#even if camina drummer isn't in them

[forgotn1]

I've been watching the Expanse for the first time over the last couple of weeks. Just finished episode three of season six and holy shit, it's so good. Easily one of the best sci-fi series ever produced. I'm just disappointed they didn't do the last three books and truncated the sixth season. One of this show's strengths was its pacing and how it was able to tell a compelling story while also doing incredibly deep and brilliant worldbuilding.

The Belter society is amazing, especially the Belter Creole they speak. Which was invented and fleshed out specifically for this show. I love how it parallels the poor and working class here in our world and the exploitation they face. It's brilliant how they give us so many different versions of what their fight for recognition and independence looks like, each with its own unique benefits and flaws.

I think Camina Drummer is my favorite character. I love her strength and fierce loyalty. Her and Naomi definitely dated while she was on the Behemoth. Amos is another fave. I get really strong autistic vibes from him, but a lot of it could also be how he deals with the immense trauma from his childhood. Which is also one of the most interesting and heartbreaking backstories in the show.

There's so much more I could get into to that makes it so great. Like everything that is Chrisjen Avasarala. Or Bobbie's escape on Earth and how it showed Earth wasn't all rich people day drinking. Or the freaking protomolecule! But I think I've rambled enough. lol

#the expanse #belter #belter society #belter creole #camina drummer #naomi nagata #james holden #amos burton #alex kamal #chrisjen avasarala #bobbie draper #joe miller #I think I'm gonna get the book series #I want to know how it all ends #even if camina drummer isn't in them

[jennawynn]

Chronotrek Diversion: The Expanse

On a new post for reasons, but a response to @jbk405!

I really enjoyed most of the Expanse. By the end of it, I found myself thinking in Belter Creole unwittingly and I dove head first into hyperfixation territory. In fact, the spree of reblogs I did a week ago or so was a result of me combing through the tumblr tag looking for meta and gifsets only to be very disappointed by the amount available. It's a shame it isn't more popular here.

There were excellent characters and world-building and it was exactly what I was looking for to base my idea of a sci-fi TTRPG in, and happily the Green Ronin RPG looks to be just as suitable. The Star Trek RPG seemed _too_ light.

I adored every tantrum Avasarala had and every swear word that left her lips. Amos was 100% character, and even Jim "Paladin in a universe that doesn't have paladins" Holden was enjoyable. Camina Drummer just got better and better as time went on.

Queer bonuses: There's a character who is introduced as the child of 8 parents in a MMMMMFFF split, so poly is legal and accepted (though there is heavy implication that it was more for legal/financial reasons than love reasons, it's still a positive). There's a queer woman in an unrequited love situation where it informs several of her decisions but never is treated like it's the worst thing ever or puts the other person in a bad light. The found family themes are strong.

The negatives... the last season is cut short and although they 'tried' to wrap up the main story points, it's not great. It definitely feels like it was a sudden attempt to make the best of a bad situation. Though tbh, I'm not sure I would have really enjoyed that last season (or three) anyway. The stakes kept getting higher and higher with each season through 3 and maybe even 4, and then it felt like it plummeted back down.

I haven't read the books, so I can't say for sure, but it really felt like they should have ended this series with the end of 3 and then used that to launch other shows in the same universe that could then utilize that plot device for various different genres and stories to be told instead of continuing to try to find ways to use the Roci's crew and the MacGuffin. Which, don't get me wrong, love the Roci crew, but there's almost an entire season where none of them are in the same room!

I mentioned it in the last chronotrek post, but this series has the same trope as Mass Effect (and at least one episode of Trek) where there's some ancient, long-dead species that existed and died out and few people know of them, but other than that, it's just humans. It's intensely political. It has has a lot of speculative fiction worldbuilding. I was reading the TTRPG core rulebook at the same time as watching the show, so I might have gotten a bit more lore and such from that than you might just watching the show, but I think it worked well. The logic of the show seemed internally consistent, which is something I usually find to be grating in fantasy and science fiction media.

TLDR: Good enough that I might watch it again in the near future.

#chronotrek #the expanse

[variousqueerthings]

the audacity actually for The Expanse to try to make me believe that anyone could be with Camina Drummer and want to betray and/or leave her, RIP to Naomi and Oksana, but if Drummer were my partner I’d fucking cherish her and do everything she ever told me to and thank her every day for existing!

#camina drummer #the expanse #this is the real suspension of disbelief #drummer :((( you're having such a rough time babe #this is a problem with space but oksana as a character just didn't work for me -- #i didn't know where she came from and what informed her choices so all i saw was someone who didn't get drummer at all! #and asked her to sacrifice and sacrifice and sacrifice everything of her past for her #and in return she was offering lies and cowardice #and maybe knowing where she comes from would help with that -- but drummer is such a complex character #that it's hard to put her opposite one that's not fleshed out at all and invest in the drama of their relationship #and this isn't even mentioning the belterfam which... i mean again maybe next season when i see them all more #but rn i couldnt pick them out of a lineup of other belter one-off characters #man let drummer have the fucking support and love she deserves for once