#so like i can only think of dax (and even then i have to double check) and no one else so idk if that holds any water as a statement

[bazelgeuce]

Is it just me or have boomer christians lost their minds

[yesloulou]

Ill be honest. Idk if I am making sense here but I find Daniel’s attitude and overall lack of comprehension toward the intended - subtle or not - misogyny that he’s around a MAJOR ICK!

I’m thinking of the European 🐱comment, this book etc. Daniel doesn’t come out with anything but a laugh and stunned silence instead of “hey look, let’s not objectify women” or “ah it’s a bit of fun isn’t it? For me, it’s weird, but let’s not shame the person who has written it”. In private he can laugh at as many 🐱 jokes as he wants too, he can talk all day long about how f*cking weird fanfics about him are BUT when it’s in the public eye and he has hundreds of thousands of female fans, it’s pretty gross and feels like he doesn’t care about female fans at all. (Idk if this makes sense in the way I’ve written it)

We all know he doesn’t keep up with the news (he’s said so himself) but he comes across as tone deaf sometimes. You can get away with that at 22,23 but he’s in his 30s with a girlfriend. Come on! It’s not exactly giving “I have a girlfriend and a sister and would hate for my girlfriend and sister to be spoken about like that so let’s chill with the sexist, double standard comments.”

Don’t get me wrong, he’s not the only one (Pierre is a major eyeroll) but he’s not 25, he’s old enough to know better. If this Dax book thing isn’t cut and the drug addict continues to push Daniel to talk about it then shame on Daniel for not saying no - from both his side in it being weird and for ripping apart a female who was just doing something she enjoyed

Just my take. I’ll probably get shit for this

this ask is from a week ago.. sorry about the late response 😳 also the podcast incident has been discussed many many times in the past so i really hope me answering this ask won't reopen the discourse.

pretty sure this was related to the other ask about daniel's non-confrontational personality so im just gonna go from there. if daniel were a confrontational person and he chooses to not address the host's misogynistic remarks, then i think it'd be worth discussing whether he lacks the comprehension. but he's not. in fact he resolves conflicts in the most non-confrontational way possible. and im not saying this just to make a point. when i say 'the most' i really mean non-confrontational in like an almost pathological way.

example:

this was after z*k brown fired him in the most public and disrespectful way possible, including assuring him he still has a seat when they'd already given his seat to oscar. mysterious italian man said to him 'told you not to trust zak' and he just. smiled like this.

another example:

here max can be seen getting more and more annoyed for daniel by the second. meanwhile daniel smiled bigger and bigger. and when max interrupted to defend him daniel was NOT SURPRISED AT ALL even though he had appeared totally ok with Crofty’s question up until that point

idk why he is the way he is, but to me it's very obvious he's not a confrontational person. he's like the opposite of confrontational (would literally smile bigger when he's uncomfortable/offended) idek if they have a word for that. "hey look let's not" is just not something he would say.

i do find it disappointing that he didn't call out the host for the p*ssy comment. imo a moment like that is where he (anybody) should've spoken up regardless. but i'd like to give him the benefit of the doubt and trust that he didn't react simply for the same reason he doesn't react to offensiveness/hostility in general. to me it doesn't necessarily mean he lacks the sensitivity or comprehension.

(the book thing was a whole different story tho. that book was literally erotica written about him. for him it's personal. imo he doesn't need to worry about how the writer feels at all)

[motsimages]

I like how one of the themes in DS9 is "identity". What makes me who I am? Can I change it? Can I advocate for myself? Can I adapt to new circumstances?

Up until now (I just saw Nog insisting to enter Starfleet), it had been explored mainly with Odo and also with Jadzia a bit. In fact, it is Odo's whole plot, so to say, because he is the only one of his species and up until the establishment of the Federation in DS9, he was first a rarity (with Doctor Mora) and then a tool (with the Cardassians).

It has been very interesting to see him change his own perception about himself to be a person of his own right. Him asking to have his own quarters where he can change into different shapes that he has chosen himself is a master stroke. He has been making his own way since he arrived and he keeps doing so as firmly as he does anything else. Finding his own people helped him heal some wounds and also reassured him into his next decisions.

Jadzia has had her moments of showing that she is Jadzia, despite all the other people who inhabit her. They say it's memories of the past hosts but some memories are so powerful for her that she feels the need to comply with someone else's wishes. She not only remembers things as facts, as stories other people told you. She remembers the emotions, the feelings, the whole situation. And they insist that you have to be ready to change when you get the simbiont because the simbiont also has a character, on top of all the memories. And people respect Jadzia and Dax as separate entities, they sometimes even speak to Dax through Jadzia. So it all is a hard one to balance and she fights to be who she was before and who she is now. Jadzia likes playing tongo with the Ferengi and so she will. That is a new experience and a new memory for Dax. I will have to look up if someone has made a DID reading with Jadzia, because I think it is there.

And now we have Nog who is choosing to not be a Ferengi if being a Ferengi means he has to chase after profit. He tried his best, with Jake and Jake was actually smarter for business than he was. He has seen his father lose all his personality and power of decision because of it. He has tried himself to behave like a Ferengi when he went with Jake in a double date and it only led to more confusion. He does what is expected of a Ferengi man but he has been amongst other aliens for so long that it is weird already. But because he is friends with Jake, because he lives in a Federation station, he knows there are other options. He won't have profit anyways, but he will be happy with himself. And because he is so young and enthusiastic, he can't see yet what it may cost him with fellow Ferengis in Ferenginar, but he didn't really grow up there anyways. The child of migrants experience.

There is also Sisko with the emissary plot. It had been forgotten for a couple of seasons but they are reopening it now so we'll see where it leads but it adds to the identity changes, to the evolution of identity over the years, when new things happen to us, when we discover new things about ourselves.

[muserepeats]

Why do you think the Euphoria fandom's most popular characters/ship is Lexi Howard & Fezco (Fexi)? They're not one of the main ships featured on the show, like Rue and Jules. And while many fans clearly identify with Lexi, who is intelligent, dedicated, caring and passionate, I wonder why (especially amongst fellow fanfic writers) Kat Hernandez, who writes fanfiction and has a secret double life on the internet, isn't more popular in the Euphoria fandom, or featured more prominently in fanfic.

Hmmm, so I think there are a few separate questions in this ask and many other people have articulated opinions that I share re: the lead inquiry. (Fez and Lexi were the rare earnest and genuinely romantic pairing in a season fraught with addiction, enabling addiction, being traumatized by an addict you love, toxic masculinity, cheating, fucking your best friend's ex, abuse, human trafficking, murder, etc. And Fez and Lexi are both attractive people. And they have great chemistry onscreen. And it was unexpected on a surface level yet worked so beautifully upon execution.)

[More below cuz I'm blabbering on.]

I have to disagree that Kat isn't popular in the overall Euphoria fandom. It's my understanding that lots of people were super bummed about her truncated arc in S2 and would have loved to see her with a meaningful and more integrated storyline in S3. She's featured on Dax's podcast this week, and her Euphoria commentary has been covered by multiple entertainment news outlets. Sure, it's partly "people love mess and want to know drama" but it's also "we loved this character and want to know why things didn't work out." I think Kat is popular and that's why the whole thing garners such attention, even now.

Musing on Kat inclusion in fics is a different thing. (And I do think overall Euphoria fandom is different from fic fandom and is different from tumblr fandom.) It's not particularly motivating for writers to watch a character they once enjoyed get a dead-end story. Not much to work with in S2. I would have loved to see more depth into her realization that "what you think you want isn't what you actually want" or whatever the Maddy quote was. That's such a relatable idea and would have been SO compelling to explore for Kat. But, didn't happen and we got minimal sidekick action. (A fix-it fic for Kat as an independent character would be lovely and I would gladly read it!)

Quite frankly, if Lexi hadn't gotten a strong narrative arc (including a romance) in S2 I don't think she'd appear frequently in fics. So to me, it's the compelling connection between Fez and Lexi that drives popularity. They both grew a lot and showed different sides to their characters, brought to the forefront by their interaction with one another.

Re: Kat in Fexi fics, I'm not surprised she isn’t prominently featured because she's not super connected to Fez or Lexi in-canon. Ash, Cassie, and Rue all make sense as more central figures in their stories. Even with AUs, there are some interesting relationship dynamics between Fez & Ash, Ash & Lexi, Cassie & Lexi, Rue & Fez, etc. that can drive plot, tension, character development, yada yada yada.

Possibly things like fat phobia and racism factor in, too. But I don’t think those are the only reasons we don’t get a lot of Kat.

[wrestlingisfake]

Final Battle preview

Chris Jericho vs. Claudio Castagnoli - This is for the ROH men's world title. Jericho won the belt from Castagnoli in July, and although Claudio has since beaten Jericho in non-title situations, Jericho pinned him last month in a four-way title bout. So to get this one-on-one rematch, Claudio has agreed to join the Jericho Appreciation Society if he loses. Those stakes seem more important given that Claudio's current stable, the Blackpool Combat Club, is at a critical moment following the betrayal of William Regal.

The JAS and BCC have been feuding since May, when BCC's Jon Moxley backed up for his friend Eddie Kingston, whose issues with the group went back to November 2021. I think everyone's hoping this will finally end the saga. However, I'm hard-pressed to think of a "babyface is forced to join a heel group" storyline that ended well. If Claudio joins the JAS, the BCC will look like idiots if they don't try to get him out.

The other big issue is Jericho's current gimmick of dishonoring Ring of Honor by not respecting what the title stands for. So he does basic heel stuff like he always does, except Ian Riccaboni has to tell us "THAT ISN'T ADHERING TO THE CODE OF HONOR!" ROH was doing that lazy formula long before Tony Khan bought the company, and I was hoping Jericho would have a new spin on it, but that hasn't panned out.

Ever since Jericho won the title I expected him to lose it here. But now that the day has come I feel like the story hasn't peaked yet. I'd be fine with getting it over with, but I can't help wondering if there's some bigger name waiting in the wings to fight Jericho in the name of honor. In any event, I'm picking Castagnoli to win just to speak it into existence.

Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler vs. Jay Briscoe & Mark Briscoe - This is a double dog collar match for the ROH tag team championship. FTR (Dax and Cash) are the defending champions; their AAA and IWGP titles aren't on the line. Each participant will be chained by the neck to one of their opponents. There are no rules and tag partners don't have to tag in and out of the ring. The match ends when one man scores a pinfall or submission on either opponent.

FTR captured the ROH tag title from the Briscoes in April and won a rematch in July, so the Briscoes have a deep hole to climb out of. The stip is clearly meant to favor the Briscoes, even though it'll probably still be a back-and-forth war right up until the last thirty seconds or so. Going 0-3 against FTR would be pretty disastrous for the Briscoes, especially considering they're supposed to be under contract but they can't appear on AEW TV, so being a top ROH tag team is kind of all they have.

It feels like FTR's triple-champ run could be winding down. They failed to capture the AEW tag title on December 7. They're slight underdogs here. On December 28 they defend the AAA title against Dragon Lee & Dralistico. It's widely expected they'll defend the IWGP title on January 4. It'd be a hell of a story if they made it through without dropping any belts, but it might be a better story to recover from an epic collapse.

Daniel Garcia vs. Wheeler YUTA - Garcia is defending the ROH pure title. This is the third match between these two for the title--Yuta beat Garcia to retain on July 23, but Garcia captured the belt on September 7. So this is the rubber match.

The pure title is defended under pure rules. Closed-fist strikes to the head are illegal, but you just get a warning on the first punch, so that one's basically free. Each competitor can only use the ropes to break a pinfall or submission three times; after that, the only way to be out of bounds is to exit the ring altogether. A championship defended under these rules is always award to the winner, even if the match ends by count-out or disqualification.

I could live with either guy winning, but Garcia really doesn't need this belt. It's cute to have a technician like Garcia hold this particular title while doing the whole "it's not pro wrestling, it's sports entertainment" bit. But if there was anything left to do with that, it's been covered by Jericho holding the world title. Whoever loses this match will need to pick himself up and figure out what to do next, and I'd prefer to see Garcia do that for a change.

Mercedes Martinez vs. Athena - Martinez is putting the ROH women's world title at stake. She spent 16 weeks on the shelf due to an undisclosed injury (which I suspect was a concussion). Martinez's big return was to confront Athena when she took liberties with a beaten opponent and also smacked the shit out of referee Aubrey Edwards. I got the feeling Athena was slowly turning heel, but as soon as she hit Aubrey she was basically the devil.

I guess Martinez could retain but that would really kill Athena's momentum, so I think a title change is the best way to go. Only problem with that is you'd have yet another ROH titleholder who has decided honor in wrestling is a joke. But if it means I get to see more of Athena clobberin' everybody then I'm cool with that. Unless she's clobberin' Aubrey. Don't do that.

Samoa Joe vs. Juice Robinson - Juice has challenged Joe for the ROH television title; Joe's AEW TNT title is not at stake. I was expecting Joe to face Wardlow on the show to blow off their feud, so this is an odd detour. But I'm a big fan of Joe and Juice so I'll take it.

Juice's video package where he issued the challenge sounded like a babyface promo, which is kind of weird since he dramatically turned heel a few months ago in New Japan. I'm curious which of these two the fans will side with. I would be shocked if Joe drops the TV title, unless Wardlow does a run-in.

Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland vs. Shane Taylor & JD Griffey - Taylor and Griffey each teamed with Lee back in like 2014-2015; apparently the story is they're mad at him for leaving them behind like he did to Swerve Strickland on November 19. I'm not clear on why Lee is teaming with Swerve here; you'd think he could and would choose literally anyone else to be his partner.

Taylor was a rising force in ROH just before Tony Khan bought it, so it'll be interesting if he's sticking around beyond this one match. But I don't think his team can win unless the story is Strickland walking away at a critical moment to screw over Lee.

Dalton Castle & Brandan Tate & Brent Tate vs. Brian Cage & Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona - Castle and The Boys are defending the ROH trios title. Cage and the Gates of Agony were brought together by Tully Blanchard back in April, but when Prince Nana took over the group in July they became the latest incarnation of The Embassy. I would expect Castle's team to retain unless they're leaving the company, and I don't get the impression they are.

Rush & Dralistico vs. Blake Christian & AR Fox - OK, so Rush created La Faccion Ingobernable after he left CMLL, so he could do the Los Ingobernables gimmick in other promotions. His brothers Dragon Lee and Dralistico joined LFI. Then Rush came to AEW where Andrade El Idolo joined LFI. Then Rush and Andrade turned on Lee on an AEW show in August. Now Rush and Dralistico are teaming up. On December 28 in Mexico, Dralistico is teaming with Lee. So I'm a little confused where Dralistico's loyalties lie. This is probably a squash match for Rush; the only question is whether he beats up his brother and rips his mask off.

Jeff Cobb vs. Mascara Dorada - This is scheduled for the pre-show. You may remember Dorada as Gran Metalik in WWE's Lucha House Party. Cobb has been in Japan a lot lately so I'm surprised to see him popping in here. I hope he sticks around. After he clobbers Dorada, that is.

Trish Adora vs. Willow Nightingale - Another pre-show match. Adora is the pan-Afrikan world diaspora champion but the title is not at stake. Adora is one of those names I mostly hear when people are talking about hot indy acts you need to watch for. I heard the same hype for Willow before she made it on AEW television this year, and she's great. So hopefully now it's Trish's turn. I'd like to see the winner get to challenge the winner of Martinez/Athena, which is probably more doable if it's Willow.

Matt Taven & Mike Bennett vs. Dante Martin & Darius Martin - More pre-show stuff. Taven and Bennett are The Kingdom, returning to ROH after it was shut down one year ago. Dante and Darius are Top Flight, which was heating up on AEW until Darius had a string of injuries, and then Dante got red hot as a solo act. I'm real glad all four of these guys are here and doing okay after their respective hassles. This is probably a showcase for Taven and Bennett, who made a splashy debut in AEW but haven't really done anything since.

Matt Menard & Angelo Parker vs. Eli Isom & Cheeseburger - Even more pre-show action. Menard and Parker are kind of the job guys in the Jericho Appreciation Society, but that still puts them way ahead of the Shinobi Shadow Squad in the pecking order. CB and Isom are here to remind us they exist before they lose.

[wrestlezon]

liveblog containment zone for aew dynamite 5/11/22

started like 40 mins late and i didnt even have time to eat my dang burger

me at the beginning of the adam cole vs dax harwood match: if adam wins im gonna be really mad me at the end of the adam cole vs dax harwood match: >:( AND to the sharpshooter??? AUGH my burger will console me

dude i hate impractical jokers so bad its like a lethal amount of secondhand embarrassment oh boy its the cm punk vs silver match!! im exci-- hes. his jersery is so big. boyfriend's jersey. what on this earth wow johnny hungee / cm punk chant hangman just say youre here to support your friend. do it LMAO THE "FUCK YOUR PIZZA" CHANT cm punk and hangman exchanging looks from 500 feet away :)c long island crowd got the chants yeah!!! silver with the kicks!!! brainbuster!! whoa the AUDACITY MY FAVORITE THING IS WRESTLERS USING OTHER WRESTLERS' SPECIAL MOVES OOOOOO CM PUNK... WOOO he loves it when people get mad at him. hes got troublemaker's disease. how can this man continue to be a face

what is this sweetheart filter on this britt baker segment

DANHAUSEN TIME!!!!! WHAT IS THIS THEME DID THEY MAKE A DIFFERENT THEME??? HIS LEGALLY DISTINCT TEQUILA ONE IS SO GOOD THO TONY DIDNT EVEN GET AN ENTRANCE?? LOL i guess they gotta cut for time with all these matches on the card OH MY GOD THEY SQUASHMATCHED HIM ULTRA HEEL HEAT "we're gonna beat up all your internet meme wrestlers" please no leave my favorites alone but also i think orange would kill him so maybe are they going to make hook save him??? LMAO YES HOOK DANHAUSEN ENEMIES TO FRIENDS ARC COMPLETE wish it was a real-er match but whaddya gonna do. someday, maybe...

wardlow time!!! LMFAO A DARK SIDE OF THE RING SEGMENT???? I SAW MJF IN THE BG I KNOW THIS IS FOR JOKES OMG YES this is so good. LOL HES ALSO WEARING A JERSEY staring at this table in the middle of the ring. chekov's table dont tell my friends im only half listening to mjf's speech. he is not my guy ok the winking is almost getting to me though lol mjf loooooves whippin people with his belt oh shawn spears did his 10 bit! did he only did that in the indies cage match? LOL mjf reffing for the cage match? OMG YESSSS TAKE THE CUFFS OFF :) >:)!!!!! YESSS GOT EM NOOOOOOOO oh lmfao the buttons just scattering everywhere CHEKOV'S TABLE!!!!!!!! ok but for reals we know wardlows gonna win at double or nothin now cuz the stakes are too high

ricky starks vs jungle boy! these two guys are just alright. i do not hate them, or even mildly dislike them, but i also do not go nuts for them. pure neutral here im apparently missing out on some insane commentary work swerve why are you h-- oh no jungle boy... OH! its christian cage! is he going to be evil now. i keep hearing people wanting him to be evil more interpersonal conflict is developing... cage.......... HUG ok hes a good guy. thats cool im all for it

jas time! is eddie going to show up with a bandaged face. like a mummy. i want this "you wanna know what turns me on?" lmao "YOU WANNA KNOW WHAT GETS MY NIPPLES HARD" i continue to love and appreciate 2.0 jericho: look in your heart. you know it to be true. long island sucks oh dont adultery eddie's made-up wife jericho. thats no good OH!!!!!!!! ITS EDDIE'S WIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YES BCC ASSEMBLING LMFAO AOHFAOUHGH EDDIE'S HALLOWEEN FACEPAINT KILL!!! MURDER!!!!!!!!!! REGAL ATTACK!!! YAY!!!! BCC EDDIE SANTANA ORTIZ TEAM lmao @ eddie tearing up the podium in the background like an angry dog dude jericho's team is gonna get wrecked. unless jericho starts casting blizzaga theyre done for

toni storm vs hayter... :)c toni's outfit. very red exchanging punches... i actually dont know who to root for here! baker vs hayter is like, well, i hope this tears their group apart. but toni storm is cool and i think itd be neat to see her fight baker too. or whoever the jonker is. i think hayter is cool and i want to see her wrestle more tho. im invested :o well that answers that

omg sammy telling kazarian that scorpio is a bad guy and kazarian rejecting this advice...

LOSING MY MIND AT THESE PPV MATCH ANNOUNCEMENTS OHHHHH HOOKHAUSEN BUY-IN MATCH REAL ?? wow i got my real match faster than i thought id get it. then again nese is tagging with sterling so... hmmm i guess i better figure out how im going to buy the ppv sooner rather than later, esp if fite is crackin down on vpn stuff... i dont update my phone apps for storage reasons so i think im good on that front but i already had a little bit of a struggle buying revolution 2022 as is (had to do a roundabout thing of getting google play credit and using that)

what the why are you looking at my liveblog when youre in voice chat with me dont yell at me for being blazé about your mjf man. and i WAS paying attention despite it all!!! he is just too funny to ignore unfortunately

darby vs jeff hardy. theyre going to kill each other love jeff hardy's outfit here he looks like a piece of candy as much as i love shirtless men i feel like you really miss out on the accessorization opportunities. leaving that torso slot unequipped, man. i joked earlier about this match just being darby and jeff hardy pulling out taller and taller ladders to jump off of and here they just pull out the 100 ft ladder at the start staring at the chekov's chair setup just sitting over there. unharmed. not a wrestler on it oh no what the NO THAT LADDER IS TOO HIGH AND THAT IS NOT THE-- THATS THE GROUND ITS NOT EVEN PADDED. THOSE CHAIRS ARENT GONNA BREAK YOUR FALL ok yea just come down the other side thats fine OH NO DARBY NOT YOU TOO AGHGUGHGHGHHGHH insane. ough the ring apron is hard. not as hard as that ladder and chairs but oof SWANTON ON THE STEPS bruhh ;o; (crying emojis) OHHHHH JEFF HARDY WITH THE PIN!!! lmfao "you know how he [won?] in a no rules match, he did a wrestling move!"

very exciting matches for us on friday and also wednesday. didnt realize that double or nothing is so soon theyre gonna have to speedrun these trials for wardlow huh. gonna be good

[sshbpodcast]

Doublemint, Doublemint, Doublemint Trek: Doppelgängers in Star Trek (Part 2)

By Ames

Our blogtivity for character doubles in Star Trek obviously needs double the posts, doesn’t it! Continuing on from our batch from last week, A Star Steer Her By is reviewing the doppelgänger of that batch here! The topic had about fifty instances that we listed in last week’s podcast episode, so it was just too much for one post. You can follow along below and see if you can tell the real deal from the cheap carbon copy.

Some SPOILERS for new Trek (including season 3 of Picard!) under the fold.

[Images © Paramount/CBS]

“If Wishes Were Horses”

Update 3/13/24: How could I forget this awful Deep Space Nine episode? For simultaneously two reasons at once, there are two Jadzias at once! Bashir’s horniness for Dax is so strong that it conjures one straight out of his imagination, and she is thirsty AF! Also, it’s an alien being simply taking on the form of a familiar being, like Rumpelstiltskin and Buck Bokai, for some freaking reason. Sigh.

“Aquiel”

Update 1/28/24: There are even more character doubles than I even remembered! Now that I’ve been doing another rewatch, here are a few more additions, starting with Maura, Aquiel’s dog who turns out to be a coalescent organism that has taken on the shape of this very good puppy. We also learn that this organism apparently perfectly mimicked Aquiel’s superior officer, Lt. Rocha, for who knows how long?

“Interface”

Update 1/28/24: One more from TNG that totally fits this increasingly long list is the subspace creature that takes on the shape of Silva La Forge in order to communicate with Geordi (or at least the probe that Geordi is controlling at the time) and try to get him to help them while they’re in some kind of distress. Why they didn’t just ask normally, who knows? There’s also one more update that I was able to cram in show order! Go find it below!

“A Man Alone”

Should've mentioned this one last week, but I literally just remembered it right now. That rat Ibudan makes a clone of himself just so he can murder it and frame Odo in a scheme so convoluted a Romulan must've helped. And THEN Bashir makes another clone, like a freakin' mad scientist.

“Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night”

One more Deep Space Nine episode I should have mentioned last week when we did that batch, but listen. I'm only one person, not two like all of these people! In this case, we have two Kiras who briefly meet and shake hands when our Kira goes back in time to watch Dukat romance her mom, and then things get weird.

“Faces”

Okay, finally on to Voyager, where we’ve already got Torres talking to herself, quite literally. Like in “The Enemy Within” or “Second Chances” from last week, the drama in this episode is all in the interpersonal conflict between, well, one character. It’s also a lot of excellent work from Roxann Dawson in both a lot more and a lot less makeup than usual!

“Deadlock”

“Deadlock” duplicates the whole Voyager and crew, and not for the last time either! In this one, the two crews are occupying the same space while in different versions of the same ship and need to work together to escape some damn Vidiians. Luckily, they’ve got the expertise of not one, but two Janeways, so half of our two crews make it out okay.

“The Thaw”

One of Janeway's most badass moments is technically not Janeway herself, but her holodouble that was swapped in for her to torment Fear the Clown for all of eternity, and I am 100% here for it. It's such a sneaky little character swap that I have to give both of these Janeways a ton of credit.

“The Swarm”

The Doctor is a hologram so it’s pretty common to have multiples of him running around. You’d think he’d just make a crew of nurses that look like him, but alas. Instead, we’ll have to make do with the hologram diagnostic program, which of course has Zimmerman’s face. We’re used to it already from the whole Soong family, so it only makes sense.

“Relativity”

In one of my personal favorite time-travel episodes (if not one of my favorite episodes overall), we demolish the temporal prime directive by not only involving several Janeways, but also letting Seven interact with her alternate self to save the ship from the bullshit of one of the Braxtons (it doesn’t matter which one). And she looks great doing it!

“Demon” and “Course: Oblivion”

I’m clumping these two together for my own sanity, as the silver blood duplicates we meet in “Demon” provide quite the twist for “Course: Oblivion” in a revisited plot no one saw coming. And good on them because it provides quite the little identity crisis for all of the crew members to learn they aren’t the real thing and are fated to possibly the bleakest demises of the franchise.

“Equinox”

More double EMHs and we’re not even done yet. Being a hologram makes it easy for the Doctor to meet copies of himself since that’s exactly what he was built for. Sure, he wasn’t built to be the Voyager’s chief medical officer, and neither was he built to be the Equinox’s chief medical officer, and yet here we are with both of them in “Equinox.”

“Virtuoso”

The Qomar are super into the Doctor’s singing, so they find an excuse to duplicate him and provide us with yet another instance of multiple EMHs running around. Their copies range from the tiny tapedeck version of their opera-singing superstar, to a full-sized singing program that can hit an absurd range of notes but have none of the bedside manner clogging up the works.

“Fury”

Finally, a non-Doctor double to feast your eyes on, this one a future Kes that travels back in time to save herself from… herself. It’s kind of confounding since they rather rewrite the whole Kes character to make this reappearance work, but we were indeed missing Kes so much that even one version of her would have been a sight for sore eyes, and here we have two!

“Author, Author”

Like in “Living Witness,” we start off “Author, Author” with the some excellent alternate members of the crew, all slightly more exaggerated than their normal characters for the sake of the EMH’s story. We also get to see the Doctor get a taste of his own medicine when Paris confronts him with his own fictional doppel, and wrap things up with so many Robert Picardos in one room that it’s a thing of beauty.

“Renaissance Man”

Update 1/28/24: Sadly, we missed this one when we first made this post, so enjoy this great moment from “Renaissance Man” when the Emergency Medical Hologram created a full holodeck of himself to distract Tuvok just long enough to continue his ploy of taking over the ship for the Hierarchy. Like a simp. And with this update, we've maxed out the blogpost again!

“Endgame”

As we’ve seen, we love a good time-travel paradox in which someone gets to meet themself. Sure, you should normally try to avoid confronting yourself out of time, but that’s not the Janeway... way. At the end of a series, you get a pass to just break the timeline as a treat, almost certainly pissing off the Bureau of Temporal Investigations entirely.

“Dead Stop”

Enterprise is usually a more meat-and-potatoes kind of show since a lot of the great duplicaters like the transporter and the holodeck are still in development. But even they get into the act when we find a dead Mayweather lying around and determine that he’s actually a near perfect forgery. He does about as much as Mayweather does in the series, so it’s a miracle they could tell!

“Similitude”

When Enterprise sinks its teeth into a big moral conundrum that rivals the induced rage of something like “Tuvix,” it really goes for it. It’s heartbreaking to watch the spare Tucker come to accept his fate as mere organ donor for his original self, and Connor Trinneer really nails that level of simultaneous hope and vulnerability that he’s great at. But boy do some of these characters piss you off.

Star Trek (2009)

We've got another time travel instance to bring up from the reboot movies, because in the first Abrams movie, Leonard Nimoy is back as prime timeline Spock while we already have Zachary Quinto Spock running around and making out with Uhura all over the place. It is only logical.

“Kayshon, His Eyes Open”

We’ve mentioned back in our transporter accident post how this Lower Decks episode is an ode to “Second Chances,” with direct references to the classic TNG episode to boot. I also complained last week how The Animated Series didn’t capitalize on its cartoon nature to create really impossible-to-film scenes. Well, this animated Trek makes up for that and then some, as you’ll see below!

“An Embarrassment of Dooplers”

This second season episode is so full of duplicating (or should I say, dooplercating) characters that they literally can’t fit any more in the episode without causing a singularity. It’s a decent gag and Richard Kind is absolutely in his element as the voice of all the overly sensitive beings we see so many of. You get a Doopler. You get a Doopler. Everyone gets a Doopler!

“Reflections”

It’s tough being a cybernetically enhanced humanoid whose forgotten past self is literally fighting to get out and take over your body. Rutherford’s backstory continues to be one of the most intriguing elements of Lower Decks, and the episode in which we literally get to see him fighting with himself in his own mind is one of the most visually mesmerizing and intellectually fascinating yet!

“Broken Pieces” et alia

Hey fam, we hear you like Santiago Cabrera. Well season one of Picard has all the Santiago Cabrera you can stomach and still you’ll be wanting more. All the Rios holograms are a fun addition to the show and also provide some great comedic moments and some Moon-worthy compositing that might be the best we’ve ever seen on Trek. And what can I say, they’re easy on the eyes too.

“Et in Arcadia Ego”

Our definition of doppelgänger somehow includes golems that take on the form of the… I’m gonna say engrams because why not… that get inserted into it. In an uncharacteristically unselfish move, a Soong doesn’t create something that looks just like Brent Spiner and jams Picard’s consciousness into a Picard-shaped robot suit. The future is weird.

PIC: Season 3

Sorry for the spoiler (you were warned!), but by season three of Picard, the changelings are back and goopier than ever. Their ability to blend in has gotten way better, again they’re everywhere, and now they’re here for your children. We’ve seen changelings tons before, so I’ll not go further into detail here save to say that it's great to see more Tim Russes!

“Surrender”

What we’ve never seen before is a Data-Lore battle inside the head of… well, Brent Spiner mostly playing himself but it’s such a great scene that no one’s complaining. Like in the Lower Decks episode “Reflections” with Rutherford above, it’s a great use of the mental battle of someone with all kinds of circuits in their head and memory problems out the wazoo.

“Mindwalk”

We already had a ton of double Janeways acting across from herself in Voyager, but the holoJaneway of Prodigy gives us the opportunity to do it again in CGI form! I’ll not be a broken record going on about how much we love Prodigy (well, unless you count saying that as such), but it’s some great work from Mulgrew playing two very unique Janeways, plus Dal a little!

“A Quality of Mercy”

Last one, I promise. For now. I’m sure upcoming seasons will give us even more doppels, but the final one I have to show you was not one we were expecting from season one of Strange New Worlds! Of course the time crystals from Discovery are back since Pike has interacted with them before, and now it’s up to alternate reality Chris to convince himself to embrace his beepy, beepy fate. Beep!

—

After such a long, long list, I’m seeing double. 120 Star Trek doppelgängers! Oh wait. Next week, we’re back on course, so keep up with us on the Voyager on SoundCloud or wherever you podcast, communicate with our alternate selves on Facebook and Twitter, and join me now in just doubling over.

[bedbellyandbeyond]

What Will We Do

(Story Post)

As soon as Nathan was informed, he wanted to march right back up into the medical clinic to give Reid a piece of his mind, but Dax insisted that they sleep on it all first before they say anything they regret. “Reid wasn't the one who tested me,” Dax as they spoke at the lunch table. “He was just double checking.” “He knew,” Nathan said. “You said he suspected you were pregnant.” “Yeah, today when I came in,” Dax said. “He noticed my weight gain. That's all.” “No, he knew,” Nathan said. “I bet you he knew and still went through with the IVF.” “Well… Like he said. Maybe it didn't take?” Dax offered.

Nathan shook his head. “Some reason, I doubt it… Remember what Yori said at the wedding? He was certain I was pregnant. He's a dog spirit, and I think dogs can smell that kind of thing...” “Maybe he was smelling me,” Dax said. “Oh god, I drank so much that night...” “No point worrying about that now...” Nathan sighed. “And I still have a feeling he meant me.” “Then he would've smelled us both,” Dax said. “Why wouldn't he mention me?” “Yori is very selective with his words,” Nathan said. “He would've only brought you up if he wanted to start drama.” “Okay. So… Say we're both pregnant,” Dax said. “What then?” Nathan just frowned, and looked down silently. Dax rubbed his back. “What do you want us to do?” Nathan shook his head. “What do you want to do?” “I… Well, I asked you first,” Dax said. Nathan looked away. “I don't want to say.” “What if we both say it at the same time?” “That's childish…” “No judgment.” Nathan frowned and just shook his head. “I feel like… I'd rather we go through my pregnancy…” Dax looked at him. “…And not mine?” Nathan nodded. “If I'm pregnant, the baby is both of ours…” “As opposed to mine which is just mine,” Dax said. “And Kent's...” Nathan frowned. “What would you want?” Dax pursed his lips. “It doesn't matter.” “It does matter!” Nathan said. “I just told you! You tell me. Which would you want to keep?” “Both.” “What?” “I'd want both children,” Dax said. Nathan shook his head and chuckled, tears forming. “Of course you'd want both… They're both yours.” Dax shook his head. “I don't see it like that. You know I don't. This is just the opportunity that presented itself.” “Two more kids, Dax?” Nathan grimaced. “We can't have two more kids, Dax. I agreed to one.” Dax frowned and shook his head. He placed his hand on his own stomach tenderly. “I don't want to end this… I already cried for this baby once, Nathan.” Nathan rubbed his forehead. “…So I'm just the bad guy, then.” “No.” Dax took Nathan's hand. “I said no judgment. I wanted to know how you felt.” He squeezed the hand gently. “And really, even if you agreed to one, there’s always a chance of twins… And then what would you do?” Nathan leaned against the table. “…How are we supposed to afford four kids, Dax? If we're both pregnant, we'll both have to be on leave, and we can't depend on Kent for literally anything…” “We still don't know if you're pregnant,” Dax reminded. “There's still a chance there's just mine.” “But if I am pregnant, you want both…” Nathan reiterated with a sigh. Dax pursed his lips. “Well, if you don't want both…” “I won't have an abortion, Dax,” Nathan said. “We already spent all this time doing the IVF. I'm not wasting that.” “Okay, okay. So, that's the end,” Dax said. “There's only one option left.” Nathan shook his head. “No, this is too much…” He stood up. “I need to… I need to take a walk or something. I'm freaking out.” Dax frowned but nodded. “Okay… Are you done eating or should I save this for you?” “I don't think I could eat anything ever again, the way I feel right now,” Nathan said backing up. “I need a moment.” “Alright, I'll meet you back in the room then,” Dax suggested. “Yeah…” Nathan just left quickly. Dax sighed, realising he too wouldn't be able to finish his meal. He wasn't sure what to do because he wanted to give Nathan his space but he was also just very worried about the whole situation. He finally decided to pack up their lunches. Even if neither of them were hungry now, it was a good lunch worth saving for later, so he got up and went to ask for a couple boxes. When he got up to the kitchen window, he was surprised to find none other than their vice principal collecting dishes from the dirty bin. “Pierce?” Dax said to get his attention. “Hm?” Pierce turned around and grinned. “Oh, hey! Dax, good afternoon!” “Uh, yeah. So you work here too?” Dax asked. “I volunteer,” Pierce said, picking up a bin of dirty dishes. “More so now that it's summer.” “Right, actually now I think I remember Nathan mentioning that,” Dax said. “I just haven't caught you ‘til now.” “Yep! Gimme a second…” Pierce walked the bin to the back of the kitchen by the dishwasher and came back to the window. “So, what's up with you? You look, hm…tired?” “Emotionally, yeah…” Dax said. “But it's nothing.” “Are you sure? If you want to talk about it, I’m off in a minute,” Pierce said. “Don't you have those dishes?” “Oh, I'm not dishwasher today, I'm just bringing them in,” Pierce said. “We have a new kid dishwashing today.” “Okay… Um, actually could we talk?” Dax asked. “Of course!” Pierce picked up the other bin of dishes. “Go sit down. I'll come out in a minute.” “Alright.” Dax went and sat back down at his table and waited for Pierce to come out. He realised then that he hadn't asked for boxes, but he could still ask after. After about two minutes, Pierce came out undoing his apron and throwing it over his shoulder. “Daxy, Daxy, Daxy-boy. What's going on, my friend?” Dax sighed and sat on his hands. “If I had to take leave next school year, do you think I should get a class but then go on leave after, or should and can I do it the whole year?” Pierce blinked as he sat down beside Dax. “Leave for what?” “Well, I'm…” Dax rubbed his neck. “I'm pregnant.” All four of Pierces eyes opened wide. “No way! Congratulations!” Dax had frankly forgotten about Pierce's other eyes and was a little shocked. “Oh, um. Thank you? But uh—” “With Nathan, right?” Pierce asked. “Oh, you two are so perfect for each other!” “Thanks, but, euh…” Dax shook his head. “I think we just had a fight. I don't know.” “Aw, now… Every healthy relationship disagrees sometimes,” Pierce said. “What was it about?” “Honestly, I don't really want to talk about it anymore,” Dax said. “We're just not sure we're ready for all this…” “Well, if you're pregnant, then you needn't worry about school,” Pierce said. “I believe, and I can clear it up with Ms Liu later, but if you need to take the next year off, you should still be covered under our maternity and parental leave coverage.” “You think so?” Dax scratched the back of his head. “What if we both need to be off? You had to cover for us for a lot last year…” “I don't think you have anything to be worried about. Our school is growing and we'll have more teachers this fall,” Pierce said. “Let us worry about that. You can focus on yourselves and baby.” Dax nodded. “Alright… Thank you.” Pierce slapped his back. “Yeah, don't worry about it. But, you know, if you want to talk about anything, you can talk to me.” Dax smiled. “Thanks…” “You know, if you have free time, we should get some friends together,” Pierce said. “You're friends with Nari and Diederich, right? We should all hang out.” “We should, although Nari and Diederich are in Europe for the summer.” “Oh! Shoot, alright… Well there's Samara and some other people…” Pierce rubbed his chin. “Well, we'll figure it out.” Dax nodded. “On a slightly different topic… Do you have a partner?” “Partner? Oh no,” Pierce said. “Just a single Pringle here. I haven't had such luck.” “Ah, well, I was going to say we could double date, but I guess we'll have to figure something else out,” Dax said. “I probably should go back to our room though…” “Of course.”  Pierce got up. “Do you want some takeaway boxes for your food?” “Actually, that's what I originally got up to ask for.” “Say no more, I'll get you those boxes,” Pierce said. But then he slammed a hand down on the table and looked Dax in the eyes. “But first, listen. You and Nathan are brilliant. You will work through this and I promise you, you're worries will turn into excitement for your little one. I've already seen it happen.” Dax paused. “You mean, like… You can see the future? Or…” “I mean, I saw it when Nathan had those twins,” Pierce explained. “Once you two got together, you wouldn't stop talking about him in the staff room and you were so scared for him and those twins, but once they were born, I'd never seen you so excited. You really can relax.” Dax smiled and took a deep breath. “Thank you…” Pierce patted his arm and grinned. “Let me get those boxes. You sit tight.” Dax nodded. “I'll be right here.”

[trillscienceofficer]

☕️ + the dragon age/ds9 mash up

send me ☕️ + [topic] and i’ll tell you my opinion on it!

I deserve to get asked this question because I started a whole fic about this loooong ago (was it 2019?) for @ezrisdax and then... never finished it. 😬

prepare for a fuckton of Dragon Age information that I fear will be absolutely incomprehensible if you haven't played the games

anyway. I wish I continued writing that fic because I think it was a decent, self-contained set up which was essentially the plot and characters of the DS9 pilot adapted to a sort of "original" Thedas setting. By this I mean that it wasn't going to be Kirkwall or Skyhold or anywhere in Ferelden, rather I made up a town on the border between the Free Marches and Tevinter that coincidentally was right beside the only crossing of a big river leading to Antiva, therefore assuming the same sort of strategic role that the station has on DS9.

Until a few weeks before the start of the story, the Tevinters held that position, but now no more, so the nearest Free Marches city (I think I decided it was Starkhaven?) sends a small contingent of soldiers (Sisko and the rest of the Starfleet people) to take back the town. In this picture the Bajorans are the Dalish elves, who are the ones who have managed to finally put the Tevinters on the run, though exactly how they managed to do it is part of the ongoing plot. Unsurprisingly relations with the Dalish don't start off very well, BUT THEN the word is that the former Tevinter commander (Dukat) just wants his town back, so what shall all our protagonists do if not join forces??

Anyway that was the gist. now for how I adapted the DS9 characters as Thedas inhabitants, ie TIME FOR MY OPINIONS

Sisko - very similar backstory to Hawke. (Actually, you can try DA2 roleplaying as Sisko, it's a lot of fun!) Lost his wife to the Ferelden Blight, and barely managed to escape with his son to the Free Marches where he managed to gain a reputation as a good military commander. He isn't too happy about being sent to a disputed border town, especially since he'd never leave Jake behind.

Kira - a Dalish elf who's not afraid to let other humans know what she thinks. (she's a rogue in my head. a very lethal one, skilled with both knives and bow and arrow.) I could say more about how I tried to map some other Bajoran characters into Kira's clan but that would be so much detail... But as a short example, the Kai would be the clan Keeper, and at the beginning Opaka fills this role with Bareil being her First—of course things don't stay that way for very long and there are other mages in the clan who want to be Keeper (I think you can guess where I'm going with this)

Odo - here's a wild thought. He's a hornless Tal-Vashoth that used to be a sort of impartial figure under Tevinter rule, but he doesn't remember being raised within the Qun at all (Tevinter!Dukat thought it was very funny to have a Tal-Vashot at his beck and call). Is he still a shapeshifter (ie, a mage) in this AU? I was honestly undecided, because I thought this setup gave him already enough Odo-like identity issues. I guess I could be swayed either way!

Jadzia - another doozy. A Seeker of Truth! (Human, of course. And a warrior. She use a double-handed sword. Yes I thought about it a lot.) The Dax-ness of remembering past life is due to the process of coming in contact with a particular spirit of faith that... has the quirk of making a Seeker initiate (ha, see prospective Seekers are also called initiates) remember all other seekers who've also come in contact with it, which makes her... both an asset and a liability for the Order. Curzon also was a Seeker, and an old friend of Sisko. She isn't part of Sisko's convoy at first, but Sisko has written to her to ask for help and she just... showed up.

Julian - ostensibly a human herbalist employed by the Free Marches contingent, renown for his ability to cure even the worst wounds. He is very skilled at his job, but he's also a secret apostate; his parents moved around a lot to keep him from ever being discovered by templars. It is, of course, his biggest secret.

O'Brien - a human, still a chief engineer, tasked with making sure the town (which was left in pretty bad shape) and the river crossing are both tenable positions for the army.

Quark - also a human, owner of the local tavern. Essentially the same as DS9 Quark, except he's not a Ferengi I guess? It wouldn't matter a lot for the purposes of this specific AU, in any case.

So here is my DS9/Dragon Age crossover. I'm just like a 15yo down deep, see?

[mythandlaur]

whatever the cost whether it works out or not i’ll follow you, i’ll follow you with my heart

OC-tober Day 1 - Journey Prompt list by oc-growth-and-development

Fandom: Warframe Canon Characters: Spoiler Character (Cephalon Fragments) Original Characters: Istha Merreth Warnings: None

Notes: Soooo, I’m doing this! Not sure how consistent I’ll be, but I at least want to throw out some short things for it. And no, this isn’t going in any main tags and I’m not mentioning the blog because hahahaha...haha...h a haha...

-

Things had never been terribly easy for them, it’s true--but their circumstances had only weighed harder on them in recent years, as the Orokin Empire’s growing stranglehold on the system and the clan’s deserted location made it harder and harder to keep people fed on their own. All they really had going for them was their steel and their freedom, and, though she did not wish to say it, she harbored doubts that the golden bastards wouldn’t come for both of those things sooner rather than later. The Orokin couldn’t stand anyone not under their control.

But that was a problem for the future. The current problem was supplies, which mostly came from other settlements on other planets. And, while they could occasionally pay passage on ships with “mercenary” work, it was harder to get into the heart of Orokin territory in such a way.

Which was why Istha is currently sitting in a shipping container in the cargo bay of a dingy Grineer mercantile transport vessel.

The Grineer were often chosen as ferries for goods within the empire, as they were less likely to sell said goods than the Corpus--and, for the purposes of herself and her companion, they were much easier to infiltrate. Not that she’d ever personally done it before, but he apparently had some experience with it, and she was willing to trust him on this.

What she wasn’t willing to trust him on was how long they were intended to stay in the damn boxes. Istha lets out a long sigh and tries not for the first time to shift into a more comfortable position; her feet hit the wall while her head hits the inside corner and she groans in growing frustration. It’s impossible to tell how much time has passed, but she’s starting to lose her patience, and kicks one of the metal crate walls as best she can, letting out a satisfying clang. She hopes that will serve as enough of an indication to her partner that she wants out.

There’s a long silence, and then a muffled, matching clang from somewhere nearby. Istha decides to take this as an affirmative and begins to push her lid open. The Grineer weren’t always the best at handling their cargo, and so her own crate had wound up on its side (luckily for both her and the Grineer who’d set down the box, as most fragile cargo could not brace its feet and arms into the walls and wait for a safe moment to crawl to the newly-reoriented ground).

It doesn’t take long for Istha to force the crate open, and she crawls out on her hands and knees into the cargo bay proper. The cargo bay isn’t much brighter than the inside of the crate, but in the emergency lighting, she can make out the glint of a crimson blade sticking out of the top of a crate in the next row, and she grins.

Yeah, she figured he was starting to go insane, too.

He hadn’t gotten as lucky as her with his crate’s orientation, so she watches as he laboriously pries the lid open and pushes it back so it’s barely balancing on one of the crate’s walls. The sword is thrown over the edge so he doesn’t impale himself on it, before he lifts himself over the edge as well, balancing awkwardly on his stomach and trying to get his hands to reach the ground. Istha covers her mouth to try and hide her snickering, but this quickly dissolves into full-on laughter as he loses his balance and tumbles onto the ground in an awkward somersault, ending up on his back.

It takes Istha several seconds to calm down enough to speak. “I am forever grateful that you chose to train me.”

He drags himself into a sitting position, glaring at her with a sort of muffled growl that just makes her burst out laughing again, doubling over on herself. Blood and bone, she thunks to herself, I was trapped in there too long.

“If you’re finished.”

Istha snorts, but slowly manages to pull herself together and sit up properly, though she still throws a smirk in his direction. “I liked the landing. Is it a new technique?”

“You know me, the notorious blade in a box.” He huffs a sigh, but she catches a quiet chuckle following it. “You all right?”

“Pretty much.” Istha stretches her arms over her head. “How do you do this?”

“Usually, about the same way we did it this time. Except once or twice when I went on these trips I was smaller.”

Istha wraps her arms around herself as the chill of the cargo bay hits her. At least the air is somewhat less recycled, but the ambient temperature makes her question just how much steel the Grineer actually put between the cargo bay and the ravenous void of space. “How far do you think we are?”

He shrugs. “We had an early stop, that was probably the Phobos station, and we should’ve translated once already. Maybe Europa?”

Istha winces, but looks away quickly to try and hide it. It’s not a big portion of the trip, but she already feels like she’s missed so much. She’d never seen a ship void translate before. “So a while yet to Uranus, then.”

“Yes. What’s wrong.” She can feel his piercing gaze on her and hunches her shoulders. Damn it, was she that obvious? “Body language,” he adds, again as if reading her mind. “You’re defensive. Lacking confidence.”

Istha scrunches her face up in frustration and makes a conscious effort to open up her posture towards him. Confident, but not stupid. You hold your chest high, but never, ever forget that it’s a target.

“...I’ve never been off-planet before,” Istha admits. She’d learned a long time ago that it was useless to lie to him; he was much too good at reading the little twitches and quirks of others. It was part of what made him as capable a warrior as he was--he could read his opponents like a book without even thinking about it, while she was often more...single-minded. “Mama told me that we used to move around a lot more. Pack everyone up on a ship and hop to another planet.”

“You know I can’t remember the last time we did that, either.” Right, she often forgets that he’s not really that old--not much older than her. “But I know that was when there were less of us, and there was more of the system out there.”

“Golden bastards,” she grumbles, and he nods in understanding. The Orokin had gotten a reputation for destroying most everything they touched, not that anyone would say it within earshot of a Dax. “Do you really think these trips will be enough?”

“For now, they have to be.” His tone is grim and brokers no argument. “What troubles you.”

Istha sticks out her tongue in his direction. Stubborn as a mule, all the better to match with her. “You’re not going to be dissuaded, are you.”

He smiles. “No.”

“Couldn’t we go up top? Smash a few heads, look out the window?”

“Let’s see, there’s about...a hundred Grineer on this ship, and two of us.” He tilts his head and raises an eyebrow knowingly. “We shouldn’t, not with those numbers. Wouldn’t want them to feel too bad about themselves.”

Istha barks a laugh, but it’s short-lived. “Seriously. We could handle them.”

“We could. But the Grineer like their manual ships, no fancy Orokin navigational system or what-have-you. Can’t risk the pilot dying.”

“Don’t you know how to pilot?”

His eyelids lower. “Istha. I wouldn’t be caught dead flying this kind of bucket.”

“Well...” She shrugs. “I could probably figure it out.”

“Don’t. For the sake of all that is still good in this system, don’t try to figure it out.”

Istha grins, languidly leaning forward so her chin rests on her hands. “Have a little faith in me, friend~”

“Absolutely not.”

“Are you worried I’d put you to shame?”

“I’m worried that I would be caught dead in this bucket.”

Istha lets the sly act dropp, shifting so her cheek rests on one palm. “Really, though. I don’t want to go my whole life without seeing the stars from here, you know?”

He presses his lips together into a thin line, and glances off to where one of the far walls of the cargo bay should be. Her eyebrows shoot up toward her hairline.

“...We’d have to wait,” he cautions. “Can’t risk springing something like that too early.”

“But you want to.”

“I may want to put some Grineer in their place. That’s all.”

He folds his arms, ostensibly shutting her down, but Istha’s eyes crinkle in amusement as he continues to stare into the distance--she knows she’s going to get exactly what she wants, and she’s not even going to have to drag him along behind her. He knows it, too, judging by the faint turn to his lips he tries to tamp down.

If waiting is his only condition, she’s willing to go along with it, just as long as she gets out of the cargo bay. Really, she doesn’t mind the waiting now that she’s out of that crate and with him, even if they sit in silence for most of it.

She’ll pass the journey entertained by the mental images of the surprised looks on the Grineer’s faces when they realize what they’ve done, and that’s quite enough for her.

And she isn’t actually going to try and pilot the ship.

...Probably.

[rotationalsymmetry]

General gripes about DS9 and gender (some spoilers) (content notes: some references to sexual abuse/trauma, and specifically spiritual abuse/sexual misconduct in religious leaders, also death/murder):

I swear to fuck these people do not know how to write female characters without shoehorning them into romance plotlines. (Or weird fucked up stuff, like when that Cardassian serial murderer kidnaps Kira.) Especially noticeable with Ziyal -- when Kira takes her to DS9, the writers apparently can't think of a single thing to do with a young woman other than ship her with a much older Cardassian. Then, she's starting to get her own life and make a name for her as an artist, and they fucking refridgerator her. The fuck. (And: the focus is on how her death affects Dukat, that fucker. Which, obviously sure it's going to affect him...but it's also going to affect Kira, who sees Ziyal as like a younger version of herself and was trying to protect her. And then Ziyal dies. That should have some sort of effect on Kira! And did no one else on the station make any sort of connection with her when she was there?) This is arguably not primarily a gender thing, but it is partly a gender thing: the show keeps demanding Kira find sympathy for her oppressors, over and over again. (This is a gripe fest: of course there's a lot of things about Kira's character that are done really well.) She keeps getting thrown in situations that show (some) Cardassians in more nuanced lights and that more or less force her into relationships with them, while meanwhile her old resistance cell friends all get killed off, her parents are dead, if she has any other family we don't hear about it, and she's basically left with no Bajoran friends even, as far as we know. She gets Bajoran lovers who... OK, about that. First, Vedek Bareil. Now, Bajorans are shown to have a pretty relaxed attitude towards their clergy (eg Kira is frequently rude to Winn even after she becomes Kai with apparently no consequences) -- but still. Vedek is roughly equivalent to, what, cardinal? He's high up in the heirarchy. And, he's put himself in a role of spiritual authority relative to Kira: she gets access to one of the Orbs through him. They've got a power imbalance and one that's connected to Kira's ability to do her religion. I don't care what the social norms are on Bajor that is 100% sexual misconduct on Bareil's part. If something went wrong in their relationship, it could fuck up Kira's connection to her faith. And in the show it's presented as no big deal.

(Star Trek seems to be aware of this when it comes to ship's captains! For all that Kirk notoriously fucks everyone, he never voluntarily (/outside of the mirror universe, outside of odd transporter malfunctions that split him into two parts, etc) came on to a crew member. But it's no less important for religious authorities.) (Also: this has nothing to do with celebacy. I'm fine with Bajoran religious figures being allowed to have sex and being allowed to have sex outside of marriage. But: a religious leader having a sexual relationship with someone who they're in a pastoral relationship to is wrong, and while Bareil isn't exactly Kira's pastor I think there is some level of, he's providing spiritual guidance to her. That means she's off limits to him, or should be. In the same way that bosses shouldn't fuck their direct reports, college professors shouldn't fuck their students, therapists definitely shouldn't fuck their patients, etc. Regardless of how they handle their sex life outside of those restrictions. And regardless of whether there's love involved or not -- romantic love absolutely does not make it better.) And then there's Shakaar, the former leader of her resistance cell. That she joined as a teenager. It's...yeah, it's been many years, yeah she's not directly under him any more, and yeah goodness knows a band of resistance fighters is probably not going to have a clearly written up sexual harassment policy so it's not necessarily unrealistic...it's not as blatantly "oh god no" as Bareil, but it's got some...is anyone thinking of potential abuse of power issues here? Anyone?

There was one episode where Jake and Nog were double-dating and it goes badly due to Ferengi, uh, gender roles not meshing well with Federation egalatarianism. And, then the rest of the episode is all about how they're going to repair their friendship. And I was thinking: we didn't see either female character either before or after, and why is a sexism issue being shown from the lens of "how can I, a nice guy, stay friends with my male friend who has sexism issues" and not "how am I, a young woman, going to deal with this affront to my basic personhood" or "how am I, a young woman, going to repair my friendship now that I talked my friend into a double date so I could date the guy I liked but his friend turned out to be garbage?" Like...out of all the potential relationships there, why is Jake's friendship with a guy with sexism issues (who's made it clear he's not going to change, at least as far as dating goes) the one presented as being in most need of preservation? I know, it's because Jake and Nog are more central characters and their friendship has been significant in the show for seasons now. But...that just brings up more questions. Like why does this show have a significant bro friendship between two teenage boys, but there's no friendship between two women (or between a woman and a man for that matter) that's given as much weight? There's some bonding between Kira and Dax, but it doesn't have the same presence and significance as Jake and Nog or, say, Miles and Julian. (I'm having first name/last name inconsistencies here. Ah well.) Keiko has no on-camera friendships. Kira has no on-camera friendships that have Jake & Nog or Julian & Miles weight. Dax maybe does with her Klingon buddies from Curzon's lifetime. (Benjamin Sisko also doesn't.) Ziyal could have, but doesn't. Molly could have, but doesn't. Miles doesn't seem to have any (on-camera or otherwise acknowledged) parent friends (like...there's one couple mentioned who can babysit Molly at times? That's it? We never even see them?), which is weird because fuck knows parenthood can make it hard to have any friends who aren't parents. Odo's got his weird frenemy thing with Quark. Garak has his standing lunch with Julian (if you read that as platonic, which ... yeah, there's not a lot of arguments for seeing it as platonic beyond "they're both men.") I am, don't get me wrong, extremely for showing male friendships. Very much for it. It's just...I want friendships that aren't between two guys also. And I want them to be shown as significant and meaningful and worth overcoming obstacles for. Friendships between women, friendships between people of the same race or culture (or alien species, since we are talking Star Trek here), friendships between men and women that aren't just a precursor to romance. And...parenting that isn't just...I want to see Keiko have problems with parenting that she overcomes with help from other people. I want to explore the emotional ramifications of Kira being a surrogate mom to Kirayoshi or being a semi adopted mom to Ziyal and then having her die. I want Kira to talk about how her own upbringing in times of famine and war and occupation affects her sense of her ability to potentially be a parent. I want a female character to calmly talk about her decision to not become a mother and have that decision be treated with the utmost respect. I want the sort of struggles that male characters have with parenting on the show, like Worf's difficulty connecting with his son or Benjamin's conflict over watching his son grow up and get less interested in spending time with his dad, be shown for female characters as well. And the joys, like when Benjamin remembers holding Jake as an infant, like when they reunite after Jake gets caught in a war zone. Rather than parenting be this thing that mom characters apparently do on autopilot without any internal conflict or feeling out of their depth or particular moments of joy and amazement. There's so many plot lines and moments and bits and pieces that could be amazing moments that give

mother characters balance and nuance and characterization, but they only ever get shown for fathers. (And this is not just Star Trek either...look at all the kids movies that are about father/son or father/daughter bonding, and somehow the moms...just aren't there. It's so good when there are single father storylines, just...where are all the mom storylines that could be like that?) And why do teenage boys get focus and their own stories (especially with Jake in DS9, but also TNG has Wesley Crusher and Alexander, and TOS had one story centering on a teenage boy) but girls either aren't there at all or don't get to have stories that are about them? Ziyal's stories aren't about her, she doesn't get to form her own friendships and only barely gets to develop an interest of her own before her life is taken away from her. Molly doesn't get stories that are about her. (And yeah, Molly's a lot younger than Jake, but those are still choices: DS9 could have been set when Molly was a teenager, or the show could have introduced a different teenage girl as a significant character, or Jake could have been a girl rather than a boy, or Benjamin could have had two children...)

[crowdvscritic]

round up // JANUARY 21

New year, not-so-new Crowd vs. Critic! It’s another batch of films, TV, music, and reads that were new to me this month and think you would enjoy, too. As we cozy up inside for the winter, nothing warms you up like a good piece of pop culture.

January Crowd-Pleasers

Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)

Does this sequel reach the heights of 2017’s Wonder Woman? No, but I wish more superhero movies were like this one. I explain why at ZekeFilm. Crowd: 9.5/10 // Critic: 8/10

21 Bridges (2019)

A solid action crime thriller with a solid Chadwick Boseman at the center. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 7.5/10

The Lethal Weapon Series (1987-98)

I watched the first Lethal Weapon in 2017 for ZekeFilm, but now I’ve a decade’s pleasure of progressively over-the-top action sequences and progressively more absurd ways to destroy Roger Murtaugh’s (Danny Glover) house. The Murtaugh/Riggs bromance holds this progressively sillier series together, and an supporting cast of charismatic actors (Jet Li, Darlene Love, Chris Rock, Rene Russo) are game for whatever comes their way. Joe Pesci is the true MVP. Series Crowd: 9/10 // Series Critic: 7/10

The High Note (2020)

Tracee Ellis Ross’s Grace Davis is a diva in every sense of the word. A high-strung and highly successful singer, she’s also highly demanding of her assistant Maggie (Dakota Johnson), who wants to step out of her shadow and become a music producer. This rom-com-adjacent flick is one of the most fun escapes I’ve had from a 2020 movie, and it’s perfect for a girls’ night in. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 7/10

Double Feature—Rom-Coms With a Magical Twist: Just My Luck (2006) + When In Rome (2010)

Disclaimer: These movies are not good. In fact, they’re junk, but they’re my kind of junk. In Just My Luck (Crowd: 7.5/10 // Critic: 6/10), Lindsay Lohan loses her life-long lucky streak when she kisses schlimazel Chris Pine. And When in Rome (Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 6/10), Kristen Bell attracts unwanted admirers (Will Arnett, Danny DeVito, Josh Duhamel, Jon Heder, and real-life future husband Dax Shepard) after she steals their coins from a wishing fountain. To their credit, both of these movies know they’re silly, which means you have permission to just sit back and laugh along with (or, honestly, at) them.

WandaVision (2021)

I sometimes fear for the world of entertainment when I think of how much intellectual property Disney has gobbled up, but WandaVision is evidence the company is a benevolent dictator at least for now. This odd delight is a send up and a tribute to sitcoms like I Love Lucy, I Dream of Jeannie, and The Brady Bunch, and Paul Bettany and Elizabeth Olsen are so charming and weird I don’t need whatever mysterious sub-plot they’re building.

Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993)

If you want to make the most of watching Robin Hood: Men in Tights, first watch Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), an action flick I saw last February and didn’t include in my monthly Round Up. This Mel Brooks spoof is a direct response that self-serious Kevin Costner adventure, even down to copying its costumes. While I wish I could find a Mel Brooks comedy with any substantial female character (in every movie I’ve seen so far, the joke is either, “She’s got a great rack!” or “Wow, she’s an uggo!”), I still couldn’t stop laughing at this 104-minute version of the Robin Hood scene in Shrek. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8/10

Aliens (1986)

Peak ‘80s action. Peak alien grossness. Peak girl boss Sigourney Weaver. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8/.510

Big (1988)

After talking about Laverne & Shirley with Kyla on SO IT’S A SHOW?, I had to check out Penny Marshall’s classic. While a few moments haven’t aged so well, its heart is sweet and the script is hilarious. And that Tom Hanks? I think he’s going places. Crowd: 9.5/10 // Critic: 8/10

Unstoppable (2010)

I’ve laughed at SNL’s spoof of this movie for a decade, so it’s about time I got around to enjoying this action thriller very loosely based on the true story of a train that got away from its conductor. Denzel Washington (“You’re too old!”) and Chris Pine (“You’re too young!”) are our heroes in this over-the-top ridiculousness, and their chemistry is so extra it makes me hope they team up for another movie again. Crowd:  9/10 // Critic: 7/10

January Critic Picks

Double Feature—‘90s Space Adventures: Apollo 13 (1995) + Contact (1997)

I have no desire to join Tom Cruise as he films in space, but I know I’ll be pumped to watch whatever he makes because I love sci-fi and space  adventures. Apollo 13 (Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 9/10) tells the story of an almost-disastrous NASA mission in the ‘60s, and it taps into our hope for the human spirit to overcome obstacles. Contact (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8.5/10) surmises what might happen if we received communication from extraterrestrial life, and it taps into our struggle to reconcile faith and science.

McCartney III by Paul McCartney (2020)

I spent January catching up on the albums on Best of 2020 lists, and the one I listened to for hours and hours was Paul McCartney’s latest solo album. Catchy, thoughtful, and musically surprising, it ranges from pop to rock to folk in 45 minutes and still feels like it’s over too soon. Like Tom Hanks, this Paul McCartney guy is going places!

The Thin Man Series (1934-47)

Like Lethal Weapon, I watched the first installment of The Thin Man awhile back, and Kyla and I even covered the series on our podcast. But thanks to a full series marathon on TCM earlier this month, I’ve now laughed through all five. When you talk about great chemistry, you’ve got to talk about William Powell and Myrna Loy, who make Nick and Nora’s marriage feel lived in and romantic as they solve crimes together. Witty, suspenseful, and jaunty, this series is still sexy cool over 80 years later. (Also, Asta? Still one of the cutest dogs in cinema.) Series Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

The King and I (1956)

Here’s your regularly scheduled reminder Hollywood works differently now, and many casting decisions of the ‘50s wouldn’t fly today. What has aged well in this film: The Rodgers and Hammerstein music and the sumptuous costumes and set design. I love extravagant musicals of yesteryear—perhaps it’s time for Hollywood to revisit and remake The King and I for modern audiences?

Inauguration Day

In a year with no major televised events with celebrities in a room together, Inauguration Day felt like the most exciting cultural event in ages. We’ve been missing major fashion, but then we got Lady Gaga! We’ve been missing live performances, but then we got Amanda Gorman! And I got a lot of tears during that poem—not just me, right?

Good Reads

Writing that made me think and smile this month:

Steven Soderbergh’s list of everything he read, watched, and listened to this year, Extension765.com (2020) – An indirect inspiration for these monthly Round Ups!

“My Year of Making Lists,” NewYorker.com (2020) – I made a lot of lists in 2020, so I feel this author’s #mood

“Betty White Says She Will Spend Her 99th Birthday Feeding Two Ducks Who Visit Her ‘Every Day,’“ CBSNews.com (2021) - “Betty is a treasure,” I say as I watch The Proposal for the 99th time

“A Sculpture’s Unusual Journey to SLAM [St. Louis Art Museum],” SLAM.org (2020) – With a casual mention of an attraction I never knew about in St. Louis

“The Culture Is Ailing. It’s Time for a Dr. Fauci for the Arts.” WashingtonPost.com (2020) – An idea that occurred to me a few months ago: Why don’t we have an Arts Cabinet?

“The Arts Are in Crisis. Here’s How Biden Can Help.” NYTimes.com (2021) – Partly in response to that Washington Post piece, a historical look at how artists have made it through difficult times in the past and how we can revive artists’ livelihoods mid- and post-pandemic

“The Right’s Message to Silicon Valley: 'Free Speech for Me, But Not for Thee,'” TIME.com (2021) – A more thoughtful and less reactionary take on a volatile moment in the history of modern technology

“'It Makes Me Sick With Grief': Trump's Presidency Divided Families. What Happens to Them Now?” TIME.com (2021) – A study on how politics has done damage to family dynamics in America

“Help, the Only Cinema I Can Handle Is Zac Efron Prancing Angrily in High School Musical 2,” Vulture.com (2021) - In a lot of ways, same

“50 Easy Things To Do When You are Anxious,” ShopTwentySeven.com (2021) – I especially endorse coloring, puzzling, and watching happy movies!

Double Feature—Miss Marple Mysteries: Murder at the Gallop (1963) + Murder Ahoy (1964)

Remember when I was all like, “Watch these Agatha Christie movies so you’re not sad Death on the Nile is delayed”? Remember when I said I was just a few movies away from becoming an Agatha Christie junkie? Well, I think I’m there because I can’t stop with the murder mysteries! Margaret Rutherford is a treasure whether she’s solving a murder at a horse ranch or on a boat, and a cast of colorful supporting characters (including Rutherford’s husband) makes these breezy instead of heavy. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 8/10

8½ (1963)

File this with 2001: A Space Odyssey—I don’t know if I really understood this film, but I think I liked it? Federico Fellini’s surrealist, male gaze-y drama blurs the lines between reality and imagination, love and dysfunction, and the past and maybe some future that involves clowns? What resonated with me was the story of a director with creative block, wondering if he’s already peaked and if he’ll create anything worthwhile again. Crowd: 6/10 // Critic: 9/10

Sense and Sensibility: The Screenplay and Diaries by Emma Thompson (1995)

Sense and Sensibility is not just one of my favorite Jane Austen adaptations—it’s one of my all-time favorite films. One of the co-hosts of one of my favorite podcasts has raved many-a-time about Emma Thompson’s journals from the making of film, so it was only a matter of time before I read them myself. Witty, informative, and all-around lovely, Thompson’s journals are an excellent insight into the filmmaking process and how novels are adapted.

Also in January…

I reviewed the new-ish documentary Flannery for ZekeFilm, which is all about the writer Flannery O’Connor and feels a little like going back to high school English class.

In addition to the Lethal Weapon and Thin Man series, I rewatched all of the X-Men series this month. You can see everything I am watching on Letterboxd, including favorites I love returning to (i.e. X-Men: Days of Future Past) and the movies I try that don’t make my monthly recommendations (i.e. The Wolverine).

Photo credits: Paul McCartney, Zac Efron, Sense & Sensibility. All others IMDb.com.

[faithylilac]

The Party Party Part 6

So... there was a bit of a situation... a very bad situation. Not a terrible situation, Faithy and Echo are doing quite lovely.

“Well we wouldn’t have been in this mess if I was the party leader!” Dax shouted at the shorter god. She simply huffed and started tapping her foot.

“Well I didn’t see you throwing any ideas around!” She looked around the dark cave they were in, double checking for a way out. “You twat” she said off handedly.

Dax’s eyes widen, sure what he said was rude... but not to deserve that.

What happened between the two residential celestial beings?

There they were, five papers spread across the floor, each with a different task. Cj explained that they decided to pick up side jobs to do on the way to wedding. Ash and Jo had realized they would be a week early if they went straight there, so this was a perfect idea.

Faithy just shrugged her shoulders. She wasn’t party leader anymore so if anything happened, it wasn’t her fault.

“Wait which one is first on the list?” Dax finally decided to pipe in, as he knew he was free of compasses.

Carter held up their’s proudly, “we’re going after this thing called the uh....” he quickly flipped the paper around to read, “Mortem Spera... I don’t know if I said that right.”

“What is it exactly?” Ash asked. Carter read some more and shrugged. Apparently no information on it... weird.

Carter on the other hand, was having a tougher time that the two gods. Both of Ash’s and Jo’s cloaks were ripped to shreds. So their ears were out and the open, reminding Carter plenty of what they truly were.... Nyah Nyah kawaii anime cat people.

Jo had on a large hat, thank Gjhar feiiled, but her tail was sticking out. Ash on the other hand was a free cat boy, disgusting...

Carter was scurrying to look for a blind fold, make it out of anything... But there was hinderance to that plan.

“So Carter... Do you like oranges?”

Carter pulled all of his mental strength to not freak out that this cat girl was speaking to him. He took a deep breath and shut his eyes tight. “Why?” Jo just blinked at him. “I don’t want to answer that” carter continued. “I swear it’s not a deez nuts joke.” Jo replied. Carter kinda just roll his eyes but not, being that they are closed. “Kinda... but that’s so random— I’m confused.”

Jo giggle, “I just wanted to know if you liked oranges.” She replied. “I don’t hate oranges.”

“Anyway, I guess you can ask questions about me, or I can ask more about you— whatever you are more comfortable with.”

Carter shrugged, walking past her to pick up something he spotted once he opened his eyes. It was a clothe that was sticking out of rubble. “Uhhhh...” The nymph examined the clothe, it was embroidered with strange writing and lots of stars.

“Ash, you’ve studied a few ancient languages right?” Jo looked over him to find him staring at a large tapestry on the other part of the cave.

“No, where did you get that idea?” He asked. Jo just shrugged, “I didn’t know if you did, was just trying my luck.”

Carter brought over his clothe to compare the writing. It seemed to be the same letters, but slightly different... maybe it was handwriting? Ash looked over at Carter’s finding but they jumped away from him, trying to keep some distance.

“Oh shoot I forgot.” Ash said, flattening the ears on his head. Carter frowned and took a deep breath and inched back toward the bard. “Take this hurry up!” Carter shoves it at him and scurries farther away.

“Ok I guess.” Ash went back to the tapestry, trying to figure out the reoccurring letters.

Jo scooted closer to carter and smiled widely. “So... what happened with cats that caused you to be terrified so much?” She asked sweetly. Carter pauses. “Uhhhh....”

Earlier....

“Ok, everyone stick together. The shop keeper says there’s major stress at the entrance of the cave.” Cj explained as she examined the map that they bought from a gift shop. It was a old mine that housed crystals, but now it’s a tourist attraction.

The whole surrounding town was super old and and had a temple for just about every religion in the land. Even Gjhar feiiled.... Faithy kept her cloak on put away any loose jewelry. The main temple was up north, so as they traveled that way, more and more of them were more common.

But I’ll stop there. The shop keeper said someone covered in dragon scales came through the shop with a large box and went straight into the caves. He seemed like he was running for someone, so whatever was in the box seemed important.

As they ventured in the unconsciously huddled into three separate groups, Faithy and Echo on the left, Carter, Jo, and Ash on the right, and Dax and Cj in the middle.

Definitely unrelated though, Echo was tracing a wall painting with it’s finger and the mountain started shaking. “WHO DECIDED TOUCHING SOMETHING WAS A GOOD IDEA?!?” Ash screamed. “IT WAS CJ” Dax yelled back.

Like it was an action movie or something, rubble came tumbling down and separated the party.

“Ok whatever. Can you use your plants to get us out of here?” Dax asked he traced the walls of the cave.

Cj’s face read “oh duh” but as she went to feel the walls for roots or anything else she frowned. “No good. If I call them I have no idea what it’ll do to integrity of the cave.”

Dax huffed, frail mortals had to be so... frail. Sure the two of them would survive, but his favorite humanoids definitely wouldn’t.

A whistling noise echoed through the tunnel and they taking a fighting stance. Dax signaled her was going further in and Cj followed. They walk around a corner to see a green light emerging from further in.

“You got a few more millennias to live, I’ll go ahead.” Dax said dramaticly. Cj rolls her eyes and crosses her arms. “Like someone would be able to kill, much less defeat a Chaos god.”

Dax slapped a hand on either side of his face and acted surprised.

“To think you’d have so much faith in me!”

Cj just punched his arm, “that would be Faithy, not you.”

“Can I help you two?” A voice from behind them caused them to scream and Dax jumped into the smaller God’s arms.

Even though she was a goddess, she didn’t have supernatural strength of any nature. So her small frame was having trouble keeping him up.

It was a very very very very very very very old person. Now, Cj and Dax had no room to talk, but they had a better skincare routine.

Dax jumped out of Cj’s arms suddenly and her arms flung upwards in a very fast motion, knocking her down in the process. Dax helped her up and they readjust themselves.

“Are you the reason I heard some rumbling?” He asked as he shown his blue lantern around.

A sweat ran down CJ’s back.

“Actually, it was a lizard thing.” Dax spoke up. Cj looked at him with audacity. He had just blamed her for touching the thing she shouldn’t have, causing the mountain to come down on them. So he knew....

The old person simply nodded, “ah well, it’ll take them some time to dig that out. It earns the nearby too much money from tourist to let it stay caved in.” He explained. “Now, why don’t we talk for a bit? I’ll pour some tea.”

They reluctantly follow him into his little cave house. Well it was a small cave room, what’s the term for that? Google isn’t very helpful because all it’s wanting to do is give me tips for a man cave layout.

“So what brings you into an empty crystal cave? You seem more like adventurers than tourist.”

Back to Carter and the cats.

“Oh yeah... cats.” Carter looked away, trying to avoid the question.

Jo sighed and took a step back. “Ok it’s ok, you don’t have to answer that.”

Carter sighed in relief and turned straight around. “But how did you learn to be so swag?”

Carter paused and slowly turned back to them and was about to answer when Ash interrupted.

“OK GUYS! The thing we’re are after is a weapon!” He then broke his instrument and tore off a part of his cape to make a proper torch. Now you might be wondering how they could see without a torch. Ash and Jo could see enough not to bump into anything and Carter could tell where the general area of something is. That piece of clothe was just pure luck.

“Jo can you light this?” He asked her. She nodded and snapped her fingers to start a flame and lit it like a birthday candle.

“How did you do that? I don’t think archers can do that.” Carter said in confusion. She laughed and pointed at her hat. “I can change my class depending on my hat. Not that I have any control of it... if kinda just happens and I can’t ever remember what hat goes with what, we kinda just got lucky.”

Carter blinked slowly. The hat made no sense and there was so no sense of making sense of the thing.

“Guys look!” Ash held up the torch near the tapestry to show the words formed a picture of a weapon. There were also stars scattered around it.

“How do you even know that’s the thing we’re looking for? It could just be something relating to something else?” Jo asked.

“Carter give me the flier.” Ash asked sticking his hand out. Carter scrambled around to remember where he stuffed it, “it’s on your belt of daggers.” Ash said. He grabs it and hands it to the cat boy.

Ash holds it up and looks for any similarity between the flier and the tapestry. “Well thats only convenient.” He said. Jo and Carter look over his shoulder and the weird drawing on the flier almost matches the tapestry.

“It’s missing the words that make up the weapon.” Jo pointed out. Now that was very apparent to Carter and Ash but ummm.... Jo is nice and is explaining what’s going on for you sweet Reader-Chan!

(Aughh that took thirty years off my life. I feel like I’m writing on Wattpad again)

But every single star was present. “Wow I feel smart for figuring this out.” Ash said proudly.

“Do they make a pattern?” Carter asked. Ash shoved the flier at him and started kicking random rocks until one fell apart. He picked it up and grabbed the flier back from carter and plopped down.

He used the fragile rock as chalk and connected each start. “Oooh smart.” Jo added.

There were five large stars and a few smaller stars scattered as well. When Ash connected them all together it looked like a deformed turkey.

“Surely that’s not right.” Ash quickly dusted off the flier and connected only the large stars. “Ok tell me if I’m wrong, but does this look like a straying path?” He pointed out.

It started at one point, split into three, then back to another. “Oh yeah I can see that.” Jo replied.

“Maybe we were going to split up anyway and the rubble just sped it up.” Ash purposed.

“I still don’t see how this has anything to with the Mortem Spera“ Carter replied. Ash thought on his question for a minute but shrugged. “Most of these stupid quest have no reason to link up together the way they do.” The cat boy replied.

“Wait, that means we should be able to meet back up with the others then.” Jo replied. Ash quickly rips the tapestry off the wall and rolls it up. “I don’t know if this will be helpful, but it’s worth a shot.” They then head off the find the others.

“So these star forgers are immortal?” Cj asked before taking another sip of tea. The elder nodded.

“The only thing known to strike down one of these beings is something called the Mortem Spera.” He replied, drinking some of his own tea.

The two gods looked at each other, remembering that was thing they were hired to receive.

“But hear my warning. No mortal has managed to get their hands on it, and if they did they would surely meet their end.” He added.

“So who wielded it?” Dax spoke up. Dax did not have tea, he was drinking black coffee. Not that the old man had coffee, he made it himself— French press and everything.

The old man fell silent and put down his cup. “I don’t know the answer to that question. My theory was a dying god.” Interesting, interesting cool story bro.

“But I don’t actually know that. But I don’t think too much about the subject.”

“Well thank you for your time, but we need to find our friends.” Cj announced and pulled Dax up with her.

“Thank you for humoring me, you young folk have fun.” He said as he was went back to drinking tea.

Cj and Dax scurried out and proceeded further into the cave. “I’m sorry I don’t think he knows what’s he’s talking about.” Dax said.

“How so?” Cj replied. The older god sighed. “As long as I’ve lived, I would have at least heard about a dying god THAT desperate to live. Sure some seek out the fountain of youth, but trying to kill something like a star forger.”

Cj thought on it and nodded, “he did seem like he belonged in a loony bin.”

They then turned another corner to find... Faithy and Echo having a tea party?

She had on a fake crown and Echo had on a fake mustache and top hat. But this wasn’t your average tea party, it was the real thing. With delicate dishes, a tower of Pastries, and Gjhar feiiled forbid... a white lace table clothe.

“Is this what you’ve been doing this whole time?” Cj asked, not that she was one to ask.

“We ran into this lovely dwarf who owns a restaurant in here and we’ve been waiting on the rest of you.” Faithy explained before drinking out of her cup with her pinkie at ninety degrees.

Dax and Cj looked at them confused, “how did you know we were coming this way?” Cj asked.

“Ahh... so the shop owner was telling us that the cave coming down on itself was just a illusion.” Echo replied.

Cj flops down onto the ground and leaves an indention around herself.

“Yeah the whole thing is tourist trap role playing adventure. At the end they trick you into trading a sack of gold for a wooden spear.” Faith added.

“That does explain why it didn’t get any darker when the rocks blocked the entrance.” Dax replied.

Cj shot up from her Cj shaped hole in the floor and started screaming incoherently. She then stop and narrowed her eyes at Dax. “You’re a Chaos god and you couldn’t sense an illusion?”

Dax just shrugged. “I’m a chaos god, everything I do is legit. I have no use for mortal’s artificial magic.” He said with disgust. “That and I wasn’t thinking about it.”

Then. A loud thundering noise echoed through the cave, causing everyone to get up and put up their guard. But here comes ash carrying a stupidly large tapestry and Jo carrying Carter like a baby. How were they making so much noise????

“Ok good, we all found each other and someone isn’t trying to get through rocks like an idiot.” Ash said in relief.

“How did you know about the illusion?” Cj asked. Ash raised his eyebrow, “what illusion? The freaking flier made a map. It’s stupid simple but it works I guess.” He replied.

So... this was so freaking long.

And color coding is a pain

Never again

Ever

I hate everything

Masterlist

Figure out who everyone is, I dare you

[wrestlingisfake]

Double or Nothing preview

Chris Jericho & Sammy Guevara & Santana & Ortiz & Jake Hager vs. MJF & Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler & Shawn Spears & Wardlow - This is a "Stadium Stampede" match, so the contest will start in a wrestling ring set up on the 50-yard line of TIAA Bank Field. There are no disqualifications and falls count anywhere, so basically both teams can brawl all over the stadium until one guy scores a pin or submission on someone from the other team. If the Pinnacle (MJF's team) wins, then Jericho's Inner Circle will be forced to disband forever.

The Jericho/MJF rivalry has been brewing since the fall of 2019, when the subject of MJF joining the Inner Circle was broached. MJF (and Wardlow) finally joined up a year later, but it was all a plot to destroy the group from within to make way for the Pinnacle. The original five members of the Inner Circle stayed together and collectively turned babyface. The Pinnacle defeated the Inner Circle in a "blood & guts" cage match, where Jericho suffered a real dislocation in his elbow, but the Inner Circle demanded another chance to settle the score. So MJF challenged them to this match, knowing that Jericho's squad lost the first Stadium Stampede last year.

The first stadium match worked because they took full advantage of the format to do a lot of wacky comedy and absurd brawling spots. I don't think these teams can replicate that here, and really shouldn't try. They'll be better off focusing on the brutality of this blood feud and the dangers of an unfamiliar environment. Last year's match was all about finding new things to jump off of that nobody ever used in a wrestling match before. This one should be about finding new ways to hurt people.

I can't see the Inner Circle actually breaking up here, because there's a lot more left for them to do. In theory you could do it and just have Jericho keep targeting MJF all on his own. But they also still need to do Santana & Ortiz vs. Harwood & Wheeler, and Guevara vs. Spears, and I'd even be up for Hager vs. Wardlow. So it makes more sense to just give the Inner Circle the win here, although I can't deny that it's possible they could surprise me.

Kenny Omega vs. PAC vs. Orange Cassidy - This is a three-way match for Omega's AEW men's world championship, so the first man to score a fall on either opponent wins the match and the title. Omega's other championships--the Impact world title and AAA mega title--are not at stake.

As far as I can tell this match was always supposed to be a three-way. A Pac vs. Cassidy match on May 12 was set to decide Omega's next challenger and booked to go a time-limit draw. Omega would then argue that neither man won a title match, only to be overruled and have to face both of them, in a bit we've seen a million times. However, in the match Orange got legit knocked out. So instead of just declaring Pac the winner and sole challenger, which would make more sense anyway, they had to do some wacky hijinx to get back on the stupid track to their stupid draw to do the stupid trope for a stupid three-way.

So yeah, I'm not thrilled with this match, because nothing about it is more interesting to me than if the May 12 match had a winner and this match was one-on-one. Orange just beating Pac to earn the biggest match of his career would have been cool. Orange losing to Pac, so that it takes longer for him to prove he belongs in the main event, would have been cool. But a three-way just says to me "we don't think either of these challengers is a credible draw on their own, and you won't either after they both lose at the same time." Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if WWE hadn't run this sort of thing into the ground, but they did.

Anyway, Omega probably steals a pin from Orange, and the announcers all squabble with Don Callis for 25 minutes. I would really like to see this Omega heel run actually start going somewhere.

Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson vs. Jon Moxley & Eddie Kingston - The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick) are defending the AEW tag team title. The Moxley-Kingston alliance came about when Eddie set aside their differences to rescue Mox from the exploding ring on March 7. But the ring didn't explode, so both of them wanted to beat up Kenny Omega for embarrassing them. But they couldn't get at Omega becaue his faction kept getting in the way, and then the Bucks turned on Moxley to join Omega's faction. So Moxley and Kingston started targeting the Bucks, and by the time they stole the Bucks' fancy designer sneakers we had a title match.

I think I actually find the Bucks less irritating as heels than as babyfaces. When they're bad guys, they spend half of their time being all insider-y, like "WOW THAT SURE WAS AN EVIL THING WE JUST DID, THAT SURE WILL GET SOME 'HEEL' 'HEAT' FROM THE 'MARKS' LOL." But when they're good guys, they devote that time to being all "WOW THIS SURE WOULD BE A GOOD OPPORTUNITY FOR A 'HEEL' 'TURN' BUT WE'RE NOT GOING TO DO IT YET YOU 'MARKS' LOL." At least now they're supposed to be annoying.

The biggest missing piece in the Bucks' current heel run has been a team that won't take their crap and just punches each of them in the mouth. So Moxley and Kingston are really the perfect opponents for them right now. Like, I really buy that the Bucks have bitten off more than they can chew here. But I also believe that Mox and Eddie's deathmathch powers won't save them if they get cold spray in their eyes. So it averages out to an even fight, which I like.

I wouldn't book the Bucks to drop the title at this particular time, but I can see where it'd be hot for Moxley and Kingston to cement their bond as a team and get a short title run to set up a rematch.

Hikaru Shida vs. Britt Baker - Baker is challenging for the AEW women's world title, which Shida has held for just over a year. It's been a tough run for Shida, being booked as a dominant champion in an empty building, while Baker got all the glory of getting built up as a cult favorite heel. The fandom is impatient for a title change, and specifically for Baker to get the belt. I knew all along that we'd get here eventually, and the long wait would build it up, but it still feels hotter than I expected.

I kind of want to consider the possibility of Shida surprising everyone by retaining. But I think fans would be genuinely pissed if that happened, after waiting so long to see Baker's "coronation." So this is definitely one match where the "predictable" outcome is the right one. Baker should win the title and feud with all the faces she clobbered to get here for the next year. Shida should have to climb her way up to a big rematch down the line.

Sting & Darby Allin vs. Scorpio Sky & Ethan Page - Sky and Page sort of got thrown together because they both have the same "bellyache about not getting opportunities" gimmick. To that end, they both targeted Darby Allin, but instead of challenging him for the TNT championship they caused him to lose it to Miro. So now they're going to get their asses beat by Darby and his buddy Sting, while Miro gets a big PPV title match. You guys might want to review your strategy.

When Sting joined AEW with the intent to work matches, I think everybody assumed he'd just do "cinematic" matches like the pre-taped brawl on the March 7 show. However, AEW went out of their way to say this will be a normal tag team match in the arena, live in front of the fans. It'll be his first "real" match since September 20, 2015, when a bad bump forced him to retire. I sure hope they know what they're doing.

It's conceivable that Page and Sky will get the win, but it makes more sense to me for Allin to get the momentum on his way to rematch with Miro. Also, I think they'll want to give the live crowd a feel-good moment with Sting getting his hand raised.

Miro vs. Lance Archer - Miro won the TNT championship from Darby Allin a couple of weeks ago, and now Allin's busy with Pafge and Sky so that clears the way for Archer to step up and demand a shot. I felt like neither of these guys got their full due in WWE/NJPW, so it's especially rewarding to see them both get pushed in AEW and then beat the crap out of each other in a MEAN GUY MATCH~!

The money is in building to a Miro vs. Allin rematch for the title, so I don't think Archer is winning the belt and I sure don't think Miro is losing it this early. So this isn't about who'll win so much as it's about BIG MEATY MEN...SLAPPING MEAT.

Cody Rhodes vs. Anthony Ogogo - Ogogo won the bronze medal for middleweight boxing in the 2012 Olympics, but of late he's been training at the wrestling school started by Cody Rhodes and QT Marshall. Then QT turned on Cody, taking several students with him to form a faction called "The Factory." Cody got revenge on Marshall, but Ogogo hit Cody with his deadly body blow. Cody can out-wrestle Ogogo, but it won't matter if Ogogo lands that one punch again.

That's what the story of the match actually is. For some reason, Cody thinks it has to do with whether the United States sucks or rules. Basically, this is the same time of year that the Great American Bash would be held, and Cody wants to take up his dad's "The American Dream" moniker for one night weekend only, so that's how he's justifying it. So yeah.

Cody's storylines seem to operate in a parallel universe from the rest of AEW, but if you go along with that and buy what he's selling, it works. I can't decide if it's more important to deliver the happy ending for the white-meat babyface or to put heat on the up-and-coming future star. It probably depends on whether Ogogo's ready for a sustained push, and we won't know that until we see how he performs in this match.

Hangman Page vs. Brian Cage - This match actually relates to the company's rankings, in that Page was the #1 contender until a loss to Cage knocked him down a peg. So the inevitable rise of Page to complete his story arc by challenging his ex-partner for the world title can't proceed becaue Brian Cage is in the way. That's enough to get me motivated.

Cage has been lowkey teasing a face turn since he and Ricky Starks lost to Sting and Darby Allin. That's mainly important because Page is playing into that, suggesting he expected more integrity from Cage than the rest of Team Taz and daring him not to bring his goons to the match. It feels natural for Cage to lose this match because he refuses to accept help from his heel allies, who then turn on him for doing the right thing. Then again, Cage could just win to send Page spiraling further into despair and drag that issue out a while longer. But I really hope we're done with that.

21-man Casino Battle Royale - This is a gauntlet battle royale with timed entry, sort of like WWE's Royal Rumble, but five wrestlers start the match and every three minutes another five enter, until the 21st man enters alone. Once a wrestler enters the match, he can be eliminated at any time by exiting the ring over the top rope and landing on the floor. The match can only end once everyone has entered, and all but one is eliminated; the last man in the ring wins the match and a future world title shot.

Twenty of the 21 participants have been announced: Anthony Bowens, The Blade, Brian Pillman Jr., Christian Cage, Colt Cabana, Dustin Rhodes, Evil Uno, Griff Garrison, Isiah Kassidy, Jungle Boy, Lee Johnson, Marq Quen, Matt Hardy, Matt Sydal, Max Caster, Nick Comoroto, Penta El 0M, Powerhouse Hobbs, Preston Vance, and QT Marshall. The final participant hasn't been named; I'm guessing he'll just happen to enter last as luck #21.

A lot of AEW's factions are represented in this match, but the Hardy Family Office stands out for getting four of their guys (Blade, Hardy, Quen, and Kassidy) in this thing. I'm interested to see if that plays into the story of the match. But the heavy favorites have to be Christian Cage (a big acquisition that is already on track for a title match later this year) and whoever the mystery man is. Of course, last year's surprise entrant was Matt Sydal, so don't assume this one is going to be a huge deal.

Serena Deeb vs. Riho - Deeb is defending the NWA women's world championship on the pre-show. We haven't seen a lot of either of these women lately, because Deeb was out with an injury and Riho's international travel has been severely limited by the pandemic. (The NWA itself has also been out of commission for months, but they're back and probably anxious to book the winner of this match on one of their shows.)

So this match feels like it came out of nowhere, but it still manages to feel important. I mean, Riho ought to be the favorite, but doing a title change with another group's belt is no small thing. I'm really not sure what's going to happen, which is more buzz than I usually get for a pre-show match.

[mdotmaro]

Looking from above

A continuation of a Zodiac Fan Fic.

Thank you so much to everyone that liked and shared my previous story. I binge read and reread the Zodiac series this year and loved it so much that I couldn’t let it go just yet. I obviously do not own this world the Romina Russell has so masterfully created. My heart just feels a little happier thinking of the snippets of after.

...

Sometimes I think I can hear her in the Psy. The need to search the stars for the dangers of tomorrow had proven to be a habit too difficult to break. It became worse when I realized I was pregnant. 

Nishi would have been overly involved in every step of the way. It took every molecule in my body not to name my daughter after her. Hysan had suggested it, but I knew Nishi. She would have scoffed and said that it would be cruel to give my child the expectation to live in the shadow of her mother’s best friend. 

So, we named our daughter Helena Grace Dax. 

There was a heavy tension in the Zodiac for years after the war. Some of the older generations were too comfortable in their old ways. 

When we were thirteen, then twelve types of people and not one Zodiac. 

When there was the Taboo. 

News of Hysan and I getting married, did not come without backlash. Many came from Cancer, some cancreans never forgave me for hesitating the warning signal when Cancer was going to be destroyed. 

They called me a traitorous whore. There was a sting of rejection, but Pandora reminded me that my people were all over the Zodiac. Not just Cancer. She knew first hand with her blue-eyed son of a cancrean. Her family had not been so welcoming to the news either. 

Little Jaius, was precious and the firstborn in the new world. Needless to say, we all spoiled him rotten, much to Mattias’ objection. 

When Helena was born, Jaius found a constant companion. They would be sure to Wave each other each night before bed to recount their days. 

Jaius was the one who coined Helena’s nickname ‘Lena’ partly because he was an excited two-year-old when he met her for the first time. 

I smile when I think of the memory of leaving the medical bay to see my friends gathered around the lobby with an obnoxious assortment of gifts and a beautiful boy racing to hug my legs and peer at Helena’s tiny, squished face. He gazed at her with so much wonder and looked at me with big wide eyes. 

“I love Lena,” He announced and Hysan and Mattias burst out laughing. 

“Give her a few years, Jaius. Besides, Grace women love the thrill of the chase.” He said and swiftly ducked away from my kick. 

At the present moment, I blinked awake not realizing that I had fallen asleep in the reading room. The golden orbs winked in and out of sunlight with the new version of the Capricorn snow globes with memories. 

I struggle to sit up, my swollen abdomen pushing me back into the plush, plum-colored couch. This pregnancy has left me much more exhausted than I was with Helena. I expect it’s a boy for that reason. 

Massaging my lower back, I manage to waddle out to the hall and follow the sound of singing power tools. 

Hysan had been working on a new android. Ms. Trie had informed Hysan and me that for Helena to reach her true potential she would need various tutors to challenge her. Hysan had rolled his eyes but complied. Although, I knew the real reason he caved. 

The taboo was eradicated and people were more accepting. For the most part. Our little family was held at a different standard. Many houses questioned our loyalty to the entire Zodiac. 

Equinox had already been attacked twice. Once after Helena was two months old and the latest last month when it became impossible to hide my pregnancy. 

As I opened the door, I was greeted by the sight of sparks dancing in the air. There is a large silver object at the center of the work table. Hysan has his welder’s shield on so only his golden halo of hair. He has his gray coveralls and his muscles arms peek out from above his rubber gloves. I bit my bottom lip, Another side effect this baby has brought out is an unquenchable need for sex, even eight months along. 

Hysan didn’t seem to mind this affliction one bit. The helmet moved in my direction is pulled back just as soon as the welding gun is off. 

There was sweat beading on his forehead and a light shadow of stubble coating his chin and cheeks. The gold in his eyes flickered at my expression. He braced his arms against the workbench. My mind traveled to all the times he had taken me on that very bench. Hysan seemed to read my thoughts because he inclined his head for me to join him. 

I slowly make my way to my husband and place my hands on his shoulders. He circled his arms around my hips and lower back. He took a moment to caress my stomach before moving up to my heavy breasts. My breath hitched and he swallowed the sound while pulling me to his chest. 

“Daddy, I need the 4mm socket wrench.” Called a soft voice from above. Hysan’s hand slid to my lower back and we pulled away. We looked up to see our daughter dangling upside down on the hanger. With her mane of curls tied back in a long, blonde braid and large green goggles dwarfing her face. 

Hysan reached for the tool but didn’t hand it to Helena. 

“Hmm I am not sure 4mm is the right size it seems too small for the hover scooter, Lena”: He said and Helena pushed the goggles to her forehead and narrowed her hazel eyes at her father. She analyzed his debate and managed to look much older than six. 

“It’s the right size even a 5mm would be too big and slip off of the bolts.” She challenged with a smirk, looking just like Hysan. He grinned and handed Helena the tool. 

“Ahh yes. My mistake,” he said and Helena leaned down and kissed Hysan’s cheek before going back to work on her scooter. 

“She is just like you,” I said. Hysan turned to me, still beaming, and shrugged. 

“Maybe just a bit,” He said with a wink, his face full of pride. 

“I have a feeling baby number two is going to follow the same path” I say and rub small circles on my abdomen. 

“A house of prodigies, how will I ever keep up?” I laughed and Hysan hugged me close. 

“Don’t sell yourself short, you are a prodigy with the stars and a wonderful leader and mother. I’d say you give me a great deal to work up to.” He said softly into my hair. 

Suddenly, I jolted upright, nearly knocking my head into Hysan’s chin. The baby managed to give two simultaneous kicks on separate sides of my stomach. 

“What is it?” Hysan asked, His face tightening with concern. Helena swung down from the hanger and scurried to my side. 

“Are you okay, Mama?” She asked her to face a bit pale. I smoothed some of the frizz on the top of her head. 

“Yes, my love. I’m fine. I just think I may have figured out why I am so big this time around” I sighed motioning to my swollen abdomen. They both seem confused and gave mirrored concerned expressions to one another. I shook my head and placed both of their hands on my stomach. 

A moment later the same painful simultaneous kicks thumped against my skin. 

Hysan’s eyes grew wide and he rubbed his mouth and chin. 

“Why is the baby being so rough with you, Mama?” Helena asked, her eyes narrowing at disapproval at my stomach as if she could stare down her rowdy sibling through the womb. Hysan barked out a laugh and ruffled her hair. 

“Well, they are probably kicking around to make room.” He said and kneeled to Helena’s level. 

“Mama has two babies in her belly” Hysan clarified. Helena stared from me to Hysan and then to my stomach. She rubbed her hands on her face, leaving tiny grease marks across her cheeks. 

“Mama, that is too much!” She exclaimed and Hysan doubled over laughing at one point there were tears in my eyes. Helena did not find this amusing. 

“Nothing we can do about it now, Lena” Hysan said and Helena shook her head exasperated. She placed her hands on her tiny hips. 

“Well, Daddy. Now you have to make another android because I simply cannot handle two of them.” She instructed Hysan while wagging her finger at him. He stood and firmly placed his welder’s helmet and saluted the young girl. 

“As you wish, my lady,” he said and Helena beamed at him. She turned and firmly grabbed my hand. 

“Come on, let’s go get some ice cream. You must be exhausted.” She empathized. I nodded and shot Hysan a glance over my shoulder. He lifted his helmet and blew me a kiss. I smiled at him. 

Nishi would have been doubling over with us. I look up to the skylight in the kitchen and make out the faint constellation of Sagittarius in the night sky. Deep in my heart, I know Nishi is looking down on us, watching over in Elysium with Deek. They probably are teasing me without mercy. Helios, they are probably the ones that spoke of me having twins into existence. 

[duskastormgrove]

SSO February Prompt Day 14: Your Valentine

something different for this prompt, i decided to write and post something for the first time in 6 years!

this is a oneshot about my oc making a gift for ydris, i had intended for it to be able to be interpreted as platonic but uhhh that didn’t happen! anyway don’t razz me too hard im out of practice.

This was not nearly enough bee balm. Duska had thought her crafting larder well stocked but while she had flax coming out of her ears her supply of bee balm meant the dye would not nearly be purple enough. She had a full day of stutching, crimping and brushing the flax and spinning it into thread, there was no way she could spare the time to grab more. However, Duska was lucky enough to have very loyal (and very bored) friends, and her first instinct was to pull up her chat with Alex.

D: girl help

A: what you need bb

D: bee balm

D: as much as you can carry

A: can I ask what for?

D: valentine’s gift I’m making

A: :o

A: omw

True to her word, Alex was in Valedale and jogging to the workshop within the hour. In her arms was a bundle of bee balm and her fingers were faintly green from furiously yanking up the stems.

“You’re a lifesaver Alex,”Duska groaned in relief, immediately relieving her friend of her burden and starting to strip the blossoms from the stems.

“Least I could do considering you helped me ask Maya out last Christmas!” Alex hoisted herself up onto the only uncluttered workbench to watch Duska work. She was silent for all of thirty seconds before the prodding began, “sooooo, who’s the lucky person?”

Duska pointedly ignored her and threw the flowers into a boiling pot. She stirred and hummed in a satisfied way when the violet colour began to bleed into the water. She didn’t look up when Alex came to stand behind her and look into the pot as well. Eventually Duska banged the spoon on the side of the pot and dropped it onto the bench.

“You’re thinking too hard, I can see the smoke coming out of your ears,” she snapped, jabbing a finger at Alex’s forehead.

“It’s just- the colour looked familiar but like, I don’t want to assume or anything but uh… it’s circus bae, right?”

“Please. Never call him that again I feel part of me die when you do,” Duska moaned, rubbing her temples. “But yes, I’m making a new ringmaster’s jacket for Ydris. I felt bad I scorched his usual one.”

“When he was keeping Concorde prisoner and turned you into a 5 carat Lusitano?”

“You know it wasn’t out of malice, Alex. It’s hard to explain but when he talked about Pandoria under threat from Garnok he seemed so hopeless and scared. I really think he was desperate and taking desperate measures.”

Alex was quiet for a while and sat herself back on the workbench. Duska put the lid on the pot and waited until it started rattling before she turned the heat down to a simmer. Another hour or so and she could start straining the colour away from the flowers. In the meantime she could stutch more flax and get it ready to be spun on the wheel. She might even have time to make cloth on the loom today!

“Is this the part where you beat the shit out of the plants?” Alex asked, swinging her legs in excitement, “Can I help out? Please? I’ll beat it up so good I promise!” Duska sighed but laid the stems over the board and showed Alex how to beat the fibres out properly with the stutching stick. Soon the Lightning Circle Rider was happily smacking the flax and Duska could sit at the wheel and start spinning lengths of thread from the flax she’d stutched, crimped and brushed out earlier. The sounds of the wheel turning and the steady thumpthumpthump of Alex working away were almost soothing to Duska’s ears. Alex was a chatty type of friend, moreso than Lisa or Anne but there was no such thing as an uncomfortable silence with her, simply working in the same room was enough for her, especially if she thought she was being helpful.

“All finished!” Alex proclaimed as she ran the last of the coarse flax through the brush, “Can I do anything else Dus?”

“Nothing that I can think of,” Duska said regretfully, “thanks so much for today, I really appreciate it.”

“Eh, that’s what pals are for!” Alex said, slapping a hand on Duska’s shoulder and went to leave the workshop, “I’ll see you at the Galentine’s trail ride!” Duska waved fondly and rolled her shoulders before hunching back over the spinning wheel, just an hour or so more and she could move to the loom, another backbreaker.

“Oh and Duska?” Duska looked up from the wheel, to see Alex’s face, smiling but with a worried crease to her brow, “Be careful alright?”

 ---------------------

“Sorry I’m late Daxton, took forever to load these screens onto Clover’s back, nearly dropped them in the Hollow Woods too!” Duska hipchecked the door to Daxton’s shop open and sidled in sideways with the two enormous screens she had prepared in advance. Silk, for the inside of the jacket, had a fairly straightforward dyeing process that would lead to a nice pattern. For this one in particular she only needed two screens but she also needed dye baths and a silk dyeing setup she simply didn’t have. This is where Daxton came in. The anxious tailor had a delightful array of fancy tailor tools and was willing to help her in return for all the deliveries and favours she’d done for him in the last two years.

“Don’t worry, things are slow today,” Daxton reassured her as he grabbed the other side of the screens and helped Duska carry them to the back, “Give me a second I want to clean these up, go check those fabric samples on the desk and make sure they’re the colours you want.” Duska did as instructed, while Daxton polished the screens off with a cloth that reminded her of a cloth she used to scrub the dust off of her horses before a show.

“All good, these are exactly what I’m looking for,” Duska said, laying the fabric down and grabbing a roll of silk material to lay across the rack. She taped it flat and Daxton lay the screen over it, double-checking the placement before he grabbed the bottle of dye. The purple dye went on first and Daxton dragged a large squeegee across the screen to spread it evenly onto the silk. When he moved the screen to the next spot Duska could see the purple pattern, with white blank spaces waiting for the next dye.

“Oh fuck yeah this looks awesome Dax!” she exclaimed and the tailor shushed her.

“Please! I need to concentrate or something awful might happen!” Not willing to take a chance on whether or not this was Daxton’s paranoia at work or an actual possibility, Duska kept silent and simply hovered over his shoulder and watched until the fabric was covered in purple dye.

“Next screen,” Daxton said, wiping sweat from his forehead. Duska hurried to remove the old one and set up the new one. She felt strangely useless here, with Daxton in his element and blasting through silk like no one’s business. This time the gold dye was poured on, and it filled the blank spaces the first screen had left. By the time Daxton reached the end of the roll it was filled entirely with the repeating pattern and Duska was waiting anxiously with a glass of water.

“Aideen’s light, Dax! This is perfect!”

“Okay, we’ll wait until it dries and then you can take it home!” Daxton readjusted his thick glasses to admire his handiwork and gratefully took the glass, “What are you making with this anyway?”

“Oh it’s a Valentine’s day gift.”

The colour drained from Daxton’s face and the hand holding his water began to tremble.

“Jeepers, glad you didn’t tell me it was so important, I would’ve messed it up for sure!”

 -------------------------

It wasn’t unusual for Farah to find her chief apprentice clattering around in the workshop before dawn. Duska was a hard worker and liked to get the orders done and delivered early to free up the rest of her day. She was a busy woman from what Farah saw of her zooming around on various horses and doing chores for residents of Valedale. What was unusual, was the amount of swearing coming from down by the river.

“Everything okay here?” she asked cautiously. Duska looked up, several pins hanging from her mouth and fabric aggressively clutched in her hands.

“It’s fine. It’s… swell.”

“Not sure I believe that one,” Farah laughed, feeling it was safe to approach her apprentice, “Let me in there, I can help out, are we doing a jacket?” She might have felt bad for intruding but Duska’s immediate look of relief assuaged those worries.

“It’s the lapels, I’m stuggling with them, if you could fix them I could finally start the epaulettes?” Duska asked hopefully.

“No problem, it’s a beautiful jacket so far, I love the silk pattern!”

“Thanks, Daxton helped me out with it, it turned out exactly how I wanted,” Duska explained as she went around the back of the mannequin to start sewing the golden fringed epaulettes onto the shoulders, “This is the first time I’ve made a Valentine’s gift, I’m… admittedly a little stressed about it.” Farah raised an eyebrow.

“It’s a lot of effort for a Valentine’s gift.”

“Well, he doesn’t celebrate Christmas, and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t have a birthday.”

“He… doesn’t-”

“Don’t worry about it. Just know this is the best time for a gift.” Farah didn’t quite know how to respond so she simply continued on with the lapels in silence. Well, almost silence. Her grandmother always sang while she worked so Farah had picked up the habit too. If she listened carefully after a while she could hear Duska quietly humming along. The two of them finished their respective tasks fairly quickly, and stood back to look at the whole piece together.

“Looks good! Just the cuffs and buttons left yeah? I can help with them if you’d like?” Farah offered, but Duska shook her head.

“I want to do the finishing touches myself, feels a bit more personal that way, if that makes sense?”

“No, no, I get it. Best of luck with it, whoever the lucky person is he’s sure to love it!” Farah turned to go back to the request board, she’d cover the orders today, Duska deserved the day to herself to finish her work. Farah couldn’t help but wonder who such an extravagant ringmaster’s jacket would be meant for.

 -----------------------

February 14th. Now or never. Duska had been tense all morning, and now as she was carefully packing the box into her delivery satchel she almost felt queasy with nerves. This wasn’t such a big deal, the jacket was nice! Ydris wasn’t going to blast her to dust because she gave him a gift, was he? At worst he’d treat it the same as Isebell’s Yule gift and simply not open it. That would almost be preferable. It was still early in the morning so maybe she could simply drop the package into the delivery box and take off before she was noticed. That was a pretty solid plan, she’d have to leave straight away though.

“Duska?”

There goes that plan.

“Sorry Duska, but if you’re heading in that direction could you deliver this herbal tea to Mrs. Holdsworth?” Farah looked contrite enough that Duska loaded the tea into the bag without a word. She was taking Cinder, her beloved soul horse, if any horse was going to give her the confidence she needed it would be the silver dapple mare. With a pat and a cluck of her tongue, Cinder ambled towards the woodland road to Silverglade Village and beyond. A short detour to Moorland wouldn’t add too much time to her journey, not with the way Cinder liked to gallop down the trail leading there. Speaking of which, the warmblood began to toss her head and pull at the bit when they cleared the woods.

“Alright lady, let ‘em have it,”Duska acquiesced, letting the reins go long. Cinder took off with glee, mane flapping, hooves pounding, and nearly jostling Duska right out of the saddle. This pace would definitely keep them on time!

 “I have your tea leaves Mrs. H,” Duska greeted her favourite neighbourhood witch.

“Thank you darling, sit down and have a cup with me why don’t you?” Mrs Holdsworth patted the picnic bench and Duska was sorely tempted to delay the inevitable by having tea and a chat with her.

“Sorry but, I kind of have an important delivery to do, maybe tomorrow?”

“A gift for a paramour?” Mrs. Holdsworth guessed, a little too accurately and with a glint in her eye.

“Ugh. Who told you?”

“Alex is never a great keeper of secrets, but to give her credit she only confided in me because she was worried,” Mrs. Holdsworth propped her cane against the bench and sat down, “Let me have a peek.” Duska reluctantly dismounted and let Cinder graze while she carefully unboxed the jacket and displayed it to the wise old woman.

Mrs. Holdsworth took her time examining the jacket, turning over the sleeves, peering at the stitching over her half rim glasses and rubbing a thumb over the silk lining. Duska almost felt like she was being assessed for an exam. She wanted to get a good grade on the ‘Old Woman Critiques Your Lovesick Tailoring Exam’. A totally fine and normal thing to want.

“Hm!” Mrs. Holdsworth finally proclaimed. She shuffled over to the base of one of the cherry trees in her yard and bent down, grabbing a handful of grass in the shadow of the tree. “Show me the front again?” Duska flipped the jacket and came closer, careful not to let the coattails drag in the dirt. Mrs. Holdsworth threaded the grass through one of the button holes and tied a knot in the stems. She put her hands on her hips and nodded approvingly. “There you are dearie, now off you go, Valentine’s Day waits for no one!”

Duska repacked the jacket cautiously and looked closer at the grass. Instead of simple blades, Mrs. Holdsworth had put a small bouquet of clovers into the topmost button hole.

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

Time was now of the essence. Duska slid off Cinder’s back as soon she skidded to a halt at Nilmer’s Highland and sprinted to the delivery box. Any courage she’d built up on her exhilarating gallop to get there was rapidly deserting her and she wanted to vault back onto Cinder and scamper back to Valedale as fast as humanly possible. Still, ‘fast as humanly possible’ wasn’t enough to outspeed a leisurely Pandorian stroll, as to her horror, the door of the wagon swung open just as the delivery box lid swung closed.

“Little dove!” Ydris boomed, “to what do I owe the pleasure? I don’t recall making an order at Ms. Farah’s quaint little workshop.” Duska couldn’t do anything to intervene as Ydris flipped the lid and dipped his hand in for the box. “Oh?” He hummed, gently tugging at the ribbon, “a gift for the amazing Ydris? I appear to have an admirer, my dove.”

“Sure seems so,” Duska managed through gritted teeth. He smirked at her and started to prod and poke and shake the box, holding it to his ear and tapping a rhythm on the side. “I know you’re not from around here,” Duska intoned heavily, “but it’s considered rude to look at the box and not open it.”

“Silly me! Let me unravel this mystery!” With one yank on the ribbon the knot fell apart, somehow, and Ydris discarded it over his shoulder. He opened the lid, casting that to one side and too khold of the jacket by the lapels, letting the other half of the packaging fall too. “What do we have… here...?”

Duska held her breath as Ydris fell silent. Silence was unnerving with the ringmaster, as was the look he was giving his gift. His face was carefully expressionless as he turned the coat over, gently brushing his hand over the eggplant purple linen. He drifted up to the golden epaulettes, twirling the fringe between his fingers. Finally he opened the jacket, revealing the purple and gold repeating pattern of-

“Panda rays,” he breathed. There was something almost reverent about the way he traced their shapes and Duska felt almost like she shouldn’t be watching him.

“Yeah they’re one of the nicer things I’ve met from Pandoria, sweet little guys,” she responded, looking to fill the awkward quiet. Ydris looked over at her, seeming surprised at her presence, like he’d forgotten she was there. He shook his head and his smirk was back in its usual place.

“One of? Should I consider that a compliment?” Ydris held the jacket out to her and a horrible swooping feeling in her stomach made her hands shake as she took it, but she was quickly relieved of it again as he whipped his old coat off and traded it for his new one in one fluid motion. He pulled the jacket on with a flourish and twirled in a circle to make the tailcoats flare outwards. “How do I look, little dove?”

“I’d trust you to run a circus looking like that,” Duska smiled weakly, feeling relieved that the ringmaster seemed to like it.

“Ah,” Ydris’ twirling came to a stop and he looked suddenly thoughtful, “but I cannot accept this, I have nothing to give you in return.” Duska began to stammer that there was no need to return the favour but Ydris shushed her. “All I can offer, temporarily, is this.”

He took her hand, softly, gently, like a breeze gently tugging it upwards. He leaned forward, all two metres of him, and when she could feel his breath on her skin he snapped his eyes up to meet hers.

“May I?” Thrown by his question Duska just nodded, and he gently pressed his lips to the back of her hand. Her skin tingled and when she dared to look a soft pink mark was glowing on her hand. “Anytime, anywhere, press here and call me, and I’ll come and find you, no matter what, that is a solemn vow, my dove,” Ydris murmured, in a tone far softer than she’d ever heard from him before.

“T-thank you, Ydris, this is… it’s… I’m honoured you’d trust me with this.” Ydris stood upright, straightening his jacket and looking almost flustered.

“Yes well, maybe wear gloves around your druid friends. It’s a one-way ticket to the druid jail under that quaint summer house.”

“Well if that happens you’ll have to come and rescue me like a dashing knight, won’t you?” Ydris smirked but Duska didn’t miss the faint blush that appeared on his cheeks. It almost glowed like the mark he’d left on her.

“I suppose I shall, and I shall do it looking quite splendid, little dove.”