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fanartka · 6 months

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DrStrangetober Day 22

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strangestcase · 1 year

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For the people that are going to do Dracula Daily this year:

One of the subplots that Dracula covers, and arguably the most important subplot, is one centered around a psychiatric patient confined to an asylum- it touches upon the way he sees the world, his relationship with his doctor, and how he relates to and perceives the villain VS the heroes, since for most of the plot he believes the villain to be good and strives to serve him.

Both the patient and the doctor characters (who are part of the main cast and very important to moving the plot foward in their own ways!) are portrayed as sympathetic victims to the main villain and mostly on the side of good, but in different ways, and, of course, the way they are written is informed by the beliefs of the time.

I won't spoil anything too important about it, just warn you that this subplot depicts Victorian Era ableism, which is... pretty extreme, and forms of medical abuse (specifically, psychiatric abuse) that still exist today!

This plotline involves:

-depictions of hallucinations, delusions, and irrational thinking

-medical malpractice: delusions being encouraged, patients being dehumanized, prolonged use of dangerous restraints

-unsanitary behavior (eating live animals)

-ableist attitudes from most of the hero characters

(other Dracula fans pls tell me if I've missed something)

What do I make of this? you ask. Well...

Do not excuse medical abuse, even if it's fictional. The doctor character is, for all his medical malpractice, depicted as a complex person that has some likeable traits and he undergoes a pretty sad arc relating to loss and trauma, like most of the heroes of this novel. This doesn't make him any less of an abuser, nor makes his patient any less of a victim!

Refrain from using ableist language or rethoric. The patient character, being written for a very old horror book, is often depicted as "unsettling" and his strange behavior is sometimes played for horror. This 1) doesn't make his situation any less deplorable 2) doesn't make him any less sympethetic and most importantly 3) doesnt give you a free pass to treat him as a scary horror monster. He's a victim of both the real monster of this story and the system he lives in.

Listen to psychotic fans. Research the history of Victorian asylums. Understand the historical context. Look at this subplot from a holistic perspective instead of treating it as a horror story within a horror story (although, it is a horror story, but not for the reasons some think it is!). Just don't be a dick to disabled people.

If any part of this subplot triggers or squicks you, you are not obligated to read it, just be aware that it exists and that it is important to avoid perpetuating ableist stereotypes, be they present in the original text or not. (Hell, you are not obligated to read any part of the book if you don't want to do so. Dracula Daily is supposed to be fun. Analyzing literature is supposed to be fun. Enjoying literature is supposed to be fun!)

For the love of God, don't get angry if some fans dislike the doctor character for what he's done and take the patients' side. This was an issue during the last Dracula Daily run. He's literally the victim in this relationship. I'm not saying you can't like or dislike either character but I have to reiterate: do not erase either character's contribution to the plot, do not demonize the patient character for being mentally ill in an "ugly" way and beliveing the villain is good, and don't woobiefy the doctor character because he said a funny thing once. Both are complex adult human beings so don't expect them to be caricatures.

Do not be afraid to call out ableist behavior from other fans, but also be careful to not overstep or talk over disabled fans, especially psychotic fans.

During the Dracula Daily run, some blogs will warn about the entries in which this subplot takes place, and what triggers apply for each one of them. If you need those warnings, don't be afraid to reach out for them!

Happy reading!

#dracula daily #dracula #dracula daily 2023

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invisibleicewands · 2 months

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Tim Price’s new play about the life of Aneurin “Nye” Bevan, directed by Rufus Norris and featuring a wonderful central performance by Michael Sheen in the title role, is a fever dream of a production – quite literally. It follows Bevan’s life from his childhood in Wales where he struggles with his stutter to the heights of his political career and the creation of the National Health Service in 1948, each event in his life told in the form of hallucinations from his death bed in one of the hospitals he himself helped to establish. “So nice. Seeing it. Without everyone… standing on ceremony. Isn’t it?” he says to his wife, and fellow politician, Jennie Lee (Sharon Small) on waking from an operation to remove a stomach ulcer.

The operation has not been entirely successful and Bevan requires pain relief that sends him into the strange world where he relives the events that led to his greatest political success in the NHS, with the occupants and staff of the hospital embodying the people of his past. The matron becomes Clementee Atlee (Stephanie Jacob), the nurse becomes his sister Arianwen (Kezrena James), one doctor becomes Neville Chamberlain (Nicholas Khan) and another becomes Winston Churchill (Tony Jayawardena).

The construct does feel strangely unnecessary, though it provides the opportunity for some wonderful stagecraft with the green curtains of the hospital wards becoming the green benches of the House of Commons and hospital beds transforming into council chambers or doorways that open, despite their occupants – and there is something inherently comic in the permanently pyjamaed and barefoot Nye involving himself in council debates, making parliamentary speeches and standing up to the towering Winston Churchill (notably caricatured by Jayawardena) as war rages across Europe.

Sheen, on stage throughout is clearly the star – full of passion but with an impish quality to his every interaction, you get the sense of a man filled with desire to do good for the right reasons. He also brings Bevan’s sense of his bewilderment at each hallucinatory interaction, balancing how the past Bevan interacted with the scenario with how the older Bevan is now viewing from the future – no mean feat. Other performances across the large ensemble are constrained by the format, with each actor playing multiple roles and only a couple of characters who exist for more than a handful of scenes.

Price finds himself somewhat caught between telling the story of the man who created the NHS and telling the story of the NHS’s creation. It is very much the former, but in its final act, it feels like it sways towards the latter – swelling with sentimentalism for the sheer seismic political achievement that the NHS was, and is. Many may feel the latter elements should have warranted expansion – there may be merit in that, but it would be a different play, for good or bad. Whatever your view on the play, though, Sheen is worth the visit.

#Michael Sheen #Nye #National Theatre #review #Aneurin Bevan #NHS #theatre

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dexysmr · 7 months

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the most dangerous game [vampire! todoroki shouto x reader] ch 1

summary: A string of strange deaths across Musutafu makes you suspect foul play. Your dear friend Dr. Midoriya is more than happy to play Watson; the prickly Detective Inspector Bakugou isn’t happy to have a P.I. on the case; and there is something… off about that strange, quiet Professor Todoroki. Everybody’s got something to hide and things are about to take a turn for the interesting.

tags: vampire! todoroki x private investigator! reader, meiji era japan, afab reader + gender neutral pronouns

chapters: 1 | more to come!

He should have just left the umbrella at home.

It’s absolutely useless against the strong gales of wind that are driving near-horizontal torrents of rain through the streets of downtown Musutafu. The overcast must have started not ten minutes after Dr. Izuku Midoriya stepped out from the bakery, but his overcoat is already completely soaked through, the wet settling into his skin with a bone-deep chill. Already, great puddles are taking shape in the cobblestone streets, tendrils of water seeking each other out and pooling into vast lakes of mud. The doctor observes his miserable countenance in one of them for a second, watches his reflection ripple and refract.

“Argh!” Midoriya yelps as the umbrella suddenly catches a gust of wind and gives a great tug, nearly pulling him backwards. Resigning himself to fate, he collapses the contraption and tucks it under an arm, breaking into a run down the unforgiving streets.

There are very few people stupid enough to be braving the streets at this hour, and those that do hurry past with agitation, shoulders hunched in as though trying to make themselves smaller targets for the storm’s fury. At the sight of a familiar row of Western-style brick flats, Midoriya heaves a sigh of relief. One more minute in the rain would have driven him to his own psychiatric wards.

Number 122 of Panya Street is nearly identical to its neighbors, a two-story townhome in one of the newly-modernized districts of Musutafu. The only thing which sets it apart is a brass knocker in the shape of an owl’s head on the door. Midoriya grasps the heavy ring and raps it thrice in quick succession. His reflection peers back at him while he waits, this one funny and bulbous on the metal surface. He raises his hand to knock again when--

It swings open so suddenly that Midoriya freezes in place. For an awkward moment, his hand grasps at where the knocker should have been. He lets it drop to his side and clears his throat.

“Have you heard the-”

“Absolutely not.”

Undeterred, he tries again. “But we’ve been getting the strangest-”

“No.”

You move to shut the door but it jams—a boot, stuck in at the last second. A visible wince, but Midoriya makes no motion to retract it. You both look down at the painful sight. He speaks again, swallowing a curse.

“At least let me in for a bit? My clothes are drenched through…”

You consider his shiny black shoe for a moment longer before looking up to meet his gaze. Big mistake. His eyes are watery green and search yours imploringly: the perfect caricature of a poor orphan boy. Dickensian. Those god-damned eyes. Both of you know that your resolve has already crumbled.

“Hm,” is all you say before letting your hand fall from the handle. By the time a grin settles across his face, you’ve already retreated into the house.

Tatami mats muffle any footsteps within the hall, but you know from the click of the door closing and the sound of an umbrella clattering into the stand that Midoriya is making his way in. He carries with him the distinct petrichor of a rainy day, a smell you’ve always loved but never cared much to be drenched in.

“Coat by the door!” you call from the kitchen, “If I see so much as a drop of water on the floor I’ll throw you out to the curb, storm be damned. I only just had new mats put in.”

A laugh makes its way from the foyer, soft and muted by the time it reaches your ears. You smile to yourself as you put on a cup of tea. His bright, sincere laugh was what first drew you to his friendship so many years ago-- that, and his horrendous dancing. But those are tales for another time. When the tea’s done, you carry two cups into the living room where he’s made himself at home, legs tucked into the kotatsu.

“Thanks!” Midoriya says, accepting the teacup from your hand. He takes a sip and immediately you can see the warmth settle in, softening the lines of his shoulders. You allow him a few moments to recuperate before bringing up the elephant in the room.

“Out with it, doc. What’s so important at the hospital that’s brought you here on such a fair day?”

Both of you glance out the window at said fairness. A thick fog has rendered most of the outside world hazy, people and horse-carriages moving in and out of the gloom like specters. Some would call it dream-like, but you just think it’s horrible. Over the persistent drum of rain, Midoriya speaks.

“Um, technically, I’m not here on professional terms. I’m just… visiting a friend, okay? A friend who might lend an ear for an hour or so?”

You nod in understanding, though you’re still not sure what warrants Midoriya being so cautious. His grip on the cup relaxes imperceptibly.

“Hosu has been getting some, uh, weird cases lately. Gentlemen coming in with odd marks, women as pale as ghosts, all of them with severe blood loss. It’s nothing like the cholera outbreak years ago. If you remember, the poorer districts were worse off because it was spreading through unclean water, and even then…”

Though Midoriya’s eyes are fixed on the dreary view of the street, his gaze is somewhere far away. When he realizes he’s started to ramble, he flushes a bit pink in the ears and clears his throat.

“Sorry… anyway, whatever this is, it doesn’t discriminate between the rich and the poor. The hospital has gotten five patients with these same symptoms in the past two months.” Tea long forgotten, his hands are clenched in the cotton of the kotatsu. “The thing is, I can’t help them. I can’t- none of our doctors have seen anything like this. The state they come in… they’re better off headed straight to the morgue.”

It’s not just the unexpectedly hard edge to his voice that shocks you. Something must have changed in the sky outside, for the light falling through the window shifts cold and bright and lends a sudden sharpness to your friend’s countenance. For a moment, the eyes that find yours glint not unlike the edge of a blade—then Midoriya blinks and looks down, and they return to their warm seafoam green.

You set your tea down on the kotatsu and hope that he doesn’t notice the faint tremor in your hands.

“Well,” you say, “that really does sound horrible. My condolences for their families. But, if I may be straight, what does any of this have to do with me? I’m a private investigator, not a doctor.”

Midoriya opens his mouth as if to say something, second-guesses himself, and brings the tea to his lips instead. It seems to calm his nerves enough to speak.“My colleagues are all scratching their heads over it, and I’ve been searching the archives for what illness could possibly do this. But,” his voice gets quieter, more unsure, and you find yourself leaning closer, “I don’t think it’s a question of what is killing them… so much as it’s a question of who.”

notes: it's fall and i've been reading bram stoker's dracula, so obviously i was inspired to write some vampire! todoroki. please note that this fic is set in meiji era japan around the 1870s, and although i have done a crazy amount of research, i am taking some historical liberties. the genre of gothic fiction is mostly applied to the victorian era (1830s-1900s), but i didn't want to set the story in england, so i'm playing fast and loose with the aesthetics of westernization during the meiji period.

if you're interested in what 'gothic' japanese literature might look like, i encourage you to read the works of kyōtarō izumi, who wrote lots of supernatural romanticism in the pre-war era

anyway, enough with the nerd stuff. expect sexy vampires to come…

masterlist

#todoroki shouto x reader #my hero academia #bnha fanfiction #boku no hero academia #midoriya izuku #bakugou katsuki

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mariana-oconnor · 1 year

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The Red-Headed League pt 3

Here I had heard what he had heard, I had seen what he had seen, and yet from his words it was evident that he saw clearly not only what had happened but what was about to happen, while to me the whole business was still confused and grotesque.

Still don't know whether the plot is clear to me because I'm writing it from my comfortable position in the 21st century having seen a lot of fictional cons like it, or whether ACD deliberately makes Watson unable to put together the clues to make Holmes look better in comparison and to make the reader feel really smart. Probably a bit of both.

On entering his room I found Holmes in animated conversation with two men, one of whom I recognised as Peter Jones, the official police agent, while the other was a long, thin, sad-faced man, with a very shiny hat and oppressively respectable frock-coat.

'official police agent' is a strange way of putting it, but sure. Also, not quite so rude a description as the past few times, but 'sad-faced' strikes me. Also, the fact that Watson feels the need to point out the shininess off his hat. Is this just Holmes' love of observing details and Watson's attempts to emulate him showing up, or is the hat literally so shiny Watson couldn't help but mention it? Can he see his own face in it.

Also love the detail of the 'oppressively respectable frock-coat.' With Watson you need to walk a fine line of being just respectable enough, but not overly respectable. The full description of Mr Merryweather (ironically named, it seems) puts me in mind of a Tim Burton film. He's got a very gothic caricature vibe.

"We're hunting in couples again, Doctor, you see," said Jones in his consequential way.

It's a double date! How fun.

"I hope a wild goose may not prove to be the end of our chase," observed Mr Merryweather gloomily.

Live footage of Mr Merryweather trying to retrieve the keys to the bank in time to get to his rubber.

"...he has the makings of a detective in him. It is not too much to say that once or twice, as in that business of the Sholto murder and the Agra treasure, he has been more nearly correct than the official force."

Your standard 'oh he's an amateur but he does okay, I suppose. And damning with faint praise here 'been more nearly correct than the official force'. I tried to parse that out and the best I can come to is that neither Holmes nor the police was right about the case, but Holmes was less incorrect than the police. Like if they were playing Cluedo and Holmes got the room right and the weapon right, but the police only got the right room. I assume this is a lie and Holmes was actually wholly correct (but maybe didn't catch the criminal as we know he doesn't always bother with this bit...

...unless Holmes as secret sea demigod who is causing shipwrecks just to bring criminals to justice?)

Still, I confess that I miss my rubber. It is the first Saturday night for seven-and-twenty years that I have not had my rubber.

I know this means Bridge. I know it does. And yet... it still seems like an innuendo. No wonder Mr Merryweather is so down if he's missing his rubber for this.

"John Clay, the murderer, thief, smasher, and forger."

Please note how nowhere in that list does it say confidence trickster, fraudster or any kind of grifter. I refuse to believe he is any good at that, for all they are trying to convince me he is a criminal mastermind. Clearly in this con he had to be the front man because the red-headed man had to be at the league, and they were lucky that Mr Wilson was as gullible as he was. Because genuinely 'Victor Spalding' is The Most Suspicious.

He's a remarkable man, is young John Clay. His grandfather was a royal duke, and he himself has been to Eton and Oxford.

Really not that remarkable. Go to the houses of parliament and throw a brick and you'll hit someone answering to pretty much exactly that description. Especially in this era. Sure, Duke is the highest rank of nobility, fi-i-ine, some of them are only related to marquises, earls, viscounts or barons and sometimes it's only by marriage. But seriously. An Eton educated child of aristocracy? It would be more remarkable if he wasn't Eton educated. Oxford, you say? How unusual! Practically unheard of!

There is the indication that he's illegitimate, so it's a little more remarkable, but still not very. I have a sneaking suspicion that there were a lot of illegitimate children of aristocracy running around London at the time, too. The peers of the realm were not well known for keeping it in their pants.

Basically the man is nothing special and I refuse to acknowledge him as such.

"He is not a bad fellow, though an absolute imbecile in his profession. He has one positive virtue. He is as brave as a bulldog and as tenacious as a lobster if he gets his claws upon anyone."

Ah, it's Holmes' turn to be rude. He does tend to leave it for the police. I love how this essentially boils down to 'He's an idiot, but we've done the hard bit, so all we really need him to do is grab the guy'.

"I must really ask you to be a little more quiet!" said Holmes severely. "You have already imperilled the whole success of our expedition. Might I beg that you would have the goodness to sit down upon one of those boxes, and not to interfere?"

Really, Mr Merryweather! It's the naughty corner for you. Sit in the corner and think about what you have done. Tut tut.

Holmes does save up his insults for abusers and people who disrupt investigations.

"We had occasion some months ago to strengthen our resources and borrowed for that purpose 30,000 napoleons from the Bank of France."

Six of which will mysteriously turn up at a later date. 😄

The crate upon which I sit contains 2,000 napoleons packed between layers of lead foil.

The naughty corner is a lot shinier than I remember it being.

OMG... The reason his hat is so shiny! His hat is made of gold. He's already stolen some of the napoleons and melted them down to make a hat.

Sorry, I've been in a car half the day and it's been a weird week. My mind is in a very strange place rn.

If they fire, Watson, have no compunction about shooting them down.

Feel free to murder, bestie. Totally fine. According to this piece of paper in my pocket, I can absolutely give you permission to do that.

The light flashed upon the barrel of a revolver, but Holmes's hunting crop came down on the man's wrist, and the pistol clinked upon the stone floor.

Drop it!

The entire set up of this scene is very dramatic. Watson's description of the wait and hearing everyone's breathing, then the sudden action. It's very good. I could have quoted a lot of it, but that would have just been a massive chunk of writing. This story as a whole is a lot more dramatic and active than many of the others. So far we've rarely had Holmes and Watson face the villain like this. There have been a couple of times where they've had conversations. In the Reigate Squires, Holmes was attacked by them off screen and the reader and Watson come upon it later. Oh, and Holmes chases Mary Sutherland's dick of a step-father out of the house, but often there is no confrontation.

This is very satisfying.

Also - bank robbery of French gold. It's just such a satisfying and clean motive as well.

"I beg that you will not touch me with your filthy hands," remarked our prisoner as the handcuffs clattered upon his wrists. "You may not be aware that I have royal blood in my veins. Have the goodness, also, when you address me always to say 'sir' and 'please.'"

If I had any respect for the man, I would have lost it here. Seriously? Pompous ass. Yeah, yeah, your grandad was a duke. Find me literally anyone who gives a fuck other than you... go on, I'll wait.

"Had there been women in the house, I should have suspected a mere vulgar intrigue. That, however, was out of the question."

His fourteen year old maidservant is very pleased about this. As am I.

Holmes gives a very thorough detailing of every clue and indication. I did miss the bit where he tapped his cane on the ground.

"It saved me from ennui," he answered, yawning. "Alas! I already feel it closing in upon me. My life is spent in one long effort to escape from the commonplaces of existence."

Mood.

Nice to have a story with a definitive resolution where the bad guys are caught, the good guys emerge victorious and the only real downside is that Mr Wilson has to fill in a bloody great hole in his cellar. No convenient shipwrecks. No 'well, we can't really do anything about it because technically nothing illegal has happened'. Just a good old fashioned bank robbery foiled by an ambush. Yes. Very satisfying.

#Letters from Watson #Sherlock Holmes #The Red-Headed League #long post

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youzicha · 2 years

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Reviews

📖Gideon the Ninth, Tamsyn Muir, 2019. Like watching a Marvel movie. It starts by introducing some fun characters and some cool-but-not-deep aesthetics, then it turns into a dragged-out fight scene where you have to sit through descriptions of each individual magic superpower punch.

🎞️Doctor Strange, dir. Scott Derrickson, 2016. Like a Tamsyn Muir novel, but with worse aesthetics and not as fun characters.

🎞️The Batman, dir. Matt Reeves, 2022. No more dark gritty Batman movies. Society has progressed past the need for dark and gritty Batman movies

📖The Interpretation of Dreams, Sigmund Freud, 1900. Because of his influence on 20th-century pop culture, we’ve all absorbed a crude caricature of Freud: we imagine that he spun a lot of outlandish theories with minimal empirical support, which ultimately made everything to be about sex. This impression is 100% accurate.

📖Teach Us to Outgrow Our Madness: 4 Short Novels, Kenzaburō Ōe, 1977. This one is good actually!

#review

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jonfucius · 9 months

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Great Star Trek Rewatch - Enterprise S1

Originally posted on Twitter 20 August 2019 - 6 September 2019

Enterprise Season 1 is up first. Mini-reviews will document my progress.

Broken Bow: a fantastic pilot episode sets up the unfairly-maligned prequel series. This is my ultimate “comfort food” episode. 10/10

Fight or Flight: the first scene on the Axanar spaceship is creepy. I’m glad Hoshi gets a focus episode so early in the series, but it leans way too heavily on the fear of flight trope. The armory set is cool. 7/10

Strange New World: ENT’s first planetary away mission. The sinister flowers are a nice call back to TOS. The breakdown scenes are nicely acted. Well-executed body horror with the transporter mishap. 7/10

Unexpected: Yeah, it’s the “Trip gets pregnant” episode. The pregnancy jokes are tone-deaf, but the truly alien Xyrillians and their ship are an interesting addition to the franchise. T’Pol’s gambit to broker détente is very Spock-like. 6/10

Terra Nova: I love that ENT is filling in its own history while filling in the history between STFC and TOS. Kids surviving disaster is shades of “Miri”. The “alien” makeup is on point, and the guest cast (incl. the great Erick Avari) is excellent. 7/10

The Andorian Incident: ENT’s first truly excellent episode after “Broken Bow”. I wish they had focused on the Vulcan-Andorian conflict the first two seasons instead of the Temporal Cold War. Jeffrey Combs’ best character, Shran, makes an immediate impression. 10/10

Breaking the Ice: A rogue comet leads to an encounter with a stuffy, arrogant Vulcan. Capt Vannik is, I think, supposed to come off as arrogant, but to me comes off as a caricature. The effects are good and the Vulcan snowman is good fun. 8/10

Civilization: ENT’s first alien disguise mission. Riaan is a charming, determined local who impresses the audience and Phlox with her detective skills. We get to meet the Malurians before their off-screen extinction in TOS. Otherwise a cromulent episode. 6/10

Fortunate Son: Some folks are born made to haul cargo Ooh, they're slow to go And when the Nausicaans say “Give up your cargo” Ooh, they point the cannon at you, Lord It ain't for me, it ain't for me, I ain't a fan of Fortunate Son 5/10

Cold Front: Our heroes host a religious event, while Silik and Daniels advance the Temporal Cold War. The temporal observatory is a slick piece of VFX. Otherwise, it’s pretty slow for a high-stakes episode. Phlox continues his campaign for Most Interesting Man in the World. 7/10

Silent Enemy: I can’t put my finger on it, but something about this episode just clicks for me. Maybe it’s our heroes cut off from Earth, the enigmatic aliens, or the crew coming together to upgrade their own ship. Just a fun plot-driven episode. 8/10

Dear Doctor: No Prime Directive? No problem! Epistolary episodes can come off as trite, but I enjoy this one thoroughly. One of ENT’s best hours. Phlox is given great development here. The late Kellie Waymire pops up again as Cutler, and it’s a shame she left us so soon. 9/10

Sleeping Dogs: the Somraw is a cool retro design. T’Pol, Hoshi, and Reed spend most of the episode in a sinking ship. Bu’kaH is slightly overacted, but otherwise fine. Somewhat derivative of DS9’s “Starship Down”. Still, an okay romp. 6/10

Shadows of P’Jem: ENT isn’t serialized like DS9 or DSC, but it’s great to see consequences from the excellent “Andorian Incident”. Another fine call back to TOS. 9/10

Shuttlepod One: Strip away the Trek trappings and the scenes on the NX-01, and you’d still have a damn fine one-room two-actor play. More Reed on the heels of “Silent Enemy” is my only complaint. 9/10

Fusion: Ehh. The v’tosh ka’tur are an interesting concept. T’Pol being repulsed by the idea of a mind meld is interesting, though I wish Tolar suffered more consequences for what he did to T’Pol. 5/10

Rogue Planet: Interesting concept, competently done, but nothing special. Shout out to the late Stephanie Niznik as the Wraith. 6/10

Acquisition: As Ferengi episodes go, this one isn’t awful. A smaller number of Rules exist at this time. The episode bends too far to keep our heroes from finding/figuring out who the invaders are. The guest cast is top-notch, including three Trek vets. 7/10

Oasis: I liked this one better when it was a DS9 episode called “Shadowplay.” 2/10

Detained: An episode that has become somewhat more prescient in today’s world. It’s fun to see Dean Stockwell and Scott Bakula share scenes again, but it’s an otherwise paint-by-numbers plot. 6/10

Vox Sola: I like what they were trying to do here, but I still don’t get much out of this one each time I watch it. Invention of the forcefield comes a little too easily (and early). 6/10

Fallen Hero: I’m a sucker for race-against-time episodes. Fionnula Flanagan is a delight as V’Lar. Just a well-executed bottle show. 8/10

Desert Crossing: Another trope I always fall for, the “two characters lost in the wilderness” trope. Clancy Brown steals scenes like none other. Would’ve been fun for Mayweather or Hoshi be trapped with Archer. Still, fun to learn more about Archer & Tucker’s friendship. 8/10

Two Days and Two Nights: Our heroes finally make it to Risa. Unfortunately, the Reed/Tucker subplot is marred by juvenile and transphobic humor. Hoshi’s subplot is charming in its own way. Phlox’s scenes are hilarious. Archer has to deal with the fallout from “Detained”. 7/10

Shockwave: A slam-bang finale that starts with an appropriately somber tragedy. Just when the audience thinks our heroes have saved the day, the rug gets pulled out from under everyone. Stranding Archer in the future is a fun twist on plots like “Time’s Arrow”. 9/10

And with that, Season 1 of Enterprise comes to an end in my Great Star Trek Rewatch. Final score: 7.12/10. Highest score(s): “Broken Bow,” “The Andorian Incident”. Lowest score(s): “Oasis”

#star trek #star trek enterprise #Great Star Trek Rewatch

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caricatureblue · 1 year

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By the request of one single person (@cherryelectricboogaloo) I present to you:

Pre-SMP Cari Lore

In the form of writing, for now, but I’ll have you know I fully intend on doing a Tales from the SMP comic about it

———

Caricature Blue grew up in the thriving city of Terra Nova. A technological marvel, Terra Nova pioneered advancements in the medical and engineering fields, pursuing knowledge at every turn and exploring the great unknown far beyond its walls.

Cari, unfortunately, could only watch the bustling city from behind clean laboratory walls. See, Cari was a very sickly child. From birth their lungs had struggled to expand, and their blood ate slowly away at their tissue from deep within their veins. Their parents had given them up within only their first year. They’d be safer in the hospital, of course, where they could be tended to and researched upon for anything that may extend their life.

This isn’t to say that their time at Nova Labs was bad, not at all. Other sickly children in their ward provided constant company, as the industrious child often refused to stay in bed, dragging their IV with them around the halls, wheezing away. The doctors were kind, and attentive, the nurses taught Cari so much about the world.

With each passing year, the doctors found more and more ways to help Cari survive. Cari didn’t much understand what was being done to them. The medical procedures were terrifying, but they always sought to have a brave face. After all, without it, they wouldn’t have the energy to play with the other kids, and those kids needed to know everything would be okay.

Every fairytale they’d ever read had a happy ending, so of course they knew that their own story would too.

One year, the procedures changed. It seemed that the doctors had come up with some sort of plan, and it started with a cannula and a little vial of orange liquid.

Only a few months in their energy had already shifted. Jumping around the labs, chattering away to anyone who would listen until their short breath ran out, Cari seemed to be on the mend, even if the doctors still spoke with an underlying tone of sorrow. It was promising, certainly, promising enough that Cari could finally take part in the Nova Labs Interlock tests.

A series of chambers meant to improve physical strength, teamwork, and cognitive function, while monitoring its subjects for signs of degeneration.

Cari thrived here, truly. It was exciting, so much more exciting than sitting around all day. It almost felt like they were finally getting to live the adventure that any good citizen of Terra Nova should have. Finally, their story was underway!

The group of test subjects became very tightly knit, carrying each other through trial after trial, welcoming in the new, strange man with the spiralled sweater.

When a test was interrupted to call Cari out to another procedure, after over a year of not having to deal with one… Cari found themself nervous. They weren’t sure why, they’d stopped being nervous ages ago. But something hung in the air, and anxiety that was palpable on the tongue.

The man in the spiral sweater knelt to their height and promised them that everything would be okay.

Cari believed him.

Out of their jumpsuit and back again into a hospital gown, Cari was wheeled into a chamber they had never seen before. It was dark, obsidian- In the centre was two giant test tubes filled with bright, orange liquid. Their heart was pounding now. Within one, a dark shape writhed, thumping against the glass.

The doctors worked with solemn efficiency. None of the usual pleasantries and reassurances were spoken, even as they fastened a glass helm over their head, the metal around their neck digging in to seal the opening. Every step up the metal staircase to the top of the empty test tube made them feel ill. They could hardly breathe. The helmet was suffocating.

The cannula was removed from their arm. The hatch to the test tube was open.

“We’re going to need you to jump in.”

Such a simple order, but it sounded absolutely insane. This was unorthodox, even for Nova Labs. But Cari had spent their whole life there- if they trusted anyone, it was them.

Cari took a deep breath of air, not knowing it was the last they’d ever take, and jumped in.

The liquid was thicker than they’d expected, coating their skin like a syrup. Peering through it, they could make out the shape in the other tube. Long and vague, without any clear features- like a living void. Their presence riled the creature up as it slammed against the glass with a single, sharp hand that seemed to sprout from nothing, and it turned a massive, spiralled mask toward the child. It was impossibly white, as if the liquid they were both suspended in simply ceased to exist between it and Cari.

The syrupy liquid brushed their jaw, and Cari realized that the helmet was flooding. Panic shot through them as they clawed at the metal that held it in place

Above them was the distinctive sound of air escaping as the hatch between the two tubes opened up with a mechanical crack.

In an instant the creature’s hand had shot through the opening, grabbing Cari in an impossibly cold grip. Something flashed above them, sending electricity through both of them and making the creature screech in pain.

A blinding burn shot into Cari’s back, their cheeks, the sides of their skull. The sound of shattering glass filled their ears.

Gripped with terror, Cari hardly noticed the shouting of the doctors as they hit the obsidian floor on their hands and knees. Every breath drew in the liquid now, filling their lungs- had they the wherewithal to do so, they may have felt relieved.

Instead they found themself standing outside the tube, in a puddle and liquid and glass, the creature’s dark shape looming above them. Attached to them. They needed to get out. They had to get out. Their pounding heart blocked out the blare of the sirens.

Without choosing to do so Cari lunged toward the nearest man, blinded by the blood that splashed across their helm.

The creature tore through the door, and pulled them into the hall. Through the red emergency lights, they could make out the shape of their fellow test subjects. The man in the spiral sweater.

He’d lied to them.

Rage scorched any sense they had left. The group turned to run. They pursued.

In a flurry of darkness and screams the two lashed out at their captors, clawing through the walls, tearing the place down to its very foundation. It was all just noise, terrifying horrifying noise, Cari couldn’t keep up, could hardly breath.

Cold wind whipped at their bare skin as they stumbled through the wreckage of the city wall, brightly coloured blood staining their skin, their clothes. Red and- orange. Orange, pouring from their own wounds. Smoke filled the air, and in truth, Cari wasn’t sure how it got there. Only that the city behind them was burning. They had no chance to look.

The only thing they could do was run.

#caricatureblue #terra nova my beloved #fusion is just a cheap trick to make weak 8 year olds stronger #will maybe post a part two #dsmp oc #dsmp #tales from the smp

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fanartka · 2 months

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Imagine that Defender fell through the portal not dead, but badly wounded, and not into world 616, but into Sinister's destroyed lair. The first living person in decades! Well, almost alive.

I think Sinister would have pulled him out of the world of the dead by the ponytail, just so as not to be alone again. And he would take better care of him than a mother would take care of a sick baby. He wouldn't take his eyes off him. Neither day nor night.

Maybe Defender’s wounds would have healed quickly, but only the last two nerve cells would have remained from the nerves.

#fanartka sketch #fanartka art #digital drawing #krita #doctor strange #stephen strange #doctor stephen strange #marvel #doctor strange in the multiverse of madness #sinister #sinister strange #defender #defender strange #fanart #caricature #doctor strange fanart #doctor strange caricature #sinister strange fanart #defender strange fanart

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bye-bye-miss-american-pie · 2 years

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Things I liked and disliked about Thor: Love and Thunder

Full spoilers below!!!

Also mandatory disclaimer that this is just my opinion and it’s as valid as anyone else’s! :)

Starting off with the positivity!! Things I liked:

The choreography and aesthetics of the film just blew my mind. Everything was pretty!!! The B&W battle scene where the only colour came from the illumination from the weapons? The battle against Zeus scene with the gold dust? The final battle with Guns N’ Roses blasting in the background???? Beautiful.

AXL Heimdallson and the kids. Say what you want about child actors but I thought their involvement was cute.

New Asgard basically being this quirky Norwegian village that is now a tourist destination.

Everything Valkyrie does. Especially when they LET HER BE GAY!!!

Jane’s character development and story. I got spoiled so I went in knowing she’d die, but the second part of the movie really hammered in her struggle and made me like her so much more. They also kinda redeemed the Thor and Jane romance for me since I never cared for it, but now it’s bittersweet.

The Guardians appearing. I just love my funny space gang.

Love Thordottir. Enough said.

Those fucking goats.

The fact that Mjölnir chose Jane because Thor told it to protect her. He unintentionally gave Jane the power of Thor with his love. And she used it to protect Thor in the end by sacrificing herself.

Now for the not-so-positive stuff AKA things I disliked:

The first half of the movie was just rushed and messy. It tries to be “stylistic” but the quippy and comedic moments just felt awkward as they try to cram in 1) Thor’s trauma and grief, 2) Jane’s cancer plot (and apparently their love story matters now! After Ragnarok so casually dismissing it), and 3) the God Butcher arc. It gets way better in the second part of the movie as things run more smoothly.

The Guardians, again. I think Taika just doesn’t know how to direct those characters, as the acting of that Guardians scene was so stiff and bad. All of them are just caricatures of themselves. It’s like the only guide Taika had with the Guardians was “they’re funny” and ran with it. And Groot’s CGI??? Wtf was that??? But honestly this just shows that James Gunn is the best choice for directing the GotG movies 🤷🏻‍♀️

They kind of randomly nerfed Valkyrie near the end of the movie. Why didn’t she participate in the final battle? It’s a nitpick but I wish she got to shine too.

Thor’s new armour didn’t do it for me.

The stakes of the movie never felt that high despite there being a literal GOD KILLER roaming around. Maybe I was just not that invested in the MCU anymore but Ragnarok had felt more gripping and urgent.

That’s it!! Overall I’d rank it above Doctor Strange MoM and most of the Phase Four films, but I’m still waiting for Guardians Vol 3 to completely blow it out of the water.

#no one asked for this #yet I shall deliver #a lot of it are nitpicks actually and my thoughts on a movie usually change after it marinates a while in my head #negativity cw #thor love and thunder spoilers #thor love and thunder #thor love and thunder review #fandom: marvel #ramblings

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british-revolution · 20 days

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Alastair Lethbridge-Stewart and Colin Mitchell

Although Haisman and Lincoln created the character of the Colonel and Derrick Sherwin has also tried to claim credit, for my money the real credit for the creation of one of the show’s longest running and most beloved characters belongs to the man who (eventually) cast Nicholas Courtney in the role. Douglas Camfield re-made the character of Colonel Lethbridge in the image of someone he admired (Lt Col. Colin Mitchell) and in the process made him an Anglicised Scot, gave him a double-barrelled name and made him an officer like Mitchell in a Highland regiment (Michell’s was the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders). Take a look at how closely the look of Lethbridge-Stewart resembles Mitchell:

Now Mitchell leading his men into the Crater District in Aden was the last gasp of empire and he later stood as a Tory MP. He was a small, wiry Scot who worked is way up from the rank of Private and neither Nicholas Courtney nor the original casting choices physically resembles him much, in fact someone like Fulton Mackay may have been a closer fit. Nor can I see Lethbridge-Stewart leading his troops into battle against the Autons with 15 pipers playing ‘Scotland the Brave’! Although now I’ve thought of that I’m tempted to write it! Strangely the Highland aspect of Lethbridge Stewart would not be mentioned again until the Camfield directed ‘Terror of the Zygons’, the character’s last regular appearance. So, Camfield rather has just appropriated the image of Mitchell, not especially the character – aside from his oft-quoted ‘leading from the front’ and defining him as as an independent thinking, unconventional soldier. It is worth noting that Mitchell is far from just being the right-wing colonialist he is portrayed as – read his obituary from ‘The Independent’ written by his friend the MP Tam Dalyell, a rather surprising friend at that – he was right wing, but also fiercely anti-apartheid and spent his last days running a charity to clear landmines in places like Angola and Mozambique – showing that caricaturing people on their politics alone rarely presents the whole truth.

Douglas Camfield was supposedly himself rather right wing, somewhat of an anomaly in the BBC of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. However he was a bloody good director and much-loved by the people who worked with him. Maybe the show shouldn’t always be made by people with the same views as me, I’m not entirely sure that is healthy. I wouldn’t like to see that conviction tested too far, I can’t imagine a story that provided support for Thatcher or Trump, but certainly at a more abstract level – the level that ‘Doctor Who’ normally operates, when exploring things like pacifism, war, appeasement and resistance, a diversity of views can help, we are talking about big moral issues, with no real answers and opposing views that can be legitimately argued.

(via Web of Fear by Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln (1968) – A Journal of Impossible Things)

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khorai · 3 months

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For the character meme Loki

My first impression of Loki was that he looked like a gladiator because of his helmet (I'm not even joking).

His twisted sense of humor and sarcasm amused me a lot, and I found him rather charismatic as an antagonist. But over time, I discovered other aspects of his personality that slowly made me revise my perception of him. I would now say that Loki is much more than the initial caricature I had of him.

He is... complex.

Despite his flaws (which tend to be noticed first), he possesses exceptional qualities. He is kind, not necessarily in the traditional sense, but kind nonetheless. He is strong both physically and emotionally, courageous when needed, fiercely protective, and loving, so very loving.

He is engaging, has a great sense of sacrifice, but can also be a real two-faced jerk. He is quite dichotomous in that he embraces his nature as much as he condemns it.

His status as the "god of mischief" was a defense he gradually abandoned to reveal the person he truly is underneath, a person capable of change.

He is someone capable of the worst and the best. After all, we have seen him commit atrocities just as we have seen him perform wonders.

He is just incredible like that.

Today, I see Loki as a free and unpredictable being: free in his choices, his actions, and his emotional depth and richness make him immensely endearing and captivating.

I have many favorite moments, but I think my absolute favorite is probably when he threatens Thanos with his spear (to protect Thor). This scene always gives me chills; nothing can surpass it in my eyes.

For a while now, I've been obsessed with the idea of a story in which my two favorite characters, Sakura and Loki, find themselves thrust into an unknown universe and must team up to find a way back home. I want to see them interact and form a bond, not romantic but entirely platonic. A duo formed by these two would be iconic, and nothing can convince me otherwise. Since I can't find a fiction of this kind, I'll probably end up writing it myself to satisfy my craving.

I love his relationship with Thor; I've always had a soft spot for sibling relationships, and I find the one he shares with his brother incredibly cute, funny, and touching.

I don't have really unpopular opinion , but I think his connection with Mobius is closer to a parent/child slash reluctant best friends dynamic than a romantic relationship.

In my imagination, Sylvie and Mobius sometimes visit Loki through a portal opened by America Chavez (or Doctor Strange) so he doesn't feel alone. I know it's not very plausible, but it's my headcanon, let me dream.

#anon ask #loki laufeyson #please excuse any mistakes it's not my native language #character meme

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arthurdrakoni · 7 months

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King Kirby tells the story of Jack Kirby, the many who invented almost the entire Marvel Comics universe. This is my review.

In many ways, comic books and audio dramas aren't as different as they might seem. Sure, comic books are very much a visual medium, whereas audio dramas are auditory oriented. However, both mediums are very much team efforts. Oh, you can make a comic or an audio drama all on your own. However, more often than not you get by with a little help from your friends. Of course, sometimes, much more so on the comics side of things, that means many people don’t get the credit they deserve.

I bring this up because it ties into the audio drama that I recently reviewed: King Kirby.

You may not have heard of Jack Kirby, but you're probably familiar with his work. Pretty much every major Marvel Comics character ever, besides Spider-Man and Doctor Strange, was first dreamed up Jack Kirby. But before he was the king of comics, he was just a kid from Brooklyn with big dreams. King Kirby follows the life and career of Jack Kirby, from his humble beginnings, to time serving in World War II, to his time at Marvel, and everything that followed.

King Kirby started life as a stage play, created by Crystal Skillman and Fred Van Lente, for a theatre festival. It did fairly well, and it even became a New York Times Critic's Choice Pick, but the team wanted to bring it to a wider audience. The play was funded via Kickstarter, and as a reward to the backers, the team recorded a reading of the play at Midtown Comics in Manhattan. So, they had the initial audio sitting around for a while before they got the idea to make it into an audio drama. So, Crystal and Fred hired Bobby Cronin to compose some music for the podcast. And thus, an audio drama was born.

I suppose it's rather fitting that things worked out this way. Fred Van Lente has world on several comics including The Incredible Hercules and Action Philosophers. Crystal Skillman has written plays such as Rain and Zoe Save the World, Open, and Cut. By the way, that's three plays; Open and Cut are two separate plays. I got confused on this point when I was researching for this review, so I'm just putting that as a point of clarification. Also, the Marvel Comics version of Hercules is yet another Jack Kirby creation. He premiered in The Mighty Thor, also a Kirby creation.

Conventional wisdom is that Stan Lee was the major creative force behind the creation of the Marvel Comics universe. However, in more recent years, this narrative has come under greater scrutiny. It is increasingly believed that Jack Kirby was the true driving force behind Marvel. And I very pleased to see that Kirby is finally getting the credit that he was so long denied, and in such a fantastic audio drama as well. There plenty of music and sound effects to give it that larger than life feel, as is befitting of an audio drama about the king of comic books. The actors also give fantastic performances; they don’t attempt to sound like caricatures of the historical figures, but they’re at least ballpark correct, and give strong performances across the board.

I kind of wish the audio drama had been a bit longer, and we’d gotten to see more of Kirby’s later life, but an audio drama has to stop somewhere. And it does cover most of the major beats of Kirby’s life. That, and the festival the original play was part of said that entry couldn’t go longer than seventy-five minutes.

I always founded it to be a bit sad that Jack Kirby never lived to see the rise of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But maybe, in its own way, King Kirby will help raise awareness about the life of one truly marvelous man.

Have you listen to King Kirby? If so, what did you think?

Link to the full review on my blog: https://drakoniandgriffalco.blogspot.com/2021/05/the-audio-file-king-kirby.html?m=1