#1. Dr. Hilbert <3

[captainsvscaptains]

Round 2 Part 1 Poll 1

Propaganda

Luffy is oh so dumb and stupid and I would trust him with my life. Nothing gets in the way of the Rubber Boy and the hyperfixation he has had since childhood. Not cops (he punches them), not the government (he declared war on them cuz they suck booo), not the most beautiful woman in the world (sorry Boa), not dead siblings (<3), and not even basically dying several times himself. Truly an gluttonous, acab, aroace, neurodivergent icon. I 100% understand why everyone this dumbass comes in contact with is like, "Okay yeah sure. I'll follow you to the ends of the Earth, I guess."

This is sorta spoilers but her presence is a spoiler) Isabel Lovelace is the former captain of the USS Hephaestus from a previous mission, kept secret from our main crew of Commander Minkowski, Comms officer Doug Eiffel, but not Dr Hilbert who was on the previous mission under another name. She is badass, but not as strict as Minkowski, maintaining a somewhat chummy relationship with Doug. Unfortunately she has also had enough of Goddard Futuristics' bullshit and makes Minkowski, Hilbert, and Eiffel work to return the crew to earth under threat of a dead-man's-switch operated bomb going off. She has seen her previous crew murdered by Goddard and will not rest until every executive has their head on a pike. (OK SUPER SPOILERS NOW) she is also very dead. the version of her that appears in the show is revealed to be a doppleganger planted by aliens (known as the dear listeners by doug).

[in-abstrxcto]

I was rewatching Wolf 359 Live and I noticed that Mr. Cutter is the only character in it to break the fourth wall.. and he does so 3 times:

1. Cutter pats an audience member on the head. Yes, it was Michelle Agresti but she wasn't acting as Maxwell there, she was just an audience member.

2. Cutter takes a ringing phone from an audience member (also Michelle Agresti) at one point and answers it in-character.

3. Cutter references Eiffel and Hilbert both being played by Zach Valenti. Eiffel asks, "Do you want me to go get Dr. Hilbert for you?", to which Cutter responds, "It's tempting. But I've got this feeling it'd be pretty much the same conversation that you and I just had."

I would just brush that last one off as a silly joke or coincidence.. if Zach Valenti (as Lambert) hadn't actually called it out in Lambert Week Live Day 6. Lambert stated specifically, "What is going on? It's like he can see what I can see but nobody else can see... That I'm... Playing these two..—"

("he" refers to Cutter and "these two" refers to Eiffel and Hilbert, of course)

So yeah! I don't know what this means or if it means anything at all, I just thought it was something interesting to point out. If anyone has any ideas, feel free to add them :)

[nobodysdaydreams]

My Reaction to the First Six Episodes of Wolf 359 (Because my mutuals have enticed me)

@sophieswundergarten @oflightningandstars @acollectionofcuriousreblogs

My curiosity got the better of me. Will I do these for every episode? Will I listen to the full podcast? Who knows, but I hope you like this💕

My Live Reaction to Episode 1:

At first, an ad played for a way more upbeat story podcast involving Greek gods, rainbow magic, and teenagers, and I was very confused because none of this was mentioned in any of your posts.

Yes, yes, Eiffel. Hera forgets what's necessary to sustain human life and accidently made the cabin too cold, hahahaha...foreshadowing.

"Whatever you're up to Dr. Hilbert, best of luck!" Dude is your whole job ominous foreshadowing? Sorry guys, I get half the characters from your posts confused, I just know that Hera is the AI, but Eiffel dude, there's no way Hilbert's not up to something.

"It's not like if she let me have a cigarette, I'd light it and set the station's air supply on fire" Bro, stop.

"The people on the station have serious trust issues." I mean, fair. You knocked over acid, you're lighting cigarette willy-nilly, I still don't know what your job is man.

"Let's see if we can actually get some work done." -Well I know I'm not.

Ooohh... they're looking for intelligent life! 👀 This sounds like a good plot.

Dude I don't think coffee will solve your problem. I'd focus on getting rid of the ominous piano music.

Oh good at least he got his coffee. Oh ew never mind.

Oh no more on the Doctor. I don't trust him.

Wow Eiffel is a terrible employee and now I gotta listen to his training.

1,001 survival tips? That's actually a pretty low amount for space. These tips are also some wonderful foreshadowing though, and very cheerful too. "Failing to remain calm could result in your ✨😍 grisly 🌈💖gruesome🍭 🦋death🥰!" I love that.

Hilbert. Dude.

"A man's life is at risk". Are we sure it's just one man's life?

Okay Douglas. That's his first name.

Wait...is that....the Entertainer? Is the alien transmitting the Entertainer? Something about old timey music...I think that's also the song they play in Westfield after a massacre in the old west (I stopped watching after a while).

Well that was a musical transition. Oh wow the same guy did Douglas and Hilbert? Good voice acting. Yes it was the Entertainer! Alright not sure if the episodes have post credit scenes, but I might just skip to the next episode.

My thoughts on Episodes 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 (semi-live reaction because I'm listening to these while I'm working now, but it's really good. Let me know if you want me to split up by episodes or include time stamps in the future):

Okay. They can't shut Hera off. That seems ominous. I'm not sure if it's ominous because the time will come when they want to shut her off, or ominous because the time will come when a bad guy finally figures out how to shut her off. Either way not good.

This also seems like a lot of effort for toothpaste. How did Douglas get hired? He seems like a huge liability. Also, why are they running out of supplies? Shouldn't they have a ship coming to restock them at some point or a return date? They mention "Earth", but so far I don't think anyone has mention loved ones they left behind, a return date, or anything like that.

I like the captain though (I can't spell her name, I'm so sorry).

Why does Douglas (and apparently everyone) hate physical examinations? They're in space. It's not like they can force them to run a mile...right?

I love Hera. "The report was a fabrication! 🥰". "You place too much judgement on the concept of lies... it's only sticks and stones that can break a human's feeble delicate flesh." I love how everyone just accepts this is how she talks.

Big plant? Roots? What is this Little Shop of Horrors now?

Um... what on earth is this physical examination? Why is there so much pain? Why can't it be stopped once it starts? Is this a meta thing where this is the physical examination?

Nah, the one thing I agree with Douglas on is that Hilbert is up to stuff.

Okay. Don't like it. Don't like the plant. It's either a crisis or a lie that's going to eventually be a very appropriate metaphor.

Oh my gosh why does Hilbert want their spinal fluid? Like...why do they need to do this? I get that they're in space but normalize providing reasons for serious medical examinations.

Kill it? What if it's not hostile? But then again what if it is? How does it have an eye? Teeth? Oh never mind it is hostile.

Oh it's still on the loose...Douglas what the heck. A good day? A plant wants to kill you. Have you seen the musical?

...wait. Is that a theme? First the Entertainer plays, now we got Little Shop of Horrors references...is this a theme of season 1? Space musicals?

And...now Douglas is in space. What happened to the plant? Why is that not a priority?

I do love the commander's "No Tomfoolery" clause.

Hey! More music! 🎶It sounds faster and more urgent now. You can probably use music to send coded information. A shame there seems to be no codebreaker on board.

I wonder if Hera understands what it means.

Oh dear. Here goes Douglas. Well, he was a nice character while he lasted. 🫡 And by nice, I mean he was entertaining, but very underqualified for his position. Scarily underqualified in fact, in terms of his ability to cooperate and work with a team. How did he even get this job?

He was blinded by the flare? So is he blind the rest of the show or can they fix it?

Oh dear...Hera...drown in space? Of all the ways to go. And still nothing about that killer plant. Did I listen out of order or something? I feel like I might have.

I like the Commander. Hilbert on the other hand? The worst.

I'm also wondering when/if other characters show up. Are there really just four characters? I swear I saw people posting about more.

I still want to know why they are in space. If this is a research mission, then why isn't anyone giving them supplies? Why don't they have a return date? If it's a survival mission, why aren't they acting more urgent?

Also does...does Douglas or another character nearly die at the end of every episode?

Hera: "Because I missed you."

Also Hera: "I lie 🥰"

And...more ominously cheerful piano music🎶🎹🎵🎹🎶. Which honestly fits Hera's aesthetic pretty well.

Okay Douglas has a clear nicotine problem.

Also. While he deals with his illness, I just gotta add something I noticed: the AI on the ship is called Hera. The ship is called Hephaestus. Isn't... isn't there a Greek Myth about Hephaestus being the son of Hera that she rejects and throws off Mount Olympus? Don't like how that sounds...

Hilbert. Hilbert. Why have you tied him to the bed and left him with nothing but his nicotine? That sounds like a major consent and health code violation. He's not violent or at risk of hurting anyone! Well, I mean, at least not any more than he normally is.

Huh. Hera's not here. And yet she said she couldn't be shut off "even if they wanted to". Weird.

Well at least Hilbert is feeding him. Oh my gosh Douglas is fake taking the pills? I'm not saying taking them is a good idea, but not taking them isn't great either. Why do they have this one guy doing all science stuff? Like he's the medical doctor, but he's also the guy running all the technology and experiments. They couldn't have a different guy to be their medical doctor? Maybe someone slightly less crazy?

Hilbert. Once again, he might trust you more if you didn't tie him to a bed, drug him in his sleep, and say things like "some people need to be dragged kicking and screaming towards improvement".

Yeah what on earth does "Big Day Tomorrow" mean? I'm not sure, but once again does Douglas nearly die during most episodes?

Also tying someone to a bed with a killer plant on the loose seems like a pretty bad idea.

WHY DO THEY HAVE TROPICAL FLU ON BOARD?

What sort of ship is this? And why do I feel like Hilbert might be a supervillain?

500th day around Wolf395 you say Douglas? Okay, so they've been in space for about a year and a half. Still not sure what they're doing up there. Also Hera's "I don't know what I want, but I know how to get it" quote. Very ominous coming from an AI.

I don't like the way Hilbert talks to Hera. Apparently Hera doesn't either...oh dear.

Hilbert you foolish liability, what did you do?

PFFT- Douglas imitating the captain.😂

Ooohhh...mysterious audio recordings!

Uh. Why can only Douglas hear the mysterious sounds? I don't like that.

Ah yes heading down to Engineering. Does the ship have an engineer?

Ugh I wish I could make out what the audio is saying. And I wish it would get louder Douglas. Then maybe I could hear it.

Oh now this is interesting! Wonder what the voices mean?

Have these voyages or experiments happened before?

I suppose we'll find out. Oh that is not a solid explanation from Hera. And again, why are Douglas, Minkowski and Hilbert the only people on the ship? Don't they need anyone else? And what happened to the killer plant? Did I skip an episode? Are we suppose to just pretend that never happened? Is it gonna come back later? Find out I guess.

Anyway, great podcast, thank you for recommending, I had fun listening. I might do more of these later if you enjoyed this.

[insanepoll]

WELCOME TO THE INSANE CHARACTER TOURNAMENT: REVIVAL ROUND, ELIMINATION!

[ID: Photos of all the 111 characters competing on this round in a graveyard. /End ID.]

Upset your favourite character lost? Here they'll battle for the chance to be one of the four to come back! The goal of this round is to eliminate as many characters as possible. Each group will have two polls who will later battle against each other to be the sole survivor of their group. ROUND ELIMINATION PART 1 will begin on MONDAY 14TH OF AUGUST.

Groups below the "keep reading" line.

GROUP 1:

Micolash, Host of the Nightmare (Bloodborne) VS Tuco Salamanca (Better Call Saul) VS Renfield (Dracula)

The Master (Doctor Who) VS Cheryl Tunt (Archer) VS Morgana Pendragon (BBC Merlin) VS Lucille Bluth (Arrested Development)

GROUP 2:

Delirium (Sandman) VS Alexander Hilbert (Wolf 359) VS Roman Roy (Succession)

Doomguy (Doom) VS Dr. Franken Stein (Soul Eater) VS Jack (The Shinning)

GROUP 3:

Sasuke Uchiha (Naruto Shippuden) VS Light Yagami (Death Note) VS Pinkie Pie (My Little Pony)

Mahito (Jujutsu Kaisen) VS Dabi (My Hero Academia) VS Seo Moon-jo (Strangers from Hell) VS Jinx (Arcane)

GROUP 4:

Aerion Targaryen (A Song of Ice and Fire) VS Goro Akechi (Persona 5) VS Bubby (Half Life: VR but the AI is Self Aware) VS Sebastian Morgenstern (The Shadowhunter Chronicles)

The Narrator (Fight Club) VS Opal Koboi (Artemis Fowl) VS Orochimaru (Naruto)

GROUP 5:

Dottore (Genshin Impact) VS Ice King (Adventure Time) VS Millions Knives (Trigun) VS Trexel Geistman (Stellar Firma)

Harrowhark Nonagesimus (The Locked Tomb) VS Eliot Cardale / Eli Ever (Villains Duology) VS Donatello Hamato (ROTTMNT)

GROUP 6:

Hisoka (Hunter X Hunter) VS Vegas Theerapanyakul (Kinnporsche) VS Dennis Reynolds (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) VS Max (Sam and Max)

Eren Jaeger (Attack on Titan) VS Drusilla (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) VS The entire cast of Blaseball (Blaseball)

GROUP 7:

Bill Cipher (Gravity Falls) VS Spinel (Steven Universe) VS Midori (Your Turn To Die)

Chat Blanc (Miraculous) VS Leopold Fitz (Marvel) VS Tsukishima Hajime (Golden Kamuy) VS Alucard (Hellsing Ultimate)

GROUP 8:

Tokishige Usami (Golden Kamuy) VS Jīn Guāngyáo (Mo Dao Zu Shi (The Untamed)) VS Roberto (Futurama) VS Sammy Lawrence (Bendy and the Ink Machine)

Victor Frankenstein (Frankenstein) VS Dr. Baxter Stockman (TMNT 2003) VS Cicero (Skyrim)

GROUP 9:

Spamton G. Spamton (Deltarune) VS Denji (Chainsaw Man) VS Kira Yoshikage (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure) VS Magic Man (Adventure Time)

Jevil (Deltarune) VS Helena (Orphan Black) VS Starscream (Transformers)

GROUP 10:

Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader (Star Wars) VS Enerjak (Sonic the Hedgehog) VS Niki Sanders / Jessica Sanders (Heroes)

Alfred Drevis (Mad Father) VS Loki (The Mechanisms) VS Tyrian Callows (RWBY) VS The Mad Hatter (Alice in Wonderland)

GROUP 11:

Evan (EverymanHYBRID) VS Eric Cartman (South Park) VS Simon Keyes (Ace Attorney Investigations 2)

Alex Kralie (Marble Hornets) VS Fintan Pyren (Keeper of the Lost Cities) VS Darcy (Amphibia) VS Hamlet (The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark)

GROUP 12:

Will Graham (NBC Hannibal) VS Simon Laurent (Infinity Train) VS John Kramer (Saw) VS Bibble (Barbie Fairytopia)

Ryuki (AI: The Somnium Files) VS The Observer (TribeTwelve) VS Galahad (The Mechanisms)

GROUP 13:

Nikolai Gogol (Bungo Stray Dogs) VS Castiel (Supernatural) VS Ben Chang (Community)

Shinobu Sensui (Yu Yu Hakusho) VS Xue Yang (Mo Dao Zu Shi (The Untamed)) VS Kristoph Gavin (Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney)

GROUP 14:

Knock Knock (Phantom Spirits (2002)) VS Heathcliff (Wuthering Heights) VS Pugsley Addams (The Addams Family) VS Billy Lenz (Black Christmas (1974))

Shou Tucker (FMA) VS The Antagonist (Hatred (2015)) VS Gabriel Agreste (Miraculous)

GROUP 15:

Tim Drake (DC) VS Rebecca Bunch (Crazy Ex-girlfriend) VS Ken Kaneki (Tokyo Ghoul)

Fëanor (The Silmarillion) VS Himiko Toga (My Hero Academia) VS Lee Dongsik (Beyond Evil) VS Ultra Violet (Lego Ninjago)

GROUP 16:

Professor Henry Hidgens (Hatchetfield) VS Lestat de Lioncourt (Interview with the Vampire) VS Wade Wilson / Deadpool (Marvel) VS Samarie (Fear and Hunger 2: Termina)

Jonathan Crane / The Scarecrow (DC) VS Komaeda Nagito (Danganronpa 2) VS Volo (Pokemon Legends Arceus)

[pogiformersmobilegear]

mobile partner/mobile friend/mobile buddy

any ally/trainer/duelist/helper may have their ace partners, but they have their super human partners to fight their enemies with their honorable rules, in the original series, every human heroes can have their pogiformers & their pokemon & duel deck & their transformers as their ace partners, but in mobile series, all the mobile human will take place of pogiformers & pokemon & duel deck & transformers to become the mobile partners/mobile heroes of the normal human heroes as the main mobile human heroes of the mobile series, because both human can work together as a super human teams, however their pogiformers & their pokemon & duel deck & their transformers from the original serries are still here in the mobile series as their support characters for the main human characters of the mobile series.

generation century.

hankur‘s partner: kai jent & doubluredourr.

vechkur’s partner: sparkplug/william/irving/daniel witwicky/spike/sparkle/csuka/pike/cnank/daniel witwicky & daniel witwicky & generation one/1/g1 convoy/optimus prime.

stakur’s partner: solomon/sugoroku muto/mutou & mister/mr. muto/mutou & yugi muto/mutou & burakku majishan/dark/black magician.

beaskur’s partner: ash/satoshi ketchum‘s father & ash/satoshi ketchum & pikachu.

generation 1/one.

gearkur’s partner: clark jent.

jetkur’s partner: buster/centelha/giga witwicky.

bladekur’s partner: dark/shadow yugi muto/mutou.

werekur’s partner: red/satoshi ketchum.

generation 2/two.

lordkur’s partner: stave roter.

jeepkur‘s partner: professor haruma go/gō & shuta/shūta go/gō & doctor/dr. minakaze & jan minakaze.

divinekur‘s partner: pharoah aknamkanon & pharaoh atem/yami/dark yugi muto/mutou.

apekur‘s partner: ethan/gold/takashi/soul.

generation 3/three.

emperorkaier‘s partner: pen gofield.

ironkaier‘s partner: doctor/dr. kenneth onishi & koji onishi & aerobot & bw optimus prime primal & big convoy prime & lio/leo convoy prime & lio/leo junior.

crosskaier‘s partner: koyo hibiki & jaden/judai/jay/yukey yuki.

ligerkaier‘s partner: norman/senn normen & brendan/yuki/sapphire/ruby/rald normen & pmd pikachu & team go getters/ganbarus squirtle & ginji the torchic.

generation 4/four.

elementunioner’s partner: jim/jimmy kudo.

wheelunioner’s partner: doctor brian jones & kicker jones.

zamunioner’s partner: doctor/dr. mister/mr. fudo & mister/mr. daniel/herr muller/müller/taro daimon/yusei adams fudo.

featherunioner’s partner: kaisei/kaise/kaisē & lucas/kouki/diamond/dia/hereta & hono/honō the chimchar & team pokepals/poképals/pokedans/pokédans piplup & pmd riolu.

generation 5/five.

gaimarmorer’s partner: jima fumo.

cyborgarmorer’s partner: mister/mr. darby/dabi/dābī & jack darby/jakku/jieke dabi/dābī & chief charles charlie burns & cody burns & kade burns & graham burns & tfp/prime optimus prime & tfp bumblebee.

raiderarmorer’s partner: grandpa tsukumo & kazuma/romaji/rōmaji tsukumo & yuma/yūma tukumo tsukumo.

foxarmorer’s partner: hilbert/hiro/touya/black/monta/shin & nate/kyohei/kyōhei/arata/blake/lack-two/lack two/black 2/number/no. 2 & pmd oshawott.

generation 6/six.

original/originaler/heroic heroer’s partner: zuya sakudo.

vehicle/vehicler heroer’s partner: sekishusai/sekishūsai tatewaki & mister/mr. tatewaki & isami tatewaki/tobio fuma/fūma.

music/musical/musican/musicer heroer’s partner: yusho/yusyo yuseung shin sakaki & yuya/yūya sin sakaki.

beast/beaster heroer’s partner: mister/mr. kadoo & x/calem/manabu kadoo.

generation 7/seven.

double/doubler heroer’s partner: zusaku sakujiki.

trunk/trunker heroer’s partner: denny clay & russell rusty clay.

hoving/hover heroer’s partner: playmaker yusaku fujiki.

were/werer heroer’s partner: sun/elio/yo/yō’s great/grand grandfather & sun/elio/yo/yō’s grandfather & sun/elio/yo/yō’s father & sun/elio/yo/yō.

generation 8/eight.

triple/tripler heroer’s partner: zuga ohjiki.

cyber heroer’s partner: mister/mr. watson & otis watson.

rush/rusher heroer’s partner: mister/mr. odo/ōdō ohdo & hwang yuga/yūga ōdo/odō ohdo.

liger heroer’s partner: victor/masaru/sodo/sōdo tsurugi/henry sword‘s father & victor/masaru/sodo/sōdo tsurugi/henry sword.

generation 9/nine.

grand/grander heroer’s partner: zudias ohjiki.

road/roader heroer’s partner: alex malto & robby malto.

ronin/roniner heroer’s partner: mister/mr. odo/ōdō ohdo & yuhi/yūhi odo/ōdō/ohdo & yudias velgear/yuudiasu berugyā/berugyā.

fox/foxer heroer’s partner: scarlet/violet/florian.

[femsanzo291]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Wolf 359 (Radio) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Daniel Jacobi/Warren Kepler Characters: Daniel Jacobi, Warren Kepler, Alexander Hilbert, Renée Minkowski Additional Tags: Impaled, Blood and Injury Series: Part 2 of FemSanzo291's Whumptober 2022 Summary:

Dr. Hilbert wished that less things would go wrong on the Hephaestus. Though after two Missions on the Hephaestus Hilbert would be the person who knew that nothing was ever right on the ship.

For Whumptober Day 3: A HAIR’S BREADTH FROM DEATH Gun to Temple | “Say goodbye.” | Impaled

[friendlyantagonist]

Hey 28 yr old NB here searching for a slow burn MxM romance roleplay! I love doubling up characters so that there's more characters to cause conflict and drive the plot forwards!

I need my RP partner to at least be 21+ ! I would also prefer a partner who won't be upset if I don't respond for a day, or if I lag. (I usually respond a few times a day, however!) I'm going to have some more free time here coming up, so that should be great!

I also write about a paragraph or two per post, unless there's a lot going on, then I write even more! I'd like someone who matches about that same length!

Some RP's I had in mind:

1.) A Hero character who has been raised to take care of humanity is secretly jealous of the freedom that the Villain has. The Villain secretly yearns to be loved by humanity, but feels stuck in their everyday life, and finds it to be the only way they can flirt with the Hero (a barely badly hidden crush on the hero is also a thing) When the Villain finds the Hero hurt, he takes him to his lair and helps him heal up / Alternatively, the hero finds the Villain beat up and instead of turning him in, protects him and let's him heal up at his place

2.) When people are given superpowers or have the ability to switch into a monstrous form, the government creates a branch made specifically to lock these people away and experiment on them, trying to find a way to utilize them for war or other reasons. Our characters meet during a few experiments where the scientists are studying the effects between their abilities/ Monster forms, expecting them to fight. After a few meetings, they stop fighting, finding common ground in wanting to escape the building and run away and get free.

3.) Dr. Hilbert / Doug Eiffel - Yeah. You read that right.

4.) Harvey Dent / Joker - Yeah. Another weird ship. I'm out here wildin.

Please message me about any of these if you're interested! I'll give you my discord!

[hurlumerlu]

fandom ask: supernatural if no one has asked before, and wolf 359 as a backup plan? (I haven't actually listened to it. I tried for 5 episodes but didn't like the voice enough. But I am curious so maybe it'll help me push through)

Supernatural has been answered ! So let’s go with Wolf 359 (and yeah, I think it’s worth pushing forward. I wasn’t hooked by episode 5 either)

the first character I ever fell in love with : Dr Hilbert. I loved his monologue in Am I Alone Now (maybe try to push to this episode ? it’s ep 11, and one of my favourite of season 1)

a character I used to love/like but now do not : Nope ! I love them all.

a ship that I used to love/like but now I don’t : I’m not as invested in Minkowski/Lovelace than I used to be but I still think it’s a good ship.

my ultimate favorite character ™  : Lovelace ! I love her so much. I love her voice, I love her backstory, I love her place in the story. She’s great.

prettiest character : Let’s face it, it’s probably Kepler.

my most hated character : I’ve already written at length about how much I hated Kepler. And I still do, sometimes ! But also I love him.

my OTP : Kepler/Jacobi, bastard4bastard couple.

my NOTP : not a NOTP but I’ve never really got Hera/Eiffel. Their relationship is extremely sweet, I just don’t see it as romantic (but we’re probably supposed to ? maybe ? idk)

favourite episode : Time To Kill, with Memoria a close second.

saddest death : I don’t want to spoil you :(

favorite season : Season 3 ! all my faves are here.

least favorite season : Season 4. It’s not bad but I don’t think they entirely stuck the landing.

character that everyone else in the fandom loves, but I hate : I told you, I love everyone on this space station. But I’m not as into Rachel as the rest of the fandom seems to be.

my “you’re a piece of trash but you’re still a fave” fave : Jacobi. Also Hilbert.

my “beautifull cinamon roll who deserves better than this” fave : the Blessed Eternal :(

my “this ship is wrong, nasty and makes me want to cleanse my soul but I still love it” ship : hmm Hera/Maxwell ? It doesn’t make me want to cleanse my soul  but it’s certainly very messy.

my “they’re kinda cute, and I lowkey ship them, but I’m not too invested” ship : I think that’s where I land on Minkowski/Lovelace, at least currently.

[actuallu]

Hi! Ah I hope u don't mind me asking but what happened to Toren?

Well...............it sure is a lot!

90% of my art is drawn for a pokemon rp group im in currently, which has some incredibly wild stuff happening in it (this is an understatement)

and the following has happened to toren (putting it in a readmore)

tw: violence/explosions (caused on purpose)/death/emotional manipulation

Preface: He’s Ghetsis’ blood related son, and his mother is. bad

these are not entirely in order i think

1. his childhood friend (Hilda) was revealed to be a domestic terrorist, and bombed his workplace which caused him to get a fuckton of trauma from the whole thing. (side note that hilda was experimented on by team rocket)

2. he was already depressed before this but things get worse

3. he got proof that he was actually ghetsis’ son, and is hallucinating his voice

4a. his mother got her neck snapped by Hilda when she ended up at the same institution as his mother. he's also been  hallucinating his mothers voice, even before her death

4b. im not even mentioning his mother doing a bunch of shit to him when he was a kid including poisoning him and pushing him down the stairs. she was a part of team plasma and basically worshipped ghetsis and wanted toren to be just like him :tm:

5. one of the people he saved and is friends with, kate, also ended up being a terrorist, and exploded herself right in front of him with a bomb in a warehouse filled with dead pokemon because she is a fucked up scientist 

6. Hun has basically been masterminding isolating toren into going insane and snapping this entire time. they are fucked up and evil. and toren does indeed go insane and snap

7. he and hun kill hilbert together to get reshiram from him and proceed to go on a joyride destroying things in unova before they get confronted by N and ryuki (Who is gay for toren)

tl;dr there is a lot of stuff going on GJSDKLHMSKLH let me explain the individual images in this post now

https://actuallu.tumblr.com/post/630825939739312128/toren-fucked-up-and-evil

This first image is toren after he snaps. hes wearing n’s crown there bc he’s like. in king :tm: mode

second one is him after finding out he’s actually blood related to ghetsis, and telling hilda about it while manic

and the last one is him hallucinating his mother behind him telling him to eat up his food while making him increasingly paranoid about it being poisoned

in conclusion: its very complicated and i am so sorry

[soldrawss]

whats the story of wolf 359??? im curious and i really really wanna get into it but the first podcast always bored me whenever i tried :(( would it be ok for u to give a run down of the plot so i can get a jumpstart in getting interested???

*Cracks knuckles* OK BABES let’s get down to the nitty gritty on why I love this podcast so friggen much and why it’s completely taken first place in my podcast heart. (Yes, I know, above TAZ, which is blasphemy but listen there is definitely a reason for this)

OK so a quick rundown of the basis of the show from the podcast’s website:

“Life’s not easy for Doug Eiffel, the communications officer for the U.S.S. Hephaestus Research Station, currently on Day 448 of its orbit around red dwarf star Wolf 359. He’s stuck on a scientific survey mission of indeterminate length, 7.8 light years from Earth. His only company on board the station are stern mission chief Minkowski, insane science officer Hilbert, and Hephaestus Station’s sentient, often malfunctioning operating system HERA. He doesn’t have much to do for his job other than monitoring static and intercepting the occasional decades-old radio broadcast from Earth, so he spends most of his time creating extensive audio logs about the ordinary, day-to-day happenings within the station. But the Hephaestus is an odd place, and life in extremely isolated, zero gravity conditions has a way of doing funny things to people’s minds. Even the simplest of tasks can turn into a gargantuan struggle, and the most ordinary-seeming things have a way of turning into anything but that.”

Now, what MY rundown of the show, is this: Its basically about Doug Eiffel, who is the unluckiest SOB in the known universe and everything bad that ever happens usually ends up happening to him. He’s a quick witted, hilariously lazy, 31 yo man who’s sorta horrible at his job and gets into the most insane situations mostly because he just… doesn’t want to do his job….

If you like aliens, space ghosts, government conspiracies, witty fucking banter and lovable as all hell I-WOULD-DIE-FOR-THESE characters, then this podcast is definitely for you! I like to think of it as Doctor Who and The Adventure Zone had a weird Welcome to Nightvale-esque baby. Literally, this show has everything. Comedy, angst, suspense, SPACE. You name it, it’s there, all in the form of 4 wacky kids on the U.S.S Hephaestus. 

The first season (around 12 episodes, usually all under 20 minutes) starts off a little slow but is probably my favorite season cause there’s not a whole lot of plot. It’s kinda just random episodes that are there to get you used to how the characters think and act and get you attached to all their wonderful quirks while also getting you used to the idea that shit is wack in space and not everything is what it seems. (Again, I’m talking aliens, space ghosts, and weird fucking monsters man)

The second season is where it really starts to kick off, and man, every episode will leave you wanting more and keep your mind racing with the what ifs! I’ll tell you right now, this show is hard to predict. Every time I THINK something is going to happen, BOOM, this podcast whiplashes me and sends me flying in a whole new plot direction that I didn’t even think was possible and I LOVE it.

You fall in love with every character you meet, even the villans, and they’re all so unique and mind-blowing with all the different levels of personality and backstory they have, it’s really addictive. I finished this podcast in 3 days because I couldn’t put it down, I was SO invested in these characters.

But enough of my hyping, you want a rundown, so here it is. 

During the first episode, Doug hears a weird transmission coming through the static that he’s used to hearing for almost a year now. His mission is to find alien life by this particular Red Dwarf, and he thinks he may have found it with this transmission. However, when familiar classical music is the only thing he hears, he thinks it’s just a long lost earth transmission that’s just been bouncing around the stars for a while before finding him. However, that is NOT the case, and while spaceship shenanigans ensue, he, with his strict but fair (and badass) commanding officer Renee Minkowski (Min-KOV-skee), Medic and crazy (evil???) scientist Dr. Alexander Hilbert and lovably loyal and sarcastic best friend A.I motherboard Hera, they discover that not only the transmission, but also their entire mission and who they’re working for and with, and not at all what they seem to be~~~

Fair warning. Most of the characters go through so much grief and loss and a lot of them don’t exactly get a happy ending. (The main 4 especially) It can get a little dark and even though Doug is great at making the mood light and funny with all this pop culture references and witty backtalk, this show can bring you down. Note how you fair with getting too attached with characters and make sure your mental health can take the beating these poor kids undertake. 

With that being said though, it is, again, my absolute favorite podcast I’ve listened to and I may just listen to it again because it’s that good. I highly recommend you get through at least season 1 before deciding if you want to continue or not, because then the plot really starts to pick up and it’s amazing how they fit so much gold into 61 episodes and 20+ fun mini episodes and specials. 

[evoldir]

Fwd: Other: Evry_France.MasterIntership.StatQuantGenomics

Begin forwarded message: > From: evoldir@web.rhpcs.mcmaster.ca > Subject: Other: Evry_France.MasterIntership.StatQuantGenomics > Date: 11 November 2021 at 06:32:28 GMT > To: rdmpage@gmail.com > > > > Title: > Master internship in statistical modelling for quantitative genomics > > Duration: > 6 mois > > Location: > Evry, France > > Internship > global context: The global population is estimated to reach approximately > nine billion people by 2050, thus the demand for animal protein > is expected to increase by 76% [1].  Such an increase questions the > sustainability of our conventional food and feed production systems. At > the same time, we also need to reduce the impact of agriculture on our > environment [2].  Today, insect production is considered a sustainable > alternative for food and feed production for several reasons. First, > the suitable nutritional composition of edible insects [3] and second, > the relatively low environmental impact its production involves > compared to other conventional livestock production systems. However, > non-conventional animal breeding raises the problem of adapted statistical > and computational methods for genomic breeding value prediction due > to the nature of the pooled genomic data and phenotypes estimates from > different individuals while classical approaches use distinct genomic > data and phenotype per each individual. > > Internship tasks: > 1. Bibliography on state-of-the-art statistical methods used in Genome >   Estimated Index Value (GEBV) such as genomic best linear unbiased >   predictor (GBLUP) [4], ridge regression BLUP (rrBLUP) [5], Bayesian >   LASSO (BL) [6], and reproducing kernel Hilbert space (RKHS) >   regression [7]. > 2. Testing of statistical approaches for GEBV with allele frequencies >   inferred from pooled sequencing data (Pool-seq). > 3. Implementation of the algorithms in R > 4. Performance evaluation of the proposed algorithms on simulated and >   real data sets. > > Hosting laboratory: > The six months internship will takes place in the “Statistiques et > Génome” team of the Laboratory of Mathematics and Modelisation of Evry > (LaMME) in Evry, France https://ift.tt/31L8p3T. > > Supervision: The internship will be supervised by Pr. Christophe > Ambroise, Professor of statistics at Paris-Saclay University > (https://ift.tt/3n4qO3R) and Dr. Amin Madoui, CEA researcher in > genomics in Fontenay-aux-Roses (https://ift.tt/3bYZpKz) > > Student profile: > Master student in statistics with programming knowledge in R > > Financial support: > 550 euros per month > > Possibility to continue in a funded PhD for three years > > [1] Alexandratos N, Bruinsma J: World agriculture towards 2030/2050: the >    2012 revision. 2012 > [2] Steinfeld H, Gerber P, Wassenaar T, et al.: Livestock’s long >    shadow. 2006. > [3] Nowak V, Persijn D, Rittenschober D, et al.: Review of food >    composition data for edible insects. Food Chem. 2016; 193: 39–46. > [4]Goddard ME, Hayes BJ, Meuwissen THE. Using the genomic relationship >   matrix to predict the accuracy of genomic selection. J Anim Breed >   Genet. 2011;128(6):409–421. doi: 10.1111/j.1439-0388.2011.00964.x > [5]Meuwissen THE, Hayes BJ, Goddard ME. Prediction of total genetic >   value using genome-wide dense marker maps. Genetics. >   2001;157(4):1819–1829. > [6]Legarra A, Robert-Granie C, Croiseau P, Guillaume F, Fritz S. >   Improved Lasso for genomic selection. Genet Res. 2011;93(1):77–87. >   doi: 10.1017/S0016672310000534. > > > > Amin Madoui > via IFTTT

[nomessything]

Not exactly liveblogging as I tided out my mess into something more coherent. But questions! I have so many questions for Episode 1 to 4!

Mind you, what I know about NASA and space are all from this wonderful manga, anime and movie called Space Brothers so I am not exactly familiar with anything spacey.

1 to 4 are the setup episodes! We are in the middle of space mission. The survival book in episode 1 is probably going to be really important isn’t it? Effiel appears to have a not so good working relationship with the rest of the crew. It’s made clear that there are only 3 crew members. Commander Minkowski is almost certainly from military. Dr Hilbert is a scientist on board to perform the experimentation (on what? he synthesis food but he tests the crews’ spinal fluid which would fall under neurology). And there’s Effiel. Communication officer and main narrator.

Is it just me or has Hera, the AI, developed emotions sometime during the 1.5 year before the start? She is not exactly emotionless now since she actually offers to play Effiel music to comfort him and there’s way too many hesitation in her speech in episode 4?

And yup, the survival book came right back into focus in episode 2 and 4. Dramatic irony or not, Tip 3 and 4 would have served Effiel well.

So questions and thoughts: - Why is Effiel not exactly trained for working in space as insulated by Commander Minkowski? He is still an astronaut. All personnels undergo intense competition and training to qualify for the mission (learnt at least that much from Space Brothers!) Or is the commander insulting him? - Is Effiel also from the Military? - Given the lack of non vital resources (coffee running out, no toothpaste) Is the mission originally meant for two? - Effiel isn’t exactly communicating to Houston for reports which I would have thought is his job. (Is seeking out alien life the main focus of the mission? Dr Hibert is just lucky he got a spot on the ship?) - Why is there a mutant plant in episode 3? Even assuming the show is set in the future (since Hera exists as the auto pilot system), how does this just happen? - I really like Minkowski putting Effiel’s life above her life and the mission. Fleshes out her character more: strict, fed up with Effiel’s shenanigans, reliable and brave. - It’s strange Houston wasn’t involved during episode 4 and 5 either. Are our heroes too far to communicate with Earth? - most importantly, how did Effiel stash 20 Carton of cigarettes without anyone noticing before the launch? how??? - is tip number 5 of the book going to come back to play in future episodes?

[wolf359bigbang2017]

ARTIST SIGN-UPS ARE OPEN!

Hello, lovely artists! Below are 25 blind summaries for the various fics we have, which means there are 25 slots. They are first-come, first-served, so when you sign up, please list the three fics you’d like the most. I’ll do my best to make sure that you get matched with at least one of your three, but if that doesn’t happen for whatever reason, I’ll message you and we’ll figure something out. 

The link to sign up is here:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfvFYmasupxZr95CR6Tw_xvYZgHz9FWEg09ILA-D3AKChbmCQ/viewform

A couple of things to note: you’ll notice some of the numbers are missing (7, 8, 15, 19). I’m still waiting to for the summaries from these writers, and I’ll post updated lists with those summaries as I get them (and I’ll also be updating with which fics are already taken). 

Also, some of the fics are long. I lifted the word max because we didn’t have a problem last time of people committing to huge long fics and not coming through. In fact, a couple of the writers chose to only upload the first few parts/chapters of their long fics for the big bang, and have continued to update the stories themselves afterward with subsequent chapters (one is still going strong and it’s pretty great). As the artist, it’s totally up to your discretion what you make art for in the fic. You can read the first few lines and find the perfect imagery, or you can read the whole thing and decided to animate it. Both work, so don’t let word counts scare you away. 

Artist sign-ups are open until 10/13/17 (Oct. 13th).

SUMMARIES

1

Pairings: Kepcobi, implied Lovelace/Rachel 

Rating: T Word count: 3000 - 4000 

Summary: 1. rachel young checks her emails. your emails. you check your emails- how is special projects doing, rachel? how do you feel about these proposed staffing changes in your department? 

2. you, warren kepler, have a meeting. you seem to have meetings like this very, very often. it's almost familiar, the sight of jacobi sat across the desk from you. 

3. alana maxwell has a brief crisis in the lab, after an incident involving a timer lock and an ai's bid for freedom, but you're calmed down by none other than- 

4. you, mr jacobi, reflect on your job, your life, and the next hephaestus crew (who you saw just down the hall). 

5. you make sure things run smoothly, don't you, mr cutter? make sure everything is in its place. as ever-

2

Pairings: Kepler/Jacobi, possibly other background 

Rating: T/M 

Word count: 3000 - 5000 

Summary: a look at a developing personal and working relationship between Jacobi and Kepler (Content warnings: general violence, potentially some domestic, and possessive behavior) 

Note to artists: I can't listen to podfics so I would prefer not to receive any (I wanna be able to interact with your art!)

3

Characters: Kepler, Jacobi (there's no real pairing, like the fic isn't written shippy, but you could probably read it as pre-slash) 

Rating: T Word Count: ~2000 

Summary: Kepler and Jacobi get captured and tortured for information. Kepler is getting real real hurt, so Jacobi agrees to tell them what they want to know. Kepler experiences Emotions abt the facts that a) Jacobi no don't TELL them the INTEL, b) he's more loyal to me than to Goddard i can Use This, and c) awww he doesn't want me to get hurt c:

4

Pairings: Kepcobi, Jacobi & Maxwell 

R: T+ 

Word count: ~1500 

Summary: they say that in the moments before you die, your life flashes behind your eyes. (maxwell lives au)

5

Pairings: Minkowski/Lovelace, Eiffel/Hera 

Rating: T 

Word count: 5000 - 10k 

Summary: Minkowski has two months back on Earth under her belt, and she’s got everything totally under control. They’ve got a begrudging ally running interference with Goddard, a Mack truck for Hera’s brain, and a safe-house waiting for them in California. Her only problem is the baby.  Also; Maxwell’s legacy, a little equality act, the mere thought of word games, oddly competent French braids, disgusting tea, super durable babies, and the validity of gas station condoms.

6

Characters: Original crew (maybe +Lovelace) 

Rating: G 

Word count: ~1000 

Summary: planning a psychic au in the vein of each individual thinking themselves unique in their ability, as the telepathic element leads into a lot more early discoveries in the hephaestus. 

9

Characters: Maxwell & Jacobi

Rating: T

Word count: ~6000

Summary: Maxwell and Jacobi reflect on their relationship with Kepler, both the brightest and darkest moments of life with the Colonel. (warning that Kepler's penchant for "discipline" (abuse) will come up)

10

Pairings: Minkowski & Eiffel (friendship/implied) 

Rating: G 

Word count: 500 - 1000 

Summary: After being back on earth for a few months, Minkowski has a job offer for Eiffel, Eiffel builds a giant radio in his backyard, drinks and memories are shared in front of a ratty old sofa.

11

Pairings: Kepcobi, Minlace, (reference to Kepler/Cutter) 

Rating: M 

Word count: 15k +, estimated 10 chapters 

Summary: running a business is hell. running hell is just business. [vague spn (supernatural) au ft. hephaestus hunters vs the demons at goddard futuristics]

12

Characters: Hera & Maxwell 

Rating: T 

Word count: 1000 - 1500 

Summary: When Hilbert took Hera offline, the crew fell apart and it is safe to say that they did everything in their power to help her. When Dr. Maxwell discovered the malicious code implanted in Hera's memory banks, she did all she could to help Hera overcome that nagging little phrase. It is safe to say that without Hera the crew of the Hephaestus would be missing something vital. This includes Dr. Alana Maxwell. So, what if while Maxwell was helping Hera overcome her demons, Maxwell overcame some of her own? What if a deeper friendship was born?

13

Pairings: Kepcobi, (Jacobi, Kepler, Maxwell, possibly also Rachel or Cutter) 

Rating: M for violence 

 Word count: 10K 

Summary: Kepler and Jacobi are rival assassins.

14

Characters: Maxwell and supporting cast. 

Rating: G or T.   

Word count: 5000 

Summary: Five guns Maxwell fired, plus one she didn’t. 5+1 character study of Dr. Alana Maxwell and her mad rifling skills. 

16

Pairings: Kepler/Jacobi 

Rating: M, warnings for major character death. 

 Word count: 4500 

Summary: Pre-hephaestus SI5 mission, Kepler dies and Jacobi kind of goes ballistic (haha).

17

Pairings: Kepcobi 

Rating: M 

Word count: 35k (only first few chapters will be used for Big Bang) 

Summary: The last thing Jacobi wants to do with his summer is spend a week of it trapped in a car with Kepler (and Maxwell, but she’s more tolerable. She is supposed to be his best friend after all). He hates the way he can’t look away from him, hates the way Kepler can suck him in with a raised eyebrow and a half smile, hates the way that one glance leaves his heart pounding and his hands shaking. It’s like he’s not even trying. He especially hates it when Kepler somehow contracts a very deadly, very inconvenient disease that might kill him before they ever reach California-one that might not be an accident.

18

Pairings: possible Minlace, otherwise general S4 Hephaestus crew 

Rating: G/T 

Word count: 5000 - 10k 

Summary: Episode-style fic. The crew discover that the Hephaestus is on course to intercept a comet's tail. Minkowski makes a mistake that puts the station at risk, and everyone struggles to deal with the consequences. Also to survive. 

20

Pairings: Minlace 

Rating: T, with potential M 

Word count: 30k 

Summary: A post-Hephaestus minlace fake dating au. The two of them made it back with Eiffel and Hera in tow, but things are not easy when you're filing a lawsuit against Goddard Futuristics and there are cameras everywhere you go and a reporter just asked you how you and Captain Lovelace started dating.

21

Pairing: Doug Eiffel/Mr. Koudelka/Renée Minkowski 

Rating: T 

Word count: ~12k 

Summary: Doug fucks up, Minkowski stresses, Koudelka smacks some sense into both of them. (After Eiffel drunk-dials Minkowski in the dead of night and says some things he shouldn't, Minkowski arrives to break down his door and talk some sense into him. She doesn't do so well. Her husband does significantly better.)

22

Characters: Hilbert, Hera, Minkowski, Eiffel 

Rating: G 

Word count: 1000 - 2000 

Summary: It's the end of the first week of the mission, and everything is going....alright? Eiffel has been rather resigned, unsure of himself really, and Hilbert has been giving everyone the cold shoulder. The AI system (Hera right?) doesn't talk much besides when spoken to, but when she does she says some strange things. But Minkowski knows that the crew can come together, and what better way than a game night? 

23

Pairing: Lovelace/Minkowski/Koudelka, Jacobi/Eiffel, Jacobi & Maxwell 

Rating: M 

Word count: 10k 

Summary: Isabel Lovelace learns a secret, finds some truth, falls in love, and creates a family and saves the world. Roughly in that order.

24

Pairings: Kepcobi (hinted) 

Rating: T

Word count: 2000 max 

Summary: In the aftermath of a mutiny, Maxwell and Kepler sit together in the observation deck. They talk about the friends they've lost. (essentially, What If Jacobi Died Instead Of Maxwell)

25

Pairings: Kepcobi, Maxwell/Long-suffering patience 

Ratings: T (potentially M) 

Word count: ~6000 

Summary: Stranded in Kyoto, Kepler emphatically suggests Jacobi take tea ceremony lessons to "give him a sense of calm" (and also keep him out of Kepler's hair while he tries to figure out an extraction). Maxwell can't stop laughing. Jacobi can't stop knocking over tea cups. Kepler can't stop almost getting murdered at the vending machine down the road.

[ravencromwell]

I wanna talk @wolf359radio, specifically their incredible juxtaposition of comedy with deeper themes, and their brilliant gamble about slow-building character investment. Because this is a podcast I feared I wouldn't like, but that became my motivation to become a patron of something for the first time, well before I was finished with season 1. So I wanna dissect precisely what they're doing so right on a crafting level. Mild spoilers up through the end of EP 11 below the cut.

I don't normally like what we've come to view as comedy. Primarily because it's come to be less about brilliant comedic timing on an actor's part and more about ridiculous physical/situational slapstick almost entirely driven by external factors. So when I heard that the first few eps of Wolf 359 were mostly office shenanigans in space, my stomach rolled and I almost ignored; but I'd heard that Gabriel and Sarah were fucking geniuses (yeah; pretty much perfect advertising), and I'd been recced it by two folks, so I figured I'd dive in.

Almost instantly, I was intrigued and on alert, because Zach's comedic timing was very reminiscent of something like Girl Friday for me, which I utterly adore. The humor derived almost exclusively from the way he chose to convey the monologue. And that brilliant opening patter monologue. By the time he started talking about the pizza delivery missing his hotel by a few thousand light-years, and calling Hilbert Russian Dr. Doom, I was clapping and cackling in sheer delight. And then, when you're like oh, that was a nice comedic moment in space, they slide that ending hook of Doug possibly discovering...something into place. And it's such an intriguing little hook, because all right, this was a false alarm, but you can't always be the boy who cried wolf with your hooks. So, clearly, they're setting up for a not false alarm. And then realizing Zach played Hilbert as well; I was just floored by his range and skill. Any show that netted this versatile an actor had to be something special.

So you're set up to have high expectations from the pilot, and then Little Revolución and Discomforts, Pains, and Irregularities form this incredible duology to further your investment. There're so many shows that cram character detail into the pilot. There's a frantic rush to have you be invested, to catch your attention with anything, that it becomes throwing paint at a wall and seeing what sticks. As much as making 359 on no budget those first couple years must've been an unmitigated nightmare in a lotta ways, this was their moon shot. No expectation, no profit margin, and by God if they were going to put in the work to make the thing, you were going to have to put in a little trust and time to love it. That created this marvelous, constantly expanding canvas, with this thrumming excitement on discovering which part of the canvas they were going to shade in or fill each episode. Anyway: I digress.

Little Revolución sets up Doug's melodrama and lays the seeds for the expanding family dynamic we continue to see throughout the season in one fell swoop. After all, if Hilbert and Minkowski are engaging in an extreme prank war, they can't be the figures of unremitting dread Doug's nicknames would make them out to be. And Doug, oh Doug. Zach's comedic timing and inflection continued to be stellar there, drawing me into stitches over Doug determined to die on his foolish hill. There were so many moments where dialogue and inflection melded seamlessly, and showed just how thoroughly Gabriel and the rest of the team understood how they wanted their words to resonate with the audience, and precisely what beats an actor would need to hit to get there. I'm thinking of something like Doug's explanation of the last time he was cajoled into accepting substitutions. It is obviously written to be amusing, and Zach utterly mines that potential. Even then, I couldn't imagine anyone else as Doug.

If EP 2 was watching Minkowski and Hilbert work together and starting to see Minkowski unbend, EP 3 made me fall in love with Commander Minkowski, and much of that was the way Emma sold the comic timing. Minkowski's sheepishness at avoiding the physical! Getting that moment of humanity from her, like unlocking a puzzle. And also in the best traditions of puzzles, really starting to realize that we're in the midst of an ongoing story. That moment when Doug says that he thought she was joking about the plant monster entirely spins the story around: he expects her to joke. As much as they often infuriate one another, there's also a comradeship. And then his nicknames start to feel more like snide sibling rivalry, glorious sibling rivalry. This's further strengthened by watching them work together against the plant monster. We expected Minkowski to be competent of course; Emma's usual no-nonsense tones guarantee that even if she weren't the commander. And we *knew* Doug had to be competent. But this; this is the moment we start to see it. And there again, the juxtaposition of serious and comedic elements. That they're not afraid to raise the stakes in the midst of what should be folks skiving off a physical utterly delighted me. The authorial confidence required to seesaw like that started to reassure me I was in very. very good hands, even if some of the genres employed weren't my usual fair.

It was EPs 4 and 5 that made me determined to watch through at least the rest of the season. Cataracts and Hurricanoes alchemized my liking for Minkowski into fierce adoration. And we continued to be exposed to more and more evidence that she and Doug's relationship was as sibling-like as it could be, considering the differences in rank. This's the first EP, too, where I realized Hera was very likely to steal my heart. Her concern for Doug was so well-acted. The way all the actors were able to spin, going from Doug and Minkowski bantering one second to deeply dangerous rescue the next was astounding. While I was coming to take for granted that the writing would veer, the spot-on casting, just how much these actors were starting to embody the versatility of the writing, get comfortable and play, took my breath away.

And then came EP 6, wherein I decided yeah Gabriel was a fucking genius. Because the juxtaposition of the dire and the hilarious actually *became a plot device* He whipsawed our perceptions of Hilbert madly throughout the episode. Had Doug's melodrama about the physical--which you could easily take in EP 3 as the clash of an overeager doctor with someone who. just didn't like doctors much--foreboded something more dire? And you really start to realize how *smart* Doug is here. Not just competent, but quick on his feet. The reveal at the end was so well-done; it would have been too early, too abrupt of a tonal shift, to pull us into true chaos. But Gabriel was starting to gradually give us a taste, and use the comedy as the tether to continue to ground us within the plot. Always bringing us back, centering us, like a skillful pilot starting to fly through mild turbulence.

EP 6 confirmed my deep Hera empathy. That moment when we see her show annoyance, and Doug acknowledge her programming for the first time. We start to see the gulf between them, but also the commonality. And again, we're whipsawing just a little, very gently, on Hilbert. The way he's slowly pulling back from the comedic elements, weaning us off gradually, while never entirely losing sight of them is so clever. Both the writing and the acting really show the understanding that to endure serious narrative often requires just the right proportions of levity mixed in. And again, we started to see hints of the serialized story from EP 1 by the end of 6, hints this will be the overarching plot. The way the show becomes comfortable tossing all sorts of genre elements about makes clear that very. very good hands should be revised to excellent. And then for anyone still watching but on the fence, there's no way to stop now with the mystery hook of the odd voices.

The way comedy is used in Sound and Fury is sheer perfection. How clearly uncomfortable Doug is lying, his desperate adroitness that fools no one--and the implication he knew it would fool no one-- had me in stitches. And we needed the levity desperately there, to balance out Hera's insecurity and vulnerability. Minkowski's insults would hurt far less if she were not quite so aware of her flaws, if she had not, I suspect, become far more sentient than she was intended to be. And with that comes a very human fear of not entirely belonging, of being dispensable.

I wanna skip now to 9-11, which isn't to say that the other EPs aren't amazing; they are! but much of what they do on a structural level are things done by the previous eps.

I loved seeing the core group functioning as a core group in these last few; we'd seen dyads before, but seeing that full puzzle snap together was marvelously breathtaking. I loved Emma's use of levity at the end of EP 9, because man oh man, that's where the writing really starts to preview a tenseness that's. well, my heart was pounding, let's leave it at that. That tone Emma adopted, of trying desperately to remain the straight-laced commander, but there starting to be real fear and vulnerability there, and then her just throwing up her hands and going yeah, I'm as pissed as them. popped the bubble of the tension so perfectly. And the writing, giving Minkowski that vulnerability: it makes this show feel so rewarding, like you're peeling back character layers like onion skin. Every moment you continue to be invested in the show will reward you with some greater revelation about these people you're coming to love.

And that just continues into the last two: Hilbert's gentleness in EP 10! contrasted with Doug's melodrama over the spider, which never felt campy and felt viscerally real for someone who regularly engages in melodrama over creepy crawlies. And Minkowski, being fierce gentle mother bear again; the best of Minkowski comes to the surface when her crew is under threat. Which was a theory from EP 4, but now we have it brilliantly confirmed.

And the juxtaposition of the droll with the dangerous in EP 11 was just masterful. The way Hilbert's thoughtful, almost mournful reflections about solitude and why we still fear it and Hera's wrenching struggle with not only not being quite human but with the folks she's closest to not quite understanding it were softened by Doug's brilliantly funny psych test was just enough. Just enough to ensure that those sections resonated, that there are still lines from both of them reverberating in my head a day later, without being crushing. Which leads me to another thought: the comedic elements are a herald of 359's underlying hope imho. Even in the midst of deeply bleak things, like Minkowski reconfirming Doug's unreliability that we'd almost forgotten about from EP 5 and that now seems to be a crew unreliability oh shit! is offset by that very gentle, fiercely human wish to send her best wishes and love to someone on their name day. That's the...not gentlest we've seen Minkowski, but perhaps the softest, and it made me a little weepy.

At any rate, there're my long, disjointed thoughts on 359, and how it does the brilliant things it does, at least so far.

[isagrimorie]

Okay, so I’ve been listening to podcasts on my long commute to work and back again.

In order of what I listened: 

1.) The Magnus Archive 

According to its blurb TMA is: 

“Make your statement, face your fear.”The Magnus Archives is a weekly horror fiction anthology podcast examining what lurks in the archives of The Magnus Institute, an organisation dedicated to researching the esoteric and the weird. Join the new Head Archivist, Jonathan Sims, as he attempts to bring a seemingly neglected collection of supernatural statements up to date, converting them to audio and supplementing them with follow-up work from his small but dedicated team.Individually, they are unsettling. Together they begin to form a picture that is truly horrifying because as he looks into the depths of the archives, something starts to look back…” 

I love this. Welcome to Night Vale was kind of creepy and very quirky but I never found it scary, it was cool but eventually, I kind of never continued it. 

TMA, on the other hand, seems to be the kind of balance I like. Jonathan Sims is the Head Archivist of the Magnus Institute. It reminds me of Twilight Zone and ‘Are You Afraid of the Dark?’ with Cthulhu type unknowable horrific beings. 

It starts out as the blurb says: a series of seemingly unconnected stories that by the end of each season, forms a very unsettling whole. 

Really, really interesting and scratches season-long arc type stories that get me. 

Thanks to @centaurianthropology for always posting about it to the point my curiosity got the better of me, it is awesome. 

Scary, but awesome. 

Scary awesome. 

2. ) Mabel Podcast

Really interesting podcast with gothic and magic realism elements about a one-sided phone conversation between and Anna Limon and the mysterious and unreachable Mabel.  

3.) Wolf359

Guys. OMG. This Podcast. IS. MY. JAM.

SPACE OPERA. 

WOLF 359

Awesome women. Lt. Commander Renee Minkowski, Captain Isabel Lovelace, and the snarky AI, Hera. Together with the hilarious Officer Doug Eiffel, sketchy Dr. Hilbert out in the far reaches of space orbiting Wolf 359 where things go from hilarious to death trap in a heartbeat.

It’s a story about found families, second chances, pop culture references, and badassery. 

IT IS MY JAM. 

I RECOMMEND IT A LOT. 

[geejaysmith]

A running list of things I have a heightened appreciation for upon my second listen

Season 1: 

Minkowski escalating in response to Eiffel escalating the Toothpaste Siege. Specifically: freezing and sleep-depriving him out. Over toothpaste. Renee Minkowski does not fuck around.

Minkowski also trying to dodge the physical examination in episode 3.

Honestly, the way Minkowski drops her animosity towards Eiffel the second there’s real danger and reigning in his compulsive dipshit tendencies isn’t even a secondary concern in the face of reeling him back inside the station before he drowns in a flooded spacesuit, or torching the giant plant monster. Renee Minkowski: Actual Responsible Grown-Up.

tbh on my first listen I thought episode 5 had Hilbert take too hard a left turn from “goofy mad scientist” into the “genuinely sinister” category, but nope! Nope, I guess I somehow totally missed the last five seconds of that episode. No, he was always just that nefarious and keeping the facade up during this episode just raised more suspicions than it allayed. 

Homestuck classpect meta voice: episode 5, more like Eiffel Breath-hexing himself for 20 minutes straight. 

I’d forgotten how much higher Hilbert’s voice is when he’s in “goofy mad scientist mode”, tbh. Zack Valenti has some range. 

Hilarious in Hindsight: soooo... what do you think Hilbert was thinking when they stumbled across Dr. Selbert’s old lab

Drunk Minkowski. Drunk Minkowski singing. I would like to hear her singing more often, maybe. Also, getting Hilbert to make ice cream under threat of violence is way funnier after having looked at the track titles on the OST. 

I am a weenie and The Empty Man is still genuinely terrifying, ok?

Minkowski picked up on Weird Alien Shit as soon as episode 11 (a long-time favorite of mine), though I don’t know if we ever got a hard explanation for all the phenomena she mentions in her log, specifically doors vanishing, objects moving around without explanation, or feeling like there’s more than just the four of them in the station. Chalking it up to Weird Alien Shit, or Space Brain Ghosts Being Real, Actually.

Minkowski being a little bit soft in her message home still melts me. 

Eiffel’s psych eval in episode 11. What does he associate with “mission”? Punishment. “Station”? Prison. ...oof. 

The realization that, had Eiffel not been too... himself, to stop trying to sneak cigarettes, he wouldn’t have had the oxygen mask to stop Hilbert knocking him out and been conscious to thwart his plans, and then the lit cigarette started the fire that gave Hera the opening to override Hilbert’s orders and get Minkowski back in the station. Behold: the idiot savant, at his finest. 

That the season 1 finale takes place on Eiffel’s birthday, which is also Christmas. Happy holidays, Hephaestus crew! Enjoy your presents! (Spoiler alert: The present is trauma)

Minkowski does holiday cooking herself in this and other episodes... and mandates holiday protocols... Let Renee Minkowski Be Soft If She Wants.

“Presents after dinner”, what kind of presents were they exchanging exactly.