#although...........hmmmmmm.....brain thinking...........

Voice actor:

Oh this is a fun one. let me think.

Hmm. Hmmmmm. Hmmmmmm.

Stan, unknowingly (as he usually does) becomes a participating member in a ceremony to swap out old gods for new ones. Several gods dance and frolic in the festival, each with their own little trial to pass on their godhood. Most of the time no one passes, and the gods return to wherever they came from, to spend another millennia or so until its time for them to put their test out again.

So Stan, by successfully pick pocketing this god, inherits their godhood, freeing them to go back to regular life or disappear forever? Who knows, they were a god and now they're not, they're free to do what they want.

And now Stan's a god! Except as a technically brand new god, he's got to make a name for himself. He doesn't inherit the old gods stuff, just proved through his stealing that he's a trickster god of some kind.

There is no one to tell him what he's doing, he's just getting slammed with being able to slightly bend reality, teleport around, walk through peoples dreams, and always know where crimes going on. Lets say this is year fiveish of being on his own, he spends the next five years muddling along, not supper powerful as a new god of crime, but he's getting there! Sort of figured out he's a god, his specialty is crime, stealing, traveling, tricks, the works. He's got a few followers (fellow criminals), but this is hard! He's builiding his god brand, and thats kind of tricky when you can't just blurt out that your a god to people, they have to figure it out on their own.

Then Ford calls him, not through a postcard (although he is writing one) but through a prayer. Ford is, although not aware of it, Stan's first follower. Sure he's mad and hasn't talked to Stan in years, but he's got a token of Stan on him at all times (photo), always thinks about him (waiting for sign of contact), always sending Stan power by thinking Stan's doing great out in the wide world.

Time for Stan to do some divine intervention (He still drives his car there, no sense in freaking Ford out after all)

Gets to Fords house and it sets off all his signals about being a temple to another god (Bill), is a little hurt, but its not like Ford knew Stan became a god a few years ago. Maybe he's back to practicing?

Knocks on the door and nope! Thats some other godly guy with his little grubby hands all over Ford's brain.

OkOKOK. Stan. Stan can fix this! Ford must want help with this guy! Stan will just snip him loose somehow, fix him up! It'll be fine!

Its not fine, Stan can't directly interfere with mortal affairs like this, he's gotta figure out a way to boot Bill by getting Ford to ask him for help, or finding a champion. Follows Ford to his basement, not even really paying attention to what he's saying, and oh god what is this thing in the basement?

OKOKOK. Not a godly guy, this is a demon and a demon portal. Stan can-he can work with this. Its even easier actually! Gods and demons fight each other all the time, just gotta... do something.

He's five years old, godly speaking, he has no idea what he's doing.

Ford whirls around to find Stan's hand halfway missing because Stan stuck it into another layer of reality and was trying to yank Bill's control out of Fords brain. They both freeze, Ford feels something from Stan messing around, and totally freaks out. What is this? What is Stan doing? Where is his hand? How long have you been working with Bill! How could you!

Stan is very confused right up until Ford tackles him. They fight, Ford furious and hurt, Stan confused and trying to yell that this is all a misunderstanding! If Ford could just let him explain! The two of them wrestle, portal turns on, Stan gets branded.

It hurts, a lot. Stan's a god, but he's not super powerful, and maybe the brand is some kind of ward? Something to prevents higher beings from touching it? Prevents Bill from meddling with the controls, and thats why he needs Ford to do it willingly?

So Stan gets this anti higher being ward burned into his higher being body, and totally glitches out. He's screaming, Fords screaming, watching something with his brothers face glitch and fritz. Sort of collapses and glitches, limbs disappearing and reappearing and turning into shadow and not. Ford realizes the portals on, shuts it off, then scrambles to do something about the thing turning into stardust on the basement floor. Stan's not dying, because this thing can't kill a god its just the most painful thing he's ever experienced ever.

Not sure where to take it from there. Maybe the brand's power starts to fade after Ford ties him up? Maybe he melts into a godly puddle and Ford puts him in a jar? Maybe he powers through the brand but he's he's still glitching and falling through reality like a bethesda glitch. Maybe Ford can't touch him and hes stuck on the floor for a bit, cursing and lying there, not moving for the next week until he can recover and Fords just stuck with his glitched out brother snarling at him on the floor, suddenly realizing that whoops maybe the thing with Stan's face might be Stan?

disco ball guy my beloved... spoilers

quick note that these are some things I have noticed although I may have missed some things or they could have potentially been brought up before 

ralsei talks about how darkeners can only really exist in their own dark worlds - has it ever been said why he can travel through multiple dark worlds?? also, based on this, if every darkener has an object-form in the light world, what could ralsei be?? due to him being able to travel through the dark worlds, could he be something belonging to kris/susie?? maybe something they carry around?? I have seen people speculate that it’s tied to his origins, but the dialogue in which he talks about darkeners and their object forms did make me think

this is probably a reach but I noticed in the knights attack during the battle they seem to use what looks to be gaster blasters which (in turn would make sense if the knight is corrupted by gaster) but also I looked at them side by side and they kinda looked like the hyper goner / chaos blasters (whatever they’re called) used in the asriel boss fight in undertale. I noticed the little horns and to me they kinda look like they are pointing down rather than up compared to that of the gaster blasters??? idk if that makes sense (please take these takes with a pinch of salt i rly was just in need of a ramble and I have a lot of thoughts)

this is not rly a question but it did make me think why susie’s dark world changed colours - even when kris made a dark world they kept the same colourings 

carol coming home in the weird/snowgrave route did make me think about why she would be home when kris didn’t tell her about the guitar, so we didn’t get the “I’ll be right there” dialogue, to be fair it could have been to do with the dialogue in the kitchen but just made me go hmmmmmm

I was tagged by @thelettersfromnoone - oooh thank you, this looks fun!

One piece of jewelry you can’t go anywhere without

My Iron Ring!!! For those who don't want to click on the Wikipedia, this is a Canadian engineering tradition - upon graduating as an engineer we get a secret ceremony and an iron (or steel, like I have) ring as a symbol and reminder of the obligations and ethics associated with our profession. The ring is won on the pinky finger of your working hand (for me, on my left) and has sharp faucets which can drag on writing or drafting surface as a literal reminder to be careful.

Even when I was married, I never wore my wedding ring but I surely never took off my Iron Ring :D :D

Also, I am very fond of a very lovely Rado watch that my parents got me for my PhD graduation - because it's quite nice I don't wear it walking the dog or running, or anything like that - but it's my go-to "I need to look my best" accessory, and I swear it makes me feel more confident.

Overall, I love jewelry! Most of my very nice pieces have been passed down to me by my mom, and one of my best friends and I just CANNOT stop constantly giving each other nice jewelry pieces every birthday. She got me this really cute jade amulet of a Chinese deity (oh no, I forgot its name! must ask friend!) that I wear for good luck.

Most worn shoes

I live in a climate with very pronounced seasons so the shoes are season-dependent!!! Also, FYI I love nice shoes. I am nowhere near having a massive collection - that's not my game. But I am very fond of buying very high-quality pieces that I can keep for a while. And you bet I'm a nerd when it comes to caring for my shoes. None of my bad boys are falling apart until they are at least half a decade or decade old on my watch, Canadian winter salt be damned!

Anyhow - summer - I have a green pair of flat espadrilles that I wear literally all the time when I'm not working. And for work I have a cute pair of black heeled sandals.

Autumn - I have this oxblood colour loafers with gold buckles from Penelope Chilvers that I really, really love and wear liberally. For boots, I've got THESE and I am so obsessed with them. They look so hot, not gonna lie!

Winter - I've got navy nubuck tassel boots that I really love, also shearling-lined UGG boots for snowy weather.

Spring - I hate spring! Anyway, I just wear waterproof no-name Chelsea boots until the ground stops looking like salty-snowy-muddy slush!

New book/fic that has you in its grip

None! I am writing right now, and also watching S3 of Foundation. There is barely any space in my brain for any net new reading. Although, I am casually re-reading Nabokov's Pale Fire (which I adore, my fave of his!).

One drink you can’t go without

COFFEE. Followed by tea. Followed by kombucha. Followed by mineral water (I hate regular water. During the Medieval period, drinking plain water was for children and paupers, you see. I just happen agree with it!)

Latest kitchen fail

Hmmmmmm not quite fail but I've realized that because I prioritize cooking for healthy/nutritious vibe, my food often looks like dog food :D Actually, I home-cook food for my dog and I swear it ends up looking better than what I make for myself. Damn my utilitarian nature and my love of buckwheat!

A piece of media you have been wanting to watch for ages but never got the time to

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm that is a good question. I don't think there is anything on my list that I've wanted to watched but haven't gotten around to watching it yet. If it's not on the list, I probably don't yet know I want to watch it!

So it’s possible I did a third rewatch just because I’m convinced my favorite character is queer-coded. And that’s fine. I’ve written about Guangyan as queer-coded before. But what if it’s not just him?

Behold the first scene where Guangyan gets hit by a ball during gym class:

Before the first hit, the camera focuses on him subtly watching something as he runs around the track. What is to his left? The field where Yiyong is. Guangyan is surreptitiously eyeing Yiyong as he runs.

Right after Yiyong smacks the ball at him, the camera chooses to focus on Yiyong’s face. No comment on the expression here...EXCEPT we know later in the series that Yiyong didn’t push him down the stairs, is very gentle inside and wasn’t actually sure whether it had been Guangyan scoffing about his dreams the first time they met, so this is probably not revenge. When some kid brushes past Guangyan in the hall, he automatically thinks it’s Yiyong, meaning Yiyong pushes past him a lot. So given the comedic twists of this show, my queer little brain jumped to, eithrr he has the worst pattern of aim and walking in history, OR he is trying to get Guangyan’s attention in the dumbest “doesn’t know his own strength but maybe third times the charm” kind of way. Think about the dumb shit kids do on the playground to get someone’s attention. We’ve talked about Guangyan nursing a quintessential “of course I don’t like him, I absolutely hate him and his beautiful eyes” crush on Yiyong since high school, but a specific aspect of the rewatch made me think…maybe Yiyong, master of hiding his feelings and desires, master of expressing himself in writing and drawing, wasn’t entirely immune to Guangyan in high school either.

AND I HAVE EVIDENCE *jams tin hat on head* (although I respect that this could also just be a really solid non-romantic bond, see my note at the bottom)

Yiyong’s comic:

Literally two seconds after Yiyong (post coma 1) shuts down his comic, Guangyan (who is, as we later discover, the only reader of the comic) is frantically trying to get him to continue it.

Because it’s a cute little subplot that we know Guangyan is a fan, I got curious about what Yiyong’s art is all about, so I paused on his comic when he clicked on it shortly after waking up from coma 1; we surmise that the last time he worked on it was back when he was in high school, right before the accident.

A thank you to a translation by @betty5271 for explaining what Yiyong’s comic is supposedly about, according to the title and summary he has written for it on his page. The title is King of Flashfire, with the summary “What kind of bloody storm will a gifted high school student unleash on the campus?"

(Genres listed are battle, school life, and comedy)

Hmmmmmm. So it’s a story Yiyong wrote as a student…about a gifted student who gets into “battles”….

Now look at his two characters that are the figures from his comic. Remind you of any two people’s hairstyles and clothes?

*adjusts tin hat*

Guangyan is the only reader of the comic Yiyong has written about a stormy bond between two high school boys. A comic Yiyong wrote before ever having an actual conversation with Guangyan.

It makes this moment even more precious:

Now, to be clear: I do see this as a coded pre-romantic relationship, BUT this could also be an incredibly sweet friendship, too. Just as amazing. I would love a second season where they get their shit together, if that’s where the story is meant to go. Even if it never heads in that direction, I would still love this show so much and I can’t wait for their relationship to grow as they do. Our boys are soulmates, this comic subplot shows their coming together on the monster squad was meant to be.

Lady Ruth as an unreliable narrator: “I’m not one to hold grudges” but next page “I would dance on his grave and throw a fiesta and then resurrect him so I could kill him again” (My poor paraphrase) 

Baz, about vampires: “They’re less like murderers - more like sexy bedbugs” 

Baz, about Petra and Sophie: “I thought twins were supposed to be best friends, but all they do is eat jam and butter sandwiches and throw things at each other" (Me, adding to my Jelly Babies notes folder: “Yup, that tracks”)  

Simon (about Baz): “I mean, have a look at him. He’s the most fuckable person alive. Or otherwise” (#facts)

Dev is a PITCH cousin, not a GRIMM fuck me why did I think he was a Grimm sljk;dskljdskjldsaljks

The door knocker for Salisbury House is shaped like a SMILING CYCLOPS (adding to my Rosethorn girl notes folder) 

Simon, to Baz: “I’m not letting you fuck with my face. Although I’m starting to get the feeling you really want to.” Oh-okay, horny boi 

Simon notes like three times in three pages that Smith Smith-Richards is fit like hmmmmmm-kay

Every time Smith Smith-Richards mentions Simon: "I'm not jealous okay I'm a little jealous how is he so hot" they're a li'l mutual admiration club

Simon, to Baz: “I can get one of those poles” (clothes racks) but because of Yuri on Ice!!, my brain went “pole-dancing Simon Snow??” 

Shepherd holds the secret key to being magic even when you don’t speak magic: “The world is magic, and I’m a part of the world.” 

THE GRIMM KIDS HAVE A DOG: “a Tibetan mastiff that they bought when they moved to Oxford.” (In my head canon this dog is named Amblewise, or another name from this list of medieval dog names, THANK YOU GOOD NIGHT)

I continue to have Complicated Feelings about Malcolm Grimm but he is So Soft for Daphne: “He treats her with as much polite tenderness as ever. He dotes on her, in his way. Caters to her every whim without making a show of it.” 

JAMIE knew about the Goats of Watford when none of the folks who actually went to Watford did, besides Niamh, like JKASDJKLDSAJKLSADKLJADSKLADSKLJADSKJL UNCLE JAMBY FOR THE WIN

Penelope Bunce is a Fucking Queen: “Being comforting isn’t one of my core competencies. Breaking people out of towers is.” 

Pippa Stainton is a Goddamn Empress: “I don’t forgive you. I never want to see you again. Tell Simon I say thank you.” 

Simon and Jamie get fucking KFC in a stolen van after the hullabaloo with Smith-Richards and if that’s not nephew-uncle bonding at its finest, I don’t what is 

Miss Christie, the school nurse, is the only person (I think) who basically says to Simon, “I’m sorry for your loss” instead of “The Mage was a flaming sack of shit” 

I’m not crazy… Penny really is a year younger than the rest of them (thought I was mixing this up with Hermione)

LUCY also started Watford a year early fsalkjsadsjlkfsdljkdfs (now I have to go back and fix my timelines for Rosethorn girl, FUCK) 

Just like Lady Ruth, Mitali hoped that Lucy would come out of hiding after the Mage died (just stab me harder in the heart, Rainbow)

I DO really want a fic of bisexual Martin Bunce making bread; I feel like our core competencies overlap in many ways

There are magical swans in Oxford. I bet they r gay

Simon cries when Baz plays the violin 

Invisible cat, tiny horse , aqueous fish or lovecraftian monster

you can’t go wrong with this one it’s literally multiple choice .

(SECRET TUNNEL SECRET TUNNELLL THROUGH THE MOUNTAINSSS)

(ok first my parks and recs infested brain can only think of lil sebastian but moving on)

imma choose lovecraftian monster bc fuck yeah

also if i have a cat i kinda wanna be able to see the adorablenessnessness ALTHOUGH it would be so cool bc i could be like ‘oh yeah that’s just the resident ghost’ every time they knock something off a shelf hmmmmmm

yeah ok i choose invisible cat (im just a little baffled abt an aqueous fish)

also you say that but i’m very good at getting multiple choice questions wrong as shown by the first 5 mins of agonising pain in english language paper 2s