Once again, thank you everyone for reading, enjoying, and sharing this comic. Not just sharing in the sense of re-posting this comic, (which you should totally do) but also sharing your stories with me, letting my know how my comics have touched you. It means so much to me. Love ya!
Stay tuned for more comics! <3
THIS IS SO IMPORTANT 😭💗😭
Dis so good!
i will never get over how garak likes julian for his talking and excited curiosity, and how julian accepts garak as he is, lies, secrets, and all. like that shit fucked me up.
And meanwhile other people are annoyed by Julian and deeply suspicious of Garak. As is not inappropriate. But they like one another.
OKay, I was just gonna reblog this this WITHOUT adding a big long meta rant about Garak and Bashir but, whelp, looks like this is happening sorry not sorry
The dynamic of Garak and Bashir is FASCINATING because in many ways it lacks the fundamental building blocks of most standard relationships. For contrast and comparison, lets take a look at another glorious slash pairing of Star Trek: Kirk/Spock. Kirk and Spock relationship is based on a deep trust and unwavering loyalty, and a unique respect held for the other, shared values and purpose, as well as an obvious love and affection. Now, what is Garak and Bashir’s relationship based on? Loyalty? Not really. They’re both way more loyal to other things than they are to each other. Trust? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Shared values? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA! Shared purpose? Occasionally yes, but it’s very circumstantial. Respect? Kind of, but they honestly don’t seem to respect each other any more than they do any other person just from being basically respectful people. So…what IS the relationship based on?
Affection. Love, if you want to call it that. They just LIKE each other, for really no good reason. They enjoy each other’s company and want to be close to each other…just because. It’s an actual “love is all we have” dynamic. Under all the snark and banter and cynisism is actually something really pure: simple, untainted affection.
And what interesting about that, is that it’s hard. Sure, it’s easy to say “love is all you need,” but building a long term relationship WITHOUT things like loyalty and trust and shared values to back it up is exceedingly difficult. Now, they obviously have those things to some degree, but not really enough. I think it’s telling that so much Garashir fanfiction involves them building some of those things, learning to compromise, to grow as people and thus grow closer to each other.
A friend of mine once pointed out that Garak and Bashir is kind of a muture Romeo and Juliet: one where they’re other responsibilities are often at odd with their feeling for each other, but where they’re not just stupid kids who defy their other responsibilities for love at the drop of a hat. The inner conflicts of Garak vs the Federation for Julian, and Bashir vs Cardassia for Garak, is so much more compelling to a modern audience (possibly because nationalism is a thing and we get patriotism in this day and age way more than family house loyalty) and I really wish they’d explored it more on the show.
Because as much as ship Garak/Bashir, the thing that brings me back over and over is that, if that relationship works out, or if it DOESN’T, the resulting journey is REALLY INTERESTING. Because honestly, I don’t know if that relatinship would really work, as much as want it to, but whether I’m watching them build something lasting against all odd, or watching it all fall apart, the point is, I WANT TO WATCH IT.
Because, and I might be a bit hyperbolic here, there’s really nothing else like it. It’s not like I can turn on a whole bunch of other shows with relationships just like this one; in a media industry full of rehashed tropes, this dynamic is unique. And there’s SO MUCH that went unexplored on the show.
Which, I guess, is why there’s fan fiction.
“Has it ever occurred to you that I might be getting exactly what I deserve?”
“The word you’re looking for is ‘unnatural’ - meaning ‘not from nature.’ ‘Freak’ or ‘monster’ would also be acceptable.”
chequerootlurks
I’m an apprentice tattoo artist. An artist who owns a few shops invited me to their team.
I’ve got a long way to go. I’m still learning basic shading techniques. Working with a tattoo pen adds depth to the traditional flat plane I’m used to working on.
One is never too old to learn a new skill.
At times I feel like a complete newb.
So, here is a meme that I love. I’m sharing it for everyone who is learning something new.
