#trying to make Amanda Grayson more interesting to me personally

[bumblingbabooshka]

Enough perfect mom Amanda Grayson. It’s time for middling mom Amanda Grayson who loved all her kids but was never close enough to any of them and is somewhat idealized in their heads because of it. Amanda Grayson who seems great in comparison to Sarek but is actually, when you look objectively at it, strangely absent: A mother who is always facing away from you, who you have to call but who always has a smile ready for when you do. Amanda Grayson who contrasts Sarek’s overbearing rules and expectations with an almost hands-off approach that felt like a refreshing reprieve at the time but as her children grow they realize was also hurtful in different respects. Amanda Grayson who loves her children almost as much as she loves her husband. A mother who listens when you complain about dad, who agrees and nods and pets your hair and says “I’m sorry, honey” but nothing ever comes of it and at a certain point you both know nothing’s ever going to come of it. Amanda Grayson who pretends she does not see it. Amanda Grayson who is too human for any of her children to let themselves love. And because she’s human maybe she resents them for it a little bit [do you think your mother knows you love her? Did you ever say it? Do you think she ever wanted you to? Do you remember when she held you and repeated it over and over again and told you she wouldn’t tell your dad if you said it just once and you answered her with silence?] And because she’s human she loves them anyway. She knows anyway. She can hear it even in the silence. /pos

[vinylhazza]

imagine sending ur nudes to e by accident omg the next day he’d be imagining you naked and eventually you two fuck🥵

oh my gosh you would be lounging around talking to your best girl friend or something, often times sending her your risqué photos when you’re feeling down about yourself. she always has the best hype up messages when you’re feeling like a swamp creature. you’re really just pacifying your boredom from being stuck inside for a ridiculously long amount of time - not wanting to go into the sweltering heat of the upcoming summer. you had a habit of overheating and making yourself sick.

usually you’re good at looking at the contact name before you send something so exposed to her, giving yourself the comfirmation before hitting send. but today just had to be the one day your finger hit the send button too fast, your eyes flicking up in panick mode to read “E ❤️” at the top of the screen.

fuck. 

you’re sitting on your bed at this point hyperventilating, about to pass out, dizzy as hell, nauseous, genuinely not good. you’d never sent him anything like those pictures before. and that was the thing, it wasn’t just one it was several pictures of your naked body to your best guy friend. you’re very hot, best guy friend. you look over the set of photos you’d sent: you’re laying back on your bed in nothing but a pair of black lace panties, breasts on display, sunlight trickling across your abdomen and perky nipples, a golden glow touching your skin. the panties were honestly nothing but a piece of pathetic fabric that could be compared to dental floss - you know if you turned around you’re ass would be bare as it could be. 

you never had any intention of sending them to anyone - as your not speaking to anyone romantically at the moment. truth is you’ve been hooked on a certain someone for a while. the same certain someone you just accidentally sent your nudes to. how convenient.

honestly i imagine him to be shell-shocked. maybe he was mid-conversation with grayson, unlocked his phone at your notification, and sat frozen and speechless while he stared down at the screen - your breasts sitting pretty for his eyes only. grayson would be pausing at his silence, questioning him on why he’s sitting there like he’s “waiting to catch flies” in his mouth. ethans cheeks would heat to an unbearable temperature, not believing what he’s seeing - his best friend - naked and biting the tip of her fingernail.

throuought both the day and night you hear no response from ethan, total dead silence. it made you more nervous than if we were to send back a simple “wrong number?” or “huh?” ...silence. did he like it? did he hate it? did he just not see it? you knew better than that judging at the read receipt that stared you in the face on the screen, only making you heart race faster. 

it was a night of little sleep for the both of you, neither one knowing of the filthy thoughts running through the others head. ethan tossed and turned in his bed that night, knowing he would see you tomorrow for session with grayson. you’re a personal trainer, hence how you met and became so close with the twins. it had been a year since you started working with grayson, not really seeing the reason because he already was well off, as well as ethan. but you never made a complaint, helping and instructing anyway that you can. you became friends instantly, most of the time making it a hangout session rather than a trainer/trainee situation. 

you had kept your eyes on ethan since the day you showed up at their house for the first session, breath caught in your throat when he opened up the door with a dazzling smile, lips stretched tight across his teeth. he was gorgeous, you wouldn't deny that. yes, grayson was handsome, and yes they were identical twins - but you fell in love with ethans heart quickly. nothing ever came from it, teasing, friendly banter. it was strictly friends. but you’d always felt something brewing beneath the surface, too scared to let him know you wanted something more. head over heels was an understatement. shit the guy couldn't even hug you without your heart doing flips inside of your head. 

you’d given up hope about a month ago, bummed out that despite your subtle advances, he was a lost cause. he showed his love in his own way, trying his hardest to make you see he felt it, he felt all of it. lost in translation, your love was. the hugs became less frequent, the teasing still showed up, but less flirty. it broke him bit by bit until he finally accepted that he’d lost something he never really had in the first place. he backed off, tried to discipline himself to think of you as just a friend - until those pictures popped up on his phone. 

there he was, laying in bed with his hand wrapped around himself, eyes glued to the picture of your perky breasts, god you were gorgeous. fuck the plan, he thought, tugging up and down his length with a tight fist - trying to keep quiet in fear of grayson hearing him. across town, you were doing the same - rubbing a hand at your mound, thinking of him thinking about you. you had no knowledge of it actually being true, but just the thought of him seeing you so exposed and dare you say sexy in a set of photos really did something to you. 

the next day was terrifying for both of you, neither wanting to mention your little accident first, both wanted to play dumb and just hope it disappeared in time. 

until you caught up watching you during your squats, not in a way he has ever before, his eyes were drinking you in. in a hungry way. not observant, not innocent, but dirty. you tried to ignore the wetness in between your thighs, keeping your eyes on grayson, watching his form, telling him to straighten up every so often, cracking a joke in hopes it would get ethan to stop staring at you and laugh along. but he kept his eyes focused on you, knuckles white on the edge of the bench he sat on. 

okay, if he wants to stare, so will you. 

turning your head to look at him was a bold move, his eyes focusing on your mouth instead of your chest - his bottom lip popping free from his teeth. was he, checking you out? he’d never been so bold about it before. you watched each other close while you continued your squats, eyes trained on his the entire time. you thanked the heavens you put your hair in a ponytail, it was far too hot in this gym and you knew you would look like a monster if your hair was any other way.

“okay...fuck...my legs feel like jello,” grayson giggles, plopping onto his butt after hitting just above 300 squats. you would never recommend doing that many, but he had a weird goal in mind, so you figured if he was going to do it, might as well help him doing it the correct and healthy way. 

“mine too,” you agreed, sitting down yourself. with your face as red as ever with ethan’s eyes staring at you, you took a sip from your water bottle, smiling at the cold water traveling down your throat. it felt good to have a hard workout. 

“I think i’m going to eat something before we go again, you want something?” grayson’s offering his hand to you, nodding when you shake your head to turn him down. if you ate now you might throw up from the nerves running like crazy through your body, your stomach a pit of butterflies. not the best idea to shove food into the mix. 

“i’ll catch up with you in a bit,” ethan speaks up, watching his brother leave the room before turning his eyes back on you. 

“so are we really gonna talk about it or are you just gonna stare at me like you've never seen tits before?” bold move. 

“why did you send them to me? that is what I wanna know.” he ignores your question, coming back with his own. 

“accident.”

“lie,” he challenges you with a cocky smirk, raising from his position on the bench, 

“I meant to send them to Amanda, not you, don't get cocky,” you’re really testing the waters, knowing damn well everything spilling from your mouth is a load of bullshit. even Amanda, whom you told of your little mishap, screamed blood murder over the phone, insisting the mistake was in fact fate and not happenstance. 

he’s still smirking, standing tall in front of you. he had been pretty much silent through the workout with grayson, off on his own most of the time. you didn't mind, knowing it was probably weird for him at least for now. so you let him be, focusing on grayson for the rest of the day. but this...this was new.  

“you’re awfully bold for someone that showed no interest in me any other time,” you point out, shrugging like you made the most valid point ever. 

“maybe you read the signs wrong babe.” that fucking pet name. 

“i’m pretty sure I didn't. anyways why does it matter? it was a mistake and now we can forget about it and move on know that we’ve acknowledged it,” you nod to yourself. it seems fair considering you're about to burst into flames at how close he’s standing to you. you know deep down you’ll never be able to forget about it. 

“I don't think I want to,” he mutters, his seductive tone taking your breath away. looking up at him, only caused your heart to beat faster, he looked serious. you’ve never heard his voice so calm. 

“well...you have to. we are bestfriends,” you stutter, standing to your feet in an attempt to back away. 

“best friends who like each other,” he drones on, keeping his eyes locked steady on yours. 

“fat chance.”

“best friends who want to fuck each other...” he’s inching closer, grabbing at the bare skin of your waist to bring himself closer to you. you almost scream in surprised as his hand comes to clamp over your mouth, arm reaching behind you to crack the door open, staring into the hallway with that same devilish smirk. 

“hey gray?!” he shouts, hand still cupped over your mouth. his other hand returns to your side, thumb rubbing back and forth across your skin. you’re surprised at the reaction from your body, your pussy clenching tightly around nothing, the aching becomes less bearable. 

“yeah?” his voice echoes from down the hallway, sounding busy and disinterested. 

“I think we are out of almond milk, you mind running to the store real quick? please?” his tone has switched to one you know well, the one he uses when he tries to manipulate his little brother into getting his way. you would swat at him if his fingers weren't dancing along the inside of your thigh right now, dangerously close to your clothed heat. 

“why can't you?” grayson whines, still far enough down the hallway he couldn't see into the room. if he could...i’m sure he would be just as confused as you are. 

“because I asked you,” he points out, chuckling at the annoyed groan he gets in return. 

“you paying?” 

“it’s not like we have the same bank account or anything fuck face. but you want to use my card it’s in my wallet on the counter. thank you bro.” with that he’s shutting the door, with his hand still moving between your legs, he removes his other from your mouth, instead wrapping it in your hair - loosening your ponytail. 

“look at you...so small and innocent...like you didn't send me filthy pictures of you last night,” he hums, leaning close to kiss at your neck, “i bet you touched yourself at the thought of me looking at them huh?” he whispers hot in your ear, tongue poking out to lick at your lobe slowly, sucking it into his mouth before it pops free. 

you are drenched, not registering the nod you give him, wanting to slap yourself for being so easy. 

“so are we done pretending or do i need to convince you more? he won’t be gone forever.” his fingers cup your cunt through your leggings, rubbing his fingers across you to cause a friction that makes you tense in his arms, grasping at his biceps in shock. his hands feel much better than your own. 

you realize how quickly you’re grabbing at the back of his neck too late, bringing him down to seal your lips together perfectly. the kiss is passionate, more passionate that it really should be for being so sudden. it was filled with longing and need, something you’ve been experiencing towards him for quite some time.

he is sighing against your lips, shuddering at how good your skin feels under his fingertips, hungry for more than just a kiss.

he’s growing frustrated quickly, stopping with a huff and holding your face close.

“i wanna talk, i do, about what the fuck is going on. but i can’t wait...need you now,” he explains, eyes never breaking away from your own. you understand his need perfectly, it matches with your own. 

“we can talk later,” you nod at him, seemingly giving him the green light to pick you up by your hips with a squeal falling from your mouth. your back meets the semi-plush cushion of the bench press, staring up at your bestfriend hovering dangerously close to your face. he’s got this smile you’ve only ever seen a few times, when he’s so utterly happy he can’t contain himself. it makes you melt to think that this is one of those moments for him. with a quick peck to your lips, he’s lowering down onto his knees, hooking his fingers in the waistband of your leggings, pulling down slowly. 

“for the meantime...gonna fuck you so good.” 

[chronicbatfictioner]

A Real Boy - Chapter 22

"So... King Kong is real, and even Solovar don't know what to do with it."

"Technically--" Barbara started, and then changed her mind. "Forget it. I can't even-- I don't even know what's real or not real but is... real, anymore."

Dick placed his elbow on the table and chin on his hand. "I'm with you in this. But if you're gonna say that 'technically Solovar of Gorilla City is King Kong', you're not wrong. Just... this King Kong is about three, four storeys' tall. And Solovar himself isn't even eight feet tall. He's like, seven-foot-two? Something?"

"I'm lost." Tim admitted, as he walked in to the room in the middle of the conversation.

"Hi, Lost--"

"Grayson, no dad jokes. You're not a dad, yet." Jason interrupted.

"Did my bike get home in one piece?" Dick turned to Jason.

"Definitely not, it's in approximately 142 pieces between here and Sprang Bridge." Jason replied insolently.

"Oh, cool. Considering there are about 800 pieces on that thing, means the puzzle pieces that was my bike are still big enough to reassemble..." Dick responded idly.

Tim met Barbara's glare before simultaneously rolling their respective eyes.

"Uh, guys? King Kong?" Tim finally decided to press. "I know I'm not gonna like the answer. But I gotta ask, don't I?"

"Yeah, well, I didn't like it either, but I ended up facing it..." Dick replied, shifting. Tim finally noticed and realized that under the fitted V-necked shirt, there were parallel bulges. Slight enough to not be noticed, if Tim hasn't seen the sliver of white under Dick's collar.

"You're injured." Jason, who apparently noticed the same thing, commented first.

"Pretty much. Bruised ribs, several stitches--"

"Dozen. Several dozen stitches," Barbara corrected.

"--several dozen stitches. And they all came from a freakin' King Kong."

"Dick was the damsel in distress, shrieks and all. Only Kong wasn't looking to like, rescue him from the nasties that is Men's World, but rather to devour him or something." Barbara elaborated. "And I have the only unedited footage, complete with sound."

"Dibs on watching it!" Jason exclaimed.

"It squished me." Dick said, looking almost proud. "And I gotta say that was the first I've seen Kong vs Elephant."

"Zitka was... clearly unhappy and expanded herself to be bigger than the Kong. Rammed herself onto Kong and freed Dick. The others... Arsenal was then able to shoot it with enough tranquilizer to sedate... --uh..."

"Ten gorillas?" Jason's unsuccessful attempt to not smirk was all too visible.

"Yeeeah, thereabout. Probably closer to like, twenty gorillas from Gorilla City that are larger than common gorillas by default..." Dick concluded. "And then Donna Troy moved it from Downtown Manhattan to... I dunno where she brought Kong to." he admitted.

"Best to not know, really. It was re-shrunk into its ordinary size - which is, as anyone would suspect, that of a common silverback gorilla..." Barbara finished. "Sooo... you guys got Cthulhu, I've heard."

"What the hell's going on, anyway? We've got literal made-up creatures coming out the wazoo..." Jason groused.

"I thought Cthulhu was real...?" Barbara queried.

"It is - the species. But not as massive as the one we saw on campus. Just like your Kong." Jason explained. "So yeah, what the hell...?"

"Those creatures were made up. Man-made with... Well, I'd say Lovecraft probably had the better prosaic description of the one we saw. But a massive Kong was absolutely... unimaginative." Tim remarked. "I'm just hoping that whoever did this won't do Jurassic Park next..."

"I would probably roll my eyes so hard at the first live T-rex or velociraptors I see, shoot them damn things and make steaks." Dick growled. His eyes suddenly widen. "I am, however, hoping this person isn't a sci-fi fan..." he said dramatically, glaring alternatively at Jason, Barbara, and then Tim.

Tim groaned exasperatedly. "If I see a Jabba or an ewok, organic or not, I'm gonna change them back to plastic."

Jason gasped mockingly. "But Tim! There could be creatures like them anywhere else in the universe! It's like we're alone in the whole universe!"

"Oh shut up." Tim snarled at him. "Eh... wait..." a thought suddenly hit him. "They were all man-made, organic, and sentient."

"I seriously could see a lightbulb switched on in his head..." Dick remarked as Tim mulled his thoughts, which promptly changed into the thought of 'what if all humans or magi would have an image of a lightbulb getting switched on whenever they got a brilliant idea?'

Fortunately the split second question did not interrupt Tim's main line of thoughts at all.

"They weren't supposed to be alive, or sentient, or exist. Or organic. Sizes notwithstanding..." Tim muttered under his breath after the pictures of his thought lined up a little neater in his mind.

"The person has the same powers as yours?" Barbara hazarded a guess.

"I can't make living things out of inanimate ob--" Tim said, and stopped abruptly. "Where is Lex Luthor now?"

"Belle Reve, last I checked," came Bruce's voice. "he's constantly undergoing psychiatric evaluation on daily basis. He's still there and has no contact with either his former associates or employees."

"How well do you trust the staff at Belle Reve?" Tim insisted. "I mean, he managed to make Conner. He's the only one who had managed to turn an effigy - a statue - into a human being!"

Bruce glared at Tim contemplatively - at least that was what Tim hoped for, and not anger out of Tim's insolence in doubting him.

"The staff at Belle Reve is... commanded by Amanda Waller, a staunch proponent of controlling magickal abilities and artifacts for the good of humankind, regardless of their magickal abilities or lack thereof. She will not let Luthor meddle with anyone under her watch." Bruce explained. "Some things Waller has done that I... generally do not approve of. She is a warlock, you see. But like me, she had opted for protection rather than destruction. Her methods still made me cringe, sometimes. But it is... out of my jurisdiction."

Tim could see that Bruce was gritting his teeth for the last few sentences, and Barbara confirmed his suspicion by saying, "she's like, a government-sanctioned agent. She could and has actually applied the death sentence and perform... experimental methods upon her inmates."

"Oh," now Tim cringed, too. It was public secret that the government - their government - has agencies that were authorized to do things that would be frowned upon by general morality, and that was just Tim's brain being nice. Human experimentation - through magickal or other means - was at the forefront of the reasons. Not surprisingly, death sentence was far further in the list.

Still, there was a more important question in Tim's mind that was not answered by either Bruce or Barbara.

"But do you trust her enough not to use Luthor's abilities for her own advantage?" Tim insisted.

The quiet that followed was punctuated by a distant screech of a bat, as if mocking their sudden silence filled with blatant uncertainty.

"I do not." Bruce finally said after some good long seconds. "I should have given you excuses and reasons on why, but I cannot provide you with answers that will not sound like a cliché."

"Good to know that you're not a typical adult who'd say we youngins should trust our government implicitly and explicitly." Tim deadpanned.

"I wouldn't still be here if he's like that. I'll check if Waller is in any way complicit or in any way behaving differently in the past... well, through the times of the strange goings-on, really. You'll need a broad data points to see patterns, right?" Barbara asked, and Tim froze a little at just how easy it seemed for Barbara to offer an activity that would generally constituted to a 'Big Brother' type of thing. Barbara, probably sensing his uneasiness, smiled and added, "no, Tim, I don't watch her 24/7 deliberately. But we do live in a kind of Big Brother country, after all. She was the one suggesting that the government keep watch over all of its citizens."

"Barbara just figured out ways to keep certain people out of the loop, like - you know - what the government itself would do for their secret agents and CIA and stuff." Dick elaborated.

"But if she's like, out of the loop...?" Tim hesitated.

"That's what I did, she can keep the government watching common people and hide her own people - or people like her; but she can't hide from me." Barbara smirked. "The Oracle's Tiara made it possible for me to manipulate cameras and programs to literally show what is hidden. So no, there's no need for me to keep watch on people 24/7. I'm not that dedicated. Or have nothing better to do with my time..."

"Oh, cool," Tim was interested this time. "If, say, I want to know where Dick is at certain time and date, you can find that out." he ascertained.

"Yes, if I allowed you to. But no, Tim, I don't stalk Dick, either." Barbara chuckled.

"Yeah, no... that was just an example 'cause I think Dick and Bruce - at least - would've been hidden from the government cams, anyway. But... not your cams, right?" Tim spluttered. "I mean, I've made sure that all recordings of me would at least be distorted - if not destroyed - every time I did something magickal in public..."

"...and you've done a very good job that none of us even know of your existence. I figured that if you can hide that well, it shouldn't be a big trouble for you to figure out how to reverse engineer your trick to find what you want to find, yes?" Bruce hinted, not-so-subtly.

Tim glared at him, blinking owlishly, more lost in his own thoughts than anything else as methods after methods of reverse 'engineering' camera filters started spinning in his mind.

"Right," Bruce nodded. "Just let Barbara know what you need and how we can help." he decided.

"I haven't even say I'll do it!" Tim protested out of habit.

"Your mouth denies it, but your entire body language is already trying to figure out how to solve this, little Timmy!" Dick chuckled. "So let's! I want to know how King Kong came to happen and if I can use it to make a bat that I can ride on!"

[panharmonium]

tag thing

rules: answer these ten questions and tag ten people i never do that sorry

tagged by: @padmerrie - i’ve never been tagged in anything shipping-oriented before, because everyone who knows me knows i typically don’t care for romance X)  but anything padmerrie tags me in i’ll do!

tagging: if they feel like it - @brambleberrycottage!  but tumblr doesn’t let me tag you for some reason, sorry!

ultimate otp: dick grayson and barbara gordon.  they’re the only pairing i actually use the tag “otp” for.  dick and babs isn’t like - an “option” for me.  they’re just - reality.  that’s how it is.  there isn’t another outcome.  that’s the way it is.

a ship you’ll always love: wilson and amber from house.  amber was the first time i started to love the lydias of this world.

current obsession: hmm...i don’t really obsess over romance stuff for the most part.  i’m more of a friendship fiend.  

a ship you never thought you’d like: ummmm.....i hated scott and allison together for two whole seasons of teen wolf.  this coincided with me hating allison herself for two whole seasons of teen wolf (which caused me some internal distress because i generally try extra hard to find something to like about every female character in things i consume.)  i started to like allison a lot in season 3, and i have since come around and remembered how young 16/17 is and how it feels when you first like somebody like that and i think they’re lovely now.

a ship you liked but don’t like anymore: hm.  maybe eric and donna from That 70′s Show?  they were really cute at the beginning of the show and i liked that dynamic of them being friends from childhood and really loving each other, but as the show goes on donna just keeps giving up more and more pieces of herself to maintain a relationship that isn’t even fulfilling for her; her dreams and goals keep dying one by one, and watching that happen was way more painful than a sitcom is ever supposed to be for me because it’s one of my own biggest fears.  she deserved better.

(“better,” for the record, does not mean RANDY.  lord.  what even was that season.)

a ship you think should be canon: .....katara and zuko.  i would have been happy enough for avatar to end with nobody getting together - like, i don’t feel like this ship had to actually happen in canon for me to be happy; i actually think the point where the show ended was too early for them to start a relationship like that - but what actually ended up happening in canon was definitely.....not good.

a canon ship you hate: remus and tonks.  with a vitriol that cannot be put into words.

none of which is directed at tonks personally; i like her character quite a bit.  and i don’t have a competing ship for remus to feel threatened about.  i just hate it.  vehemently.  i have a very vivid memory of reading half blood prince in my bedroom as a teenager and getting to the point where that was revealed and actually closing the book and dropping it on the floor next to my bed in despair.  

a ship you’ve been shipping for years:  apart from the ones here?  all the canon animorphs ships, i suppose; oh those children, i love them.  and i’ve been stanning george and angelina ever since we got that piece of information - like, you do remember that we all had to actually read the Epilogue and wade through that morass and accept the utter absurdity of “Albus Severus Potter” - yet somehow george/angelina is the thing people want to fixate their hate on?  aha no.  i am in their corner for good.  

a ship everyone loves but you don’t care about: all of them lol.  

i mean, okay, i’m joking, but only sort of.  i get...tired, of ‘shipping’ culture or whatever that is - whatever the thing is where people say ‘they looked at each other for half a second they are SO DATING’ or like the snarky ‘yeah you know they’re obviously just friends, don’t you know you always just casually throw away everything you have to save your friend’s life?’, the implication being that they’re obviously in love because no two friends would be so devoted to each other, which is an argument i particularly despise, because YIKES!  really?  friendship isn’t like....the next tier down from romance.  romance isn’t the top of the ‘what would i do for you’ pyramid.  it is, in fact, completely possible that you would fight just as hard for a friend as you would for a romantic interest.  the implication that this isn’t the case is...bizarre, and icky, and also almost universally accepted, which is why powerful friendships get shunted out of the spotlight in favor of romance every freaking time, despite how little sense it makes for the story.

(it’s also the reason season 3 of teen wolf fulfilled my lifelong dream....the dream of not having that happen......there was this very specific moment where i realized....finally......that it was happening.....years of waiting......and finally, praise all that is holy, for once in my life, i was gifted the thing i desperately wanted and did not expect and that is just one of many reasons why teen wolf earned my trust)

but anyway, to specifically answer the question: 

a ship everyone loves but you don’t care about hate: any of the teen wolf ships where people actually and inexplicably think a person in their mid-twenties would or should be attracted to a sixteen year old high school student, up to and including You Know Which.

you heard me.  come for my fucking throat i do not even care.

favourite rarepair: oh man....kurt wagner and jimaine (amanda) szardos!  the rarest of rarepairs; damnnn it’s been a long time....last time i read an x-men comic, amanda was stuck watching over the realm of Limbo and not able to really...interact with the rest of the world.  that was like fifteen years ago, though, so.  hmm.  i wonder where she’s at nowadays.

[sepdet]

Star Trek Discovery

Ep1 liveblog (edited)

TL;DR: It feels like Star Trek.

I didn't watch any previews, behind-the-scenes or promotional material whatsoever, because I hate spoilers. 

Putting liveblog/reactions behind a cut.

ETA: I didn’t post this Sunday bc I was on iPad and current Tumblr app has no way to make break. Watched ep 2 on Tuesday night, which has somewhat tempered my excitement and unqualified endorsement of this show. 

Opening scenario feels like a good thing for Federation vessel to do: discreetly save a large population and slip away, without making a big deal about it.

So nice to hear Number One used for a woman again who does sound a little like original Number One: cool and logical. Are her ears round or not? *squints*

FX are beautiful without being intrusive, characters and story in foreground. This may work. I love FX but I hate it when show relies on FX to entertain and keep audience off-balance, adrenaline pumped— using spectacle to substitute for good story and character.

Clever captain is clever. Already in love.

Vintage communicator made me HAPPY.

Lovely understated credits with an interesting vintage-map look and just a few old Trek grace notes in the music (and phaser and communicator)-- can't do nostalgia too much but it loves its roots.

The year is 2256. The construction of the Babylon 5 station is running behind schedule and over budget...No, wait, wrong universe.

THE BRIDGE NOISES ARE REAL BRIDGE NOISES. There's the chirrup chirp chirp sound!

Okay, this is SO SO COOL. Everything looks like a new 21st century show, as it should, and they're not afraid to change things up. But they let old Trekkies feel like we're on comfortable ground in the simplest and most subtle way possible: the original bridge noises, which for those of us who grew up as original or children of original Trekkies (raised on reruns) is as familiar as a mother's heartbeat. It sounds like home.

So, Michael is a bit reckless. Love her enthusiasm.

Just the TINIEST bit of classic Trek knowledge comes in handy here: we knew Klingons had gotten the Romulan cloaking device at some point, so as soon as there's something mucking with sensors, we wait with bated breath for uncloaking. But opening scene -- with some dramatic Klingon speechifying, fanservice to those who know the language -- tells newbies to expect Klingons, whatever the heck they are.

...

Okay, with all due respect to Klingons and Michael's ethical quandary — her intrusion led to conflict and a Klingon's death, whoops — the Klingon declaming is dragging a bit. (And I will have to get used to their new look, but it's no longer a shock the way it was in The first Trek movie when they mutated so much)

Flashback time! So that's why she sounds like a Vulcan. Great way to play with Spock/Data archetype: this time it's a human who was raised Vulcan instead of a half-human Vulcan. I'm delighted to see Sarek, although with one quibble: Sarek was an ambassador; AMANDA was the teacher! They better not forget Amanda.

(Dammit tumblr just killed my liveblog. Try to recap notes.)

Nice crisis moment: Michael rushing up to the bridge dangerously injured. Slightly gratuitous nudity, but much better than before (and at least it's to show her wounds, not TEH SEXY). Michael again being an effective and brave first officer.

Yeoh's so controlled and understated, I'm having a little trouble reading her character's personality, but she's an absolutely convincing captain with rock-solid gravitas, and it's a slightly unusual archetype for female characters, so, great.

DECLOAKING TIME! Klingons have taken an upgrade in ugly, even in their ship design. i'm sure they'd say the same about FEDS.

THE SHIPS ARE NOT IN THE SAME PLANE! RePeat, THE SHIPS ARE ACTUALLY NOT ORIENTED THE SAME WAY! IT TOOK 50 YEARS, BUT SPACE IS NOW THREE DIMENSIONAL!!!!!

...yeah, I'm zeroing in on the really important stuff. XP

I am forcing myself not to dwell on questionable science, but I feel like radiation doesn't work that way. Oh well.

Klingons dealing with racism within. Hm. A bit simplistic in the way classic Trek was, which is kind of interesting since the ethical dilemmas the Feds are facing isn't.

I love that Sarek is Michael's mentor, although I'm a little torn. Original Sarek: Refused to speak to his son for a decade after he joined Starfleet and was disappointed and angry at Spock leaving Vulcan. If he was that bent out of shape about Spock indulging his human side, then why would Sarek take in a human ward during the very years he wasn't speaking to Spock? But Sarek was always oddly inconsistent, marrying a human and then expecting her and his son to be assimilated to Vulcan. Still wonder how Amanda figures into all this; it's bizarre her husband's taken such an interest in this girl but Amanda Grayson, teacher and evidently a remarkable human to have captured Sarek's heart, is mysteriously absent.

Also, being able to summon the great Ambassador Sarek up to have a time out and talk to the pitching coach is a bit far-fetched? Oh well. Dramatic device, shortcut to get to meat of drama.

Oh, boy, holographic comms sure beat little viewscreens. And the usual scenario of being told by an Admiral back at Starfleet HQ to do nothing. This always goes well.

"There is a difference between race and culture." Oooo. Interesting postulate. Not sure if I agree or not. But then, here we are with 3 people of different races and at least one with a very different culture discussing it, so, QED? I like a Trek that poses questions worthy of debating.

Also the Federation isn't necessarily in the RIGHT here, but they're trying to figure out the right thing to do. That seems like an excellent way to update Trek: applying classic Trek optimism, ideals and ethics to situations that aren't as cut-and-dried. TOS tried to picture a better world but it and TNG tended towards a somewhat simplified utopia. This is subtly avoiding that unfortunate imperialist subtext that portrayed Kirk, Picard, and friends as coming from a morally superior stance and advanced civilization, giving themselves a kind of self-anointed authority akin to what Americans do when they go to "help" other countries.

Whereas this is messy and complicated like the real world and they are operating from a position of not having all the answers. Which is more like us.

And whoa, torch of Kahless. Klingon fans again must be overjoyed. i can be happy for them while missing jolly old Kor (I just adored him) and imposing Kang.

Random thought: both Who and Star Trek have good, three-dimensional, leading black women characters this year, almost for the first time, and in both cases they have what are usually men's names. Hrm. Why?

...WOW.

Michael's insubordination, argument with captain in the ready room, and that surprise vulcan nerve pinch were awesome and I have NO IDEA which of them is right here (except I lean towards Sarek) or what will happen now.

...

....all shit hits fan in a glorious way, and I like that the crew aren't stupid, Saru realizes Michael's mutinying.

And wow what a way to make the captain suddenly badass while staying cool and collected. Phaser out. Old phaser out. Turned on the Spock character (sort of; in some ways Phillipa is more Spockish, Michael more Kirk-heroic and rulebreaking.)

Shoulda realized it'd end with a cliffhanger. EXCELLENT cliffhanger.

Can i avoid online spoilers if I wait until I'm feeling better to watch? Fandom Auntie is tired and only got 4 hours of sleep last night.

[ETA: Here’s my commentary for part 2.]

[iamchrissi]

Castles build in the air

So... Amanda and Winona. Because why not? Amanda is recently divorced from Sarek, in what I think is a similar situation to Uhura and Spock in STID, without the almost death, but with Sarek unintentionally making Amanda feel like he didn't really care for her, and the two of them never talking it out, and then him thinking that if she wants to leave him, it might be the right thing for her even though it's breaking his heart, and like... yeah. It's kind of messy, and they are both heartbroken. And then Amanda meets Winona, who is like, a force of nature, and so different from Sarek, and also all kinds of awesome. (I can't write Winona as an abusive asshole, so in my headcanon she didn't know that Frank was abusing her sons and after the car-of-the-cliff stunt she came home, found out, and kicked Franks ass so hard would have left the planet in fear of her if he wasn't in prison. And then, she stayed home for a year and was awesome with Jim, who adores her, until Jim decided he wanted to try out this awesome schooling program.)

Amanda Grayson meets Winona Kirk on a sunny Friday afternoon. Well, Winona runs into her, actually. Complete with spilled coffee and everything. It's a little bit of a mess.

“I'm really sorry about this.” The blonde woman says. Amanda thinks she's seen her before, somewhere, but she can't really place her. Which is kind of strange, because Amanda is really good at remembering faces, and she doesn't think she'd forget such a beautiful woman.

“Are you okay?” The woman asks, and Amanda realizes she has been staring for the past few moments. She shakes herself, takes stock of her skirt (only a few splashes on it, probably difficult to clean but that's what replicators are for) and her arm (there shouldn't be any burns, the coffee was already half cold), and then nods.

“I'm really sorry, I didn't look where I was going. Seems I got too used to people standing to the sides when I'm going somewhere. I'm Captain of a Starfleet ship, you know, so usually I don't really have to watch where I'm going. I'm Winona, Winona Kirk, by the way. May I buy you a new coffee?” The women, Winona Kirk (the Kelvin widow, and now Amanda remembers watching the memorial, with a young, defiant Winona Kirk and her baby son, the picture that is still shown sometimes when people want to feel patriotic) says with a breathtaking speed. For a moment, all Amanda can do is stare.

“It's alright, fine.” She finally stutters, and curses herself in the next instant. She's a linguist, a famous, respected one, she speaks dozens of languages and has PhDs in seven of them, and yet, here she is, stuttering in the language that she grew up using.

“Oh come on, it's no trouble. You look like you could use something. Maybe a drink? I could use a drink.” Winona (or should she call her Captain Kirk? She'd said that, before, that she is a Starfleet Captain, and most Captain's Amanda knows are extremely proud of their titles) says, handing Amanda a napkin to wipe the coffee of her arm before taking Amanda's hand and pulling her with her.

For a moment, Amanda can only stare at where their hands are joined, shocked at the casual contact. On Vulcan, this would have been a punishable offense, and Amanda wonders if it's the years on her ex-husbands planet that have made her skittish. But then she shakes herself. No, this is not normal, she thinks, not even on earth. This seems to be something that is entirely Winona Kirk.

“A coffee would be nice.” She says, finally, and Winona grins. It's a pretty grin. A very pretty grin, mischievious and clever and with bright blue eyes that only barely hide old wounds.

“Sure you don't want a drink? A drink would help you relax. And I know this awesome bar...” Is Amanda imagining it, or is Winona Kirk flirting with her? She must be imagining it. To little adult human contact in the last few years. She just needs to have a little fling with someone, preferably without Spock ever knowing, and she'll be able to handle situations like this much better.

“I can't. My son is coming home from school soon, and … I don't think having a drink before discussing his homework would be beneficial.” She almost, almost blushes. But maybe the years on Vulcan did her good, after all, because she doesn't.

“Beneficial?” Winona snorts. “Interesting word choice. But I know what you mean. My Jimmy is a freaking genius. I mean, both my boys are, but Jimmy is on another level. When he really starts talking about something that interests him, if that something isn't engineering and/or machines, I'm very lost very fast.”

They've reached a cafe. Winona pulls Amanda in, and Amanda can't help but notice that Winona still hasn't let go of her hand. It should be disconcerting, she thinks, but it's actually kind of nice. Different, but nice.

There's a table by the window, and the moment they sit down a waitress materializes next to them and hands them the menu. Winona doesn't even bother looking at hers, just smiles at the waitress.

“Just a black coffee, dear. But wait until my friend here, wait, what's your name?” It seems that Winona has only now noticed that Amanda has not introduced herself, yet. She looks at her expectantly, and this time, Amanda does feel herself blushing.

“Amanda. Amanda Grayson.” She says, and she's proud of herself because at least she's not stuttering. Which is a really low bar, because she remembers people being terrified of her on Vulcan, and she decides that this is definitively on Winona, and not on her.

“And I'll take a black coffee, too.” Amanda says, and hands the waitress the card back. The waitress, whose name tag identifies her as Sara, nods, and leaves.

“Amanda Grayson... I think I've heard that name before.” Winona says, and scrunches her nose a bit. It should not be this adorable, Amanda thinks, but it is. “Weren't you then linguistic genius who revolutionized the way Vulcan is taught to Earth students?”

Well, at least Winona doesn't remember her as the ex wife of the Vulcan Ambassador who must be the only woman who's ever managed to have a truly ugly divorce with a Vulcan. Small mercies.

“I wouldn't say I revolutionized it, but I did work on it, yes.” Amanda says, and Winona grins again. That grin is totally unfair. And Amanda really needs to get that pend up energy out of her system, because she is pretty sure Winona is not intending to flirt with her.

“My Jimmy really liked the new way it's taught, anyway. He likes Vulcan as a language, says it's just as logical as machines. Which, honestly, I don't really see, but to him it apparently makes sense, so I assume he's right.” Talking a mile a minute is apparently normal with Winona. It's kind of charming, Amanda thinks.

“He sounds like a special little boy.” Amanda says, and thinks of her own special little boy, probably buried in his PADD right now, studying all sorts of things. She should make him plomek soup tonight, she knows he missed it, no matter how much he insists that preferring one food to another, equally nutritious one to be illogical.

“He is. I miss him quite a lot, to be honest. He's not here, currently. He's with his aunt and uncle on Tarsus IV. That's one of the small colonies, with an amazing schooling program. He begged me to let him go, and he seems really happy there, but by the stars I miss him.” That would explain why Winona can be Captain of a starship despite having a son that can't be older than twelve, Amanda realizes. But Tarsus IV is quite a distance from here, too far for personal com calls. Amanda doesn't think she could stand to have her son so far away from her.

“I've heard of the program. My son considered it, but in the end he chose to continue study as he does now. It's probably because of the divorce, to be honest. I feel bad, because my son shouldn't have to accommodate my life, but...” She usually isn't this open with strangers, or near strangers, anyway, but Winona just shared something incredibly personal, and Amanda can't help but return the favor.

“Oh, divorces are ugly. Even in the best case scenario, and I think we both know how often that happens. What did your ex do to give you full custody? Do you need me to beat him up?” Winona sounds absolutely serious about it, and for a moment, Amanda amuses herself with the mental image of Winona Kirk, armed with a Starfleet issued phaser, attacking a completely bewildered Sarek. Then she shakes her head.

“We just... didn't fit. And I don't have full custody, but my ex decided that it is more logical for Spock, that's our son, to visit him on Vulcan for three months at a time every year than for us to travel the whole time or for him to move here indefinitely. So, yeah.” Amanda holds her breath, waits for the judging to start. She just admitted to having married a Vulcan. She remembers very well the amount of shit her friends gave her for that, and how even her parents had to force their smiles at the wedding.

“Better to end it than to let it harm the kid, is what I say.” Winona tells her, and there's compassion in her eyes, as well as something like... grief, or guilt. Amanda considers asking, but decides that they probably don't know each other well enough for that.

“The divorce is recent, I guess?” Winona asks as their coffees arrive. The cups are very nice, Amanda notices, and the coffee smells amazing. She'd forgotten how much she missed good coffee.

“Not that recent. I mean, our split is not that recent. But it was finalized recently, and things are a bit chaotic right now. I have a flat in the city, but I want to move away from.... some people here, so I tried to get a place to live that's not here, but there are a lot less fitting places then I thought there'd be. That's what I was doing this afternoon, meeting with a potential landlord, but I honestly wasn't impressed.” The man had tried to tell her that the house he offered was the best she'd ever get, when in reality it was little more than two rooms and a kitchen that would need immediate fixing.

“You could go to the farm.” Winona said. “My farm. Not that there is much farming to be done, but George's grandparents were farmers, and the house is nice. It's rather remote, so I'm not sure how you'd like it, but Sam goes to a school on Mars, Jimmy's on Tarsus, and I ship out again on Monday. You could live there at least until you found something more permanent.”

“I … I can't...” And great, Amanda is stuttering again. It's definitively Winona, not her. Who offers a person they've known for all of ten minutes to go live at their home? Even if it is empty?

“Oh bullshit. Of course you can. It can't be easy here in San Fran, with so many expectations on being the Vulcan Ambassador's ex wife, and in Riverside nobody would know that. Nobody knowing you means no expectations. You can figure yourself out, and then think about how you want to go on.” So Winona had figured out the whole Ambassador thing. But without judging. That is... kind of awesome.

“You've known me for ten minutes.” Amanda says, but she can't help but imagine it. Riverside sounds very rural, and maybe Spock would have problems in school, but he'll probably have those problems everywhere. The curse of being a child of a Vulcan father and a human mother. And for nobody to bother her about her ex.... that sounds a bit like paradise.

“I'm a good judge of character.” Winona says, then immediately winces. “Usually. And it's not like I'm giving you custody of my kids, just the empty house.” Something flashes over her eyes as she says it, something dark, and guilty, but Amanda doesn't ask. Winona is not shy, if she wants Amanda to know, she'll tell her.

“It's... an amazing offer. I'm honored. I don't want to impose, but...” She's only sort of stuttering now, and at least this time she's remembering her manners. She's definitively blaming it on Winona, and her incredible presence, but maybe Amanda is getting a hang of how to deal with it.

“I could show you around this later? Or no, you said your kid comes home. Tomorrow? We could beam out, no need for a shuttle, that would take ages. I hope you don't mind beaming, my ma did. It was terrible, she got sick every single time.” Winona is grinning again, and Amanda does absolutely not hold her breath.

“Beaming is not a problem.” She says, thinking. “I think I'd like to bring Spock, if that's okay? He should have a say in where we live. And of course we'll have to discuss rent and all of that.”

“You don't have to pay rent, Amanda.” Winona says, rolling her eyes fondly. “Nobody lives there, you'd be doing me a favor if you made sure the place is still in one piece, really.”

“I will pay rent. I like you, but if I live at your place, we should do it the right way. I want to get back on my feet, and that includes not relying on everybody else.” Amanda's voice is firm, and this feels more like her, more like the woman she likes to think she is.

Winona cocks her head, and looks at her. Then she smiles. “Okay. But I'm not having you pay an unreasonable amount, and we'll definitively count the fact that you'll basically be keeping the house for me while I'm gone in the whole thing.”

Amanda considers arguing, but a part of her that sounds suspiciously like Sarek says that Winona does not seem like she's going to be swayed further on this topic, and anyway, it would be more logical to discuss this after Amanda has seen the house, given that it is no use to discuss something that might never be relevant.

She drinks the last sip of her coffee, just as her PADD pings to remind her that Spock will be home within the next ten minutes. She hadn't realized that it's that late already, but then again, she thinks that Winona is someone who can quite literally make one forget time.

“If you give me your com number, I can call you tomorrow. Would ten in the morning be okay for you?” She asks, pulling out her PADD. Winona does the same.

“Ten is perfect. I warn you: It's not going to be all that cleaned up, I never really got the hang out of housework, but it shouldn't be too bad. I don't know how important cleanliness is to you, but my ma was really stuck on it, and I guess I just kind of unconsciously wanted to be the opposite of that.” Amanda saves her com number, and the waitress comes back.

“Do you pay together or not?” She asks, smiling pleasantly. Amanda reaches for her card, but Winona shakes her head.

“I'll pay for both of us. No, Amanda, don't argue this, I spilled your coffee, this is only fair. Here's my credit information.” Winona says to the waitress, who Amanda realizes is the same one as before. Sarah.

“Will you be home in time?” Winona asks her. Amanda nods. She lives rather close by, but she'll need to go now if she wants to change before Spock arrives. She stands up.

“I'll com you.” Winona says, standing up too, and before Amanda knows what's happening the other woman hugs her. She smells like engine oil, Amanda thinks, and then Winona's pulling away again. Amanda is definitively not flustered.

“I'll see you tomorrow.” She says, and Winona smiles blindingly. Amanda can't help but smile back. And if it takes her a bit longer to come home than usual, well, that's nothing anybody needs to know.

The next morning, Amanda wakes up at eight am. She always does. Her son is already up, as always. She can hear him walk around in the kitchen, probably preparing breakfast for them. He's sweet like that.

After a quick sonic shower, she stands in front of her drawer and wonders what to wear. None of her Vulcan robes, of course. Maybe that nice green dress? It's old, back from before she was married, but it should still fit. Then again, this is not a formal meeting. This is going to see a … well, friend? … and looking at the house. And possibly making arrangements to move in there for a bit.

Maybe the blue skirt? It's a long one, swishy and with a nice, bright blue pattern on it. It makes her look young, too young? But no. She's not old, and anyway, she'll be there with her fourteen year old son. There's no possible way for her to seem too young.

… And now she's obsessing over her cloths. Maybe it's just the adjustment, after all, on Vulcan, she just wore robes, and never truly wondered what they looked like. Definitively just the adjustment.

She finally puts on the skirt and a nice, black blouse, and goes to meet her son. He is wearing the jeans she bought him, and is trying very hard not to look uncomfortable. It is a bit of a strange sight, but she thought that this way, he might not be bullied as much as he was on Vulcan.

“I wish you a good morning, Spock.” She says, laying her hand on his head for a short moment. It's as close to a kiss on the forehead as she is going to get, and he gives her a small smile that makes all her worries seem inconsequential.

“A good morning to you too, Mother.” He says, offering her a coffee. It's not the Vulcan kind, she notes, and thanks him. The table is set with lots and lots of fruit, including a nice red apple. Amanda smiles, and takes it.

“We have about one and a half hour until we have to depart to meet Winona.” She tells her son. You don't have to come if you'd prefer to stay here, but as the point of the meeting is to determinate whether the house is sufficient for us to live in for a few weeks or months until we find something more permanent, it would be useful to have you there to see if you consider it acceptable.” She's talking Vulcan again, even if she uses Standard. She knows her son likes it that way, when everything is clear and there are as little ambiguities as possible.

“It is logical to accompany you, Mother. It would be interesting to meet this woman that's offered us a place to live at at such short notice.” Translation: He can barely contain his curiosity as to why she is considering to accept this offer when she has shot down the last ones. She can understand that.

“You can wear Vulcan robes to the meeting if that is more comfortable for you. I know you dislike jeans and sweatshirts.” Amanda tells him. Spock looks at her for a moment, then shakes his head.

“As we will live on Earth for quite some time, it is only logical for me to start getting used to the typical attire here. And given that I, too, am half human, it would be illogical for me to prefer Vulcan clothing.” He sounds too old for his fourteen years, but Amanda has long since accepted that.

“Alright. But just know, I'm proud of you no matter what you wear, or how you choose to act. You are my son, and I love you very much, okay?” Sarek would have considered this an illogical statement, given that a mother loving her son is only logical and therefore unnecessary to verbalize, but Amanda is human, and she thinks that Spock definitively needs to hear this. And the way Spock looks at her, she is right.

Amanda makes sure they are perfectly on time. Actually, she makes sure they arrive at the meeting point she and Winona discussed over coms yesterday five minutes early. Spock says nothing. He is wearing a cap that covers his ears. Winona is reminded of the scarfs she used to wrap around her head on Vulcan, always making sure that her human ears aren't the first thing people notice about her, and suddenly, she feels guilty for taking Spock to a planet where he feels the need to cover his ears. But then again, she thinks, it's not as if Spock was really accepted by the Vulcan children either.

Winona is five minutes late, hurrying down the streets and shouting an apology before she is even properly there. Then she pulls Amanda into a hug, her blonde hair brushing over Amanda's cheek, and offers Spock a near flawless taal. Spock, after a moment of surprise, returns the gesture, and Winona grins at him.

“It's nice to meet you, Spock. I hope you'll like the house.” She says in a soft tone that makes it impossible not to remember that Winona is a mom too, and something warm blossoms in Amanda's chest.

“Let's go!” Winona says, and starts walking towards the public transporter. There's thankfully no queue, and within few seconds they stand on a small town square. It's noticeably warmer than in San Francisco, and Amanda is glad she chose the skirt instead of the overly formal dress.

“It's not that far from here, we can walk. And I can show you the city while we go, so win-win.” Winona says, and starts talking about Riverside. Amanda had looked it up yesterday, after meeting Winona, and learned that Riverside is one of the big construction sites for Starfleet, and that apart from that, it is a rather rural place, with mostly construction workers and farmers living here.

Winona points out the school (which Spock most likely won't attend, given that he is following the Vulcan syllabus instead of the human one), the post office (which Amanda probably will get to know well, if she moves here, considering her translation work and the often physical copies of the books she likes), a couple bars (Amanda already knows she won't go anywhere near those after dusk) and a the only local restaurant that serves offworld food. Spock looks around, curious but restraint, and Amanda thinks he could like it here.

At least it's warmer than New York, where Amanda grew up.

 Then they leave the town, walking over a deserted road between the fields. It's peaceful, almost like in some of the old movies Amanda watched when she was younger. Winona has a sort of wistful expression on her face, as though she is recalling better times, and Amanda      wonders if she is thinking of her late husband.  

“There it is!” Winona says finally, pointing towards a nice looking little house a bit off the street. It looks kind of sweet, in that old movie way, and very human. Amanda shoots a look to her son, but Spock just seems intrigued.

“It looks nice.” Amanda says, because she suddenly realizes that for the last twenty minutes, Winona has more or less exclusively done the talking. It's not her smoothest compliment, but Winona smiles.

“Jimmy and me renovated it a bit before he went to Tarsus. There's a couple places where it's obvious it wasn't done by professionals, but it's way better than before, and Jimmy loved it.”

 After a short walk through the house, which is clean but slightly untidy, in that typically human homey kind of way, Amanda looks at her son. Spock is staring at some holos. She wants to tell them that humans consider it impolite to stare at private holos, even when they are displayed like this, but her breath catches when she actually sees the holo.

 George Kirk, the hero of the Federation, beaming down at her, his arm around a young, obviously pregnant Winona, a little boy of maybe three years sitting in front of them. It must have been taken shortly before the last journey of the Kelvin.

It feels very, very private, and Amanda turns away, to find Winona looking at her. There's grief shadowing Winona's eyes, and Amanda thinks it should feel wrong, to see someone as vibrant as Winona this sad, but somehow it doesn't. The grief was there the whole time, she realizes, just overshadowed by charisma and a determination to be alive, to be okay.

Neither of them says anything, but Amanda takes Winona's hand when they leave the room.

They see Winona of when she has to report back to her ship. She won't be far, she says. Apparently, Starfleet Command likes having a number of ships close to Earth and Vulcan, it's main worlds, to scare of any glory seeking Klingons and Romulans.

“Just com when you have any questions about the house.” Winona says, already dressed in her gold tunic. She's wearing the less used female variant of the uniform, the one with the pants. Somehow, Amanda can't even picture Winona wearing the dress.

“We'll be fine, Winona. You do us a great favor.” Amanda says, but she's smiling. She has a feeling that Winona likes knowing that the house isn't empty, even if it's not her own family that's living there.

“Indeed, Captain Kirk. It is very kind of you to allow us to stay at your home.” Spock says, his hands behind his back. He is still wearing the jeans Amanda got him, but the cap is gone. Maybe he will adjust better than Amanda had thought.

“It's my pleasure.” Winona says, smiling. She gives the taal to Spock, who returns the gesture solemnly, and then goes to hug Amanda. This time, Amanda is somewhat more prepared for it, and hugs her friend back.

“You can call even if everything's okay, you know?” Winona says with a wink, and then she's gone, disappearing into a crowd of other Starfleet officers.

Amanda smiles. She has a feeling that there is somewhat of an adventure ahead.

[ploppythespaceship]

Star Trek: Discovery - Season 2 Review

News of the finale intrigued me, so I caved and watched the whole season over the weekend. Here we go.

Overall verdict: better than season 1, but the bar was so low. It’s still annoying as hell. If this plot had taken place outside of Trek entirely, set in the Kelvin Timeline, or set post-Voyager, with some minor tweaks I’d probably be really into it! But as it stands... no.

Good Things:

Overall, this was better than season 1. The plot was more interesting and overall it was better written. Though I have many, many complaints (as you will see), I was rarely bored while watching.

The opening credits are growing on me. Even the understated music, I’ve caught myself humming it. And it is very pretty.

There are some standout characters and actors this season:

Christopher Pike - the praise for his Anson Mount’s portrayal is well-earned, and he’s easily the best part of this season. He combines the best of Jeffrey Hunter and Bruce Greenwood while still making it his own.

Sylvia Tilly - continues to be the best combination of badass and adorable. I feel like Tilly is what happens when you take the Barclay type character and actually make them integral to the overall story.

Saru - Doug Jones is just the best and he keeps upping his game.

Amanda Grayson - I really like Mia Kirshner’s version, she’s soft and yet so strong at the same time.

May Ahearn - I was sort of sad her role was so small. I wanted to see more of her.

Linus - I had to look up his name, the greenish/grayish alien with the big black eyes and the very deep voice. He’s just so charming. I’m happy when I see him.

There are some pretty solid episodes, mostly the ones that don’t have a connection to the overall plot. I quite liked “An Obol For Charon”, “Saints of Imperfection”, and “The Sound of Thunder.” (Edit from after the fact: “An Obol For Charon” actually tied directly into the plot, but only later. Which was perf.)

As dumb as I think the time crystals are, that scene where Pike encounters his future self scarred and deformed in the chair was pretty dope.

Bad Things:

For every awesome character and portrayal, there’s a terrible one:

Paul Stamets - it’s actually impressive how Anthony Rapp manages to ruin every single scene that he’s in with his terrible characterization and delivery. Which is a continuing problem from season 1. I’m honestly not sure how he got cast.

Ash Tyler - the character’s alright, but Shazad Latif only seems capable of delivering emotionally charged dialogue. When it’s a regular scene, he’s noticeably worse.

Jett Reno - Tig Notaro is just a terrible actress, all around. And her character seems forced into scenes where she’s not needed.

Spock - Ethan Peck is doing well with the character as written, but it’s just off. I dunno who this guy is, but it ain’t Spock.

Number One - Rebecca Romijn isn’t doing the character justice.

I despise the personal logs that open a lot of the episodes. They’re melodramatic and a wonderful example of how to tell instead of show. When other shows open with a log, it’s over quickly and usually just a way to launch into the episode plot or summarize events more quickly. Whereas these are almost painful to listen to.

The Klingons still look and sound and act bad, but thankfully are hardly around.

Spock has no fucking business being in the plot. The story honestly would be more compelling if Michael had the visions instead of him, especially considering how the Red Angel ties directly to her mother. Spock is shoehorned into the story for no reason except to have him, and it complicates an already complicated plot.

Also, Michael being Spock’s sister is still the laziest fucking writing. I hate it. So much.

Stamets and Culber still don’t have any chemistry and their scenes together are very forced and awkward. I think they brought Culber back just cause fans were pissed at his death, not cause they had any actual plan. They’re just not sure what to do with him in a lot of his scenes.

Section 31 is soooooo bad. They’re not interesting, and they’re not even secret. Everyone knows who they are and what they do which is total bullshit. The whole point of Section 31 is that they are outside of StarFleet’s control, and operate with no oversight. No one knows they exist. And the reason no one knows about them is cause they get up to REALLY shady shit that the average person would think is unacceptable. They definitely don’t have their own StarFleet badges and their own fleet of ships.

The makeup for “ugly” Vina is uhhh... hardly noticeable? And not that ugly? Like, she looks really pretty, but with a couple scars on her face. That sort of ruins the whole point of her character.

The spore drive is so deus ex machina now. It can solve anything! We can jump anywhere! I thought they were writing it out because their jumps were harming the life forms that lived in the network? And I thought that was a solid way to get rid of it. But I guess we’re StarFleet and we don’t care about them anymore...

I want to know more about the bridge crew! Airiam and Detmer and Owo and Rhys and everyone else. They’re trying to get me invested in them, especially Airiam with her death scene, but we’ve never been given anything about them but their names. We got a bit more for Airiam, but only so her death would have meaning. Plot twist: it didn’t! We still don’t know this woman!

Time crystals? With mystical properties??? What fucking show is this anymore?? Cause that ain’t Trek.

Control and Leland aren’t very compelling as villains. It’s not all that interesting to watch them.

Also, since they eradicated Control before Discovery went into the future... that means Discovery didn’t have to go... uhh...

Discovery going into the future, and StarFleet pretending Discovery never existed... *sigh*... it doesn’t fix the continuity. I don’t know why people are pretending it does. It just doesn’t. I might make a post about WHY this show is still all wrong, all the time, but for now? It only fixes a handful of the continuity problems, while the massive ones are still there for everyone to see.

[rosepetals1984]

Hi all, Rose here with one of a multiple part series chronicling my year in reading for 2016.  It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these lists, and I figured I’d start off 2017 getting back to this particular “Year in Review” type post.  Originally I’d set a goal of reading over 300 books for the year of 2016, but my actual count ended up being 125 according to my Goodreads log.  I think getting over 100 books read in a year (for me) was great, but I wish I’d been able to meet my goal because the last time I did that was back in 2013 and I saw it as a personal challenge that I wanted to make time for.  That total number isn’t quite accurate considering I found myself not logging all of my reads onto Goodreads or my other bookish communities.  However, we’re going to keep it at the 125 total, and I’ll likely find myself re-reading some of the books I’d read in 2016 in 2017 to review them in full.

Before I get into my top 10 reading list of the past year, I’ll make several Honorable Mentions.  These were books worth noting because of how memorable the experience of reading them was for me this past year.  Note that in this entire list (honorable mentions and top 10) I’m chronicling my reads for this past year, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it was published in 2016.

“Daughter of Deep Silence” by Carrie Ryan

My review of “Daughter of Deep Silence” on my blog

I loved the cover of this book (I only wish they had used the same cover on the paperback edition, but that’s a moot point) but the premise references to “The Count of Monte Cristo,” which is one of my favorite books, and it makes multiple references to the ABC series “Revenge” (including a character named Grayson whose name is a play on the family Grayson from that series).  I enjoyed reading the dark texture, themes, and characterizations of this story, albeit with a few flaws in progression and telling versus showing details.  But it was my first read of last year and it did kick off my reading year on a good note.

“If I Was Your Girl” by Meredith Russo

Review of “If I Was Your Girl” on my blog

“If I Was Your Girl” was an illuminating perspective on the experience and struggles of a transgender teen.  There was so much to be gained from this novel for its raw honesty and portrait of Amanda.  Despite flaws for development/detail in some conflicts, how it approaches prejudices, relationships, and discussions of gender identity is very well noted, and the read stayed with me long after I’d finished it.

“The Square Root of Summer” by Harriet Reuter Hapgood

Review of “The Square Root of Summer” on my blog

This is an underrated gem of a novel that I ended up really enjoying despite its flaws.  Likely some of the scientific digressions and delving into physics concepts (alongside a really, really slow burn for progression) might’ve turned some away from it, but at its core is a detailed story of grief and coming of age experiences for Gottie with a brainy leaning. I couldn’t help but feel for her longing for her lost grandfather and mother.  It’s a really distinct novel that blends coming of age and science fiction. I wish there were more narratives I could read in this vein because I really liked the unique thematic.

“Run” by Kody Keplinger

My review of “Run” on my blog

It has been a while since I’ve read anything from Keplinger, but this turned out to be one of my favorite reads of the year as two teenage girls, telling the story from alternate perspectives, go on a road trip to escape the lives that they know, but realize progressively what they’re leaving behind.  It switches between past and present to give context on each of the girls and I loved the distinct voices that Bo and Agnes have throughout the novel. With an honest eye also into Agnes’s disability and Bo’s sexuality in places, it also was a rewarding read for its representation.

“A Game of Thrones” (A Song of Ice and Fire #1) by George R.R. Martin

Review of “A Game of Thrones” on my Blog

I finally, finally, finally read this straight through this year, and what a mammoth, but rewarding read it was.  I’ll probably be caught up with the series by the time “Winds of Winter” releases (here’s to hoping it’s released this year), but this stands as my longest read of the year and took quite a bit of mental energy for me to finish just for the sheer time it took (though I was savoring as much of the world and characterizations that I possibly could – when I picked it up I had a hard time putting it down).  I couldn’t find a place to rank this on my main list, but it holds its own as a fantasy story I found myself compulsively and compelling drawn to. Not to mention I learned it was better for me to buy the whole series than try to wait for it at my library because I kept having to return the books prematurely. :(

I have a bit of a mixed bag for genre/age group with respect to my list below the cut.  I’m going to try to put this in order, but suffice to say that I really enjoyed the following reads through this particular year.

10. “Some Girls Are” by Courtney Summers

Review of “Some Girls Are” on my blog

This had been on my TBR list for quite some time, but I just got around to reading “Some Girls Are” this past year.  As per usual, Summers’ narratives always seem to hit me square in the gut.  She writes the experiences of her characters (usually very flawed female protagonists) so very well.  It’s hard not to be gutted given what the main character experiences in this YA contemporary/tough subject piece, but it’s eye to Regina’s emotions are resonant, staying with me long after I finished the story.

  09. “You Will Know Me” by Megan Abbott

Review of “You Will Know Me” on my blog

“You Will Know Me” stands as one of the more haunting adult contemporary reads I had in the past year, and part of that is Abbott’s method of slow unraveling of tensions that make you question the roles each of her characters have to play in the overarching story.  This particular tale follows a young female gymnast and her family’s journey/push to train her and get her to the Olympics, but the death of someone close to the training circles causes secrets to be unearthed and emotions to run high among this flawed cast of characters.

Quoting directly from my review:

The eye to the athleticism and competition, the conflicts of maturing young women, the petty politics and self-interest served by the parents of the young women who compete in the same circles as Devon was given a careful, exploratory and invested eye. I couldn’t look away for much of this narrative, and I really enjoyed it for what it offered, especially given in the performance of the audiobook version.

08. “Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things” by Jenny Lawson

Review of “Furiously Happy” on my blog

Just the image of that raccoon makes me want to start laughing again, especially remembering Lawson’s account of how Rory the Raccoon got stuck to the back of her cat and ended up zipping past her very confused husband.  This is Jenny Lawson’s well-humored but also eye opening memoir, chronicling various aspects of her life including struggles with depression.  I definitely appreciated reading this, not just for the humored stories but also the raw honesty she brings to the narrative.  The audiobook was amazing and its one I’ve returned to this past year a few times for the experience.

07. “The Passenger” by Lisa Lutz

Review of “The Passenger” on my blog

Lisa Lutz’s “The Passenger” is an adult mystery/suspense/thriller read that definitely sees a situation going from bad to worst case scenario.  It chronicles a woman on the run for various reasons (though you’re not sure what those reasons are initially).  When her husband dies unexpectedly, she flees the scene, gets a new identity, finds a partner and gets into even more trouble which has the two women switching identities in the aftermath of events. But Amelia (who switches names more often than not in this read) finds herself wondering who “Blue” really is, and if she didn’t just complicate her life even more despite trying to stay hidden.  It definitely kept me on my toes and guessing throughout the read. The strong audiobook performance was a plus for the experience.

06. “The Amazing Book is Not on Fire: The World of Dan and Phil” by Dan Howell and Phil Lester

Review of “The Amazing Book is Not on Fire” on my blog

This was a fun combination of getting to know you and personal stories from the popular YouTube personalities Dan and Phil, whom I really enjoy following their random insights and gaming LPs.  I listened specifically to the audiobook version at the time that I wrote the review, but I was also able to read the physical copy of the book later in the year, which I really enjoyed.  I think it might be one of the best YouTube personality non-fiction books I’ve perused to date, and I definitely look forward to reading more of their work in the future (Mental note: I need to read “Dan and Phil Go Outside,” stat.)

05. “It Ends With Us” by Colleen Hoover

Review of “It Ends with Us” on my blog

I said this in my review, but to reiterate: if people ask me what my favorite book by Hoover has written to date, it would be this.  It completely blindsided me because I didn’t expect to see a narrative that was as maturely and honestly written as this for the experiences described in this book, particularly dealing with the mental/physical/emotional conflicts that Lily has to deal with throughout. The romance/relationship elements are also done rather well here.  I – at the very least – liked Hoover’s writing in previous notations, and “Hopeless” had my attention back when I read it for the first time, but I’d always had trouble connecting with Hoover’s characters and situations for the way they were presented and handled, so her narratives were touch and go with me.  Many of her narratives I liked the inspirations for, but the execution…meh. (Hint: You’ll see her name on my worst reads of 2016 list as well.)  There was a point where I was ready to throw in the towel because I didn’t think there would ever be a point I could connect with one of her narratives, then this book came along. It isn’t a book I would say “Ermahgard, this is utter perfection from beginning to end!”  but I appreciated the experience and respect it. Not to mention I would re-read this book from beginning to end and it has a spot in my personal library. Props to Olivia Song for providing a wonderful audio narration.

04. “The View from the Cheap Seats” by Neil Gaiman

Review of “The View from the Cheap Seats” on my blog

I’ll admit I haven’t followed Neil Gaiman’s professional journey as a writer as closely as others (though I like and respect his work), so this was an eye opening read for me in terms of his inspirations and career. This book in its physical form is HUGE, but I compulsively read through it from cover to cover, plus later read the audiobook version when I was able to check it out from my library (which just so happens to be narrated by him :) ).  It’s one I would definitely recommend if you would like insights on where he draws inspiration in his writing life, his career and interactions with the people he’s come across in that spectrum.  I read it during Camp NaNo and also found it inspiring to read from an authorial perspective.

03. “What We Saw” by Aaron Hartzler

Review of “What We Saw” on my blog

This read hit and hurt to my very core, to the point where moments of it had tears coming to my eyes and thinking about some of the events of this past year. Based on actual events (it’s based on the Stuebenville High school case), it’s told from the perspective of a young woman who is inebriated one night and taken home, but the following day witnesses one of her classmates accusing four boys of rape the night of the party. She questions the events and finds – to her horror – there’s more to the story that involves people who are close to her.  This book highlights the problems of rape culture in such vivid detail with dimensional examinations of all the characters and their attitudes.  I had heard about this narrative in some readerly circles, but not to the degree where it had been frequently discussed at the time I read it.  I honestly think it’s an excellent and eye-opening YA contemporary read, one that while the experience is tough to read, provides brilliant insight and a compelling story in its pages.

02. “Emmy and Oliver” by Robin Bennway

Review of “Emmy and Oliver” on my blog

I’m a sucker for cute contemporary romances, and while this YA contemporary tale has a very difficult subject matter in its backdrop, the chemistry between the characters and appeal of the extended cast really stayed with me throughout this past year. The story revolves around the titular characters as Oliver returns home after being abducted as a child by his father.  It showcases a tough transition for Oliver as he reunites with his childhood friends and struggles between the life he left behind and the family and friends he has to get to know all over again. It also shows Emmy grappling with events and things she wants in her life as well.  The chemistry between the characters is palpable, fun, and engaging. For me, it was hard not to love Emmy’s bubbly personality and Oliver’s interactions with her.  I loved it.

And for my #1 pick(s): Technically speaking this is two books, but I’m going to count it as one since they’re part of the same series.

01. The Archetype series by M.D. Waters

Review of Archetype on my blog

Review of Prototype on my blog

This series had me reading from cover to cover the entire time I had them checked out from my local library (then ended up adding them to my personal library shortly afterward).  This adult sci-fi/mystery/thriller revolves around a woman named Emma who has lost her memories.  Her husband Declan, a prominent researcher, tells her she’s been in a horrible accident, but as snippets of her memory resurface, she realizes that may not be entirely the truth.  I loved how this series kept me guessing for events and portrayed Emma’s experiences in a vivid, sensual, and nailbiting way.  It’s the kind of story where the premise had me from point one and delivered in so many great ways.  My first reads from M.D. Waters and I hope to read more from her in the future.

So what were your favorite reads from this year?  I happened to have a a decent reading year on the whole, but in the next entry in this Year in Review series, I’ll go into my Worst Reads of 2016.

Happy reading and happy new year all,

Rose

Rose’s Book Superlatives of 2016: Favorite Books of 2016 Hi all, Rose here with one of a multiple part series chronicling my year in reading for 2016.