#i guess o'brien is here too

[nagusposting]

i got flash

[redclercs]

begin again ✩ charles leclerc

— or, the one where a formula 1 driver has a friendship bracelet and a dream.

✐ charles leclerc x singer! fem reader, former dylan o'brien x reader. fc: jade thirlwall

✐ requested a million years ago, but i'm just now sitting my ass down to write this. hope you enjoy anon!

✐ warnings: smau, based on the taylor x travis relationship public developmet we've seen with lots of made up stuff don’t take this too seriously! also not following the actual f1 race schedule.

Liked by charles_leclerc, mercedesamg, taylorswift and others.

View comments

softyn DEVOURED! have fun you deserve it after so many concerts🩵🩵

ynmyluv | LOVE YOU SO MUCH SLAY

lecmilton16 the devil works hard but the mercedes f1 team works harder (not on the car though)

hamilgoat44 mercedes playing cupid because Ferrari can’t even do *that* for their driver

formulayn @/charles_leclerc HERE IS YOUR CHANCE TO GET THAT FB TO ITS DESTINATION

liked by charles_leclerc

VIEW ALL COMMENTS.

─── team principal radio: ❝guess who's back and with a request! thank you to everyone who's been waiting so patiently for any update at all, you are the best of the best! I hope you enjoyed this drabble, do let me know your thoughts and please support by reblogging as well♡❞

[mariusslonelysoul]

Finally started ds9 so here are some thoughts~ (i'm almost done with s1)

They are NOT pulling punches good god

Even the intro is already much darker

Also trek has always been horny but i was not expecting to hear "sexual holosuite programs". I guessed that's what the holosuites were used for but i didn't think they'd confirm it

I like the uniforms better than tng's. quark's outfit is certainly a statement too

Odo is first and foremost a hater and i respect that

Pls let jake be happier than wes. I'm hoping than with nog there too they support each other

Kira is a fascinating character, the scene with the spiritual leader telling her to accept her violence so she can move on was great

Dax is also so interesting, i hope they explore some more of how she copes with her previous identities

On that note, it's not trek without a character being put on trial

Julian is such a loser i love him

Honestly all the characters are great and i cannot wait to see more of them

I also hope keiko appears a lot, i need the o'brien family to be happy and thriving

Odo and quark are such worsties, they are like spones but without the yearning and tension

Ngl i do miss the captain's chair

[walkingstackofbooks]

Consider: Julian being pregnant with Yoshi and going to Federation parenting classes with Miles and Keiko. And encountering a list of all the rights and freedoms every child is supposed to be entitled to. Some of which... don't sound like his childhood. (Cw child abuse)

I've got SO MANY more ideas for this it may turn into a series who knows??? But I want to share it now so people can maybe like it? Because I have feeeelings.

--

"So these are just, uh, suggestions, right? Parents don't have to do all of them?" Julian asked, instantly regretting it. If Miles' dirty look was anything to go by, clearly that had been the wrong thing to say.

"Julian," he gritted out, "you're my best mate and you're carrying my child so I'm going to give you a chance to explain. What the hell do you mean by that?"

Julian really wasn't sure that he could. Some of the statements on the poster had surprised him, that was all, but he didn't really want to get into the reasons why.

"Don't, uh-- Don't worry. It's not important," he tried to deflect.

"It bloody well is important, if you're just planning to ignore what you're learning here."

"Miles--" Keiko broke in, placing a hand on her husband's knee.

"I didn't mean it like that!" Julian exclaimed, cradling his stomach protectively. "I was just saying that, um... I guess that they're not all as important as each other, are they? Lack of privacy, for example -- that's not exactly abusive, is it, like some of the others?"

"That's a common misconception, but no, Doctor Bashir," answered Mx Rakoto. "Any parent showing a consistent failure to meet any one of these standards would be enough to investigate them for abuse."

"Oh."

"What do you mean, "oh"?" Miles asked, with an irritation that compelled Julian to shrug and look away.

"I guess I just didn't realise it was taken that seriously," he replied, feeling kind of silly and small as he said it. "I know we learnt about them in school, but back then it was more of a thing for teachers than parents, wasn't it?"

There was a pause, before Keiko said tentatively, "...These have always been for parents, Julian."

"Mrs O'Brien is correct," Mx Rakoto added. "Your parents would have completed a very similar course to this -- some things have changed of course, there's always more progress that can be done, but the fundamental rights and freedoms of children haven't changed, and nor has the law."

"No, but..." Julian's brain didn't seem to be working properly; was he missing something?

"You're saying these are things I should have had at home and at school?"

"Yes?"

"And my parents should have known about them?"

"I would find it hard to believe that they didn't. Parents are required to access learning about this every few years."

"Oh." Julian's voice had gone very quiet at the point. "I think I-- I need a minute..." he said shakily, eyes glued to the poster in front of him, reading and rereading the information as he tried to figure out what he'd got wrong.

Right to privacy.

Right to choose their own name.

Right to appropriate support and accommodations of a disability.

Freedom from unnecessary medical interventions.

Freedom from torture.

Right to make mistakes.

"Julian?" asked Keiko softly, startling him out of his thoughts. "Are you alright?"

Slowly, he shook his head. "I didn't know," he whispered. "I mean, it's not like I thought they were great parents, you know, but I didn't think... Well, most people complain about their parents, don't they? I didn't think mine were abnormally bad. But there are so many things--" His voice quavered, almost breaking. "And you say they could have been investigated for just breaking one?"

"What... what kind of things?" asked Miles hesitantly. "Only if you want to tell us, of course."

Julian's eyes flicked around the room, but Mx. Rakoto seemed to have left the room.

"They've gone," confirmed Keiko, seeming to catch onto what he was thinking. "I can go too, if you'd prefer..."

"No -- it's alright," said Julian. "It's just... a lot to take in."

His eyes returned to the poster. Right to encouragement. Freedom from humiliation and constant criticism. Right to self-expression. Right to relax and play. Right to mistakes.

"It must be hard, right," he started, looking to them both anxiously, "to keep these all in your head? There's a lot of them, it must be normal to not remember all of them all the time?"

Miles and Keiko exchanged glances, a second-long conversation that Julian was not privy to.

"All parents make mistakes," said Keiko kindly. "It's when these things start getting ignored often that there's a problem."

"And some of them you barely have to think about anyway," added Miles. "You know, "right to shelter", "right to food", "right to clothes" -- it's not difficult stuff. You don't have kids if you don't want to look after them properly."

"Then why did my parents find it so difficult?" The words burst out of Juliann before he could stop them. "What was so wrong with me that meant they didn't do all this?"

"No, oh no, Julian," said Keiko, as Miles reached out to pull him in for a hug. "Don't think like that. It wasn't you--"

Julian wasn't really listening: his question had finally given him the puzzle piece he had been missing -- he'd realised what hadn't been adding up.

"No... no, it's fine," he said, feeling a little floaty now he'd got his thoughts all in order. "No, it was me. I was a difficult kid. That's..." He shook himself, feeling his cheeks get hot as he wondered what the O'Briens must be thinking. "I'm sorry, this session was supposed to be about your child, not about me."

"Our child," corrected Miles gruffly. "And this is important, Julian. I don't give a damn if you were "difficult", your parents don't get to just ignore your rights."

"You don't understand," said Julian desperately, hoping he'd be able to make them see even without mentioning his enhancements. He'd made a real mountain out of a molehill here, he didn't know why he hadn't managed to connect the dots quicker before this all had spiralled out of control. "I tried to piss my parents off. I'd stay out too late and go drinking illegally and date guys way too old for me just because I knew it would annoy them. And I'd always talk back and argue with my dad, and find ways to be smarter than him, and--"

"And none of that was enough to lose your rights, Julian," said Keiko gently. "That's not how it works."

Julian was shaking; he didn't want to listen to them. He'd figured it out -- it was his fault his parents hadn't done everything they were supposed to, because if it wasn't his fault, it was their fault, and that meant... well, that they were abnormally bad parents, and that... that...

"Hey," said Miles, more softly than Julian had ever heard him, peeling Julian's hands away from where he'd been covering his ears. "Let's say you're right -- just for a moment," he added in response to Keiko's hissed "Miles?". "Maybe we don't understand everything that went on. Why don't you tell us which of these you weren't getting from your parents, yeah? Explain it to us a bit more?"

Flashing him a weak smile, Julian nodded. he should have known he could always count on Miles.

"Okay, yeah, um -- so I guess, uh, "right to choose your own name"?" he said, feeling slightly uncomfortable as he watched Keiko pull the poster up on her PADD and circle it, but choosing not to comment. "It wasn't like, transphobic or anything though," he defended. "They'd just always called me 'Jules' since I was little, you know? So it's not really..." He trailed off, shrugging.

"Okay..." said Miles, and Julian tried to ignore the dubious look his friend shot at Keiko. "Anything else?"

"Um -- I always had to, uh, leave my door open? Or if I closed it, they wouldn't knock before coming in... That's not that weird though, right? One of my Academy friends thought it was, but--"

"Did you feel like your parents respected your privacy?" asked Keiko, and Julian looked at her for a few seconds, before shaking his head.

"But they were my parents," he said. "That was just how they looked out for me. They were supposed to look out for me."

"And you were supposed to have a right to privacy," replied Keiko, making another circle on her PADD. Fuck, this wasn't going the way Julian had thought it would. Hurriedly, he looked for a different one to try to explain better.

"Constant criticism," he said, distantly noticing the strangled tone to his voice. "That's hardly surprising, right? I mean, if you get things wrong all the time, you're going to be criticised, that's just how it works."

Neither Keiko nor Miles looked convinced; clearly he wasn't trying hard enough, describing clearly enough why it had been alright his parents hadn't been perfect. He was getting this all wrong.

The right to make mistakes.

For some reason, those had been the words his eyes hadn't been able to leave alone. Every time he went past them, his heart caught on them, as though the words were a rusty nail left half-buried in his skin.

It wasn't a fair comparison, really. He had been different to the other children -- better, smarter -- so of course he hadn't been allowed to make the same mistakes they did. Of course his parents' expectations had been high; they'd known what he was.

But all the same, it sounded nice, that imaginary childhood where all mistakes were okay, not just the ones he'd carefully measured out to avoid detection.

He didn't realise he was crying until he felt a rough thumb wiping a tear off his cheek.

"Oh, Julian," Miles was saying. "It's okay, you can let it out now. We're here for you. I'm so sorry. I wish I'd known."

[hvezdnastreka]

Guess who's getting graded on their DS9 fanart B)

Basically we're all making a board game and if designing game rules, cards, 3d figures, the board and the box doesn't burn the brain rot out of me, nothing might! I wanted to make a strategy board game about the Dominion conflict, however that game already exists, so mine will be simply focused on The Quickening episode, with more characters, more conflict and none of the important moral lessons about being able to save everyone. I'm already rambling about this too much, but those two are part of the role cards (You'll be able to pick between Bashir, O'brien, Dax, Kira and Ekoria, with each of them making some part of gameplay easier). I hope noone gets burnt out haha. Anyway, if anyone read it up to here, do you like the VHS effect or is it better without?

[ninainthetardis]

13 reasons why Teen Wolf the Movie is a big NO (Spoilers)

No Stiles

All the characters are 30+ but still acting/talking like they were teens. And I thought Eli was the one supposed to keep the "teen" element alive!

They brought back a character who'd been dead for like 18 years at that point in the story, and unnecessarily killed one of the best characters in the show (a character that had already suffered enough and was finally in a good place and had reasons to live for)

Almost all the couples broke up, but why? I mean, how did Malia and Parrish even happened? Just because they were the only ones who stayed in BH? And Melissa and Chris? They were adults, they could have worked! I get the kids, it would not be realistic if all the couples were still together 15 years later, but at least they could have told us HOW and WHY they broke up!!!

No Isaac, no Theo, no Ethan, no Braeden (soo, who's Eli's mom if we left Derek with her and he's clearly not her son?), but mostly NO STILES

Lame plot tbh (the revenge thing was awful and how is that teacher even alive? And I mean, I rewatched the show a year ago and I didn't even remember him). Also, what happened with the hunters after the series finale?

The Nogitsune was the best villain of the show, they ruined that too (but it was a long shot from the very beginning, as in s03 Dylan O'brien did a marvellous job with that character it was nearly impossible to live up to the expectations). Even its schemes were dull, in s03 the Nogitsune was bloody brilliant

Where did the chemistry this cast used to share go?

Shouldn't Allison be the same age as she was when she died? Therefore she shouldn't be with Scott at all? She literally regenerated herself wtf this makes no seeensee, also she was with Isaac when that happened, it was already bad that in her final moments she was thinking only about Scott, but now it's like Isaac never even existed, she didn't even mention him!

They took back the stydia endgame. THE AUDACITY

Liam and Mason didn't even meet wtf

Why did Scott suddenly go full Enchantix in that scene, what was that?

Kira's substitute just being put there and robbing us of the Thiam dream (assuming that he's in a relationship with her, I mean, they only hinted at that)

I know I passed the 13 reasons, but the CGI was so awful that I have to mention that. The same goes for the dialogues.

And also, 6 seasons of "being a pack" and 15 years later they all live in different places and barely talk to each other. Disappointing.

I was so happy when this movie was announced. Now I feel like it was so unnecessary... I guess I never learn... I hate revivals so much. It's always like this. I'm sure I could find other stuff I didn't like about this movie, but Derek being dead is the most upsetting of them all, so I'll just end the rant here and pretend this movie never came out in the first place

[ooapple-greaseoo]

Thundering Drums

I don't know how to feel right now. I haven't ever been a big KISS fan because I was born in 2006 and never felt a strong connection with the band. I didn't know any songs besides "I was made for loving you" and I didn't even know any of the band members names. However, now as of March 2024 I learned more about KISS not because of the band but because of a person who was in the band. The first band members name i ever learned was Eric Carr's name. I guess much like other people they felt a connection with him. I felt that when i started watching videos of him goofing off (I wasn't even listening to any of the music he made/helped make. I was purely just watching for who he was as a person). I don't feel that type of connection with any other band members like you won't be seeing me actively reading a Gene Simmons biography because I want too. Eric Carr just seemed so human. He was such a good guy and I may not have met him but hearing stories about him...I kinda miss the guy you know? How could I miss someone I never had the chance to meet? Even as I'm sitting here crying while writing this every so often glancing at the picture of Eric Carr on the face of my own copy of "The Eric Carr Story" I feel like I need to make this post. I wrote this type of post before I read the book but it sadly got deleted. However, after reading the book in basically one day I feel compelled to rewrite it to get my own emotions and feelings out. One thing I wrote in the previous post that stood out was that I said I felt empty. I get like that sometimes when I get so vested into a person its like I lose a part of myself. So I was feeling very hollow before I read the book. But now after reading the book I feel like I gave that part of myself to Eric Carr and he sorta handed me back this piece of hope and confidence to keep going with my life to strive for better things. I think for me at least Eric Carr is the best drummer in the world not just for his skill but also for who he was as a person. He is definitely one of my role models now to strive to be remembered as someone who did something. I don't cry a lot it's not who I am but when i read the book and write this post I'm crying. It really shows how in such little of a time that I've learned of Eric Carr how much he grew on me and influenced me. I'm very glad I had the chance to learn about him through the people who loved him like his family, Carrie Stevens, and the many people who befriended him. I hope no one forgets who he was and what he's done for everyone.

Keep Rock n Rollin, Izzy

Shout out to @spacefoxy and many other fans for posting so much amazing Eric Carr content. I think it helps a lot of people in many different ways.

P.S I won't speak on my own feelings of KISS the band and who they are now and what they did while Eric Carr was sick and dying. But I hope their happy because I think at the end of the day Eric would have wanted them to be happy too.

"But this too is true: stories can save us."- Tim O'brien (The Things They Carried)

[thegeminisage]

it is time for. NOT a tng update. but a ds9 update!!! wednesday* we watched "emissary" and actually i'm not clear on if we watched both parts or just one since my website is wonky but either way whatever we watched FUCKING RULED. i'm dispensing w the normal bullet points so i can ramble as much as i want

*it was last night actually but it took me all day to type this up so i'm scheduling it to go up later. it got looooong lol

the first most striking thing i noticed about ds9, or at least the first half of what we watched, is that it FEELS like a video game. someone tell me if this is insane. you're playing as sisko. you get flashbacks of his backstory, you get thrown into this starbase that's in shambles and it's Your Job to fix it up. you go around meeting all the secondary characters who will be in charge of this or that gameplay aspect or upgrade system or shop: kira, o'brien, quark, odo, jadzia, julian, etc. the FOLEY in this was insane. all the noise in the back CONSTANTLY suggested a lively and whole universe outside of our direct line of focus - it felt so alive in the way not even the enterprise in tos did. i could picture myself in the opening gameplay/cutscene like slowly walking my character through what will become a hub area that i gradually upgrade over time while kira or o'brien narrates the list of problems. you're starting at the bottom rung and expected to fail, but you can FEEL the potential even in just one brief walk through the promenade. IS THIS INSANE? it feels like an insane thing to say. someone PLEASE write in if you have ever had similar feelings. if they haven't made a ds9 game yet, they should.

i also notice that not only is the quality of the ds9 episodes worse than that of tng and tos - no one has remastered them into 1080p, apparently - but the lighting is very different, as well. it felt WEIRD to see picard and the enterprise D shot this way. but it also lends, perhaps unintentionally, perhaps not, a really gritty atmosphere to what is normally a very clean universe. i guess since we mostly see it from the inside of starships, it would feel like a sterile place to us, but you know how everyone always compliments star wars on how lived-in it feels? the buttons are wearing, sand is stuck in their fancy thingamajigs, etc? this was how ds9 felt to me.

okay. the characters. let's fucking get into it. what's so fun about ds9 in general is that in all other trek shows i have picked out my specialest little guy in 5 seconds flat. tos was spock EASILY. tng i knew it was data before i started. i already know seven's gonna be my favorite voyager character, but i have NO IDEA!!! who my precious little baby in ds9 will be. what a fun surprise for everyone involved. if anybody wants to place bets go ahead.

like, i thought tng had a pretty solid lineup (hence my eternal frustration with its wasted potential) but they're not anywhere as eclectic as ds9's core cast. iirc, sisko and o'brien are the ONLY humans who for once are outnumbered by trek's cool aliens. i'm saving sisko for last because that was the part of ds9 that touched me most profoundly, but for o'brien - it was a little sad to see him leave the enterprise, because picard was right, it WON'T feel the same without him, but i'm really excited to see why everybody says he suffers more than jesus and to find out if the eyepatch is a permanent thing or if it's just mirrorverse fuckery. either way, i win. like, o'brien is cool, and i always miss him when i don't see him in tng, and i'll continue to miss him in tng from here on out, but he could never shine in that show. it's too stiff and too reluctant to put its characters through any real development. it's a shame they can't ALL move to ds9, tbh.

the next person we met was kira, who was WONDERFUL. it took me a minute to warm up to her, not because there was anything wrong with her, but because i figured at first glance she was ds9's version of ro laren, the obligatory bajoran cast member to connect us with the bajoran/cardassian plot - which would of course be good because ro is awesome, but it's not necessarily anything new and i already love ro. BUT I WAS WRONG! kira's personality is very distinct from ro's; really the only thing they have in common is not liking cardassians which lmao Yeah. my favorite thing about kira is that she smiles when she's upset or angry. that's Such an acting choic, to have her grinning at the cardassians when she's almost certain they're about to blow her whole space station to smithereens. all love light and respect to ro laren my beloved, but i think i actually like kira BETTER.

odo: WHAT is that thing he can do oh my god...is this a changeling?? i got that result in a star trek quiz once. i really loved when he snuck aboard the enemy ship posing as a bag to hold gambling winnings. i was like oh they showed us the bag to show us it will get stolen soon BUT NO it was odo!!!!!!! such a fun surprise. the exposition on his backstory was a little slapdash but i enjoyed it all the same, i cannot wait to learn more

i was most nervous to meet quark because i hate hate HATE the ferengi in tng, but he was actually so entertaining! like, you're never gonna be able to entirely remove the antisemetic undertones from the ferengi as a whole, but he was smart, practical, and endearingly longsuffering. i love his wryness and deadpan humor. i have a feeling he is gonna be so much fun to torture lovingly.

meeting julian bashir felt like meeting a famous person. for the longest time all i knew about ds9 was that cardassian guy wanted to FUCK that gay little doctor, so it was a little hilarious that in his first scene he was asking a woman* out on a date. sir do you not know you're gay?? even funnier was the fact that out of everybody in the pilot he had the least lines. we barely know him, but we finally met him. relatedly, i can't to wait to meet more cardassians, especially The cardassian. so far, they're still all gay.

*jadzia!!! gnc/trans queen! the trill stuff is SO interesting and watching that worm slither in and out of people during those flashbacks was so wonderful but also made me wince. i love that she used to be an old man and the jokes about it are actually really funny without feeling transphobic or anything SO FAR. who knows if that changes. i feel like we haven't gotten much yet from her either but i cannot wait.

SISKO. damn. where do i even...first of all, he should be allowed to bite kick kill picard. i say this as someone who experienced a genuine THRILL of pleasure upon seeing picard's borged self again. i loved that whole thing, i'm obsessed with the borg. that it comes back in this small way in ds9, and has such a HUGE impact on the storyline, was so so so fucking good. i always say tng tells and not shows, but even after just knowing sisko for a few moments i felt keenly how much it devastated to find his wife like that and THAT WAS JUST FROM THE FIRST SCENE. and it only gets better! he's a great dad. he's FUNNY. he is not above manual labor. he wants to tear picard limb from limb. and he exists HERE.

the wormhole alien sequence was. so good. it was SO GOOD. explaining linear time to aliens. the aliens using his memories to talk to him. HE EXISTS HERE. back and back and BACK to finding his wife in the rubble because HE EXISTS HERE. he CHOOSES to exist here. he existed there when he applied for a transfer to earth. he existed there when he confronted picard. he never left the ship because HE NEVER LEFT THE SHIP. they dragged him out but they COULDN'T DRAG HIM OUT. he exists here because he won't leave her to exist here alone because damn it we can't just leave her here. that was the most insane series of events i ever watched. like, because at first you DO think it's the aliens taking him back there BUT IT'S HIM. HE IS DOING IT TO HIMSELF. when the penny dropped i got literal chill bumps and when the aliens said "it's not linear" and he, openly weeping, replied "it's NOT linear," i genuinely, truly, shed a tear along with him. TNG COULD NEVER. none of those miserable fucks EVER cry!!! sisko did it in the god damn pilot!!!!!!!

and like, the fact that he can choose to stay at the space station at the end, to shake picard's hand, to exist SOMEWHERE ELSE. AAAAAUGHGHGHG

i really loved the final confrontation, too. kira is so so so so good, again, i LOVE that she smiles when she's angry, when she's sad, and it's not a fake smile, it's genuine and honest emotion, and she's genuinely and honestly going to start eating the cardassians for sport if they don't leave her alone. it was very scrappy, them pretending to be bigger and badder than they actually were because they had no other choice. you get the feeling everybody on the station and indeed the station itself is barely holding together, and what little togetherness is present comes from sheer spite.

anyway, absolutely 10/10. i was so worried ds9 wouldn't be good but it not only met my most furtive hopes it surpassed them with flying colors. it's gonna be REAL hard to go back to tng after this.

[youngpettyqueen]

ummm um fic recs….in a horrible turn of events garak and bashir have to babysit the ds9 kids?

ive been wracking my brains over how Garak and Julian would end up babysitting a bunch of the kids and I had a hard time figuring out something that would work with Jake and Nog, since theyre older and dont really need a babysitter, so I went with them babysitting Molly and Yoshi! I hope that's alright <3

Garak isn't sure what to expect when he the door to the O'Briens quarters slides open. All he knows is that Julian told him to come, and his only answer to Garak's many questions was to repeat himself with a don't ask just do it tone.

So, Garak had. He'd come. In the middle of the work day, something he's not planning on letting the Doctor forget. He'd come, and he steps inside as the door slides open, and he doesn't know what he was expecting to find here, but it certainly wasn't... this.

Julian is sitting on the floor by the coffee table, the infant Kirayoshi cradled securely in one arm. He also has what appears to be a plastic crown on his head, which is several sizes too small, and perches awkwardly atop his hair. The older of the O'Brien offspring, Molly, is sitting beside him, in what Garak would guess is a human princess costume, all shiny fabric and very, very pink.

Garak comes to pause, considering the scene before him. There are little plastic teacups and plates set out. A few larger plush toys are also around the table, with teacups and plates of their own. It's quite the little set up.

"Good morning, Doctor. Molly," He greets, turning a quizzical raised brow on Julian, "Might I ask why I was called here?"

Julian gives him a look that is very, very tired. "Good morning, Mr. Garak," He replies, "You were called here because you have been invited to Princess Molly's tea party." He informs him.

"Tea party?" Garak echoes.

"I'll explain later," Julian tells him, "Just come sit." He gestures to an open space at the other end of the coffee table.

"Wait!" Molly pipes up, quickly standing. Julian winces at her volume, quietly shushing her as he looks at Kirayoshi, who appears to be sleeping. Garak turns his attention to the child, who holds her head up high and informs him, "You have to bow first."

Garak considers her for a moment. He catches Julian stop himself from laughing in the corner of his eye. Of course, Garak knows about royalty systems, so he knows what a princess is. And he can't imagine himself bowing to one, but Molly has a very stern look on her very little face, and he has a feeling he's in for a fight if he doesn't comply.

He bows. Dramatically, with a flourish. Molly giggles, and the sound is... pleasing.

"Thank you for the invitation, Princess," Garak bids her, continuing to play along as he straightens himself, "May I...?" He gestures to the open seat.

Molly, to his surprise, shakes her head. "Not there," She tells him, "You have to sit with Uncle Julian. Miss Flutterhooves will move." She gestures at the plush sitting on Julian's opposite side- an equine, if he remembers his Earth animals correctly, except this one is... purple, and it has a shiny silver horn protruding from its forehead.

He goes with it. Why not, at this point? He's clearly not getting out of this. "Of course," He says agreeable, stepping closer. Since the plush toy can't move, for obvious reasons, he gently picks it up, "Pardon me, Miss... Flutterhooves," He shoots Julian a quick glance, who nods approvingly, and he proceeds with moving the toy to the open spot at the end of table, and then going to take his own seat beside Julian. He shuffles in as much as possible, awkwardly crossing his legs and trying to keep his knees from tucking under the table, "There we are. This is... very lovely." He compliments as he settles into a somewhat-comfortable position.

"Very lovely," Julian agrees, looking at Molly, "You've done a wonderful job, Princess Molly."

Molly gives Julian a pleased little smile. "Thank you!" She squeaks. Then she suddenly perks up again, like she's heard something, "Oh! I have to go get the tea. It's done sleeping." She stands and, tucking up her skirts like a proper lady, she hurries off to go and... wake the tea, apparently.

"Steeping," Julian offers, as Garak gives him a confused look, "She means steeping."

Garak nods. That doesn't explain... anything else that's going on here. "Tea party?" He asks. Again.

"An old Earth game, of sorts," Julian replies, "Human children commonly pretend to hold tea parties, usually with their parents and their toys involved. Hence," He gestures around the table with his free hand, "All this."

"I see," Garak says, "And I was invited, why...?"

Julian suddenly won't make eye contact. "Molly insisted," He tells him, quick and clearly not the entire truth, "And I just got Kirayoshi to sleep for the first time all day, so I wasn't about to risk Molly getting upset and waking him," He does look at Garak again, this time with a surprising amount of desperation for a man sitting in front of a plastic teacup, with a plastic crown on his head, "He cried for three. Hours. Garak." He stresses each word, exhaustion and desperation oozing from every syllable.

Garak knows of the infant's tendency towards tears. He has no idea how Kirayoshi manages to wail for so long, considering how tiny his lungs are, but he's been able to hear the shrieking from across the promenade.

"I'm not sure the Chief would approve my being here," He points out, "Or Mrs. O'Brien, for that matter."

"I won't tell if you won't. Just play along," Julian implores him, "That's all I ask, just play along. Molly is very sweet, and also very stubborn, and I promise you I'll make it up to you if you just humour her." He's very nearly begging.

Garak has seen Julian less desperate in active crisis situations. He sighs, making a point to be melodramatic about it. "Very well, my dear," He agrees, "I suppose I can find it in myself to play along with the whims of a little girl. What's the worst that could happen?"

"Don't invite that on yourself," Julian warns, "You haven't seen her when she's cranky."

At that moment, Molly returns. In her hands she carries a teapot that matches her teacups, and she proudly brings it to the table and sets it down in the middle of everything. "Ta-da!" She announces, prompting Julian to gently shush her again, "Tea time!" She does not heed his shushing, "Want the first cup, Uncle Julian?" She asks, holding the pot out to him.

Just like that, Julian is smiling again. "I would love the first cup, Princess Molly," He says. He holds the teacup up, and it's comically small in his hand, "Thank you very much."

Molly tips the teapot forward. No actual tea comes out. Still, she holds it like that for a few seconds, before she tips it back. "There you go!" She chirps. Right, pretend. She turns her smile on Garak, and offers him the pot, "Tea?"

Garak delicately picks the teacup up by the handle, which he has to pinch between two claws. "I would be honoured," He says, laying it on thick. Molly pours the pretend tea into his cup, and he gives her his most winning smile, "Thank you, Princess."

Molly goes around the table, pouring tea for the other guests. Garak resists the urge to comment on the teapot apparently being bottomless, and instead glances at Julian. "Uncle Julian?" He questions, an amused smirk curling on his face.

"I'm her favourite uncle." Julian grins.

"I'm sure," Garak murmurs. Molly retakes her seat, and he turns to her, "Ah, Princess, allow me," He reaches across the table to take the teapot, and he pours her her own cup. He's not sure of the exact method to this, but he counts to 3 and then stops, and she looks satisfied, "Could I ask you a question, Princess?" He asks as he sits back, setting the pot down.

"First, cheers," Molly insists. She thrusts her cup up into the air, and Julian raises his, so Garak follows their lead. They clink their little teacups together- literally, "Clink!" She says.

"Clink." Julian echoes.

"Clink," Garak adds. Then Molly sips, and so does Julian, so he follows. When that's done, he inquires, "May I ask my question now?" Molly nods, and he smiles, "Ah, thank you. Yes, my question is, what made you invite me to the tea party, Princess Molly?"

Molly sets her teacup down. "For Uncle Julian." She replies.

Garak can see Julian looking pointedly away from him in his peripheral. "I see," He says, "And why was I invited for Uncle Julian?" He follows up.

"Cause you're married." Molly replies, like it's the most obvious thing in the Quadrant.

Julian chokes on nothing. Garak's eyes widen. "Married?" He echoes. He turns to Julian, who's gone a truly impressive shade of red, right up to the tips of his ears, "Married?" He repeats.

"Yeah!" Molly says, apparently an expert on the subject, "That's what grown-ups do when they're in love! Like my mommy and daddy. You," She points at Garak, "And Uncle Julian are in love, so you're married."

"She's 5." Julian hisses under his breath, just loud enough for Garak to hear.

Garak needs to take a deep breath. He's not often truly caught off guard, but that... he feels like he's just been knocked flat on his back. Alright. Married. He can go along with that. He's certainly gone along with far worse things.

Suddenly he understands Julian's exhaustion and desperation a few moments prior.

"Well, it was... very polite of you to invite me, Princess," He manages to get out, trying to slot back into his role here, "It's nice to spend time with my... husband." That makes Julian turn even redder. He looks like he's about to start glowing.

"Mommy and daddy wanted together-time today," Molly tells him, looking oh-so-serious for a girl of 5 years old, "So you and Uncle Julian probably want together-time, too. That's what married grown ups want." She explains.

Garak can't help but chuckle. "You're very wise," He says. Because she isn't... wrong. When it comes to him and Julian, at least, "I did want together-time with Uncle Julian today." He admits. They were supposed to see each other for lunch today, but then Julian got called away to babysit the O'Brien children, so it was to be rescheduled. And, soft as it makes him, those lunches are truly about... the only thing he looks forward to, so, yes. He did want together-time, as she put it, with Julian.

Molly glances at Julian, and then she leans over the table. "He did, too," She whispers, except it's very loud, and Julian can obviously hear her, "He told me he missed your lunchtime."

Garak glances at Julian, who's again very much not looking at him. He can't help but melt, just a bit, just enough to soften up. "Did he now?" He hums, "Well, that's alright. We have this tea party, don't we?" He puts his hand on the table, holding it out to Julian.

Julian looks at his hand. Then looks up at him, all round eyes and surprise. And then he smiles, all warm and affectionate. "That we do." He says, taking Garak's hand and giving it a squeeze.

"Ew," Molly pulls a face, "You're being gross like mommy and daddy."

Julian snorts a laugh. Garak chuckles. They let go of their hands and go back to their teacups, following Molly's lead as she sips at air again. Then she insists on refilling their cups, and they sit back and let her.

Julian's hand finds his on the floor. Garak takes it, brushes his thumb over Julian's knuckles. They exchange a private look, a small smile, Julian still red in the cheeks.

Maybe this isn't such a bad way to spend an afternoon, after all.

[star-mum]

Live Star Reaction - The Maze Runner

How did this movie evade me for so many years I have no idea

Stopping to think about it, I actually haven't seen any of the big dystopian teen dramas so now I get to play catch up !!

Was that a pig ?

Okay i know literally NOTHING about the plot so I'm just as lost as you are Dylan O'Brien

"he's all yours" ex-squeeze me? Green bean ???

OKAY NAMES TIME !!! or not i guess... memory wipe looove that

WHO'S THEY ?????

i like Alby, he seems nice (he's absolutely dying ain't he?)

N E W T !!!! I know him 👀 hello accent 👀

if Chuck dies to shift the tone or raise the stakes, I'm gonna personally hunt the producers for sport

MINHO IS SOOOO HOOOOOT !!!! OH MY GOD

Dylan you JUST got here can you listen to this poor kid ? before you get him killed (preferably)

"we gotta stop meeting like this" alright 🍓

is the maze like ... "alive" ?

"light him up" WHY'D YOU SAY HIM ???

you didn't tell me Newt had an accent 🥺

this movie would've NUMBERS in my mind palace at age what 12 ??? how old was I when this came out?

(i was 11 by the way, if you cared)

I can't believe how hot this cast is, EVERYTIME i see Minho I feel the need to scream (THEY KEEP SHOWING HIM FROM FAR AWAY LOOKING COOL AND MYSTERIOUS)

There is so much sexual tension between Will Pouter and Dylan O'Brien sksksksk was it supposed to be this way ?

DYLAN YOU CANT !! HE TOO BIG !!

SKSKSKSK GETS DROPPED ON HIS HEAD -> remembers his name (i fucking love that)

I guess I gotta stop calling him by his actor's name now ;-; fine Thomas

when he gave Thomas the knife I thought we were doing some sort of blood oath (that's for girls in sleepovers only, I forgot)

that's a very shallow grave...

ARE THEY GETTING INFECTED BY THE MAZE ??????

STUNG BY WHAT ???? I hate this movie sksksksk you can have a little exposition as a treat nO TOO MUCH THO PUT THAT DOWN

THERE SHE IS !!!!! I was obsessed with this actress as kid (despite not watching ANYTHING she was in) cause I found out she's half brazilian

is he there as a spy ? Is he supposed to push them all to their limits so only the strongest make it out

"Alby knows better than any of us" HE'S GONNA DIE IN THERE !!!!

(Newt might be my favorite... are we surprised or is this still part of a pattern) (this could change as I see more of the other boys)

HE'S GONNA HAVE TO DROP ALBY NOOOOOO

OH THAT SCENE WAS A THOUGHT WATCH !!! i hate the walls closing in

yeeeaahhh it's Minho time baaabyyyy !!!!

*minho shoves thomas against the wall* 😯🫣

IS THAT A SPIDER ROBOT ????? THAT'S HUMAN MADE !!! I WAS EXPECTING THEM TO BE REAL CREATURES NOT ROBOTS

SUUUNNY YOU DIDN'T TELL ME THERE WERE SPIDER CREATURES !! WHY DO THEY LOOK LIKE THAT

Chuck is so happy they're alive 🥺🥺 he was waiting for the boys outside the maze 🥺🥺

(he's absolutely dying at some point, to make us feel something)

C'mon Gally you're just mad you weren't the big hero of the day

he's soooooo jealous

IS SHE HERE ???? IS THE GIRL HERE ???? IDK HER NAME, KAYA SCODELARIO IS IT YOU ???? (yes it is :3)

oh those other nameless boys are supes dying here aren't they :/

IT'S A CAMERA ISN'T IT ???? TO WATCH THEM ???? or a tracker ?

"you okay, Fry?" oh he's got a name !! thank god !!

took a quick little trip to google and NEWT'S ACTOR PLAYED FERB ???? IN PHINEAS AND FERB ???? THAT'S WHY I RECOGNIZED HIS VOICE ?????

"Throw one more of those thing- OW" KSSKSSKKS SHE'S EVERYTHING TO ME

"for all we know this thing could kill him" he's already dying ! THANK YOU THOMAS

we're only finding out what outside the maze on the last movie aren't we ? ;-;

im so fucking serious, if anything happens to Chuck, Im gonna go crazy (he's my son and I care so much about him)

Noooo he gave the little toy to Thomas !!! he's gonna fucking dieeeeeee

"we call them the blades" that's a different movie

THAT'S SO MUCH BETTER THAN A CAMERA !!!! OOOOHHHHH

WHAT IS THIS PLACE ??? WHO BUILT THIS SUPER MARIO LEVEL LOOKING ASS MAZE ????

"Yeah you've been here 3 years and you're still here" SKSKSKSKS

FINALLY some answers !!!

Why did we leave Alby alone, he's gonna kill himself in there

"the doors aren't closing" *looks directly into camera* i wonder who's dying tonight 😐

so the fire both worked and did nothing ??? at the same time ???

NOOOOOOOOO MY SON !!!!!

OH MY GOD ! LET'S GO ALBY !!!!! WHAT ??? NOOOOO

*poisons himself* Thomas is fucking crazy NSKSKSKS i kinda love it

WE'RE NOT EVEN THERE ?????? ARE WE ???? IS THIS A MATRIX KINDS THING ???? WE'RE IN PODS ?????

"it's not a prison is a test" *Jim's the camera* do i have the world's biggest brain or what ? (the movie has been setting this "twist" up from the beginning)

"this isn't banishing, its an offering" i love seeing characters descend into madness, specially when they speed run that shit the moment a little something goes wrong

I love that teresa is putting her hair up cause obviously this is not the moment to have hair on your face BUT SHE DOES THE WORLD'S WORST AND LOSER PONYTAIL !!!!! THE HAIR IS STILL ALL OVER HER FACE !!!!

NOOOOO MY SON !!!!! STOP TEASING HIS DEATH PLEASE

*Exit door* SKSKSKS what the fuck, that's too easy

ooohh shit ppl are very fucking dead, did we do this? Dylan O'Brien was this you?

THE ENDING IS JUST DANGANRONPA !!!! WHAT THE FUCK SKSKSKS

"he's been stung" eeh he'll survive worst, im sure

YOU WERE THE SPY !!!! BUT FOR THE OTHER TEAM !!!!!

CHUCK WAS GONNA SACRIFICE HIMSELF NO NO NO NO

THAT'S MY SON !!!! NOOOOO FOR REAL THIS TIME !!! NOOOOOOOO

They teased his death so many times !!!! what to hide that he was marked from the beginning ???? I ALREADY KNEW THAT !!! I WAS RAISED ON STARKID DUDE I WILL ALWAYS PICK UP ON FORESHADOWING

🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

"Dont worry, your safe now" I dont trust you

IF THEY KNEW WE WERE IN THERE, THEN WHY NOT RESCUE US FROM THE MAZE ???? WHY WAIT ????

WHAT A BITCH !!!! IT WAS ALL FAKE ?????

im gonna have to watch the sequel immediately, I hate it here (i don't actually, but I NEED answers)

[philosopherking1887]

Something that's bothering me about all the Barbie movie memes I've been seeing going around: the ones that say "This Ken is __." That's not how they work. You can give a Barbie a distinctive attribute: "This Barbie is the boss," "This Barbie is a nerd," whatever. For Kens, all you can say is "He's just Ken." "He's another Ken." "This is also Ken." The whole point is that that's all they are. They're just "(a) Ken."

The way to do a proper tribute to the Barbie posters is to stop trying to say something specific about male characters and actors, or do it in a way that fits into the "He's just Ken" template. Use it to lean into the irony, given that most popular media focuses on the traits and skills of the male characters, and tends to make female characters generically hot. You can also use the "There's only one Allan" for humorous effect.

I don't do complicated edits, but here's how I'd do it for a few of my fandoms:

Star Trek: The Original Series

Uhura: This Barbie speaks thirty-seven languages.

Chapel: This Barbie is a nurse.

Rand: This Barbie keeps the ship running.

Kirk: He's just Ken.

McCoy: He's another Ken.

Chekov: He's Ken too.

Sulu (the bare-chested fencing pic, obviously): You guessed it. He's a Ken.

Spock: They also make a half-Vulcan Ken. [An example of how you can mix it up a little while still staying within the template]

Scotty: There's only one Scotty.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Kira: This Barbie is an ex-terrorist.

Jadzia: This Barbie is actually seven Barbies and a worm.

Ezri: We haven't met this Barbie yet. [or something like that]

Leeta: This Barbie is a union organizer.

Keiko: This Barbie is a botany researcher.

Kasidy: This Barbie is a smuggler.

Winn: This Barbie is the pope.

O'Brien: He's just Ken.

Bashir: He's another Ken.

Worf: He's Ken too.

Garak: Plain, simple Ken. [Staying with the "just Ken" theme, but in a referential way]

Quark: Latinum Magic Ken [Get it? Like Earring Magic Ken?]

Sisko: Please call me Dad. [Like the Will Ferrell poster that says "Please call me mother"]

Odo: Neither Barbie nor Ken, but a secret third thing. [Going off script a little, but riffing on the gender theme]

The Avengers (2012 & 2015) [this is hard because there are so few female characters, but that's what makes it a fun challenge!]

Natasha: This Barbie is a trained assassin.

Wanda: This Barbie can control minds.

Pepper Potts: This Barbie is a CEO.

Maria Hill: This Barbie is the boss.

Tony: He's just Ken.

Clint: He's another Ken.

Thor: He's Ken too.

Sam Wilson: Ken again!

Hulk (not Bruce, that's what makes it funny): You guessed it. He's a Ken.

Steve: Vintage 1945 Ken [Yes, I know Ken didn't exist til 1961]

Loki: There are no Kens like me. [There's the Allan variation]

Nick Fury: Please call me Mother.

Agent Coulson: He's a suit. OR

Iron Man: He's a suit.

[unknownfacelessfanfictions]

Santa Claus

Fandom: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Pairing: Constable Odo x gn!Reader Words: 1.3K Summary: Odo knows a lot of people however he never met a certain "Santa Claus". From what he knows, he might be a criminal

Not my gif !!!!

WINTER WRITING PLAN

Odo wasn't sure how exactly he had ended up in this situation, but at the moment he was sitting at a table in Quarks with the Chief, Doctor Bashir and Commander Worf. Actually, he had only intended to make his usual rounds through the establishment, but the Chief and Bashir had successfully talked him down to join them.

From the look on his face, Worf didn't seem to feel any different.

"So, Commander? How are you going to spend the holidays?"

O'Brien glanced over at the Klingon, who looked even a little grimmer than usual. "I'm going to visit my parents on Earth. So far I had been able to avoid that tradition, however, I'm afraid it didn't work out this time." Bashir and O'Brien grinned at each other before the latter took a sip from his tankard.

"But Worf, Christmas is a time for fellowship, family and love. You must be looking forward to seeing your parents again, right?" Bashir grinned at Worf and Odo could see the man's jaw working.

"I never said I wasn't looking forward to it. I merely think the traditions are ridiculous. Santa Claus, the presents. A fairy tale for children, nothing more."

"Don't say that too loud or Molly will hear you," O'Brien returned, sighing. "She's gone insane lately. That's all she talks about, and she's driving me and Keiko right crazy."

Bashir laughed. "So I guess you're going to stay here?" O'Brien nodded and raised his eyebrow. "And you?"

"Also. I promised Garak I'd teach him some traditions this year. He thinks it's absolutely ridiculous, but it's worth a try."

" How about you, Constable?"  Odo looked up at the question and turned towards the doctor.

"Are you going to celebrate the holidays?"

When Odo did not answer, Bashir suddenly blushed. "Oh, I'm sorry. You probably don't even know what exactly we are talking about, right?"

O'Brien chocked on his drink and started coughing. "Julian!"

"What?! Odo basically 'grew up' on Bajor. They do not celebrate Christmas here!"

Slowly the three men turned to look at Odo, who grew more uncomfortable with every passing second.

"Of course I know what Christams is. I don't live under a rock" he growled before standing up abruptly. "If you gentlemen would excuse me now? I have a job to do!"

~**~

They couldn't really help but twist their lips into a smile when they heard the familiar hiss of doors announcing the arrival of their partner.

They lifted their head from their book just in time to see the doors close behind the changeling.

"Hey," they smiled and reached out to him. "How was your day?"

Odo came over to them and took their hand in his as he settled down, however he seemed lost in thought. "The usual."

Already used to his short answers, they smiled. "Oh, yeah? Well, you were gone longer today for that. Did you have to fill out any reports that were left behind?"

He snorted lightly. "I don't leave anything undone. My work routine is efficient enough to avoid such things." Slightly he rolled his eyes, however they knew he wasn't serious. "When I did my last round in Quark's bar, I was stopped by Doctor Bashir and Chief O'Brien. I tried to talk my way out of it, but it seemed impossible after they convinced Commander Worf.

"Wow," they said, straightening up so they could turn their body to face him.

"Julian and Miles have accomplished what I had always wanted to accomplish with you."

"Talking to me? We do that a lot."

They laughed. "No. Taking you out for a drink at Quark's."

Odo wrinkled his nose, though they could see the corners of his mouth twitch in a desperate attempt not to give in to a smile.

"Perhaps you'll be reassured to hear that I haven't taken a sip myself."

"You hardly ever drink."

"Then you should begin to realise that your great goal will probably never be fulfilled."

A laugh escaped them and Odo felt deep satisfaction in having made his partner laugh. He leaned back as they turned their backs to lean against him.

For some time they sat side by side in silence. As they went back to their book, Odo was perfectly content to rest his chin on their head and close his eyes.

In his mind, however, a question floated around that he did not want to banish.

"Who is Santa?"

They were mid-sentence when he asked his question, however, they stopped abruptly when Odo's question reached their hearing.

"Huh?"

" Santa Claus." They felt Odo shifting back and forth uncomfortably beneath them.

"Chief O'Brien mentioned in our conversation that Molly would not be happy to hear Worf talk about Santa Claus being a ridiculous children's fairy tale."

They sat up straight so they could look him in the face. For a moment they regarded him and with each passing second they realised that it made Odo incredibly uncomfortable not to have that bit of information and their faces softened.

They knew how discomforting it could be for the changeling not to know certain information, especially when it was natural or taken for granted by everyone else.

But the fact that he had confided in them instead of asking the computer warmed their hearts.

"That's what Santa Claus is, technically. A child's fairy tale, a made-up fantasy figure who is the symbol of Christmas."

"But what is his purpose? His function?"

They put the book aside. Probably they wouldn't get very much reading done in the near future.

"I'm not too familiar with the history behind all of it. Its origins are in Europe, with a man, a saint called Nicholas. St Nicholas, parents told their children, judges children's behaviour over the year and depending on how well they have behaved, on one day , usually the sixth of December, he brings them rewards such as small gifts, sweets or fruit, or a rod with which to punish the 'bad' children."

Odo's eyes widened. "He hurts children?"

"No! No he doesn't," they laughed. "That's what they used to tell the children, and in the very early days the children might have really been beaten, but definitely not today. Today the kids mostly just get little presents and stuff, at least in the regions where they still celebrate." Odo nodded slowly, understanding.

"And Santa Claus..."

"Is the American and, unfortunately, more famous version of him, even outside of America. He's usually depicted as an old man with white hair and a white beard wearing a red coat, red trousers and a red pointed hat, flying around the world in his flying sleigh pulled by reindeer.

Depending on the region, parents tell their children that Santa Claus comes to the house on Christmas Eve or during the night and brings the children presents, which they are allowed to open either on Christmas Eve, the twenty-fourth of December, or the morning after. As a thank you they leave him a glass of milk and biscuits, at least in America.

In England, I think they leave a glass of sherry outside. He then eats and drinks these things in the house. The gifts are probably the reason he is so popular. Although they still say that he judges their behaviour, it is hardly relevant to the number of gifts.

If you walk around anywhere on Earth at Christmas time, you can see him virtually everywhere."

They looked over at Odo, who looked plainly horrified.

"So, just to be clear," he began, looking at them from wide-open eyes. "Parents tell their kids they're being judged and stalked all year by an old man who breaks into their house at the end of the year and leaves stuff there that no one knows what's in it, which is a big security issue by the way. Much more, the children have to make sacrifices to him, in the form of alcohol and the parents make them believe that he drinks this glass of alcohol in every house and then manoeuvres a flying sleigh?"

They frowned. "I never thought about it that way, but you could put it that way, yes."

Odo only looked more disturbed than before and rose to leave with slow steps. A laugh escaped them, so loud that they almost missed him shaking his head and saying "humans".

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

@bigblissandlove1 @akamitrani

[carrieeve]

Hi. Why do you think 7 season of the 100 went so bad? What happend?

Frankly, I've been thinking about it for three years and I'm still short of a good answer. I cannot believe that this has been the design for the moral of this story from the beginning, because it doesn't make any sense and has nothing to do with the plot or the characters' journey throughout the years. Never mind the fact that this has never been a deus-ex-machina aliens shows 🤦‍♀️

Honestly, the only thing that ever made sense to me was, well, spite.

Jason used Bob's unavailability to punish him, Eliza and the entire fandom for--being there for the show since the beginning, basically. They dared to momentarily divert attention from his brilliance and we were a little too smart and figured out where the story was going too well. And instead of being happy that we were so devoted to the show and to the story, he got his ego hurt. It's not a rational thing and it's not how grown-ups should behave in grown-up situations but here we are. I genuinely believe that this turn into the unexpected was Jason's way of proving that we ain't as clever as we thought we were. I mean, hands up, who guessed that ending?!

Also, actor's temporary unavailability is a shitty reason to kill off a character and every time that happens, I become enraged. Actors have stuff going on all the time. They get pregnant, they get other gigs, they get ill, break bones and go to rehab all the damn time. The writers do know how to get around that. Teen Wolf worked Dylan O'Brien leaving into a pretty fricking fantastic story in 6A. NCIS: Los Angeles worked Miguel Ferrer literally dying into the plot and give his character a touching send-off.

Choosing to use this opportunity to enact revenge and prove that you are the overlord isn't just childish, it's stupid. But at least, he seems to be paying for that now. His prequel got scrapped faster than you can say "ha-ha" and I haven't even heard a whisper about a new project, which is well and truly deserved.

So, to sum up this long-winded tirade, I think what happened was bruised ego. Which the most moronic reason for wrecking shit up I've ever heard of.

[walkingstackofbooks]

DS9 4x09 Our Man Bashir thoughts (I’m re-watching, so beware spoilers for future episodes!) [2 July '23]

*window crash* wait, no, is this...? AH YISSS, IT'S OUR MAN BASHIR, I am so hype to see this again!

I mean that the glass bottle trick was smooth

"Bashir. Julian Bashir." And then Garak starts clapping, hilarious

Aww, Garak being sad that Julian has been too busy with his new holosuite programme to spend time with him - when he finds out it's a spy programme, to boot, do you think he felt he was being replaced by something fancier and better? That Julian only hung around with him because he was a spy?

"It's so unusual for you to have secrets"... little do you know, Garak. If you're excited about this, how much will you enjoy his augmentation secret?

WHY ARE THEY STANDING SO CLOSE TO EACH OTHER (gayyyyy)

"I wonder what scared her away. You must be incensed." Garak is baiting him so much XD Yes, Julian, he wants you to be mad

This is already such a fun episode, I'd forgotten quite how much!

"I think I joined the wrong intelligence service." IS THAT AN ADMISSION, GARAK?! You've never admitted to being a spy before, I am sure!

Why does Julian need to get his suits made by Garak if the holosuite can produce clothes - or are all of these costumes his valet is bringing out ones he's bought and somehow saved in the programme?

"Nerys, please." There's just something about the way he says this. He's not acting angry like he is at Garak, he's seemingly more cautious about telling her off for being here? I guess he's starting to think it's not Kira?

Odo going "That sounded like Kira!" even though she sounds Russian... Something something universal translator? Or he's just so attuned to her?

Julian is so pissed with this turn off events disrupting everything into something lethal. He just wanted a fun time

I have never noticed the falcon on Miles' eyepatch before!

"But that's Miles." - The way Julian says that is so gentle...

His soft "Sorry, my dear" to his dead valet - oh, my love :3

"Right behind the spatula." Oh, ROM. Incredible engineering XD

"Welcome to paradise." Okay, Avery Brooks just stole this scene.

How have I only just realised the symbolism of the villain, who is trying to flood the world and restart a better life, being called Noah?

"O'Brien's gonna kill me when he gets back." XD

Ohhh I was wondering how they got from Dr Noah's room to the tunnel - I had forgotten the being-tied-up scene

"Honey, will you grant me one last request and take off those glasses?" Yes Garak, that eye roll is what we're all thinking... Julian's acting is so ridiculously earnest XD "Kiss the girl, get the key - they never taught me that in the Obsidian Order." Garak is being so unusually frank! Is this part of his ploy to win back Julian from the game? Trying to remind him that I was a real spy, you know, my dear doctor?

The waver in Julian's voice as he says "If you call for the exit, you might kill Sisko and the others..." :3

Boy, their argument in the tunnel is such a tense scene, even better than I remember!

"You dream of being a hero because deep down you're not." OUCH. The worst thing is, Julian probably agrees.

"That's all about to end now isn't it?" - bit of London accent sneaking in there

"It's working just as you planned! You've done it, Doctor." "Yes.But somehow I didn't expect to win."

Oh I love everything about this sceeeeene

"Lunch tomorrow?" "Of course. But why don't we have it at your place, in Hong Kong?" I DO NOT REMEMBER THAT LINE. WOW. GAY.

Okay, yeah, this is the point where they get together imo.

I mean everyone knows this episode is fantastic, but also, THIS EPISODE IS BLOODY FANTASTIC AND I LOVE IT TO BITS.

[magicalyaku]

Happy new year! After the slump of the previous months and my last artist alley of the year, I finally had a lot to read in December! I bought so many books in November, I had to get at least through a few in order to include them in my yearly awards. xD Work was still shit but reading was fun again. :D

Dark Heir (Dark Rise 2) (C.S. Pacat): This was my last book of 2023 and easily my most anticipated. And did it deliver! Left me emotionally devastated for days! xD Seriously, I don't want to know what my neighbors thought what was going on, in case they heard me going "Aaah! No! No no no nooooo! Kya! NOOOO!!" during two certain scenes. /D The nice thing about this series is that I have absolute faith in Pacat's ability to write it well und give me an outcome I am satisfied with. I mean, go look at Captive Prince. The way the relationship between Damen and Laurent develops (even after MAJOR shit going on between them!), the political threads and all that, it's just done very well. And now, here's the Dark Rise series and I sit and watch the spiral of doom the characters are caught up in it and apart from maybe Sinclair not a single one of them is fully good or bad. And it's sooo interesting (and emotionally devastating)!! Hng!! I would actually like to write much more about what I loved and suffered through, like the whole thing with the Visander situation and how Sarcean made all of his worst enemies because he just couldn't keep it in his pants. And James. James. And Cyprian! And everything. But I can't because whenever I try I still feel the excited giggles in my brain and can't have a coherent thought. It's great, but also ... Hnggg!!

The First and Last Adventure of Kit Sawyer (S.E. Harmon): This was fun! At some point early on I looked up what other books the author has written and it's more than ten and I thought "Yes! It feels like being written by someone with a lot of writing experience!" There's just something about the liveliness of the characters and the dialogues. Also so much adventure with a slightly different flavor than usual being set in the jungle and all, I loved it.

By any other Name (Erin Cotter): I wonder why all of my historical fiction books are set in England. This is another highly adventurous story. I was a bit surprised as one thing that's mentioned in the summary already only appears like after half the book. But other than that it was pretty good. It has spies and theatre and pretty nice characters. And I did not anticipate everything that happened which is good!

Wren Martin Ruins it all (Amanda deWitt): The author's previous book Aces Wild: A Heist was one of my top books in 2022, this one does not quite reach those heights but it was still very good and very enjoyable. Wren is such a messy and fun character. As reader I absolutely knew what was going on and who was writing with whom but it was nice to follow the characters' path to awareness. In a way Wren's aceness is not as heavy as in other books (see the next one for instance) but at the same time it deals with a few of the social issues a_spec people are faced with which was nice.

Just Lizzie (Karen Wilfrid): This is a middle grade book about a girl coming to terms with being ace. The heroine has a really nice character arc. And the other characters are sometimes what you expect them to be and sometimes they are not. And maybe … that's ok, right? And I loved it and I cried through half of the book. I guess, it hit home a little more heavily than I expected. :'D (Like that one time where Lizzie is wondering how she will spent Christmas when her parents aren't around anymore? Haaa. It had just been Christmas when I read this and I'm in my 30ies and my Dad is above 70 now so that is a concern I actually have, you know. It's not nice to be reminded. :'D) It's a really good book, I think, thoughtful and well put together and empowering, too.

A Hundred Vicious Turns (The Broken Tower 1) (Lee Page O'brien): Now this was difficult. The cover is gorgeous. Easily my favorite one this year. I only lament that there's no real gold printed. The wasted opportunity. yAy The content is … difficult. I like the story on a whole. The premise and the magic system are really interesting. The characters … were interesting as well? They're fine, their motivations are not easily seen which, in a plot full of mysteries, is actually quite okay. I just didn't build the emotional connection. There's also a lot of anxiety, especially on Rat's part. There was one bit in the writing style that irked me a little. The overuse of pronouns. Because Rat was the only one with 'they' and in most scenes it was only one other person with them, so there often really long stretches where only the pronouns would be used instead of the names. It wa snot confusing because you could easily tell the characters apart, but it felt weird. I'm very used to reading the names a lot. Oh well. It's not a fun read, but it is intruiging and I will read the next volume to see where it goes.

A Magic Steeped in Poison (The Book of Tea 1) (Judy I. Lin): I managed to squeeze in a YA heroine inbetween all the gay boys! And I liked it better than most other female-led YA fantasies I read recently. Doesn't mean I loved it, but Ning was pretty okay as a heroine. The thing is, the circumstances under which I started this book weren't the best and that probabbly reflected on the whole experience. I picked up the German audiobook for a very long bus trip, but listened to it only later while doing some hours of very boring tedious work. The audiobook itself was okay, except that the reader could not decide how to pronounce some names. For instance, Kang was Kong first, then Kuang before she settled on Kang. And that kind of thing drives me mad. How am I to connect with a character when I am left this uncertain how their name is?! The German translation also decided to leave some of the names in English (especially the teas) which in my opinion doesn't make sense because why would the teas in Fantasy-China have English names when everything else is either translated into German or left Chinese? D: I couldn't stand it and finally switched to my printed edition (in English). /D It got better from there, but it's hard to forget the echo. As for the story, I don't really like court intrigues. Cruelty and injustice are just things I really struggle with to read about. (They make me angry and I don't want to be angry at my books.) But it never tipped over the edge into annoying area. I have the sequel at home as well, so I'll it. The covers are beautiful after all.

That was 2023! Next up is my big Best and Worst award ceremony! uAu~

[jimintomystery]

DS9: "Shakaar"

Following the death of Bajor's first minister, Kai Winn is appointed to fill the office until the next election. Her policies quickly antagonize the farmers in Major Kira's homeland, Dahkur Province. To mediate the dispute, Kira visits Shakaar, the leader of her cell back in the Resistance. Also, uh, Chief O'Brien is great at darts, I guess.

There's no apparent romantic tension here between Kira and Shakaar, but when I first watched this I immediately figured the story was meant to give her a new love interest. Some of that is the reflexive heteronormativity of Star Trek, wherein any scene between a man and a woman carries a baseline assumption that at least one of them is hot for the other. But it was only decades later that I picked up on another factor: Shakaar is portrayed by the same actor (Duncan Regehr) as Ronin, the sex candle ghost from the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Doctor Crusher Meets A Sex Candle Ghost." At the end of this episode, Kira is so affected by her adventure with Shakaar that she blows out her "I miss Vedek Bareil" candle. Coincidence? I think not.

Originally Winn was a religious fundamentalist and a bit of a xenophobe, but by now she just seem to take up whatever position will most frustrate our heroes on Deep Space Nine. Kira is annoyed that the Bajoran public can't see how awful Winn is, but she can't really articulate that awfulness beyond "She's power-hungry." It's hard to get a read on why Winn wants to amass more and more power, and what she hopes to do with it, aside from crushing anyone who defies her. That hurts episodes like this one, where she clearly has no idea how to handle the Dahkur crisis, and can't even invent a good excuse for why she started and escalated it. Winn is dangerous because she's a terrible chief executive, but that ends up making it too easy for the good guys to outmaneuver her.

Since the Bajoran Militia is called in to track down Shakaar, we see a lot of officers wearing the same kind of uniform Kira wears. And dude, those uniforms just don't work. The design only really looks good on Kira, partly because they tweaked her uniform repeatedly throughout the series, and partly because Nana Visitor could make a rain barrel look fashionable. So Colonel Lenaris's unit ends up looking like a bunch of Major Kira cosplayers, which isn't as cool as it sounds.