#you're so wonderful and thoughtful!

[carpe-mamilia]

Ghosts’ Larry Rickard Explains Why They Chose the Captain’s First Name

Photo: Monumental,Guido Mandozzi

It couldn’t be a joke. That was one rule laid down by the Ghosts creators when it came to choosing a first name for Willbond’s character. Until series five, the WWII ghost had been known only as The Captain – a mystery seized upon by fans of the show.

“It was the question we got asked more than anything. His name,” actor and writer Larry Rickard tells Den of Geek. “Once we got to series three, you could see that we were deliberately cutting away and deliberately avoiding it. We were fuelling the fire because we knew at some point we’d tell them.”

In “Carpe Diem”, the episode written by Rickard and Ben Willbond that finally reveals The Captain’s death story, they did tell us. After years of guessing, clue-spotting and debate, Ghosts revealed that The Captain’s first name is James. At the same time, we also learned that James’ colleague Lieutenant Havers’ first name was Anthony.

The ordinariness of those two names, says Rickard, is the point.

“The only thing we were really clear about is that we didn’t want one of those names that only exists in tellyland. It shouldn’t be ‘Cormoran’ or ‘Endeavour’. They should just be some men’s names and they’re important to them. The point was that they were everyday.”

Choosing first names for The Captain and Havers was a long process not unlike naming a baby, Rickard agrees. “It almost comes down to looking at the faces of the characters and saying, what’s right?”

“We talked for ages. For a long time I kept thinking ‘Duncan and James’, and then I was like ah no! That would have turned it into a gag and been awful!” Inescapably in the minds of a certain generation, Duncan James is a member of noughties boyband Blue. “Maybe with Anthony I was thinking of Anthony Costa!” Rickard says in mock horror, referencing another member of the band.

Lieutenant Havers wasn’t just The Captain’s second in command while stationed at Button House; he was also the man James loved. Because homosexuality was criminalised in England during James’ lifetime, he was forced to hide his feelings for Anthony from society, and to some extent even from himself.

In “Carpe Diem”, the ghosts (mistakenly) prepare for the last day of their afterlives, prompting The Captain to finally tell his story. Though not explicit about his sexual identity, the others understand and accept what he tells them – and led by Lady Button, all agree that he’s a brave man.

Getting the balance right of what The Captain does and doesn’t say was key to the episode. “It wasn’t just a personal choice of his to go ‘I’m going to remain in the closet’,” explains Rickard. “There wasn’t an option there to explore the things that either of them felt. That couldn’t be done back then – there are so many stories which have come out since the War about the dangers of doing that.

“We wanted to tell his personal story but also try to ensure that there was a level at which you understood why they couldn’t be open, that even in this moment where he’s finally telling the other ghosts his story, he never comes out and says it overtly because that would be too much for him as a character from that time.

“He says enough for them to know, and enough for him to feel unburdened but it’s in the fact that they’re using their first names which militarily they would never have done, and in the literal passing of the baton”.

The baton is a bonus reveal when fans learned that The Captain’s military stick wasn’t a memento of his career, but of Havers. As James suffers a fatal heart attack during a VE day celebration at Button House, Anthony rushes to his side and the stick passes from one to the other as they share a moment of tragic understanding.

“From really early on, we had the idea that anything you’re holding [when you die] stays with you. So it wasn’t just your clothes you were wearing, we had the stuff with Thomas’ letter reappearing in his pocket and so on. And the assumption being that it was something The Captain couldn’t put down, it felt so nice to be able to say it was something he didn’t want to put down.”

Rickard lists “Carpe Diem”, co-written with Ben Willbond, among his series five highlights. He’s pleased with the end result, praises Willbond’s performance, and loved being on set to see Button House dressed for the 1940s. He’s particularly pleased that a checklist of moments they wanted to land with the audience all managed to be included. “Normally something’s fallen by the wayside just because of the way TV’s made, it’s always imperfect or it’s slightly rushed, but it feels like it’s all there.”

Rickard and Willbond also knew by this point in the show’s lifetime, that they could trust Ghosts fans to pick up on small details. “Nothing is missed,” he says. “Early on, you’re always thinking, is that going to get across? But once we got to series five, there are little tiny things within corners of shots and you know that’s going to be spotted. Particularly in that very short exchange between Havers and the Captain. We worried less about the minutiae of it because you go, that’s going to be rewound and rewatched, nothing will be missed.”

The team were also grateful they’d resisted the temptation to tell The Captain’s story sooner. “We’d talked about it every series since series two, whether or not now was the time, but because he’s such a hard and starchy character in a lot of ways you needed the time to understand his softer side I think before you had that final honest beat from him.”

“What a ridiculously normal name to have so much weight put on it for five years,” laughs Rickard fondly. “Good old James.”

From Den of Geek

#bbc ghosts #bless you larry for doing all these den of geek interviews #I wonder if they just did one marathon session with him #inside ghosts was kind of disappointing this week #I guess Ben just wants to let the episode speak for itself and you're like yes but I would like to hear you talk about every detail #trust me we will be interested #long post #I really thought they loved the joke of nearly saying the Captain’s name so much that they'd never reveal it #so it's so lovely that they were like no this is not a joke name; he's a real man with an ordinary name #and we are going to tell you that in the most devastatingly romantic way #I am eating my words and they are delicious with that spread on top #also 'that's going to be rewound and rewatched' = 'I know you people are loopy so here is content specifically for you' #bbc ghosts spoilers

[badassindistress]

I know i have several people who do several types of spinning following me here, so maybe one of you can help me out on this frivolous little sidequest:

When I was a Youth (many centuries ago) my mother taught me to spin in the way she had been taught to spin. You carve a stick so it has a smooth tip, put some cleaned wool in a bag and take out a tuft at a time to twist it around your stick as you turn it so it forms a thin thread. This was apparently what the local farmers did to keep their hands busy as they walked their fields. My mother was apparently a Deviant Youth who plucked bits of wool from fences to spin (these were wild times).

I thought this technique was (translated to) drop spinning, but looking that up it is not.

Can anyone tell me what this spinning technique is called?

Edit: Found! It's French clasped spinning

#this has no bearing on anything #i was just wondering #this is great when you're 13 cause you can walk and spin and think your 13 year old thoughts #a talia original #spinning #I'm just wondering what this technique is called so i can look up exactly how it went

[letsmcfreackingloseit]

And for the holidays I give you memes! Memes everywhere!

I hope that all of you are having a wonderful time, but if not, I at least hope these silly doodles brought you a little joy!

I'm going to keep this short and sweet today, so to round this of: These doodles are based off of the fanfic Apex Polarity, which is written by the lovely @naffeclipse and Eclipse' design is based off of @themeeplord 's fantastic design!

And as a bonus, you will find an alteration and a bunch of Yeti slogans/puns under the cut:

and if you're wondering why I made so many gd yeti puns, it was for michael's mug. You gotta have some fitting and funny slogan for all mugs. Btw If any of you know some good yeti slogans and/or puns, please call me, I've been struggling.

Michael; local cryptid believer, but not cryptid enjoyer

Vanessa; POLAR BEARS

Eclipse; I'm having the best time of my life! :D

Y/n; I'm having A TIME :')

#apex polarity #polar!y/n #polar!vanessa #polar!michael #polar!eclipse #orca!eclipse #dca #dca au #OK! Here comes the obligatory extra thoughts section- from top to bottom order- GO!!! #BEHOLD!: is the will smith meme- but it's also kind of a reference to the “BEHOLD- a man!” joke but- you know- in reverse :P #also if you wondering why Y/n is kind of T-posing- it's the 'I have too many layers of clothes so I'm sort of T-posing' pose #I love drawing them like that XD #and also I'm giving them a little sass- you know- as a treat 💅❇️ #NDA: I love michael. He's been through shit and is trying so hard to keep everyone safe- #and for that I want to give him a break and a hug :') #POLAR BEARS: I know and you know and SHE knows *nods knowingly* polar bears XD #Me and the bad bitch: this fits so well with polar!y/n but it would be an even better fit for hare!y/n XD #my pronouns: Sorry Y/n- eclipse will like you no matter the gender- so you're stuck! Good luck! XD #Yeti puns: OK so Michael knows sirens exists right? #So I was thinking that he's probably a cryptid believer- but not so much a cryptid enjoyer #So I was trying to make a mug slogan that was kind of both #but that was HARD- so in the end I picked just a pure and very simple yeti pun for his mug #the 'Yeti? Not on my watch!' ties back to michael believeing in cryptids- but not liking them #so yes- my headcanon is he will send cryptids to Uno hell if possible #at 'yeti spagetti!' I was grasping at straws- NOTHING RHYMES WITH YETI EXCEPT SPAGETTI!! Also yes- #spagetti is misspelled and I'm going to keep misspelling it because why tf is there an H in the word spagetti? NAY I SAY!! *GASP* ok done! #again I hope all of you are doing well in these times #and I'm sorry for being so late in saying this naff (got caught up in the holiday prep)- but I hope you're feeling better now! Ik how #stressful it can be around the holidays- but I hope this cheered you up and that you'll get to relax after chirstmas! #NOW I NEED TO STOP BECAUSE I'VE REACHED THE TAG LIMIT- happy holidays everyone and hope you have a good one!

[finncakes]

so glad about this reveal from yesterday's 4-sided dive

#critical role #ashton greymoore #ashton babygirl you're such a damn fool #i do wonder though... at what point did ash start to subconsciously care abt the group.... hrm #i am relistening to cr3 rn (on ep 13) and knowing this fact will make listening more interesting... #esp in regards to ashton and orym... #babygirl... you tried to use this sweet sweet guy and instead are falling in love with him #<- this is my ashrym brain speaking #but man.... #i can't wait for ash to individually tell the group he care :) #also this makes all the times that ash had commented on orym's ashari shit more... inch resting... #i have so many thoughts and they are all about these two i'm so sorry #oh wait girl hold on #cr spoilers #just in caseies

[blue-jos10]

i wonder how kevin's fitness-obsessed mind justifies his alcohol addiction

#kevin day #aftg #all for the game #like does he think as long as his hangovers don't effect his court time its ok? #that doesn't really fit with the idea that he's a health freak outside court too #like you're telling me he doesn't see the irony of counting calories in decimals then downing a litre of straight vodka? #or is he just so addicted he cant stop? #i feel like he'd go for rehab if he thought it would influence his long term playing but that doesn't seem to be on his bucket list #like i get he'd be hopelessly addicted at the nest but now that his future seems to have some light i'm not sure why he still lets his #addiction destroy him slowly when he's thankfully now adamant on achieving a livable life #idk if this makes sense or if its been addressed somewhere else before but yeah i was just wondering #also sorry if this is inconsiderate or ignorant as to how addictions work i don't know the best

[stardustedknuckles]

Okay but I need to know what the people who have only watched c3 think about Beau and Caleb because I've been rotating them in my head for three years too long to be objective anymore but like. Getting to see them through the eyes of a new party just reminded me that even though so much of our delight in C2 was focused around the constant indignity of the Nein, they are objectively a flickering metronome between "how the fuck are these people alive" and "this is the most hyper competent group of mercenaries I've ever seen" and I just. Do they know. Do they know that Beau is so fucking cool. Are there people who learned these two npcs have a whole campaign and want to learn more about them. I look at these two and see a montage of tiefling dicks and red eyes and promising to kill the other if something goes wrong. I see Caleb smearing mud and bat shit on Beau's face and Beau just resigned even as she makes the most aggrieved and annoyed sounds, Beau hauling Caleb's dissociated ass over her own skinny shoulder and walking him to safety. I look at them and see 500 hours and more of the empire siblings. The weeks and months they spent going from hating the parts of themselves they saw in each other to loving in the other what they still struggled with in themselves. I see chosen siblings, best friends. What do other people see?

#Do they know how much went into Beauregard Lionett asking 'you got my back?' knowing he did #How earned 'what's the play Beauregard' is #beauregard lionett #caleb widogast #CR spoilers #Critical role #CR c3 #Bells hells #Edited to add: don't use this as an excuse to bitch about C2 please #I've already removed and blocked one person #I get some frustration on the attention c1 characters have gotten but don't get mad at c2 fans for it #We've been starved and we're just excited #And this is just wondering your impressions of Beau and Caleb #'Beau is a dick' yeah you're right! She is and I love her so much I wrote 800 #Sorry eight hundred thousand words about her #Several thousand of them also about Caleb #So don't be a dick please #Whatever your thoughts these characters brought people out of some dark dark places #It's me I'm people

[shadow-the-crow]

Michael never really fit in anywhere. Maybe that's part of why i like him so much. Or maybe i'm just projecting lol – but hear me out.

Michael Shelley maybe really didn't have a purpose in life. Maybe doing research on his trauma was all he had. He was too good, too pure for his human life - a life that probably just wasn't great in general.

Now other people without other purpose in life than supernatural trauma reasearch become happy fulfilled avatars, like Mike Crew. But Mike Crew chose to serve his entity. Michael, on the other hand, was sacrificed to an entity that didn't fit him, that was the opposite of him. He was naive and kind and would never lie to anyone, and the Spiral is the incarnation of gaslighting and lies. Which means the Spiral wasn't good for him, but he also couldn't become a good Spiral avatar vessel. Helen seems to be able to coordinate humanity and inhumanity. Michael wasn't, because Michael Shelley wasn't made for becoming this.

In general - i'm still thinking about how Gertrude stopped the ritual by making Michael the Distortion. Maybe it was just because it disturbed the ritual and it needed to get used to its new identity. Or maybe it was because Michael just wasn't a good distortion. He wasn't strong or talented or spirally enough to complete the ritual. God, i made him tragic.

I gotta say: This seems to contradict what i’ve said before, but i’m only talking about Michael and Michael Shelley as one person to simplify this. What i really mean is the Distortion could never be good at being itself while having Michael’s mind.

Can you imagine? Not only being tied to the embodiment of your failure, but still being your failure. Thinking with a mind that represents the opposite of what you are, that contradicts your very essence. That stops you from living up to your full potential, that stops you from being good at being you.

#okay i have like 3 different michael analysis posts ready by now #i'm gonna put them in my queue so i don't flood you with all of them at once #so yeah in case you're wondering: i wrote them directly one after the other. at 2 am. #can you tell the way i view michael the distortion's identity changed halfway through this post? #i hope not #but yeah i wrote the first half before coming to the realization that i talked about in my last michaelpost #tma #the magnus archives #tma podcast #michael distortion #tma the distortion #michael shelley #tma thoughts #tma spoilers #and yes i know - the ritual was probably just stopped because the distortion was forced to take a human-ish form. #but i like to think if it had been a different person it would have managed to do it anyways.

[aroaceleovaldez]

Revisited my old vld au (i blame @jankwritten) and remade my old character sheets about it. tweaked some things, struggled to remember what the hell all my notes were about from like 5 years ago, etc etc. Much happier with the set-up now honestly.

Stars vs circles indicate designated paladin/main pilot of that lion. Or castle in the castle's case.

feel free to ask about it cause I have a lot of random notes jotted down.

#pjo #riordanverse #percy jackson #jason grace #nico di angelo #annabeth chase #piper mclean #leo valdez #hazel levesque #frank zhang #reyna ramírez-arellano #my art #vld pjo au #au #PHEW character tags are a lot #my apologies to anyone im jumpscaring with this post re: vld in 2023 #the ''i blame jankwritten'' is in jest i admittedly cannot pass up an opportunity to draw galra nico #its been so long #also if you're wondering ''is that the roosterbeth design'' yes it is #again she has consumed my every waking thought and also she's fun to draw #didnt redraw my ref for Luke in this au and i never made a Thalia ref but Luke is essentially Sendak #and Thalia is essentially Matt

[makorragal-312]

The Bi!Buck confirmation caused such a shockwave last night that it came back today in the form of an earthquake.

GOD DAMN.

#911 #911 abc #911 on abc #911 season 7 #911 s7 #911 spoilers #evan buckley #911 buck #buck x tommy #buddie #bi!buck #bi buck #bisexual #earthquake #and to anyone wondering #yes there really was an earthquake a few minutes ago #I think they said either 4.8 or 3.2 #im all good #just a bit shook #but then the thought that this might be from last night popped in my head #and I thought it was pretty funny so I just decided to say it #but imagine though #having the power to cause an earthquake because you finally became a canon bisexual character #Evan Buckley the trendsetter that you are #oliver stark the precedent that you're setting #good lord

[scriobh-an-iontas]

Edit: Damn it I meant "morality" fuck

#taylor polls #to be lawful #to be good #law #morality #philosophy side of tumblr #philosophy #I'm only giving you two options because then you have to choose #i thought about adding a third option of “ideally yes but practically no” but figured that would be too easy so i left it out #i would have picked that third once though #if you're wondering

[whimsiclaw]

"Pit, stop backseat gaming."

I thought this trend was adorable so I had to participate!

#emerald art #2023 #described #kid icarus uprising #kid icarus #thought the original's skin tone was ashy so i edited it #if you're wondering what happened to the old one

[andthebeanstalk]

PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS

PUSSY.

BIG FLAPPY WET JESUS PUSSY.

JESUS' SOPPING WET PUSS-PUSS

[Edited months after posting to discourage catholics from replying to this post after finding that both the nice and much funnier not-nice responses to this were equally bad for my mental health. I didn't wanna delete it bc I was quite proud of some of my responses and it helps to have a visual reminder of why I left an abusive organization. Also, this means that any catholic who has reblogged this in an attempt to convert me, has now reblogged a post that, if clicked, links back to this. Use MY post for propaganda, will you!]

Thinking about how it was never made clear to me in Catholic school exactly WHY Jesus died for our sins. I just remembered that I was literally never clear on who the dying helped??

I've heard theories as an adult, but basically what I'm saying is pointless martyrdom seems a little pointless, and also with enough propaganda the big logical gaps in a belief system get really hard to see. Especially if questioning anything is blasphemy.

I would have gotten in so much trouble for insisting the teacher explain how Jesus helped us by being tortured to death by Romans even when God could have prevented it! God sent his only Son, they would have said! Be grateful, they'd say! Be guilty! Stop asking why he did that!!!

#original #religious trauma #<- what's up guys why did he do that??? for real i was raised catholic and it is FUCKING UNCLEAR but also the basis of a huge chunk of #my childhood?? like WHY though? my friend madeleine said it was related to animal sacrifices with the lamb of god stuff and all #this was NEVER mentioned in my school. i thought he was the lamb bc he followed god but maybe not #no wonder my impulse as a person is to constantly sacrifice myself unnecessarily #i think martyrdom is a bad gift. but i guess torture your son to death or whatever dude. but it's weird to do that and say it was for me #like...... thanks?? you're literally omnipotent but this is like the worst possible version of a cat leaving a dead mouse on my bed #Christianity #thank goodness i was too much of a fag to stay. i was so unhappy there. #the good place actually addresses a lot of my issues with Christianity as a whole while also not being all about Christianity #like what does it mean to condemn a person capable of change to eternal hell?M #*hell?? #the good place #god pays the devil's rent y'all. like in that post that made my long beautiful essay about this irrelevant by #summing it up with 'girl they are in cahoots.' i think about that post all the fukn time nothing i can write longform is as punchy as that

[dollsome-does-tumblr]

something i cherish about wellington paranormal is that it's the rare proof that your show doesn't actually need character development or storylines that last longer than an episode or even character names as long as it's really, really funny and delightful 💖

#like ... you could watch episode 1 and the final episode back to back and you're not really missing any information #but it's just so divinely wonderful #i think this is actually an extremely rare and impressive feat #also just because i've been dying to say this somewhere: officer o'leary is such a slept-on iconic wlw character!!!!!!!!!!!! #dollsome's deep thoughts #wellington paranormal

[sincerely-sofie]

Cave-in: A comic starring Darkrai, Dusknoir, and an unconscious Twig on an expedition gone wrong.

(Note that this takes place after the ending of the fanfic, and people have settled into having Darkrai in their lives... for the most part. Dusknoir still hates his guts and doesn't trust him whatsoever.)

#Look at these two ghosty guys. Finally having a life-changing field trip together. #it's about time that you two stopped being petty and sarcastic to each other all the time #You're both ex-villains who have personally traumatized the rest of the cast and struggle with feelings of inadequacy and guilt. #BOND OVER IT ALREADY. #I apologize for leaving this so messy but if I tried to work any longer in that file Clip Studio Paint was gonna kill me #This comic started with me having the thought of #WAIT. If you were a ghost type... #and someone in your party in a mystery dungeon passed out... #could you just like. Pilot the unconscious body so that the mystery dungeon doesn't boot you out upon your partner(s) fainting? #I know that it's meant to be a bit of story and gameplay segregation in-game #but I always wondered about why mystery dungeons eject you upon your partner fainting in the main game. #I've got an escape orb man #One person could use it #couldn't they?? #My partner can get medical attention at home and I can finish this dungeon! #anyhoo time for normal tags #the present is a gift au #stuff by sofie #pmd2 #pmd #pmd sky #pmd explorers #pmd eos #pokémon mystery dungeon #pmd dusknoir #pmd darkrai #pmd comic #pmd au #pokemon mystery dungeon #the present is a gift AU

[undercoverpena]

i just wanted to say thank you. and I'll try to keep it brief and won't mush too much cause then i'll cry, and then you'll cry and then, yeah. but...

jo warnings: repeated use of the word thank you.

thank you for making my 2023 - to those who first found me from a different fandom and followed me blindly as i entered an entirely different world, and those who discovered me through one pedro character, and trusted me with another and also to you, the ones who have just discovered me, and given me a go.

thank you to those who let me into their lives, for letting me be a friend and to those i hope to hug real soon (for real-reals). thank you to the silent followers and the ones who show up every time with a banner, and for all the likes, the reblogs, the comments and even just taking the time to read the things i put out. I'm not good at receiving compliments, or thinking i'm worth a damn, but i promise you i appreciate you all.

and lastly, thank you for letting me find joy in a year that has tried to break me, for the days where you all unknowingly prop me up, and the days you knowingly do so because you know i've fallen down.

thank you for being here, for believing in me and telling me, in all your own little ways, that my writing matters.

iloveyou all, jo.

#jo's thoughts #jo says thank you #jo needs to shh now #i wasn't going to do this - worried everyone was a bit sick of me #but then my husband told me that my brain lies #so here we are - me thanking you #especially you - the one reading the tags. did you know you're wonderful #well you do now

[megidoreyn]

「僕は君と一緒に 今日の安寧が明日も続く世界を創るのだ…」 「A world where peace lasts forever…」

Drawn for the megaten ワンドロ/60min on 11/28. 💙twitter 💙misskey

#shin megami tensei #megaten #shin megami tensei iv #smtiv #jonathan smtiv #I had to look up what he says in ENG because I actually went through this game in JP instead LOL... I love Hiroshi Kamiya's voice for Jona! #I'm so happy the angel boy homie was FINALLY a topic for the megaten wandoro/60min after so long!!! yipee!!! (mario voice) wahoo!!! #the “nostalgic + faded photo vibe” like that early 2010s inst*gr*m filter aesthetic was absolutely intentional LOL #initially I had wanted to make the background Blasted Tokyo to reflect the dreamscape sequence in the beginning of SMT4... #but then I thought he would look nicer against fluffy clouds versus a flat desert landscape full of orange tbh LOL #maybe that'll be an idea for next time!!! #I wonder if anyone out there actually reads the tags/commentary on my posts LOL...if so: you're a trooper + I hope you have an amazing day!