#no one wants to hear my thoughts
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Oh Cassie knew what she was doing alright
#barely finished the prologue and i have so many thoughts#yall will be subjected to my ramblings#like i know#no one wants to hear my thoughts#ya literature#ya books#ya lit#ya fiction#cassandra clare#tsc#shadowhunters#the shadowhunter chronicles#kit herondale#tda#lady midnight#the dark artifices#johnny rook
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me when i get the opportunity to think about speculative biology and non-existent game mechanics in media i like
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#the candle creatures are revamps#i had created the idea for them years ago but i wanted to redo them slightly with new eyes#the “dark variants” of the mantas and birds are variants of them that have adapted for life in wasteland and the forests#and also#i like the idea of candle creatures that live in villages or within communities#that are sort of akin to strays that the whole community takes care of#means alot to me#this isnt everything ive been thinking about#ill make a couple diagrams about the large birds#yknow the ones from rhythm that we see once and never again. yeah.#they exist in my heart#anyway#skycotl#sky cotl#sky children of the light#sky#sky:cotl#sky: cotl#thatskygame#speculative biology#<- i guess?#im having fun ok#im happy to answer questions about my thoughts btw!#might be answered on my main if i cant muster a doodle or something#but i love answering asks#so if ur interested id love to hear thoughts :)
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hiii im sure you’ve answered this before but in regards to your twst x Pokémon, how do you choose which Pokémon go give to the cast?? really curious since your choices are unique :O
unique in a good way, I hope? 😅 (jk jk I haven't come across too many pokemon AUs, so I was going in without preconceptions, I guess!) I was sorta aiming somewhere between doing, like, a full AU with internal consistency and everything, and just picking entirely based on theme/character, so maybe that's why! basically I just set some arbitrary rules (no legendaries/no repeats/evo stages based on year) and then went on ~vibes~. a couple were also suggestions (thank you guys!) and last-minute decisions, so it was a bit of a delightful mess of ideas!
my one regret is that I should have given Riddle a Togedemaru after all. ...you know what, he can have one now, why not
#art#twisted wonderland#pokemon#poketwst#okay i have one other correction to make#which is that i think vil should also have a garbodor#NO LISTEN#i have thought about it a lot but i just do not want to give him a milotic#and this is because -- now hear me out#neige would actually be the one with a milotic#(it fits his personality more and it's even in his colors!)#when they were kids vil had a trubbish and neige had a feebas and vil felt superior until the whole milotic thing happened#and he's secretly kind of bitter about it#but he also secretly loves his garbodor a lot and gets mad when people make fun of it#IS HE NOT BEAUTIFUL ENOUGH FOR BOTH OF THEM#also garbodor ferments poison inside of it! it would be the perfect alchemy assistant!#I'M RIGHT OKAY#(i am also a big fan of trubbish/garbodor and i don't personally think they're ugly anyway)#anyway enjoy this drawing because it completely exploded my computer#(it was not the drawing's fault it was just unfortunate timing)#i've mostly got things working again but oof. it's been. a day. 🙃
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I've been having a delightful time stumbling over my emojis being used in random servers, so here's more
#It's seriously so funny to see an emote of mine in random conversation from a private server#emojis#art#rain world#Some people went even farther and apparently started using other art of mine as emotes#Which is fine but absolutely buck wild to stumble over#Since some of the art they chose is literally wip versions of my current pfp#??? Sure I guess 😂#rw survivor#rw monk#rw saint#spearmaster#Most of these were requests. The rest were just the emojis I use the most turned into scugs lol#You get to decide which was which lmfaoooo#Also here's some lore: a while back I made 'hunterwheeze'#and the bit was everyone liked it so much they wanted it in the server#So I said bet and threw a bunch of emotes to the staff to hear their thoughts#And way more than I thought got added!#Except for hunterwheeze 🤣🤣🤣#Instead they chose a super edited screenshot of some animation frame I made a few months ago I added last minute for giggles#Which I was DELIGHTED by. It's perfect#Also the only instance of the emote since it's technically not on this blog 😉 not transparent anyway#Oh and here's my favorite 'wild' emotes I've found:#1) that person that dmed me to reveal there was an animated emote for every variation of rivulets face I made that one time#(I was not allowed to join the server)#2) discovering an emote has been in use for months in a server swathed in drama and in the throes of being orchestized from the community#3) that one nightcat-saint emote appearing on a random server announcement (it's so niche I was astounded anyone used it lmfao)#Most sightings are totally benign but these were just hilarious
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oh damen we're really in it now.mp4
#caprisun#captive prince#damen#damianos of akielos#damen of akielos#kings rising#prince's gambit#ITS HIM ITS MY GUY#also can i just say#i know i made him blush in the rip pitcher sketch because thats the correct interpretation of that scene. cuz he saw his thighs#but can we all agree that those must be the palest pastiest legs a man has ever put in direct sunlight#diogenes said to plato “this is a man” about that peeled chicken because he mistook it for Laurent in a chiton#i bet he burns like a lobster#you leave him in direct sunlight for too long and he starts heaving like an office laptop from 2016 booting up Baldurs Gate 3#i am still in the middle of book 3 and when i tell you i am in DIRE NEED OF SOME LAURENT POV DECRIPTIONS OF DAMEN#TELL ME HOW LOVELY HE IS I NEED YOUR PASTY ASS TO SAY IT#I want to hear those rapid fire thoughts because you just know he is extinguishing them like summertime mosquitos#if the govart dies chapter is anything to go by#damen oh damen you really thought ancel was gonna shove that stick up his ass during that one performance. i love you.#you are THE funniest motherfucker in that book and your obsession with that blue eyed featherless biped only adds to it#who drops a pitcher when they see a white boy approach#god out of fear maybe#i would never live it down straight up never#that memory instantly became damen's dark horse in the championships for the most embarrassing shit that he will think about in bed at nigh
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Various doodles of the Dorito Twins.
I just like to play with them like dolls and put them into situations.
#woo dragons art be upon you#gravity falls#the book of bill#bill cipher#pyramid steve#have fun decoding! won't give the answers in the tags cuz that's taking the fun away#anyway. anyone wanna hear some additional thoughts of mine to the images? of course you do.#[IMAGE 1: originally i also wanted to do a ''mom said it's my turn'' but decided against it then. also. they are playing#Super Battle Siblings™ for the BoxBox64.™ ''but op. the n64 didn't exist in the eighties yet'' do i look like I fucking care.]#[IMAGE 2: i struggled pretty badly with those darn shoes. the shoes too big for the goddamn hes. anyway.#i also had to change the color of bill cuz he looked fucking sun burned.]#[IMAGE 3: if bill fucked our mom it's just fair that steve fucked our dads. i also always had this one tumblr post in mind that goes like:#''is the opposite of 'forgive me father for I have sinned' 'sorry daddy for being dirty'?'']#[IMAGE 4: actually no additional thoughts. squish the cat.]#[IMAGE 5: I once saw a drawing that had the steve equivalent to 'universe is a hologram. reality is an illusion. buy gold.' but all I -#remember is that it said 'eat copper' at the end. i also used minecraft ingots pngs cuz it's funny]#[IMAGE 6: the alpha twin title belongs to the silly ones. I don't make the rules.]#[IMAGE 7: :) ]#[OTHER: there's something else I had planned for this but I thought too much about it so now it's gonna be a comic.#hope i can finish it til next Wednesday]#have a lovely day everyone :]
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Monty plays the flute and has had a crush on Edwin since he started playing for the same orchestra.
One day he's finally brave enough to ask Edwin what he's doing on Saturday.
"Oh, I'm going to listen to this band play at the Ground Level"
"The.. ground level? I've never heard of it."
"Ah, yes, it's this music club created by this woman named Jenny Green. Apparently she's a butcher? But she was tired of bad sounds and terrible beer so she started her own place in one of the warehouses behind her shop. Charles introduced me to her, she's odd but friendly..."
The elusive Charles. Montys never met him, but he's heard bits and pieces about Edwins "new friend". Jealousy be thy name. He doesn't really pay attention when Edwin talks about Charles
"Would you like to come as well?"
"Huh?"
"The tickets are rather cheap and I think still available. I mostly sit at the bar when Charles play these smaller venues, less in the way you see. But he comes and gets me as soon as he's done and then he and I are going out for dinner for our anniversary-"
Edwin asked him out ! How fitting that their first date would be listening to live music together.
"I'd love to come!"
"Oh well, I'll send you the link to buy a ticket then" okay a little cheap, but Montys not complaining.
Their first date!
At a dark, loud and scary metal show. Edwin enjoys this?!
The singer makes his way over to the bar when they're done playing. Monty turns to ask Edwin if this is a regular thing for him, but Edwin has already hopped off the barstool and is meeting the singer halfway through the crowd. Are they kissing ?! WHAT
#listen#monty hears what he wants to hear#and is in for a rude awakening when he realizes that one should maybe listen. when your friends are talking#monty finch#dead boy detectives#payneland#paynland#paineland#painland#my dumb thoughts#musicians au#charles rowland x edwin payne#charles x edwin#edwin payne x charles rowland#edwin x charles#edwin payne#charles rowland#charwin#chedwin
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👀
#jaemin#na jaemin#nct#nct dream#nctinc#itsnctsworld#jaemingifs#nctgifs#cee.gifs#i honestly have nothing to say and everything to say at the same time#no one wants to hear my thoughts as a gifset caption so emoji eyes it is LKFMDSKLF
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Pac: Oh– [Stammers] Why– I have an Ender Flu? I'm shaking! Oh my god.
Tubbo: No, Pac! You've been impregnated! 😫
Pac: IMPREGNATED?!?! Wait, what? 😨
Fit: Oh god. [Laughs] That's a new one.
Tubbo: You're pregnant!
Pac: How?!
Tubbo: I can't believe preggers Pac is on the QSMP!
Pac: Oh my god, I'm so happy! [Laughs]
[ Full Transcript ↓ ]
—
Tubbo: This is not what I want! I don't want this!!!
Fit: [Chuckles]
Pac: Oh– [Stammers] Why– I have an Ender Flu? I'm shaking! Oh my god.
Tubbo: No, Pac! You've been impregnated!
Pac: IMPREGNATED?!?! Wait, what?
Fit: Oh god. [Laughs]
Tubbo: You're pregnant!
Pac: How?!
Fit: That's a new one.
Tubbo: Uh oh, I'm about to– I'm about to not be alive much longer.
Pac: How– ahhh!!!! Wait, this is good? [Tubbo gets killed by a mob] Oh my god, Tubbo!
Tubbo: Guys? Preggers Pac, and Fit, help!
Pac: [Reading chat] "Congratulations"? Thanks guys, I didn't know, man! As always.
Fit: [Revives Tubbo] Alright, run! Ok, you're good.
Tubbo: We got his ass!
Pac: Wait, wait– What does it mean like, I'm pregnant? I'm gonna have babies?
Tubbo: It means you're gonna give birth to a beautiful– a beautiful plethora of children!
Pac: Oh my god, not– [unintelligible]
Tubbo: [Still ranting] Merciful, wonderful babies! Babies! Innocent babies will-
Fit: [Laughs] Yeah, what he said.
Tubbo: –will splurt out of you!
Pac: Oh my god. I think I saw like, Foolish having birth the other day, so I–
Fit: [Fighting a mob] Not this thing again!
Pac: Oh my god.
Tubbo: I can't believe preggers Pac is on the QSMP!
Pac: Oh my god, I'm so happy! [Laughs]
Fit: [Laughs]
Tubbo: It's gonna be such a magical time for you!
Pac: Yeah, oh my god, I have been like, dreaming for–
Tubbo: Oh my gosh, oh my gosh. What do you– have you got any names? What are you gonna name it?
Pac: I'm probably gonna name it "Elton" and "John" if I have like, two.
Tubbo: Ohhh! What a beautiful name!
#Pactw#Tubbo#FitMC#QSMP#Morning Crew#September 8 2023#~36m into Fit's stream | ~ 54:20 into Pac's stream | ~41:45 into Tubbo's stream#Head in my hands this was such a cursed bit every time this happened to anyone#Here's a fun fact for those of you who read the tags I write:#Pac once said he'd love to have twins#It was on October 27 2023 during the Minime arc#Timestamp ~ 1h 56m into Fit's stream (I don't have the timestamp for Pac's stream unfortunately)#Pac says ''I'd love to have twins!'' and then Tubbo says ''I'm fine with one; I'm the reason for the declining birth rate.''#Pftt#I remembered that comment while I was transcribing this and wanted to see if I had it written down anywhere – and I did!#Pac#Fit#Edited#Anyways I can't tell what Pac said after that ''Not'' bit earlier#At first I thought he said ''Not again'' and I had war flashbacks#But no he said something else I just can't tell what#Feel free to let me know what you think he said if you can hear it better!#The Elton John bit was going on earlier too btw Pac didn't just whip that up out of nowhere lol#You can't see it since this is Pac's POV but in Fit's chat someone said ''Mike isn't here you're going to have to help him Fit'' pftt
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I want. Four to get appreciation. Because
Four gave a ton of unnoticed help when Twilight was injured
The fight with Wild was difficult, and I know we're all concerned about his negative view of the shadow crystal
But Four did something that no one else really thought of to help- He took care of Twi's stuff
From the beginning he told Twilight to not worry about them
So Four took care of pretty much everything but the others (that Sky and Wars handled)
He took care of Epona
Which is so very important- he took care of Twilight's horse. After her arrival at the stable Four followed up on her
And for Epona, a horse so attached to her human, having some company can help so much for reassurance
He took care of Twilight's stuff
He got Twi's shield- his bags and equipment, and organized it into one place
And he was worried. He obviously found the shadow crystal while handling Twi's stuff, but his negative reactions to it were out of concern.
Also- because of his placement in this scene
I'm fairly convinced Four was ready to start cooking before Wild showed up (since he's beside the counter with food supplies). At the very least he had the basket of fruit out for everyone -but he was literally standing with food behind him- he thought of everything
And he did housekeeping!
Wars payed for the inn, so Four took care of the inn
Realistically these boys were probably not too concerned with tidyness. Four got all of Twi's things on one table, and took care of the room they stayed in
Organizing tables and Twi's things, having food supplies ready, and opening the curtains- overall he was the one tidying up the inn
Four helped in a huge way! He took care of Twi's horse (Epona is so important), his equipment and shield and bag, as well as the other rooms in the inn
Four filled in all the little tasks that others didn't think of. He helped in ways that were needed, but not obvious
There's a lot of problems with the shadow crystal and with Wild, and I don't know what's gonna happen in the future
But don't forget this- don't forget that Four was one who stepped up in an almost unnoticeable way
Don't forget that when everyone was barely holding it together, Four visited Twilight's horse and took care of his things
No matter what develops in the future- this amount of care shown is important ya know?
.
Art and comic from Jojo @linkeduniverse au :)))
#epona is so important#Lu four#linkeduniverse#linked universe#I work with horses and#Epona is INCREDIBLE- she's extremely attuned to humans and emotions. she doesn't scare easily and can keep her cool in a fight#but it's still super stressful to suddenly be in a fairly large and populated town- separated from her person#and for such an empathetic horse? Four going and TALKING to her- gently petting her nose and just being near her#means so so much! that literally matters so much to a horses mental state in a foreign situation- just having company#he checked on Epona and gave her company like !!!!!! it's so considerate and means so much for Epona! Four I love you !!!!!#uhhhh yeah!#with the food- I don't think the innkeeper would have free/complimentary food out- but wars wallet def had it covered#then wild showed up with potions in a cooking frenzy- but four was still shown with food behind him- he thought of everything#I don't know what's gonna happen with the shadow crystal and stuff. but no matter what happens in the future- this matters.#he did a ton of small things no one else thought of it matters he cares so much didjdkdksjfjj#I have a lot of posts I'm making/editing and trying to get to. I'm just a little gal trying my best :/#so many ideas and so little time... I love you guys and this fandom so much :))#(if I said anything off or offensive let me know... I'm always nervous about that but I want to hear from you if I'm wrong)#(also you are so so cool and valuable don't forget that ok? I love you and you are important)#:)
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”—ah. seems like mother goose has been playing around in your egg salad. if you won’t dance to that tune, I got others.”
honestly, the would you kindly scene is whatever to me*, code yellow is the more interesting violation/betrayal of the body because of how beautifully it escalates the Fontaine reveal/betrayal and shows how ugly some of those ‘locks and keys’ that Tenenbaum mentions are. not only have you been a tool in another man’s hand this entire time, it goes deeper. your body is not your own.
*there used to be a meandering thought here about the would you kindly scene, but it was really just talking around the fact that I spent way too many years seeing people discuss it in the most insufferable and reductive ways possible when it’s a combination of three or four other things that make that moment compelling lmao
collage credits: heart one/heart two
⭐ places I’m at! bsky / pixiv / pillowfort /cohost / cara.app / tip jar!
#honestly if Fontaine was upfront about wanting Ryan dead I’d have done it after ten minutes of walking around Rapture#I have (squints) somehow two ideas about suchong I want to get out. one more abt atlas and manipulation#there’s a specific kind of family adjacent horror occurring in the text and it’s WILD that suchong is the one we hear Jack refer to#in familial terms while two other men force themselves onto you by appropriating the father role over your body :)#to be clear tho I don’t actually think Fontaine had any familial sentiments towards Jack he’s just occupying Ryan’s space now#bioshock#WHEEZING can you tell that I think every ‘wow a man chooses/a slave obeys is so deep!’ think piece is stupid as hell#thankfully it’s not as prevalent as it was a decade ago but my god people thought it was the height of philosophy for too long#ANYWAY ALL OF THIS TO SAY. there’s a certain kind of trans anxiety/horror in having your body betray you. or generally body#anxiety. but I read a lot about it in a medieval gender context so it’s trans to me. amongst other things.
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My jewish community, friends, rabbi, and educators: We are very invested in helping you be jewish. Do you want to help read the haftarah? Here's a chanukiah! You can have it!! Borrow these books! Here's some books! You need more books... Come to pesach! Come to the chanukah party! When are your classes done? We need a minyan for once!
Me and my 50000 IQ: What if I am Secretly Appropriating judaism? What if I am doing a Cultural Appropriation........
#jumblr#jew by choice#jewish conversion#personal thoughts tag#there comes a point where your concerns about if you are an Appropriative Cultural Appropriator hinders your jewish journey#i think a comforting thing is knowing that my incessant fear about this is confirmation that i love judaism#i love it with my heart and soul and (i feel) i'd be a less realized person without it#and i think people who genuinely engage in cultural appropriation just Do Not Care about the cultures they appropriate from#they don't love the culture enough to respect it and that is a big reason that it even IS appropriation#especially when jewish people are INVITING you to do things... it's not appropriation#i dunno last night i was feeling very anxious about lighting the chanukiah candles because i'm alone#but i've also lit shabbos candles. and it's just like... why would i choose not to engage in this when one day i will have to?#this time next year i will have to light candles. as a jew. and if i have no clue how to do it myself then i'll just avoid it#plus... i love my chanukiah and i want to use it. it is currently decorating my room because i love it#i hope they'll let me take pictures of all the chanukiah that'll be at the party#i'm sure they will because they're very open and they are very accommodating. in fact i'm bringing my clarinet too#i haven't touched that thing in well over four years 😭#but jewish music without a clarinet is like a body with no soul. it's impossible. it is not what g-d wants i think.#i just hope my ability to play by ear hasn't been affected by my lack of playing. i don't have perfect pitch tbc#but i fully believe you can know your instrument so well that you develop an ear for perfect pitch#in fact... i refused to memorize my marching band music because i DID develop that 'perfect pitch' ear. that's my dirty secret#i didn't practice in part because i can't have a space where noone could hear me practice and it's embarrassing and private to me#literally EVERY jew in my life has been almost TOO ecstatic about my jewish journey. i'm very thankful for it#i guess i just didn't think i deserved to have people as happy about me being in judaism as i am#so to be clear this is my brain being rude and dumb. this anxiety has NEVER been reinforced by anyone but myself#so i take full responsibility for it. but i think that anxiety is something many/most converts/jews-in-progress feel
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idk if its alright to barge into your askbox like this but i just wanted to say that your art is one of my many inspirations because there is a certain feeling to it that feels like 'home', in a way. some sort of comfort thats just really nice overall. piper and clementine are also one of my favs of all time and i have many thoughts about them.. anyways sorry again and have a good day/afternoon/evening
🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 WHAT THE HECK THIS IS SO SWEET… THANK YOU��� (muffled crying noises)
little doodle for you! <3 seriously, please barge in my askbox whenever you’d like! reading stuff like this always makes my day ;_; I’m smiling like such a dork right now; hearing that my art feels like ‘home’ is the absolute biggest compliment I ever could’ve received and I’ll be carrying that compliment with me forever adsjfdsj
#WEH… I’M SO HONORED… thank you so so so much 💖💖💖#if you ever want to share your thoughts about my silly characters I’d be DELIGHTED to listen omg#(and I’d love to hear about yours too hehehe)#WAH I need to check my inbox more often… I’ve only been checking this one lately instead of my art one ajdkbdbfjs#you all are so incredibly sweet ;_; it means the world to me AAAA#ask#mt-travaii#my art
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Being asexual and possibly aromantic but also being a huge shipper and hopeless romantic is such a wild experience ngl. I'm always freaking out about my favorite ships and giggling internally reading ship fics, getting invested in characters finally kissing or reading about their pining and their love and I think "I want what they have!!"
But then sometimes you have a slamming realization that your sweet shipping scenarios you imagine in your head look totally different irl and that you are extremely aspec.
One time I went down a YouTube rabbit hole and stumbled across Vsauce's "Why Do We Kiss?" video and let me tell you. When I saw that stock video footage of two people kissing each other I was a little flabbergasted lmaooo
#i mean this doesn't apply to all aspecs obviously but like#that stock video footage#they were kissing but it was more sucking each others faces and i was like wait#do people actually do this#lmaoo#it lowkey repulsed me oops#it hit me so hard but it also kind of validated my asexuality a bit too lol#ace#asexual#asexuality#aro#aromantic#aromanticism#aroace#this also may be because i dont watch live action shows or movies that much but still#does anyone else feel like this#ill be hardcore shipping something but i see one minute of irl relationship stuff and feel extremely disconnected#idk if im making sense#id like to hear some thoughts#might delete later but just wanted to get my thoughts out there#someone's probably said something like this before#edit: adding tags#yeah for me imagination of my ships kissing 👍👍👍💖💖#vs#footage of irl people kissing/live action kissing scenes 🫠#fandom#fanfic#fanfiction#my rambles
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Thank you all for voting in the poll to decide who was going to be the leader of the band! It turned out to be such a close race!
#poorly drawn mdzs#better drawn mdzs#mdzs#madam lan#A-qing#Band AU#(Reminder that Madam Lan's design inspiration goes to Qourmet!)#Madam Lan may have been the winner per vote count but there were so many strong advocates for A-Qing!#I played around with a few versions of what the 'poll winner' art was going to be and ultimately decided I wanted them both.#As any good theater love knows though - The battle for leadership was a ruse. They *all* get a chance to be featured.#Cooperation was the real end goal! However I do think these two have the best frontman energy of the group.#Or at least 'crowd favourite' energy. I also really loved hearing what people thought their vocal styles would be like!#This was probably one of my favourite polls to do and I love drawing these characters a lot B*)#I'd love to spend a bit more time in this AU so count on me bringing it back.#One thing I keep feeling like I need to redeem myself on is Madam Lan's Translucent skirt. I have *not* done the concept justice yet.#It is such a crack-platonic ship but I want to think Madam Lan and A-Qing would enjoy each other's company.#Possibly also with JYL as well. They can be like mutually beneficial therapy dogs to each other.#Madam Lan never got to see her kids grow up into teenagers after all. She only had sons. Never daughters.#Even if she saw her kids once a month we do know she treated them with so much love and kindness.#She would bite the shit out of YZY for yelling at JYL. What a sight to see. A-Qing would also start biting (for fun).
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Ghosts’ Larry Rickard Explains Why They Chose the Captain’s First Name
Photo: Monumental,Guido Mandozzi
It couldn’t be a joke. That was one rule laid down by the Ghosts creators when it came to choosing a first name for Willbond’s character. Until series five, the WWII ghost had been known only as The Captain – a mystery seized upon by fans of the show.
“It was the question we got asked more than anything. His name,” actor and writer Larry Rickard tells Den of Geek. “Once we got to series three, you could see that we were deliberately cutting away and deliberately avoiding it. We were fuelling the fire because we knew at some point we’d tell them.”
In “Carpe Diem”, the episode written by Rickard and Ben Willbond that finally reveals The Captain’s death story, they did tell us. After years of guessing, clue-spotting and debate, Ghosts revealed that The Captain’s first name is James. At the same time, we also learned that James’ colleague Lieutenant Havers’ first name was Anthony.
The ordinariness of those two names, says Rickard, is the point.
“The only thing we were really clear about is that we didn’t want one of those names that only exists in tellyland. It shouldn’t be ‘Cormoran’ or ‘Endeavour’. They should just be some men’s names and they’re important to them. The point was that they were everyday.”
Choosing first names for The Captain and Havers was a long process not unlike naming a baby, Rickard agrees. “It almost comes down to looking at the faces of the characters and saying, what’s right?”
“We talked for ages. For a long time I kept thinking ‘Duncan and James’, and then I was like ah no! That would have turned it into a gag and been awful!” Inescapably in the minds of a certain generation, Duncan James is a member of noughties boyband Blue. “Maybe with Anthony I was thinking of Anthony Costa!” Rickard says in mock horror, referencing another member of the band.
Lieutenant Havers wasn’t just The Captain’s second in command while stationed at Button House; he was also the man James loved. Because homosexuality was criminalised in England during James’ lifetime, he was forced to hide his feelings for Anthony from society, and to some extent even from himself.
In “Carpe Diem”, the ghosts (mistakenly) prepare for the last day of their afterlives, prompting The Captain to finally tell his story. Though not explicit about his sexual identity, the others understand and accept what he tells them – and led by Lady Button, all agree that he’s a brave man.
Getting the balance right of what The Captain does and doesn’t say was key to the episode. “It wasn’t just a personal choice of his to go ‘I’m going to remain in the closet’,” explains Rickard. “There wasn’t an option there to explore the things that either of them felt. That couldn’t be done back then – there are so many stories which have come out since the War about the dangers of doing that.
“We wanted to tell his personal story but also try to ensure that there was a level at which you understood why they couldn’t be open, that even in this moment where he’s finally telling the other ghosts his story, he never comes out and says it overtly because that would be too much for him as a character from that time.
“He says enough for them to know, and enough for him to feel unburdened but it’s in the fact that they’re using their first names which militarily they would never have done, and in the literal passing of the baton”.
The baton is a bonus reveal when fans learned that The Captain’s military stick wasn’t a memento of his career, but of Havers. As James suffers a fatal heart attack during a VE day celebration at Button House, Anthony rushes to his side and the stick passes from one to the other as they share a moment of tragic understanding.
“From really early on, we had the idea that anything you’re holding [when you die] stays with you. So it wasn’t just your clothes you were wearing, we had the stuff with Thomas’ letter reappearing in his pocket and so on. And the assumption being that it was something The Captain couldn’t put down, it felt so nice to be able to say it was something he didn’t want to put down.”
Rickard lists “Carpe Diem”, co-written with Ben Willbond, among his series five highlights. He’s pleased with the end result, praises Willbond’s performance, and loved being on set to see Button House dressed for the 1940s. He’s particularly pleased that a checklist of moments they wanted to land with the audience all managed to be included. “Normally something’s fallen by the wayside just because of the way TV’s made, it’s always imperfect or it’s slightly rushed, but it feels like it’s all there.”
Rickard and Willbond also knew by this point in the show’s lifetime, that they could trust Ghosts fans to pick up on small details. “Nothing is missed,” he says. “Early on, you’re always thinking, is that going to get across? But once we got to series five, there are little tiny things within corners of shots and you know that’s going to be spotted. Particularly in that very short exchange between Havers and the Captain. We worried less about the minutiae of it because you go, that’s going to be rewound and rewatched, nothing will be missed.”
The team were also grateful they’d resisted the temptation to tell The Captain’s story sooner. “We’d talked about it every series since series two, whether or not now was the time, but because he’s such a hard and starchy character in a lot of ways you needed the time to understand his softer side I think before you had that final honest beat from him.”
“What a ridiculously normal name to have so much weight put on it for five years,” laughs Rickard fondly. “Good old James.”
From Den of Geek
#bbc ghosts#bless you larry for doing all these den of geek interviews#I wonder if they just did one marathon session with him#inside ghosts was kind of disappointing this week#I guess Ben just wants to let the episode speak for itself and you're like yes but I would like to hear you talk about every detail#trust me we will be interested#long post#I really thought they loved the joke of nearly saying the Captain’s name so much that they'd never reveal it#so it's so lovely that they were like no this is not a joke name; he's a real man with an ordinary name#and we are going to tell you that in the most devastatingly romantic way#I am eating my words and they are delicious with that spread on top#also 'that's going to be rewound and rewatched' = 'I know you people are loopy so here is content specifically for you'#bbc ghosts spoilers
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