#he doesn't have a spacesuit...

[yourchocolatenachostudent]

In fact, I have only one question for the next episodes.

Is this Loki so cool or a TVA uniform, that is literally immune to fucking radiation? Why did Victor's specially designed spacesuit explode into atoms, and Loki's office clothes sit on him as if he were at a model show, and not in the middle of space (?) whatever it is).

Shouldn't this boy run naked to the temporal loom?

Or is he so shy that he saves his clothes with magic?

I don't think that's fair to Mobius.

(and to us)

[transmasc-rose]

Still finishing this and the others up, but since AU characters are allowed on Art Fight I'm adding the Silent Ponds. Which I haven't talked much about here.

I'm @/AnxiousHare on Artfight! >:)

Brief(ish) AU summary: Amy and Rory were taken as kids by Madame Korvarian and were raised to catch/kill the Doctor with Mels/River Song. They succeed in capturing the Doctor using Amy as a "lure", but he isn't killed immediately for research purposes.

Life is very poor for the Doctor there, but he doesn't want to leave without Amy, and Amy keeps petitioning for the Doctor to be kept around due to her own attachment to him.

After Amy has and loses Melody (Korvarian brings Melody back to her past self, kick-starting the events of the AU in its own little paradox), Amy, Rory, and Mels take the Doctor and run away in the TARDIS.

[oh-meow-swirls]

i feel like there should be more usapyon variants he kinda gets the short end of the stick compared to jibanyan n komasan. i mean it doesn't really make sense for there to be variants of him unlike with jibanyan and komasan where there being multiple nekomata and komainu obviously makes sense but still-

[mind-intheclouds342]

Do it for them - Co-captain reader x Curly (Mouthwash)

Part 1

(This gonna be a mini serie)

"What do you mean I can't see him? It's my husband we're talking about."

You crossed your arms but tried to maintain a relaxed posture, you didn't want to get defensive, you knew well that Anya wasn't the one to blame, you were just too anxious after that crash.

Anya: "I'm so sorry (Y/n), but the captain himself has told me that he doesn't want you to see him... He doesn't feel capable of seeing you in the state he is"

"Oh, I understand now. But you know that if he is incapacitated to perform his tasks and give instructions, then that makes me the captain."

You said firmly, putting your hands on your waist and puffing your chest, making the woman feeling so little. 

Anya: "I know, but he... Give him time, please... He is in pain."

"Anya please- it's been a week already. I need to see him" 

You ran your hand over your face, pressing your brow for a few seconds, trying to relax. 

You had been working with Curly as her co-captain for years, and less than a year ago, you had even gotten married.

Many questioned your position since they said that in case you had to be promoted to captain if something happened to Curly, your judgment would be influenced by your husband. 

You weren't going to give them rigth to keep saying that. You worked too hard for that and you now that the situation has come up you will show them.

"You are right, the captain's last orders must be respected, but please, tell me if at any moment he feel ready to see me." 

You took the woman's hands firmly, almost pleadingly, to which she nodded. 

You needed to stay calm to keep everything in order on the ship. 

"The cockpit is completely destroyed... the corridor to it was automatically sealed with safety foam so that space wouldn't absorb us, we are floating aimlessly, and we don't have a radio to call for rescue..."

You murmured while attentively examining the ship's blueprints along with Swansea and Daisuke. 

"Are the suits still available?" 

Swansea: "The room where they are stored has foam that has sealed the door, but it is not a very thick layer."

"Then I'll use one and exit through the hatch to check the cockpit damage, maybe there's something that can still work."

Daisuke: "Woah... The covkpit was blown up... It's a miracle that the explosion allowed the captain to reach the corridor before it was sealed with foam, otherwise he would be floating in the-"

He fell silent when he saw Swansea's look, gesturing towards you. 

"Yes... the truth is that it was a miracle that he's still alive, I'm grateful for it... Let's stick to the plan."

You stood up, ready to go to the room where the spacesuits were.

At that moment, Swansea took the opportunity to hit Daisuke on the head. 

After managing to get in and take the suit, you headed to the exit room, equipped yourself before leaving through the hatch. 

You observed in detail the void around you, a dark sea full of stars and debris floating around you. 

You held on to the ship, trying to reach the cockpit.

Swansea: "(T/n), can you hear me? Can you see anything?"

You smiled upon realizing that the suit communicator was intact, happy to feel that you weren't alone on that walk. 

"Loud and clear Swansea, I'm approaching the cockpit, the foam has spread outside the ship, it seems that it has prevented the fire from spreading."

You responded and went down to the cockpit, there was almost nothing, the only thing found there was the floor and half of the control panel. 

You sighed in resignation upon seeing that there was nothing salvageable left, everything too broken and burned. 

Until you got scared when something hit your helmet. 

Swansea: "All good?? Your pulse has accelerated too much."

"Yeah... I'm sorry... Something scared me."

You mentioned seeing Curly's ring floating near you, and soon you took it before it drifted away and kept it. 

You returned to the ship and took off the suit, and upon seeing Swansea, you shook your head, assuring him that there was nothing there that you can use to get out of there.  

Daisuke: "How did it feel to be in space??"

Swansea: "Child!"

"No, no, it's fine Swansea," you raised your hand, interrupting the man before he could scold the boy. "You never get used to that feeling, I've gone out many times for different reasons but each one is unique."

Daisuke: "Did you see an alien?? Was that what scared you?"

"Oh yeah, it had enormous eyes and tentacles on its arms, giant and ponty teeth, ready to devour interns!"

You and Swansea started laughing when Daisuke hid behind the older one. 

When they stopped laughing, you looked at both of them with a smile. 

"We're going to find a way out of here, I promise you." 

Swansea: "Sure, captain," he nodded at your words. 

It felt so strange to finally be called that way, but you maintained your stance, nodding and leaving that place to head to the reserve depot. 

You started organizing the remaining food supplies, it seemed like they were going to have to ration a bit, so you began separating and counting everything to maintain an inventory. 

You locked the storage room with a key so there wouldn't be any food thefts. 

You rested your head against the door and sighed. 

You searched in your pocket and took out the ring you had found, noticing how it was slightly deformed by the heat and cold it had been exposed to, but it still retained its circular shape. 

You placed it on your ring finger, next to your wedding ring.

You were sure that his ring was way bigger than yours, but the explosion for sure make it smaller now for you to use it.

After looking at it for a while, you pressed your lips against the two rings. 

"We're going to get through this, no matter what it costs me."

[anghraine]

TMP is honestly this wild trip despite the glacial pacing at times, because it's like—

Vulcan woman: Spock, you've worked hard to purge yourself of all emotion, but your mind is picking up signals from some human and I guess some logic thing in space. my conclusion: you aren't racially pure enough to find your answers here

Spock: time to track down the pure logic thing and find the answers and meaning in my existence as a Vulcan that I've been searching for all my life and definitely never found in the past before all my previous character development got reset

[Meanwhile]

Kirk: so this unknown cosmic force is going to wipe out all life on Earth, and I've been placed in charge because I have a lot of experience dealing with bizarre dangerous cosmic shit as commander of this specific ship, in addition to my missing being in space because I was pushed into the admiralty at, like, age 39

Decker: *throws a series of tantrums about the prioritization of all of Earth above his ego for almost the entire mission*

Ilia: I have taken an oath of celibacy

Kirk: ... not super relevant. please just do your job

[Also, the transporter painfully melts some people we don't know into unrecognizable lumps of flesh. This is completely disconnected from the rest of the movie; it has no relevance to anything else, is immediately forgotten and never acknowledged again, and everyone acts like Bones is silly and paranoid for being nervous about going through the transporter]

Uhura: I think Admiral Kirk is obviously the person most qualified to command our incredibly dangerous and important mission, and we're damned lucky he got put in charge. if anyone cares

[everyone else]: *doesn't care*

McCoy: Jim, maybe you shouldn't make your mid-life crisis everyone else's problem

Decker: yeah! I should still be in charge! my solution is "don't take risks" when encountering the unknown and wait until systems are 100% safe before we do anything

Kirk: again let me reiterate that we need to act decisively even if it's risky or billions of people will die. we have to at least try, so waiting is not an option here

Spock: *shows up and, despite being icy and dismissive, immediately fixes all their most pressing technical problems*

McCoy: maybe we shouldn't trust him. he has his own agenda now

Kirk: wtf of course we can trust him he's Spock how dare

[Kirk quickly figures out the changes to the bridge, and from then on, his judgment and decisions are pretty much continually vindicated by the plot. Decker's advice goes from temporarily useful to unprofessional constant jabs with little sense of the real stakes and no better ideas. It becomes extremely apparent that Kirk really is far better equipped in temperament and experience to deal with the potential slaughter of Earth than Decker, especially when assisted by Spock—even this arctic version of Spock.]

Spock: *knocks out a crewman, steals a spacesuit, and tries to make contact with the cosmic acid trip/space vagina by traveling through what he unenthusiastically describes as its "orifices"*

Kirk: I ... guess maybe Bones was - no, it can't be - wait a moment, I -

Spock: *starts transmitting all the data he's gathering to Kirk*

Kirk: hah, I knew he would never betray me! Okay, everyone, you all stay here, I'm going to jump into space to catch him

[Spock melds with the cosmic space vagina and it violently ejects him through various orifices, as he might describe them, until he's thrown right into Kirk's arms, signifying nothing]

Bones and Chapel: melding with the cosmic logic vagina seems to have fried his brain :(

Spock, laughing: I should have known ...

Kirk: *seizes his shoulders* known WHAT Spock what are you talking about. please tell me your mind is intact. sweetheart it's okay what are you full of shame about this time *tries to shake the brain damage loose*

Spock: Jim ... I melded with the supreme logic being and discovered that there's no beauty or art or meaning in raw information or logic ... only a barren STEM hellscape without the humanities

[Spock slides his hand down Kirk's arm until their fingers wrap around each other, and their joined hands tightly cling together. unrelatedly, we have definitely seen Vulcans and Romulans use finger stroking as kissing and/or foreplay]

Spock: it was awful and empty and not at all what I've been searching for this whole time. and finally I understood that the real meaning in life comes from the simple feeling between you and me. The mechanized space vagina couldn't understand our love

[Kirk wraps his other hand tightly around his and Spock's clasped fingers. God knows what degree of obscenity they would be committing on Vulcan, but in any case, McCoy (as ever) politely pretends he's not seeing this happen right in front of him, since Kirk and Spock obviously have forgotten, yet again, that other people exist]

Kirk: 🥹🥰

[They stare tenderly at each other without speaking for a few seconds, but are definitely communicating on some level; after a moment's hesitation, Kirk nods slightly, then Spock nods in response, and it feels like we're missing half the conversation. Then Spock explains V'ger's existential angst in terms that obviously apply equally to his own past self, and by past I mean "for most of this movie until a few minutes ago"]

It turns out that V'ger, in addition to being a cosmic acid trip/space vagina/mass murderer, is also an annoying teenager, maturity-wise. I do appreciate Kirk and Spock having their "this is just adolescent angst and we are too middle-aged for this nonsense" reaction, and noping out to provoke V'ger into some measure of cooperation until they all figure out that it's trying to communicate with NASA.

In the course of all this, there's a point where Decker manages to be mildly helpful via the Ilia probe sort of remembering their old relationship, and he proves his value at last by welcoming the chance to orgasmically fuse with Ilia/V'ger, while Kirk is horrified and baffled at why Decker would find this remotely appealing. (ngl Kirk in this movie feels like the most purely gay-coded iteration of him; from the film itself, I could easily believe he has lost all attraction to women at this point.)

So thankfully, we're finally free of the weird and underwhelming Decker/Ilia duo via multiple cosmic acid orgasms, and the Earth is saved, etc. In aesthetics, it's all powerfully 70s, even in the awesome strange bits before V'ger looked quite so, uh, yonic. Somehow even the new bland sleepwear version of Starfleet uniforms seem very 70s; apparently Spock's kickass robes and the muscle-revealing quasi-polo top that Kirk promptly switches into consumed all available stylishness.]

Scott: everything's fine now, so I guess we can drop you off at Vulcan, Mr. Spock

Spock: my experiences today have, uh, resolved my need to stay on Vulcan, so there's no reason to detour for me. I'll just tag along to Earth for >_> no reason

Kirk: [deeply vindicated for about the twelfth time that day, but this time also managing to exude Spock is getting laid tonight without saying a word about him] Mr. Sulu, ahead, warp one.

[matrix-headquarters]

Here he is! I tried not to change too much, just added extra spacesuit inspo sense he was specifically chosen to go into space and would need the proper equipment. The biggest changes are the added stars (I like stars what can I say) and an extra layer of armor for a space helmet and a thruster on the back to propel himself forward in zero gravity :3

I also gave him a human name! Jair Meister! I chose Jair specifically because a nickname for Ricochet is Rico, and Rico is Mexican so I looked at Mexican names and found Jair! Which means "He Shines"/"To Shine"! Meister was just because he calls himself "The Jazz Meister". Meister is German for "Master" incase you're wondering :3

OH! ALSO! I made his color palette cooler because Cybertron doesn't have a Sun and is lit up with artificial light! On Earth, or any planet with a Sun, he would be more warm! :3

AU is by @keferon :D

Under the cut are alternate fits because I love designing outfits :3

In order we have: Undersuit, Flightsuit + Gloves, Flightsuit V2, Project Star Jacket, and Jazz's Personal Jacket He Snuck onto His Mecha

[hephaestuscrew]

I relistened to Ep4 Cataracts And Hurricanoes the other day and I'm thinking about the similarities between the events of that episode and the events of Fisher's death (as heard in the recordings from Lovelace's mission in Ep18 Happy To Be Of Assistance).

In both cases, a Hephaestus crew member - a man who doesn't know that the Decima virus is running through his veins - is on a spacewalk. It should have been fairly routine, just adjusting something on the outside of the station. But weather in space can be unpredictable. There is a sudden unexpected emergency. Solar flares or meteors are about to hit the station - and the officer outside of it. The commander orders the officer to get inside immediately. He protests at first, not appreciating the danger (Eiffel: "What’s the big deal? There’s been like a hundred flares since we got here." / Fisher: "I'm almost done with the-") But soon it is clear that the situation is life-threatening. So the commander puts on a spacesuit and goes out into the danger, because she wouldn't even consider leaving her crew member out there to die.

One commander comes back with her unconscious officer in her arms. The other comes back with a broken arm and the weight of grief. Fisher dies, and it's the first of many deaths on Lovelace's Hephaestus mission. Eiffel survives, and it's the first of many life-or-death situations that we hear him making it through against the odds. And really it's just down to luck. Both Eiffel and Fisher had a skilled Commander willing to risk their life to save them. Both of them just needed to make it inside, and one did, and the other didn't. 

Eiffel almost died the way Fisher did. Later he'll almost die the way Lambert and Hui did. It's another echo between the two Hephaestus missions, like the comparisons Lovelace reflects on in Variations on a Theme: "New people [...] Same hell. Same star." / "the new gang. [...] Same as the old gang."  / "The more things change, the more they stay the same." Fisher's death reinforces how close Eiffel comes to dying in Cataracts and Hurricanoes; like all the deaths of Lovelace's crew, it reinforces the idea of the Hephaestus as a place of danger and chance and ghosts, a place that holds cycles of suffering.

[cdyssey]

the eldest river in "the impossible astronaut" is always so fucking distressing to me in hindsight. the way she knows what's going to happen at lake silencio, but she can't say anything to the people she loves most. she constantly has to lie, always has to play pretend. spoilers. the fate of the entire universe depends on it.

and the doctor, her doctor, doesn't trust her because of it.

because of all the lies. because of what she has to do to necessarily protect them both.

how she has to revisit her ugly childhood and fractured youth and watch it from afar, incapable of helping that scared little girl in a spacesuit, the young woman submerged in the water.

and she watches her husband and parents, too—watches them watching her own making—and they don't even know it.

There's this exchange between her and her mother that becomes all the more harrowing when you realizing that she's talking about herself.

River: I know what you're thinking. Amy: No, you don't. River: You're thinking, "If we can find the spaceman in 1969 and neutralize it, then it won't be around in 2011 to kill the Doctor." Amy: Okay, lucky guess. River: It's only because I was thinking it, too.

and then there's the moment where she catches a glimpse of the Silence in the tunnels and all that pain and trauma comes rushing back to her in an sickening instant, and even when they disappear from her memory, that horror still lingers in her body, but she pretends to keep it together anyway for other people's sake anyway.

in those dark tunnels, she only allows herself five minutes to fall apart away from prying eyes.

and she would have gotten away with it, too, had her father not shown up. he's concerned—even though he doesn't know her very well yet—and he's there, and he's asking all the right questions.

Is she okay? what did she mean when said there's a worse day coming for her?

And River opens up to him in a way that we've rarely seen her do.

River: The trouble is, it's all back-to-front. My past is his future. We're traveling in opposite directions. Every time we meet, I know him more, he knows me less. I live for the days when I see him, but I know that every time I do, he'll be one step further away. And the day is coming when I'll look into that man's eyes, my Doctor, and he won't have the faintest idea who I am. And I think it's going to kill me. 

fucking gutting.

[zombieoffender]

My commentary of Starlight Express's Wembley's costume choices (long rant)

Note: This rant is SUPER SUBJECTIVE. 100% my opinion, it's totally okay to disagree and tell why do you disagree with me, it is just something i wanted to share

I've been liking Starlight Express for quite some time, I found out the Bochum version before the Wembley one, and obviously I notice how DIFFERENT they are visually. Personally, i think there's nothing bad about the music, I think the musical numbers for both version have its very own charm!!

I don't know much about musicals in general, but Starlight Express gotta be the most stand out musical out there when it comes to costumes ive seen so far, the idea of personifying locomotives and their coaches are really interesting and i think they execute it really good!! (or maybe im just a railfan)

tho the same can't be said with the Wembley version,,

The Bochum/pre-2024 version ACTUALLY looks like Locomotives and coaches. You can tell Rusty is supposed to be a steam train, Greaseball is the Macho antagonist diesel engine, and so on.

I just feel like you wouldn't be able to tell what locomotive/coaches they are supposed to be in the Wembley version without them getting introduced

Like, tell me you dont know anything about Starlight express, and you had to guess which one looks more like a locomotive?

The wembley one feels more like modern spacesuits, rather than armor of metal

tbh there are some that are not super clear on both version, like Pearl, like i didnt know she was supposed to be a first class passenger car until i watched them slime tutorials.

They also removed the iconic locomotive-looking helmet and changed it to normal helmets in the race which also got me,,, 💔

the helmets is what makes it feels like A TRAIN RACE! not only that, it looks really unique!! i dont know why they removed it </3 maybe its better to breath on a normal helmet? i guess i can understand it, but it's really just a bummer, i think the locomotive helmet is what completes the whole personified-train look.

I think my biggest ick about this whole costume thing is the changes they made with Greaseball, he(or she, for the wembley version) is my favorite character of this musical, and i just- really, don't like her costume in Wembley version. I dont care about the fact you turned Greaseball into a woman character #lesbiansareawesome it just feels like a total downgrade where Male greaseball have all that machine detail in his costume while the Female Greaseball lookin more like a space soldier.

Tho i think it's worth to mention despite that all, there are some characers that nailed their looks in both version, like Dinah and Electra, they do resemble what they are supposed to be (the checkered pattern for Dinah and the futuristic look for Electra)

I think that is all i can say (for now). I just think that StEx 2024/Wembley doesn't feel like a train musical as much as the Bochum version would.

Or maybe I'm just being a closeted foamer finding out my fav UP character doesnt resembled UP diesel anymore

That being said, I do not dislike StEx 2024, i've seen someone said "enjoy StEx 2024 as it's own musical rather than a remaster version" and i think i agree with that, Wembley version has it's very own charm that makes it awesome, It's attention to details and it's performance are rather just as cool and maybe better than the old ones. My only problem i have with it is, again, costumes.

oh and the fact they removed C.B. thats also a sin /j

anyway, here is my attempt on drawing fem greaseball on male greaseball costume as my end note. Thank you!!!

[somethingusefulfromflorida]

The Martian is one of my favorite books of all time, but I just can't enjoy the movie because they REALLY dumbed it down.

In the book, Mark Watney says that if the Hab pops, he'll "just sort of explode," which is funny hyperbole. In the movie, they change the line to "just sort of implode," which is the same joke but wrong now. Like, yeah, you wouldn't really explode in a vacuum, but the science works out that the pressure inside your body is greater than the pressure outside, so the common understanding is that you'd explode. It doesn't make sense to say you're gonna implode on Mars. I don't know why they changed that.

When he burns hydrogen, there's an explosion, but his explanation of forgetting to account for the oxygen he exhaled doesn't make sense in the movie. In the book, he vents all the oxygen out of the Hab and burns off the hydrogen with small bursts of oxygen from a tank; instead of wearing a spacesuit he wears a surgical mask that isn't airtight, so every exhale released a little bit of extra oxygen into the pure hydrogen environment until it built up enough to explode. Makes sense. In the movie, he's burning hydrogen in a normal oxygen environment, so it wouldn't matter how much he exhales because there's air all around the flame. They reversed the stoichiometry (there's your ten dollar word of the day)

The first message he sends to NASA in the book is "if you are receiving me, point the camera here," but in the movie they changed it to "point here for yes, point here for no." Why would he include the no option? He's a scientist, the moviemakers added this because audiences are stupid.

They never explain why he cuts a hole in the rover and adds a balloon to it, or why the Hab airlock explodes, or how he was able to survive being impaled by an antenna.

Most egregiously, at the end of the book Mark says "if this were a movie, I would be met in the airlock by all my friends and we'd hug and high five and cry, but this is real life and it's cramped in there and they all have jobs to do manning the ship and I need to go straight to the infirmary," and they do exactly that in the movie. Also, Mark endangers himself and Commander Lewis by poking a hole in his glove to fly like Iron Man, and idea she vetoed in the book because Mark was delerious after passing out from the g-forces of the launch. Also also, in the book it's the EVA specialist Beck who rescues Mark; it doesn't make sense for the commander to risk her life for drama, "it's my fault he's stuck here, I gotta be the one to bring him back!"

There are a million tiny things that all add up, and I can't get over it.

[quietwingsinthesky]

rory and river also try to do a father-daughter bonding thing and it also goes horribly wrong but like in a completely different way. if amy and river's bonding is built around the tension of something amy doesn't know how to look at, doesn't want to think about, and that river barely knows how to approach. then rory and river's bonding falls apart because he is trying so so hard to make it work and to be her dad, and it is just. it's such an earnest effort and so meaningless in the face of who river actually is. if you take amy's choice to be representative of the doctor and rory's dreams, with amy as the crux on which they turn between them, with her reality being the one true one, then you can argue that her pregnancy in the village dream is part of rory's ideas for their future. rory does want kids, he'd like to have kids, and. he has river.

and river is his daughter, but river is not his child, you know? river's a child of the tardis. river's a weapon born to kill the doctor. river's a baby who was so illusory that she fell apart in amy's arms and they never really knew her again until it was far too late to change any of that.

so. world's worst. i don't know what people do with their fathers. world's worst fishing trip? with a man who reminisces about being made of plastic during the roman empire while he protected his future wife in a box. and a woman whose formative memories are of being trapped in a spacesuit that she could literally tear open from the inside and it still wouldn't be enough to escape forever. god, to be a fly on the wall of them trying to find common ground.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Hi, I have a question for you about TWST. Do you think that in terms of medical care and technology our world is more advanced in some ways? I had this one idea that in TWST they don’t know CPR because they have magic. Also do you think that they had a moon landing or a space race?

On the contrary, I think Twisted Wonderland’s medical care and medical technology is more advanced than ours, if not just as advanced. Twisted Wonderland has many of the same inventions as we do (cars, smartphones, social media, etc.) and even magical variants of those (a magical wheel/blastcycle is a magic-powered motorcycle), so it doesn't make sense to me that medicine and healthcare would be the one area where the real world is ahead of TWST's. Twisted Wonderland would be more advanced than us because magic would allow them to enhance their technology to surpass what we are realistically capable of. Technomantic assistive devices integrate elements of both technology and magic to assist those with impairments. Additionally, healing potions (which accelerate the speed of one's recovery) existed as far back as 400 years ago. For those skilled in potionology, they may whip up antidotes on the spot with the right medicinal herbs.

I also don't think that the existence of magic completely negates the need for regular first aid procedures. Non-magical methods and skills must still exist since the majority of the population are non-magical. Among humans, 90% are completely incapable of magic and of the remaining 10%, most of them are not able to produce enough magic to so much as lift a cup. Very few left are competent enough to become skilled mages, and even fewer are competent enough to become medical mages. Why would the entire healthcare system of the world be entirely based in magic when so few people would be capable of administering that kind of care? CPR and first aid exist in the first place so the common everyday average Joe can help others until actual medical personnel can arrive. It wouldn’t make sense to gatekeep these skills or for them to not have been invented simply because magic is A Thing. In fact, magic is not widely accessible and is implied to be kept for the elite and well-off (more on that here and here).

“Not many humans can use magic, so we turn to chemistry for stuff like this,” Trey says in his Silk Adorned vignette when explaining to the group how the colors of fireworks can differ. The existence of regular sciences—devoid of magic—implies the existence of regular medicine as well. Remember too that not all schools teach magic, therefore regular subjects must exist and be widely taught in non-magic schools.

It should also be noted that, even with magic, it's not a perfect solution for every ailment out there. For example, the healing potions in 7-68 do not instantly restore Lilia to full health; he notes that he must still rest and that his magic is still depleted to the point where he cannot fly back in the direction he just came from.

Magic was also not always viewed as a positive either; a few hundred years ago, it was viewed as a frightening thing. Mages were referred to derogatorily as “witches” and “wizards”. Most societies were not structured around magic (and still aren’t to this day, with fae seeming to be the exception). This means that normal medicine and related first aid must have still existed since magical medicine was presumably not widely accepted.

All of that was to say that I’m pretty sure Twisted Wonderland still has CPR, among other means of non-magical medicine and healthcare 😅

Now as for your final questions, I do think that Twisted Wonderland has achieved space travel. Idia was able to launch Ortho into space in Wish Upon a Star, so the technology is definitely there. It should also be noted that spacesuits and astronauts have been mentioned in the 4koma, which implies the existence of space travel. Again, I’d also like to point out that TWST’s general technological advances are about on-par with ours (including modes of transportation), so there’s no reason not to believe they haven’t gone to space as well.

I don’t think there was a Space Race though? That’s an event that happened in our history, and we know that TWST, while borrowing ideas from irl does not cleanly align with reality. For example, the fictional countries we visit have elements from many cultures (Sunset Savanna has onsen eggs, which are Japanese, not African; Harveston has fashion and foods from various Nordic cultures, etc.).

For historical events… I think Twisted Wonderland is more likely to get its inspiration from Disney movies rather than look to actual irl history. It gets into too much muddy political tension otherwise, which I totally understand TWST wanting to keep out. There were probably other circumstances that led to the advent of space travel in Twisted Wonderland.

[intuitive-revelations]

Semi-live/retrospective analysis of The Well!

Another semi-liveblog / semi analysis of episode 3! Again, I watched and wrote this early using the iPlayer release, but am posting when the BBC 1 airing ends. I'm scheduling it, so hopefully the football doesn't go long and knock it off-time.

As a warning, while comments are generally made in chronological order with the episode, note that I do come back and make edits in some cases based on later information, which may include spoilers. So maybe don't follow along with these comments while watching the episode for the first time (not that I expect anyone is doing that, but just in case)!

I love we're picking up right off from Lux with these costumes in the TARDIS. We could have had the Doctor and Belinda change first, but this sets us right up after the TARDIS left. Not that unusual for the first few episodes of a series, but I do like it when it happens.

"swatted by a giant moth" Kill the Moon thoughts intensify...

"and your mum will whistle at my behind" Interesting again to see how Fifteen is particularly aware of the power of attraction and how to manipulate it. I would say it feels a little iffy doing that with the first black Doctor (though I'm not black, so I don't want to get too carried away speaking about racial implications myself), but we have seen plenty of bits like this sexualising the Doctor with previous incarnations. See 9 and 10's relative flirtiness, 11 too, although while seemingly being less aware of it, with his relative asexuality (though I'd argue he still enjoys the game of it all, given his relationship with River etc., even if he's sometimes a bit less aware of when he's led someone on - Amy, Nefertiti, Marilyn etc.)

The return of Toxic! 20 years later!

A little silly the TARDIS had exactly the same (military?) uniforms. Couldn't we have had the orange spacesuits or something?

The crew not reacting to the Doctor and Bel straight away is a little weird, but I assume we're just at a point with the jump where there's no return and they need to pay attention.

My astrophysics nerd heart loves the spacescapes we're getting this era.

(Future comment: wait, does this mean Midnight is actually a Moon, based on the proximity of that ringed planet? Or at least a binary system? I really need to go back to that episode and see how things match up.)

Carbon 46 - I assume not "Carbon-46" right? That would be impossible. The number must have a different meaning than isotope - maybe the atomic configuration? (Future edit: YUP!)

A lot of specific numbers this series. Some of them stood out previously (e.g. that six-six-six-sixteen) but I'm not sure any mean anything. An interesting point to note though, given the later discussion of 13 being unlucky as an Earth superstition. Could be hinting at future significances.

"Hope is irrelevant." Interesting. We just had the Doctor discussing the idea of the TARDIS bringing hope last episode (very DotD, since I didn't say it before), so this may be starting to form a theme. Was there any discussion of hope in The Robot Revolution?

"It's not appropriate to call me 'babes'." This is obviously meant to be antagonistic, but honestly... hell yeah, speak back to your "higher-up".

Hmm... more emphasis on heart beats, here as a life sign. But not the Doctor's this time. I'm still adding it to the list though.

Yay, another deaf character!

Interesting choice to have part of the signed conversation untranslated. Was there any significance there? Also is this recognisable BSL/ASL? I think I recognised a bit, with the thank you, but don't know about the rest.

Nice also to have the Doctor be more confident at it, after some of Twelve's mistakes last time.

So everyone else went mad? I assume it was caused by something sound related then? But then why the mirrors?

"A nurse who can't sign? That's against the law." "Well, we have different laws. But you're right, it should be the law."

In retrospect, I like the detail that Aliss didn't react to the door opening! She was facing the other way, and of course she didn't hear it. I was wondering at first why she was so nonchalant to it opening.

Mercury... so another source of reflections?

"I can still lip-read."

Between Bel's struggling as a nurse and the Doctor's questions, I'm kinda struggling to buy that the crew will keep buying their authority. This is a common DW trope, so I'm not sure why I'm so sceptical this episode... (Future Edit: Given who the enemy is this episode, no wonder the writing has got me feeling so anxious about this! Genuinely quite a compliment to Angel Walfall, RTD, and the show crew on making me feel this way without even knowing why!)

The well itself gives strong "Satan Pit" vibes. Maybe this is why we didn't bring back the orange, as it would have felt too similar?

I like some of the world-building we're getting this episode, with regards to the 'wildlands' and entering the force as a teenager. Far more than we usually get for "generic interstellar space mission".

OH? So something has happened to Earth. Presumably not erased from time given last episode, but perhaps its future history has been, depending on what's happening in the present. I can't remember if I said this before, but this all feels surprisingly Lawrence Miles "Book of the World" so far (or just the stolen planets arc I guess), not that I'm saying it's more EU (or in this case, unofficial writing) cribbing, just a similar vibe with the mystery of Earth somehow being missing.

Interesting to have two explicitly human-like alien species this series already. Not as common in New Who compared to Classic. Feels a little bit of a shame we're not getting some prosthetics or something though, given that Disney+ money, to give a least a little bit of an alien appearance. That's always been why I've quite liked aliens like the Singers of Akhet, or the Drahvin (BTW RTD, can we can get the Drahvin back, pretty please?).

That jump scare took a couple repeats to see what happened. Something was behind Aliss. Is she possessed, or carrying something with her? Maybe something to do with that wound?

"What's that thing?" "Magic" lol (Another point for the Magic vs Science unravelling laws of rationality theme in this show, plus how the Doctor fits into it all)

Maybe I'm so sceptical of the authority thing because of this guy's (reasonable) doubts.

Feels quite Series 4. 'There's something on your back'

"But it's just a grey star now. Nothing special." "Well, a grey star is a star that's collapsed." Hm, a grey star isn't a thing. Is it meant to be a fading white dwarf (i.e. between a white dwarf and black dwarf?) or maybe a neutron star or something? Maybe something between a black hole and neutron star? That would better fit the "collapse" description.

"It was an Xtonic Star. But that's ancient history, 400,000 years ago." Wait, I know that star...

"Carbon 46" "And the definition of that is?" "Diamonds. This is a diamond mine. The entire surface of this planet was once made out of diamonds" WAIT I KNOW THAT PLANET...

Holy shit, so this is a Midnight sequel?! No wonder the sceptical tone felt so strong (also tbf I saw something comparing the episode to Midnight, but didn't realise how strong the connection was going to be!)

The monster perked when it heard the Doctor was an expert, didn't it...?

Oh, this soundtrack! With the trumpets blaring. Was that from Midnight or another episode? It sounds kinda Twelve era, but I expect I'm wrong. (Future edit: I checked, it's definitely from Midnight. It's part of the same named song on the Series 4 soundtrack.)

I wonder... if Earth's been destroyed/erased, were the events of that episode effected? How many of the Midnight passengers, if any, were actually human again? If none, maybe it's uneffected?

This is some interesting development for the Midnight entity. So it's some sort of 'perspective'-based creature, always behind the person it's attached to. Feels very Weeping Angel-like, though it's clearly not just a matter of sight. It seems to be linked to the direction Aliss is facing.

"It can't be behind from every angle." "Try telling it that" YESSS, non-euclidean creature, let's go.

A shame this episode kinda kills the "dying TARDIS" theory of it though. Though worth noting this is the same episode Belinda had the translation circuit introduced to her, which is key to that whole idea?

"If it was a clock face, then you die at midnight."... that's a little bit of a stretch... I get it from their perspective, but surely hands at 6 o'clock would be a better comparison?

Side note... did we ever find out when Midnight took place exactly? Right now, I assumed if was the 51st century, but I don't think that's canon. We know it was around 400,000 years ago at a point 500,000 years in the future. So it's a bit further forward than we thought. Actually halfway towards the 200,000 future of human empire era of Series 1 now I think about it, though still 100,000 years away so it's not significant.

Side note 2: 400,000 years isn't a very long for a star to die in? It's fictional granted, but I wonder what type of star Midnight's sun is meant to be. I guess it could have already been in its last days? But the process of dying is meant to be slow in most cases. It presumably would have to have been quite a big star, as the larger they are the quicker they burn out. This seemingly rules out the fading white dwarf theory, since it takes forever for that to happen (fun fact: we believe there isn't a single black dwarf in the universe yet!). A neutron star / black hole intermediary state is a bit more likely, which might place the star right around the Chandresekhar limit which JWST and other telescopes are searching for bodies around. That's still not that much more massive than the Sun though, so the star really must have already been old in Midnight.

"It has fun. Oh, it played games" Interesting. This fits, but gives the creature an even more malevolent feeling, than its learning state we saw (though it was clearly more malicious when it fully took over Sky and possessed the Doctor). The mention of games almost makes me think this will link back to the Pantheon or similar creatures in some way.

As if Midnight wasn't dangerous enough, now everyone's got guns.

Cassio you moron...

...though deliberately killing him via the creature is crazy! WTF Shaya

Is Aliss even still 'her'? If so, it seems to be a change in MO for the entity.

"Please don't turn your back on me." Oh, you know that was an "a-ha" moment at the writing desk!

"My old friend. You have waited 400,000 years. Who are you? Are you there? What are you?" Are we about to get something crazy?

"It knows my name." WHAT. LIKE, 'NAME' NAME? Now I want some to analyse those whisper and see if they can discern anything. If the whisper we hear here is what the Doctor's hearing, it almost sounds just like two or three syllables. Could just be "Doctor" but doesn't sound like it. Sounds closer to "Theta" if anything...

On the other hand, it's clearly more than what we hear, so there's not much to conclude. The Doctor reacts a LOT more while we hear nothing, so there might be some telepathic contact taking place too.

(Does that mean Series 4 now has three episodes in a row with characters who know the Doctor's name? River and the entity?)

"Oh yes, there it is." Ah, for a second we were seeing the Doctor get possessed again! Can you imagine if the Doctor turned and suddenly started acting like the released Sky did at the end of Midnight? I know some of y'all have theorised it could happen in a way involving the Master, but I would love to see Ncuti get a villainous moment, like the Cyberplanner or in 42 (speaking of which, there was a brief second I thought we were talking about that star earlier!).

Ha, I knew the Mercury was significant. So it destroyed the mirrors itself then? Quite "Little Nightmares"-y, plus I swear from something else too, but I can't remember.

"Mercury 16" Oh come on, that isn't an isotope either. I guess it must be some configuration of Mercury, based on the diamond thing (maybe this is why Mercury vapour isn't an issue when it gets spilled - though I suppose even if it was, both the soldiers and the Doctor and Bel have whatever they'd need to heal the exposure).

Oh, so is it attacking something behind it involuntary? Weird... If so, that might explain what happened to the cockpit in Midnight. But did anyone go behind Sky in that episode. Although actually, there have been a few points where it seemingly could have struck previously (e.g. as Cassio walked to the other side of the room and Aliss turned), so maybe there is some control to it? The rules are a bit unclear, but that comes with non-euclidity I guess.

It seems interestingly to be linked to the line of sight specifically? The Doctor told people not to look earlier, so maybe not looking at it when you're facing it is enough to be safe? That would explain the screaming before gettng thrown too. It's like some sort of defensive mechanism to hide and avoid being seen, which is apparently harmful even to itself - very Weeping Angel-like again. Like the entity only attacks when it can gurantee it can kill whatever sees it. But apparently its peripharies (e.g. over the shoulder) aren't so vital.

"I want to see it" How very Listen of you, Doctor. At least he only seems to get a glimpse in the shadows and isn't attacked the same way.

I didn't see it first time watching, but just realised they did actually reuse the orange spacesuit! Aliss wears it when they escort her out, though it's clearly been retouched in grey to serve as a miner's spacesuit. I wonder how many of those suits have actually been made and reused? Given it fits Aliss's actress, maybe this is one of the ones fitted for Jodie, Jenna, or Mandip?

I knew everyone just getting out felt a bit too easy...

Jesus, something tells me this is going to remind Belinda how dangerous this is again, after the relatively comfortably story last time. The Doctor's sacrificial play probably helped solidify her trust of him, but I don't think she'll be as carefree about sticking around as it looked like she was going to be.

Interesting no-one questions if Belinda nearly dying would be enough to move the entity to Shaya. (Future edit: knowing it didn't actually go to her shows how flimsy this really was. It's also a nice reminder that the thing is intelligent, and doesn't have rules it needs to follow. After all, why should it go to the killer? It probably only did so previously because they were the most convenient nearby body. Or actually, in retrospect, I guess that, like it looked for the most intelligent person in the room in Midnight, this time it's just looking for its safest way out. In the past, that's been sticking with whoever kills the previous host - "survival of the fittest", after all (not that that's what that phrase really means) - but here, it knows Shaya is ready to sacrifice herself, so there's no point leeching onto her. It also doesn't go with the Doctor, as this time he's too smart, and would catch and stop it. Belinda was a good try, but her odds now probably seem to low (plus maybe her being shot would have effected it too?). The better option is to pick someone else in the room: not a soldier - but the group's quieter nurse.

I feel like Shaya running away face forwards could have been done a bit more carefully, given she was almost throwing everyone behind her. (Future edit, again: given the final twist, this makes more sense...)

Also, she kinda comes across as another Doctor parallel doesn't she? Like with Mr Pye last episode, here "running across the galaxy" to bring hope (again that theme). Feels like the kinda thing that could be setting up the Doctor to sacrifice himself some way in the final episode this series.

This music as she sacrifices itself sounds familiar again? I'd assume from Midnight, but it sounds more like something from Girl in the Fireplace. A lot of repeated soundtracks this year so far. Mostly reasonable choices, but Amy's theme and the This is Gallifrey bit feel like they could be arbitrary choices. I hope Murray Gold put some thought into it and it's not more of a Time of the Doctor situation where they had limited recording time and had to reuse some themes (as much as I love the Long Song / Infinite Potential returning for Eleven's regeneration). I wonder if there's more subtle Midnight callbacks in this episode's soundtrack I missed? Whether there are or not, I will say I did love the soundtrack this episode, including the more original bits. (Future edit: Again, I checked this. I don't think it's actually Madame de Pompadour, which is what I was thinking. I think it's just a similar sounding theme, either original to this episode, or possibly unreleased from Midnight.)

Mrs Flood again. So the use of the vindicators IS important, including to whatever she's thinking. Again... is my theory that they're accidentally messing with Earth's position in the Web of Time correct?!

Actually defeating the Midnight entity (albeit not killing it), rather than just surviving felt a little bit of a shame, so it actually sucessfully getting out does boost this ending quite a bit! Now I just kinda hope we get a third story to complete the trilogy, as it's quite a cliffhanger. Maybe that could be the one to actually reveal more about it?

Ooh, the credits give the entity a name (or lack thereof) for crediting. "It Has No Name". It seems to be a male actor, maybe whoever did the glimpses of it on set? The whispers sounded more feminine to me.

Overall thoughts

I really liked this one, even if it was a bit of a disappointing follow-up. Definitely doesn't match up to Midnight in terms of the tension and anxiety, even if I was feeling it early on. Maybe more should have been done with Cassio's coup - we could have seen more and more whispers among the crew members over the story? The room most of the action takes place in is also way too big, so you don't get the same claustrophobia. That being said, between this and the entity's behaviour itself, I get you don't just want to do Midnight, but again. I still think it was a good and creepy story, but the comparison to Midnight kinda makes it look worse by comparison. We also don't get the same breakdown of the Doctor's character behaviour, though again I understand you can't just do the same thing again. It more just happens in the background here, mostly via Cassio. On the bright side, I'd argue we've gotten a similar breakdown of Fifteen from Belinda just a couple episodes ago, so I'm not too upset.

Meeting the entity again is cool though, especially with it seemingly recognising the Doctor. The implication that it learned the Doctor's name is a bit of a bombshell, even if it sadly didn't amount to anything. Its shows of force are neat, quite poltergeist-y, and matches up with the cockpit getting torn off in the previous episode, but overall it didn't really match the creepiness of that episode. I'm kinda shocked we never got a point of it mimicking someone again (can you imagine if it was doing so throughout, and when we got to the airlock Belinda suddenly started repeating people's words!). It seems a lot more physical rather than psychological / mental in this episode. On the otherhand, the MO change does kinda make sense. It's been 400,000 years after all - it was only really doing what it did in the first place to learn! Probably doesn't need to learn anything else at this point. Learning more about it, like its connection to perception, was pretty cool too.

I liked the characters in this episode - while some crew members were clearly more "redshirt"-y, a few of them like Cassio, Shaya and Mo stood out, as did Aliss. I really loved how you could feel the different communication barriers coming across through the episode, between the discussion of signing, the soldiers turning off their captions to speak without Aliss hearing (though, as she says, she can definitely lipread some of it) and the Doctor making an effort rather than just relying on the automatic captioning. The latter in particular feels like a bit of a relevant topic, given I've just recently seen "anti-DEI" talk turn to the idea of getting rid of interpretors and just having subtitles available. Again, I'm not audibly or visually impaired (just shortsighted), so I'm probably not the best person to talk about it, but there've been plenty of discussions especially on Tumblr on why this is a bad conclusion to come to.

One thing I'll say, less about the current episode and more in general - maybe this is just me, but do modern DW episodes tend to feel a bit underdeveloped? Not in terms of editing (though I'd argue some changes could have been made to the last few episodes, as much as I liked them) but in terms of plot pacing? It feels like a lot more happened in older episodes, whereas nowadays I check the time part way through and am surprised how close we are to the end - it sometimes feels like we could have done more with the concepts, scenery etc. Maybe it's just a matter of growing up and your attention span / information processing changing (if anything, I'm glad I seem to be going that way in terms of paying attention, rather than the opposite!). On the other hand, maybe this is evidence we need to bring back mid-season multi-parters, or at least the 50+ min episodes we got more of in Capaldi's run.

Ruby next week! I'm surprised it's a Ruby episode with the Doctor and Belinda actually on Earth, I thought it was going to be more of a Doctor-lite episode with her. When is it going to be set? I assume last year or something - too long for Bel to hang around on Earth? Also, "boyfriend", "pheromones", what is this, Torchwood?

[secondarysefikura]

Astronaut Cloud x Alien Sephiroth.

Cloud is the sole survivor after him and his crew crash land on a seemingly desolate planet, he’s injured and with the ship heavily damaged he can only hope that a rescue party will come for him.

Sephiroth(Jenova is his biological mother in this idea) finds Cloud a few days later, and is at first confused because he could have sworn he wiped out all life on the planet he was on. But soon finds himself curious about this cute little creature that keeps trying to fend him off, and very quickly becomes smitten and decides that this cute human will become his mate. After plucking Cloud out of the remains of the ship that he’d been using as a shelter Sephiroth leaves the planet with Cloud desperately trying to escape his grasp.

First things first before they can mate Sephiroth needs to introduce Cloud to his mother, after all she’s been demanding he find a mate for a very long time so he can continue their great lineage.

Oh I like this.

Imagine how upset Sephiroth will be when he finds out Cloud requires the spacesuit to breathe/stay alive. What do you mean he can't take it off Cloud??? His mate will die???? Not to mention that Cloud only has so much oxygen supply now that the ship has crashed.

Well that's not acceptable at all! Looks like he will he need to build some sort of safe area that Cloud can live in without needing that silly suit. Then Sephiroth can start filling Cloud with his cells, slowly changing Cloud so that he is more Jenovan than human. Once that happens, Cloud won't have to worry about staying in the safe area anymore. He'll be free to explore without risk of suffocation or freezing.

Too bad for Cloud that this process requires a lot of sex. And that there is no way to get away from Sephiroth even once he doesn't have to stay in the area Sephiroth built for him.

[abbysimsfun]

Sims In Bloom: Generation 2 Pt. 68 (A House Fire with No Fire on Spooky Party Day?!)

While Heather and Conrad got ready for guests to arrive, Malcolm sent a few pictures of Ash dressed in his bunny costume. Going trick or treating in the building today, he reported. Heather smiled.

Glad you're all having fun, she wrote back. Civility with her son's father could be nice.

Focused on the party, Heather was determined to redeem herself after her botched attempt to throw a Spooky Day party back in high school. This time, she made sure to note it was a costume party, and all her guests confirmed they'd show up dressed accordingly!

Her youngest sister, Hazel, arrived early with her fiancee, Nicola. They were staying the night in the upstairs guestroom, excited for a short getaway on the coast before their upcoming wedding.

"The decorations look great!" Hazel gushed. "Spooky record player!"

"Does anyone smell fire?" Nicola sniffed the air. "I hate fire."

"I don't smell anything," said Conrad. The only thing he smelled was his spinach and cheese omelet.

They went about the afternoon and finished setting up for the party. Conrad left for a short walk with Gord, and the fire Nicola smelled finally materialized in the bedroom! Heather, Hazel, and Nicola ran toward the flame, screaming incoherently, until Heather finally grabbed an extinguisher and put out the blaze.

From the delayed fire, they suffered damage to a bathroom countertop, mirror, Heather and Conrad's bed, and a bedside table. A cluster of wall hangings also burned, but considering how long the flames had burned invisibly, they were grateful the damage hadn't been any worse!

(I assume the lack of a visible fire for so long was a glitch, but I'm also at a loss as to how it started. They lost a decor hairdryer in the blaze, but it doesn't even plug in. Sorry for walls down in the second shot when the fire finally showed up, but I was kinda flabbergasted!

The fire actually looks like it started in the bedroom - I thought bathroom at first, so we could blame the Scare Seeker lot trait which was on when the fire began! Also yes I bought a bassinet in anticipation before they lost the baby and it's just sitting there waiting. Didn't burn!)

They managed to replace the damaged furniture, clean up, and get changed into their costumes before guests arrived. Conrad had time to finish the spooky cookies, and Heather handed out candy to a few trick or treaters. One in particular made her smile.

"What planet are you from, Master Yoda?"

"Everyone knows Yoda's home planet has never been confirmed," scoffed the masked child. Impressed, Heather gave her extra candy.

Just like in high school, Heather painted herself blue to dress as a Twi'lek, determined this time to get at least one picture of herself for all the effort. She was all dressed up and prepping some last minute treats in the kitchen when Conrad the Sexy Mailman walked in.

"Say, there, sexy alien lady. Did you have any mail you need delivered?" He shook his hips in his tight bicycle shorts, and Heather nearly abandoned the stove to drag him to the bedroom.

"Don't tempt me. This blue paint will get everywhere."

Instead, they posed for a couple photos to send back to Malcolm.

Tell Ash we say hi. Happy Spooky Day!

Heather carved pumpkins as guests arrived, while Conrad challenged one of his coworkers to a game of chess. They'd invited all Heather's siblings, but Kris and Holly were busy with their newborn daughter, Tetra, and couldn't make it.

But Uncle Karl arrived in a gladiator suit with his husband Mortimer. "They send their love and asked us to bring home some spooky cookies and candy!"

Heather's high school friend, Dylan, arrived with her husband Gavin, and Heather greeted them with a smile. Gavin's rented spacesuit made for an awkward hug, and Dylan showed up in the same Twi'lek costume and blue body paint as Heather. "I'm so glad you could make it. And you got my text!"

"I don't know why you were afraid to wear such a revealing costume by yourself. You look great! But I have come all the way from the planet Ryloth to join you here on Simlandia for the evening's festivities. I look forward to observing human behaviour in such a strange environment."

Heather laughed. "How's life with two kids under four?"

"Way harder than life with just Pearl," said Gavin. "Whenever Darrell cries, she starts crying, too. Thank goodness her mom agreed to watch the kids tonight. If Dylan and I don't let our hair down a little, we might go insane."

"He's exaggerating...kinda. We love them, but we're happy to get out of the apartment for a while," said Dylan, sipping her Spooky Day-themed 'blood' cocktail.

River and Cass showed up with her mother Bella Goth, and Everett danced the night away with Spencer. Even Heather's parents, Daisy and Neal, stayed until late.

Taking a break from dancing to Latin Pop tunes blasting from the Grimophone, Everett joined Heather outside. She was carving a pumpkin and enjoying the temperate evening, and Heather's costume nearly knocked him over with nostalgia. "You still look incredible in blue paint. Hope you got some pictures this time."

"This was a much more successful Spooky Day party than my first attempt, thank you very much."

"You and Conrad are great hosts."

They caught one another up on their sons and laughed together in the moonlight, but after everything they'd been through, and where they were in their lives now, their high school kiss under the stars was a distant memory.

"It's funny, you and Malcolm both dressed up as pirates this year. And Malcolm Landgraab as a pirate is just...there's this old story about a pirate queen who cursed the Landgraabs," she said.

(I put Malcolm in a pirate costume on purpose, Everett just appreciates giving me symbolism with Heather's two past loves dressed in the same costume that happens to remind her of the curse she fears will harm her son!)

"I'm not a fan of Malcolm Landgraab, but I trust in the Watcher far too much to put any stock in curses."

Heather shook off the conversation. A priest couldn't talk to her about curses or raising the dead. For the first time in her life, she couldn't talk to her best friend. She glanced through the kitchen window, where Conrad was chatting with Bella Goth. These days, he was the person she could tell everything.

Before he stood to head back inside, Everett smiled. "It's nice to know you know how to throw a costume party, after all," he teased. Heather laughed to herself.

Though she'd worn the same costume as she did back in high school, she was such a different person now. ->

<- Previous Chapter | Gen 2 Start | Gen 1 Summary | Gen 1 Start

[perfectlypreservedpie]

MacCready Fanfiction Recs (Fallout 4)

hey everybody, nobody asked for this but in the midst of writing fallout fanfic I was feeling a special kind of love for my favorite fo4 fanfics and wanted to recommend them in case you hadn't read 'em. Because they are VERY GOOD and writing fanfic is hard, so you gotta give props to those who sweat for your comfort fics.

I'm gonna recommend my top three finished fanfics, and then two more bonus fics that are being updated rn. As a clarifier, these are all Maccready fallout 4 fics. so. keep that in mind.

im tagging the authors and also anybody who wants to join and share their favorites too!

3. THE FATHER(S) AND THE SON(S) on ao3 by @sirmanmister

I'm going to preface this rec by saying this: there is Fanon MacCready. There is canon MacCready. And then there is ascended!whatBethesdawishesitWAS MacCready, which exists solely in this fanfiction. The characterization of Mac is so well written. He is snarky, he is vulnerable. He desperately wants to grow up but doesn't know how. He has the most sick character arc in this story!!!

It's not a romance but instead a coming of age story where the sole survivor becomes a de-facto parent to Mac. The heart of the story is about how to raise a child while you're still trying to grow up yourself. The apocalypse setting lends itself well because the Wasteland is a place where NOTHING is beautiful, but the way that M!Sosu and MacCready care for their sons is beautiful. Which makes it special and worth fighting for.

As a fun fact, I read The Road by Cormac McCarthy for class a week after finishing this fic and I was thinking about this fic the whole time because the themes of fatherhood during an apocalypse hit a lot of the same beats. Maybe my professor would kick me in the teeth by comparing fic to McCarthy, but @sirmanmister YOU ARE MY CORMAC MCCARTHY <3

2. WORKING CLASS HERO on ao3 by @bluegrasskitty

This is the kind of fic you take with you to toilet, to work, in-between classes. It will suck you in. AND THERE'S A SEQUEL TOO YOU GUYS‼️

The sole survivor in this story is the model for the Nuka Cola girl. You know the hot lady in the spacesuit? SHE HAS A BACKSTORY. AND YALL IT MADE ME WEEP. During some point of the story, I sort of stopped rooting for MacCready to be the narrator and just wanted Nora Cabot to take the reins. When I tell you I think of this oc every two to three business weeks. She's an incredible leading lady. I can't look at Nuka Girl posters in the game without thinking of Nora Cabot, my beloved.

the sequel IS SO FIRE. It's the best reimagining of 'what happened after the institute blew up' that I've ever read. im gnawing at the bars of my enclosure actually.

A VERY GOOD PLOT TWIST I CANNOT MENTION TO NEW READERS BUT IF YOU'VE READ IT YOU'LL UNDERSTAND. AND IF YOU UNDERSTAND DM ME I HAVE TO TALK TO SOMEBODY ABOUT IT. HHh.

The amount of world building that @bluegrasskitty puts into this story is insane. They ARE Beth Esda.

As a fun fact, I didn't know that radchickens were canon in fallout. I thought it was a plot device made up by this author to excuse the ability to make cake in this book, but radchickens ARE real. When I was playing Far Harbor last year, I found radchickens and thought that @bluegrasskitty manifested them into existence because they had that kind of power.

that being said, I still think this author has that kind of power.

1. Atom Bomb Baby on ao3 by @starlightwrites

I think you dropped something....my jaw.

fellas. fellas. this is my comfort fic. You ever had a comfort fic? Something you come back to at least once a year to reread to feel something? the fiction equivalent of chicken noodle soup? this is what Atom Bomb Baby is to me. this is peak literature actually. if I ever figure out book binding, im doing this one first.

Plot wise, it's a retelling of Fallout 4's main story through the perspective of MacCready. But (and im wheezing as I say this) it's also so much more THAN THAT.

this fic author understands that MacCready is not a womanizer but is in fact a touch starved loser. and they are CORRECT.

MacCready spends the entire fic like 'uuuhhhh I dunno about this one, boss!'

ITS BEST FRIENDS TO LOVERS RAHHHHHH

it also has a nostalgia feel to me too, because reading it gives me the same feeling as what it was like to play the game for the first time, years ago. maybe it's because I've read it so many times over the years, but reading it feels so satisfying.

The author spends 10 chapters at the end solely dedicated to an epilogue. I wish more stories did this. They go through the wringer in this story, and it's so deeply satisfying to see how cleanly everything gets wrapped up. MacCready and the Lola work really well together as a couple, so it's awesome to see how they work together after the battle is done.

6 out of 5 stars.

BONUS FICS !! aka fics that are still updating! I squeal with joy when I get an ao3 email about these: 1. Best Laid Plans on ao3 by @druidgroves - Georgia Tate is an incredible character and sole survivor! She was a teacher prewar, so it's really fun to get her perspective on the world. She cares a lot about education and libraries and I find her really relatable and endearing. It's a cool thing for a character in an apocalypse to care about! It also makes for fun tension with Mac, who's written as a pragmatic survivor. A great take on familiar characters and their dynamics. - And It's a great slow burn! I'm really enjoying reading it. 2. Long Time Running on ao3 by @twosides--samecoin - If you've ever thought that Med-Tek was too convenient an option for Duncan's cure, this fic was written with you in mind. - RJ goes to Canada and im obsessed with it. - If you're interested in fallout lore, specifically the bit where the U.S annexed Canada and wished that there was more info about that, I would highly recommend this fic. Twosides--samecoin put in THE WORK. The world building they do to explain Canada's side of the Great War is so fun!!! its genuinely such a thrill to read!

I'm tagging the authors who I mentioned, if you all have favorite fics (fallout or otherwise, I'd love to hear em!) Thank you for making good art!