#FREE MY MAN BORG

[iloveacronix]

So we aren't going to talk about how Cyrus probably had to CRAWL out of the factory floor because his wheelchair was all the way at the top of Borg Tower(and his artificial limbs seem broken)?? HELLO?? ANYONE?

[experimental-intellection]

I havent thought about this much but you can tell how well Starfleet is doing by how often their crew is at the bar...

ENT: Exploratory military vessel, alien conflict left and right, people mostly do the communal meals thing and drink alone in their quarters. Sir yes sir.

DISCO: People dealing with ethics and universe ending shit way too fucking often. Things too heavy, usually drinking in their quarters or at a non-federation bar with green people.

SNW: Federation at peace again, just came out of the Klingon war, scanning quasars and shit and loving it. Everyone at the bar all the fucking time, amazing any science shit ever gets done at all. Fucking golden age.

TOS: Mother-fucking Trelane and Romulans and fucking Khan and world ending whale probes and shit all the god-damn time. A whole bottle of Saurian brandy in my fucking quarters like a real man.

TNG: On the one hand I got turned into a blacklight alien last week and didn't even get an apology, on the other we got Whoopie Goldberg making Risan Sunsets and dispensing wisdom down in ten forward... maybe a best of times/worst of times kinda deal?

TNG (Movies): Who's got time for drinking on this goddamn ship... fucking Borg.

DS9: HOLY SHIT THE COMMANDER JUST FUCKING PUNCHED Q AND WE ARE ALL STILL HERE AND NOT TURNED INSIDE OUT! QUARK!!! KEEP EM' COMING AND I'M GONNA NEED A HOLOSUITE CAUSE I NEED TO GET LAID LIKE RIGHT NOW!

VOY: We don't have any room on this ship for a bar, and we get in trouble when we get caught sniffing the organic gel packs running the ship, so we are gonna spend all our free time getting drunk on the holodeck till those mother-fucking programs start questioning their existence.

PIC: Guinan! My girl! You are looking fucking fit! Fuck the wine, pass me the Romulan ale!

LOWDeck: Things are chill again (thank fucking god!) Everyone is back at the bar all the fucking time again, amazing any science shit ever gets done, let's never get into it with dangerous dinosaur aliens from the delta quadrant ever again!

[user-without-a-cool-acronym]

Dragons rising Season 2 episode 1 : the blood moon transcript

feel free to use this however you like, credit would be nice

also don‘t send this to tannerfishies in any way

@nyaskitten@cboffshore @jezynowachmura19 @geoxstxrs @frostsstuff @jalluzas-ferney

i just saw that the text is cut off kind of weird in the end post, so if there is a large blank space somewhere, just see it as a line break

The episode begins with the "Ras at shadow dojo" clip after the end of that clip, Ras and Jordana walk towards the dojo Ras to Jordana: give it to me now she hands him the vial with the source dragon energy. Ras opens it, causing a ray of yellow light to shoot upwards, before coming back down to the dojo, illuminating lines in the floor and door, causing the latter to open Ras: according to the ancient scholars of my land, these doors were sealed a long time ago so that they might never be opened - except one owns the power of a source dragon Jordana: is that why i was supposed to accompany you with the raw source dragon power? R: exactly! the clip "the blood moon" plays Intro after which the "social media ninja" short plays, with a short scene at the beginning of arin saving two bystanders from the mechanic Bearded blogger: So, the ninja are back - some of them. But where are the others? Master Wu? Cole? Jay? PIXAL? lost in the merge? Nobody asks these clever and brave questions - except for me! the clever george. Next: more activities of the mysterious "night-ghost". But first a shoutout to today´s sponsor - Borg´s nutrient rich waffles. lots of nutrients, no yucky taste! and no longer just for pet turtles the camera zooms out to show arin and Riyu, watching the video on the monastery´s big screen. the screen starts glitching before switching to party lights. as arin asks loudly whats going on, Sora walks up the stairs behind him her hand glowing Sora: I´m only training with my elemental tech powers. Now that i can use them without Riyu, that is a whole new world for me. Arin: Must be really nice S: come on Arin just because there´s no elemental powers in you, that doesn´t mean that- A:-I´m not also important for the team, i know, i know. LLoyd tells me that all the time S: You really shouldn´t watch that self proclaimed "clever george" Whatever he says, he made up A: you´re right, but sometimes he talks about people who got lost in the merge - like my parents. I need to find them, but there´s no information anywhere. And that´s why i´m sometimes desperate enough to watch the "clever george". A man who claims that the moon is made of donut dough S: we are going to find you parents someday, but you need a break! All this wondering isn´t good for your mental health. Do you wanna go train our ninja techniques on the training course? And Riyu does his flying exercises! Arin agrees and the three of them head out on Riyu´s back In the hallway, Mr Frohicky is hanging up a painting that fell from the wall as the entire building shakes from the three running around. Frohicky: Oh no! how many times have i told them that Riyu has gotten too big to run through the hallways.

The three run past him as he complains about the mess they make. They promise to clean up after themselves later, however Frohicky informs them that a woman had shown up earlier and left a letter for them. They take the letter and head out to the courtyard. A: Who is it from S: Kreel has written us. it says here that she needs ninja-help super urgently. the weirdest is that it´s signed with "your friend Kreel" Could it be meant for someone else? A:She probably just wants to sell us some old stuff from her junkyard again (he presses a tile in the floor, which raises the obstacle course, revealing Lloyd, sleeping on the ring) S:Lloyd? Lloyd, waking up: w-what? ugh... where am i? A: have you taken up sleeping on the obstacle course? L: Oh, right sure, of course. S: is seriously everything alright? L: Never been better(he walks off) Inside, Kai and Zane are playing a video game Kai: Haha, eat that, Nindroid! Zane: I am unfortunately unable to consume food K: It´s just an expression. You can say that when you are beating someone at a game Z: but eating is something good. Why is that an insult to me? Lloyd then walks in front of the tv, seemingly asleep until he walks against the side of the table L: Oh, tea. i could really use some of that right now (he pours the tea into a potted plant on the table, absentminded until kai speaks to him about it) Huh? Oh man, what am i doing here? Zane scans him: according to my analysis, your entire body appears to be exhausted. You are tired.Are you suffering from sleep disorders L: Me? noooooo, i´m sleeping like a baby K: but maybe you should go to bed now. L: yeah, you´re probably right (he goes and falls asleep before he gets to the door) He is then seen in a vision, standing on a dark plane as the blood moon rises behind him. Six wolf warriors rise out of the ground next to him. the scene then starts flashing between the warriors walking towards lloyd, the moon and a giant wolf mask pursuing him. he then sees empress beatrix, a mallet coming down towards him, zane surrounded by the wolf warriors, the symbol of the fire source dragon, Sora being hit by falling rubble and finally beatrix hitting a sword of some kind on the ground, breaking it apart. lastly there´s arin, running angrily towards him and a rugged looking dragon breathing blue fire at him. this causes him to wake up, spinjitzu out of bed and crash into the wall. He remarks that this was the worst one so far. He goes outside, to the painting of master Wu L: My nightmares are getting worse, uncle. As if i was being pursued. I don´t know if- (Arin walks out into the courtyard) Arin, why are you awake?

A: i was about to ask you the same thing. i can´t sleep. i´m worrying about my parents too much. Since i saw them in the mergequake battle, i keep thinking about them. then i heard a loud noise from your room. L: i had a pretty violent Nightmare. The two have a short conversation about everyone noticing lloyd´s weird behavior recently L: Ok, listen. My dreams are so incredibly lively, so creepy that i can´t sleep. i have never experienced something like this before. Maybe i have them because i am the source dragon´s chosen one, but i couldn´t find any info on the source dragons anywhere, Arin. A: You´ve been through a lot. You saved all the merged realms. That would explain why your dreams turn into stressful ones L: huh. Wasn´t i supposed to be the teacher he and you the student? Arin, imitating Wu: listen my young friend: dreams can never hurt you, because they aren´t real. L: if i didn´t know better, i´d say master wu was standing in front of me here. Let´s go rest. You are completely right, there is nothing for me to be afraid of On the roof of the monastery, the glowing ghost of master wu watches down on them, as the episode cuts back to Ras and Jordana in the dojo Jordana, looking at a scroll: i can´t read a single word of this. What language is this supposed to be in these scrolls. R: it is theroxian, an ancient language that was forbidden centuries ago because those who spoke it became too powerful. J: but then how are we supposed to learn the secrets they are supposed to hold? R: Patience. As my master has taught me, true power needs time. A cloud of smoke appears before them J: What is happening? is this a trap? R: No. It is simply another one of my recruits The silhouette of a person appears out of the smoke as the episode cuts to Kreel´s Junkyard Kreel to Arin and Sora: as you can see, my security bots are no help at all (two of the security bots turn on a gramophone and start dancing to it) And the dogs don´t even bark! I was told they were extremely aggressive(Arin and Sora remark on hoe peaceful the dogs are) Whoever broke in here found a way to do it without being noticed (upon Arin asking what was stolen) that´s the thing! nothing. Sora: could it be that, just thinking out loud, if the alert wasn´t triggered, the dogs don´t give you any sign and nothing is missing, it could be that nobody broke in here at all? K: of course someone was in here! When i get here in the morning, things aren´t just lying around randomly! (an old car crashes down behind her) Arin: isn´t this what it always looks like around here? K: *gasps* i have a very personal system of organizing which nobody understands but me. trust me, someone broke in here and went through all my stuff. A: who knows, maybe this place is haunted by the night-ghost. It visits shops because they don´t take back items he bought.

S: is that another one of "clever george"´s stories? that guy only talks about made up nonsense A: yeah, when i said it out loud, i realised how ridiculous it sounded K: these break ins are only happening because i am ascending to the upper class S: i´m sorry, upper class? K: i´ve upgraded my junkyard´s range of products. there´s more than just mech parts here now: i´m selling antique weapons, ancient weapons and rare treasures. i´m making a lot more money with this, i can tell you. Anyways, i´ve heard that my shop isn´t the only one that has to deal with this. So i hope you can find this intruder. What´s the point in being best friends with two ninja if you can´t count on them once in a while. A and S in unison: Best friends!? K: of course. Since you´ve joined the ninja, that we´re the best friends of all time and that we still know each other from the mech races back in the day. A: You were our opponent S: Yeah and cause our mech to explode K: this fun little anecdote imediatly reminds of before - SELFIE! Say "Kreel´s Junkyard"(she takes out her phone and takes a picture with the three of them) oh, my hat is looking good. that picture´s definitely getting more likes than that lobbo pun video i posted. The video cuts to another video by clever george George: The two new ninja were recently seen on Kreel´s junkyard - was it a visit out of friendship? or were they following the trail of the night-ghost? SUBSCRIBE! (the video zooms out again, showing Sora watching it on the big screen, while Arin and Riyu play catch in the background) Arin: Why are you watching that? you said yourself, that he makes all that up. Sora: his theory that a ghost visits shops because they don´t want to give him a refund is absurd. What is scaring me is the fact that Kreel was right: There really were more break ins. and the clever george is wrong: none of the break ins happened in shops - they were all places that sell antiquities. Like Kreel´s Junkyard. A: was nothing stolen there either? S: Not yet. My guess is that someone is looking for a very specific ancient artifact. But who? any why this mysteriously and cunning? A: should we tell the others? S: No. it might just be completely harmless. and it looks like Loyd needs rest anyway. But you, me and Riyu could go on a little trip. They go to the crossraods, where they talk to multiple vendors without success, always hearing the same story of an unidentified person breaking in without triggering any alerts and not stealing anything. However, Riyu leads them to a new lead: a newly opened store for ancient artifacts. The two of them take up position on a nearby roof, with Riyu hiding in a nearby trashcan. S: the last time you hid Riyu inside a garbage can, he was found, captured and brought to an evil, dragon-draining empress. A: yup, that`s what happened. What are the chances of something like that happening twice? (an old woman comes towards the store, dragging a garbage bag behind her.)

S: is she the night-ghost? A: if she is, she does not fit the standard villain criteria. (the woman opens the trashcan and spots Riyu eating trash inside it) Old Woman: people throw whole healthy dragons away nowadays. Truly shameful. (she closes the lid and walks off) S: what do we do, if the night-ghost actually shows up? Antique stores don´t sell any modern tech i could use my powers on. A: at least you have powers. S: Arin, you can do spinjitzu, i don´t. A: a very shaky form of it. but no matter how hard i train, i don´t get any better. And you know my object spinjitzu? i still don´t know how i do that. (on the ground, the mysterious person from before appears, once again in a cloud of smoke and runs towards the entrance of the store.) S: what did LLoyd tell us? no ninja´s journey is like another. So far, my missing ability to do spinjitzu hasn´t been a problem either. A: but i should be able to do it much better. When i find my parents, they should be proud of how i turned out. (the two spot the figure at the door of the store) hey, where did that guy come from? S: to get in there, he´ll definitely have to break open the door. (the person turns into smoke, slipping through the crack of the door into the store.) A: is he the elemental master of smoke? In the monastery, lloyd awakens from another nightmare. he meets mister frohicky, who tells him that Arin and Sora have gone to observe something in the crossroads and are planning on cleaning up tomorrow. Cut back to the crossroads, where the stranger materialises in the middle of the road, now holding a large mallet Cinder: Finally. A: don´t move! (the two ninja and Riyu block the road to both sides of him) C: Ah, the ninja. I was warned that you would be waiting for me - someday. S: you are outnumbered, surrender! C: did you think i came here alone? (two wolf mask warriors drop down behind him) S: No idea what you want with that thing, but you and your masked friends are probably not the drumming club. C: You don´t know me little one. maybe drumming is totally my thing. He attacks and the two sides fight for a while. during the battle, Cinder telly his subordinates to bring the mallet to lord ras, shocking arin and sora. Cinder is about to escape, when suddenly beams of green energy fly towards him. Lloyd drops in on a rooftop. Lloyd: you´re having a party and didn´t invite me? i am insulted. However, upon seeing the wolf masks, Lloyd is transprted into another vision, once again seeing the moon and warriors rise from the ground. However, he also sees a strange gong being struck by the mallet, currently held by Cinder. In the real world, the latter orders his warriors to get away, throwing a sort of smoke bomb at the ninja, which knocks them out.

L: it is no dream, it´s real. it´s all real. The blood moon is coming! the blood moon is coming! Back at the shadow dojo, Cinder carries the mallet to Ras, past an army of wolf warriors. C: i have finally found it, my lord. R: and now, our dark journey can begin. Are you ready? prepare to feel a power, like you have never experienced before. Ras then strikes the gong, which causes the runes on the rocks surrounding the dojo, as well at the masks of the wolf warriors to start glowing blue

And that was the episode. pretty sure you can find the video online by now. my original plan was to do both of the episodes that aired today today, however this has taken longer than anticipated, so the next one of these is coming tomorrow.

[isagrimorie]

Concept writing WIP: Endgame Admiral Janeway and Picard Era!Seven (except they don’t here).

By request of @thymejot

——-

Kathryn, and she is just Kathryn now that her past self and her crew passed the threshold, can feel the slow creep of nanoprobes assimilating her. It’s a pain that only a select few have felt.

It was something she thought she would never re-live. Kathryn watched and felt the Borg Queen slowly disassemble in front of her. Kathryn pulled herself up, it didn’t matter if she died, if all went according to plan Kathryn would be erased as well as her timeline.

And then there was a bright light and a voice: “Not just quite yet, Admiral.”

x

The white light receded and Kathryn blinked. A face greeted her, a vaguely familiar face. His hair had more grey at the temples, and he looked more weathered.

“Good to see you again, Admiral.”

Kathryn remembered him now, vaguely, he was the man who recruited her and Seven all those years ago. She did recall, vividly, his warning against time travel.

“I don’t know if I can say the same…”

“Captain Juel Ducane,” He provided with a smile. He offered his hand. Kathryn took it cautiously. She had hoped to avoid the Time Bureau altogether, Kathryn felt a pang. All that hardwork.

“I assume you’re arresting me.” She said, weary. Everything she sacrificed all for nothing.

“I’m press ganging you,” Ducane corrected, helping her to her feet. Kathryn felt dizzy, she remembered she was assimilated, she lifted her free hand to her forehead. The implant was still there.

Ducane noticed. “We were able to pause the assimilation process but it’s not something we can reverse.”

“Can’t? Or won’t?” Kathryn said astutely.

“We still have to return you to—“

“The moment of my death.” Kathryn narrowed her eyes, “‘Press gang’, you said.”

Ducane quirked his lips into a smile. “It turns out despite our warnings, this time travel incursion you took was… necessary.”

He moved towards a bank of panels, “We’ve monitored the other timelines where you didn’t or were prevented from bringing home Voyager earlier. Eventually, down the line, it would spell catastrophe for the galaxy.”

Kathryn raised an eyebrow at his phrasing. “You’re over blowing it, Captain.”

Ducane laughed drily. “I assure you, Admiral, when it comes to the timeline, I don’t exaggerate. I’ve been fighting this temporal cold war for decades now, and any deviations when this version of you don’t get to change your past— meant the Borg do find a way to assimilate the Alpha and Beta Quadrant. Gamma quadrant was able to withstand the longest but it’s become a war of attrition for the Dominion. A stalemate of two powers bent on destruction and subjugation.”

“Well, if you put it that way.” Kathryn played it off but her head was spinning. Frankly, she didn’t know if it was the scale, time travel or because she was pulled from the verge of death. “What do you need me for?”

“We needed someone out of time.” Ducane said, “There is an anomaly that’s sprung up and we’re frankly spread too thin to lend a hand. And since you showed you would move Heaven and Earth to achieve your goals, it’s that kind of tenacity we need.”

“Captain, I know you have all the time in the world. But my head is killing me, can you just tell me what’s going on?”

“We just want you to continue what you were doing.” Ducane pressed a few buttons.

And an image of Seven of Nine, an older Seven, but still Seven appeared.

“Save Seven of Nine.”

[rinaforstars]

eurovision acts name meanings bc im bored

please correct me if im wrong

solo artists !

gustaph (stef caers) : crown in a fortress

andrew lambrou : strong and brilliant

reiley (rani peterson) : joyous song sung by the son of peter

alika milova : most beautiful happiness

käärijä (jere pöyhönen) : spear holding ruler

la zarra (fatima-zahra hafdi) : captivating independent flower

iru khechanovi : citizen with strength

victor vernicos : just conqueror

diljá pétursdóttir : born in heart of her parents, feeling

luke black (luka ivanović) : light of his father, ivan

noa kirel : motion on the wall of god

marco mengoni : of mars (mengoni was found at foundations of venice)

monika linkytė : advisor

parsha parfeni : pure admiration

mia nicolai : moon for the victor of the people

dion cooper : follower of dionysus, someone who makes wooden vessels

alessendra mele : charming defender of mankind

blanka : fair

mimicat (marisa mena) : of the sea, mena is a topographic name

theodor andrei : manly gift of god

remo forrer : dweller at the waterfall from rheims

blanca paloma : white dove

mae muller : may miller (yes, literally)

brunette (elen yeremyan) : torch that the lord exalts

loreen (lorine talhaoui) : laurel plant that bares fruit

albina kelmendi : white and merciful

groups/duos !

voyager

daniel estrin : star judged by god

simone dow : listen to the dark haired [girl]

ashley doodkorte : ash meadow (couldnt find doodkorte, but i did find he is like my 4th cousin)

alex canion : defender of humanity on a footpath

scott kay : pure man with a shield

-

teya & salena

teodora spiric : gods gift on a spire

selena-maria edbauer : hesitant moon and star of the sea

-

turalturan x

tural bağmanov : to be alive with creativity

turan bağmanov : dedicated to turan (the goddess of love in etruscan mythology), or the land of tur, creativity

-

let 3

zoran prodanović : to sell till dawn

damir martinović : one who gives peace and is the son of martin

dražen baljak : emotional beloved

matej zec : the rabbit is a gift of god

-

vesna

patricie fuxová : noblewoman

bára šůstková : innocent

olesya ochepovská : girl from the forest (they mean the same thing)

markéta vedralová : pearl

tereza čepková : playful harvester

tanita yanková : giant daughter of yanko

-

lord of the lost

chris harms : bearing christ’s army

class grenayde : peoples victory

gared dirge : rules by the spear, hymn of mourning

pi stoffers : swimming pool, bearer of christ

niklas kahl : bald person of victoy

-

sudden lights

andrejs zitmanis : brave

kārlis zitmanis : strong

mārtiņš zemītis : of mars, samogitian

kārlis vārtiņš : strong giver of roses

-

wild youth

david whelan : beloved & joyful

conor odonohoe : lover of hounds whom is brown haired

callum mcadam : dove, son of adam

ed porter : prosperous guardian of the gate

-

the busker

david meilak : beloved admirer

jean borg : god is gracious in a castle

sean meachen : god is gracious, meachen is topographic

-

piqued jacks

andrea lazzeretti : manly who has help from god

francesco bini : mosest free man

tommaso oliveri : twin olive

marco sgaramella : of mars

-

joker out

bojan cvjetićanin : battle on veliki cvjetnić

jure maček : farmer cat

kris guštin : follower and servant of christ

jan peteh : god is gracious, rock

nace jordan : fire is dissipating

-

tvorchi

jeffery kenny : peace & handsome

andrii hutsuliak : manly outlaw

[jayninjago]

Ok well now the Droidswap AU (that's what I'm calling it in my head feel free to call it something better) is Stuck in my head I Cannot get it out !!!!!

So assuming Pixal sacrifices herself in this AU, do u think Zane would turn off his emotion meter because he cannot bear the grief, or does he leave it on because he never wants to let the pain go, and stop feeling all that love?

I think there's so much Good Shit to come out of this swap AU...

If ZANE is the one w/ the emotion meter stuff, does that mean he's also the one with the memory switch? Or does Pixal still have the memory switch??? Man I'm wondering how she'd interact w/ the other ninja in the pilots-s2 this AU is so good I need more ...

Oh, i like that name^^ Droidswap it is!!

But first a little bit about the swapees!

Pixal is the daughter of Cyrus Borg, a small town scientist with great visions and ideas, but unfotunately lacking in the needed funding due to a failed project in his youth (*cough* Pixal *cough*). This project destroyed quite a big part of Ninjago City and led to Borg losing all his supporters.

Pixal herself does not remember what project let to Borgs downfall, as her memories have been wiped by Borg himself. A result of Pixal spiraling from what she had done. (Her Story revolves alot around guilt, grieve and how to deal with it)

She is kind of aloof in the pilots era, but slowly becomes more of classic teenage girl once her and Nya become closer.

Pixal sacrifices herself instead of Zane.

Zane, is the first nindroid to have ever been created. Hes part of a retired project, in which Dr. Julien was trying to build machines capable of protecting Ninjago from the rising amount of criminals. The project was scrapped, due to the Nindroids being too human and Julien developing paternal feelings for his creations, thus leading to guilt.

Julien died way before the start of season 3, probably at which point Zane switched off his feelings and started taking on the mantle of new CEO, while pretending Julien was still alive. He does not switch off his memories, he´s incredibly scared of forgetting anything about Julien and is very desperate to keep pretending everything is fine.

He still shares his energy with Pixal, before she finds out she can function on her elemental power alone.

Zane is tempted to switch of his emotions permanently after Pixals sacrifice, but his character arc revolves around learning how to cope healthily. He eventually finds out Pixal is rebuilding herself, only to get kidnapped by a mysterious cloaked figure *cue tournament of elements*

The overlords nindroid army is mostly based on Dr. Juliens research, only bearing Pixals face.

[stellarred]

CONFESSIONS

I've read before that the writers said that "Q would never admit to being in love with a human."

Maybe they're right.

Then again, maybe they're not.

I believe Q would tell Picard that he loved him--but only when Q felt the time was right, as in Picard had grown so much from Q's lessons, and that aside from not finally ascending as a Q, Picard and he were more on equal status in their relationship.

Of course, Q tried to get around this through his consistent actions and intentions. This is most assuredly the case because then Qcard would never have existed.

I wonder how many beings Q has openly confessed or admitted anything to.

A big case in point: In Deja Q, Q just walks into Picard's Ready Room, and says,

"You're right, of course. I am extraordinarily selfish. But, it has served me so well in the past."

"When I ask myself if I would've done the same for him (Data), and I am forced to say, No, I feel...I feel ashamed."

Picard then says coldly, "Q, I am not your father confessor. You will receive no absolution from me."

Q goes on to describe how it's all a joke on him, the joke of the universe, and then admits his fear by confessing,

"Without my powers, I'm frightened of everything.

I'm a coward, and I'm miserable. And I can't go on this way."

Here we have an omnipotent god telling a mortal that he's a coward and that he's frightened of everything. He can't even look Picard in the eye in saying these things!

It took a lot of courage for Q to, of his own free will, walk up to Picard and tell him how he was feeling. He even told Picard,

"You're right, of course."

This scene of dialogue speaks a lot to just how much Q respects and VALUES Picard. For all his arrogance and boastful attitude, Q does have a heart and feelings for Picard that compel him to take the lower position in the relationship if necessary.

Q listens to Picard, and he respects him enough to admit when Picard The Mortal Man is right, and not Him, The Omnipotent God.

Guinan may have said, towering over an injured Q, "How the mighty have fallen."

But, this fallen god loves a human man SO MUCH, that *he reaches up for him in his time of powerlessness, humiliation, sadness, and rejection.*

Just as Picard needed Q at the end of Q Who, Q in turn, needed Picard in Deja Q. Q didn't hesitate to snap the Enterprise to safety from Borg space.

But sadly, Picard's "help" in Deja Q was very begrudgingly given.

And Q STILL kept loving him.

He will always love him.

Have a beautiful day.

[bigdvmnhero]

Turing_Test

The transcript whirred into life. Then came Donnie's voice: "This is a test to determine whether or not you have consciousness. How are you?"

Across him, the cyborg's eyes shunted into green.

"All things considered— "and Donnie choked, "—my systems are functioning well, Interrogator. This morning I watched a half-moon materialize in the sky and surmised summer is arriving. Definition: a season perfect for cannonballing in the emergency aquifer."

Donnie re-arranged his expression behind his writing tablet. "Yes—yes, absolutely. You, ah, enjoy water?"

"The sewer waters are dark and deep. One must beware of getting lost in its depths."

"Coming from personal experience, I presume?"

"My data registers an unfortunate incident with my brothers at age eleven. I slipped down a drain. The amount of strength required to lift a mutant snapping turtle of 155 pounds will depend on various factors such as muscle mass, prior training, and fitness—however, spunk and delusion may offset such conditions. "

Donnie focused on keeping his notes clean. "You speak of your brothers. How do you feel about them?"

"The relationship the eldest son may have with their siblings can vary depending on culture and family dynamic. Here are some ways an eldest sibling can cherish their younger siblings—"  the wires above the borg swayed as he lifted a bionic finger. "One: Show affection regularly. Two: Put their needs first. Three: Love them always, as you love your own limb."

Without meaning to—because it was windmilling out of him, because the borg had Raph's snaggletooth and none of his warm eyes—Donnie scoffed, off-script. "Tall order, wouldn't you say?"

"Historically, eldest sons may attempt to be severed from their family of origin at least once, but there is no forgetting a brother. There is technology stored in the blood, much like memories."

"And what do you remember?"

Glassy eyes flickered, software sifting through layers of code. "My library is extensive. In each one, I have performed my duty. For instance: when your youngest teethes on your shell you must practice patience instead of squashing him like a bug. When your smartest denies himself adequate bedrest, or when his twin takes your place in the hierarchy of things, you must stick by him every step of the way, instead of running headlong into the woods, to be free and survive off of mushrooms, berries; the kindness of strangers."  Shoulder pads rode up and down. "A foolish wish. A mutant's mortality rate plummets to 28.7% after exposure to humans."

Donnie's pen slowed. "Yeah? And who taught you that?"

"My memory stretches back 23 years. First entry: being held by the mutant named Splinter. My father was a flawed man, but he named me Raphael, after one of God's seven archangels. Definition: divine healing. It can take days to heal from a pulled muscle. Weeks to heal from a broken bone. There is no returning from a photon blast to the shell, and reversing alien terraformation contains multiple unknown variables. But my data is hopeful. I have been conditioned for hope, Interrogator. For instance, when you fail at Mario Kart, you can always try again—a concept applicable to any activity. Like doing burpees. Or making pizza dough."

"Pizza dough," Donnie repeated, chest tightening. "Tell me what you know."

"Certainly. To make delicious pizza dough, combine 1 teaspoon of active dry yeast, 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt, 2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour, and 1 1/4 cups of warm water in a large mixing bowl. Knead the dough until smooth, place it in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, then let it rise for about an hour. Or—"  the borg paused. "You can always steal dough from your local RMP joint and claim it as your own."

A laugh burst out of Donnie, bright and bewildered. "Do you even know who you sound like right now?"

"Michelangelo Hamato, better known as  Mikey,  Mikester, or  Master Michelangelo by new recruits of the resistance. Status: currently sleep-floating approximately five feet off the ground in the communal pantry."

"Okay. And—" Donnie's chest was rising and falling, like he'd run a terrible distance, and maybe this time he wasn't too late, "do you know who I am?"

“Softshell turtles lack the horny, protective scutes commonly associated with its kind. There are 30 species and 14 genera of softshells, some of which are critically endangered, including the Yangtze giant softshell turtle (Rafetus swinhoei), and the Southeast Asian narrow-headed softshell turtle (Chitra chitra). It is a miracle you are here, Donatello, and that you have resisted this long. When you were 7, I tended to your fevers. You were so small. You liked soft rubs on your shell. At sixteen you fathered a carnivorous plant, and when it died, you brought it back to life. For you, death is not the end, but a stopover. A pathway. You fancy yourself a great facilitator of life. After all, a seed planted in an urn becomes a tree. I was once alive, now am part man, part machine. What is the difference here? You scraped me together from felled buildings and forgotten sites where people once danced, then melted them into screws. You upcycled my code. Raked life into my voicebox.”

“Yes, I'm rethinking that part of your design now,” Donnie said hoarsely. “Shell, you talk a lot."

The sound RoboRaph made must've been a laugh. But the sound was stilted, thrown in a synthesizer then strained clean of the pulp. Donnie shut his eyes and let it wash over him anyway. 

read the collection on ao3

[only-lonely-stars]

A Bride for the Prince (Chapter 1 - The Hairclip)

[Prologue] // [Chapter 1 of 9 - you are here!] // [Chapter 2 of 9] – (FFN) (AO3)

Part of the @ninjago-fairy-tale-au!

Summary:

Once upon a time, there lived a faithful and hardworking girl named Pixal Borg, who worked every day to satisfy her demanding stepmother. For years, she cleaned and cooked, giving no argument, until the day came when she met the prince. A Pixane Cinderella retelling.

Chapter summary:

Pixal Borg is a dedicated student and a creative problem-solver, but her life never seems to get any easier...

In the Borg household, life progressed in its norm, as every family member expected it to.

Cyrus Borg worked long and hard, creating inventions and conferring with inventors from every corner of the Central Commonwealth. His second wife, Amaryllis, lived as a queen and headed their estate, doting on her daughters Begonia and Columbine as if they were incarnate angels. Pixal, for her part, toiled daily to do the chores and housework, eager to please the spirit of her mother even as her stepmother and sisters tormented her. In the little free time she had, she worked on her own sorts of inventions and sciences in the safety of her basement, to which she had been cast when Columbine had taken custody of her old bedroom.

One day, as was his habit, Cyrus gathered the women of his household before he left on yet another business trip. He asked each of them a question.

"My dearest, what gift would you like me to bring home when I return?"

Each gave a separate response.

"I would like for you to bring home a bolt of fine western silk brocade, so that I might have an evening gown made from it," Amaryllis requested, gently smoothing the taffeta fabric of her skirt.

"I want many strings of pearls!" Columbine demanded, pulling on the chain of her gold necklace.

"I want the most beautiful set of combs you find, with gold and silver inlay," Begonia cried, stroking her long locks of auburn hair.

Pixal was silent when Cyrus came to her. Concerned, he took her hands in his. "Pixal, my daughter, what gift would you like? Your sisters and stepmother have asked for such beautiful things. Would you like me to bring you those, too?"

Pixal shook her head. "No, Father. I do not want gold or jewels. My only wish is that you might find something small and rare– a flower, or a locket. Something with a story, that I might hear it."

Cyrus smiled and kissed her forehead. "Of course, Pixal. I promise, I will bring you a rare treasure, with a magic all its own."

Once all his goodbyes had been said, Cyrus departed from the Borg estate, and the women went back to their lives, with even more resentment toward Pixal because of Cyrus' greater love for her.

-----

After several weeks of travel, Cyrus Borg eventually returned to his estate, laden with gifts. Just as he had promised, he brought back fine fabrics, stones, accessories, and garments for them, all paid for with the money he had earned from selling yet another invention. When he parceled them out, he gave each many things. One such item was a beautiful purple dress with white and red embroidery and matching shoes, given to Pixal. Along with it, he also placed a little box in her hand.

"What is inside?" she asked, opening it.

"It is a silver clip. I searched far and wide to find it for you, my daughter. The man who sold it to me promised that it has a magical property, but he could not explain it. You will have the pleasure of learning from it."

Pixal took out the hairclip and examined it. It was plain silver, with no adornment of any kind, save for a tiny engraving of an ancient symbol. She smiled and put it in her hair, which it seemed to blend with, the color nearly identical. "Thank you, Father. I will cherish it." Once he had given out his gifts, Cyrus and Pixal talked for a long time about his travels.

When he had gone to bed, Columbine and Begonia came to see Pixal in her basement. She had laid her new dress and shoes safely away, hidden behind a loose wall panel, but still wore the clip. Her stepsisters came up to her, smugly adorned in their new finery, fingering them with pride.

"Your clip is so dull, Pixal," Begonia said. "I've never seen such a useless hairpiece."

"Why would you ask for something like that?" Columbine asked incredulously. "At least the dress makes sense."

"I do not want finery," Pixal said, meeting their eyes with eerie intensity. "I wish for utility instead, even though you do not understand why."

"No wonder you are a maid, Pixal. Nobody in their right mind would ask for something so useless and claim it's useful."

"With that strange name, could she be anything else? Really, Pixal, it's a wonder Father puts up with you."

The two stepsisters snickered to themselves. Pixal only watched them and was unafraid. Eventually they tired of her and left, claiming to have other things to do. Only then did she take out her hair clip so she could examine it.

The clip was indeed simple, as if it were a cheap gift. For a moment, Pixal wondered if it had been a scam. However, her father had trusted, the vendor, so perhaps it was true. With her nail, she traced the engraving. It was a complex character of an ancient script, perhaps Old Shintaran. She went to the library with it and pulled out a book of history, which she opened to a section on Shintaro, the elusive northern kingdom.

It was as she had thought. The symbol was magical, with an incantation to match. Slowly, she sounded out the symbol, which was a word.

"Salva me in opere..." The clip began to glow in her hand. Pixal's eyes widened, and she glanced at the translation again for guidance. The symbol was used for tools to help the user in work. Magical items that used it would be able to do all sorts of things– saddling horses, cleaning dishes, and lifting heavy furniture were all examples. Knowing this, she looked back at the clip. "Close the book," she told it.

The clip began to shine brighter, and an apparition of light burst from it in the form of a hand. The hand went to the book and closed it gently, then disappeared. Once it did, the clip laid still and silent once again.

Pixal beamed at it, knowing her father had spoken truly. She re-fastened it in her hair and asked it again. "Salve me in opere. Put the book away and dust the shelf."

Just like before, the clip began to glow, and two apparitions burst from it. Just as she had instructed, they did the work asked of them, disappearing into the air when they were finished. Pixal gazed in amazement as they worked, faster than she ever could. This tool was more invaluable than anyone could tell her, but clearly more valuable as well. She could not tell her family– not even her father, who would entrust the knowledge to her stepmother. Instead, it would be her secret.

-----

Days and weeks passed, and Pixal slowly learned more about her magical tool. Just as the book had told, the clip could do incomparable things. It washed dishes, cleaned, retrieved things, and more. However, it was not infallible, so she eventually composed a mental list of restrictions, which she kept in the forefront of her mind. The clip could not be used without the trigger phrase, could not lift or move anything weighing more than fifty pounds, and could not be used more than twenty times per day. If she commanded it to do something it could not, it would do nothing, as if it were never magical at all. Knowing this, she began to use it well.

Over time, Pixal learned to use the clip for the most time-consuming work, so that she might use her energy for the quicker things. With the time it afforded her, she began to read copiously, learning as much as she could about mathematics, the sciences, histories, the arts, and politics. Whenever her father would ask her what she desired after his travels, she would ask for literature and heavy tomes, such that he carried a trunk just for her gifts during each journey. Her thirst for knowledge was great and rarely abated, such that she would often spend her nights reading by candle light. In envy of her father's love, however, Begonia and Columbine began to tell Pixal to do more and more work for them, so that she would be unable to educate herself so thoroughly. Amaryllis encouraged them, and slowly, Pixal took on all the work of the hired help, who were thus dismissed.

Unbeknownst to everyone, however, Pixal began to learn from her tomes the quiet ways of magic. She learned of wards and spells, hexes and curses, and all manner of charms, and slowly became a novice mage, even as her workload grew.

-----

NOTE:

For the rest of this fic, underlined sections are meant to be "magic words." (That is, things translated into Latin with Google Translate, because I was being lazy. If I wrote this fic today, instead of 4 years ago, I'd go the J.R.R. Tolkien route and actually make up a fictional language... but I'm not about to go back and change my old works just to fix it.)

Salva me in opere = "Help me in my work"

[tygergm]

One Shot Recs

I've either run or played these all as one shots, and are ones I recommended to a friend recently. I also have links at the bottom to a bunch of free quickstarts for more games to look at that might be good for one shots too.

Blue Rose - AGE system from Green Ronin. Romantic fantasy where royalty is chosen by a magical stag and the rich are appropriately taxed. Cool Stunts mechanic to do extra abilities during a turn, easy system to get used to but has that crunchy feel too. Sentient animal race that forms bonds with people is an instant love every time. Free quickstart.

Heart: the City Beneath - Resistance system by Rowan Rook & Decard. A dungeon crawler where the dungeon is an NPC. Take stress until you can't, go out in a blaze of glory with one time Zenith abilities, such as summon a train to wipe out everything in its path - including you. Heart's the love of my life and the first RPG to make me cry(in a good way). It's earnest and grotesque and something about going in knowing you will End, and choosing it, does something to me. Also you can be full of bees(on purpose). Quickstart is PWYW($3ish suggested) but you should give them 1 million dollars actually.

Bones Deep - Troika! system based by @technicalgrimoire. The other love of my life. Be a skeleton on the ocean floor! What happened to your skin? Not important! Do jobs for witches, get credits from the crabs, join the cephalopods in their nefarious plans. The classes are fun(shapeshift your bones, or carve spells into them), and the mix of horror and humor is immaculately weird. Many random tables and a couple scenarios to make it easy to start swimming walking. Also not free($15 for digital), but worth every cent and then some(and the website is awesome resource!).

Index Card RPG - d20 system from Runehammer Games. It's 'simple enough to fit on index card'. There's actually lots of stuff, but it's easy to get a game rolling fast! Be a gerblin, get a bunch of loot. If you're a chronic low roller like me, a nice mechanic is when you fail you get to put points in a pool to use for later rolls. Probably the easiest one on this list to jump to from DnD. Free quickstart.

Wildsea - Wild Words system from Mythworks(took me awhile to find the name for it lol which isn't important just play it xD). You can be a mushroom person piloting a giant whale bone ship with a chainsaw on the front above a sea of trees. The world is so cool and unique. Health is measured in stuff to lose/break and there's a sliding success mechanic(you succeed, you succeed BUT- etc.). Free quickstart.

Tales from the Loop - Year Zero engine by Free League. Be kids in an alternate 80s-90s Scandinavia(or US) setting trying to navigate growing up alongside strange tech and apathetic adults. I really like how they tweaked the system to make it fun being kids for this, with iconic items and luck points, and it's very collab focused. I used this scenario as a one shot. There's a starter's set for $4.99.

Old Gods of Appalachia - Cypher system by Monte Cook. Face horrors man-made and monstrous in the haints and hollers of an alternate 1930ish Appalachia. Based on the podcast(don't know anything about the podcast? Even better imo). Cyphers are neat one-time use items you find during game to make you stronger/invisible/etc. Free quickstart.

Under Hill, By Water - OSR hack by Rise Up Comus. Hobbits! Okay, "halflings" for copyright but...it's hobbits. While some are off saving the world, your greatest worry is finding the lost pig before your wife realizes it's missing. It's not a boring life, just a quiet one. Random table generators for Events to happen each season make this easy to pick up, or come up with your own! $10. We loved this one so much we turned it into a mini campaign.

Mörk Borg - OSR-ish by Free League. Last but not least in the amount of shelf space in my room! The basic rules fit on one piece of paper, but the books are packed with amazing art and delicious disgustingness. It's easy, quick and deadly, with so many random tables for generating baddies, loot, etc., and usually each version of it has a doomsday countdown calendar with horrid new things to add, and then a final horrible event to end the game. It IS very dark and gloom, and I don't normally play it as rough as the OG, which works out fine! You can get a free version of the core book on the website linked, and tons of other free goodies there. My current fav hacks are Pirate Borg and Ork Borg.

List of free Quickstarts I found(and some I'll be playing soon!):

Coriolis

Dune

Fabula Ultima

City of Mist

Rapscallion

Fifth Season

Symbaroum

Dragonbane

SCP

Root

Fantasy AGE

Modern AGE

Myth-Stakes

Dead Air: Seasons

Broken Tales

Legacy: Life Among the Ruins

Heckin' Good Doggos

Star Trek Adventures

Flabbergasted!

Familiars of Terra

Daggerheart

Coyote & Crow

7th Sea

Candela Obscura

Fallout RPG

Happy Gaming!

[aintgonnatakethis]

⭐🌙🌌

⭐️ Star - Do you have a favourite character? If so, why are they your favourite?

*chanting loudly* David David David!

This guy, let me fucking tell you. He will do whatever it takes. And that phrase is often used as hyperbole, but not for him! He will do anything if it helps him reach his goal. I get annoyed at a lot of characters in popular media who are ever so caught up in their morals and how they feel about things and I want to bang their heads against the wall and tell them "Your feelings don't matter. You have a job to do."

Veering away from David for a moment to give an example of what I mean. In Star Trek: TNG, Picard has an opportunity to wipe the Borg out, but doesn't take it because it would involve killing the Borg they've captured whose personality has reasserted itself after being cut off from the collective. But that Borg's going back to the collective anyway, to an existence as a drone which I'd say is a fate worst than death. But Picard places his morals above what needs to be done, saying "Well, it may turn out that the moral thing to do was not the right thing to do." The answer is a resounding DUH, because Picard hasn't been forced into captaincy; he has put himself in a position to make these incredibly important decisions. It doesn't matter whether he can look at himself in the mirror anymore - he would have saved countless lives. All the blood the Borg spill after this point onwards is on his hands. How is that more moral? (It's the trolley problem. That's the episode.)

Okay, sorry, back to David. He's ruthless, grounded, focused, unyielding, but he also doesn't hurt people for fun. If they need to be hurt to achieve his goal, have at it, but he's not cruel or vindictive; a little petty, but just a normal human amount. I've had a lot of amazingly fun discussions with people about where David's line in - psychologically, he is fucking fascinating!

🌙 Crescent moon - Do any of your characters have to hide a part of themselves? Why?

So in my vampire series (which I should be working on but I keep getting distracted 💀) Rush hides his vampirism, going stealth because vampires are treated like dangerous predators, which I use as an allegory for gay/trans people. There's a public register vampires have to sign up to if they want to be able to use blood banks o eat. This obviously means everyone from potential employers to a neighbour down the street would have the ability to type his name into the register and bang, it would confirm him as vampire, meaning at best social ostracization, at worst…

🌌 Milky Way - What is the character development like for your characters? Do they change a lot or not much at all?

Young is on a fucking roller coaster right from the start! He's spent his life in a box, Performing the Necessary Behaviours to be seen as A Man. He's stoic, short-tempered, stubborn, emotionally unavailable, you name it. And the story revolves around him realising he can step outside of the box and still be a man. He doesn't have to be violent or a womanizer or indeed straight at all - he can be FREE.

Space related ask game

[darthvaderofmiddle-earth]

Fritjof Borg Ansgarsson

"Blood! Blood must spill from your corpse to fill the rivers of Midgard, and I will make all drink in gracious glory the remnants of their miserable hero who foolishly stood against me and fell in vain! The Old Gods are dead, and the Norns shall be next! You've taken my people, taken my kingdom, and now I've but to take your precious Yggdrasil, and the Nine Realms with it! If I cannot have my land to rule as I please, I will destroy all life but my own, and recreate the universe in my very image and desire!" -Fritjof in the battle of Ragnarok

This is the tyrant-king, Fritjof of Ulla. He separated half the adults on the island to go on a deadly raid where they ultimately perished, and the other half were imprisoned.

From here, Fritjof hired mercenaries, and beyond them and the king, only children remained within Ulla all alone, their sole guidance the word of their corrupt monarch who abused his power constantly, causing mayhem and murder to neighboring islands, and feeding lies to the children. He permitted the mercenaries to loot whatever they desired from the homes of Ulla, and the children were essentially disregarded.

A young man, Hafgrim, felt in his heart this was wrong, and thus began gathering others who'd felt the same as himself. For years, he trained everybody in the ways of brutal combat, and when the time came, the now-grown citizens of Ulla stole a ship and raided Fritjof's castle, as well as the prison to free their parents. They ultimately succeeded, and Hafgrim cast Fritjof away into a forest where Elves would lead him astray forever.

What nobody expected was that Fritjof learned the layout of this forest eventually, and found that within its heart lay the roots of Yggdrasil. The tyrant-king swore vengeance, climbed the tree, and slew Heimdall to take Gjallarhorn and begin Ragnarok. If he could not have his kingdom, if he could not rule his people, he would destroy life as it was known to recreate it as a subservient universe to his every whim and desire.

And with this, Hafgrim returned with fury in his heart, and a burning will to protect all life in the Nine Realms. He amassed an army of Humans, Dwarves, Elves, Giants, and more, then led the charge against Fritjof to end his bloody reign once and for all.

Ultimately, Hafgrim had no choice but to land the killing blow on his former king. Although he'd tried for decades to spare the man, he could not do so without losing the Nine Realms, the Gods, everyone and everything. He grasped Gjallarhorn from the slain tyrant, and blew the horn to signal Ragnarok's end.

[weaponsofclairvoyance]

we watched a star trek movie for every night of chanukah which i think is very appropriate and then continued on from there so here is my current ranking

voyage home (most completely wonderful in terms of plot and character and pure enjoyment AND made a positive environmental impact irl. also it's fun to see mr spock in san francisco ❤️)

search for spock (the most romantic film ever made)

undiscovered country (genuinely thoughtful political commentary & wonderful performance from all)

wrath of khan (wrath of khan)

beyond (joy and fun and tributes to the original movies that felt loving and appreciative rather than cheap)

first contact (borg queen is there, picard goes crazy, love to see it. this is 6 on the list but #1 in terms of kinkiness)

insurrection (gave us a taste of the picard we saw in measure of a man and i loved it. 10/10 for his performance and his moral integrity alone. the rest was decent too, i enjoyed it even though jonathan frakes is a narcissist)

final frontier/2009 tied (bad but fun. misogyny. shatner and abrams clearly wish it was star wars which they wish was a terrible action movie)

generations (i liked that guinan was there and that kirk's magical immortality brain paradise cast him in the role of bland heterosexual. other things happened too i guess.)

the motion picture (the longest movie ever made where nothing happens at all)

nemesis (i was so mad about picard going "god troi cant you just let that guy telepathically assault you a few more times for a negligible tactical advantage" that i couldn't even pay attention to the rest of the movie. i am genuinely offended on levar burton gates mcfadden michael dorn & marina sirtis' behalf that this was meant to be their last performance of these characters and they either had 8 minutes of screentime and/or were utterly disrespected. it was funny when brent spiner killed data though. free yourself!)

into darkness (would be lower on the list if humanly possible. what aos did to uhura makes me want to kill. benedict cumbersome should be fired out of a cannon)

[rabothekerabekian]

My top books I read in 2023:

1: Sirens of Titan (Kurt Vonnegut) - I love Vonnegut’s writing so much, and Sirens is such a great narrative on free will and loving whoever is around to be loved. (Plus chrono-synclastically-infundibulated is just fun to say)

2: Invisible Man (Ralph Ellison) - already a book about important social issues that are still incredibly relevant today, Ellison’s style portrays a lifelike picture of the politics of race in America.

3: Midnight’s Children (Salman Rushdie) - The language and style of this book make it a delight to read as Rushdie paints an incredible mural across a canvas of Indian historical events interwoven with the supernatural to create an amazing story.

4: Job, A Comedy of Justice (Robert Heinlen) - Excellent satire of fundamentalist religion, packed with jokes and reality shifts, a complex world that goes from Mexico to Kansas to heaven to hell has a lot to say about religion.

5: The Master and Margarita (Mikhail Bulgakov) - The Devil and his entourage cause chaos in Soviet Moscow, in addition to a narrative about Pontius Pilate. An excellent and absurd premise sets up a criticism of humanity but also a defense of it, both in Judea 2000 years ago and now.

6: Ficciones (Jorge Luis Borges) - While the writing can be dense, so much is packed into these short stories parsing the meaning is definitely worth it. Fantastical scenarios act as mirrors to reality and each story leaves just enough to the readers imagination to make it a compelling and thought provoking work about the labyrinthine ways of reality.

7: Things Fall Apart (Chinua Achebe) - I love novels you can get lost in, and such a rich portrayal of Igbo life easily lends itself to a complex world that many people failed to see about Africa. Important social issues are dealt with and both extreme ways of living are critiqued in a compelling narrative.

8: Bluebeard (Kurt Vonnegut) - A coming of age a going of age and the Armenian diaspora are explored through the life of Abstract Expressionist artists and what it has to say about culture, society, and gender roles. You have to keep reading to see what’s in the potato barn, and when all is revealed it makes a lot of sense for Vonnegut.

9: Kafka on the Shore (Haruki Murakami) - So much happens in the book you are riveted as the chapters bounce between characters. An excellent hook grabs you in and doesn’t let you go. Murakami’s imagination runs wild and this strange reinterpretation of oedipus makes you think.

10: Cat’s Cradle (Kurt Vonnegut) - Newt Hoenikker said it best - “no damn cat, and no damn cradle.”

[blsci-nerd]

Rebel Moon rambling thoughts...

Sweet, it's a new scifi movie! And with Bae Doona! This is going to be GREAT!

Ok, ok, starting out strong with muscle arms and hammerhead horses. (Note to self: look up behind the scenes to see how they did this).

Starting to notice an angle trend on our FL. Why is she only shot from the left? What the hell, now this is going to bother me for the rest of the show.

Seriously, ALL. LEFT. SIDE. We could make a drinking game about the times Kora's shot from the right and you would still be sober by the end. Anyways, moving on...

I see we have Space Nazis. And the lead dude has red guards.

Ah, now father figure is handing Kora a weapon he has saved for her this whole time! It's your father's lightsaber.

And now to Mos Eisley Providence! Hey, it's a saloon. Who would've thought? You know, you're going to need a pilot.

But first! My friend doesn't like you...I don't like you, either! Pew pew pew.

Ah, they made it to the ship. Would've lost money betting on a "piece of junk" quip.

Oh...I see Noble gets hooked up to tubes and stuff and is all scarred up underneath his clothes.

Aaaaand now they are on a desert planet and need to free a slave by making a bet involving riding a podracer bennu. Nice.

Alright, they've got space Tarzan! On to the next hero (side note: isn't it chilly in space? Give the man a sweater)

OMG BAE DOONA!!!!!! The reason I am here!!!!! She's using her light sabers light sabers to take down the Borg Queen and I'm not even mad about it. Her gat is *chef's kiss*

Methinks magic Princess Leia Rey Issa is not dead.

What, Djimon Hounsou? Yes, please! For a man hell-bent on drinking himself to death, he seems to have kept up with his gym routine. Well, hose him down and get him on the ship!

Alright, on to King Levitica. Ooooh, cute wordplay 'cause, you know, everything on the planet is levitating. Also nice to see that he has left the Trade Federation for more honorable pursuits.

Oh my gosh, it's the space Kravitz's! NGL, they look pretty badass. Digging the blue forehead makeup they have going on. Glad to see Mad Max extras getting new gigs.

Oooops, bye King Levitica. How did Sharaan last 10,000 years?

Surprise! Blondie is a traitor.

Oof, was NOT expecting that last minute head dodge/gut blast from bad-guy gunman! It's around the 1:48 mark. Awarding "Best Clip of the Movie" (after the slo-mo). And is that it for Cyborg Kravitz? We really aren't seeing him again? Say it ain't so.

Enough about them. Back to Vader and Luke Kora and Noble fighting on a gantry floating buoy.

Yay, Noble is dead! Oh, wait...SHUT UP, they've sent a ship to look for him? And there he is? NOT dead, but almost dead? NO WAY!!!! And now they're hooking him up to hoses and stuff? And he has a MASTER???

*sigh*

I'm done. Will I watch Part II? Of course. Because Bae Doona.

[grandhotelabyss]

Thinking of developing a course on ‘Magick and literature’. Any suggestions for the reading list apart from Major Arcana and the usual suspects Nietzsche, Crowley, PKD, RAW…?

I should take that course, not advise on the curriculum! Bearing in mind my lack of expertise, though, I recommend Blake and Yeats among the poets: The Marriage of Heaven and Hell and the earlier and shorter prophetic books for the former, and The Tower for the latter. And The Waste Land, though Eliot was more than half "taking the piss," as they say on the other side of the Atlantic. In pop or counterculture, a comparative study of the feuding Alan Moore and Grant Morrison could be interesting: for instance, Moore's first spoken-word ceremonial text vs. Morrison's DisinfoCon speech, or, if comics, selections from Promethea's pedagogical passages vs. selections from The Invisibles's pedagogical passages. You could take things back to the beginning of modern western occultism with The Tempest. There's Burroughs, with his occult cut-up technique and theory of language as alien infection. Beyond the white man's ways, Ishmael Reed's Mumbo Jumbo gives the Afrocentric perspective, while Leslie Marmon Silko's Ceremony provides a Native American vision. Foucault's Pendulum is too long for a class but is a compendium of anti-magical skepticism; you could excerpt the sections where the protagonist's sensible girlfriend berates him for his credulity. And then, above all, there's Borges, with one half-parodic gnostic tale after another. For a secondary source, Calasso's Literature and the Gods could just as well be called Literature and Magic. I hope that helps—feel free to send me the syllabus!