#she displays more agency in that she chose to put herself in those situations for the greater good to a certain extent

[nycteres]

ok u can like zelda, love zelda but to act like totk was femenist praxis and centers her in her own narrative rather than just, has her exist there, as backstory, is a bit of a reach lmao

[lindberghtm]

          *  .  desirée lindbergh was spotted in the fashion district adorning prada platform chelsea boots , with some airpod pros on . they’re most likely listening to you know i'm no good by amy winehouse . you may know them as @desi or as that aisha potter  lookalike . their twenty first birthday just passed . while living in the upper east side  , they’ve gained a bit of a reputation . they’re known to be duplicitous but on the other hand reliable . wonder if they’ll be the next person to hit the headlines . ( cis female / she/her + c / 21+ / she/her )   .  

         hey  !!!!!!  i  was  planning  on  coming  thru  with  a  cool  intro  to  establish  myself  as  a ~ cool ~  person , but  covid  has  absolutely  ✨ decimated  ✨  my  social  skills  so  ,,,,,,,  this  is  what  im  left  with  .  anywho  hi  i’m  c  (  short  for  clown  tbfh  )  ,  im  21+  ,  from  the  rainy  ole’  pnw  ,  &  i  use  she / her  pronouns  .  i  was  in  wealthy  like  , , , ,  AGES  ago  &  tbh  i’ve  been  missing  it  real  bad  lately  so  here  i  am  with  a  brand  new  bitch  , , , , ,  ms  .  desi  lindbergh  🖤  i  just  finished  reading  the  girl  with  the  dragon  tattoo  so  you’ll  find  elements  from  that  novel  in  my  biography  like  the  names  ,  & the  general  ‘ company  comes  first ‘  &  ‘  no  one  gets  a  divorce  in  this  family ’  attitudes  .  but  hennyway  here’s  a  pinterest  board  ,  &  my  discord  is  𝐌 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁#1264  (  the  best  tiktok  song  imo  )  .  my  bio  is  rambly  but  there  are  stats  at  the  top  ,  personality  &  wanted  connections  (  inc  .  this  sideblog  w  wanted  plots  )  at  the  bottom  !  xoxo

*  .  stats  .

full  name : desirée  ‘ desi ’  charlotte  lindbergh - montenegro

age : twenty - two

gender : cis  female

pronouns : she / her  

pob ; current  home : london  ,  england  ;  current  residence  in  tribeca  .

family : henrik  lindbergh  (  80  ,  deceased  ,  ceo  of  lindbergh  corporation  )  ;  miriam  montenegro  (  46  ,  lives  in  the  upper  east  side & london  ,  supermodel  turned  vindictive  widow  )  ;  no  siblings  or  pets  .

birthday : september  2  ,  1998  ;  virgo  sun  ,  taurus  moon  ,  cancer  rising .

career : heiress / model / daddy’s credit card swiper  .

drinking / drugs / smoking :  yes / no / occasionally .  

physical : aisha  potter  fc ,  dark  brown  mid - length  hair  ,  dark  brown  eyes  ,  no  tattoos  ,  two  ear  lobe  piercings  in  each  ear  ,  5 ′ 6 ″ .

*  .  character biography .

1998  : miriam  montenegro  ,  an  english  model  coming  from  a  humble  background  ,  made  it  big  when  she  was  scouted  for  runway  shows  ,  eventually  making  her  way  to  being  a  household  name  .  by  the  age  of  twenty  five  ,  she’d  found  love  (  or  ,  financial  comfort  ,  rather  )  with  the  fifty  nine  year  old  henrik  lindbergh  ,  a  swedish  business  magnate  whose  involvement  in  global  industrialization  spanned  far  wider  than  the  european  economy  .  the  relationship  took  the  world  by  surprise  ,  miriam’s  friends  being  far  more  involved  in  pop  culture  than  an  aged  man  .  while  she  claims  it  was  love  ,  the  world  had  already  made  up  its  mind  on  her  motive  —  money  .

the  pair  got  married  six  months  after  they  initially  became  involved  , & desi  was  born  a  year  after  .  her  father  ,  the  product  of  the  ‘  silent  generation  ‘  ,  was  of  the  impression  that  children  should  be  seen  ,  not  heard  ,  an  outdated  idea  that  her  mother  was  comfortable  abiding  by  .  desirée  ,  by  association  ,  quickly  became  accustomed  to  the  spotlight  ,  the  interest  in  the  uncommon  relationship  between  miriam & henrik  only  growing  after  the  birth  of  their  sole  child  .  desi  grew  up  a  prop  ,  a  toy  for  her  mother  to  dress  up  in  matching  outfits & parade  on  the  global  stage  ,  before  stepping  behind  closed  doors  &  forgetting  about  the  child  entirely  .  this  led  to  desi  being  raised  almost  exclusively  by  nannies  ,  her  mother  more  interested  in  savouring  the  last  of  her  youth & her  father  too  busy  with  his  international  duties  .    originally  based  in  london  ,  the  family  moved  to  new  york  when  desirée  was  starting  her  schooling  to  be  closer  to  the  hustle & bustle  of  american  life  .

2017  : desirée  is  graduating  high  school  a  year  early  after  having  been  sent  to  institut  auf  dem  rosenberg  ,  a  swiss  private  school  that  prides  itself  on  being  highly  exclusive∫ˆ  highly  expensive  .  the  name  was  a  selling  point  for  her  father  ,  but  more  importantly  she  would  be  safe & out  of  the  way  on  another  continent  while  her  parents  bickered  ceaselessly  .  desirée  found  herself  to  be  nothing  special  at  rosenberg  ,  her  identity  having  been  formed  on  the  idea  that  public  exposure  equated  to  popularity  ;  without  the  constant  public  eye  while  at  school  ,  desi  found  a  freedom & lightness  she  hadn’t  before  experienced  .  she  could  be  real  , & have  real  friends  , & not  be  putting  on  a  fake  smile  to  allude  an  air  of  comfort  .  most  of  all  ,  she  could  get  away  from  her  spiteful  mother  ,  who  ,  once  desi  hit  puberty  ,  saw  her  as  a  threat  to  her  own  beauty  ,  success  , & public  popularity  .  being  sent  to  private  school  was  the  best  thing  to  happen  to  desi & her  mother’s  relationship  .

after  graduating  ,  desirée  moved  back  to  new  york  city  ,  moving  back  into  the  expansive  upper  east  side  apartment  , & being  sure  to  move  into  a  room  on  the opposite side  of  the  home  from  her  parents  .  being  thrust  back  into  the  spotlight  ,  a  ‘  homecoming  ‘  of  sorts  that  her  mother  capitalized  on  ,  desi  fell  into  a  depression  .  she  feared  leaving  the  house  ,  she  feared  that  people  would  only  want  to  be  her  friend  in  order  to  access  the  family’s  wealth  (  a  seed  of  an  idea  planted  in  her  father  at  the  age  of  twelve  ,  when  she  was  told  there  was  to  be  no  dating  unless  their  family’s  net  worth  was  over  500  million  )  .  soon  enough  ,  though  ,  desi  made  the  choice  to  get  in  contact  with  her  mother’s  rival  modeling  agency  ,  inquiring  about  the  possibility  about  modeling  .  they  ,  of  course  ,  welcomed  the  legacy  with  open  arms  ;  her  mother  ,  however  ,  decided  that  this  deceipt  would  not  be  tolerated  under  her  roof  , & kicked  desi  out  as  soon  as  she’d  heard  .  desi  called  her  father  crying  ,  explaining  the  situation  over  the  phone  ,  who  immediately  created  a  separate  bank  account  of  her  own  for  desi  ,  secretly  hidden  away  in  an  overseas  bank  to  avoid  her  mother  finding  out  .  the  account  held  far  more  than  desirée  needed  ,  but  it  was  her  father  who  enabled  her  to  get  back  on  her  feet  ,  find  her  own  home  , & start  a  career  for  herself  .  

2020 : desirée  hardly  speaks  to  her  mother  ,  though  they  keep  up  the  public  illusion  that  they  are  as  close  as  a  mother  -  daughter  duo  can  be  .  her  father  though  ,  now  80  years  old  ,  was  actually  close  with  desi  ,  the  two  catching  up  daily & him  celebrating  her  accomplishments  she  believed  were  self  -  earned  .  in  october  ,  though  ,  she  received  a  phone  call  from  her  father’s  attorney  ,  mr.  berger  ,  who  informed  her  that  henrik  was  in  the  hospital  in  critical  condition  after  a  heart  attack  .  she  flew  to  stockholm  ,  where  her  father  had  been  taking  care  of  business  items  , & realized  that  it  was  time  to  say  her  goodbyes  .  her  father & her  played  chess  ,  talked  about  her  childhood  , & reconciled  on  any  old  issues  .  he  passed  away  three  days  after  she’d  arrived  .  seeming  as  if  he’d  been  able  to  tell  something  horrible  was  coming  ,  henrik  had  updated  his  will  a  matter  of  weeks  before  the  heart  attack  ,  naming  desiree  as  the  sole  inheritor  of  all  his  assets & belongings  .  except  ,  of  course  ,  her  mother  ,  who  inherited  a  whopping  five  dollars  from  her  husband  .  this  was  ,  mr  .  berger  explained  to  desi  ,  so  that  miriam  could  not  claim  that  she  had  accidentally  been  left  out  , & was  entitled  to  more  of  his  estate  .  

if  this  wasn’t  enough  ,  the  press  soon  released  that  interntional  business  mogul  henrik  lindbergh  had  passed  away  , & the  companies  he  owned  were  now  owned  by  a  twenty  one  year  old  model  who  had  never  truly  worked  one  day  in  her  life  .  to  make  matters  worse  ,  her  mother  quickly  played  the  victim  ,  launching  a  multitude  of  lawsuits  against  her  own  daughter  for  defamation & coercing  her  father  to  leave  her  mother  out  of  it  .  berger  quickly  chose  desirée’s  side  ,  though  he  couldn’t  become  her  personal  attorney  out  of  conflict  of  interest  with  the  executing  of  the  will  .  as  the  accounts  lie  in  limbo  during  the  legal  battle  ,  desi  is  relying  solely  on  the  secret  account  her  father  made  her  in  switzerland  ;  if  her  mother  knew  ,  she  would  try  to  go  after  it  ,  as  well  .  

2021 :  desirée  has  layed  low  over  the  last  few  months  ,  her  mother  continuing  her  public  display  of  heartache  as  the  widow  .  desi  can  be  said  to  be  two  -  faced  due  to  her  sweet  disposition  one  day & her  cold  attitude  the  next  .  in  reality  ,  she  is  normally  kind & thoughtful  ,  giving  the  benefit  of  the  doubt  to  those  two  wrong  her  ,  but  lately  she  has  become  more  withdrawn  ,  secretive  , & volatile  .  she  was  recently  photographed  in  a  restaurant  ,  crying  on  the  phone  with  her  head  in  her  hand  ,  something  she  would  never  normally  allow  to  happen  .  overall  ,  though  ,  she  doesn't  want  to  speak  publicly  about  the  legal  battle  because  she  considers  it  a  delicate  matter  &  wants  to  take  the  high  road  .  because  of  this  ,  she  puts  on  a  face  that  she's  happy  ,  has  done  her  mourning  ,  &  intentionally  does  things  to  make  it  seem  like  life  is  normal  ,  like  making  appearances  at  events  about  new  york  city  &  being  spotted  hanging  out  with  friends  .  only  a  very  small  handful  in  her  inner  circle  notice  the  immense  stress  she's  under  because  she's  good  at  managing  it  ,  &  doesn't  want  to  be  pitied  .

*  .  personality  .

personality  wise  ,  she  is  quite  bubbly  ,  thoughtful  ,  dependable  ,  observant  ,  calm  , &  chooses  her  words  carefully  .  on  the  other  hand  ,  she  can  be  very  hot  &  cold  ,  self - isolating  ,  two  -  faced  , & tells  blatant  lies  when  she  ought  not  to  ,  &  denies  vehemently  when  others  call  her  on  her  bs  .  she’s  the  type  to  remember  someone  saying  they  like  something  ,  in  passing  ,  then  suddenly  she  shows  up  with  that  exact  thing  when  she  sees  them  next  .  her  love  language  is  definitely  gifts  &  acts  of  service  .  considers  herself  a  good  advice  giver  but  won’t  take  any  advice  others  give  her  .  kind  of  an  air  head  ,  in  that  she  can  get  so  wrapped  up  in  her  own  world  that  she  forgets  that  others  aren’t  just  npc’s  in  her  life  sfjklsd  .  can  get  overwhelmed  easily  ,  &  retracts  back  into  herself  &  isolates  in  her  apartment  for  days  on  end  ,  pampering  herself  with  huge  shopping  sprees  ,  overpriced  face  masks  ,  &  too  much  champagne  .  her  way  to  deal  with  problems  is  to  pretend  they’re  not  there  until  eventually  they  go  away  🤡

the  world  knows  the  bulk  of  the  lindbergh  -  montenegro  affair  ,  as  its  known  in  the  media  ,  thanks  to  her  mother  taking  interviews  left  & right  to  allude  to  her  being  snubbed  by  her  own  daughter  .  desi  pretends  that  it  does  not  bother  her  ,  that  justice  will  be  served  & that  legality  will  prevail  over  her  mother’s  cries  ,  but  the  weight  of  the  affair  is  taking  a  toll  on  her  .  

*  .  wanted  plots  .  

click  here  for  sideblog  with  wanted  plots  !

best  friend / ride  or  die  :  someone  desi’s  been  friends  with  for  YEARS  ,  knows  all  her  family’s  bs  ,  prob  has  called  her  mother  a  b*tch  to  her  face  dflkjsdkl  .  literally  the  nicole  to  her  paris  ,  the  lorelai  to  her  rory  .  

squad  :  a  group  of  friends  who  go  clubbing  every  saturday  &  get  brunch  &  gossip  the  next  morning  ,  have  shady  nicknames  in  their  gc  ,  have  designated ‘ roles ’  in  the  friend  group  (  mom  friend  ,  the  cr*ckhead  ,  the  wingperson  ,  etc  .  ) ,  go  on  trips  together  ,  have  the  wildest  birthday  parties  ,  etc  .  please  !!  

first  love  :  this  would’ve  been  in  their  teens  ,  a  summer  fling  that  she  fell  hard  for  &  who  her  father  didn’t  approve  of  bc  he’s  business - minded  first  .  they  tried  to  do  long  distance  when  she  went  back  to  school  in  the  fall  ,  but  it  didn’t  work  out  &  now  they’re  either  on  good  terms  &  have  sweet  memories  of  that  time  ,  or  one  is  still  kinda  salty  how  things  ended  .

bad  influence  :  encourages  desi  to  get  the  stick  out  of  her  *ss  ,  &  when  she  hangs  out  with  them  ,  they  tend  to  go  overboard  on  whatever  the  entertainment  of  the  night  may  be  . 

friends  to  lovers / slow - burn  romance  :  they’re  friends  first  ,  but  there’s  been  undeniable  romantic  tension  between  the  two  of  them  (  imagine  pope  towards  kiara  in  obx  )  ,  &  their  friends  can pick  up  on  it  .  they’ve  never  acted  on  it  , worried  of  ruining  the  friendship  ,  but  they’re  always  a  lil  disappointed  when  the  other  goes  home  with  or  gets  involved  with  someone  else  ,  but  are  ultimately  there  to  pick  up  the  pieces  afterwards  .

enemies  /  mutual  dislike  :  maybe  someone  whose  family  her  father  screwed  in  business  ,  their  parents  could  have  been  friends  before  desi’s  mom  turned  on  them  somehow  ,  they  think  desi  thinks  she’s  queen  of  the  world  ,  etc . let’s  plan  it  out  hehe

cheating  :  oop  !  i  love  the  angst  ,  so  gimme  someone  who  either  a  )  cheated  on  desi  ,  or  b  )  they  think  she  cheated  on  them  due  to  some  tabloid  article  ,  rumor  around  town  she  was  seen  with  someone  ,  etc .  their  relationship  was  prob  rocky  as  fuck  ,  toxic  ,  &  lacked  trust  &  communication  .  just  a  total  shit  show  tbh  .

that’s  all  i  can  think  of  now  dskljfkl  please  feel  free  to  reach  out  over  tumblr  msgs  or  on  discord  !  

[porgthespacepenguin]

first thoughts about episode 11

So a few hours behind most people, I have finally watched episode 11 and … what a ride!

First let’s start off by comparing what I had predicted earlier on with what actually happened:

The eye injury Michael inflicted on Voq in episode 2 ended up super important (Correct)

Voq revealed (Correct)

Voq fighting against mirror!Voq (Correct)

Lorca being revealed in the same episode (Wrong)

Ash/Michael going down in flames (Correct)

Ash vs. Voq being the only prime vs. mirror showdown (Wrong)

4/6 isn’t too bad a score, and the episode honestly exceeded my wildest hopes (which I keep low on purpose). I am happy to get stuff wrong as long as it’s better than I anticipated! And it was.

And I admit I’m pretty proud of figuring out the eye injury was important, as it was what almost immediately clued me in to Ash being Voq and I have not seen it discussed anywhere else (if someone else did figure it out as well, feel free to comment and I’ll amend my post).

Now onto the analysis. Beware, this is not a meta, just some ideas after watching the episode a few times.

Ash/Michael – welcome to tragedy, population: us

Forewarned is forearmed: the show definitely did warn us, though not in so many words, that this could only end in tears. Regardless, witnessing Ash and Michael’s relationship crash and burn was beyond painful.

I wrote in my earlier meta that I didn’t believe that Ash/Michael could come back from all this. I stand by my opinion more than ever after episode 12.

First and foremost, there is the fact that as soon as Voq got his memory back (and therefore his full agency) he made his choice, in full conscience.

And that choice was to murder Michael.

Let that sink in for a while.

He chose to murder her in cold blood.

Worse, if mirror!Saru hadn’t intervened, he would have gone through with it and succeeded. It was only because of Michael showing kindness to Saru earlier on that she didn’t die.

Later on in the episode, Voq shows no remorse. No regrets. Not even a hint of internal pain.

To me, more than anything, this highlights that their relationship is dead in a romantic sense.

You can come back from a lot of things – lies, double-crossing, even betrayal – but attempted murder without a hint of remorse or regret is more than a line crossed.

Especially as they are an established relationship, not two adversaries on a battlefield (I would not hold their first fight in episode 2 to the same standard, for example – that was a clearly different situation).

If the show did walk that back, and put them back together, I don’t think I could continue watching. I liked Ash/Michael but after watching episode 11, I’m out.

Some people have speculated that Michael could potentially find mirror!Tyler and pick up the relationship with him instead. I see many issues with this:

Assuming there is even a Tyler…

And his mirror!version is not a racist jerk…

Michael did not have feelings for Tyler, she had feelings for Tyler/Voq…

And just picking up a spare right after losing the original guy feels a bit… cheap?

I know, I can hear some of you saying: wait, aren’t you the one who wrote that long boring meta about how Lorca had a past relationship with mirror!Michael?

Yes, I am. And I stand by it, by the way. I truly think it would be really lovely storytelling to have Lorca finding his lost love in another universe after tragedy struck (and if Michael hadn’t been sentenced to life in prison, to a literal “future full of misery”, I’m not sure he would have interfered at all – just a gut feeling).

When it comes to Michael and Ash, trying to replace the original guy (who attempted to murder you) with a lookalike equipped with a better personality is problematic to say the least.

It would cheapen their actual relationship (past or not, it did exist!) and totally erase Voq from the equation, leaving us to wonder what purpose this whole arc served. Unsatisfying on so many levels, so that’s a  pretty firm no from me.

In the future, what will happen with Voq?

Until we go back to the prime!universe, probably not a whole lot. Michael might have to face him again to come to terms with some things, though.

Once we are back, from a story perspective Voq will have to resume his own narrative arc, which means potentially breaking out with L’rell and going back to the Klingons.

Perhaps a resolution to the war can then be found before the end of season 1 but it would necessitate a time jump: no way can we go believably from murderous fanatic Voq to “humans are not so bad” Voq in 2 episodes.

We might get there eventually, if his experiences as Ash can bring him the same wisdom mirror!Voq displayed. But again, this type of character development takes time.

Before we move on… in hindsight all of Tyler’s declaration of love and protection sound pretty hollow right about now. And yes, I’m bitter about it on Michael’s behalf.

Michael deserves better, dammit.

Michael/Lorca

The agony booth scene

So much to unpack here, it almost deserved its own post.

Before anything else… poor Gabriel. I mean look at him. He needs a hug and a stiff drink, is what he needs.

So, the agony booth scene. They are both standing. Lorca looks like hell, he is shaking and barely holding together. Importantly, this has stripped away a lot of his defenses. He is not in control the way he usually is, not anymore.

Michael is conflicted about what to do with the rebel base. Lorca’s response is immediate, do what you have to do and bomb them if you have to.

Now I have seen some people react to this as confirmation of Lorca being evil or being out to grab the throne for himself.

But let’s keep a few things in mind:

Lorca is familiar with the Empress, and he correctly foresees the fact that she will be mightily displeased at her orders not being followed. Michael is taking a huge tactical risk by being merciful, and it ends up having huge consequences.

Even if he is not affiliated with the rebels, it doesn’t follow that he would not be leading a rebel Terran faction of his own. As far as we have seen, the rebel group led by Voq doesn’t seem to have any Terran members. It would be fairly logical that there would be dissent within the Terran ranks beyond the non-human resistance.

The conversation that follows is pretty amazing. This is one of the first time we see Michael inspire Lorca, pulling him toward her idealism and Starfleet morals and away from the mirror universe’s darker, more ruthless standards.

After all, wasn’t that explicitely one of the reasons he chose her?

You chose to do the right thing, even at great personal cost.

That moment, all the way back in episode 3, made me certain that Lorca isn’t evil.

Dark? Maybe. Morally grey? Sure.

Evil? No.

I mean let’s be logical about this. If I were a villain intent on committing a villainous plot, I wouldn’t go ahead and specifically pick a person with a strong moral compass to help me with it. They would of course try to thwart me at every turn. It would make zero sense.

Ah, penguin, I can hear some people say, but what if Lorca needs her, specifically, to access the Empress? Wouldn’t he recruit her and then manipulate her into doing his bidding then?

Sure. So let’s take a detour to “How to manipulate someone 101”:

Destroy your victim’s self esteem

Use gifts and favors to create a feeling of obligation

Isolate them from their support system: family, friends, romantic attachments

Denigrate their achievements

Undermine their self confidence

Punish the victim for perceived transgressions

Right. And in contrast, so far Lorca has:

Helped her rebuild her confidence on her own (contrast the start and beginning of episode 3, it’s such an amazing change)

Given her a job and a place aboard a starship again, while avoiding her gratitude as much as possible

Helped her maintain or rebuild her support system: mounted a rescue for Sarek (family), gave her Tilly as a roommate (who was the only one good hearted enough to look past Michael’s transgressions and befriend her), and kept his opinion to himself concerning her relationship with Tyler (though he was undoubtedly jealous)

Praised her for her strategic mind and her strong sense of morale

Encouraged her to take pride in herself (“You did well, Burnham. You should be proud.”)

Trusted her with the most important missions

Ignored at least one transgression that could have landed her in the brig (that fight they had on the bridge in episode 9)

I’m sure I’m forgetting things but you get the idea.

Honestly, if he needed her only as a tool, it would have been much smarter to keep her under his thumb with her confidence broken. Look how pliable she was at the start of episode 3.

(Again, I do think that the fact that Georgiou is the Empress is significant, and that having Michael on his side against her is a tactical advantage – but that’s not the whole of it, by a long shot.)

Anyway, moving on.

Michael sweetens the deal by adding the part about finding out how the Fire Wolf leads his coalition, but essentially it all boils down to:

She appeals to his moral sense

She asks him not to force her to commit such a terrible act

And it works. Partly because after so much torture, Lorca’s defenses are way down. But I think it’s mostly because of Michael’s ultimate secret weapon: she says please.

Seriously.

She says please, and… that’s that.

Just like with the Sarek rescue mission, Lorca just gives in and makes an illogical tactical decision (which, I might add, results in the Empress coming straight for them at the end of the episode).

Visually, I don’t have much to say beyond the extensive use of choker shots. Those are very often used to create emotional intimacy and tension, as I’ve mentioned many times before. This is not a shot you’d use for people who are not developing a strong relationship of some sort (be it friendship or romance).

And finally… Lorca’s “Hurry back. Please.” just kills me.

That’s not an order. That’s a plea.

The meeting room scene

Their second scene together is quite different. Lorca is looking a little better, while Michael seems shattered by her recent betrayal.

By the way. I love how Michael (who is a tough cookie) is psychically exhausted after 3 days in the mirror!universe and how much reflection (pardon the pun) she is doing on it.

Hopefully it will help mitigate her anger at Lorca when she finds out he is from the mirror!universe too (and has spent his entire life there without turning into a human-shaped demon spawn like the rest of the Terrans). At this point, overthrowing the Empress is starting to look like a moral imperative.

Lorca informs her they have to stay longer, for reasons that are both tactically sound and highly convenient, because I’m pretty sure he plans to face the Empress at some point (though probably not right there and then).

There also a lovely little morsel I wasn’t expecting: Lorca sounds jealous. He can’t bring himself to say “liked” or “loved” (that little pause is very telling) and when he says “Tyler”, you can tell he truly wanted to say “what’s his face”.

As an aside, I think he only noticed Michael’s partiality for Tyler in the previous episode, when Ash had a panic attack in the worker bee. I don’t think I mentioned it in my main meta, but I adore the way Lorca manages to sound at once gruffly protective (“You can relax too. He’s safe.”) and jealous despite himself.

Moving on.

Michael just can’t take it anymore, she’s scared, and she just admits it to him, leading to this amazing exchange:

“I don’t think I can survive this place alone.”

“You are not alone, Michael. We will survive this place… together.”

And then Lorca takes her hand. This is the first touch we have seen him initiate with her. It’s also the second time he calls her Michael, and that’s not a coincidence.

Not Michael Burnham, not Burnham, not Specialist Burnham.

Just plain Michael.

Right there and then, Lorca is not being her captain. He’s just being a man, comforting a woman.

Even more importantly, @trashywestallen made a brilliant point in one of our discussions, which I hadn’t noticed until she pointed it out.

This scene is meant to be the mirror of the scene in episode 10 when Ash reaches for Michael’s hand during their discussion in the mess hall.

Both Ash and Lorca are on seated the left, while Michael is sitting on the right. (Very quick aside, the man on the left/woman on the right is imagery commonly found in classical paintings, with the Arnolfini portrait commonly cited as an example.) Both contacts are initiated by the man.

That’s where the similarities end, because everything else is inverted.

In the scene with Ash and Michael, the camera zooms in on their joined hands but very noticeably, the shot is obstructed by a teacup.

Contrasting this with Michael and Lorca: their hands are in plain view. There is even a shot with the light streaming in from behind through the window and onto their joined hands.

Another major difference: Tyler grabs Michael’s hand possessively to reassure himself. Lorca lays a calming hand over Michael’s to reassure her.

Ash takes Michael’s right hand with his right; Lorca covers Michael’s right hand with his left. Symbolically, this is hugely significant. The left hand is the hand (or arm) a gentleman or a knight would use to escort his lady: keeping the right hand, his sword hand, free to defend her.

Lastly: Ash asks her to let him handle things on his own; Lorca says they will figure it out together.

Point taken, I guess?

Everything else

Stamets! I am pretty glad to have been wrong about there being only one twin encounter. Go save your love, Paul. (Though mirror!Stamets freaks me out a little).

Empress Georgiou is utterly terrifying. I love it.

Michael lying to spare Saru (while Saru lies to spare her) is just lovely. Also interesting to note she is willing to lie for a good cause (not unlike other people I could name…)

Michael’s kindness to mirror!Saru coming back to save her is almost karmic.

Mirror!Voq was awesome. Wise, strong, everything a leader could be. Unfortunately, that means prime!Voq is the evil twin. Bummer.

Mirror!Sarek, who’s met Michael all of 5 minutes, is more validating and full of praise than our own Sarek. Seriously, dude, you’re going to have to step up the dad game, presto.

[calyfornian]

Keylo and Cataleya : Travelers pt. 4

The light was blinding in the building. My body was aching from the momentum of Cataleya's telekinesis combined with her teleportation. The three of us were a massive weight going at the speed of Cataleya's brilliant mind, she phased us right into a medical agency. We crashed into the waiting room into a couple other soldiers.

She was screaming. She was screaming. There was so much screaming; she never screamed.

"Help me! Help me! Help my brother!" She whipped her body around so quickly, her along with Keylo did a quick flip with no physical help, he was laying about a foot above the ground, like he was to delicate to let hit the floor again.

Keylo's long black curly hair was barely brushing against the floor. He was there in nothing but the black mesh shorts he had slipped on before the trip. The white tank top was gone, he had probably lost it when whatever beast had crashed through the very ground we rested on. I had to blink a bit, do something to adjust my senses to what I somehow managed to forget in the scuffle. His left arm, along with most of his shoulder and some of his chest was just, missing. Blood was sprayed across his chest, and where the wound was there was the shiny metallic looking liquid that Cataleya had applied to him in the field.

He wasn't writhing in pain as he was earlier when she applied it. He was almost completely still except for the maybe centimeter of space that went back and forth from what had to be a now unsteady mind of his sister.

"Why isn't anyone helping me?!" She cocked her head to the side and spotted an employee of the medical facility.

The strands of her green hair began to rise slightly around her head. She lifted her tan arm into the air, and as she brought it to the ground, the worker flew towards us.

When her hand hit the floor, there noses had to be touching: "Help me."

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

We were sitting across the floor outside the room where the tall pale-skinned blonde man that Cataleya had yanked towards her in a frenzy was working to save her other half.

The black jeans that looked painted on to her long firm legs were ripped on the left leg. Blood ran down most of her thigh and presumably the rest of her leg. Her tiny white crop top tank top was miraculously in tact enough to cover her chest, not that it mattered. Her feet were bare, like her brother's. Parts of her green hair stuck to her sweaty forehead,  mixed with blood from a wound that I couldn't see.

She had opted to wait on medical attention until her brother had been taken care of. She was fine anyway, I chose the same course.

I kept trying to see the outcome, and it might have been because I couldn't focus because I was too worried about the current situation, but  couldn't see beyond my damn nose.

"I'm sorry." Cataleya's voice, almost a whisper, had broken what had to have been an hour of silence.

"What?" I was caught off guard. I didn't expect either of us to say a thing until we knew Keylo was going to be saved in absolutes so I was especially caught off guard when she gave an apology.

Plus, I might have been distracted playing with the new strands at the bottom of my black t-shirt.

"I'm-I'm. I apologize for my arrogance. I apologize for what happened to my brother and-"

"Cataleya," I rubbed my temples in hopes to jolt a vision, in some hope that I could tread cautiously through this; I didn't see anything.

"If I hadn't been so proud and in a need to show a display of power, we wouldn't be here, Keylo wouldn't be..." She trailed off and pulled her green hair back over her had and put it into a pony tail, it reminded me of how her brother always pulled back his big black curly hair.

"Cataleya! You can't be serious right now." My immediate reaction was energetic, it was powerful. Cataleya had a sense of surprise to my reaction. Hell, it had surprised me too.

"We just got fucking attacked by serpents and demigons, Leya," I took a sharp breath and discovered a pain in my chest, "Don't you dare fucking apologize for those monsters, ever!"

Some where in between getting worked up, I was standing in the center of the hallway, looking down on her.

She was open mouthed and wide eyed, instead of a response, she let loose a couple tears, cocked her head to the side, and floated into a standing position, then glided some space away from me.

With her back to me, she went on, "Jay, I get that I can't apologize for an attack, none of us can ever apologize for these beasts that rain from the sky more common than water," she stopped using her telekinesis to float and grounded her self, "I'm apologizing-"

"Cataleya, I told you that you can't-"

"Don't interrupt me!" She turned on a dime, tears in her eyes and streaming a good way down her face, "I'm apologizing, because if I had had some real grasp on my power, if I had had some real grasp on my limitations, we wouldn't be here. We wouldn't be arguing about why I can't say sorry, and we wouldn't be arguing because Keylo wouldn't have lost a quarter of his body to me having my fucking guard down over the excitement of going a few extra miles!" She said it with power, and with tears.

"Cataleya, I should have been able to see what was-"

"No. I could have stopped that. If I hadn't been so high on the thought of my power. If I hadn't been so exhausted on that transmission... I felt the earth start shifting before us. I felt it," She took a quick breath, took a step back, and leaned on the grey wall of the medical agency, "I tried to catch us. I tried to catch us and, I didn't." Her voice dropped its tone at the end, and she slid back down the wall to the seated position.

Thinking of Cataleya thinking of herself as anything but extraordinary was a mixed-

The door behind us clicked and I turned around as fast as I could, the pain in my chest was too scared by Cataleya teleporting right beside us in a split second to have a moment to hurt me.

The pale-skinned man with short blond hair, who maybe stood almost as tall as Cataleya around 6'3 emerged from the room that held too many questions.

"Keylo 839-T sustained heavy damages to his upper torso, causing loss to most of the affected area along with his entire left limb. After a steady flow of Anzenimean and a swarm of Folgent cells, he is stable. Consciousness should be regained in a matter of a day, and regeneration of the body shouldn't take longer than a month."

The pale-skinned man made an abrupt exit after an update that carried the tone of a weather forecast.

[cbholganza]

by: PO3 Noelle Cristina Wenceslao (PCG)

PO3 Noelle Cristina Wenceslao of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) is one of the first 3 Filipinas to have reached the top of Mt Everest. She and her 2 other groupmates did it in 2008. Noelle used to be a member of the prestigious Philippine Dragon Boat Team, from the time it was with the Philippine Dragon Boat Federation (PDBF) until the team was forcibly transferred to the Philippine Canoe Kayak Federation (PCKF) in 2011. In 2013, the team filed a complaint against the PCKF leadership and the head coach. This is her story:

Dragon Boating is one sport we can excel in. Unfortunately, the bickering, the disunity sowed has led to its deterioration. (MB Sports)

On July 12 , 2013, we wrote a letter addressed to both the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) and the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) requesting for an investigation of two (2) officials of the PCKF: Acting president Jonne Go and head coach Ms Leonora Escollante on allegations of unethical conduct and questionable disbursement of funds. These are violations which Ms Escollante had previously been penalized for by the PSC. 

The immediate action taken by Ms Go is to unduly terminate the twenty-five (25) athletes and three (3) coaches, representing 95% of the national pool, who filed the complaint. This act is in direct violation of paragraph no. 25 of the POC-PSC-NSA Tripartite Agreement dated 11 January 1993.

Consequently, we were put on ‘floating’ status pending the resolution of the complaint. Likewise, we have been verbally informed by POC that all trainings have to be discontinued and were denied access to the dragon boats situated at the CPP’s dock site. Worse, our South East Asian Games (SEA Games) berth was revoked and our allowance and benefits, from which we derive our meager income, were put on hold pending the final determination of the case by the POC Arbitration Committee.  PCKF officials also released Memorandum Circular Nr 08-2013 effectively banning the coaches and athletes from the CCP Training Site, as well as all PCKF-sanctioned or managed activities. A number of coaches and athletes were also handling recreational teams of their own for added income, but the ban rendered them unable to perform their duties to the teams that they were handling

There are no allegations against us coaches and athletes, and we have actually satisfied the qualification criteria for the SEAG. The investigation is, in fact, directed towards the NSA officials with us as the complainants. Our sole request of the athletes and coaches is an investigation of two (2) of our officials in the PCKF. We have no wish whatsoever to separate from our fine organization.

We have already sent letters to the Philippine Sports Commission and the Arbitration Committee of the POC requesting for provisional relief and immediate disposition of the case based on humanitarian and compassionate grounds but our request fell on deaf ears.

The POC and PCKF may have the right and power to determine its organization and membership. However, we feel that it is unjust for us to be stripped of our basic benefits and our well-deserved opportunity to represent the country in the SEA Games, just because we chose to bring to light the anomalies that we have experienced at the hands of our officials – the supposed stewards of our Sport.

We followed strict protocol, stretched our forbearance and good faith in our sports governing bodies, even as five (5) months had passed without a proper investigation and resolution.

On 06 November, the Arbitration Committee released an official “recommendation,” claiming to only be a recommending body, rather than the Arbitration Committee that it is named. The recommendation failed to address the issue of the misused funds, but at the same time recommended that there be better auditing. According to the Arbitration Committee, the POC Board, of which respondent Jonne Go is a member, will have to give its final decision based on their recommendation. (Ed’s note: In cases like this, the respondent – Jonnie Go – should have inhibited herself from the investigation proceedings.)

Although many POC Board Meetings have passed and follow-ups have been written, the POC Board has yet to release their final decision, and the athletes and coaches remain uncertain and without compensation.

Meanwhile, the PCKF carries on as usual, having formed a “new” National Team, organizing events and sending canoe and kayak delegates to the SEAG.

∞    ∞    ∞    ∞    ∞

Wency answers questions at the Senate Hearing. It didnt matter, the POCs minds were made up. (Rappler)

On 24 July 2013, they wrote another letter: SUBJECT:​The Current Situation of the National Dragon Boat Team regarding the Appeal to POC to Investigate the Leaders of their National Sports Association We, the coaches and athletes of the national dragon boat team, would like to humbly share with you our current situation. The National Dragon Boat Team is under the Philippine Canoe and Kayak Federation (PCKF), which has been our National Sports Association (NSA) since 2011. Under this NSA, we won a Gold medal in the 26th South East Asian Games 2011 in Jakarta. We also won 6 Gold medals in the International Canoe Federation World Dragon Boat Championships 2012 in Milan Italy. We submitted a Petition, dated 12 July 2013, appealing to both the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) and the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) to investigate PCKF Acting President Ms. Jonne Go and PCKF Head Coach Ms. Leonora Escollante on allegations of corruption and harassment. On 16 July 2013, we were given an audience with POC President Jose Cojuangco, Jr. and PSC Chairman Ricardo Garcia. At the meeting, we detailed the complaints and contentions being referred to in the Petition. Put briefly, they are: 1) That we were neither informed of nor given the full amount of our personal travel allowances and meal allowances. 2) That there was little to no transparency in the disbursement of the team funds. 3) That we were falsely told that our coach had not been included in the PSC budget. We gave part of our personal travel allowance in order to shoulder his travel expenses, which were in fact already covered by PSC. 4) That there are names of unknown persons listed in the PSC payroll for Dragon Boat, while the actual recruits who have been training with us since January 2011 could not be approved for payroll. 5) That there have been incidences of unwarranted verbal abuse from both Ms. Escollante and Ms. Go. 6) That we were constantly threatened to be removed from the team, if we did not comply with their wishes. 7) That we were forced to sign an acknowledgement receipt for the liquidation of PSC funding. We did not receive the stated amount, but those who refused to sign were promptly threatened. 😎 That ALL the coaches and athletes were issued “courtesy resignation” letters, which concluded the meeting that was intended to work out the problems. The Team Captain was issued a termination letter. 9) That there are numerous accounts of misconduct displayed by both Ms. Escollante and Ms. Go, such their observably consuming alcohol during at the team’s holding area during international competition. Afterwards, Hon. Cojuangco said that we should submit a Position Paper detailing the claims and contentions that we speak of. He will immediately form an investigatory committee to look into the claims in the said Position Paper. He also said: • That the other national athletes do not complain. When they find out that we [the coaches and athletes of the national dragon boat team] complained, they will think, “What makes you better than them?” Then all the other athletes will start to complain, too. • That, “Wag niyo gagawin dahilan ang pera. People will not look kindly at you. May trabaho ka na. Coaches and athletes are here for the glory of our country and not to make money.” • That we should have approached him only and no longer involved PSC. In going to PSC, we effectively bypassed POC. PSC is a government agency, and that is what we are carefully protecting against: “government interference.” • That you are disregarding your officials and in doing so are disregarding your NSA. • That POC is the only body that can certify our team to compete in the 27th South East Asian Games (SEA Games). And that, “Even if your association folds, we can always form a new team.” • That, “Pag na-publish ito sa mga diyaryo patay na. So be careful. You are not only damaging yourself; you are damaging all of Philippine Sports.” The meeting ended at around 6:00 PM. By 7:33 PM of the same date, the so called “closed-door meeting” was published on the SPIN.ph. In the days that followed, more articles were released with direct quotes from POC President Cojuangco, PSC Chairman Garcia, Ms. Leonora Escollante, Ms. Jonne Go and a “reliable source.” We, the coaches and athletes of the National Dragon Boat Team, continue to comply with their wishes and have not released any statement to the media. On the articles, we read that there is a stand-off or “bickering” between the athletes and PCKF (as an entirety). Our complaints were linked to the past issue concerning our former NSA, the Philippine Dragon Boat Federation (PDBF). We also read in several articles that our services have, in fact, already been terminated by PCKF as national coaches and athletes. The following are links to some of the online articles concerning this issue: http://www.spin.ph/sports/outdoor-sports/news/trouble-brewing-as-dragon-boat-team-airs-gripes http://sports.inquirer.net/110113/poc-to-look-into-dragon-boat-paddlers-complaint http://www.spin.ph/sports/psc-poc/news/bickering-leaves-dragon-boats-seag-stint-in-peril http://www.balita.net.ph/2013/07/20/mga-pasaway-sinibak-sa-dragonboat/#.Ue5wuG34tWU http://www.spin.ph/sports/psc-poc/news/psc-on-dragon-boat-issue-pckf http://www.abante-tonite.com/issue/july2113/sports_story08.htm#.Ue-WLZERWSx https://www.balita.net.ph/2013/07/23/dragonboat-team-tinanggalan-ng-allowance/#.Ue9udpERWSw

  Also attached is an appeal letter that we addressed to POC following the press releases from POC and PCKF.

To summarize, we, the athletes and coaches of the National Dragon Boat Team, under our NSA, the PCKF, appealed to both the POC and the PSC to look into our complaints regarding our NSA Acting President and our NSA Head Coach. Indeed, problems within the NSA should be settled internally. However, if this fails, the POC is the higher body that exercises influence over the NSA’s, autonomy notwithstanding. Also, the contentions regarding misused government funds are the concern of the PSC. It has happened before. In 2007, the national athletes of canoe and kayak under the PCKF submitted a formal complaint against Ms. Leonora Escollante, claiming that she strikes them and hurts them physically when they do not comply with her wishes. They also claim that she collects their PSC payroll ATM, and only a fraction or none of their personal allowance reaches them. The ruling was that PSC suspended Ms. Escollante from the payroll. At present, and by means unknown to us, she has reclaimed her position as Head Coach of PCKF, and there are complaints anew. We share this with you, because we have reached this point with no legal counsel. We have been relying solely on the conviction of the truth and of what is universally right. We have come to the sobering realization that the outcome of our appeal and the consequent investigation will be decided by men who may resort to intricate technicalities which we, as coaches and athletes, are not capable of responding to or defending against. As yet, we have knowingly put our entire careers (i.e. way of life) as national coaches and athletes, as well as our monthly allowance and the chance to compete in the SEA Games, on the line for this investigation, because we firmly believe and stand behind our claims. We are humble coaches and athletes taking on the giants in sports and politics. We only wish to have a fair chance to defend our cause. Ultimately, our aim is the betterment of our organization, more conducive to the pursuit of excellence, for generations of athletes to come.

This sob story has been replicated countless times, with athletes placed at the mercy of officials whose primary concern is only to themselves. Wenceslao and her teammates had been national paddlers of good standing during their days in the Philippine Dragon Boat Federation (PDBF). However, it was after they were absorbed by the PCKF that they experienced the physical and financial abuse. The sad part here is that Peping and his mafia believed and protected Jonne Go, instead of the 28 coaches and athletes.    

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Being an archipelagic country…

The Philippines carries a great advantage…

Paddling comes naturally…

Our size and build is not an unfair disadvantage…

Even our ladies have a great chance to be world champs…

Even our PWDs have been given a wonderful opportunity with dragonboating.

    A Paddler’s Story by: PO3 Noelle Cristina Wenceslao (PCG) PO3 Noelle Cristina Wenceslao of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) is one of the first 3 Filipinas to have reached the top of Mt Everest.