#3x06: household

[em-harlsnow]

ive realised that a lot of my fan fictions involve mickey getting hurt so I wanted to explain this since I don't want it to be misinterpreted.

In 'it's dark tonight (will you stay?)' I wrote about Terry beating mickey up after the 3x06 episode and Ian, mandy and lip taking him back to the Gallagher house. this was the first fic I ever wrote and I wanted to explore mickey being vulnerable around Ian and trusting him. it's a common trope for shameless pics to have mickey going to ian's house after a run-in with Terry, but I hadn't seen many like this so I wanted to explore that.

in 'I'll fight everyone but you' the plot is heavily based on the first season of peaky blinders, in which Tommy gets shot. so... that's why Mickey gets shot. I didn't want Ian to get shot because I felt like that would make ian's family completely distrustful of mickey and change the plot significantly.

in 'gallagehrs and group chats' chapter 5, both Ian and mickey are shown to be in abusive households, which they were, and they both looked after each other. so I feel this requires less explanation.

in 'iron bars' there are two instances where mickey gets hurt. first, in a fight. reason for this is because I feel it would be correct to assume that due to his family's rep, his own rep, and the fact that he's gay and kinda short would make people think he's an easy target. also, he wins the fight and is hardly hurt, so maybe this is irrelevant. second instance is mickey getting stabbed. same reasons, honestly. the reason I showed mickey getting stabbed and not Ian is so simple. it's because Ian works in the infirmary, therefore he can be around while mickey is recovering in the infirmary. but if Ian were stabbed, mickey obvs could not visit him because he doesn't work in the infirmary.

in 'heard you could save me' mickey's also stabbed. reason for this is so Ian can heal him with his healing powers. this fic is SO for fun for me. it's not a deep psycho analysis of characters, it's just me playing around with superheros, so I'm not analysing this one too much.

even so, I think I could stand to put more focus on Ian in general when it comes to the issues he's had and still has. this is me trying to be self aware and expand on my works. I have been trying to show both their issues in 'iron bars'. I swear. Anyway im doing a lot of WIPs at the moment but if anyone has Ian-centric prompts I'd be happy to hear them and MAYBE write them when I can.

[callivich]

Hello, Hello Calli! Sliding into your inbox today to ask you a question—

How do you think the Gallaghers story line would have changed if the order of siblings had been different? Say Ian or Lip were the oldest while Fiona was second oldest/middle? Do you think things would have been better, worse or relatively the same? How would the dynamics/closeness of siblings change?

How do you think the Gallavich story line would have played out differently had Ian been in the head of household role? (Gallavich being the same age as one another of course!)

- Chey🩷

Hi Chey!💖

This is a very interesting question! 👀 Has anyone ever written a fic along these lines? Because it’s a fascinating idea!

I think it would change things in many different ways. I have no doubt that both Lip and Ian would step up and do their best to take care of their younger siblings if either of them was the oldest.

If Lip was the oldest - he wouldn’t have gone to college. I’m wondering if perhaps he would have struggled with alcohol earlier than in canon? But I can see him getting sober and making it a goal to go to some sort of community college in his 20s once all his siblings don’t need him anymore.

If Ian was the oldest - he wouldn’t have done ROTC or pursued a dream of joining the army. I think Ian would struggle with his diagnosis more than in canon because I feel he would (incorrectly) think he’d let his siblings down in some way and he would find it even harder to accept any sort of support or help from his younger siblings at first. It would be a dramatic thing though because if Ian developed it at the same age as in canon, all the siblings would be younger and more dependent on him.

If Fiona wasn’t the oldest - I think she may have been a bit like Lip? Like, if she got a scholarship for track at college she would have tried but may have ended up getting kicked out for some reason. I don’t see her leaving in this scenario, I think she sticks around Chicago.

I think whoever is the oldest is going to clash with Frank in a big way and I think it might have been much worse/more physical if it was Lip or Ian.

In terms of the family getting by - I think things would be relatively the same, both Lip and Ian would have worked several jobs to provide as much as they can. I think maybe the sibling dynamics change if the oldest sibling is a brother rather than a sister? Like, I can see if Fiona was third oldest, she and Debbie would be like Lip and Ian are in canon.

I think Gallavich (with them being the same age as each other) would have still gotten together. But I think because of his responsibilities, Ian would have less time to sneak around with Mickey at first. But maybe they sneak around at the Gallagher house if Ian’s the oldest and has his own room. So maybe this is a world where 3x06 never happens? I think there would be similar issues for them - Mickey’s fear of Terry, Ian wanting more etc. How this all plays out if Ian is the oldest, I’m not exactly sure but I 100% think they end up together.

Lip or Ian being the oldest siblings would change lots of things in many different ways. I’m very interested to know what other people think? 👀💖

[meta-squash]

Yet another fic post for @shamelessdvdcommentary because it's fun and I'm hoping it'll somehow inspire me to write another fic or something.

Proof Of What You Want Summary: Ian's on his goddamn mind all the time and this isn't like bruises or near misses with cops or his dad's fucked up punishments. It doesn't matter what he does. He's not thinking of anything else. You've never been like this. Slow and soft and someone asleep at your back. Vulnerable. Ever. There have been very few bright spots in your life: your mother, Mandy, Ian. You try and convince yourself it's not what you want. It is. It's what you want.

Give us some stats - (when you wrote it, word count, how long it took to finish, is it a one-shot/multi-chapter, etc) I had the idea for it in December 2019, but I didn't start working on it until March 2020. It took me about 2 months of working on-and-off because the mechanic I used for this fic was a little weird so I had to be in the right headspace to work on it. It's a 7,331 word oneshot.

What was the initial inspiration for your story? My two initial inspirations were the storytelling mechanic -- third person POV and second person POV (both Mickey) switching back and forth, and examining the emotional difference between Mickey falling in love with Ian before 3x06 and his loneliness and trauma after Ian runs away to the army.

If the story is written from a character’s POV, why did you choose this character? Because poor Mickey went through so much trauma with the assault and then being forced to marry Svetlana and then Ian running off and he's trapped in this abusive household with a pregnant wife he doesn't want and is pretty much totally alone. And we don't see any of his feelings about that. And I've always thought that the night that Ian stayed over would have been a huge threshold crossed for Mickey, and that he was ready to start actually accepting himself and his feelings, and then the morning happened and that all came crashing down.

What was your favourite scene to write? The bit about Ian and Mickey in the dugouts, sharing a cigarette which is they way they kissed before they ever kissed for real. It's just a really warm and sweet scene. And I really liked writing that and then the crash into a less pleasant reality with the switch to "present". I did really enjoy writing sad and lonely Mickey too, because I think the conflict between his self-hatred and anger/anxiety vs the slow dawning that he misses and loves Ian, the softness of those Ian-feelings compared to the pain of the other ones is really interesting.

How did you come up with the title? Just that Mickey spends the entire fic thinking about Ian, either in the "past" segments as he's falling in love or in the "present" segments all lonely and worried and missing Ian. And that constant thought is proof that he does care about Ian and he does want him around, and he's starting to accept that after all that trauma even if it is scary.

Was there anything you struggled to write? If so, how did you overcome this? The smut. I just so rarely write smut, I prefer character studies. When I read smut I often end up distracted by trying to figure out where the characters are in the space/in relation to each other, or if they do something that would be uncomfortable/unhealthy/physically impossible. I wanted to write the smut scene in a prettier way while also maintaining realism, and I wanted it to advance the plot. I concentrated less on making it sexy for the reader and more on making it a moment of emotional (and physical) first times for Mickey, which would help to heighten the feeling like some barrier had been crossed (which then reinforces how hard those walls slammed back up after the morning).

Favourite line in the story? I don't have a favorite single line but this little section is one I really like: Waking up in the morning beside the Russian bitch, feeling her breath on his neck and his skin crawling underneath like there's ants in there? There's no manual for how to handle that. He hasn't slept a full night in weeks. And he doesn't know what to do with the way Ian sits there under his skin either. He wants it to crawl like she does. He wants it to itch. He wants to want to scratch it out. He wants to hate Ian. It just aches. Definitely doesn't feel like hate.

Did the storyline change in any way as you wrote the story? I wasn't sure what I wanted to end on, if I wanted to end on a happy or a sad note. The second person POV "past" sections also jump around in time a little bit, so at first I thought I was going to do Ian and Mickey having a conversation at the obstacle course, something similar to the "he's not afraid to kiss me" conversation that indicates Mickey getting closer to accepting his feelings. But then I decided I didn't want that much dialogue; I wanted it mostly to just be Mickey's internal feelings.

What are you most proud about in the story? (plot, characterisation, dialogue, twist/cliffhanger, etc) How well the third person/second person POV mechanic worked! It was a total experiment, I don't even know how I got the idea. But having the second person POV as pre-3x06 Mickey falling in love and starting to open up vs third person POV as post-3x06 Mickey alone and depressed and worried ended up working sooo well. People really liked it!

Are there any ‘behind the scenes’ info you’d like to share - e.g. what’s going on in a characters head in a certain scene or how you came to write a certain line? I think post 3x06 Mickey is such a tangle of emotions and I wanted to see how that gap between Mickey's trauma and his acceptance of himself in season 4 gets bridged. I wanted to explore Mickey's self-hatred and his feelings like he deserved to get hurt, and the way those feelings are vying with the dawning knowledge that he still cares about Ian, and the feeling that he didn't deserve any of what happened to him but that he's completely trapped in it. I just think Mickey is so messed up in seasons 3 and 4, with his feelings for Ian growing stronger and him becoming really properly conscious of them, but also being completely terrified of them and of the consequences of those feelings.

Would you ever write a sequel to this story? No, but I did unintentionally write a prequel, Abrade. That one explores the immediate aftermath of the morning of 3x06. It's also in second person POV, and it's very intense. They're not fics that are meant to be read together, but they fit together like an unintentional puzzle.

Are there any ‘easter eggs’ in your story - e.g. references to other stories you’ve written, a trope you often use etc? I have a headcanon that after the immediate events of 3x06, once both Ian and Terry left, Mickey vomited into the kitchen sink, on whatever dishes were there. I used it in this fic, and in Abrade, and maybe in another one as well (I think it's just implied in Scar Tissue). I think it's a detail that is nearly as visceral as the actual events, but it's a reaction rather than the actual moment. It really gets across how intense and traumatizing and awful the entire event was, without actually describing the details of rape.

Were you nervous or excited to post this story? A little nervous, actually, because of the weird mechanic. I just thought maybe people would click away from it once they saw the second person POV because I know it's kind of a weird way to write.

Anything else you’d like the readers to know about the story? Seasons 3 and 4 Mickey is fascinating to me because he's clearly depressed and scared and somewhat self-destructive and yet he's also so protective and willing to do stuff for Ian and because of Ian that I don't think he'd do otherwise. So I think the moments without Ian around in this fic are just him falling back into that misery -- but this time with a sort of awareness of how much Ian lightened everything for him without him really even realizing it at the time. Mickey's growth between seasons 3 and 5 is fascinating to me. I really think he's more introspective than people think, even though he does tend to act first. But I feel like with the important stuff, he mulls over it internally for a long while and does have thoughts and opinions, not just gut reactions.

[deluweil]

In response to that article (US weekly) that is circulating out there,

1. I love that they agree that Buck and Eddie should just get together.

2. KR and TM are either idiots or liars.

Why do you ask? 

Because as someone who spent her life chasing tv shows containing good best friends relationship (be it m/f m/m or f/f) and brotherly relationships, this, whatever the writers and the showrunners created here in 9-1-1 with Buck and Eddie is far beyond best friends by mid s3 and was way past brotherly bond somewhere between that grocery store love spat to the kitchen scene to the romantic coded shooting scene in 4x13 (and that’s when both guys were “dating”).

I can give examples going on for miles and make endless comparisons (we have NCIS LA Callen and Sam, Chicago Fire Casey and Severide, Station 19 had Gibson and Miller, and while unbelievably controversial Steve and Danny in H50 were indeed brotherly based relationship because it had all the markers of that relationship that outweighed the old married couple routine.)

They are all brotherly/best friend oriented relationships, where the word “brother” was used regularly, they each had their roommates era - that we got to watch on tv and not covid enforced quarantine era off screen.

We had hugs aplenty, a lot of teasing and beer talks, relationship talks, double dates (even chenford been to one before they finally got together.), marriage, uncle titles being bestowed, bff-ing with the best friend’s significant other and oh so many things that color a relationship in platonic colors. 

Now let’s take those and compare them to Buck and Eddie’s relationship. 

We got three hugs in 3 episodes, and that’s in S2 2x18, S3 3x01, and 3x06. 

We haven’t seen proper beer hangout that didn’t involve black eyes since S3 on Albert’s birthday.

No relationship talks, unless it was to make sure the other side was agreeing that the other should break up with their significant other. (Eddie in 5x03, Buck in 5x18)

Neither one of them even got close to marriage (after Shannon died, I mean. And even she knew it wasn’t working with Eddie anymore.)

Buck is Christopher’s and Eddie’ Buck (”His Buck”) - but he is uncle Buck to Jee-Yun.

Buck only interacted with Ana twice and that was when he saw her (but didn’t talk to her) when she brought Christopher to the firehouse in 5x02, and the other time was when she called him to tell him Eddie’s awake.

And we have the famous dinner where Taylor didn’t eat but tried to be friendly along with Eddie for Buck in the Diaz household. But other than that Eddie had no desire to interact with her unless he absolutely had to.

Last but not least, all the pairs I named up there uttered the words “I love you” at least once. It was said easily, and "thanks for saving me" was said out loud, too. 

- Buck and Eddie, going into S6 not once uttered the words. And Eddie thanked Bobby for saving his life, but not once has he thanked Buck - at least not that we saw. (Not in 4x14, not in 5x14 - Buck saved Eddie so many times, but we never see any deep conversation or even a light hearted one that expressed “thank you for saving my ass out there”)

I can go on, but I think my point is made.

Please for the love of god get these two together, they’d be wasted on anybody else at this point. - Manifest with me ✨✨✨

[all-eyes-lead-to-the-truth]

All Eyes Lead to the Truth | Season Three Master Post

We’ve come to the conclusion of a momentous season! From some of the most iconic episodes to some of the most beloved characters, season three was full of intense chapters!

Check out this thread to see all the characters we got to meet!

3x01 | The Blessing Way - The Well-Manicured Man (@fridaysat9

They were all living on the precipice of the end of the human race, but they were only concerned with jobs, school assignments, and playdates.

Life, as it should be.

3x02 | Paper Clip - Victor Klemper (@monikafilefan)

The offspring of a rebel syndicate member unearthing truths Victor has spent decades trying to bury beneath buttercups and begonias has marked him for certain death.

3x03 | D.P.O. - Darin Peter Oswald (@gaycrouton)

His friend was scared of him, and it made Darin feel powerful.

3x04 | Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose - Clyde Bruckman (@fridaysat9)

A funny thing happens when you see your own death. At first you try to make sense of it– what could it mean, why the tears, why her? Then you try to change it.

3x05 | The List - Dr. Juan Ullrich (@monikafilefan)

Juan fidgets with an evidence bag, trying not to blatantly stare at the agents holding an entire conversation with their eyes while systematically categorizing every sway of their bodies, every touch of her hands.

3x06 | 2Shy - Lauren MacKalvey (@gaycrouton)

2SHY > You have no idea how beautiful I think you are. I must confess… I feel inextricably drawn to you. I can’t stop thinking about what you said the other day… You don’t deserve to feel lonely, Lauren.

3x07 | The Walk - Leonard 'Rappo' Trimble (@admiralty-xfd)

Every night, he walks again. And every morning he wakes in the same bed with the same phantom pain. Every day he wishes he’d just died; that explosion that didn’t quite kill him cost him his life, anyway.

3x08 | Oubliette - Lucy Householder (@monikafilefan)

She has to go. It’s all so clear now. She has to go back. Through the woods, through the house — into the dark. Maybe she was never meant to leave it at all.

3x09 | Nisei - Penny Northern (@gaycrouton)

It was the strength of these women that got her through those experiences, and it was the strength of these women that would help her embark on this dark path they were all destined to walk.

3x10 | 731 - First Elder (The Well-Fed Man) (@admiralty-xfd)

The one thing that can be manipulated more effectively than any other is her fear of the unknown… of what happened to her last year.

3x11 | Revelations - Owen Lee Jarvis (@fridaysat9)

He gave of himself, abandoning what little life he’d had, to honor God’s words and do as he had been called.

3x12 | War of the Coprohages - Dr. Bambi Berenbaum (@gaycrouton)

Bambi felt a flush spread across her chest as his hypothesis brought a smile to her face. Hearing that he hadn’t been merely indulging her earlier was a refreshing change of pace.

3x13 | Syzygy - Detective Angela White (@admiralty-xfd)

Detective White stops as Agent Scully finally glances over at her, somewhat defensively. And then she gets it. Everything about the way she’s been treated since the agents arrived makes perfect sense.

3x14 | Grotesque - Agent Bill Patterson (@fridaysat9)

Patterson figured that Mulder might have a theory about a potential copycat killer, but no; he’d been researching gargoyles and goblins. Monsters recorded in dusty old tomes pulled from the library shelves.

3x15 | Piper Maru - Kimberly (@monikafilefan)

Kimberly Cook is good at her secretarial job. So when the man she’s been working closely with for two years is troubled, she refuses to let him file the feeling away like some confidential case in his cabinet.

3x16 | Apocrypha - Luis Cardinal (@admiralty-xfd)

The Scully woman is not simply angry, she’s unhinged. And there’s a small part of him that understands; it’s the part of him that, prior to working for the Smoker, had never been asked to shoot an innocent woman before.

3x17 | Pusher - Agent Frank Burst (@fridaysat9)

Frank doesn’t care if he has to tell him his mother’s maiden name and his favorite breakfast cereal if it means getting his location.

3x18 | Teso Dos Bichos - Officer (@monikafilefan)

He doesn’t get paid enough for this shit.

3x19 | Hell Money - Hsin Shuyang (@gaycrouton)

The gods might not be listening, but the devil was waiting for him down the street, ready to play a game with all the men whose American dreams had turned into nightmares.

3x20 | Jose Chung's From Outer Space - Detective Manners (@fridaysat9)

That's a bleepin' dead alien body, if I ever bleepin' saw one.

3x21 | Avatar - Carina Sayles (@monikafilefan)

She can tell he doesn’t do this. Doesn’t drink alone in a bar, letting a stranger slowly seduce him.

3x22 | Quagmire - Queequeg (@gaycrouton)

Queequeg was loved.

3x23 | Wetwired - 'Doctor' Stroman (@admiralty-xfd)

Another town, another test, another shitty motel room… but always the same boss.

3x24 | Talitha Cumi - Teena Mulder (@monikafilefan)

If only Bill had known back then that the untrustworthy person he was referring to would sleep with his wife and father his son.

Stay tuned for more perspectives coming in Season Four!

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

[itwasjustmisplaced]

the handmaid's tale season 3: (3x06) Household I see them every day now. They've heard the Waterfords' plea. They're praying for Nichole. “Blessed and eternal God, please return this child of Gilead to her loving home.” And this is all I know about my baby. If they're praying, then she's still safe. If they're praying, she is still beyond their reach. Even if just. I have my own prayers. I pray that their prayers go unanswered. And I pray for Serena. May she find her way back, may she see past her broken heart and remember that Nichole is better off where she is. May she convince Fred to let things lie. Or may they both get hit by a fucking truck.

[raayllum]

RAYLLUM S3 MEME:  touches [7/8] 3x06, “thunderfall”

[jckthelad]

seeing the Washington monument made into a cross may or may not have been the scariest thing I’ve ever fucking seen

[brutal-planet]

The Handmaid’s Tale — “Household”

[zalrb]

nick + june || all this and heaven too

A little different from my usual vids but I wanted to make one about the irrepressible nature of June's love for Nick and how she's tried to make sense of it, ignore it, examine it but it's a feeling that simply overpowers. Hope you guys enjoy it!

And the heart is hard to translate It has a language of its own It talks in tongues and quiet sighs And prayers and proclamations In the grand deeds of great men and the smallest of gestures And short shallow gasps

But with all my education I can't seem to command it And the words are all escaping, and coming back all damaged And I would put them back in poetry if I only knew how I can't seem to understand it

And I would give all this and heaven too I would give it all if only for a moment That I could just understand the meaning of the word you see 'Cause I've been scrawling it forever but it never makes sense to me at all

And it talks to me in tiptoes And it sings to me inside It cries out in the darkest night and breaks in the morning light

But with all my education I can't seem to command it And the words are all escaping, and coming back all damaged And I would put them back in poetry if I only knew how I can't seem to understand it

And I would give all this and heaven too I would give it all if only for a moment That I could just understand the meaning of the word you see 'Cause I've been scrawling it forever but it never makes sense to me at all

All this heaven never could describe such a feeling as I'm hearing

Words were never so useful So I was screaming out a language that I never knew existed before

[mantra4ia]

Character study 3x06 "Household": Fred Waterford

The Handmaid's Tale regularly fills my inner monologue with WTF moments in a similar way that June narrates the opening of episodes. In 3x06, there were many such moments to choose from. It had fantastic WTF cinematography which starts with an illusion or facade and clarifies to an ugly reality. Example: one of the jump cuts between scenes starts focus on two birds (something pretty), then zooms out longer to blur the birds and see the bars of the cage (something ominous), then longer still to see Serena and Commander Waterford framed between the blurry bars (something terrible / two people who I wish were behind bars). If that isn't a symbol, I don't know what it is. Another similar shot starts with focus on June face, but it's not really her. Rather, she is seen through the blur of a glass table as she is being interviewed by the Swiss mediators. Nothing is quite as it appears. "Isn't it beautiful?" Commander Waterford remarks about the Winslow estate at the beginning of the episode. "We should have stayed at a hotel," Serena replies. Nothing past the facade is beautiful or harmless.

Household is also very good with moments that zoom out metaphorically for flickers of reflection about levels of cruelty in Gilead, just when you think something is terrible the bottom drops out and it's worse, like the handmaids in Washington DC "blessed be the silent" with rings through their mouths. It also mixes in startling moments of the realism and normalcy among the surreal, whether that's aunt Lydia being a 'pumped' tourist, or Nick's "what's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this," or Serena and Fred playing in the nursery like a normal loving couple, or the Winslow's five children bursting into the Commander's private meeting like kids always do. It's the contrast, the tone shift, that's so scary — disturbing how the majority of the loud sounds in this show are either gunshots, explosions, or children laughing, and the rest is filled with eyrie, pregnant silence; in the end of the episode when the children are described as arrows in the hands of God (weapons and young lives both being talked about reverently), it really makes you sick considering the reality in the current political climate where the exact same is happening and as a result children are mowed down by weapons. It's also jarring to see landmarks of realism like the altered Washington monument that's been vandalized into a cross and the destroyed Lincoln Memorial.

Not to mention another WTF courtesy of hinting at Nick's backstory as a potential Gilead terrorist.

All those astounding WTF moments aside, I think my biggest What The F*** is credited to Fred Waterford when he greets June at the train station:

"And we're off like a herd of dusty turtles."

It's so strange to hear something mundane and ordinary come out of a Commander's mouth. Most of the time we (the audience) hear it from June's internal monologue of private thoughts and prayers when she hopes that people get run over by a bus. But when Fred says it, out loud, one legitimately wonders what world he is living in! It truly solidifies that Fred, as a Commander, lives in an entirely different realm then the Wives, the Eyes, Handmaids, Marthas, and the rest. A world of such distinct privilege that he gets to flip — nay abandon — the script of holy praise / formalities, and says the most ordinary, irreverent things out loud without the slightest consequence...

Which makes the payoff / foreshadow that comes later in the episode all the sweeter. We should have seen it coming along, and maybe we did and just didn't recognize it, from the moment that Winslow greets Fred so warmly and Serena so curtly. When Waterford is alone with High Commander Winslow, and the High Commander offers him a posting in DC, things are looking the way that Fred has always dreamed. He's finally getting the recognition that he believes he deserves, carefree and without consequ...and then Winslow puts an arm around his shoulder in a very private, subtsextually intimate way that launches WTF bombs bursting through my mind like the 4th of July.

Because there are consequences to power.

Because there is always someone more powerful than you.

Because in Gilead, a country that's built up the powerful not through betterment of the weakest but rather by subverting the powerless, the ones in authority are going to do exactly as they've been trained in order to remain there.

Exploit (read as: rape).

But when it's Fred in the position of subversion, when Fred is stripped of power, when Fred is exploited by the next, more powerful neighbor in this dystopia, you had best believe I am going to be watching in awe as the WTF bombs start burning the hierarchy.

[lemonsqueezee]

Osblaine forehead touch observation:

I noticed something about Nick and June’s forehead touches recently - the longer they’re apart and as the seasons progress, their forehead touches become more intense.

S1 is when they had the opportunity to spend the most time together. I’m assuming they spent most nights, if not every night, together after June first went to Nick in 1x05 up until the Boston Globe. We only saw them forehead touch once - in 1x05 when June is unbuckling Nick’s pants and their foreheads graze each other. In the finale, Nick rested his forehead against her arm, but that was it.

In S2, their forehead touching increases, and so does their separation. Once June is back at the Waterford’s after escaping and Nick is married off, they still see each other but they rarely get any alone time together. Their first real forehead touch is in the first episode:

Pic by Nick Blaine

They do it again in episode 2 before their epic sex scene, and then again in 2x07.

The longing and desperation for each other was strong in this one. I think this was the first time they had kissed since the Boston Globe, and you can feel how much they need each other here.

They kind of had forehead touching in the finale of S2 when Nick holds Holly for the first time. June leans her forehead against his cheek, so I’m going to call that their snuggly forehead loving.

In S3 we were obviously deprived of osblaine scenes. I’m going to assume there was forehead touching in 3x03 when Nick and June go into her room and close the door. I mean, I think it’s safe to assume there was whole body touching in that scene.

They’re apart in this season, no longer living in the same household. They barely get to see each other anymore. In 3x06, this forehead touch is dripping with longing and need. June is pulling him towards her like she can’t get close enough to him. Now it’s not just foreheads touching, it’s their noses too. The look of relief and pure need on Nick’s face always destroys me in this scene.

S4 forehead touches leveled up big time - they’re the most intense and epic that we’ve seen. From 3x06 to 4x03, it’s probably been 6 months to a year since they’ve last seen each other. In their minds, every meeting in S4 is most likely their last. They don’t know if or when they’ll ever reunite again, so their forehead touching is full of longing and need, but also something more - tenderness, love, peace.

In this scene, they believe this is the last time they’ll ever see each other. When they kiss, their faces are pressed as close together as they possibly can, like they can’t bear to have an ounce of space between them. In this forehead touch, they’re basking in the peace they bring to each other, savoring this last moment before they separate and go back to their bleak existence.

GIFS by Nick Blaine

In 4x09, their forehead touches are desperate. They’re both so lonely, in so much pain, missing each other more than they never have before. They’re drawing strength from each other here, and in the forehead touch out in the snow.

Gif by Nick Blaine

In 4x10, there’s more longing, particularly from Nick. I think June is mostly grateful here, but Nick is full of mixed emotions - happy to help her and to bring her justice, sad that it’s come to this, proud of her strength, relieved to see her, worried for her safety and her future. It’s not just a forehead touch - their eyebrows and noses touch too.

Gif by Nick Blaine

I can’t wait for S5 to see what kind of Osblaine scenes we get. I’m obsessed with their signature move, but I’m reeeaaally hoping we get more than just foreheads 💗

[nickblaine]

THE HANDMAID’S TALE | 3x06 – “Household” written by Dorothy Fortenberry

[love-tv-freak]

The Handmaid’s Tale

Nick Blaine - 3x06 Household

[the-geeky-truth]

Sex Education 3x06 to 3x08 - Things are coming to an end

3x06

I can’t decide what’s better: the fact that Aimee made vulva cupcakes or the fact that nobody in the Milburn-Nyman household questioned it.

Jean making it clear that Aimee is not at fault for what happened on the bus is so damn important! I mean, of course it wasn’t Aimee’s fault and in a perfect world nobody would ever think it was, but we’re not living in that world and that’s why we need more people like Jean.

And whenever I think Mrs. Haddon is already awful enough, she outdoes herself again.

Putting signs on her students to humiliate and isolate them?! Who on earth allowed this woman to work with children/teenagers (or really any people at all) in the first place?! - Let alone put her in charge of an entire school?!

The audacity of both Otis and Isaac to hear about Elsie’s disappearance, get involved even though they have nothing helpful to contribute, and then proceed to make it about themselves.

Ohhh, Viv is gonna destroy Mrs. Haddon and I am so here for it!

I really like Anna, which once again reminds me that foster parents don’t get nearly enough credit for doing what they’re doing.

I’m glad Eric got to see the queer community in Lagos and that he feels at home there - that’s beautiful. But it’s no excuse whatsoever to cheat on Adam.

3x07

That animated sequence showing an excerpt of Lily’s story is really cool.

I love how Eric is so ready to help with the thing without knowing what the thing even is.

Aaand Mrs. Haddon outdoes herself again.

Oh, how I’ve missed Maeve and Aimee (and their fight didn’t even last that long).

Getting out through the air vent is a bit of an overused cliché, but I’ll allow it in this case.

Okay, where did Ruby come from?

No, Lily, don’t throw it all away!

“Beautiful” is a gendered word? Huh. I use it for anyone, all the time.

Lily’s definitely an artist.

Shots fired, Mr. Groff!

3x08

To think that this is Layla’s morning routine every day ...

I sort of expected that Anna would offer Maeve to stay with her, but I didn’t expect Maeve to accept, so that’s a nice surprise.

Rahim’s and Adam’s friendship is so weird.

So first Aimee told Jean about Otis and Maeve, now she told Maureen about Adam and Eric ... whose mother is she going to tell about her child’s love interest next?

And now Ola and Jakob have me crying a little.

Nooo, please don’t let the baby be Remi’s! Please, anyone’s but his!

I’m so glad Layla is binding safely now thanks to Cal.

Well, Adam has MY heart.

Yes, Ola and Lily!

Aimee is a very good second mum.

[splitscreen]

NICK BLAINE in every episode └ 3x06 — Household | "You get in bed with the government it's not so easy to get out."