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callunavulgari · 4 months

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Top 25 Fics of 2023

1. whatever you want by Wildehack (tyleet) | Wolf 359 | Kepler/Jacobi | 5k

Kepler doesn't fuck him that first day, when Daniel swallows his pride like it's a hot coal he can feel boiling down to the pit of his stomach and dials the number left on the card. Heather Says: Back in 2017, Wolf 359 changed my life. I relisten to it every year. I reread fic. I sometimes write it. And THIS year, I was blessed with one of my favorites writing my favorites from Wolf 359. It's honestly exactly what I wanted out of a Wolf 359 fix it/coda.

2. god was a dog-man by @andthepeople | Teen Wolf | Derek/Stiles | 13k

“Do you have a secret teenage son?” Stiles demands, as soon as Derek opens the door. Heather Says: I did NOT watch the Teen Wolf movie this year. I did, however, relentlessly stalk reaction posts and (very select) gifsets. I also read this fantastic fic, which is now the movie in my brain because since I didn't see it, I'll never know.

3. then out of nowhere, somebody comes and hits you with an ooh la la la, ooh la la la, ooh la la la, ooh by @calciseptine | Deadpool | Peter/Wade | 49k

A man with spider-themed superpowers accidentally breaks into Wade's apartment. Heather Says: Deadpool is one of those fandoms that I'm technically a part of because I like it and I think Spiderman and Deadpool is both hilarious and hot, but it's always just on the edge of my peripherals. But sometimes Steve's fic just kind of creeps on me and demands my attention. This was my feel good fic this spring.

4. By the Laws of Magic by Lenore | The Sandman | Dream/Hob | 32k

It’s 1959, and Hob Gadling is working at a London auction house, amazing his colleagues with his uncanny knowledge of art and artifacts from the 14th century on. When he gets the assignment to catalogue a family library at a place called Fawney Rig, he looks forward to a working vacation in the country. What he finds is a house with a preternatural chill where odd disturbances happen daily, an ornate carved door with a secret clearly hidden behind it, and visions of his mysterious stranger every time he turns around. Heather Says: I honestly love this ship. The fairy tale elements combined with the very compelling idea that in another universe much like this one, Hob Gadling ends up saving Dream from his glass prison made for some truly great fiction.

5. Dawnshot Through the Heart by @sirnotappearinginthisblog | Wax&Wayne series | Wax/Wayne | WIP | 80k

Ten years ago, Wayne fled instead of letting himself get arrested for murder. He’s been an outlaw ever since, keeping one step ahead of the lawkeepers who want him dead or alive—especially Dawnshot. But his luck was bound to run out eventually, and he knows how it always ends for the Bad Guys in stories. Heather Says: I think that this is the only WIP on here but I cannot rightfully leave it off because I LOVED this fic this year. I love the Mistborn series, but I've never really sought out fic for it before. This one though, this one found me. The writing is SUPERB and I wish it was a bigger fandom because it deserves so much love, you guys. It's so so so good. I love Wax and Wayne's dynamic in the series. They're great. But also- what if they had an enemies to lovers thing going on that turned poly? WHAT IF?!

6. One Size Fits All by @entanglednow | Stranger Things | Eddie/Steve | 65k

Steve just wanted to do something nice for a friend, he doesn't mean to get Eddie's ring stuck on his finger, and it's definitely not his fault that everyone he knows is jumping to conclusions. Heather Says: This is not the last time that you will see this author or this ship on this list. I really would have thought that Steddie would have crept out of my brain right now, but NOPE. And part of that is because every couple weeks entanglednow drops an absolute BANGER of a fic that obliterates my brain for anything else.

7. you are spring by @wildehacked | Supernatural | Castiel/Dean | 20k

God makes a wish. His parents work some things out. Heather Says: I got very close to leaving this one off the list, not because it wasn't good or that it wasn't one of my top 25 but purely because I've been out of the Supernatural fandom for so many years. I mean, c'mon. I didn't watch the last FIVE seasons. However, getting to follow along wildehacked's rewatch journey on twitter was a blast from the past and then THIS lovely shining fic that they churned out lured me back in for one last nibble at this ship that took over my life for the better part of a decade. It is so incredibly amazing and since I never finished the series, I will happily go on pretending that this is how it ended.

8. Interim by starkraving | BotW/TOtK | Ganondorf/Link/Zelda | 95k

She has no throne. Girls without thrones should not have knights, but hers won’t go. Princess Zelda – the girl who killed Calamity – would love to fade into legend, but Link’s bought a house, he’s fighting off monsters, and he’s selling giant horses to strangely familiar Gerudo men. She'll never have any peace now. Heather Says: This fic. THIS FIC. Is so richly built. Is so intoxicating. It leans into found family. You spend chapter after chapter watching Zelda and Link traverse Hyrule with the hot Gerudo that they met along the way after the events of the first game. And it is so fucking compelling. Honestly, while I'm happy that they smooched, I would have been completely fine reading another 100k of just these three wandering Hyrule together, being absolute goblins. 10 out 10, will read again.

9. one hundred years past by tciddaemina | BotW/TotK | Ganondorf/Link | 38k

Link wakes up a century early. It changes everything. Heather Says: Can you tell that playing Tears of the Kingdom left me desperately thirsty for any and all Ganondorf content this summer? I'm a sucker for all sides of the poly triforce but I'll admit that Ganondorf and Link scratches that enemies to lovers itch PERFECTLY if it's done well. And this one is done well.

10. Step Right Up by entanglednow | Stranger Things | Steve/Eddie | 3k

Steve had mostly given up on trying to meet anyone new after everything, but it's been six months and his friends had started giving him pointed nudges to get out there again. Heather Says: Told you it wouldn't be the last you saw of entanglednow. I actually think that this might be my favorite fic that they've written? Which is saying a lot because I will scream it to the rafters that any Steddie fan should read their fic. But this is FUN HOUSE MIRROR MAZE and MISTAKEN IDENTITY KISSING. Guys, I have no chill about this fic. I have no chill about Steve's hands in Eddie's hair, or the sounds that he makes, or the smell of strawberry. It is just so so good.

11. the most remarkable thing about you standing in the doorway is that it’s you by @greatunironic | Stranger Things | Steve/Eddie | 35k

Sixteen years after the world didn't end for the last time, Max Mayfield showed up on Steve’s doorstep and said, “You gonna walk me down the aisle in May or what?” Or, it’s 2002 and Steve Harrington attends a wedding, a funeral, and a birth. Heather Says: I genuinely do not think that I have words for this one. It is one of those all encompassing fics that sucks you in and just won't spit you out again. It hurts, an ache just under the breastbone. But god, it's so beautiful.

12. Fight Night by @rlnerdgirl | Teen Wolf | Derek/Stiles | 12k

Stiles starts fighting in college. He doesn't tell anyone. Heather Says: There are three...? Yeah, three Teen Wolf fics on this list. Three. Like it's 2015 again. Like my brain broke and time went ticking all the way back to when I was ridiculously invested in these characters. But honestly? All three Teen Wolf fics on this list are incredibly therapeutic. They get to be the ending for me instead of whatever clusterfuck good ole Jeff tried to pull. This one in particular is fantastic because it's canon-divergence after SEASON one. Yes, we have Erica and Boyd. Yes, Stiles is BAMF. It's a good read.

13. strange fear i ain’t felt for years by Sister | Batman | Tim/Jason | 31k

“Can’t believe a pretty thing like you has to come begging to the Red Hood,” he says against Tim’s neck. “Thought they’d be lining up down the block for you. Thought Daddy would need to get the shotgun.” Heather Says: Oh look, another ship and fandom that I was only peripherally aware of that had me in a chokehold for a good month and a half. I don't even like DC that much.

14. Silver-Tongue by starkraving | Baldur's Gate 3 | Astarion/Karlach | 9k

Astarion fast-talks an abnormal number of enemies into killing themselves in the shadow-cursed lands and the team makes idle (then less idle) conversation about it. Heather Says: Okay, so I STILL have not finished this game. I have however very carefully consumed as much content as I can get my hands on without being completely and totally spoiled. This was the first fic that I really loved in this fandom. It's no surprise that I ship Astarion happily with everyone, but damn is he good with Karlach in this one. Their characterization is perfect.

15. A Sign of The Morning by ToEdenandBackAgain | Stranger Things | Eddie/Steve | 86k

Vecna is dead. The Upside Down is cut off from Hawkins yet again. Steve is trying to go back to normal, whatever that is. He's also trying to figure out exactly how Eddie Munson has managed to fit so easily into his life. Heather Says: Honestly? What can I say about this one? It has 19,000 kudos despite being published last June. It's on a ridiculous number of collection/rec lists. The tension is exquisite. The found family? Even better.

16. Phantom of Truth by Haiju | Danny Phantom | Maddie Fenton & Danny Fenton | 58k

Locked away in a secret government lab with Phantom as her sole object of study, nothing stands between Maddie and the truth... except, perhaps, herself. Heather Says: Oh look, another fandom that I have never ever been a part of. I saw this REALLY NEAT and angsty tiktok (tw for ghosty gore) and basically immediately was sucked into a show that I've never even watched before. The comments lead me to this fic which is perfectly gen, angsty, and honestly absolutely perfect. I cannot get over how much I loved this.

17. Manacled by senlinyu | Harry Potter | Draco/Hermione | 370k

Harry Potter is dead. In the aftermath of the war, in order to strengthen the might of the magical world, Voldemort enacts a repopulation effort. Heather Says: I did the thing. I read the incredibly dark fic that I've been avoiding since 2018. I typically steer-clear of anything that is overly bleak and I do not tiptoe into non-con waters often. But one of our groomsmen who isn't even involved with fandom read this so that his girlfriend would watch Star Wars with him and then spent a good portion of a Halloween party talking it up. So I gave it a shot. Over all, it is too bleak for me. That said, I finished it in a weekend. I loved it. I hated it. I wish I'd broken it up over a longer period of time because the emotional bleed off of it was intense.

18. Ready for Love by @idiopathicsmile | Singin in the Rain | Cosmo/Kathy/Don | 12k

Don and Kathy would move in together. They would have a dog or two and then inevitably, a small parade of adorable little brats who would call him Uncle Cosmo, and they would spend less and less time with him, not on purpose but busy with the rest of their lives, and ultimately Cosmo would learn to make his peace with it because he’d have no other choice and he would have to try to move on and not live too much in his memories. He could picture it so clearly, he figured if the songwriting gig with Monumental didn’t pan out, he could always return to the backwater circuit with a new act: The Amazing Cosmo of the Cosmos—ladies and gentlemen, he sees the future, he reads the stars, he silently pines for his best married pal and all the while tap dancing! Don and Kathy inviting him along on their honeymoon, though—that part was a surprise. Heather Says: I LOVE this movie. It is one of my biggest comfort movies. I watch it to feel happy. I watch it when I'm sad. And I have always shipped these three but NEVER read fic for it. And honestly? I'm glad I waited for a good fic to find me because this one was perfect.

19. A Series of Forgettable Events by @trensu | Stranger Things | Steve/Eddie | 27k

Steve wanted to be a dad more than anything. Unfortunately, he was a single dude in his thirties which meant no adoption agency in the world was willing to give him a chance. Or at least no human adoption agency. Heather Says: Honestly just a delightful little jaunt in a world where Steve wants to be a dad, Eddie is a very overprotective siren, and the kids are, well. Little horrors. I love it. There's a sequel now which I am very patiently waiting to read it until I am less busy in RL.

20. the dry sand of daylight by @andthepeople | Inception | Arthur/Eames | 15k

Arthur is married to Eames for the better part of a decade. Then he wakes up. Heather Says: This fic left me ACHING for the Inception fandom circa 2010-2012. When livejournal was still a thing and the fandom community was alive and thriving. It is so achingly tender and perfect. I had forgotten how much I loved them.

21. brutalist masterpieces by @greatunironic | Stranger Things | Steve/Eddie | 12k

Ten years on, in a town in Nova Scotia, on the edge of the Atlantic, Eddie finds Steve again, and also maybe himself. Heather Says: Maybe that's my thing this year. Achingly sweet tender pieces that leave you reeling in the aftermath. This fic is SO incredibly beautiful.

22. What Made Milwaukee Famous by synthetica | Danny Phantom | Vlad/Danny | 30k

Ten years after establishing a tenuous truce, Danny crash-lands at Vlad's Milwaukee lakehouse with a particularly nasty wound, three days recovery time, and absolutely nothing to do but talk to his long-lost archnemesis. Heather Says: I'm told that this is something of a rarepair. However, from the limited information that I have from the series I can say with full certainty that two ghostly beings locked for years as enemies growing up and meeting in the middle? Fully my thing.

23. then now and always by @raisesomehale | Teen Wolf | Derek/Stiles | 13k

Stiles is stuck. Stiles is stuck in the fucking snow in the middle of bum-fuck-nowhere at night with a broken down car three days before Christmas, and the nearest tow truck company—over fifty miles away—doesn’t open until morning. Heather Says: And here we have the promised third Teen Wolf fic, the most cathartic of the bunch. I am so so sweet on future fic particularly in this fandom with missed chances. And this one is just so syrupy sweet. It's winter! There's horses! Derek's an alpha! They smooch. Anyway, this is how I cope with a series finale that didn't happen and a movie that doesn't exist.

24. Terminus by @rcmclachlan | Loki | Loki/Mobius | 4k

"Keep me here," he begs against Mobius's lips. "You must keep me here." Heather Says: What do you mean you didn't spend all three replays of the Loki series finale weeping into a pillow? What do you mean you didn't spend the next few days trying to find the perfect coda? What do you mean that you didn't find this fic and positively expire from the sheer fucking tenderness in Mobius' voice? What do you mean? What. do you. mean? Anyway, I know I'm not supposed to have number one favorites. This list exists because I cannot condense it further than 25. But guys, this was my favorite fic this year.

25. Eye Of The Beholder by @entanglednow | Stranger Things | Steve/Eddie | 22k

Eddie works himself up to ask Steve if he can borrow his instant camera, because the type of pictures he wants to take are…not the kind he can get developed in town. Heather Says: And to round it out, another Steddie. This one with sexy photos. The tension is killer.

#heather says what #top 25 #year in review #fic recs #recommendations #2023 #new year's memes #teen wolf #stranger things #loki #inception #supernatural #danny phantom #dc #harry potter

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roxannepolice · 8 days

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Masters, coyotes and reset buttons

Ok, so this has been going after me for a few months now and probably won't end up as coherent as I'd like it to, but this is also a warm up for finally fixing that stupid article that everyone tells me is good but has been halted by journal paperwork since 2020, so... As always, because there be salt, putting everything under a cut.

There's been this debate on whether the Master should be given a break from appearing for a while and, as always, it's usually taken somewhat hostile as an attack on the character or a particular actor (which. look if this was about acting skills BBC should have never moved from sir Derek Jacobi, period). And I would say the problem lies entirely elsewhere. Namely, circularity vs. linearity.

There has always been a mythical or commedia dell'arte element to the whole concept of regeneration, an archetypal thing in characters going by titles as names and having a certain set of characterisics and narrative functions that go along with those. Hell, commedia dell'arte even has a literal "Il Dottore" whose whole thing is embodying science and education - more often than not mockingly. When you employ Zeus rather than Poseidon in your story that's probably because there be weird sex rather than disproportionate fury. When you choose a paladin class in your rpg that's because you're going to have different skills and make different choices than if you were a rogue. Galahad and Lancelot will go on completely different journeys of nunnery/brothel and rescuing a prince from forced marriage even while they both seek the Holy Grail. When you want your children to have different properties you'll use your mantra to invoke four different gods.

The thing about archetypes, though, is that they are, literally, timeless. Or better yet, outside of time. But stories, narratives are, by nature, linear and timed. There's the beggining, the middle and the end. And of course, the whole fun is toying with the archetype, tweaking and reinterpreting them in specific contexts and stories. And DW has been doing a phenomenal job of it throughout its history, even if occasional nitpicks can be made. Classic Who was perhaps more circular and repeating in its storytelling and - sorry, posession by Marshall McLuhan - this makes sense in a medium where a story airs just a couple of times. There were arcs for each Doctor, though significantly more so for companions. NuWho became much more clear in this, but still mostly managed to keep a neat balance between the timelessness and timeliness.

Take the Saxon's story, which is what kickstarted me spilling here. Not to come off as a canon snob, but I think if he was an introduction to the character it may not be clear just how shocking him dying on the Valiant was. This is the character that was a skeleton, a gooey body snatching snake and a cat to go on living, and has been the Doctor's prisoner, in fact begging them to save them. Ten is 100% justified in his assumption that he'd never kill himself. His death introduced a major shift to their dynamic, especially when framed as fuelled by hatred. The finale in EoT is largely a return from this shift. No, the Doctor didn't only care for the Master because he wanted another Time Lord. No, the Master doesn't wholeheartedly hate the Doctor. They can and will always cooperate when there's a common enemy. As has been the case throughout all of Classic Who.

Enter Moffat era. Now, it's a bit of a cliche to say Moffat is a better episode writer than showrunner, but it being cliche does not make it incorrect. His poetic definitely works better when there's an ending, a specific goal in sight. In singular episodes this works like a charm. It worked terrifically in season 5. But later on there definitely came this element of "keep watching, because this is all heading somewhere, trust me". And all too often the answer was proving less interesting than the question. This was particularly clear in seasons 7-9, with return to Gallifrey being hyped up repeatedly, only to fianlly fall flat. And I guess Moffat realised that and decided to go for a soft reboot in season 10.

Which brings me to Missy and redemption arcs. Now, in our completely not puritan era there's way too much talk of whether characters deserve redemption, and what would account for a redemption, and how that differs between different legal systems, and too little appreciation that redemption narrative is as linear as they get. You get the starting point of sin and have a clear goal of that sin being repaid or undone. Sure, you can dig into that, and question that, and reinterpret that, and cynically cut that, but it always relies on that clear line. And it's obvious that Moffat was aware of how linear he wanted Missy, and indeed the Master in general, to be. The fucking text says that: "where we've always been going". The disagreement is only what that where is. Now, if the story was meant to be lieanr, then it really does make infinitelly more sense to view the events of EoT as a turning point in the thoschei relationship, but the story explicitly shuts that down. Nah, it was more infitely more important to have the initial sin embodied to be killed in the ultimate act of redemption. #symbolism

A slight tangent here. I know that the original plan for Delgado!Master was to have a redemption arc where he sarcifices himself for the Doctor, so I guess it can be argued this was indeed where the story was going all along. But things turned out how they did and people generally don't introduce Moriarty into their sherlockiana to have no actual screentime (literal or metaphorical), as was the original plan.

Aaaand then there's Spymaster. I've seen dozens of explanations of why he is the way he is, and whether that follows logically from Missy's story or not, and whether he might be before her, and whether he undoes her redemption, and blah blah, but the bitter truth is: Chibs hit the reset button. He hit it hard. No, we are not meant to keep in mind the events of s10 when we analyze the spydoc relationship. Again, a comparison to Moffat explicitly bringing up the events of EoT with Saxon, if only to brush them aside as meaningless for both parties. More importantly, if those were meant to affect Thirteen's hostile attitude towards the Master, then she shouldn't have been so shocked with his appearance. She might be surprised he regenerated, but like the whole reason for bitterness over being abandoned would go along with the expectation the Master did survive, that's why they left Twelve in the first place ffs. So, it would look like Chibnall tried to go back to a circular status quo after a linear redemption, and that's certainly what the writing thinks it's doing. Except now that the whole TTC can of worms has been opened, the relationship is deeply imbalanced. Imbalanced in a way that cannot be easily undone. Like, I know the fandom is trying to frame the Master's sense of inferiority as somehow mistaken and fanon!Thirteen certainly thinks so, but that's not what the text is saying. There is a misundertanding going on here, but a misunderstanding that goes on unresolved gets tiresome and frankly masochistic pretty fast. Either the Master should get to the point of understanding that the Doctor is not inherently superior to them because of past or magic of friendship and that they're Kenough, or accept the Doctor as their lord and saviour and martyred god who died so they may live and spend the rest of their days as a lapdog. Which, I understand the fandom may enjoy, but doesn't make for a very exciting story. So yes, there's definitely a linear narrative going on here. One that does need some time in a fridge and exposition of how the Doctor themself feels about their relationship before the character is brought back. Right now we are not in the The clown always gets up again, no matter how often he has been knocked down paradigm only No clowns were funny. That was the whole purpose of a clown. People laughed at clowns, but only out of nervousness. The point of clowns was that, after watching them, anything else that happened seemed enjoyable. It was nice to know there was someone worse off than you. Someone had to be the butt of the world.

Butbutbut, of course, what about Ainley!Master being brought back again and again seemlessly? That's just the thing - Ainley!Master existed in a completely different poetic. He was purely circular. He was the most circular of the Masters. He was as circular as you can get without actually being a cartoon coyote who only falls down when he realises he's midair. I'm not entirely ironic here - there is an inherent trickster element to the Master as a character! Perhaps more Goethe's Mephistopheles that Native Americans' Coyote, but between constanct scheming, shapeshifting and falling into the pits they've dug the elements are all there. And a trickster either endlessly travels between Olympus, Earth and Hades or gets killed by Heimdall.

And before a gotcha of me insanely hoping for a Saxon cameo either in the 60th anniversary or, that being off the table, somehow meeting Fourteen - yeah, in an anti-linear bubble. I've seen speculations that RTD wants to do another soft reboot, hence there's no knowing what Master will pop out of that tooth. As far as I wouldn't like it to be one of pre-Delgado Masters and for the record I wouldn't mind if it is Spymaster!, there's definitely something to the idea there's a soft reboot in The Giggle, with the Doctor "going home". Because you don't necessarily want to know what Odysseus' tax policies were once he reached Ithaka, but you do want to know that he's been a year on Circe's island.

#ok down to the article #doctor who #doctor who meta #dw meta #the master #the doctor #thoschei #philosophy in doctor who #have i come across as praising rtd in comparison to moffat and chibnall?#yeah maybe i generally think he did have the best grasp on what he was saying #tw: negativity #minor? yeah i'm critical

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13thdoctorposts · 11 months

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Sacha Dhawan Panel Part 1

Please note this IS NOT word for word, but so you can get a general gist of the panel.

Whovians of all ages got to ask him questions.

This post is just Sachs’s part of the panel there is a seperate post for Michelle’s panel and Michelle and Sacha’s panel.

How do you over come embarrassment?

Being part of Doctor Who, I do think I struggled with quiet a bit of anxiety and I kept it quite private, but weirdly doing Doctor Who allowed me over come it a little bit probably because of the nature of the character where he’s gotta do these confident crazy things so you throw yourself in the deep end. But it immediately felt, being a part of Doctor Who it’s such a welcoming community, not just you guys but also the people who make it. I felt they allowed me to over come my anxiety a little bit. It’s not that it will ever go away but I was just encouraged to be bold and fearless and yes I was doing it in my performance but it made me realise with my anxiety in real life those who are suffering from anxiety lose confidence in themselves so I guess playing the Master allowed me to find my confidence again and not really care to much about being embarrassed and embrace it and from that magic can happen.

So you just met the greatest Master of all time, she just left the stage

Sacha: Oh wow, 😂

What was it like following her?… I mean you are like the second greatest.

Sacha: before Doctor who, yeah I was an actor but I felt like the average guy on the street, when you get the call saying not only are you coming into Doctor Who but your coming into play this iconic character, it’s absolutely terrifying and initially your like how am I going to do that, where do I start? And then people are telling you oh do you know who played him before, people like Michelle, Derek Jacobi, Eric Roberts, John Simm and then I’m like… me? This dude? (Points to himself) so it’s really nerve racking so I started watching little bits and then I though ok I’m not going to be as imaginative if I just think about all of that, I have to approach it like I would any role and over the last couple of years I’ve tried to be just be bold and make crazy choices and sometimes it doesn’t work and that’s cool cos something even better happens. So once I let go of the prestige of the role it really freed me up and I had a lot of support from the creators to put my own stamp on it which they kindly asked me to do it. And it’s only now having done it and stepped off the Whoniverse that you can really take it in sometimes, I’m like how did I do all that, you know from getting the costume to being in the TARDIS, to working with Jodie, having some of those intense scenes. I look back and I think was that me that did that, so yeah it feels great to be able to be a part of it and sitting with you guys.

What was it like going from something like Doctor Who into something like Wolf?

Sacha: It was actually the producer of Doctor Who who was working on it. It’s great I always like to keep challenging myself and playing different people, that’s what I really get excited about a project where I go, that person is completely different to me, I have a moment of panic and wonder how am I gonna play it, I love the idea of just chipping away at it and the ahhhh… that, that’s who that person is. Whether it be a psychopath or a police officer, I think the more complex they are or the more challenging they are going into it the more exciting I find it. Even with the Master I always try to find some truth in it. With the Master I was really interested in the relationship with the Doctor I think that was the real kind of hook point for me.

Moderator: You master was the first time where I actually thought the Doctor might not get out of it, even with Simms you know the Doctor would figured it out but I honestly didn’t see how it was going to happen. That was the terrifying part of your portrayal

Sacha: I was chatting to Chris about it, I felt what I liked about playing the Master, well my version, he was already in such a dark place he had nothing left to lose so it was like to die for the cause and bring down the Doctor with him then it was a win for him so that made him utterly terrifying.

Do you think you can take me on? (Kid is dressed as Darth Vader)

I think you could take me on actually, I’m a bit scared of you.

Does the 4 heartbeat tap on the microphone

Sacha: oh yeah the tap

Moderator: now your scaring me

Sacha: I’m not sure if I want to take you on or to be your best friend

Does the 4 heartbeat tap on the microphone

Moderator: I think that’s psychological warfare

You’ve played a lot of different characters which did you enjoy playing the most and why?

Sacha: I’d probably say the Master actually, it’s the only character I’ve played that has such an emotional range, and then he also appears in so many different time periods, there was so much range to play and also the character has so much fun doing it so yeah playing the Master. Even going back to do the Centenary Special I couldn’t wait to get back into it again.

Did you come up with the choreography for Rasputin on the spot and by yourself? And did you enjoy it?

Sacha: I did yeah, I didn’t plan anything I was gonna do I just couldn’t wait, it was such a big scene. Such an emotionally charged scene. Between me and you I was in London and I was listening to that song constantly just kind of like jamming out, feeling it on the tube so when they played the music, what’s amazing when we came to do the scene filming in the amazing studio and they blasted it through huge speakers so you couldn’t help but just go for it and you know, listen, you put me in front of an audience and I’m going to throw some serious shapes, I loved it and I’m really glad people responded to it as well.

Sacha who do you like better Daemon (the moderator) or Michelle?

Moderator: easy answer

Sacha: You know what, we did the zoo interview, it was lovely doing that interview because we were in lockdown and everything. I can say this now I was a little bit intimidated meeting Michelle, it’s the first time we’ve meet and even though I’ve played the Master, I’m just like the average guy now and I think my god she played Missy! So I think I adore you both. But coming away this, being in NZ I’ve come away with a little soft spot for Michelle I think she’s so sweet.

Given that you’ve been able to travel around the world and meet a bunch of different people have there been any colloquialism that you grew up with that you’re surprised aren’t else where and are there any in NZ that you don’t know or understand?

I think it’s amazing that I’m literally on the other side of the world and I think you guys really get British culture don’t you? It feels oddly like I’m home from home.

Moderator: we’re still part of the commonwealth remember…

Sacha: oh yeah… I don’t know are there some colloquialism that I should know?

Moderator: um…. yeh, nar… sweet as…

Sacha: what other colloquialism are there let’s hear them

Moderator: Yeh, Nar… which is yes, no but then there Nar, Yeh, or we might go Yeh, Nar, Yeh.

Questioner: it means whatever the last word is

Moderator: Sweet as

Sacha: Sweet ass 🤨

Moderator: no not sweet ass, sweet as, like in sweet as sweet thing

Sacha: oh sweet as, I get that

Moderator: chur bro

Sacha: Cheers?

Moderator: no Chur, it’s like a cheers, or a sweet as. Now the word mate

Sacha: I say mate a lot

Moderator: mattttte, Nar mate, now what else have we got?… it’s gone to custard. A nik minute.

Sacha: nik minute? 🤨

Moderator: there was their guy who was a bit of a skateboarder and he said “I took my scooter to the Dairy and went inside nik minute someone stole it” and it became this meme, and now it’s a thing.

What do you think are the motivations for your Master?

Sacha: in terms of the story?

Yeah

Sacha: For me it was the timeless child and all of that and realising the Doctor wasn’t really one of us, and was regarded as so special when it felt like it should have been me. So that, the origins of all of that was really the main motivation. And like I was saying earlier I’d already lost so much I really got nothing else to lose so why not go out with a bang. So I think one of the motivations was to create chaos and even though it seems kind of messy, underneath it all it was extremely organised and it felt like the Master, even though he presents himself as chaotic there’s a lot of… he’s incredibly intelligent underneath all that, so there’s so many different things and the relationship with the Doctor was a huge part of it for me, you may have noticed it was very playful, chaotic, but for me it was very emotionally charged as well, so those things together were a really interesting concoction.

Moderator: here’s a question for the audience, doesn’t the timeless child mean that prior to the timeless child’s existence the gallifreyans couldn’t regenerate? Doesn’t that mean technically the Doctor created your ability to regenerate? How did that happen? Were you subjected to a bunch of experiments and injected with DNA?

Sacha: so partly yes, that’s the thing, they are strangely connected in a way, the thing that really frustrated me (as in the Master) was like the part of her in me, in terms of our story anyway so I was really frustrated.

With your master I got a a vibe of split personality, mentally unstable did you approach the role with a mental health spin to it?

Sacha: I think the character is certainly complex so I wasn’t afraid of leaning into that to be honest, I think I found it really trusting and made him very bold, imaginative, intelligent I couldn’t label him as one specific thing but I utilised a range of different things and just made sure not to be afraid of going there and I did want people to feel slightly intimidated by him.

You came across as really unhinged but when you’re watching it, it’s almost like you kinda feel for the guy but at the same time he’s destroying the universe.

Sacha: yeah, that’s the thing I wanted that and by the end of it you kind of realise he’s just a damaged young boy really

He just needs a hug

Sacha: yeah, lol, that’s really the stem of it I think, he’s totally unloved and incredibly lonely I think, his purpose is to constantly chase the Doctor and once the Doctor was out of the picture and he was the Doctor it didn’t really give him the happiness that he thought it was going to be because he had nothing to chase anymore.

Iron fist is the first time I remember seeing you on screen how did you get the role and how did it feel to became part of the marvel universe?

Sacha: yeah it was amazing, when you audition for Marvel you don’t it’s Marvel because they are really secretive they give you dummy sides, the script is made up, so it’s only until you get later down the process you get “it’s the new marvel show” and I did this thing where they said to me how is your martial arts, and I said it’s amazing and I had never ever even done any martial arts in my life and the most embarrassing thing happened I was in New York and my screen-test, my final audition for iron fist and it went ok and then they said oh before you leave our big stunt coordinator wants to see your martial arts and I thought oh my god, and asked them to give me 5 minutes so I could go get my trainers and I was thinking what do I do. And guys if you could have seen me in that test, when you’re under that much pressure because you want the part, you should have seen the kicks, (demonstrates on stage… they are terrible, lol) and I could see the stunt coordinator was like this guy can’t even throw a kick, but I was filming Sherlock at the same time with Benedict Cumberbatch and we had a fight scene and I had footage on my phone so I showed him that, and asked him to just give me the chance, I’ll learn, and luckily he gave me the chance and I learnt, I spent about a year or so learning. It was amazing.

Did you get really recognised after that?

Sacha: yeah I did a little bit, it’s such a big franchise, it was the first step into me being able to play characters I never thought I would be able to play, I always thought I’m always going to be limited by how I look, we don’t really get to play those kinds of interesting parts, I think the world is shifting slightly so to be able to play a marvel villain or the Master in Doctor Who it’s pretty iconic. And it’s only when I get to chat to your guys I think oh wow, and I feel so incredibly honoured to be a part of two amazing universes.

Who’s your favourite Doctor?

Sacha: My favourite Doctor? I really like Matt Smith. I think he’s great.

Audience: what about Jodie?

Sacha: Jodie is amazing. But if I had to work with another Doctor I’d say Matt Smith I think he’s again, he’s so playful and so sharp I’d love to be able to do scenes with him he’s such a good actor and a really nice guy.

If you had your own TARDIS and the chameleon broke what would you like your TARDIS to be stuck as?

Sacha: I don’t know, I’d have to think on what that would be… I don’t think a police box can be topped honestly.

Moderator: I’d go with a kombi

Sacha: or a mini like Mr Bean drives

Do you have any funny behind the scenes stories?

Sacha: they told me everything was really secretive (on Doctor Who) and I didn’t tell anybody anything and I was also filming a show called Dracula at the same time and I went to dinner with Steven Moffatt and in my head I just presumed he would be working on the show and I must admit my knowledge of Doctor Who was a little lacking and so somethings I didn’t realise the importance of, so we’re having dinner and he said “oh you’re filming Doctor Who” and I was like “yeah yeah yeah, I’m doing Doctor Who they’ve given me this like tissue compressor eliminator thing, you know” and I could see in his face he was like oh my god he’s playing the Master, and I didn’t realise, then I got a call from the BBC saying “could you not be telling people” “I was like yeah but it Steven and they were like yeah but he doesn’t work on the show anymore” So yeah I gave it away some.

Moderator: so you’re the Tom Holland of the Doctor Who universe.

Sacha: yeah, lol

I love The Great, we’re a little behind here in New Zealand, but I thought Rasputin was even funnier because of the link to The Great. Was there actually a link did they do it deliberately?

Sacha: no, there wasn’t, I remember reading it and thinking god there’s such a connection, but no, I think Chris always felt Rasputin would be.. is the perfect kind of Master, the perfect kind of person for me to be disguised as, he’s quite evil, quite manipulative, so yeah it was pure coincidence.

Do you have any any weird or funny fan interaction?

Sacha: they have all been pretty good, I think I had in a picture line up someone said can I pick you up, is it alright if I carry you and I was like “yessss please”. The fan interactions, were the one thing people spoke about but didn’t quite prepare me for is just the community and the fan base is so amazing on Doctor Who and it’s like on Twitter if anyone says a bad word, I don’t have to do anything because I’ve got my own security! Everyone’s great, I’ve had great fan interaction.

That’s it for part 1 of Sacha’s Panel, part 2 will be up soon, and I promise Part 2 will be worth the wait.

Also if you ever defended our little Spy Master on Twitter he’s seen you and appreciates you!

If you wanna know what went down in the other panels they are linked below

Michelle

Michelle and Sacha

VIP Panel

#sacha dhawan #dhawan!master #spymaster #spy master #13th doctor #thirteenth doctor #thirteen #13 #dw

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oh-contraire · 3 months

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Coming back to fandom

Okay so it's been like 15 years since I've been properly excited about a fandom, so I didn't expect to be sitting here in my 40s, supposedly a serious adult with a real job and a real life (such as it is), having fallen even more deeply in love with Good Omens, a show based on a book that I've loved for over 20 years, a story that's always been there for me, this lovely little comfort read with a life-affirming message, and that has now eaten my entire brain and made it abundantly clear that I'll be stuck right here at least until season 3 comes out and gives me that beautiful everything-is-as-it-should-be cathartic resolution and I can finally rest and go back to real life (ha!)

I certainly didn't expect for this silly show about angels and demons to help me figure out this late in my life that I'm non-binary, to have all those parts of myself that I didn't quite understand suddenly start to make sense. I didn't expect to actually start to really own my queerness - which as a perpetually single person at my age, who's straight-enough-passing to not have to hang it all out there, while simultaneously being lucky enough to exist in a group of friends where queerness is basically the default and you'd almost have to come out as straight (old goths are the best) - is such a powerful experience, and is helping me figure out what the next part of my life will be and what the hell I'm doing around here.

The last time I was in a fandom, I was young (well, compared to now). I had parents who were still alive, who I was close to, and who I could share my excitement with. I've got beautiful memories of travelling from Australia to Europe with my mum in 2008, the last time we'd ever do that, of spending a couple of days of our precious holiday at Cardiff Bay watching the post-hub explosion scene in Torchwood Children of Earth being filmed, of her sneaking away and getting GDL's autograph for me on a random piece of paper, when I was too mortified to even consider it. I'll never watch Family of Blood or Utopia without remembering how I saw it for the first time with my dad, randomly flicking through channels and not really knowing what we were in for, and both of us experiencing that incredible, literally jaw dropping moment when Derek Jacobi was revealed as the Master, how I teasingly called him Father of Mine for years after that because it was such a wonderful shared moment for both of us (and because I was a totally cool and normal grown adult even then).

I never expected to fall straight back in love with Doctor Who after that, 15 years later, having lost both of my parents to awful illnesses, having tried to pretend that life, however fine it all was for the most part, hadn't had this constant undercurrent of existential dread, a horrible sense that from now on it would just be a series of losses, that all the things I loved would just fall away until there was nothing important left, that I could scramble for those little crumbs that felt like renewal or purpose but that ultimately felt hollow in the face of what seemed like an increasingly bleak and relentless world of serious things like work and mortgage payments and obligations and the whole thing of pretending to be a real adult doing Important Things.

I never expected just how healing, how utterly cathartic it would be to see 14 come back after all these years, older, tireder, after experiencing all that loss and grief, and to see them love so deeply, to see them find a new home, a new family, and to finally find a way to be actually, truly happy. I cried so much during that episode, and it felt like actual hope for the first time in years, like it helped to heal some part of myself that thought it would never be properly healed.

I'll never stop being in awe of how stories can do that. These silly little TV shows about angels and demons or time travel and the universe, which are really about humans and life and death and love and everything that's actually important, and which bring to the surface those deep truths that are hard to see among the minutiae of everyday life.

Stories are so powerful, and I'm so happy to feel excited about them again, and to have them weave their way back into the fabric of my life. So, thanks to RTD and @neil-gaiman for helping me find this feeling again, and thanks to fandom for continuing to exist while I figured out that this was one of the big parts that was missing from my life! <3

#good omens #doctor who #fandom #personal #oversharing #getting older #stories #ineffable fandom #fourteenth doctor

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angrycloudloud · 9 months

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Spoiler alert of Good Omens season 2

I'll try to explain the feeling of "this is a fanfic I've read before" by that I'll take in consideration not only "the coffee theory" but also the re-cast of actresses in other roles and the references to Doctor Who.

Enjoy my madness, and re watch season 2 so Amazon gives us season 3, please.

First:

We have the interesting choice of Derek Jacobi as Metatron and my personal hate/dislike/discomfort towards Metatron that I carry with me from the Supernatural Fandom and the discorporate scene from season 1.

I said interesting choice of Derek Jacobi as Metatron, because he was the proffesor Yana in Doctor Who during the season with Martha Jones as a companion, but you probably remember better the plot of proffesor Yana being The Master WITH NO MEMORIES OF BEING THE MASTER. (I'm chill, I'll take a deep breath)

The parallels with the amnesia plot and someone being better person with no memories between Jim/Gabriel and Yana/TheMaster are quite remarkable, but I want to point out that Metatron is one of the closest angels to God and we haven't heard from God this season unless we talk about the flashback from the Job story, so it's probable that Metatron is the real one in charge of Heaven since Armageddon't happened in season 1.

One of Metatron powers as we were told at the end of the season 2 is that he can rewrite the book of life. Archangel Michael wanted to use that power to erase the existence of those who hide Gabriel from heaven, but Metatron refused that option and send them to heaven, proving that he has more authority than the archangel Michael or Uriel.

I wanted to point out that to explain my next point, witch is one I have no real proof of... Anyway, I think Metatron is messing with reality and that's why we all get that feeling of "this is a fanfic I've read before". Why do I say that? When Jim/Gabriel was "putting in order" the books in the book shop he read the first sentence of the original material the show is based on, the book Good Omens write by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, that proves that the book exist in that reality and if a being other than God herself can be conscious about the fact of being in a novel or can manipulate the reality to turn the story of season one into a novel and write a fanfic after the end of that story... That character is Metatron.

I'm not sure of why he would have done that, but that will lead us to may next point.

The actresses who play completely different characters this season.

First we have our dearest Madame Tracy, Miranda Richardson, playing the demon Shax who is Crowley's substitute in his hell of a job. (sorry about that pun)

After that we have Nina and Maggie.

This is where it gets interesting. Because the actresses are playing characters with their real names and no last names (sorry if I'm wrong, I'll correct this if I'm wrong), but in season 1 Maggie played Sister Theresa Garrulous and Nina played Sister Mary Loquacious, both of them involved in the mistake that lead to Armageddon't being the both of them the ones (along with Crowley) that messed up the switch of the babies.

So... I think Metatron is mad about the events of the season one (the whole Great Plan thing), he could have tried to talk with God but she was enjoying the turn of events that Crowley and Aziraphale caused and ignore the rest of the children (a.k.a the angels) which lead the archangels to try again (I think Metatron was the master mind behind "Michael's plan" because archangel Michael has proven to be a bit incompetent this season only cares for the title of boss but not really good at it) and they vote about it, but the Bureaucracy Husbands were already a thing and make Armageddon't 2 even before the actual Armageddon could start to be put on action.

That is why I think the "present" of the story started with that fanfic/fictional-story feeling of fiction with a "nice morning" and Aziraphale being an angel towards the humans around him (which is suspicious that said human is Maggie) and finally the arrive of nude Gabriel as a plot start point.

I point this out because in season one God narrated things and all felt more normal, like the world was boring, ordinary nothing really extraordinary if demons or angels or the antichrist weren't involved (which was the reason Newton Pulsifer could located the unusual weather Taddfield had the prior eleven years), but this season the ambientation of the street was different (or I felt that way) like it was nicer less mundane or normal or ordinary...

We know angels don't completely get the human behavior, that's why I know I saw humans doing human things and having human reactions (when everyone was filming naked amnesiac Gabriel or the owners of the shops) but things like the ambientation of the street or Maggie and Nina's reactions towards magic (in season 1 Shadwell, Madame Tracy, Anathema, the Them or Newton had more realistic reactions when miracles were perform around them) or the demons surrounding the library (my first thought was "this smells like a Halloween Disney movie"), all those things felt a bit like if someone was writing something with not really idea of how the world work.

Finally, all this lead us to "the coffee theory" which is possible and if Metatron was writing the world we saw taking references from other things that already existed, would explain why that feeling of "fanfic" and... AND why he walked into the human world to interact with Aziraphale, the humans and the world instead of appear only as a gigantic head in the middle of the book shop. He needed to be there or at least he wanted to be there and was confident enough about his plan to go down to earth.

Angels were all about bureaucracy, they only showed their faces on earth if there is something important to do or say, but in season 1 Metatron didn't go down or interact, except when Aziraphale called him. And I think that plus the mega-powerful miracle that Aziraphale+Crowley casted over Jim/Gabriel, those two things were the reasons why Metatron decided that he needed Aziraphale by his side. (we can't forget this is a you are on my side or you are against me, kind of situation) And Metatron did something to Aziraphale which lead to the divorce kiss scene and our broken hearts.

That's all I have.

Thanks for reading.

And please, feel free to add or correct me if I'm wrong about something.

#good omens theory #good omens spoilers #good omens 2 #innefable husbands #innefable bureaucracy #metatron #thecoffetheory #this is my copping mechanism to deal with my broken heart

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imfineitsfineeverythingsfine · 4 months

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More random thoughts that could be funny...could be interesting...Good Omens style...but hear me out?

Aziraphale and Crowley were originally meant to be one character. One split into two. Michael Sheen and David Tennant consistently describe the characters in interviews as yins to each other's yangs.

In season one, we had the scene where a discorporated Aziraphale needed to find a "receptive body" and said to Crowley, "pity I can't inhabit yours...angel, demon, probably explode..."

(Which we may still see in season three, a combined character, at least temporarily?)

We also see how often things parallel each other in the Good Omens universe, the levels of symbolism, and the love for Terry Pratchett.

So, what if...God in Good Omens isn't the narrator/voice of Frances McDormand...but really Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett themselves? Together. Yin and Yang.

I know, fourth wall/Meta meta...something but...that could make the narrator we heard in season one the Metatron. Derek Jacobi's character would be a fraud...rogue angel or something else entirely?

Would that then make the original Good Omens book The Book of Life? It's already canonically in the show. Plus this, "Good Omens, The Facts" (Neil and Terry talking about writing the book):

"The point they both realized the text had wandered into its own world was in the basement of the old Gollancz books, where they'd got together to proofread the final copy and Neil congratulated Terry on a line that Terry knew he hadn't written, and Neil was certain he hadn't written either. They both privately suspect that at some point the book had started to generate text on its own, but neither of them will actually admit this publicly for fear of being thought odd."

Which frankly sounds like some Book of Like shit to me...

Side note, as I was watching Good Omens (for the nth time) and reading the X-Ray/General Trivia I realized...they really figured out how to add footnotes to a TV show...amazing

Are you still with me? Because if Neil is (half?) Creator, he's also done a lot of other things. They're not all connected, at least according to other posts...different universes, probably no crossovers. But maybe pulling from similar ideas or inspirations? The Lucifer TV show was loosely based on his Sandman characters. Even though Lucifer was his angelic name, he was also called "Samael" in the show.

Samael: identified as a fallen angel, cited as the planter of the tree of knowledge or the serpent that tempted Eve, and had a role in mystic cosmology or astronomy (These were among many things - angel of death, Satan, I picked out certain ones). Now, I'm in the camp of not needing to know Crowley's angel name, but I rarely see this one as a possibility. Just wanted to throw it out there.

#good omens #good omens season 3 #good omens season 2 #crowley #aziraphale #lucifer #random good omens thoughts

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kellyvela · 2 years

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I, CLAUDIUS / GRRM / ASOIAF

GRRM about the best TV series of all time:

Question: Name the best television series of all time, and explain why it's the best. GRRM: This is a tough question. I have liked a lot of television through the years, and of course I have to exclude the programs I've worked on myself (e.g. Twilight Zone, Beauty and the Beast). I was very impressed with Rome on HBO; I found it riveting, both brilliantly written and brilliantly acted. I am interested in ancient Rome so another contender would be I, Claudius, produced by the BBC, that aired on public television three decades ago (1977). It was produced on sound stages so it hasn't got nearly the HBO production value, but again the writing was superlative, as was the acting, so it holds up today.

GRRM when HBO's ROME ended:

I am going to have to watch all of I, CLAUDIUS again to get the taste out of my mouth. Pfui.

GRRM about Tiberius and Stannis:

grrm Re: No actors named Bart that I could see playing a role in GoT Damn! I hadn't known that.

Baker was one of the unsung heroes of I, CLAUDIUS. Derek Jacobi and Sian Phillips got an incredible amount of praise for their portrayals of Claudius and Livia, deservedly, while Brian Blessed and John Hurt were already well-established and well recognized, but I never felt Baker got nearly enough attention for his Tiberius… a thankless role, since the character was so unlikeable, but one that he performed brilliantly.

There's a lot of his Tiberius in my Stannis, fwiw.

GRRM (again) about Tiberius and Stannis:

And it is important that the individual books refer to the civil wars, but the series title reminds us constantly that the real issue lies in the North beyond the Wall. Stannis becomes one of the few characters fully to understand that, which is why in spite of everything he is a righteous man, and not just a version of Henry VII, Tiberius or Louis XI.

GRRM about a possible HBO's adaptation of I, Claudius:

sourbillytipton You're reportedly new HBO contract Is there anymore light you could shed on it?

With the report saying you'll help produce other projects many fans hope for adaptations of Robert's Rebellion, D&E, Tuf, Sandkings…

I doubt any of those mentioned will be produced anytime soon. My money is on you lending a hand on the new I, Claudius mini series.

grrm Re: You're reportedly new HBO contract Tuf would be fun. Dunk and Egg are being discussed. Robert's Rebellion is part of Ice & Fire, won't be a separate series. Sandkings was done by the OUTER LIMITS; I retain feature film rights, but television rights are gone.

I, CLAVDIVS? Heh, not likely. And talk about a suicide mission. I mean, I'll watch, but how do you match one of the greatest TV series ever made? That's the television equivilent of remaking GONE WITH THE WIND or CITIZEN KANE. No, thanks.

GRRM when asked about reading recommendations:

The books [Maurice Druon's THE ACCURSED KINGS] were a huge success in France. So huge than they have twice formed the basis for television shows (neither version is available dubbed or subtitled in English, to my annoyance), series that one sometimes hears referred to as “the French I, CLAUDIUS.”

GRRM about being influenced by Robert Graves's I, Claudius:

Question: So you’ve talked a lot about the historical novels that you’ve drawn on. Are you influenced by Robert Graves’ I, Claudius?

GRRM: To some extent. I read I, Claudius and Claudius the God many, many years ago. And of course, I loved the TV series. I think the TV series is one of the best series ever done. There’s talk [that] HBO may be re-doing that. That’s a dangerous idea.

GRRM (again) about a possible HBO's adaptation of I, Claudius:

Question: It seems like HBO’s development is very slow. They put things in development and it takes a long time.

GRRM: They do, but they don’t develop nearly as much as the broadcast networks, who typically order 20 drama pilot scripts, will make 10 of the 20 scripts, will actually film them, have 10 pilots and put three shows on. HBO doesn’t do that. When they develop something, they’re pretty serious about it. And they have some interesting shows in development. American Gods would be cool. And if they do remake I, Claudius, that’s a tough one to tackle, though, because the original was just so great. How do you equal a cast with Derek Jacobi and John Hurt and Brian Blessed and Xiân Phillips? Wow, what a cast.

HBO could go further, obviously, because I, Claudius was a BBC production. It was made for a dollar fifty. The sets are painted canvas. You could see marble columns flapping when someone walks by them too fast. They were just a painting. You didn’t care. It was a landmark kind of thing. Special effects are nice, but it’s the writing, acting, and storytelling that make a story great. And the dialogue and the characters, and it’s a brilliant, brilliant show.

GRRM about Suetonius and Mushroom:

The narrative unreliability is reminiscent of Westeros’s first tell-all author, the court jester Mushroom, who claims intimate knowledge of various Targaryen bedroom secrets. “And he may be making up a lot of this shit,” Martin said. “That possibility is there, because he’s an old guy telling tales, and embroidering them, making them more sexual, suggestive, and violent.” Martin likens Mushroom to Suetonius, “the great gossip of ancient Rome,” whose stories helped shape I, Claudius. “It’s full of things like [Claudius’s third wife] Messalina having a fucking contest with a prostitute, and there’s no source for that! Unless you believe Suetonius,” Martin said. “People do know things, but the things they ‘know’ may not be right.”

GRRM about re-watching I, Claudius during the COVID - 19 pandemic:

The BBC made their adaptation of I, CLAUDIUS — based on the classic novels by Robert Graves (I, CLAUDIUS and CLAUDIUS THE GOD), which were in turn based on the histories of Suetonius — in 1976, but I did not encounter them until a few years later, when PBS picked them up and ran them (in a somewhat censored form, to shield Americans from seeing nipples) in the USA. I remember, I was still living in Dubuque, Iowa at the time, teaching college. I loved the series then, and I love it now. I have probably watched it a dozen times in the years since. When it was rerun on TV at first, then later on VHS tape, and most recently on DVD.

I just finished watching it again. Up in my mountain cabin, I discovered that my assistant had never seen the series, so of course I had to break it out and show it to her. It is just as brilliant as I recall. I am pleased to say my assistant, seeing it for the first time, loved it just as I did, seeing it for the… I don’t know, the tenth time? Twentieth? I have not kept count.

This despite the fact that the budget for BBC drama in the 70s was… let us say… not large. There are no special effects here. No battles. No exteriors, in fact. It was all shot on a sound stage, and most of it takes place in one or two rooms, repeatedly redressed. When these Romans go to the arena for a gladiatorial show, you do not so much as glimpse a gladiator, you just see the actors sitting watching carnage offstage. This is not HBO’s ROME nor even SPARTACUS (both great shows in their own right). I, CLAUDIUS is more akin to a filmed stage play. I think the craft services budget on any HBO series is probably ten times what the BBC spent on the entire thirteen episodes.

And you know what? IT DOES NOT MATTER. If you have great writing and great acting, that is really all you need. And I, CLAUDIUS had that in spades. A single writer, Jack Pulman, scripted all thirteen episodes. Pulman is long deceased, I fear, which I regret. I would have considered it an honor to meet him and shake his hand. His dialogue sparkles from beginning to end, with so many unforgettable lines… and throughout he remains true to the genius of Robert Graves and his great novels.

And the acting here is equal to the brilliance of the writing. This was the series that made Derek Jacobi a star, and rightly so, but the supporting cast around him was sensational as well. Sian Phillips as Livia, Brian Blessed as Augustus, John Hurt as Caligula, the criminally underappreciated George Baker as Tiberius, Patrick Stewart (with hair!) as Sejanus, and more, and more, and more…. there’s not a false note here. They were all great.

And yes, from time to time a marble pillar ripples when someone passes, revealing itself to be painted canvas, but so what? If you are like me, you are too deeply involved with the characters to notice or care.

If you have never seen I, CLAUDIUS, you owe it to yourself to have a look (though be warned, this a dark show, and there is lots of violence and sex, especially by the standards of 1976). You should read the novels too, they are terrific. And then give thanks you do not live in ancient Rome.

Even now, deep in the Second Golden Age of television, I would rank I, CLAUDIUS as one of the greatest television series ever made. Certainly in the top ten. Probably in the top five.

Most of the ASOIAF fandom:

GRRM: I dunno if any of you, if you guys have ever seen I, Claudius, have you seen I, Claudius?

GOO: No.

GRRM: Oh, you should see I, Claudius. It's one of the great television series of all time, one of my favorites.

GOO: What is it about? [DAMNATION!!! DISGRACE!!!]

GRRM graciously lecturing most of the ASOIAF fandom about I, Claudius:

It's about Claudius, the Emperor Claudius, it's based on two novels by Robert Graves, which were called I, Claudius and Claudius the God. Claudius was, let's see, he was the fourth Roman emperor, I think, but he lived through the reigns of the first three, and he was disabled in some manner, he had a limp, he twitched, he stuttered and everybody thought he was an idiot in his family, and at a certain point, he started even, according to Graves and some historians, exaggerating his idiocy, because meanwhile everybody else was competing for power and all his relatives were murdering each other and poisoning each other and stabbing each other, so he managed to survive and become emperor, and Graves wrote these two great novels about them, which I recommend. And in the '70s, the BBC adapted them to a 13 hour series called I, Claudius. Now it it was a BBC show, not an American network show, so their budgets are significantly less anyway, and it was the '70s, so these shows were made for a dollar and 95 each, there are no special effects, there are no, in fact, the entire show was filmed in like three rooms, and, you know, when Claudius goes to a gladiator show, you never see any gladiator, you just see him sitting and his face reacting to, and, you know, things like that. Um, occasionally some of the marble pillars will ripple as he walks by because they were actually painted canvas. Can you forgive that? Sadly I found that there's some modern viewers and fans who can't, but I certainly could, and it's brilliantly written and brilliantly acted it's it made Derek Jacoby a star. It includes Patrick Stewart with hair in a minor role and a very young John Hurt and things like that. And it captures all of, you know, all of the reign of Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, and of course, Augustus's wife, Livia, who is portrayed very…you know, she's like a smarter version of Cersei... Umm but it's a great show, but the point is, it's framed, because when you come into the show, you see the old Claudius, he's emperor now, he's in his old age, but he's writing the secret history of his family to pass down the real story of what happened, and, you know, he opens every episode writing it and then you see the flashback, you see the episode. So all of the episodes are framed by old Claudius, actually the first two, I think, he's not even born yet, but old Claudius was writing about that.

It's not a novelty that GRRM loves historical novels and dramas and his love for I Claudius (the BBC show and the Graves's novels and even Suetonius's gossip stories) it's the perfect example.

And if most of the ASOIAF fandom paid more attention to that love, they would have asked George more about I, Claudius (show, novels and Suetonius's gossip stories) and how they inspired some ASOIAF characters, events and plots; or read and watch I, Claudius (show, novels and Suetonius's gossip stories) to see for themselves what George took from those and made it into ASOIAF.

This post is nothing new, some readers have posted about I, Claudius and ASOIAF similarities before, but (as always) there's a lot of things that they missed and/or interpreted differently.

So here I'm going to show you some more of what most of the ASOIAF fandom is missing because they don't pay attention to what GRRM is always saying and recommending....

TITLES

Claudius wasn't there to bore you with all his many titles:

I, TIBERIUS CLAUDIUS DRUSUS NERO GERMANICUS This-that-and-the-other (for I shall not trouble you yet with all my titles)...

—I, Claudius (Chapter 1) - Robert Graves

No comments needed (or read this post).

UNTHOUGHT MONARCH

Two years have gone by since I finished writing the long story of how I, Tiberius Claudius Drusus Nero Germanicus, the cripple, the stammerer, the fool of the family, whom none of his ambitious and bloody-minded relatives considered worth the trouble of executing, poisoning, forcing to suicide, banishing to a desert island or starving to death – which was how they one by one got rid of each other – how I survived them all, even my insane nephew Gaius Caligula, and was one day unexpectedly acclaimed Emperor by the corporals and sergeants of the Palace Guard.

—Claudius the God (Chapter 1) - Robert Graves

Sounds familiar??? Here's is a hint of Bran the Broken everyone, and this is only a little one, the HUGE one comes later.

I know, I know, most readers that have written about I Claudius and ASOIAF think that Claudius is most similar to Tyrion, because they are both disabled but clever people, despised by members of their families, lost first love, prostitute lover, betrayed by a wife/lover, etc.

And I agree, but GRRM doesn't take from original sources and make exactly the same into ASOIAF, he changes and mixes characters, events and plots.

And that's why I find in I, Claudius (show and novels) a really huge hint to Bran Stark becoming the unthought ruler of Westeros. But, as I just said, that comes later.

BROTHER AND SISTER INCEST

Caligula: [coughs] Agrippina: Caligula, darling, what are you doing out of bed? Caligula: I've had a bad dream, Mother. Agrippina: Oh, my poor baby. Come here. What did you dream? Caligula: Horrid dream. I dreamt there were bats sitting along the shelf in my room. Then they flew down and sat on me until I was all covered with them and no one could see me anymore. Agrippina: Oh, my poor baby. Antonia: You shouldn't eat so much before you go to bed. Agrippina: Oh, Mother, he's been through so much! Antonia: He stuffs himself with all manner of things. Claudius: Perhaps he'd like to sleep with Drusillus? He'd be company for him. Agrippina: Would you like that darling? Would you like to sleep with your cousin's room? Caligula: I'd rather sleep with Drusilla. Antonia: Drusilla? Your sister? A boy of your age? What is the world coming to? Agrippina: Oh, he doesn't mean anything by it.

—I, Claudius - Episode 6 - Scene 3 "Foul Play"

Caligula: No! Let go of me! Let go of me, you horrid old German woman! Claudius: What's this? Caligula: I hate you! Claudius: What's the matter? Antonia: He is disgusting! Claudius: What has he done? Antonia: Oh! Claudius: What has he done? Antonia: That child is a monster! Caligula: I'm not, you horrid old German woman! I'll burn your German house down! Claudius: Stop it! Stop it! Come here! Come here! Now, what is all this G-German? Antonia: He calls everything German that he doesn't like it. He is a monster. Claudius: Well, what has he done? Antonia: He knows what he's done! Caligula: I didn't do anything! I didn't! I didn't! Honestly, Uncle Claudius. I didn't do anything, I swear. It was only a game. Antonia: I found him in Drusilla's bed. Naked, the pair of them! He is revolting and so is she. I've locked her in her room! Caligula: Well, Mother… Antonia: You're a blockhead if you believe his lies! Claudius: Where are you taking him? Antonia: To the cellar to lock him in. Caligula: Please don't let her take me. Please Uncle Claudius. I hate the cellar. I'm afraid. Claudius: Well, you leave him here with me. I'll t-t-talk to him. Antonia: He needs a good whipping, not a talking to! Oh, Claudius, you're such a fool! I've no patience with you. It should have been you who died, not Germanicus! What use are you to anyone? Claudius: Now, don't you know that you sh-shouldn't play games like that with your sister? Hmmm? Don't you know how w-wicked it is? Caligula: Why? Claudius: Why? B-because it is. Caligula: Why? Claudius: Now, now look, don't answer me back or I'll cut you on the head! Now, you listen to me. Now, a sister is a sister and she's not to be p-p-played with, ever, do you understand? You can't p-p-play with her and you can't m-marry her. Caligula: But she wanted to… Claudius: I don't care what she wanted! You're disgusting, the pair of you. And I shall talk to Dr-Drusilla later.

—I, Claudius - Episode 6 - Scene 3 "The Trial"

Sounds familiar???

He could never bear to be long apart from his twin. Even as children, they would creep into each other's beds and sleep with their arms entwined. Even in the womb. Long before his sister's flowering or the advent of his own manhood, they had seen mares and stallions in the fields and dogs and bitches in the kennels and played at doing the same. Once their mother's maid had caught them at it . . . he did not recall just what they had been doing, but whatever it was had horrified Lady Joanna. She'd sent the maid away, moved Jaime's bedchamber to the other side of Casterly Rock, set a guard outside Cersei's, and told them that they must never do that again or she would have no choice but to tell their lord father. They need not have feared, though. It was not long after that she died birthing Tyrion. Jaime barely remembered what his mother had looked like. —A Storm of Swords - Jaime III

HEIGHT DIFFERENCE WEDDING

When I watch the scene of Claudius and Urgulanilla's wedding, I immediately thought about Sansa and Tyrion's wedding.

The I, Claudius scene has no dialogue except for Livia's final line. Claudius enters to the ceremony, salutes to the bride's family and then to Augustus and Livia, then seats next to the bride and holds her hand.

Then the priest signals the bride and groom to stand and:

Urgulanilla: [stands]Livia: [crowd laughs] She grew! She just kept on growing! —I, Claudius - Episode 4 - Scene 7 "Keep playing the Fool"

Urgulanilla was indeed very tall, but her appearance is closer to Brienne than Sansa:

Urgulanilla was – well, in brief, she lived up to her name, which is the Latin form of Herculanilla. A young female Hercules she indeed was. Though only fifteen years old, she was over six foot three inches in height and still growing, and broad and strong in proportion, with the largest feet and hands I have ever seen on any human being in my life with the single exception of the gigantic Parthian hostage who walked in a certain triumphal procession many years later. Her features were regular but heavy and she wore an almost perpetual scowl.

—Claudius the God (Chapter 8) - Robert Graves

Back to the wedding, something very similar happens in ASOIAF with the bride and groom height difference and the crowd laughing about it:

The dwarf tugged at her a third time. Stubbornly she pressed her lips together and pretended not to notice. Someone behind them tittered. The queen, she thought, but it didn't matter. They were all laughing by then, Joffrey the loudest. "Dontos, down on your hands and knees," the king commanded. "My uncle needs a boost to climb his bride." —A Storm of Swords - Sansa III

TRUST NO ONE

Now farewell for the last time, Tiberius Claudius, my friend whom I love more truly than you ever supposed. Farewell, little Marmoset, my schoolfellow, and trust nobody, for nobody about you is worthy of your trust.

—Claudius the God (Chapter 23) - Robert Graves

Herod: Listen, Claudius. Let me give you a piece of advice.

Claudius: Oh, I thought you'd finished with advice.

Herod: One last piece and then I'm done. Trust no one, my friend, no one. Not your most grateful freedman, not your most intimate friend, not your dearest child, not the wife of your bosom. Trust no one.

Claudius: No one? Not even you?

—I, Claudius - Episode 11 - Scene 4 "Advice From an Old Friend"

"Lord Petyr," Ned called after him. "I … am grateful for your help. Perhaps I was wrong to distrust you." Littlefinger fingered his small pointed beard. "You are slow to learn, Lord Eddard. Distrusting me was the wisest thing you've done since you climbed down off your horse." —A Game of Thrones - Eddard V

Trust no one, I once told Eddard Stark, but he would not listen. You are Alayne, and you must be Alayne all the time.

—A Feast for Crows - Sansa I

"Say what you want. She will be my bride, Lord Connington will see to it. I trust him as much as if he were my own blood." "Perhaps you should be the fool instead of me. Trust no one, my prince. Not your chainless maester, not your false father, not the gallant Duck nor the lovely Lemore nor these other fine friends who grew you from a bean. Above all, trust not the cheesemonger, nor the Spider, nor this little dragon queen you mean to marry. All that mistrust will sour your stomach and keep you awake by night, 'tis true, but better that than the long sleep that does not end." —A Dance with Dragons - Tyrion VI

TYWIN, JOANNA, IS THAT YOU?

Augustus ruled the world, but Livia ruled Augustus. And I must here explain the remarkable hold that she had over him.

—Claudius the God (Chapter 2) - Robert Graves

Narrator Claudius: Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, old friend and commander of the armies of Augustus. Emperor of Rome, a most remarkable man. But even more remarkable who was Livia, his second wife. If Augustus ruled the world, Livia ruled Augustus.

—I, Claudius - Episode 1 - Scene 2 "Dinner Conversation"

His mother had died giving him birth, so the Martells would have found the Rock deep in mourning. His father especially. Lord Tywin seldom spoke of his wife, but Tyrion had heard his uncles talk of the love between them. In those days, his father had been Aerys's Hand, and many people said that Lord Tywin Lannister ruled the Seven Kingdoms, but Lady Joanna ruled Lord Tywin. —A Storm of Swords - Tyrion V

TARGIES, IS THAT YOU?

Livia was of the Claudian family, one of the most ancient of Rome, and so was my grandfather. There is a popular ballad, still sometimes sung by old people, of which the refrain is that the Claudian tree bears two sorts of fruit, the sweet apple and the crab, but that the crabs outnumber the apples.

—I, Claudius (Chapter 2) - Robert Graves

Tiberius: I'll tell you something, Drusus. Sometimes I so hate myself, I can't bear the thought of me anymore. You don't know anything about darkness, do you? Inside darkness. Blackness. Drusus: Ah, stop bragging! I could match you black for black. Tiberius: Not you. Not you. The say the tree of the Claudians produces two kinds of apples - the sweet and the sour. That was never more true than you and me. Drusus: And what of our mother, which is she? Tiberius: Livia? Drusus: Mmm. Tiberius: They say a snake bit her once and died. Drusus: Hey. Hey, that's no longer funny.

—I, Claudius - Episode 2 - Scene 2 "Siblings Rivalries"

"Why ask for truth," Ser Barristan said softly, "if you close your ears to it?" He hesitated, then continued. "I told you before that I used a false name so the Lannisters would not know that I'd joined you. That was less than half of it, Your Grace. The truth is, I wanted to watch you for a time before pledging you my sword. To make certain that you were not . . ." ". . . my father's daughter?" If she was not her father's daughter, who was she? ". . . mad," he finished. "But I see no taint in you." "Taint?" Dany bristled. "I am no maester to quote history at you, Your Grace. Swords have been my life, not books. But every child knows that the Targaryens have always danced too close to madness. Your father was not the first. King Jaehaerys once told me that madness and greatness are two sides of the same coin. Every time a new Targaryen is born, he said, the gods toss the coin in the air and the world holds its breath to see how it will land." —A Storm of Swords - Daenerys VI

STANNIS, IS THAT YOU?

He was a tall, dark-haired, fair-skinned, heavily-built man with a magnificent pair of shoulders, and hands so strong that he could crack a walnut (…) He went bald early in life except at the back of his head, where he grew his hair long, a fashion of the ancient nobility. He was never ill. Tiberius, unpopular as he was in Roman society, was nevertheless an extremely successful general. He revived various ancient disciplinary severities, but since he did not spare himself when on campaign, seldom sleeping in a tent, eating and drinking no better than the men, and always charging at their head in battle, they preferred to serve under him than under some good-humoured, easy-going commander in whose leadership they did not have the same confidence. Tiberius never gave his men a smile or a word of praise, and often overmarched and overworked them. ‘Let them hate me,’ he once said, ‘so long as they obey me.’ He kept the colonels and regimental officers in as strict order as the men, so there were no complaints of his partiality. Service under Tiberius was not unprofitable: he usually contrived to capture and sack the enemy’s camps and cities. He fought successful wars in Armenia, Parthia, Germany, Spain, Dalmatia, the Alps, and France.

—I, Claudius (Chapter 3) - Robert Graves

Tiberius: Well, don't bother on my account! I'm sick of it! The gods know I've done my best! He never liked me. Never! Thirty years I've run his errands for him! I've fought on his bloody frontiers, collected his taxes! He's never once put his hand on my arm and said, "Thank you. What would I have done without you?" Now he sends me off to Illyricum and he doesn't even plan a farewell dinner. Not even a goodbye. Just get on your horse and ride! Well, damn him! I retired before and I can retire again! Let his precious grandson run his empire for him. I'm sick to death of it!

—I, Claudius - Episode 5 - Scene 4 "False Pretenses"

Stannis Baratheon, Lord of Dragonstone and by the grace of the gods rightful heir to the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, was broad of shoulder and sinewy of limb, with a tightness to his face and flesh that spoke of leather cured in the sun until it was as tough as steel. Hard was the word men used when they spoke of Stannis, and hard he was. Though he was not yet five-and-thirty, only a fringe of thin black hair remained on his head, circling behind his ears like the shadow of a crown. His brother, the late King Robert, had grown a beard in his final years. Maester Cressen had never seen it, but they said it was a wild thing, thick and fierce. As if in answer, Stannis kept his own whiskers cropped tight and short. They lay like a blue-black shadow across his square jaw and the bony hollows of his cheeks. His eyes were open wounds beneath his heavy brows, a blue as dark as the sea by night. His mouth would have given despair to even the drollest of fools; it was a mouth made for frowns and scowls and sharply worded commands, all thin pale lips and clenched muscles, a mouth that had forgotten how to smile and had never known how to laugh. Sometimes when the world grew very still and silent of a night, Maester Cressen fancied he could hear Lord Stannis grinding his teeth half a castle away. (...) "Why should I avenge Eddard Stark? The man was nothing to me. Oh, Robert loved him, to be sure. Loved him as a brother, how often did I hear that? I was his brother, not Ned Stark, but you would never have known it by the way he treated me. I held Storm's End for him, watching good men starve while Mace Tyrell and Paxter Redwyne feasted within sight of my walls. Did Robert thank me? No. He thanked Stark, for lifting the siege when we were down to rats and radishes. I built a fleet at Robert's command, took Dragonstone in his name. Did he take my hand and say, Well done, brother, whatever should I do without you? No, he blamed me for letting Willem Darry steal away Viserys and the babe, as if I could have stopped it. I sat on his council for fifteen years, helping Jon Arryn rule his realm while Robert drank and whored, but when Jon died, did my brother name me his Hand? No, he went galloping off to his dear friend Ned Stark, and offered him the honor. And small good it did either of them." —A Clash of Kings - Prologue

A SIGN FROM THE GODS

When I watch the scene of Claudius catching the wolf pup from the sky, I immediately thought about Bran and Summer.

The I, Claudius scene is called "A sign from the Gods"

Germanicus: Eagles. What are they fighting for? Julia: Here come the children. Let's go into the house. It sounds as if they've been quarrelling again and I don't think I could stand it. Germanicus: Eagles! They're fighting! Postumus, look at the eagles! Agrippina: What are they fighting for? Castor: Oh look. One of them's got something! See, in its claws there. It's a small animal, [screeching overhead] Agrippina: Mother, Mother, the eagles are fighting! Castor: They're fighting over something. Look out! Livilla: What is it, Claudius? Castor: It's a wolf cub. Germanicus: Mother, it dropped right from its claws. Livilla: Let me have him! Let me have him! Antonia: Leave it be! It fell to Claudius, leave it be! Julia: Look at the blood. Ye Gods, what does it mean? Domitius, tell us what it means. Domitius: Lady, I… Antonia: You know what it means, I can see from your face. Tell us, I beg you. Children, go into the house. Domitius: No! Let them stay. The sign was given to you all, and given now, perhaps, because I am here to read it. But they must be sworn to secrecy. Who are the gods that watch over this house? Julia: Jupiter and Mars. Domitius: Then do you swear, all of you, by these your gods…that no word of what you are about to hear shall ever pass your lips? [all]: Yes, we do. Domitius: The wolf cub is Rome. No doubt of it. Romulus was suckled by a wolf as her own cub, and Romulus was Rome. And look at it. All torn about the neck and shivering with fear. A wretched sight. Rome will be wretched one day. But he will protect it. He and no other. Livilla: [laughs] Claudius as protector of Rome! I hope I shall be dead by then. Antonia: Go to your room! You shall have nothing to eat for the rest of the day! Julia: Children, come in. Come inside. Claudius: May I k-k-keep the cub, please, Mother? Please may I?

—I, Claudius - Episode 3 - Scene 2 "A sign from the Gods"

In the novel the scene is basically the same, but it provides more important details:

One extraordinary event in my childhood I must not forget to record. One summer when I was just eight years old my mother, my brother Germanicus, my sister Livilla, and I were visiting my Aunt Julia in a beautiful country-house close to the sea at Antium. It was about six o’clock in the evening and we were out taking the cool breeze in a vineyard. Julia was not with us, but Tiberius’s son – that Tiberius Drusus whom we afterwards always called ‘Castor’ – and Postumus and Agrippina, Julia’s children, were in the party. Suddenly we heard a great screeching above us. We looked up and saw a number of eagles fighting. Feathers floated down. We tried to catch them. Germanicus and Castor each caught one before it fell and stuck it in his hair. Castor had a small wing feather, but Germanicus a splendid one from the tail. Both were stained with blood. Spots of blood fell on Postumus’s upturned face and on the dresses of Livilla and Agrippina. And then something dark dropped through the air. I do not know why I did so, but I put out a fold of my gown and caught it. It was a tiny wolf-cub wounded and terrified. The eagles came swooping down to retrieve it, but I had it safe hidden, and when we shouted and threw sticks they rose baffled and flew screaming off. I was embarrassed. I didn’t want the cub. Livilla grabbed at it, but my mother, who looked very grave, made her give it back to me. ‘It fell to Claudius,’ she said. ‘He must keep it.’ She asked an old nobleman, a member of the College of Augurs, who was with us, ‘Tell me what this portends.’ The old man answered, ‘How can I say? It may be of great significance or none.’ ‘Don’t be afraid. Say what it seems to mean to you.’ ‘First send the children away,’ he said. I do not know whether he gave her the interpretation which, when you have read my story, will be forced on you as the only possible one. All I know is that while we other children kept our distance – dear Germanicus had found another tail-feather for me, sticking in a hawthorn bush, and I was putting it proudly in my hair – Livilla crept up inquisitively behind a rose-hedge and overheard something. She interrupted, laughing noisily: ‘Wretched Rome, with him as her protector! I hope to God I’ll be dead before then!’The Augur turned on her and pointed with his finger. ‘Impudent girl,’ he said, “God will no doubt grant your wish in a way that you won’t like!”

—I, Claudius (Chapter 5) - Robert Graves

An disabled eight year old boy got a wolf pup that fell from the sky free from two eagles that were fighting for him, an event that was considered a sign from the gods, a portent about the boy becoming the forth Roman Emperor, the Protector of Rome???

Tell me if this is not very similar to Bran and his brothers finding the direwolves next to their dead mother and keeping them as pets, pets that are considered a gift from the old gods, a portent about the children becoming monarchs, at least some of them, like Robb, Jon, Bran and Sansa???

But the similarities between Claudius and Bran are the most prominent:

Similar age: Claudius 8 / Bran 7.

Prophecies: Claudius was prophesied to be the fourth Roman Emperor / Bran was prophesied to be the Three Eyed Raven.

Wolves: Claudius got a wolf pup from the sky, the wolf was an important symbol of Rome (The Capitoline Wolf nursed Romulus and Remus) / Bran got a direwolf from the old gods, the direwolf was the sigil of House Stark.

Disability: Claudius got a permanent limp, after suffering infantile paralysis that shortened his left leg / Bran got paralyzed from the waist down after his fall.

Hurtful nicknames: Claudius was known as the Cripple / Bran hates being called cripple and according to the show he will be known as Bran the Broken.

Especial transport: Claudius was usually carried in a sedan-chair / Bran was usually carried by Hodor.

Lost older brother: Claudius lost his beloved older brother Germanicus / Bran lost his beloved older bother Robb.

First Love: Claudius first love was Medullina Camilla. Among the Etruscans “Camilla” is what they call the young hunting priestesses dedicated to Diana (the Huntress) / Bran's first love was Meera Reed, a fine huntress and fisher, a fighter with net and spear.

Compared to monkeys: Claudius was called "marmoset" by his few friends / Jon remembers Bran clambering up a tower wall, agile as a monkey.

Survivors: Claudius nearly died on several occasions / Bran survive his fall.

Unthought monarchs: Claudius, despite all odds, became the fourth Roman Emperor / Bran will become King of the Seven Kingdoms.

Builders: Claudius built many roads, aqueducts and canals / Bran was named after his famous ancestor Bran the Builder, and as a monarch he will be able to emulate his renowned ancestor.

There you have it!

All hail Tiberius Claudius Drusus Nero Germanicus and Brandon of House Stark!

#grrm #asoiaf #i claudius #robert graves #bran stark #tiberius claudius drusus nero germanicus

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