#fangirl speculation

[neurodivergent-fangirling]

I’ve been thinking about ghosts and the laws of physics. We know they can become solid and interact with objects. We never see them perform feats of telekinesis or super strength, which implies they are limited to what they can do with forms that resemble their living bodies. So, does that mean physical objects interact with them in the way they would with a living body of similar mass?

I mean, for example, if a car rushed toward a ghost who didn’t turn incorporeal fast enough, would it hit them? I don’t think the ghost can be hurt except by iron, but would the car sustain damage?

I can imagine Edwin deciding to test these hypotheses and calmly record observations in his notebook. Meanwhile, Charles completely freaks out.

Charles: You got hit by a car!!

Edwin: I am perfectly fine, I assure you.

Charles: Please stop it, mate. You’re going to give me a heart attack.

Edwin: Charles, you cannot have a heart attack.

Charles: Really don’t want to test that theory.

Edwin: It’s for science!

Charles: I’m not letting my best friend get hit by a car for science!

[neurodivergent-fangirling]

I’ve seen fanfics where Esther Finch arrives in episode 8 much later, which makes it harder for Crystal and Niko to rescue the boys, but has anyone written a fanfic where the Night Nurse shows up in episode 8 much earlier? Say the box from the Ghost Postman arrives just before Crystal leaves, and the boys open it after she’s left, and then the Night Nurse shows up, and then Esther Finch makes an entrance, and the two of them fight over who gets to take the boys. Who would even win in a fight between the powerful immortal witch and an infinite (yet constrained by bureaucracy) trans-dimensional being? How would the boys and Niko react? Jenny would probably ask them to take their fight outside before they wreck her shop.

[neurodivergent-fangirling]

I think there should be a Doctor Who companion named Will. Then every time UNIT or Torchwood or some other organization that’s too fond of guns says, “Fire at will” he can say “No, don’t fire at Will!”

I’m honestly surprised no one’s made that joke yet. Like, how many fandoms use that phrase “fire at will” and haven’t done this? Marvel, Star Wars, Star Trek—do any of them have a Will? (There are so many other jokes; where there’s a Will, there’s a way to make good puns.) Pirates of the Caribbean had Will Turner and His Dark Materials had Will Parry, but I don’t think either fandom used that line. Pity.

[neurodivergent-fangirling]

I was doing some math with the dates and ages in Dead Boy Detectives and a thought struck me (and Styx, but it hurt).

Charles was sixteen when he died in 1989. Counting backward, he was probably born in 1973. Now, let’s imagine his parents were about thirty when they became parents. What was thirty years before that? 1943.

Remember what was going on in Europe (and most of the rest of the world) in 1943?

Maybe they’re a bit older than that, born just before the war. Maybe they’re a bit younger than that, born after the war. Either way, their childhoods would have been shaped by major world events they would only barely remember, if at all.

My grandmother grew up during the Great Depression and it showed, in a multitude of little ways. Saving butter wrappers and using them to grease pans. Washing and reusing plastic containers—even plastic bags—instead of throwing them out. Insisting that children clean their plates and be grateful for every bit of food they were offered. Because when she was a kid, times were tough and nice things were scarce.

I’m no historian, but I think rationing in Great Britain lasted until 1953. So kids growing up then might have been taught the same lessons: nice things are scarce, so be grateful for what you get. At the same time, the post-war world was desperately trying to go “back to normal”, forcing people into rigid social roles in a fragmented society. Women were pressured to leave jobs in the factories or government work and retreat to the home. ‘Back to normal’ became backward.

And remember how Charles said he was half-Indian, and Edwin said India and Pakistan were the same country in his day? Remember what happened in 1947?

Maybe Charles’ mother wasn’t born until after that. Maybe her family had already moved to England. But maybe she had other family back there. We don’t know.

I don’t think any of this potential backstory can really excuse the actions or inaction of Charles’ parents in the series. But I find it painfully fascinating to think about.

[neurodivergent-fangirling]

I’ve seen a lot of posts speculating on whether the Principal might be Niko’s mom or have some other connection to her. But I haven’t seen anyone speculate on whether Kashi might be Niko’s dad. We’ve been told that her dad died, but no details. Maybe he was simply lost at sea and presumed dead? We don’t know how long Kashi has been sitting in that fish. Plus, the Night Nurse even remarks that Niko reminds her a lot of Kashi. Now, I don’t think this theory is at all likely, but it’s an interesting idea to explore. I think Niko and Kashi would get along well.

[neurodivergent-fangirling]

I was rewatching “The Case of the Devlin House” and in the library scene when Maxine gives the microfiche articles to Niko, she says something about “I thought dating was hard, look what happens when you get married.” What did she mean by that? Did she mean about cross-referencing people who change their names when they get married, or did she mean brutal murders? If (spoilers for episode five) what happened on the date with Jenny was anything to judge by, she should be used to murder-by-sharp-instruments by now.

[neurodivergent-fangirling]

What if Percy had chosen Luke and Chris as his companions for the quest? There are so many alternate scenes and scenarios to consider, but I’ve been thinking about episode five in particular: assuming they made it to Waterland in Denver, who would Ares send after the shield and how would they react? How would that scene play out if it was Percy and Luke? Would Luke even need Percy to carry out the rest of his plan? Would Percy still try to sacrifice himself, and would that make Luke second-guess himself? Is there any scenario in which they both walk out of there with the shield?

[neurodivergent-fangirling]

I keep thinking about how it only took a few hours of the Night Nurse being trapped inside a giant fish with Kashi offering her kindness and good counsel for her to start to question her rigid philosophy and wonder if she and her institution might be wrong. I’m wondering what might happen if all the archangels from Good Omens were given the same treatment, one by one. Would any of them change their views?