#also love kirk just pacing in the background
Text
he needs to be sure
33 notes
·
View notes
Text
Character Themes
I was tagged by @dragonsongmakhali for this, tysm for the tag! :>
I'll be tagging @shroudkeeper @ahollowgrave @airis-ray and @thefreelanceangel (feel free to skip if you've already done this!)
I'm doing my main roster so everything's going under the cut since it'll be long, I added small blurbs to each:
What instrumental track would play in the background of your character's story during their most meaningful moments?
paris ; ff11 ost - recollection:
youtube
here's a track that doesn't match paris' aesthetic in the slightest, but it's meant to be a tear-jerker. I would go as far to say this would be paris' main theme as it shows a vulnerable part of them that no one gets to see. this is probably the only song that fits the question of this tag game
kirke ; silent hill 4 ost - silent circus:
youtube
it was between this track and a track from the cry of fear ost, but my love for silent hill won out. I always imagined kirke as having an industrial/trip-hop-based character theme, so this fits way too well for her. I wouldn't call this track 'meaningful' to kirke, it's a bit odd—then again she's an odd character. I imagine this plays during her more leisurely/playful moments
tauvane ; assassin's creed 2 ost - dreams of venice:
youtube
the elegance of this song is perfect for tauvane, it's regal and refined as it reflects her background. but what gets me is 2:07-2:45, the sudden change in tone and atmosphere shows you another side of her, something dangerous and cold. I would say this plays when achille meets her again after so many years spent apart
hector ; silent hill ost - only you:
youtube
this one is short, but hector's overall time in the story is short. it's overwhelmingly sad and there's a yearnful tone to this, a yearning for andromache to stay. but the piano is drowned out by a repeating 'droning' noise. it hints at something more sinister, aka halmarut. so this doubles a theme for halmarut as well
yves ; silent hill 3 ost: maternal heart:
youtube
something not bloodborne for once. it feels empty and haunting to me, just like yves himself. the name 'maternal heart' also calls back to cessair, yves' mother. like kirke, yves has a more industrial track that plays, but since he doesn't talk much I don't think this will be heard often
andromache ; assassin's creed revelations ost - byzantium:
youtube
this one fits andromache to a T. there's a strong sense of melancholy and vulnerability attached to this song that I think works well for her meaningful moments in the story as a character theme. the plucking strings, the haunting vocals, and the twinkling music box all scream 'andromache'
evander ; nier ost - his dream:
youtube
the tatlonghari brothers share similar themes, the difference between them is the title. this song, to me, has a quick pace, and a feeling of a childhood lost or something masked. it's ethereal in execution, but it doesn't match evander's personality or actions. this is intentional, as evander deep down is still a good person at heart, and this song reflects that, but he shows a totally different person on the surface
patroclus ; nier ost - this dream:
youtube
in contrast to evander, patroclus' is more slow, idyllic, and hopeful. it sounds like a song detailing a happy childhood. evander's theme is centered around him, but patroclus' is centered around those he lost—his parents most importantly. patroclus has a lot of meaningful moments I feel like, so this is very much a patroclus track
achille ; cry of fear ost - brandon:
youtube
here's something different, something modern. despite achille's positive and happy disposition, this song showcases his inner self and how much turmoil and pain he goes through daily. its singular guitar in the beginning accompanied by an almost underwater ambiance matches what he feels regarding his mother tauvane. this plays a lot when talking about her I think
azem (helen) ; assassin's creed brotherhood ost - echos of the roman ruins:
youtube
yet another AC song, I've had on repeat lately since I'm revisiting the games. this song in particular has a sense of wistful nostalgia to it, that feeling of a time that no longer exists once the vocals kick in. while this is too short for my liking, this is perfect for helen the more I revisit their backstory, flesh them out, and reinvent the wheel
#tag game#ty for the tag!#whoops it's all video game music#ngl i almost rolled off my bed when i got this tag#this was so fun#meta.#q.
11 notes
·
View notes
Text
New Post has been published on Harold Gross: The 5a.m. Critic
New Post has been published on http://literaryends.com/hgblog/star-trek-strange-new-worlds-season-2/
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (season 2)
[3 stars]
I don’t think I’ve ever had such a complicated love/hate relationship with a show. I’ve certainly hate-watched other shows. And I’ve gritted my teeth through others, while loving some aspects of them as well. But I don’t ever recall, in the Trek universe or any other show for that matter, loving and hating in equal measure such that it’s hard to tell how I feel about it.
On the plus side, this is the first spin-off to really capture the sensibility of the original series. They’ve continued to build on that since the inaugural series. Anson Mount is a great choice for Pike and the perfect precursor to Shatner’s Kirk. The show doesn’t take itself too seriously (a dual-edged plus to be sure), and it has some seriously good production values. The cast is generally solid and fun to watch. And the addition of Carol Kane has been an unexpected delight.
On the negative, it violates canon constantly. It doesn’t take itself seriously enough. It wastes its short season with too many stand-alone episodes that don’t really build on the larger arcs. While the original Trek was all stand-alone (OK almost all stand-alone) the larger arcs are a necessity for today’s entertainment.
And there is one truly unforgiveable aspect: they didn’t even give us a complete season. It’s a bloody cliff-hanger! They had plenty of time to build and complete their arc. Instead we go off in all kinds of directions, some of which give us interesting background, but which don’t help get us to a resolution. If you have 10 episodes, use them. You’re allowed one or two stand-alones to help the pacing, but not 7. And you certainly don’t have the wiggle to put in two “joke” episodes that, again, have bits and pieces, but which made the whole very weak. I’ll come back to them in more detail.
Admittedly, this second season continues to embody more of the original series than any of the other sequels/prequels. But it also is drifting more toward satire of that venerable beginning more than building on it. Several of the episodes echo some of the classics (such as City on the Edge of Forever) while otheres simply rewrite canon…particularly for Spock. I am far from a purist when approaching stories that fill in gaps, but some things are set and some things aren’t. You have to abide by the rules or you’re just writing fan fiction. In this case, with a huge budget. Rules don’t limit, they force you to be creative (think sonnets).
I will admit that the style of the dialogue and the new characters that are being expanded upon are all really well done. It is also definitely entertaining. I am always happy when a new episode shows up (even if I sometimes am grumbling about aspects). It has serious potential to go on for a long while if nursed properly. But it is also becoming its own thing in a way that is separating it from the Star Trek universe in an ineffable way that I’ve yet to put my finger on. Maybe it is the throwback feel of the series rather than the pushing-forward sensibility of even the weakest of the shows like Enterprise. Maybe it’s the lack of respect for the established “truths.” Maybe it’s the fact that they never met a joke they didn’t like? Maybe it’s simply me being intractable.
One of its best episodes (Under the Cloak of War) lands late in the season. And it is followed by one of the craziest ever produced for Trek on any of its various platforms and incarnations. That vacillation in tone is brave, but also more than a little confusing. You never know quite what you’re walking into.
Let’s talk about that a moment.
Subspace Rhapsody. You can see how it was inspired by the Buffy musical Once More With Feeling…it even steals riffs from it. And the lyrics were quite literate and often interesting. The music… well, let’s just say they didn’t quite make the grade. It was repetitive (and not in a way that served the plot resolution) and boring most of the time. Nurse Chapple got probably the best song of the lot, and the most poignantly ironic as well, though the Klingon spot was a riot. And I will admit the finale was a real big number to go out on. But the whole idea was premature in this show. They haven’t earned the kind of emotional constipation that required song to let it out. Musicals are all about bottled emotions that have no other way to be expressed. In Buffy, it was 6 years in the making and one huge secret or more to divulge. Here it was a bunch of mostly obvious stuff that folks just had to get a bit drunk to disclose. This treatment wasn’t necessary to get the characters where they wanted to be to sell their season finale.
It also came on the heels of their oddest cross-over episode…the ironically acronymed Those Old Scientists, which comes out to TOS. Cross-overs aren’t new in this universe, but this was with the wonderfully silly animation Lower Decks. The existential conundrum of which of these worlds the shows live in (animated or real) is funny and odd, and they did a great job with it. However, to put two back-to-back was a show-runner mistake in my opinion.
Despite all of this, I waited to see if they could pull off the season. Could they weave all this together into a meaningful payoff?
Answer: no. There are aspects of the backgrounds that play in. There is the building of the TOS crew through the season with some amusing nods as it happens. But they left us hanging .. and it is going to be a long hang given the current WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, which makes it even more frustrating. I didn’t leave the season anticipating the resolution, I exited screaming at the television and cursing their inability or unwillingness to give me a complete tale. Not what you want to do to your audience.
And yet, yes, I will be there when they come back hoping they’ve learned some lessons in crafting a more satisfying season.
Where to watch
#3stars#adaptation#craft#Dark Comedy#Drama#Fantasy#Musical#Science Fiction#SeeIt#sequel#Streamed only#TV Review
0 notes
Text
Rewatching JJ Abrams Star Trek trilogy
First some context. I am not a hardcore Trekkie. I have seen some of the older Star Trek shows but I have genuinely never followed Star Trek until the first movie of the trilogy came out, which led me to Star Trek: Discovery and Picard that I do follow.
That may give you a context to why I unabashedly love this trilogy. I think its genuinely one of the more consistently entertaining trilogies in the new millennium. While I obviously don’t put it on the same pedestal as TDK trilogy or LOTR trilogy, its just a genuinely fun, fast paced, and well cast trilogy.
Star Trek (2009) is just a genuine blast. I think the movie is near perfectly paced because it starts with a bang and never lets up. It also does a pretty good job of setting up Kirk and Spock as the two leads and then gradually assembles the supporting cast over the course of the movie. I think the pace is key to this film’s enjoyment. Its not a particularly deep movie and doesn’t have a ton of big character moments, but the humor and action in the film genuinely work. The cast works big time. Certainly Pine was instantly appealing. I had seen in him in maybe a couple of rom coms prior to this but he was an instant hit for me here. Lot of natural charisma and comic timing. Quinto is also excellent in this movie as Spock and he has a very tricky tightrope to balance to show emotion without showing too much emotion. Karl Urban as McCoy is hilarious and an instant scene stealer. The rest of the cast including Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, Jon Cho, and Anton Yelchin are all instantly appealing though the film is firmly focused on Kirk and Spock so these characters don’t get a whole lot of depth. I will say that Bana as Nero was probably the weakest of the villains in this trilogy, but that has a lot to do with the film being very focused on introduction to the heroes. Bruce Greenwood as Pike was a very welcoming steady presence. Nimoy as Spock Prime is a delight. Even with my sparse background of Star Trek before this movie, it was lovely to see him and he certainly has a few good scenes with Pine, Pegg, and Quinto. All in all a really strong starter to this series. An 8/10.
Star Trek Into Darkness is understandably the most controversial of the series. I had not seen Wrath of Khan when I first saw this movie. Its kind of a tricky thing this film does. Its both trying to be and not trying to be Wrath of Khan at the same time and the comparisons were inevitable. However, irrespective of comparisons, I still really like the film. The pace of this film is not nearly as smooth but the film has a lot more character moments and the ensemble gets more opportunities to step up. Now, I get that have Benedict Cumberbatch playing a character called Khan Noonien Singh might raise a few eyebrows, but he elevates this film so much. This was at the height of Sherlock popularity, when the the first two beloved seasons had released and everyone was going crazy over him, for good reason, and in all honesty he is worth every penny in the movie, chewing scenery with great gusto. Its a pity that advertising spoilt almost every scene he was in, but all his scenes are terrific. Chris Pine also showed much greater depth in his performance, delivering big time on a lot of dramatic moments while continuing to have impeccable comic timing when required. Quinto has comparatively less to do here than in the first film but he steps up during the climax. Zoe Saldana, Jon Cho, and Simon Pegg definitely get more scope here to deliver. All the other returning cast, like Karl Urban and Bruce Greenwood continued to be excellent. Alice Eve and Peter Weller are pretty good as Carol and Admiral Marcus. The action in the film is still pretty entertaining. The dramatic moments in the films work and the film does a nice job of showing the new dynamic between Kirk and Spock. The Spock and Uhura romance also ended up being a lot more enjoyable than I thought it would be. Some of the Wrath of Khan references are a little clumsy and there a few points in the movie where the film drags a little, and certainly the superblood being a cure for death was kind of silly and should have been a much bigger deal, but overall, I still found the film enormously entertaining. An 8/10
Star Trek Beyond is maybe the most Trekkie of the films. I mean, I haven’t even watched a whole lot of the original show and even I have seen episodes where the crew has similar adventures. The strength of this film really lies in the character dynamics. The film splits up the enterprise crew into a few different groups, with Uhura and Sulu together, Kirk and Chekhov together, McCoy and Spock together, and Scotty with newcomer Jaylah. All of these duos work well together. The film is again well paced so its never boring and certainly it has the most entertaining action sequence of the series in the Sabotage sequence. That was silly but damn entertaining. The film also does well to take a breath and give the characters a moment of two to shine. Certainly the scenes between Quinto and Urban are excellent with Urban probably getting the most scope he has gotten in the series. There is also a wonderful moment with him and Pine towards the beginning of the film which really brings home the friendship between them. Pine again is fantastic. Delivering a more weary and weathered performance. I like that the film doesn’t hesitate in bruising him up. He ends the film with a big bruise over his eye. That’s actually one of the things that I love about Kirk’s character over the series. He is not portrayed as this invulnerable action hero. In fact, he gets his ass handed to him constantly throughout the series and symbolically it works that he wins his first fight during the climax of this movie. I liked the mentor/mentee dynamic with Yelchin’s Chekhov. Simon Pegg in this film is a delight. I really enjoy that he fully embraces the character’s scottishness. Jaylah is also a pretty badass character and Sofia Boutella does a really good job emoting through that makeup. Chu, Saldana, Quinto, and yelchin are all first rate. Idris Elba is excellent as Krall. The one things I would hold against the movie is it makes its twist reveal a bit too late to have impact. The film didn’t really need this to be a twist reveal. I think they missed an opportunity to make the villain a lot more heartbreaking. As it stands, it works well enough, but it could have been the best villain is they had given the character reveal earlier and then given the motivations more depth. I also think the tribute to Nemoy after his passing was handled in a lovely manner in film. They handled it in a way where it added something to the character of Spock and the decisions he makes. While the film’s plot is nothing new, it does its characters well enough and the pace and the action continues to be a ton of fun. An 8/10
I do think fans are a bit to harsh on this series at times. I know knocking on J.J. Abrams is common for fans of series which have the words “Star” in it. I certainly think this series kept the brand of Star Trek alive for new fans. I certainly would not have gone on to see Discovery and Picard if I hadn’t seen these movies. So I do think the movies deserve that credit, regardless of what you feel about the quality. I think Justin Lin took on the directing role for Beyond very smoothly and its a shame we won’t get more from this series because this cast was very appealing. But in a way the series ending as a trilogy seems appropriate. I feel the trilogy did end up having a very full character arc for Kirk, who went from cocksure and overconfident Captain in 2009, to a humbling and learning self sacrifice in Into Darkness, to becoming a senior mentor figure in Beyond. Its a damn good character arc in my opinion. Also, it would have sucked to continue the series without Yelchin, who was kind of the baby of this group. So in a way its poetic for this series to end with the whole core group still in tact.
#star trek#star trek into darkness#star trek beyond#chris pine#zachary quinto#jon cho#anton yelchin#zoe saldana#karl urban#simon pegg#james t kirk#spock#leonard mccoy#uhura#hikaru sulu#pavel chekov#montgomery scott
94 notes
·
View notes
Text
I watched the first episode of TNG (btw, thanks to everyone who commented on my last post about this matter, I read them all it was of great comfort, you guys are the bestttt!!!! :)))))) ) Here are my initial thoughts on the show:
-Picard is like, way more mean and stuck up then I thought he would be. I guess I’m just used to Kirk who is literally instantly in love with everyone and also the most charming person in the world. They defiantly have very different captaining styles, I don’t necessarily think this is a bad thing, just new for me.
-I didn’t think Q would be in the first episode. I know Q seems to be a fan favorite, but my god that little shit bugged the hell out of me. If i was there I would have punched him in the face and the episode would have been resolved in half the time, just sayin
-Speaking of punching people in the face, I really liked Tasha Yar. She’s the chief of security like 😍😍😍😍😍 literally how im trying to be. also her haircut is sick. Other characters who gave me a good first impression were Worf, Data, and Geordi, but I knew the most about them going in so maybe im baised. I also like Wesley, I know some people find him annoying (but maybe thats just redditer men???) but I though his light hearted goofiness was much needed and also he’s just super cute in general!
-I’m glad we got to see Bones for a moment, even if he was a pissed off old man. It was like the writers were saying “look tos fans look, don’t be scared to watch this new show it’s still the same star trek, look we bought back Bones remember him???” Also, I think it’s funny when Star Trek shows put dark haired Vulcans who slightly resemble Spock in the background (I know Lower Decks did this too) because like, it instantly triggers Spock thoughts. I see dark haired vulcan in the background, I think about Mr. Spock, simple as that. It is not an unwelcome experience
-I thought the plot was pretty ehhh. I know they were establishing characters and stuff (and jeez, there are a lot of characters in this show), but I felt like the pacing was a little weird. Like, what was up with that part where they were going to send people into the alien ship, which was kinda a time sensitive issue, but they just paused all of it for a scene where Picard apologizes to Beverly for yelling at her son???? like that was such an awkward moment to do that. Like overall the flow of the episode was just weird.
I could probably say more but I’ll just leave it at that. i’m sure I may sound like an ignorant fool, as maybe the things I complained about will be resolved, or my first impressions of characters will be completely wrong. Either way, these are just my thoughts for now, always subject for change!!!
-Edit: I also like Riker, but right now he is a man with a beard without a beard. Like he has such a beard face. I want him to grow his beard already
#thoughts#start trek#tng#reactions#lol not that anyone cares#this is more just personal things#ig#lol
16 notes
·
View notes
Text
September 17: 3x07 Day of the Dove
I am incredibly discombobulated today—usual weekend nocturnal shenanigans I guess! Anyway it’s somehow midnight. Gonna try to write up these note on the Classic episode The Day of the Dove in as efficient a manner as possible.
Hmm, a planet with wavy pink Fraggle plants. I like it already.
But where is Spock? Very suspicious.
I really appreciate Kirk giving a little speech to set up the overall question/issue for us. (I know he does this all the time with the Captain’s logs but this is out loud and so… more obviously expository.)
Oh no, it’s our old friends…the Klingons.
I will admit that this ONE TIME, the Klingon is being reasonable. Like, it is reasonable to think that Kirk and the Enterprise attacked his ship, given that his hip WAS attacked, and who else would it be?
Three years of peace between the Klingons and the Federation? That is inclusive of the show so all this tension must technically be “peace” and also implies there was something more like a direct war going on, like, right before Kirk got the captaincy.
Zoolander voice: What is this, a colony of the INVISIBLE?
“We have no devil. But we understand the habits of yours.”
No takers? No takers on the torture? No volunteers to be mercilessly tortured by the Klingons?
Star Trek Beyond could have had Kirk and Chekov bond over being brothers! I mean, to other people.
They’ll kill 100 hostages at the first sign of treachery. He does know there are only 400-some people on the ship right? Maybe you should pace yourself, Kang.
Kirk’s so badass he needs MULTIPLE guns trained on him just to use the phone.
Oh-ho secret message to Spock. Which version of the iPhone will be capable of doing THAT?
The Klingons are “suspended in transit” is an awfully nice way of saying they’re just dematerialized atoms in space. Philosophy major and/or Bones nightmare fuel.
How did Kang not see this coming, by the way? Like, he just says “I’m taking your ship now, me and my 6 men versus your 400-some men, and I’ll do this by simply declaring it to be so. Now let’s beam up to your ship, where I’ll be greatly outnumbered, and there are armed security guards all around me.” Guess he’s been reading The Secret!
WIFE AND SCIENCE OFFICER
Aka the most important part of this whole episode.
Kirk’s face is very ?????? You can have both????
It’s legitimately not even important for her to be the science officer tbqh. Like that is so gratuitous. That’s just in there to drive me insane.
"We're prisoners, somehow, after I demanded to come on the ship, assuming they'd just give it to me without any kind of fight. How DID this happen?”
Federation death camps lol—someone’s been watching Fox News.
I do kind of wonder… is this an actual rumor that goes around the Klingon homeworld or is it something that the alien entity put in her head specifically to make her angrier right now? I mean it really could be either.
I also appreciate this episode for being pretty much the only one to actually attempt to give the Klingons a reason for being as they are. The Romulans… maybe aren’t well-described, but they do have a sort of regalness to them, appropriate for being related to Vulcans, and you can kind of imagine that they are the way they are because they’re Vulcans without the intense self-control. Plus they’re literally only in 2 TOS eps and in the second, the Federation are the aggressors. But the Klingons show up a half-dozen times only to be depicted each time as just like Cartoonishly Bad, aggressive, violent, and selfish for basically no reason. And I mean, some people really are!! But TOS has so much nuance in other places, that it always seemed a little disappointing to me that the Klingons are really just like ‘well we’re just bad and we hate everyone and we really like killing I guess.” At least in this ep there’s a little more added to that: that there is poverty on their world, that they feel aggrieved, that they feel unprotected, that taking and conquering is how they look after themselves…
I think that’s later in the episode though.
He’s detaining them in the LOUNGE lol. With their favorite dishes available to them to eat. Absolutely barbarous conditions.
I can’t believe Chekov is hanging in the elevator with the cool kids. Like, one of these things really isn’t like the others.
Kang is officially sure of himself for someone currently imprisoned in the lounge, that most fearsome of Federation death camps.
Hmm, could the glittery light alien have taken over??
You know what, that's a lot of tasks for Johnson to do all by himself: search the whole ship, fix the engines, and free 400 people.
Sulu would love this: everyone gets a sword!!
“Bridge. I gotta show this to Sulu immediately.”
Klingons have maintained a dueling tradition. That’s interesting. Finally some characterization going on.
Spock is really living up to his logical nature today. Everyone else has gone off the emotional deep end and he’s like “have you considered this completely rational explanation that accounts for the actual, observed facts??”
Whoops Chekov is actually an only child. Scratch that previous Beyond headcanon. (Interesting that his dead brother does really resemble Sam though—killed on a research colony??)
Love that Sulu knows that about him though.
Oh, that’s a pretty schematic picture of the Enterprise. I want that on a t-shirt.
Lol the pan out to the armory, now filled with… swords!!
Do ALL of these men have a fetish for swords? Sulu and fencing, Spock displaying swords in his quarters, and Kirk in his San Francisco apartment, and Scotty salivating over this Scottish blade.
“Klingon units.”
Finally Sulu gets his sword! It’s what he deserves.
Love that the shiny light alien also has a fetish for swords.
Oh no, it’s our old adversary, an alien life force.
What is the alien’s purpose? Um, I’m pretty sure its purpose is to start shit.
“An appropriate choice of terms, Captain.” I don’t even remember what this is referring to but I think it’s pretty clear that Spock is enjoying himself during a crisis again.
Bones, being so dramatic. Were there atrocities? He’s talking about the Klingons as if they were literally hacking off limbs—it’s a few stab wounds here and there, chill.
Oooh, time to behave like military men—strong words. (But I thought it wasn’t the military?? @ S**** P****) (This might not even be my best argument, given the context of this episode, but I’m sticking with it.)
This is like a giant game of capture the flag.
AU that’s just about the Enterprise crew playing capture the flag with the Klingons.
Sulu in the background standing guard with his sword
Damn, turning on Spock with the slurs now!!
Spock was absolutely ready to kill him. Like he would 100% have taken him out with a blow to the head. And he’d been doing such a good job of not feeling the alien’s effects so far! Admittedly, that was a strong provocation though.
Honestly, I really like this scene. It’s uncomfortable and tense and you can really see how the alien is bringing out the worst possible influences of their respective races. And I liked how Spock was definitely full on pre-Reform Vulcan for a minute there. It was a more effective portrayal of what that might have looked like than All Our Yesterdays tbqh.
A result of… stress?
Kirk got himself out of it first. He’s so strong. He knows himself so well, he cannot be outsmarted by any alien.
“We’ve been taught to think in terms other than war.”
“The alien brings out the worst of us—patriotic drumbeating…even race hatred.”
He’s so sad; he can’t imagine thinking like that about Spock :(
Sulu in a Jeffries tube! A man of many talents. It’s okay bb, take credit for turning on the lights.
The alien must have been getting bored. The Klingons must have been doing too well, and the playing field needs to be leveled for maximum shit-stirring.
“Let’s find that alien.” That’s how I ALWAYS feel.
Oh, Kang, you’re so close—“What power supports our battle but thwarts our victory.” So, so close to getting it.
ALIEN DETECTED.
Spock takes his sword, of course.
“Jim.” Obligatory Jim moments hit differently when they’re not so obligatory.
“Jim—stop hitting my protégé. And put that sword down.”
Kirk looks so sad, picking Chekov up to carry him bridal style.
Also in addition to ‘race hatred’ I think we need to add ‘rape-y tendances’ to the bad stuff that the alien is inspiring here.
“A brief surge of racial bigotry. Most distasteful.” Spock winning for understatement of the year.
They're assuming the alien is trying to test out their relative powers but I think it just wants entertainment. I mean, doesn’t it look like a naughty little thing?
Mara’s outfit is… little shorts? Interesting. Usually not my style but she makes it work.
Spock doesn’t even look at Johnson as he falls lol. Another one bites the dust.
“It exists on the hate of others.”
What does this remind me of? Oh, the Vast of Night and the whole “aliens made us do every bad thing ever” conspiracy theory. At least this one makes more sense, in part because it is not quite so overwhelmingly broad!
All hostile attitudes must be eliminated, he says, and there's Mara right behind Kirk giving him a death stare lol.
Kang is so obviously posing. Google Earth, always taking pictures.
Only a few minutes before drifting forever in space becomes inevitable? Good thing Kirk works well under pressure.
“Well… do whatever you can, Scotty. You know the drill.” Doesn’t even bother giving real directions anymore. We’ve been in this scenario before.
“So we drift in space, with only hatred and bloodshed aboard.”
And the 392 people below just get to…live in Enterprise prison, I guess.
Star date: Armageddon. So dramatic!
I’m not even making that up; that’s an actual quote. Can you imagine being an Admiral listening to this?
“Stop the war now.” An actual line, really aired on television.
Spock wants to threaten the wife lol. That's the old pre-Reform Vulcan seeping through. Surak who?
Damn, Kang is cold. “Eh, she gets the concept of being killed in battle.” They’re gonna need marriage counseling after this.
“There is another way. Mutual trust and help.” Yes that’s my hero!!
“No one can guarantee the actions of another.” Can’t remember the context of this entirely anymore, but great line.
The entity is loving this—multi-person choreographed sword fight!!
"Those who hate and fight must stop themselves. otherwise it is not stopped.” Another baller line. Spock has a lot of deep thoughts today. And so does Kirk. And Kang.
Kirk tries to reason with the alien. Nice try.
“Shoo. Shoo, alien. Off the ship, go away.”
Omg that last moment—Kang slapping Kirk’s back way too hard, Spock’s completely ridiculous wide-eyed expression when he does, like some sort of combo of amusement and confusion, and then Sulu just passing on by in the background….
Then the alien just yeets itself into space. And that’s the end!
Always feels weird when there’s no wrap up on the bridge.
Also, what are they going to do with the Klingons? They have no ship. They really did come out of this a lot worse than Kirk and co. No ship, huge casualties—and no one to blame even, but the alien.
I feel like the alien messed up a little in killing so many Klingons. Like, it could have accomplished its purpose, angering the Klingons and turning them on Kirk, by attacking the ship a little less violently—you know they’d react to 5 deaths pretty much the same as 400, and then there would be many more people to fight forever and produce that sweet sweet anger!
Maybe the alien’s powers aren’t strong enough to influence 800 people though. Also it wants equal forces and 800 people wouldn’t fit on the Enterprise, one assumes. So it still makes sense.
That was, of course, an excellent episode. 100% agree with is classic status, even though the main things I remembered going in were the wife + science officer bit, and everyone laughing at the end in a really forced, fake way, in order to make the alien go away.
I thought the Klingons were a lot better/more interesting today than usual. First, I think Kang is a better character, or a better actor maybe, than the others; he has a certain way about him that is… more watchable, more sympathetic. And he’s always saying these really dramatic things that make it seem likely he writes patriotic Klingon war poetry in his off time. Also, including his wife made them seem more… not human obviously, but normal. Not just cardboard cut-out villains. And of course the actual lightly specific motivations I earlier mentioned helped too.
Also, the plotting was very good: it built up slowly but surely over time, so at first the alien’s influence wasn’t that obvious, and then it became more so, and then it became horrifically obvious and extreme. And then you had to re-evaluate earlier moments: was that the alien changing facts in their heads, or a real part of the animosity between humans and Klingons? And it wasn’t always clear, which I appreciated. The tension when the people were at their worst wasn’t overdone, like in that moment with Scotty, Spock, and Kirk—or even in Chekov’s assault on Mara, tbh. The various strategies of the different sides were very entertaining too; there was never a dull moment, and they fit in a lot of straight-up actions and twists into 50 minutes.
The possible threat was truly terrifying, also: stuck in a space ship, forever, unable to die, feeling the worst possible emotions all the time, besieged, angered, despairing, fighting a war that can’t be won, being injured and suffering only to recover and fight again, and it never stops… A perfect nightmare mixture of insanity and violence and pain. And the alien, in encouraging hatred and anger, doesn’t discriminate between sides: they turn on each other just as much as on the Klingons, breeding paranoia and infighting. For eternity.
The episode also felt much more strongly anti-war than I remember tbh. Like it was not subtle. Kirk literally says “stop the war” in so many words. He has a part in his speech where he talks about the possibility of other aliens out there, encouraging other wars. And while I do think “maybe the aliens are making us do it” is a cop out explanation, or would be if it were real, the scenario gave the show a lot of room to say, like, pretty ballsy things: to include “patriotic drum beating” along with “race hatred” in a list of corrupting feelings they were experiencing; to show how the same instincts that lead to warring also lead to sexual assault and the aforementioned ‘race hatred;” to reveal the true horror of an endless war by making the participants unkillable and sticking them in a singular space ship in the middle of nowhere; to imply that the combatants of war gain nothing from it, but outside or third-party entities will pull strings of their own design to profit from the conflict as long as possible; even to make an impassioned plea to camera to stop the endlessness of the conflict. Like I can’t even totally unpack this but it is a lot!
Finally, it was also a great Kirk episode, which of course is my most important factor. He’s smart; he’s strong; he’s so sure of himself and his values that he cannot be manipulated to mindless hatred, he represents the values of the Federation, and the show itself; he treats even his enemies with basic respect and humanity; and ultimately, he saves the day.
Okay I was not efficient in writing this up at all! It is very late!!
5 notes
·
View notes
Photo
9 notes
·
View notes
Text
February 2021 Reading Wrap-Up
It’s that time again, folks. What I read in February, the month of love: Romance, poetry and... math? And in the last book of the month, all 3!
1. The Female Persuasion -Meg Wolitzer (480 pgs) 3
The first third of this book, I was trying to figure out if it was supposed to be ironic or not, then the second third, I was deeply invested in it *not* being ironic, then in the last third? Let's just say the ending was the worst part.
A commentary on feminism that tried to be self aware, but ultimately ended up as un-intersectional, lacking in plot, and predictable. My favorite character was Cory, I felt like he had the best moments of struggle and growth, and it seems underwhelming that in a book so focused on feminism and female empowerment, it was a man's story that stood out. This book seems like a valiant swing but total miss. Sorry bout it.
2. Shipped -Angie Hockman (336 pgs) 3
I needed some escapism and that is exactly what this Romance On A Galapagos Cruise novel did for me. Winter and the pandemic are both hitting me hard so it was nice to think about the sun and travel and falling in love. The actual plot and writing here did fall into pretty predictable and mediocre tropes, so I can't say that this novel had a lot of depth.
3. Dearly: New Poems -Margaret Atwood (124 pgs) 3.5
Margaret Atwood has a distinct voice that carries throughout all her writing. This was the first poetry I had ever consumed by her, and I was happy to hear that voice in her poetry. With themes of womanhood, climate change, and slug sex, I found myself fully engaged throughout. My criticism is only that some of it seemed overly wordy, making it hard to keep track of Atwood's actual point. I listened to Atwood read it herself, making sure that I wasn't missing the pacing or tone, and every poem fell into the same rhythm, which made it hard for anything to stand out against the rest.
4. Station Eleven -Emily St. John Mandel (333 pgs) 4.5
This was a masterpiece of pandemic fiction: it was very reminiscent of The Stand, but 800 pages lighter, and was still able to capture the humanity and nuance of The End Of The World. After I read Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell, I had a lot to say about Shakespeare and the plague, and Station Eleven reinforces it: Shakespeare wrote in a time where the Black Death couldn't be ignored, and yet plague is not a central theme of his work. Instead he wrote about corruption, the hunger for power, the grief of losing loved ones. The Traveling Symphony in Station Eleven perform Shakespeare to the small camps of people who survived a pandemic:
"They'd performed more modern plays sometimes in the first few years, but what was startling, what no one would have anticipated, was that audiences seemed to prefer Shakespeare to their other theatrical offerings."
Whether during the Black Death, the fictional Georgia Flu, or Covid-19, Shakespeare transcends.
5. X + Y: A Mathematician’s Manifesto on Gender -Eugenia Cheng (272 pgs) 2.5
*see previous post*
6. Leave The World Behind -Rumaan Alam (241 pgs) 4
Is this a thriller? No, but it is certainly anxiety-inducing. Reading this in 2021 is hard, because the plot and the emotions it evokes are very near to reality. I loved the claustrophobia of this book, I loved seeing into the thought processes of the characters, and how relatable each person's priorities and analysis of the situation was. Nothing was known for certain, not everyone cooperated, hard decisions did have to be made. It was well done.
7. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo -Stieg Larsson (465 pgs) 3.5
I am always a little bit skeptical when I go back and read major bestsellers, because I never think they are going to live up to their hype. And for the first 150-200 pages of this book, I was definitely feeling like this was going to be a major disappointment. But then, shit started going down. Yes, there are issues with this being just another thriller about how violently women are treated, yes there are some issues with the way Lisbeth's character is communicated to the reader, but overall I was impressed by the depth this novel was able to capture. I was on the edge of my seat, I kept reading because I wanted to know how it would all end. And I think that is the mark of a good mystery or thriller. I am going to be continuing this series, and I am hopeful that the depth will continue.
I think I also give this series a little bit more lenience, because the author died after only writing the manuscripts for this series, he was not around for the edits or translations, or to take criticism or change anything in later books after public consumption or reaction to this first one.
8. I Love My Love -Reyna Biddy (116 pgs) 1.5
This poetry collection is very much of the "Rupi Kaur" genre of poetry, which is not for me. I hate to be a pretentious poetry person, but "instagram poetry" where you hit them with a one liner that is obviously trying to be sooooo deep, feels so disingenuous to me. I just lose any authenticity that I may have found in the writing. Some of the themes here were great starts, but Biddy didn't develop them enough poetically for my tastes.
9. The Unhoneymooners -Christina Lauren (400 pgs) 3
Earlier this month I read Shipped by Angie Hockman, which claims to be inspired by or reminiscent of this book. And I found some great escapism in Shipped, reading about love and travel and warm weather was what I needed during this Washington winter, so I decided to treat myself to another. The Unhoneymooners was very similar, I read about love and travel and warm weather while I was in a snowstorm during a pandemic. It did it's job, but I wouldn't say it was revolutionary to the genre or to literature as a whole.
10. Beyond Infinity -Eugenia Cheng (304 pgs) 3.5
This is a fun book if you want a broad guide to thinking about infinity. I think the level of depth is great for both people with a lot of mathy background knowledge, and for people who are just starting to get their feet wet. My major setback with Eugenia Cheng's writing is this: she uses non-math metaphors to make math "relatable" to people who may not have had experience with the content she is explaining. But she doesn't use metaphors that work! I found it so frustrating that she was making the math she was explaining MORE vague and MORE confusing, like by comparing the natural numbers to a Great Dane puppy (??). I just found that those choices in communication made it less effective at it's goal of communicating cool maths!
11. The Feather Thief -Kirk Wallace Johnson (336 pgs) 4
I found this work of nonfiction to be so interesting. At every stage I was shocked that I had never heard about any of this. Science, museums, birds, fly fishing, crime, lying, eBay investigations, the moral implications of feigning mental illness, and what it even means to have a mental illness, this book has explorations of it all.
12. 84, Charing Cross Road -Helene Hanff (97 pgs) 4
What a sweet collection of letters. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and the ending was so sad yet so beautiful. Simply warmed my heart and I think you should read this too.
13. Strange Attractors: Poems of Love and Mathematics -Sarah Glaz, Joanne Growney (255 pgs) 5
More on this to come…. But basically this book is everything to me.
2 notes
·
View notes
Text
fics that have changed my life/i think about often/i love more than anything
This is a short list of my all time favorite fanfics, sorted by fandom for convenience, because if I have over 3,000 saved stories between ao3 and fanfiction.net it’s the least I can do to share some of the joy they’ve brought into my life!
Star Trek (AOS):
Graduate Vulcan for Fun and Profit, by lazuli song. Words cannot describe how much I love for this fic. The writing style is just pure delight, every sentence, I can’t even handle it. It’s so humorous while dealing with such heavy topics on and off, and Jim is a brilliant genius full of sass, and the rest of the crew is amazing, and the OC is just a delightfully sassy Vulcan who basically raised Jim for a while and it shows, everyone keeps being surprised by Jim, Jim just wants to live is life without things going pear shaped god is that so much to ask, and the pacing is beautiful, god i just love it so much. I come back to this fic again and again when I want to hurt in like, a really enjoyable way, and laugh my way through every paragraph. I wish my inner monologue sounded the way this fic is written.
Switch, by Ceres_Libera. This is one of the most incredible longfics i have ever read in my entire life. It’s the best development of Jim and Bones’ friendship over the Academy years you will ever read, and shows a beautiful slow burn of them eventually falling in love slowly, through the victories and mistakes and misunderstandings and all. It’s INCREDIBLY rich in plot, science, and world building, and written from Bones’ perspective, which as a delight. Absolutely worth the time if you like Kirk and McCoy’s dynamic at ALL. The Holy Grail of McKirk fics while being well worth it to even people who don’t ship them. Ceres gets all the characterizations spot on, and even has some rad OCs here and there. Lose yourself in this one and you won’t regret it. (pairings: slow burn Jim/Bones)
You Don’t Have TO (Say Yes) by @famous-wwi-flying-ace. This fic absolutely wrecks you and builds you back up. Much like what happens to Jim. Please please heed the tags on this one, but oh my god. What an incredible story. It’s all about the impact that the time on Tarsus IV and what happened there had on Jim and his behavior and mindset for the next many years of his life, but it’s all about way more than that too, and it’s a treasure trove of found family, hurt/comfort, Real Literal Therapy Techniques and Lessons Disguised As Story and Dialogue, recovery, healing, riveting plot, and so much goodness. In the words of Ron Weasley, you’re gonna suffer, but like, you’re gonna be happy about it. I read this at least once every year, and spend at least 2-3 days afterwards processing the story I devoured and all the emotions it brings up. Incredible. (pairings: eventual Jim/Spock, several others including Jim/Kodos so be careful about that if you need to)
Atlas, by @distractedkat. Unbelievably beautiful longfic, the best examination of AOS Jim Kirk’s potential as a character that you will ever read. Kat does every single character justice, weaves an unbelievably rich world and background around all of them, and hooks you so well with the plot that you’ll keep clicking “Next Chapter” over and over until it’s half a day later and you’re drowning in awe and emotions. I can’t recommend this enough, I don’t want to spoil it, just know that it’s beautiful and complex and exhilarating. (eventual pairing: Jim/Spock, but not the focus of the fic. FOUND FAMILY BABY) (please also read West of the Moon if you get a chance, it’s so good, so so good, such a plot twist, I won’t spoil anything, it hurts so much and then is SO GOOD)
The Button, also by @distractedkat. LISTEN. LISTEN. I was lucky enough to read this fic AS it was being posted and it ROCKED MY WORLD. Do you love Jim Kirk? Do you love Coraline? Do you love INCREDIBLY rich modern supernatural/fantasy universes hidden in and enmeshed within what we normally view as our ordinary modern world? Do you love rich characters and developing found family ties and a slow sweet young relationship developing through shared perils? Then this is the FIC FOR YOU!!!! Deliciously spooky, beautifully warm. Come for the Jim-as-Coraline feels, stay for the joyfully satisfying character development and incredible plot. (pairings: eventual Jim/Spock, very light and sweet)
something like i love you, by sparkycap. this is the softest modern au crew-as-family, Jim Kirk as a pastel space boy who learns to love and be loved by a family of his own, college-au, comfort fic you’ll ever find. Just beautiful. Makes my heart happy every time I read it, please give it a shot. (pairings: none)
Secret Garden, by Mijan. Mijan is always a beautiful Star Trek writer, tbh. But this story in particular is just…it’s such a beautiful way of getting a glimpse into Jim as a person, in little moments of time as Captain, and learning about his past through them all the way till the end when suddenly everything is so clear and it hurts but in a comforting way, much like how Jim is feeling at that point. It’s a beautiful unfolding story, well worth the read. (pairings: none)
Illogical (√π233/hy7) series, by waldorph. This is one of my all time favorites for good reason. It’s long, it’s got all kinds of stories in it, it follows Jim starting basically Good Will Hunting style on through MANY MANY adventures and misadventures and new friends and family and some saving the world. Many of the fics focus on many other characters besides just Jim, including his brother George, his parents, Chris Pike, etc.! The world just gets built up more and more and more, and the Tarsus IV fic in this series is one of my favorites of all time. I love the author’s writing style so much, it’s such a delight to read, and I love how they portray Jim’s family, biological and not. So good. (pairings: literally so many. Jim/Spock is a recurring theme, and complicated lol)
Warning Labels (are meant to be ignored) by gammadolphin. If you like McKirk, this fic is incredible. It’s a soulmate AU with words, and oh my goodness the ANGST and character development and slow burn and dealing-with-issues and developing friendships and learning to TRUST and the PLOT. SO GOOD. This is not a fic you regret reading. Hurts so good, sweet at the end. (pairings: Jim/Bones)
Batman (let’s be real, it’s p much just batfam stories):
Cor Et Cerebrum series, by @audreycritter. These fics changed me as a person. I didn’t know anything about the batfam before reading these. I only knew Bruce, and I had seen Dick in the Lego Batman Movie and knew “Robin” existed. I read Developmental Milestones first, actually, and Dev is my favorite character of all time now, and he’s the OC! He’s a doctor who cares so much! He plays video games! He scolds Batman! He works through trauma and helps the others and bonds with everyone and is so smart and kind and good and has tea with Alfred weekly and is British and a POC and incredibly incredibly sarcastic and funny and prone to cussing for emphasis except when things are really really bad and he’s a DELIGHT. This series starts off with Bruce having a brain tumor and that whole saga, and then just keeps going from there. It’s a REALLY interesting premise, and handled beautifully by someone who has done ALL the research. Every person is characterized SO well in this series, PAINFULLY well, even. The batfam, Dev, the Justice League, everyone. There is enough content in this series to last you days even if you’re spending all your time consuming it. In the past three weeks, I’ve read the main 3 fics about. 6 times. Not kidding. These stories feel like coming home. I would live in them if I could. I can’t recommend this series enough if you’re wanting to get into the Batfam, whether you know the characters already or not. I want to buy this as a book series. I want to be as good a person as these stories make me feel like I can be. Thank you for my life, audrey. (pairings: none, ALL THE FAMILY FEELS. Well, there are canon relationships, like the Kents and Clark/Lois, but it’s about FAMILY AND FRIENDS and delightful)
Mistlefoe, by strikeyourcolors. This is just. So funny?????? I laughed my way through this fic, and you will too. It’s a hilarious twist on the classic mistletoe tradition. I’ve already come back to this story a few times when I needed cheering up. (pairings: mild Selina/Bruce)
Stargazer, by LemonadeGarden. An incredible Jason and Bruce father/son reconciling fic. Really dives into Jason’s trauma, and it’s just a beautiful long painful story of reforming the foundations of bridges that have been shattered and shaking for far too long. Lots of pain but a good amount of hope at the end. Jason lovers will love this. (pairings: none)
why im not a bad brother and why damian owes me a trix yogurt and why bruce also owes me a yogurt for keeping a secret from alfred and why alfred owes me a yogurt bc i had to deal with this mess and JEAN SHRIMPTON WANNABE CAN GET ME A SPOONand also cass won’t share her cheese nibs and bruce doesn’t love me and i think?? that i deserve better??? than this???? i’m moving to alaska where NO ONE CAN TELL ME WHAT TO DO are by an anonymous angel but HOLY SHIT they are the funniest things I’ve read in YEARS okay the formatting the sentences the careful syntax and diction choices the scenarios please just do yourself a favor and read these they are SO FUNNY I had to figure out how to explain to my PARENTS why I was LAUGHING SO HARD AT MY PHONE. the second one especially just had me in STITCHES. new fave bad day pick-me up short fics. SO FUNNY. (pairings: none. or I guess, Tim/ridiculousness?? realistic scenarios described in the most ridiculously hilarious possible “story time” ranting ways??)
one shot, two shots in the night, by discowing. This. FIC. It is so good. Bruce Wayne writes a (heavily censored autobiography, and it’s all about how much he loves his kids. Oh, and he has to learn how to process emotions and be a better person along the way, and everyone loves roasting him, and he loves his kids, and his kids love him, and his kids love roasting him. The Justice League is nosy, but Bruce loves them anyway. The whole world may be a little bit in love. Bruce just wishes he hadn’t been so obvious about how much he’s secretly a sap. And also considers writing a Batman autobiography, and also did I mention gets sassed by his children and Alfred who love him very much? A real emotional ride. So good. (pairings: none)
The Ol’ Switcheroo, by @autumnhobbit. Self-sacrificial brothers are self-sacrificial!!! There’s an attempted assassination. There’s introspection. There’s family coming together, there’s sibling love, there’s healing, there’s great plot, there’s spot-on characterization–SUCH A GREAT STORY. Hurt/comfort in the best kind of way!!! (pairings: past Bruce/Talia, who shows up for a hot second)
Color Palette, by @audreycritter. I WAS ABSOLUTELY FLOORED BY THIS. Bruce, eras, subcultures, makeup, Stephanie, youtube, hidden skills, DELIGHTFUL humor, breaking the internet…you name it, this fic has got it. I had to stare at the wall for a few minutes when I finished because it was that awesome of a ride. I didn’t know what I expected going in, but what a ride. I love this. It’s a really fun reminder of how multifaceted people usually are and also just a hilarious read with truly delightful dialogue. Wonder Woman even gets some makeup advice from Batman in civvies, how can you pass that up? (pairings: none)
Liminal Space by Calamityjim. If you love Tim Drake, and you love hurt!Tim and Tim being loved and getting a good family and also being brilliant and stupid, this is the fic for you. A Batman has been multiverse-hopping. He sees a lot. Including a Tim who’s been treated pretty terribly by that universe’s Batfam, and he’s really worried about that Tim. So he decides to do a humane catch-and-release with him, like a wild animal rehabilitation. Except Tim is a human, and a genius, and really prone to distrusting Bruce, and so things are definitely not that simple. Lots of hurt, LOTS of comfort, a found family miracle of a fic. This is a joy to read and understands Tim’s character so well. So much brotherly bonding, too, and WHAT a satisfying ending. Tim is so bad at caring about himself. Good thing he has others to do it for him while he learns why he should. Also Tim is grounded for like, a million years, because he can’t keep from getting tangled up in reality-ending schemes and trying to stop them without asking for help. He’ll learn! This fic also involves Young Justice and the Justice League, for extra fun. I love reading this lately when I want to feel comforted, lol. (pairings: none)
Voltron:
Truce series, by kyanve. This is just. An AMAZING longfic series. I spent DAYS reading this, nay, devouring it. The author has a psych degree and it SHOWS. This is the most in-depth dive into the paladin’s heads, their bonds, the plot, their motives and feelings, just everything, that I’ve ever found. You’ll get lost in this one. It’s incredible, follows the show plot, but like, in an if-this-were-actually-a-novel-series-with-tons-of-character-introspection-and-consequences-and-feelings way. Everyone is done justice. WOW.
One More Hot Chocolate Vigil, by @the-ghost-of-kirishima-eijirou. Friends. This fic absolutely wrecks me in every good way it is possible to be wrecked. It hits every beautiful need you can have for found family, character growth, people with issues Trying Their Very Bests, support, conflicts being dealt with, realistic people realistic problems realistic slice-of-life, delightful references to games and such, plot that really gets you invested, traumatized kids and traumatized adults trying to help them (and succeeding), healthy growth, love making things better, BEAUTIFUL writing style and voice, absolutely delightful dialogue, foster kids found family modern au, coran coran the eccentric grandpa man, and more. And, of course, lots of hot chocolate, and a very good recipe for it too. I’ve used this fic AND the hot chocolate recipe to get myself through really rough times. I can’t tell you how much you’ll love this one, even if you don’t like Voltron or have never heard of the characters. (pairings: none, or at least no main ones currently happening) (Also read the sequel that’s in progress! So good!)
True Love or Something series, by @deerstalkerdeathfrisbee. THIS SERIES. IS THE MOST RICH DELIGHTFUL SURPRISING MODERN AU YOU COULD ASK FOR. At every turn, things are going to take a delightful twist you never saw coming. The characters are perfect. All the friendships and relationships of every type are lovingly developed. It’s HILARIOUS. The dialogue is fantastic. The author’s writing style is a joy to read. Please read this if you like Keith/Lance and found family and crazy shenanigans and tired nurse Shiro and accidental child adoption and long-lost family members and alien hunters and community center heroes and accidental neighbor maiming and terrible, terrible friends who you love Very Much and sometimes get your toaster broken by. Literally just read this series it’s Good. (pairings: Keith/Lance, past Adam/Shiro, Allura/Shiro, Keith/books (just kidding lol))
Pokemon:
A Professor and a Student, by LeDiz. A story where Ash stays with Professor Kukui while he’s in Alola, going to school and generally living his Ash life. An incredible, beautiful examination of Ash, his history and hidden skills and traumas, and Kukui, with his intelligence and compassion and wrangling of many children every day. Gloriously rich world-building and character development. (pairings: none)
Marvel:
sometimes this city is nothing but smoke by bysine. This fic is a delight. It’s mostly following Steve, after he retires from Avenger-ing. Peter is in the mix as a permanently-exhausted young adult. Bucky is alive and kicking and living his best life, which includes carpentry. Steve is lost, and depressed, and keeps coming back to fighting, but they all (and I mean ALL) slowly help him heal and build a new life he loves. There is trauma processing. There is GLORIOUS dialogue. There is laughter. There are “are you kidding me, AGAIN WITH THE END OF THE WORLD ATTEPMTS” shenanigans, there are NYC residents being NYC residents, there is gardening, there’s civil activism, it is delightful. (pairings: none)
at least the war is over series, by @quilliumwrites. Fam. THIS SERIES. OKAY. Ash and Lego BB8 especially. IS SO GOOD. DAMN. Peter learns to cope after the trauma(s) of Infinity War! Tony learns to cope in general! FRIENDS AND FAMILY BEING SUPPORTIVE ABOUND! Tried and true Real Therapy Truths and Techniques are scattered all throughout! Realistic portrayals of a) trauma and mental illness and all that and b) being a human person and c) specifically being a young human person are rich in this. Listen. I just. love these fics so much. Good for coping. Great for enjoying. Reconciliations happen! THERE IS EVEN A FIC DEALING WITH WHEN YOU FEEL ANGRY AND HELPLESS ABOUT THINGS THAT HAPPEN IN THE WORLD AND DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO ABOUT THAT. quillium I feel so SEEN thank you for these very specific things you put into your writing that mean so much. (pairings: none)
Sometimes We’re Holding Angels, by @theoceanismyinkwell. Hi! Hello! This fic is definitely one of the ones that has changed my life! I’m not gonna spoil anything for you but it has badass Pepper Potts, relatable Peter Parker, dealing with dissociation and emotions, healthy coping skills, Concerned Dad Tony Stark, shenanigans, May/Pepper friendship, holla, and A Little Bit of Healing and a Lot of Hope. So good. I literally read this seven times in three days the other week. Peter hurts, but then he learns he’s not broken OR alone. God BLESS. Thank you for helping ME cope better too, with this. The writing style is absolutely lovely, beautifully paced and achingly gentle. Did I mention how awesome Pepper is? (pairings: Pepper/Tony)
#@ the authors on this list I LOVE you. thank you. you have no idea how much you've done for me and how many bad moments you have gotten me#through. i literally don't have the words to express how thankful i am for you#fanfiction#fanfic rec
197 notes
·
View notes
Text
Star Trek Disco Prologue
CBS will air Season 1 of Star Trek: Discovery starting this Thursday at 10/9c.
Before the season begins, a Tribble Triple Feature! Each of these episodes are available on Netflix, Hulu, or CBS All Access. Probably Amazon too, but I didn’t check ‘cause truly is there anything less utopian than Amazon?
TOS 2x15 “The Trouble with Tribbles”
TAS 1x05 “More Tribbles, More Troubles”
DS9 5x06 “Trials and Tribble-ations”
Star Trek launched in September 1966. Writer Gene Roddenberry had pitched the series as a western set in outer space. But he also wanted to comment upon current events, like war and sex and religion, without attracting the ire of network censors. Season 2′s “The Trouble with Tribbles” lays out a lot of the core ideals of Star Trek that carry over the decades.
The characters hail from different backgrounds, collaborating to solve big problems — in this case, an ecological crisis. Despite their varied perspectives, they share camaraderie, respect, and a surprising amount of snark. They’re also very competent, but that doesn’t prevent disasters from happening, or the crew from simply making mistakes. This isn’t a show about space. This is a show about people who work in space.
And the people out there aren’t all friendly. We meet some adversarial aliens, namely the Klingons. We’re told they’re ferocious, brutal warriors — but Koloth actually seems quite cordial and crafty, less like a warrior and more like a spy. Rather than wage open war, they genetically modify one of their own to appear human. Which is pretty silly, ‘cause the budget constraints of the ’60s mean that Klingons already look human! These aliens seem remarkably familiar and accessible. The far more frustrating adversaries are self-important administrators like Nils Barris, or destructive capitalists like Cyrano Jones.
Star Trek features flawed heroes, frustrating villains... and a lot of moralizing. Uhura advocates on behalf of the tribbles, saying they’re “the only love money can buy.” Kirk retorts, “Too much of anything, even love, isn’t necessarily a good thing.” The bold colors and witty quips can make the morals feel reductive, even cartoonish. But for me, that’s kind of the point. Star Trek presents ethics and philosophy in a simple, accessible way. I won’t claim they’re right 100% of the time, and some of its attitudes shift over the decades — but even this early on, Star Trek stands for harmony, cooperation, and inclusion. And those are perspectives that should be cartoonishly simple.
Speaking of cartoons, I took a swing with “More Tribbles, More Troubles.” I’m curious how people feel about the pacing and the primitive animation. This is one of the funnier and more action-packed episodes of The Animated Series. If folks tell me they struggled with it, I’ll cut the remaining handful of cartoons from the schedule.
I’m tickled that they bring Cyrano Jones and Koloth back; and that writer David Gerrold returns, building upon the tribbles’ previous ecological threat by introducing an ineffective predator, the glommer. I also just really enjoy the gag of Kirk repeatedly shoving an ever-growing tribble out of his chair.
Once again, the Klingons are up to crafty business, slowing down the Enterprise with an immobilizing ray and targeting some drone ships. We see more space combat than we did in live action, but it’s still more strategic than open warfare. And again, I suspect it’s a budget issue — the recycled shots of photon torpedoes suggest more action would’ve been too expensive. The result is that the Klingons just don’t seem that ferocious yet. Ultimately Koloth doesn’t even want to punish Cyrano Jones, he just wants his useless science experiment back.
So let’s see how the Klingons change over the decades! Thirty years after the original series, Deep Space Nine uses time travel to explore Star Trek’s history. “Trials and Tribble-ations” was a 30th anniversary celebration for Star Trek, utilizing the same technology that inserted Tom Hanks into historical footage for Forrest Gump.
Integrating two versions of Star Trek across time poses some aesthetic and continuity challenges.
The Klingons of ’90s Star Trek have a much more elaborate make-up design — forehead ridges, wigs, sharpened teeth, etc. They also act more ferocious than the old Klingons. So when 24th-century Klingon Worf shares the screen with the budget-constrained 23rd-century Klingons, fan culture almost demands an explanation. This anniversary episode obliges with a throwaway joke: “It is a long story, and we do not discuss it with outsiders.”
Not every aspect of style needs an onscreen explanation. “Trials and Tribble-ations” was lucky that its visual style adapted so well to the classic series. TOS (The Original Series) and DS9 both used a square 1:33:1 aspect ratio, ’cause that was the shape of everyone’s TV. The DS9 production crew built retro sets, mimicked the same lighting, and were able to insert their actors into the original shots.
This technique is no longer possible, because the technology we use to make TV has changed so much. Even the shape of the frame is different -- we’ve all got widescreen TVs now. If 21st century Trek wants to revisit its past, it must fundamentally re-conceive how those spaces are constructed, lit, and framed.
In 1996, Star Trek was free to engage with nostalgia, caressing its old tricorders and uniforms, admiring it old performances and sets, even reliving the same story points. There’s a certain degree of pleasure and comfort to this, but it makes me a little nervous.
Roddenberry intended for Star Trek to comment upon the world we live in. While “The Trouble with Tribbles” is a comedy about ecological dangers, “Trials and Tribble-ations” is simply a comedy about old Star Trek. It’s a much more limited perspective. And it’s a limited perspective that’s broadly affected pop culture for the past twenty years.
Since 2000, we’ve seen a huge rise in reboots and origin stories. (eg. Batman Begins, Casino Royale, Battlestar Galactica, Man of Steel, etc.) We usually hear that studios only trust audiences to pay for something familiar. I’d like to frame it more charitably and say, in the wake of 9/11, we’re collectively reviewing the stories that defined our culture and deciding which values and lessons are still relevant to us. Star Trek did this too.
In 2001, we got the prequel series Enterprise. 100 years before Kirk and Spock, it follows a pioneer crew on an experimental ship called Enterprise. Season 2 invokes 9/11 when an alien attack destroys Florida, and the grieving crew embark on a mission of vengeance. It was a way to comment on the invasion of Afghanistan. By season 4, the current events commentary was replaced by stories to revisit Star Trek’s lore, including a two-parter to explain Worf’s throwaway joke in “Trials and Tribble-ations” about Klingon appearances.
After Enterprise ended, we got the J.J. Abrams reboot movies, which tell an alternate origin story for Kirk and his classic crew. In the 2009 movie, an alien attack destroys the planet Vulcan, and a grieving Spock seeks vengeance. He’s still grieving in Into Darkness, but gets distracted by a character from Star Trek’s past...
If all Star Trek can do is comment upon itself, it’s no longer serving its purpose. Star Trek must be aware of the cultural, economic, and political challenges we face, and it needs to offer a vision for how we could overcome them.
We’re about to begin Star Trek: Discovery, a show drenched with contemporary awareness and semiotic significance. It takes place 90 years after Enterprise, 10 years before Kirk, and therefore has a peculiar relationship with time — both within its story, and within our world beyond the show. Discovery is Star Trek finally breaking free of its origins and serving the purpose Trek should: envisioning a way forward into a utopian future where there’s space and freedom for us all.
#star trek#star trek discovery#star trek disco#star trek dsc#tos#ds9#tribbles#the trouble with tribbles#more tribbles more troubles#trials and tribble-ations#kirk#spock#mccoy#uhura#sisko#jadzia#cyrano jones#klingon#time travel#roddenberry#mycelial mondays
8 notes
·
View notes
Text
DAY 7 - LETTER G
🔆 🔆 🔆 🔆 🔆 🔆 🔆 🔆 🔆 🔆 🔆 🔆 🔆 🔆 🔆 🔆 🔆 🔆 🔆
I feel like I have so many words in common with @wilhellmine and @goddess-of-time-and-magic ❤ I swear I’m not copying you girls, it’s just that you remind me of all the things I love 😂
1/ Ghost Adventures
One of the first ghost hunting shows I’ve ever watched. I think I discovered Ghost Hunters first but then GA came and I was hooked. I don’t just love watching them because of all the paranormal knowledge they throw at us but mostly for their friendship and personalities. They really feel like a solid team to me, compared to other shows.
2/ Graveyards
Churches freak me out but graveyards don’t 🤷♀️ I love the eerie vibe and I don’t find it creepy at all. I find it peaceful and it’s like a sanctuary to me. In Paris they had those really big cemeteries with these big ancient tombstones and mausoleums. People just went to them to take walks, so yeah not scary at all.
3/ Ghosts
I believe in Ghosts although I’ve never really had a definitive encounter. It was more sensing something and thank goodness because I would’ve ran so fast. I’ve been fascinated with the paranormal and the mystical since I was little.
4/ Gemstones
I really have a soft spot for gemstones and crystals. Not just for their magical purposes but also because they are just beautiful. I’m attracted to the ones that are blue, green or teal or multicolored like the labradorite and peacock ore.s
5/ Good Girls
That show, holy moly. Especially the first two seasons. I love it so much. It’s about 3 moms who rob a store in order to pay for bills and one has a kid with a medical condition. Everything always goes south from there and they become criminal boss ladys. It is such a good show! I mean it has a great cast, so duh! And I ship Beth and Rio so hard, even though I shouldn’t because he’s a a bad dude.
6/ Gilmore Girls
I had to include this because it is one of my all-time favorite shows. I watch it all the time and never get tired of it. I put it on it on in the background and just start mouthing the dialogue because I know most of it by heart. I love the fast-paced, witty dialogue of the show and the tons of pop culture references they throw into each episode. I live for the small town they live in with all the quirky characters. We all need a Kirk in our lives, don’t we 🤪 Lorelai is definitely my spirit animal and not just because she’s addicted to coffee.
7/ Ghost Whisperer
This show! I bawl my eyes out at the end of every episode to this day. Granted it’s probably not the best show out there but it seems so genuine because the characters are. I love Melissa so much and her and Jim are couple goals. This show made me want to own an antique shop in a small town and I’m not even into antiques 😂
Sorry I included so many shows but I love all three of them so much 😭
5 notes
·
View notes
Text
Star Trek Hell’s Mirror One-Shot
Star Trek Hell’s Mirror One-Shot
IDW Publishing 2020
Written by J.M. DeMatteis
Illustrated by Matthew Dow Smith
Coloured by Candice Han
Lettered by Neil Uyetake
Legendary writer J.M. DeMatteis returns to Star Trek for the first time in nearly 40 years! And it’ll be well worth the wait, as he tackles two of the franchise’s most popular concepts: Khan Noonien Singh and the Mirror Universe!
This is why I love Star Trek! There is such a rich and storied universe at the creators’ fingertips that just begs to be explored. DeMatteis comes into this with what I would consider a dream project here. For me this is one of those “why haven’t we seen this before” kind of issues and that we are getting now from folks who are so incredibly talented is just a bonus. Who is worse here as we’ve got Khan who was pretty much a dictator madman type of guy in the regular universe and I just can’t imagine he’d be that different in this universe and to see that go up against a much more ruthless version of Kirk is like a dream come true.
The way that this is being told is sensational! How we see the story & plot development always moving forward through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is beautifully presented. I love seeing how this comes about and how we learn of Khan’s life in the Mirror Universe. The character development that we see here is amazing and as we see the characters go through what they do and the actions which they take I am blown away but what I see here. The pacing is superb and as it takes us through the pages revealing the twists and turns along the way we see such a superb version of these characters that we want to see more of. The way this is structured and how we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow is remarkably well done.
Just seeing this makes me miss the television series and the film so bad. We have lost so many of the actors over the years and to be able to see them again here in this manner brings back a part of my childhood that I honestly thought I had lost. Aside from that factor this is just an amazingly good story in its own right and that’s worth its weight in gold.
The work we see on the interiors here is utterly fabulous! The linework we see is great and how the varying weights are being utilised to bring out the attention to detail is extremely well done. Matthew is a talented, talented artist and illustrator and the work he does is so spot on the characters likenesses it’s uncanny and thrilling. This may be one of the few cases where only utilising linework is something I can completely support just because of how well it’s laid down and how beautiful it makes the imagery on the page. The way that we see backgrounds being utilised not only expands the moments but brings us depth perception, this sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope for the story. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a masterful eye for storytelling. The colour work is amazing as well. How we see the various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work is gorgeously rendered. Also the way we see the green phaser effects is a true highlight for me.
As is in a one-shot the story is very self-contained and fits beautifully in the allotted space. However, that being said I want more. How I would have been over the moon elated to have a four issue mini-series. This really does embody what I think of when I envision the original series and it’s so perfectly well realised through and through.
2 notes
·
View notes
Text
Realms and Rebels: A Paranormal and Fantasy Reverse Harem Collection
Read time: 102 Days (Intermittent)
Rating: 4/5
Contains Stories By: C.M. Stunich, Elizabeth Briggs, Margo Bond Collins, Laura Greenwood & Arizona Tape, L.C. Hibbett & N.M. Howell, Lena Mae Hill, Eva Chase, Julia Clarke, Bea Paige & Skye MacKinnon, Amy Sumida, Chloe Adler, AJ Anders & Amanda Perry, Angelique Armae, Joely Sue Burkhart, Caia Daniels, May Dawson, LA Kirk & Lyn Forester, Jackie May, Cecilia Randell, Erin Bedford, Catherine Banks and A.E. Kirk
Overall
It took me a while reading this to figure out what was frustrating about it, primarily the stories are first stories or prequels. I would have preferred more stand-alone stories. It is not impossible to create a world in this shorter space but it seems that authors have used it to provide fanservice and some background they wanted but had not written previously. I really hope most of these get published as individually, especially the 1st stories.
This is a reasonable collection if you like reverse harem and want something to break up your other reading, none of the stories are taxing. And there is something for all tastes.
See No Devils by C.M. Stunich
Disclosure: See No Devils is why I bought Realms and Rebels. I have written a full review which I will post when and if C.M Stunich publishes the story individually. I'm glad I bought it See No Devils is a fast-paced fun ride with brilliant characters that engaged me and made me theorise the significance of characters, of situations. Any story that can do that in 10 chapters is impressive. I loved the characters and the writing, both are amusing and intelligent. This is definitely a series I will be keeping an eye out for. 4.5 stars.
Light the Fire by Elizabeth Briggs
Light the Fire is a prequel in the Her Elemental Dragons series (1st book Stroke the Flame). It's not a series I have read but this does make me want to read it, as any entry in an anthology should. The lore is brilliant, there are reverse harems woven into the world, the mythology and I like the fate angle that was used. What really struck me reading Light the Fire is the feeling of fan service, Calla and her men appear in Her Elemental Dragons as supporting characters this feels like something that fans wanted, had asked Ms Briggs for. (Full review is available here.) 4 stars.
Her Big Bad Wolves by Margo Bond Collins
Another story with editing issues. Days and names were wrong sometimes. Liam was originally Seth I think and there is one instance where that wasn't changed. And there are continuity issues in the timeline. It is a helluva into a world with decent lore. I would love to spend some time getting to know, James, the pack historian. He is the brains trust and after the alpha the best person to introduce a reader to the world. Has the feel of a prequel if or when the series continues I don't think this will be a necessary read just a pleasant addition. But it did it the nail on the head to a degree S's options are a complete, balanced man. This is common in a reverse harem. (Full review is available here.) 3 stars (.5 loss due to bad editing)
Fifth Soul by Laura Greenwood & Arizona Tape
Fifth Soul feels like a lost opportunity. The harem is 3 men and 1 woman centring on a bisexual protagonist. It is a situation I had thought of but never seen in a stand-alone. Given the authors have a series for this universe (Dragon Soul, Torn Soul protagonist Holly makes an appearance) it could have been published left on its own and done very well because that is a situation that is a fantasy for some. It is lost in here this anthology. It's also odd, the lore isn't explained well, the writing isn't consistent and there is too much focus on a single relationship. It's rushed and disappointing because of that. I can't even make this 2 stars. 1.75 stars
A Nightmarish Mystery by L.C. Hibbett & N.M. Howell
I have never read any of the Cats, Ghosts and Avocado Toast series, that put me at a distinct disadvantage reading A Nightmarish Mystery. This story fits between A Vet Vanishes (book #2) and A Devilish Disappearance (book #3) and is admitted fan service, though not the kind of fluff one expects from fan service, this is heavy and dark. It can be read as a stand-alone though that is not its intention. I give props to the authors for creating a situation that allowed for fans to get what they wanted but didn't mess with the continuity of the series. I know from the authors note that A Nightmarish Mystery is different to the series but reading this first does not endear me to the series, does not make me curious to read it. Might that defeat at least part of the purpose of the story? 2 stars.
Twisted: A Fairy Tale Mash-up by Lena Mae Hill
Another 1st book in a new series unlike the others though this one is explicitly aimed at the YA market. From the time I read it's intended audience I questioned its place in this anthology, Realms and Rebels seems to be aiming at a more mature audience. But Twisted had more sexual intimacy than a few of the others and some seriously dicey consent. Twisted has a well-executed setup Little Red Riding Hood meets Three Little Pigs. Having the leading man be not particularly likeable was a good thing in the scheme of things but Cayenne frustrated me a combination of her Red Riding Hood nature and her attempted modernity, it rubbed me the wrong way. My biggest issue was the questionable consent she sort of assented to their actions but not strongly enough for my conscience. (My full review of Twisted) 3 stars.
Raven’s Fall by Eva Chase
Raven's Fall plays with Odin's raven Muninn, the raven of memory and the idea of shapeshifting. When Muninn transforms she appears as standard with a gorgeous black dress. What I really like is the use of the phrase "what in Hel's name" this is possibly the origins of the curse used now, Hel guardian of Helheim the Norse equivalent of the underworld. The language in Raven's Fall is fantastic, it is beautifully descriptive. The raven, the rogue, the healer and the charmer. They are an intoxicating combination. Muninn's innocence/ naivety is endearing because it is understood, she isn't human she is an immortal who has never experienced humanity's joys. Her men share easily, but their stories broke my heart. Mythology is always a whole lot of fun, make it Norse and it becomes even more bloody and vindictive. Reading Raven's Fall certainly made me interested in reading more of the Their Dark Valkyrie series.
Charms of Attraction by Julia Clarke
Fantastic characters. Charms of Attraction focuses on the relationships the protagonist has with not only the men in her life but her sister. The portrayal of the sibling relationship between protagonist Katerina and sister Ana is particularly good. I really liked one date in particular. There is potential in the series, as with so many in the anthology though polyandry in the norm in the society.
I will say though this story does really need a warning for those sensitive to domestic or psychological violence situations, violence plays a major role in Katerina's past and is discussed in some detail. 3.5 stars
Hell’s Calling by Bea Paige & Skye MacKinnon
The first book in the Infernal Descent series re-imagining Dante's Inferno. I enjoyed the characters and the plot definitely looking forward to reading more. This story establishes the word, the characters, some of the internal relationships but stops short of anything drastic physically. Hell's Calling does for me what an entry in an anthology needs to do It makes me want to read more in the series. I want to know what happens to Ciera, Maro, (Cer)Beres, Plutus & Tris. 4.5 stars
Twisted by Amy Sumida
What a brilliant take on the Wizard of Oz. It just works for me, nothing feels out of place. The origins are obvious and the twists are so clean and logical. My full review of twisted
Inconceivable Origin by Chloe Adler
I read two chapters and stopped. I found the protagonist insufferable, she rubbed me completely the wrong way. Also, I have major issues with rape, I'm sure that there the author finds a way to write her way out of it (we are talking about magic here) but I can't do it.
On The Edge Of Forever by AJ Anders & Amanda Perry
WTH just happened? So much promise, so much build. It was so rushed at the end I got head spin. Actually, the story felt incomplete, there is nothing confirming the status of the story as a first or a prequel, it just ends. I was so happy reading the start of this. It has an interesting lore that the authors did their best to explain as briefly as possible. The men having a pre-existing relationship helped for succinct writing as they could talk among themselves rather than just to her. The protagonist is badass and her familial relationships are brilliant. but their end is disconcerting. It's still a 3.5/4 star story.
Eclipse by Angelique Armae
Bastet is a fave deity. I had to attempt to put aside some of my own issues to read this, I try to stay away from titles with any BDSM elements, even light ones. Spanking is part of the makeup of Eclipse. So this is an alright read if you don't mind your mythology being butchered. I liked the characters, to a degree I liked the lore but I cringed at the use of Egyptian mythology it just wasn't working for me. The truly appealing aspect of this story was the relationships, the reader meets the immortal daughter of Egyptian Goddess Bastet, Marcus the Lion, Lucius the Tiger and Horatio the Panther in present-day Manhattan but their relationship has existed since 30 B.C. It is an established, happy relationship. There are intimate moments with two of the three men but not the 3rd that was disappointing. 2.5
Queen Takes Jaguars by Joely Sue Burkhart
Absolutely gorgeous. So much sex-positivity. I really loved the confidence and the owning of womanhood. I definitely made want to read more of the series (despite it having a different perspective). There is a whole scene in a hotel which is both hot as hell and emotionally devastating. I really liked the characters and the lore. (Full review is available here.) 4 stars.
Sovereign of Soul by Caia Daniels
3 chapters in I gave up. it didn't grab me and had done an awful job of explaining the lore and wtf was going on. Essentially it felt like a combination prequel and fanservice piece, despite only being a prequel. The series does have an interesting basis for the harem creation though.
Ugly Magic by May Dawson
This is one of the stories I skipped for no real valid reason. I stopped 4 chapters in one day and didn't pick it up for about 5 weeks. By which point I was completely lost and it just made more sense to skip it.
At Water’s Edge by LA Kirk & Lyn Forester
To me At Water's Edge is more a journey of self-discovery than a typical reverse harem, it feels like it's more about her than her relationship with them. The ending is just gorgeous. The story is quite self-contained. There is a lack of explanation that didn't detract from the enjoyability, I get the feeling there is some serious lore in play. I really like the portrayal of the neriads is perfect, they are quite bratty, teenage girl. 4 stars
My Soul To Keep by Jackie May
A nicely written, pleasant story with lovable characters in an interesting setting. The protagonist is window-able, she is quite easy for you to see yourself in. Fairy-tale but in the best possible way. A shared trait to Her Big Bad Wolves by Margo Bond Collins with day by day dating to try and choose a man. 4 stars
Blinded Beauty by Cecilia Randell
Odd, not bad just odd, it wasn't gripping for me. Blinded Beauty makes decent use of fantasy themes. it doesn't get bogged down in the lore it just gives you tid bits. Polyandry relationship is a non-issue is just happens, which works well. I quite like the characters though. 3 stars
Indebted to the Vampires by Erin Bedford
I skipped this one. I just couldn't. it's short the synopsis just didn't appeal. I can see a way to make it not dangerous but it would be difficult.
Moon Academy by Catherine Banks
Again the skipped because the premise really didn't appeal. It is possible it might have worked but by the time I got to Moon Academy I was done. I might come back to the 4 (?) I missed but I don't know.
Demon In Distress by A. E Kirk
Demon in Distress is a definite book one, or possibly the working base for a book one. It just comes to a dead stop. After reading it I felt like it shouldn't be in here, I really hope they publish it stand alone. It is a dissatisfying end to the collection. It isn't awful but it does just stop with a clear indication of the future direction. I didn't enjoy it, I did enjoy See No Evil which faces the same issues. 2 stars.
3 notes
·
View notes
Text
Jazz Potluck - Episode 01.
Like countless folks around the world, I LOVE music. Pretty much any and all genres. JAZZ however, is the music that seems to bring the most joy in my life. As a creative person, I always need to have music on in the background while I work, (well, all the time really) and jazz has always seemed to catalyze my creativity.
I dig this sentiment from the late writer Anaïs Nin:
>>>"Jazz is the music of the body. The breath comes through brass. It is the body’s breath, and the strings’ wails and moans are echoes of the body’s music. It is the body’s vibrations which ripple from the fingers. And the mystery of the withheld theme, known to jazz musicians alone, is like the mystery of our secret life. We give to others only peripheral improvisations."
This “Jazz Potluck” is something that I’ve been wanting to do for years and years, but I never quite got around to it... (I’ve got enough plates spinning already, not much room for another! Hehe.) Anyway, I’ll be sharing Spotify playlists here as often as I can... containing a rich mix of jazz that I love, and would love for YOU to love! I’m certainly no music critic, and I’ve no intention of “analyzing” the music I share, the way that a professional might. But, I will provide some brief personal notes about the songs in the playlists, and hopefully some jumping off points for further exploration, if you dig what you hear!
So without further ado, here’s the very first edition of my Jazz Potluck... Episode 01! There are 16 songs here, with no particular theme, other than that I DIG ‘em, and they get a lot of rotation in my headphones! Quite an eclectic mix!
Here’s the direct link to the playlist on Spotify - Jazz Potluck, Ep 01.
A preview of the tracks in the playlist, and some brief notes on the songs, below.
“Dirty Blonde” by The Bad Plus
“Giant Steps” by John Coltrane
“Chinoiserie” by Medeski, Martin and Wood
“This I Dig of You” by Hank Mobley
“The Windup” by Julian Lage
“3-in-1 Without The Oil” by Roland Kirk
“Gangsterism on the Rise” by Jason Moran
“II B.S.” by Charles Mingus
“It Might As Well Be Spring” by Brad Mehldau
“Gazzelloni” by Eric Dolphy
“Nu Nu” by Avishai Cohen
“Salmon Jump Suite” by Happy Apple
“Brother Mister” by Christian McBride & Inside Straight
“Tiffakonkae” by Kamasi Washington
“Greasy Granny” by the Charlie Hunter Trio
“Cease the Bombing” by Grant Green
Playlist - EP 01.
01. “Dirty Blonde” by the trio “The Bad Plus.” Starting this thing off with a BANG! From the moment I first heard this song back in 2004, I knew that I had stumbled on a Jazz Trio with something utterly unique in their music. A piano, bass and drum trio that has produced some delightful original material over the years, as well as a bunch of “cover” songs that in some ways, helped make them famous in the Jazz world.
For all of the critical acclaim the band has received over the years, one thing that has always stood out to me is the HUMOR in their music. They are often filed under “Avant Garde” Jazz... but they are really in a sub genre of their own. They play with real heart and soul, but they don’t take themselves too seriously, and they KNOW how to have a good time. When you hear all hell break loose at the 2:44 mark in “Dirty Blonde,” you’ll know that you came to the right party.
02. “Giant Steps” by John Coltrane. What can I say... I listen to this song pretty much EVERY MORNING when I wake up. If not immediately after I open my eyes, certainly by the time I’m making coffee. The fast paced tempo and saxophone wizardry of Coltrane and his crew in this Jazz standard always motivates me to get going.
If you’re not familiar with the song, here is a FANTASTIC video backgrounder on the piece, called “The Most Feared Song In Jazz, Explained.” I highly recommend watching it right before or after listening to the song. VERY enlightening!
03. “Chinoiserie” by the trio “Medeski, Martin and Wood.” What an amazingly funky cover of the Duke Ellington composition! I’ve been a fan of MMW since the early 90′s, and this album is probably my favorite, next to “Shack Man.” Medeski rocking the Hammond B3 Organ, Chris Wood’s bouncing bass, and Billy Martin’s frenetic drumming, make this tune just boogie right along. Be sure and listen to Duke’s original version of the song, to see how it sounds with a much larger band!
04. “This I Dig of You” by Hank Mobley. Uptempo, feel-good tune! (And I love Art Blakey’s drum solo around the 4:50 mark!) This is widely considered to be Mobley’s most popular original composition.
05. “The Windup” by Guitarist and Composer Julian Lage. This tune features his current Trio. I was a latecomer to the music of Julian Lage. I only really started listening to his music in 2019... but I’ve made up for lost time! (I think I have his entire catalogue now!) If you’re not familiar with Lage, he’s a prodigy and was recognized as such by age 12. Now he’s in his early 30′s, and a career that’s going strong!
06. “3-in-1 Without The Oil” by Roland Kirk. If you’ve heard of Roland Kirk (who later went by Rahsaan Roland Kirk) you’re likely aware that he was famous for playing multiple instruments at once. I always found his crazy, loosy-goosey style to be sort of “optimistic” if that makes sense? Very unconventional, and devil may care!
And speaking of his talent for playing multiple horns at the same time, here’s a passage from my FAVORITE novel, “Another Roadside Attraction.” Author Tom Robbins seems to really peg Roland Kirk in just one sentence.
>>>They are playing phonograph records, some wild new jazz. Straining my ears just now I heard Amanda ask, “John Paul, is it true that Roland Kirk is the entire Count Basie orchestra in drag?"
07. “Gangsterism on the Rise” by Jason Moran. I love the heavy left hand Moran utilizes on his piano in this tune. (Not unlike Pianist Ethan Inverson from “The Bad Plus” in “Dirty Blonde,” the first track in this playlist.) Boom boom boom! Here’s a quote from a music critic that pegs Moran’s style quite well: >>>“Moran is a spellbinding virtuoso who moves between boogie, avant-funk and Brahms as if he had never heard a good reason not to.”
He’s also a stylish sort of fellow....
08. “II B.S.” by Charles Mingus. I’ll have MUCH more to say about Mingus in future playlists... but I had to include at least one of his compositions in this 1st Episode! He is likely my all time favorite Jazz Composer. (He was an amazing bassist as well, but his compositions are what really knock my socks off.)
09. “It Might As Well Be Spring” by Brad Mehldau. This album was Mehldau’s major label debut, and was the first album of his that I purchased way back in 1995! What an AMAZING debut! I chose to include this cover of "It Might As Well Be Spring” because of it’s unusual and playful time signature. It’s a classic Rodgers and Hammerstein tune from the 1945 musical film “State Fair.” Mehldau does something really surprising with this classic tune, and it was such a breath of fresh air to me when I first heard it!
Here’s a passage I dig, from the great jazz book “Playing Changes,” by veteran Jazz Writer Nate Chinen. He zeroes in on what makes Mehldau’s rendition of the song unique.
>>>Introducing Brad Mehldau opens with a quick spray of staccato: tap-tap-tap, tap-tap-tap, like someone knocking impatiently at a door. It’s the preface to Mehldau’s arrangement of a show tune, “It Might As Well Be Spring,” from the Rodgers and Hammerstein film musical State Fair. The song had long been a verifiable jazz standard, with dozens of canonical recordings: by singers like Sarah Vaughan, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and Nina Simone, and by others ranging from the pianist Bill Evans to the trumpeter Clifford Brown.
>>>Mehldau’s version arrived in 1995, precisely half a century after the line “I am starry eyed and vaguely discontented” made its way into the popular lexicon. He and his trio had made a neat structural modification to the tune, tinkering with its pulse in a way that their syncopated prelude set in clear relief. Instead of the even 4/4 cadence known as common time, the track races along in 7/8, creating the impression of a rhythmic hiccup, or a sprint with a hitch in its stride.
>>>Jazz musicians have been dabbling in irregular meters since well before Dave Brubeck’s enormously popular 1959 album Time Out, which made them an exotic selling point. What’s striking about Mehldau’s performance is where he ventures after the opening vamp, phrasing the melody in a cool, flowing cadence even as his partners, the bassist Larry Grenadier and the drummer Jorge Rossy, busy themselves with percolating chatter behind him. In his articulation of the theme, and in a solo full of deft intricacies punctuated with breathlike pauses, Mehldau gives the song a sleek, appealing contour. His performance doesn’t feel herky-jerky or cerebral. It feels natural, even inevitable.
10. “Gazzelloni” by Eric Dolphy. "Out To Lunch” was the first album I ever bought in the “Avant-Garde Jazz” genre. I certainly wouldn't have been ready for this album in my teens or early 20′s, but I’m really happy that I developed a taste for the genre in later years. It’s some of the most expressive Jazz that I’ve ever heard, and I LOVE to have it on when I’m designing something, or working on a painting. Seems to connect the creative synapses in my brain somehow!
11. “Nu Nu” by Israeli Bassist and Composer Avishai Cohen. (Not to be confused with the Jazz Trumpeter of the same name.) This song is the opening track to Cohen’s album “Continuo” and really sets the tone for the rest of the album. I don’t know what time signatures Cohen uses in this tune, but they change up frequently over the course of 5 minutes. He’s a great composer, and a MONSTER on the bass. It’s said that he took up the bass in his early teens, because he was inspired by the legendary bassist Jaco Pastorius. (An inspiration that likely applies to MANY Jazz bassists since the 70′s.)
12. “Salmon Jump Suite” by the trio known as “Happy Apple.” This song is a smash-em crash-em DEMOLITION DERBY.... and I mean that in the most respectful and delightful way! Play it loud, and I think you’ll agree. Badass.
Oh, and the Drummer is Dave King, who’s main gig is as the Drummer for the aforementioned trio “The Bad Plus.” King is one of my favorite drummers, not just in Jazz, but it ALL genres of music. A real monster on the drums!
13. “Brother Mister” by Christian McBride and his band “Inside Straight” from the album “Kind of Brown.” McBride REALLY gets around as a bassist and composer... just scroll through his credits as a sideman on his Wikipedia page! One of the hardest working musicians in ALL of Jazz! His humor and playfulness comes across in both his playing, and his compositions, and "Brother Mister” is a great example of these. “Kind of Brown” is easily my favorite McBride album!
I should also note that McBride’s funny, extrovert personality has turned him into a popular Jazz radio host! You can catch him on Sirius X, NPR and other programs.
14. “Tiffakonkae” by Kamasi Washington. I simply cannot get enough of Kamasi’s music. I find him to be one of THE greatest talents to emerge in Jazz, in it’s entire history. I don’t think that is hyperbole. I was a couple of years late in discovering him, but since the day I heard his first album “The Epic,” he has been on my DAILY listening routine. No kidding.
If you like what you hear in this cut from his 2nd full length album, do yourself a favor and watch/listen to this special on NPR, that will show you some of what I’m talking about. It’s a 2 hour live performance and series of brief interviews with Kamasi and his collaborators, known as “The West Coast Get Down.” It might give you a buzz.
I’ll be featuring Kamasi and company on PLENTY of Jazz Potluck playlists going forward!!!
Here’s Nate Chinen again, from his book “Playing Changes,” talking about Kamasi bursting onto the scene. (Indeed, Chinen opens the first chapter of the book with Kamasi!)
>>>Kamasi Washington stood tall on a lot of big stages during his Year of Ascendance. Swaying in tempo, pushing heavy gusts through his tenor saxophone, he exuded the regal composure of a conquering hero: dauntless, doubtless, ablaze with rugged purpose. His sound on the horn—rangy and intemperate, or clipped and urgent—suggested an almost tactile force, a physical fact. He cut an equally imposing visual presence, in an unkempt Afro, a thick beard, and a dashiki, its patterned fabric loosely draped over his burly frame. And as his band raged around him, the music’s exultant sprawl enacted a ritual of transcendence. It was all rattling and ecstatic, maybe a little mystical. For many who bore witness, it was, brazenly, something to believe in.
15. “Greasy Granny” by the Charlie Hunter Trio. This album was my first introduction to this virtuosic Guitarist, back in 1995. (I seem to be including a number of albums from 1995 in this list... funny coincidence!) Anyway, as you listen to this tune, keep in mind that he is playing bass lines, chords AND melodies, ALL SIMULTANEOUSLY!!! I don’t know how in the hell he does it, but I’ve seen him performing live a few times over the years, and he makes it look effortless!
This song, “Greasy Granny” is as FUN as the name suggests.
16. “Cease the Bombing” by Guitarist Grant Green, from his 1970 album “Carryin’ On.” Figured I’d close out this 1st Episode of the Jazz Potluck with a long and smooth groove. Easy like Sunday morning.........
Stay well, people!
1 note
·
View note
Text
Michael Caine and the Muppets The Muppets Christmas Carol
214 notes
·
View notes
Text
May 28: 2x20 Return to Tomorrow
Today’s ep was one of my sleeper favorites, Return to Tomorrow. Imo this one should be considered a classic, but I never really hear it talked about.
So we jump right into the mystery.
I feel like Kirk is very suspicious today. And of course he immediately turns to Spock to ultimately answer the questions, after everyone else gives him partial explanation. “Spock, figure this out for me.”
GHOST ALIEN. This is what sci fi needs more of: ghost aliens.
“We have to go down there and explore. Our primary mission IS to make alien friends, after all.”
“Your probes have touched me, Mr. Spock.” No comment but this a verbatim line.
“Captain Kirk, you’re our only hope.”
I can’t believe Kirk is trying to deny Spock the opportunity to inspect unknowns.
Sargon is clearly insistent that he meets multiple different types of alien.
And it was effective! Okay, Sargon, now make them date.
Scotty is complaining about his controls being “preset by some kinda alien” while standing next to an alien.
Sargon invites a lady on the trip in order to create a love triangle.
Honestly, I love Sargon already. A glowing orb full of pure energy that talks.
Kirk doesn’t like them being called “children.”
Hmmm, are they implying that Vulcans are the true descendants of these aliens? I feel like that line was stuck in there to lessen the blasphemous impact of implying Adam and Eve were alien colonists, while still keeping the cool idea of alien colonists.
You can tell that Sargon definitely still thinks of himself as a god.
“That is still Jim’s body.” Hmmmm, Spock hasn’t broken out the “Jim” in a while.
So he put Jim in the glowing ball? Weird of him.
Aw, poor dead glowing balls.
How convenient that Sargon’s wife just happened to survive.
Spock seems reluctant to let go of Jim, there.
Kirk is trying to be profound about his experiences with the alien and his complete trust in him and McCoy’s like THAT’S JUST DUMB.
I love how McCoy and Scotty are just so skeptical about this. McCoy really thinks the aliens can’t be trusted and the risk is too great, which is fair, but Scotty’s like “...this is too weird even for me, sorry.”
“Quite simple. Happens every day.” So sarcastic, Bones!
McCoy thinks this is kinky. (Idek what this note was about lol but I stand by it.)
A starship engine the size of a walnut was enough to convince Scotty!
I feel like Kirk is just the utter epitome of the ideal man of the future. He believes in progress, but also peace, in exploration, in adventure, in the best of man and the best of aliens. “But man did fly....would you rather man had not gone to the moon... Risk is our business!”
And at that time, man hadn’t even gone to the moon yet. He was really asking people that question: do you want to explore space or not?
Henoch is the bad boy of the aliens.
He wakes up and he is immediately horny lol. And Christine’s like “yes, finally a hot alien who’s into me.”
Meanwhile, with the other two aliens, we see yet another convoluted way of giving Kirk a love interest (=showing the male lead kissing pretty ladies) without actually ever giving him a love interest. “Sargon, you sure did pick a hottie to inhabit.”
This dialogue man: “I’m surprised the Vulcans haven’t conquered you.” / “The Vulcans worship peace above all.” McCoy getting to stand up for Vulcans. He’s always so quick to do that when Spock can’t hear him.
I also love Henoch trying to back track like “Yes, yes, we value peace too, I definitely didn’t immediately start talking about conquering, conquering’s not on my mind, I’ve very peaceful.”
“Spock” smiling is such a weird sight.
Henoch is awesome. I love him. Great villain 10/10. I feel like he’s an excellent example of why you SHOULD kill your enemies, actually.
I agree with McCoy, those three flickering balls ARE foreboding.
Henoch isn’t wrong about the android bodies. They’re a very sensible, practical, and humane solution. But they aren’t any fun, and they aren’t really going to replace what the aliens have been missing.
This plot is ALSO an excuse to have Spock be flirty, for all the audience members who’d been lusting after him for almost two years.
He’s so delightfully passive aggressive. “Oh, didn’t you know? This is your body, Thalassa.”
You can tell ALL these aliens are sneaky bastards at heart. Probably why they destroyed themselves.
Sargon? In my Enterprise? It’s more likely than you think.
“Jim, the receptacles!”
“You’ve killed...your best friend.” McCoy calling Spock Jim’s best friend always gets to me because, first, they really were perceived and understood to be best friends and that’s so lovely, but also, I don’t really think of them that way. I think of Spock as more his soulmate and McCoy as his best friend.
And Jim’s like “well,, that is unfortunate...now time to kill his body!”
I’ll say that I assume Kirk really did think Spock was dead, for the same reason that McCoy thought he was killing Spock’s body--to fool Henoch--but it’s possible he saw Spock transfer to Christine and thus never really thought he’d lost him. But he would have to lie to McCoy again, to fool Henoch.
“My friend, Spock.” Say it again.
This was like the best experience of Christine’s life. She got to share a body with Spock. I’m pretty sure that counts as sex in some cultures.
Well, that was awkward. The aliens suddenly departed and Kirk and Mulhall were still kissing. I feel like Spock was the most awkward about it.
And Christine loves the romance of it. And it is romantic!! But she looks to Spock and he’s like “yeah, whatever, I’m not jealous shut up.”
The only slight fault I see in this ep is there is a LITTLE bit of “well the aliens are just really powerful, so they can solve the plot holes with their Alien Powers” going on, but honestly... these eps aren’t that long for the ideas they put in them, plus, what’s the point of aliens if they can’t just do whatever you say they can do. Fairly small complaint.
But otherwise it had everything: a cool sci fi concept; classic alien tropes like Aliens as Warnings, Aliens Too Smart for Their Bodies, and Very Powerful Aliens; robots; Kirk being awesome and idealistic; the triumvirate; Christine having a good day; a lady scientist; the return of the colorful backgrounds; interesting and unusual ideas like that the aliens were waiting for their own descendants to come back and rescue them (and the Enterprise may or may not be those descendants); a romance; a villain; legitimately interesting relationships among the aliens and characterization of the aliens; and a fun story that moved along at a good pace.
Also I really, really feel like these are among the best characterized aliens/alien society in the whole show. Like maybe I’m just getting too excited about them but I really felt like they were real: they had these great powers but they weren’t just there to show humans how puny they were--they had faults but they weren’t villains--they had morals (Sargon in particular) but their good intentions weren’t good enough. You could see why they destroyed themselves but also why they might have been worth saving--and not just for what they could give to or do for humankind, but as intelligent, living beings in their own right. Even Sargon, who was so powerful he was a deus ex machina in and of himself, and really was genuinely moral and wanted to do what was right, and was never even tempted by the body, still had a certain obvious manipulative streak, and was quite paternalistic. His plan probably never would have worked. But it’s understandable that he wanted to try.
Anyway, as far as sci fi stories go in particular, this ep is one of my faves and it DOES hold up.
Next is Patterns of Force or The Enterprise Defeats Fascism.
2 notes
·
View notes
Last Seen Blogs
allysonkelleyillustration
Allyson Kelley Illustration
http-falloon
stay♱ugly
andnowthisispointless
this is a thing
ballroomsofmars
Ballrooms of Mars
