#Ben never named this one

[0lemat]

can you tell me more about the Charming

This was never really a setting I developed very much! So you'll be getting a little bit of ad-libbed stuff, and some fragmentary memories from when I was writing this six years ago. This will get a little bit long.

The names for the kinds of emotion-magicians are all, technically speaking, words invented for them by other people---this is most important for the Charming. Some of the Dread might refer to themselves as such (some might prefer something a little more inspiring, like a "Banner" or an "Icon"---indicating their ability to take fear away). I can't remember if I had a name for the Sorrow-mages, but they might well be called Sorrowful; I don't think that would be much used by the actual mages. A Berserk could conceivably use the term of themselves, as a boast, or a threat.

One thing that I want to remark here (since it's important, and doesn't fit terribly well in any of the other early paragraphs): people can have innate talents towards one form of emotion-magic or another, but these are all skills---you don't become a Berserk by accident (and anger-magic is generally viewed as the easiest to use, for whatever that's worth. Though it's also the one with the shortest life expectancy). You have to hone your understanding of a particular emotion. Even if you have a knack for feeling sadness, or anger, or joy, even if you understand that emotion inside-and-out, it takes time to learn the magic needed to siphon it, to shape it, to use it.

But the Charming... well, remember the conceit here. The Charming can take happiness, store it---in themselves, in a ring---move it, and induce it. They can arrange matters so that your heart leaps when a specific person walks into a room, or sinks; they can steal the joy from your greatest moment of triumph.

One of the odd things about this magic is that it's aggressively asymmetric---a Berserk can borrow anger from the world around themselves for months, and burn up all of that in minutes. So, yeah, they're an Anger-mage, but on a usual day they will be making the people around them more level-headed, more calm. The Sorrowful ease the sorrow of others, and the Dread can take away your fear. In fact, doing all of those things is cheap for them; they probably want to do it, to build up their reserves of the emotions that they need for their power.

(... But a wise Sorrowful knows not to take too much, because sorrow, too, is important to feel, and to feel genuinely...)

But all of those are services that people want to have. A Berserk can be a valuable mediator, and build up valuable stockpiles of anger; that's a mutually beneficial transaction.

For the Charming, making someone happy is a cost. And it's not the kind of happiness anyone but the most selfish would pay for, because all of the happiness is stolen; asking someone else for it is to become complicit in the act of theft.

In society, the Charming are viewed as something between vampires and the fae---hence the name. They would never use it of themselves---though they might use it of each other, since one of the Charming might well think poorly of another one sneaking into their territory.

(The least-noticeable way to exist as a successful Charming is to siphon off tiny portions of happiness from large numbers of people, while making sure that people always are glad to see you---but not unnaturally glad. Just glad enough that they won't believe the worst rumors, that will do. For a socialite, or a politician, or a certain kind of thief, that's good enough---good enough to live on, at least. But if several Charming are all trying to siphon off the same gala, people will start noticing that the lights are not metaphorically shining so brightly* and then the accusations start, the knives come out, and warm feelings like "joy" and "happiness" become shockingly absent. Bad for business all around; much better to keep the other Charming out of your parties)

*Another side note that doesn't fit well anywhere---use of emotion magic affects the colors in the world around the user. For example, siphoning anger makes reds less vivid and darkens blues, and when a Berserk unleashes anger, it tends to be either fire-red or ice-blue. So if the Charming are drawing in enough joy, it can noticeably darken a room. But people attuned to their own emotions will notice the wrongness of their feelings long before the lights start to go dim.

The thing to really remember, when thinking about why people hate hate hate the Charming (as an idea) is this---anyone who has picked up this power did it on purpose. They decided that they wanted people to like them---to love them---and that they were willing to steal the happiness right out of people's heads to make that happen. You have to be a pretty real bastard to go down that road---there's the old joke about melting down the Eiffel Tower for scrap? Any one of the Charming would cheerfully melt down the memories of your wedding for scrap, and then toss in your childhood, too. Do they want power, do they want money, do they want affection---well, here's the real question: do you care? Does it matter?

They're really useful to have around, for some people. Kings sometimes will keep one or two on very secret retainer, because they can truly be very persuasive. They also make very good scapegoats, if you end up needing one. And they are very likable, as long as no one knows how they got that way.

[carpe-mamilia]

Ghosts’ Larry Rickard Explains Why They Chose the Captain’s First Name

Photo: Monumental,Guido Mandozzi

It couldn’t be a joke. That was one rule laid down by the Ghosts creators when it came to choosing a first name for Willbond’s character. Until series five, the WWII ghost had been known only as The Captain – a mystery seized upon by fans of the show.

“It was the question we got asked more than anything. His name,” actor and writer Larry Rickard tells Den of Geek. “Once we got to series three, you could see that we were deliberately cutting away and deliberately avoiding it. We were fuelling the fire because we knew at some point we’d tell them.”

In “Carpe Diem”, the episode written by Rickard and Ben Willbond that finally reveals The Captain’s death story, they did tell us. After years of guessing, clue-spotting and debate, Ghosts revealed that The Captain’s first name is James. At the same time, we also learned that James’ colleague Lieutenant Havers’ first name was Anthony.

The ordinariness of those two names, says Rickard, is the point.

“The only thing we were really clear about is that we didn’t want one of those names that only exists in tellyland. It shouldn’t be ‘Cormoran’ or ‘Endeavour’. They should just be some men’s names and they’re important to them. The point was that they were everyday.”

Choosing first names for The Captain and Havers was a long process not unlike naming a baby, Rickard agrees. “It almost comes down to looking at the faces of the characters and saying, what’s right?”

“We talked for ages. For a long time I kept thinking ‘Duncan and James’, and then I was like ah no! That would have turned it into a gag and been awful!” Inescapably in the minds of a certain generation, Duncan James is a member of noughties boyband Blue. “Maybe with Anthony I was thinking of Anthony Costa!” Rickard says in mock horror, referencing another member of the band.

Lieutenant Havers wasn’t just The Captain’s second in command while stationed at Button House; he was also the man James loved. Because homosexuality was criminalised in England during James’ lifetime, he was forced to hide his feelings for Anthony from society, and to some extent even from himself.

In “Carpe Diem”, the ghosts (mistakenly) prepare for the last day of their afterlives, prompting The Captain to finally tell his story. Though not explicit about his sexual identity, the others understand and accept what he tells them – and led by Lady Button, all agree that he’s a brave man.

Getting the balance right of what The Captain does and doesn’t say was key to the episode. “It wasn’t just a personal choice of his to go ‘I’m going to remain in the closet’,” explains Rickard. “There wasn’t an option there to explore the things that either of them felt. That couldn’t be done back then – there are so many stories which have come out since the War about the dangers of doing that.

“We wanted to tell his personal story but also try to ensure that there was a level at which you understood why they couldn’t be open, that even in this moment where he’s finally telling the other ghosts his story, he never comes out and says it overtly because that would be too much for him as a character from that time.

“He says enough for them to know, and enough for him to feel unburdened but it’s in the fact that they’re using their first names which militarily they would never have done, and in the literal passing of the baton”.

The baton is a bonus reveal when fans learned that The Captain’s military stick wasn’t a memento of his career, but of Havers. As James suffers a fatal heart attack during a VE day celebration at Button House, Anthony rushes to his side and the stick passes from one to the other as they share a moment of tragic understanding.

“From really early on, we had the idea that anything you’re holding [when you die] stays with you. So it wasn’t just your clothes you were wearing, we had the stuff with Thomas’ letter reappearing in his pocket and so on. And the assumption being that it was something The Captain couldn’t put down, it felt so nice to be able to say it was something he didn’t want to put down.”

Rickard lists “Carpe Diem”, co-written with Ben Willbond, among his series five highlights. He’s pleased with the end result, praises Willbond’s performance, and loved being on set to see Button House dressed for the 1940s. He’s particularly pleased that a checklist of moments they wanted to land with the audience all managed to be included. “Normally something’s fallen by the wayside just because of the way TV’s made, it’s always imperfect or it’s slightly rushed, but it feels like it’s all there.”

Rickard and Willbond also knew by this point in the show’s lifetime, that they could trust Ghosts fans to pick up on small details. “Nothing is missed,” he says. “Early on, you’re always thinking, is that going to get across? But once we got to series five, there are little tiny things within corners of shots and you know that’s going to be spotted. Particularly in that very short exchange between Havers and the Captain. We worried less about the minutiae of it because you go, that’s going to be rewound and rewatched, nothing will be missed.”

The team were also grateful they’d resisted the temptation to tell The Captain’s story sooner. “We’d talked about it every series since series two, whether or not now was the time, but because he’s such a hard and starchy character in a lot of ways you needed the time to understand his softer side I think before you had that final honest beat from him.”

“What a ridiculously normal name to have so much weight put on it for five years,” laughs Rickard fondly. “Good old James.”

From Den of Geek

[frunbuns]

There's something so bittersweet about the childhood flashbacks in tua. They were all children together. Reginald was horrible, but they had each other. And then everything went to shit. Five's 13 year old body a bitter reminder of what once was. His siblings in their adult bodies a reminder of how things should've been. God,,,,

[epicfirestormer]

What I love about Hellboy and Abe Sapien's dynamic in the comics is that, if you came into this blind, you'd expect Abe to be the voice of reason or the straight man to Hellboy's impulsive and hotheaded personality. But no, Abe is more often than not the crazy one. Hellboy would deal with fighting evil monsters and bad guys by just sighing and getting it over with, while Abe is going rabid over tearing the creature apart when he does get into a fight. Hellboy acts like it's a 9-to-5 job and will reasonably talk things out with a guy that had nearly killed him before, Abe acts like a madman in a slaughter house and his first instinct is to shoot first kill second and ask third. They're both insane, but on completely different levels.

[the-20th-century-girl]

The Ghosts and the meaning of their names on Urban Dictionary

[fricc-darn]

This has to be the cutest Moon Child and like one of the best pictures of BEN! Hands down!!! They're so cute💖!!

I've beeen thinking about some hcs for the Moon Children. Things like dreams, goals, and family life. This one gave me "church girl that plays in dirt" vibes. In the sense of her being a bit boyish, but also lives in a really strict Catholic household. Before going to church, her parents would bump her bob and what not. "Girl things". The actor/model part mainly comes from her looks. It's a short lived dream for multiple reasons. Ain't that too bad?

Then, I did more hcs for other Moon Children! They're all based on a few of BEN's images :D

The -loyal is a note of who's really devoted to the cult. Those who would be willing to die for it. Not to say the others aren't devoted, they're just less extreme. Everyone in this post is a loyalist except for one who has a lot of conflicting feelings.

Warning for s/a and blood

This is just a piece on the type of mistreatment that would happen. The people in power aren't always best. Even if some are """nice""", they won't do anything to stop this. Which makes sense; the cult was founded on and carried out super unethical practices. Abuse would certainly be rampant in these circumstances.

It's a cruel form of punishment, but effective at keeping people in line. No one wants to be around the rule breaker and no one wants to be the rule breaker. A very normalized problem in this cult that always has an excuse to justify it. Still, there are some members who comfort another, even if it gets them in trouble. This is a family, after all. 

Which gets into my next part. Yes, they're like a family, but not all family members like eachother. Those differences have to be set aside when you're stuck in a hivemind. It's the mindset of "The person suffering beside you didn't cause your suffering." Priorities! They only have eachother and their emotional baggage.

[shuutingstar]

You know a ship I feel like people should talk about more just because I like it?

Ben x Tyler.

Like I wouldn’t be able to tell you WHY I ship them together, they’re like a ship I know will never be canon and doesn’t have any concrete evidence to back up why I ship them. I ship them for the vibes I guess??

Like, mute/quiet x loud/brash??

Or, calm x hot-headed??

I don’t know okay I read ONE fic about them on ao3 and I was like: hold up this is cute 😭

[dcbutinamrev]

Same energy

[respectthepetty]

I'd like to thank everyone for watching the ninth episode of Never Let Me Go live and posting about it, so I knew exactly what I was getting into before I even pressed play.

But I'm also going to apologize to all of you, because I am over the moon with excitement because I'm hoping Jojo is giving me a redemption for 3 Will Be Free's Shin who (spoiler) DID NOT KILL HIS FATHER WHEN HE SHOULD HAVE!

Please, Jojo, let us have the ending Thana Kit deserves -

Shin Remixed - The Rise of Nuengdiao

Hold on. That doesn't feel right.

Shin Rebooted - The Fall of Kit

Why did Nueng AND Chopper take shooting lessons if they aren't going to put them to good use?!

As much as both boys have wanted to avoid the family business, the past few episodes have shown us they are actually good at it:

Nueng had no issue hitting the guy in the alleyway.

He was very comfortable taking the money to the baddies. He mentioned if he couldn't do that, he didn't deserve to inherit the family business, something he has never wanted before.

And he called the man's bluff by basically telling him that he didn't want this smoke.

Nueng is a man of words, not actions, so he tried to lie to Palm about not loving him. When that didn't work, he jumped into action! He drugged Palm, left him with his credit card and necklace, and took his ass back to claim the throne. *That's growth*

His cousin, Chopper, has looked away from violence, yet had no issue with beating up Phum and some rando to protect Ben.

He also was fine intimidating An in the bathroom.

Now that Ben knows what Kit has done, Ben is in danger of being Kit's next victim.

While Kit is motivated by power, Chopper and Nueng are motivated by love. Kit has already killed two parents while one rots in prison and another is in a coma. If one more person dies due to Kit's actions (Tanya! Only because Nueng is so sure she is going to wake up), these two cousins are going to make like Mario and Luigi and fuck up an entire kingdom.

3 Will Be Free's Shin ended up taking over the family business after his father's death (THANK YOU, MAE!), but occasionally met his girlfriend, Miw, and boyfriend, Neo, on the beach where they had a business (THROUPLE SUPREMACY!).

Nueng already mentioned several times that he wants to see Palm on the beach and has suggested that they run a business there.

Nueng assures Palm he WILL be alive and hopes to see Palm happy with someone else in the future.

But he should already know that Palm is ride or die for HIM.

Palm has already killed for him (KILL KIT DAMN IT!) and is willing to put his life on the line to protect Nueng. Palm is going to inform Nueng that they either stay together forever and meet at the beach once a year or they die together right now and see each other in heaven all the time because Palm is not going to love another.

The only thing standing in our boys' way is the tension coming from Nueng not being able to trust Chopper.

But, if there is one thing our boy Chopper is capable of, it's winning over a tough crowd.

I have high hopes that they will come together to take down Kit even though this show has surprised me multiple times (Chopper not being the culprit, Chanon not being the killer, Ben knowing Chopper liked him, Palm not believing Nueng didn't love him, etc.).

However, I haven't forgotten it gave me one thing I truly desired:

Someone pointed out the tattoo IS in Mandarin, so if Nueng gets one too, I'm going on a budget for Lent @wen-kexing-apologist!

Sorry this episode made you scream @grapejuicegay, but...

Kill Kit.

[whatudottu]

Concept: Ben 10 Alien Force AU where everything is the same except Kevin is just insanely passive-aggressive towards Ben for the entire duration of the series

“No worries Tennyson, I buried the hatchet ages ago! That bad blood between us? Water under the bridge! I mean, it’s not like you got me stranded in a prison dimension for five years and never bothered to try and rescue me or even check up on me or anything like that! Of course I’ll help you save your grandpa! After all, what kind of hero just leaves someone for dead in the hands of vicious aliens that proceed to inflict them with severe psychological damage that will take decades to fully heal?”

I feel as though that would be a whole lot more realistic of a thing to happen, especially as the Tennysons realistically react to Kevin's passive-aggression with their own Tennyson brand passive-aggressiveness, though it might not be the most enjoyable trio to watch, which would be basically the complete opposite of the previous trio of Ben, Gwen, and Grandpa Max-

Ben and Kevin would have more personal beef (something about stealing a way too high security unreleased but already boxed game vs making two trains crash into each other for free money), but Gwen never particularly liked Kevin in the first place way back when, so even if Ben and Kevin settle their differences with admitting what they had actually done wrong (probably fighting over the more petty shit or arguing about the worse shit they did), Gwen doesn't have much basis to forgive Kevin because ultimately she did not get involved. Which I mean I don't think would be that great to watch nor that great to create a team around, especially in the earlier more mystery focused side of AF-

And this is the obligatory mention of @kariachi for introducing the idea of the Ben, Gwen, and Argit trio- you can have passive-aggressive Kevin (and the Tennyson's appropriate responses to him) all you like if Kevin takes Argit's role and Argit fills in that missing main trio slot in his stead. Depending on where and how he's introduced you could totally have a fake-out trio of the Tennysons and Magister Labrid, you know, with the assumption that someone's filling out Max's 'experienced plumber' slot. Not sure how convincing that might be but oops, I did a little ramble lmao-

[silverfox-hunter]

Ghosts series 4 episode 5, Poached Guests

[piovascosimo]

Jorge Ben | Dov'è Tereza?

[gunsatthaphan]

i assumed the kid was called Chopper because someone was an anime fan and loves One Piece XD

I don’t know One Piece lmao but if there’s a character named Chopper then yeah maybe lmao. I just always assumed it comes from helicopter dhsjhshs

[stinkrascal]

playing the sims is just like so fun sometimes. ive been playing in sulani for my personal save and its such a fun world to live in so ive decided gen 2 of straud needs to live in sulani

[quodekash]

guys hes so whipped its gonna make me cry

[seesboy]

normalize taking names from media you've never actually consumed