#i don't know how long this episode will last

[jewreallythinkthat]

I was incredibly privileged to meet Ibrahim, one of the presenters of Unapologetic: The Third Narrative, the other week. Not only is he a fantastic speaker and an important ally and activist to work beside when pushing for a two state solution, he's also just a fantastic guy. He's so positive about the future while still being pragmatic about the difficulties of achieving peace.

Do I agree with everything he and Amira say on the podcast? No. But actually, disagreement isn't unhealthy and it's important to listen and understand people you don't agree with. I'm British and have never lived anywhere other than the UK so while I grew up with family in Israel and heavily invested in politics in the middle east, I simply do not have the same experience as he, a Palestinian-Israeli from Nazareth who lived in Tel Aviv before October 7th and then went back home to his family, feeling unsafe with the wave of racism he faced after October 7th happened.

Actually having the opportunity to go to talks by him, and sit down with the guy and have a face to face chat was absolutely fascinating. The co-option of the pro-palestine movement in the west by people who just want to spread hate and antisemitism has been watched with horror by Ibrahim and his co-activists. He is very open about the fact he believes two states is the only way out of the current, unbearable, status quo (and I agree with him) and I wish people would listen to more actual activists who are native to the Middle East instead of spoilt brats on tiktok who've never met a Jew, an Israeli or a Palestinian in their life.

I also had the chance to hear the testimony from a Gazan at the same time (not sharing their name for their own safety) and it's crushing to hear how horrific the situation is for them, someone who left Gaza six years ago, and their family who are still there. One thing I thought was particularly important was a question at the end about how their friends and families feel about them doing work with Jews and Israelis and basically, the view from friends and family was that they just want peace. They don't give a shit where the boarder goes, they just want peace and rights (as you may expect) and that they were very happy working to and knowing Israelis who are also pushing for peace and a lasting end to the violence.

I will never stop advocating for a two state solution (personally I don't think anyone should get Jerusalem as it's a bit of a hot topic that bad faith actors on both sides use to beat eachother) but frankly, a two state solution and a lasting peace has been needed for a vary, very long time and I hope we get there soon.

As they say at the end of every episode: Everyone, Jews, Arabs, Israelis, Palestinians and Muslims, we all deserve better

[di-42]

A bit late this time, sorry! 

Almost all I had the time to read in December was the Scribbling Vaguely Downwards Advent Calendar collection. I’m late in catching up with one of the wonderful WIPs below, and I’m criminally late in catching up with the long fiction I’m reading, but it is what it is.

As always I’ll try to tag all the writers and artists whose tumblr username I know, so they know how loved and appreciated they are. If you know the username of someone I haven’t tagged please tag them. If you are on this list and would rather not, please let me know and I'll take you and your work off the list immediately. If you enjoy my lists and want to be tagged when I post them, give me a shout!

Last but not least, I wish you all a wonderful 2025, filled with friendship, creativity, discovery, awe and love for all things big and small, even Brother Snail.

Without further ado, let me tell you what I loved about

December’s Delightful Fictions

WIPs:

Wavelengths & Frequencies, by @shadesofecclescakes and imposterssyndrome @maaikeatthefullmoon Rated E, chapters 16/?

This story is such a warm, cozy, comfort blanket. Enemies-to-lovers human AU where Aziraphale and Crowley work as DJ for the same media corporation. They have a history, but we don't know what it is at the beginning. Great story, great humour, great characterisation, great fuzzies, absolutely great banter! I look forward to every update and do a little joyful dance every time I get an update notification. This fiction is becoming one of my all time favourites.

You're The Bad Guys, by Nebz_AlphaCentauri @alphacentaurinebula Rated E, chapters 23/26?

Cold war human AU in which Aziraphale is an MI6 agent and Crowley is a KGB agent. Each of them is assigned to a mission in Berlin, from opposite sides of course. Great characterisation, suspense and references to canon.

Scribbling Vaguely Downwards Advent Calendar:

A lovely collection of winter and Christmas themed one shots, short stories and artworks, to which I’ve been lucky enough to take part. I invite you to go through the whole collection, as each piece is a little gem. I have read all but two of the stories, which will be in my January list.

My own piece for the collection, Only Ever Meant For Someone Else, rated T, 9k.

Every year, the night before Christmas, taxi driver Aziraphale drives passengers to and from the hospital for charity. On the Christmas morning of 2023 he was ready to go home and rest with a cup of tea, a mince pie, and a book after a long night.

Guess who?

This my very first attempt at human AU, and it was great fun to write it without being bound by anything canon. It gave me a chance to play with some feelings and characterisations that I just don’t see in canon, but I like in fiction. I tried to throw in the mix a bit of humour, a tiny bit of short lived angst and, of course a happy ending!

Naked And Afraid: Jingle Hell by @klikandtuna, rated T, 24k.

Human AU. A fictional transcription of an episode of reality show Naked And Afraid. Yes, Naked And Afraid is a real show, and no, you don’t need to have watched it to enjoy this sweet, funny, from strangers-to-lovers fiction. Lighthearted and yet tense, great characterisation, banter, will-they-won’t-they, humour, this fiction has it all! I absolutely loved it. Honestly, you don’t know me, but trust me: if I speak enthusiastically about a fiction based on a survival show, it must be that good.

Nooooo Mooooore Touching My Angel by Adara83, 2k.

Post second coming story where angels and demons have meetings and get-togethers. At the latest Christmas meeting Crowley and Aziraphale got very protective of each other. Very sweet story.

Something On The Wind (Or Jingle Chimes) by Aspiring_Eccentric, 5k.

I loved this human AU! Crowley has been driven mad by the new neighbour’s wind chimes. I don’t think I need to tell you who the new neighbour is. Humour, fluff, flirting and spot on characterisation, this fiction was a real Christmas treat!

An Ineffable Christmas Carol by Aikosakura, artwork.

1800s Crowley and Aziraphale take a Christmas eve stroll.

A Christmas Miracle by IneffableChocolateCheeseCake and Ngk @ngk-668rated E, 4k.

A sweet, hot, and funny in-canon story where supreme archangel Gabriel grants all the angels a free miracle to use for personal purposes one Christmas day. Guess how Aziraphale chooses to use his? Words by Ngk and art by IneffableChocolateCheeseCake. Lovely, lovely story!

My Angel, My Light by icegirl99, rated T, 2k.

Aziraphale drags Crowley to be the elf to his Santa one Christmas eve. Gentle and fluffy. 

They Are The Magi by LyricalKris, rated T, 8k.

Lovely human AU where Aziraphale and Crowley meet at a book club and end up meaning the world to each other.

Winter’s Rages by miladyshakespeare, rated G, 427 words.

A storm is raging in 1719. Any more than that would mean spoiling the story, but honestly, it’s astounding that so much goodness and so much subtle humour is contained in such a short story. Artful and clever, I truly loved it!

Reindeer Mistletoe by Yvesriba, rated G, artwork.

Those reindeer antlers couldn't have been in a better place!

The Soho Route by Caedmon @caedmonfaith , rated G, 11k.

Human AU where Crowley is a delivery man who’s taken a shine to the lovely bookseller he delivers parcels to. If only the bookseller was interested in him. A sweet story featuring an oblivious Crowley and an undeterred Aziraphale.

It’s A Wonderful Film by Heretic1103, rated T, 2k.

Post canon Cgristmas eve, filled with fluff and domestic bliss. Lovely.

Do You Remember The Roses? (The Snow Queen Retold With Good Omens Characters) by Augenblickgotter, rated G, 13k.

Lovely retelling of the Andersen’s tale.

Furfur, A Red-Nosed Reindeer by @ineffablechocolatecheesecake, rated T, artwork.

Great artwork featuring Crowley and Aziraphale doing what they should be doing all the time! But poor Furfur!

The Perfect Christmas by HumoringHolly, rated M, 13k.

Post canon story set a few years in the future. Aziraphale and Crowley host a Christmas party and invite Adam and Warlock. They hit it off in the best possible way! 

A Light In The Darkness by PinkPenguinParade, rated G, 561 words.

Lovely, warm post canon scene.

A Little Peek by Dukeofnone, rated, artwork.

The sweetest Crowley and Aziraphale peek from the boxes of an advent calendar. I loved this artwork!

Hissy Fit by @dragonfire42, rated T, 6k.

Inspired by Gleafer’s art this story is hilarious, delightful, heartwarming, and wonderfully written. Great characterisation and banter and strong Aziraphale, to which I may or may not be partial to. Crowley is shedding, enough said. I laughed all the way through.

Mnemosyne’s Feast by ravendiana, rated G, 1k.

Canon-divergent story where the final fifteen never happened. Crowley doesn’t trust himself with words, so he attempts to communicate his feelings to Aziraphale through memories awoken by food. This story was really touching and heartwarming, I loved it so much!

Radiant by CaelumCalamitas, rated G, 4k.

Lovely South Down cottage story with an incredibly warm and touching ending.

Eyes On Me by AVoiceBehindTheStars, rated G, artwork.

Aziraphale is teaching Crowley to ice skate. Beautiful piece framing a lovely moment in the existences of the husbands.

The Angel Tree by GoodInspirationsAD, rated T, 8k.

Post season 2 fiction with a lovely happy ending. Aziraphale is in heaven and Crowley, as heartbroken as he is, replaces him in making sure the London Hospital Angel Tree initiative has presents for all the patients. Meanwhile, Aziraphale worries that, with him in heaven, some patients will be left with no gifts, so he has to go down to earth and fulfill the patients’ wishes. Hurt, comfort, communication, intimacy, South Down cottage, AND Cgristmas all in one fiction, what more do you want?

All My Own In A Big Red Bow by @supergeek21, rated E, 2k.

Present wrapping frustration, present unwrapping heat. Sexy and tender at the same time.

Tom Bawcock’s Eve by Snowfilly1, rated T, 2k.

I loved this story about human resilience and bravery. A long time ago, Crowley and Aziraphale went to a village in Cornwall and helped the villagers fight against a storm.

Holy Infant, So Tender And Mild by Caedmon, rated G, 3k.

Jesus has been born and an angel and a demon keep him entertained while Mary rests.

Geminids by astral_gravy, not rated, artwork.

I absolutely love this amazing piece showing our favourite angel and demon in the midst of a meteor shower! Beautiful!

Boxing Day by Starshadow667, not rated, 1.7k.

Crowley and Aziraphale go ice skating with their children.

Stargazer by Raechem, rated G, 2k.

Oh, I loved this story, I truly did. So gentle, and touching, and deep. Set at some point in the past, OC’s POV. OC helps a snake she finds in her garden that had been caught in some rope. The snake comes to visit her again, and an owl comes looking for the snake. I don’t want to spoil it and won’t say anything else, but please show some love to this gem of a fiction.

Dec 31- Happy New Year! by Miele_Petite, rated G, artwork.

Biblical Crowley and Aziraphale with a night sky background. Beautiful!

November's list here.

[midnight--sadness]

The casual racism and homophobia people display when discussing Squid Game will always make me infuriated.

How is it possible to watch a 7-episode long show and not know the names of any of the characters? Are you so devoid of working brain cells that you can't identify an individual after staring at their face for eight hours in a row?

I think it's especially insane when you take into account that this is the second season of the show. How do you not know Gihun's name? He's the protagonist.

Claiming to only know these characters by their numbers is so crazy to me because I have a really difficult time memorizing their player numbers. I know Gihun's and Inho's but everyone else's is a blank.

Or, even worst, knowing them as their most basic trait - pregnant girl, old woman, trans woman, marine guy...

THEY HAVE NAMES!!!!

Hyunju isnt just a trans woman, she is brave and selfless and kind, a leader and a fighter, someone who protects the weakest around her and defends them fiercely. Daeho isnt just an ex marine, hes a man forced into a toxic masculine role by his father, who neverthless display incredible softness in his interactions with others. Geumja isnt just an old woman, she is a kind woman who cares deeply about those around her and would do anything for her son and who shows that you can change and accept others from who they are.

Their names are not difficult to memorize at all, especially if you are watching a show for hours on end.

And mixing up characters from both seasons? Like no, Jungbae wasnt in the game in the first season, that was another man. Neither was Geumja, or Minsu, or literally any other character aside from Gihun.

This definitely isn't my lane because i'm a white woman but it just reinforces the idea that all Asian people, especially East Asian people, look the same when that isn't true. It's just blatant racism and it makes me sick to see it so normalized.

The homophobia is also insane but this is from a different angle because there aren't any opely LGBT+ characters in the show.

Back in season 1, I heavily shipped sangihun, in fact I still do. And the ammount of brain dead morons who were convinced they were brothers is actually insane.

WE SEE EACH OF THEIR MOTHERS!! THEY HAVE DIFFERENT LAST NAMES!!!

How are they brothers? Because Sangwoo calls Gihun "hyung"? It's a cultural tradition, not a matter of actual familial bonds. In the second season Youngmi calls Hyunju "unnie", but we all know they aren't sisters and it never even comes up (although this is probably about transphobia).

And WHY do people insist that Inho is married? He's widowed. Junho literally visits his wife's grave. I know he says during the game that his wife is alive (sick but alive) but he's lying to get Gihun's sympathy.

I don't understand how its possible that someone can pay so little attention to a show to the point where they don't retain any of the plot points.

Or, even worst, people saying that Gihun and Inho are brothers... HOW??? Are you really so homophobic that you can't see two men being shipped without convincing yourself that they are brothers despite complete lack of canon evidence?

It pisses me off so bad and its so rampant, especially on TikTok, where just proudly announce that they are so brain dead they don't even know the name of the protagonist of the show they are watching.

[sunlighthroughthe-ashes]

the mirages of what "might have been" can be one of the most painful things to experience. the chances we don't take; the words we stop ourselves from saying — the touches we hold ourselves back from having: they linger somewhere in the lining of our skin. somewhere in the salt of our tears.

watching this episode broke my heart a little. knowing that in both sa-eon's and heejoo's imagination: they have only each other and the steady flame of their love to subsist on. it's all they need — if you think about it; it's all they've ever needed and fell just short of possessing completely.

it's an ordinary sort of love that they crave: a daily devotion that can last for decades. a chance to do better; get to know and trust each other. a chance to celebrate christmas and mess up a meal and laugh over it together. the events that thousands of married couples have done over a thousand lifetimes — but with each other; it feels like the very first time love was invented between a man and his wife. it feels brand-new.

missed opportunities magnify grief — materialize longing into a physical ache between the ribs. you can see it in sa-eon's face throughout the entire episode — like an exposed wound barely able to articulate its own hurt.

i'm reminded of a line by poet phillip b. williams when i think about how happiness has always been just one step away for heejoo and sa-eon: "possibility was a bird i once knew. it had one wing."

[minsungchronology]

My Personal Opinions on Minsung's Dynamic (2024)

Disclaimer: I am not trying to pass off my opinions as facts. This is my personal interpretation of what is laid out right in front of us. I could be completely off base because I don’t know these guys personally, so take this with a grain of salt and feel free to disagree!

THE YEARS KEEP GETTING LONGER 🫠

I honestly thought this year would be shorter than last year because of the long break Skz had during the first couple of months, but luckily Minsung have been Minsunging enough to make my video the length that it is.

But as far as Lee Know and Han's interactions go, I feel like they - Han in particular, especially - look at some of the songs he’s released this year - found their footing/identity, at least compared to prior years. Lee Know is noticeably more playful with Han (on camera, at least). They seem a lot more comfortable to show that side of themselves.

Except for a few mentions here and there, they remain quite private and guarded about their hangouts. 80% of the time; it’s ALWAYS fans asking them about their hangouts or sightings. They hardly ever bring it up themselves. What came as a surprise and caught me off guard (not really surprising when you think about it) is them MOVING IN TOGETHER. It came out of left field, but it’s very much them.

We also kicked off this year with the Two Kids Show episode and since then (if my and some other peoples’ thoughts about them are correct) they haven't been shy about showing/telling how much they mean to each other and how special their bond is.

I was one of the people who were skeptical about Hold My Hand having anything to do with Lee Know until I saw the repetitive stages (the transition of LK and Han shaking/holding each others hands, Han literally saying “Minho Hyung, hold my hand” while catching LK off guard the first time he did it, and THEN Han saying that the fans understood what he was trying to convey with the song - outside of the more obvious overall meaning of it being an ode from his current self to his past self.

I’m certain some of the members and others have seen the many international fan theories about Han’s song. (At the very least Chan would have, and he would have relayed it to Han, but I think Han would likely try to look at the many different theories across social media on his own for a song he wrote himself.) I also wonder if Korean fans were theorizing as hard as international fans were and what they came up with if they did.

When putting all of that together, it comes across a certain way and Han himself knows that. (If they are purely platonic, it would mean they don't mind that some fans perceive them that way. In that case, more power to them and the fans that ship them.)

People can write this behavior alone off as FS (which I think they’re taking advantage of if you see my 2023 opinions and what I'm about to say later on in this essay). But, to me, it doesn’t explain away the many other things we’ve witnessed them do.

One moment I thought was interesting in the body-language-never-lies department (during the Bocau concert) was when Lee Know was waving his mic toward the audience when the members were taking turns singing their part of the song. As SOON AS HAN APPEARS ON THE SCREEN, he STOPS and his full attention is now on him, completely away from the fans. Then, he returns his attention to the fans when the screen switches to another member lmfao. Like, these two legitimately care about each other so much.

Then, there’s the “STAY Let’s be together for 100,000 years” Big Baby/Little Baby YT Live where the two were all huddled up and close. Han saying “We live together!” and seeming gleeful about that fact in a concert (where he answers the fan’s sign) is so sweet.

Some moments I found really funny:

-The happenings (if ykyk) at the SBS Gayo Daejeon Summer concert. What were they thinking- like, girl, what the fuck-

-Han checks LK out and goes "Oh!" when he crouches down during Day 3 of the Seoul concerts and does a full circle around to appreciate the view. 😃🔫

-And, whatever this was:

From all of the concert & fan meet footage we’ve got this year alone (and holy shit, there’s a lot). There’s literally no reason to think that they secretly dislike each other (you'll have people trying to insinuate that as pushback against the more passionate shippers). At the very least, they have a special bond/friendship. You can fake getting along with someone on a basic level on camera, but to have this much chemistry and gravitation towards each other - a lot of it is really subconscious, too - (i.e. They’re always looking at each other when something funny happens/when one gets embarrassed, they always talk to each other during the ‘ments, LK always uses Han as a fidget toy, etc.) can’t be faked and not with the amount of footage we’ve seen of them for nearly a decade.

I also wanted to make an interesting parallel:

Plenty of people (at least the ones curious about inter-group dating) know about Seungho and B.nish of D.I.P. They came out as an actual couple on Instagram Live a few years back, and they've been dating each other since they were trainees, as of that Live.

A few weeks ago, I was thinking about those two when working on the video, and the age-old question, "If two bandmates were “secretly" dating within a group, would they try to interact as little as possible or hide in plain sight?" came up. My opinion has always been that it depends on the individuals involved in the relationship and the types of people around them (different people with different personalities and lived experiences won't always approach something like this in the same way).

Sooooo I did a little bit of digging to see how those two interacted on camera and came across this video:

Look at 4:54, 6:05, and 6:52 (B.nish is the cute guy with the black shirt/orange patterns and Seungho is the guy with the blonde hair with shaved sides and leopard outfit). Or just watch the whole thing cause there are many little moments throughout the video.

The part where they link arms at 6:05 with one another reminds me of LK and Han linking arms in SKZ Code EP59 (around 1:11:35 in the chronology video where they played sports). 😭

Then, I went on Vlivearchives to check out their page to see how they would interact in unedited content that spans for a long time ~ which we’ve also seen Minsung interact in: the concerts and live streams, for example.

Link (B.nish is green shirt dude and Seungho is black hat dude) - Skip to 27:49-28:00, 34:58-35:09, 36:30, 40:15-41:03 and look at their body language compared to the other members (or look at 27:49 to the end if you have time).

and Link (B.nish is guy in blue cardigan, Seungho is guy in black t-shirt/black hat) - Skip to 47:00-48:00, 51:48-52:00, 1:17:22-1:18:03

AND OH MY GOD LOOK AT THEM!!! The vlives remind me of how Han/LK behaved in the YT live where they came up with the big baby/little baby nickname!!! BN/SH behavior also really mirrors how LK/Han are during concerts and how their body language - even when they're not speaking - says a lot.

So,,, the point is that I'm still on the side that thinks idols can absolutely take advantage of skinship (something not unusual between male friends in Korea, and especially in the environment where idols are in) and/or shipping culture to hide in plain sight. On the other hand, I think some people would try to hide away from the camera as much as possible. It really depends on the person at the end of the day! If there were more confirmed instances where two members in a K-pop group date each other, we could get a better overall representation of how they would handle this and how it would look on camera.

In addition: SNH 48, a C-pop girl group, I can name TWO instances where intergroup dating has occurred:

The member who cheated on a member with ANOTHER member (some of us might know about this haha) - the two members in the original relationship had a VERY fanservice-y stage (Link).

FengXiaoFei&WangJiaLing (the link is a compilation of some of their interactions. They came out as a couple after graduating from/leaving the group. Fans have speculated about them long before they came out cause they weren't hiding it. 🤯)

[hauntingthenarrativepod]

(this is qiqi) (look if it's an unhinged overly complicated response it's likely to be qiqi can we just pin that somewhere)

He's one of those adolescent German Shepherds with huge paws and ears that the rest of the body hasn't grown into. He's still cooking.

This is one of the greatest descriptions of Lockwood I have ever seen. I want this cross-stitched on a pillow somewhere. It's beautiful.

OK so let's talk Sykes a little bit cause I'm loving your tags there.

Sykes is just...not really talked about much, is he?

Timeline-wise, Lucy is 13 or 14 at her interview, and Lockwood/George are about a year older. 13 gives me hives so let's go with Lucy being 14 and the boys 15.

Lockwood says that the agency's been registered for three months, and he got his full licence (a.k.a. his Grade 4) 'last year'. Lockwood was apprenticed to Sykes, so Sykes must've been around long enough to sign that certificate. We know Lucy's interview is in May, so the agency was registered in February, so Sykes died sometime in the 13 months before Feb - when Lockwood is 13 or 14.

George moves in a year before Lucy's interview - so May the year previously. I tend to think that it makes little sense for George to move in unless he's working with Lockwood (his parents are from London), and he never mentions working with Sykes, so I think it's likely that he moves in after Sykes dies. (Probably they futz about as a freelance/independent duo for a while before deciding to set up an actual company, which may take some time.) But anyway, if George moves in after Sykes dies, this means that Sykes has to die sometime Jan-May of the year before Lucy moves in. And yeah, Flo implies that his death was nasty which means traumatising so...it's no wonder Lockwood didn't talk about him.

As you say in your tags -- it's likely that Sykes was an actual Gravedigger, which would imply extremely working class. Which...makes a lot of sense, when you look at Lockwood. He does a lot of borderline charity cases, especially in the East End (a traditionally very poor area of London -- somewhere I'd expect a Gravedigger to run an independent shop, though). He swears like a fucking sailor (so many 'short responses') and eats absolutely terribly (have you hung around middle class/rich people? They all eat like Holly, even the kids). He tries to fob off the hard work on everyone but him because he wants to be lazy and keep his clothes nice, but he's also not afraid of it -- he doesn't complain about having to crawl through muck or worse, it's just part of the job. And despite the fact that he obviously has money and resources, you don't really feel a class difference between him and Lucy or George. Yes, we are going to do a whole episode on class, but I think the text supports the idea that Lockwood was a middle class, rich boy who's family fell on hard times (he did a lot of odd jobs when it was just him and Jess) and then roughed it with the commoners for quite a while.

(And I love how you point out in your tags that yeah, working class tends to stand up for each other. I do think Lockwood wasn't taken in by the big agencies because he was too old, but Sykes would take him in because he had nowhere else to go -- and Sykes did right by him, because a 9 year old boy, all alone, big house in Marylebone? The vultures must have been salivating)

2) Lockwood and Forgiveness! That's a really nice point, that he's so unforgiving with ghosts, but so forgiving with people!! I will counter you though that by the time he 'forgives' Kipps in TCS quite a bit has happened to deepen their connection in a positive way -- a) Kipps follows George into the catacombs and tries to save him, b) Lockwood and Kipps work Aickmere's together and are partnered up, solo, in the dark (and in this particular scenario Lockwood probably got to see quite a bit of how Kipps handles his team -- I tend to think that Aickmere's is when Lockwood starts really respecting Kipps) and then c) they'd worked Guppy House together, where Kipps had demonstrated a good deal of respect for Lockwood and his team. I do think that TSS Lockwood would magnanimously piss on Kipps if he was on fire, but I doubt he'd go out of his way to help Kipps to the same extent as he does in TCS.

Thoughts?

It’s Boxing Day in the UK, St. Stephen’s Day in Ireland, and December 26th in the US, and there’s no way we’d rather spend it than discussing the beloved namesake of our series — the one and only Anthony J. Lockwood, Esq.!

For our third episode of Haunting the Narrative, we’re going to be digging into all things Lockwood. We’ll talk about his dark backstory and how that links to the core traits and motivations we see him display. We'll discuss his ambition, his relationship to his family, and his own search for meaning throughout the books.

Somehow this is our shortest episode yet, which is nothing short of a Christmas miracle.

Listen on Apple

Listen on Spotify

Listen on Amazon

Click here for the transcript!

Join us on January 8 for our next episode on the Problem Economy!

[depraved-gf]

.

[marshmallowgoop]

No matter how special it is, a kid's lunch is still just a kid's lunch.

I dunno, I liked "The Genius Restaurant" (Episode 1,089).

Happy (belated) birthday, Jimjam.

[Song link] [YouTube link]

[cupophrogs]

Hey drew….so

How are you holding up. I mean. That bomb shell must of been a lot for yah.

Did uncle bug have another name?

"Oh yeah, "Bug" is his nickname, everybody calls him that. Here, I've got a picture of and old magazine cover he got on"

(Click for better quality 🙄 tumbler nerfed the colors)

Introducing, at long fucking last, Charles "Bug" Welldam (And Poppet Spring) Age: 52 (current), 28 (depicted)

Charles is an old southern beau living just outside of the college town Drew lives in, and the writer and director of Poppet's Travelling Circus, an animated adaptation of his puppet show of the same name. He is an avid lover of clowns, puppets, and other silly, colourful things. And much like the well-known face of his show, Charles is jovial, curious, and always willing to lend a hand.

"He's got a whole room at his house for his puppets and his paintings! Poppet's my favourite, probably his, too!"

[tellthemeerkatsitsfine]

This post is a solid nine months old by now, but I have an addition to it.

I picked out a few How Do You Cope episodes to listen to in the last couple of weeks - I've not gone through that whole podcast in my usual completist way, but I decided to pick out some the feature guests I found interesting (I did Paul Sinha, Sally Phillips, Jordan Gray, Josie Long, Alex Brooker, Chris Packham, and Mark Watson). There was a bunch of interesting stuff in a bunch of those episodes that I meant to post about, but I listened while doing other holiday stuff and didn't sit down to write it.

This, however, I made sure to save. As soon as I heard it, I made a note to myself to remember to cut this out and add it to my collection of clips of John Robins talking shit about Stewart Lee. Because I find it extremely amusing that John Robins turned up to an interview with Mark Watson, in 2019, with a quote from Stewart Lee that he thinks is Clarkson-esque, just so he can throw that at Mark eight years after their actual feud, because it gives him an excuse to shoehorn in talking shit about Stewart Lee. In this case, by accusing Stewart Lee of sounding like Alan Partridge, which... might be just a touch hypocritical, coming from Robins. I mean, I'm generally on John Robins' side here, and I'm definitely on Mark Watson's side in that particular feud (I obviously think Stewart Lee is a brilliant comedian who is rightly accoladed, but he does seem like he's probably a dick), but I don't know if accusing other people of sounding a bit Partridge-y is John Robins' best move.

I do respect how committed John Robins is to the grudge. I enjoy listening to him try to sound reasonable and not shout "I hate that fucking guy" every time Stewart Lee's name gets mentioned. But then also, he'll take any tenuous opportunity, like interviewing a comedian whom Stewart Lee was a dick about in 2011, to bring up what a dick Stewart Lee is. As a frequent holder of grudges myself, I find it funny to listen to people struggle with them that way.

This was unfortunately not where the relatable content in this podcast interview ended, as there was some very interesting chat near the end about how Mark Watson uses running to turn off his brain and take the edge off anxiety, and John Robins said he uses alcohol for that, and Mark said he also used alcohol for the same thing. And then two of my favourite comedians, who have talked a lot in their work about anxiety and alcohol problems, and I have spent a lot of time listening to a whole lot of both their work and being interested in their perspectives on those issues - those two comedians talked to each other about how alcohol and exercise can achieve similar ways of turning off a frustrating brain. And I had just been thinking a lot lately about how when I try to cut out alcohol, and try to find healthier things to replace what excessive drinking has done for me through so many years, the most useful replacement I have is getting on the treadmill and running until I can breathe or stand and throat and lungs are on fire. That is the closest physical/psychological sensation that I can get to the thing I like best about alcohol, without actually consuming alcohol. And Mark Watson and John Robins discussed that exact phenomenon for a bit, and I was going to cut out that clip and post about it on here too, but honestly, writing an entire post about that would get way too depressing, and I don't feel like doing a long, over-share-y depression post on this second day of the new year. So I'm condensing my thoughts about it into one run-on paragraph (trust me, if I dedicated its own post to that clip, the post would be far longer than this paragraph) on the end of a post for John Robins talking shit about Stewart Lee. I'm going to try dry January again this year, and I think it will probably be less tough than it was last year, as by the end of 2024, I was starting to be able to go 4 or 5 weeks at a time without drinking and not even be too bothered by that. Dry January made me want to jump off a cliff and into a fire in 2024, it took all year to go from that to being able to not drink for a month just because I didn't need it and it was okay, I want to start extending that time in 2025. Again, I know this personal over share-y bit has gotten long, but trust me, it could have been far longer, if I hadn't decided to confine it to one run-on paragraph. Happy New Year.

There was one day last week when my coworker asked me what I did the night before, and I thought, "I organized my John Robins and Elis James audio clips folder, the one with a whole big mess of files because pretty much any time they discuss anything that seems like it might be a long-running thread I'll mark the timestamp in my notes and then cut out the clip when I get home in case this does become a big thread and I want to make a compilation of it, but as I got along I don't know what will and won't turn into anything so I try to err on the side of just saving everything, well last night went through the folder and made a few sub-folders to group together clips that discuss the same type of thing so that making posts about it in the future will be easier. Why, what did you do?"

I didn't say that, obviously, I said "I just had a quiet night, why, what did you do?" and she told me about how she had her kids help her cook dinner and then watched a Troll movie with them before putting them to bed but then had to wake up at 1 AM because her kid was crying so that was her night, and it made it seem like an even better idea that I hadn't gotten into mine.

Anyway, on a completely separate note, does anyone want to see the running record I'm keeping of John Robins' feud with Stewart Lee, every time he's mentioned it up to the point I'm at now in the radio show, which is September 2016? I've entitled this collection: John Robins Talking Shit About Stewart Lee and/or Denying That He Talks Shit About Stewart Lee, Sometimes Doing Both In The Same Breath:

Looking at all the evidence together, I think Stewart Lee did get him kicked off a gig on purpose, not just had him bumped due to lack of time, because he didn't like his opinions. And, to be fair to some more recent and possibly stupidly over-the-top comments that Robins has made on the subject, that is arguably a touch McCarthyist.

[best-enemies]

remember when the doctor and missy literally had this exchange?

doctor: two hearts.

missy: and both of them yours.

like... it really happened. i keep re-reading it. i made it my blog name. i think about it all the time. and i still can't believe it happened. we really got this. this is insane

[linusbenjamin]

Only eight of us survived the crash. I was hurt pretty badly. In fact, if it weren’t for her I would have never made it to the shore. She took care of me, took care of all of us.

[thevegetablewhichnoonedaresname]

i unraveled half a dishcloth about 3 times because i was having a toxic man-refusing-to-ask-for-directions moment and kept telling myself "nah you've knit stacks of these and it's literally the easiest pattern" and ignoring the fact that i've been crocheting for 3-4 years and could really spare 5 seconds to google a pattern as a refresher

[mishalikessoundsandcolours]

At least some good news have come today

[creative-hanyou-girl]

I don't know if anyone else feels this way but I think a big reason why I'm so chill about the changes made to the PJO show from the books is because I kind of look at each other as their own seperate canon.

Like, I read a lot of anime and manga, and anime adaptations have a huge habit for changing plot points for various reasons, and as a fan of said anime and manga, I've found that I can enjoy both versions of the same story even with the differences when I look at them as their own universe or canon. That's not to say I don't want them to be faithful or true to the source material, but if a scene or situation plays out differently for a logical or entertaining reason, than I can still appreciate that deviation from the manga even if I still like the other original version of that part more. And I can even like the reversal way if I feel an anime does something better than even the manga. But if I want to, I can look at certain moments as more canon than others because I got 2 different versions of that same scene or moment.

And, I don't know, I kind of apply that reasoning to the PJO series as well, mainly with the books, the show, and even the musical (not the movies put that right back where it came from). So far I'm loving the TV show, and while I miss some of the things they changed (like the pink poodle), this adaptation really is doing a great job with staying true to the heart and spirit of the original book that I personally am not even really bothered by the changes, especially when I remember that the books will always still be there with it's own version, or canon, of events.

Like, I will say 1 thing I adore in the books that isn't really in the show is the fact that a lot of Percy and Annabeth's "rivalry" during TLT has more to do with the rivalry between Poseidon and Athena. I just really like on how this adds a level of "forbidden friendship/love" to their relationship 'cause I personally eat the forbidden relationship trope up, especially when it's done well like with Percabeth.

Yet, even if this isn't really the reason percabeth have beef with each other in the show, I can still appreciate and enjoy that according to the show's canon, they have issues because they genuinely have problems with each other as actual people rather than their parents' rivalry, because at the end of the day, that's the PJO TV show canon, and I can always turn to the books for that version of Percabeth's "rivalry", as that is the PJO book canon.

Same goes for the characters too. I will always have and love my dark haired Percy and blond haired Annabeth in the books, but I can also welcome and love Walker's Percy and Leah's Annabeth from the show. And so far, they along with Aryan are KILLING IT as those characters.

I can love both versions of the characters.

I can love both versions of the same story.

I can look at both versions as they own seperate canon or mix them together if I so wish too (especially since both versions of PJO are written by the same guy)

And that's ok. The adaptation doesn't have to be a complete copy of the books. It doesn't have to have things play out eactly the same way. The characters don't have to look exactly the way they are described as in the books. And that's ok. I will still always have the books to love and appreciate, but I can also start to love and appreciate the new adaptation for it's new spin and twists to the same story that sets it apart as it's own canon while still staying true to the spirit of its predecessor.

Anyway, sorry if I'm not making a lot of sense. I just think the people complaining about the changes in the show are looking at it all the wrong way. The show has it's own canon just as the books have their own canon, or even the musical. At the end of the day, isn't that kind of cool to have different versions of the same story and characters? Doesn't it give you so many more options to look at the story in different ways that you can prefer or choose from? Doesn't it give you new versions of canon that you choose from? And really, as long as the PJO adaptation, or any adaptation for that matter, stays true to the heart and spirit of the original story and characters, do the changes made really matter?

[crystalleoi]

5C