#The Rabbit Hole Detectives

[haveyouheardthispodcast]

Description below the cut:

Join Reverend Richard Coles, Dr Cat Jarman and Charles Spencer as they chase the provenance of historical objects both real and metaphorical

[viktorpartner]

Haven't been able to think about anything other than the victorian/edwardian/WW1 twink and his 80's punk almost-boyfriend for a week, send help

[pop-punklouis]

-

[countmothra]

Don’t know if this is too niche for Tumblr dot com, but.

That’s the same guy, idk what to tell you.

[agencyboys]

maybe I'm projecting, but Edwin seems like the kind of guy who has a random thought and spends hours researching to make sure the thought is accurate and to get as many details as possible

[fiction-podcast-lover]

Do you ever think about what the implications that Cecil is hundreds of years old are towards Abby?

Because from the one recent episode we do know that they for sure grew up together.. but it is also implied Cecil exists as long as nightvale does. Or even if he doesn't, from the episode that introduces Earl Harlan it implies that both are much older then it seems

We also know that for a long while time did not work in nightvale, then it got restored and Tamika and Janice finally were shown growing up and all.. but we don't know if until time got fixed if it never worked since the beginning of nightvale (the city in the lore not the podcast) or if it stopped working one day for some reason and so we don't know for how long time didn't work in nightvale

All this to say, no matter his age Cecil is probably a lot older than he looks like and it's probably fair to say he may be around a hundred years old or more (the wiki says 100+ but there is no confirmation) but if we know for a fact that Abby and Cecil did grow up together then it means Abby is also around that age (and keep in mind she's the older one). It strongly implied Cecil isn't aware of this whole age aspect, mainly due to his amnesia.. But we also know that Abby is a lot more self aware of reality, so she is probably at least somewhat aware that she is a lot older than she looks like.. How do you think she feels about it? How was it for her to live so long? How was that conversation with Steve (bc ik she'd never hide that from him)? Does this mean Steve is into older women?

We know that Earl Harlan is probably in a similar situation age wise, is it the case for anyone else? Are they so old because of the time not working? Is it something else? There is so much to speculate and think about and idk if we'll ever get answers

[wackpedion]

drawing him in slutty outfits and situations will never not be funny to me like. thats the local religious asshole in a bunny suit. sure ok. anyway happy easter losers

[fala-alfredo-pasta]

One of the most weirdest things to me about the fandom is the idea that Nagito would be extra-warm towards Hajime upon waking up, due to Hajime retaining all of Kamukura's talents. To me I think it would be the total opposite. I think there'd actually be a lot of angst deriving from just how alienated Nagito feels around this Hajime, who's not quite the same person he fell in love with anymore. Taking into account what 2.5 implies about his true feelings about talent (that deep down he's always resented what talent has done to the world and his life), I think it could be especially aggravating if Hajime tried to act as if there's no power imbalance between the two.

"...Stop pretending like I'm still your equal. I'm a talentless freak with a brain that's falling to bits, and I'll be gone in a few years. You're the most talented ingenious human being on Earth, and you've probably got a life expectancy of like 250. You don't get to reap all the benefits of being the Ultimate Hope, and then act like you're still an average joe just because you had some profound revelation in a computer world about how okay it is being talentless."

Yeah I feel that. Though it's understandable fandom would run with the "Talent-sexual" Nagito joke given how much he fawns over those with talent and to then apply the logic to "the more talents = the more Nagito will like you". The moment in the anime when he's overwhelmed with adoration simply being in Izuru's presence for the first time also doesn't quite help in this regard, though pretty sure that was put in there more so for fanservice and comic relief.

Funnily enough, as you mentioned, the anime also brought into question how much sincerity Nagito's love for talent truly is. So then it makes you think--if Nagito actually resents talent, then applying the earlier logic: wouldn't the more talents = the more Nagito resents you? Both things are somewhat of a flawed logic, but it's interesting to explore that side of Nagito because it really paints a picture of how deeply entrenched his delusion with hope and talent are. How many layers of denial and repression do you have to be in order to act so sincerely and consistently with your fake ideal that talent=hope and the Ultimates are destined to bring forth that hope? To the point that you circled back around and gaslight yourself into believing it to be a fundamental truth?

At what point did that resentment arise? Did it grow alongside his admiration for talent? Every time he felt his resentment towards talent did he push it back down with positive thoughts of talent instead to try to "look on the brightside/find the silver lining"? Did it get to the point that his resentment was so incredible that he had to think talent positive thoughts 24/7 just to keep it at bay? Is he doing this because otherwise all he'll have left will be hatred, despair, and a bleak view of the world being cruel and unfair? And he'll constantly be wondering why some are blessed with advantage and prodigy while others are seemingly born to suffer and stay stagnant despite their best efforts? Why does the world continue to favor some and crush everyone else? What has everyone done to deserve the life they have?

Honestly, this just further proves that Nagito's obsession with hope and talent are his last ditch attempts at giving himself purpose in a world cursing his existence. Ironically, this unhealthy coping mechanism is the better of two mindsets he chose to follow. Really goes to show that Nagito, despite everything he says, has not given up on himself if he's trying THIS damn hard to keep up the facade and have a reason to keep going everyday. And this is the reason why that OVA is my favorite episode from all the anime as that one line adds so much more nuance to Nagito's already complicated ideology.

Sorry, I sorta derailed things to ramble about Nagito but what did you expect from a Nagito simp after all? He's been rotting my brain for over four years now. But to come back on topic, this post-game Nagito with his looser chokehold on hope and talent would most likely have to contend once again with that resentment, but now with a weaker shield. As such, I do think he'd have mixed feelings about Izuru/Hajime. Part of him would probably sympathize with Hajime's pain from the surgery and the fact that he'll never quite be only Hajime anymore. Izuru is and will always be there. Learning to live with the permanent changes to his body and mind is something Nagito knows intimately--way before he became a remnant. That being said, well....Hajime did get the best case scenario for his outcome. Even some of his emotions returned despite the physical improbability of it happening. And yeah--he gets to keep all those useful talents now too. He's also in better physical health than most of their other classmates and his real name isn't inherently associated with Ultimate Despair. He could go back into society looking the way he does with his legal name and no one would even know he was ever involved with Hope's Peak.

So yeah, that sympathy Nagito has would not be enough to squash down his resentment. I can't imagine him fawning over Hajime post-game given everything that's happened and especially after finding out how Izuru was created (as I talked about in a previous ask). There will definitely be an adjustment period where in Nagito may even be passively hostile towards Hajime. But I think a part of Nagito--the part that white knuckled that silver lining for talent---would try its best to look past that and accept Hajime as a sincere friend. It's just going to take a while for him to get there. But he'll try. Doesn't mean he won't be a snarky passive aggressive guy through out it though. I do think he'll be more blunt about his honest feelings towards others whether they like it or not. Talent be (slightly) damned.

[vwritesaus]

charles, the man that you are...

[toad-games]

I have a billion WIPs (mostly Baldur’s Gate related sorry) but I am once again thinking of a Park Ranger AU for Wayhaven…. The possibilities….

[briocheminded]

19th century rabbit hole

Digging around for unrelated info led me down a funny Detective Anna rabbit hole (or a rabbit hole led me to Detective Anna? idk).

In s2 ep11, "The Last Sacrifice", Krutin poisons Anton and leads Shtolman on a scavenger hunt for the antidote. An early scene starts with a beggar (to use a 19th c word) reading a book out loud in the barracks (?), poor house (?). The cover is hard to see, but you can kind of make out "лать," leading me to assume it was Lenin's "что делать" in a kind of intentional/tongue-in-cheek anachronism, since the real book wasn't published until 1901.

BUT, come to find out today there was an earlier book called "что делать" / "What Is To Be Done?" published 1863, by Nikolay Chernyshevsky?? (Look, I've heard of him, ok) Sure enough, a closer look at the book cover and I'm pretty sure the last letters of the authors name are "вский"??

Two fun discoveries in that:

s2 ep13 "The Living Dead" was probably at least slightly inspired by the plot of the Chernyshevsky book, in which a man fakes his own death in order to let his wife marry his best friend with whom she has fallen in love. Doesn't seem like a huge stretch since s1's "The Drama" is very obviously (and meta-textually) "The Seagull."

Per Wikipedia, Chernyshevsky's novel was written as a direct response to Turgenev's "Fathers and Sons," which also features a love triangle, where the young woman/subject of the son's affection falls in love with the son's radical best friend. Except Turgenev's love triangle is resolved when the radical gets what he deserves (lol) and dies. This is all only relevant because Anton reveals Shtolman is reading "Fathers and Sons" when he's arrested in s1's "The Prince".

It's kind of interesting they have Shtolman reading that particular book. Maybe it's just period appropriate and famous? "Crime and Punishment" would be a little too on the nose, lol. It's also a family/romance melodrama, which obviously DA heavily relies on.

But there are other novels they could have chosen... the show very lightly (very lightly) touches on themes of tradition vs modernity. The very first episode features the arrival of a bicycle! Kluyev is bringing electricity to Zatonsk! And a phonograph! And of course, much more so in s2, where I assume by 1894 it's basically impossible to ignore the very serious social/economic/political issues of Tsarist Russia? So it makes sense that between Shtolman and Anna, being diametrically opposed in almost every way, he would be associated with a more traditional/conservative perspective (he literally represents law and order), where Anna is constantly aware of the plight of the poor, and women's subjugated status under patriarchy.

Annnnyway, rabbit hole indeed.

In closing, sharing this amusing thumbnail from imdb. Between the cross-faded images and the title, it looks like Shtolman is dead and visiting Anna as a ghost. Of course, still grumpy af.

[mintytealfox]

Any headcanons about Detective Orpheus?

Yeeeeeeeeeeeee~ The creepy gremlin man who doesn't realize how scary he is lol

and sniffing all the gosh dang drugs like Alice, and him taking it a step further and DRINKING THE ONE IIMMMMM???????? Just like he did when he was still the Novelist 10 years prior LOL Alice maybe doing the same (likely and hopefully not pff) since he finds that same BOTTLE on HER DESK in HER ROOM THE FUUUUHHH???

What are these two DOIN LOL

(side note Alice is familiar with the drug cause the forgetting one was replaced with this hydra one and she was able to escape 👀:

the sticker behind the forgetting one has a hint of one of the hooks of the hydra mark but I totally could be in delusion land again loool)

ANYWAY! (gosh DANG I keep getting side tracked lol)

HEADCANONS GOSH LOL

-Bro has a HORRIBLE case of dual personality(or at least he is convinced he has dual personality. Like he is trying to convince himself he is a good person and would never do anything that he did and its just his alter ego). Where one is aware of everything and trying to lead the other who has control. But the naughty one is able to do 'minor' things such as making him see things and potentially carving clues into his skin 😱but most likely just making him see it not actually doing it, but I wouldn't put the carving past him either honestly.

-Bro hasn't slept in ages, I mean look at him lol he barely 35 and looking in his 50s (which reminds me that Norton would be 38 with 40 around the corner lol old jk jk 🤣 I bet he would age well if he has the opportunity to. I mean look at him, after all he has been through, he should be looking ROUGH considering, but here he is and still looks like a baby bean with his 30s are around the corner looool)

-I don't think he ('or his alter ego') know what happened to everyone after that night. I don't think they know if Alice is alive or not. One seeking for answers the other seeking Alice.

-Orpheus seemed to have gone on with his life and just lived as a detective for 10 years until he got a letter again, then he started loosing his marbles again. So all this time he hasn't been looking or searching, just kind of living. (what if he gave himself that letter and he is so messed up he genuinely doesn't realize like. All of his stuff is so messy I would believe that as a possibility lol everything he says is wild and everywhere oh my gosh)

I wish I had more headcanons but this dude baffles me so much, with all of his stuff being confusing and contradictory and unreliable oh my gosh LOL but he puts on the airs that he has two personalities, one trying to be a good person and find his memories while the other is like "NAHHHHH I GOT PLANS"

bro baffles me so bad man orz I want to give him the benefit of the doubt like this detective version of him does for himself, but I don't trust a darn thing cause he is so unreliable as a narrator lol

-But after all of these events and he gets all those memories again and goes back on his mess? I betcha he would hunt down Alice whether she is alive or not. orz I bet he would try to hunt down all of da capo (if they are alive or not) honestly, and try a REDO, sort of thing, to make sure it all goes RIGHT this time orz He either finds them if he can or finds people like them to try and recreate it orz I feel like Da Capo would HAUNT that 'alter ego' and its a wrong that needs to be made right 🙃

but of course these are just some thoughts/ponderings heh

[astriiformes]

"You can never really destroy stories as long as there are people to tell them"

Have some more Pentiment cosplay pictures of @scribefindegil and I as Magdalene Druckeryn and Andreas Maler respectively from this last weekend at CONvergence. This was a trial run for both these costumes, but we are really looking forward to wearing them again (and maybe even having a few more folks recognize us) and scouting out some more photo locations.

Thanks to @lafseanchai for taking these pictures of us and sorry for putting you through finishing Act II like a week later.

[roabii]

TALLULAH AND CHAYANNE (being lil detectives)

[wrongweaponsdrawn]

The Narrator: And you're lying again. Yellow detective: What? How do you know?! The Narrator: You repeated the question again, my child. You cannot hesitate, you have to project confidence. People can smell dishonesty, they can smell nervousness, even stupid people. But everybody's a sucker for confidence.

(Source: John Weir teaching Hailey Winton the art of deception, Rabbit Hole (2023))

[bwobgames]

It works lets fucking gooooooo