#yes jacobi hated it

[topayitfoward]

Warren 'always adjusted his partner's tie' Kepler x Daniel 'nervously adjusting it whenever he needs comfort' Jacobi

[vidavalor]

Brenda and Ron

Remember Madame Tracy's obnoxious regular customer, Brenda, and her long-suffering, dead husband Ron? Yeah, I'm pretty sure they're a big clue about The Metatron-- yes, The Metatron-- and how this could go down in The Finale...

Brenda: Her name means-- I kid you not-- "flaming sword."

While Brenda is absolutely fucking obnoxious, she's also something of an inverted Aziraphale parallel here. Brenda, by design, is kind of like if you took everything great about Aziraphale and intentionally did the opposite with it. She's bigoted, she's mean, she hates kimchi lol, she was bullying and rude in her loveless marriage to her long-suffering husband, Ron, who couldn't stand her... She's basically the opposite of our open-minded, sushi-loving angel and the kind, loving, mutually-adoring relationship he has with his partner. Everything terrible about Brenda is notable in the way that it brings to mind how she directly contrasts with Aziraphale.

What our flaming sword of Brenda does have in common with our flaming sword of Aziraphale, though, is that there is someone she cannot easily access whose voice is on another type of astral plane and with whom she needs to speak with great urgency.

For Brenda, it's about her regular attempts to speak with her late husband, Ron, while, for Aziraphale, it's about him taking the rare step of powering up the circle in the floor and trying to reach God. Brenda has nothing of any real note to tell Ron while Aziraphale is quite literally trying to save the world.

When Aziraphale attempts to reach God, he, too, reaches a medium of sorts-- The Metatron, who claims to be the person who can speak for God... just as Madame Tracy claims to be able to be the voice of Ron.

We're a bit doubtful about The Metatron's claims because, unlike Aziraphale, we have seen the opening titles of this show where Frances McDormand is credited rather specifically as "The Voice of God" so, when the wonderful Sir Derek Jacobi shows up as floating head claiming to be God's mouthpiece and is this condescending, cold, shifty, Wizard-of-Oz-esque asshole, we're pretty sure that Frances McDormand is the voice we should trust more-- regardless of whatever the deal with Her might be, exactly.

Backing this up is that The Metatron's parallel is another charlatan. This one being one we actually like-- Madame Tracy.

While Aziraphale attempted to talk to God and got sidelined by a character claiming to be a medium to God, Brenda regularly believes that she speaks to "her Ron" through her sessions with Madame Tracy... whom the audience can clearly see is only pretending to be Ron... just, perhaps, as The Metatron is only pretending to be able to speak to God.

Now, take Good Omens' words-within-words wordplay thing and break the word metatron up. While the inclination is to break it like "meta tron"-- and that does yield results-- for the purpose of this meta, break it like this:

The Metatron: Me Tat Ron. The word tat comes from tatting, a verb used to refer to making knotted lace. A tat is a knot in tatting. Me Tat Ron = Me Knot Ron... or: I'm Not God.

So, in our parallel here, we also have aligning the persons our Brenda and our Aziraphale are trying to contact. For Brenda, it's her dead husband, Ron, and for Aziraphale, it's God, right? Ron = God.

Ron: Short for Ronald. Means all of the following: counsel rule; advice of a sovereign; a song of joy. Ron is also apparently a Hebrew word for joy.

What bit of the apparent words of The Voice of God does Gabriel remember because it's the only thing he's clinging to as proof that maybe God is real and would approve of his disapproval of The Metatron and the demonizing of the demons?

"I remember when the morning stars sang together and all the angels of God shouted for joy."

He remembers what sounds an awful lot like a prophecy of what's to come-- when all the angels of God get together, look to the people who are like independent, sovereign nations among them (like Crowley, Aziraphale, Gabriel & Beez) and demand their freedom to pursue joy and live under a democratic form of government. They're all shouting for joy-- for Ron-- and how might they get it in The Finale?

What can we see from what happened when Aziraphale and Brenda's stories crossed into one another in S1?

Aziraphale's hilarious possession of Madame Tracy while she's in a session with Brenda results in Aziraphale bringing in the real Ron and we get what will be the opposite of how this will go-- the contrasting parallel to the Heaven story like this in The Finale.

Brenda, for the first time since her husband died, actually hears his voice. She's awful, though, so she squanders this and just starts complaining to him and Ron flips out (not very joyful lol), shouting at her to "shut up", glad he can tell her off in death at least when he never did in life.

We're left with Aziraphale's hilariously dry "wasn't that touching?"

Brenda and the two with her are, ironically and amusingly, not really changed much by the fact that the real Ron was heard. Brenda was a true believer and the woman she brought was pretty easily manipulated. The man thought it was a charade but was along for the ride, willing to credit Madame Tracy with a good time when it was all done, saying she provided good entertainment value.

Nothing really changes as a result of this Ron revelation because it's the lower stakes, contrasting parallel. It's the little plot that, really, secretly, is the same thing as the big plot still to come. In that bigger plot, with the involvement of our main characters and the much higher stakes, the opposite could well happen-- the revelation of The Metatron being a fraud will actually change everything.

The point is that everyone involved with the Madame Tracy arrangement was getting out of it what they needed or wanted so no real offense was taken. Nothing changed because no one needed it to change-- which is the complete opposite of the angels and demons in Heaven/Hell. Brenda was getting a place to work out her grief, her guests were getting to support Brenda in that process and be entertained along the way, and Madame Tracy was getting paid-- so, no harm, no real foul here. But the paralleling situation to this?

That one is much more serious. That's fate-of-the-world serious. That's a being in The Metatron who isn't just trying to keep a roof over their head and meals on the table for them and the lovable old idiot next door by pretending to be a fortune teller like Madame Tracy was. That's a fascist ruling an empire of a bonkers number of angels who has amassed enough power to try to destroy Earth and every person on it. It's not Madame Tracy's handful of satisfied clients; it's countless, miserable beings who are being oppressed.

Now, think about what happened here to cause the emergence of Ron and how this is a parallel to the Aziraphale and The Metatron story...

Ron was only able to enter the conversation when Aziraphale possessed Madame Tracy. In doing so, he took over Madame Tracy-- he usurped her power.

Madame Tracy allowed him to do this where The Metatron never ever will but the idea is that the truth of Ron-- God, in our parallel here; democracy and freedom and joy-- will emerge only if Aziraphale can surpass The Metatron in power.

Note that I didn't say that all of this changes if Aziraphale takes over Gabriel's job. I said he needs to surpass The Metatron in power. How does Aziraphale do that?

He's actually already done it-- by being Aziraphale.

The only thing more powerful in Heaven right now than The Metatron is the collective power of everyone who would move to defend Aziraphale *from* The Metatron. He's the motivation for everyone to come together.

It's just all about going directly at The Metatron and taking his power. It's doing that which can reveal the truth about The Metatron and God and lead to an appearance by our metaphorical Ron-- lead to the changes in Heaven that the end of our story needs.

In the parallel in our main story, it won't be the Brenda/Aziraphale who gets screamed at to "shut up"-- it will be the Madame Tracy/The Metatron. Our main angels and demons are really The Voice of Ron this time around and, just like how it took Aziraphale to make it so that a guy named Ron could be heard in S1, it will take Aziraphale again to make Heaven get the Ron-- joy, democracy, freedom-- that they've been desperate for all this time.

Either way, it's going to be funny when the angels and demons get The Metatron cornered and demand to talk to Frances McDormand and The Metatron does about this great a job at it 😂...

Also, bonus interesting bit related to who is going to help with this in The Finale is that Jim is among the common names mentioned in the hilarious moment of Madame Tracy trying to hit on the name of a guy that Brenda's guest knew.

Did Brenda's friend know a Jim? No, he didn't. In the contrasting parallel, though, Crowley and Aziraphale got to know a Jim pretty well recently and, funnily enough? Much like Brenda's skeptical friend with Madame Tracy in S1, our Jim seems like the one character who is pretty sure that this whole 'The Metatron Speaks For God' thing is a charade.

[wistfulnightingale]

A Hefty Jigger of Death (Coffee Checkmate)

Part 4 in the 8-part Chess Moves Theory Set by @wistfulnightingale.

For over a year, we have been scrutinizing not only the agonizing Final Fifteen, but the chess game that is in play from the moment the Metatron walks into the bookshop. Derek Jacobi is a sublime British actor. In a show with so many clues and layers, we were certain that his nuanced words were loaded with meaning. But what to focus on?

"Do people ever ask for Death?" He had pondered with philosophical detachment. "So predictable." The Metatron doesn't even see his own angels as unique individuals with identities and feelings, let alone humans. Earth is disposable, merely a stage for the Great Plan, and he is here to reinstate the advancement of that plan. Without further interference from Our Ineffables.

Our intuition screams at us that Death, or the threat of it, is somehow part of his purpose. But where? How? We know to whom, though. Crowley. We saw The Look. He hates Crowley. And the Metatron needs 3 things:

(1) The Ineffables separated. (2) Aziraphale under his control. (3) Crowley neutralized as threat to his authority, by any means necessary. The coffee nearly accomplished all 3. If they had done what the Metatron had suspected they might do, Crowley would now be dead.

He made certain that Azi knew. We were watching. We saw how oddly, and intensely, Aziraphale reacted to that "hefty jigger of almond syrup."

I have an idea about what might have caused Aziraphle that degree of worry, and his compliance later.

What if the "hefty jigger" the Metatron added was HOLY WATER?

Checkmate.

The Metatron is giving off loud danger signals. His extreme collegial politeness, his dismissiveness of Crowley and Muriel, his suddenly treating Aziraphale as if he's one of the most important beings in the universe. Our angel is suspicious and guarded, watchful. Even the camara angle and timing in the scene are creating a moment we're meant to notice.

When Aziraphale sips the brew, we can see he's not truthful when he says, "It's... Ooof... It's very nice." He's confirmed what he suspected-- the coffee isn't just coffee. A discrepancy in the sweetness level wouldn’t cause Azi to look so worried. He recognizes that the coffee is laced with Holy Water. Deadly poison if it had been Crowley, looking like the angel.

The Metatron responds, "I should jolly well hope so." Coded Language. "Do you understand the threat I'm making?"

Yes. Aziraphale understands. Look at his eyes as he's invited to "take a little stroll." He's not just guarded. He's aware. In the next moments, his face shows he's nearly defeated.

The Metatron has a "Tell", and we see it in this scene. A Tell is an unconscious action that shows a person is lying or deceiving. The Metatron's Tell is a deep breath, a sigh, when the deception succeeds. We see it in the elevator -- his sigh of relief when Aziraphale gets in. Here, it's a small breath with a full shoulder shrug as he says, "Well we have things to talk about." The Tell signals, "Ah, that worked well. Just as I planned."

He knows by now that they had Appearance Swapped after the almost-Apocalypse. He's very clever, and scorns the angels as foolish. He would not have believed that Aziraphale could suddenly spout Hellfire. He's a master at the game of interpersonal chess. He would have recognized that bold bluff.

The Metatron pressured Azi to drink, showing him the "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death" logo, and watching him so closely-- because if they had Appearance Swapped again, Holy Water would DESTROY Crowley if he drank it.

It was a potential check/mate move. A win-win. If that was Crowley, appearance-swapped with Aziraphale, he'd either have to admit it to save his own life, which would put Crowley completely under the Metatron's authority for the ruse, or he would drink and Die. (Did the Metatron want him to?)

If it's Aziraphale, the Metatron wants him to be fully aware of the Holy Water (which Azi is, especially after tasting it). Our dastardly Heavenly Host wants him to know Very Clearly just how Dangerous the Metatron can be. "I've ingested things in my time, you know." His tone is odd, purposeful. His face is intense, watching in an almost predatory way. Is he really saying, "I've destroyed demons before, you know"?

It's the threat to Crowley that we suspected was right there all along.

There is an essential post by @f0ul-f13nd (and @embracing-the-ineffable ) about the ominous meaning of the word "jigger" you really should also check out. When the Metatron says "jigger", it's a dangerous, terrifyingly loaded code word. Aziraphale is now "captured", imprisoned. There will be no free choice for him.

The Metatron also wanted Crowley to know, or to at least recognize the threat. The Glare. It's why Aziraphale looked back, to make sure the Metatron wasn't lingering to smite Crowley then and there.

Crowley is a brilliant, and suspicious, demon. Based on the way he rose from his seat and paced, he suspected something nefarious had occurred. He was sitting back watching everything vigilantly. He knows his Angel.

It's very easy now for the Metatron to put Aziraphale in final Checkmate at the cafe. All he needed was further mild implication: "Previous exploits... de facto partnership... the demon Crowley...Your- Friend... highly irregular..." It's very possible that the memory we saw was real, undistorted, and undiluted. Perhaps even word-for-word.

The Metatron didn't need to say anything more explicit. The attempt on Crowley's life was already made. He implied another would occur, if his will was not followed. Look at Azi's eyes. There is no escape.

Checkmate by coffee. The Metatron's winning move had already happened in the bookshop

Aziraphale will protect Crowley at all costs. We know this. Our angel is a loving, protective, self-sacrificing Badass. So he did. He's on his way to Heaven, grinning madly in an elevator.

..........

Once I suspected that this direct attempt on Crowley's life happened, my brain started lighting up, and all the theories and ideas I've been trying to work out for months suddenly fell into place! This is only part of a theory I'm calling The Chess Moves Theory Set. The Metatron believed this was the winning move, Checkmate. It Was Not. Our Ineffables are in Check, in serious danger, but they have more moves to play in this Matter of Life and Death. (Yes, I'm referencing the 1946 movie "Stairway to Heaven" that @sendarya talks about in Good Omens Love or Law, Which is Stronger? )

There was far more in play here than we could easily see. There is coded language, and distraction. This 8-part series explains how it all might fit together, all the moments that made us asks questions. If we look at all of them at once, instead of one by one, I think they start to make more sense. I hope you might enjoy checking out the rest of The Chess Moves Theory Set @wistfulnightingale.

Thanks for joining me on this crazy ride!

The 8 Chess Moves MetaTheory Set:

1 - The Metatron Misdirection

2 - The Metatron's Second Coming

3 - Ineffables in Check

4 - A Hefty Jigger of Death

5 - Nothing Lasts Forever

6 - The Circle Kiss Theory

7 - The Nightingale DID Sing

8 - Aziraphale's Jubilant Smile (Not the crazy elevator grin)

Also: The Chess Moves Theory Set, Why Chess & Magic?

Shout out to @imagopersonal for their post about finding coffee in the opening credits, and a great analysis in Give me coffee or give me death !

[Btw, there may (or may not!) be a miracle sound at 35:49, precisely as Aziraphale begins to raise the cup and says, "Shall I?" Some people hear it, some don't, and some disagree about what it is. With earbuds and high volume, I clearly hear a light jingling/sparkling sound. It reminds me of a "whispered" version of the miracle sounds when Nina takes Maggie's hand at the Ball, and when Aziraphale suddenly appeared next to the Bentley in the "Our car, our bookshop" scene in E2. If it IS a miracle sound, I propose that it is Aziraphale himself, miracle-scanning the coffee to see if it's safe.]

[emp-t-man]

i think this one might actually be shorter than episode three which is crazy BUT. it’s that time 💪

first of all— eiffel is outside of the station during a solar flare. we can all agree on that. BUT, there’s nothing that comes from that. there’s no eiffel clone after. which makes sense, because the last time bob and friends sent back one of the CURRENT members of the crew, it didn’t go well! that’s why they waited until minkowski and her crew had enough information about lovelace to send her there instead! they are VERY PARTICULAR about when they send doubles and when they don’t. which, don’t hate me, is why i think the jacobi that goes home in the finale is in fact the original. there would be no reason for the folks at gliese 163 to send another duplicate home with them. you coouuuld argue that they needed him there to transfer hera onto the urania? but i’m sure lovelace could have figured it out

also?? i know the general consensus with eiffel is that he’s incompetent and terrible with station protocol or whatever, but there is a definite shift in his tone once things start to go wrong. his vernacular is quick to turn very military (do not copy, mayday, etc), and he immediately starts to come up with a plan with minkowski to get him back on structure. i absolutely love when he has moments like that, because it proves that he is there for a reason.

i wonder what hilbert’s angle was when he suggested that minkowski abandon the rescue mission. did he really not think eiffel would survive and was just concerned for minkowski and the continuation of his work? was he more worried about that, or what could happen to him if his crew ended up dead again? idk that weirdo intrigues me

anyway, less serious stuff, now, the delivery on aaAAAUUGH SONOFABITCH! takes me out every damn time. also yES, EIFFEL, THAT’S MY JETPACK THINGY >:(

obviously i’m gonna be super gay about the imagery of minkowski carrying eiffel back to the airlock and into the infirmary, combined with the banter they exchange once he wakes up. they are everything to me

eiffel and hera’s conversation at the end also means a lot to me, because like. for all we know, this is the first time someone’s life has been truly in danger, and for it to happen to someone like eiffel,, i dunno, i think it could’ve been the first time she HAD missed someone, or thought about them as something other than coworkers, if even. she’s just so sweet and i love her so much i love watching her grow into her personhood

[myfandomrambles]

My Master Rankings Least Fave To Most Fave

[Of The masters I've seen enough material I think I got a good vibe for the character]

9) Roberts!Master

He just doesn't compel me on a fun level, on the idea he's complex nor does he feel menacing. His main story just doesn't give him enough to work with. The lack of getting to really act makes it so hard to feel for him. And I haven't listened to his EU stuff yet so I don't have good wider vibes yet. But I just don’t get a lot to vibe with. Also why the slug, just why slug?

8) Decayed!Master

Love the theory but kind of boring in practice. Just didn't get super fun vibes from him, maybe just too restricted by the virtue of how his whole story is done.

7) Child Master

Only there for a short amount of time but like damn do I love this sinister little kid. Terrifying in the best way. The right kind of creepy. Very top Master in the way he messes up his own timeline. Yes we don’t get much to read here but i just feel so much more for this character over Roberts and The Decayed.

6) Simm!Master

Okay don't hate me, but I just don't think he's that good okay? Like not John Simm he can fuck it up but like i don’t think it’s written that well. He just makes me uncomfortable in a way that's not that fun to watch. I love very specific scenes but not enough of the time. Like I love the way he plays off ten in very specific scenes but so often he's being just so ~wacky/crazy~ it's no longer any fun. Yes the master is strange and extra but they aren’t like this out of control!! And the drums make his villainy less interesting. I hate this. The rest of The Masters get to be evil without this strange head screwy reason done by the big old time lords. But whatever, okay. And also why does he eat people? Why did we do that? And why does he have laser beam hands? Like I prefer when The Master’s villainy is more in doing things, not just being weird. So many questions!

5) Jacobi!Master [including EU]

I love him for being legitimately scary. Like maybe I've seen Simm take over planets but this guy would kill me while staring into my eyes with a truly coldly terrifying expression and I'd say thank you. Love that for us. He throws people out of TARDISES!! I mean even in his moment in the show the way he kills Chantho? Love it. Peak actually threatening Master.

4) Ainley!Master

Part of my rating this guy higher is just how long this Master lasted. Like Ainley, my king being The Master for so many Doctors. Also though a very versatile Master. In more kinds of TV stories than many Masters. Got a Doctor kill in there too good for him. Good at being over the top, has a good enough report with The Doctor to make watching them face off enjoyable. And him getting this way by stealing a body is downright awful and shows a deep cruelty in The Master I do quite enjoy. The Rani making fun of him for being obsessed with The Doctor? Love it. Being punched by The Brig? Awesome. He’s delightfully evil if not scary in the slightest after the whole body snatching. Also he becomes a cat person? The image is quite funny.

3) Dhawan!Master

Handles over the top erratic behavior in a better way then Simm. Because he doesn't EAT people. The dancing and convoluted plans work well. I don't like that he wears a Nazi uniform that feels out of character for the Master, they are way too regimented and a banal kind of evil filled with human hate and bile and vileness when The Master tends to find more enjoyment in bombast and intrigue of larger than life villains. But overall Dhawan just puts in so much life into the character it makes him often the best thing in a scene. Making the monologuing and talking at the audience of TTC worth getting through if you're not super invested in the whole big meta lore. I also like that he is definitely trying to die a little in series 12 and destroy himself in the special, like falling apart? interesting. Wish there was more connective tissue explicitly done between Missy & Dhawan!Master. Like sure you can work it out. But I still think Missy would want to destroy parts of Galifrey explicitly for The Doctor, angry because the time lords hurt their best friend vs. Dhawan being mad The Doctor is a part of him ya know? The Master and The Doctor have considered themselves inextricable from each other forever.(I have a whole AU story here but i'll skip that)

2) Delgado!Master

The OG has to be this close to the top! I love this guy, everyone. The way he and UNIT are like enemies in the most gentlemanly way possible. You buy that Delgado and Three were friends and I love that about them. The start of the "only i can kill The Doctor" idea that carries for many of the Masters. He wants to take over earth, sure but he also wants to pick fights with The Doctor. No he swears it's necessary for the plan he has to call The Doctor first. Dumbassess. Love that about them so much. He's also the most distinguished silly man ever. He always made me want more. People say he is overused, But it made those seasons feel kind of like a sitcom with an annoying neighbor who uses mind control. Also has a catch phrase! The way the brig is just so done with his shit, and like honestly UNIT kind of stops viewing him as a real threat lol.

1) Missy

I love her because she just wants her friend back. I love that she loves The Doctor. Sure she's still chaotic and out there making all kinds of evil for most of her run and thinks humans are funny and small, but she doesn't want to be cruel and cowardly anymore by the end. She wants to learn kindness. I think that's freaking beautiful. She will never really undue what she has done to planets full of people, but she isn't asking for their forgiveness, she just wants to stand with The Doctor. And that's so heartbreaking. She was going home to her friend, the long way round. Honestly I wish this had been the end of The Master's timeline. Sure she died, and was killed by her past. But that's okay, can they really have a happy ending? But she dies bravely! Without hope, without witness, without reward, she was The Doctor's friend. She stood up to her past self and to stand with The Doctor and she fell.

[deathits3lf]

wolf359. its grasped me again.

I have become obsessed again. To the point I wrote a ABSURDLY LONG ramble about Warren Kepler. I wrote it in discord messages and I will not be taking the time to fix the typos. There are so many.

But yes, I wrote a... character analysis? It's honestly just about the last season.

⚠️Major spoilers ahead. For last season, the finale, anywhere past 45 basically. If you have not completed wolf 359 entirely, well, this will be the end all be all of spoilers.

oooh. I should put a highlight here: but he assumed it was a "sorry, you are wrong and I am right, and you are going to die, and perhaps you deserve to in my eyes." when it really meant "You are right. I love you. I would do anything for your safety even if you may never know I was doing it for you." <<<< i love this part. im so smart. squints. im actually not but i was onto somethin

And be warned that it is long. Google docs says 1563 words. I'll put it under this read more.

Have fun. I hope this is any bit comprehensible.

--------------------------

okokok. so. warren kepler. i could talk about this man for HOURS, i swear. but i need to START somewhere so why not start at his death. I love thinking aboiut it... and by that i mean i hate thinking about it. buts its great. so tragic. i love characters dying like that; they are introduced as a douche. dickhead, antagonist, honestly villain. not likeable, really. (by that i mean well written but the character themselves being THE WORSTTT) (although i love him i DID used to HATE HIM) (i always joked about wanting to throw him out of an airlock... no seriously. i didnt know. help) 

BUT, throughout the show, despite them being a dick, we are shown some moments of them almost.. being human. cause they are. everyone, despite how mean or stuckup or 'emotionless' they are, is human, and humans feel emotions. 

okok, so at this point some hate em, some love em (altho mostly lovehate), but overall they are.... antagonistic but with the potential. not enough potential however.- (quick sidetrack here, i swear i get back to my point eventually) 

The Last Season. oml, the first time I watched it, before I knew what kepler was doing, I thought,"kepler is acting weird". kepler is acting almost nervous, and something just felt off. yes it was because cutter was there, kepler was used to being in charge and aggressive about it to make his subordinates feel scared and therefore listen to him. which in the last season, is clear where he learned that from; cutter. but now cutter was back and he was the subordinate and scared one. he wasnt The Most Powerful One There anymore. BUT ALSO 

Maybe he acted weirdly because,,listen,, he was already planning something against them. it makes sense. he was sort of kept in the dark, but he knew something was going to happen.

He had to watch his crew like that, despite having just held a mutany against him, he still knew them. they were stuck in space together, they knew eachother, but also JACOBI. kepler interacting with mindcontrolled jacobi was. thats a rant for later on. 

But. He had just had his morals rocked. His right hand man, his most loyal companion, betrayed him, tried to get him killed, he lost his other teammate- no, friend, and well, if you look closely enough he really had some time to think about it all. 

And thats where he decided that he was not on the side he always had been on, the one he worked for for god knows how many years, the one who he had based his entire mindset on, and maybe he realized that his idea of a bigger picture didnt line up with Goddard's. 

Maybe he was doing it for Jacobi. and maxwell. Maybe he was doing it for the whole crew. or the whole world. Maybe he really, truely, cared. deep down.

I also think that he wasnt planning to make it out alive. 

He didnt want to face it afterwards. He convinced himself that this was the only way- that he couldn't possibly have made it out alive and that sacrificing himself for the greater good was the only way.

He could have survived that. The hardest part would have been convincing the others to let him on the homebound ship. (the sol i believe?) jacobi begged him to stay. oml that scene. another rant for later on. 

But going back to my first point- I love that they really gave you one last reason to care about his death. If he died still on goddards side, even if he seemed a bit hesitant, that was still the cowards choice. they really said "hey he actually cares about the greater good and to an extent, the others. anyway immediatly after that revelation kill him." They gave us a reason to cry.

I love characters like that. You hate em, but before they die, you are given a reason to give a fuck. Really wrenches your heart. 

back to other points. rachel, had been SHOT. and yet managed to push him into the airlock and close the door. you could say he was overconfident, but I believe thats uncharacteristic. hes always on guard, always thinking of every way something could go wrong and how to account for it. He should have thought about rachel fighting back. he could have stopped her, but he had already accepted that he would, and perhaps should die here. perhaps he didnt want to face everything after it all. how he might actually care about ppl. how fucked up he acted and all his bad actions. and also, how he could keep living beyond His Job. the artist formerly known as warren kepler. if he stopped Making Art, who was he to go back to? warren kepler didnt exist. he was just a husk. 

thats why i love reading Kepler Back From The Dead fics. it would have been SO INTERESTING. although its fair they wanted to wrap up arcs, or at least leave them on something somewhat satisfying, and kepler was definitely NOT done cooking. put that man back in the microwave he is STILL cold in the middle. 

anyway. kepler was a coward for dying but at least cowardice is human. 

>He couldnt tell anyone. What he was planning. couldnt even tell jacobi, "hey, im on ur side and also im going to stop it all. and sacrifice myself" because rachel was there. rachel was watching, and she was arrogant that kepler couldnt possibly not be on goddards side. yeah she probably definitely knew he cared about jacobi, but the others? she was not expecting him to actually have the confidence to go aginast CUTTER. 

jacobi begged for him to be on their side, argued good arguements,

but jacobi thought. there is no way this will work. absouletly no way he will actually listen to me. but he did. kepler had already planned this. kepler couldnt put into words why he was doing this, but when rachel asked him why he echoed their words; because he is human. 

but kepler couldnt tell jacobi that he was listening. and that he cared about him. he couldnt say he wished jacobi would make it out alive, or that the others would b ok, or that he wasnt going to make it back. 

all he could say was "Thank you Daniel, and goodbye." AKJHSDKJAHSKDH that line makes me want to CRY. its more evidence that kepler totally knew he was going to die. or at least expected it. the way he said goodbye like he knew it really was the last. called him daniel, and maybe others werent aware what that really meant, perhaps they were, but jacobi knew he never called him that. that that meant something. he didnt know what, but he assumed it was a "sorry, you are wrong and I am right, and you are going to die, and perhaps you deserve to in my eyes." when it really meant "You are right. I love you. I would do anything for your safety even if you may never know I was doing it for you." 

.... "thank you" for being in my life? for teaching me how to be good? for everything? AUGH I LOVE THESE FICTIONAL MEN. 

>His interactions while the others were mindcontrolled. I relistened to the first episode or two of the last season, and kepler honestly showed signs that he was already doubting goddard. that he wasnt as confident as when the others last saw him. and they commented on this- rachel talked about hera and kepler replied almost remincing about his time on the hephaestus. he said 'she had always been stubborn.' and rachel said 'careful warren, wouldnt want to sound like you admire it.'

And the whole scene with cutter, pryce, kepler, and mind controlled jacobi. Cutter definitely purposefully picked out jacobi to take notes during that. cutter realized something was off about him. He was weaker, almost upset that his subordinate was mindcontrolled? and would obey his every command? cutter had just improved them; and the kepler that cutter wanted wouldnt have cared. but he clearly did care, as he told- no, lied- to cutter about jacobi being a good team member. despite the fact jacobi almost got him shot, like, not even an hour before I think? He was worried jacobi would be punished, or hurt, or even killed. 

Cutter knew this. he took it into account, basically; he didnt kill him, he merely improved his brain. 

And. Eiffel, after being de-mindcontrolled because of the alien blood, waiting for Jacobi, had accidentily given himself away as being 'unmindcontrolled' when he ran into kepler. he expected to be carted away, re-mindcontrolled, or perhaps killed, or locked in a room, but kepler instead 'played along' and pretended like all was fine. he even sneakily told eiffel to be more careful next time. AND YET WE DIDNT NOTICE- eiffel didnt think to mention 'hey kepler totally let me get off scot free, he is maybe on our side. maybe i mean totally.' ?? and i didnt notice the first time around that THE KEPLER WE KNEW AT THE BEGINNING WOULD TOTALLY RAT HIM OUT INSTANTLY. he was always on their side, and perhaps always planning something. maybe since the interaction with mindcontrolled "she was twenty-eight!" jacobi.

[hamletthedane]

I’m a big Hamlet fan and I am curious as to what your favorite movie/for screen rendition is? I’ve been working my way through a lot of them, gone through about 7, so far Hamlet at Elsinore with Christopher Plummer is my favorite. I was just curious what yours is !

What a great question!!

Hamlet at Elsinore is definitely my favorite filmed version of the play. I feel that Christopher Plummer does a fantastic - and frankly critically underappreciated - job of portraying the more nuanced and complicated aspects of Hamlet's character while still giving a straightforward performance that's highly accessible to any audience. Notably, he doesn't treat the performance as his ~*~epic, defining role of a lifetime~*~ or ~high artistic theater~ (*cough* Branagh and Jacobi), but instead focuses on telling a deeply compelling, very moving story about the complex nature of grief and revenge. I also like that this version embraces the more "postmodern" elements that exist in the written text of Hamlet: the complicity of the audience, the inevitability of the outcome, Hamlet's genre-awareness and genre-defiance, etc.

[Not to keep hating on Branagh, but in contrast: Branagh's Hamlet in particular seems to go out of its way to avoid including the more interesting proto-postmodern thematic elements of the play - at times not seeming to recognize that they're even there. He instead focuses his time and energy on inserting new cinematography-based visual themes that go nowhere and at times stand in OPPOSITION to the actual tone and themes of the original text. Because apparently Hamlet the play is too boring and instead of lame elements like "themes" and "compelling characterization," we need a swinging chandelier sword fight scenes and Freudian weirdness. Truly the Joel Schumacher Phantom of the Opera adaptation of Shakespeare films. But I DIGRESS-)

Plus it doesn't hurt that everybody aside from Plummer in Hamlet at Elsinore is also fabulous. Obviously, Michael Caine's Horatio is the single best and most definitive version of the character in film, but I also love Robert Shaw's Claudius and Muller's Ophelia.

If we're talking favorite filmed versions of the STORY of Hamlet though, that's Asta Nielsen's silent film from 1921. It's so beautifully filmed and wonderfully told. She's what I picture when I picture Hamlet.

Other than that....I like Tennant and Stewarts' RSC filmed version well enough. It has a number of very strange choices and I don't love the re-ordering of the scenes, but Tennant does a great job with the character and I think it's a very approachable performance. A few other filmed stage versions are also excellent, though with a few similarly weird elements - I'd put Maxine Peake's version on the same tier as the RSC version. I do NOT like Branagh's version at all (if you couldn't already tell...). Jacobi's and Gibson's are slightly better, but they're still too focused on the prestige of the performance rather than the actual story being told imo. I think they fall under the same criticism as Holden Caulfield's scathing review of Laurence Olivier: "more like a general than a sad, screwed-up type guy." (Yes I know this line is an in-text authorial critique of Holden himself but also: he's right and he should say it.)

If you haven't already, I do highly recommend listening to the BBC Radio 4 audiodrama version of Hamlet, starring Jamie Parker. Despite being a audio version of a stage play, it somehow blows every filmed version of Hamlet (except maybe HAE) out of the water. I listen to it at least once a year.

Finally, my actual favorite versions of Hamlet have ALWAYS been those I've seen live (or seen bootleg filmed stage performances of lmao). If it's ever playing live near you, definitely go and see it. The play was meant to be seen on a live stage in front of you, and many of the jokes and themes only make sense in that context. In my opinion, the medium of live theater elevates the play so far beyond what a movie could ever achieve.

...sorry this answer is so long 😅 Really, it doesn't matter what my opinions on Hamlet films are. If any version of the play really speaks to you - even if it's the accursed Branagh version - that is so awesome and makes me really happy people are engaging with the play in that way! (But since you're saying that HAE is your favorite so far, I will add that you have excellent, discerning taste ;))

[officer-achilles]

Do They Have Autism? - Wolf 359 Addition

(From a dude with maximum autism...)

Officer Eiffel

+ AuDHD's strongest soldier.

Commander Minkowski

+ Autism. Just... a lot of it... she goes undiagnosed for most of her life though.

Dr. Hilbert

+ Autism so much, too busy doing science to ever see a psychiatrist or therapist about it though. Would have been compared to Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory at least once a year.

Hera

+ Robo autism and Robo anxiety disorder.

Lovelace

+ ADHD, but not autism.

Kepler

+ Either the most autistic man who has never been diagnosed and was forced to mask his entire life to the point he becomes a weird pseudo-allistic who is actively ableist and will tell you that everyone is a little autistic.... or... just so severely allistic and ableist in an 'autism isn't an excuse, supports Autism Speaks' way.

Maxwell

+ AuDHD.

Jacobi

+ Uhhh... no comment?

Mr. Cutter

+ Either the MOST autistic man alive who is woefully unaware of this fact. Or the type of allistic who will unironically say 'autism isn't disabled- they're differently abled' and then follow it up with some variant of 'i'm not saying autistic people shouldn't be allowed to reproduce but-'. Would (semi-unintentionally) infantilize anyone who has actively told him they're autistic.

Pryce

+ Either the world's most allistic woman. Or the Elon Musk (autistic, evil version) of the Wolf 359 world.

Lambert

+ Yes, is this even a question?

Fisher

+ No, but would be a fierce autistic ally. He actually told me himself that he HATES Autism Speaks.

Fourier

+ Unsure earnestly. A little bit yes. A little bit no. She's probably been tested for autism too and the results turned out... confusing...

Hui

+ Genuinely unsure. ADHD for sure though.

[nobodysdaydreams]

Okay, now they REALLY gotta drop the Jacobi duck-related lore 🦆 (and I need to stop holding out hope Blessie will return 😔💔)

(Or my reaction to Wolf359’s Mission Mishap Episodes).

Welcome back dear readers! My schedule has been busy lately, but the Mission Mishap episodes were mercifully short, so I’ve been listening to a few episodes per week and have gathered my reactions here for you all to enjoy.

Tagging the mutuals who got me invested in this, and if you want to be tagged or untagged from these posts, lmk, or you can follow my blog or simply follow the tag "#bods wolf359 reactions". Anyone who has followed me for a while knows my updates are inconsistent, so I apologize in advance for that and for any spelling/grammar mistakes in my posts.

@sophieswundergarten @oflightningandstars @acollectionofcuriousreblogs @herawell @commsroom

Also tagging @lovelyladylavie because I promised I’d tag you way back on this post and forgot (I’m so sorry!) but my reactions are all under the tag so you should be able to find them!

Mission Mishaps: A Little Night Music

"Not fully reading your contract before you sign it...not understanding your job responsibilities, and wanting commander off your back" I love Doug's sponsorships and the dramatic irony 😂 *Cue The Fine Print playing in the background...*

I guess the only actor they could get was Doug. Nice of him to fill us in on what Minkowski and Hera are saying though.

OH MY GOSH.

HIS VOICE.

DR. DR. PROFESSOR DR. PROFESSOR F. EIFFEL 😂

It's so fancy. Mannnyyyy PhDs. Very impressive, Doug.

I'm so happy we got more radio show Doug. I need to hear him do a radio show where all his personalities talk to each other. Being the special guest on the show is Cutter's punishment for all eternity. The Dear Listeners make 5 copies of Doug so he can be all the characters.

"The feeling you'll die miserably..." yikes, broke character for a second there Doug.

"Ah yes...the way the piano notes dance around the...other piano notes...absolutely fantastic piece for when you want to start your day with the paino-y energy" Well said Doug.

Oh boy. Cowboy music. Is this the return of Badass McAwesome? Do I dare to hope?

Ah, well, better luck next time.

His poor toe. I hate when that happens too, Doug.

The...mind eraser?

Don't like how that sounds. Especially after the threats in "Change of Mind".

Better not be foreshadowing.

"This song is a mutant, it's superpower is being catchy. It never leaves."

Okay, THAT better not be foreshadowing.

"Afraid of the plant monster?" I wish we could be, Doug. I wish we could be. 😔🪴

"Worried you'll never get back to Earth to see you're family?" Oh, Doug. 💔

"Bosses you're pretty sure are kind of evil" Kind of is generous Doug.

Yeah...yeah Doug that got very dark there for a bit.

Moral boosting? Oh dear. MUTE 😂 AFTER TWO MINUTES 😂

I love Doug. Poor fellow. I enjoyed the broadcast Doug. They don't appreciate your talents.

Mission Mishaps: The Space You’re In

I love the title’s double meaning.

More of Doug dodging his work I see. A common theme.

“Please stop going off on tangents” I guess Cutter and Pryce didn’t send them up with any ADHD meds. “I’m here for work 😊” Nice cover, Doug. 👍🏻 nailed it.

“I’m gonna get that thing that I forgot”. You do that Doug.

How did I know Doug was gonna break something? 🤣

Specimen incubation period??? BLESSIE????

How dare they tease us with Blessie lore?

Good question Doug. Why IS there a harpoon?

Doug literally has no where to hide. 🤣

Oh right. Space. Why do I see that backfiring?

PFFTTT—- Did she just call him a lizard? 🦎

“It’s beautiful” -> “I hate space” poor Doug. I’m sensing a pattern 🤣

Mission Mishaps: You Want, I Solve Ah Doug stealing coffee from Minkowski. Once again, I sense a pattern.

Wait. A puppy? 🥰🐕‍🦺🐾

“The mean lady who runs this place” really Doug? You did just steal her coffee.

2 tails? Well, twice the wagging, I see that as a win. 🥰

Follow him Doug!

IS ZACH VALENTI DOING THE VOICE OF THE DOG?

AS SMEGOL AND GOLLUM FROM LORD OF THE RINGS?

AND IS DOUG HALLUCINATING FROM THE COFFEE???

The dogs are multiplying? David Bowie is here? Okay Doug is hallucinating for sure.

Ah hello Hilbert.

Why is he treating the manual like it’s the ring? 🤣

Well. That was weird.

Oh, Hilbert. All to get Doug to bond with the manual.

And yet something tells me he still won’t read it. It does sound like he might be cuddling with it at night and killing anyone who tries to take it from him though. Mildly concerning. Mission Mishaps: The Veldt Oh my gosh. The episode description. Eiffel goes into the greenhouse… y’all. I don’t wanna get my hopes up, but…

IS THIS BLESSIE CONTENT???? 🪴

I’m so excited guys. I don’t wanna get my hopes up, I know I shouldn’t, but I need Blessie back!

So Doug is doing his chores again. I sense a pattern.

He does a great Australian accent. Again, I need the aliens to clone Doug just so he can have a show where his different personalities talk to each other. Hm. Oxygen chamber has a lot of passwords. And a lot of weird ways to enter passwords. Which is nice for protecting the air, but not so great when you, you know, desperately need air and only have a few seconds to enter the password.

The binary forms of color? This is so extreme not to mention boring. Not one sign of Blessie. I’ve been bamboozled. And WHY is there a timer? This is so weird.

THAT’S IT?

Well I’m upset. We went to the greenhouse and didn’t see leaf or stem of Blessie. 💔

I’m not giving up hope. If not in the show then in fanfic that plant is coming back.

Mission Mishaps: Lights Out

Another entry from dear Doug. I wonder if Minkowski and Hilbert are gonna have him do something he doesn’t want to and then hijinks ensues and Doug messes something up?

HP Lovecraft, Call of Kuthulu? Oh me too Doug stuff is hard to pronounce.

Doug does a good creepy narrator voice. It’s funny to think of Hera listening to all this. It reminds me of those people on Lovelace’s crew reading stories together.

“Property of Dr….”

DOCTOR WHO? (A good show, but I’m literally asking the question).

Is it that girl on Lovelace’s crew who liked to read? (I’m sorry it’s hard to keep track of their names).

Ah yes, and the star is acting up. As is Doug’s imagination. I’m sure this couldn’t possibly go wrong.

Hilbert. What sample? What escaped?

I’m not getting my hopes up this time. You teased me with Blessie once. I’m not falling for it again. I’ve been burned before.

It just sounds like a little mouse. 🐁

…I hope it’s not one of the spiders… I’m now beginning to realize Doug’s fears…

“It’s small and scurrying”

Is it a mouse?

Doug, it’s probably just a mouse. “It’s staring at me.” Well it’s probably scared too, Doug.

Doug, you better not have killed that poor little mouse.

You killed the maintenance drone Doug? Well that was a wild ride. At first I thought they weren’t gonna go the “Doug messes up a thing Hilbert and Minkowski are doing” route but they always surprise me with their ability to bring it back there. Not that I’m complaining, I’m loving these stories. Mission Mishaps: Cold Turkey More Doug! Wow. 553 days. That’s… that’s a lot.

Thanksgiving? Is this the same Thanksgiving from Hera’s memory? 🦃

Banned from the kitchen? Oh poor, Doug. Was Hilbert not available? I guess he’s Russian so he doesn’t celebrate it. But he can probably cook.

Doug is just like me fr. Don’t ask my partner what happened when I tried to make him food. All you need to know was that I tried my best, and it’s the thought that counts.

Doug is gonna burn this Turkey. I know the actress was probably busy and these are “extra” episodes, but Hera please come online and help him.

Oh gross. Cans of spam? Disgusting.

Right, maybe Hilbert can do something. But on the other hand, Hilbert and Eiffel can make each other worse. And what was that about psychoactive properties? What was Hilbert exposed to?

“Can I give indifference? I have plenty of that.” Yes, Hilbert, you made that very clear.

“Oh well if I have to “come on”.” “Really!” “No.” Hilbert is lowkey hilarious 🤣 “I like pecan pie…maybe thanksgiving is not so terrible.” 🥧

I love how Hilbert sounds like he’s plotting something ominous even when he’s just talking about pie. 🤣

But seriously, why was he in Texas? He never answered that.

“The best way to keep him away from the kitchen was to put you in charge” oh poor Doug. She was right though.

Aw, this is sweet. I like how it connects to what we saw in Hera’s memories too.

Mission Mishaps: No Complaints Aw man, SI-5? What happened to Doug?

First they take Blessie from me then they force me to spent time with his killers.

Well gang, I guess it’s time for the adventures of Whiskey Man and Duck Boy.

Wow. Sitting in a car and brooding in the rain. An action packed adventure if I’ve ever heard one.

Oh wait, are they stalking Maxwell? They said she was from a small town.

“Did you stalk me?” Yes, he did Jacobi. Kepler was acting so creepy at that bar, I’m sorry. What even was that?

“I really hate you sometimes sir. ✨You’re the worst✨” oh Duck Boy you have no idea.

THE DUCK THING? OH NO PLEASE TELL US ABOUT THE DUCK THING.

What video. WHAT VIDEO.

Please tell us why Jacobi is brooding and PLEASE tell us about the duck video.

Jacobi taught him questions only? Wow he really does love to dig his own grave.

Kepler is not your friend Jacobi. If you think he is, you… gosh you really need to meet somebody. Anybody.

All this complaining… Jacobi really is the evil version of Doug sometimes…

What was on Jacobi’s mind? What did Rachel think was on his mind? Oh, his one year recruitment.

Nothing good ever comes out of a mysterious duffel bag. Why does he have all those fireworks?

When your evil boss takes you on a fake stake out and gives you some fireworks to blow up because he knows you crave destruction: 💣🎆🥰🎇🧨😍

I like that they play fireworks sounds as they roll the credits. It’s a nice touch. Mission Mishaps: Happy Holidays Already down to the last one. Time flies when you’re having fun. Oh more SI-5. Hopefully a little less Whiskey Boy, a little more Duck related lore.

Oh no such luck. :(

Geez, Kepler really does love flexing every single bit of power that he has, doesn’t he? Just get to the point already! Why couldn’t he have been the one to go instead of Maxwell?

“Oh no! Not a binary fault in the quartical… um… that’s bad!” Duck Boy stop being funny I don’t want to like you.

Not Kepler’s slow claps… I swear this man is infatuated with the idea of being a super villain.

What are they afraid of?

…

A holiday party?

the evil space corporation has a HOLIDAY PARTY?

For what holiday? Cutter and Pryce clearly hate holidays. They’ve ordered people killed on nearly every holiday we’ve seen! … actually maybe that’s their way of making the holidays their own… and it makes me wonder who they want to kill at this party. Jacobi and Maxwell have a right to be concerned about this.

“We don’t ask questions. We trust that we were given orders for a reason.” THAT ONLY WORKS IF YOU ARE WORKING FOR TRUSTWORTHY PEOPLE. And committing or endorsing murder takes you off the trustworthy list.

The idea of Cutter and Pryce celebrating Christmas disgusts me. Like, physically I have a hard time stomaching it. Christmas is about joy, and love, and goodwill toward mankind. Cutter and his crazy science gf have no place involving themselves in that. Not unless they show some serious remorse and do some serious penance and jail time.

SECRET SANTA EXCHANGE?

What kind of horrifying messed up gifts do people get each other? I hope Jacobi gets a pet duck.

… Maxwell’s mom died? “We all know you don’t talk to your mom” “…my mom just died?” “No Jacobi.” STOP BEING FUNNY.

Compare this to the holiday stuff that happens with the Hephaestus… this has such a creepy undertone. Especially when you imagine the events happening at the same time.

Well, that’s all for the Mission Mishaps. Sorry it took me so long guys, but I love and appreciate your patience. Excited to finish the rest of the series and hopefully I’ll have more for you soon!

[raylangivins]

twenty questions for fic writers

thank you @acorrespondence for tagging me in this! i love shiteing on about writing :)

How many works do you have on ao3?

33, which shocks me because for some reason in my head the number's permanently at, like, 8.

What's your total ao3 word count?

195,093

What fandoms do you write for?

I mean currently it's beatles rpf 🌝. But also Check Please (specifically jackparse, I have absolutely no interest in anything else), Wolf 359, The Social Network, Community (although none of these are an ao3 due to I wrote them when I was 15), and some random one hit wonders.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

live through this, and you won't look back - Jack/Kent, Check Please

if being afraid is a crime, we hang side by side - Kepler/Jacobi, Wolf 359

baby, it's all relative - John/Paul, Beatles

Time May Change Me - Mark/Eduardo, The Social Network

Five Men Roy Ruined For Jen - Jen/Roy, The IT Crowd

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes, always, unless I forget!! I don't know why I wouldn't like, if people are reading I am genuinely excited and grateful for that. Why wouldn't I tell them? (I'm very bad at thinking of things to say which aren't just "I'm glad you enjoyed it", but I try).

What is a fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I think lately you've been feeling so good i forget my future (in which jack and kent go to prom) is pretty grim not even because the ending itself is the worst but also it foreshadows so much worse to come. Most of my jackparse fic is them as teenagers because I love that "the worst is yet to come" doom that constantly hangs over them in those years. Also one and one and one is three (in which john/paul/yoko have an emotionally fraught threesome). I hurt my own feelings writing that one lol.

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Not one of the recent ones, I can tell you that! Although it depends if you mean fluffy or happy by my own metric because EYE think the best happy endings are the ones you have to work through some angst to get. So if you're looking for fluffy, probably Five Men Roy Ruined for Jen; if you're looking for a journey that ends in happiness, then I'd say wouldn't it be? nice makes me feel euphoric at the end.

Do you get hate on fics?

I've gotten a couple bitchy comments but generally no.

Do you write smut?

Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

I've only written one and it's where Jean-Ralphio from Parks and Rec becomes the Eleventh Doctor's companion in Doctor Who. It's cute, I still like it.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

God, I hope not. Although, I did have someone once finish a fic I abandoned on ff.net without really asking me first, which I thought was both flattering and hilarious of them. So true, babe. Write the finished fic you wish to see in the world!

Have you ever had a fic translated?

I think someone translated one of my old Gossip Girl fics on ff.net, also. I can't remember what language it was though.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, but I'm not opposed to it.

What's your all-time favorite ship?

All my fave ships are pretty much variations on the same dynamic with a few exceptions. It's comical how consistant I am about this without even trying.

What's a wip you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

Tbh I never truly rule anything out. There's a post-canon Justified fic that has lived in my head for years, that I mostly haven't written because it's a lot of work, and I don't really care about sharing it that much it's mostly just for me. There's a Dawson's Creek Pacey genderswap fic I dream of writing, but likely will never bother. There's a beatles fic where Paul can talk to instruments that I actually wrote 20k for but it's so dogshit I can't bear to try to fix it so it's going to just sit on my computer forever probably.

What are your writing strengths?

I hate this question, I'm so bad at identifying these things. Vibes? I think I'm good at dialogue but that's mostly because that's what I start with, so it's like the bones of most of my fics. I've been told I'm good at like being thoughtful to all the different characters in fic even if it's not about them or their POV, which is always a nice thing to hear.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Physical descriptions probably. I don't care about them very much and therefore I don't put as much effort into them as I probably should. Also, I write chronologically so most of my endings are slightly lazier than the rest of the fic.

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I don't know. I've never tried it. As a bilingual person, seeing people who are not bilingual completely miss the nuances of that is actually really irritating. Especially as someone who speaks Portuguese but grew up in an English speaking country, reading TSN fic was so specifically annoying. And don't even get me started on the concept of "untranslateable" words and "saudade".

It can be done well, but often isn't. Also, if you give me a bunch of text in a language I don't know, my brain is just gonna skip over it, so it's often redundant when it's more than, like, a sentence.

First fandom you wrote for?

First fic I published was for Gossip Girl, but when I was like 11 I wrote what was essentially a Life With Derek canon-divergence fic in a copybook that I showed to a teacher in my school.

Favorite fic you've written?

All of them. But some that have not yet been mentioned on this post:

kissing just for practice - Jack/Kent (idk, I set out to do something specific with this fic and I really felt I did)

i want every other freckle - si-5 ot3 kind of (this fic means so much to me)

tomorrow i'll miss you - mclennon before sunset au (before sunset is one of my favourite movies and i worked really hard on this one)

i thought i knew one, what did i know? - paul's girlfriend catches john and paul together (this one makes me crazy and i'm the one who wrote it lol)

tagging: @softbrah @jeanharlowseyebrows @scurator @wurmzirkus @coyotesuspect @midchelle

[thegenvyisreal]

Good Omens Season 2 Episode 6 Thoughts (for real this time)

Let's just take this chronologically so I can lose my mind at the end.

Crowley in heaven! What a dork! He looks lovely I hope SO MANY PPL cosplay him.

OKAY. OKAY LISTEN. I know we never got Crowley's angelic name but that demon was a SERAPH I WILL NOT BE TAKING QUESTIONS. I AM A RAPHAEL!CROWLEY TRUTHER AND WILL BE SO UNTIL PROVEN OTHERWISE.

He's so powerful! Someone on here pointed out that when Gabriel in the recording said he was the only supreme (or level 1 or something?) archangel in heaven it panned immediately to Crowley. MY MAN. MY GIRL. CROWLEY IS SO IMPORTANT!!

Throwing encyclopedias at the demons and Aziraphale wincing, boy I feel you.

And shax made fun of Zira for liking food?? Okay fat shamer! Get fucked!

Wartime Halo Demon Bomb?? Great band name.

Crowley defusing a war with just saying "no, bad, do NOT"? The power he has!!

OMG

INEFFABLE

BUREAUCRACY

First of all, I THOUGHT the fly was a Beelzebub thing! I just didn't think it had Gabriel's memories in it.

Their little love story was cute, but explain to me HOW we were supposed to deduce why the jukebox is the way it is or WHY Gabe lost his memories without the Bureaucracy exposition??? NEIL YOU WANTED US TO FIGURE IT OUT BUT HOW???

Good for them for going off together but it's just so SILLY how THEY get to have that and our duo DON'T. I do not like it.

Okay. Let's get on with it.

So I DON'T get my angsty finale, but I do get something INFINITELY WORSE.

Maggie and Nina coming to Crowley to tell him what's up. Good for them!

Nina calling Maggie Angel I ALMOST FELL OUT OF MY CHAIR

Hell yes Derek Jacobi you're so lovely but I want to punch the Metatron in the FACE.

Why on earth would you get Zira THAT coffee?? He doesn't drink coffee!! Is this some power trip?? Is there SOMETHING IN THE COFFEE???

Aziraphale. Sweetie. Darling. Dear boy. You're so STUPID.

Crowley being like, I need to tell you this right now or I may never be able to say it. And Zira like, hold that thought! YOU RUDE LITTLE BITCH LET HIM SPEAK.

Aziraphale. WHY. WHY DO YOU INSIST THAT HEAVEN IS SO WONDERFUL AND GOOD!!! THEY SUCK!! THEY HURT PEOPLE!! YOU LITERALLY LIED TO THEM ABOUT JOB'S KIDS CUZ YOU KNEW THEY WERE WRONG!! WHY DO YOU KEEP DEFENDING THEM!!

Crowley confessing. Begging Aziraphale not to do this. Aziraphale not understanding why Crowley WOULDN'T want to do this. ZIRA AFTER EVERYTHING CROWLEY'S BEEN THRU YOU WANT HIM TO GO BACK TO HIS ABUSIVE FAMILY???

The kiss.

My heart shattered.

I've been waiting for this moment for over a month, and I got it in the WORST POSSIBLE WAY. Crowley's desperation, Aziraphale not knowing how to react. Not reacting at all. Crowley kissed him and he just stood there.

Sidebar: I KNOW that Aziraphale KNOWS that he's in love with Crowley. He KNEW in 1941. You dumbass. You imbecile. You fucker. Why.

"I forgive you".

LITERALLY MURDER ME

I want to understand him. I am Aziraphale-coded for sure. But I guess I'm also Crowley-coded?? Idk what to do with my feelings.

The WAY he SAYS the line. The ACTING from Michael. Bravo bb. THE WAY. HE SAYS IT. MY HEART IS ALREADY TORN OUT AND NOW YOU PUT IT THRU A MEAT GRINDER.

Excuse me Zira I have one question:

WHAT.

ON EARTH.

DOES HE NEED TO BE FORGIVEN FOR.

YOU ABSOLUTE TWAT.

I'm gonna commit multiple crimes.

Crowley just standing there HEARTBROKEN. He LOVES THAT ANGEL SO MUCH. HE WOULD DO ANYTHING FOR HIM. I'M GONNA MCFUCKING LOSE IT.

And he just walks out. And Aziraphale looks just as broken. I hate it. I hate it I hate it I hate it.

And after EVERYTHING. Crowley still waits by his car. Waits to see if Aziraphale will come to his senses and come back for him. But he doesn't. Zira even LOOKS BACK AT HIM before going into the elevator. How DARE you. How FUCKING DARE YOU YOU COWARD.

And you know??? You know what really gets to me?? You know what really cooks my noodle?? Besides the "I forgive you"???

Aziraphale's face journey in the elevator. How it lands, at the end, on a horrific smile. Bless Michael's acting skills cuz that is a horrible smile.

And Crowley just feels nothing. Completely broken. Like all of us.

I get it. I GET THE PRIDE AND PREJUDICE PARALLELS. @sycophantastic pointed it out, that it's a 3-act structure, and I know this is the "dark night of the soul" portion of the hero's journey. I GET. IT. I still hate it.

It took me forever to get to sleep last night. Like an hour and a half. Cuz my brain wouldn't shut up. And I dreamt about them. And it was awful and sad. And NOW we're going to a friend's house to watch the whole thing with her for the first time. Again. I have to endure this again.

I need QUITE EXTRAORDINARY AMOUNTS OF ALCOHOL.

[mylifehurts4588]

GUYS SHOULD DESMOND BE BANNED?!?!

HE'S 20 AND FALLING FOR A 16 YEAR OLD

(and yes, I am highly aware that I created smut of them because I didn't know how old Desmond was nor how old Rico was not until after I was done writing I noticed I got a message I was too lazy to check it at the time as I was writing, because I was clearly answering and ask so I was too lazy to check it at the time I was answering someone and then you know I checked the message Rico tells me that Desmond is falling for her and that she is 16 and he is 20 years old and the fact that Desmond's OC was originally 20 and then he changed the age to 17 does not matter because he is still 20 years old falling for a 16 year old anyways f**k you Desmond you're retarded and don't talk to Rico ever f***ing again your 20 you should not be falling for a 16-year-old and damn being a pedophile two years after you become a full adult that's depressing

and I have all the proof right here

even asked for NSFW head cannons, and guess what I said to him and hey retard by the way, changing your characters age does not matter age matters now stop being a pedophile and yes, I'm posting everything that you've posted about her sooo yea it's crazy and Rico. I'm also low-key scared of him. he kind of reminds me of those two retarded kids inside my classroom, Jackson Smith, and Landon Jacoby. I hate those little f***ers even better. I can easily bend down and beat them up because they're like way shorter than me too.

@loserluvrr

[emp-t-man]

Thinking about Warren Kepler. Thinking about how he recruited his team members at the most vulnerable time of their lives purposefully to coax them into saying yes. Thinking about how he or Cutter most likely personally made sure Maxwell’s research proposals were rejected, just like they probably affected Minkowski’s applications for NASA. Thinking about how every single one of Maxwell and Jacobi’s interactions with him from the moment he met them were built on a lie. Thinking about how if he had told Jacobi and Maxwell literally anything about what they were doing, Maxwell would most likely still be alive. Thinking about how he didn’t think of them as people, he thought of them as tools to push himself and Goddard closer to their goal, just like Cutter and Pryce viewed Hera. God I fucking hate that guy.

[tampire]

Instead of Metatron Derek Jacobi, it's Neil Gaiman whom we hate and kick out now.

But yes to Season 3!

Good Omens Season 2 Appreciation Post Bonus:

[sanssoucisims]

Grandma's coming to town 🎄☃️

So a month or two has passed since the last TS4 reward event and now we have a Christmas one. In all honesty, I feel like this particular event is kind of underwhelming (based on what I've seen/read) but I was just like "eh, I'll do it anyway".

Also, can we just talk about how they introduced this NPC named Jasmine Holiday yet she's just limited to a little icon and not an actual townie?? Kind of mildly annoyed we can't actually meet her (unless there's like a version of her saved on the gallery somewhere)...

Introducing Grandma Helen! She's a sweet old lady who I'll be using for the Cozy Celebrations event. Originally, I created her with the intent to put her in Henford-On-Bagley and just have her spend her days gardening, keeping animals, and maybe even baking. I literally just wanted to have a cute little grandma in my town (who maybe butts heads with Agnes Crumplebottom occasionally), okay. But since she's a cheerful person, I figured it wouldn't hurt to have her participate in a nice little happy holiday event!

I even got her a cute Christmas-themed home from the gallery!

Yes, of course she takes care of a bunch of stray cats.

❉ ❉ ❉

After Grandma made some japchae as part of one of the event tasks, the cursed Welcome Wagon showed up. However, since another one of the first week's quests was to ask people about their holiday traditions, I figured I could just have Grandma put up with it and make some friends.

It turned out to be Ian Moody and (later) Derek McMillan, the old gays!

She learned Ian is kind of a goofball.

(Don't tell them, but in my old save file, I evicted them so I could renovate their property for Grandma. Fortunately, she didn't kick them out in this new save. I was also today years old when I learned they're based off the British actors Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi!!)

Derek was the one who brought the notorious fruitcake.

I thought it was kind of funny how Ian looked mad at Grandma for a second right after she got a close sentiment from Derek, but hey, Ian happened to showed up tense for whatever reason. They also both like playing retro video games as part of their holiday traditions.

Even after the Welcome Wagon event ended and they said they probably needed to go, Ian and Derek instead chose to invite themselves into Grandma's house. At least Grandma got the opportunity to try the fruitcake, though.

And Ian ended up raiding her fridge and eating her japchae. :/

To no one's surprise, Grandma hates the fruitcake.

❉ ❉ ❉

After Ian and Derek left, Grandma stargazed for a bit, then cooked some brigadeiro, which got her cooking skill to level 2. She then had to chat with some people about holiday traditions, and I figured it would be a perfect time for her to get out and see if she could meet Agnes Crumplebottom. She showed up a bit earlier before Agnes opened her little garden shop, so at first, she decided to kill some time with trying out the skating rink.

It didn't... go too well. 🥴

"Help, I've fallen and I can't get up!"

Grandma did meet Agnes' cousin, Agatha, who basically said she liked to eat a lot during the holidays!

Peep Agnes in the distance lol

For whatever reason, Lavina Chopra (Henford-On-Bagley's mayor) showed up and decided she wanted to be a part of the conversation. She ended up kicking Grandma out of the seat SHE HAD BEEN SITTING IN FOR NOT EVEN A MINUTE.

Seriously, what's up with these people and picking on Grandma?? She has done nothing wrong!! (even if she did kick out an old gay couple in an old save file so she could live on their lot)

❉ ❉ ❉

After a quick meal and bathroom break, Grandma found Agnes at her garden shop. At first, Agnes was actually in a good mood for once! I saw on her wiki page that her default mood is usually angry so it was kind of nice to catch in her in a better mood, even if it ended up being for a short while.

Right after Grandma learned Agnes was hot-headed however (like the literal second after), she became very angry. So I guess no surprise there.

However, Agatha must have seen what went down because just as Grandma was getting ready to head home, she gave her a Finchwick favor! (which I guess is just a friendly gift?) How nice! 💕

It ended up being some Beef Wellington she made, btw.

Stay mad, Agnes.

Ignore the other person clipping through Agatha's clothes...

❉ ❉ ❉

Once Grandma documented the holiday research for Jasmine Holiday, she was pretty much done with the event for now! Guess we'll update you all in another couple days with the next batch of quests? 💫

Next part here!

[officer-achilles]

Do they like/know the band One Direction? - Wolf 359 Edition

Eiffel

+ You're insecure. Don't know what for. You're turning heads when you walk through the d-o-or. Yes, he knows them. Yes, he likes them. His favourite is Louis, because he's the mischievous one. Eiffel would genuinely be bummed when/if he ever found out Zayn left the group.

Minkowski

+ Who? Oh yeah... the... the boy band. Huh. Well, no offense to them- but she prefers the Backstreet Boys.

Dr. Hilbert

+ No. Not at all. If you try to play him a song he groans and demands you turn it off.

Hera

+ Is aware of them. If she wasn't so busy, she'd listen to them more often. She thinks Niall is kind of cute... in an abstract sort of way.

Lovelace

+ She knows them. She watched them on X-Factor when they were just getting started. She's not a superfan or anything, but she has a single CD she listens to on drives sometimes. She couldn't tell any of them apart though- except for Zayn.

Keppler

+ Did you know Simon Cowell actually wanted Keppler to join One Direction? Long story short- but his funk band wasn't the only band Keppler had to walk away from. Legend says you can hear his backing vocals in some of the band's early demos.

Jacobi

+ He's heard of them. He thinks that Zayn kid seems pretty cool. He couldn't name a single song if he tried though.

Maxwell

+ Closet One Direction fan. Has their first three albums downloaded on her phone AND on her aging iPod. Her fav is Niall. Or maybe Harry.

Mr. Cutter

+ I... I think he's met One Direction. He talked to them as if they were all old friends and nobody but him had an enjoyable time. Mr. Cutter has never actually listened to their music.

Dr. Pryce

+ She would hate One Direction on principal. End of discussion.

Rachel Young

+ Probably a bit of a Directioner in all honesty, she even met them briefly alongside Mr. Cutter. They were less interesting in person.

⭐ Bonus ⭐

Lambert

+ Has never listened to their music, barely recognizes the band name. But if you had him listen, he'd probably enjoy it. He would be hesitant to admit it however.

Hui

+ Has been to at least one concert of theirs. Semi-ironically wears a One Direction t-shirt under his uniform sometimes.

Fourier

+ Likes their music, but only certain albums and certain songs. She has strong opinions about each and every band member, and even stronger opinions about boy bands as a whole cultural phenomenon.

Fisher

+ Will sing along to their songs if he hears them on the radio, but has no vested interest in them or major opinions. Probably would be a bit sad if he found out Zayn left the band, a sort of 'aw dang' kind of sad.