#from a side character from bbc ghosts

[natequarter]

[id: a collection of replies to the above post.

hoob-gooblin: "my name is L (spelt differently), and sometimes people ask me if i named myself after the death note character. i did not. i named myself after a blues brother."

insertcommonnoun: " every day i live in fear of someone thinking my name is from homestuck and not the davey jones' locker gag from spongebob."

godmodebeginswithlesbians: "hi, i'm link. take a fucking guess."

lunarapocalypse: "i have a friend named enjolras and like, i think it's obvious where that one is from."

c4nn1b4lqu33r (cannibalqueer): "my name is julian... after king julien... from madagascar..."

dogswithdiamonds: "if you just name yourself henry, no one knows it's from silent hill 4 (source: did it)."

lesbedilfvriska: "my strategy is that my first name is pretty generic, but my middle name is straight up vriska."

elisafairy: "i'd be tempted to name myself gerard, but there's no coming back from that one."

maomaod: "i know a dude named cas, and the look we exchanged when he introduced himself was unforgettable."

/end id]

you ever hear a trans person's name and you know instantly what media they got it from

[hollow-point-heart]

Me when I decide character development and thematic overtones don't matter

[natequarter]

i love how there is not a single chill character in bbc ghosts. the main character slashes her guests' tyres to convince them to stay. her half-sister was actually a scammer who wanted her money. her husband's mate made her a hoodie with "butt ho" written on it to go on television. she comes from a long line of murderers. she threatened her neighbour with revealing his illicit bank account to avoid paying him an exorbitant fee for ownership of her driveway. there's a good chance that any given side character has killed someone. she's haunted by a morally bankrupt tory politician who died in a sex scandal and sort of tried to kill her, and they're best mates. (he taught a caveman who was briefly a conspiracy theorist to play chess.) her long-dead ancestor called her a whore and had sex with a headless man. arguably the sanest guy in the show cut off his own head

[grinchwrapsupreme]

Collecting all the bitch-based comments

I could watch a million episodes of ghosts thats just thomas being himself and the captain following him around telling him why hes wrong

[timegnosticproductions]

Ghosts: BBC vs CBS

It’s been almost a month since I finished BBC’s Ghosts, and I cannot stop thinking about it. It has quickly become one of my favourite TV shows. I watched the US-American version first because it had been plaguing my TikTok FYP. It was a fine show, but it didn’t have the grip the BBC version currently has on me.

This is an exploration of why I found UK Ghosts to be a much more compelling story than US Ghosts, even if they are “the same show”.

DISCLAIMER: There will be spoilers for both shows.

The Main Couple

Underappreciated in both shows, let’s begin with the two livings: Alison and Mike, and Sam and Jay.

Sam and Jay feel, to me, like they just spawned at the beginning of the show. They aren’t people, with lives before the fragments we see, which will continue after the show ends. Sam is the biggest offender of the two. Where are her friends from before she moved to Woodstone Manor? I would understand if she didn’t have any friends over, and we also have to consider that the US is massive compared to the UK, and her friends might live on the other side of the country. But not one call? No facetime? Not even one text message? And let me be clear: I don’t want this to be a show about her living friends, and I don’t need them to be characters in the show, but do Sam and Jay have to be completely cut off from the real world?

Alison and Mike, on the other hand, have a friend group, and when these friends play a role in an episode, the focus is still on the ghosts’ reactions. They don’t distract from the main characters, while still making Alison and Mike feel more grounded in reality.

Character moments vs. cheap jokes

I’m not the first person to point this out, and I certainly won’t be the last, but it’s still worth saying: why would you change a ghost’s powers from Mary reliving the moment of her death, being “burned at the stake” again, and subsequently making the living people that have passed through her smell the burning of the fire that killed her, to a fart joke. Isaac’s life/death is tragic, but his ghost power being “fart” get’s really exhausting really quickly.

Ghost lore

Expanding on ghost powers, let’s talk about the other ghosts. This point, I realise, is less black and white and more about personal preference rather than bad writing. I like that Ghosts (UK) doesn’t always directly answer the viewer’s questions about the afterlife. Some ghosts have powers, and some don’t and the ones that don’t aren’t searching for them. Mary gets “sucked off” but we don’t know what comes next.

In the US version, however, there is explicitly a hell and a heaven, and Elias comes back from hell to tell us what happens there.

That is one of the many charms of the UK version, the uncertainty. What comes next? I don’t want to know.

I also think it helps the emotional punch of Mary’s death (re-death, moving on? idk) land better. If one of the CBS ghosts were to die, the grieving wouldn’t be as devastating, because we know what comes next, and how could we be sad when a character has, certainly, gone to heaven? It could still be made into an interesting episode, maybe exploring the other ghosts’ (especially the older ones) jealousy, who also want to get “sucked off”. Still, I much prefer the uncertainty of Mary’s death (would also very much like to see a main character from the US version move on, just because I would like to see how they handle it when it isn’t a fake out like with Flower).

Found family vs. pair the spares

CBS’s Ghosts has an obsession with romance, to the point where it is quite frankly absurd.

You know when in a fandom there is a four-person friend group (or other even number) and two of those characters are in a really popular ship, so the fandom decides to ship the other two characters together as if they couldn’t be happily single, or aromantic, or whatever? (Author’s note: yes, aromantic people can still date, doesn’t take away from my point.) Yeah, I feel like that watching CBS’s Ghosts. Some characters are single, but I still think there is too much of a focus on romance/sex, with Flower and Thor, Isaac and Nigel, Hetty and Trevor, Pete and Alberta/Donna since he discovered his ghost power, and I’m sure when the series is over I will have more examples. Maybe, if these couples had more chemistry and were properly set up, I wouldn’t be so hard on them, but my point still stands.

Both shows try to pull off the found family angle, but only one of them succeeds. You can’t call it a found family if your only “family dynamic” is “romantic relationship”, that’s just a regular friend group. The Captain and Kitty’s father-daughter relationship is one of my favourite things about the original, and I also love Julian being a sort of mentor to Alison in all things scheming. It can even be played for laughs, with Robin being the “family dog”. None of this charm is carried over to the US-American version, and I really, really wish it was, because it has made me fall in love with the BBC’s version.

Pacing

You know, for a show with 20-ish episodes per season instead of six, you’d think they could take more than an episode to develop a storyline properly. Let’s take a closer look at two storylines that appear in both shows.

Firstly, the one with Alison’s/Sam’s long-lost sister. In the BBC’s version, this is a season-long arch, and it is not solely centred around uncovering whether she is lying, but also discussing Kitty’s jealousy and possessiveness over Alison; and Alison’s deep desire for a family, and how the ghosts have become that for her. And, generally, it makes you believe that Alison would believe the lie, and wouldn’t see the holes in the story, because she just really wanted a sister. Sam’s story plays almost the same but is reduced to a single episode. I know it is the classic sitcom formula, things must return to the status quo by the end of the episode. Still, I wish it wasn’t so rushed.

Secondly, the Captain(s) coming out. In both shows, the queerness of these characters is very obvious, but in the UK version, coming to terms with his queerness and learning to express his feelings is the core of his character. However, the US version takes this in another direction, placing more importance on the budding relationship between Isaac and Nigel (see: my point about this version’s obsession with romance). The UK version is hardly subtle, but compared to the US version… I wouldn’t be so angry if they hadn’t decided to undo their development by having Isaac leave Nigel at the altar.

Bad people vs. bad characters

This discussion should extend beyond Ghosts and into literature/art in general. To quote Oscar Wilde, “It is absurd to divide people into good and bad. People are either charming or tedious.” A character being a bad person doesn’t mean they are a bad character, those two qualities can coexist, but don’t always come together. CBS’s Ghosts seems wary of making any of the characters bad people. BBC’s Ghosts doesn’t have this problem. Julian (the equivalent to Trevor in the CBS version) is a bad person, especially at the beginning of the show. And he is probably my favourite character. He died of a heart attack while cheating on his wife, he didn’t bother to take care of his daughter and he attempted to kill Alison, which ultimately resulted in her being able to see ghosts. He is not nice, and the show doesn’t want you to think that. And you watch him grow throughout the series and it is great.

None of the characters in the US version are bad. This is mostly just a pet peeve of mine, but I do think it makes things much more static. Everyone in this version is just too nice. And too excited about everything. Why is Sam so onboard with the ghosts? Why is she never annoyed with them? And why do they never talk over each other? Do they never get tired of each other? I mean, some of them have been “living” together for centuries!

This topic in particular is something I want to write about more extensively, looking at other shows and fandom perception and that kind of stuff, so I’m going to cut myself here.

Conclusion

I don’t think that CBS’s Ghosts is, like, the worst show ever, it just doesn’t live up to its predecessor. That was just, from my point of view, a really high bar. There is one thing I think it does better than its BBC counterpart, and that is Jay’s relationship with the Ghosts (as opposed to Mike’s), which is to say, he actually has one.

So, yes, CBC’s Ghosts has lots of issues that may come from adapting the story for an American audience, or may just be lousy writing. Either way, I still enjoy it, although the episodes are definitely harder to get through.

[ailendolin]

Since the announcement that two or three new versions of Ghosts are in the works, I've been thinking about what sort of ghosts we might get to see / I'd like to see in a German adaptation and put together a list of my ideas. You will see some similarities with our beloved original ghosts as well as completely new characters, and I did my best to find a balance between male and female characters and include a variety of historical eras.

This is obviously just a very basic list with some notes but I do have thoughts about these characters (how they died, what powers they might have, their inner conflict etc.) so if you'd like to know more, please ask (also German producers, I hereby officially volunteer as tribute writer)!

German Ghosts

Female Neanderthal (40,000 BC)

Neanderthals were named after the German Neander valley so I think it's only fair to include a Neanderthal in the show. Since no one needs a Robin 2.0, I'd make the character female and give her a dog because ghost animals are fun and we need more of them.

Roman & German (9 AD)

Two guys - let's call them Marcus and Alber - who fought on opposite sides died in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, became ghosts and eventually best friends. They'd rather die again than admit that to anyone, though.

Bog Girl (600 AD)

A little girl who haunts the marshlands around the house but not the property itself. Most of the ghosts avoid her until the Naturalist gets curious and starts to befriend her.

Plague Ghosts (Mid-1600s)

A group of victims of the 30 Years' War whose deaths were caused by famine and disease and not the war directly (though they insist they died 'in the war').

Naturalist (Late 1700s)

A scientist like Alexander von Humboldt and Charles Darwin who embraces becoming a ghost from the get go and does various experiments (on himself and the others) to figure out how ghost rules work and what is and isn't possible.

Composer (Early 1800s)

A young composer who has a (perceived) rivalry with Beethoven because he's lost part of his hearing. Think German equivalent of Thomas Thorne.

Female Soldier (Early 1800s)

Based on stories like that of Friederike Krüger, this woman posed as a man and joined the army during the Napoleonic Wars.

Woman in White (Late 1800s)

The lady of the house at the time. After she died in childbirth, she was forced to watch her husband's mistress raise her daughter. She died wearing her white nightgown (something she is quite embarrassed about) and can be seen in pictures.

WW1 Surgeon (1930s)

Another former owner of the house, this man was a surgeon in WW1 and still carries the trauma of that time with him (think Siegfried from All Creatures Great and Small).

Luftwaffe Pilot (1940s)

Remember the two German pilots from BBC Ghosts? This guy was their friend and has always wondered what happened to them. He crash-landed on the grounds during a training exercise.

Estate Agent (early 2020s)

A woman who took over the house after the last owner passed away. While assessing the property, she had a heart attack and died there, leading to rumours about the house being cursed and haunted increasing.

The House

While the house will probably be a manor house like in the original series, I think it would be fun if this version of the show shook things up a little and had the German Coopers inherit an old mill, or perhaps even an actual (small) castle.

[panlight]

I've been binge-watching the BBC Ghosts series and it reminds me a lot of what I liked about the concept of the Cullens (not necessarily the execution because they are side characters in a romance so didn't really get to the chance to shine). The gist of it is that there are all these ghosts who died in or around the same old manor house from different time periods who are sort of stuck together and form a kind of found family. Some of the ghosts even have specific 'powers.' They can't normally be seen by humans or interact with objects, but one can affect electricity, another can move things a little, etc.

That's . . . that's not totally dissimilar to the Cullens. They're not ghosts, but they are "dead/undead" and from different enough time periods that without them being immortal/frozen in time they wouldn't have ended up all together in this way. The younger ones are close in age chronologically, but the vampirism angle and life experience made them different. They're obviously less 'stuck' than the ghosts because they can leave (as Edward did, and Rosalie and Emmett sometimes do to live as a married couple), and travel, and humans can see and communicate with them. But that basic idea of people from different time periods--and in the Cullens' case, different geographical areas, too, although somewhat US-centric--coming together, bringing all that baggage and somehow forming a family anyway? That's the Good Stuff.

I love this trope. Whether it's a group of people in a work place, or the crew of a spaceship, or a coven of vampires, survivors of some apocalypse, or a house full of ghosts, people thrown together from different backgrounds and forming bonds of friendship and even family despite their wildly different perspectives is just the best.

Just wish we got more of it in canon. And, again, I get it. It's a Romance. It's Bella's story. But it has so many more side characters than a romance needs and I think that's part of why it's so ripe for fanfic and headcanons.

[nortism]

Nor's Ultimate BBC Ghosts Fic Recommendations

I decided to put my obsessive AO3 bookmarking to good use and recommend you all some of my favourite ghosts fics (not all, there will likely be a part two). I tried my best to include a variety of fics centring different characters and ships as well as lesser known fics. Please feel free to reblog this post and add your own recs (self promo very much allowed). I've tried to add tumblrs were applicable but if you wrote one of these fics or know who did, please let me know and I'll edit the post. Happy reading!

It by Scriblit

Rating: M

Ships: Mary/Robin, Julian/Robin

Summary:

You lose three mates, ten babies, both parents, all your siblings and then every friend for scores of millennia and still entertain the concept of being 'sweet' on a dead woman still consumed by her own pain. Doing It never had much meaning to Robin, even when he was alive. Now that he's dead, it's really just something to while away all the years. At some point, he's asked most of the ghosts if they want to do it. Some said no, some said yes. His only rule is, they have to genuinely want to do it, too. And, they mustn't be too sad. One of the ghosts was too sad, for so long, so he waited. And waited.

Notes: The first two chapters of this fic are an amusing exploration of caveman sex and the boredom that comes with eternal purgatory but the last chapter is where it gets really, really good. Genuinely one of the most poignant and devastating explorations of grief I've ever read, I cannot recommend it enough.

The Curse by Scriblit

Rating: T

Ships: Robin/OFC, Humphrey/Sophie

Summary:

Over the years, the centuries, the millennia, the residents of, and visitors to Button House and the land it's built on have experienced strange things, and heard strange tales. Multiple mysterious, macabre deaths. Unruly electrics. Blurry shapes in photos. St Elmo's Fire. Burning smells, a mysterious, singing voice in the cellar. Rumours of witchcraft, an ancient amulet and visions of Satan himself. Is the land truly cursed? Or is this just a place of 250,000 years worth of human sadness?

Notes: I only wanted to include one work from each author but I couldn't take this off my list. The only way I can describe this fic is clever. It's one of those things you just have to experience for yourself. Criminally underrated. Just read all of Scriblit's work, I'm their biggest fan.

Family, Family, Family by MadameReveuse

Rating: T

Ships: Primarily gen with side Julian/Robin

Summary:

Green Party Fundraiser Time! Rachel Fawcett comes to Button House, despite struggling with her feelings regarding a certain extremely unfortunate death there. Ghosts and the living alike are thrown into turmoil, especially when it begins to look like someone at the event may be attempting to harm the up-and-coming young politician. Can Julian stand idly by? Well, he's a ghost, so yeah, he has to.

Notes: This fic has it all; father/daughter bonding, a murder mystery and plenty of tory bashing. My entire perception of who Rachel Fawcett is comes from this fic, I was almost glad we never met her in canon as the author does such a fantastic job characterising her.

Ten friends total by notupforpolo (@notupforpolo)

Rating: G

Ships: Mary/Annie

Summary:

After the initial shock of dying wore off, Kitty was so excited to have Mary and Annie as friends. Kitty would notice how they spoke and gossiped just like Eleanor and her friends would do. They were potential friends until they just became friends. Then, when Annie was sucked off, Kitty was there to comfort Mary. Until Mary followed.

Notes: There is a severe lack of both Kitty-centric and Mary/Annie fic in this fandom and this fic covers both bases. Just a really excellent Kitty character study and a great exploration of grief

House Share by Sheepyblue (@ginevralinton)

Rating: G

Ships: Alison/Mike

Summary:

In which Mike makes a New Year's Resolution, with varying degrees of success (Or, a story of Mike spending time with the ghosts)

Notes: I've read a few variants of Mike spending time with the ghosts but I really like this one. My favourite chapter was definitely the Humphrey one, I won't spoil it but it's very funny. This author has far too many Ghosts fics for me to include in this post so I'd recommend you look through their other works

...And A Rainbow! by Spineless_Lobster (@spineless-lobster )

Rating: G

Ships: None

Summary:

Alison buys the Captain some pride merchandise, Kitty gets very excited that an entire room in the house is covered in rainbows. The two ghosts decide to have a sleepover to celebrate the (gay) occasion.

Notes: For all my Cap & Kitty lovers, this is pure fluff. Made me giggle.

Nothing Like a Round on 'The Krypton Factor' by neverfaraway

Rating: T

Ships: The Captain/Pat

Summary:

Wedding season approaches at Button House and, for once, everything is going off without a hitch. Of course, there’s the slight issue of Pat’s recent epiphany about his sexuality, Kitty’s determination to get her hands on as much badly-written erotica as possible, and the peasants becoming decidedly revolting. Still, if only the ghosts can refrain from murdering any of the builders, Alison is fairly sure they can pull this off. Or, Pat and the Captain negotiate coming out, even if it's only to each other.

Notes: Even if you, like myself, aren't a Patcap shipper, this fic is worth the read solely for the the subplot about the Plague Ghosts staging a leftist uprising. The perfect blend of comedy and heartfelt moments, this fic feels like it could have been an actual episode of Ghosts.

Don't Let The Good Life Pass You By by Impossibly_Izzy (@impossiblyizzy)

Rating: M

Ships: The Captain/Pat, Alison/Mike, minor Robin/Julian

Summary:

When the ghosts are mysteriously resurrected, life at Button House only gets more chaotic. Asking, how do you live in a world that wasn't built for you? How do you find meaning in a cold uncaring universe? And what does the Captain eat for breakfast?

Notes: Crack treated seriously is one of my fav AO3 genres and this fic is the cream of the crop. Despite being a Patcap fic, all the characters reactions to living in the modern world were explored in a detailed and hysterical way. I think about the scene where the whole gang goes to the pub constantly.

Queer Eye (The Captain Edition) by swimmingfox

Rating: Not Rated but I'd give it T

Ships: Past The Captain/Havers

Summary:

In a miraculous world where they have the ability to see ghosts, the Fab 5 descend upon Button House to transform the Captain (and, well, everyone).

Notes: Exactly what it says on the tin. Just pure hijinks, I can't fault it. Don't let the script format put you off, the author has done an excellent job of characterising everyone's voice

Fabrications by SwaggerStick

Rating: T

Ships: The Captain/Julian

Summary:

"It's true," said Julian. "You lot couldn't lie to save your lives." The Captain took personal offence at that statement. So, apparently, did Pat. "Oh give over," he said. "Like you can do better." ---------- The ghosts decide to figure out which one of them is the best liar. Competitively.

Notes: Another fic that really feels like it could be an actual episode. Very funny and also provides an explanation to the ghosts' pee turning to dust thing that has been bothering me since last Christmas so honestly you should just read it for that. Ship content is minor if Julicap isn't your thing (it's not really mine either)

Good Boy by Ailendolin (@ailendolin)

Rating: T

Ships: Mike/Alison

Summary:

"I’ve been thinking – Robin saved my life, didn’t he? Last week when I was out in the storm.” “Because of the stupid bear,” Alison couldn’t help but remind him. “Yeah, whatever,” Mike said with a roll of his eyes. “So when he redirected the lightning I saw him for a brief moment and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about that.” Alison felt her eyes soften. “Oh Mike, why didn’t you say anything?” “No, it’s not like that,” Mike waved her worry away. “I know we’ve thanked him for what he did but with the gatehouse burning down and the whole insurance mess it feels like we haven’t really appreciated it enough, you know?” Mike and Alison plan a surprise for Robin.

Notes: Very sweet addition to the season 4 finale. Would have loved to see something like this in season 5 but this is almost as good.

fieri sentio et excrucior by oui_oui_mon_ami (@sunshine-soprano)

Rating: T

Ships: The Captain/OMC

Summary:

It all begins when the Captain meets the Roman centurion ghost next door.

Notes: An absolute fandom classic, I couldn't not include it. Not normally a huge fan of ocs but this one is vey well done. You can tell the author is very passionate about Latin and roman history which I always enjoy seeing (the passion not necessarily roman history).

The Moneypot by someplsloverobbierotten (@caps-clever-girl)

Rating: T

Ships: Julian/Robin

Summary:

Julian bet Robin a tenner over Heather getting sucked off. He of course tries squirrel his way out, but Robin’s not letting him off that easily. OR: Robin and Julian like their bets, but what's a ghost to spend imaginary money on?

Notes: Another fic that is basically canon to me. The author absolutely nailed Julian's voice. Overall just a fun read with some genuinely sweet moments.

Thanks, Skipper by NaughtyBees

Rating: G

Ships: None

Summary: Button House gets a visitor, someone specifically looking for Pat.

Notes: No 1 trans ally Pat Butcher, what more could you ask for? The definition of short and sweet

smoke gets in your eyes by sidelined

Rating: T

Ships: Alison/Mike, The Captain/Havers, minor Julian/Robin

Summary:

Alison and Mike move into Button House and, completely unintentionally, teach the ghosts valuable lessons about love. (In which Alison worries about a first date, Robin and Julian discuss marriage, Thomas accidentally humbles himself, Kitty discovers that romance can live everywhere, and the Captain ponders his loneliness

Notes: A really sweet set of vignettes about the ghosts and love. The Mike and Alison first date scene is canon to me, the author nailed Mike.

[ineffabildaddy]

20 Questions for Fic Writers ‼️

so @seven-stars-in-his-palm initially tagged me in this 51 days ago and i still haven't done it!! i've also been tagged by @thescholarlystrumpet @voluptatiscausa @gingiekittycat @ineffable-rohese <3 thank u all!! i have to go back and read thru all urs toooo

1. How many works do you have on Ao3? 22!

2. What's your total word count? 177,224 minus about 20k to account for @foolishlovers's chapters of just up the stairs!!

3. What fandoms do you write for? just good omens atm:-)

4. Top 5 fics by kudos:

I'm Beginning to See the Light (848)

Despite Knowing Better... (474)

in your own time (429)

Many Different Ways to Eat an Oyster (396)

Just Up the Stairs (376)

5. Do you respond to comments? i am about 600 comments behind (fuck) but eventually, yes!!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? i don't write angsty endings. they always fuck and they're always happy about it<3

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? this is tough bc again i just give aziraphale and crowley everything they want every time dkljfkgjdl. just up the stairs has a very wholesome and sweet ending that i'm very happy with tho so i'll say that one<3

8. Do you get hate on fics? i haven't got hate explicitly but i have had a few commenters who just.... clearly Don't Get my work or what i'm trying to say with it. which is totally okay:-)

9. Do you write smut? yesss

10. Craziest crossover? i haven't written any crossover before but i'd love to do a bbc ghosts and good omens crossover!! i also have a far from the madding crowd and good omens crossover planned for the distant future purely bc boldwood and crowley need to fuck imo

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? not as far as i'm aware!!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? in your own time is currently being translated into russian!!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? just up the stairs with @foolishlovers!! can't wait to write with them again. also plan to eventually collab with @voluptatiscausa so watch this spaceee

14. All-time favorite ship? aziraphale and crowley ofc<3

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? oysters, honestly!! atm it's just..... Not coming to me

16. What are your writing strengths? i find this so difficult to answer!! feel free to suggest some if ur reading thisss

17. What are your writing weaknesses? brevity! that's number one. i think writing side characters is something i need to work on too - giving them full lives in and of themselves so they really jump off the page (or screen)

18. Thoughts on dialogue in another language? if it makes sense, do it!! just hasn't come up for me yet:-)

19. First fandom you ever wrote in? supernatural:-)

20. Favorite fic you ever wrote? definitely just up the stairs, the experience of writing that was so joyous and fun and engaging. also in your own time just bc i'm rly proud of it and it's cosy and it's the only fic i wrote entirely myself that i can go back and look at without having anything i would do differently<3

no pressure tags: @foolishlovers @crowleys-bentley-and-plants @sabotage-on-mercury @brenna @adverbian <3

[anchor-ice]

ok since the overall response was positive i'm gonna tell you a bit about this project!

this is a series of jokey mini-comics detailing the (after) lives of a band of ghosts who are stuck in an abandoned summer camp near omsk location pending in 2005. this is basically bbc ghosts but russian and with more gore.

katya is the only one who's alive! she's 15 and started seing ghosts after her shitty boyfriend crashed his bike with her in the back seat. she's trying to help the ghosts mediate their relationships with eachother and the world, and they're helping her with homework (sometimes) or being general nuisances (more often).

the pilot died in 1944 when his plane crashed while he was test-flying it. he was wounded in the frontlines and sent home to recover, but decided to help out in the poiloting school in the meantime. the guy on whose watch the plane crashed was shot for sabotage afterwards, and his ghost in turn is pretty resentful about that, because it was just the lack of funds and old equipment going out. plot: katya helping them meet and make peace with eachothers deaths. the pilot had a daughter himself and thus is feeling very paternal towards katya. most organised and helpful of the ghosts. died with one broken cigarette whick they all now share and an officers notepad with his papers and maps, where he sketches from time to time (it all disappears after he stops concentrating 😔) has ideological beef with the suit and ex-beef with the sailor (they are besties now).

the sailor died in 1921 during the kronstadt rebellion and was very surprised when he woke up near omsk. he had a precious cigar case that was lost a year before his death, and in the chaos of th civil war found itself in a magpie's nest in the woods near omsk. his soul is tied to this case, and he spends a lot of time trying to get to the case and taunting the magpie family (unsuccessfully). has a tin of cocaine, 4 machine gun belts, no machine gun and an attitude. loves asking katya to marry him and run away to saint-petersburg together. plot: katya finally getting him his cig case back. obsessed with space and in love with yuri gagarin, wants to find and meet his ghost

the suit died in 1997 during a buisness deal gone wrong, shot and buried on the abandoned camp territory, is still a bit pissed about that. is disgusted by the starry-eyed belief in the happines of all mankind the pilot and the sailor exibit and in general is tormented by the fact tht he will have to spend his afterlife in a summer camp surrounded by these people. loves to come harass the monk living in the lake nearby to get some sort of ideological closure and figure out how afterlife works. plot: getting katya the money to move to another sity when she goes to uni

the bomber died in 1896. tried to sicide bomb a govt official but was discovered and sentenced to death, later pardoned bc of Nicholas 2 acending to the throne, sentence switched to siberian exile for 25 years with no rights to return. killed herself out of boredom and despair. gets along well with the sailor (he is slightly intimidated by her), would really like to talk to the monk but he doesn't answer to anyone. plot: idk so far 😔

the bear victims - a lego of bear victim parts. that's it. a comedic side character.

the monk died alone on an island in the lake in ????, the island was later blown up to increase the water capacity flowing from the lake to a water reservoir. doesn't talk to any of the other characters bc of his seraphimic schema and vow of silence & solitude. slowly warming to the idea of breaking his vow and trying to help the other ghosts move on, because if god's not letting him go, that must be for a reason, right? plot: speaking to katya

[missielynne]

The special thing about Ghosts is that I really feel like it has something for everyone. We get a ton of very distinct characters who we can be entertained by and relate to. And characters that don’t mean anything to some people will resonate with others. For example, you seem to have an anon who’s obsessed with Jenkins and Baxter, while I literally keep forgetting they’re even on the show! And while many here don’t seem to love or click with Sam, those of us who had a very critical parent and a lot of pressure and expectations tend to find her very relatable.

The show’s humor runs the gambit from dark gallows humor to sharp observational wit to just silly sitcom stuff so can appeal to all tastes. People who love supernatural stuff can get super into the ghost lore, but it can also be enjoyed purely as a standard sitcom. People who love history can enjoy all the references from the previous eras that each ghost represents. People who really enjoy romance get their share of those moments but there’s also a ton of focus on platonic relationship relationships and individual growth for those who don’t ship.

I’m so glad the show is fairly popular because I would hate to worry about cancellation but I’m almost surprised it’s not even more popular because like I said it really does have such wide appeal and something for everyone in my opinion!

I started out in the Ghostsverse with BBC and I loved it. When I heard we were getting our own version, I was extremely excited, but some of the initial reviews of it were on the negative side, sort of a "enjoy it while it's here because it won't be here long" sort of thing. And that did make me nervous because it looked like a really good show.

And here we are four years later with much more of a community than I thought. I love that there's so much appreciation for a genuinely cheerful, feel good show. (Although I do love the times when it dares to go a little darker or intense like it is right now with Patience, which I know isn't for everyone.)

I agree that there are so many different ways to enjoy it, and that's one of the things I love about it.

I mean it's got things that could be improved naturally (like I understand how people think it's overly focused on couples and could use more platonic focus and just what is up with the insistence on Flower and Thor? I think development of Nigel and Isaac would have been a much better use of time, but that's just me.)

I definitely click with Sam because of the pressure and expectations thing. When she was freaking out about getting the website done and how the B and B had to be a success because of all she'd done to make it happen, that hit me like a ton of bricks.

And I love all the different character types and how the show doesn't take itself too seriously but still gets lessons across. Like with Hetty for example: we know she did a lot of crappy stuff when she was alive. All the stuff she says about kids in the mills is just horrible but we're also shown that everyone else is horrified when she says these things. That she's starting to realize thats not the way to go/be, and I don't just have to feel bad for her cause Elias sucked and she had a lonely childhood and whatever else and give her a free pass. I LOVE watching Hetty grow and develop while still being Hetty. They don't make her a saint, they make her a better person and that's awesome.

And sure, there have been a few episodes where the plot/humor doesn't hit with me, but those are few and far between because this show gets what makes a ghost show, at least to me: remember the ghosts! Lots of ghost things (especially if they have human characters central) tend to focus too much on the human characters (BBC is guilty of this IMO, even if Alison and Mike can be delightful), and sort of put the ghosts at their mercy, but I feel like by and large, CBS has learned or is learning how to do Sam and Jay's story in a way that mixes it in well with the ghosts' stories if I make any sense. And if an episode's themes or story doesn't hit one week, I can be pretty confident that the next one will since there are so many different kinds of stories to tell. :)

[that-mr-e]

Fanart of 10 of my favourite characters from 10 9 of the fandoms i'm in

Cole (human au) - Lego ninjago

Amity (time skip) - The owl house

Henry (human au) - Thomas and friends

Sunbursts - My little pony

Logan - Sanders sides

Amethyst - Steven universe

Iono - Pokémon

Pidge - Voltron

Aziraphale and Crowley - Good omens

I couldn't choose between Aziraphale or Crowley so i drew both 😭

But to keep with the theme "10" i want to give an honourable mention to the show that currently takes up 90% of my thoughts,

BBC Ghost

@choicesfandomappreciation

[player188654]

GHOSTS CBS writing challenge

More info below the cut

DAY 1: write a story about your favorite cannon ship

DAY 2: write a story about a character’s past before they died (or multiple characters)

DAY 3: Write an alive AU about the characters

DAY 4: Write a story about your favorite NON cannon ship

DAY 5: write a story where the characters are in an alternate universe

DAY 6: write an in-depth character analysis about a side character

DAY 6: Write a fic from Jay’s point of view and how he views the ghosts

DAY 7: Write a hurt/comfort fic about any character of your choosing

DAY 8: write a story with an OC

DAY 9: write a fic that is a continuation of your favorite episode

DAY 10: write a found family fic about your favorite ghosts and livings

There are no rules! Do whatever you want with these prompts! Make them however short or long you want. Feel free to post on ao3/whichever site you want (In fact, I encourage it!)

Start whenever you can/want! Tag me in your posts so I can repost them!

BBC fans, feel free to participate, just switch Jay with Mike!

Tag any fic writers/Ghosts fans!

@cbsghostsdaily

@cutieshamybabies

@cbsghostsmetasandtrevor

@obeythefloof

@drawingfandoms1927

@httpshunter

@fallowtail

@petersthree

@flutterbyoz

@foreverglfan

@missielynne

@sakebytheriver

@daniishep

[thebroccolination]

ELYAN!!!

I NEED ELYAN FIC RECS.

I NEED THEM LIKE I NEED LIFE.

I just watched "A Herald of the New Age" for the first time and my god????????? This moment between Elyan and the Shrine Boy was hands-down the sweetest I've seen in the entire series.

THAT IS THE BEST KNIGHT. THAT ONE.

After Elyan disturbs the shrine in the forest by drinking from the well because Gwaine drank all his water (I already shipped the hell out of it before this and now I ship it even harder), this ghost boy shows up before him twice and terrifies him.

And yet???

His first impulse is to hug and protect this child.

I made the most wounded animal noise when he did this??? Like, especially in an episode where he's punched unconscious by Gwaine and then Percival, Elyan's gentle and protective nature is so, so beautiful. He immediately offers to help the child, too, and I don't think the insinuation is that the child was using magic to influence him. I think it was just Elyan's empathy.

Man, what a great episode.

To recap, I watched season 1 of Merlin as it was airing, lost all interest when season 2 began, then just exclusively read fic from then on until my friend was like, "PLEASE WATCH THE OTHER SEASONS WITH ME," and I said, "Yeah, okay," so we've been gradually doing that for the past two years.

Therefore, I only knew Elyan through fic until now and, like??? I knew plenty about Gwaine and Percival and Leon and Lancelot from the fic I read (canon and AUs alike). But I only remember Elyan being mentioned in fic occasionally? And it was either just in passing or as The Older Brother of Gwen. At the time, I always figured, "Well, maybe it's because Elyan didn't get a whole lot to do in the show." And, sure, he doesn't seem to have as much screentime as Gwaine or Leon so far (I haven't seen S5 yet), but this whole episode was about Elyan! And we find out so much about who he is!

I've now seen more of Elyan's personality than I have of Sir Ripped His Chainmail Sleeves Off, and I've seen lots more of Percival in fic. Even when Elyan's possessed in this episode, we find out plenty about him through the other characters reacting to it. The general consensus is, "Whoa, Elyan went after Arthur?" even though his sister was just banished and a few characters think that would be enough to turn his loyalties (I still can't believe the writers expect me to believe that nonsense was consistent for Arthur's character like the writing in BBC's Merlin was very weird sometimes).

This one episode has made Elyan my favorite knight.

HOW IS THERE NOT MORE FIC ABOUT ELYAN.

OR AT LEAST BIGGER ROLES FOR HIM IN ENSEMBLE FICS?

On the bright side, I just went looking for Elyan/Gwaine fic and there was literally one posted two days ago set after this episode and I'm going to read it ASAP and then scour the rest of the tag for more. \:D/

Like, man, I've never written Merlin fic before despite the hours of my life devoted to reading Merthur fic but I think I have to write some Elyan/Gwaine when my friend and I finish watching the series. :')

(If anyone with Elyan fic recs of any kind reads this please please please feed me.)

[natequarter]

the side characters from bbc ghosts do have a knack for, shall we say, haunting us, despite only being there for five minutes, but you've really gotta give it to george button for being one of the wildest guys in the show without ever appearing on-screen

[merlincersei]

Merlin BBC UK TV Show - A Psychological Analysis Series Part 7

Season 5 Episode 3 - “ Death Song Of Uther Pendragon”

One of the most interesting episode in the series is the “ Death Song Of Uther Pendragon”.

In this episode we are exposed to the some less flattering aspects of Arthur’s character:

1) HYPOCRISY:

Arthur knowingly uses witchcraft by blowing the Horn of Cathbhadh to communicate with his deceased father.

It seems Arthur is okay with using magic when it benefits him despite maintaining the overall ban on magic in Camelot.

2) LYING:

Arthur hides the fact he is going to use the Horn of Cathbhadh, even from GWEN…..(Let that sink in). But of course not Merlin….because of reasons……….

3) INSECURITY:

Arthur tells Uther that he is his own man ………but at the same time desperately seeks Uther’s approval.

But the most interesting moments in the episode involve Uther Pendragon.

1) HE IS A TERRIBLE FATHER:

Uther is back and he is hopping mad. He spends all his time criticizing and berating Arthur.

Their interaction helps emphasize the contradiction between Uther and Balinor.

When Uther comes back from the dead he spends his time criticizing Arthur.

When Balinor’s spirit communicates with Merlin in Season 5 Episode 12, he uplifts and encourages his son.

2) ATTEMPTED FILICIDE:

Uther actually tries to kill Arthur. The reason which Uther states is his disapproval on how Arthur has governed his kingdom.

This story point does not make sense because Arthur was Uther’s sole heir and if he had killed Arthur, Camelot would have been without a King and the Pendragon dynasty could have ended right there.

While Uther was one of the main antagonist of the series his one redeeming feature was his repressed affection for his son.

However the writers have given us a vital clue to help us decipher why.

3) USING MAGIC:

Uther in spirit form uses magic to harm Perceval, Gwen, Arthur and Merlin.

Uther using magic betrays one of his own cherished belief of a Camelot being free from Magic.

Uther using magic in spirit form could be dismissed as ghosts possess magical powers and hence is not an outlier. However when Balinor came in Spirit form to help Merlin he did not use magic. When Igraine came in ghost form to speak to Arthur she did not use magic.

By using magic, Uther has confirmed the subtext of what magic represents in the show.

4) WHAT MAGIC REALLY MEANS:

That Magic is a methaphor for queerness.

When Arthur confronts Uther and says Uther has been driven by hate and fear. It refers to Uther own self hate for indulging in “magic” and fear of it being found out.

That repressed side of Uther which he has indulged in and has been the source of his guilt. Igraine died because she was impregnated using magic.

It has been Uther’s justification for the persecution of “magic users”

Same as self hating closeted people always spout the most anti-LGBTQIA stuff.

Uther’s motivation for killing Arthur and reclaiming Camelot stems from his religious devotion to the idea of Camelot. Just like Abraham was willing to kill his son to please God. Uther is ready to sacrifice Arthur because he believes Camelot will be undone with Arthur’s more liberal nature. With Arthur marrying a commoner and elevating commoners to knight hood, legalizing magic could be something Arthur could consider (AND DID CONSIDER IN THE DISIR EPISODE). Arthur after all was not above using magic to get what he wanted as highlighted above

Merlin even has some very revealing words when it comes to magic:

“I was born with it”. LADY GAGA would be proud.

Uther even tries to out Merlin to Arthur before Arthur blows the horn to send him back to the spirit world.

5) MERTHUR FACTS:

Merlin tells Leon he is teaching Arthur poetry.

Gaya scienza (‘joyful, cheerful, or gay science’) was a term used by the troubadours in the twelfth to fourteenth centuries to refer to the art of poetry. In Ecce Homo Nietzsche writes that he has used the term gaya scienza here to designate the specific unity of ‘singer, knight, and free spirit’ which was characteristic of early Provencal culture…………………………….DO I NEED TO SAY MORE.

When Uther admits to trying to kill Gwen, Arthur tries to convince his father why Gwen is a worthy consort. When Uther tries to kill Merlin, Arthur straight up blows the horn without even letting Uther complete his sentence.

And I won’t even touch this one: