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nastasyafilippovnas · 3 years

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Imagine: Kate shows up, is absolutely amazing, realises Anthony is a mess of a man and is like “nah” and marries next seasons version of Prince Fredrich and Anthony tells violet to leave him alone and marries Siena, like he is obviously meant too, and everyone lives happily ever after.

That would be amazing. <3 also, I got really inspired after this ask, lol, but in an angsty way, so, let's just say this is in the beginning of this imaginary s02, before we can get to the everyone lives happily ever after:

"why are you wasting both of our time when you so clearly wish you were with someone else?”, anthony & kate talking, santhony, kate/oc, wc. 1.2k (ao3 link)

After their dance, Lord Bridgerton escorted her to one of the quietest corners of the ballroom, a private place for them to talk to while still in plain view of the ton. Kate supposed that, to anyone watching, they would seem rather intimate. In fact, she could almost see the pleased smiles on her mama and the Dowager Viscountess’ faces, as they imagined planning another wedding at the end of the season. She resisted the urge to groan in discontentment, for it would be most unladylike.

Kate wasn’t completely opposed to marriage and the Viscount was certainly a fine catch, but he was so dull and proper the whole time. He knew nothing of India and he didn’t seem interesting in learning about her country or even herself. That is, besides what was necessary to ascertain that she would be an adequate wife.

If she were to marry, surely, there were better, more exciting prospects to be found amongst London’s society. Someone charming, travelled, eager to explore new lands, who would treat her as his equal. Someone… not unlike Captain Ellingsworth, whom she met on her travel from India to England. She had enjoyed their conversations on the deck of the ship immensely, as the Captain told her about his travels and she shared stories of her country and culture. But the Captain never once mentioned marriage, and, besides, her papa would never consent to such a union, to a second son, that earned his living in the navy.

Papa would not satisfy himself with anything less than a titled firstborn, like Lord Bridgerton, who had not said a word to her after escorting her from the dance floor and shoving a glass of water in her hand.

Kate looked back at him, ready to complain about his treatment, only to realize his gaze was fixed on the other side of the room, where a woman dressed in a sinfully (for the British, anyway) deep red laced gown was surrounded by a group of gentlemen.

Miss Rosso was undoubtedly the best soprano Kate had ever heard in her life. She had sang a couple of arias in the beginning of the ball, before the dancing had started, and was now receiving accolades from her adoring fans. A young one had even offered a bouquet of flowers and pledged his undying love to her, to the others’ amusement. Kate would’ve loved to meet her, to ask where she found the inspiration to sing with such passion, but it wouldn’t be proper for a young, unmarried lady such as herself to entertain such company.

The Viscount, she noticed, also seemed incapable to take his eyes away from her. It was so glaringly obvious that Kate wondered how it had taken her so long to see it. He had asked her to dance as soon as Miss Rosso’s performance had come to an end, his movements both purposeful and stiff, as if he was forcing himself to do it, as if he had something to prove to someone. And she prided herself on being observant, really!

Kate took a sip from her water glass and decided to act accordingly to what she, personally, always felt was her best quality: blunt honesty.

“You know, why are you wasting both of our time when you so clearly wish you were with someone else?”

He looked back at her quickly, confusion and guilty marring his sharp features, and she pointed discreetly with her head back to the other side of the room.

Lord Bridgerton followed the movement with his eyes and - because she had ben waiting for it this time - Kate saw as an expression of pain and longing crossed his face before the Viscount’s mask of indifference was back into place.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He said, turning back to look her in the eye. “I'm perfectly happy where I am.”

Kate raised one her eyebrows - a move she had copied from her late grandmother -, the skepticism obvious in her features. “I assure you, Miss Sharma, Miss Rosso and I are merely old acquaintances.” He paused and looked back across the room towards the woman they were discussing. The crowd of admirers around Miss Rosso seemed to have increased, if that was at all possible. Kate could see now that some of the older women, widows with nothing to fear for their reputation such as Lady Cowper and Lady Danbury, had also joined their circle. She was watching the crowd so intently, wondering if any of the ladies would be persuaded to introduce her to Miss Rosso, that she almost missed the viscount’s next words.

“She has made her decision about me a long time ago.” He muttered, more to himself than to her, she supposed.

Her mother would’ve told her to pretend she didn’t hear such confession, one that clearly spoke of a prior and scandalous attachment.

But Kate never much heeded her mother’s advices.

“Is that so?” She enquired, forcing him to turn around and look at her. She didn’t know if the frown on his face was because she was daring to question him about his words or because she had forced him to pay attention to her, instead of looking across the room, to the one he wanted most. It didn’t much matter either way, she thought. “I find that most interesting.”

“Why is it interesting?” Lord Bridgerton asked, more out of politeness than anything else, she supposed. The British tried to keep their manners even amidst heartbreak.

Kate smiled softly. “When you’re not looking at, she is always looking at you, with that same expression of regret you have. It’s like a mirror. And her eyes followed you across the room the whole time we were dancing.” He closed his eyes during her speech, as if her words were unbearable. But there was so much Kate had noticed tonight, she couldn’t stop the words from coming. “When we waltzed, she…”

“That's enough.” He interrupted her sharply. “Thank you, Miss Sharma, but I think I shall retire for the evening."

“But she…you…” For the first time, Kate didn’t know what to say. She might not have thought this whole think through. She had thought he would have been happy to know his affections were corresponded.

“I don’t know how it works on the eastern corners of the Empire,” Anthony said, and for the first time, Kate thought she heard a hint of curiosity in his voice, about a faraway land where their fates might’ve been different, “but here in London, there are no happy endings for rakes and prima donnas.”

“I don’t understand…you could…” She started saying, but Anthony was already shaking his head, closing the subject behind them. She had thought he had put on the Viscount mask on before, but it wasn’t anywhere close to the resolution he supported now. He looked like a completely different man and the change disturbed her.

“I shall call on you and your sister tomorrow, if you will let me. We can go promenade if the weather is good.” He said, dropping a kiss to her gloved hand.

She didn’t consent to the visit, as she should have. She didn't felt the kiss he placed on her hand either. Instead, out of their own volition, her eyes travelled across the room, locking on a pair of light brown ones that were full of anguish. No one noticed her pain. Around her, they all smiled, dazzled by her talent and beauty, but, as Anthony left, Kate swore she saw the soprano shed a tear.

#anonymous #answered asks #bridgerton #anthony x siena #santhony #anthony bridgerton #siena rosso #my fics

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magicofthepen · 4 years

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Time War 3 Thoughts (Eps. 1-3)

Only the first three episodes because this is already long, and I have a lot of in-depth reactions and thoughts on Unity alone. These are based on my live reaction notes, with some “in hindsight” thoughts sprinkled in there. Fair warning, I’ve only listened once, so there are points of confusion that might be fixed with a relisten.

HOSTILES

The whole “on a ship with a core that’s going to implode” thing immediately gave me Enemy Lines vibes — and these vibes skyrocketed with Romana shouting “take my hand” down to Narvin. (Very disappointed in Narvin for not doing it, I will take any and all canonical handholding, even if it is for boring logistical reasons.)

Love that callback to Narvin almost falling off the roof :)

The way Narvin says “all this vegetation” is so funny, and really it’s hilarious how much of Time War 3 is “let’s make Narvin interact with as many plants and animals as possible.” No idea why this was the agenda, but I’m here for it.

I am 100% confused on the timeline re: the Sicari. If they didn’t show up until shortly before Romana’s failed assassination plot/the exile, but Trellick was sent to investigate their home a while before Romana was kicked off Gallifrey...that doesn’t line up??? Plus in Assassins don’t they mention that they’ve never caught one, and in Hostiles they have Sicari prisoners...generally I’m not too fussed about plot details but this one kept really throwing me off as I tried to connect the dots.

Trellick calls Romana Narvin’s boss at one point (not knowing otherwise), and really up until now those two have always had to navigate their personal relationship around their professional roles and hierarchy. And tbh I wish there had been more overt exploration of how the sudden absence of that hierarchy affects their dynamic.

“Narvin, this isn’t a shopping trip” — I enjoyed Narvin collecting all the tech, but in hindsight so annoyed at myself for not catching onto the chameleon arch being An Important Thing That Will Come Back Later

There are some really interesting moments of tension between Romana and Narvin (Romana wanting to trust and help Trellick vs. Narvin’s paranoia and focus on survival and escape) and the little moments of argument and tension that bubble up and fizzle out between them (”You almost went without me.” / “I knew you’d catch up.”)...the episode itself didn’t really dig deep and unpack them, but in many scenes it feels like there’s a lot going on under the surface and I love these layers!

I can’t believe these two had to swing on vines, this is iconic and amazing.

“Let’s replace the circuit together” is super cheesy and such a ridiculously technical way to express affection and I love it.

NEVERNOR

Re: the biodata tracking — how exactly did they get that info? Did Mantus give actual physical information to Narvin that he was able to hang onto? And how is that different from how they were trying (and failing) to track Leela before? (Since i think Narvin had mentioned tracking Ace through biodata in Time War 2...)

Narvin’s interaction with the goat? Yes.

Me, the instant they mention spending the night at the farm: Oh my god if there is Only One Bed, I might forgive this boxset for whatever horrible thing it’s going to do to Romana.

(That is a lie, of course, but I am extremely invested in bed sharing tropes.)

Tragically, this episode failed to live up to its trope-y potential (and Episode 4 remains unforgiven), although I do treasure the fact that we got to hear them share a sleeping space, complete with Romana waking Narvin up in the middle of the night because the ghosts are freaking her out.

On a related note: this episode was genuinely spooky and tense, and I was really into that atmosphere!!

Ooh I like this subtle reminder of how much time Romana and Leela have spent traveling in the Vortex...but not Narvin. This boxset doesn’t get into the whole “this is Narvin’s first time as a renegade but it isn’t Romana’s” dynamic too much, but I like this hint of it.

I really liked the moral implications the Nevernor test set up for the episode (the only way to pass is to not care), but it didn’t seem like it was actually relevant to the episode’s conclusion? Sure, Romana and Narvin left those people behind, but they were alive and they did their best to save them? I’m a bit confused about what the emotional beat here was supposed to be.

MOTHER TONGUE

Leela!! ...screaming in pain which isn’t great but still good to hear her voice.

The logistics of the whole consciousness transfer are still confusing to me. Did she take over someone else’s life on this world, someone who just happened to have the same name as her? If she only lived certain moments, did that mean the other person’s consciousness was in control the other times?

“How do you know they are wise when they do not speak?” That doesn’t sound like Leela

What is up with Leela bonding so quickly with Sholan and also being so harsh — “You need to be a man. You have a good heart, but you must teach it to be colder, harder.” The idea of her not being in a great emotional place to be a parent right now and messing up big time is so interesting in theory, but once Leela’s seen the future where Sholan is cold and hardened, I find it hard to believe she would actively push him in that direction. Also I don’t quite buy how quickly she embraces this mother-son relationship.

I do like how Leela keeps mentioning the Daleks as the main threat of the war, but of course in the end she sees it’s the Time Lords who are the antagonists here. There’s something fascinatingly awful about seeing the evil of the Time Lords completely from the outside, as opposed to Time War 2 which is all tangled up inside the system.

There is so much in these episodes about choice — it’s Trellick’s choice to try to escape even thought it could mean not surviving, it’s Agata’s choice to sacrifice herself to save the younger version of herself and her husband, it’s Sholan’s choice to die to save his cousin. And I have Thoughts about how this concludes in Unity, but I also want to point out that Leela is also given a choice at the end here, but unlike the other ones, she chooses to live.

#gallifrey spoilers #gallifrey audios #gallifrey #me: uhhh let's focus on the less emotionally traumatizing bits first #as i try to figure out how to talk about the last episode #also as an overall note i liked the small casts and contained stories!#it was cool to hear those kinds of stories plus it meant more main cast interaction which i'm always happy about #ramblings #emily listens to big finish #romana #narvin #leela

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fallencomrade-a · 4 years

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𝖲𝖧𝖨𝖯𝖯𝖨𝖭𝖦 𝖥𝖮𝖱𝖬𝖠𝖫𝖨𝖳𝖨𝖤𝖲.

i figure now is as good a time as any to address some shipping related preferences pertaining to this blog. i should have elaborated on this subject a long while ago, but i am just so notoriously lazy. cx i do mention some of these notions in my rules, but i think it will be extremely beneficial to have something a bit more clearly defined.

mainly, this post addresses the topics of STUCKY and WINTERWIDOW - seeing as these two relationships are considered some of the most popular ships bucky is associated with. it is important that i establish how i write my bucky / how he identifies and also communicate what i am willing / what i am comfortable writing.

i already have a few established ships on this blog with certain people. i am multi - ship / non - exclusive so i welcome more ! buck seems determined to be a brooding ball of sadness, but i still am interested in exploring the concept and struggles of being in a relationship with him would entail ( doesn’t that sound like fun for you ? ) and maybe, just maybe - some of the softness this wounded man could offer another. so, don’t be afraid to approach me with a ship idea ;; the only thing i will say though is that establishing a romantic relationship with my buck will most likely take a lot of time and a lot of planning / development - so please just keep that in mind when considering shipping with us. it is easier for my buck to be violent than it is for him to be soft. that does not change overnight.

if you would like to read more about my stance on STUCKY and WINTERWIDOW, please see more below !

above all else, i consider myself to be a writer - so regardless of my own comfort levels / preferences, exploring different ideas / different relationships between characters is something that intrigues me. that being said, i do write bucky a particular way and that means that there are some ideas that i have a hard time writing right off the bat. the romanticized - shared past between the winter soldier and the black widow is one of them. i do not oppose the notion of them having a history, even an intimate history, but i do not write it as the comics have portrayed it. exceptions may be possible, but this is my default.

i have my own opinions, my own headcanons and my own established history ;; ideas of how i could see it happening. keep in mind, my buck for the majority is completely mcu-based, but that doesn’t mean i don’t mind incorporating some of the comics into different verses with certain partners. that also doesn’t mean i won’t write with partners who are completely comic - based either ! it just means, i would prefer we create our own version of their stories, mixing both comic and mcu aspects together to create something new and special.

still, like i mentioned - i do not romanticize their shared history during the time they were stuck serving hydra / the red room / department x. i depict the time bucky spent captured && controlled by hydra as a time that can only be described as brutal and sickening. treatments that would require trigger warnings, they are so horrendously inhumane. dark themes that i have never really even delved too deeply into on this blog or with any of my partners. we have only started to scratch the surface. he was never a spy in my verse because he proved to be too violent.

the history i have developed - or at least, the ideas i can believe when it comes to the subject of a past, physical relationship between these two characters - is a very dark, distressing and violent connection. i can understand if this deters some people and i respect that. the ideas i am suggesting are not very fun to explore, certainly not if you are looking for something a bit more softer and sweeter, but i do need to emphasize this because it is important to my portrayal of the winter soldier. this idea, of these two tormented characters developing something i can only really describe as ‘ juvenilely cutsie ’ while serving hydra / the red room - it is just unlikely to happen with my buck. i’m not saying it can’t though, just that it would require A LOT of planning and plotting to get to that point, and a comfortable, established relationships between muns.

i want to reiterate, i’m not against WinterWidow. i am open to aus, open to post - hydra relationships. i am just putting it out there that instant shipping, especially during that time, will not happen on this blog unless explicitly discussed and developed.

now, crucify me if you like ... even if my bucky does identify as HETEROFLEXIBLE ( meaning, he leans more towards heterosexual preferences ) - STUCKY is my OTP and pretty much the ONLY ship i would be okay with insta-shipping. HOWEVER, that being said - i DO NOT instant ship the pair without DIRECT PERMISSION from my partners. i adore every aspect of their relationship, including their everlasting, timeworn friendship. just because i ship them, it doesn’t mean i am ship-crazed and unable to write out the beauty of their friendship. all this means is, if you write as steve and come to me and say - ‘ hey - we should ship these two ’ - i will most likely say yes. that’s all.

listen, the most important thing to me is that i respect all my partners and their preferences and their ideas. i always strive to be flexible and compromise a bit, get out of my comfort zones for the joy and intrigue of writing. there are just some subjects which may require a little more discussing / collaboration. i do not want to offend anyone, but i also want everyone to know where i stand and how i portray my muse.

i hope everyone can understand and respect that ! thank you lovelies. ✌🏻😘

#⸢ ✪ ⸥ COMMUNICATIONS. | ‘ 𝑏𝑒𝘩𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑘.

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travllingbunny · 5 years

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The 100: 6x09 What You Take With You

How amazing was this episode? It is, so far, one of the two best episodes of the season (alongside 6x07) and probably in my top 10 favorite The 100 episodes of all time.

It benefited from its focus on just three storylines and a limited number of characters, which allowed it to properly focus on the characters and their psychological and emotional journeys.

The title seems to be a reference to the Dagobah cave scene in The Empire Strikes Back, or rather, the dialogue right before it:

Luke: There is something not right here. I feel cold, death.

Yoda: That place… is strong with the dark side of the Force. A domain of evil it is. In you must go.

Luke: What’s in there?

Yoda: Only what you take with you.

Luke ends up having a hallucination of fighting Darth Vader in the cave and killing him, only to take off his helmet and see his own face, in possibly the most famous movie scene of a character confronting their “Shadow” self.

So, when the episode titles for season 6 of The 100 were released, it wasn’t hard to guess that this episode would contain scenes of a character “facing their demons” in a fantasy sequence (and which character it would be, especially as we had seen glimpses of Octavia fighting the Blodreina version of herself in the trailer). As a fan of psychological character exploration through trippy fantasy sequences, I had high expectations from this episode regarding Octavia’s story – and they were completely fulfilled and maybe exceeded. I wasn’t expecting to see Charles Pike in Octavia’s hallucination soul-searching, and his appearance and how he was used was brilliant.

The other two, equally important storylines, were:

the continuation of the saga about the Bellamy/Clarke relationship through the story about the fight between Josephine and Clarke for control of Clarke’s body, and Bellamy’s attempts to save Clarke from real and certain death;

and the conclusion of the opposite storyline - about Abby crossing a lot of ethical lines to work with the Primes and use bodysnatching to resurrect Kane in another body. This was the final death of Marcus Kane, a tragic end of Kabby romance, but it also a fitting ending for Kane, with him asserting his own integrity and morality by choosing to die and refuse to be complicit in the practices of the Primes, but to instead start a fight against them. It will also probably be the turning point in Abby’s character arc. The resolution of this storyline has caused a lot of controversy and anger, which I don’t understand, since Kane’s decision was obvious and in-character, so much that I predicted it last week, because it was the only thing that made sense narratively and for Kane’s characterization.

More thoughts under the cut.

Octavia vs Blodreina

The fact we still don’t know what happened to Diyoza or to Octavia in the Anomaly makes me think that this is a plot that will carry over to season 7, after the bodysnatching business is wrapped up. And the more they postpone the resolution, the more hopeful I am for Diyoza to survive season 6.

Choosing the angry, violent red box instead of the calm green box is such an Octavia thing to do. But maybe it was the right thing in this case, as it let her face her demons head on and figure things out for herself.

The red butterflies scene was one of the many callbacks to season 1.

Pike’s role made sense because Octavia’s descent into darkness was not just prompted by the trauma of Lincoln’s death at Pike’s hands, but also because it started when she decided to murder Pike for revenge, making herself judge, jury and executioner. That was the first time she committed actual murder, as opposed to killing people in fight. She probably thought at the time, as a big portion of the fandom did, that Pike was a bad guy and had it coming. But one could now say the same thing about Octavia herself, and she is obviously aware of it. If Pike deserved to die, doesn’t she, too? Using the same standards, shouldn’t she be murdered for revenge by someone like James (the Wonkru guy from 6x02, who lost his mother in the gorge and blames Octavia fori t)? In fact, Octavia tried to get him to kill her, because, on some level, she thought she deserved death, too, even while she was pretending that she didn’t feel any guilt and trying to justify all her actions. Why should Bellamy ever forgive her for throwing him into the fighting pit to die? I can see many similarities between Octavia and Pike: both of them are fighters by nature, both were driven by the desire to save and protect people, both were angry and traumatized by what had been done to their people, and both were also prone to black-and-white thinking and harsh judgment of their enemies. As Octavia’s mind version of Pike pointed out, we are products of what we have done, and what has been done to us. Pike is an embodiment of both for Octavia. And Pike himself was a product of what the Ice Nation under Queen Nia had done to him – killing almost all of the people he grew up with, many right in front of him (including 15 children), which made him go into the woods to fight for months. Pike started pre-emptively seeing Grounders as enemies even when they were not, and eventually, as a Chancellor, started acting as a dictator and hunting for traitors in his camp. Octavia started by proclaiming everyone (or almost everyone – Echo didn’t count) her people, One people, but that eventually turned into tyranny and seeing enemies in everyone who disagreed or refused to do everything she asked of them. Pike condemned Lincoln to death and execute him for the same reasons Octavia as Blodreina condemned Bellamy, Indra and Gaia to the fighting pit: to maintain authority and show that rebellion is not allowed and will be punished by death. We may not have seen this put into words, but Octavia’s vision of Blodreina in Pike’s role, condemning/executing Pike the way he had Lincoln, showed her realization about herself. „Pike“ even reminded Octavia that he was trying to earn his redemption by doing good when she killed him. Of course, since Pike was really an enbodiment of a part of Octavia’s own mind, it is really something she has been thinking about and that she’s telling herself. It’s a level of self-reflection that I never expected to see from Octavia of the earlier seasons, and shows how much she’s grown.

So does she deserve redemption? As „Pike“ pointed out, it is not about deserving. You just need to make the decision to go and do good, and not be Blodreina anymore, shown by her symbolic killing of „Blodreina“. She is still to actually start her redemption arc, but getting into the right frame of mind and realizing she wants to change and do better was the necessary first step.

Kane’s goodbye

I’ve already written quite a bit about Abby’s emotional and ethical downfall and the tragic development of the Kabby relationship in seasons 5-6 here and I predicted that the storyline would end with Kane’s death by his own choice (and that Henry Ian Cusick would return to play Kane in a vision for his last scene), even though I didn’t guess when or how it would happen.

Unlike some other fans, I find this to be a very fitting ending for Marcus Kane. I don’t think of what he did as suicide, but as a sacrifice, or, more than anything, a refusal to legitimize and benefit from an evil practice that involves brainwashing people so they could be lambs easily led to slaughter, and then murdering them as lesser and disposable, so you could prolong your own life. He couldn’t fight against it, speak against it, while being in a stolen body himself. (There is a reason why Gabriel is ashamed to admit to his followers that he lives in a host body.) Everything about it was wrong to him, and went against everything he believes in. (Meeting Gavin’s widow and realizing that the Primes are lying to their people also played a role. As Gabriel confirmed in this episode, and as Kane 2.0 and the other Primes, no doubt, are aware, there is no trace of the host mind after the transfer – unless the transfer fails.)

Indra has finally been woken up! But is she staying on the ship now, and if so, when do we see her again? I’m glad she got to say goodbye to her friend before his death. I like the fact that Indra pointed out that both the Arkers and the Grouders had some disturbing practices of their own, but Kane gave the logical answer (something I was hoping someone would point out at any point) – the fact we did bad things in the past, doesn’t mean we should let evil things happen. That’s not how morality (or common sense) works.

The show loves angst, so of course, Kane’s death had to be exactly like Jake Griffin’s death (which we saw in the flashbacks in 1x03), and Abby had to witness it. But, as Raven pointed out, it is better for her if she gets to say goodbye. (Raven would know, since she never got to say goodbye to Finn or Shaw. Or Sinclair.) Kabby has been one of my favorite ships on the show – because it is one of the very few romantic relationships that was well developed, way before Kane and Abby got together. Their chemistry was obvious since season 1. And while Greyston Holt did a great job playing Kane 2.0, it only made sense that Henry Ian Cusick return to play Kane in that last scene, when Kane appeared to Abby the way she saw him in her mind-eye - which also made him feel like real Kane to the audience. The scene was truly beautiful and sad, with Abby’s heartbreak, and Indra and Raven reciting the Ark prayer (with Indra adding the Grounder “Your fight is over”). I don’t think that Kane would really do the same to bring Abby back – or that Abby would have done it if she had been in a healthier state of mind, but I can see why he told Abby that. While he disagreed with her decision and couldn’t accept it, he showed understanding, empathy and love to her, while urging her to let him go and continue her life.

All in all, considering the tricky actor availability situation due to Cusick’s role on another show, I think that the writing staff have found a good way to give Kane a proper sendoff, and make it meaningful and highly relevant to this season’s themes and main plot.

In a way, it’s more Abby’s tragedy than Kane’s – he made the decision that was the only right one, one of the most in-character things he’s ever done, but Abby is still lost and needs to let go off Kane, really recover from addiction, and find her own sense of morality again.

The Kane/Abby storyline and relationship this season is juxtaposed to the Josephine/Gabriel story – and the Clarke/Bellamy story. We have seen bodysnatching as something people (Gabriel, Russell and Simone with Josephine, Abby with Kane) resort to in order to resurrect someone they love. But while Josephine couldn’t be happier about it – because she’s selfish and, let’s say, morally challenged, Kane, with his deep sense of morality, could never accept that. We’ve also seen a storyline about Bellamy doing everything to save Clarke – but while all of those are motivated by love, the big difference between what Bellamy is doing and what Abby has done (and what Gabriel initially did when he resurrected Josephine, at the expense of 40+ of the people he had raised from embryos) is that Bellamy is fighting against an evil act, to right a wrong, as opposed to doing evil or enabling evil.

Bellarkephine

Bellarke has always been the central relationship on the show, but it’s never been as front and center as it is this season. In 6x07, Clarke gave up on living at the moment when Josephine managed to convince her that Bellamy had given up on her and moved on and that he and everyone are better off without her, and the last few been about Bellamy being willing to do everything to get Clarke back. The show is being really obvious about Bellamy’s and Clarke’s feelings for other other, even more so than it was in the previous seasons (and I happen to think it was already quite obvious). It’s not the first time that other characters have called out those two on their feelings for each other (from Lexa noticing in season 2 that Clarke cares for Bellamy and worries about him more than about her other people, to ALIE!Raven in season 3, taunting Bellamy over being more devoted to Clarke than his girlfriend Gina, to Octavia calling out Bellamy in season 5 and calling Clarke another traitor who he loves), but now it is an integral part of the main story, the way it was not before.

I’ll say one thing, though – while it is undeniable, seeing his behavior over the previous few episodes. that Bellamy cares for Clarke more than anyone else at this point, as Josephine points out (and that statement implies that he cares for her more than his girlfriend, Echo), I think one should be fair and acknowledge that Clarke is in danger of certain and definite death, after a definite and short period of time, while the others back in Sanctum are only in danger of potential death, so I don’t think it would be fair if they begrudged Bellamy going off to save Clarke.

This dynamic was weird, because Bellamy was simultaneously not fond of (to put it mildly) of Josephine, but was incredibly tender and caring with her body, because it was Clarke’s body, and Clarke is still in there somewhere. The way he gently wiped JoClarke’s black blood and put his own, so the Children of Gabriel wouldn’t know she was a Nightblood, reminds me of Bellamy cutting himself to fool the Ark guards, so they wouldn’t know the blood belonged to Octavia, when she would accidentally cut herself.

Josephine said that love was the reason why Sanctum would be destroyed – implying not just that her father put everything in danger for his love for her (by putting her in Clarke’s body), but also that Bellamy’s love for Clarke and his determination to save would be the cause of Sanctum’s destruction. It’s the 3rd time that the word “love” has been used on the show to describe Bellamy’s and Clarke’s feelings for each other: the first time was in season 2 when Clarke said she was being weak when she tried to keep Bellamy from going to Mount Weather, because love is weakness; the second time was in season 5, when Octavia called out Bellamy on pleading for the life of a traitor who you love; and this is the third time.

The moment when Bellamy looked at Clarkephine when he knew Clarke could hear him, and paused before saying “I won’t let you die”, was one of those moments where Bellamy or Clarke seem to want to say more, or are saying a lot more, through or instead of a statement like “Hurry” or “Don’t feel bad about leaving me here”. Those two have always had their own way of saying ILY.

Bellamy replying “Tell me about it” when Josephine called the “weird” relationship between him and Clarke “exhausting” has to be one of the best meta moments on the show.

(BTW, I don’t think Bellamy actually wanted to kill Clarke in 1x02 – the first moment he could have let her die, he saved her. But maybe she thought so, or maybe Josephine saw her memories and drew that conclusion. Also, the show Josie is misusing the word “genocide” and should look up the definition.)

But after a while, what was Josephine trying to taunt Bellamy, turned into Josephine being moved by Bellamy’s love for Clarke – not because she’s a compassionate person (she’s not), but because it reminds her of Gabriel’s love she had and lost. We got her explicit confirmation that she has really been in love with him, since they got to the planet (which may have been the first time they met). And while we know, from his reactions in 6x08, that he is still in love with her (but she may not know that), he has still been trying to kill her for the last 70 years – because she is a villain and is largely responsible for maintaining a terrible system of oppression and murder. This is the main difference between Gabriel/Josephine and Bellarke: Clarke is actually not a villain, she is a hero. Josephine is the villain that some of the characters and a part of the fandom imagines Clarke to be, because they are not paying attention to the actual story.

I love the fact that Clarke used the Morse code, for the second time, but now to both mock Josephine with “Boohoo” and try to make Bellamy laugh, while confirming that she was able to hear them both.

It’s really amazing just how Bellarke-heavy this episode was, even though Clarke and Bellamy weren’t able to directly interact most of the time – and haven’t been since 6x04. The one moment when they did get a chance to interact, for some 10 seconds, was when Clarke temporarily took control over her body because Josephine realized she sucked at defending herself and had to let Clarke do it. And it was amazing – the way Eliza changed her expression, voice and demeanor and the way she looked at Bellamy, the way Bellamy immediately knew she was Clarke, the chemistry that was suddenly there again in full force when it was Bellamy and Clarke interacting, rather than Bellamy and Josephine. Clarke is determined to never leave Bellamy again (as we saw in 5x13, when she was not willing to leave him behind even while they were seconds away from missiles hitting), but this time, he was right that literally staying there would have killed her, so she did the smart thing and sneaked him the keys – allowing him to save himself, while he let her go to save herself.

My judgement of the Children of Gabriel after 6x03 still stands: morally ambiguous group, the right goal, but too murder-happy.

Josephine may be a 200+ old narcissistic, evil Prime that I want to die, but her interactions with Clarke are really fun. It was great to see Clarke get the upper hand, at least for a while, and be in control again. And I loved the fact that Clarke rubbed it into Josephine’s face that she had stolen some skills from her – and calling her out on the irony of Josephine complaining about it, while living in Clarke’s stolen body.

I can’t wait to see Josephine and Gabriel reunited, and Octavia and Clarke and Bellamy reunited – but I’m also looking forward to more of the Clarke/Josephine fight for control in the mindspace.

Rating: 10/10

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aubrey-plaza · 6 years

Note

Hi!! I just read all three of the staubrey fics that you recommended. Do you happen to have a longer list of your favorite staubrey fics, I would love to read them!!

this became long, so I put it under a cut

Obviously, I would be remiss to start any favourite fics list without including the two stories that got me into this ship at all.

I used to be a major Bechloe shipper (like, I even ran a fanblog when pp1 first came out) and even though I’d read the Stacie/Aubrey pairing in fic before, I’d never quite clicked with it.

And then I read She’s Out of My League by OmACAgee / @omacagee and it was the definition of ‘came for the Bechloe, stayed for the Staubrey’ because I was immediately hooked on these two.

I have no idea what it was about that story specifically that hooked me in as opposed to the countless other Bechloe ft side-Staubrey I’d read before but that was it, it was like flipping a switch.

I then gravitated into the tag and found honey_hill / @relaxingwithhoney‘s Sweeter Than This; read that in one go and I’ve been Staubrey trash ever since.

(more under the cut)

I love this ship so much so here are my favourite fics (in no particular order):

anything/everything backinthebox / @girlneedsadonut

literally like I cannot express this enough: read all of them.

I’m going to highlight a few here but they are ALL my favourite

The whole Welcome To The Lodge At Fallen Leaves series which is STILL being written!

You’ve Started Something is a triumph of characterisation and story building and, again, is still ongoing. The fic is a gorgeous exploration of these two characters and one of the reasons I love them as much as I do.

Tears Are Something to Hide by backinthebox(long) oneshot — complete — canon-divergence: after Pitch Perfect 2

This story hurt my fucking soul. There are no other words for it. I’ve always believed that Stacie and Aubrey were the type of couple who, once together, could (and would) conquer the world and that little could really come between them and yet this author has written one of the only scenarios wherein I could see them apart, and really apart, not taking a break or splitting up where it’s inevitable they’ll find each other again but really break them apart with all the heartbreak and angst that comes with it.

Set against the backdrop of being in the South, dealing with grieving someone with whom you have a tumultuous relationship, and the Bellas being fiercely a unit and a family, this story hits every beat perfect and is honestly a masterpiece.

I had to read the story at least 3 times to really get the full force of it because it’s so beautifully nuanced and layered and every time that I go back to re-read it, I find something else about it that I love.

This story will make you ache for these characters and it is possibly — probably — the best Stacie/Aubrey fic I’ve ever read.

There is no standout or favourite line because the whole thing is sheer perfection.

Énouement by backintheboxmulti-chapter — complete — canon-divergence: Pitch Perfect 1 timeline

I can’t say much about this fic without giving the plot away and what a delicious plot it is so just go read it because it features flirty freshman Stacie and assertive, confident Aubrey and lowkey the reason I headcanon Aubrey being a discreet but total player

standout line:

And the fact that someone could blush about being good in bed had Stacie wanting more.

You Came to Me in January by Lucky_13 / @number-thirteenmulti-chapter — work in progress — canon-divergence after Pitch Perfect 2 (I think, it’s not really specified and not really important)

I love everything about this story. It finds Stacie and Aubrey a few years after (Stacie’s) graduation and they reconnect and it’s a beautifully mature telling of them falling for each other. They mesh so well together and their characterisation is absolutely on point. The author delicately balances their feelings, humour, and surroundings in a wonderfully immersive story that I keep coming back to.

there is no specific standout line because it’s all so great, but I particularly love every scene with Mia (honestly kudos to any writer who gets me this invested in an OC!)

Prelude in Lydian Mode by Knappster / @ss-staubreyoneshot — complete — canon divergence but not really important to the plot

I’m a sucker for the ‘we’re just sleeping together but have now developed feelings’ type of story (clearly) and this one hits it out of the park. It’s mutual pining meets secret hook ups with just enough background angst to drive the story forwards and I, for one, am in love with this fic.

standout line:

“She deserves better than someone who just fucks her at her friends’ weddings.”

The One Where They Find Out by Knappster(long) oneshot — complete — in-canon: Pitch Perfect 2 timeline

Hiding a relationship from the Bellas? Sign me the fuck up because I am a whore for those stories. I don’t know why but I just am and this fic has it all. Weird Lilly, struggling™ Beca, Jessica and Ashley duo-ness, a sprinkling of jealousy, developing feelings, heat, and just general gooey fluff.

standout line:

Get your shit together. Get it all together and put it in a backpack, all your shit, so it’s together!” She started to walk away but walked back after a few steps. “And if you gotta take it somewhere, take it somewhere, you know? Take it to the shit store and sell it, or put it in a shit museum. I don’t care what you do, you just gotta get it together.

Aubrey in Wonderland by Knappstermulti-chapter — work in progress (seems discontinued) — in-canon & AU

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME WITH THIS. Honestly, I put off reading this story because I saw that it was unfinished and didn’t want to get my heart broken but in this case it is better to have loved and lost than never loved at all because this fic is absolute GOLDEN. I never in a million years would’ve imagined Stacie as Cheshire Cat and yet, reading it, it completely works and I’m dying for more. It’s the right amount of crack and humorous that makes this fic work.

standout line:

“Tamed. She’s like a house cat now. She’s practically purring.”

Snowbound by ACamp_Toner / @ss-staubreymulti-chapter — complete — in-canon: Pitch Perfect 2 timeline

the sexual tension here is OFF THE CHARTS and it somehow increases after they sleep together. 0/10 would not read in public again. But at it’s core it’s a wonderfully fleshed out story with adorable playful fun, set against a backdrop of a ski vacation which is unlike any other story I’ve read before.

standout line:

“Nice hat, Posen,” Beca smirked.

“How can you see it from all the way down there, Hobbit?” Beca’s smirk turned into a glare but it couldn’t rival Aubrey’s.

“Okay, okay, knock it off you two. Aubrey, the hat looks adorable on you. And Beca,” Stacie paused, thinking, “I’m sorry you’re so short.”

The One with the Roommate’s Girlfriend by ACamp_tonerone-shot — complete — AU

Friends would have been made a 1000% better with more lesbians and that’s what we have here and it’s honestly a little astounding how well this fits. This fic works beautifully and I’m in love with this AU.

standout line:

“Oh, yeah. Yeah, I found this great place called ‘Invisible Things for Aubrey.’ Can you give me a hand with all of this stuff?” Stacie motioned dramatically to the empty space next to her.

i hate you i hate you (i really love you) by Euterpemulti-chapter — complete — in-canon: Pitch Perfect 1 timeline

one of life’s greatest disappointments is finding an amazing fic, clicking through to the author profile and finding that it’s their only fic for your fandom/pairing and this is it, lads.

This fic is one of few written from Aubrey’s point of view that I absolutely ADORE and her inner monologue is both relatable and so damn funny. The characterisation for both is splendidly done and the story is fun to read.

standout line:

Simply put, as her father would tell her, she has lost control of the situation. The proper course of action in this case is to calmly handle whatever problem there is until everything is under control again. But for some reason, Aubrey can’t bring herself to push Stacie away. Her arms aren’t responding to the screaming messages from her brain, like in that movie where the guy gets possessed by little people who control him like a robot.

The First Time by youarefire / @shiaa-esttoneshot — complete — in-canon: between Pitch Perfect 1 and 2

Stacie singing to Aubrey is my absolute weakness (I have a lot of them if you can’t tell) and this story is just so soft and tender (no pun intended).

standout line:

“I’ve been singing to you for three years, Posen, you finally got the hint.”

can my heart beat quiet? (no) by DJ Jiggle Juice (babytobin_horse) / @backtobasicbellas oneshot — complete — in-canon: Pitch Perfect 2 timeline

What did I say about being a slut for sneaking around and hidden relationships??? Because here we have another Stacie and Aubrey hiding their relationship from the Bellas. A particular highlight in this one is Beca’s A+ snarkiness and her and Aubrey sniping at each other while Stacie tries to keep the peace.

standout line:

And Stacie still isn’t quite used to this, seeing more than just lust from someone, but Aubrey makes her feel wanted all the time and sends her care packages and reminds Stacie of just how smart she is and god, Stacie thinks she’s -

love is a losing game (oh, what a mess we made) by DJ Jiggle Juice (babytobin_horse)(long) oneshot — complete — in-canon: Pitch Perfect 1 timeline — additional note: it’s a half Staubrey/half Bechloe story featuring a Steca friends with benefits type thing (but the listed pairings are endgame) (side note because I have poor reading comprehension skills and completely missed the steca tag and was HELLA surprised by that turn of events)

Basically, our lovely foursome are all in DENIAL and Beca and Stacie being as emotionally stunted as they are decide that maybe sleeping together to get over their (supposedly unrequited) feelings is the best way to go about things and it backfires.

The Stacie/Aubrey stuff makes my chest hurt and my throat close up it’s so wonderfully written.

It’s a lovely story and if Bechloe isn’t your thing, you can skip their scenes but I don’t recommend that because the whole story flows a lot better if you read the whole thing

standout line:

Aubrey smells like vanilla and lavender wrapped into one. She holds Stacie tight, hand running up and down her back before she pulls away.

Stacie misses her touch already.

Can’t Fight This Feeling by snowtamale / @snowtamaleoneshot — complete — AU

I love a fun exploration of Aubrey’s issues within an AU because they tend to be similar to in-universe stories but manifest in different ways and this fic explores that. As mentioned, I also like a sex-then-feelings type of story and this one includes that. Coupled with the hi-larious sidebars? I’m here for it.

standout line:

(Ready to give up on love: check)

Holding The Frame by jdc15oneshot — complete — canon divergence after Pitch Perfect 2

I don’t usually venture back to fanfiction.net for stories but this one is well worth it. For as much as I love college era Stacie and Aubrey, there’s just something about them being slightly older and slightly less unfortunate with their feelings.

This story finds them a year after Pitch Perfect 2 ends and it’s absolutely beautifully written. 10/10 would go back to ff.net for this author.

standout line:

“You and Aubrey have excellent chemistry. And to dance the tango, if you have chemistry, you have half the dance. You are beautiful together.”

and also the final line which I won’t spoil for you but is possibly the best ending to a fic I’ve ever read wow.

Juncture by jdc15oneshot — complete — AU

jesus christ this story is hot. Assertive Aubrey is a thing of dreams. This author writes great smut and are the only reason I’m still subscribed to a ff.net author

standout line:

Aubrey’s lips are soft and sure, confident yet polite, and Stacie is glad for the wall behind her because without it to lean against she’d already be a puddle on the floor.

Nowish by Psy456 / @chloes-yellow-cupmulti-chapter — complete — canon divergence after Pitch Perfect 2 — additional note: Bellas squared ship

This is… not technically an exclusively Staubrey story but it’s such a masterpiece that I can’t leave it out of this list. It’s a beautiful written work and pretty much the only fic I find myself shipping all of these women together because it is so well fleshed out (no pun intended). It’s both hot as hell and sweet as sugar and an all around great fic.

no standout line, but all of the smut was wow-ee 0/10 do not read in public

also I re-read my own fics like all the time but this isn’t a time for self-promotion

I strongly encourage everybody to read all the other fics by the authors I’ve got here because most of them have more than what is listed here and just because a story isn’t listed doesn’t mean it isn’t absolutely incredible, especially since I don’t have the space to list every single story I love (it was hard enough picking out these to be quite honest).

Also! If you go on a reading binge please comment; some of these stories are criminally under-commented on (especially the multi-chapters) and with all of the hate going around these days, it would be nice to show some love to the authors for their incredible writing and this awesome ship

#ask #fic rec #staubrey #staubrey fic #staubrey fic rec #anonymous #anon #rec

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theonceoverthinker · 6 years

Text

OUAT 1X10 - 7:15 AM

Unfortunately, I’ve no jokes popping out at me for my opening this time, but a little birdie told me you should head below the cut.

(Got that one in at the literal eleventh hour! I work for my lovely readers ;) )

Press Release Mary Margaret and David continue to grapple with their unrequited love, and Emma and Regina grow suspicious over a mysterious new stranger in town. Meanwhile, in the fairytale land that was, Snow White yearns to ease her breaking heart as Prince Charming’s wedding to King Midas’s daughter approaches. General Thoughts Past During my review of “Snow Falls,” I commented on the fact that as that would be the only time we’d get any substantively meaty Snow and Charming scenes for quite some time and that every other episode’s flashback would depend on how well that episode handled them, I wasn’t joking and this is the first episode where you feel the effects of it. (For more on that, head on down to “Flip My Ship”). It’s weird, I never saw the nuance in King George, but damnit, he is right. True Love being worth fighting for regardless of the obstacles is one of the central themes of OUaT, and I think for the most part, the show does a good job of showing that. However, we sometimes forget that that pursuit is not without its consequences (Depriving others of the prosperity and peace that David and Abigail’s marriage would bring to their kingdoms), and here, George lays that out in no uncertain terms. Is he most likely acting more in the interest of himself and his kingdom more than anything? Yes, but the validity of what he’s saying still remains. His plans and reasoning are well thought out and admirably complex. I feel guilty. In the past, I just saw him as this one note villain, but holy hell: a few years can really do a lot to change one. I wish we saw more of him, only to see more of this viewpoint. Snow and Charming definitely do end up winning the day, but the idea of sacrifices and bloodshed are for the most part all but abandoned after this episode. The fact that David, immediately after hearing what George has to say, writes a letter to Snow discussing how he’s willing to abandon everything else without a second thought for her almost makes him unlikable in the face of that. The only thing that save his is that damnit, Charming lives up to his nickname!

Snow’s aspect of the story is interesting too. We see these two sides of her battling. The first side, of course, is her love for Charming, and that’s strengthened both by the letter she receives and the fear she has of losing him to his arranged marriage. However, what’s really clever is that the fear she had back in “Snow Falls” didn’t go away, and Rumple, Grumpy, and George help to reinforce her own doubts by giving the pursuit of love an actual cost - one’s heart, freedom, and potentially not theirs, but their beloved’s life. It’s a very clever use of characters. Actually, after a day or two, I realized that Snow’s arc was even stronger than I gave it credit for. In this episode, despite having her reservations about love, she does overcome them despite what I pointed out, and it’s only the fear of Charming dying that makes her back off. The ultimate resolution is so much like the character herself: Tragic, but not without that bit of hope always by her side (In this case, her new friendships and the breaking of David’s marriage). Present So I basically had no strong thoughts on this episode (Apart from dread at a certain aspect, but I’ll discuss that shortly) until we see Mary Margaret nearly fall down the cliff.

Then it hit me: The David and Mary Margaret storyline is this episode is the most fanfic-y, romance novel-y material I have ever seen (And that’s not a bash against it at all). Like, you get that mutual pining, David saves Mary Margaret after some tension, they’re stuck in a cabin together, they both love animals. Entire weeks’ worth of soaps don’t have half as many romance tropes as this storyline does! That said, the more I see of David Nolan pre-broken curse, the more I dislike him. He simply refuses to own the choice he makes and with these small windows of time the show is giving us, it’s either unrealistic or horrible of him to jump from one woman to the other. And yeah, at this point in the series, Abigail wasn’t too kind, but David didn’t know that, in hindsight, she hasn’t done anything more than be annoying, and everything we’ve seen of Kathryn has been delightful, patient, and kind thus far. I really feel like there needed to be more of a time discrepancy or evidence of some real trying on David’s part before suddenly doing whatever he could to see Mary Margaret. It makes David’s speech after releasing the bird so eye rolling to listen to (Though Josh’s puppy dog eyes and loving gaze make me really wish there was more to it) because while he claims that he has feelings for Kathryn, the most we’ve seen of it is a shaky scene together outside the Nolan house and a kiss that is now spoiled with the knowledge that it came right after David made a move to go see his crush. As for the August and Emma storyline, well, for one thing, they have a fantastic rapport. August’s ability to dodge questions like a skilled Mario Kart player dodges banana peels faced off against Emma’s focused and pointed questions is the greatest battle of wits. It positively glued my eyes to the screen, and the fact that I can say that despite knowing exactly what happens is so cool! Insights I love that opening shot! For one thing, it grants a special level of ambiguity as to what realm we’re in for those slow first couple of seconds. For another, they get Henry walking towards August through his reflection in the motorcycle! The cinematography of this show is so under-celebrated, and my ful props to them! Also, completely-unintentional-and-thus-hindsight-ily-badass foreshadowing of Henry riding a motorbike in the future! So I’m aware I’m 100% wrong about this wacky theory, but follow me on this. The episode is called “7:15am” and the most famous time on the show is 8:15. Is this, alongside a significant time for David and MM, an allusion to the fact that they’re figuratively one step behind the curse? I started blushing out of secondhand embarrassment when Mary Margaret revealed how much she knew about David’s schedule. “Love is the worst. I wish there was a magic cure.” It’s called booze! Wow! This is the first time I’ve seen Snow and Red have a scene together in a while! I missed their friendship! I find it so interesting how stories of The Dark One are kept under such wraps. In the “Desperate Souls,” the Dark One’s existence is borderline common knowledge because of how the Duke yielded him. However, Rumple - possibly due to fear or just a desire to be left alone - took the opposite approach and kept his reputation so quiet over the centuries, so much so that his mere existence is now questioned. Given his rather large...estate, what do you think he had to do to make that happen? Yay!!! We get to see Snow’s cloak again!!! Also, I don’t care if it’s just a set - the design for the scene between Rumple and Snow is creepy and beautiful! I love the atmosphere! It’s simple and shady! Rumple’s going on about all this anti-love stuff and I’m like, “Let’s talk in a year, bro.” Seeing Charming send out that bird makes me wish for a scene where the two of them spoke of Snow’s uncanny ability. ...Also, nice transition! XD I actually forgot that Grumpy gave the basics of his origin story before his episode came out. “Give us our best shot.” I can’t help but feel like that was so intentionally slightly off the mark from “our best chance,” showing that something’s not quite right. I love how as MM is getting her coffee at the end of the episode you can just HEAR the “fuck” as she hears the bell. Arcs David and Mary Margaret finding each other - One thing that I can say is that we get development here. Look, I’m not a fan of cheating plots, but it is interesting to see Mary Margaret and David struggle to find a happy middle ground in an emotionally complicated situation. That said, the lack of time and real commitment to being with Kathryn makes me question why they’d even bother having the cheating subplot. Snow and Charming finding each other - This episode builds right off of both the conclusion of “Snow Falls” and the insight of “The Shepherd.” Additionally, I like that Snow and Charming aren’t stuck in the “Do I have feelings for this person” phase of their romance for long because it allows for the rest of the arc to take off well from here. The Mystery of August Booth - We get a brief introduction of this arc here, and it wastes no time connecting to the main players: Emma and Henry. There’s also a cool subversion where we get an immediate insight into something that would otherwise be a several episode mystery in another series. However, both the man and mystery are still prominent and we as an audience know there’s still leagues to explore with him. Favorite Dynamic Snow and Grumpy. While their friendship is given very little time to build, not a second of it is wasted. Even as I know how Grumpy’s story ends up, those first niblets we get here make do a really good job painting his emotional dilemma and making a connection to Snow’s quest. Snow - in turn - gets to build off of Grumpy’s negativity by showing both optimism that opposes him cynicism and kindness when Grumpy and Sneaky leave the jail cell despite them intending on leaving her there. That wish for happiness is so sincere that it could melt steel. And the reciprocation that blossoms as the flashback progresses is just wonderful. Writer Had to do a bit of research (And by research, I mean a Wikipedia article, full disclosure) for this one because while the story (The basic actions and plot points) was written by A&E, the teleplay (The dialogue and smaller actions) was written by Daniel Thomsen. Thankfully, in regards to breaking this down, this information does me quite a few favors. Last time, I wasn’t able to do more than theorize what each writer contributed to the scripts, but right now, I can do a bit more to discuss the finer points. First, let’s tackle A&E’s role. I genuinely feel for the basic layout of this story. Regarding the past, I have no complaints. The broad strokes of emotional buildup work and the conclusion feels completely earned. My thoughts on the present prove to be more challenging. I don’t like that it ends as a cheating story, per se, but if that was to be the story, the basic layout of it does work. There’s a proper building of stakes and the big picture character beats hit home. However, execution is where I have my problems, so let’s tackle Daniel Thomsen. Again, I really have no problems with the execution of the flashbacks, save for oddly amazing piece of development for the villain and his motivation that is just kind of brushed aside. But that’s just a matter of doing too good a job. My issue is really with the present events, or just the things that aren’t on the page that really should be. It’s hard for me to feel sorry for David for walking out on Mary Margaret when there’s hardly an implication that he’s giving himself and Kathryn a fighting chance. I know I’m supposed to be feeling how he’s caught in between these two sets of memories and the kiss at the end does retain its weight, but so often during this episode, I just wished that he would make a choice and stick to it. What makes this all the more aggravating would be if there was just one or two more lines about making an effort there. And for a while, Thomsen was showing that through David and Kathryn’s interactions and the way he talked about her and things were feeling more like a real push-pull for him, but it was ruined the moment David said that he had been planning his coffee trips to coincide with Mary Margaret. At that line, my faith was shattered and it harmed my perception of the character. Rating 8/10. This was an entertaining episode to watch. Snow’s journey in the flashback was such an exciting story to witness, especially when it comes to seeing her interact with all of these characters for the first time. This is Ginny’s episode to shine in both realms and the show makes sure that you know it through the array of emotions she pulls off throughout the runtime. So much of Snow and Mary Margaret’s character is expanded upon through all of this. The present stuff is pretty flawed for reasons I explained above, but damnit, this show knows how to sell fairytale magic and fate and some impressive forest locations, music, shots, and animal habits really sell the scope of the small story. Flip My Ship Snowing - I love that lingering effect that’s clearly been had on Snow. Love nestled itself into her like coins in a couch sofa. But at the same time, there’s still that cynicism from the last episode and while love is pushing it out, the tragedy of their circumstances still keeps it there. And the cute look as she’s watching Charming go off to pack - both times! That is a woman in love! And then the sorrow when she has to end things with Charming is so hard because every gleam of her eyes just screams that this is the last thing in the world that she wants to do! AND as she’s walking away, she looks like she’s gonna collapse from utter sadness! DAMNIT, GEORGE! Swan Queen - Emma’s so flirty in that scene by the car and it’s just adorable against Regina’s no-nonsense business attitude! Captain Swan - “Not a day goes by that I’ve not thought of you.” Oh, that line brings back retroactive parallel memories! :D

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Thank you for reading and to the fine folks at @watchingfairytales for putting this rewatch together! See you all next time and...be careful of the fruits you eat. They maaaaay be from a poisonous tree. ...If you can’t tell, I love a good stinger.

Season Tally (81/220) Writer Tally for Season 1: A&E (31/70) Liz Tigelaar (17/20)* David Goodman (16/50) Jane Espenson (16/60) Andrew Chambliss (8/40) Ian Goldberg (8/40) Daniel Thomsen (8/10)* (* = Their work for the season is complete)

Operation Rewatch Archives

#ouat #once upon a time #watching fairytales #ouat 1x10 #ouat rewatch #jenna watches ouat #anti-david #but not anti-charming #ships mentioned #snowing #swan queen #captain swan #anti-david/mary margaret

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nothisis-ridiculous · 7 years

Text

Proxy Cosmos- Andromeda

(An alternate reality where Alec Ryder lived, and both twins were awake during the events of Andromeda.)

Chapter One:

The Hyperion hummed to life, lights and the first breaths awakening the crew from a six hundred and some years long journey. What was once a dark and dead ship burst into a sudden flurry of life, pounding feet and racing hearts preparing for a new start. The most notably active room of the ship was the med bay, where the first explorers to awaken from cryo. An Asari and a couple human doctors split themselves between the patients, working over each one in a quick but thorough manner: a few lines of conversation and a scan to read vitals.

Elsee glanced across the aisle at her brother being questioned by the Asari (Lexi? wasn't it?) curious as to his impression of waking up, but not feeling bold enough to bring up the conversation for herself. She wanted to remark on how she always was a minute ahead of him, but it seemed inappropriate at the time. He would not like being called out in front of this many strangers, so Elsee waited.

"So, how does it feel to finally be in Andromeda?" The patient beside her asked, his British accent thick in his speech. His gentle nudge waking her completely.

"I'll tell you once I don't feel so popsicle-ish," she murmured. Her brother's gaze turned to look at both of them.

The man chuckled, "one of the many things the brochure does not cover."

"Yeah, that might be bad P- OUF!"

Andromeda was off to a rough start.

======

Scott's eyes kept pinned on the door, watching, tapping, waiting to see if Elsee would show. Dad already had left and reentered the room several times over the course of an hour. True to his nature he said nothing, only leaving with an agitated shake of his head and a flex of fingers before they balled into a fist.

Another hour passed, and Alec's fist clapped on his shoulder.

"Scott, I don't think-"

"Did you even expect her to show up?"

His grip tightened, "Your mother wouldn't want the Ryder family to be divided."

"Maybe you," no, you was unfair- it was just as much him, "should have considered that before you screamed at her."

"She wasn't taking training seriously." Still, Alec was slow to see that he could be wrong.

"Have you ever taken her seriously?"

Alec's face knotted, a slow scowl crossing his lips, "Now this is entirely my fault? Your temper also has-"

"Well, I got my temper from you," Scott interrupted, "and she got your stubbornness. So I guess us Ryders are just fucked."

"Scott-" but Alec found his words stuck.

"Yeah, keeping saying nothing like you usually do," he huffed, pulling away from his father. It was desperate, but he found himself at the windowsill hoping that his sister would appear. "She has a life here, Dad. Friends, maybe even a lover. We don't have anything keeping us here, hell if anything we are being chased out. But maybe Elsee is better off here; we should accept that."

Alec grimaced, he knew it wouldn't be safe much longer, "Have you tried calling her?"

"Dad-," he sought to control the hiss, "she wouldn't pick up."

"You haven't tr-" Alec always regretted pushing Scott to this point.

"Dad!" Scott whirled away from the window, "You should have tried years ago! I should have tried years ago. We both needed to be there when mom died, but we decided it was easier to run away. Not to mention the alienation act you-"

His turn for interruption was not from Alec, but the door opening behind him. Elsee's lower lip tucked under her teeth, sensing that she had just walked into something that she should not have. With both of the men unexpectedly turning to look at her, she grew mortified.

"I'm so-, I was... am late," she stuttered.

Their father's grin just etched her former expression deeper into her face.

======

Andromeda was a hell hole.

Or, at least Habitat Seven was.

The shuttle ride was certainly meant to be among the least of their worries, but as it tore apart in the wind like wet paper the hope of a smooth ride to the planet faded. The jump jet malfunction was just an added bonus, leaving Elsee and Scott screaming for their lives. The mountain approached quickly.

It had ended a bit happier than a hard collision with the ground. Elsee's helmet had suffered a crack, but it left them little worse for wear. Even Liam, the fellow she had briefly spoken to on the Hyperion had shown up again. But that was the end of their luck, in regards to what was on the planet.

The lightning storms were manageable if one watched for the rocks that floated before it struck. The mysterious enemies were far from a creature of myth but went down between the three of them without much of a struggle (after First Contact Protocol had been followed). It could be a pleasant place for a summer home.

They found the shuttle their father had taken, to end up in another fight with the bone covered creatures. Gaining Cora just before the short jaunt to Alec's nav point. The old marine surveyed the movements of the beings below, eyes darting between the scattered lightning rods. Barely turning to greet the party behind him.

"Who are these guys?" Cora questioned Ryder Sr.

"Visitors, just like us. I don't think they're native to the planet."

"They're not. We found an abandoned lab like they've been studying the place," Elsee injected.

"Good work, you actually did some scouting."

It was likely meant as a compliment, but she never saw her father meaning it, so a slightly sarcastic response was in order, "wouldn't be much of a recon specialist if I didn't."

"Well, you're off to a good start," his chuckle was deceptive.

"Baptism by fire," stealing his words was sufficient. Scott's hand grazed her elbow, calming whatever was left below.

Cora intervened, returning the subject to the weather and the enemies below them. Alec had set charges around the rods to even out the math, yes it meant they could get hit but thinning out enemies was worth the risk. Her father had already decided these Aliens were the enemy, so who was she to fight it? With a team as large as the one gathered and with the help of SAM, storming the ancient structures would be easy.

Alec was a force of nature all unto himself, burning and cleaving his way through the enemy forces with an ease that left the sibling Ryders quite jealous. The small team behind him seemed only to slow him down, rather than help his steam roll through the strange structure. Within minutes they stood before a door that was unlike the rest of the structure surrounding it- matching closely to the strange tower swirling with clouds and lightning above them.

"Scott, I need your help over here! We need to get this door open," of course, calling for Scott above all others.

"On it," he replied obediently, putting his back into lifting the heavy door.

"Do you really think we can shut this thing down," Scott questioned.

"I don't know yet, SAM's decoded part of the language," trying in his way to reassure the Ryder less comfortable with taking risks, "Now we'll see if I can have a conversation."

"I think we should wait for the shuttle, just in case," he cautioned, causing Alec to give that thought pause, so Scott finished the thought, "if it blows we'll be out of luck. It would suck to get this far just to be killed by the security system."

"We have enough firepower to hold this position," Liam chimed it, "sir."

Alec's face skewed, weighing the risks and benefits of reacting rashly to waiting for a safer plan. Liam was right, and so was Scott. Pushing unknown technology was asking for trouble, but they would have never breached the Charon Relay if it had not been for brash action- but then again, it had started an entire war. Not the best start for his family.

"SAM, start translating," deciding on waiting for the evac shuttle to be en route, "Elsee, what can your Prothean expertise tell us about this?"

She jumped from her investigation of the strange aliens, leaving it behind with a last look. Truth be told, she would rather be studying the corpse than looking at strange glyphs. She was trained in biology, not archeology- or whatever this could be considered. The little evidence they had pointed to these aliens being responsible, but just as much evidence pointed away from them as well. It was frankly too early to have any real grasp.

Walking into the small room did little else but daunt her- the glowing blue triangles throwing all theories out of the window.

"Indexing," SAM announced.

"I don't see much correlation to the alien structure around the- this structure- the styles are opposing. A scan of the earlier site I found dated one of these structures to be three to four hundred years old, but the base we just fought through is only a few decades old at most," Elsee gathered what little she had hypothesized, "the newcomers style is circular, while the settlers or civilization that created this were more geometric. I don't think they are the same group, but you already figured that."

Alec nodded.

"Unless they felt the need for complete aesthetic difference from their ancestors because even the stark difference of color could indicate-"

Scott made a loud snore, interrupting the further musing of his sister. Alec rolled his eyes.

"Translation complete," SAM's interruption ending any possible conflict.

Alec cleared his throat, "Let's see what we have." Approaching the display beside his daughter.

"Nothing on this planet has listened so far. Just... be careful."

"Worried about your old man, huh?," He snickered, "I won't tell anyone."

Elsee huffed, her attempt to turn away stopped by her father, gently grabbing her hand.

"Come on, these are the moments that make it all worthwhile."

Rather than lifting his hand to the display, he guided his daughter's upward. Letting her interface with the alien tech. He had made his own first discovery for the textbooks; he was willing to let his daughter have this one. Releasing his grip once SAM started to interface with the display, and turning to walk out of the room the bright blue lights silhouetting his departure.

"I'll be damned... it's working!" Scott called to his father, holding his hand at his brow to shield from the suddenly piercing sunlight, "We did it!"

"There's hope atleast."

"And our shuttle, for sure," Scott commented with a smirk, "this is turning out better-"

No, Scott- optimism was never a good color on him. As the world took a three sixty on him, sending him flying off the edge of the platform in a rush of fog. His sister's screaming rising above the rest of the sounds he could not pinpoint. It was instinctual, after all, hearing the screams of his closest friend above all others. Finding his body reaching out to find that sound, even after it had ended. Panicking when he found the sound transformed into gasping and sputtering.

Forcing his body to cooperate he stumbled to the smaller figure of his sister clawing through the dirt. Face plate exposed and open, beyond what the Omni-tool could manage to fix. Her muted brown eyes looking at him in worry, knowing this would be the end. Her first experience breathing in this air had already warned both of them to the dangers of breathing in the air.

Why did she always play hero? If only she hadn't pushed him from tumbling down the mountainside. Sometimes, he thought, she took the role of big sister too seriously. Made too many rash decisions just to protect a little brother that did not always need it.

"Scott! Scott! The shuttle!" Alec's voice came with a sharp shove, toppling him out of the path to his daughter. Picking her up with with a surprisingly gentle motion, his face etched in a worry that Scott had not witnessed for years.

"Run, boy!" Alec worked toward the unthinkable, removing her helmet as the first step. "Run, like our lives depend on it."

#alec ryder #ryder #mass effect andromeda #female ryder #male ryder #procos

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ericbarkman · 6 years

Text

Tales of WID 72 #13 Disunity

“And Lieutenant Commander Tanaka has increased shield efficiency by five percent,” Commander Katherine Tartovsky said as she was giving her report to Captain Benjamin Grayson. She was the first officer about the UES Unity, and he always had her give a daily report on what was all happening on the ship. “Excellent,” Benjamin said. “We were cutting it pretty close in the battle against that Argosian warship, so that is a welcome development.” “The next item on my list has to do with fraternization amongst the crew.” “Regulations permit dating, as long as it’s not amongst members of the same department, or between department heads.” “Yes, sir, unfortunately it has come to my attention that there are two cases where that’s being violated.” “Which two cases?” Benjamin asked. “Lieutenants Harris and Banman, as well as Lieutenants Anderson and Delgado.” “Hmm, I’ll have to have a word with them. Is there anything else?” “No sir, that’s the final thing to report.” “You wanted to see me, sir?” Lieutenant Jane Anderson asked as she entered Benjamin’s office. “It’s been brought to my attention that there have been some breaches of regulations as of late,” Benjamin said. “Sir?” Jane asked. “What sort of breaches?” “When out in deep space, when the only people you see a lot of days are other members of the crews, it’s only natural to form bonds. That was understood when designing regulations regarding fraternization amongst starship crews.” “Of course, sir.” “So for most crew they are simply not allowed to date amongst their own department. Department heads, however, are also not to date other department heads.” “Of course, sir,” Jane said. “I understand.” “Excellent,” Benjamin said. “You are an excellent security chief, and Lieutenant Delgado is an amazing fighter squadron leader, and I’d hate to lose either of you.” “So yeah, that’s what the captain said,” Jane said as she finished explaining to Leandra Delgado what Benjamin had told her. “That’s too bad,” Leandra said. “We were having some fun. Although he also asked me to go have a chat with him later, so that’s probably what that’s about.” “He also has meetings scheduled with Wesley and Chuck.” “What about Tanaka and Cerise?” “What? Are they seeing each other too?” Jane asked. “Are all of the department heads seeing other department heads? Either way, he’s probably just unaware of them.” “Possibly, hopefully that’s all it is.” “What do you mean?” “Well, it looks like he’s talking with the same sex couples, but not the straight one.” “Come in,” Benjamin said when he heard his door chime. He looked up as Leandra entered his office. “Ah, Lieutenant Delgado, please have a seat.” “Of course, sir,” Leandra said as she sat down. “Do you know why I called you here?” “I have a pretty good idea.” “Yes, I assumed Lieutenant Anderson would have talked with you by now.” “Permission to speak freely, sir?” “Go ahead.” “How many relationships are you aware of that are against regulations?” “Only two,” he said. “Why? Are there more I should be aware of?” “There is a third I am aware of, but unlike the two you are dealing with, the third is a straight couple.” “I hope you’re not insinuating that I am selectively enforcing rules as a result of my religious beliefs.” “No, sir, I am simply pointing out how it looks.” “What is the other couple?” “Lieutenant Martel and Lieutenant Commander Tanaka,” Leandra said. “Then I will talk with them as well,” Benjamin said. “I was honestly unaware of this.” Doctor Fareed Karim was just finishing up a physical on one of the fighter pilots that was in Leandra’s squadron, Pandaherbs. “You seem to be in good health,” Fareed said. “Although make sure to keep up with the stretches. Spending time cooped up in a cockpit can definitely have an effect on your body.” “Not a problem, Doctor,” Pandaherbs said as she stood up. She left just as Benjamin arrived. “Good to see you, Captain,” Fareed said. “Here for you regular physical?” “Another time, perhaps,” Benjamin said. “I actually came here to ask for your opinion on something.” “Of course, on what topic?” “I notice that you’ve made multiple requests to UES Command regarding fraternization rules. Specifically regarding department heads on a starship entering into relationships with other department heads.” “It makes sense not to have people date within their own department, no doubt,” Fareed said. “That can cause all sorts of issues.” “The department heads are all also in the chain of command to captain the ship though, if something were to happen, which makes them a department of sorts.” “If something were to happen to you, Commander Tartovsky would be in charge. After her would be Lieutenant Commander Teng, and then Lieutenant Commander Tanaka. So that’s three people that would be out of commission before it would become relevant.” “Which is not an impossibility,” Benjamin said. “Maybe not, but the ship is often out in unexplored space, and the only Humans are those aboard the ship. You have a wife and family back home, but not everyone does and most Humans crave companionship, which can be important for mental health. I’m not saying the rules should be completely gotten rid of, but perhaps that starship captains should be given a bit more leeway in their application.” “You mentioned Commander Tanaka. So then I assume you were already aware of the relationship he’s in.” “I’m the chief medical officer aboard the ship,” Fareed said. “There is a great deal I am aware of, or at least suspect. In this case it was more of a suspicion than actually knowing.” “Are there any other suspicions you have?” “Of course, Captain, but I’m assuming you already know more than I do, and that’s why you’re here talking with me.” “Even if I were to convince Command to amend the rules, is it really a good idea to let the relationships in question continue? Tanaka and Martel aren’t even the same rank. They may be in separate departments, but that is still a thing to consider. And when it comes to Anderson and Delgado, Anderson is the chief of security. That means that she has a certain level of authority on most people on the ship even outside of her department, and even more so on away missions, since she generally leads those.” “Lieutenant Delgado is in charge of the fighter squadron though, so it’s not exactly like she goes on the same type of away missions.” “True, that is a fair point.” “I don’t suppose you have any issues with Harris and Banman though, beyond just the current status of regulations.” “I don’t think it has any negative effect on ship operations,” Benjamin said. “That’s a very specific way of answering that question,” Fareed said. “Captain.” “Perhaps. My religious views are not something I push on those under my command, but that doesn’t erase them. I’m sure you understand that.” “Yes and no. But it isn’t always easy to separate yourself like that. Even if you don’t overtly evangelize, it can still affect how you interact with others, and how you make decisions.” “Everyone has views on the world, and those views affect them in those ways,” Benjamin said. “You can’t just pretend something is false, which you believe to be true.” “That’s not what I’m saying, not exactly. But plenty of people believe things to be true about you, based on your skin color, and even if they don’t overtly act on that, it still affects how they treat you.” “Hmm,” Benjamin said. A few hours later, Benjamin was talking with Admiral Jon Teleros over the long range comm. “Yes, I have read the requests from Doctor Karim,” Jon said. “And I will say, I don’t entirely disagree with him.” “But you do partially disagree?” Benjamin asked. “The UES is an interesting organization at this point. It’s a military, no doubt, but not everyone in it has actual military training, since most of us were transferred over from the ESS. Some, like you and I, were in the military as well, but not everyone was. And the ESS is far more lax with fraternization rules.” “That they are.” “There have been debates at Command about the requests. Most of those who previously served in a military are opposed, while those who did not are mostly in favor. There are a few exceptions though, of course. And I haven’t made an official decision either way.” “Why not?” “Well, for one thing everyone knows my history, so everyone is going to think I’m biased.” “You and Isabel didn’t get together until later though.” “True, but that’s never stopped the rumors. And I’m already not exactly popular amongst the other admirals. I’m not the only one pulling double duty with both the UES and ESS, but I am one of the more high-profile examples, and the one that deals with the stuff everyone else wants to ignore, or has to ignore. Stuff like Harkon Smith’s department, or Aaron’s kid and his friends.” “I don’t envy you on that,” Benjamin said. “I hope to be a starship captain for as long as I can.” “Yes, that’s something I’m sad to have missed out on, but let’s get back to your request. If you want me to back your doctor on this, then I can do so. I don’t know that it’ll do any good, but I can certainly try.” The next day, Benjamin was in his office, when the door chimed. “Come in,” he said, and Katherine entered. “Sir,” she said. “I’m here with the daily report.” “Good morning, Commander,” Benjamin said. “Please sit down. What’s on the docket today?” “Lieutenant Martel was wondering if we could divert course to run some more precise scans on a nearby system that’s giving off weird readings.” “We are out here to explore, so I’d say that sounds like a good idea.” “Next on the agenda, Lieutenant Harris has done some more work on translating the Uthrareenn language, and he is fairly certain that we inadvertently insulted them during the trade negotiations.” “How insulting?” “They may be charging us about double what they normally would.” “Not ideal, but it could be worse,” Benjamin said. “I’ll let the diplomats on Maltork Six know.” “Next up, I heard about your conversation with Doctor Karim.” “Did you now?” “I have some concerns,” Katherine said. “I can’t say that I don’t myself, but I’m more concerned with what you all heard of my conversation, and how?” “I didn’t hear the details, just that it happened, and then I heard that Admiral Teleros finally took a position in the debate.” “I did talk with him as well, if that’s what you’re insinuating. I am impressed at how much you’ve been hearing.” “As your first officer, it’s my job to be on top of things,” Katherine said. “Indeed, which is why it’s somewhat surprising you didn’t hear about the relationship between Tanaka and Martel.” “It must have slipped my notice.” “Of course. Unless there’s anything else, you are dismissed.” “What can I do for you, sir?” Jane asked as the entered the captain’s office. “How often do you check the ship for bugs?” Benjamin asked. “With the size of the ship, and the size of my security staff, along with our other duties, the entire ship gets checked over the course of each week. The details are all in my regular logs.” “Yes, I was looking them over, and I notice you always have teams of two working together.” “Of course,” Jane said. “As much as Earth is trying to show off a united front when dealing with other worlds, we are still a world of many nations, and thus a ship with a crew of many loyalties. Is there something specific you want to know?” “What I am about to tell you stays between the two of us.” “Of course, sir.” “Commander Tartovsky was aware of a conversation I had with Doctor Karim. She claims to not know the details, just that it happened, but I’m unconvinced.” “She is the first officer,” Jane said. “She is aware of the schedule we follow, and thus if she did plant anything, she’d know when to remove it.” “Which is precisely my worry. I’d like you to change up the schedule, but don’t update the files for now, just let your team know the details face to face.” “Understood, sir.” Jane was in sickbay with one of her security officers, Yun Liu, and they were scanning for listening devices, when Katherine came barging in. “What’s going on in here?” Katherine asked. “Just doing routine security sweeps,” Jane said. “Nothing to worry about.” “This isn’t scheduled for today,” Katherine said. “Wasn’t scheduled for today, ma’am,” Jane said. “The Captain asked us change around the schedule a bit.” The scanner chose that moment to start beeping. “We’ve found something,” Yun said. She reached under the desk that scanner indicated, and pulled out a small listening device. “Good find,” Katherine said. “And I suppose it was a good call on the Captain’s part.” “We’ll get this taken apart and studied right away,” Jane said. “Of course.” Katherine stepped aside, to let them pass through the door. “What have you found out?” Benjamin asked as he entered the security room. “Do you want the good news, or the bad news first?” Jane asked. “The good news,” Benjamin said. “The bug is Russian made,” Jane said. “But the bad news?” “We have nothing to tie it specifically to Commander Tartovsky. She’s hardly the only Russian on the ship, plus it’s not like anyone else couldn’t have gotten a Russian listening device.” “Keep working at it,” Benjamin said. “But yeah, if we go forward with this, the Russians will claim we’re just trying to get rid of their person.” “That’s why I’m leaving it out of my official reports for now,” Benjamin told Jon over the comm. “But I thought you should know anyway.” “Yeah, that’s a good call,” Jon said. “If nothing else, knowing about it helps me understand some motivations better. I think the Russians are trying to make you look bad.” “Oh?” “You’re the African-American captain of the first Earth starship. A starship called Unity, and with an international crew, since we’re trying to portray ourselves as United Earth when dealing with the interstellar community. But if they can show you applying regulations in a discriminatory fashion, that makes you look bad.” “Based on reports from my Russian first officer though,” Benjamin said. “They’d risk her looking bad as well.” “It’s a risk they’re willing to take, I’m sure. Russia is far more obvious in its homophobia than America. And on top of that, she’s not exactly popular amongst her Russian colleagues and superiors. She’s good enough at her job to have got this far despite it, but they wouldn’t consider it a major loss if her career was destroyed.” Leandra entered the security command center, where Jane was still hard at work on learning about the listening device. No one else was in the room, and Jane looked up at the intrusion. “What are you doing here?” Jane asked. “Curious, mostly, about what’s all been going on.” “Not much I can share, I’m afraid.” “I don’t even mean on the investigation, although the rumors on the ship about that are certainly interesting.” “What are the rumors?” “Everyone knows that a listening device was found, but there are various theories about what sort, and who placed it, and what this could mean for the future of both this starship and the United Earth Spacefleet in general.” “All very good questions,” Jane said. “We’re supposed to be a unified crew, but you take people from a bunch of varied backgrounds, each with their own cultures and prejudices, and sometimes it works out, but other time it doesn’t. Not sure yet which this is going to be.” “You wanted to see me, sir?” Katherine asked as she entered Benjamin’s office. “Yes, please sit,” he said, and she did so. “I’ll be frank. You know all about the listening device we found, and neither of us are idiots. We both know that you’re the one that placed it.” “I doubt you have any evidence towards that,” Katherine said. “That’s irrelevant.” “If you’re trying to remove me from my position, accusations without evidence will only hurt your case.” “Which is why I’m not trying to remove you. I’m not going to lie, I don’t like you, and I don’t trust you, but I do respect you, and I do think you are good at your job.” “Thank you?” “I would very much like to trust you, but for that to happen, you’re also going to have to trust me.” “How do you mean?” “I’ve been looking over your service records, both ESS and Russian Armed Forces. I, of course, did so back when you were first chosen as my first officer, but I’ve been giving them a closer look. Specifically I’ve noticed several situations in which, despite ESS regulations, you ended up in situations where you had to choose between following ESS orders or Russian orders.” “Real life is rarely as neat and tidy as the people making regulations wish it to be.” “Oh, I am fully aware of that, but what interests me the most, is that in most of those situations, you chose to follow the ESS orders.” “I made the best choices I could, based on what I knew at the time.” “Do you regret any of them?” “Some, but not all, and I also regret some of the times I made the opposite choice.” “Well, now I feel like you’re in another of those situations,” Benjamin said. “Your superiors in Russia want me out of the captain’s chair of this ship. And they are trying to use this situation to that end. So, you have a choice. You can continue following their orders, and maybe you’ll succeed. But ask yourself, why are you doing that? Do you think I am a bad captain?” “No, sir. I may not agree with all of your decisions, but I do respect you.” “Then is it about advancing your own career? Perhaps your government is planning to recommend you as the new captain. But if they don’t, what’s going to happen to you then? If they manage to get a different Russian in as captain, the other governments are not going to be okay with this ship having both a Russian captain and first officer. So then, you’ll be moving backwards in your career, laterally at best if the UES goes with another American captain, or really any non-Russian.” “Like you said, that’s assuming they don’t recommend me,” Katherine said. “You know your superiors and your government better than I do. You tell me.” “What do you want from me, hypothetically speaking? If all this was true, and I admitted to it, I would be discharged anyway.” “Give me the names, off the record, and we can move forward, with a greater sense of trust.” “You know what bugs me about this whole situation though,” Leandra said. She was still in the security room with Jane. “That we weren’t even really a couple?” Jane asked. “We were just having a bit of fun, letting off some steam.” “It’s the fact that here we are in the year 2017, and we’re out here exploring the galaxy, and doing all this Star Trek shit, and yet not only are people still full of prejudice, but some are stoking that prejudice and using it for political gain.” “People are flawed, and just because we’ve jumped forward in our understand of science and technology and the universe, that doesn’t just erase the flaws we have. That’s part of why I joined security. I keep seeing flaws in people, and want to keep them from hurting others as a result.” “How’s that working out?” “Dealing with physical threats is a lot easier than less tangible ones.” “Don’t I know it.” “So, I hear the vote went in our favor,” Benjamin said, over the long range comm. “It went the way we wanted, thanks to the information your first officer provided,” Jon said. “It remains to be seen if it’s in our favor or not.” “What did you do with that list of names anyway?” “I just had conversations with them. Although the less you know about those conversations, the better.” “Of course, sir.” “That said, I’m sure there will be a cost to pay for this. Politics is a never ending game, and while we might have the upper hand for the moment, that’ll hardly last.”

#Benjamin Grayson #Katherine Tartovsky #Jane Anderson #Leandra Delgado #Fareed Karim #Jon Teleros #Pandaherbs #Yun Liu #UES #Unity #Tales of WID 72 #Eric J. Barkman

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touristguidebuzz · 7 years

Text

Disney’s New Star Wars Hotel Sounds Like Next-Level Immersion

Walt Disney Parks & Resorts announced it is building a new Star Wars-themed hotel in Orlando that will feature multi-day immersive experiences. A rendering is shown here. Disney/Lucasfilm

Skift Take: Disney wowed everyone with this announcement. Now fans of the theme park company and Star Wars wait for the execution — and the price tag.

— Hannah Sampson

The Walt Disney Company has made a blockbuster business out of building fantasy-rich kingdoms and lands around the world that draw millions of visitors a year.

For its next act, the entertainment giant is looking to turn a patch of its Orlando resort into a new kind of luxury-meets-immersion hotel meant to feel more like a galaxy far, far away.

In an announcement last month at the fan event D23 Expo, Walt Disney Parks & Resorts Chairman Bob Chapek announced that the company is planning a “revolutionary vacation experience” for Walt Disney World: a luxury resort that immerses guests in the universe of Star Wars.

“It’s unlike anything that exists today,” he said.

Chapek said visitors will have a “dedicated multi-day adventure” complete with “starship transportation,” characters, costumes, storylines, windows that show a view into space, and status as “an active citizen of the galaxy.”

“It is 100 percent immersive and the story will touch every single minute of your stay with us,” he said. “It culminates in a unique journey for every person who visits.”

Not surprisingly, the announcement prompted fans — and many writers — to swoon. HuffPost ran a story with this headline: “Wait, This ‘Immersive’ ‘Star Wars’-Themed Hotel Looks Awesome.”

And TechCrunch could barely contain itself, writing: “AHHHHHHH. Disney just announced something that’s potentially so damned cool that I hardly need complete sentences here: Immersive. Star Wars. Hotel.”

Robert Niles, founder and editor of Theme Park Insider, said that while the company had a lot of announcements at the event last month, few of them were groundbreaking. The Star Wars hotel stood out.

“This is why I think so many people are really excited and intrigued by this concept,” he said. “It truly is something different for Disney.”

A rendering of the immersive Star Wars-themed hotel planned for Walt Disney World in Florida shows views of space and BB-8. Disney/Lucasfilm

Early Survey Gave a Sneak Peek

Hints of the plan emerged in April after Disney guests were surveyed on their interest in a similar concept, though it’s unclear how many of the details included in the survey will end up in the final product.

According to WDW News Today, the questions described a “continuous, story-driven entertainment experience” over the course of a two-night stay.

Guests would be able to choose if they wanted to watch or participate in a story, and would have themed activities to participate in. Meals, entertainment, admission to a new Star Wars-themed land at Disney Hollywood Studios, and the service of a robotic droid butler would all be included at a price of $900-$1,000 per guest, the story said. (A Disney spokeswoman told Skift the company has not released pricing on the experience yet.)

Chapek referenced that research when he made his announcement last month.

“You may have heard that we recently did a survey about an entirely new way to live your very own Star Wars adventure,” he said. “So today, I am thrilled to confirm that we are working on our most experiential concept ever.”

Disney has made huge moves with the intellectual property — IP in industry parlance — of Lucasfilm, which the company bought in 2012 for more than $4 billion. In addition to making more Star Wars movies, Disney is building 14-acre themed additions called Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at parks in Orlando and Anaheim, California. Those lands open in 2019.

Dennis Speigel, president of International Theme Park Services, has been pondering the project since he first started hearing rumors several months ago.

“Hotels now are such an important part of theme park operations because it’s what keeps people on property,” he said. “More importantly, what’s happening is with this hotel, it’s the first truly totally immersed theme hotel. And they couldn’t have picked a better IP to do this with and test the hotel concept.”

Still Unknown

Disney has released few details about the hotel project, including when it will break ground or open. Also unclear: where at Walt Disney World it will be located; how much it will cost to build; what the price will be for guests; how big it will be; what “immersion” means in this context; or what kind of technology will be involved.

Asked if guests will be able to choose specific storylines to engage with or have the freedom to wander and interact without much structure, a spokeswoman said: “There will be many ways to engage.”

Niles is anticipating that Disney will start out slow.

“My inclination would be to guess conservative on this, that they’re not going to turn it into some kind of massive multi-player role-playing game,” he said. “But it’s going to be a really-well-decorated experience where it will be easy for your imagination to create a role in it, as opposed to Disney creating a role for you.”

He expects the company to gauge reaction and see what works, and “what doesn’t work, even more importantly” — and then maybe add more specific roles as a way to charge more.

Disney Cruise Line, which provides a virtual porthole on cabins inside ships to give a real-time view of the outdoors, could provide a blueprint for the hotel experience. The four-ship cruise line has given the company experience with entertaining people in a confined space for several days — and Niles expects that to come in handy.

“I think Disney’s going to apply a lot they’ve learned from cruise line,” he said. “I think that’s kind of the origin of the DNA … isolating people in a specific place, virtual windows. They’ve got a lot of information to start with, but they’re taking it to another level.”

A Kinder, Gentler Westworld?

While Disney didn’t make the comparison, just about everyone else has brought up parallels to the HBO show Westworld, about a kind of theme park full of lifelike robots that allows costumed visitors to interact and pursue their own storylines without any prohibitions.

That drama includes intrigue, double-crossing, murder, and sex — off-limits for Disney, of course. But those more adult themes aside, the comparison seems somewhat apt.

“I think it’s an adaptation of the Westword concept done in the Disney best sense, where it’s entertaining and family fun,” Speigel said. He expects to see robots, live actors, and animations as part of the experience at the Star Wars hotel.

“You’re going to have aliens checking you in,” he said. “All the people who work there are going to be in costume, makeup, you’re going to see storm troopers marching through the lobby, you’re going to see Jabba the Hutt, laser sword fights.”

The anticipated use of robots fits into the industry trend toward automation, Niles said. Some hotels — including one at Universal Orlando — use robots to make deliveries to rooms, while cruise lines have employed robots to do tasks including giving directions to passengers and bartending.

“Here, it’s themed!” Niles said. “It’s almost like they have to do it….They have an opportunity here to kind of beta test, if you will, automating a lot of the process, which ultimately can save you on labor costs once you recoup the capital cost of developing this system.”

In other words: These are the droids you’re looking for.

Scott A. Lukas, a cultural anthropologist who has written books on themed and immersive spaces and an amusement industry consultant, said he was reminded of Westworld, historical reenactments, and live-action role playing when he heard about the project.

Even with a family-friendly approach, Lukas wonders how guests might react to an intense level of engagement.

“Is it going to be kind of creepy if you experience it at its full level?” he wondered.

He said the challenge would be finding the right guests: Travelers who crave intensive interaction with a Star Wars theme and can drop a significant amount of money.

“I just don’t know if people want this level of interactivity,” he said. “On the one hand this is amazing and will be a new potential to explore something other than screens and glasses at home. On the other hand…even if they work out the low-level-user guest, I still wonder if everybody will be into this level of commitment.”

But Randy Garfield, who spent nearly 30 years at Universal and Disney before he retired as president of the Walt Disney Travel Company in 2014, said he doesn’t worry about whether there’s enough demand for a product like the Star Wars hotel.

“Disney has rarely, if ever, misjudged consumer interest in products,” he said.

He said it’s too early to talk about the best way to market the experience, but the audience seems huge.

“It won’t be difficult to market this product at all,” he said. “This is a sales and marketing dream really — not only with a huge database of past guests, but people who go to Comic-Con, and people who are Star Wars fans.”

Beyond Basic Immersion

Plenty of hotels, of course, have immersive qualities thanks to strong themes — from the gondolas and gelato in the Venetian in Las Vegas to the animal-filled vistas at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge to the toy-themed Legoland Hotel. Theme parks also create worlds for visitors to immerse themselves in for hours, such as the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal parks and Pandora — The World of Avatar at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, but that level of engagement typically doesn’t follow guests to their hotel rooms.

Lukas said the Star Wars project sounds more like “total immersion,” where the “guest is taken into another world, story, or place through the use of as many senses as possible.”

“The level of immersion and storytelling, I can’t think of anything in the past that has had this,” he said.

Garfield said he wasn’t surprised by the announcement given the company’s history of innovation and drive to integrate intellectual property into various parts of the business.

“They’re always going to try to raise the bar,” he said. “To me, seeing Bob Chapek talk about how it’s going to be an immersive experience with guests being costumed … I think that’s just another element of enhancing guest engagement and making them part of the story.”

Niles, of Theme Park Insider, expects the whole industry to be watching carefully and learning.

“Something you live with for a day or two, that’s something different, not just for Disney, for the industry,” he said. “It’s not something that’s ever been done on any type of substantial scale before. I think a lot of people are really excited to see what Disney ends up doing for this and what kind of model it creates for the rest of the industry. Fans have been clamoring for Universal to do something like this with Harry Potter forever. There’s a ton of IP out there that would lend itself to that kind of treatment.”

Renderings released so far of the immersive Star Wars hotel show space-like surroundings, droids mixed in with guests, and even — if you look closely — a pair of Mickey Mouse ears. Disney/Lucasfilm

Your Move, Universal

Several industry observers said they expect Universal to answer with some kind of a hotel themed after the Harry Potter franchise created by J.K. Rowling, given the company’s success with the Wizarding World in multiple theme parks.

“If I had to bet, I’d bet that’s under way in design right now,” said Speigel, of International Theme Park Services.

A spokesman for Universal said only: “We don’t comment on speculation and rumors.”

Garfield said Universal has shown it is committed to “immersive experiences that surprise and delight the guests” just like Disney is. While he praised the additions being made by both Disney and Universal, he pointed out that Universal has more constraints on the hotel side. The Comcast-owned theme park operator has significantly less land to work with, and Loews Hotels operates Universal’s on-site hotels in Orlando while Disney runs its own hotels.

“Anything [Universal] wants to do to expand into a different area is going to require the commitment and participation of a partner,” Garfield said. “The folks at Universal are smart and they know what they can deliver. And if they believe that having a Harry Potter-type hotel makes sense to them, then certainly that will be a priority.”

Whatever comes next, Speigel said he thinks Disney’s Star Wars concept will be a launching point for hospitality.

“It’s the first step in the evolution of what we’re going to see as themed hotels, not only in theme parks but in the hotel industry in general,” he said.

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