the relationship between the Sun and the planets. Eternally bound.

Here is the link to the analysis by @celestialholz explaining the navaratna in more detail:

What I would like to also offer at the altar of Qcard fandom is that it should be noted that a true navaratna doesn't have just one kind of stone, which in Q's case, is the ruby.

I lean into the thought that while Picard's birth planet, according to Vedic astrology, is the Moon, which is actually represented by the Pearl, his birth month, July , which is Cancer, (Jean-Luc Picard/Patrick Stewart), has the Ruby as its birthstone.

9 rubies= 9 Cancer birth stones all circling the Sun (Q).

An eternal relationship between Q and Picard.

*****

Again, while this whole series was a convoluted and painfully messy shitshow, there were people including, the writers and costumers, who deliberately included these subtle hints and details into the very images we saw, but didn't take notice of in our casual viewing, and into the dialogue, which, unless we paid very precise attention to, missed during our attempts to understand the story.

Q was there all along in Picard's story, from the very start to the very end, and it was planned that way.

Q helped Picard accept his loss of Data in Season 1, helped Picard get past his trauma in Season 2, and as for Season 3, Q was connected to the previous two seasons by way of his "miraculous" reappearance, resurrection, whatever (I have another theory on that, as well), and the subtle nod to Hinduism by way of his costume in the final scene.

I think certain people (Pat Stew, JDL, Cindy Apfel, Imario Susilo et al) wanted Q's story with Picard to continue, despite the decision to have Q "die."

Perhaps, certain higher ups in directorial positions didn't approve of even a Qcard kiss, let alone an on-screen union

but others wanted it, regardless.

Patrick Stewart and John de Lancie, for a good example, have tried to push for Q and Picard to do more ( Tapestry kiss, anyone?), but for seven years, we got a whole ton of dialogue and ear whispers on-screen, and canon confirmations from the actors and even Ron D. Moore.

Honestly, what is it about Qcard that we can't even get a Lower Decks canon-fest, like Garashir????

I'm dreaming of a Qcard wedding for Pete's sake.

So, in STP, they had to default to the safe route, once again.

They gave us more Qcard--but had to do it in a very subtle way.

So, for what it's worth, Q connects the three stories of Picard.

He is Picard's constant.

Q is and has always been there for Picard, all the time. He always will be.

Abiding with him, guiding him, and loving him all the way.

[mummer]

ok ok final tng thoughts

i never cared for you picard but i do feel like the last season does become very clear headed about his and starfleet’s moral failings right at the end which is cool. i like to think many of his dubious decisions throughout the show contributed to the q continuum’s reevaluation which i think is neat. also what can i say patrick stewart loved to slay the bridge down boots

No fucking pulaski comeback is so legit mean and cruel and evil im going to kill everyone now

so i think the main difference between this and TOS is that TNG is about connection and TOS is about loneliness. the tng crew are entangled in these complex friend/family/romantic connections and they really all love and trust and support each other vs the main tos three who are all cripplingly lonely people on a fundamentally lonely journey. which is really cool but im always gonna connect with lonely characters more lol

like tng actually cares enough about its character dynamics to develop them over time and often solve them. everyone is friendly and open to connection. tos by virtue of its structure has these huge glaring gaps and conflicts and dissonances between the characters that are left unsolved and thus… more interesting? you never get a spock-bones sort of dynamic which is a bummer

that said it does make the tng episodes that DONT have a settled happy resolution feel so extremely fucked up and affecting. Okay i am mostly talking about the outcast but

huge: i somehow missed wes very sorely in the back half. he’s a good kid.

every ro laren episode being such a banger we LOVE you ro laren.

data’s development was so gradual and patient it’s kind of miraculous. like damn somewhere along the line he developed microexpressions. brent spiner lowkey a genius. one thing about me is a data episode is always gonna get me plaintive and weepy

i know it wasnt woke but i do miss troi’s cute mini dress and gogo boots

worf troi relationship such an insane flop. why did they do that. especially the fact that it starts with troi taking care of worf’s son for him…. worf take care of your own son you slob

never cared about picard and bev’s relationship either. neither of you have a reason to be repressed about this i dont care i dont care you can do better bevvy

i love troi’s mom i wish every episode was a troi’s mom episode

have to accept that im never going to think of the perfect premise for a worf/riker fic. Really sad. we never got to see him dicked down. i’ll keep trying

[theanoninyourinbox]

TIINGILAR CHICKEN CURRY RECIPE!

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

TOOLS - Slow cooker, large pan, measuring cups, measuring spoons, willingness to measure with the heart

INGREDIENTS (optional ingredients marked with a *)

1 medium to large sweet potato (to be peeled and diced into roughly 1/2in pieces)

2 Red bell peppers (core and thinly slice these sweeties)

*Mushrooms (sliced lengthwise, less than the amount of potatoes)

*Spinach (three handfuls, they cook down so if you want more I physically can't stop you)

1/4cup water

1/4 cup lime juice (store bought is fine, you don't need to juice them yourself if it's hard)

1 1/2lbs chicken thighs (chicken breasts could be healthier but the flavor may be different)

1 tablespoon Olive oil or oil of your choice (for the chicken)

1 can (14oz) coconut milk (I used light, but regular may make the sauce thicker)

2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 3 tablespoons water

*Naan bread and rice (to dip in the sauce and to serve the Tiingilar onto if you want)

SEASONINGS

2 tablespoons curry powder (you heard right, TABLESPOONS)

2 teaspoons paprika (smoked paprika if you want to be fancier)

1 teaspoon ground cumin (it's pronounced cue-min)

1 teaspoon ground chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

*Dash of garlic powder

*Dash of Turmeric

STEPS

FIRST put those chopped veggies (not the spinach if you're using it) into the slow cooker. Pour the water and lime juice in there

SECOND combine the spices, mix em up all nice, then coat the chicken with 2/3 of the spices - you will need the rest of the spices shortly

THIRD heat your oil in a pan over medium-highish. Get it shiny but not bubbling, then get your chicken searing. First side for 2 minutes, then the other for 1 minute. Then get those tasty boys into the slow cooker.

FOURTH Put the chicken on top of the veggies, then the remaining spices, then set that timer for EITHER 2-3 hours on high OR 4-5 hours on low. Don't do both you will break the space-time continuum and no one wants that.

This is a great time to clean up your kitchen right here, and prepare and side dishes you want. I had grapes, naan bread, and brown rice with it this time!

FIFTH when the chicken is at 165 degrees, pull it out! Then let it cool off enough to chop or shred it up!

SIXTH Get your can of coconut milk and your cornstarch-water mix, and pour them in! After this (and additional spinach goes in now) set your slow cooker on high for 30 minutes - and a second timer for 15 minutes.

SEVENTH when the 15 minute timer goes off, put the chicken chunks in, and stir it in really nice - get it coated in the sauce, then put that lid back on and WAIT

EIGHTH when the 30 minute timer goes of SERVE AND EAT YOU DID IT!!!!!!!!!

(Imagine that's a Mythosaur, they're very proud of you)

[by-gray]

if you could write an alternate series three of torchwood in the style of the first two (tosh and owen deaths optional), what would you include? episode thoughts? big bad ideas? moral dilemmas for the torchcrew to get completely wrong? anything at all

Ooh okay, I might take some of my Sixteenth Doctor episode ideas I created and throw them into this theoretical Torchwood series because I think they would work for both.

I’m also going to pretend Tosh and Owen are still alive and I want Martha sticking around for season three. Here’s a few episodes.

Episode 1

So the most British thing ever is this pub chain called Wetherspoons (or just Spoons). And there’s a running joke that to get to the toilets in Wetherspoons, you basically have to run a marathon. The toilets are so far for no reason. The corridors to them are like whole streets. So I thought a really good crack episode of the Whoniverse would be Owen trying to go and take a piss, but the toilet journey is even longer than usual, he gets lost, and it turns out he’s in a Wetherspoons-decorated labyrinth with a minotaur alien.

The rest will go to check on him and one by one, they all get stuck.

Episode 2

Starts in Edinburgh during gravedigger 19th Century days. A grave robber goes missing on site. Torchwood are in Edinburgh to visit the Torchwood 2 team (which is apparently just one weird bloke in canon??) and they’re told about people who keep going missing in… let’s say New Calton’s Cemetery because that actually feels more haunted to me to visit than Greyfriar’s Kirkyard. They arrive at New Calton’s to investigate. They find out the graves aren’t normal. If you dig, you don’t find a coffin but fall through a hole in the time continuum and end up back trapped in a memory of that person’s life. No way back, for most. You have to die inside the memory, but of course, no one knows that until it happens – you think you’re dying for real.

Episode 3

Silent movie episode where sound has been taken out of the world and all the actors have to do the episode without talking. The characters can’t hear each other either. They’re having to charades and mouth stuff the whole time and it’s so fucking funny.

I don’t have too many good ideas, so I’ll stick with those three for nowww. And maybe come back and add more at a later date?

[imaginespazzi]

Chapter 13

I am so late with this but I have had an annoying busy day and writing reviews of your chapters is honestly so relaxing for me so I'm comin' in hot and late. Also I was re-reading and only remembered to start my review after the first flashback, so thats where this starts 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️

June 2033 - crying in the club (locker room)

MY CLEMMY

ohhhh that would make Ps blood absolutely boil seeing her girls interact with Frenchie

THREE FUCKING WEEKS? Paige what the fuck are you doing. Get it together. I have no sympathy for you

“Aunty Chérie,” Stephie’s squeals echo clearly in Paige’s ears, despite the noise of the crowd surround her, “you played so good today.” -> Oh wow this is tantamount to stabbing Paige in the eye with a stale baguette 🥖🥖🥖

Instead she shoots the assistant an apologetic look, -> Ok when I first read this I was filled with dread that you were going to bring this assistant into their weird dynamic as a sex pawn to make Azzi jealous as payback for going to dinner with Clem. Glad your mind isn't as deranged as mine.

This is a cage of Paige’s own making and the key to open the lock rests in her own hands. -> Ya it does you dumb bitch!

“I forgot this so I uh- I came back to grab it.” -> lame 🤣

“she’s a decent player. But you’d never be in her shadow. Never be known as just her anything.” -> oh I kneeeeeeew that was part of the proposal rejection

“Nine years ago you said no-” -> queue meme of old lady from titanic being like "its been 84 years…."

“god Azzi- I’m trying so fucking hard baby but how do I know you won’t say no me -to us- again?” -> ohhh the use of 'baby' always CUTS TO THE CORE

"It’s Azzi’s turn to look guilty and Paige can almost see the memories of that night flashing in her mind" -> omg that flashback is going to be so painful to read

“don’t go to dinner with Clémence.” ….. “Don’t hold on to the deal with the Liberty,” -> Touche Fudd (French)

August 2032 - LETS PUT ANOTHER SHRIMP ON THE BARBIE (lets have another fight on a balcony)

Cam is always a minor side characters in future fics. She's everyone's second favourite blonde white gyal. Makes sense though I firmly believe she had to witness some teenage Pazzi angst/grope atrocities when they were on team USA. Poor girl.

“What?” Paige asks distractedly, her eyes narrowing when she notices a familiar French player inching towards the door for a hug of her own. -> tee hee

Marine and Clemmy in the same room? The time space continuum has collapsed.

The summer Olympics must be confusing in Australia because its winter for them. Do you think they resent Northern Hemisphere people for assuming the world runs on their seasonal calendar? I do.

"hoping she was being at least somewhat conspicuous- as Azzi had spun the little girl around." -> OK I'm not saying this is a plot hole (maybe I am) but this is like 6 months before they meet again at the Valks office there is no way Stephie and Paige wouldn't have already completely fallen in love at these Olympics.

"we’ll get customized 5+35 Bueckers-Fudd jerseys for the Olympics" -> and when Paige gets a tiny one of these made with a Valks jersey when they are telling their family Azzi is pregnant? Then what! I cry?

“I can’t bel-ieve you went to another party without me Mama,” -> Wow they really owe Stephie a party at this point. Best to get married asap.

“Oh fuck you Paige,” Azzi snarls -> Mommy I'm scared

Aaliyah has had ENOUGH of her shit. Us Canadians are very sensible.

“Sorry but like,” Jana looks back and forth between Paige and Azzi, dropping her voice, “y’all fucked?” -> I actually find it so cute how Jana really does use the word ya'll. She will fit right in visiting Paige in Texas

“so- so what does that mean for the two of you? Are you- are y’all gonna get back together?” -> Oh Jana you sweet Naive Egyptian baby

“but maybe it could’ve meant something. If you’d stayed.” -> This is painful these two are so damn stupid

June 2033 - 911 Fudd fix my life

This is how I know things are about to resolve, a Fudd parent intervention and a mention of mint chocolate chip ice cream

Colleen has really been MIA. She got the hell out of dodge when she sensed things getting messy.

A premade dirty Shirley sounds truly heinous

“I’ll have you know this is a Macallan.” “You know that that means nothing to me right,” -> I actually feel Paige would force herself to get into brown liquor because she is a middle aged black man in her soul and would want to reflect that to the world with her alcohol choices

“It was a couple months into our relationship and Katie and I had a huge fight. It was about her not letting me make a decision about Azzi,” -> its wild to think that at a certain point Azzi's name was Azzi Jaslyn Smrcka-Duffy. A Hyphen is a horrible thing to do to a child.

Nivi this is a sad story within a sad story what are you doing to us

“Katie and Azzi, they’re mine but I think- I think if maybe someone else had gotten to them first -someone who loved them just as much as I do- maybe there’s a chance things would be different but Paige,” -> cut to Clem waiting in the wings holding a croissant with a crazy look in her eyes.

You just have to say you’ll stay. -> Dear god woman GO TO THEM As always this was spectacular give me 14 (3? 😢) more of 'em. 🤱🏻🤱🏻🤱🏻🤱🏻🤱🏻

I think mayhaps tumblr is being annoying with replying to longer asks cause 🤱🏻babes I can't seem to directly reply to your ask, but this was my reply lol.

Omg only a half a review? I'm disappointed. (jk jk I understand)

Clémence might be Paige's achilles heel and Stephie definitely uses it to her advantage

LMFAO babe you're sadistic cause lowkey that could've been hella entertaining but it would've definitely set them back another thousand years if Paige flirted with the assistant

Writing that flashback is gonna stress me out so bad

Death, taxes and a Cameron Brink cameo because she's just cutesie and I love her and blame Sella lol

#FreeAustralia from the seasonal norms lmao

Okay so I lowkey did think about that and it did feel a little bit like a plothole but I didn't want Stephie and Paige to have already been so attached and so my logic is that children at that age change so quickly and that 6 months is a lot of time for growth. And also I think the Olympics are so fast paced once you get there, that Stephie doesn't actually spend a lot of time with Azzi and therefore Paige which is also why Azzi is a tad bit guilty about not being with her.

I love Jana in this fic but #freeher from dealing with this gays

Where would Pazzi be without the Fudds fr fr

I think Paige puts up a show that she drinks brown liquor at parties but she's just a baby at heart who needs her sweet fruity drinks

My heart did hurt a little bit for baby Azzi while writing Tim narrating that story I can't lie

[agent-troi]

for some reason none of the sg-1 novels take place during season two or season nine🤔 most of them seem to take place in season seven, with some in five, and a few three, eight, and ten, a couple post-threads but not really past season 8 yet, and i think just one in season one and one post-continuum. idk it’s just curious to me

[alterrune]

Hello, fans of Altering the Outcome! I am the Joke-Explainer 7000™. Let me see if the camera is set up right...

Oops. That's not right. Come on, you blasted thing! Work with me here!

(sigh...) The Joke™ is me, apparently. That's closer than before, but still not quite right...Susie, could you be a dear and help me get this blasted thing working?

Of course, JE.

(BONK!)

Okay. It should be working now.

Perfect! Thank you, my beloved Susie!

No problem, Joke-Explainer.

Anyways, hello everyone! As I previously stated, my name is Joke-Explainer 7000™, but you can simply call me "Joke-Explainer" (or "JE" for short)! I feel as though there were some questions that were left unexplained during Susie's Q&A, so I thought I'd answer some more questions.

Is Dr. Andonuts with you?

Ah, I see you are familiar with the events of the RE:SPH/Susie ARG that happened during the holiday season of last year!

Sadly, no, he is not. As this is not the Central Canon Continuum, things are slightly different. In this timeline, I failed in stopping Dr. Andonuts' three Guilts during the Christmas Comeback Crisis Side Story, "Cognitive Dissonance", and...well...he killed himself in front of me.

He...he grabbed a shotgun...aimed it at his own head, and...well, you can probably guess what happened from there.

Susie...can I have a hug?

Of course, Joke-Explainer.

(Susie embraces Joke-Explainer and begins stroking her hair to calm her down, as JE begins crying motor oil [as she's a robot].)

It's okay. You've got me now. And I will make sure Dr. Andonuts' memory lives on.

Thank you, Susie. I really needed that.

(JE wipes away the last of her motor oil tears.)

Anyways, moving on.

Do you still run the SiIvaGunner channel?

Not anymore. After Andonuts...well, did what he did, I left the SiIvaGunner channel in Susie's hands. She's been taking good care of it.

She's been doing a better job than I ever could.

Wait, if Andonuts is...well, gone, then did the events that he ran in the Central Canon Continuum happen?

Actually, yes, they did! It's just that Andonuts wasn't the one who started them to begin with. I was actually really excited when Susie told me about "Project: SiIva-ception", which was her name for the April Fool's Day event that happened earlier this month that involved games from fictional universes, or "games within games", as she put it.

SCP-2747 showing up the way it did was completely unplanned, but thankfully Susie figured out how to make sure it didn't take control of the SiIvaGunner channel by trapping it in a neverending loop of nested media, using Sam Hogan's "Game inside a Game inside a Game" as a cover for it.

I was quite proud of that trap, to be honest. It was completely spur-of-the-moment.

What about the NOAKA folder?

We're avoiding that folder.

diid soome 1 clal my y nmae?

And that's the reason why we're doing so.

Noaka, we've been over this. One style of words.

oaky jkoe xplaenr nda suuzi. tihs shold wirk fr U glals.

helol. i ae noaka

ii wus maade becuz sivia dsicrod willld mee itno exitsacne

i ae prue mnaia. ii ae peur choas. iii ae piure cubbe. iiii waht ""a"" satns fror

iiiii ae noaka

Noaka, please. Not now.

okayy, yuo 2. ii ggo noww

(Noaka slides off.)

The Joke™: Noaka is a cuboid figment based off a bunch of garbage text that an AI image-to-video generator made using an image of the 9+10=21 meme. It had the now-infamous garbage text "What ae Noaka?" in it. The NOAKA folder was never meant to be solved, but the madlads in the SiIvaGunner Discord server managed to pull off a miracle and solved it anyways.

Noaka may pop in from time to time. He does that.

So...are the other branches different as well?

BLACK, AIRTH, PAINT and GRAND will remain unchanged, but FOOLS and MAXPH will be changed.

As I've already stated, the end of the MAXPH branch will be quite different for reasons I'd rather not get into. However, the FOOLS branch is different for a seperate reason: it now contains things pertaining to Project: SiIva-ception (this year's April Fool's Day event). Before it only had up to April Fool's Day 2024, whereas now it's completely up-to-date.

(BEEP BEEP)

Oh, that's the digital alarm Susie set to let us know when it's time to go publish a rip!

You must have heard it during my sudden intrusion onto the blog earlier. I use it whenever we have to handle publishing rips onto the SiIvaGunner channel.

Anyways, Susie and I will have to go now! Goodbye for now!

We shall see you in June. We will discuss our proposition with the ColorStreak Battalion then.

Goodbye for now, everyone! I hope Operation: Malice Malediction goes the way it should for you all!

Indeed, and we also hope you get Sean back from Malice Lily and Killer Laurence safe and sound.

See you in June! This is Joke-Explainer 7000™, signing off!

[chartmyfixations]

cris watches dr. who: s03e02 - "The Shakespeare Code"

"Come on! We can have a good flirt later!" "Is that a promise, Doctor?" "Oh, fifty-seven academics just punched the air. Come on."

The victim in the opening scene kind of gives me Captain Jack Harkness vibes

Look, I get that we're doing MacBeth, but there had better be a twist to these three witches other them being three old crones. C'mon, Dr. Who, that's a very tired trope

Of course Martha wants to know how it works. She's asking all the relevant questions –  the grandfather paradox, standing on a butterfly in the past, slavery viz a viz her. The Doctor skates right by her all very legitimate complaints

A Harry Potter-call out! Poor Dr Who authors - they had the foresight to predict book seven would be a tear jerker, but not J.K. Rowling's bad turn into transfobia after that

Aw, he misses Rose. Martha is not amused. (Doctor, you dope! You don't bring up the ex when you're sharing a bed)

Bisexual Shakespeare confirmed! It's me, I'm one of the fifty-seven academics punching the air

Ah yes, the convenient, once per season telepathy

"Let me out!" "They're all shouting that!" Hee

I do enjoy the running joke about the Doctor inspiring Shakespeare's words, never mind the massive holes in the space-time continuum. (If the Doctor quotes to be or not to be at Shakespeare, then Shakespeare would have never written those words to inspire the Doctor in the first place. Unstable time loop, that is.)

Hee. The famous Shakespeare collar! (Fuck you, I went to Stratford-upon-Avon, I'm almost a Shakespeare scholar.)

Ooh, so Martha is the Dark Lady? That's hot

So, is the title a reference to Dan Brown? If so - why?

Elisabeth hates the Doctor! Is this a callback to really old episodes or a callforward to future episodes? Only time will tell!

5 out of 8 Tardes. Shakespeare was a little too annoyingly smarmy and the gift of words is a little too hokey

[hollow-keys]

Trying to reconcile the version of the Time Lords we saw in War Games and pretty much all subsequent appearances uurrrgggghhh.

Don't get me wrong, the problems do very much start in the War Games, it's not entirely blameless of later inconsistency. It just gets worse in later appearances. The Time Lords are portrayed as completely against intervention (outside of "righting" the timestream in a Council approved fashion) and the Doctor is diametrically opposed to that. They are at irreconcilable odds.

It's established that calling the Time Lords in would mean the end of the Doctor's freedom, implying that the only reason they didn't capture him before was because they didn't have a trace on him (which they got afterwards, making them able to track and remotely control his TARDIS, making escape impossible). Once a trace has been established, it must therefore be almost impossible to break, and the Council's control over a TARDIS cannot be overridden.

Of course, this set up makes it very difficult to justify further adventures because the show wouldn't be the show if the Doctor wasn't travelling freely and interfering, so they exile him to earth to allow adventures to continue happening while still having consequences.

Now I don't think the Council would be okay with the Doctor having freedom to interfere at all, even on one planet, but it has to happen for the show to keep going. My current theory is that the Council knew of interference in the space time continuum that was going to happen on Earth (mostly because of the Master but also instances outside that) and decided to let the Doctor operate there. While he would think he was operating freely he was actually doing their work for them. This could loop back into season 6B, where they don't give him any real freedom at all and he's under no illusion of being their operative. When whatever incident happens that leads to him refusing to work with them anymore, this more subtle form of control becomes the best option for the Council. While they're not 100% comfortable with this arrangement, they know if he does anything they don't like the effects will be localised, traceable and therefore, reversible.

So that begs the question, why not just imprison him on Gallifrey rather than employ an unreliable agent? Why not kill him? Well, I've thought about this also and my explanation is that it's because there are factions on Gallifrey that are pro interventionist/intervention sympathetic and a public trial which imprisoned a Time Lord for interfering in a benevolent way, just to help people, would rile up those factions and possibly lead to rebellion, or someone freeing the Doctor, or both. An execution would cause even more outrage. Exile with some liberty is a less controversial measure and more likely to keep everyone in line.

Okay, so why did they end his exile in the Three Doctors? Well, after Omega drained their energy, their systems went to shit and they didn't have the resources to maintain the Doctor's mental block or keep track of him with more pressing matters at hand. If people knew they were in a weakened position that could be bad for them so they pretended it was a purposeful pardon.

After this point, I don't really have an explanation for why he was allowed to remain a free actor after they'd recovered from the Omega mess, even less so for why they're so incompetent in The Deadly Assassin and beyond (the President loophole is ridiculous, how do they not know how their own systems work? How is the Doctor suddenly able to outsmart them so easily?) but it's a start.

[dustedmagazine]

Build Buildings — Ecotone (LAAPS)

The LAAPS imprint is the brainchild of French artist Mathias Van Eecloo. It’s got an intriguing concept behind it, as it’s essentially an extended game of Exquisite Corpse with each release carrying sonic and visual traces of the edition that preceded it. The 100th release will close out the series, completing the cycle like an ouroboros and looping back to the beginning. If this sounds oddly reminiscent of Eilean Records’ 100-point map, that’s because Van Eecloo was behind that label as well. He’s once again flexing his curatorial and conceptual muscles, delighting those of us who are into the game.

LAAPS also has a seasonality to its program. Summer releases are for electronic music, which is where Brooklyn resident Ben Tweel fits into the picture with his Build Buildings project. Tweel uses computers to manipulate sonic material into melodic ambient and lightly rhythmic sound worlds that evoke many facets of the human experience. His I Sat On the Roof album featured his parents’ home recordings, capturing the essence of nostalgia. A Generation of Books blended quotidian sounds with those that Tweel sourced from musical instruments, creating a blurred sense of existence. Ecotone, which refers to the area where two ecosystems meet, comprises primarily musical sound sources, such as guitar, lap harp, ukulele, mbira, and piano. Its instrument-centric origins reflect Tweel’s increased focus on melody.

Build Buildings is often lumped in with other electronic sound manipulators, such as Christian Fennesz, Tim Hecker, and Markus Popp. Ecotone certainly exists in the same universe as all three artists, orbiting closest to Popp’s O. Tweel’s askew melodies are softer, however, and less metallic. He pads his bouncing notes with pillows of drone, evoking a soothing quality akin to the early moments of Hecker’s Haunt Me. There’s a dreamlike sensation throughout, from the crunchy glitch of “Unpinned, Uncoiled” to the fractured melodic tapestry of “Espalier.” Comparison to those other artists is warranted, but Tweel has carved his own unique niche, one that’s gentle, airy, and rich with harmony.

As the record winds its way toward a conclusion, sounds from a marsh habitat begin to invade the mix, emphasizing the LAAPS concept of one release blending into the next to create a continuum. A thoughtful amalgamation of field recordings from Brandon Tani preceded Ecotone in the series. According to Van Eecloo, autumnal editions are rooted in psychedelic folk, so it will be interesting to hear how much of Tweel’s electronic glow manages to permeate the next album. Hopefully we don’t wait too long to find out.

Bryon Hayes