#station writeups
Text
i need. i need to write this out. its short canon-based fic that's like. basically spoilers but i neeeeeeeEEEEEEEEd to write this
fic/technical spoilers under the cut
He couldn’t believe it. His slumped figure, the uncanny features of what used to be his face, his screams… Adam Murray, one of the most wanted criminals by the FBI to date, was one of them?
Thatcher, body laying on his side on the carpeted floor of the suspect’s bedroom, stared in utter shock and horror at the criminal’s screaming state, his eyes and mouth misshaped to the point he couldn’t be recognized as who he was before. He had witnessed someone’s humanity being stripped away from them. Just like his had in previous years.
Thatcher put down the camera and slid himself to a nearby wall to recover properly. His hands reached for the popcorn texture and pushed himself up, all while trying to think of some way he could calm the boy, or, if needed, neutralize the threat. He didn’t seem like a threat, however. The voice beckoning to this place had certainly not wanted to lure him for the sake of getting killed. Whoever called him here wanted him to witness someone else’s pain, to test him in his willingness to actually help others.
And he gladly took that challenge.
“Murray, kid,” Thatcher tried to speak, his voice raspy from having woken up only a mere thirty minutes ago. “I… What the hell’s going on?”
“JUST LET ME DIIIiIiiEeEEE!!!!!!!!!” he screamed, the pain clear as day through his voice. He tried moving his slacked arms, sluggishly grabbing his jaw and hair in his separate hands, pulling on both of them simultaneously. He even began whispering and mumbling for the Lieutenant to “just kill him,” pleading for the sweet release of the pain he had been enduring.
Thatcher swallowed his fears and began approaching the alternate, hands hovering over the gun he had brought for protection. As much as he knew he couldn’t kill those things, it was a good distraction in case things had to get violent. He’d survived one before, what’s another?
He inched his way toward Adam, the suspect trying to crumple himself into a ball as a way to mitigate his suffering. All the while, he was still screaming at the top of his lungs. His footsteps were quiet so as to not alarm the suffering boy in front of him. His limbs had been stretched out to an impossible length as well as being skinny enough that he’d die right there and then if he were truly human. At this point, Thatcher was sure that everything he thought about Adam was a complete lie.
There was one thing on his mind as he stepped ever closer: does Sarah know? Does his ex know? Does anyone else know?
Once Thatcher had felt he had been able to get close enough, he bent down to Adam’s level, hesitating for a moment before reaching out to him. Slowly but surely, he had placed a soft hand against the disfigured kid’s knee. Adam tried lifting his head but decided he didn’t want to due to how much it would hurt for someone else to see him like this. Thatcher knew it too.
Without hesitation, he wrapped his arms around the crying mess, ignoring how liquid the skin felt, how flexible it was now. It became goo in his hands as he tried gripping onto Adam for dear life, not wanting to let him go until he’d calmed himself down. Adam began to shift around a bit before uncurling himself, albeit in a very strained manner. Thatcher noticed this attempt and slightly backed away, still keeping his hands attached to Adam in an attempt of comfort.
“Why… aren’t you running…?” Adam asked, the soft whisper of his voice almost not reaching the officer’s ears. “Did… why? Why are you here?”
“That doesn’t matter right now. What matters is making sure you’re okay,” Thatcher responded in the same tone of voice as to not scare him. He had a gut feeling that him breaking down is why he’s all discombobulated. “Take some breaths with me, and hold on tight if you need to.”
With those remarks, Thatcher softly embraced Adam once more, Adam slowly returning his gesture this time. Thatcher could feel Adam’s melting hands searching for some sort of grip on him, finally setting on holding his hair a little too tight for Thatcher’s comfort. Thatcher decided to ignore the pain in favor of helping Adam in the best way he could. He leaned his head backwards to alleviate some of it at least, but it truly wasn’t his main focus at the present moment.
“Take some breaths, kid. Please,” Thatcher whispered. He began to breathe deeply, in and out, in a stable pattern to model to Adam. Adam struggled at first, the snot being sniffled back up his nose and tears running endlessly down his face - or was it blood -, but eventually finding a pattern that worked for him best. His skin began to solidify in the process - not fully, but it was definitely better than before. Adam finally found more grip in his hands and removed his hands from Thatcher’s hair to settle on his back instead.
“I’m sorry.. I’m so sorry,” Adam repeated quietly, half hoping that Thatcher wouldn't hear. Or at least that’s what he theorized.
“Don’t ever apologize,” Thatcher firmly, but gently, stated, pulling away from the boy softly. “You needed help, and that’s okay. You’re gonna be okay.”
Adam looked up at Thatcher, finally. His eyes and mouth had changed back into a normal, stable state along with the rest of his limbs. His eyes were bloodshot and puffy, his lips quivered, and his entire body simply shook from the mere shock, pain, and horror of it all.
“Am I… Are…” Adam mumbled. He looked at his hands and flexed them a few times, unsure of if he had returned to his former self or not. “Am I real?”
“If that’s supposed to mean ‘are you normal again’ then yes, you are,” Thatcher chuckled. “However, if you’re truly questioning whether or not you’re real, then the answer is still yes. I have tons of records on you back at the station if you need proof.”
Adam chuckled softly, trying to hide his amusement in Thatcher’s words. He stared at the ground for a few moments, and Thatcher joined him. They sat in complete, awkward silence, though that silence might have been necessary.
“You need a place to stay? Or someone to stay here with you for the night? I don’t want you to be by yourself tonight. Maybe not even for the next few days. And we don’t have to talk about this right now. I understand.”
Adam nodded and began tearing up once more, lunging at Thatcher with a more enthusiastic hug. Thatcher immediately complied.
“Thank you… I’m so sorry you had to deal with this-”
“Hey, again, don’t apologize.”
Adam nodded in Thatcher’s shoulder. He had longed for physical contact for a good while, and this was the best chance he’d ever get at it. Thatcher felt it as Adam tried to get even closer to him, pulling on him even harder and even trying to nuzzle his shoulder just to get that extra sense of physical feeling. A sense of comfort and safety.
A sense of humanity.
“I don’t wanna stay here,” Adam spoke up, his voice slightly muffled by the officer’s shoulder. “I need to get out of here…”
“I got you covered. Not too comfortable bringing you to my place due to… circumstances, but we can just head over to the station. I should have something there to make us comfortable.”
Adam nodded and gave a verbal indicator through hums. Thatcher slightly separated from Adam to help him stand, walking him out of the house and to his car. He led him to the passenger seat and let himself get comfortable. After he gently closed the door, he walked over to the driver’s seat, got comfortable, started the car, and drove as fast as he could to get them both out of there.
Thatcher wasn’t sure what to do the next morning, but whatever it was it would be taking care of this damn kid. He already lost his parents, and he’s not gonna let it happen again.
#mandela catalogue#the mandela catalogue#thatcher davis#adam murray#mandela catalogue spoilers#mandela catalyst spoilers#WOOOOO THIS WAS LOOOOOOOONG#OKAY#i didnt expect to write this much i am so sorry FVGBHNJM#face horror trigger#body horror trigger#panic attack trigger#dadtcher#<- thats it i have a new tag for thatcher#specifically when he's in dad mode bc fuck you#a2t#station writeups#<- new tag babeyyyyy
188 notes
·
View notes
Text
"Look, whatever it is, make it quick, would ya?" He was in no mood for small talk (but then again, was he ever?), and his shift was almost over. Then he could get outta here.
#✦ hank anderson || open ✦ can't you just leave me alone?#✦ hank anderson || ic ✦ i don't need any assistance#[doesn't necessarily have to be at the station]#[i need to do my verse writeups cause I have one post d.bh where he becomes a pi with connor and they focus on helping androids]#✦ general || open ✦ books and doors are the same thing: a portal into another world
0 notes
Text
The Ebbs and Flows of Programming
I got a very nice shoutout from @vexacarnivorous the other day as part of their writeup of resources in the codeblr sphere. It made me smile and I very much appreciated it. <3
It also made me think a lot.
Vexa shouted me out for the fact that I offer free programming tutoring as part of my Twitch livestream - which is very true, and I welcome anyone requesting it. I love helping people, especially those just getting into the industry. If you would like to reach out to me for assistance, learning, or just chatting about code, please, please do; I am always available for it.
Anyone paying attention, though, might have noticed I haven't done my coding stream except when tutoring in a number of weeks or really posted much about coding at all. The truth is, I haven't really done much programming outside of work for several months.
I've been hesitant to term it "burnout" because it hasn't come with the hallmarks we typically associate with that word - I don't feel depressed, I don't feel resentful or stressed really. But really it is a flavor of the same thing, and I think as someone who prides myself on representing what being a developer is Really Like, I think this sort of thing bears its own round of discussion.
Sometimes you just won't want to code, and that's also okay.
I think this is a difficult thing to conceptualize when you are a new developer. In my experience, those early years in the field are full of excitement and promise. You have so many ideas and there is so much to learn and every bit of new technique or technology feels like opening a treasure trove. For years, I was the poster child for this level of enthusiasm - late nights working on side projects and coming into work with dark circles under my eyes.
And I am not for a moment saying that's a bad thing! Ride that enthusiasm train as far as it will go whenever it comes into the station. :) This is an exciting field and I love seeing anyone get excited about an idea, implement it, run with it, feel fulfilled by making it.
What I want to talk about, though, is the days when it doesn't feel like that - because you will have them. Everyone has them. Personally, I'm 34 and tired. XD Sometimes I go through periods where I just want to play video games and not think about anything after work. And just as often, the urge to work on a project eventually comes back - probably quicker when I don't force it - but it's really easy to be too hard on myself for those periods where the enthusiasm isn't there.
The reason I think this is important to discuss is that there is a LOT of stigma, spoken and unspoken, in the industry against people who leave work at work. There's the concept of the 10x engineer - a developer whose productivity and output matches that of 10 "regular" engineers, and who is constantly in the trenches. There's the vocal admiration for people who drive themselves to distraction, working 80 hour weeks to achieve their vision of some killer app, side project, or even their company's product. This is viewed as the apotheosis of developer-hood, but in truth, it's unhealthy - both for those grinding that way and those who don't want to but are stuck with the image all the same.
I struggle with this image myself. The last few months, a recurring throughline in my therapy session has been - what am I bringing to the world if I'm not producing project output All The Time. It's been a little humbling stepping into the spaces of young developers to offer my help, and realizing that they are full of that exuberance and energy when I am in a slump where I am not.
But what I want to say here, ultimately, is this, and most likely it goes for other callings as well - sometimes you will feel the fire burning within you, and sometimes you won't. Don't get caught in the trap of feeling that your worth as a person (or as a developer) comes in passionate, all-consuming output. The important thing, always, is whether you are doing work, or living life, in a way that makes you feel fulfilled. And I, for one, am proud of you (and learning to be proud of myself) no matter what that looks like.
#bjk talks#codeblr#programming#software development#coding#this turned out kind of rambly and i'm not sure it matches the image of the post that i had in my head XD#but hopefully it helps someone
52 notes
·
View notes
Note
So what is the wasteland like in your AU?
Is life slowly crawling back in? Or is it being stamped out by petty conflicts and the Jesus freaks?
How the hell do Gamma storms even still exist? What lives out thier besides people?
!!! Hi!
So, this AU is a pretty direct Fallout adaptation, and I'm not sure how familiar you are with the games so sorry if I over or under explain.
It does kind of bother me that in the games like 200 years have passed since the War, and people are still basically in the stone age and eating centuries-old mac'n'cheese despite so much of the Old World being in a semi-recoverable state.
The sort answer is, the Wasteland could actually be built into a functioning society pretty easily, if people weren't The Absolute Worst.
Settlements are kept small and lower-tech, because you're right, the Army of Righteous does prioritize places that look like they could become a threat. Water treatment plants, armories, power stations, commercial farmlands, etc. The only large settlements that can survive are the ones that are basically fortresses and not worth the effort to wipe out.
This is part of what allowed the system of Overlords to form - they were basically Raiders who were able to survive long enough to amass enough fortifications and followers to the point they aren't easy targets any more, which in turn brings even more settlers to agree to serve under them for protection.
Wildlife is standard Fallout fare - mole rats, mutant dogs, radstags, yao guai, deathclaws, brahmin, giant insects of all kinds, mirelurks, robots, ghouls, and super mutants (along with whatever else I've forgotten). There are a few other animals I'll throw in mutated variations of as needed. Only major homebrew species is Razorbacks - mutated descendants of pigs and boars, I'll do a little writeup on them when I post Fat Nuggets.
As for the radiation storms, they're a gameplay element from Fallout 4, which I think they explained as there being the hyper-irradiated Glowing Sea nearby, which was ground zero for a massive nuke. Storm fronts coming into the Commonwealth over it would pick up the radiation and cause an extra hazard during storms. Most people and animals would either take shelter from the storms, or are already too irradiated/mutated to really be bothered. It's a convenient device to force people into places and in close quarters for a period of time, so I kept it. Let's just assume Pentagram City was a major target for nukes like other major cities, so there's a similar issue.
Additional worldbuilding thoughts below the cut:
The people who do make advancements/big recoveries in technology are people like Vox, and are just basically cut-throat capitalists who will murder their competitors and burn down/steal their stuff, to keep a monopoly on what they offer.
So VoxTech in the Vault 666 universe does offer a bunch of modern conveniences, but he also owns the local power stations and such to make them work, and runs the Vees' territory like a glorified Company Town where everything just goes back into his pockets. Anyone who tries to innovate is either bought out by him, or killed off so they're not a threat. Same with other Overlords who run an industry. No altruists can survive in this environment, which makes Charlie's dreams that much crazier.
technically anyone could probably run a radio broadcast. Alastor is so full of himself he doesn't see others as being even close his level, but people are too freaked out by him to really try; doesn't help that he overrides Vox's broadcast (which is commercials with some music now and again) for funsies whenever he feels like it.
13 notes
·
View notes
Text
Tagged by @invisiblerhythmcat
3 ships you like: The Defiant, the Fonferrus, and the junk I always end up buying for my Watcher the minute they have enough money.
First ship ever: The overnight ferry from Souda to Piraeus. Look, I'm too aromantic for this and becoming a real grouch about it in my old age.
Last song you heard: Probably something my supervisor was streaming on his computer at work. I think he had the 1960s pop station on yesterday.
Favourite childhood book: Webster's dictionary, or perhaps The National Geographic Picture Atlas of Our Universe (even when I was very little and couldn't yet read fluently enough to get through the long chapters, I did love looking at the tables and pictures, and reading the short writeups on speculative alien biology).
Currently reading: Intimate Stranger, by Breyten Breytenbach, in which he philosophizes about writing. Hornily, and interspersed with poems, because that's how the Breytenbach do.
Currently watching: I suppose it's already public information that I've been watching Goryeo-Khitan War and quite enjoying it, so we'll go with that. (Though there was a moment of "oh my fucking god I thought leaving the romance genre behind meant there wouldn't be any misunderstanding plots are you kidding me".)
Currently consuming: Instant oatmeal, breakfast of champions. Peaches and cream flavor, made with milk for added dairytasticness.
Current craving: The mango butter mochi that my wife stole the last piece of despite already having finished her half, how dare, so now there's no mochi (until I buy ingredients to make more sometime this coming week). Thinking maybe guava next time.
7 notes
·
View notes
Text
Legend of Zelda Theme Park - Lost Woods
(I'm going to try this new thing where I shade part of the overall park map an appropriate color to show which area I'm talking about.)
The Lost Woods covers the southeastern corner of the park (corresponding to the Triforce of Courage) and, to suit its role as a vibrant enchanted forest, is the most lushly planted area of the park. Roughly a third of its footprint is devoted to planters filled with live trees, shrubs, and flowers, represented by the stippled shapes on the detailed map below. The artificial structures housing attractions, shops, and eateries are dressed to resemble hollow trees and caves. Most dramatic of all is the Great Deku Tree himself, rising well above the rest of the features in the area.
Attractions
Spirit Train (Forest Station): One of the stations for the Spirit Train (see the Castle Town writeup) can be found here.
Picori Picnic Park: Inspired by The Minish Cap, this is an ideal spot to take a break from all the running around and eat lunch (and let the kids do more running around). A well-shaded area of picnic tables and benches sits alongside an elaborate playground, and everything is in the shape of giant flowers, leaves, mushrooms, and other objects to make you feel as though you've shrunk to Minish-size! There are also statues of Minish that guests can pose with for photos, and giant stumps and logs with windows to peer into to watch Minish going about their lives at home.
Koroks in Concert: Inside a huge hollow stump is a tiny theater-in-the-round where dozens of animatronic Koroks put on a musical revue! Some of the tunes in the 15-minute program will be familiar to anyone who has played the right games, but others are unique to this show. Guests are prompted to sing along with the grand finale and in so doing, encourage the Deku sprout in the center to grow!
The Great Deku Tree: He's not a ride, nor exactly a show, but the guardian spirit of the Lost Woods is an impressive sight all the same. He continually grumbles and sighs and makes different expressions as he watches over the forest, and his spreading crown (the dashed outline shows its rough extent) is made from a system of hollow twigs and retractable artificial leaves in a variety of colors, so that his foliage can shift with the seasons. Moreover, he serves as the entrance to another attraction entirely...
Lost Woods Labyrinth: The largest attraction footprint in the Lost Woods belongs not to a ride, but a walkthrough—a “maze” that you can't actually get lost in. Entered through the base of the Great Deku Tree's trunk, the labyrinth winds in a convoluted fashion through a fantastical landscape of forest groves and small caves, with occasional branching paths that encourage repeat visits. The majority of the maze is located inside an enclosed show building, though ample skylights keep the ambient light levels synced with the outdoors for that extra bit of authenticity. The path takes guests through a variety of whimsical, mystical, and eerie forest scenes, from simple wild animals going about their lives to spider webs with scuttling Skulltulas to a Great Fairy Fountain. Some scenes include interactive elements--motion sensors cause Deku Scrubs to pop up and spit water, or a scene of Koroks at play includes a pushbutton that makes more of them descend into view on their little leaf-propellers.
The Grove of the Master Sword: At the exit of the labyrinth, guests have the choice to return to the main area of the Lost Woods...or take a picturesque but unlabeled path that leads to a quiet grove with a marble dais in the center, carved with the symbol of the Triforce and the emblems of its three virtues of Power, Courage, and Wisdom. And in the center of that is the pedestal where the Master Sword waits to be claimed by the Hero. You can try to draw it if you like. Do you think you're worthy? (Is this basically a ripoff of Disneyland's Sword in the Stone? Yes. Is the whole Master Sword stuck in a pedestal already a ripoff of Arthurian legend anyway? Also yes.) Another unlabeled path leads directly between the grove and the main area, and a third connects it with Epona Ranch. There are many ways to discover the Master Sword if you're willing to explore the unknown.
Skull Kid's Dash-n-Twist: This “mad mouse” style roller coaster is themed around the concept of chasing the mischievous Skull Kid through the forest treetops, with dangerous forest monsters popping up at every turn! Is he leading you to safety or hoping the Babas and Peahats will dispose of you?
Deku Gliders: This is a carousel-type ride with suspended cars shaped as if made from leaves, flowers, and twigs. The central mechanism is shaped like a huge flower, and the “stalk” extends upward when the ride begins, giving riders an elevated view of the surrounding area.
Shops
9. Outfitted For Adventure: If you didn't manage to pull the Master Sword, never fear—this shop has you covered with toy and prop weapons (including replica Master Swords, we're not stupid, we know what the people want), as well as souvenir clothing, hats, fanny packs, pouches, canteens, walking sticks, and other simple gear items for outdoorsy and adventurous types. Themed as a small, torchlit cave in honor of the one where Link was gifted his first ever sword at the very beginning of the franchise, the shop has that scene's famous slogan painted prominently on one wall in the classic NES lettering: “It's dangerous to go alone! Take this!”
10. The Fairy Fountain: Found one cave over from Outfitted For Adventure, this shop carries all things fairy-related, from books and art prints to dolls and “shoulder pet” fairy toys.
11. Figurine Gallery: Another feature inspired by The Minish Cap, this kiosk built into the side of a tree (the structure is artificial, but the roof is basically a big planter for real shrubs), sells hand-carved wooden figures and decorative items, no two identical! Limited customization (color stains, a name etched or burned into a figurine base, etc.) is available on some items and can usually be completed while you wait.
12. Flower Cart: This is also a small retail location, selling all kinds of silk flowers and flower crowns. Many of them are generic, but others are made to resemble the fictitious flowers that occur in certain LoZ games—many colors of Pico Blooms (The Minish Cap), Silent Princess (Breath of the Wild), and even Bomb Flowers (various) with light-up “wicks.”
Eateries
13. Minish Mini-Nosh: If you didn't bring your own lunch to the Picori Picnic Park, you can pick up something tasty at this fast casual eatery specializing in “miniature” food—bite-sized sandwiches, “baby” vegetables, “Minish-kabobs,” and more! Get them a la carte for a quick snack or mix and match a combo for a full meal!
14. Hollo’s Hollow: A callback to the potion-making Korok in The Wind Waker, this is a beverage shop much like Castle Town’s Potion Hut. Also on offer are healthy snacks such as whole-grain crackers, trail mix, and fresh fruit. Conveniently located right next door to Koroks in Concert so you can have something to wet your whistle while you enjoy the show.
15. Saria’s Bakery: Named for Link's sweet and spunky childhood bestie from Ocarina of Time and located inside a huge hollow stump, this bakery offers a wide selection of rolls, buns, muffins, cookies, cupcakes, and other baked goods. Specialties include Kokiri Fairy Cakes (frosted pale blue and adorned with sugar wings) and a honey butter blend that's terrific on all kinds of savory bread. Everything is made on-site and guaranteed fresh!
Miscellaneous
You might notice some unlabeled circles on the map. These are artificial tree structures that don't house any publicly available feature--instead they are used as storage sheds, small employee break rooms, and general ambience.
21 notes
·
View notes
Text
One Dress a Day Challenge
Not-a-Dress November
Dr. No / Ursula Andress as Honey Ryder
This is quite possibly the most famous swimsuit in film! Although bikinis had been around for about ten years by this point, they were still considered a bit daring. This film helped the style to go mainstream.
There's an excellent and detailed writeup of the suit here. They note, for example, that it's made of multiple layers of fabric so that it will not turn translucent when wet. One bit of trivia that I did not know was that the belt was given to Andress by a British sailor stationed in Jamaica who happened to be watching the filming! She thought the bikini was "missing something," so an officer told him to take off his belt and give it to her.
Now I'm going to have that darn song stuck in my head for the rest of the day...
#dr. no#not-a-dress november#ursula andress#dr no#one dress a day challenge#one dress a week challenge#honey ryder#james bond films#bond girl#swimwear#1960s style#1960s fashion#1962 films#1962 movies#movie costumes#not a dress november#underneath the mango treeeee
48 notes
·
View notes
Text
Kady's Expanse (Re)watch Blog
Episode 1.02 - "The Big Empty"
Hey all -- doing the second episode writeup quite a while after the first one I did (sorry about that giant delay but I've been quite busy recently!). This one and the ones going forward are hopefully going to be a bit shorter now that all of the table-setting is more or less out of the way.
I'm going to go ahead and limit myself to the summary and then highlight one or two of my favorite/least favorite things about each story thread. Once again, I'm intending this to be a companion rather than a comprehensive look at the show as a whole, so we're keeping spoilers light.
Strap yourselves in -- this is going to be a REALLY long summary.
------------------
Summary
We open on a very sweet scene between Holden and his girlfriend on board the Canterbury as she teaches him how to make the perfect cup of coffee. He's quickly wrenched back into reality as the crew of the shuttle Knight, the only survivors from the Cant, fight their way through the storm of debris peppering their little ship in the aftermath of the ice hauler's destruction. An infuriated Holden has to be talked down from shooting his own crew as he's forced to watch the mystery stealth ship disappear from view, gone forever after getting away with the mass murder of everyone he's ever loved.
Meanwhile on Ceres, Detective Miller has much worse problems: his water ran out in the shower and now he has dried shampoo in his undercut. Since Julie Mao's off the station, Miller can use her shower to wash out his hair and look for more clues about her disappearance while he's there, I guess. He deepfakes Julie's voice in order to hijack her Alexa and finds some scathing messages between Julie and her father Jules-Pierre, who's apparently fed up with sponsoring her racing career.
While Miller scrubs all the shampoo out of his hair, we get our actual introduction to Chrisjen Avasarala, who gets told off by Undersecretary Sadavir Errinwright for torturing that guy from the last episode. "No, Chrisjen! Bad!" he says, wagging his finger at her. "No war crimes! Put him in the tank if you want to talk to him!"
Chrisjen begrudgingly agrees and, amazingly, her prisoner is actually starting to talk now that his lungs aren't being crushed. He decides he doesn't have to tell her shit about the OPA and whatever connections they might have to Mars, which he is correct about. She says she can send him somewhere much worse than this. He says do your worst.
Back on the Knight, the crew take stock of their situation. Drifting in a leaky lifeboat with no radio, a blown airlock, and bleeding more atmosphere every second, things look sufficiently dire. Holden quickly takes charge -- the thing he hates doing, remember? -- and makes a simple calculation: no radio, no rescue, and everyone slowly suffocates to death. Since the airlock is busted and opening the door now would suck all of their oxygen into space, the crew vent the cabin, don their space suits, and Holden and Amos take a nice walk outside to fix the antenna while Naomi takes charge of the repair job inside.
Miller has finally finished his shower and links back up with Havelock to jump on a top-priority mission: some rich Earth guy's lawn is turning brown. Miller thinks it's a local gang, the Greigas, who've stolen water before but aren't usually this obvious about it. It ends up being a bunch of upstart kids selling water out of a warehouse, and Miller gets his third shower of the episode as he's drenched by a falling water barrel. He captures the lead kid, but decides to let him go after telling him to stay away from Da Akwa!
While being stranded in space is terrifying, it does give everyone onboard the Knight time to get to know each other better. Holden asks Amos what the hell is up with him and Naomi (valid question), and Amos replies by telling him that the only thing keeping him from ripping Holden's helmet off and kicking him into space is that Naomi wouldn't like it. He then calmly asks Holden to pass him a drill.
After a lot of swearing, a lot of suffocating, and a lot of kicking, the radio finally crackles to life. All they have to do now is sit around and wait to be rescued by someone who's okay with losing their on-time bonus. The irony is not lost on them.
After her failed interrogation of her OPA friend, Chrisjen tells Errinwright that she needs to move him from her Top Secret Torture Chamber to an Even More Top Secret Torture Chamber on the moon. She shares her fears that Mars is supplying the OPA with stealth tech, but Errinwright is skeptical; the cold war helps Mars more than Earth, so they have little motivation to rock the boat. She tells him to keep an eye on their weapons facilities anyway.
Later, she gets a message on her iPad that her prisoner killed himself on the way to the moonbase by denying himself an injection of medication designed to keep him alive through the hard G's he pulled during the ascent. A message to Chrisjen after she used that very same gravity to torture him earlier. As far as ways of dying go, that's pretty badass.
Back on Ceres, Miller chases down the last of his leads and goes to the dock master to try to find the Razorback, Julie's racing ship. The dock master doesn't know anything about the Razorback, but he does remember Julie fondly; he tells Miller how he saw her kick some creep's ass after he hit on her. He also tells Miller that Julie shipped out on the Scopuli, giving Miller one more key piece to the puzzle. He ends up scrolling through her Space Tinder in a definitely-not-creepy way and finds someone she matched with, which is basically what qualifies as a lead for him right now. His ex-partner (in both senses of the word) Octavia finds him and clearly thinks he might be a little too invested in this case, which she's right about.
After some tense waiting on the Knight, the crew's distress signal is picked up. Unfortunately, it's received by the big, badass pride of the Martian Navy, the MCRN Donnager. Given that the Cant was lured to the Scopuli using a Martian beacon and blown up by a ship using Martian stealth tech, Holden and company are less than enthusiastic about their rendezvous with the Mickies.
Holden flexes his home video skills with a desperate recording explaining everything they know about what happened, saying that their deaths will only confirm that Mars was responsible for the attack. He broadcasts the signal only to learn that the Martian warship's jammers were in range, leaving it unclear if anyone even heard his transmission.
As the Donnager tractors the beat-up shuttle and Martian marines cut through the hull, the crew try to make peace with their apparently impending deaths as a swarm of laser sights find their chests.
"You are prisoners of the Mars Congressional Republic. Move and you die."
-----------------
Unless it wasn't clear from the size of that summary, HOLY SHIT SO MUCH HAPPENED IN THIS EPISODE. Miller basically has two full separate story arcs, there's plenty of character moments and good tense action in the Knight crew's fight for survival, and Chrisjen's story finally gets started in earnest. There could've easily been two full episodes' worth of story here, but the pacing doesn't feel too fast, either. It's just delightfully dense. Let's dig in!
-----------------
Holden and the Knight
In any show about space, space needs to be really scary. You can say "life in space is hard and dangerous" all you want, but unless you show the audience the perils of space travel, they'll never take it as a serious threat.
This part of the episode is about establishing that threat. Most of the danger happens after the stealth ship leaves and before the Donnager arrives, when the crew is alone with nothing but the titular Big Empty to contend with. And we spent a good chunk of the last episode getting to know a bunch of characters who just got nuked, so the audience knows that no one here has plot armor (except for maybe Holden). It makes for an absolute rollercoaster of a sequence as the crew jumps from one crisis to another.
Easily my favorite scene from this episode is Holden and Amos' conversation as they're trying to fix the radio. Amos is one of the most fascinating characters in this show, and we get our first good look inside his head here. What we seem to find, initially, is that he's a sociopath, but it's more complex than that. He simply appears physically incapable of comprehending morality or ethics. It's not that he doesn't care about people; it's that he lacks the ability to think about people in anything except purely rational or practical terms.
He doesn't think that it would be "wrong" for him to kick Holden off the shuttle, just as he doesn't think it would be "right" not to, because his brain isn't wired to think about things in terms of "right" and "wrong". The reason he doesn't do it is because of Naomi's disapproval. He's aware that he doesn't have a moral compass, so his solution is to use Naomi as a barometer against which to measure right and wrong behavior.
And suddenly, so many things about him click into place: why he listens to everything Naomi tells him, his deadpan demeanor, even why he might take a job as a mechanic on an ice hauler; less of a chance of doing something wrong if you interact with other people as little as possible. Naomi being his direct superior is also a plus.
This will come up again and again as we continue to dig into Amos and as he begins to form relationships with the rest of the crew. What I love about him is that a set of less capable writers could've easily written him as a character who struggles with a lack of humanity because of his mental illness, but he's one of the most fundamentally human characters I've seen on television.
It's not even necessarily framed as a bad thing; it just makes him different from the rest of the crew and creates some fascinating relationship dynamics with Holden, Naomi, Alex, pretty much everyone he interacts with. For mental illness to be treated with this level of care and nuance is so rare on TV and it's wonderfully refreshing.
-----------------
Miller and Ceres
Remember the conversation we had last time about Julie being Miller's Dulcinea? Yeah, this is what I was talking about.
I actually want to focus more on Miller's B plot this episode, since the Julie investigation is only the focus of about three scenes that I basically covered in the summary. Before we move on though, I wanted to point out that Julie's dating profile confirms that she is canonically pansexual! It's more of an easter egg than anything, really: the only on-screen or referenced relationships she has are with men, but it's still a nice touch.
With that aside, the main thing I wanna talk about this time around is the scene with Rich Earth Guy as he's complaining to Miller and Havelock about his lawn. My favorite tiny detail in this scene is the way Miller takes a drink of water. He takes the tiniest sip out of the glass and swills it around his mouth, savoring it for as long as possible before pouring the rest of the glass carefully back into the pitcher. The opening text of "Dulcinea" told us that water is more valuable than gold in space. Miller, the only Belter in the room, treats it as such. It makes Rich Earth Guy's complaining about his lawn water seem ludicrous by comparison.
As a good leftist, I'm definitely a sucker for anything that lets me hate on a guy who's basically the space-age equivalent of an HOA board member, but this is also a great example of the absolute disdain off-worlders on Ceres have for Belters. It's not enough that Rich Earth Guy gets to live in the only part of this station that looks like utopian paradise, surrounded by beautiful green spaces and observing his kingdom from his massive balcony; no, those filthy Belters have to know he's up there. They have to appreciate him, respect him, thank him for being so generous as to use his lawn to cycle the air that they breathe.
He's not this callous with his language, of course, but you can feel the sentiment dripping from his words. And we can immediately tell that he doesn't really care that his lawn is important to the station; he just gets off on feeling important.
Havelock, to his credit, is still naïve enough to try to call Rich Earth Guy out on his bullshit. This place you live in might as well be an alien planet to Belters. And maybe if Belters weren't down in the shit fighting for their fucking lives day after day, they'd have a little more time to appreciate your lawn. Again, he's a little more subtle than that. But not by much. Rich Earth Guy hands him a cactus and tells him, politely, to fuck off.
As we're going to find out, Earth is basically run by thousands and thousands of Rich Earth Guys. And every single day, whenever the Belt reminds them that they never get to see Earth's lawn, that they're too busy breaking their backs for Earth to ever even dream of having a lawn of their own, Earth hands the Belt a cactus and tells them, with varying degrees of politeness, to fuck off.
------------------
Chrisjen and the UN
And now it's finally time to see what's got Chrisjen worried about her lawn. We still don't spend too much time with her this episode considering all the madness going on with the Knight, but we still get our introduction to Errinwright, who's going to be a key player at the UN going forward.
My favorite Chrisjen scene in this episode has to be her conversation with Errinwright after her failed interrogation of the OPA prisoner. As she's talking about shuffling her secret political prisoner between black-site interrogation facilities, Errinwright openly wonders how no one is keeping tabs on this woman. His answer is self-evident: he's appointed himself as Chrisjen's watchdog.
Their relationship appears mostly transactional: Chrisjen allows Errinwright to keep an eye on her and shares information in him in exchange for his support in the government. It's clear from the jump, however, that both of them are using the other to achieve their goals. Chrisjen's goals are clear: she wants to figure out what the hell's going on with Mars and the OPA. Errinwright's motivations remain unclear at this early stage, but it's clear that Chrisjen trusts him, at least as much as she trusts anyone.
Without spoiling very much, Errinwright's character is defined by his relationship to Chrisjen, and he helps develop Chrisjen's character in turn. The thing that becomes clear in this episode is that he and Chrisjen are so close to each other because they speak the same language and play the same game. I'm very much looking forward to seeing them play that game in future episodes.
------------------
If you're here, thank you so much, again, for bearing with me through this ludicrously long post. I'm trying so hard to work on being brief, and again, there was a ton of stuff I didn't talk about in this episode that I really, really wanted to.
Happy holidays to you all! I'll be picking up the story with "Remember the Cant" in hopefully less than a month -- sorry about that delay again. See you starside!
2 notes
·
View notes
Text
YOU ALREADY KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS. OCTOBER READS
The bad:
Mistletoe and Mishigas by MA Wardell - I know this is not a visual medium so just imagine me rubbing my eyes and sighing extremely heavily. (1000% on me because I sought out something I knew I'd hate because I needed to channel my anxious energy to something. Also doing these lil writeups has made me realize how often I read something specifically because I'm anxious. Humiliating but unfortunately for all of us, true.)
The fine:
Passing Strange by Ellen Klages - this was so average I almost forgot what it was about. Would have made a much better short story!
Iris Kelly Doesn't Date by Ashley Herring Blake - idk man. There's some stuff I loved in here and some stuff I didn't love but it's what I come to expect from romance novels which are (for me) average at best
Station Island by Seamus Heaney - king, this was not your fault, I am just too stupid to understand a lot of the historical and geographical references you made so it was hard for me to follow. It's me, not you!
The good:
Hyperboreal by Joan Naviyuk Kane - this was so beautiful and sparse and reminded me why I have always been so obsessed with the Arctic.
The Employees by Olga Ravn - strange and foreboding and told in a very interesting format!
Bliss Montage by Ling Ma - I like my short stories weird and emotional and she delivered. Could've been a little weirder but still very good!
The great:
Out There Screaming edited by Jordan Peele - There's a story in here about a girl who steals her (ex)boyfriend's actual heart out of his body so he'll love her again and I just think that's fantastic.
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers - a reread that is honestly gonna be a forever favorite, though I do prefer the second one over this one!
Welcome to St. Hell by Lewis Hancox - I kept seeing this around and had zero interest in reading it until I saw an interview with the author saying a major source of his gender affirmation as a child was MTV's Jackass, at which point I checked to see if my library had it. Extremely funny and sweet.
The Solace of Open Spaces by Gretel Ehrlich - I identified a little too closely with the surly cowboys and sheepherders who went months without speaking to anyone which I don't know how to feel about.
The President and the Frog by Carolina de Robertis - speaking of weird and emotional!!!!! look I do not feel great about the state of politics in the world in general right now and like I know it's fiction but this was really moving and I found quieted some of the dread I've been feeling about current affairs specifically. Favorite author status atp
Currently: slowly working my way through Unfortunately, It Was Paradise by Mahmoud Darwish, Selected Poems and Prose of Paul Celan, and The Wind's Twelve Quarters by Urusla K. LeGuin and also just started I Am Not Sidney Poitier by Percival Everett
3 notes
·
View notes
Note
Hey, I’ve also worked for dollar general (distribution center) in the past and am thinking of reapplying because I have no other options rly, I’ve also sat through the anti union videos in agony, do you have any stories? I’ll share mine:
The health insurance was blue cross blue shield of Tennessee for full timers. The distribution center is… not in Tennessee. So, we all had pretty shitty coverage especially when it came to specialists or outpatient.
One of the managers would explain to the employees that “we can’t afford to pay you more because the basket size at a dollar general store is smaller than for instance Walmart or target and that’s why they can afford to pay their workers more” like fuck off, Todd vasos makes 1000x more than entry level employees.
Re the anti union videos: they’d be like “all unions want is money, that’s their only goal” like ohhh that sounds familiar, I’m pretty sure that’s all you want too dollar general, I don’t think you’re in rural areas and creating food deserts just to be kind and altruistic…
Oh lord it was all just a load of bullshit, fuck capitalism
Uh...well, I don't have any good stories that I can talk about yet, but as soon as the current drama settles, I certainly will!
I dub thee DG-Anon. Check back in with me in like a month. I'll give you the story.
My manager's about to lose her job for being a petty bitch, is the long and short of it, but there's a ton of interesting details that I probably shouldn't talk about until the story ends. More satisfying that way.
There's always drama at your local minimum-wage job. Gas station? Dollar General? McDonald's? There's always drama.
This isn't much of a story, but just to tie you over, my manager has this tendency to criticize the work we do in our group chat, when she means to call out one specific person. So, she'll say something like "This store hasn't been recovered at all. It's absolutely unacceptable that I have to explain your basic duties again." and then she'll go on some disjointed tirade about our job description and usually finish it off with "I don't want to be harsh with you all but if the Regional or District Manager comes in and sees the state of this store, that's immediate termination for me."
So, two things there:
No, it's not! It's a writeup. Maybe! But most DG stores don't do recovery either, because DG employees are notorious (at least among our district's store managers) for not really giving a shit about recovery. And she says that all the time, because we're all well aware that customers go out of their way to come to our store. They tell us as much. And I always bring it up because it confuses me. So she explains why she thinks that is. But something doesn't add up there does it? How can those stores keep employees if no one carries out their full responsibilities, resulting in immediate termination?
THERE WAS RECOVERY DONE YOU BITCH I DID IT. AND WHEN I ASK YOU WHAT THE FUCK YOURE TALKING ABOUT YOU SAY "No, I didn't mean you!" WELL WHO THE FUCK WERE YOU TALKING ABOUT, BITCH??? BECAUSE IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT ME!!! MOTHER FUCKER!!!
So, uh, yeah, not fond of my manager.
My assistant manager also does jack shit, but like, that's a different complaint.
6 notes
·
View notes
Text
September of 1992, and Ode to Ruth Weaver
September of 1992, 17 years ago. We did a lot of stuff during that time.
The first thing I remember of that month was when we were promoted. The lights were blinding, and we were set to go up on that stage and show the entire county who we've become. Who we were supposed to become — responsible heads of the entire department of the whole county may I remind you — was what everyone expected, but deep down you and I both knew we'd just fuck around like we always did until we were given something to do.
Then, I got busy. So busy I could barely see you during the day. Everything just became so blurry at that time, hours running by so quickly I barely registered any time you came in to check on me. I was so drowned in case after case that I couldn't think straight anymore, couldn't think of you. I still feel so guilty for that.
The Heathcliff case still lingers in the back of my mind as I remember seeing the poor kid dead in his own room, the scars of fighting against monsters beyond his comprehension filling the air of that damned room. I almost wanted to cry seeing him, half of his face covered in his own blood and dead skin caused by the explosive collision of the bullet and his fucking head. Thinking about that makes me wanna throw up all over again.
And then came the Murrays, a family of which I had somewhat known before Lynn' death and Jude's disappearance. Adam seemed like such a good kid, and then he disappeared too. Thank god for the orphanage that took him in, because if they ever asked me to take care of him. He has no other family from what records showed.
That house... I can feel it still haunted by those damn things. I've tried to go back and brave myself through the layout again, but I can barely get a step through the front door without sprinting back to my car and crying. As soon as I open the door I keep seeing you there, your mangled body hung by a string, your eyes dull as they stare straight into mine. I know it's not really you, they removed your body ages ago. But I can't help but imagine you there, taunting me from beyond the grave.
I don't know how much longer I can take of this life without you. You were the one thing holding me up above the ground. You're the only reason I still continue to live other than spite towards the thing that lurks in the darkness of my own home. I can only hope you're still watching over me, my guardian angel.
I love you. You were my best friend, and I never could have done anything without you man...
I miss you. I miss you so much. I'm sorry.
#mandela catalogue#the mandela catalogue#station writeups#thatcher davis#ruth weaver#disturbing imagery#disturbing content#a2t#i do get sliiightly graphic in one part of it so plz tell me if i need to tag anything specific#i do wish this was longer but im running out of time to schedule this so just take this :')
43 notes
·
View notes
Text
Atlanta’s big urbanism stories of 2022
DARIN GIVENS | JANUARY 22, 2023
Thanks to everyone who answered our call for the biggest stories in Atlanta urbanism from the last year, both good and bad! Below are some of the responses:
The growth of opposition to transit on the Atlanta Beltline
If you’ve lived in Atlanta for the last 20 years and attended some of the many public meetings about the plans for rail on the Beltline, the vocal opposition that’s emerged over the past year likely seems to come out of nowhere. Is it just some loud noise made by a small faction? Possibly. It’ll be interesting to see if it dies away or gains steam in 2023.
For now, take a look at Ryan Gravel’s good writeup on the reasons why transit is essential for the Beltline.
Westside Beltline: progress and delay
The Urbanize Atlanta site says it well: the construction of the Westside trail is very exciting (will it end up being a development magnet like the Eastside trail has been?), but the timeline for the full build-out has been frustrating for people in those neighborhoods who are looking forward to a fully connected path:
“First, the good news for Atlanta BeltLine patrons and proponents: Another section of the 22-mile loop is making concrete strides toward becoming a reality. Less encouraging news: The Westside Trail’s Segment 4, spanning a crucial 1.3 miles, isn’t expected to open for public use until deep into 2025.”
The ongoing fallout from Cop City / South River Forest
There was a controversial land swap that resulted in loss of trees, a fight for the forest that garnered national attention from activists, and generally a lot of ill feelings on the local stage about this public safety facility that’s poised to be built in a forest that was previously slated as public green space.
ThreadATL wrote about it a couple of years ago. The fallout from the city’s awful decision to ignore the Atlanta City Design concept for the park has been terrible to watch.
Above: lake at the Prison Farm in the forest now slated to become a training facility; source: Atlanta City Design
Atlanta Medical Center closing
AMC in Old Fourth Ward became the latest in a string of hospital closures in Georgia, most of them (like AMC) are expected to have an outsized negative effect on lower-income patients in Black communities. As the AJC article about it notes: “Patients and doctors interviewed over the past two months repeated the expectation that the lower-income and Black communities would be the most harmed by the closures. They worry many will drop regular visits or never find a new doctor.”
Another major concern is access: AMC was served by three different MARTA bus routes, which made it accessible to staff and patients who need that transit option. Will the new offices they have to go to be as accessible?
The failure of the Edgewood neighborhood to support gentle density
The proposed rezoning of 90 and 98 Whitefoord Avenue in the Edgewood neighborhood would have produced 48 new housing units, including 25% of them priced for lower-income households at 60% of Area Median Income (AMI). The property is 4 blocks from a MARTA station and 3 blocks from Edgewood Retail (a regional jobs center) — great for walkable access.
Sadly, it got shut down down before it ever left the zoning committee of the neighborhood. The proposal is still up at edgewoodforeveryone.com
Progress with parking reform
Planning pros tell us that several low-parking housing developments have been announced for the first time in ages for Atlanta. This is a huge change from a few years ago, when anything less than a ratio of one parking space per bedroom was unheard of.
Also, thanks to the leadership of Councilmember Jason Dozier, Atlanta is putting a lower cap on the number of parking spaces that can be built for new real estate projects. At the end of 2022, City Council made an amendment to the zoning ordinance that lowers the maximums parking spaces allowed to be built for new developments in Midtown and Downtown, the most walkable and transit-accessible parts of the city.
Two Peachtree tower in Downtown set to become affordable homes
Invest Atlanta approved $39 million to purchase the massive Two Peachtree office tower in Downtown with the intention of converting it into affordable housing! This 44-story building dates to 1968. Invest Atlanta will hold onto the building until a redevelopment partner is selected. Funding for the purchase is coming from the Eastside Tax Allocation District.
Converting office buildings to housing seems to be a trend in Downtown. Another 1960s tower at 100 Edgewood Avenue (across from Hurt Park) is being converted to 268 new housing units, likely for students. And not far away, work has begun on the conversion of another office building to residential at 41 Marietta Street, where it intersects with Forsyth.
Trolley line Trail finally happening
Eastside Trolley Trail between Kirkwood and the BeltLine is happening. The PATH Foundation has started work to link existing stretches of trail. Urbanize Atlanta reports that the trail will “start on-street in Reynoldstown near the Eastside Trail, run eastward through Edgewood, and connect with existing PATH sections that were installed prior to the 1996 Olympics as the project’s first phase. The finished project will provide a nearly two-mile route for non-drivers from the doorstep of Kirkwood’s downtown back to the BeltLine.”
Krog Street Market district
The construction of new office space next to Krog Street Market — one from Asana and one from Portman — is helping to fulfill the promise of the Beltline as not just a nice place to live, but a nice place to work. The variety of destinations on the Beltline help to emphasize that Atlantans are ready to live and work in places that aren’t served by highways for driving, but that are served by routes for alternative transportation.
The sudden removal of Peachtree Shared Space
This one really hurt. The Peachtree Shared Space, one of the most exciting projects from the Tim Keane era of Atlanta’s planning department, was dismantled at the order of Mayor Dickens. The roadway was returned to its sad former status as, essentially, a four lane car sewer.
According to the website for the project, it was supposed to shift directly into a Phase Two at the end of this Phase One, and add more features such as seating.
https://www.sharepeachtree.com/demo
It’s a safe assumption that the pushback on the shared street from powerful voices in Downtown — ones who didn’t like the idea of car lanes being turned into shared spaces with slower traffic — has succeeded. On Twitter, Councilmember Amir Farokhi wrote that he tried to change this decision about dismantling the shared space, but hasn’t been able to. Which is particularly disappointing since he’s the Council’s Transportation Committee Chair.
A developer was found for the Civic Center site
After a couple of disappointing false starts with other developers, Atlanta Housing has selected the team of Tishman Speyer and H.J. Russell & Co. as master developers for the 14-acre site, which has sat vacant for eight years. Atlanta Civic Circle has the story. Fingers crossed: so far, the developers haven’t pulled out. Though there’s some major concern over the amount of affordable housing that might be provided here (it should be a high amount, including deep affordability for lower-income households).
---
This was reposted from ThreadATL.org
11 notes
·
View notes
Text
Sorting Star Trek: The Next Generation: Part 1
I first discovered the Sorting Hat Chats through @wisteria-lodge’s excellent posts about Elim Garak and Julian Bashir, and they’ve also done a good writeup of The Original Series’s Power Trio (and Scotty), but I haven’t seen anyone do The Next Generation yet, so here I am! I intend to Sort the whole TNG cast, but that’s a lot for one post, so I’m going to split it into multiple parts.
A more detailed break-down of the system I’m using is right here, but the basics are these:
PRIMARY (ie MOTIVE)
BADGER ~ Loyal to the group.
SNAKE ~ Loyal to yourself and your Important People.
LION ~ Subconscious Idealist. Ideals are linked to feelings and instincts.
BIRD ~ Conscious Idealist. Ideals are linked to built systems and external facts.
SECONDARY (ie METHOD)
BADGER ~ Connect with the group. Make allies, work steadily and well. Be whatever the situation calls for. If you find a locked door, knock.
SNAKE ~ Connect with the environment. Notice things. Tell people what they want to hear. If you find a locked door, get in through the window.
BIRD ~ Collect skills, knowledge, personas, useful friends. If you find a locked door, track down the key or try to pick the lock.
LION ~ Be honest, be direct, speak your truth. Either the obstacle is going down or you are. If you find a locked door, kick it in.
Worf, Son of Mogh
Worf is perhaps the most straightforward character in the whole show. A Klingon orphan raised on Earth (in Minsk. Minsk.) by adoptive human parents, Worf held onto his Klingon heritage by adopting a Klingon code of honor. Even when he meets other Klingons, almost none of whom take that code quite so seriously, Worf holds himself rigidly to his system, checking every choice he makes to make sure it is honorable. It’s honestly the clearest Bird primary I’ve ever seen.
Worf’s secondary is also very clear. When faced with any problem, his first instinct is to charge in, phasers blazing, mek’leth at the ready. He is unflinchingly honest in all things. He’s got one of the loudest Lion secondaries in the whole franchise.
Lieutenant Commander Data
Bird primaries have a constructed system that they check their decisions against to determine whether something is right or wrong, whether it is constructed by them or something given to them wholesale, and I think Data’s ethical subroutines definitely count as a system that was given to him wholesale. But the ethical subroutines aren’t the whole of Data’s Bird primary. Data is constantly questioning the world around him, trying to understand what humanity is and what it means to be human. He is constantly gathering data (pun not intended) and evolving his system to account for it.
Speaking of gathering data, Data also has a Bird secondary. His knowledge is vast, and on the rare occasions that he lacks an appropriate toolset for a situation, his android brain can learn one very quickly. In short, Data is the Double Bird Spock can only dream of being.
Dr. Katherine Pulaski
Dr. Pulaski doesn’t get nearly as much screentime as her crewmates, only lasting for one season, but I honestly really like her character. She was very obviously conceived as “female Dr. McCoy”: an older down-home Southern doctor who wears her emotions on her sleeve and is brutally honest. But does she house-match him? Well...yeah! Like McCoy, she will go out of her way to help people because they’re people. The best example of this comes in her one and only focus episode, “Unnatural Selection”. (I’m still salty about the fact that not only is Pulaski in only one season, but it’s also the shortest season due to a writer’s strike.) Captain Picard believes the risk of contagion to his crew is too great to help the crew of Darwin Station, but Pulaski refuses to abandon them, because those are people down there. So she ends up beaming one of the patients into a shuttle where the only people aboard are her and Data (because he’s immune to disease) and even though she gets infected and has to be rescued by Chief O’Brien doing some transporter technobabble, she does solve the medical mystery of the day and saves whomever she can.
Speaking of Pulaski and Data, let’s address the elephant in the room. The thing that Katherine Pulaski is most infamous for is her being an enormous dick to Data in her earliest episodes. That’s very much a Badger primary falling into the trap of dehumanization, just like McCoy with Spock, but the big difference in the dynamic is that Data is not Spock. Spock can answer McCoy’s snark with snark and it’s incredibly entertaining to watch, but Data is far too innocent and earnest for that, and it just comes across as Pulaski being mean. But what all those Pulaski-haters pointedly ignore is that Pulaski goes through some really serious character development over her limited screen time. When she gets to know Data, she stops dehumanizing him, and indeed becomes one of his biggest advocates. In the episode “Pen Pals”, when Data has the personal issue of the day, it is Pulaski who argues most fervently in favor of helping him, because Data is their crewmate, he is their friend, he is a person. Pulaski even comes to believe in Data’s personhood in ways that Data himself tends to dehumanize himself. When Data explains how he cannot feel emotions, Pulaski’s like “Really? Because your reaction back there seemed pretty emotional.” Pulaski continues challenging Data throughout her screentime, but she goes from being dismissive of him to asking Data to challenge his limits in ways he hadn’t even considered.
As to Pulaski’s secondary, she has the same uncompromising Lion that McCoy had. She is going to charge in and make sure people get the medical attention they need, and nothing, neither Captain Picard nor getting infected with a fatal illness herself, is going to stop her. (Yes, I’m bringing up “Unnatural Selection” again. It’s just the best Pulaski episode.) At the beginning of “Unnatural Selection”, Counselor Troi even straight-up calls her out as being almost too dedicated to her work as a doctor.
Dr. Beverly Crusher
Speaking of doctors, let’s move on to the Chief Medical Officer of the Enterprise for the rest of the show. Beverly Crusher is also a Badger primary. Her priority is her patients, and her patients are anyone who is hurt. She doesn’t care about the context; she sees someone hurt, so she charges in to heal them. (That’s her Lion secondary, too.) She’s very straightforward: charge in and heal people, no matter the consequences, which can honestly cause problems, because on multiple occasions, she ends up doing something like violating the Prime Directive, which Picard then has to call her out on.
Crusher: “I couldn’t just leave them there!”
Picard: “Why not?”
The fact that this exact quote is an exchange they’ve had multiple times is, I feel, very telling for both of them. Picard knows that the rules exist for a reason, but Beverly’s not gonna let a little thing like rules get in the way of helping people.
Beverly’s also doing a spot of modeling; she’s got a Badger secondary model that comes in the fact that she kind of holds the role of “everybody’s mom.” Beverly is a caring, nurturing, maternal figure not just to Wesley but to the rest of the crew as well. But it is a model; when the chips are down, Beverly’s first move is to Charge.
Captain Jean-Luc Picard
Captain Picard is a phenomenally eloquent man. He’s downright famous for his speeches about how humanity can be better than anyone gives them credit for, about standing firm to ideals in the face of adversity, about never hesitating to do the right thing. This shows that he’s put a lot of thought into his own moral system; I don’t think a Felt primary would feel comfortable putting so much thought into examining their morals just to articulate them better. Picard sees value in the systems of Starfleet and the ideals of what Starfleet is supposed to stand for, and his Bird primary has incorporated them into his own personal system of what is right and wrong.
Like Kirk, and indeed like all Captains, Picard has a solid Lion secondary model; a natural necessity of the job is the skill to make snap decisions and judgment calls in the moment, and he’s quite good at them. But he only uses that model when it’s absolutely necessary. Picard’s preferred method of problem-solving is to trust in his crew. When faced with a problem, Picard will call a meeting of the senior staff and possibly the odd relevant specialist like O’Brien, and ask for their input on the issue at hand. What we’re seeing there is a Badger secondary leaning on the strengths of his community.
I’ve every intention of doing the rest of the crew at a later date, but this post is already very long, and I want to do more research (read: watch more Star Trek) before I tackle the rest of them. So, to sum up:
Worf: Bird/Lion
Data: Double Bird
Dr. Pulaski: Badger/Lion
Dr. Crusher: Badger/Lion (Badger secondary model)
Picard: Bird/Badger (Lion secondary model)
#sorting hat chats#shc#star trek#star trek the next generation#tng#data tng#worf son of mogh#worf#dr. pulaski#katherine pulaski#data#lieutenant commander data#captain jean luc picard#picard tng#beverly crusher#dr. beverly crusher#dr. crusher#unnatural selection
31 notes
·
View notes
Text
Ah, O'Brien and the early days on the station when nothing works. At all. Damn, I feel the man's pain.
Anyway, DS9 is like... One of a very few shows where I simply do not have characters I don't like in the main cast.
At some point I'll do a long writeup about Sisko - who was, well, pretty much responsible for me being far less affected by racist narratives than I could have been when I was a kid. Not unaffected, of course, but at least the coarsest bullshit got cut off by the filter "but that's my favorite captain" when I was a teen.
There were many things about DS9's narratives on race that I only fully understood much later. But the seeds were there early, and I wish I could thank the team, and especially Avery Brooks, for that.
5 notes
·
View notes
Text
Content: ranting about people gatekeeping autism self-diagnosis and also little message for those that do self-dx
I just don't understand people that gatekeep self-diagnosis (self-dx), especially when it comes to autism. It doesn't hurt anyone to self-dx/self identify as autistic. It doesn't hurt anyone to utilize tools and coping mechanisms that are typically designed/advertised/taught for/to autistic people.
I think that anyone that resonates with autistic experiences and finds relief utilizing coping mechanisms that they have found through autistic people and resources have a place in the community, even if their traits are subclinical or if through their self-exploration and research, they find they aren't autistic. For those that find they aren't, that's totally valid and cool, and through that exploration you have garnered a wealth of knowledge about a group of people that can always use allies.
No one is stealing any resources from anyone by self-dxing autism. Especially as an adult, because there are basically no resources to "steal" lmfao. The resources that do exist don't have a strict limit to them (books, worksheets, blog posts, physical items like weighted blankets and noise cancelling headphones, etc.). I have a clinical diagnosis and all I got was a bunch of paperwork that effects where my husband can be stationed. That's it. Everything else that I have is stuff that's generally accessible and used by tons of people that aren't autistic, or it's stuff I have made for myself (like all my lists and writeups). I know my experience isn't universal, but like, if something helps you in a significant/substantial way, it means it's made for you and those like you.
A large part of the "anti self-dx of autism" shit has to be negative views of what autistic people look like, right? I struggle to imagine any other reason someone would be so fervently against it, to the point they'll attack those that do self-dx. Or do people think you can just walk into some magical treatment facility and say you are autistic and you are whisked away by them and now you're taking up a slot for the "real autistics" ??? There're so many fucking hoops to jump through to get adequate care, at least in the USA. Or is it like people believing that someone else getting accommodations is unfair??? If that's it, why aren't they considering that maybe the world needs to be kinder and more patient, rather than just attacking someone else for getting help? If an accomodation that's utilized by a smaller group of people would be beneficial to the majority, why is that not made the norm??? I'm just so confused by people.
Find something more beneficial to advocate for instead of tearing other people down. Projecting hatred and anger like that is a waste of time and energy that could be used for something way better. It honestly doesn't have to be advocacy or anything, just get a fucking hobby.
#long post#actually autistic#autism#self dx is valid#self diagnosis#autistic problems#I just have a lot of thoughts and feelings#Catt being mad#lmao I am so sorry that this post is so long#stream of consciousness#i don't understand#late diagnosed autistic#text post#tbh just reread this post and I'm mostly complaining about allistics that gatekeep it#idk any autistic people that do but I know they exist and that's probably internalized ableism or some shit
4 notes
·
View notes
Text
Brickclub 5.3.10, “Return of the Son Prodigal With His Life” and 5.3.11, “A Shift in the Absolute”
I’m going to take these two chapters together, building off of @everyonewasabird‘s writeups here and here and trying to summarize the discussion a bunch of us have been having on Discord today.
After dropping off Marius, Javert agrees to take Valjean home, and then dismisses the coach and says he’ll wait for him in the street.
What did Jean Valjean want? To finish what he had begun. To alert Cosette, to tell her where Marius was, perhaps to give her some other useful information, to make, if he could, some final arrangements. As for himself, as for what related to him personally, it was all over.
Does he do any of this? He never tells Cosette about the money or any of her history, except for what he manages to get down in that last letter or on his deathbed. And we don’t actually know when (or what) he tells her about Marius. But we do know by inference that he can’t possibly tell her anything tonight, and probably doesn’t even wake her. Cosette’s not stupid. If she saw and spoke to Valjean tonight, covered in filth and blood, she would remember that when Marius starts looking for a man who carried him through the sewer.
So Valjean goes up the stairs still with the grace that has been with him since the sewers. There’s another miracle in him. And if he had actually TALKED TO COSETTE I would consider that a good use of it, even if that did mean Javert still kills himself.
But Valjean, thinking that Javert by letting him go inside on his own is playing his old cat and mouse game, thinks that he’s on his way to his death:
When he reached the first floor, he paused. Every via dolorosa has its way stations. The window on the landing, which was a guillotine window, was open. As in many houses, the staircase looked out on the street, with light coming in from there. The street lantern, directly opposite, illuminated the stairs, which saved on lighting costs.
Streetlights are an implement of surveillance. Throughout the book, streetlights have been an enemy of truth. They don’t show things as they are--they show what is useful to the police, to the state.
Valjean, believing himself on the way to his crucifixion, puts his head through a guillotine window, and sees, by the light of the street lamp--nothing.
Nothing he needs to concern himself with. Javert is gone--and if Javert isn’t arresting him, it doesn’t matter why, or what he’s doing instead.
This is the moment where Valjean loses whatever grace, whatever miracle, is with him. I think he might have kept it by going after Javert, or by going upstairs and actually talking to Cosette. But instead he looks out on an empty street and believes the lie the lamplight is telling: that he’s alone now, and he can just do nothing.
We talked on Discord about exactly what Valjean’s obligations to Javert are, but at root they’re the same obligations Fauchelevent called him an ingrate for ignoring ten years ago: to remember the people he’s saved. Ever since he started breaking into people’s houses to leave them money in M-s-M, he’s been trying to help people without having to interact with them as people, without having to face the mortifying ordeal of being known--treating other people not as individuals with their own stories but as instruments in his own salvation.
And because he’s able to step back into doing that here, he will be able to keep doing this with Marius, in a way that is deeply injurious to him--robbing both of them of connection, robbing Marius of any chance to be transformed by the gratitude that he wants to bestow. And also straight-up gaslighting a man with a head injury.
7 notes
·
View notes
Last Seen Blogs
al-limite
límite
naumenkoea
Без названия
marblefourty
Marble Hornets guy
tonnerredebrest
i like grass and fast cars
agvstdd
evil to the core