#having fun being a captain of a fleet tho

[citizen-of-the-fandom]

Playing No Man's Sky, sending my little frigates out into the galaxy on expeditions, gathering resources to build fancy work stations for my freighter, going through and fixing the colors in all the corridors, working out a trade network: *happy little wiggle*

[zenosanalytic]

yknow it occurs to me that Zapp Brannigan is less of a parody of Kirk SPECIFICALLY, both in terms of pop culture impact and the actual character, in that while he spoofs the speaking patterns of Kirk's actor, he seems to be SPECIFICALLY a parody of the 'captain space defender of earth' character archetype, taken to its most logical extreme?

There's definitely something to this!

I mean: there are clear Kirk or Kirk-adjacent elements -the speech pattern as you say, the paunch(tho that's more movie-era Kirk), the Star Fleet miniskirt- but there's more than a little of Flash Gordon and the many, MANY Pulp SciFi Space Captains in Brannigan.

I'd also like to add that Groening's work has always been satirical at heart so, while def being done in the language of SciFi and certainly poking fun at certain characters and tropes in the genre, he might have also been hoping to poke holes in all the Hero-Generals and political chickenhawks of that era.

[therealaves-blog1]

I want the void to hear my takes on Star Trek: Coda

Luc Picard and the Wesley Mirror Enterprise Bois go to the mainverse and start scanning black holes to find the Devidian's hiding place (they need a certain size black hole to make a breach to intertime or whatever) Riker detects them arriving and goes after them hard, since most of the admiralty is dead he's ranking so he's calling in the fleet and puts a bounty on the ship among the other powers to get to Picard (he thinks they're hiding main Picard). He also is spying on Troi and recruited his caitian aide to do it as well. The bridge crew is absolutely nervous about his increasingly erratic behaviour, especially when Enterprise jaunts away and he starts calling them all morons.

Kira gets aboard her transport, uncomfortable but understanding how everyone feels a lot of bad stuff towards her awful fucking counterpart. Her transport picks her up and its Alt-Ezri in command of the refit Defiant of the mirrorverse, she's also bonded to Dax now for some reason. Kira is understandably very upset by this whole fucking thing, but keeps it together. I'm pretty sure Alt-Dax died off screen? Or at least was implied to in the ferengi fuck around ep in the mirrorverse. (Zek your brain is so big).

Spock and AltSavik meet the Prime Minster of the Commonwealth: Michael Eddington.

Truly this is a hell dimension.

Eddington tells them the parliament is arguing constantly and not doing anything about this whole end of the world thing. He and Savik both try to talk to them but no dice. Savik wont break her word to the Commonwealth and order the ships over to the mainverse cause they aren't Memory Omega's anymore (they all belonged to Omega and were given to the commonwealth but theres some political their about the influence Omega has and its a fun political angle I wish got explored more cause its like a weird inversion of 31 kind of?). Spock tries to get the parliament to see reason because his counterpart was big deal martyr hero and that still carries weight for him. They dont respond well and he gets called slurs (not kidding its described as people booing and throwing things and shit, wild). Savik gets an idea.

The Defiant team arrive in Borg Earth circa First Contact. The rift opens and the borg hold it open, they move in under cloak but get shot down. They dont fire cause that would reveal them as a threat and crash hard near the base (its where starfleet command was). Data, Lal, Bashir, Crusher, Sisko and Picard set out to go to the base and do their thing, leaving Worf in command to effect repairs. Picard starts hearing the collective even tho he's got no borg shit and tells the party but they dont have a choice but to proceed.

La Forge needs parts, so Worf, his alt dead wife and others go scavenging. They melee only and manage to get it all with only one person being seriously injured. Worf is hot for her and its weird for them but also not. She is also into Worf in the same way. Kira arrives at the Wormhole and its being blockaded by mercs because of the Dominion/maybe not just them. So they need to figure out a way to get in without being destroyed. Luc calls up Savik and is like 'we need reinforcements, Riker's off his shit' and she says the parliament is being shit and stealthily implies he should personally reach out to other ship captains, which he does after murdering a bunch of romulan borders. He also gets to yell shut up Wesley, which is silly and dumb, but ill allow it. Rene is basically being kept off screen for this adventure, but still shows up now and again to annoy his alt Dad.

The Borg boys reach the main base and find a way in but its chockfull of borg and the Collective knows that someone called Locutus betrayed them from the two drones that survived the initial time alter and assimilated the Earth. The Queen is interested in this, and wants to learn about Locutus. The vibe gets stronger as Picard gets closer and has a brief freakout but gets it under control. They get inside but its slow going and theres so many fucking borg, dog. Riker catches up with Luc and starts shooting bringing out Klingons to help, but Luc's call for help comes through and 11 other Jaunt ships appear and chase em off. Riker has a bigger freakout which everyone notes and is wild about. Troi briefly chats with his second and points things out stealthily hoping she got her on side before Riker pulls her away on a pretext.

They arrive at the final black hole and start scanning, quickly finding out its the place. Luc sends a ship (or two, cant quite remember) to rendezvous with the Defiant when it returns to the future. Present. Whatever. Its not even their universe or history. Riker has another freakout and slaps his XO which she uses to relieve him of command and send him to sickbay, he is pissed about this but cant do shit. Kira learns alt Bajor is gone from Dax, and given the collapse of reality and the heavy resistance that will likely kill them she asks for answers. Kira tells her whats going on and after a brief moment of coping, realises that its worth it to safeguard infinite versions of her dead wife. (She married Leeta based on their heavy chemistry in that one moment of the ep in S7 and then Leeta died somehow). She agrees to help Kira. Riker gets sedated and the Doc confirms he's definitely got two rikers in there. Troi goes brain diving using her own stuff and finds the other one so she calls in Tuvok who mind melds and helps her talk to other riker and bring will back to the front. He was aware of everything and needs to warn Jean Luc about something his counterpart knew. Lucky they're riding a transwarp current thingie to the black hole.

The Borg team get inside and find the command center of the beam, the old foundations the buildings based on let them find a way in but they need a distraction to deal with the heavy foritifications. Picard has another brain blast and realises that they're looking for him so he takes a grenade and a rifle to make a distraction. The distraction works and he realises the borg may have multiple origins due to failing to get a reaction from calling the queen by the name of the being that became the collective. The Queen disables his grenade and rifle and starts torturing him for information, not sure why, assimilation would be quicker but I guess she's cautious about a dude who she knows betrayed the collective?

Wesley rides a shuttle into the intertime breach to make a map so the ships can follow, he lands and sees the base and all the bullshit they're doing, including watching them destroy Bajor. He sees an older him who talks to him and creates a distraction which lets him run from the horde of Devidians. When he's cornered he sends his omnichron off to the shuttle and launches it back so they have info. Rene convinces Picard to go after Wesley when the shuttle comes back (the leave a log buoy for the other ships) and the small fleet goes in. It goes badly and they're quickly crippled. Luc escapes his ship with Troi and Rene. Wesley is tortured so they can replicate his traveller powers which they use to create the Time Ghosts and Time Snakes to his horror and send them back and forth through time to close the loop. Apparently this always happens or something.

Bashir and Data get in and take out the fewer drones, before getting to work. The fortify the room and Data and Lal stay behind to make sure things go off right. Crusher convinces Bashir and Sisko to go after Picard and they rescue him from the Queen as shes torturing his mind. They make it out but Sisko gets shot in the chest. Worf gets the Defiant ready to go, and Sisko dies with Bashir opting to go back for Data since he's the only friend he has left. Worf is right there Julian, dick move but probably for the best.

Ooph, a lot there, but like, its keeping me occupied, again dissapointed by the winnowing of the DS9 crew and lack of Voyager peeps. Like we got Kira, Bashir, and Worf left of our beloved characters, everyone else is either confirmed dead or likely died off screen because reality is falling apart. Feels like a bummer to not have Janeway ride in to fight time bullshit, especially since we havent heard shit about Torres or Paris since they were captured (presumably they died with Earth). Still, wish it was more everyones story rather than TNG feat the others. How will this end? will they succeed in retroactively erasing their entire history or will we get a fun hope spot. Hard to say. Find out next time on my Im rambling about star trek blog post.

[flyhighest]

hq headcanon sexualies but like in depth I just think it's fun and my brain ay work wouldn't think of anything else

atsumu gay boy ,,, he went thru girls like they were going out of season and tried his damndest to justify why he was with them 'uh because she has fat tits?' / 'she's pretty ig?' and broke up with them to justify why he was no longer attracted to them 'her voice was annoying' / 'she was extremely clingy' until osamu bless him being the voice of reason 'maybe ur just not attracted to them and that's ok' which pissed him off but like so true? his first crush was kita anyways; likes to make things more complicated for himself when he's more attracted to the unattainable even tho he's unattainable (or undesirable) himself

osamu a bi boy, comfortable with his sexuality and finds both male female and all in between very nice to be with but he's too busy with his cute onigiri business to really focus on dating atm but he can appreciate a beautiful person when he sees them he's definitely an ass guy; also had a crush on kita

bokuto my trans bi king, will love literally anyone he has 3 passions in life: volleyball, consuming any type of meat, and his partner he loves a good crowd cheer in his games but he is ultimately more pumped up if he sees his significant other in the crowd he will treat u so so so right and the way u deserve and will absolutely call them every day when he's out of country or city let's just say hes the type to have a selfie of u or a picture of both of u together as his phone background; his first crush was namie amuro (a popular jpop artist in the early 2000s)

oikawa gay enby, he loves when a girl pursues him but is rly only with a girl for the attention he receives but is always confused when they break up with him like is it his personality? definitely not, not THE tooru oikawa but in the end he's not rly upset about them leaving has come to accept the fact he's gay when he goes to south america like ah that explains it; his first crush (and love) was iwaizumi

yachi, a true lesbian queen gets intimidated by men (esp when they're taller she thinks it makes them more opposing) but u bring a pretty lady into the scene she thinks they are a goddess incarnate (kiyoko, yukako, hasu) and her mind will go thru so many different scenarios on how to screw it up but also thoughts with nothing but them what were they talking about? she has no idea; her first crush was a classmate in middle school

kiyoomi, gay dude they are also Grey aromantic only in terms where he doesn't pursue romance nor do they see a purpose for it in their life and when they experience a romantic desire for someone it's fleeting generally (totally not self projecting here) he is attracted to other men altho someone to quickly lose his interest will have to show a lack of hygiene (their place looks like it hasn't been cleaned in weeks, not washing hands after using the bathroom, reusing the same pair of socks the next day, etc.) or disregards for others physical health and after he witnesses this in real time theyre like 'actually nvm' but men sexy; his first crush was his captain (ushijima is right there) let's just say if he finds u hot / is actually romantically interested in u consider urself lucky but you'll never ever know it (basically he will be in his grave when he tells u)

hoshiumi love this chaotic bisexual thinks men are hot and women are gorgeous but unfortunately he's too zoned in on volleyball to actually concentrate on one besides if they like u they will tell u outright but if he doesn't find it necessary he won't, he's a bit impulsive so who knows what'll happen; does have an interest in ushijima but doesn't like dating teammates but he's obvious in his attraction

last but not least kenma ace king, doesn't find sex necessary or appealing he would rather play video games and cuddle than do anything sexual but he's not blind to someone's looks he just doesn't find that important tho altho he does find romance to be for that Someone but streaming currently has him bound atm but it's not to say he's not disinterested; his first romantic interest was kuroo but hinata tho ,, much to think about

[romulan-gender]

Okay fuck it oc chat time… most of them are on a smaller science vessel with a crew compliment of like 80ish. They mostly stay away from the border areas of the federation and just do more in depth studies on already charted planets cause they don’t have a very strong shield or weapons just like self defense level stuff. The ship is also kinda like an island of misfit toys type ship that starfleet sends everyone who doesn’t quite fit in in the main fleet. So the crew is underachievers, fuck ups, and bastards with families too important to get them kicked out of starfleet.

The captain is an older Vulcan getting towards the end of his career but he had no interest in getting a desk job so he ‘retired’ to a smaller ship that’s not on the frontlines. He had a fairly accomplished career and is well respected but nothing too insane. Starfleet trusts him to whip the mist fits into shape and he does a pretty good job of it too. He tends to be your very typical Vulcan and is definitely very much a father figure to the crew. As he’s gotten older he’s also gotten looser in the fun department, and has even been known to crack a half smile when his ‘kids’ are causing shenanigans, tho he will never admit it.

The cmo is an older Klingon woman. She is an absolutely take no shit kinda woman, and is not necessarily the most traditionally caring with her bedside manner. But she is very determined to keep her crew safe, and finds battling disease and injuries to be the most honorable of callings. Not everyone in the Klingon empire agrees with her on this and she definitely got kicked out bc she knocked the wrong ‘noble warrior’ on his ass when he was talking shit. She ended up taking refuge in the federation and kinda ended up in starfleet without giving them a choice, which is how she ended up on the ship of misfits, cause there just aren’t a lot of Klingons in starfleet bc it’s around the same time as tng.

The next dude is an andorian ensign that works in security he actually has a name it’s D’harren. He’s from a decently important military family on andor and was originally going to go into the andorian military (or whatever their version of starfleet is) but ended up pissing off some pretty important people and was ‘exiled’ to starfleet mostly just to keep him out of the way of the rest of his families careers. Has a resting bitch face and seems very serious and a lil mean but he’s actually super chill and unwinds pretty easily.

The last one I wanna talk about my romulan oc, he’s fine with any pronouns but mostly uses he/him. He was born on earth to a human mother and his dad was a tal shiar spy in deep cover posing as a Vulcan scientist. He has at LEAST 4-6 names he goes by throughout his lifetime and I only know what like two of them are gonna be, we’re just gonna refer to him as Talar for now even tho that’s the name he uses when he’s living on Romulus (I’ll get into that one day). His dad disappeared on him when he was like 12 and then a few years later his ridges™️ started to grow in and it was all very *surprised pikachu face*. He does have some minor touch bases telepathy, mostly being able to read emotions/intentions when he touches things but he’s not a toucher and hides it from most people. He mostly uses his telepathy to handle animals well, and read when they’re uncomfortable. He is a xenozoologist with a specialty in animal behavior, domestication, and relations between humanoid societies and wildlife. He is roommates with D’harren in like a separate rooms joined by a bathroom type way, D’harren hates it bc Talar likes to bring his work home with him. I’ll probably make another post talking about him cause this is getting super long shsgsggd, but feel free to ask questions about anyone here.

[dianapocalypse]

Alright y’all, with the release of Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, it’s time for me to share my playlist for the entire trilogy.

I’ve refined this over like six years so scientifically speaking it’s probably good right. oh also it’s four hours long. so if you have a road trip or a boring job, this one’s for you. disclaimer, it’s entirely possible I have garbage taste in music. I also missed some characters and moments because there’s 65 songs here and I am merely human.

If you don’t have the patience for four hours, I recommend starting at track 45 and listening to the end, as the Mass Effect 3 portion is the strongest in my opinion.

UNDER THE CUT FOR DESCRIPTIONS WE GO!

FIRST MOVEMENT - MASS EFFECT 1

1. Atlas - Coldplay Eden Prime

“Sometimes the wire Must tense for the note Caught in the fire, say oh We're about to explode“

I really like the atmosphere of this song. It’s ominous, but also somehow hopeful, and makes me feel like Something Huge Is Coming.

2. I Will Not Sing A Hateful Song - Constantines Paragon Shepard

“But I was also born and raised To always speak and listen clear To know the last sound that I make Could be the last sound that I hear“

OK, listen, I think this song is about vampires, and I’m not sure if it’s supposed to be a metaphor or not. But I think this is a great song about controlling one’s temper, about knowing that you have to Rise Above the parts of you that want to lash out sometimes to get things done and have peace. Seeing as how paragon Shepard, to me, always seems like they’re three deep breaths away from snapping, but manage to keep it in check, it fits them to a T.

And also maybe they’re a vampire.

3. Hard to Kill - Beth Crowley Renegade Shepard

“So I let the rumors Turn me into a legend 'Cause I'm only human But a good myth is hard to kill”

This one’s a recent addition, but holy cow, I love it for Renegade Shep, particularly an Earthborn or Ruthless, but it works for any of them.

4. We Own the Skies - Five Iron Frenzy Joker

“My hands are bleeding where they often crack The stars will sometimes burn with longing Through the choking black Of night shifts piling each against the next”

This really vibes with Joker’s backstory for me, his super driven serious self in flight school, contrasted with who he is when he can fly a ship. He’s the best pilot in the goddamn fleet and I love him.

5. I Just Wanna See - Smash Mouth Kaidan Alenko

“Mister moon checkin' on how y'all livin' The stars all winkin' at the day that's dimmin' I just wanna see”

This song fits into his reactions to first showing up at the Citadel and his former romanticism about living in space. Ironically, it’s a song about Earth, but I feel like it works well for him. Also, Smash Mouth absolutely sounds like the kind of music Kaidan would listen to, no I will not be taking questions or constructive criticism.

6. Don’t Give Up - Noisettes Ashley Williams

“She's got a talented face and a suitcase Ain't got no desire to go no place In her case she's got no desire with her hand in the flame say's she don't feel the fire “

The energy of this song is just perfect for Ashley’s no-nonsense chip on her shoulder attitude.

7. About As Helpful As You Can Be Without Being Any Help At All - Dan Mangan The Council

“I was thrown in the boat/Cast out to sea Friendly with waves/There were sharks below Hungry for me/So I dangled my leg”

I mean, the title says it all.

8. The Captain - Guster Anderson

“Courageous, just like the captain Marching forward with no doubt in his head”

I have adored this song ever since my friend played it for me, and it’s the ultimate mentor-protégé jam for me.

9. Secret Agent Man - Johnny Rivers Garrus Vakarian

“Here's a man who leads a life of danger To everyone he meets he stays a stranger Oh, with every move he makes another chance he takes The odds are he won't live to see tomorrow”

I have to poke a little fun at Garrus and how seriously he takes himself in Mass Effect 1. I romanced him across four playthrus, I’m allowed!

10. I’m Getting Too Old For This Shit - Kill Lincoln Urdnot Wrex

“This random apathy/I swear it's killing me But I guess it's all the same, till the devil knows my name”

I don’t know ANYTHING about this band, but this song fits Wrex’s disillusionment with the Krogan well, plus, like. The title. (And also, that he secretly DOES care what happens to the Krogan.)

11. Bird Song - Juniper Vale Tali’zorah nar Rayya

“I want to dance on the horizon line But there is something I am caged behind I have a heart made for take flight But I'm low, so low”

I adore this song and the sound of Juniper Vale in general. The etherealness of this one, combined with the youthful optimism, feels very Tali. The line about ‘something I am caged behind’ works well for the suits, too. This one’s especially good if you’re a Talimancer!

12. 11. Green Garden - Laura Mvula Liara T’Soni

“And I’ll fly on the wings of a butterfly High as a tree top and down again Putting my bag down, taking my shoes off Walk on the carpet of green velvet”

I really like this song’s vibes and I feel like Liara fits it well, particularly in ME1, before all her youthful optimism is stripped from her. The scenery descriptions feel very Thessia, too.

13. Feed Me (Git It) - Little Shop of Horrors The Thorian 

“The guy sure looks like plant food to me!”

Do you get it. Do you get my joke. It’s because the Thorian is a plant that eats people. (I’m not funny)

14. Blindness - Metric Matriarch Benezia

“I was a blind fool, never complained All the survivors singing in the rain “

I don’t love the use of blind here as a negative, albeit metaphorical, descriptor, but I think this song fits Benezia’s indoctrination and death well. If you have suggestions for another, though, let me know!

15. Technologic - Daft Punk Saren

“Buy it, use it, break it, fix it, trash it, change it, mail, upgrade it”

I just think it’s Neat

16. Watershed - Vienna Teng The Reapers

“ While you were building your empires I was still sleeping”

I think this is the song that inspired the entire playlist. Vienna Teng sat down and decided to write a song from the perspective of a natural disaster, and it’s so ominous and gut-wrenching.

17. Hourglass - The Hush Sound Virmire

“This is how it ends We believe every lie and say we'll be friends How long will it last? Before we scratch all the scripts and we rework the cast “

hahahahah rework the cast get it because you have to pick who DIES

Seriously tho I really like this song for Virmire and that moment of choice that feels like it lasts 100 years on some playthroughts.

18. Pompeii - Bastille The Siege of the Citadel

“ And the walls kept tumbling down In the city that we love”

Throwback to when this song was on the radio like three times an hour. Which is around the time I made the first draft of this playlist, incidentally! It’s such a good Final Battle Jam for the Citadel, and the part about “if you close your eyes/does it almost feel like nothing’s changed at all” I think work really well for Shepard in this sequence. Shepard knew the Reapers were coming, had been fighting them all along; this attack on the Citadel is just retreading familiar territory for them, as horrifying as the war being brought to their doorstep is for the Citadel’s citizens and the council. James Vega has some good dialogue about that kind of thing in ME3.

INTERLUDE THE FIRST

19. Starships - Nicki Minaj The Normandy Crew

Starships were meant to fly Hands up and touch the sky

I like to have a little fun OK

20. Gravity - Yoko Kanno The Death of Commander Shepard

“Am I alone? is somebody there beyond these heavy aching feet still the road keeps on telling me to go on”

Welcome to mood whiplash, it’s my specialty! This is the part where you die. I think it also works for her coma very well, when she’s just drifting between life and death, not sure what’s going on, but something keeps trying to pull her back to the world.

SECOND MOVEMENT - MASS EFFECT 2

21. The Phoenix - Fall Out Boy The Lazarus Project

“Hey young blood, doesn't it feel like our time is running out? I'm gonna change you like a remix Then I'll raise you like a phoenix “

this song has no right to go as hard as it does and if  you think it’s melodramatic shut up

22. My Body Is A Cage - Peter Gabriel Commander Shepard

“I'm living in an age Whose name I don't know Though the fear keeps me moving Still my heart beats so slow “

This works particularly well if you romanced The Virmire Survivor, but this song captures the energy of Shepard freaking out bc they are trapped with Cerberus, because Cerberus rebuilt their body from the ground up. That jarring, caged feeling is so palpable in ME2 that when they gave me back Joker the first time I played, I BURST INTO SOBS from relief.

23. The Lady is a Vamp - The Spice Girls Miranda Lawson

“That's all in the past, legends built to last But she's got something new”

Listen. She’s a bond babe. Handbags, heels and pistols rock. She’s got class. This is a song about Miranda. That is all.

24. Kryptonite - 3 Doors Down Jacob Taylor

“ I watched the world float to the dark side of the moon After all I knew, it had to be something to do with you “

This one’s about the Vibes for me. Also can apply to his past relationship with Miranda. I’m also super showing my age on this song, oof haha.

25. Stable Song - Death Cab For Cutie Colony Abduction

“Rows of deserted houses all Our stable mates highway bound “

I really like the mood of this one for showing up on the very first abducted colony, the eerieness and sadness of it all and Shepard’s resolve to do something about it.

26. Konichiwa Bitches - Robyn Kasumi Goto

“I'm so very hot that when I rob your mansion You ain't call the cops, you call the fire station”

THAT COUPLET ALONE MAKES THE ENTIRE SONG. I love how playful and cheeky it is.

27. Seven Nation Army Glitch Mob Remix - The White Stripes, Glitch Mob Zaeed Massani

“And I'm talking to myself at night Because I can't forget Back and forth through my mind Behind a cigarette”

Pretty sure we all had this on some playlist or another when it came out, and it’s the perfect Badass With A Grudge song.

28. Science is Real - They Might Be Giants Mordin Solus

“ And when a theory emerges Consistent with the facts The proof is with science The truth is with science “

This one actually got added by my wife to replace a song that wasn’t on Spotify, but that has the same energy; Hank Green’s “I Fucking Love Science”. I get more into the emotional side of Mordin in the ME3 section, but I also really just love his Hamster On Coffee energy and this song captures it really well.

29. Prove Yourself - Radiohead Garrus Vakarian

“I can't afford to breathe in this town Nowhere to sit without a gun in my hand Hooked back up to the cathode ray

I'm better off dead “

The absolute rock bottom mental state Garrus is in when you get back to him in ME2 is so heartwrenching. Might not always agree with my boy’s methods, but he’s one of my favorite fictional characters of all time.

30. Rat a Tat - Fallout Boy Feat. Courtney Love Jack

“We are professional ashes of roses, this kerosene's live You settled your score, this is where you come to beg”

It helps that Courtney Love sounds exactly like Jack to me, NGL.

31. Defeat You - Smash Mouth Grunt

“Hey I know what you've done It makes it that much better to defeat you “

Only I am brave enough to put two songs by Smash Mouth on the same playlist, to be shared in 2021

32. The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot - Brand New Horizon/The Virmire Survivor

“If it makes you less sad I will die by your hand Hope you find out what you want Already know what I am “

Hits harder if you romanced the Virmire Survivor. Mostly from Shep’s perspective. This is a Shep that feels Bad after that encounter rather than Mad, so Your Mileage May Vary.

33. Violet Stars Happy Hunting! - Janelle Monae Tali’zorah vas Neema

“I'm an alien from outer space I'm a cyber-girl without a face a heart or a mind”

I just like the vibes of this one for Tali! I know it’s more about an actual AI but...IDK. I like it. So there.

34. Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd Thane Krios

“There is no pain you are receding A distant ship smoke on the horizon”

This song works both on a Literal level with his Kepral’s syndrome struggles, but also Metaphorical re: his Battle Sleep. Plus, Thane is a dad, so he gets Dad Rock.

35. My Medea - Vienna Teng Samara

“For I have made her prison be Her every step away from me And this child I would destroy If you tried to set her free “

Mom of the year award, here

36. Toxic - Britney Spears Morinth

“There's no escape, I can't wait I need a hit, baby, give me it You're dangerous, I'm loving it”

If Morinth weren’t so under-utilized after recruitment and didn’t get killed off in the background of ME3 I’d probably actually recruit her sometimes. I almost did on my most recent playthru bc that Shepard just HATES SPACE COPS. Anyway the song explains itself

37. Turn me On - David Guetta feat. Nicki Minaj EDI/The Collector Attack

“My body needs a hero Come and save me Something tells me you know how to save me”

I know this song is a metaphor but also it works really well both literally and metaphorically for Joker saving EDI

38. Robots - Dan Mangan Legion

“Robots need love too They want to be loved by you “

The Geth just want to live peacefullyyyyyy 

39. Be Still - The Killers Love Interest Theme

“Be still / someday you’ll leave fearlessness on your sleeve”

This song works so well for the night before Omega-4. If you had an ME2 love interest, anyway. Also “fearlessness on your sleeve” is one of my favorite set of words ever written.

40. No Cars Go - Arcade Fire The Omega-4 Relay

“We know a place no spaceships go We know a place where no subs go “

This one’s pretty literal.

41. Rocketman - Elton John Suicide Mission

“ And I think it's gonna be a long, long time 'Til touchdown brings me 'round again to find I'm not the man they think I am at home “

I like sneaking some Classics onto my playlists, and I think this is how I generally approach Shepard’s mindset during the Suicide Mission, mostly the chorus. I’m also a sucker for ballads during action sequences. This one isn’t a perfect 1:1 but the Vibes check out.

42. Blast Off - David Guetta feat. Kaz James The Normandy Crew

“Got all my people with me And none of us give a fuck So put dem hands up higher Let's smash this party up”

You have to imagine they partied HARD after recovering from Suicide Mission, but before Shep got arrested, right??? This is the Starships for ME2.

INTERLUDE THE SECOND

43. I’m Not Your Hero - Tegan and Sara Liara T’soni

“ Feeling like I am now lighting up the hall I was used to standing in the shadow of a damaged heart Learning all I know now, losing all I did I never used to feel like I'd be standing so far ahead “

This feels like a good coming of age moment for Liara, as she copes with the choices she made in the 2 years of Shepard’s death (giving them to Cerberus), losing Feron, etc. This is her coming into her own as the Shadow Broker. She’s not meant to be an uncomplicated Big Damn Hero, but she can do good from this position.

44. The Well and the Lighthouse - Arcade Fire The Alpha Relay Incident

“I'm serving time All for a crime I did commit You want the truth? You know I'd do it all again“

These opening lines I feel capture the Alpha Relay Incident really well, and how Shepard did what they HAD to do there, and would do it again, but it still feels like shit. I always wished there was more choice on that mission, but also, having something like that happen without player agency is interesting. Shepard is at their most interesting, I think, in times where we DON’T have a say in what happens to them.

45. Reignite - Malukah Commander Shepard

“Crush my heart into embers, and I will reignite”

Is it cheating to use a Mass Effect fan song on my playlist? I certainly don’t think so, and this is the best Mass Effect fan song ever written.

THIRD MOVEMENT - MASS EFFECT 3

46. This Is War - Thirty Seconds to Mars Leaving Earth

“It's the moment of truth, and the moment to lie The moment to live and the moment to die The moment to fight, the moment to fight To fight, to fight, to fight “

It feels Too Easy to use this here but I’m gonna anyway. You’ve seen AMVs of this set to everything. It’s the ending song of DA:O. It’s the quintessential World At War song.

47. Battleborn - The Killers James Vega

“Up against the wall There's something dying on the street When they knock you down You're gonna get back on your feet”

James Vega is massively underrated and I will love him til I’m cold in the ground. Aro icon.

48. Handlebars - Flobots The Illusive Man

“I can hand out a million vaccinations Or let 'em all die of exasperation Have 'em all healed of their lacerations Have 'em all killed by assassination”

The way this song escalates fits TIM and Cerberus’s fall back into being Just Full On Evil really well. Perfect song for a power trip.

49. Here I Dreamt I Was An Architect - The Decemberists The Virmire Survivor

“And I am nothing of a builder But here I dreamt I was an architect And I built this balustrade To keep you home, to keep you safe From the outside world”

I like this song for how the Virmire Survivor feels about their survivor’s guilt and also about Shepard. I honestly wish they were both more heavily utilized in ME2 and 3, but I realize it’s hard to write a ton of content for characters who just aren’t in half of all peoples’ playthrus.

50. Heaven Knows - The Pretty Reckless Grisson Academy

“One, two, three and four, the devil's knocking at your door Caught in the eye of a dead man's lie Show your life with your head held high“

This song is so perfect for Jack and her biotic kids that she’s one of the only returning characters that gets her own song on this playlist

51. The Great Fire - OK Go Javik

“But when the flames die down, and everything is gone, Will there be fire under the ashes still?”

Self explanatory. Javik is the fire remaining under the ashes.

52. Bring the Hammer Down - Paragon Priority: Tuchanka/Kalros

“ Hammer strikes the anvil A rage that breaks the chain Strikes down like a lightening In our ranks “

KALROOOOOS

53. Wake Up - Arcade Fire Curing The Genophage/Mordin Solus

“If the children don't grow up, Our bodies get bigger but our hearts get torn up. We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turnin' every good thing to Rust I guess we'll just have to adjust”

I just really love this song as an image of Mordin’s spirit looking out over Tuchanka as the genophage cure is dispersed, and watching over future generations. If you didn’t cure the genophage, how dare you. No song for you.

Anyway started tearing up listening to this one while writing the description don’t look at me

54. Ballad of a Politician - Regina Spektor Councillor Udina/Priority Citadel 2

“A man inside a room is shaking hands with other men This is how it happens/Our carefully laid plans”

traitor

55. Cyborgs vs. Robots - Ludo The Geth-Quarian War

“But your iron fist will never knock me down 'Cause I'm powered By a conscious right to conduct my life without fear.”

This is probably a bit silly for this awful war. But also. It does fit. You can’t tell me it doesn’t. Just save them both at the end and you can feel fine having some fun with it!

56. Artificial Heart - Jonathan Coulton The Geth

“It's not a real heart It is a real artificial heart”

Just a little fun with the Geth! This works best with Reaper Upgrades.

57. With A Little Help From My Friends - Joe Anderson, Jim Sturgess The Citadel DLC

“What do you see when you turn out the light? I can't tell you, but I know it's mine

Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends”

I happen to prefer this version to any other because of how much fun it sounds like they’re having

58. Dark In Here - The Mountain Goats Priority: Earth

“Steal away at sundown, pick a place to hide Check for signs of ambush, hunker down inside Tired of running, tired of never standing still Hear them riding up the hill“

You know I had to get the Goats in here. Would it be a fan playlist if there wasn’t one?

59. Adieu - Yoko Kanno Leaving your Love Interest/Shepard and the Beam

“My love for you burns deep inside me / So strong Embers of times we had And now, here I stand / Lost in a memory I see your face, and smile”

...do I need to say more than that?

60. My Way (Minor Key) - Chase Holfelder The Indoctrination of The Illusive Man

“Regrets, I've had a few/But then again, too few to mention I did what I had to do/I saw it through, without exemption“

This cover takes this song from something I tolerate when I hear it to one of my FAVORITE songs. The frenzied way he sings the “through it all” verse is PEAK Indoctrinated TIM.

61. I’m Alive - Disturbed Refusal 

“There will never be a reason why I will surrender to your advice To change myself, I'd rather die/Though they will not understand”

Honestly I didn’t “get” the Refusal ending until I heard this song, then I was like, OH, I SEE IT ALL SO CLEARLY NOW. This is my favorite in-universe Shepard take on the Refusal ending. I always got it from the player’s perspective of being dissatisfied with the options, but this one puts it into the world for me. This is a Shepard who does not trust the Starchild. This is a Shepard that chooses to end things on their own terms rather than submit to their designs.

62. Machine - Regina Spektor Control 

“I collect my moments Into a correspondence With a mightier power Who just lacks my perspective And who lacks my organics And who covets my defects “

I used to have Adieu here, actually, because like Refusal, I didn’t used to GET the Control ending. Now, I do, in part thanks to hearing this song. I mean, just go look at the full lyrics. If this song hadn’t been written years before the end of Mass Effect 3, I’d swear it was a fan song for it.

63. Maybe Tomorrow - Yuki Kajiura Destroy 

“The moon is gone And the night is still so dark I'm a little bit afraid of tomorrow“

I’m a Destroy Ending person, I won’t lie. Full on “the starchild is a liar and my synthetic friends are FINE” indoctrination theory level destroy ending. But this song is not about that. It’s about the canonical destroy ending, and if you prefer a Shep that survives it, this song’s for you.

This song captures the exhaustion and melancholy of the end of a long journey so well. Shepard is afraid of what comes next, the collateral damage resulting from their actions. But they know that, at least, it’s over now. Maybe tomorrow will be better.

64. Waiting For the End - Linkin Park Synthesis

“ I know what it takes to move on I know how it feels to lie All I wanna do is trade this life for something new Holding on to what I haven't got”

This is one of my favorite songs of all time. The hardest part of ending is starting again. Oof. Gets me every single time. Shepard finding the resolve to sacrifice themself for the hope of something better, of things not going how they planned, ever, of learning to make peace with that and the people who loved them learning to carry on without them? OOF.

65. Shine - Vienna Teng Epilogue

“Shine with all the untold Hold the light given unto you Find the love to unfold In this broken world we choose“

Vienna Teng is a master of capturing life’s softer emotions, and this fits perfectly with the epilogue scene for me. Tell me again about the Shepard.

“Find the love to unfold in this broken world we choose” has to be one of the greatest lines about the human experience ever written.

[an-american-whovian]

• The Story Thus Far:

I review 'Doctor Who: Series 1 (2005)' -- or where all this modern shit got started -- whilst I developed an UNHEALTHY obsession with this godforsaken show.

Like, yea, I saw some episodes from Classic Who on public access television as a young fart, prior; and, unfortunately, already had watched the finale to Series 2 by the time I decided to start at the beginning.

Let's just do this fer continuities sake!

• All the Good Shit and There's a Lot of It:

Firstly, two words: Christopher Eccleston. It's a shame that he only had the one season (and then was followed by David Tennant's Tenth Doctor. Which, let's face it, took the ball -- AND RAN WITH IT).

Either way, not enough can be said about how legit he is as the Doctor. Funny, intense, caring, blah, blah, blah -- you get it, he does it all.

Then there's Rose. In retrospect, I don't think she, or Billie Piper fer that matter, gets enough credit. She's super dope as a chav-esque character -- who shows so much growth as the series progresses. Really good chemistry with Eccleston. That scene in 'The Unquiet Dead' in which Nine tells her she looks "beautiful"? Fantastic (pun intended). Especially when he follows it with that whole, "for a human" line. Genius shit.

Let's not forget her relationship with Noel Clarke's Mickie Smith. (Like, I could totally see those two dating.)

John Barrowman, tho', as Captain Jack zee roguish swashbuckling time agent!? Perfection.

Biggest highlights fer me have to be 'Rose', 'The End of the World', 'Dalek' (this story NEVER gets old) and 'Fathers Day'. I don't think 'Boom Town' gets enough credit, too.

Like, yea, 'Aliens of London'/'World War 3' kinda suck -- and the Slitheen are super corny; but, 'Boom Town' is such a nice and personal story. That restaurant scene is so legit and I almost actually feel bad fer Margaret as the story unfolds.

Then it goes ahead and leads into, which I'll be as so bold to say, one of the best series finales AND regeneration stories ever: 'Badwolf' and 'The Parting of the Ways'. Just pure epic balls to the wall science fiction. Dalek fleets! The Doctor with his back against the wall and EVERYTHING stacked against him!? Russell T Davies really outdid himself.

Like, c'mon, Lynda (with a y's) death!? That one dude asking out a girl before taking on an army of Daleks KNOWING THEY'RE GOING TO PRO'LY DIE? Patterson Joseph being a coward (always wanted to see him take a shot AS the Doctor)? The Doctor tricking Rose into going back home and leaves her alone with the TARDIS!? OR HIS REGENERATION GOODBYE TO HER!? Fuck. 😭

I cry -- everytime.

• The Stuff That's Basically Just There 'Cause Let's Face it -- This Series is Perfect:

'Unquiet Dead' is a decent story. The Slitheen two parter is just pure B movie cornyness. Like, I love farts -- but those episodes could've ruined them fer me. 'The Long Game' is alright, as well (it's mostly just there to remind us of what a piece of shit Adam is).

HOWEVER, this one is gonna be controversial: I think 'The Empty Child'/'The Doctor Dances' are SO FUCKING OVERRATED. I'm not saying they're terrible. FAR FROM IT. I mean, the episodes give us Captain Jack -- and I'll take them over ANYTHING in series 11 or 12.

They're just alright, tho'.

I don't get it.

Lastly, I always wished they wouldn't have killed off Clive in that first episode. Like, he would've been a cool comeback character/one time companion. That might just be me, tho'.

(Like, I, also, feel that way about Will Sasso's character from the TV Movie.)

• The Point in Which Yer Almost Done Reading This Rambling:

It's not debatable and/or even subjective: Series 1 of Doctor Who is A CLASSIC.

SURE some of the jokes don't land and some of the effects are dated (I mean, DW has never been known to be the pinnacle of special effects); but EVERYTHING ELSE just meshes -- SO WELL. Great fun time and space traveling entertainment.

I revisit it all the time. So should you! (Yer pro'ly still under quarantine -- so do it. You can go ahead and skip that second season of 'The Umbrella Academy' while yer at it. Snoozefest 2020, yo.)

I'd give it four out of four stars -- but that wouldn't do it enough justice. Give it all the stars in the universe.

ALL OF THEM.

Ps. Cant wait to see what Eccleston does over in BigFinish! Woot.

[godkilller]

@magical-girl-coral​

Valentine's Day HC: Gin has to physically stop himself from buying every chocolate and flowers to spoil Rangiku with. He has A LOT of savings and isn't afraid of spending them all on his wife. He usually restrains and buys her favorite desert alcohol and nice jewelry tho.

unprompted ask    //    thank you !

          out of character.  I love this concept and it’s very cavity-inducing sweet, but unfortunately our pair has been holding themselves back from doing these sorts of things. Mainly Gin, and especially when it comes to buying Rangiku tangible tokens of affection -- canonly, he’s left her “nothing to remember him by” / “nothing for her to hold onto” post-death, implying there weren’t mountains of gifts given to spoil our dear Rangiku. There’s the whole debate on whether or not Gin gifted Rangiku her well-known chain necklace that she wears for the entire series, seeing as he makes a point to touch it before casting Hakufuku onto her in their parting scene before his death. She puts her hand over it / her heart later outside the cave Toshiro is training within as she comes to terms with Gin’s death, so perhaps that’s an Exception(tm) to Gin’s whole “left her nothing to hold” ... but, I also like to keep things vague, and ultimately it’s up to @oboete-iru​ my lovely Rangiku to determine whether or not that necklace was a gift from Gin.

          So, clearly our boy needs to redeem himself to Rangiku post-Winter War... for many a thing. But this particular issue of never full-out spoiling Rangiku with gifts is something that wouldn’t be remedied in excess, and certainly not right away. Gin’s not materialistic at all, and Rangiku clearly via the series, canon and especially in filler, is shown as extremely materialistic. Which isn’t a bad thing !

          Certainly, with Gin’s reinstatement  ( despite his salary probably taking a cut )  being a captain pays some big bucks, and Gin’s not the type to spend in general... let alone on himself. Rangiku will most definitely be getting gifts from him... just not piles, as Gin would want to not desensitize her to the importance of him stepping out of that comfort zone  ( of not gifting her trinkets and things so regularly and so much )  ... I can see him gifting her, pre-betrayal, things that are fleeting and more experience-based than material; nice dinners out, beautiful flowers, etc. and then my Redemption verse Gin growing from that branch and giving her jewelry, a new scarf he know she’ll love, some self-love / self-care products because lord knows she deserves to relax, as well as other things. I don’t really imagine him dumping a bunch of clothes onto her as a gift; Rangiku’s got a specific taste and part of the fun, for her, is actively going out and trying outfits on and socializing during it. Gin knows she’ll be happier if he simply comes along for the ride... but he isn’t there to carry all of her bags. Make Hisagi do that.

          When they’re eventually married much later into my Redemption verse timeline, this idea has evolved a bit more; they’re domestic now more than ever before, so home items to sufficiently ‘nest’ with her would be high on the list, things that make their shared home all the more theirs. With whatever gift he gives in that theme, it’d be an unspoken reaffirmation that he’s staying. They survived. He isn’t leaving. Gin’s bigger acts of love have never been tied to gift-giving, they’ve been through actions. Promises made and strongly kept.

          Presenting her with a ring ties into that concept.

          Gin can also sew, so I can see him raising the worth and weight of a gift to Rangiku via making it himself; a beautiful kimono, for example. Gin loves her, and will gladly do whatever it takes to see her happy and at peace. He owes her, and she deserves everything.

          And hey... if Rangiku ever found herself wanting children...

[victorie552onepiecespeedrun]

Reading One Piece pt 182: Daring Escape

Chapter 429

Thoughts:

- Fpos/cs: Enel is on the moon, guys. It’s very rocky

- Ok, so Straw Hats jumped on the Merry :D Can someone tell me where did Merry come from tho, it sounded like she was underwater but like, how, and everyone should notice her if she sailed there normally.

- …oh whatever, Merry made few miracles already, what’s one more. Merry is the best :D

- “How did it manage to sneak in among the fleet of warships!?” it’s like they read my mind. Like I said, miracle

- On the Merry they go :D and hey, it’s Franky’s first time on Merry, right. I don’t know, he looks at home somehow

- “Who steered her here?” clearly she did, Sanji, get with the program

-”That’s not important right now! Give us our orders, we need to get outta here!” that’s… that’s just so Zoro. Picking a bone with Sanji – check. Yelling at Luffy – check. Ordering Luffy to order them around like a true Captain – check. Telling people what to do (and chance of them listening being 50/50) – check. That quote isn’t that great but I really appreciate it for some reason

- Awwwww

- Robin is thanking them for rescuing her, aww

- Well, she isn’t fully rescued YET, they still need to get away. Chop, chop, get on it, guys

- (by the way, where’s Spandam? I think he vanished after being hit with elephant by Franky? Where are you, rat man)

- “Talk nonsense after we get out of here!” is Zoro me, bad at reading the room or just a tsundere? Discuss. Also, that line feels like it could use some Capslock

- Zoro, Sanji (and Chopper?), NOT THE TIME

- (Robin’s smiling :D home, sweet home :D)

- Oh, there is Spandam! How it’s going, you bastard!

- …is Spandam going crazy? Not him crazy, actually crazy?

- …Well, I would too, under that kind of stress and denial. Denial is bad for mental health, kids

- Nooooo, don’t aim cannons at them again

- ??? friendly fire?

- No, the Gates of Justice are closing!! It make water go “wrrrrr”! (Whirlpools. Whirlpools happen. They make sailing and aiming terrible)

- SO THAT’S WHAT SANJI WAS DOING WHEN HE VANISHED

- Sanji, you’re so sexy and smart! And pretty bashful right now, it does things to my heart. You go, Sanji :D

- “Don’t be so happy, all right! The whirpools are dangerous for us, too!” Zoro, let him have it, he spend this arc being a soap noodle

- (Zoro won’t listen, he’s in full panicking mother hen mode)

- What is Spandam’s face. First Franky, now Robin. He’ll start wearing those Water 7 carnaval masks full-time at this rate

- Cannon balls

- Wohohohohoho! Sanji, Zoro! What a creative use of your captain!  

- They really are a Monster Trio :D

- These peace signs at the end killed me :D :D

- Chopper’s doing something!

- They’re running away! For real!

- Spandam: “How can you not take away just one woman from those insignificant pirates!?”

  wow, a self-burn, those are rare  

- Ooooo, Robin’s finally doing what I wanted her to do this whole arc! Snapping Spandam’s neck with her powers :D

- She actually won’t so it’s double fun :D (no sympathy for Spandam :D)

- What a daring escape Straw Hats make

- …I think they got out. They actually got out of there

- And Frankies and Galley-ga are running away on the Puffing Tom! Good news all around!

- …wow. That’s… that’s a big win

- OH LOOK, AOKIJI IS HERE :D on his bicycle :D

- “This is our complete defeat” words of wisdom, Aokiji :D that and my full confidence you won’t go after Straw Hats really makes my day

- Thank, you Merry.

“THIS IS OUR VICTORY!”

rOP 181  rOP 183

[fangirlingsince1901]

Endgame. A long and spoilery post

First things first: oooh this is a freaking good movie! Better that what I expected. There are things I didn't like but it still works and I'd go and see it again just today if I were ready to cry again to the point of dehydatation so soon. Which I'm not, so I'll wait a bit more.

Things I didn't like

The whole time travel thing: Back to the Future and Terminator gave me such strong headcanons that I find it difficult to believe in anything else. Also I found the explanation they gave in the movie confusing and I still feel like it doesn't make much sense in certain points. Doc Brown, you're still the best! So, a big shot of suspension of disbelief for me, thank you. And where the hell Valkyrie found that winged horse anyway?

How they brought the snapped people back: I mean, after five years millions of people are back all at once. Why the world is not into a mass panic crisis? Where are they, exactly? Right where they where when Thanos snapped his fingers? What if they were, like, where not there is a building? A dumpster? A huge pile of rubble? I know this may be considered a minor detail but it just feels like lazy writing to me.

Thor: It even started well. His depression and how he let himself go made him more human and relatable but the forced humor even in battle really doesn't work for me. I so wish we had the pre-Ragnarok Thor back, I loved him so so much. I still have hope for the next Guardians movie tho, and I know this is stupid of me, but stil...

Cap: HONESTLY! After all the mess with Bucky he barely looks at him, like, once? He just leaves and goes to be with Peggy, forgetting his responsabilities, leaving the Avengers right after they lost Nat and Tony? With Vision still being downloaded somewhere and Thor going MIA? As if with Thanos dead there would never be another bad guy ever? All of if wothout even a goodbye? It was forced and OOC. Thanx god I've never been a huge fan of him or I'd be pissed.

Tony: he's dead, I'll never get past it ;__________; Plus he was in so many ships it's like his death sunk a whole fleet.

Captain Marvel: they gave us a whole movie about her just to have her like, stuck in an intergalactic traffic jam so that she could be late to the party? They shouldn't have introduced an hero so strong they can't handle her or else every other movie would last 15 minutes.

Things I did like

Tony: he got closure, he got love, he died a hero. It was such a satisfactory end, not like the one they gave someone else (who said Loki in IW? I didn't say Loki, you said Loki). I won't start babbling about him or I'll end next year and of course it'd have been much better if he'd survived but at least he got an amazing arc and my feels are killing themselves again so I'll stop here. Just one more thing. Who knows with Marvel, with alternate realities and time travels, maybe if one day Robert decides he's feeling nostalgic or he needs some cash for his bills we may have a little bit more of Tony? A cameo here and there. Maybe? Just let me hope ;__;

Loki: somewhere he's alive, he has a gem, he's up to some more mischief and he's still a little shit who impersonates people when he should just shut up and makes fun of the Hulk when he can't get into the elevator. All things considered I'm an happy fangirl. I just hope he meets with Thor again because they deserve it.

Sam and Bucky: damn, I never considered this ship, but now... damn!!

Nat: like Tony, she died an hero. I didn't think I'd cry so much for her but I did and I strongly suspect it's all due to Scarlet's talent, which I always admired anyway. Also, they are doing a Black Widow movie, right? So we're going to see more of her anyway.

Frigga and Howard: while I always loved the first and disliked the second, I'm a total sucker for parents and children reunion/reconciliation/love so, yeah, more tears. I just wish Loki would get to see her again too, since he wasn’t even allowed to her funeral :/

Peter Parker: damn that hug with Tony!!! It almost makes me forget how much the boy had to cry five minutes later seeing yet another father figure go. Almost ;__;

Scott: I never cared much about him and the whole Ant Man franchise, but he was a cute comic relief without being too extra (like Thor :/) so now I can affirm I like him much more than before.

Wanda: angry and powerful. She has so much potential and we still have to see it all, I'm really looking forward to the Disney's series.

[karatam]

random thoughts on The Last Jedi

Putting this under a cut and also will some blank space in case it doesn’t work on mobile

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Okay hopefully that’s enough

So, I really liked the movie. It was fun and engaging and a little unexpected

one of the big things about this movie is that it basically looked at all those neatly packed questions and mysteries from The Force Awakens and tossed half of them out the window while saying “eh, we didn’t really need those anyways”

so things like Rey’s parents, which everyone has been obsessing over, turned out not to even be a reveal to Rey herself

Snoke was just an evil Force user who wanted power (and not a tiny tiny alien like I had half hoped)

Luke really did leave because he felt he had failed everyone destroyed his own life’s work

it was also very funny! like, I was laughing pretty hard and pretty often

I really liked the growth of Poe Dameron from the hot shot pilot to real leader

bc his brand of “blowing shit up” really does have a very useful place in a war, but he was too willing to sacrifice himself and others for glory rather than retreat to protect the long goal

and having Holdo (aka Laura Dern, who was wonderful) across from him was great

from Poe’s initial reaction, we got exactly what his problem was going to be in this film. he looked at her, in a dress with jewelry, and said that she was not what he expected from a war hero, because his definition of a hero was very narrow and was entirely entwined with violence and blowing shit up

so having him fail was necessary, as he was able to learn from it, that sometimes a retreat is just as necessary and heroic as fighting to the last

and oh Finn and Rose, going to a place where the rich get richer and being able to see all those who get stepped on and pushed down so the rich can stay on top

Rose and her sister made me cry, as did Rose giving up that medallion just for the chance to be able to save the fleet

being able to inspire those kids, “the spark that will light the fire of the rebellion”

Finn being able to face down Captain Phasma and respond with “Rebel scum” with pride

Finn also immediately wanting to know where Rey is and then wanting to go looking for her or at least give her a signal to come back to that’s safe

also, they’re v cute

there is a lot of Kylo Ren, no getting around that he has a lot of screen time, but I think it works

bc even tho Rian Johnson’s comments before the movie came out had me worried, the movie didn’t seem to buy into what Kylo was selling

a large part of this is because we finally got Luke back (more on him later) to tell his side of why Ben Solo turned himself into Kylo Ren

it allows us to understand the boy, but still think the man that boy grew into is a monster

esp since that boy then went and immediately murdered a bunch of children. hard to come back from

the ‘connection’ between Rey and Kylo ended up just being a trick anyways and despite turning on Snoke, Kylo never intended on trying to redeem himself. it was all about grabbing more power, about proving that he was more powerful than Snoke, that he was the true leader of the first order. it wasn’t about feeling guilty about everything he had done or wanting to turn back toward the light, and it wasn’t about Rey

that whole fight was great tho

oh Luke

I can understand why people (esp those familiar with the expanded universe) would be unhappy here, but for me, it worked because Luke was heartbroken and guiltridden

he felt that he had betrayed his family, his students, and the galaxy, he felt that in his hubris he had built the man who would destroy the galaxy and that he would only ever do more harm than good

and then seeing that raw power in Rey again and to see her be tempted by the dark side, it brought back the very worst memories

so for him to take one last stand and give the resistance enough time to retreat through the mountains, against the man who is his greatest failure, that took courage. the kind of courage we’ve always known he’s had

Rey’s arc is the one main character arc that I think will really benefit from the next movie

because I did enjoy her coming to the realization that it’s not the family who abandoned her that defines who she is and where she belongs, she was the one who raised herself in the desert and she is the one who can connect with the force

this really fit with Luke’s insistence that the Jedi do not have sole ownership of the force, that it exists in everyone and everything

the universe didn’t need another Skywalker, the force awoke in her

I also enjoyed that we got to see her being tempted by the dark side

Rey has always been full of anger (righteous anger mostly, but still) and also an urge to act, so it makes sense that the dark side could be alluring in its power 

but even as that happens, she uses her anger to try and protect others, to become someone she believes the resistance needed (for a misguided while she thought that it was Ben Solo they needed, but no, it was Rey herself)

but overall her arc felt incomplete

I think this is largely because hers was so tied to the Luke v Kylo plot, and so it was overshadowed

and since a) Luke wasn’t going to head out on his own and b) Kylo/Snoke didn’t know where Luke was, the film relied on Rey to help set up their final confrontation instead

and I do really wish we could have had more Rey and Finn onscreen together, because they are a great duo and I love them

I also liked her quiet moment with Leia at the very end

oh and lifting rocks with the force after all

which, it is very obvious that each movie was supposed to have one of the original trio at its centre. TFA had Han, TLJ has Luke, and Ep9 was supposed to have Leia. I really hope they continue with this plan, even though we lost Carrie Fisher, because Leia deserves it. she’s been the heart of the Republic all her life and I hope the next film is able to honor that properly

now, this film is also probably a bit too long at 152 minutes and could have cut some stuff in the middle where it began to lag a bit (like, did they really need benicio del toro? perhaps not)

overall, very enjoyable and I honestly think I’d like it even more upon a rewatch

idk, I liked it

[stlplaybox]

A TFN Journey: a story in three parts - part 2

In part 1 of the story of my first Transformers convention experience, I talked about how your attempts to plot a course and navigate a convention can easily be frustrated. But that’s not a bad thing. If you missed it, you can find it here.

In part 2, I want to talk about the people and the moments that you meet them in. Some that have big parts to play, some that are small but by no means any less poignant.

I arrived on Friday and unsurprisingly I didn’t know a person. It was awhile before I spotted a few people I recognised from my online, largely Twitter, interactions. It’s a strange feeling. It’s like seeing someone you feel you know but then you realise you don’t really at all. There are clearly people who know them really well. So I have to admit it made me apprehensive about approaching some of these people.

I remember the first time I stepped out of my comfort zone was coming out of James Roberts’ queue juggling all of his scripts and the various prints I’d picked up from Alex Milne, Nick Roche and Jack Lawrence. She had been in the line behind me and I was pretty sure I’d seen her face at some point on Twitter and that she was probably the same Marian that co-hosted Podcast Maximus. So I opened my mouth, said hi, explained how the podcast was a lovely part of my walk to work. She was lovely and later introduced me to her other co-hosts, Terome and Stuart, who I would not have recognised even though I’d somehow stumbled upon them! I listen to many podcasts but only one Transformers one so it was a wonderful opportunity to be able to express my appreciation for their efforts as I know it’s not easy and can seem thankless. It was a lovely conversation and I regret not having more opportunities to chat with them but that doesn’t reduce its importance. It made future efforts to break the ice with other people I thought I knew that much easier and for that I am grateful.

But beyond the people you think you know there are also the people you’ve never known. I remember sitting there on Friday in the bar, just having finished dinner, and looking up and seeing a sea of people I knew shared my passion but I didn’t know. Opposite me were two blokes and so I shifted over and asked if I could join them. Matt and Bobby were inviting, friendly and warm. They got me a drink and we chatted casually about the weekend ahead. It may have been a small thing but I still remember that first evening. It was my first step on the path to confidently meeting other strangers who also shared my love for these robots.

Something I noticed early during the convention was the amount of parents clearly with their much younger kids. These weren’t collector parents, these were parents of young collectors. For some unclear reason that nagged at me but I did make it a point with my newfound confidence to express how impressed I was and how fortunate their children were whenever I came across one. And then somewhen on Saturday I received the message below from my 15 year old sister.

I remember at the time pausing, being touched by it. But then I had rollout to the podcast panel I wanted to see (something ironic about seeing a podcast!). It was two events on Sunday morning that forced me to revisit it though.

The first was on the lake on Sunday morning when I’d gone for a stroll. I passed someone who had just purchased MakeToys Galaxy Meteor, a toy I’d been eyeing off but couldn’t bring back to Australia. I said to him that’s a nice start to the day. He replied that it was actually for his son. We chatted and he reflected on it as something his parents would have never done for him but he wanted to make sure he did this for his son. I told him how lovely that was and moved on.

The second was @l0rean from Germany. We were lining up to chance getting a copy of the incredibly popular Animated comic. It was big to both of us and we gabbled on about our love for it. She shared her artbook and my jaw dropped at how talented she already was. Along the way she told me she was here with her dad whose English was not great but was indulging her. We got separated (both successful tho!) but later spotted her and her dad and joined them. I told him he how awesome he was and he seemed grateful and jovial about it. Job done.    

But I wasn’t done. Something about it still nagged at me and I don’t like not understanding things. It was between popping over to Resort World to get more quid for the Forge and sitting down on the edge of the lake as the sun beamed down that I tried to dissect this among other things. It was then that my sister’s message hit me. Seeing these other parents with their kids here, supporting and encouraging them, smiling at a fandom they did not quite understand, was a window into a childhood I never had. As much as it reminded me of what I didn’t have, it reminded me of what I did have. I came back home when my sister was young to be a part of her life. I wanted to make sure she had a better childhood than I did. And I’m glad she feels she did. There were things I gave up in order to do that - including living and working abroad. In some ways I may have been to a convention much earlier in life but if I hadn’t been grounded, perhaps I wouldn’t have taken on a hobby that requires a degree of permanence. And I certainly wouldn’t have been at TFNation.

I’m grateful and humbled to see the kindness, friendliness and supportiveness of the parents at TFnation. As someone who likes to be ahead of the curve and be emotionally prepared for most eventualities, it was unexpected but it allowed me a window into my own childhood, my relationship with my sister, and the role Transformers played in all of that.

I can’t begin to understate how much fun my Rodimus outfit was.  There were so many great moments and I feel guilty for not being able to recount them all but one stuck out more than all others. In James Roberts queue (as many things happens there as things do in a James Roberts script!) ran into the two wonderful ladies running around dressed as the Cyclonus (@eabevella) and Tailgate (@passivelyfabail) holoavatars (boy were they awesome at the cosplay night!). They reported to their captain (me!) and honoured me with a beautiful badge that removed the blight of co-captaincy. A swath of photos were snapped and we were even gatecrashed by Tarn (@sneknoodles). Of course, I did what Rodimus would do: I was awesome. I fended off that fusion-cannoned Megatron-worshipping fanatic and all was well. If I had a Rodimus Star handy I would’ve awarded myself one. Quipping aside, I tend to be good with words but I do forever find myself reflecting on that moment and questioning if I sufficiently conveyed my appreciation at their creativity, appetite for fun, and kindness. I hope the photos convey how special those memories are to me.

Then there was Krinsyn (@Krinsyn). An old friend of mine from Melbourne knew her and had unwittingly asked her to keep a keen eye open for an Aussie bogan (chav) Rodimus strutting the halls of TFNation. She found me in the ClubCon hall on the eve festivities and as the words poured out of her mouth, I’d figured out who she was before she’d even finished her sentence. She shares Albie’s infectious enthusiasm and happy-go-lucky smile. I could see straight away why despite the distance and time zones that separates them that they’re good friends. It was a special moment where two strangers closed that mythical six degrees of separation.

Conventions are filled with fleeting happenstances. You teeter on the edge of anxiety, ambivalence, and ambiguity. But the thing at TFNation was that it worked out 99.9% of the time. I crossed paths with a ton of people, heard wonderful stories, and shared fun moments that will forever stay with me. And all I have to thank for those memories was the kindness of strangers.

Up next: Part III - “Sliding Doors”

[kalicofox]

This is the campaign (really just two sessions) that emotionally traumatized two of the characters. The players seemed to like it tho, so I ended up writing it all out.

Please note, I’m a really new DM, so I got some stuff wrong. Apparently becoming undead damages the soul so that it should be impossible to resurrect the subject, so I’m just going to claim divine intervention and never do that again.

@nolyriumforyou @who300 @rowenthegreat

A few weeks ago, (about a month and a half, game time,) the guild was hired to figure out what was attacking the fishing boats and put a stop to it. Orianna (a psionic), Med (a wizard), and Delg (a monk) were all assigned this mission and let borrow three rings of water breathing from the guild's armory.

They hitched a ride out with the small fleet (only five boats, which is weird, hadn't there been more before?) and when they got near where the attacks (ripped nets, people pulled overboard, but no real harm done) happened, the three of them jumped overboard and went to see what they could see.

What they found was a beautiful underwater temple, marked with the spiral of the sea goddess Amphrite, and a small merfolk child that looked to be about ten years old. He introduced himself as Ko, and led them to the leader of the merfolk pod who informed them that the fishing boats were breaking a treaty between the merfolk and Lyrabar, and even more importantly, harvesting the schools of fish that the merfolk raised as their own food source.

The leader, Nami, said that if they didn't stop in three days, they'd have no choice but to start escalating things, because by around that point there might not be enough food for the entire pod.

The three promised to sort it all out, went back to land, found the treaty, found that it was valid, and talked to the fishers and found out that the only reason they were even in merfolk water was because the fishing had 'dried up' everywhere else. so they go back to the merfolk to see what they know about it, and find out that there are Merrow around.

Merrow are Merfolk who have been corrupted either by madness, or twisted magic, or by dark gods. They kill indescriminately, and they'd been killing the fish outside of the merfolk territory.

The merfolk wouldn't go near them because it was thought that the 'whisperings' would spread and corrupt them, too, so the three decided to go on their own.

At this point, Orianna's player, had to go to bed because it was ridiculously late, so Med and Delg decided to carry on on their own.

So they carry on, and not only do they find merrow, they find sunken fishing boats.

The other half of the fleet.

And the corpses of the fisherpeople that had been on them, strung to kelp like balloons. (because that's what merrow do to mark their territory.)

So, they find a cave that looks interesting, and go to investigate it, and realize that they're being stalked by four Merrow.

Instead of running, they decide to hang around and fight it out Not only does Delg, the monk not have enough leverage to use basically any martial arts under water, he also uses an electricity based ki ability, while under water.

Needless to say, in the end, Delg died.

Med, meanwhile, fled for their life.

However, it's a thing in D&D that a person can be ressurrected if the corpse is there and it's within a hundred years of their death.

So.

That was the end of that session, and the players chose not to head back out and try to deal with that stuff. During the sessions between that one and the one I’ll tell you about next, I started dropping hints. Townsfolk got colder to the guild members, people weren’t very happy with them, and there was gossip about several new adventurers coming to town.

Now we come to the Big One.

Last weekend, Orianna and Gell (played by the same person who played Delg) decide to go get Delgs corpse so they can have him resurrected. They'll have to pay back the cost to the guild, but they're okay with that.

Unfortunately, it's been a month and a half since their failed mission, and when they get down to the dock, something is off. It smells bad. Not just like fish, but like decay and rot.

But they don't see anything obviously wrong, so they head over to the dockmaster's office and see about getting a ride back out to where the merfolk village is.

I don't remember exactly what happened next but the Dock master ended up saying something about how the problem had been solved, and the way he said it made Orianna suspicious

When she asked how exactly it'd been solved, he simply waved a hand at the water and said 'See for yourself.'

The water was full of body parts.

Anywhere that sticks, or twigs, or grass might have been caught, there were limbs, or chunks of flesh, all scaled lightly blue

and Orianna screamed

That's how the other adventuring group that'd been hired 'solved' the problem. They went down and slaughtered every water breather they could find. and then they left.

Not their town, they don't care, and they still got paid.

It gets worse

Orianna goes a little nuts. She has to know if Ko, and the other merfolk child she'd met, Tikka, were okay, and she's about reading to swim the mile and a half out on her own to find out. Instead, they manage to get a ride out on the ferry, paying for the ride and jumping off right about where they think the village was.

And it's in ruins.

The temple's been desecrated, torn halfway down, and as they're trying to figure  out what to do, they spot an undead merrow watching them from the shadows. Gell goes to move towards it, and as soon as he does, it bolts and of course, they follow.

it leads them in the opposite direction of Delg's body, back toward the shore, but at an angle that leads them toward the cliffs, and after a while they come across a sunken ship and a body tied down with kelp that they recognize. The only captain who didn't make fun of Orianna for being unable to climb on board her ship from the water.

Orianna loses it again, and blasts a hole in the sunken ship. Another merrow comes out, they kill it, and then follow the line of corpses around the edges of the territory until they reach the cliffs.

At this point, the currents are hella strong, and they almost die from being smashed against the rocks. At the last second, however, they're dragged through a small opening and into an enormous, beehive shaped cave. Inside the cave it's half underwater, half air, and lining the walls both above and below are ledges.

35 of which are filled with sleeping figures

Or at least, most of them are sleeping.

Two big, black eyes are watching them as they surface, and as Orianna attempts to talk to the owner of the eyes, it slips into the water.

So of course, they book it out of the water and onto the only shallow, beach like area that just so happens to lead back into a tunnel.

And Orianna still wants to talk, even when a gigantic merrow, nearly thirteen feet tall, shows up, calls her an oath breaker, and  calls not only two more merrow to his side, but two small, undead merrow as well.

So now they're facing off against five merrow, one of which is HUGE, and two of which are undead.

It's really easy to see what killed those two, too. One of them, her spine is severed, cut through with a sword slash that crosses her whole back.

The other, his entire right side is crushed, like he'd gotten caught under falling debris.

So Orianna and Gell end up having to fight, and fight they do.

Until the leader of the Merrow awakens every single merrow in that cave and Orianna realizes exactly who those two little undead merrow are.

It's Ko and Tikka.

So, in the rational mindset she's now in, she tells Gell to run, and uses an ability she has that's called Detonation. Which does exactly what the name implies it does.

It blows up every single one of the 35 merrow in that cave in a gigantic fireball of doom.

She manages to shape it so that it doesn't hurt her, Ko, or Tikka, and it doesn't quite kill the leader, but when he realizes that she's protecting them, he reaches out to tear Ko in half, and she stabs him in the face with an enormous spike of ice. and then she screams, out loud for Gell.

So the Merrow leader is dead, and Orianna is now completely set on taking Ko and Tikka back to have them resurrected, so they wrap them in cloaks,  just in case, and take them back.

They have to sneak them past the city guards, who are there specifically to keep out undead, but they manage it.

Gell scares the shit out of some kids because Ko's arm falls out of the cloak when he's asking them if they'd mind running a message for him, and Orianna talks out loud to avoid scaring them so she can send a message for Creel (the guildmaster) to meet them at the land based Temple of Amphrite.

Who are, you might have guessed, really not happy with the entire guild for the slaughter and destruction of their sister-temple

So.

They manage to get to the temple, but can't go in because hallowed ground plus undead equals unhappy undead, so Orianna has to go in and manages to convince a mid level priestess (cleric) to come out and help her. As soon as the Priestess sees what's going on, she leads them to a small single room apartment and has them unwrap the two on to the table inside.

And then she kills Ko and Tikka.

As soon as that's done, she starts to pray, and after a few minutes, the two of them start to fill out. Their wounds heal, the ragged bits flesh back out again, and after a moment they start to breathe.

The instant they open their eyes, they see Orianna, and both of them denounce her as a traitor and an oath breaker, because she'd broken her promise to help them and make sure nothing bad would happen.

Alania, the cleric, gets Gell to help take them back into the temple, and the two go into a saltwater pool, where they'll live while Alania tries to undo the corruption that turned them into merrow. Orianna, as penance, basically, will be helping to undo the mental part of the corruption.

As soon as they're in the water, Orianna goes to return to the guild hall, but only makes it out of the room before collapsing in a dead faint.

Alania scans her to see what's wrong, and pronounces it exhaustion. Nothing serious. But she is worried about her voice, so she gives Gell a jar of honey that's been blended with herbs, and a note, and the two of them head back to pass out.

Gell puts Orianna to bed, and passes out on her floor, and that's where last Saturday's session ended.

(Creel, btw, is basically stunned speechless to hear Orianna speak. She hadn't even known that Orianna could speak.)