#not for a specific episode but just like for things in general

[youryurigoddess]

Maggie’s pendants and good omens

Yes, you’ve read it right. This post is going to deal with some literal good omens, not just title drop! But first things first, let’s take a closer look at the topic of this analysis.

A toucan

The top necklace is a lovely design involving a crowned toucan — believed to be a messenger of gods able to travel between the spiritual and the physical world, often associated with rain and rainbow (a Christian symbol of divine love, grace, and mercy, a reminder of the covenant between God and humanity to spare the latter from future trials like the Flood) — encircled by a gold band (a symbol of infinity, eternal love and promise) spun by a small butterfly (a symbol of transformation, hope, and rebirth). All three symbols combined seem to deliver a divine message of hope for rebirth, possibly resurrection, and the eternal life. Very fitting in the context of the Second Coming.

The fact that toucans were revered by the native South Americans as rainbringers strengthens the symbolic meaning of another type of bird we can spot on Maggie’s clothes in the very first episode, as her character introduction — a swallow. Swallows flying low are also believed to be harbingers of rain and bad weather. If you see one close to Earth or a building, it means that there’s a storm — or a certain biblical tempest — on the horizon.

In Ancient Greece and Rome swallows were representing Aphrodite, goddess of love. In Christianity they were considered to be of God and symbolized hope, awakening, and revival of life as messengers of spring and protectors from winter colds. Also helped Jesus on the Cross — according to a Christian legend, a group of swallows was supposed to take out the thorns from the Crown of Thorns and alleviate His Passion on the Cross. Humans banding together in the name of good have been a big theme in the series ever since The Them made an appearance, and from what we already know about the unpublished Good Omens sequel, we can assume that Jesus is going to take the spotlight in the upcoming season.

Maggie definitely attracts sudden inexplicable weather changes, like a thunderstorm with weirdly localized lightning strikes or a sudden downpour. And we’re still waiting for some vavooming (and the following happy ending) to happen in S3.

A heart with an eye

Now, the more nuanced clue hidden in the bottom necklace. I know that some of us were trying to tackle the concept of Maggie’s eye in a heart pendant suggesting her Masonic connotations, but this symbol (or the Eye of Providence in general) isn’t strictly Masonic, it isn’t even limited only to Judeo-Christian art. And while it is used a lot in Christian iconography, we should focus on a very specific example of it already referenced in the show.

Buckle up, we’re making a parachute dive into S1.

It seems like our old friend, Agnes Nutter, still has our backs.

Prophecy 4020:

Let the wheel of fate turne, let harts enjoin, there are othere fyres than mine; when the whirl wynd whirls, reach oute one to another.

If you look closely at the bottom right corner of this frame, you will see that as an illustration for the above prophecy the production team chose a 1611 engraving titled The Minde should have a fixed Eye On Objects, that are plac’d on High first found in Gabriel Rollenhagen’s Nucleus emblematum selectissimorum.

In 1635 it was published in A Collection of Emblemes, Ancient and Moderne Quickened With Metrical Illustrations, both Morall and Divine, Etc by George Wither with the accompanying hymn:

A Heart, which bore the figure of an Eye

Wide open to the Sunne; by some, was us'd,

When in an Emblem, they would signifie

A Minde, which on Celestiall Matters mus'd:

Implying, by the same, that there is nought

Which in this lower Orbe, our Eyes can see,

So fit an Object for a manly thought,

As those things, which in Heav'n above us be.

God, gave Mankinde (above all other Creatures)

A lovely Forme, and upward-looking Eye,

(Among the rest of his peculiar Features)

That he might lift his Countenance on high:

And (having view'd the Beauty, which appeares

Within the outward Sights circumference)

That he might elevate above the Sphæres,

The piercing Eye, of his Intelligence.

Then, higher, and still higher strive to raise

His Contemplations Eyes, till they ascend

To gaine a glimpse of those eternall Rayes,

To which all undepraved Spirits tend.

For, 'tis the proper nature of the Minde

(Till fleshly Thoughts corrupt it) to despise

Those Lusts whereto the Body stands inclin'd;

And labour alwayes, upward to arise.

Some, therefore, thought those Goblins which appeare

To haunt old Graves and Tombes, are Soules of such,

Who to these loathsome places doomed were,

Because, they doted on the Flesh too much.

But, sure we are, well-minded Men shall goe

To live above, when others bide below.

And hey, guess what 4020, i.e., the number of the prophecy, symbolizes in Strong’s Concordance? Periergazomai, a Greek word meaning “to waste one's labor about something” — to meddle, going beyond proper boundaries (where a person doesn't belong); to fixate on what others are doing, instead of doing what the person himself is supposed to do.

It appears only once in the Bible:

2 Thessalonians 3:11: We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the food they eat. And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good.

To make things slightly more interesting, in the Hebrew version of Strong’s Concordance 4020 has another meaning — migbaloth, meaning “twisted things, i.e. cords”. Which doesn’t make much sense until we read the actual passage:

Exodus 28:24 and two chains of pure gold, twisted like cords; and you shall attach the corded chains to the settings.

And compare it to the most recent post on the topic published directly by Word of God:

What if all these clues didn’t apply to Maggie and Nina, but Aziraphale and Crowley instead? What if Maggie served as a messenger — consciously or not — just like the toucan, delivering the prophecy to those who need it most?

“When the tempest comes and darkness and great storms, and the dead will leave their graves and walk the Earth once more and there will be great lamentations for the end is near, don’t lose hope, hold hands and look up.”

Basically what Aziraphale and Crowley already did when they performed the 25 Lazarii miracle, only with no interference from Gabriel this time around.

And, if both Strong’s Concordance and Maggie’s personal addition to her second pendant are to be believed, with a wedding band somehow involved in the process.

#everything has a meaning #the invisible and unbreakable line that joins Crowley and Aziraphale #two chains of pure gold twisted like cords #never tire of doing what is good #don’t lose hope #hold hands and look up #the good omens crew is unhinged #good omens props #good omens costumes #the nice and accurate prophecies of agnes nutter #agnes nutter #good omens #maggie service #good omens meta #good omens analysis #strong’s concordance #yuri is doing her thing #ineffable husbands #wedding bands

[foone]

weird thought: I think if I was a teenager now (or anytime in the last decade or so) I think I would have written (and read!) a lot more fanfic than I did in reality, where I was a teenager in the 90s.

See, I've never been hugely into fanfic. Never had anything against it exactly, but it just wasn't something I was into. But I think that has to do with an interesting combination of how my brain works and what time I was first really getting into being a fan.

I've got a "librarian" brain (I'm literally typing this from within a library, WHERE I WORK). It wants to know things like "what are all the works in this series/by this creator?" and "are they all accessible?" and "what info is available about how it was made?"

I'm the kind of person who will watch a show then go look it up on wikipedia to see how many seasons it has, who made it, if they're still making it, check tvtropes for any more info, etc. Or I hear a song I like by a band I've never heard of, so I go listen to their entire discography while researching them. I just focus on things I'm into that way, you know? I don't half-ass my interest. (this is probably related to my autism, of course)

So what does this have to do with fanfic? like, do I go read some fanfics as part of this process? No, and I think the reason for it is when I specifically first got into fandom, as a teen.

See, this sort of fandom-librarian was harder to do in 1997, you know? You couldn't just pull up the wikipedia for that new show and see how many episodes it had. You also couldn't just listen to the whole discography of that band! Forget Spotify or Google Music, even Napster didn't exist yet.

So my interest in fandom focused a lot more on very basic questions: How many episodes/albums/books/whatever are there? Where can I see/hear them all? Like, I remember getting excited because I found some fan magazine that had a list of all the Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes. Just a list! Not even descriptions or anything. I finally could take that list and see how many I'd seen, so I'd know when I saw them all in late-night reruns.

So I'm focusing on these very basic parts of being a fandom-librarian and I stumble across some fanfic. I'm like "oh, is this a transcript of an episode I haven't seen yet?" and I realize it's not, it's a story written by a fan, and I get a knee-jerk reaction of "that's not helpful to my quest to know and find all the episodes". It's like I am on a quest for the holy grail and I found a fake cup. It's not helpful to me, and at worst it's a distraction from my goal.

And the thing is, I think the fact I had that reaction is entirely due to the time and situation in which I first encountered fanfic. It was in that environment of "I can't even find a list of the episodes, let alone a way to watch them all!" and that anxiety that colored my response to finding fanfic.

I think if I instead was first introduced to fanfic NOW, where those fandom-librarian drives aren't so difficult to fulfill, I'd be way more positive about fanfic. If I could get a list of episodes with a quick google search, and watch them easily on netflix/prime/whatever, I'd be less "THIS DOESN'T HELP! I AM STRUGGLING WITH THE BASICS HERE!" and more "yay, more content for the fandom I'm obsessed with!"

Like I said, I'm not anti-fanfic, I never have been, I just never got into it. From the beginning I had this reaction that was "this is not useful" and I never developed any real interest in it. Which is a shame, honestly. Fanfic is great. It just never became one of my interests, and while I've written it and read it from time to time, I imagine I'd be way more into it if I didn't have the weird reaction to it due to the worries of the time in which I first encountered it.

I don't know how many other people have brains that work anything like mine, but if they exist, I'm glad they're now growing up in a world where they won't have these problems. They can get into fanfic without this weird baggage caused by a lack of information.

#fanfic meta

[vaspider]

I might be wrong, but iirc you’ve been involved in fandoms for a while, and I was wondering if you had any thoughts about the degradation of fannish spaces as a result of shows no longer releasing on an episode-per-week basis, and if you think that the fandoms surrounding Game Changer and Fantasy High function differently from most *because* those shows release once a week (or in the case of Game Changer, once every other week with behind-the-scenes on the alternate weeks). I’m not super involved in any fandoms, but of the ones I have been in, Game Changer and Fantasy High have been the most consistently interactive (for lack of a better term), in the sense that there’s week-by-week fanart, meta, memes, etc that correlate to the specific episodes. However, my first interactions with *any* fandoms were in 2019ish, so I don’t have a good sense of what pre-streaming fandoms were like and my point of comparison is pretty limited. I’m not sure if you’ve seen Fantasy High, but I know you’ve posted some Game Changer stuff, and you seem pretty knowledgeable about the evolution of fandom culture in general so I figured I might as well ask what your thoughts on it are :) (if you have other examples of shows that still release weekly that you think are relevant I’m also interested in hearing those���I just picked Game Changer and Fantasy High cause those are the ones I’m familiar with)

I'm not really involved in fannish spaces. I just like things.

[fernsnailz]

Okay I didn't look at the read more to avoid spoilers since I kinda want to see for myself but is the writing for the knuckles series like current mcu levels of bad?

idk what's happening in current mcu since i haven't seen a marvel movie in like 5+ years, but the writing for the knuckles series is. hm. well it's not good

the dialogue varies a lot. there are some lines that are lame as hell on paper, but i think the cast does a good enough job of delivering them that they still managed to land for me. and some of the jokes i thought were pretty good in general! like actually written with a bit of thought to them! the dialogue really tanks in any "emotional" scenes because this show is very clearly focused on comedy above all else. if you're looking to actually feel anything for these characters, it's not gonna happen. they're gonna be too busy joking around to make their emotions seem real.

the actual story and plot are kinda all over the place too, there's not that many plotlines to keep track of but the number of characters (ESPECIALLY the number of antagonists) gummed things up quite a bit for me. there's a distinct lack of balance between the more action-oriented plotline and the fucking. bowling tournament. some episodes focus on just one and completely forget about the other half of the show, and it's very jarring to return back to the other plotline in the episode after.

lastly. the characters. most of the characters are very sauceless and i only ever really cared about knuckles and the funny girl scout who has like four minutes of screentime. wade is supposed to be a "loveable dumbass", but his specific type of character is one i've seen so often that i just didn't feel anything for him or his desires - which is rough, because he's essentially the main character of the show. and unfortunately, the show really under-utilizes knuckles and makes him pretty one-note a majority of the time. there's so many scenes where he's just. kinda there. like they didn't really know what to do with him.

in short. idk it's a bit all over the place and lacks much heart. there's a number of bits i enjoyed but the writing in general is not very good

#hoooo boy what a show #fernasks

[cadenzarose]

Beach date shenanigans!

aka I never imagined we'd get a relationship pre-reveal and now there are so many Scenarios in my head

bonus:

(Also, special thanks to @ittybittytatertot for helping me brainstorm!)

#miraculous ladybug #ml #ml spoilers #kinda #not for a specific episode but just like for things in general #cadenzadraws #miraculous minicomic #i tried to be looser with this comic and it was a really fun time #just messin around with expressions #not worrying about anatomy overmuch #it was chill #please do not flip the canvas though #ml season 5 spoilers #ml s5 spoilers

[ladykyriaa]

Oh the writers must think they're soooooooo funny (they're not)

#ml conformation #now i cant exactly remember what other episode that had adrien specifically saying he's terrfied of the power he holds #but. dude #theyre so insane for this honestly #like i know theres this whole theme going on with adrien and how fears about destroying things or just ruining them in general #but seeing theese just. idk adds more depth i guess #ml spoilers #ml paris #miraculous ladybug #kyriatalks

[hotmess-exe]

it's not my story to tell, so i won't be writing it, but i sincerely hope to see an interactive fiction someday where the protagonist is a felon. specifically, i'd like the protag to be someone who has served their full sentence and just gotten out.

there is so little respect and empathy for that perspective, so i just would love a well-written IF about it

#maybe there is one and i'm unaware? #if #just thoughts #writing #was just thinking about the stigma that ppl who kill during psychotic episodes face once they are approved for release #and ofc the skepticism and wariness of the general public makes sense esp of whichever community was actually affected by the crime #but like #what do we believe y'all #wtf do we believe #is psychotherapy real or should ppl be locked up forever for doing something while literally out of their sane mind #do we believe in reform or do we keep everyone locked up bc it's more comfortable to treat people like refuse #do we believe in live and let live or do we want ppl to never live on if we personally deem them undeserving of peace or life #is psychosis a real thing or are we all pretending to understand and empathize with mental illness #fr fr #i just really hate how ppl are so comfy reacting in certain ways to that specific sort of perpetrator idk lol #gut reactions are one thing and using our brains and what we objectively know about psychology in combo with that is another #and when it comes to criminals ppl are very happy to abandon the latter and fully embrace the former #but claim to still be good decent people like............... #do you truly believe crimes committed during a psychotic break should be weighed the same as ones not? #cause if you do like... fuck you??? #and if you think they shouldn't.... then we *must* apply that logic to how we treat and perceive ppl cleared as not a danger #there's no perfect system anywhere but i hate how individuals are so quick and willing to disappear people we view as problems #the constant war on the unhoused is a good example too #mh #at capacity #the great sham #abolish prison anyway yknow

[aroacehanzawa]

WHAT R UR THOUGHTS ON BUDDY DADDIES EPISODE 8 🙏

I THINK IT WAS OUTSTANDING

First off, from the very first scene with Miri asking Rei where he's going and then saying but his home is here, and he says "THAT'S TRUE". AS TRUE AS HOW MUCH I CRIED UPON HEARING THAT

I think this episode was a great continuation from last episode's Kazuki-focused perspective, where Kazuki accepted to move on and essentially to live in the present from now on, the present that includes Miri and Rei. And now we got to follow Rei trying to find his place and accepting that his heart belongs with the little Kazuki & Miri family that he has little by little become more a part of than he realises.

I think the episode did a great job portraying how conflicted Rei is as he stands in-between having to continue his family business and having found a new home, which he might not necessarily feel like he belongs to (yet), but which he wants to belong to. And it's the way he did not outright say this, but what he does say is that there is something he also wants to protect, in direct parallel to his former mentor who was fighting to protect his significant other!!!

I also love how Rei's journey in this episode didn't end on some super optimistic final note (which last episode kind of did with Kazuki, the sun breaking out when he comes to his realisation and the colourful flowers and everything) but rather showing how Rei has simply taken the first small steps towards the future he wants, and sometimes that's enough.

Like, he's brooding and contemplating his identity and place in the world when Kazuki calls and he just lets it ring, but he picks it up in the end. Kazuki comes and he doesn't want to get in the car, but he does. We get to see their first meetings and how Kazuki took care of him, and even back then it was just a small step Rei took - he let Kazuki help. Rei asks if they can really change, and Kazuki doesn't know - but he took the step to ask, and Kazuki answered honestly. And that's already a change, this decision of theirs to step by step try to do the right thing so that they can live their lives the way they want, together with Miri. And in this episode it culminated in Rei smiling at sleepy Miri and the birthday table prepared by Kazuki, and that's enough for now.

Idk idk just think this series does such a wonderful job in showing the character's personal journeys and the difficulties of not just their jobs and lifestyles but also, very obviously, of two men raising a child together, and it does this in such a magnificent way with the perfect balance between optimistic and realistic. This episode was just another part of the wonderful whole, and it stands out so well on its own while still being such an important turning point in our main characters' story as a whole!

Also that ending scene?????? i won't survive the angst of the next episodes

#SORRY I STARTED RAMBLING there's not a single coherent sentence in there i'm afraid #you asked for my thoughts so those are my pure unfiltered thoughts #ANYWAY IF YOU AREN'T WATCHING BUDDY DADDIES. IT IS NOT TOO LATE #another thing - the photo of kazuki and miri in the supermarket was such a straight forward parallel to the photo of rei's former mentor #and his fiancee? wife? i forget #i've seen some criticism about how the show has very clearly put kazuki in the 'mother/housewife' role but #here i have to echo what some others had said - that there is still nothing heteronormative about the story of two single men raising a #child together. like you can say all you want about how kazuki does the cooking and the cleaning #but the very fact that they are NOT actually a man and woman living together already separates them from the context of a power imbalance #that would exist between a similar but heterosexual relation specifically because of patriarchy #like the unfair division of labour between husband and wife is one that is specifically rooted in sexism throughout history #whereas in this case it merely PARALLELS the typical parental roles without actually having this inherent power imbalance #i'm not well read enough on feminist theory to say anything more on the subject but you get what i mean? #and i think last episode already did a great job showing that kazuki DOES find it unfair that rei doesn't contribute enough at home #i think that was good commentary that applies to any household and family in general and not just the heterosexual nuclear family #i just don't think it's right to say that this series is being heteronormative #that's all folks #buddy daddies

[crystal-clear-crystalline]

I'm curious, what's the general reception of the g3 MH cartoon outside of the fandom? I barely seen anything regarding the new episodes, specifically with it's diversity, the Clankie episode, Heath going to therapy, and Twyla being autistic.

Usually some big news from an outlet or from some overbearing homophobic/transphobic/ableist parent would talk about this but I haven't seen anything.

#monster high #monster high g3 #monster high gen 3 #I swore there was one more specific thing but it legit slipped from my mind #MAYBE Clankie since people would probably still see Frankie as a girl and their mutual budding crush as just 'oh besties :)' #but that episode has a BIG romantic overtone #Maybe the other ones I mentioned being seen as throwaway lines but they're all details very major to their characters #like the most transphobia/homophobia i've seen was from inside the fandom #so far saw no ableism with Twyla or anything for Heath #I think there was an uproar or smth when Julia from Sesame Street debuted #g3 is still messy in a lot of places but really appreciate what it's doing here #my guess is just what g3 is struggling in general and that is promotion and awareness is barely reaching the audience it's targeting #to even get the usual response #personal

[karmaphone]

can u imagine if they tried to make atla today. 'yeah here's my pitch about a child who has the weight of the balance of both the physical world and an ethereal spirit world on his shoulders on top of being the last survivor of a literal genocide. yeah he's spiritually enlightened already in a non Christian religion, and reincarnation happens to him and him alone. yeah no the show's major themes are about how war and imperialism are bad for everyone involved, including the world around us. no, there'll still be cool fight scenes but it will also fundamentally explain the difference between defending oneself from an oppressor vs using that power to oppress and how even children can grasp that- where are you going'

#not to mention the backlash I'm sure they would have gotten for the 'feminist agenda' like looking specifically at katara & how the northern #water tribe and even sokka learning to respect women juice I can HEAR the outcry of subverting male power for fake female empowerment #or what fucking ever #don't even get me started on the racial aspect I had to hear about that enough growing up #like 'hey here's my series about No White People whose main messages fly in the face of American culture' #I'm not like 'wau things were better then!!1!' I know it contributed to the normalization of feminist viewpoints and the idea that maybe you #don't actually want to be part of the war machine #im just saying considering the level of fan engagement and social media I can just imagine the backlash they would get for making it today #like? the hama episode????? I DOUBT they could have gotten that passed today #literally the entire episode where they explain zuko's scar I don't think they would have gotten away with such a direct portrayal of #physical child abuse without changing the rating of the whole show #in fact all of the child abuse presented. everything that zhao did to zuko. everything that general did to katara to get aang Triggered #the blind bandit fights I can see passing bc it's like wwe and not real violence but like child kidnapping?? at the direction of the parents #how did this show get approved for 10 year olds is all I'm asking I'm NOT complaining I'm genuinely exuberant it exists im jus stymied lmao

[watery-melon-baller]

i keep having fuckin Ideas

#mainly just two things #one is a toh video essay (I've never made a video essay in my life but I am passionate about toh so that might make up 4 it) #and the second one is involving my generation swap toh au which I have FINALLY named after a year to myosotis au #I've been like. Slowly plotting things out for it n shit #I wanna do smthn for it and if I did I think it would be a comic but that takes time and I'm also not great at comics #but I really wanna draw it out #idk man my brain is buzzing with Things 2 Do #i have to finish plottinb out the au lmao #I know the broad strokes but I'm just figuring out specifics (how to rewrite each episode n shit) #anyways i think it would be fun 2 do. if anyone is interested i might try and do a few smaller comics #not gonna immediately start making a long comic lmaoo #lilac post

[deviantartidentitydisorder]

id forgive steven universe for its crimes if the art style wasnt so boring

#steven universe is a really good kids cartoon in comparison to kids cartoons #but i just find it kind of bland #it feels really uhmmmm #preachy? which is fine but idk it really only gets like that near the end #the episode with steven almost dying in the desert to get his moms tapes or whatever i was like good lord bc it was soooooo preachy #and i lost interest then because its like when you want to preach at me and pretend youre this highly emotionally mature show with this #beautiful mature art style then you better act like it #and even if steven universe WAS highly emotionally mature i wouldnt be into it. thats not the kind of stuff i like #so in general i think it was kind of doomed to fail in my eyes #and i really do atribute it to the art style too #im very into bright colors and cutesy things but i dont know it was almost like. toooo magical girl for my personal taste? #i really like a lot of specific episodes though. the frybo episode and the cat transformation episode both stand out really strong #and those ones were really really good and had some insane art

[danielnelsen]

always fun to remind myself of the side effects of my thyroid meds

#the first time i treated my thyroid my endo was like ‘i havent had a patient who had this happen for a while so im due for one’ THANKS MAN #personal #im just waiting for it to hurry up and work. my health has PLUMMETED in the last week or so #im so sick and i can’t DO ANYTHING. including SLEEP. even if i was getting enough good sleep i was be exhausted but i’m not so. #the energy’s doing Great #and i’m so hungry all the time but also nauseous so all food is unappealing #genuinely have no idea how i made it through years 7-10 undiagnosed. no wonder i ended up with such a severe phobia of going to bed???????? #i don’t have to worry about routine right now so it’s not as stressful (just horrible because i’m so tired) but i COULDNT SLEEP back then #im just relieved that this time it was found through a routine check rather than me getting a test because of symptoms #usually i test when my anxiety gets really bad in a specific way #but my anxiety isn’t bad this time. no panic attacks and also no migraines. those are all usually the worst to deal with #so comparatively this isn’t even a particularly bad episode?/relapse?/flare? #still more sick than i’ve been in……..years? #im not sure if covid was better or worse. but it was only really bad for a week #this’ll be worse overall because it’ll last a lot longer #hopefully only a month or two but that’s still a few months of my life that just vanish. cool!!!!!!!!!!! #and there wasn’t even a notable event to trigger it this time. first time was whooping cough and subsequent times have been things like— #starting uni and then the last 2 years of uni where i took 10 units in one year then overworked myself doing my thesis #im SLIGHTLY worried that maybe i’ve developed rheumatoid arthritis and that set it off because it’s also autoimmune #i should see my gp soon to get a general antibody test. my joint have been so bad it’s been hard to walk for quite a few months #idk man it all sucks. but for now at least i have my white blood cells (even if they’re literally the problem lmao)

[oh-hamlet]

finally hit hell bent on my capaldi rewatch. I'm in bits.

#that episode had no right to turn me into a weeping 13 year old like it was nothing #I haven't rewatched s9 in an age but I honestly thought I was more stoic than this 😭 #twelveclara exposure therapy via fandom clearly doesn't work #need the real thing #(I remember so clearly when this episode aired I had a sleepover at a friend's house to watch it #and me her and her little brother all sobbed #her mam must have been so concerned LOL) #I almost never cry at media so I wasn't expecting to on this rewatch #but man it was like a switch flipped #that capaldi coleman chemistry don't pull any punches..... #I honestly can't believe moffat just wrote that #like that is a crazy thing to do with doctor who #and in general #but specifically with doctor who #what the hell 💀 #🥺

[fazcinatingblog]

More like IF I come back amirite, also stop making me feel guilty, also learn to spell (paralegal? Parallel? ...never mind doesn't parramatta), also like it's my fault she hires 53 accountants that can only do accounting and 1 admin person to send out the tax returns and invoices and

#this whole thing makes me mad #like I'm sorry okay i didn't want this to happen #other people are mad at me too and have to fly to Sydney alone and sit next to strangers at Taylor and #I'm letting down more important people than one little suburban accounting firm #like my parents have to deal with a week where all three of their kids are going through stuff #plus my nana needs stuff as well #and Charlotte needs looking after but she's got her childcare and the other grandparents but still everything's a mess #and then there's my housemate i mean she's okay i hope i didn't infect her and if so thank God i didn't infect her BEFORE taylor #no idk all round it's a pretty shit situation #Sophia have some perspective #oh and Collingwood just lost to norf Melbourne #Angus Brayshaw retired #There are no rules anymore it's all chaos and anarchy and we're living in the unknown #tom Phillips is at Carlton #Trent bianco has disappeared off the side of the earth and his mother has every mystic in the country looking for him #and I'm just alone watching modern family episodes trying to remember how Haley and Andy get together #when he's sitting outside the wedding in a taxi asking Haley if she meant a specific person or just in general #and Haley's crying because she wants him and finds him funny and cute but Alex told her off for having a crush on him and getting involved #fuck Alex #anyway where was i #oh yeah i don't know #discussing IF i come back and not when #wait no #i don't know #I've lost the plot

[unproduciblesmackdown]

already was musing on how like, here's an intro that's Establishing Things, and it's like, does it matter that we were given a quants interaction of winston being like "hey you were nice to me there, actually. it reminds me of how" only for rian to pull the nice maneuvers of not wanting to listen to him share anything, being willing to just issue an order to someone about what he gets to do (talk for ten seconds) and doing so, then some underwhelming flair used to insult him surely, i guess that he's so stupid(tm) or whatever. like, wondering does that mean anything really that that was just about rian being an asshole, as has been sprinkled in before, just little moments that deadend with winston just feeling Disheartened b/c rian was shitty for no reason. does it mean anything that she did anything for the quant duo before that in refusing a chance to not sit next to him. theoretically just a [we're still tmc] kind of choice to stick together, and sure didn't move her to even treat him like a person she dislikes, just a nonperson she also dislikes

and relatedly it's going to be just as hilarious as rian, what, implying winston hasn't heard / of the french language, that the theory that rian and dollar bill become some kind of duo based on being Hilarious(tm) but also just terrible to any & everyone and bullying people has only more plausible, And that this episode of billions' introduction / establishment of dollar bill is decidedly centered around "yeah nobody likes this guy or can stand to deal with him. not even the people paid to be there, not even the self-declared Too Nice guy who kept choosing hanging out with dollar bill & his bullying over working & hanging out with his friend taylor" so it sure doesn't seem like that's leaving much room for [oh that was an oversight] if dollar bills going to fuck off into mpc hq on the regular and rian's immediately going to be like of course i can roll with this fuckin asshole

and truly a distillation of "rian's supposedly gets the 'good' treatment of More Material & being taken more seriously by other characters, but this only meant that instead of any sense of character &/or her own actual subplots ever, she's whatever a different more prominent character needs for their plot at any given time; winston's peripheral funny little guy unimportance & insulting treatment is still so much better re: being a character" if winston gets the worst treatment of being shoved out of mpc by episode three and rian is graced with hanging around most or all season only to be judged & condemned to now have that loss of [quant duo] replaced with being insufferable bullying horrible person dollar bill's New Friend and like, right away, with ease. and like i was saying like i would not argue with that, if rian had the consistent principle of treating anyone with basic respect she wouldn't be treating winston as a nonperson, and of course she has a broader capacity for being an asshole to anyone at any point that's just drier and less [outbursts of physical aggression] than dollar bill's style.

no idea what rian's overall arcs could be when yknow, why is she here, why has she stayed here, her most relevance right now gets to be "has the dialogue capacity to talk about getting prince with a sex scandal. also has zero thoughts on how power factors into one rather than that you just need to be polite about it?" which only feels truly character specific when held up against "rian was supposedly bullied but also Above even hating the people who did it. but she is also a bully and not even especially emotionally detached about it, even though how she treats winston is more important than how she feels about it" like basically "also a bully" is her most coherent deal. and it's just Interesting that simply being mean to winston is again basically pointed out, and her future bestie or [put in the same shots duo status] dollar bill is Impending but the episode was like "yeah of course everyone hates this guy, for being awful" and the joke nonjoke the whole time that unfortunately rian might get along just fine with bill as workplace (and probably also life in general, it's not a honed strategy they limit to the office) bullies

so that That's what rian gets for getting to stick around, while winston Might get to be shoved out of the fund hq with any character flair from him and, i do unfortunately have to wonder harder now, maybe any relevance afforded to the way people have treated him, indeed maybe rian especially, his personal bully and abusive friend. and because other people also see rian as better than him & maybe also winston as [not a person], if winston does anything that's indeed deliberately petty, mean, Angry, etc, towards rian, That will be seen as unacceptable vs the yknow checks notes years of cruel interpersonal treatment from rian to winston, but nothing hangs in the balance on that front, people won't suddenly be like "nice. winston's a person to me now, which, why am i even in a position to Decide that" if he's shoved out & goes quietly & politely and creates no problems in return. and, very much like dollar bill, i don't think rian will change, but for winston's own sake it would be Heartening if he voices his experience such that we know he knows it was bullshit, even though of course rian, and probably anyone else, isn't going to choose to listen past 5 seconds, least of all when he's clearly indicating a general state of irritation. rooting for flair and idiosyncrasy for him and indeed that the best sources for that could be with taylor, please, the person he's always been here for, rian, the person for years now bullying him more than she does anyone else or more than anyone else does to winston, and even fun if there's anything with tuk his apparent genuine friend tuk, and by "fun" i mean "such a delight i daren't really think much abt it From Canon"

anyways the tl;dr i suppose is that winston getting apparently thrown away in the first third of the season is insulting treatment but rian getting to stay and be dollar bill's wretched bestie is truly the worse fate and basically that distillation of like. oh winston's bringing it on himself he's so annoying nobody likes him, while in actuality all the ways he's never fit in or done things "right" and how he would never have been hired if taylor hadn't done it are all compliments and endorsements. while rian's been viewed as a capable valuable person by all from the start and treated as Better Than even others who are still also seen people, but her "success" and the shit she gets to continue to do in how she treats people b/c nothing about being at work stops that and some things facilitate & reward it, see: also dollar bill being around the whole time & now also back, definitely include treating a friendly coworker any which way, which she usually chooses to be: badly. and of course shoutout to the thread of taylor being like "if you stay btw you'll probably get all fucked up" but like also rian just Brought the [i'm a bully but it's fine when i do it. it's bad when it happens to Me] stance from the start, but like, obviously always the opportunity to get worse and just be left off with that implication of Never Trying To Learn, just like your new good friend dollar bill

real tl;dr As Fates Go winston being shitted on & fired / driven to quit >>>>>>>> rian sticking around, befriending dollar bill. and like not in the way i'm arguing that the fate is worse like In Conceptual Quality. it's just a hell of a potential condemnation / indirect illustration of like, here's this person it's horrible to be around, here's a reminder rian is cruel to this coworker on a dime anytime, here's rian deciding the horrible person is Alright anyways. maybe they'll be busy with a bullying power struggle the whole time. and maybe winston will get to appear outside the fund actually. just really something to be going like "oh my god lmao rian and dollar bill might actually be specifically getting along well as fellow [be horrible to coworkers] bullies and assholes who feel Above It, it being many other people, this being a kind of requirement there" and to be wondering if billions will make this fact that rian's job is being an asshole more relevant at all, if even to be like yeah leaving off with a lost cause here, including that i really doubt winston can Get Through To her even with his ability & willingness to air his grievances, and like, as though oh actually winston brought it upon himself b/c rian just didn't knowww, that's on him and his visible pain & verbal expressions of that pain & requests that she stop which Weren't Enough, and as though maintaining that onesided dynamic for bullying and demeaning and shutting down and abusing was like an unconscious accidental coincidence every time and not its own Active Process, regardless of what the other person does or doesn't do, and with the agenda of maintaining that [i'm the person who chooses how things go; they're the object that reacts accordingly like it's laws of physics level of demands of reality] one-sided relationship, so they'd only just be looking to react to what that other person does or doesn't do in ways that serve those purposes anyway. sometimes rian's "nicer" but she's still the one deciding how everything goes, winston can only roll with it like a ball at the top of a ramp like, of course, unquestionable. cue space winston, zero gravity

haha another tl;dr. winston being disposed of is a warmer Fate to assign a character than rian's potential "of course she's friends with dollar bill now" like lmfao Ouch. but yeah of course.

#one wrench in things is no idea if [winston :/ing at rian hugging taylor out in the open] will play into anything #didn't seem to affect him now and if it was absolute Need To Know we might've been reminded. but it's billions; no guarantees #and similarly; whatever bullshit gets him shoved out &/or leaving on his own is bound to be unguessable #already dealing with tmc problems; being on on the floor; not much taylor time; though their being Away is new / unknown #winston billions #rian could've at least been nonbinary. but they can't be like no NO rian is not [still Questioning] [and in part thus still closeted too] #winston quant billions sees his new nonbinary person he wants to impress & will be penciling in [swoon about it] immediately #at least with taylor he's just largely had to deal with that distance / lack of access already in general #re: rian it's like yeah here's your new devoted bully to sit next to you who Doesn't actually want you to Never talk to her #b/c he has to have hopes to be dashed & speak up to be made to shut up & be more Available in general than if he Avoided her in general #iconic to take your autistic bestie's interest & hang out to engage w/them abt it until you lash out at them over it for chatting abt it #[rian calls winston a slur] is truly there in spirit even if it doesn't manifest #or that the difference in her & dollar bill is in just variations in affect & specific strategies. not in spirit #like she might do the office: you don't call [rworded] ppl [rwords]. it's bad taste. you call your friends [''s] when they're acting [''ed] #but that's also in a world where it's an episode abt everyone hatecriming winston for being himself Out as autistic #and idk if rian would refer to winston as a friend. she would if it kept him strung along with that hope on his end anyways but #5x05 through 5x07 riawin really had so much potential but it's being realized in taylip #and itself became ''yeah rian could get along fine with dollar bill'' b/c she won't regard winston as a person #true of many other people but they want to ignore him most of the time vs use him as a chew toy so