#yes this is about the alternate timeline star trek movies

[botanicallyinclinednerd]

It sucks when I'm hyperfixated on something but I have no (legal) way to watch the source material

[beansmakesthings]

You 🫵

Yes you

Give me your Penny Lamb headcanons (rtc)

Well, if you insist! These are just some random kinda general ones. Some will mention some gore and the accident and some will vaguely reference familial abuse, so be warned!

- Penny had a really rough childhood and was taken from her father indefinitely when she was 10. She's been in the system ever since, as families keep deciding they can't handle the combination of PTSD and autism and gave her back.

- The only biological family she really connected with was her grandmother, who was the one who gave Penny her doll

- Penny wants to be a sheep farmer one day like Gran was before she passed.

- Penny's Metis on her bio mom's side. She doesn't really talk about it much because her mother died shortly after she was born and her father kept her away from that side of her family and Penny never really learned much about her culture. She doesn't really know what all it means.

- This one is kind of a general RTC headcanon, but the way the choir survives the Cyclone after the musical is that Karnak quite literally shifted the timeline. They technically inhabit an alternate universe where the only change is they survive. This means everyone has two conflicting memories of how the accident happened and Penny has very vivid nightmares that constantly switch between losing her head and waking up alive aftermath of the crash with her throat sliced and her neck broken.

- Penny had a sort of identity crisis at 3 am due to these dreams and cut and bleached her hair in Jane Doe fashion. She actually found it strangely comforting to sort of pay homage to the person she was when she found her friends and keeps the look. She didn't like being Jane Doe, but she appreciates what Jane did for her.

- Penny always liked scary movies and stuff like that, but after the accident and the whole Jane Doe debacle she becomes very fascinated with anything morbid and death related as a sort of weird coping mechanism.

- Penny also gets very into the goth, emo, and heavy metal scenes after the accident. She cries listening to Nemo by Nightwish (no I will not shut up about that song)

- Speaking of music, Penny is a life long Marianas Trench fan and when Constance finds out they NEVER SHUT UP ABOUT IT

- Penny had a big crush on Ocean for a while before they started dating, but it was always kind of soured by Ocean acting SO homophobic and SO ableist all the time. It was a huge internal conflict for Penny until Ocean finally turned around, apologized to all the people she'd hurt, and genuinely changed for the better. Penny is actually quite proud of Ocean's progress.

- Penny's hyposensitive to touch and loves deep pressure, squishy hugs, cuddles, and textures. She's notorious for touching stuff without permission when she thinks no one's looking just because the texture looks ✨️feely✨️ (same girl same)

- Mischa is her favourite person to go to for sensory hugs cause he's taller than her and kinda chubby and kinda muscular and he can just envelop her entirely and squeeze the life out of her which she loves.

- Penny really likes Moutain Dew. Mountain Dew of any flavour. The only things she drinks are water, Mountain Dew, and the occasion double-double from Tims. Ocean got her that Baja Blast t-shirt from Hot Topic and Penny wears it every day as pajamas.

- Penny's new family (the one she was placed with after the other one didn't look for her or report her missing or anything at all after the accident) are very nice, but she's incredibly wary of them because of her history. She prefers to be out of the house so she doesn't have to interact with people who are supposed to be parental figures to her.

- Penny loves going to Ricky's, laying on his floor, and being smothered by all his cats while he tells her about Star Trek lore.

- Penny and Noel are the same height, so often times he comes over asking to try on her skirts and stuff to see if they'll look good on him. She has lost half her wardrobe to him.

[extremetimedchallengeexchange]

Tag Set Update

So, what's in the tag set?

I look up blearily from a spreadsheet, making a spluttering noise.

YES, talking about the tag set, not just updating it. I can do that.

Three days into Tags week, the tag set as it is looks like this.

Anime, Manga, Books and Literature!

Cartons & Comics & Graphic Novels & Celebries & Real People!

Movies & No Media!

Other Media & Theatre!

TV Shows, Uncategorized Fandoms, Video Games!

That's everything that's been seconded into the tag set.

You want to know everything that's been nominated? Well that is going under a cut because BOY is that a list.

3rd Life | Last Life SMP

Akira (Anime & Manga)

Animator vs. Animation (Short films - Becker)

Archive 81 (Podcast)

Avatar: Legend of Korra

Bleach (Anime & Manga)

Bones (TV)

Books of the Raksura - Martha Wells

Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)

Call of Duty (Video Games)

Carmen Sandiego (Cartoon 2019)

Castle (TV 2009)

Class of '07 (Australia TV 2023)

Cogchamp SMP

Content SMP

Creepypasta - Fandom

Critical Role (Web Series)

Dangan Ronpa Series

DCU (Comics)

Deltarune (Video Game)

Destiny (Video Games)

Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)

Dimension 20 (Web Series)

Disco Elysium (Video Game)

Doctor Who (2005)

Doki Doki Literature Club! (Visual Novel)

Dream SMP

Eddsworld - All Media Types

Empires SMP

Enola Holmes (Movies)

Evolution SMP

Fallen Hero - Malin Rydén

Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes

Fire Emblem: Engage

Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Frozen (Disney Movies)

Hades (Video Game 2018)

Hamlet - Shakespeare

Hannibal (TV)

Harry Potter - J.K Rowling

Hermitcraft SMP

Hetalia: Axis Powers

Horizon (Video Games)

House Builder Gang SMP

House of Leaves - Mark Z. Danielewski

iCarly

Keeper of the Lost Cities - Shannon Messenger 

Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball 

Lackadaisy (Webcomic)

League of Legends

LEGO Ninjago (Cartoon 2011-2022)

Lifesteal SMP

Lockwood & Co. (TV)

Macbeth - Shakespeare

Marvel Cinematic Universe

McGillicuddy & Murder's Pawn Shop (Podcast)

Mean Girls (2004) 

Minecraft (Video Game)

Night in the Woods (Video Game)

Nikita (TV 2010)

Nurses (TV 2020)

Original Work

Pocahontas (Disney Movies)

Promare (2019)

QSMP | Quackity SMP

Sherlock (BBC)

SK8 the Infinity (Anime)

SMPEarth

South Park

Splatoon

St Trinian's (2007 2009)

Star Trek: The Original Series

Star Wars - All Media Types 

Stardew Valley (Video Game)

Stargate - All Media Types

Stranger Things

Supernatural (TV 2005)

Tales from the SMP

Teen Wolf (TV)

Temeraire - Naomi Novik

The 355 (2022)

The Accidental Warlord and His Pack - inexplicifics

The Grisha Trilogy - Leigh Bardugo

The Inheritance Cycle - Christopher Paolini

The Legend of Vox Machina (Cartoon)

The Locked Tomb Series

The Magicians (TV)

The Magnus Archives (Podcast)

The Murderbot Diaries - Martha Wells

The Owl House (Cartoon)

The Pack - YouTube

The Yogscast

Titanic (1997)

Triangle Strategy (Video Game)

Trigun (Anime & Manga 1995-2008)

Trigun Stampede (Anime 2023)

Victorious (TV)

Video Blogging RPF

Voiceteam and Related Fandoms

Warcraft - All Media Types

Welcome to Night Vale

Wiedzmin | The Witcher (All Media Types)

X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies)

전지적 독자 시점 - 싱숑 | Omniscient Reader - Sing-Shong

とんがり帽子のアトリエ | Tongari Boushi no Atelier | Witch Hat Atelier (Manga)

二哈和他的白猫师尊 - 肉包不吃肉 | The Husky and His White Cat Shizun - Meatbun Doesn't Eat Meat

人渣反派自救系统 - 墨香铜臭 | The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù

僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia (Anime & Manga)

光が死んだ夏 | Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu | The Summer Hikaru Died (Manga)

原神 | Genshin Impact (Video Game) 

名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed

天官赐福 - 墨香铜臭 | Tiān Guān Cì Fú - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù

憂国のモリアーティ | Yuukoku no Moriarty | Moriarty the Patriot (Manga)

逆転裁判 | Gyakuten Saiban | Ace Attorney

陈情令 | The Untamed (TV)

WHOOOOOO (exhausted, but with feeling) EXCHANGES.

[los-ninos-tortugas]

Maybe the distrust in First Contact would completely nullify things, "prevent" Star Trek? Or maybe a completely different Federation (or UFP), or one with different views?

Or maybe it'd just be a direct cause or make things so much more dangerous? Humans trying to engineer themselves to an even larger extent to best the Yokai in some twisted hate. Stricter Federation?

Could we see whatever organization forms put Draxum on trial for all those crazy forcing mutation shenanigans? (That is if Draxum lives that long I forgot LOL)

We could end up with a timeline a lot like the alternate timeline we see in season 2 of Star Trek: Picard (*cough* diet mirror-verse *cough*) where Earth decided to be conquerors rather than explorers. But admittedly, I'm a little opposed to that route, what can I say, I like Star Trek's inherent optimism.

There's a lot of steps leading up to first contact in Trek lore (and man do I need to watch the First Contact movie again, I'm just being reminded of how good it is) so let's explore this hypothetical for a bit.

I don't think it would be too far fetched to think that someone like Bishop would probably have a direct role in the creation of the Augments and sowing mistrust in yokai, mutants and aliens. I think he'd see it as a fighting fire with fire situation, if he got ahold of and poached Draxum's work (while also condemning him for it like the hypocritical bastard he is) to "level the playing field" between humans and mutants/yokai. He would probably insist on the name "augments" just to differentiate between them and the mutants. And thus he's directly responsible for the creation of Khan. Now Trek has been kinda wishy-washy lately about the timeline and now places the Eugenics wars & WWIII in the 21st century so I'm gonna go with that too. Which unfortunately for the boys means they'll be around to see the rise of the tyrants and watch society unravel, it's a very different kind of apocalypse than the one they prevented. This one is slow and creeping and driven by malice and greed long before it comes to overwhelming martial force. Logically though I think the boys (and maybe some old mutant enemies turned friends, and a good amount of Yokai) would side against Khan and Bishop in defense of humanity, so there'd be another resistance in this timeline as well. According to memory alpha, in the new timeline the wars last about 34 years, so there is at least some chance that the boys live all the way through the wars and come out on the other side into a world that after nearly tearing itself apart is taking its first tentative and terrified steps into world peace. Which has some interesting implications towards what will eventually become the Federation's ban on genetic engineering because, yes the belligerents in the war you just fought were genetically engineered humans but also they were defeated and the world lead into peace by genetically engineered mutants so.... what now? But that's getting a little ahead of myself. For now we're still 7 years out from Zephram Cochrane's first warp flight and First Contact. Earth has been so wrapped up in its own problems who's even thinking of space anymore? Well...

The boys would all be middle aged men at this point, and what they all do post war is a bit uncertain (mostly because I'm just supremely spitballing here) but I can't imagine Donnie not being apart of the Phoenix project along with Cochrane. And also given his everything I don't think the Borg sphere and the Enterprise in orbit would escape his notice even a little bit.

The Borg are an unpleasant surprise to say the least, especially given their similarity to the Kraang. Now of course during it all you have Picard and the rest of the Enterprise crew trying to keep a second impending invasion on the DL -and as I'm typing this I've realized that I've fucked up this causality loop a little bit but I'm gonna blame that on Trek being Like This and time travel bullshit being confusing- because now in this scenario we have the Kraang invasion as being an almost direct cause of the eugenics wars, and the Enterprise crew would definitely know that and they have just come back from a timeline where Earth is assimilated and they're trying to set things to rights, soooooo... okay okay we have Donatello, an old veteran with old wounds opening up again, Zephram, who's completely lost his way and doesn't even know why he's doing this anymore, and you have Geordi, Riker, and Troi coming from the future to say, "stay the course, it's worth it." And they're both terribly skeptical and on the verge of losing hope but damn, it can't all have been for nothing, right? And when that Vulcan ship comes down, and Zephram and Solkar shake hands and yeah, maybe things will be alright after all.

I kinda doubt that any of the boys would live long enough to actually see the founding of the federation (unless they have multicentury lifespans) but they would definitely go down in federation history as playing a role in the very beginnings of what would eventually become starfleet and the golden age of space exploration.

At least that's my take if Rise and Star Trek were on the same timeline, and I definitely could go way more into detail on it if I really wanted to, like I said I'm kinda flying by the seat of my pants for this one. For now though when it comes to Set a Course for Home I'll keep the two universes separate, if only for my own sanity lol. And above I have Donnie working alongside Cochrane and truthfully, I think my ideal ending for him (way way after the events of Set a Course for Home, in another hypothetical future) would be that he becomes the Zephram Cochrane figure if his own dimension and discovers faster than light travel. Listen Janeway can try as she might for the sake of the Prime Directive but he's gonna be spending a lot of time on that ship it's gonna be a little hard for him not to at least figure out some of the basics of warp field mechanics, he'll just have to figure out how to create it with the materials he'll have in his dimension's 21st century. He's a scientist through and through and I like the idea of him leading the way to the stars.

[anotheruserwithnoname]

The best TV show in years - is a Marvel show?

Marvel TV series and movies have been getting a lot of flack lately - and that includes the show I'm about to praise.

I just finished watching Loki, which ran for two seasons. It's the best show I've seen in years. I watched a couple of episodes over the holidays at my brother's place, went right out and bought the Season 1 Blu-ray (I never expected a Disney+ show to get a permanent physical release, but they've issued a couple of the MCU shows to Blu-ray). Just tonight I finished watching the 2nd season.

Without spoilage, the story does conclude. I heard people say it was cancelled, though watching it, it does seem more a 12-episode mini-series. Either way it concludes its story. The show's atmosphere is the most unique I've seen since the original Twin Peaks, while also invoking the spirit of the Fallout and Bioshock video games. It also includes some elements similar to my all-time favorite Doctor Who episode (I won't name for spoilers, but if you have followed my blog, you probably know which episode I mean) - but if that episode inspired Loki, it did so in a truly inspirational way.

The story is smart, and I think will stand up to repeated reviewings. Yes I know certain elements have been played to death in the movies (Marvel and DC alike), but it's well-handled here with a level of intelligence and wit I've seen matched maybe only by Guardians of the Galaxy 3.

I doubt we'll ever see Tom Hiddleston as the Doctor; this is as close as we're likely to get. Bonus points for Gugu Mbatha-Raw, a veteran of the Martha Jones era of Who, playing a major role (and an actual Doctor actor appears in a spoiler role, to boot!). And as a Star Trek: Lower Decks fan, it was cool to see a live-action production with the guy who does the voice of Rutherford.

Special kudos to Sophia Di Martino, who plays an alternate-timeline version of Loki (that's not a spoiler as she's a major part of the marketing). I think she got nominated for an Emmy for her role. Definitely someone I'd love to see again. Heck, if a future Marvel movie features "Sylvie" consider the ticket sold.

Anyway, I highly recommend Loki, the series. Definitely buy the Blu-ray if you can; show support for physical media!

[rssspockuhura]

Destiny of Tomorrow

Warning: Some M/M works might show up here because the Spock/Uhura tag is used in ref to S/U as a side pairing, past pairing, etc. Currently there is no way to filter and exclude feeds on Ao3 to get only S/U F/M works.Solution. Read at your own risk.

by LeahGrace

It could be called a love story.

It was in a sense that it was telling about bond reaching across the stars and beyond, about friendship and loyalty so unwavering it moved the world instead. About dreams and destinies and a loss, and about that simple feeling transcending the death itself.

It was their story, so yes. It has always been about love.

——— Or, in less general words, it's about Jen Kirk dragging Spock the Wrinkly One, kicking, screaming and internally crying tears of laughter on his imaginary Jim's shoulder, well into her found family circle, and him saving her more times than it's decent to count. But, who counts anyway?

Words: 1724, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies), Star Trek - Various Authors, Star Trek: Shatnerverse

Rating: Mature

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Multi, Other

Characters: Female James T. Kirk - Character, Spock (Star Trek), Leonard "Bones" McCoy, Spock Prime, James T. Kirk Prime, Crew of the Starship Enterprise, Christopher Pike, Sarek

Relationships: James T. Kirk & Spock Prime, Christopher Pike & Sarek & Spock Prime, Spock/Nyota Uhura, James T. Kirk & Sarek

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe, Shatnerverse, Kelvin Timeline (Star Trek), Odyssey and Mirror Universe book series compliant, Post-Narada (Star Trek), Canon Divergence - Star Trek: Into Darkness, T'hy'la, Vulcan Mind Melds, Canon Temporary Character Death, Canonical Character Death, Spock Prime Saves The Day, Friendship, Family Feels, Angst and Humor

read it on the AO3 at https://archiveofourown.org/works/44292643 via AO3 works tagged 'Spock/Nyota Uhura' https://archiveofourown.org/works/44292643

Need an Ao3 invite? Don't want to wait? Get one via LiveJournal or Dreamwidth. Remember to check out the Spuhura fanworks community on livejournal. Follow rssspockuhura for Spock/Uhura fanworks from around the web.

[kedreeva]

Saw a really shitty post today about how fanfic writing shouldn’t be taught in school because it’s ‘just paint by numbers’ as if all a fanfic author has to do is fill in a fucking Mad Libs sheet.

So I’m here to be a little angry about it!

Fanfiction absolutely SHOULD be taught as some part of creative writing classes (which let’s be real, is creative writing even a standard class in middle/high school anymore? probably not). This isn’t to say it should REPLACE anything, but rather that it has intrinsic value as a form of writing, and deserves to be exposed and discussed as one of the tools and styles a writer has in their inventory of skills, as well as discussed with regards to its prevalence in the wider culture of story telling.

Why?

Because fanfiction is actually really fucking common in so-called “original” fiction, and it works in a way completely different than original fiction, which means the skills involved in making it are not quite the same, either. And those skills have VALUE.

Think about all of the remakes of stories people have told over the years; every single AU rendition of plays written by Shakespeare aren’t The Original Play. Think of how many times Romeo and Juliet has played out in various media, without being word-for-word performances in Original Garb on a stage! That’s a modern AU, baby! Think about all the sequels to or spinoffs of stories that aren’t written by the original creator- technically those are just canon compliant stories, or canon divergences someone has permission to write. They’re what happens when someone gets paid to ask “think about this story someone else wrote, and tell me what happens next.” Think about “reboots” of media- things like Star Trek 2009, which wasn’t written by Gene Roddenberry- it’s an alternate timeline AU. Think about all the various versions of something like Sherlock- the original author didn’t write any of those. Just because it’s public domain now doesn’t mean all of the various media created with those characters aren’t fanfiction. They are! They technically are!! Think about the new set of movies being created where a common story is being told from the villain’s POV, like Maleficent! That shit’s fanfiction, too!!

Fanfiction is already deeply ingrained in our media, it’s just not called that. The difference is the amount of money and the permission involved. That’s it!

So yes!! we should!! be teaching kids!!! about fanfiction!! It is useful knowledge!! It is ABSOLUTELY worthwhile to show kids that a story doesn’t have to be 100% unique to be worth telling. There are only a handful of stories, at the core of them, that are ever told- what matters is how you tell it. What matters is THAT you tell it, rather than getting snagged on the concern that you must tell a story no one else has told before. Even if all a teacher does is teach kids that fanfiction exists and what it is, that’s worthwhile knowledge for kids to have, to know that it is an option!

And aside from that aspect, I mentioned the skills- I’m not talking about college here (although I think it has a place at least in discussion there, as well), I’m talking about actual children here. Middle school, high school maybe. Children who OFTEN have less than 1 hour in a classroom to perform exercises and learn about how to write stories while they’re also having 5+ other subjects crammed down their throats and homework and other stuff taking up their time. They know nothing! They are babies and they have a lot going on!! Are you going to tell me that it’s better to expect literal children to perform all of the complex tasks that go into creating a group of characters, their motivations, the settings, the plotline, etc all at once in a short amount of time, when so many grown ass adults have trouble with doing that on a much more relaxed scale? Well you’re wrong!!

Because you know what’s easier than expecting kids to take a small slice of time and do all the work to create entirely from scratch? Asking kids to take something they’re already excited about, and look at it in a fresh light. Hey kids, those characters you like, put them into a storyline you invent. Hey kids, you know that world you really enjoyed? Imagine some original characters in that world, and write a little story about it. You know that storyline you really liked? Make up some characters and a setting to tell that storyline in your own way. You know this story we read? Write that from a different character’s POV (which teaches people how to consider side characters as whole characters, not props!!).

Let them have fun!! Let them get excited about writing so that they keep doing it!! They have an entire lifetime ahead of them to learn how to put together all of the parts into one whole, original piece, if that’s even what they want to do. That should even be part of the class, saying okay, we wrote by creating some of the elements ourselves, now it’s time for you to create all of the elements and tell a piece that is just yours! Hell. Combine the characters you created with that storyline you liked and put them in the world you made, a little at a time!!

And not just that, but someone recently wrote a much longer piece I will try to paraphrase here, but one of the major things fanfiction does for writers that original fiction has a MUCH harder time teaching someone.... is about tropes. Original fiction has tropes, but fanfiction uses them, often to fantastic effect, as a central component. For kids, fanfiction would be a GREAT way to learn what a trope is, and how it can be used, how it can’t be used, what it is for, when it can be subverted, etc. Fanfiction is BUILT on tropes, a lot of the time. You could absolutely teach trope use to kids by teaching them about fanfiction and how fanfiction uses them, and how that relates to their use in original fiction, which would absolutely help them learn how to recognize what tool they are using when they write original stuff.

Which is all to say that there is VALUE in learning the parts of story writing a little at a time when you’re a kid!!!! There is VALUE in learning what a tool even is on its own before you’re expected to be an expert with using it!! It’s okay for kids to be given a break and allowed to write stories without having to invent everything themselves in the limited time they have for that one class that may or may not even span a whole semester!! It’s GREAT to teach kids that writing can be fun, to get them excited to write AT ALL because they get to write about things they already know and love!!

And you know what??? it’s okay for adults to learn that way too, and it’s okay for them to decide actually they like telling stories that way and it’s okay for them to just do that forever if they want. Not everyone wants to be a professional, published author and have to do writing for a job. Saying that original fiction is the only writing of value to school-age kids is just so blindingly capitalist and snobby. Of course original fiction has value in school, but it’s not the only kind of writing out there, and it’s not the only kind of storytelling that has value. There is value in making writing fun for kids in multiple ways.

[cardentist]

I haven’t been in the star trek fandom for very long (I’ve only just started binging the series in the last couple months), so it’s been pretty surprising to find out just how negative the perception of the reboot movies are.

this isn’t coming from the perspective of someone who grew up with the series, so it hit different for me than it might for people with a different relationship to TOS, but I thought it was genuinely clever and Respectful with how it was handled.

To quote leonard nimoy: “Well the alternative timeline gives them license to escape from canon concerns. I can’t see people saying ‘they shouldn’t do that because…’ or ‘that doesn’t tie in to such and such’ because it is a different time and place. Am I right about that?” [Link]

the entire Premise is that the original series happened as it was presented in TOS, but an event late in Spock’s life caused the creation of a parallel universe in which everyone’s lives were significantly altered through two key changes to the timeline. this gives them the freedom to Both revel in fanservice And explore different facets of the characters and their relationships. 

the destruction of vulcan Vastly impacts the characters and the plot moving forward, and its a detail that a lot of people take issue with. but the emotional impact of sarek admitting Directly to spock that there is value in his humanity, that his feelings Aren’t wrong, that sarek married amanda because he Loved her cannot be understated. you can read all of these things into sarek as he was in the original series, but he Never had an open conversation about these things with spock. this creates a Believable and Rewarding change in their relationship, where we get to see a different facet of them Because of the changes made. and that’s exactly the appeal. showing us pieces of these characters that we never got in TOS that are nevertheless undeniably Them.

everyone is Different yes, but they’re also fundamentally the same people at their core and that matters.

kirk’s personality obviously takes the biggest change, with him experiencing trauma at a young age, losing his father, and having an implied abusive father figure after that point. he has a harsher personality in reaction to harsher conditions, he’s spikier and harder to love. but he’s also still fundamentally a Good person whose willing to risk everything to help people. he still has what made kirk prime a good captain and a good friend.

I’m not gonna say that it’s the most nuanced story in the world, but it explores a version of kirk that was born from even Less fortunate circumstances than kirk prime, exploring a kirk brimming with potential who learned to bite back after he was kicked down. exploring those themes of trauma and loss, of insecurity and growth, and coming to the conclusion that Fundamentally He Is Capable Of Good isn’t a Bad thing. you don’t have to like it, but his growth into a better person is The Point. they deepened his flaws (all of which were present in a less exaggerated form in TOS) To Show That Growth.

and then of course there’s his relationship with spock.

people are totally justified in not liking that they had a rough start to their relationship, I usually don’t like to see that kind of thing in reboots or hollywood adaptations either, but the way people talk about it is just unfair.

Yes kirk and spock and bones have a very strong relationship in TOS, they also already know each other by the time the show starts. to look at them having to learn to get to know and trust each other when they first meet and say that it’s Bad because they were already full on ride or die for each other in the og series is silly. TOS kirk and spock had to meet and fall in love with each other too, it didn’t just happen over night kings.

secondly, the entire point of the first movie is that Even With reality itself being altered to pull them apart they are fundamentally compatible people that are Bound to each other. they meet each other on bad terms because of circumstances outside of their control, and yet they’re still pulled into each other’s orbit and find the other slotting into place next to them as if they always belonged. one of the first things that spock prime says in the movie is “I am and always will be your friend,” spock and jim are Meant for each other and the movie goes out of its way to explain that. which is what makes it so Weird to see people complaining about how they don’t like each other.

it’s a Different relationship, but it’s absolutely no less steeped in yearning or queer subtext. 

speaking of queer subtext ! some people are Very unhappy with spock’s relationship with uhura.

first thing I wanna say is that making the argument that they’re doing anything that the original series hasn’t done is just, completely untrue. kirk has fallen in love with more girls in the og series than he knew what to do with, leonard nimoy was a heartthrob in his time (and he deserves it, awooga) and spock reflects that ! Spock usually turns the women who come onto him down (or when he doesn’t it’s because a plant has literally altered his mind), but there are exceptions to even that. all of three of the main boys have plenty of romance subplots, it happens. if that takes the possibility of them being queer off the table for you (which it shouldn’t, m-spec people exist) then I’m sorry to say that TOS is not exempt.

now, I can understand why Specifically This Relationship could rub people the wrong way or being disappointed that they didn’t outright depict kirk and spock as having a relationship (if not in the first movie then in the following ones after they’ve gotten to know each other), but even in that context the way I’ve seen people talk about it comes off as insensitive.

no, the relationship did not come out of nowhere. they considered having spock and uhura date each other in the original show (and you can see signs of this in the earlier episodes, where uhura very obviously flirts with him and they spend time together in their down time) before they decided against it, and spock was originally going to kiss uhura until shatner insisted that he wanted to do it (because it was the first interracial kiss on tv). [Link 1, Link 2, Link 3]

nichelle nichols was asked about this exact thing (spock and uhura’s relationship in the movie), you can read the interview in full here [Link] but I’d like to highlight this paragraph in particular:

“Now, go back to my participation in Star Trek as Uhura and Leonard (Nimoy) as Spock. There was always a connection between Uhura and Spock. It was the early 60’s, so you couldn’t do what you can do now, but if you will remember, Uhura related to Spock. When she saw the captain lost in space out there in her mirror, it was Spock who consoled her when she went screaming out of her room. When Spock needed an expert to help save the ship, you remember that Uhura put something together and related back to him the famous words, “I don’t know if I can do this. I’m afraid.” And Uhura was the only one who could do a spoof on Spock. Remember the song (in “Charlie X”)? Those were the hints, as far as I’m concerned.”

the film makers looked at the fact there were Hints for uhura and spock, that they were Interested in exploring an interracial couple for the first time (both before and immediately after interracial couples won the right to legally get married) but Couldn’t because of the circumstances of the times and decided to Make that depiction. you don’t have to Like their relationship just because of that fact, but it’s Incredibly reductive to play down it’s significance as just a No Homo cop out. explicitly queer relationships are not the only progressive or culturally important relationships in fiction.

moreover, if you can’t imagine polyamory in the communist utopian future that’s on you.

moreover, this perception that this was a soulless cash grab is just, unfounded.

leonard nimoy returned to the role as spock for the first time in 16 years (since 1991) and this was Entirely because of the respect they had for nimoy, spock as a character, and the franchise as a whole. 

Lets look at some quotes from nimoy in interviews regarding the film:

Leonard Nimoy: When I first read the script (...) I immediately contacted J.J. and said “I think it is terrific…I think you guys have done a wonderful job. There is still work to be done, but it is very clear that you and your writers know what you are doing and you know how to do this movie and know what it should be about….and I am very interested.” Then as time went by we worked things out with Paramount, but the most important things were J.J. and the script. (...) I am very pleased about that and I am very comfortable with where this is going. I think the writers have done a terrific job. They have a real sense of the characters and the heart of Star Trek and what it is really all about.

(...)

TrekMovie.com: Now in the case of the new movie you have been retired from acting for years. What was it about this one that made you want to act again and go through the make up again? What was it that made you say ‘I really want to do this?’

Leonard Nimoy: You are right, this is a special situation. First it is Star Trek and so I have to pay attention. I owe that to Star Trek. Second place is that it is J.J. Abrams who I think very highly of, he is a very talented guy. Then came the script and it was very clear that I could make a contribution here. The Spock character that I am playing, the original Spock character, is essential and important to the script. So on the basis of those three elements it was easy to make the decision. So those three things: Star Trek, J.J. Abrams, and an interesting Spock role.

[Link]

Praising the cast playing younger versions of characters from the original 1960s TV series, he [Leonard Nimoy] said: “Let me take the opportunity to say this. Everybody at this table [the cast] are very, very talented and intelligent people.”

“They found their own way to bring that talent and intelligence to this movie, and I think it shows. (...)  When Karl Urban introduced himself as Leonard McCoy and shook hands with Chris Pine, I burst into tears. That performance of his is so moving, so touching and so powerful as Doctor McCoy, that I think D. Kelley would be smiling, and maybe in tears as well.”

“The makers of this film reawakened the passion in me that I had when we made the original film and series. I was put back in touch with what I cared about and liked about Star Trek, and why I enjoyed being involved with Star Trek. So, it was an easy way to come on home.”

“[In this Star Trek] they said things and showed me things, and demonstrated the sensibility that I felt very comfortable with, and I think that shows in the movie. I like it.”

[Link 1, Link 2]

again, you don’t have to like it just because leonard nimoy did, you don’t have to Agree. but the idea that nobody working on the film Cared is provably false. near everyone working on the project was already a fan of the series or were excited to be involved and did their homework. it’s genuinely a Miracle just how much of a labor of love this was, and in my opinion you can feel that through the movie itself. I’d highly recommend looking into interviews and behind the scenes details about the movies. they had a respect not just for the source material, but for leonard nimoy as a person.

there’s definitely more I Could say about this, but it’s 4 am now so I’m gonna shelve it jklfdsa

that said! it’s Fine to not like the movie, not everything is going to be suited to everyone’s taste, but the specific criticisms I’ve seen feel very off base

[squireofgeekdom]

also speaking of being weird and feral about star trek i went to check the menagerie transcript for something ... and also i’ve had two memory alpha pages open for weeks... anyway i’m still feral about this episode so if you want to witness me being Very Unhinged and speculating flagrantly on the (im)probable occurrence of makeouts and sucking of dicks on alien planets and/or in starfleet storage closets and alternate timelines and somehow just a weird unnecessary incoherent rambling contrarian... here you go

so the menagerie takes place towards the start of year 3 of the enterprise’s 5 year mission, so spock’s been serving with kirk as captain for three years. 

- for reference, year 3 of spock’s service on the enterprise with pike as captain was around the events of s2 of discovery (spock started serving on the enterprise in 2254 -- the same year as the events of the cage on talos iv -- and the events of season 2 of discovery are in 2257) so kirk in year 3 is like ‘my first officer would never lie (except would he? maybe?)’ and pike in year 3 is like ‘my science officer would never murder people and your video evidence is wrong, im taking my ship on the run about it’ step. the fuck. up. kirk. 

okay okay so what was i actually checking in the transcript was this

MENDEZ: You ever met Chris Pike?

KIRK: When he was promoted to Fleet Captain.

MENDEZ: About your age. Big, handsome man, vital, active.

KIRK: I took over the Enterprise from him. Spock served with him for several years.

SPOCK: Eleven years, four months, five days.

okay, so a lot of things about this

first of all, pike’s age makes no damn sense. from his wiki:

“Pike was said to be "about [Kirk's] age" as of 2267 in "The Menagerie, Part I", which suggested a birth date around the late 2220s or early 2230s, however, it was later indicated in Star Trek: Discovery that he was already in the Academy by the early 2220s.A biography of Pike was included on the Star Trek movie app. According to that source, he was born in 2205, to Charles and Willa Pike, and spent part of his childhood living on the planet Elysium.“

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ nope. not gonna even try there. 

timelines are good when i like them and they’re funny otherwise im just not going to try

second of all, mendez’s third thing on pike is ‘handsome’ like. okay. good that we got your take on that. incredible

third, I know spock knowing how long he served under pike down to the day is a ‘spock is very precise guy with facts and figures’ but also. im emotional about it. e l e v e n  y e a r s and he knows it down to the day. 

okay okay so the actual point here is ‘You ever met Chris Pike?’ ‘When he was promoted to Fleet Captain.’ 

so kirk is basically implying that he only met Pike at his promotion ceremony. which. I think snw should happily ignore off the cuff one lines in s2 and beyond if it lets them tell fun stories, which i think it will. but I also think it’s entirely fair to say that kirk is just semi-bullshitting / giving the short instance of the most recent time he met pike, just based on the moment after

When he’s in the room with pike, mendez refers to him as captain pike when introducing the others (and spock also refers to him as captain pike) 

kirk, however, immediately refers to him as chris. which - yes, kirk refers to mendez by his first name, jose, even though he’s his superior officer, and mendez refers to him as jim, but the vibe i get from that is that they know each other prior to this, and not just meeting at a formal promotion. kirk doesn’t normally go around immediately first naming officers - and he refers to him as captain pike when talking to others, but this is a personal interaction. 

KIRK: Chris, if there's anything I can do for you. 

that’s right off the bat. I would take that as the implication that they know each other better than just having met at a promotional meeting. And that’s consistent with the rest of the episode, where he tends to be taking pike seriously and consistently asking for his input, and also using his first name when he’s talking directly to him, but usually not when he’s talking to others, which is an interesting distinction

(sidenote ‘MENDEZ: He went in bringing out all those kids that were still alive.’ I take that as pike not bing in the site of the engineering failure, but *going in* and I have some feelings about that)

what was i saying? oh yeah anyway 1) kirk indicates he’s met pike in passing 2) he actually knows pike personally and is being weird about saying that and then 3) they’ve definitely made out 

could they just have a good working friendship? yeah! of course! we love that here! but hey a) i told yall there was flagrant speculation about makeouts and b) listen i know it’s an alternate future timeline but at the end of the s1 finale, out of Several Normal Sitting Places kirk chooses to perch on the *footstool* like he’s right about to jump on pike’s lap at the first opportunity and im i just?? supposed to?? Ignore that? here?? in my unhinged ramblings about a star trek episode that contains the footage of another, horny star trek episode? absolutely not

anyway the rest of the episode

“MENDEZ: You have something to report, Miss Piper?

PIPER: Oh, yes, sir. I'm afraid our investigation turned up very little, Commodore. There is, of course, Mister Spock's years of service with Captain Pike. Indications of his extreme loyalty to this former commander.”

hey im very fine and normal about this being the thing that comes up in, yknow, a brief investigation into what’s going on. what the hell is in the files that that’s the conclusion you draw from looking at it for a few minutes. cool cool cool i hope the snw writers are continuing to have Fun with That 

(thank you, personally, from the bottom of my heart for every moment of utter Ride Or Die these two have in discovery and snw)

Anyway anyway anyway

i’ve already mentioned the absolutely unhinged part of this episode that is showing the entirety of the cage in all its horny glory 

just

you know

the cage 

the telepathic talosians, who want to breed a servile race of humans, tapping into the subconscious of chris pike to try to create illusory scenarios to get him to fuck vina and then keep fucking her forthwith. and failing but, just. yknow. extended illustration of kinks and preferences.

perfectly normal thing to show at a starfleet hearing. definitely. definitely a normal thing to spock to pull up as evidence that has to be shown. checks out. sure that happens at lots of starfleet hearings.

yes obviously they just wanted to show their unaired pilot but hey sensible doylist explanations isnt what you’re here for youre here for unhinged nonsense

so was this the talosian’s idea? yes. obviously. they live for drama. they accepted that they weren’t going to be able to rebuild their society by breeding a new servile race and just decided fuck it, we’re going to make popcorn and watch the most messy drama we can. these are the people who had spock and michael ‘pay’ for fixing spock’s brain with painful dramatic childhood memory. 

they were definitely like ‘yes let’s not show a short simplified version to illustrate the nature of our technology and that pike knows us, let’s make sure we show the horny version’

and spock was like ‘yeah okay this is a fine thing to show onscreen for me, captain pike aka the guy it happened to, my current captain kirk, an illusion of a starfleet commodore, and some poor starfleet ensign transcribing the hearing who’s having a weird fuckin day. this is a perfect delaying tactic to make sure we get to talos iv’ 

there’s no way this isn’t weird but it’s slightly -slightly- less weird if you assume that most of the people watching this have seen pike in a more *cough* intimate context than just trying to have sex with him

yeah im saying they’ve both fucked pike prior to this point and im also saying that hey, putting on a viewing of the kink tape is, yknow, a logical thing to do if you’re intending to encourage all of you fuck again when you’re on the surface of the holographic fuck planet

thank you for coming to my unhinged ted talk. welcome the talos iv fuckparty into your hearts. 

[theromanticrationalist]

For All Mankind's season 2 finale was just incredible. In many ways, I have been really impressed by this show and how they have been able to incorporate space exploration into the intimate threads of human history. The Moon, space, leaving the confines of the Earth's atmosphere, exploring the great beyond - all become catalysts for each of the individual characters - representing each of their own struggles. Because, as I believe, reaching out towards the stars ultimately becomes about reaching within the human soul - looking outward, is looking inward, and vice versa. The two are inexplicably entwined, and this show does a pretty good job at showing this.

More fan girl thoughts below the cut. . .

- Gordo & Tracy Stevens

I feel like this is best exemplified in Gordo and Tracy's story. I don't have time to outline it all at the moment, but the Moon becomes the stage upon which their hearts are made bare. It is so rare to see a redemption story, and a redemption story of a marriage no less, showcased with such power. I will forever be blown away by this story. *lays down* - *cries* - *cries a lot*

- Margo & Sergei

UH ... YES PLEASE.

A forbidden Soviet Era romance??? Yes yes yes yes yes. I need this! THANK YOU FOR ALL MANKIND. The both of them are my absolute favorite! Just. Everything about them. How they are the same and how they are able to communicate almost as if they are reading each other's minds, and the way Sergei looks at her, and the way Margo blushes and can't even look at him in the eyes, and just . . . *incoherent fangirl screeching*

I really feel like Margo knows the door that she opened. I hope the writers don't make her dumb in the next season - just some love struck nerd girl. Margo is naïve and lost in her own world sometimes, but she isn't stupid. I feel like after Sergei's call, she was realizing the full ramifications of what she had done and what this could mean for her and Sergei's complicated relationship. (Not to mention her standing with her own government and country!)

So, you know what I want to see?? I want to see Margo and Sergei play the most expertly played game of espionage ever orchestrated! I want to see them give false information to one another, and they'll personally always get offended by it even though they both know this isn't personal at all - they'll twist and turn words, double - triple! - meanings - are they enemies? Are they friends? Are they lovers? Do they even know? Maybe! Maybe not! How can they hope to be anything more when they are serving countries that are always on the brink of World War III? And yet!!!

And always Sergei will have stars in his eyes when he looks at her, whenever she does something impossibly clever, and Margo will always wear his favorite color and be speechless around him whenever he is trying to be charming.

I LOVE THEM. FOR ALL MANKIND YOU GAVE THIS TO ME NOW DON'T RUIN IT FOR ME

And let me just say that once again Margot is basically just me. OF COURSE she would fall for the enemy! Totally on brand. I get you, girl! I get you so hard!

<holding up my fingers like the Ben Wyatt meme> It's about the "it's complicated..."

- Danielle Poole

QUEEN. MY QUEEN. I knew she would come through and pull off the Soyuz mission with flying colors! And Danielle & Stepan have my heart! I knew Stepan wouldn't be able to resist her in the end, and that he would have his little Soviet heart melted in no time! 🥰🥰🥰 That whole moment of them defying their governments and choosing peace and brotherhood was just so beautiful. (I was pretty much an emotional mess the entire finale...) Then the gut punching realization that many American's didn't even get to see the historical moment live on TV because they were in the Fall Out shelters. Uuuuuugh. This show is SO good at building the emotional drama of this unfolding history. It feels so real! But it also feels very much like it could part of the Star Trek universe. They are exploring similar utopian and humanistic themes, and so I think I am going to make it my headcanon that our alternate history is part of the Prime timeline. It's official. I have declared it.

Speaking of Star Trek, though, I was tearing up when Danielle was quoting Star Trek. OF COURSE she is a Trekkie - OF COURSE. She is perfect without flaw. The most precious angel! I just wish she had more screen time this season, but I loved her story this season regardless!

- Thomas Paine

I never got to properly mourn the passing of Paine! I was pretty upset that he died, and just when he was becoming such an awesome character! (HE LOVED SPACE THE ENTIRE TIME OMG MY HEART.) However, I realized he was like the Agent Coulson of this show. That awesome side character with an unusual and unexpected quirky personality whose death becomes a catalyst for the bigger picture! Ellen is doing an incredible job within his place, though, and I love what it is building for her character (even if her story is SO SAD). At any rate, Thomas Paine shall be missed!

- Molly Cobb

Molly Cobb is BOSS. Her heroic moment on the Moon was such an amazing highlight for this season for me. But I am loving how they have taken her character in an unexpected direction, down a harder and more humbling road. It is heartbreaking, but such a deeply human story. Her taking her plane and trying to escape from the Earth's atmosphere was like the most DRAMATIC AF moment (omg this show), but also, I felt that too. I also loved her and Wayne's struggle through what Molly is having to face. They're marriage is so strong - perfectly challenging one another and carrying one another through life. I love them! This is going to be painful watching what Molly will have to go through, though.

- Karen

I do want to say a few more words about this whole debacle. The fact that the writers completely obliterated the Baldwin family is something I will not forgive them for, and it was very poor choice on their part, most especially how it came about. To me, the Baldwins have always been the anchor point of the show, but now they are all just kind of pathetic, as the trust in their marriage is broken (for no reason) and all so that Karen can go "find herself".

Now, it has always been a part of Karen's character arc that she needs to find her own identity. She gave herself to her family, putting herself last, and that isn't a good thing. Although we should be reminded that a woman serving her family as a wife and mother is NOT shameful, and so there was literally no reason for the writers to deconstruct this when it was actually a beautiful thing. Things aren't black and white. Karen can be both proud as a dutiful wife and mother AND have existential dread over her own identity as person. BOTH realities can be true and exist together! You don't need to destroy the one to have the other! It's called N U A N C E. Something American tv writers utterly lack in their writing now a days.

Regardless of all this, though, and the disturbing, messed up nature of Karen's affair with Danny - I am sick and tired of how often shows and movies depict a woman's exploration of identity through her sexuality. I find it to be really offensive. As if liberating a woman's spirit means turning her into a horny sex fiend. Sexuality is but one dimension of a woman's identity, one dimension amongst a thousand. To reduce her down to this basic and crude physical dimension, as if somehow sleeping around, having affairs, masturbating, etc, unlocks her deeper self, is really insulting to women as human beings. Being an independent, confident woman comes from a deeper place of the mind, heart, and spirit that embodies her entire person as a holistic being. We are more than the sum of our parts! Please, writers, for the love of God, stop making us into rutting animals!

Suggestion: American writers, creators, directors, just go read Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. She'll wipe the floor with your pitiful displays of female independence. I have never seen any modern writer even come close to what Bronte was able to to achieve with her masterpiece. She was able to truly showcase the power, dignity, and grace of a woman's spirit flawlessly - showing how freedom and independence does not mean free to do whatever you want with whomever you want defying all traditions, religion, expectations, and principles - but is a state and quality of mind, that even in the most dire and unbearable of circumstances, your spirit remains immutable. A woman's strength is compassion in the face of adversity, serenity in the face of devastation, and strength in the face of oppression. THAT is true womanhood.

[elenothar]

AO3 Tag Game

I was tagged by, uh, a lot of people - thanks guys! I actually did this over on Dreamwidth in August, but a) lots of people on Tumblr aren’t on DW and b) I’ve written a bunch of fic since then so the stats have changed again.

Mostly under a cut because this got long...

1) How many works do you have on AO3? 81 2) What’s your total AO3 word count? 911,276

(should I start looking forward to the million? 😂)

3) How many fandoms have you written for and what are they? AO3 counts 33, but some of these are doubled up because of varying fandom tags. Cleaned up slightly    镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018) (14)    The Hobbit - All Media Types (9)    Star Wars - All Media Types (9)    The Avengers (Marvel Movies) (6)    Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies) (6)    盗墓笔记重启 | The Lost Tomb Reboot (TV) (5)    James Bond (Movies) (5)    Star Trek: Discovery (5)    Mission: Impossible (Movies) (3)    Stargate SG-1 (3)    X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies) (3)    NCIS (3)    陈情令 | The Untamed (TV) (2)    Sherlock (TV) (2)    Tortall - Tamora Pierce (2)    The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien (2)    Lewis (TV) (1)    Sherlock Holmes (Downey films) (1)    Doctor Who (2005) (1)    The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien (1) 4) What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

13,488 - lay down your sweat and weary head (The Hobbit) 9,363 - Attachment Issues (FBAWTFT) 7,079 - Roar (FBAWTFT) 3,650 - Arrest the Sun (FBAWTFT) 3,628 - when in doubt (trust a wizard to set everything right) (The Hobbit) which basically just goes to show how important it is to be in a fandom at exactly the right time for kudos (shrug). 5) Do you respond to comments, why or why not? Absolutely, every single one! I love getting comments, and answering them is the least I can do. 6) What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending? when the sun goes down (and no stars light the night) (James Bond movies), which ends with MCD. That's the only really angsty ending I've got though. It's not really my thing. 7) What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending? Almost all my fic has happy endings, so I can't really choose? I don't think you can really give happiness a degree, most of the time. 8) Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve written? Not often, but I've written a couple in the past. Nothing I would call crazy though. 9) Have you ever received hate on a fic? I've been lucky to escape that. I've had a couple of complaints re: relationship tagging on one of my more popular fics, but people were at most a little bitchy about it, and it was only a handful of complaints to begin with. 10) Do you write smut? If so what kind? Until a few weeks ago the answer to that question was a pretty straight no. Now it’s more of a ‘not really’. I’ve now written two very tiny, not all that explicit sex scenes. No idea whether I will again in future. 11) Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not that I'm aware of. 12) Have you ever had a fic translated? Yes! Four of my fics have been translated into Chinese. 13) Have you ever co-written a fic before? One so far - Recast, with a group of fellow Lost Tomb moots. That turned out very fun, and I'm now co-writing a Guardian fic with @eirenical​. That'll be a while yet though! 14) What’s your all time favorite ship? I usually don't get hugely hung up on specific ships, but I suppose at the moment Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan is on my brain a lot <3 15) What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will? I think I only have one WIP posted on AO3 - Satellites (Star Wars). I don't usually post unfinished things I'm not certain I will finish, but I posted the first part of this for someone's birthday and never got around to finishing it because the worldbuilding just exploded. 16) What are your writing strengths? Very bad at judging this. If anyone wants to tell me, feel free :D

If I absolutely had to say something... characterisation maybe? 17) What are your writing weaknesses? Dialogue and intricate plotting. There is a reason why I’ve never written a proper casefic, say. 18) What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic? I've never done full sentences in another language. I go back and forth on having single words noticeably in other languages (very relevant for all the cdrama stuff at the moment; Professor Shen vs Shen-jiaoshou in dialogue, for example) - depends on my mood. Generally, I think if the reader isn't likely to understand what you're writing, it slows down reading and enjoyment, but I also get really excited about languages and I’m learning Chinese at the moment, so the desire to sneak some stuff in is there. 19) What was the first fandom you wrote for? On AO3 it's the Marvel films. Overall, I think the first real fic I produced was for the Star Wars prequels, back in LJ days. 20) What’s your favorite fic you’ve written? Oh man, I don't think I could choose. Usually I like the stuff I've written most recently the most. 

Here’s my AO3 if anyone wants to check out anything.

I think most people have done this by now, but just in case, tagging @eirenical, @flsongbird722, @perkynurples, @norcumi

[calliecat93]

Star Trek 2009... so... very mixed.

Let’s do the good first. The cinematography is really good. It FEELS like a futuristic time period moreso than TOS, but tbf the films have the advantage of being closer to modern day and being able to match the evolved times. Still, it’s very much a movie that wanted to look good and did. The acting for most pf the cast was good and I don’t have an issue with any of the reboot cast. No Chris Pine isn’t Shatner (and that’s a good thing) nor is Zachary Quinto Leonard Nimoy. But they and the others did their jobs well and I’m glad they all did their own thing and not just copy their predecessors. Simon Pegg as Scotty I really enjoyed amd I like his new friend XD And while I’m... mixed about the direction taken if only because it makes me sad, Leonard Nimoy returning as the Spock we’ve known or so long was lovely, especially when he and Quinto!Spock meet.

Some moments were good. I actually almost teared up when Kirk’s dad died because the actors just put so much emotion into it. I can’t say that there was no effort put into this. They tried to add emotion and meaning and depth. They tried to give Kirk and Spock (and yes, Bones being even MORE of a third wheel than normal REALLY pisses me off) depth and connect the audiences to them and form that connection with each other that we’re so familiar with. I respect that. I respect the effort. I’ve seen reboots that don’t give a damn, but it didn’t feel that way to me here especially with Nimoy!Spock showing that this may be different, but the original very much still exists.

That being said... I have some big issues, especially with Kirk. This is NOT James Tibirius Kirk. This is the pop culture depiction of Kirk that the filmmakers decided was better to go with than the actual character. And no, this being an alternate timeline and him being younger than in canon is NOT a valid excuse. I got told that the death of Kirk’s dad changed the course of history... but I fail to understand how THAT caused Kirk to be an arrogant, cocky, reckless idiot. Might be because his parents NEVER came up in the show so how can any TOS fans get that point if the show never went into it? I know I joke about Kirk doing something dumb, but TOS!Kirk was a perfectly smart, optimistic, level-headed individual who yeah WOULD go against Starfleet at times, but usually did so with good reason. Hell didn’t TOS say that he was overly serious int he academy amd lightened up as he got older? How did the timeline changes change that? Anyways! It felt like they wanted this Kirk to just be a standard action hero and didn’t bother to check if it fit the characterization, or do anything to justify the change aside from ‘different reality’. Like woth the Kobayashi Maru, it’s to emphasize Kirk’s cockiness here...when in WoK it emphasized Kirk’s optimism and hope. How he NEVER believed that there was a true no-win scenario. There was LWAYS a way. Don’t get me wrong, Kirk isn’t horrible and has the ability to become more like his TOS self, but first impressions are everything, and they failed here. Chris Pine was good though, I could actually picture how he played Steve Trevor in Wonder Woman fitting a Reboot Kirk pretty well but alas. Also his captaincy wasn’t earned nor is he mature enough to hold the position. It got handed to him because canon says so, and that is bullshit.

Spock was... fine. Far as characterization goes I don’t really have any issues. He’s not TOS Spock but again he shouldn’t be. It’s hard for me to find the words on how he’s different aside from being younger and seeming a little more resentful about the half-human, half-Vulcan thing, but it still works well enough. He and Sarek also seem on better terms in this continuity, and that I do like since it’s different, but consideirng the circumstances he needs that kind of solace and it allows exploration of their relationship in a more supportive light. Didn’t like Spock marooning Kirk like he did, but it does connect to his arc showing how emotional repression is affecting him, so ah well. I DO have issues with some of the directions taken though. His relationship with Uhura has no establishment nor development and comes across as being there for the sake of having a romance in there without the work. And no I’m not just saying that as a Spones/Spirk/McSpirk shipper. It WOULD have been fine if they actually WORKED ON DEVELOPING IT ON-SCREEN. And how did the timeline changes cause that when Uhura and him flirted like... once in TOS and it was one-sided on Uhura’s part anyways?! It sucks especially since I really like Reboot Uhura. I also don’t like them destroying Vulcan cause that feels like overkill on the angst, but at least they have an explanation for it. I DO however despise them killing Amanda and ESPECIALLY how they did it. Amanda is relegated tot he standard ‘pure hearted mom who we have to kill to hurt this character’ and considering how she died via a crumbling cliff just as transport started, the ‘changed timeline’ explanation is bull. Again I appreciate them trying to add more character stuff, but I very much disagree with the choices. But as far as the character himself is concerned, I was good with Spock andI did genuinely care for and feel bad for him.

Bones... oh baby you deserved so, SO much better. Characterization wise,he was the most like his TOS self. He comes across as more gruff than cranky,but that’s mainly due to Karl Urban being younger than DeForest Kelley. Otherwise he was funny, endearing, loyal to Jim, and Urban did a lovely job making the character his own but honoring his predecessor. Will also give them credit as Bones has a damn good reason to dislike Spock after he marooned Jim like he did. The film didnt give a damn about McCoy tbh, but we’ll get to that in a bit. But to put it short, I really liked Bones, but he REALLY needed more screentime which from what I can tell, isn’t gonna happen until Beyond. But as far as the character goes, I felt like they got his best though the lack of focus reason may very well be why that is. Very least I got fanon to satisfy my needs.

Now we get to my biggest criticism: The Triumvirate is non-existent here, nor does it form within the film. Again, I blame pop culture depiction as I imagine they went ‘we need Kirk and Spock to be close together and Bones is that guy who is Jim’s other best friend who has witty lines but ain’t Kirk and Spock so who cares?’. Which especially baffles me sonce the arguments Kirk and Spock have regaridng emotion? That’s MCCOY’S role. They got the Kirk and Spock relationship completely and utterly wrong. Nor do I feel like the film dod enough to form the relationship between the two. It just feels like they became friends because the plot said so, not out of genuine understanding and care. Kirk was one of, if not the first to accept Spock for who he was and respect him. That’s what made the relationship special. But their edforts to establish it here just fall flat because they made Kirk Spock’s opposite, aka McCoy’s role. McCoy is the one who challenges Spock. The one who pushes him to consider the emotional. He can be harsh, but it is a dynamic that worked. Kirk os their balance. The one who keeps the two in check and they in turn represented the two sides (mind and heart) that he (the body/soul) needed to make the proper decisions. But because of the choices made with Kirk and Bones, the balance is theown off. Spock is more or less fine but Bones loses his importance while Kirk has his character skewed to make it work. General audiences may not be able to tell, but as someone who just watched all of TOS and those films two weeks ago? I could, and it hurt the film significantly imo. Also kind of wish they emphasized that Spock ALSO needs Bones and the rest of the crew, not just Jim because emphasis on just one relationship ALWAYS annoys me, especially since again, they didn’t do well to form it here to begin with. So yeah they missed the aspect that made me love TOS, so needless to say I am displeased. I plan to do a full film review in the future so I won’t say how I’d improve it, especially since hindsight is 20/20, but yeah not happy.

Otherwise, the film is fine. Uhura, Scotty, Sulu,and Chekov are fine, the former two I especially enjoyed. The plot is fone. Nero is a boring villain but for a start, it’s okay. I didn’t like Vulcan’s destruction at alla nd what that means for Spock, but we’ll see how the other two films continue this. I don’t know how I feel about Prime Spock because it just makes me... depressed that he has to accept never going home (even if Bones and the others are dead it just feels... wrong) but I DO appreciate that they included Nimoy and he was just as fantastic as he had been all those years ago. I have so many problems with characterization and plot points, but tbf that’s from someone who just went through TOS. As far as a general audience goes, they likely won’t have that filter and some may be more of the ‘timeline changed so this stuff changed’ explanation than I, a media consumer who has seen this happen over and over again to varying degrees of success’, may be. Otherwise the film was fine. If you like action and want a blockbuster, this one is for you. But I’m in it for characterization and story and while the latter worked well enough in the general sense,t he former was severely lacking. So while it was okay and it got me excited/to laugh a few tomes, overall I didn’t care for the film. Will Into Darkness be any better? Well... from what I can tell no. But I also need to make my own judgements, so onward we go.

[eidetictelekinetic]

Fic Interview Meme

Thanks for the tag, @rubickk7 !

How many works do you have on AO3? 

I have 115 fics.

What’s your total AO3 wordcount?

1,553,954

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

On AO3:

The Magicians (TV) (28)

A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin (21)

Inception (2010) (20)

Suits (US TV) (17)

Game of Thrones (TV) (12)

Black Sails (7)

Supernatural (6)

The Avengers (Marvel Movies) (5)

A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms (5)

The Tudors (TV) (3)

The Hobbit - All Media Types (2)

X-Men (Movieverse) (2)

Marvel Cinematic Universe (2)

The Hobbit (Jackson Movies) (2)

Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies) (2)

X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies) (2)

American Gods - Neil Gaiman (1)

Conviction (TV 2006) (1)

16th Century CE RPF (1)

Star Wars Legends - All Media Types (1)

Star Wars - All Media Types (1)

Star Wars Sequel Trilogy (1)

Whitechapel (TV) (1)

Chronicles of Narnia (Movies) (1)

Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett (1)

Here’s the list from my fanfiction.net days (some overlap here):

Song of the Lioness

Star Wars

Stargate: SG-1

Harry Potter

In The Forests of the Night

X-Men: The Movie

Circle of Magic

Doctor Who

House, M.D.

Wicked

Law and Order: SVU

Torchwood

Charmed

Primeval

NCIS

Tudors

Inception

Supernatural

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

The Lady of Rivers and Storms [ASOIAF]: When Lysa miscarries Petyr's child before anyone learns of her pregnancy, her father negotiates a different marriage for her instead. Married to the second Baratheon son, will the future be any easier for either of them?

In the Middle (Before I Knew I Had Begun) [Suits]: It's an accident, when Mike touches Lyla. But everything follows from there. (Or maybe everything follows from the moment Rhi saw the golden tiger and all she could think was how beautiful she was.)

Skyfall Is Where We Start [ASOIAF]: 'At least Stannis won't laugh at Renly if the boy tries to follow him around when he's a bit older and takes a tumble on the flagstones. It's not much, not much at all, but perhaps it's enough to be going on with.'

Robert never loved his brothers, but this is not a story about Robert. This is about Stannis, and Renly, and glimpses of how they might have been different, had they let themselves love each other as brothers usually do.

Breakin’ Out the Institution [Suits]: “OK, so, before we start, a few things you should know about me. My name’s Mike Ross, not Rick Sorkin. I am a lawyer, I just didn’t go to Harvard. But you should hear me out anyway.”

Where Mike is actually a lawyer, a Brooklyn ADA looking for a change of pace, and gatecrashes Harvey's interviews entirely on purpose.

Lay Me Down (Pockets Full of Stones) [The Magicians]: The world spins, and Quentin doesn’t even feel his knees buckle, or how his head hits the wall on the way down. All he knows is the fall into the quiet dark.

In which Quentin survives the events of 4.13 by taking such bad care of himself he never actually makes it to the Mirror Realm. Also in which everyone loses him for a day, and Eliot is Not Happy about this.

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

Yeah; I like getting responses to my comments so I do my best to reply to comments I get.

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

I had to go back to fanfiction.net for this because I never crossposted these to AO3, but Kiss My Eyes for The Tudors. It was Anne of Cleves/Cromwell, which was tragic mostly because it was historically compliant so a deathfic. Honorable mention, same fandom, was And In That Hour, Charles Brandon/Margaret Tudor and Charles Brandon/Henry VIII, unrequited love for the latter. 

Fun fact about the latter, it was the first m/m fic I ever wrote; the deal was I’d write a slash fic if one of my forum friends did a femslash one.

Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve ever written?

Ha. Hahahahahaha. So, back when I was 17-18 I was working on a verse titled A Moment To Be Real, and it was a crossover verse that, taking all the relevant fics into account, included Charmed, Primeval, the Whoniverse, and NCIS in major capacities. In more minor capacities, the plans for the verse also included Fringe, Supernatural, Stargate SG1/Atlantis, and Warehouse 13. Oh, and there were two main timelines and two minor ones the stories spent time in. Heh. Yeah, that was a thing, yes it was way too big a project and I didn’t finish it, but I truly think that working to juggle all that was very helpful to my later work. 

I don’t write a lot of major crossovers anymore, but I tend to just... live in the idea that certain canons can feasibly coexist so when I can do little crossover cameos I like to do them. One recent exception is return to the sunlit lands, which is a Magicians/Narnia crossover.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Not recently; a long time ago back on ff.net, I left a comment that was misunderstood as hate (I said something was bad, meaning the characters’ situation, but the author thought I meant her writing) and the author of that fic responded in kind. Once I clarified, they were nicer in a subsequent review. I’ve been very lucky in that regard; I’ve had friends who have had to deal with a lot of drama in that sense.

Do you write smut? If so what kind?

I didn’t for a long time, but recently I’ve begun to! So far, it’s been m/m and f/f, though there was an intentionally-vague m/m/f scene and I’m... currently avoiding writing a more detailed one because I’m nervous as hell about it, lol.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge. 

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes, actually! Two of my older ASOIAF fics, All the Traveled Roads and I Will Not Fall, I Will Not Break have translations, which is just really neat to me.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

About ten years ago I was working on a joint project about modern day Tudors; never did get posted, alas. I’m not sure I’d be very well suited to co-writing a single story; co-writing a verse where different authors do different stories might work, though.

What’s your all time favorite ship?

God, I have no idea, but I still and always have strong feelings about Sam/Jack from Stargate SG1, so let’s go with that for longevity?

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

A Moment To Be Real, actually; it’s not so much that I want to finish it as that I know I won’t and I regret it. I have another verse that I probably won’t finish but one of these days I’ll at least post an outline of where I saw it going so that there will be some degree of closure. Pretty much every other fic has at least a faint chance I might go back to it, or I genuinely don’t want to.

What are your writing strengths?

Worldbuilding and handling the moving pieces of a canon divergent AU. I’ve also been told I’m pretty good with ensembles.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Action scenes, which is unfortunate when I find myself definitely needing to write a battle, and I suspect is part of my smut hang-ups too.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I have done it occasionally, but honestly I feel it’s usually easier to italicize English dialogue and put the other language in the narration - I think it’s probably easier to read, too.

What was the first fandom you ever wrote for?

Stargate SG1

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

I couldn’t possibly pick one, really.

Tagging @theemightypen @cosmonauthill @jayneladybright @ofthedirewolves @portraitofemmy @nellie-elizabeth @mihrsuri

[asknarashikari]

all the secondary rider, the main women, philip and ankh end up in a world where the main rider has a somewhat disturbing personality, a somewhat dark and a bit psychopathic morality and, by the way, instead of W this kamen rider joker !!! ... your reaction please

Why do I feel like you’re that anon who’s been sending me some very odd Shoutaro requests? Idk, the specificity of asking about Joker...

Look, I already mentioned how such requests make me uncomfortable, so I usually am not inclined to answer them. I’m not in the business of making characters miserable, we have enough writers on the show who do that for us. And I’m certainly not doing it to my favorite Rider, and especially to him as the specific Rider I love the most (as Joker is my favorite form of all).

I’ll make an exception in this case, but I’m not going into the specifics of it. 

Seriously though, knock it off, please.

So... basically, we’ve entered Star Trek territory and gone into the Mirror Universe now? 

(Yes, I know Star Trek. I’m not that culturally inept. And no, it’s not because of the JJ Abrams lens-flare-fest - I actually binge-watched TOS and Enterprise when I was recovering from major surgery.)

And, well, as in Star Trek, anyone who stumbles into this alternate universe will be deeply disturbed and want to haul ass outta there. And they’d be doubly thankful that the people they know are nowhere near anything like those monsters.

It also reminds me of the 40th anniversary movie, Let’s Go All Riders, where Ichigou and Nigou got fucked over by Ankh dropping a Cell Medal in the past and screwing over the whole Rider timeline as a consequence. And Taisen GP (aka the reason why Shinnosuke hates Time Shenanigans). In both cases the normal timeline was somehow restored, though.

[afaimsarrowverse]

The 15 craziest Episodes of Legends of Tomorrow:

„Crazy“ is an ever changing measure, especially in the Arrowverse. When Time Travel and Parallel Universes were introduced it was a heavy leap from the norm. A couple of seasons later it was pretty much normal. So this list reflects changes in the norm, episodes that pushed the crazy and unusual. What is crazy for on show is not crazy for another one.

 „Legends“ kind of went nuts in Season 2 and never became sane again, it became even nuttier from season to season. So it’s a question of degree here even more than anywhere else compared to what happened around the episode in question:

 So let’s get into it:

  15.  Doomworld (Episode 2.16/32, Written by: Ray Utarnachitt, Sarah Hernandez, Directed by: Mairzee Almas)

 Alternate timelines are kind of an Arrowverse thing, but this one did not came to be through time travel but through the Legion of Doom rewriting history to their own liking. Therefore there is no cause and effect to the changes, which allowed the writers to have vigilante Felicity, hero assassin duo Sara und Amaya, janitor Ray, Bossman Jax, timid Martin, and Master Baker Rip – well that one came about because of different circumstances, but yes, this episode has to be seen to be believed.

 14. Camelot/3000 (Episode 2.12/28, Written by: Anderson Mackenzie, Directed by: Antonio Negret)

 From the far future to Camelot and King Arthur – this episodes travelled far and mixed those two areas up quite nice. In true Legends fashion Ray became a Knight of the Round Table, Sara got to hit on Guenevere, and Mick got to beat the adversary army with his brain. Yes, you read that one right. Just ask poor Martin about it.

 13. Witch Hunt (Episode 4.2/53, Written by: Keto Shimizu und Matthew Maalaa, Directed by: Kevin Mock)

 Here „Legends“ inserted the a singing Fairy Godmother into the era of the Salem Witch Trials. While Zari got to confront her own anger about certain things, the Fairy Godmother was really not the fairytale kind, but rather an evil one, but boy, she could sing.

 12.  Crisis on Infinite Earths Part 5 (Episode 5.0/68, Written by: Keto Shimizu, Ubah Mohamed, Directed by: Gregory Smith)

 “Legends” provided Time Travel and it’s characters for most Crossovers, but this one was special because it was a Crossover Episode in pure Legends Style. Our heroes got to confront a gigantic Beebo, Ray took a selfie, Mick had a book signing, and everyone thought they were going insane - and around all of this Earth Prime was established and Olivers fate was confirmed. Most viewers who did not know “Legends” were probably very confused during this one.

11. The Virgin Gary (Episode 4.1/52, Written by: Phil Klemmer und Grainee Godfree, Directed by: Gregory Smith)

 John Constantine joins the Legends in the time for a murderous unicorn at Woodstock that roofies most of the team and gets Ray to snog a tree, Mick and Nate to exchange loving vows, and Zari to chase lights. Plus Gary almost gets eaten by a unicorn. Matt Ryan had doubts about signing that contract on his first day on set for this episode, you know. But we loved it.

 10.  Helen Hunt (Episode 3.6/39, Written by: Keto Shimizu und Ubah Mohamed, Directed by: David Geddes)

 Helen of Troy single handedly destroys the Golden Era of Hollywood, simply by being there and driving men nuts. Studio exes try to kill each other in order to get her, while Damien Darhk becomes her agent to wreck even more havoc. Hard to remember sometimes that this is the guy who killed Laurel, given how much crazy fun he became.

 9. The Fellowship of the Spear (Episode 2.15/31, Written by: Keto Shimizu, Matthew Maala, Directed by: Ben Bray)

 This episode is “Legends”-Homage to Tolkien and his works. However the most quotes and nods go to the Peter Jackson Movies, which is no problem, because we love them too. The Legends recruit Tolkien out of the trenches for a treasure hunt, however things go bad and some fans were not to happy with one of the team betraying their own at the end of this episode. But don’t you guys remember Boromir?

 8.      Seance and Sensibility (Episode 4.11/62, Written by: Grainne Godfree, Jackie Canino, Directed by: Alexandra La Roche)

 What have Jane Austen and Bollywood in common? Both a represented in this episode that features a Bollywood number and the death of Jane Austens writing career. Everyone gets roofied (again!) but this time it’s just sex dreams, and well Zari starts planning her wedding to an Indian God, while Mona turns hulky and tries to kill Jane Austen. Yep, that’s Legends for you.

7. Aruba (Episode 2.17/33, Written by: Phil Klemmer und Marc Guggenheim, Directed by: Rob Seidenglanz)

 The Finale of Season 2 features two sets of Legends, while the team goes back to the event of „Fellowship of  the Spear“. While Malcolm, Damien, and Snart are mostly confused Eobard strikes back by recruiting a lot of his former selfes. Legends die, Legends live, Sara saved the day with quite a neat trick, and Eobard gets what he deserves, but we all know he will be back to haunt Barry anways, so that does not really matter, does it?

6. The Good, the Bad and the Cuddley (Episode 3.18/51, Written by: Marc Guggenheim und Phil Klemmer, Directed by: Dermott Downs)

 In the Season 3 Finale we got a massive Beebo who fights a gigantic demon. The Beebo was created by a Legends Orgy and symbolizes … well love I guess. While the Finale is kind over overstuffed with plot, the fight at the end makes up for it all. Damien sacrifices himself, Zari has an unlikely romance, and we get to see a lot of old faces again. What a weird Season Finale indeed.

5. Raiders of the Lost Art (Episode 2.9/25, Written by: Keto Shimizu, Chris Fedak, Directed by: Dermott Downs)

 This is officially the episode where „Legends“ went nuts. Oh and it’s a delicous one. George Lucas never became a filmmaker after being scared of by Malcolms and Damiens attempts to kill amnesiac Rip Hunter who thinks he is an American filmstudent, whose script is basically the plot of the shows first season. Too bad he can’t find a decent Vandal Savage. And that everyone thinks he is this Rip Hunter guy. Also Mick gets a brain surgey, Ray and Nate change occupations, and Amayas babysits their attempt to get George Lucas back to film school, and thanks god she does otherwise … well otherwise there would be no „Star Wars“ or „Indiana Jones“, would there?

4. Beebo the God of War (Episode 3.9/42, Written by: Grainne Goodfree und James Eagan, Directed by: Kevin Mock)

 This was supposed to be the sad goodbye to Martin Stein and it still is that as well, but mostly it’s the episode about Beebo Day. You know, the blue god, who hungers for war and conquest? Whose birthday we celebrate once a year in december and … wait? What was I talking about? Oh, yeah Leo tries to make Mick quit drinking and Beebo get’s squeezed a lot.

3. Legends of To-Meow-Meow (Episode 4.8/59, Written by: James Eagan und Ray Utarnachitt, Directed by: Ben Bray)

 Sulky about missing out on the Crossover the Legends crossovered with themselves in Season 4. John and Charlie destroyed the timeline for selfish reasons, and now everything is wrong and everything they do makes things worse instead of better. Zari gets to spend most of the epsiode as a cat, the rest of the Legends get turned into puppets, we meet the Sirens of Spacetime and the Custodians of the Chronology, and a gay kiss saves all of spacetime. Why can’t all shows be more like „Legends“?

2.      Meet the Legends (Episode 5.1/69, Written by: Grainne Godfree, James Eagan, Directed by: Kevin Mock)

In this episodes Ava tries to race money for the Time Bureau by making a documentary about the Legends and their work. This episode is the documentary and the making oft he documentary. Think Arrows „Emerald Archer“ only way carzier and funnier. The Legends meet Rasputin who kidnappes the camera team, while Ava writes Sara a very weird condolence note, everyone is acting weird(er) because cameras, and well it’s „Legends“ only even nuttier than normally.

1.      The One Where We‘re Trapped On TV (Episode 5.13/81, Written by: Grainne Godfree, James Eagan, Directed by: Marc Guggenheim)

And the award for the Craziest TV Episode of all time goes to this one, where the Legends are trapped on TV. Charlie put them there to protect them, and so we get very familiar but strange versions of „Friends“, „Downtown Abbey,“ and „Star Trek“ with the Legends as the main characters instead. We also meet a murderous Mister Parker, get another musical number lead by the Tarazi siblings, and are as amazed as Mona about everything that is going on here. Can „Legends“ ever top what they did here? Let’s not challenge them, I am sure they can. But until then, we have this one.

[ylizam]

dear creator: femslashex 2k20 edition

Hi, Hello, Hey. First of all–thank you! This is my standard you offered to write one of my fandoms, so thank you for being awesome opening spiel, full of generals likes and dislikes, I’m sure you know the drill. I’ll make sure the fandom specific stuff is up by the time assignments go out. (That said, if you already have an idea about how you want to write about the fandom/pairing we match on—wow, I’m jealous! tell me your secrets!—just skip over the fandom stuff and go forth with your bad self.) 

Things I like include, but are in no way limited to: fun with POV, fun with linear vs. non-linear storytelling, fun with tone, fun with writing. I really dig character studies, stories that really get into what makes a character tick (and something porny that can get at that is wonderful too), and I like relationships that are hard and prickly and worth fighting for. I like happy endings that don’t feel tacked on or forced. I like doubt, and hope, and theology; I like actors, and directors, and I like the random deity. I like fairy tales. I like (love) romance tropes. Forced to share a bed, marriages of convenience, fake dating, friends-to-lovers, idiots-to-lovers, enemies-to-lovers: it’s all like unto catnip. I like interesting turns of phrase, I like the perfect line, I like any story written just for me. If you have any questions about my taste (or lack thereof), feel free to ask @summervillen​ who probably knows my fannish tastes better than I do.

DNWs: noncon, necrophilia, pedophilia, incest, animal harm or death, child harm or death, pregnancy fic, A/B/O. Things that I would prefer you not include—especially gratuitously; there are obviously ways to engage with problematic actions/thoughts/etc. in fiction, but there’s such a fine line there—are as follows: non-character driven racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, anti-semitism, etc. etc. etc. I’d prefer no high school AUs. I also have a pretty big embarrassment squick. And while I'm mostly interested in these characters in the worlds in which we meet them, if you really have an AU (non high school division) you want to write I'm there. Just, you know, grounded in the characters and their relationships and all that fun stuff. That's basically it.

Babylon 5 Delenn/Susan Ivanova I just ship them post-canon so hard. Later in life chances at love are sort of a thing of mine, and add to that two of my favorite characters ever, well, it’s like this pairing is made for me. That said, if you can find a way to write them during canon (maybe John doesn’t return from Z'ha'dum, maybe Delenn and John just never get together at all, maybe you can think of something I can’t) I’d love that too. Delenn/Shaal Mayan I’d love a story about them that’s really Minbari–that understands that neither of them is human. Something set when they were young and just figuring themselves out (and first love is rarely forever but it feels like it must be) or something set when Mayan visits Babylon 5 in season one or, heck, something set after the series ends. (I have a thing for writing on skin, so if you can find a way to fit that in more power to you.)

Last Tango in Halifax Gillian Greenwood/Caroline McKenzie-Dawson Oh gosh I have so many feelings about Gillian and Caroline and their relationship. How it’s grown, changed, and now they’re at a point where they see each other all the time and talk about basically everything and it’s all so beautiful. And, I mean, come on, they both have the best chemistry with the other; it’s just a fact. So what if they get drunk and kiss (or shag or something in between)? Or just deal with things like adults (I’m sure you could convince me that’s possible)? (She wasn’t part of the tagset, but I also liked what little we saw of Olga, both how she interacted with Caroline and how she befriended Gillian when they both showed up late to the play, so if you want to go the threesome route–whether it’s a V or a triad or whatever confusing mess of emotions you prefer–I’m there.) (P.S. I haven’t seen the most recent season, but I’m spoiled and have seen all the gifs and screencaps so include or don’t as you see fit.)

Lucifer Linda Martin/Mazikeen

Their relationship on the show is a thing of delight and wonder, so basically I want that but also MORE. Maze fighting people to protect Linda! Linda, well, trying to fight people but mostly realizing that Maze loves it and is good at it so. Maze panicking again about Linda eventually dying, but also MORE SO because now they’ve been fucking and also having weird candlelight dinners and um is this romantic this might be. (Whether Amenadiel is involved (romantically with either or both, as an active parent but no longer romantically, etc.) or off doing something else stage left and never mentioned is up to you, but please no bashing, killing off somehow, etc.) Feel free to include hijinks with the rest of the gang, but I’d prefer no focus on any police work. 

 The Old Guard (Movie) Andy/Quynh

Note: I haven’t read the comics, so this is strictly a movie request (I know they’re separate fandoms and listed thusly, but I just wanted to be clear). I’d love anything about them, in all honesty. Something in the past: a first time (they kissed, they said “I love you,” they refused to say “I love you,” they had sex, etc.), a fifth time, a mission gone wrong. Or something in the present/future: angst and fractured trust and fighting on opposite sides until they’re suddenly not. All too mortal Andy. Immortal Quynh. The options are basically endless. I also love everyone on the team, so feel free to include them however you see fit. 

Star Trek: Classic Timeline

First of all, I don’t know book canon, so include it, don’t include, whatever floats your proverbial boat. Second of all, I am more than happy with “this character lives” stories here. Obviously. Third of all, please no bashing of any other characters (even that one).

Beverly Crusher/Laris

So I came out of Picard with an undying devotion to Laris and a burning curiosity about what the heck Bev is up to these days. So tell me more about both of them. Is there’s a longstanding affair, often at a distance? Did they start out prickly and reserved, wary? How are Jean-Luc and Zhaban involved? (I am happy with whatever you decide on the Jean-Luc and Zhaban front, other than gratuitous death or bashing of either. Feel free to have them off having their own adventures and don’t mention them if you prefer not to involve them.) Is Beverly’s French as terrible as Jean-Luc’s? 

Kimara Cretak/Kira Nerys

Feel free to have Kimara escape/live/etc. I’d especially love something that recognizes that neither of them is human; play around with what we know of their cultures, about how those cultures might clash or unexpectedly mesh, how that can affect a relationship both positively and negatively. I’m always interested in Nerys’s faith and religious beliefs, and how that interacts with Romulan culture would be very much something I enjoy. 

K'Ehlyer/Deanna Troi

K’Ehlyer deserved better, and who is better than Deanna? I posit no one. This is another pairing where I’d love something about the fact that they’re not fully human and the implications thereof. (Feel free to include Alexander or not, as you choose. Ditto Thaddeus and Kestra. I’d prefer they not be a focal point though.) Whether you set it during TNG or Picard or in between, I’ll be equally happy (or an alternate version of reality works too! those are just the time references I can think of right now!). (Please note that I very much also ship Deanna and Will, so please, please, please don’t bash him or kill him off for no reason or have Deanna cheating on him or whatever. I’d much rather you don’t mention him at all if you don’t want him in the fic.) 

The Untamed Jiang Yanli/Wen Qing

Is part of this my desire to have two of my favorite characters pushed together? Yes. Is it also part of my desire to have them actually live? Absolutely. (Which is to say: I’d love a “Jiang Yanli and Wen Qing live” AU here. Or at least live longer than they make it in canon?) I’d also be fine with modern AUs here, but I’d prefer cultivation be in there somewhere even if it’s set in the present (or the 1980s or basically any time period). Maybe there’s a political partnership of convenience situation! Maybe something shifts in canon and Jiang Yanli helps the Qishan Wens out and things happen and trust grows and they fall in love! Maybe they have a secret fling! Honestly, it’s all good.