#fraser gets angry

[verushkak70]

Fraser pulls himself back from the edge

So, with difficulty, here we see Fraser pull himself back from the edge. Look at his visible hard swallow. Look at his hand beginning to shake as it holds the gun in Gerard's face. Look at the shine of tears in his eyes, the shutting of his eyes as if to stop seeing what he is seeing (the man responsible for his father's death). The way he works his lips, tongue, teeth in the last GIF. Fraser is mad as hell. (Excellent physicality of the emotion by PG, too, btw!)

Sure, some people will argue, "Well, he was severely provoked, and he pulled himself back from doing something stupid and violent."

True. But. If he were 100% well-adjusted - like he acts for most of the rest of the series, like butter wouldn't melt in his mouth - would he ever have drawn his gun in the first place?

I love angry, hurting, messed up Fraser. I just love him to bits and I long ago lost any ability to remove that headcanon from my mind, unless I'm writing a pinch hit for a very specific prompt or Secret Santa author letter with parameters very unlike my own, in which case I compartmentalize, and put myself in the shoes and headspace of the recipient, and see Fraser their way.

But in my own imaginings and headcanon - Fraser is pretty emotionally messed up. He's doing the best that he can, of course. And, all things considered, his best is pretty good. (I'm not suggesting his grandparents were completely terrible surrogate parents, by any means. But. His late grandmother slaps her late adult son - which Fraser doesn't even see; only Fraser Sr. sees/experiences that; that is canon.)

And while it is completely understandable that Fraser would be pretty messed up emotionally/relationship-wise, of course it would definitely have repercussions in his adult life and relationships.

I'm just saying.

And I love messed up Fraser. Love him. He is my favorite version of Fraser because it makes him so human, and not a Mountie superhero at all.

[variousqueerthings]

as someone doing my (deliberately very slow) second watch of s2 of due south with the expectation that s3-4 will be something to save for the new year somewhen, there's something very interesting about knowing a very little bit about those seasons: ray goes undercover in las vegas i believe, and leaves the show as a main, but returns at times. how many times? i don't know, don't tell me -- meg gets a cute butchy haircut that makes her and fraser's gender vibes even more intense -- there's a new guy and he is also ray, but the other one, and i get the feeling that there's a bit of role-reversal in who is getting whomst to take better care of themself... maybe

i think the way i've ended up watching the show (in no small part because im semi-communally watching with @gjdraws and eventually @hunkydorkling (no rush)) as being nice and drawn out, means ive really gotten to bask in the vibes of s1-2. they're beautiful establishing seasons that also stand on their own -- if the show's myriad of cancellations had stuck, one or two seasons would have worked (altho it would have been sad, because you do get the feeling that there is more story to tell)

it also means im definitely in a very different show to the majority of fandom, hence why ive avoided the tags and read very little fic (altho, some fic!) and only follow a couple of people, because the show, to me, is about fraser and ray vecchio because it's the only show i know (so far) and ive been marinating in that show for a few months now, to the point that im interested about how it'll feel when ray kowalski comes along

i expect i'll enjoy watching his dynamic with fraser, i expect it'll be different, and i very much expect it to feel like something that only exists because of everything that happened with fraser and ray in s1-2, because everything that fraser has gained that i feel may be relevant to that new dynamic -- self-confidence in interpersonal relationships, the ability to open up to people, the ability to stand up to people, a more grounded self, a greater self-awareness about himself as a person in the world and not just an instrument, a little battered but having begun undergoing some longer healing processes in relation to his father and victoria (and those prior relationships dealing with feelings of abandonment and manipulation/violence) -- started with ray. sometimes it literally started with ray Very Pointedly Banging A Drum about some of those things

there's a lot that's not ray ofc: his sense of right and wrong, his sense of purpose, his politeness, his gentleness, his confidence in his abilities, his single-mindedness/stubborness, his general lack of propriety (especially while solving a case) because social behaviours don't seem to be that intuitive (or important) to him (although he has that old fashioned properness to him when he's not licking things he picked up off the ground) -- but some core shifts have happened that im curious about how they'll interact with the sort of person ive gotten a sense new-ray will be (more standoffish and closed-off, initially at least, is what i think)

it's very fun to imagine how ray's influence will indelibly be on fraser, even when he's not literally there. i get the feeling that, to me, he's always gonna be the third in the room to an extent, because that's what he probably will be to me as i watch -- he's the first person outside of fraser's immediate family that truly affected him for the better and he did it by just. deciding that fraser was his responsibility, from day two (on day one i think he was still gauging him a little + he needed to make up for accidentally insulting his dead father, but hey, second impressions is what matters the most!) and then he stuck to that remit

and my first presumption/prediction is that fraser will sort of... pay that forward in a way

[storyofsin]

This might be one of the worst years for films yet. The fact I have to hear about Timmy Chardonnay/Lily Rose Depp/Ariana Grande being in Oscar talks makes me want to kms

[specialagentartemis]

Genuinely: For people who are angry and frustrated at the limited number of movies and shows available for streaming, at the way streaming services pull or cancel movies and shows at will, at the way every media corporation under the sun is pulling their stuff onto their own streaming service and balkanizing access to things behind a dozen different monthly subscriptions? For people who miss Blockbuster and want to be able to just rent a DVD again?

See if your local library has a DVD collection.

If I want to watch The Mummy (1999) with Brendan Fraser? I can't stream it on Netflix, but I can borrow it from my local library.

If I want to watch The Mummy (1932) with Boris Karloff? I can't stream that pretty much anywhere, but I can borrow it from my local library.

I want to watch Star Wars or Iron Man or my favorite Disney movie but I refuse to sell my soul to pay for Disney+? I can borrow these from my local library.

Do I want to finish watching Star Trek: Deep Space 9 or check out Star Trek: Picard but resent that it's all on yet another streaming service I don't want? I can borrow season box sets of DVDs from my local library!

Obviously, available circulating collections vary a lot between library systems. (My hometown's library has all of Star Trek DS9 on DVD, for example, but my college town's library only has TOS, Picard, and Discovery.) And of course it depends on whether things are released in physical media form at all, and you won't be able to keep up with new episodes of new series - it takes a while for many things to come out on DVD.

But there can be a lot of good stuff there too. For example, I missed Nope in theaters, but I still really want to see it. So I have it on hold from my local library. I'm 73rd in line on 50 copies, so it'll be a while.

So check to see what DVD collections your library does have - it might surprise you what you can get access to, for free, in a manner that no greedy corporation can yank away.

And by checking out DVDs, you are telling the library that you use and want them to maintain and grow their AV media collection. Which is an encouragement we could really use these days.

[beatleskinkmeme]

1967 robert fraser kisses a drunk paul mccartney at a party ,john sees and gets angry ,jealous and insecure. "who do you love more?"

.

[pigtailedgirl]

Ray Vecchio.

A cinnamon bun character with a covering glaze of 100% sass, sarcasm, and willful stubborn grumpy ignorance.

And nerd. Did I mention I love all the nerds of Due South!

This isn't your bad guy or jerk. I refuse interpretations that forgo the soft heart underneath that makes the character.

Dude was this soft little boy that had his hope and dreams of what it means to be a good man beat out him by his father and example. Had all the harsh realities of people's lives letdown to muddle through. And you know what his mantra and overall reaction to these lessons is? His core refrain of action, again behind or with the glaze, throughout the series and his life? Try again anyway. Keep dreaming of better. Even when angry and afraid and down.

At heart, he never quits trying to be better. Even if he doesn't know what it is; See the bad examples. Or project feeling it; See bad experiences.

He wants his classic car, pool night with the guys, and a shortie pajama wearing girlfriend who bakes him muffins at Christmastime.

Hee sorry couldn't resist.

He wants loyalty, and respect, and love foremost. The real and honest stuff. To have. To give.

He has wanted to be a cop since childhood, because it's his base impression of a hero. As he references while doing the actual weird and miserable part of the job in the dumpster. Instead of trying to live up to an example like Fraser 's relation to his Dad, it's seeking an example in opposite, but it's the same virtues wanted; Cops are the good guys, they save the day, they help.

The interior meat of him, and to understand the character, you have to realize the fronts he puts up to cover the fear and hurt, the anger at the world, that tells him none of his wants or dreams or this seeking are worthy or achievable. So you get vexed and cankerous and ignorant Ray. But it's clearly a response and a defense. Which doesn't make it goals or good of course, hence he's in the gotta learn better position, in the fool and prove wrong position most times. It's not supposed to be free from critique, more is kinda of there to be, but it does make him layered when you can plainly see that's not his heart or wants either and that he works as a character with that balance of division in him.

To me it's a perfect balance. A humanity and emotional character that you can relate to on either end. The dreamer or screw-up. Cause that feels like a reality.

Ray Vecchio is the everyman of the series. Don't poison that one and keep it a happy series.

The saddest thing or line of his character struggle is the worry or to confirm he isn't worth having those basic wants or fulfilling them. That he'll give in or get given up on. That the outer projection of negative will just be a final reality for him or the outside. Letting his grump or the awful aspects view of the world win or beat him, essentially argues the realities of that is more powerful than DS's hopeful magical realism...and I go ah no!

Because the joy of doing good and helping and overcoming he gets from being with Fraser is a way better reward than glitz or external rewards, even as it's the most challenging too.

Because it's the more self-fulfilling. That reward of the soul.

[flownwrong]

happy wincest wednesday, my successful bud! (i'm sending this now but feel free to answer whenever, or never, or next wednesday, idk.) I've heard much comparing Ray and Dean, but what about Fraser and Sam? Are there elements of the wincest relationship that are echoed in the Canadian King & the Mountie? your thoughts appreciated 🙏

happy wincest non-wednesday z!!! thanks for such a delightful question, i always want to talk about this!

well, let's start with how Sam and Fraser are both self-sufficient. they go through a lot of fairly traumatic experiences from an early age. they both lose their mothers, and both are left with absent fathers who have a Quest—Revenge and The Job—and an Expectation of their sons. Fraser moves a lot as a kid, and through being super smart, getting raised by old-fashioned grandparents in relatively desolate areas and inheriting the Quest ends up alienated from his peers, and that sucks massively for a kid, but ultimately, as the years go by, his introverted ass is doing just fine keeping others at arm's length. he's also full of anger at many a circumstance of his life, especially when his father gets killed and he exiled to the US in the pilot, but, unlike Sam, he keeps it under lock until severely provoked. he isn't just a weirdo to Americans, he's a weirdo in the weirdo lands as well. he does need to be seen, known, and loved by someone who really gets him, but he's perfectly functional without it and he isn't holding his breath for it.

his loneliness does get the better of him a few times in the show, though, e.g. he has a Ruby-esque arc. Victoria is a criminal femme fatale who Fraser ends up chasing, protecting from the elements with his own life, then turning in. she's perceptive af and appeals to the wilder core of him, which makes it easy for her to use him. she turns his iron-clad ideals against him and then makes him abandon them (holy fuck), which almost costs him and those he holds dear life and freedom. Fraser doesn't get to collaboratively stab her, but he gets dramatically shot by his first Ray in a moment of ultimate surrender (deciding to escape with her after she killed people, framed people, stole shit, burned down his father's fucking cabin), so i'll take the win.

the impressive thing is that he doesn't outwardly change much, after. he gets over it with the help from his best friend who sticks with him, and he's fine. he gets to keep doing what he has and wants to do and he gets to get better and he gets to reckon with who he is and grow into a more mature, less angry version of himself.

Fraser also often performs masculinity in ways similar to Sam: he isn't chasing machismo and is kind of impossible to emasculate (hence he's doing absolutely great in the drag episode! it's fun for him! there's no threat!) but he's very much A Guy and A Stoic who sucks at expressing or decoding emotions. we get some objectification with him, and sometimes it's let's zoom in on his vulnerable movie star face or beat him up and put some bandages on his naked torso or make him walk around in a towel, but often it's in-universe look how sexy this dude is, everyone is tripping over their feet to climb him (fair). he demonstrates a spectrum of reactions from mortification to barely concealed disgust in response, but ultimately just shakes it off. the show honestly offers a chance to headcanon his sexual experience in any way from "close to virginity and repressed" to "he Fucks but it isn't a priority, he just doesn't want most people", and my preference is the second one.

he's very utilitarian when it comes to his body and looks as well (barring Regulation. of course, the Regulation). he enjoys junk food but will eat whatever keeps him going, he cares about exercise as long as it keeps him at top performance, he can live in a bare concrete room with little discomfort, etc. it's especially obvious near RayK lol who really is very like Dean in this regard.

now, to the relationship. we get the two big tragedies of Fraser in focus in s1-2. enter s3. by then, Fraser is almost comfortable with the state of his life: he has a home in Chicago he seems actually happy to get back to from his whimsical mountie vacation the season opens on, and he has his only friend. only, uh oh, he gets back to find his home burnt down and his friend gone with no explanation and no goodbye. to add insult to injury, there's a very pretty, very insecure, very charismatic dude pretending to be said friend, and everyone, including the original Ray's family, seems to be either in on it or gone insane because they don't blink an eye and expect Fraser to follow suit.

within 1.5 episodes we find out that, bafflingly, the new Ray is 1) ready to risk his life with and for Fraser (to be fair, so was the first Ray from the get-go) and b) somehow in a deeper emotional hole than Fraser. see, Fraser loses a lot, but he's unflappable, and he doesn't lose himself after that one horrible failure, while RayK ties most of his self-worth and self-perception to his relationships, and is fiercely committed to them, and doesn't seem to have many meaningful attachments beyond his The One. and he's just lost his marriage to The One he had for like 20 years, The One he thought was for life. and he now has to be another guy with nobody missing the actual him. so, uh oh.

this is how Fraser flips from being the main vessel of angst in s1-2 to the resident wall to lean on for this guy who just can't keep his guts in his body. RayK is brave and competent and compassionate and Always Does His Job Even Though It Costs Him, and Fraser shows up and, after some bristling, starts pointing all that out verbally and through actions, every time Ray falls apart. to Ray, Fraser isn't just a friend and a partner. he's a reminder that Ray isn't his violence or his failure as a son (in one episode, a father who disowned Ray years ago shows up at the station, and when a colleague tells Ray so, Ray thinks he's being pranked and tells him to quit it. twice) and a husband, and he's a beacon Ray can always use to come back to himself (beside a Classique moment in which Fraser actually calls Ray off like a dog in a moment of murderous rage, there's a maddening exchange in the finale when RayK thinks he's gonna lose Fraser, see below)

now, Fraser doesn't always trust himself either (see: Victoria), but it's different from Ray's crippling guilt over never being/doing good enough. Fraser perceives a fundamental flaw within himself, a capacity for evil he wants to keep in check (he's maybe 50% right, but so is Sam). in addition to iron spine, he has iron will. he has his armour (adherence to ideals that make him seem untouchable) and his sword (unmatched stubbornness). he can make people do things his way, mostly by annoying them into it, or sincerely inspiring them, or simply leaving them no choice but to follow him or leave him on his own, which, of course, the Rays don't do. but i feel like Fraser himself is surprised by the reciprocal need he feels for RayK, for being adored by him and accepted in all his freakishness and trusted implicitly (RayV offered him different comforts).

bc of that implicit trust thing, he and RayK have their Divorce. they come to blows and decide to part ways, and the heart of it is that Ray thinks Fraser (the smart one, the capable one, the morally superior one, the could-get-anything-he-wants one) doesn't need him, and Fraser thinks Ray (the one for whom Fraser is first choice, the one who's emotionally honest enough for both of them, the one he needs enough to be unable to easily go back to loneliness) doesn't want him. pathetic. Ray is genuinely surprised Fraser makes a choice to save his life in the middle of this conflict. Fraser is genuinely frustrated Ray takes his stubbornness personally.

they also go through a subtler but more painful mini-divorce when RayV comes back in the finale, leaving RayK fully convinced he's gonna get dumped and Fraser unable to even imagine RayK needs the opposite spelled out. RayK goes "so you'll go back to Vecchio now. I'm totally okay with that and need no reassurance". Fraser makes a very incompetent attempt at telling RayK he will always want him. RayK takes it as being let down easy. jesus god.

despite all that, most of the time they're fulfilling a common purpose in perfect tandem and will (try to) step between the other and things that seriously threaten or hurt him. and they genuinely like each other a lot, even when they don't get each other. they clearly spend most of their time off together by choice, they have a well-oiled shorthand banter machine going, they might snort at each other's interests but they will give it a go, they will call each other out for their respective freakishness and mean "thank fuck i have you by my side, nobody else is this cool".

plus—and here's my preference, anyway—i see their sexual dynamic this way: Ray is the feels guy, the can-be-easily-mortified guy, and the "okay, what, but if you're into it, I'm game" guy, while Fraser is (also the feels guy, absolutely, but) a bit wild and very good at gently being in charge and blindsided by just how much he wants Ray. he'd also be the one to Want Things, although it might get some work to get him to share with the class. there's also the size diff: while they're of the same height, Fraser has bulk while Ray is wiry af and can be overpowered by Fraser both visually and literally, and I think they both know this and find it compelling.

so here we have it. i absolutely overexplained it, but there's a similar mutual need that's sometimes misunderstood between them. they're unable to leave each other's orbit and willing to put things they can't give each other aside, they match each other's freak and deep-seated desires, and are quite wholesome when given the time and space to be so ;-; i feel like there's an overlap with some wincest joys.

p.s. Ray tells Fraser he loves him "like a brother" three episodes in. take that however your wincesty heart wants <3

[crepesuzette2023]

What’s a fic that made you cry ?

Thank you for asking—and for immediately sending me off on a brief 'meta' slingshot trajectory around my own navel! (Don't worry, I'll answer your question.)

Your ask reminded me of the fact that I almost never cry over stories. I either enjoy them, or I'm shaking with rage, if they're too painful. For a story to hit the sweet spot of undiluted sadness, of simply being moved, without spouting angry tirades in my mind trying to argue with the sad events of the story, is pretty special.

For this reason, the stories your ask made me think of are among my favorites. Sorry if I mentioned some of them before, but here we are.

(I'll mention some spoiler-y and hopefully brief explanations under the cut.)

Miracle Worker by @scurator. Still Mates by @pauls1967moustache. The late, great, johnny ace by @midchelle. Coast Starlight by bookofapril. All I Know Since Yesterday by RedheadAmongWolves.

I guess what the three quote unquote saddest stories in this list have in common, to me, is that they're a big, noble Fuck You to the ultimate adversary, everyone's final lover, the great oblivion, etc.: Death—while at the same time summoning its inevitability. It will get you, even if you love a Beatle. Even if you are one.

So, you better hold on tight and make the most of it while you can (she says, typing these lines on tumblr while seizing the fuck out of her instant coffee flavor).

Miracle Worker is about Paul and Robert Fraser making love after John's death. It's about death, and fading physical beauty, and the untarnished beauty between them. The guttering flame. Yes, it's very hot, and both sad and invigorating—like a good cry, but without the ugliness of anything as overt as crying.

Still Mates is about Peter Asher giving himself permission to reject a life of politely closeted desire by sleeping with Paul, his sister's ex, in '68. It's a story about courage, and the ability to face who you are and who you want. I'm sorry for sounding like a movie trailer. It's also a fantastically realized outsider's perspective on the beauty of J/P turning ugly, and on the mystery surrounding this legendary relationship—the elusiveness of Paul's soul is in striking contrast with Peter's hot but mundane physical closeness to Paul, the man.

The late, great johnny ace is a ghost story that denies being a ghost story, but at the last moment can't resist reaching for comfort. (At least that's what I choose to believe.) Paul, George and Ringo make a record in 1981. Paul writes Here Today. The ghost is John. The 'at the end of all things' atmosphere is shattering, but the music in Paul's soul, and the surviving bonds of friendship, and, just possibly, John's ghost, prevail.

Bonus: crying/tears without sadness

Sometimes a story is so beautiful it makes my eyes well up with it.

Coast Starlight is about a world where Paul and Robert Fraser are together in the 70's, and they're vacationing on Fire Island, and they fuck a lot, each other and others (together), and it's fine. More than fine. It's heaven on earth. As I said before, I really can't do this story justice. The relief (what a weak word) I felt in the end, when Paul realizes he can let go of his burdens and be loved for who he is (by Robert, who is giving this to him), nearly had me speaking in tongues of the awesome power of fiction.

All I Know Since Yesterday is about two teenagers in love, without either of them having told the other. They're sheltering at one of their houses after being caught in a rain storm, and dream about the future. A future with each other. And, finally, they kiss. The teenagers are John and Paul. And what I love about the story is that you feel throughout that this is the beginning of something big. The kiss is both sweet and elemental.

[marley-manson]

due South for the fandom ask meme, if you haven't been asked already <3

Thank you 💖

my favorite female character

I honestly can't decide between Victoria and Frannie. I loooove Victoria, I think she's a fantastic villain, very sympathetic imo, and extremely effective at highlighting Fraser's tragic flaws. And I love that she got away in the end.

I also adore Frannie and while she's less of a perfectly written character, she's in more episodes and she's so endearing and loveable. If we had to have a Fraser het ship teased in season 2 I wish it had been Fraser/Frannie rather than Fraser/Thatcher, both because I like Frannie more and would've loved to see more of her before season 3, and because I think it would've been more interesting thematically. In the episode Heaven and Earth she functionally represents Earth and Fraser's capacity to be more human and less "divine" or untouchable, and I love that.

my favorite male character

Ray Vecchio! I love him, I love the way he talks and complains and feels like everything is unfair to him and always steps up and puts his own comfort second anyway; I love his relationship with his family, from the good heartwarming stuff, to the bitchy sibling stuff, to the darker abusive father who still literally haunts him stuff; I love his fashion sense; I love his sheer loyalty to Fraser; I love that in the Pilot he sought Fraser out specifically to apologize for accidentally being insensitive about his father and invite him to dinner; I love his ridiculous love for his car and that he sacrificed it twice for Fraser... nothing I don't love tbh.

my favorite book/season/etc

Season 1, hands down. Extremely solid television right there.

my favorite episode (if its a tv show)

SO hard to choose between The Deal and Victoria's Secret, but I think Ray's episode gets the edge so let's go with The Deal.

my favorite cast member

I don't really know anything about the cast so idk.

my favorite ship

Fraser/RayV. Ship of my heart. I can read basically any ship featuring Ray, including het even, but Ray loves Fraser best therefore Ray/Fraser is the best ship.

a character I’d die defending

Ray. Thankfully the Ray Wars are over so I don't have to, but I'm ngl I can understand why the fandom was so batshit back then. I see someone casually say they can't ship F/V because they see him as too straight and Kill Bill sirens go off in my head and I have to take a deep breath lol. I would not have survived the 90s.

Also Victoria though. Fraser dug his own grave when he didn't let her go the first time, acab, obviously spending 10 years in prison would make her both a better criminal and angry that's what you fucking get for loving the system so much Fraser, and I'm on her side during the whole finale lol.

a character I just can’t sympathize with

One of Due South's biggest strengths is making just about every character sympathetic in some way. Ray's dad was a good answer to this though, got no sympathy there.

Ooh, also: Bob Fraser. The show did want me to sympathize with him at times lol, but I don't. He sucks, he's emblematic of every flaw Fraser has, he's a terrible father and a pretty shitty person, and the fact that the show wanted me to like him and often brushes all that aside makes me dislike him more than I otherwise might. He's still often entertaining and funny, but I do not have any sympathy for him. Hope Caroline divorces him in the afterlife.

a character I grew to love

Idk, most of my character opinions have been static since I first watched the show in high school...

Okay, Ian lol. The most annoying man in the world, but still somehow loveable. It did take me at least one rewatch to start to like him.

my anti otp

Sorry to the fandom lol but it is Fraser/Ray K. I got into the show specifically for them, because I wanted to read all the good fic everyone recced everywhere, and I did everything I could to try to like them including watching season 3 concurrently with season 2 so missing Ray V wouldn't colour my opinions, but it just didn't happen. They are not for me, they don't have the kind of chemistry I enjoy, I don't like the show after season 2 much in general, and my irrational love for Ray V makes me mad on his behalf to see Fraser getting together with his replacement lol.

I'm not usually that emotion driven when it comes to my fandom interests but due south is always kind of an exception there. I am at least self aware enough to find my irrational resentment funny rather than taking it seriously though. Like, I have 0 beef with F/K shippers, I respect your interests and I can definitely see why it was a fandom juggernaut back in its day. I'll just never read it.

ask meme

[verushkak70]

I love this entire scene from the pilot. I am fascinated with Fraser's growing, barely contained, righteous anger. The way he's breathing SO HARD you can see the rise and fall of his chest. The way he tosses the bankbook dismissively.

[ciircex]

A ROMANTIC getaway, a celebration of a marriage anniversary. It was, for all intents && purposes, a way to escape the LIME LIGHT && focus on each other.

At least, that's what Rosemary wanted her DEAR husband to think. To think she took them to a warm, log cabin in the mountains so she could DRESS up in her wedding gown && remind them of times they've had together.

It was so simple, so easy to just spin the web, to have Fraser focus on how BEAUTIFUL the jewels upon her white fabric shone as she began to tighten the web tighter && tighter. He was her prey but unlike the two men that came before him, she was going to hunt him down.

There was a reason for that of course, Fraser had been... well, let's just say fornicating with his secretary. That wasn't the WORST part of it, Rosemary didn't care that his eyes and hands wandered. No, it was because of how he had promised that he'd hand over HER supermodel status to a fawn barely able to stand on her two legs.

The HORROR, the gall of that man to TAKE something she had clawed her way up for, to get the respect she FINALLY deserved, only to attempt to give it to someone who'd be eaten alive before stepping a single toe on the runway.

It was LAUGHABLE && AMUSING, Rosemary would've perhaps humored it if only to see how far his little fawn could CRAWL. To see the world picking her to scraps && leaving her UNRECOGNIZABLE.

But then like the man had to flex that his girl was YOUNGER, easier on the eyes than Rosemary. Had to run that mouth of his that she was a DYING beauty queen && had to move over for younger, hotter models.

Her BEAUTY was her PRIDE && she'd never take such DISRESPECT, not from a man that's only WORTH was the dollars in his bank account.

The ONLY way to pay back such insolence was in blood, to hunt him down until all that was left was an unrecognizable FIGURE that not even his own mother could recognize if asked.

"Oh, Fraser, darling, make sure you don't step in any bear traps. I want FIRST swing at you." Her voice was SICKLY sweet, white teeth peeking out from beneath rosy lips as a laugh bubbles out from her chest. Her laugh breaks through the night, wicked cackling echoing in the woods around HUNTER && PREY.

It was so easy to track her darling husband's SCRAMBLING, he was drunk && fear was gripping his very THROAT like a hangman's noose. TIGHTER && TIGHTER the ghostly apparition of a rope wrapped around his fragile neck, threatening to KILL as she closed in.

Rosemary's steps were unhurried, her hips SWAYING as if she was merely practicing for the runway. Her dress, which used to be as white as snow on winter's day, was now covered in MUCK && DIRT with soon the addition of CRIMSON if her dear would be so kind to let her swing an axe his way.

She looked like an ethereal vision, a GHOST bride vying for vengeance with her blonde hair trailing after her. Her blue eyes honed in on her kill, on the pathetic FLY that flew too close to her web.

SNAP! CRUNCH! SCREAM!

"Oh, darling, you didn't listen." A sigh comes out as she trails herself over to where her beloved fell, his leg caught between ANGRY metal teeth. "I suppose I'll settle for second swing, though I'm VERY disappointed but I should have known better. You never listened to me very well."

Rosemary hummed, running a white gloved finger along the GLISTENING axe's edge, teasing it as she settled herself over Fraser.

"Now, be a good boy && SCREAM as loud as you can." She rose the axe above her head, ready to swing down and land between the pathetic fool's eyes but then he yelled go to Hell. She couldn't help but laugh, hands freezing in their motion. "Oh, no worries, I will be going there but you'll be going first. Be a doll && tell the devil I look forward to meeting with him."

Before any FURTHER exchanges could be made, Rosemary swung the axe down, hearing the satisfying sound of a skull cracking && screams of the damned ripping from Fraser's throat. She repeated the process, crimson oozing on the white && upon her face, tongue flicking out to taste the warm substance.

Ah, now that the MISERABLE fool had been slashed until his brains spilt upon the earth, all that was left to do was CLEAN up. All Rosemary could think of as she left her CRIME of passion behind temporarily was that perhaps it was time to settle down with an man she could actually love or even a woman.

Perhaps it was time for a feminine touch when it came to marriage. The possibilities were ENDLESS && Rosemary was looking forward to sinking her fangs in FRESH flesh.

[variousqueerthings]

i think a lot about how ray looks out for fraser and does a bunch of caretaking and protecting in s1 especially as fraser is such an oddity to most people around him in a way that, yeah, inspires some kindness, but also a whole lot of hostility, and also habitually gets into situations that could get him killed (and sometimes definitely would have if not for ray)

but fraser also appears to be ray's.... only friend? as of beginning s1? he invites hewey and louis and welsh along for a night in victoria's secret but that's wahaaay down the line and tbh i get the feeling that he was almost on his last leg when we met him in the pilot episode and gained a lot of goodwill after fraser came into the picture and they started solving cases that nobody even knew needed to be solved. and then there's presumably the occasional date + some past longterm, but ultimately failed, romantic relationships. and of course his family, who seem lovely and tight-knit if loud and argumentative in the way families often are (mrs vecchio i would kill for you), but they're all off doing their own things really

so there's "ray invites fraser out and suggests things to do with fraser because he likes spending time with fraser and it's good for fraser," but also like. how long was he on his own on the daily before fraser got there? who was he getting takeaway pizza with? taking out to chinese restaurants? going christmas shopping with? having casual breakfasts in cafés with? he clearly seems so thrilled to be doing all these things with fraser, really get the feeling he was quite lonely before his arrival

described ray as a mangy cat who gets one of those dogs they give to cheetahs to calm them down, like he starts out kind of crooked and angry at the world and without much of any hope for humanity, including himself (which, once we learn some Backstory makes perfect sense) and almost immediately upon meeting fraser he takes him to meet his family??? truly get the feeling fraser arrived like some kind of sip of magical restorative water and ray's just gulping it down

[boltlightning]

For the five-sentence writing ask... Declan and Alison, #35? Pretty please 🥹 (she said entirely selfishly)

oho OF COURSE!!

35. hold my hand

“If there is one sadness in this turn of events,” Alison says, “it is merely that we—you and I—the two of us—have been denied the sprawling story of a true and whole courtship.”

Fraser cannot resist raising his eyebrow in query, a million sharp retorts on his tongue. They sit in a garden outside Trafalgar House, and a burst of laughter from the dinner party within grants him a moment to consider which ammunition to volley here.

He finally settles upon, “What, pray tell, could we do as awkward and unacquainted strangers that we cannot do now?” and fondly bumps his fiancée’s shoulder in reminder.

“I would have liked to be less angry with you for longer, for starters; we’ve no letters to—”

Alison’s explanation is cut short as Fraser lifts her hand and calmly removes her evening gloves, folds them neatly upon his thigh, and twines his bare hand with hers.

“This could hardly be considered a ball, but—will a chaste touch of skin in the privacy of a stolen moment do?” he asks, with a smoldering look he hopes is taken as rakish and brazen.

Alison narrows her eyes, torn between irritation and amusement as she so often is in his presence, and she obligingly squeezes his hand and says, “Oh, if it must,” around a smile.

send me a prompt, get a drabble! ✨

[judgeanon]

I'm late asking this but what was the best and worst of the Progs and Meg in 2023?

I'm late replying but here we go!

For Dredd in the progs, I really enjoyed the short stories. THE NIGHT SHIFTER, SHRINE, FLUSHER and DISCIPLES OF DEATH were all favorites, although I admit that last one was mostly because of the cute Scottish goth girl.

Other than Dredd, I liked THE OUT, THE ORDER, DURHAM RED, the BATTLE ACTION crossover thing, FERAL AND FOE, DEADWORLD and BLADERS. I especially liked ROGUE TROOPER (I'm a sucker for Ennis), VOID RUNNERS (Boo Cook keeps getting weirder and I love it) and AZIMUTH (gorgeous art, intriguing story, and one of those classic 2000AD "You thought it was a new series but NOOOO!" twists that I really dig).

I didn't really like ENEMY EARTH, I think the art just doesn't fit the premise. And JOE PINEAPPLES should've been by all accounts a cool fun heavy metal last goodbye, but it turned into a weird meandering bunch of nonsense (with some cowardly anti-vax shit thrown in for good measure). LOWBORN HIGH and PORTALS AND BLACK GOO both had the same problem for me: strong, very British premises that don't go as far with the Britishness as I'd like them to. And DEVIL'S RAILROAD, I really wanted to like it but it just kinda lost steam very early on.

The big mehhhh of the year was the end of HERSHEY, though. I tried my best to meet it halfway and to its credit it did deliver some cool panels and nice pages, but in my eyes, it really squandered the last chance for Hershey as a character to present her side of her relationship with Dredd, to leave him with any kind of nugget of character development. It didn't do nearly enough with what I think is years and years of truly compelling relationship work and all the great Simon Fraser art in the world can't fix that.

I still bought a print of that one cover tho'.

For the MEG, I liked almost everything. STORM WARNING, SURFER, DREADNOUGHTS, LAWLESS (fan-fucking-tastic last chapters), MEGA CITY 2099, all good stuff. I also enjoyed the shorter Dredds in the second half of the year, like RATINGS WAR and FITTING THE DESCRIPTION, but ONE-EYED JACKS... I dunno, neat premise but it went on a bit too long and wasn't super exciting either. Didn't really grab me. Same with Dark Judges.

That said, the most important 2000AD thing in 2023 for me was not in the prog or in the meg. It was here:

Molcher's I AM THE LAW is a monumental book, one of the most thorough if not THE most thorough look at Dredd in its context. It's also heavy as all drokk, a real gutwrencher of a book, the kind of shit you can't read more than one and a half chapter without getting utterly depressed, ravenously angry, or both. It's a bleak, tough book but also a necessary one. That it's an official Rebellion product, to me, serves as a line in the sand, a very explicit statement about how they perceive Dredd. In a time where companies are running over themselves to claim their works are "not political" and "only want to entertain", Rebellion publishing Molcher's titanic work and advertising it next to their Case Files collections is something worthy of respect.

(Also, I may be a little biased on account of being in the Special Thanks for the book...)

[bitterbrained]

𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐬 ―

an introduction.

NAME malcolm angus hayes NICKNAMES mac + mal + hayes AGE thirty-seven DATE OF BIRTH november 29th ZODIAC sagittarius sun + cancer moon + capricorn rising OCCUPATION coach + trainer at level four gym AFFILIATION enforcer for the mata haris HOMETOWN dundee, scotland TIME IN JAPAN five years

STRENGTHS honest + loyal + compassionate + principled + down-to-earth WEAKNESSES impulsive + reactive + stubborn + aggressive + disorganized

CHARACTER PARALLELS luke glanton ( the place beyond the pines ) + lincoln burrows ( prison break ) + daryl dixon ( walking dead ) + lip gallagher ( shameless ) + murtagh fraser ( outlander ) + jax teller ( sons of anarchy ) + brendan conlon ( warrior )

A BRIEF HISTORY.

trigger warnings: mentions of violence + drugs + physical assault + sex trafficking + implied sexual assault + murder ― reader discretion advised.

▷ born on the wrong side of a cold, damp city in southeast scotland, malcolm hayes enters this world an accident. a mistake. the result of a faulty contraceptive and a night of good, cheap fun? a missed period and a panic attack in the cramped single-serve bathroom stall of the convenience shop down the block. and, nine months later, a baby boy. his father surely has no plans of raising him, not beyond evading what meager payments the county requires of him, and his mother ― a young woman by the name of bonnie baird, a dancer at one of the clubs in town a few nights a week to get by ― struggles to get by. but she does. as an infant, he spends nights in a car seat in the back of the club, babbling at the dancers as they breeze by. a warning. there will be no baby fever here. she does her best to raise him, though, and he may grow up knowing struggle, but not for a lack of effort on her part.

▷ malcolm is only twelve years old when the trajectory of his life changes drastically and permanently on what would otherwise be a normal tuesday morning. he learns he has a brother. and, more than that, this brother is coming to live with him and his mum. jericho hayes, for as young as he is, invites pure and unadulterated chaos through the door the moment he scurries inside ; like a wild animal trapped in an enclosure, he lashes out. breaks things. malcolm understands this better than most, he thinks. he's angry too, after all. but his own rage is a quiet one, not so much dormant as it is deep-seated ― an acrid, pulsating heat that lives in in his core and swells with each day he learns a little more of the world. but he doesn't know his younger brother's anger ― he still has his mum, after all, seldom as he sees her ― and cannot condemn it. he doesn't try to housebreak the kid, but he does decide he'll look out for him the best he can. he didn't have anyone looking out for him, after all, and he wonders sometimes if maybe it wouldn't have helped.

▷ as much as malcolm tries to raise jericho, at the end of the day, the truth is that both of the hayes boys are raised by the streets. he drops out of school when he's fifteen. tall, strong, and hard-working, it's not hard to find work. but stocking shelves or getting a gig down at the shipyard don't cut it and he knows that. he tries for a while, but he's got bills to pay if he wants to help his mum ( and get her off the goddamn streets because he's old enough now to understand what she feels like she's got to do to try and provide for the two of them and he wants to put an end to it ) and make sure they've got more than just a roof over their head but enough food on their table to not go to bed hungry, enough hot water to actually feel clean. and he needs a car, too, fuck, because his mum surely hasn't had one in years.

▷ his mum tries her best to be discreet about her business and keep it out of the house as much as she can, malcolm sees this, but that doesn't mean men don't come through tracking mud day in and day out. malcolm recognizes a few, faces he sees more often ― at least a couple of times a week. one day, one of these men offers him a job. it's a simple one. deliver a package a couple of towns over for him. that's easy enough, he figures, but he doesn't have a car. no matter, they provide one for him. he doesn't ask what's in the package, just drops it off at the address he's been told. but he can't drive the car back. ❛ oh, and take this permit. leave yours. ❜ it seems strange, but there's a ticket for the rail on his phone before he's even got the time to question it. when he gets home, malcolm is paid in cash. a fair bit more than he's expecting, too. he's asked, would he like to do it again? the answer is yes. absolutely, he would.

▷ it doesn't take long for malcolm to figure out what he's delivering. he's not stupid. but after a few smooth runs, he's convinced himself it's a risk he's willing to take. how's he going to get caught? he's never been flashy. first thing he does once the cash flow starts to feel secure is buy a car, but it's not much of a sight to behold, even so : a dingy silver volkswagen that's got two years on him, but the wear isn't bad and the deal is even better. malcolm doesn't pretend to know much, but he suspects it's the perfect incognito vehicle and even says as much the next time he sees his boss. he's instructed to continue the vehicles provided and dropping them off at the disclosed locations. that's less toll on his own car and his pay's only getting better, so malcolm doesn't ask questions. for now, he thinks, the less he knows, the better. and he knows enough for the time being. sometimes, he takes jericho with him, if for no other reason than the knowledge he's not wreaking havoc in his absence. and if anyone's got issue, no one ever says shit to him for it.

▷ a few more years and malcolm might not know everything, but he knows a hell of a lot more. so it goes something like this : each time he goes on a run, he's getting a rented car ( and at this point, he's the one renting the cars ) from a dealership in any one of a handful of local cities under false credentials. he takes that car to the designated drop off location ― they're further now, all of them, and each run can take him an upwards of a day or more with several stops along the way ― and once all of his product has been dropped and payment collected, he ditches his fake documents and grabs the first train that'll take him close enough to dundee, and there's someone waiting to pick him up the moment he steps off. standing at well over six feet tall and broad enough to eclipse near anyone who might stand in front of him, he seldom requires backup. less people, less mess.

▷ for a while, life actually seems like it might be pretty fucking good. trying to be smart about his shit means living within his means so he can dig his mum out of debt, and he does. in fact, he starts providing for her so she doesn't have to work at all. for the first time in what malcolm can only imagine is decades, she can know peace. and so, too, can he ― because he meets a woman. and he doesn't just meet her, either, he falls in love. he's not ever been able to maintain something serious, not before now, but there's something about her that makes an honest man out of him. well, as honest as a criminal can be. it's a shotgun wedding, but malcolm knows he would've married her either way. the only difference is now he's got a wife and a son. bonnie never thought she'd live to see herself become a grandmother, and she spoils the grandchild that carries her son's name with more affection than she ever had the time or energy to devote to him and jer. malcolm fears this might make him angry, jealous, but it actually serves as a salve for his spirit. it heals something in him.

▷ the law finally catches up with malcolm on the eve of his twenty-sixth birthday. it's a raid and nobody is prepared. he's not even meant to be there, for fuck's sake ― he was supposed to be out on a run, but they've given him a night to get pissed and celebrate and sent docherty out in his place, lucky prick ― and yet, he's sat absolutely fucking plastered on the sofa in the center of it all when the damn polis come kicking down the door. when it's all said and done, they manage to snag him and six of his brothers. malcolm doesn't try to fight when they throw him in the back of a van, not once they've already got him. even drunk, he knows better ― he's not trying to aggravate more charges, and outside of existing in the wrong place at the wrong time that night, he knows they don't got shit on him.

▷ or, at least, that's what he thinks. turns out, they've got enough small, bullshit charges stacked against malcolm to lock him up for five years. of everyone that got busted that night, he manages to land the shortest sentence ― without a word against anyone, either, he's no snitch ― and even so, it seems his entire world manages to go to shit while he's on the inside. jericho gets into fighting ( and really, good on him, malcolm thinks, because the boy needs a consistent outlet for his excitability and anger ) and he's proud, but his leaving while malcolm's serving time means there's nobody at home to look out for his mum. she's got to go back to work, too ; he can't support her from the inside, not like he used to, and anybody he'd ask to keep eyes on her while he's in got thrown into the back of the same damn wagon.

▷ now, he doesn't know exactly what happened while he was on the inside ― only what his wife would tell him when she'd visit, but after a while even she stopped visiting, wouldn't pick up his calls, and for the last two years of his sentence, malcolm might as well have been getting radio silence from the outside world ― but he knows that when he gets out, it's not to a ride or a welcome home from a friend or a family member, but to the news that his mum's dead. been dead, as a matter of fact, for something like a couple of years. and wouldn't you know, not a single fucking soul seems to know what happened to her? malcolm finds that hard to believe. his wife and kid are gone, too, whole house boarded up. are those two things connected? couldn't say. for some reason, nobody wants to tell malcolm shit. that's fine. when's he ever relied on anybody but himself anyway?

▷ while he was locked up, malcolm tried to work on himself. figured it was the right thing to do ― learning how to practice patience, tolerance. and wouldn't you know he actually did a pretty damn good job of it? unfortunately, it turns out he can't seem to recall any-fucking-thing about forgiveness when it's his family on the line. all that growth? out the fucking door. he has to break in to his old house to get the emergency supplies he'd left stashed in the floorboards of the washroom long before he got busted, but it's all still there. the money, the documents. the gun. he pays in cash for a cheap motel room and works up a plan over a bottle of whisky. a few hours later, he breezes into a meeting ( his invitation to which has clearly been revoked ) and decides to shoot first, ask questions never. not like any of the fuckers were inclined to answer him the first time he asked, were they? seven men go down, security included. as he inspects their bodies in the aftermath, malcolm realizes he recognizes maybe half. the only face that really matters though, the bastard that used to pimp out his mother? he's there. malcolm unloads a few more rounds into him for good measure before making his exit.

▷ when he gets back to his room, he spends an hour in a scalding shower and tries to figure out the new plan from here. he needs to leave. if he stays, they'll find him and kill him. he may be wily, but he'll be lucky if he lasts a month. but he doesn't have anybody left in dundee, and he's barely got any money. what he does have is a phone number, and he doesn't even know if it'll ring after all these years or if his little brother has gotten a new one while he's been gone. it's a different kind of relief he feels when jericho picks up on the other line. little shit didn't even know he was supposed to be getting out. malcolm can't even be mad, though. how could he know? he doesn't like to make a habit of asking for handouts, for help, but if there's anyone he can trust, he knows it's jericho. kid's in japan now, says there's a job open there he could probably snatch up and he'll wire him some money, send him a ticket. it's more than malcolm could ever ask for, but it's also not something he's in any position to refuse. within twelve hours, he's in an airport, and he spends the flight to japan falsifying certifications that make him look more than qualified for the job. ( don't ask where he got the laptop, alright? he'll send it back to the original owner when he can, there's an address on the case. )

▷ malcolm ends up staying with with jericho for a few weeks after he gets to japan, long enough to get on his feet once he's secured the coaching position at level four gym. and coaching his own brother, no less ― he's just as hard-headed and volatile as malcolm remembers, but he'll be damned if he didn't miss it. it doesn't take long for him to get his own place, though, if for no other reason than that he doesn't need much. his flat is a tiny hole in the wall, one he's got to duck through the doorway to get into, but it's enough. it also happens to be located close enough to heaven's night that malcolm stumbles across the mata haris by chance ― he thinks he'd call it fate. the loss of his mother is still fresh when he finds them and their cause is one that strikes a chord close to his heart. it feels like the purpose he needs ; and, more than that, it feels like a way to honor his mother. ( had she been scared? did she yell out for help? did she yell out for him? ) to give support to a voice she never had. malcolm gives his life to the mata haris, all of his spare time and attention ; he is their muscle, a guard dog at their beck and call. and they almost fill the gnawing, gaping void in his chest left not only by his mum, but by his wife. his son. but much like searching for a needle in a haystack, he doesn't begin to know where to look for them. she never said a word. so he keeps his head down and tries to focus on the now. he's doing good. he's doing better. christ, it's just so hard to leave the past behind sometimes.

WANTED CONNECTIONS.

▷ to be added.

[renee-writer]

The Heart Don't Lie Chapter 70

AO3

She is terrified. Each day that passes makes her more so. She would go to Rose but she is so happy finally. No, she won’t disturb that. Not for something that may be nothing.

 

Mama Claire. She is the one who can handle this perfectly. With a nod to herself and a quick breath for courage, she walks into the kitchen where she seats. The twins and her are playing with modeling clay.

 

“Will, Will! Play?” her baby sister holds up the sticky clay.

 

She smiles at her. “Sure Em.” She knows their naptime is soon.

 

As she joins them, Mama Claire gives her a quizzical look. She is able to hide her concern from Em and Tom but not from her. Her smile says they will talk later.

 

After a half hour of rolling and pounding the clay with Thomas and rolling and shaping it with Emily, they are rubbing their eyes.

 

“I shall place them down and we shall talk, eh?”

 

“Aye please.”

 

Claire leads the eighteen months off for a much needed nap and Willa gathers up the clay, placing it back in the containers.

 

“They went down easy. Now, what is wrong?”

 

She rejoins her at the table.

 

No reason to mince words. “I think I may be pregnant.”

 

Whatever Claire was expecting to hear, it wasn’t that. Her mouth hangs partially apart as her mind struggles on how to respond.

 

“Pregnant? But you haven’t a lad,” she shakes her head, “sorry, of course you must, just… help me out here.”

 

“He is in my classes. One day, a month ago, I was feeling really bad about Anna and everything. We went out for a brew. It turned into several. His place and ah…”

 

“Indeed. Okay, how late are you? Any nausea, other changes?”

 

“Ten days, aye just recently, and my bra’s are getting tighter.”

 

Her stepmom closes her eyes, her lips move. Willa wonders if she is praying. She herself has been. The first time, a barely recalled experience, could completely change her life.

 

“I shall let Jenny know the twins are napping. She can keep an eye on them while we go find out.”

 

They head to hospital. “Wouldn’t one of those where I pee on a stick work?”

 

“Yes but this is more accurate.”

 

One of Claire’s  favorite nurses is working in the A&E.

 

“Dr. Fraser, are you finally rejoining us?” She greets her.

 

“Not until the twins are school age, I am afraid. We have a delicate matter,” she explains what is needed.

 

A blood draw and the two head to the cafeteria to wait on the results.

 

“I am terrified,” Willa plays with the straw on her drink, “I am not ready to be a mam! What will I do?”

 

“First things first. We find out. Then, well…”

 

“I could give it away. There are couples out there who would love to adopt, right?”

 

“There are. It is a beautiful unselfish choice.”

 

“After nine months and giving birth though, I don’t know that I will be able too hand it over to a stranger.”

 

“Willa, you know we will support you in whatever decision you make.”

 

“Daddy is going to want to kill me.” She bemoans, her head down.

 

“No,” She reaches across the table and lifts her head, “no. He will be disappointed and angry, more at the lad then you, I imagine. He adores you and will help and support you any way he can.”

 

Claire ‘s phone chimes. “Is that?”

 

“Yes. The results are back. Come, let’s find out.”

 

She takes the paper from the nurse. Her arm tightens around her step daughter.

 

“Mama Claire?”

 

“You are pregnant.”