#wolf359 spoilers

[ottosbigtop]

No because the episode where they finally open the door that you only open When You Are Alone really solidified something about Hilbert in my brain that makes me insane. He gets this whole monologue from Cutter’s recording about how, hey congrats, you fucked over your team! Good job! Please politely sit yourself on this chair and rot away in space at your earliest convenience ^_^ dw your awesome project notes will be saved and sent to us tho so that’s fine!

And Lovelace calls attention to the fact. They’re going to leave him to die in space while they (supposedly) carry on his work back on Earth. And ??? He doesnt ? Care ? As long as his work is still being carried out and supposedly making a difference, he doesn’t need to be attached to the final product. He can just die in space, no one ever knowing the lengths he went through while working on decima, project taken over by someone else entirely, and he’s fine with that.

Something about that disconnect, that lack of ego in a specific way just really. Does something. To me. Hes obviously got insane hangups about his work but whatever commitment he has to it goes beyond his own ego. He doesn’t need to be the one who reaps the rewards, who’s recognized for the changes he thinks decima might make.

“But my work would have made it back to earth. Everything I’ve done would… It would have made a difference. I find that perfectly equitable.”

Just something about the amount of dehumanization of Himself as well as the look into the fact that he is trying to do good, if in no one’s eyes but his own. As long as the virus is doing what he made it to do. Who cares what happens to him in the process. He just has to be alive long enough to get results. Kicking rocks. God i love this podcast.

[demonacro]

Minkowski commanding, a hunt of the ages! >:3

This has been a piece I've been working on for a while, glad to upload it for the 10th anniversary zine!! I love wolf359 with all my being and appreciate it every day. To many more years of celebration!

[michaelmylove]

hes so me frfr

[isabellovelaces]

Happy birthday Kepler, I hope you’re still slutting it up in hell

[emp-t-man]

okay here’s the thing— i don’t think hilbert actually killed fourier and rhea, and here’s why:

yes. he did kill lambert and hui. we know that it’s because command insisted that he continue the human decima trials after fisher’s death, and since neither lambert nor hui had received the physical and immune system training that he had gone through, their bodies weren’t able to fight it off. but fourier… she didn’t die from the virus. she disappeared. the day after she was able to figure out how to wire the vx3 into lovelace’s escape shuttle. they never found a body. and rhea? she was deactivated only three hours before running the final calculations. and lovelace was right, these were definitely not coincidences. someone didn’t want them to leave the hephaestus. but why would hilbert want them to stay? there was no reason he needed lovelace alive. the door didn’t exist during that mission, and so hilbert had no reason to believe that command wouldn’t simply provide him with more subjects after this one was met with failure. hilbert himself wanted to get off the station and go home! he says so in episode thirty-one, where he admitted to contacting command fifty days before she left and suggesting that they terminate the mission! there was no logical reason for hilbert to resort to murdering in cold blood in order to keep lovelace on that station.

but.

there is someone else that would resort to such an extreme just to keep the hephaestus crew from returning to earth. someone who, several years later, was able to bend the laws of time and space to their will by creating a loop of an entire day just to ensure something would keep them in the same place.

“doug, are you seriously suggesting that the aliens were miraculously able to remove two entire people from existence without a trace?” you bet your ass i am.

here’s the thing: these guys are able to do pretty much anything they want. they’ve created human duplicates, they’ve created time loops, they use a god damn wormhole to transport humans to a seemingly entirely different plane of existence. if someone were to figure out a way to do something they didn’t like, they could very easily just,, make them disappear! just like lovelace assumed it was for hilbert, it was a last resort for them, and last resorts make people get sloppy!

another thing that makes me think hilbert wasn’t behind this in particular? lovelace stated in her logs that command stopped responding to their calls months before the day she died. just like cutter seemingly stopped responding to minkowski’s call for help four months before he arrived on the station. he was only able to actually make it to the hephaestus after eiffel and bob have their little heart to whatever-the-hell-bob-has. that also does not sound like a coincidence to me.

the aliens causing fourier and rhea to disappear also makes sense from a learning standpoint. after they made them go away, lovelace still managed to make it off the station, even if she died shortly after. having a little run-in with the indomitable human spirit like that would make sense as to why they would elect to simply have time repeat itself until someone did something stupid rather than only dwindling their recourses and letting them continue.

as we learned from kepler, this was far from the first time the aliens had done something to interfere with a hephaestus mission in order to attempt to start their process. why would they try so hard during zhang’s (and possibly several others’) mission and leave the crew entirely alone during lovelace’s, just to try and stir the pot again during minkowski’s run?

i dunno, it’s just a theory (a space theory), but i think it would make a lot more sense as to why lovelace’s mission went the way it did rather than simply “hilbert went crazy and pulled a wadsworth on everyone”

[nobodysdaydreams]

My thoughts on the SI-5

For as much as a lot of fandom romanticizes the SI-5 as a friend group, Kepler really did Jacobi and Maxwell so dirty. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad he got it in the end, and the character himself is hilarious. But I need to talk about this. This man is insane and needs to be held accountable.

First of all, he meets them at the very lowest points of their life. Maxwell is isolated from her family and support systems, and it’s implied her career is heading for the toilet due to her fight with the ethics board. Jacobi’s career is totally over after he was blacklisted from his work, and it’s implied he doesn’t have strong support systems either. Kepler knows that and uses it to manipulate both of them into working for him. They both, especially Jacobi, have such a strong loyalty to him because they saw him as their only way out of their situations, and Kepler does not match that loyalty at all.

How do I know this? Because he was totally cool with Maxwell dying. Didn’t shed a tear. And when Jacobi called him out for that and threatened HIS life? Kepler was like “well okay. Guess we have to shoot Jacobi then.” I was reviewing my episode reactions, and I totally forgot he told Minkowski that. Like he didn’t hesitate or even try apologizing to Jacobi or admitting he was wrong first, he jumped right to “kill Jacobi instead.” He also had the audacity to say “how could he (Jacobi) do this? After all we’ve been through? 🥺” and then what they’ve “been through” is Kepler buying Jacobi fireworks (1) time, admitting to stalking Jacobi and Maxwell for years before he hired them (creepy), harassing and threatening them if they fail to comply with his orders, telling Jacobi and Maxwell they’re worth about as much as a glass of whisky and he wouldn’t miss them (which is verified by his reaction to Maxwell’s death and brief willingness to kill Jacobi to save his own skin when Jacobi tries to get revenge), lying to Jacobi and Maxwell and keeping secrets from both of them, and being an arrogant jerk of a boss who treats them more like his patronized pets than his friends. It’s actually funny how Kepler is shocked that wouldn’t be enough to keep Jacobi’s loyalty after gambling with the life of his best friend. He’s so blinded by his own ego it’s hilarious. Like buddy, it’s a miracle of desperate circumstance that either of them were loyal to you in the first place, you pompous whisky-worshipping buffoon.

You even see it in the little details. Kepler talking to Cutter about Jacobi and Maxwell behind their backs on that one call, the way Jacobi calls Maxwell “Alana” but Jacobi and Kepler use their formal names for each other until the very end when Kepler calls Jacobi “Daniel” and acts legitimately terrified to discover what Cutter and Pryce’s true plans are. Which again, love the way the redemption arc was done and those little details show you proof that Kepler rethought his views and isn’t doing this on a whim and that Jacobi and Maxwell’s friendship, as compared to their relationships with Kepler, was a stronger and more real and genuine friendship. I mean, headcanon what you want, write the SI-5 how you want. But a lot of people seem to either love or hate the whole SI-5 group (I admit this was me for a long while, though I do love post-redemption duck and whisky boys) so it’s easy to gloss over these internal dynamics within the SI-5, but if Kepler survived, I would personally need him to acknowledge just how much of a jerk he really was because yikes.

[podcastlvr]

another segment of the very unfinished wolf 359 animatic 🫡

[serial-serializednovelreader]

Hmm, let's see...

Jonathon Harker, Mina Harker, Kate Wetherall, Mr. Benedict, Doug Eiffel, and/or Renée Minkowski!

Whichever one(s) you want to answer I'd be happy to see! I hope you're having a good day <3

2. A canon or headcanon hill I will die on

9. Scene that first made me love (or hate) the character

12. Crack headcanon

16. Deepest darkest secret they won’t even admit to themselves

17. Quotes, songs, poems, etc. that I associate with them

20. Scars

21. Drink of choice (not just alcoholic)

29. Eating habits

30. Sleeping habits

42. 3 comfort items

49. Favorite toy as a child

So many great choices, thank you Sophie!!! I'm having a great day, I hope you are too! <33

2. A canon or headcanon hill I will die on:

Jonathan Harker -- He was not properly warned about Dracula before going to the castle. Canonically, he was only warned against going to the castle *that night* because it was the eve of St. George's Day and that's when evil spirits hold sway. He did go, yes, because of his job, not because he wanted to. He was not told what the Count was (he DOES ask, but is met with silence and the innkeeper and his wife crossing themselves, or just pretending not to understand him). The innkeeper's wife does ask "Do you know where you're going and who you're going to" but again, does not elaborate further.

He does later hear the words "vampire"/"werewolf" and other disconcerting words in passing (not told to him) while he's in the carriage, but he doesn't get enough translation to know who they're speaking of, so he assumes they're talking about him (because they were looking at him and I think he needs more self-esteem lol).

Why is this my hill to die on? I'm getting a bit tired of seeing posts that are like "Jonathan: *gets told Dracula is a vampire by the villagers* Jonathan: haha you're wrong! What ridiculous superstitions *goes anyway*" and I want to be like uhhh at what point was he warned by anyone explicitly that Dracula was a vampire???? And he doesn't just brush off their warnings either -- he does get bad vibes and he says "goodbye" to Mina on day two!!! I will allow he does assume the villagers' odd behavior is due to superstition and tradition and that's not great, but due to his upbringing and them not elaborating, what else is he supposed to think? If it was me, I know I would be confused and nervous, but I would probably also go to the castle too, because nothing in those implicit warnings was more important than a job. I would likely also assume they were more worried about what day I was going on, rather than the man I was going to, honestly. If anyone was able to glean "the guy I'm going to is a vampire" from what the villagers did without our knowledge of hindsight on Dracula, well....good for you I guess??? You are truly built different. 😭😭

Quick note: I don't blame the villagers for not warning Jonathan explicitly of Dracula. I imagine he keeps them under a strict "keep my true nature quiet" rule. They did above and beyond their duty by giving him vampire-repellent gifts, trying to implicitly warn him/delay his trip, and trying to deliberately make Jonathan miss Dracula's carriage. My sticking point is more on people trying to say Jonathan was told Dracula was a blood-sucking vampire and he just didn't listen. I'm not for sure if Jonathan would've believed the villagers and turned around and gone home if he had been explicitly warned (after all, his job and boss's reputation is on the line here!), but in the canon, he wasn't. Also, I'm talking about the novel canon only, so if he was warned explicitly in adaptations and did this kind of brush off, that's on the directors, not on the original text.

9. Scene that first made me love (or hate) the character:

Jonathan Harker -- It's difficult for me to say exactly when I fell in love with this guy the first time around. There are so many good scenes with him!! I would say I definitely enjoyed his tenacity throughout his time at castle Dracula, but the first scene where I really really fell in love with him was when he reunites with Mina. He's a mess emotionally and physically (after all, he's just been through castle Dracula), but his love for Mina shows through it all! He immediately marries her!! And though he doesn't want to talk about his trauma, he does hand her his journal from the castle as a sign of trust. He tells her if she wants to open it and read it, she can. That's how I knew his trust and love for her was deep. Plus, being able to communicate his emotions in such a surprisingly healthy way (considering the time period) was all that was really needed to make me love him! I could talk about more but it would be basically the whole novel...

Mina Harker -- Mina, my beloved. A QUEEN. It did not take long for me to warm up to her. She's sweet, funny, and obviously cares about her fiancé and her friend, Lucy. However, the scene that first made me love her was also when she reunites with Jonathan. She is eager to marry him, of course, but beyond that she's sympathetic to his obvious trauma. She doesn't push for information he's not ready to give, and when he gives her his journal, she decides to seal it with wax (using their wedding ring to do so -- I'm so normal about this...not) rather than read it. Why? She can tell it obviously distresses him to think about it at all and it disturbs him to think he could read it without his knowledge, though he's given consent. The wax allows him to know if/when she reads it. This is her sign of love and trust back to him. She also promises him she won't read it "unless it's for his dear sake or some stern duty". Her combination of love, integrity and ingenuity really shows here and I LOVE her for it!!!!

Kate Wetherall -- Ah yes, Kate. Another character I'm totally normal about (if you can tell, I'm normal about none of these characters, lol) :D Let's see, I really loved her from the beginning of the first book (especially "The Great Kate Weather Machine" -- I died laughing at that nickname), but if I had to pick a particular scene...probably when she meets Milligan for the first time and refuses to do anything for the tests until they have proper introductions. Other than being lowkey funny, it introduces two new things about her character we haven't seen yet: 1) her stubborn streak and 2) her refusal to treat people as just random extras in her life not worthy of an introduction. Yes, she wants to know more about Milligan so he can answer her test questions, but she also wants to know so she can get to know him as a person. She's not content to just brush by him and forget he exists; he's just as important to her as anyone else she'll meet in her life. And she has no idea how much Milligan will actually come to mean to her until much later. It's a little thing, but I think it shows her willingness to treat everyone as important very well!

If we're talking show Kate, I already went in with the love for the book, but the VERY first scene where she runs in and introduces herself was like greeting an old friend. Her painful high fives. Asking them to call her the Great Kate Weather Machine. It makes me laugh every single time. Not to mention her saying "started a small fire. Easily containable. No injuries." ????? KATE???? The actor's way of having Kate talk in short bursts like that to show how fast she talks is just....*chef's kiss*. I love it!!!

Mr. Benedict -- Another character I loved from start to finish! Other than laughing at Constance's answers (as a kid, I was a stickler for rules, so I expected someone with so many test rules to be the same way too LOL, so seeing him laugh it off was...kind of nice and freeing), his "white knight" talk with Reynie is what made me love him. I loved how he knew it was Reynie right away -- a clear sign of his intuition. How he fell asleep after he told Reynie he couldn't contact Miss Perumal :( -- a clear sign of his empathy. Then, talking about Reynie's own inner fears through the test questions (aka the white knight and his doubts) was so cool to me: I loved his way of quiet empathy and helping Reynie learn more about himself! As a kid, I wondered if I had doubts like Reynie I needed to examine after reading that. He was like this steady rock for the kids throughout the series, though of course he had moments where he needed help too and I loved him for that!

As for show Benedict, they took an entirely different direction with him and I loved that too!! It took me slightly longer to warm up to him (mainly because the white knight story was a MESS in my eyes, I was like "what was THAT" lol), and because he almost seemed untrustworthy (which is kind of the point -- I would understand that purpose later). The first scene where I grew attached -- and you may have guessed it, I talk about it all the time -- is when he found out the Sender was his twin brother and, in response, goes “excuse me” before walking outside to scream for a bit. So relatable!!! I love him!!! I want the best for him!!! It really showed me that he was a bit of an anxious mess with obvious issues. And that was honestly refreshing to see. Yes, he's the kids' mentor, but he's not infallible. It also makes sense, considering what they add to his backstory.

Doug Eiffel — This is another one of those “I loved him from the first moment I heard him speak” scenarios, but I think what really sealed the deal was his toothpaste revolution speech. It’s so ridiculous and over-dramatic!! And for toothpaste? LOL, he is so funny. If you’ve read The Lunar Chronicles, it reminds me of Thorne and his soap rebellion (another one of my favorite characters, but I’m letting that series rest for now or else I won’t shut up about it). That’s how I knew I was going to love this guy and his ADHD vibes. Not to mention his near-incomprehensible references. I am *exactly* the same way with slang and vine references; sometimes it’s to the point where I have to explain full sentences I make, just like Eiffel. Love that guy <3

Renée Minkowski — As the one who has to reign in Doug’s…doug-ness (read: his ADHD), I definitely had to respect Renée for that alone. But I think I came to love her specifically in Cataracts and Hurricanoes. At the beginning of the episode, when Eiffel is making his “space — the final frontier” speech, Minkowski shuts it down, but I love the way she does it. She reminds him of the “strict no tomfoolery clause” she made which tells me that she knows him so well and is prepared for the silly he brings. Beyond that, it's the first time we see Eiffel put into actual danger and, as a result, see Minkowski go into Captain ModeTM. Her willingness to immediately put her life in danger for Doug, remain calm, and even humor his little quirks along the way ("yes, Eiffel, that's my jetpack thingy") really made me love her and want to see more of her! Plus, her shutting down Hilbert's "greater good" speech (it walked so Kepler's "big picture" speeches could run, change my mind) in a firm but professional way was awesome!! Love her so much!!!!

12. Crack headcanon:

Mr. Benedict -- This isn't my headcanon (I got it from this post), but I accept it as my own now: Mr. Benedict loves metal music. Expanding off of that, he enjoys going to live concerts in his free time (wearing earplugs to keep from getting overstimulated, of course!). He used to watch the mosh pits (namely, the "wall of death") with fascination, but could not participate due to the risk of getting too excited and falling asleep in the middle of one. After TPD, though? He definitely tried it at least once. Whether he did it more than once is up to you!

As for show Benedict, I got this from reading @nobodysdaydreams SOS AU fanfic (this is yet another plug from my to go read it if you haven't already, it's amazing). Remember in season 2 when Number Two and Nicholas are singing off-key at the top of their lungs? Well, Bods wrote it in as Milligan hearing their voices and feeling it "sounded familiar". Now, most people would take that as "he recognized their voices", which was almost certainly the intention. How did I take it? That Milligan has had to hear them sing before and immediately recognized their voices because he was like "ah yes, there's that off-key singing I know and...love?" So my headcanon is that Nicholas Benedict regularly sings in the shower and around the house when he thinks no one can hear him (I think Number Two does as well, just less so). As long as he doesn't get too excited, it doesn't trigger his narcolepsy!

16. Deepest darkest secret they won’t even admit to themselves:

Kate Wetherall -- In the first season and the first book, she can't admit to anyone -- not even herself -- that she needs help. She's been working on her own for so long that admitting this would be almost a weakness on her part. On a deeper level, I think another reason for guarding so hard against relying on anyone (and this is implied, though not really covered) is that she could lose that love and support again. A love and support she can't even really remember, save for one partial memory. To her, having it and losing it is probably more difficult than never having it in the first place and that's how she's determined to keep it, until she's finally forced to admit through drastic circumstances that she DOES need help. And that's when her father finally comes back into her life :''''')

17. Quotes, songs, poems, etc. that I associate with them:

Doug Eiffel -- I usually have trouble associating characters with songs, but once I though about it, this came quite easy to me!! I have a few:

First up, we have Mission Control by Normandie! I feel like this one really goes with Ep. 30 -- Mayday (and, if you go beyond that, literally any time Doug is in danger and his general feeling on the Hephaestus when things go wrong). A few lyrics to highlight:

System failure/ Calling mission control I've got a feeling we are heading/ for a black hole

I'm drifting to the light in the bitter end/ Cause there can be no life without oxygen/ The devil's at my door/ Cause I can hear him calling my name

I can't remember solid ground/ I'm losing my senses/ here in the silence/ Tell me that I'll be safe and sound

Next is Sirens by Imagine Dragons (no I can't make a song association without using Imagine Dragon songs -- sorry not sorry). I feel like this is a good one for describing Doug's anxiety and how he feels about failing Anne and succumbing to addiction when he shouldn't have. A few lyrics to highlight:

My heart bleeds/ I feel everything,/ I Drip, drop,/ drink out of the bottle/ Boy with a heart of gold/ Get run over/ by heaven knows what

Sometimes,/ I get a little bit scared at night/ I get a little preoccupied/ The sirens in my mind/ The sirens in my mind/ I just wanna be good again/ I wanna make it to the end

Last up is one of my all-time favorite songs by TWRP (feat. Dan Avidan): Starlight Brigade! I honestly want to make a separate post about how I see this song and Doug Eiffel (it's a WHOLE thing), but I think this song goes best with the series finale -- Ep. 61, Brave New World. It shows his courage in the face of great danger and his dedication to the friends he's made over the course of the podcast. Plus, it's also a certified bop. A few lyrics to highlight:

Halfway/ between the black and gray/ Is no place/ for a life to waste away/ I'll take/ the road with all the stakes

Arrays of enemies await,/ but fears allay/ We stand as one/ A bond beyond the vast wave,/ until the last grave

We have come so far/ Beyond the most distant star/ Starlight within will guide/ us to the other side

Lift off!/ The firestorm ignites/ Last thoughts of a life by candlelight/ Inside this speeding satellite

This fight is all I know that's right/ (whoa yeah)/ No fate/ but that of which we make/ Noble as the oath we undertake/ We are/ the great Starlight Brigade!

Bonus: can't forget one of his favorites -- the Mind Eraser (that really hits different after the finale, huh?) that is Canon in D Major by Pachelbel! I love that he enjoys this classical song because it's kind of unexpected for him! Since he's so against "nerdy stuff" (while simultaneously being a huge film nerd lolll), you wouldn't think it, but in a weird way I think this kind of balances him out :)

As for quotes, I don't have like, outside quotes I associate with Doug (except for maybe "Use the Force, Luke" lol), but some of my favorite Doug quotes are:

"Are you ready for a whirlwind road trip to Truth Town, USA? Population: Y'all!"

"but...Truth Town! 🥺"

"So the good doctor was all like, 'DIE!' And our heroes were all like, 'NOOO!' And he was all like, "Muahaha!" And they were all like, 'Boo-yah, nerd!'"

(to Lovelace) "thank you for talking to me. For helping me see the stuff I was getting wrong. It's not something you should've had to do, but… thanks for doing it." :)

(Minkowski: "I'm sorry Eiffel. You're going home.") "Not without you!...I'm not leaving you behind!"

(Hera: "You're going to have trust me") "With my life, darling. With my life…"

"I love you, Anne. Always and forever."

20. Scars:

Jonathan Harker -- This isn't so much a "scar", but definitely something I consider one. After Jonathan sees his wife being fed on by Dracula (and the aftermath where she's very obviously upset), his brown hair goes entirely white from the emotional stress it takes on him. If I wasn't already convinced this man loves his wife, this is a very obvious sign he does. (I am definitely normal about this fact. I do not go feral every time I think about it. /j)

Mina Harker -- After the aforementioned incident with Dracula, Van Helsing tries to help guard Mina against any more vampire attacks by touching her forehead with a Sacred Wafer. However, because Dracula has begun the process of turning her into a vampire, it leaves a burned cross mark on her forehead instead, which she wears until they defeat Dracula. This scar is a constant reminder of what she is slowly becoming and -- to her (the others reassure her otherwise) -- signifies she is "unclean" in the eyes of God. I believe it also reminds her of what she's fighting for -- to return to her humanity once more.

Kate Wetherall -- She has no canonical scars that I remember, but my headcanon is that she has some minor scars from her days in the circus, mostly on her legs and arms from some tricks gone wrong. I say minor because she's really agile and likely wouldn't get any major ones. I do think if I had to pick a Main ScarTM, I would say she has one across her left eyebrow that she got during her fight with the Executives in the first book.

As for show Kate, she definitely retained scars on her hands after hanging off a cliff for that many hours! I think she's a bit more careful than book Kate about what kind of scrapes she gets into (this is Disney, after all), but she has a scar or two from her time in the circus as well.

Mr. Benedict -- Mr. Benedict was in the navy and, while he wasn't in the field very much, I headcanon that he certainly was in a scrape or two which resulted in some scars. Before that, though, I think he retained a scars on his hands and possibly knees from when he dissembled and reassembled the drill on Violet's farm (I imagine it was quite uncomfortable). I also think that he has some scars from falling wrong on the ground (e.g. skinning his knees or elbows on a rock) with his narcolepsy when no one was there to prevent him from falling. :( Luckily, he has his family to protect him now!

As for show Benedict, I imagine Nathaniel being around prevented Nicholas from falling as a child (and vice versa, of course!), so I don't think he has any childhood scars. Nathaniel may have even "forbidden" scars because "how are we going to get adopted if we have imperfections like SCARS, Nicky??" If we want to dial up the angst, I headcanon his first scar came from when he came back to get his brother and found him gone. He had a narcoleptic seizure and, for the first time, his brother wasn't there to catch him. Unfortunately, there was some glass on the ground outside of the orphanage and he cut his right elbow on it when he fell. The scar is faint but still there, as a reminder from the day he didn't get his brother back and knew he had failed his promise. Just a thought. :)

Doug Eiffel -- This guy is always getting into trouble. I headcanon he has scars ALL over the place from various scrapes and injuries over the years. If you ask him, he will tell you the story of each individual one (he will not remember to update the star charts, but he will remember the one-inch-long scar on his knee he got falling from the jungle gym while trying to impress Jessica Perry in first grade). The one time he didn't get a scar? His accident with Anne. He searched for hours on his body trying to find a fresh one, hoping upon hope that he could at least have ONE permanent scar for all of the hurt he caused his daughter and the other driver but...no. Not a scratch. The fact he doesn't is almost a scar unto itself, though it's not physical. He used to brag about his scars with gusto. Now? Not so much. He'll talk about them, if you ask, but there's a bitter edge to his voice that doesn't quite match the lighthearted stories he tells.

Renée Minkowski -- Renée, like Eiffel, has numerous scars, though it's more from pushing herself rather than an inclination for trouble. Like Doug (pre-accident), she wears every scar with pride and remembers where she got each one. However, it's a quiet pride and she doesn't give out her "scar stories" easily. You need to be at least level 10 friendship to get that out of her. While Eiffel and scars are a touchy subject, he couldn't resist asking Minkowski about the slash on her cheek or the jagged scar running down her arm. After all, he can still enjoy a good story and they aren't HIS scars. Minkowski refused to tell him because -- well -- the guy can't even say her name right. No way is he at that level of friendship or trust yet. Eiffel, sensing this annoys her, proceeds to ask as often as he remembers (which is more often than you'd think). Then, Eiffel is rocketed into deep space. And somewhere along the line, she looks at the arm scar and remembers one of his annoying questions. It's such a small thing, but she has to run to her room to cry for a bit after that. Needless to say, Eiffel is told that arm scar story when he gets back to the Hephaestus. Minkowski told him more when he started saying her name right.

Quick note: there are 28 days between ep. 52 and 53, so I think that's when this last part would've happened.

21. Drink of choice (not just alcoholic):

Mina Harker -- I honestly don't remember if Mina has a canon drink of choice and I'm trying to keep myself "surprised" on my reread, so I don't want to comb through to check. So, in my headcanon, I believe she always enjoys a good cup of tea! Her favorite is what was most available to her at the time -- what's known as a "black tea", which is stronger and more bitter than the delicate teas of high society (source: this article). IIRC, Mina is an orphan like Jonathan, so she wouldn't always have had the luxury of the delicate, upper class blends which is more what we're used to today. She likely can afford those blends now, but I think she enjoys the stronger taste of the black tea blends.

29. Eating habits:

Renée Minkowski -- Renée was raised by a French diplomat so her eating habits are very precise. She has been trained in the table manners of several different countries. Also, in Poland, it's traditional to eat 5 smaller meals rather than three large meals, so Minkowski often prefers to eat smaller meals across the course of the day. Her exceptions are Thanksgiving and Christmas -- she loves getting together for these big dinners!

30. Sleeping habits:

Mina Harker -- She enjoys reading before bed (usually about train schedules, that Train Fiend lol) to relax her mind. Otherwise, she'll be thinking about everything under the sun and stay up all night! She's naturally inclined towards staying up later, but has restricted herself to going to bed at the same time -- 10:30 p.m. -- every night because she also has work to do as a schoolmistress and she knows Jonathan is a morning person. After their marriage, she is quite surprised to learn he likes staying up later too; she eases up on this rule a tad. She's also a stage five cuddler in her sleep, though she denies this (not because she doesn't like cuddling with her husband, but because it flusters her -- at first -- to think she'd cuddle him in her sleep. After that, it becomes amusing to act as if she's flustered because it makes Jonathan smile). Jonathan loves to tease her about it to no end (he knows very well she's not flustered anymore).

42. 3 comfort items:

Mr. Benedict -- His plaid shirts and blankets (of course!), a teacup with cute messages from his family he got for Christmas (Constance somehow fit a three-verse poem on there), and the picture Violet drew of him -- "The Boy on the Bluff".

As for show Benedict, he has the same comfort items as book Benedict, except for the last one. The last one is, instead, the photo of him and his brother, though it often brings more guilt than comfort. Bonus comfort item: a weighted blanket because he NEEDS one.

49. Favorite toy as a child:

Doug Eiffel -- Little Doug got a plush toy of Chewbacca for his birthday/Christmas one year and he LOVED it. He took that thing everywhere. He would play-pretend as Han Solo and Chewie would be right there as his co-pilot. While Eiffel was pretty destructive with his other toys, he was always careful with Chewie. He was encouraged to share this toy with his friends, but no. He vowed Chewie would be his and his alone. He kept that promise...until the day of Anne's first birthday. She immediately cuddled Chewie and Eiffel's heart melted. Now, he wonders if Chewie is in a trash bin somewhere because Anne doesn't want to be reminded of her dad :(

(spoiler alert: Chewie's fine. Kate wouldn't separate Anne from her favorite toy, especially because she cuddled it more than ever after the accident).

Thank you for the great ask, Sophie! This was so much fun to write. Hope you enjoyed :)

[mookybear12404]

There’s something so insidious about the way Goddard goes about hiring employees. Choosing only those with no support system, those in need, those who are desperate. They’re masters of manipulation, using Minkowski’s insecurities against her, cornering her and pressuring her to sign without talking to her husband. Breaking into Dimitri’s home, asserting dominance over him, and reminding him that he has no family left/ convincing him the Russian government will likely turn on him. Using Jacobi’s guilt and depression and unemployment. Manipulating Lovelace, stalking and harassing Maxwell, literally threatening to dismantle Hera piece by piece until they found the part of her that was resisting them??

And Eiffel. Doug Eiffel, who’s reached the lowest point in his life. Rotting in jail and believing full well he deserved it. Having his daughter’s wellbeing used as a gambling token. Coerced into signing that contract so that she could have a better life.

Goddard is truly a master of manipulation and extorting weaknesses. Each mini episode, each time I hear the sound of paper sliding across the table, as Cutter hands them the contract warranting their damnation, It only makes me feel more and more sick

[ari194]

First of all, just major spoiler warnings for the wolf 359 finale. Second of all this is gonna be a long post of just all the thoughts while I listen to the finale.

God I love the beginning with Cutter and Pryce like just that whole story time back and forth is so so good

Adding Hera and Eiffel's first meeting also hurts so good I can't. Just the little smile you can hear in Eiffel's chuckle and voice after Hera's "good boy" and the immediate establishment of them being partners in crime from the get go, just not even five minutes of knowing each other and they were already breaking rules together, words cannot describe how much I adore them

"These people have taken our lives away from us" line is so good, Renee Minkowski is t h e leader and I love her with my whole heart. She could rally me to do anything

"your dad loves you, your dad loves you so much" those are his last words to his daughter while he remembers her. fuck fuck f u c k. Christ this shit hurts. I love this podcast so much

Eiffel and Minkowski getting to laugh together one last time before everything goes down is so so good

"Goddammit Renee don't do this" and my heart b r e a k s

The fucking score in this episode is so so excellent the dramatic piano and just the everything about the pacing of the music is executed masterfully Alan Rhodey is a god

Dougie no, stop no self deprecating in this household. Also holy fuck just got hit with the "I can't do this" from Eiffel holy im being devastated with every second that goes by, we love parallels in this household

"you're just going to have to trust me"

"with my life darling, with my life" I love them so much eiffera has my entire heart forever 😭

Eiffera again hitting me with the "I can do this" "Of course you can darling" just her being able to confidently state her abilites and Eiffel not questioning her for a second, complete faith in Hera and always supporting her without hesitation.

God I love Kepler God I love him so much his reveal is everything his last lines are everything his last act is everything I can't I can't I can't.

"The beautiful thing is, I don't need you to be" is just such a fucking good line I will never ever ever get over it.

Also, harpoon?!

It's the fact that all I had to hear was the sound of the mind sweep and I started to completely come apart. I'll always love and hate that they didn't let Doug say his last words to Hera.

Wolf 359 will always always always be my absolute favorite piece of media to exist ever. Nothing will ever top it and I will never be able to love something as deep as I love Wolf 359. Just the fact that they saved the world they saved all of humanity and they would have all died with no one ever knowing a thing if it wasn't for Jacobi, Wolf 359 could have so easily ended as a tragedy and still been a good and wonderful piece of media but it's the fact that they got their somewhat bitter mostly sweet happy ending that sets it apart. It's the question of what makes the self, what makes a person themselves, it's that even while bawling your eyes out there will still be lines that make you laugh through it, it's every heartbreak throughout the show and the finale finally having the payoff of getting to hear them be safe and go home. They're battered, wounded, and bruised but they're alive and they are all going to start again. It's the last scene being our original 3 voice actors and the fact that when Doug goes "spending time with you two was the best damn thing to ever happen to him" there was never any doubt that he was talking about Minkowski and Hera.

I will never be over Wolf 359, and I will always be grateful I stumbled upon it and had the chance to fall in love with it. Anyway thanks for coming to my Ted talk I'm gonna go sob some more for a few hours.

[ottosbigtop]

My fucked up and evil deeds continue. Dissecting Lovelace post s3 finale + beginning of s4 like a. Bug today.

[eva-birdman-art]

Going back home, with only ghosts to keep you company

[michaelmylove]

I'm like 90% sure now Jacobi was deeply in love with Kepler omg he got annoyed he forgot about their anniversary they're so cute don't look at the war crimes they're absolutely adorable

[isabellovelaces]

Ur telling me that Alana Maxwell was 28 when she was shot during a mutiny in that space station??? She should have been at the club 💔

[emp-t-man]

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

[nobodysdaydreams]

Thinking again about the parallels between Cutter and Pryce and Eiffel and Hera as characters and in terms of the dynamics of their relationships

Because Cutter is the Director of Communications and Eiffel is a communications officer.

Because Pryce is the AI Specialist and Hera is the AI modeled after her and they have the exact same voice.

Because Cutter and Eiffel both help Pryce and Hera communicate when they have communication difficulties (Cutter by handling the "people" aspects of their partnership, and Eiffel by helping Hera when she was dealing with everything Pryce and Hilbert did to her).

Because Pryce and Hera both struggle with disabilities (Pryce with the ones she was born with and Hera with the ones Pryce built into her design), and Cutter and Eiffel still view them as incredibly smart and capable even when others do not or did not because of these issues.

Because Cutter and Eiffel both drink and smoke and struggle to let go of have similar "bad habits" (though Cutter found a way to dodge the negative side effects and make his vices look "classy" so he doesn't have to try to fight the temptation like Eiffel does🙄)

Because Cutter and Eiffel both do ridiculous silly things despite the intensity of their situations that Pryce and Hera, as "serious" as they are, find endearing and occasionally indulge in, like Eiffel's fake radio show that he did with Hera and Cutter's silly tips in his manual that he wrote with Pryce. (Also the fact that Cutter dragged A GRAND PIANO onto the space station just to play it dramatically that one time for vibes, I'm sorry that was too extra).

Because Pryce and Hera both hold grudges against people they feel have wronged or humiliated them (although arguably Pryce has no ground to stand on, she still feels the need to show up those who have defied her. She insists on calling Hera, who went against her programming, an "it" and tries going against Cutter's orders to attempt revenge, telling Hera "she'll never be rid of her", and after Maxwell betrays Hera, Hera is reluctant to forgive her and coldly tells Eiffel that they "shouldn't throw funerals for animals").

Because Pryce and Hera use similar phrases in different contexts, though the most notable one I can think of is Pryce calling Doug "boy" (derogatory) and Hera calling Doug "good boy" (affectionate).

Because Cutter was scared when Pryce was in danger and Eiffel freaked out whenever Hera was hurt or in pain.

Because when Pryce was in danger, Cutter considered jeopardizing the mission goals for her, and Eiffel gave up his memories for Hera.

Because despite these similarities, there are differences between their relationships and aside from the obvious differences of "yeah they're similar, but Pryce and Cutter are really evil and really old", the other big difference between these sets of characters is Cutter telling Pryce that her one job is to "back his plays" and that the one thing that terrifies him isn't aliens, enemies, or the laws of physics, but her improvising in the moment vs. Eiffel telling Hera that he trusts her "with his life" with no questions asked.

Going insane over these parallels. Scratching at the walls. My favorite space friendship built on mutual love and trust vs. the grossest most immoral "partnership" of all time.