#nothing but respect for MY will graham

[tvsnationalgeosapphic]

Any Manhunter (1986) fans in the house??

[xplore-the-unknwn]

This got suuuper viral on twitter and I want to share this as well here and let you all know that this is Graham Hamilton 👀👀 and I-

NOBODY TOLD ME HE LOOKS LIKE THIS?? 👀 THIS WAS BEFORE THE CGI WAS SLAPPED ON HIS FACE. 😮😮

AND BY GOD IF THAT DOESNT LOOK LIKE A YOUNG MARK HAMILL??? THEN WHY REPLACE IT WITH THE SCARY UNCANNY CGI!!

Here are other frame of references:

He looks more like Luke THAN the Luke CGI 😭😭

Bro’s an exact carbon copy. He looks like Disney secretly cloned him Kamino style. Im cryin ya’ll. 😭😂

Here is the most perfect person for the role and Disney said “not enough” and slapped him with unnecessary CGI 😭

His last name is even HAMILton!! What a perfect legacy for Mark Hamill to pass the torch to. Bro was born for this role.

BONUS:

He’s even got the yassified twink vibes that LUKE CHANEL BOOTS SKYWALKER embodies! 💅 He’s so KING! I’m loving it 🤴

I know we all love Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker. (and the originals as well) He is my childhood hero and he will forever be Luke in my heart. No one will ever replace the passion he put in his role.

But it’s been already decades and there is a new generation of new respectable actors and actresses that can give our well beloved characters to life again. Be that or let them be all replaced by capitalistic machines and heartless AI technology. Nothing can ever top the performance and influence of a well-meaning actor putting his heart into a role!

DISNEY JUST RECAST!!

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

This is probably small in the grand scheme of things, but how did Emilie being noble play any impact in the story at all?

I mean, I'd get it if it was just a small detail to help deepen Emilie's character, but why nobility of all things? I don't know, from what I'm seeing so far, the whole "Emilie renounced her noble title" shtick just feels worthless if it's not going to impact the story or add depth to Emilie's character (like maybe upbringing or personal values?).

I don't know. Like everything else, the noble part just feels shallow and means nothing to the story, especially for a character like Emilie, who is the plot device for the whole show. Any detail about her, like her personality and life story, is supposed to influence the story and characters one way or another, namely Hawkmoth since she's his driving force.

So what was the point?

For context, this ask is about Félix's play which says that Emilie gave up her title to be with Gabriel. I'm gonna give a slightly larger section of the transcript of the play for full context, but the relevant but is at the end of the last paragraph:

Félix: The king and queen's twins grew up, each day as different in heart as they were similar in body. The firstborn, curious and brazen, despised life at court and escaped at every opportunity. The younger daughter, well-behaved and respectful, did everything she could to please her parents, and stayed quietly in the castle. Félix: (as Mr. Graham de Vanily) Oh, my queen. Did we entrust our legacy to the right princess? Kagami: (as Mrs. Graham de Vanily) She will fall in line, eventually. Félix: Confident that she would settle down as she matured, the king and queen allowed the curious princess to leave to study beyond the sea in another kingdom. There, she immediately found true love in a humble tailor. Félix: The tailor was making clothes so magnificent that they revealed the beauty of the soul of anyone who wore them. Although it made her parents furious, the curious princess gave up her rank, her wealth and her kingdom to live a bohemian life with the tailor.

Story wise, I have no idea why any of this was added since it adds nothing to canon. It's not like this finally explains why Gabriel and Emilie are poor while Amelie is wealthy. Along similar lines, it's not like Amelie's title has ever mattered. Prior to this play, I don't think that we even knew that she had a title or that she was the younger sister. The play is all about explaining things that we never had reasons to question in the first place.

My best guess as to why the writers wrote this pointless backstory is that they wanted to make Emilie seem even more pure and perfect so they went with the tired old trope of a rich girl giving up material things for the sake of love and art because good pure women don't care about material things! Only nasty, shallow women care about money. (Way to play into sexist tropes, guys.)

There may also be cultural elements at play here given that France doesn't have the greatest history with nobility, so giving up a noble title may be seen as good and pure to a French writer, but I don't know enough about French culture to say that with any certainty. If anyone who reads this blog is French and would like to chime in, then feel free!

While we're on the topic of the play, I wanted to point out that the above quoted passage is why I say that the Graham de Vanily parents can be as kind or as abusive as you'd like to make them. It's incredibly vague and you can read into it whatever you want to read into it. Were they good loving parents who were just upset about their daughter living in poverty or were they miserable controlling classist who Emilie fled England to get away from? It's up to you because you can get both reads from this. The play commits to almost nothing of value. Politicians could take lessons from this impressive level of noncommittal writing.

A better version of the play would have focused on things that actually matter to canon like the details of finding the miraculous and/or Emilie learning she's sick, but you could only have those details if they were coming from Nathalie or Gabriel. Félix is a terrible choice for a character to tell us the show's backstory because he knows so little of it, thus the play focusing on his largely pointless backstory.

[starlight-lesbians]

talk to me about drive thru express please its actually making me insane (pos)

omg i’m just going thru my asks but hi i’m gonna yap

So ofc i’m incredibly brainrotted about greasedinah so this au is definitely centred around them.

They met in high school when Dinah was a freshman and GB (Graham in this au) was a junior, so about 14 and 16 respectively

They stay best friends up until Dinah sophomore year of college, when they finally start dating.

The slowburn is so silly bc Graham is head over heels for Dinah really early on, but says nothing about it because Dinah is growing up in a super religious family and she’s not had the chance to come to terms with her sexuality yet.

They get together and not much changes from how it was before because even as friends they could’ve been mistaken for a couple.

In my heart this is true of all greasedinah variants, but Graham in particular absolutely spoils Dinah I fear. She’s got her own step to get up in Graham’s truck, her own blankets and seat cushions, anything she wants. This is true even before they’re dating.

Graham manages the Taco Bell, particularly on night shift, but in reality she’s the only manager who gives a shit so she’s the one they call when something happens

Dinah’s like Momma’s second in command, she’s the night shift lead while Momma is the store manager.

Momma knows about the group’s excursions out to the picnic table clearing, and she thinks it’s hilarious that they think they’re sneaky

They’re all in college, at different years and in different majors

Dinah’s a nutrition science major with minors in culinary arts and restaurant management

Graham is a music major but she’s at the school on a sports scholarship

Pearl’s an astronomy major

Rusty’s a mechanical engineering major

Electra is an electrical engineering major

unsure on everyone else’s majors tbh

[divergentmisfit-fandomsblog]

There’s something that isn’t often spoken about with grief. A phenomenon that happens that many feel often ashamed of afterwards. So I’ve put it in a one shot of this scene at a risk of getting cancelled for talking about it.

*** Trigger Warning ⚠️ Bereavement, Grief, Confusing, Seeking Comfort Whilst Grieving.***

Emma’s tears spilled over and rolled down her cheeks. Lip quivering, her eyes searched for Regina’s support knowing that of all the people most likely to understand her, Regina would, as she’d also experienced the loss of a lover.

Walking over to Emma, Regina pulled her into a hug, and Emma was finally able to give herself the permission to sob. Her knees buckled at the emotional release, causing the pair to collapse onto the floor whilst still holding onto each other.

Emma’s wailing cries became muffled, as she turned her face into Regina’s coat, shielding herself and her pain from her family.

Holding Emma close, Regina gently rocked her while she sobbed, and the sensation of being held and having the space to release for once, made Emma’s cries louder as her emotions overwhelmed her.

Hearing her parents’ familiar footsteps as Snow & David made their way over, Emma turned her face into Regina further. Regina’s body went rigid, shifting a little while shaking her head. Emma could only imagine the glare Regina was giving to her parents, but right now she didn’t care.

“No!” Regina asserted. “Let her release the pain.”

“With all due respect Regina, she’s my daughter…”

“With all due respect, Snow, you’ve never lost your husband for more than a minute. I know this pain all too well. So allow me to comfort her in the way that I know she needs to be comforted. In the way that I needed to be but never received. Regina’s tone was soft and her boundary firm. “In fact, all of you please leave.”

“Emma, honey? Do you want us to leave?” Snow asked quietly, placing a hand on her daughter’s shoulder.

Emma couldn’t speak, for her painful cries prevented words from escaping her. She nodded as she sobbed and held onto Regina with a tighter grip.

“Okay. Okay, we’ll go.” Snow relented.

“We love you, and we’ll just be right outside when you’re ready.” David assured, ushering Snow and everyone else out of the door, closing it behind them to give Emma and Regina some privacy.

“It’s okay Emma, I’ve got you.” Regina whispered, rocking her gently, one hand on the back of her head and the other around Emma’s waist. The guttural cries that came from Emma the moment she knew she was safe to release her devastation weren’t just the cries of losing Killian, but also losing Neal, and Walsh, and Graham. All of them deceased, and she hadn’t had time to process anything of the pain she’d been holding onto for them all. It had all bubbled to the surface and spilled over onto Regina’s coat. The were no words that would comfort her, no words that would soothe or give any sense of justice to the loss she was mourning. Nothing would fix it. She just needed to be loved and held.

“Just let it all out, Emma. You’re safe with me. I got you.” Regina spoke softly, and for once, Emma felt like she’d been given exactly what she needed in the moment she needed it, and the focus was all on her for a change. Not saving anyone else, and not even being rescued herself. Just having that space to feel and process actually in the moment while having someone she cares for holding her. It meant everything, because the person she’d tried to get to be that person for her, was now gone.

Exhaustion set in. She had cried more than she’d ever allowed herself to in her lifetime. Lulled by the comfort of Regina’s embrace, she could fall asleep right there in Regina’s arms.

“You did good Emma.” Regina whispered, kissing Emma’s head like she would have done had she been comforting Henry.

That little kiss felt good. Too good. Way better than she was feeling right now, and the urge to seek that connection confused Emma. Mourning the loss of the person she’d tried building a forever life with, and yet here she was wanting Regina to kiss her forehead again. Lifting her face from Regina’s lapel, Emma glanced up at her, searching for that sense of connection as her eyes faltered to Regina’s plum coloured lips, and that little scar she’d always secretly admired. Regina returned her glance, eyes meeting she offered Emma a soft, empathetic, reassuring smile .

“Though this will be feeling like it’s the hardest pain you’ve ever endured, I promise you, you will recover and build a life around this grief. It never leaves you, but I promise you that you can and will build a life around it.” Regina whispered, as she moved Emma’s wet blonde locks off the side of her face gently with her hand, she tucked the strands behind Emma’s ear.

Emma’s hand found Regina’s and she held it to her face and closed her eyes briefly, comforted by Regina’s delicate touch. As Emma opened her eyes once more she noticed that Regina had been crying too. Crying quietly as she held Emma through the agonising grief. Regina’s empathy isn’t often acknowledged, mostly because she doesn’t like other’s seeing her as weak. But in this light, she never looked so strong. And Emma needed that right now. The urge to seek an intimate connection grew stronger within her, the silence between them grew loud, and everything faded around Emma as her eyes faltered between Regina’s lips and her eyes. Regina’s gaze followed Emma as they moved in closer. Emma couldn’t hold back. Her lips pressed against Regina’s, lingering for a brief moment until Regina relaxed and reciprocated the affection.

Deepening the kiss, their mouths opened a little, taking turns to caress each other’s bottom lip. Their tongues delicately embracing yielded a hum from Regina, which only spurred Emma’s enthusiasm. But before Emma had the chance to take this further, Regina shook her head against Emma’s lips and stopped the kiss.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have let that happen.”

“No I’m sorry, I mean… I…”

“Shushhh it’s okay. I understand. When you lose someone it’s natural to seek the connection that you’re missing from them in someone else.”

Emma bowed her head and averted her gaze, but Regina’s hand found her chin and gently guided her back to face her and face the truth.

“You’ve done nothing wrong here, you understand?” Regina paused waiting for Emma’s confirmation, and reluctantly Emma nodded. “This is not a rejection. This is me protecting you from yourself right now.”

Emma sighed, and nodded before accepting what Regina was saying. And she had to admire her for looking out for her, yet she was confused as to why Regina reciprocated the kiss initially, especially as she’s with Robin. What does it mean? In any case, Emma couldn’t stay there in the Underworld and figure this out with Regina. They had to go home to Storybrooke.

“Thank you.” Emma eventually said. “And I’m sorry I kissed you.”

“Don’t be sorry. Like I said, it’s natural to seek connection in others after losing connection with someone else. It doesn’t have to mean anything. It’s just part of the confusion grieving can do to someone. Now, are you feeling ready to leave?”

Emma looked back to the elevator door where she’d left Killian, then back to Regina and nodded. As Emma rose to her feet she offered Regina a hand and Regina took her offer, clasping Emma’s hand as she got up from the floor.

Noticing the mess of her lapel, Regina glanced back at Emma, with an arched brow. “I’ll send you the dry cleaning bill.” She sassed.

Emma knew that she didn’t mean that. It was just Regina’s way of putting her armour on, her Madam Mayor persona, to face the world again. As Regina headed for the door, Emma turned back once more to the elevator doors.

“Goodbye Killian.” She whispered, before turning to leave with Regina.

[nerdragenewvegas]

Thinking a lot today about how despite my insane thirst for Joshua Graham, looking at him logically for 35 seconds made me realise that my years in the Mormon church were effectively years in a cult and how projection seems to change how people experience Honest Hearts a lot.

Like there's a huge subsect of people who credit the character with reconnecting them with their faith and I mean hey if that's a positive life change for you that gives you grounding, cool. But I really struggle to kind of understand that perspective of in to be honest because the point of the arc (at least to me) is that Joshua was using faith to project his own feelings and traumas and bias in a way that allowed him to somewhat avoid blame or responsibility in the event he learns he's wrong - he even admits this much depending on your ending.

First time around he did this with the Legion taking that place of a "higher power" once he was out on his own and seperated from the accountability that the other New Canaanites gave him, and when we meet him, he's doing the same thing with his Faith. And believe me when I tell you that scapegoating like this is so common in Mormonism that it's actually hard to clock once you've been in for a while, and Joshua is so good at romanticising what he's doing that we spend a lot of the DLC willing to believe him until he's about to actually do a genocide for real and we realise what's happening here.

This happens a lot in Mormonism with things like LGBTQ+ and gender stuff, where nice things like the Plan of Salvation (which can genuinely be quite reassuing and warm in a spiritual sense) are co-opted to justify homophobia and transphobia and misogyny. "I, personally, don't have an issue with trans people at all! But the plan of salvation is so clear about our bodies and how we need to respect gods choices in our design!" - despite the Plan of Salvation saying nothing about gender identity or expression and honestly kind of validating the idea that transitioning etc is also part of gods plan for some people. "I love lots of gay people and so does the church, but the word of God is clear that temple marriage is for men and women only." That kind of thing. "The whitelegs are gods children, too, but the bible is clear about how we handle those who would seek to harm this Zion we've built! I don't enjoy murder, but it's what God wants, it's a chore."

Realising this and then looking at times in my life where I saw this happen in the Mormon Church is what took me from "gently deconstructing and still believing some of it" to "I was brainwashed and in a fucking cult." So i always kind of struggle to see how anyone can get "I should seek God again" from this, but at the same time? I think that's the best part about Honest Hearts and a lot of Fallout NV in general: it forces you to learn not about yourself than anything else in the actual game. It's such a wonderful game when it comes to getting players to self reflect - maybe this is why it's so known for being the "omg I'm trans now" game.

What a special fucking game, huh?

[earthshine-moon]

Why I love AMC’s Lt Graham Gore: an essay

Full essay under the cut but here’s the intro to (hopefully) get you interested

In my humble (and completely non-obsessed 😉) opinion, AMC’s Lieutenant Graham Gore is one of the best cold boys. He is not only kind and considerate, but well-respected and liked among the other men (especially Goodsir and while that is reason enough, I wrote this anyway bc why not?). In this essay, I will exhibit why Lt Gore deserves all the love and appreciation that is possible to receive from a single fandom.

A list of special mentions are at the end of this post as well if you’re interested 💙

This is long so buckle up and hold on to your Welsh wigs, we’re going for a ride.

The first scene where we witness Gore’s personality is the boat hauling scene in episode 2. When the scene begins, it’s clear that Mr Goodsir has been talking for a little while and at first, it seems as though none of the party are really listening to him until he speaks directly to Gore. As soon as Goodsir says his name, the Lieutenant looks up at him and responds immediately despite how much effort and concentration he is clearly putting in to hauling the boat. Gore’s instant and genuine reply of “I do not, Mr Goodsir” implies that he has been listening (maybe not intently, he’s not superhuman) and knows exactly who Goodsir is talking about. On top of that, the tone of his answer gives the impression that he wasn’t giving it for the purpose of not having to converse further with Goodsir, but rather that he honestly couldn’t remember the Inuk man’s name, which shows his kindness.

Just a few seconds later in that scene, Gore stops the men as soon as Goodsir offers to take over from one of them in hauling the boat. This second immediate action indicates that he doesn’t mind taking the time to swap Hartnell with Goodsir and instruct him on how to pull the weight. (He could just be thankful for the excuse to take a little break and I love that too, so I’m cool with it being a bit of both). The fact that he has no problem with taking this time just adds to the kindness that we have already seen from him.

This leads me onto his instructions to Goodsir. He explains the technique clearly and calmly, which shows exactly how considerate and attentive he is because he gives Goodsir all the advice he needs to keep in step with the others (“watch Morfin here in front, and me with the corner of your eye”). Gore’s tone is warm and friendly throughout with a touch of reassurance seeping in as he says “you’ll take to it, I know you will”, which conveys his trust and belief in Goodsir’s ability to haul. While he’s talking, Gore’s whole body is turned towards Goodsir and he gives him a couple of little shoulder pats. (Tartnell and Peglar also give him a shoulder pat each but that’s different. I mention that again later).

(Just a little side note that has nothing to do with this but there’s a little detail in one of his lines in this scene that I love. He tells Hartnell to let Goodsir “spell [him]”. We don’t use this phrase in the UK and as far as I can tell, it’s North American. I just think it’s a lovely nod to the fact that he comes from a line of Naval officers (one of which might have picked up the phrase). Anyway, back to me rambling about how wonderful this guy is).

And now, my current favourite thing to talk about and watch: the cairn scene. Gore’s second line in this scene (“does this place make you uneasy, doctor?”) is said almost like a joke but he doesn’t walk away like you’d expect him to if it was meant in that way. Instead, he stays where he is and turns towards Goodsir as if he is waiting for an answer. At first I thought he might have stayed to hand Goodsir his ice pick (or whatever it’s called. I can’t find them anywhere) but it looks like he doesn’t go to pass it to him until he actually does. And, in case you need any more evidence, if you look closely when it cuts to the wider shot, the end of the handle is visible by the side of his leg and there’s a 2 second long pause before Goodsir speaks where he could have tried to hand the ice pick over or at least lifted it up, but he didn’t.

Gore’s response to Goodsir explaining why he shouldn’t call him Doctor is to say “that’s a doctor in my book” which signifies that he respects the work Goodsir has put in to his career so much more than most other characters (minus Dr. McDonald, of course). This response clearly shows he doesn’t believe that Goodsir is any less worthy of the title just because he hasn’t got the same training as the other ships’ doctors. Just to add to that, by giving him the title of doctor, it raises Goodsir to a higher level; one, in the eyes of other people, more deserving of respect than his actual station.

Sticking with the cairn scene (last one, I promise), Gore says “thank you” twice; one to Goodsir and the other to Des Voeux. Both are said in response to very small gestures but actually sound so genuine like they had done something more significant for him than taking his ice pick or handing him the folder-type thing (if anyone knows what this is, please let me know). As far as I can remember, there aren’t many thank yous thrown around in the show, especially not any as genuine as these.

I’ve been watching his 7 minutes of screen time so much recently and on about the 10th time, I noticed that he’s quite gentle when he touches other people. He gives friendly little pats on the shoulder or arm to Goodsir three times and to Des Voeux and Morfin once each but none of them are the sharp, quick ones you see from other characters (like Tartnell and Peglar earlier in ep2). I saw someone say on here that a lot of the cold boys subvert the stereotypes of traditional masculinity and I think this is a subtle but really sweet example of that.

And finally, on to how respected and liked he is. We only ever hear Sir John call him Graham, which is interesting because in Victorian England, Christian names weren’t something to be used lightly as they symbolised close friendship or intimacy. Crozier saying “amongst everything else, I know you mourn a friend” to Sir John after Gore’s death reinforces that. All of this is then furthered by how much Sir John clearly grieves Gore’s death along with the implied grieving of the other Erebus officers. It’s such a credit to his character to see (however brief) the pain and loss his death created among the men.

Sorry to end this on a sad note but here have a cookie 🍪 for making it to the end

And now for some special mentions (including some things about the real Lt Gore)

• the little pompom on his hat

• him helping Morfin up onto the ice ridge

• him shouting with the other men when they find the shore

• “I pray it’s English tea merchants coming from Kenton that look upon that message next”

• asking Goodsir if he’s seen something when he sees he’s looking away from the cairn (idk I just think it’s kinda sweet)

• his smile (that’s it)

And for the real Lt Gore:

• he was an accomplished artist

• Fitzjames described him as having “the sweetest of tempers”

• a gun exploded in his hand when he was shooting cockatoos in Australia for food. Ended up laid flat and all he could do was quietly say “killed the bird” (his hand was fine btw. Only a small injury)

• He was promoted to Captain in absentia by the Admiralty (before the official proclamation of the deaths of Franklin’s men)

[sgiandubh]

Labor of love

I was very interested to see what S told Mark Gillespie on the last episode of the latter's WhiskyCast podcast, @bat-cat-reader immediately shared with us.

It was a most instructive 35 minutes. I listened to all of it, because I wanted to also hear Gillespie's tasting notes forThe Sassenach. And I regret nothing: once you get past the traditional (and a bit obnoxious) 'why The Sassenach?' question, you're in for some interesting news.

You can listen to it here, by the way:

Before anything, who is Mark Gillespie?

One of the most respected professionals in the very small world of alcohol specialized podcasters, with a 37 years work experience in media and broadcasting, spanning household names such as CNN, Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal, Gallup and MSNBC. But also, and this I found very interesting, given the current context, the owner of CaskMedia, a firm specialized not only in media production, but also marketing and PR.

The podcast was recorded at The Metropolitan Club's library, moments before the Keepers of the Quaich dinner, where S was a keynote speaker. So not 'just there for the Haggis Ceremony ' - a 'guest of honor' is never invited just for the show, people should have known better, eh?

S's 7 minutes interview starts at the 09:32 mark. Comments in brackets are mine.

Gillespie surely doesn't like to beat around the bush and after the customary niceties, asks a million-dollar question:

MG: 'I have to ask: did you have the troubles (problems?) in Germany straightened up?'

SH: ' Ha, ha, ha [not an organic giggle, but hey - gotta do what you gotta do, eh?]. Well, I am not entirely sure I should talk about it [speaks very quickly and through his teeth - visibly annoyed/nervous; not entirely sure I got it all correctly, so feel free to amend in comments], ah... ummm... not as yet... not as yet...ummm...we did fall into an issue with the name Sassenach, which was similar to a big brand in the US... ah!... in Germany, sorry... of a beer brand... I...I personally don't see the similarity [neither do I, S...neither do I], but I am sure once people taste our whisky, they'll know what it is, whatever the name is on it.'

Yes, this interview was probably rehearsed. Yes, Gillespie might have sent the questions to S/his people in advance for reviewing. No, he could not speak about a legally complicated situation before the final settlement with that Schoppingen beer brewer (penalties are probably still to be fixed and paid, but I will check that, so don't take my word for Gospel truth, yet). I will write separately about this whole thing, because I still think that was a very questionable decision of the EUIPO. Not because it royally pisses me off (so fucking unfair!), but because I really fail to see the proper legal reasoning and basis for it. His answer was perfect, under the circumstances. Absolutely perfect.

Anyways, FWIW, it would seem some sort of solution has already been found ('whatever the name is on it') and that most probably would be to rebrand it. And sell it on the German/EU market under a new name.

Lallybroch (https://trademarks.justia.com/981/67/lallybroch-98167525.html), perhaps? Time will tell, but that could explain this recent trademark application I didn't have time to properly look into, yet:

Further ahead (and fast forward through the cask version release, these things bore me to death), we land on another (as yet) unexploded ordnance:

MG: 'I have to mention your show MIK that you do with Graham McTavish, you visited a bunch of distilleries during that one... any visit in particular stands out?'

Now I am not very sure if that question was the best possible one, since that SAG-AFTRA strike is still an ongoing situation. And his answer was quite clever, changing the focus on their visit to Laphroaig's distillery on Islay and waxing lyrical about the casks, the peat, the landscape, etc. But other than a perfunctory and logical 'we', I heard absolutely nothing about McTavish, and it could have been so damn easy to further change the subject and mention his bourbon, with a few kind words. Therefore, I think things are pretty obviously not exactly on the sunny side, between the two. And I guess we all know why.

To end this long post on a cheerful note, I almost forgot to mention something very important. Answering a listener's question about Sassenach not being available in Rhode Island/part of New Jersey, S said something very interesting: 'obviously you can get it online, (...) we've just signed a deal with Southern Glazer's, so we're rolling it out. It is a limited batch, so you know, every year we do do a release and it is very limited, so it does tend to sell out pretty quick. But yes, it is available (...), but obviously you're not gonna see it in every bar, restaurant or retailer, because we just don't have enough of it. But online you can get it and great delivery service, it's very quick.'

I am taking two things home from this last answer: demand exceeds supply, which is both a blessing (solid yield, room for expansion) and a curse (lackadaisical market presence). On short to mid term, distribution will concentrate on the online market, with the help of Southern Glazer's superb infrastructure.

Remember the older guy he had lunch with in MIA, in May? You should, if you didn't focus on Mordor's inept babble about shirts, ballerinas and the like. That guy was instrumental into arranging the deal with Southern Glazer's. Just the biggest wine and spirits distributor on the US market, mind you.

Don't believe me? Check this out:

That company was founded in Florida. Its HQ is still in MIA. He didn't go there because he was looking for ballerinas at his birthday dinner. He went there because when these people are available to meet you, well: you leave everything aside and you damn GO.

Now who the hell is writing fanfiction, eh? You really should be ashamed, madam.

I rest my case.

[supervisionx]

I keep seeing posts that Hannibal is queerbait (not necessarily on Tumblr but it's really prevalent on Twitter and tiktok) so I'm going to break down how it is NOT queerbait under 'keep reading' (long ass rant ahead)

I'm going to use Supernatural and Sherlock as an example because they are both pretty infamous for queerbaiting, but this isn't to make fun of those shows altogether.

In both Supernatural and Sherlock, the main 'ships' are between Sherlock Holmes / John Watson and Castiel / Dean Winchester. In their respective shows, there is almost nothing stopping them from getting together. In both cases, they are friends, have good chemistry, spend a frequent amount of time together, and do not have any significant others. The only thing stopping them from being in a relationship is that one or both of them are presumably straight or are simply not in love with each other.

In Hannibal, however, one is an FBI agent, and the other is a serial killer. There is an in-show reason that would stop (especially Will Graham) from wanting to be in a relationship with the other despite personal feelings. Even in earlier seasons, when Will Graham did not know Hannibal was a serial killer, Hannibal was still his therapist.

Next, what makes the queerbait stand out especially in Sherlock and Supernatural, is that every time anything is suggested between the two popular ships, it is often played off as a joke.

Think of the scene in Sherlock where John fumbles asking Sherlock if he has a boyfriend. The scene where Sherlock is about to kiss Moriarty is presented as a flashback by a crazy fan (making fun of the viewer for thinking Sherlock could be in a male/male relationship)

In Supernatural, there is a scene where castiel is alluded to being teleported naked on top of Dean's car, dialog such as "Get out of my ass" "I was never in your..." and an awkward pause. These are all one-off jokes, scenes, etc. Meant to allude to queerness without having to actually commit to it.

In Hannibal, however, no scene that alludes to queerness is played as a joke. Hannibal is genuine when he says he cares for Will, when he is worried the other man has died, the constant touches, and where he compares their relationship to Achilles and Patroclus. (Do I even have to mention the "Is Hannibal... In love with me?" Scene?)

"But Hannibal and Will never kissed / never had a relationship!"

Okay, it's fair to be upset that the pair never kissed or had a full relationship established, but you have to remember Hannibal was canceled. Sherlock and Supernatural both came to their conclusions naturally and decided to continue never establishing a proper relationship between their queerbaited characters.

(I'm not counting that scene where castiel says "I love you" to Dean and gets sent to Super Hell as a relationship. You could argue that this makes Castiel explicitly queer and therefore not queerbait, but it still feels more like executives doing the same thing as the joke part of this argument; not wanting to commit to making him queer and throwing in a one-off line. Plus, this does not excuse baiting Dean as queer and baiting the relationship between Dean and Castiel as more than friendship)

However, Hannibal never got to reach its natural conclusion. More seasons were planned, in which the creator of the show explicitly stated he wanted to explore the relationship between Hannibal and Will more in those seasons before being canceled. Being upset that they never kissed / had a relationship does NOT mean the show was queerbait.

[newwillinium]

The Great Khans and the Tribes of Zion/Honest Hearts

So I noticed this a few nights ago when I was trying to decide what route to go for my newest Fallout New Vegas character, and I noted something that I don't think many people have really ever clicked on.

-][-

The Great Khans, in Fallout New Vegas, are written as stand-ins for Native Americans.

Hear me out.

They are a people who have been pushed east out of their ancestral homelands time and time again, later finding a home for themselves in the Mojave. They warred with other native tribes, Mr House and what would become the Families, and then later were subject to a brutal attack on their civilians which led them to be stuck on land that was their own but was sparse in resources and are unable to meaningfully fight back against the rising Imperialistic powers of Mr House and the NCR (President Aaron Kimball later referencing and using the same "Sea to Shining Sea" rhetoric as the United States did during the Great Western Expansion, at Hoover Dam).

But what really clicked this for me was that, in the NCR ending where the Great Khans ally with the New California Republic, they are once more kicked off of their land and are sent off to a far off distant Reservation.

After the Second Battle of Hoover Dam, the Great Khans returned for a time to Red Rock Canyon. The NCR's pressing need to expand proved greater than its promise of amnesty, and before long the government decided the Khans had to go. The surviving Great Khans were relocated to an isolated, barren reservation, well north of NCR trade routes

Sounds really familiar right?

And looking at the Great Khans within this context, really reframes the context of their raiding and deep bitter anger that the Elder Khans like Papa Khan and Oscar have against the NCR.

Colonization is an ugly brutal thing, and it is also a complex one.

Like the Great Khans in New Vegas, many Native American tribes ending up raiding American citizens as a way to fight back, to strike against a rising imperialistic threat that was eager and willing to grind them against their heel, to kill their culture and bring all under the American Empire.

They fought, raided, begged, pleaded, sent letters to congress, lobbied Congress and the President and the Director of Indian Affairs, even as the infinitely more wealthy and powerful United States (even just off of the weary years of Civil War) did little to nothing to step the Westward push and actively allowed it's military to perform as it may on and off orders to get the natives off of land that had once been promised to them but was now deemed too valuable for a mere treaty to hold any sway.

And to bring this back to the actual conversation I want to have, is that I wanted to state this realization of mind in order to contrast it with another example from the exact same game.

The Dead Horses, Sorrows, and White-Legs of Honest Hearts.

Where as the Great Khans are treated with a kind of weary respect, of a people crushed beneath the wheels of a infinitely more powerful empire, struggling to find hope in a FUTURE for their people and culture, the Dead Horses and Sorrows and White-Legs are. . .honestly written with far less respect in my eyes.

The Sorrows are being actively converted by a White Savior in Daniel, who sees it as his burden to show these "innocent savages" the true faith and demands that they give up their home so that they are not "tainted" by the harshness of reality. Where they have no other visible leaders then this Foreign Priest calling their faith and interpretation of his teachings through their own cultural lens as wrong-headed.

Where Joshua Graham, the butcher who helped Caesar commit cultural genocide on dozens of tribes alone, is elected War Leader by the Dead Horses and in some endings becomes worshiped by them. Even he warns Follows-Chalk to stay in Zion lest he be corrupted by the dangers of the wider wasteland.

Now you sound like Joshua. He always tells me the tribal life is better, that I should stay here and forget the outside world.

And the White-Legs are treated as nothing but a people wholly existing of hate that deserve to be destroyed because they have been fooled by Ulysses and Caesar. Never humanized, never given a chance to learn the truth for themselves, they are written and treated almost like generic Orcs in many fantasy settings. No matter what this tribe and people are consigned to doom and slaughter.

-][-

And I say all this because I find it deeply weird how disparate these ideas and depictions are between the main game of New Vegas and it's Honest Hearts DLC.

Why are the Great Khans given so much dignity and pathos, when the Honest Hearts tribes feel almost like caricatures?

Why is Honest Hearts the way it is? And why is the writing so disparate between the two sections of the game?

[zabala0z]

Welcome to “New Fan consistently listens to TMA S2 while playing Minecraft and dying by a skeleton” I’m your host: the new fan. Or I dunno if I’m considered a new fan since I’m listening to s2 but I guess the podcast was made in 2016 and I finally got to it circa 2024. Anyways! Gotta get to it! Post too long already!

MAG 57: Personal Space

Eughhh this one is like top 5 TMA EPS of creeping me out. Lot of stuff here so I’m gonna talk a while. For example, Conrad Lukas was in charge of the project and the Lukas family was shown in Alone and Boatswain Call. Speaking of the latter, Nathaniel Lukas gave an investment to the project. He was the captain of that ship in MAG 33. Pinnacle Aerospsce is majority owned by the Fairchild family WHO CANNOT STAY OUT OF PEOPLES BUSINESS 💀

Carter, the guy who did the project, also had that feeling of being utterly alone in this damn void. He said the line between reality and dreaming was blurred, finding himself in space, a graveyard or an empty ocean. The latter two I think are a reference to Alone and High Pressure respectively which all have the theme of “loneliness, stranded, etc” in common.

The whole “being alone in a large empty space” has been a pattern. The Fairchild family features in that theme and even the Lukas family in Alone. Optic Solutions Limited is based in Norway but the only connection I can figure out is that Jurgen Leitner was from Norway but maybe there was something I missed. Anyways that’s it. God 😭

Nothing much on MAG 58: Rations. Another kind of emphasis on meat. I felt so bad for the unknown lady :( (EDIT 9/2: Benjamin Carlisle shares the same last name as Toby Carlisle and both have very prominent meat themes. God.)

MAG 59: Recluse

Oh boy Raymond Fielding. From what I heard before, I thought he was a good guy since like y’know he took in troubled kids but noooo. He seems to be like the same thing as that woman from Children of the Night. Creepy spider thing. Also; that damn table. Now we finally know what happened to the middle of the table, like the square. Also the apple; Same apple Evo found in burned out. Even described the same. Agnes also, in my theory, a good person because she kissed Ronald’s cheek before he left and then was persuaded to go down to the study where his cheek started burning and snapped him out of it. I think she’s good. I dunno what her deal is but still.

Also, again, the table. It’s definitely the same table. How did Graham find it? He said he bought it in a second hand shop in MAG 3. Did Ray donate it after the events? Did the house burn down but the table still survived? Like god. How did the middle part of the table end up under the tree? With the apple? I have so many questions.

MAG 60: The Observer Effect

Another eye theme. Not many connections but I’m assuming she wanted to blow up the Magnus institute with those barrels of petrol. Maybe she found out something her brother was involved in which she blamed the institute for. I think he didn’t die of a stroke because no one ever dies of natural causes, I mean come on.

Also. Jon getting an intervention is the funniest thing ever. Like he was like before “they’re avoiding me and giving me fruitful glances, they’re up to something” like my dude, they are worried about you 💀

“Yeah sorry if I’ve been distant”

“You literally watch my house”

“You rummaged through my desk”

“You said I was lying about a murder”

I’m literally cackling. They’re not even wrong, Jon is going a little cray cray from all this. He needs an emotional support cat I think.

[autumnrose11]

Just noticed this parallel in The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.

From Helen's POV:

"Who told you so, my dear? What was that story about his intrigue with a married lady - Lady who was it - Miss Wilmot herself was telling you the other day?"

"It was false - false!" I cried. "I don't believe a word of it."

"You think, then, that he is a virtuous, well-conducted young man?"

"I know nothing positive respecting his character. I only know that I have heard nothing definitive against it - nothing that could be proved, at least; and till people can prove their slanderous accusations, I will not believe them." (Ch. 17)

From Gilbert's POV:

"Did I not know Mrs Graham? Had I not seen her, conversed with her time after time? Was I not certain that she, in intellect, in purity and elevation of soul, was immeasurably superior to any of her detractors; that she was, in fact, the noblest, the most adorable, of her sex I had ever beheld, or even imagined to exist? Yes, and I would say with Mary Millward (sensible girl as she was) that if all the parish, ay, or all the world should din these horrible lies in my ears, I would not believe them; for I knew her better than they." (Ch.9).

I thought this was a very interesting parallel. When they fall deeply in love for the first time, Gilbert and Helen both defend their respective beloveds in almost identical ways. They’re both angered when the slightest aspersions are cast on the characters of those they love. Both stuff their fingers in their ears, rise to their defence, refuse to believe anyone who speaks ill of them. And this blind faith leads to two drastically different outcomes. For Gilbert, his faith in her is a vindication. For Helen, it results in six years of abuse and suffering.

Which makes me wonder... what point was Anne Brontë trying to make?

[thoughtsonpoldark]

Hello! Regarding the meeting of Ross and Elizabeth at Sawle Church. I will try to be brief but it is a loaded situation….Two things were particularly disturbing to me. 1). When Ross explains to Elizabeth why he didn’t reach out to her after the May 9th incident he said, “How could I, break up your family afresh and mine?” I wish he would have used that opportunity to affirm his love and commitment to Demelza and his son Jeremy. Lost opportunity, which left me and others disappointed in his response. This also led Elizabeth to believe his choice/decision was based on responsibility and was the least disruptive. Therefore his love for Demelza and his son is not a primary factor. Both the book and the series left his remarks that way and it would have made such a difference if he answered differently, especially when his comments were then followed by a series of kisses to Elizabeth. 2). It was not one kiss, it was at least 6 kisses, with the final kiss being more than a light kiss on the lips. If he wanted to say goodbye with a kiss, he could have kissed her hand, or at best her cheek but I think those kisses, small though they were crossed the line and left the viewer with an uneasy feeling. In the series, when Demelza confronts him about his “secret meeting and his secret kisses“, she is clearly upset and is choking back tears. So disappointing….Can you share your thoughts on this as I ALWAYS respect your perspective.

Why did Ross not finally tell Elizabeth the truth that he stayed with Demelza because he preferred her and she was his real and true love?

Thanks for your ‘ask’. It is an interesting question which I probably will expand on even more over on the blog site but have written so much here anyway.

Elizabeth was the provocateur and antagonist to Ross and Demelza’s love story in those first four books where the question of who his true love really lay with seemed to drag on. I can therefore understand that Ross’s failure to tell Elizabeth that it lay with Demelza can be seen as a ‘lost opportunity’ by many people.

I suppose that my response is to say that while this is irritating Winston Graham’s book were written with some realism and the scenario that played out in this scene with Ross and Elizabeth at the Church yard was realistic if you look at the situation, the history and Ross’s objective. I have to focus on the book narrative because while the series scene does not actually do a good job of depicting this scene accurately, Ross does not mention Demelza as you would have liked him to in the book and at least that is followed in the series. The book provides a narrative and therefore presumed explanation which makes more sense as to why Ross held back with this.

Emotionally the Grave/Church yard scene was heavily loaded and this impacted on Ross's psyche and therefore his approach with Elizabeth. Secondly Ross saw Elizabeth differently to the way many

readers see Elizabeth’s character. This was with rose coloured glasses and also he was a man often blinded by enduring loyalty. There is also a third thing to consider before we even get into the scene dynamics and that is that it was never particularly in Ross’s nature to speak cold hard truths to Elizabeth. There are many examples in the book which I will not list here but which include where he would bite his lip holding back on her and where disagreed with her outlook on something and chose to say nothing to her because he did not want to offend her. So already, together with other factors it was unlikely that Ross would change that approach with her in a confrontation where he was on the backfoot because of the wrong he had done to her at their last proper meeting alone.

Ross's Goal

The key thing is that for this confrontation Ross will not have had the goal that the reader might have had for him. He would not have wanted to take an opportunity to hurt Elizabeth or to make her feel like crap that was discarded to the side like he once felt by her in preference of Francis. Definitely not in this moment of time too. Ross was hurt when she did that to him in the first book and she would have been too if he did that here and gave her the real reason for not returning to her by declaring in a major way or in passing, his love and happiness with Demelza and by implication that his feelings for Elizabeth did not compare. In fact in the circumstances in which he met Elizabeth her, this is the last thing he wanted to do. Neither would he have actually felt there was a need to flaunt his love for his wife in the way that a reader/viewer might have felt there was a need or a wish on their part for him to do.

Making amend rather than making Elizabeth upset

Remember that even if a viewer/reader is not of the view that Ross had (acquaintance) raped Elizabeth, in his own words he felt he took her against her will. Even if he self soothed by thinking that in the end it was ‘not so much’ against her will and even if he was correct with this, Ross’s bottom line was still that whatever he did to her that night he was wrong. As a result he expected her to be angry in the aftermath and that not going to see her will have added salt to her injury. So given the nature of what Ross had done to Elizabeth that night, all that was and meeting her her was a big deal and he instead had some grovelling to do.

After the violence and disrespect shown to Elizabeth, rather than rub in Elizabeth's face that his mistreatment of her was all in vain by implying that actually there could never have been a question of wanting to be with her and of leaving Demelza, this meeting was instead an 'opportunity' not to inflame her anger but to try and dampen it down and make her feel better and less rejected by him so harshly. Otherwise it could have come off, if not quite cruel, then at the very least, insensitive. Elizabeth was prone to that not Ross! Except where Ross had lost his temper, if he had a tendency to avoid offending Elizabeth he would definitely avoid that line of honesty with her here.

Seeing Elizabeth’s Hatred

‘…he expected coldness. But he did not expect this trembling anger. It startled him and shook him.’

Not depicted in the series but it's important to really appreciate that Elizabeth’s obvious anger towards Ross in the books will have influenced his already typically delicate approach with Elizabeth so that this was to be more than his typical people pleasing approach specific to Elizabeth. But no one wants to be hated so badly by someone they once loved and still care about. Yet three years after the event Ross saw Elizabeth, as Graham wrote, literally shaking with anger and hearing the trembling anger in her voice. She even told Ross that she wished he would die. That's pretty powerful as a representation of her hatred. What would the average person do when met this way and having felt beforehand that Elizabeth would never forgive him for what he did which he thought was ‘indefensible? Ross saw in her ‘..this corroding hysteria and hatred. Hatred of him.’? So he would hardly want to throw gasoline on that but instead perhaps go above and beyond to counteract that and mollify her.

The narrative confirms Ross knew he had to be cautious and mindful with his words. At one point in the book narrative he said he didn’t want to bring up old memories as “..It would hurt you the more and I’m sure do my cause with you no good.” For Ross his cause was hinted at in the text. Apart from not wanting Elizabeth's hatred to continue against him it said that  ‘As he grew older his own tendencies were to try to repair the breaches that past enmities had made.’ He knew her well enough to strike at Elizabeth's vanity to win her round. In his reflections in the next chapter he thought that he did a good job and that in explaining his approach with Elizabeth to Demelza, that he would say “I tried deliberately to show my affection for her because it sears me to find her so hostile.  I have an uneasy conscience about her for the two misdeeds I committed against her.” He was right that it worked as the narration says that he saw that some of his words made a difference and also that he saw some of the bitterest anger had gone out of her.

Another major motivation for Ross to focus on buttering up Elizabeth up was him becoming aware of the shocking reason for Elizabeth’s more heightened and unexpected level of anger as being due to an unforeseen outcome of his attack being a possible cuckoo baby and how this was causing her unhappiness in her new life through marriage problems. Again imagine him being responsible for messing up her marriage while conveying to her that after doing what he did to her which caused the unhappiness and unkindness from her husband, that he had realised he loved Demelza too much to ever leave her for Elizabeth.

I understand that it might be frustrating that Ross did not convey this message to Elizabeth but I also can see why in this tense circumstance he would recoil and be on the offensive. He had so many more reasons to try and suck up to Elizabeth. In fact while in the past she had disturbed his peace with her disclosures, he had no desire to further disturb hers. She had showed him that he had already done that. So Ross instead phased his words neutrally so that they were factual and without giving the true reason in detail why he could not break up their lives. This meant he did not lie and Elizabeth could be left to interpret what he said in a way that offered her some comfort and less vitriol towards him. As a result their next meeting was a relatively amicable exchange outside Trenwith.  

The Kisses

I think the above thoughts of Ross’s deliberately trying to show Elizabeth affection and to make her think he loved her like there was no change in this, explains the kisses he gave her. He could have just kissed her hand or on the cheek but this was a highly charged meeting and he pushed it to consolidate the work done to softened her up to him significantly. I do think he really was sorry for the mess he caused her. It was a guilt response of over affection which was not suggestive of him still being in love with her. Except for at her death, after this meeting Ross seemed quite detached from Elizabeth in his thoughts and actions in later scenes when their paths crossed. However while this particular meeting may have been the opposite of how you would have liked it to be, this was Ross's big and rare opportunity to push his affection strategy hard and leave a positive impression with what he seemed to take as an almost last goodbye signing off “Goodbye My Dear” as if not only was it a moment of closure but that it might be the last time he saw her for a while. Elizabeth’s change of temper was something he was clearly noting and he had thought  ‘At first she was bitter and hostile. But towards the end she softened and when we parted I kissed her.’ But aside from that Ross’s thoughts are happy at the thought that this meeting was another one that confirmed that his feelings for Elizabeth did not compare to his feelings and in particular, his love of Demelza.

Demelza in the series was choking back tears when she confronted Ross about this meeting because the series followed a different narrative and this scene is not in the books at all. The changes are significant. Elizabeth for the meeting in the series was not trembling with anger and wishing Ross death. Their exchange was set out in a way that it did seem to show that Ross did not have the duress of Elizabeth's blazing anger that put him at her mercy and made him hold back on gushing about his wife. Elizabeth in the series was instead quite calm and nostalgic with him. It conveyed Ross differently and as if he was almost looking regretful that he could not come to Elizabeth. But if you look at the full book dialogue, despite not insulting Elizabeth over preferring Demelza, in some of the other parts of their talk Ross was quite sarcastic, impatient and defensive with Elizabeth. For instance such as her claim that he was a bully and a devil and also when she was sarcastic about his ideas to deal with George. The series did not include that as it followed a narrative of consensual sex togetherness until the early hours. That meant she couldn't really come across with the blazing anger she had in the book scene. The script writer tried to make the meeting more romantic and I suppose following from that made Ross seem ineffective at reassuring Demelza about it when she confronted him. It did seem as if the scriptwriter did that to explain why Demelza then went off with Hugh. It looked like a revenge response from Demelza precisely because of what was made into a romantic meeting with Elizabeth by Prudy's report.

So I agree that these revised scenes in the series reflected more poorly on Ross than the book narrative. It is easy to conflate the two together but very often the script writer was writing from a perspective of Ross still being torn between the two women and still harbouring a romantic love for Elizabeth. That explains  the revision of the Church yard scene. Whereas I believe Graham was quite clear in his narrative and interviews that Ross no longer desired Elizabeth following 9th May. The different depiction by the 2015 series does cause confusion.

I wonder if you are still so disappointed by Ross in the scene or if this might lessen and you put it down to diplomacy and Ross owing at least that to her.

[thatswhatsushesaid]

ok so i understand why it's appealing to read junlian (like i'm literally in that camp with all the respectable fans with impeccable tastes) but. but i think it's Important for the sake of fully Understanding their dynamic and representing it in the most accurate way to keep in mind - at all times - that it was always meant to be a (pseudo)parental relationship first and foremost.

JW is not the representation of a toxic jealous ex. he's the representation of a toxic parent who will traumatise you in the most horrific ways while saying (and genuinely believing in his own mind) that he's only doing it for your own good. he loves you because you remind him of all the good parts of himself. he can't stand seeing his own reflection in you. he won't ever let you go. it breaks his heart to have to break you, but what choice does he have? the outside world is cruel and it's his job to prepare you for suffering.

yeah i don't think the source material supports a read of jun wu's relationship with xie lian as an ex of any kind tbh, that's not the vibe i got at any point while reading the books. my shipping goggles aside, i hope i haven't conveyed that through my of my commentary, and if i have--oops! was it the comparison i drew between junlian and hannigram in my meme? i mean, even though by s3 the question of hannibal being explicitly in love with will graham is broached on screen by bedelia du maurier (to say nothing of their overtly intimate embrace before they tumble off the cliff together), s1 is where the comparison between the two dynamics really works for me. because imo hannibal's fascination with will at that point is at its most paternalistic, and will's rejection of him at the end of s1 when he finds out (or believes he's found out!) what hannibal did to abigail is analogous to xie lian's complete rejection of jun wu the moment he sees his reflection in the sword. end-of-s1 will is about as interested in hannibal romantically as he is in voluntarily eating abigail's ear: he isn't, he didn't ask for this, he's in hell, etc. similarly, xie lian's entire understanding of his relationship with jun wu, the rock and fundament of his time in the heavenly court, has just been irreparably destroyed. from his perspective, everything he thought he knew and understood to be true about their relationship was built on lies, and he's not wrong.

all that to say, while i do think that the text can support a romantic read of jun wu's feelings towards xie lian without ever explicitly confirming it as such, i for sure agree with you that that wasn't mxtx's intention when writing the dynamic. she's pretty clear, again and again when describing how xie lian sees jun wu, that his behaviour is seen and interpreted as parental and fatherly.

[fairyheart]

Get to know your moots!!

Thank you for the tag @floydsglasses @heavenssins, @waytogosmudge I love y’all!! ❤️💜🩷😘

what’s the origin of your blog title?

I just really love fairies and heart shaped things lol

OTP(s) + ship names:

Peraltiago (Jake peralta and Amy Santiago), Mcdanno (Steve Mcgarrett and Danny Williams), Ben and Leslie (parks and recreation),Hannigram (nbc Hannibal lector and Will Graham) I know the last one is dark but it’s fiction so please just bear with me lmao

favorite color:

Pale blue

Favorite game:

I don’t really play a lot of video games but do y’all remember that computer game ‘dazzling nails?’ I’ve been wanting to play that lately so it can help take me back to simpler times lol

song stuck in your head:

You’re so vain by Carly Simon

Weirdest habit/trait:

I always inspect the bite of food I’m about to eat to make sure nothing gross is on it (like a hair) If I’m out at a restaurant I also inspect the silverware

Hobbies:

Playing with my dog (his name is Chopper ❤️), reading, watching movies/youtube, cooking and baking, and I’ve been wanting to learn how to draw so I’ve been doodling a bit here lately!

if you work, what’s your profession?

I don’t have a job right now but I’m looking for one🤞🏻

if you could have ANY job, what would it be?

I’d like to be a kennel technician at a humane society!

something you’re good at:

I’m good at letting the people close to me know how important they are to me, and always being there for them

something you’re bad at:

Being laidback, being kind to myself

Something you love:

Animals, scary movies, my mutuals 🩷🩷🩷

something you could talk about for hours off the cuff:

Dogs and any of my favorite fictional character (specifically rhett abbott or bob floyd)

Something you hate:

Liars, people that don’t respect your boundaries, people who think they can dictate what other people do with their life’s/bodies (republicans🙄)

Something you collect:

I don’t really collect anything but I’m obsessed with anything snoopy/peanuts related and I’d like to one day have a collection of snoopy things 🥰

Something you forgot:

I recently got prescribed a new medication and I forgot to add it to my pill organizer (but I’m about to!)

Love language:

Words of affirmation and physical touch

Favorite movie/show:

My favorite movie is Scream and my favorite shows are Community, Brooklyn 99, and Superstore

Favorite food:

Cheese enchiladas!

Favorite animal:

Dogs, raccoons, possums, otters, red pandas, and dolphins!

what were you like as a child?

When I was really really young I used to be outgoing but around the age of 6 I became way more shy. But before then my mom says I used to run up to kids on the playground and ask if they wanted to be friends before I even asked what their name was lol 😂

favorite school subject:

Science (I was also homeschooled)

Least favorite subject:

Math

What’s your best character trait?

I’m kind

what’s your worst character trait?

I worry too much and in turn that sometimes makes the people around me anxious and or frustrated

if you could change any detail of your job right now, what would it be?

I wish I had one 😂

if you could travel through time, who would you most like to meet?

Mary Shelley! To meet the mother of science fiction would be an honor!!!

recommend one of your favorite fanfics!

I have so many!! But these are some of my all time favorite fics and writers!!

Stand by me @hederasgarden

The kind that money can’t buy (calico creek) by @delopsia

Sugar and spice by @floydsmuse

A quiet place-dagger edition by @floydsglasses

Bitches can’t even measure up to my boots by @peachystenbrough

Million dollar man by @bobbyfloyd

Practice makes perfect by @rhettabbotts

Riding out the storm by @briseisgone

Joy Ride by @sugarcoated-lame

Full of surprises by @withahappyrefrain

[traintrainingmontage]

Friends and Family

Summary: When Skarloey falls ill, Rheneas becomes uncharacteristically worried. The crimson engine's attitude rubs the SR's newest engine, Duke, the wrong way, until his brother makes a heartfelt request.

Rating: T

Word Count: ~2.3k (Chapter 1)

Chapters: 1/2

Characters: Skarloey, Rheneas, Duke, Peter Sam, OCs (human crews), mentions of other SR engines, mentions of the Thin Controller and Mr. Hugh

Ao3, if you prefer

Many of my headcanons here were inspired by/in alignment with those of Ted from the YouTube channel TTTE Community Radio. He has a great video about the Skarloey Railway and "the lean years" that's very much worth a watch!

The term "granchuffs" is not my original creation, but I've seen it circulated around the fandom, and it's my favorite thing.

A full year had passed since Duke had been found and added to the Skarloey Railway's roster, and summer had wound its way back to Skarloey Valley. The birds were singing, the sky was blue, and the sun peeked through golden-edged clouds. Flowers swayed gently in the calm breeze, and tourists walked about in comfortable clothes, smiles coming easily to their faces. Overall, it promised to be a delightful day at work for all of the engines... at least, for all but one.

Skarloey woke up feeling absolutely dreadful, and the discomfort only compounded the moment the old engine's driver, Graham, a fresh-faced young man of about 28 years old, started trying to light him up. His tubes felt tight and his frames ached, causing small, pained grunts to escape his lips as he shifted in place. As the other engines were steamed up, they spared him sympathetic glances, but could do nothing to ease his pain and were soon sent out by their respective crews. By the time the shed's clock read 10:00, only Duke, Rheneas, and the sick Skarloey were left in the shed.

The silence was broken by the sound of Graham sighing as he finished inspecting his poor engine. "Alright, Skarloey," he murmured, resting his hand on his tank, "I'll get Mr. Hugh to look you over properly. You won't be pulling any trains today."

The driver's gaze flicked over toward the other engines. "Do you think that one of you could take Skarloey's trains? I apologize, but..."

"Oh, it's no trouble," Duke reassured him. "I can--"

"I'll take his trains," Rheneas blurted out. The sudden outburst quieted the shed, Rheneas's concerned expression contrasting with the various looks of surprise aimed his way from Graham and Duke.

Skarloey's face, however, was set in a pained solemnity that had nothing to do with his illness. "Rheneas, don't." the No. 1 began, his voice tight, an edge of pleading whetting his words.

"He's right, Rheneas," Duke added kindly. "You just got out of the Works yesterday. I have only one train on my schedule today; I promise you that I am more than capable of taking Skarloey's as well."

"Exactly," Skarloey agreed, shooting Duke a grateful look before his sharp gaze returned to Rheneas. "It's your rest day, and you should...urgh!"

Skarloey's admonition was sharply cut off as another grunt of pain escaped him, and his brother's worried expression hardened into one of determination. "I will take your trains, Skarloey. Don't worry about me."

"I will always worry about you," the old engine retorted, and the seriousness in his tone caused any outgoing comments to wither and die on Rheneas's tongue. Still, despite Skarloey's pensive expression, he didn't object to Rheneas's plea any further, and Duke found himself at a loss for words in the face of the force of Rheneas's demand. Soon enough, the No. 2 was getting steamed up, and his driver Rodger was steering him gingerly out of the shed, looking for Skarloey's train.

Graham turned his gaze back to Skarloey, his pensive expression a reflection of just how unusually serious this entire situation felt. "Right... well, let me go report in to the Thin Controller and the Foreman, alright? They'll be here soon to take a look at you."

"Alright, thank you."

With another light pat to his boiler, Graham headed off to the main office. It was only Skarloey and Duke in the shed now, and although the space between them was slight, the gap felt insurmountable. Finally, Skarloey began to speak.

"I'm sorry, Duke. It's not that anyone here doubts your abilities, I promise. It's...well..."

"You don't have to explain anything to me, Skarloey," the other steam engine hastened to reply. He tried to keep his tone magnanimous, making every effort to not direct his frustration and confusion at Skarloey, but by the way the other engine's frown deepened, he could see that he hadn't particularly succeeded.

"But I do," the older engine murmured. "You deserve an explanation. All of you do. I just...gah."

Duke sighed quietly as Skarloey flinched, words failing the crimson engine as shivers wracked his frames. "I would be more than willing to hear you out later, Skarloey. For now, however, you must rest. Any explanation that you wish to give on the subject of Rheneas's behavior can wait until you feel less miserable."

~~~

Later in the day, Skarloey was fast asleep, having been given a cursory examination by Mr. Hugh. The foreman had wanted to move Skarloey into the Works immediately, but he had been called away from the station in order to handle an urgent family matter. As such, Skarloey had urged him to take care of whatever else needed handling, and that he would be perfectly fine with waiting. As the older engine slept, Duke was finally steamed up, readying himself for his scheduled train--set to run soon after lunch--as a comfortable heat settled in his smokebox.

A familiar whistle caught his attention, and he looked around to see the smiling face of Peter Sam.

"Hullo, granpuff!" the little green engine called as he pulled into the yard. With a quick pat, Rufus, his driver, alighted from the cab, likely off to take lunch alongside Richard, Duke's own driver. "How are things?"

"Well enough, Peter Sam," Duke replied with a smile, unable to keep a dour mood around his more chipper granchuff. "I'll be leaving to take my train soon."

"Oh, wonderful!" Peter Sam chirped. "It's a lovely day for it, although with the way poor Rheneas has been bustling around, he'd put a big-yard shunter to shame. He seems overworked, if you ask me, especially since it was supposed to be his rest day."

Duke paused for a moment as his smile drooped, trying to order his next train of words carefully. "About that... this morning, I offered to take Skarloey's trains, seeing as he is clearly unwell. But Rheneas was... rather insistent that he take on the job himself. I wish I knew why."

"Oh..." Duke didn't miss the sudden downward shift in Peter Sam's expression. "Right, I should have guessed. This sort of thing has happened before. But it's nothing to do with you, granpuff!" he hastened to add, trying to dispel any doubt. "It's nothing to do with any of us, actually. From the bits and pieces that Skarloey's told me..."

Here, Peter Sam hesitated a moment, his expression turning a morose shade of thoughtful. "It's something to do with the war, I think. Or maybe the aftermath."

The green engine's voice dropped to a whisper and his eyes darted around furtively, even though nobody else was around. "You see, granpuff, when Sir Handel and I were first brought on, Skarloey could barely move. They sent Rheneas away to be mended the week we arrived, and he looked so worried about Skarloey, even though the Thin Controller and Mr. Hugh promised him it would be fine."

Once again, the No. 4 hesitated, and with all the contrition of a confidant admitting a secret not theirs to tell, soldiered on. "When I asked Skarloey, he said that he'd been heavily damaged during the war, and that Rheneas had been doing all the work himself for years. We think---"

"I think that it's time for us to get going, Peter Sam," Rufus interrupted, although not unkindly. Peter Sam looked rather abashed, the two of them having been so absorbed in conversation that he hadn't noticed his approaching driver.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Rufus! Alright, I'm ready. We can talk later, granpuff."

"Of course, of course!" the old engine smiled, whistling in farewell as Peter Sam hurried along to collect his next train. He still had a good while before his own was set to depart, so--

"Did you two enjoy catching up?"

The wry, raspy voice caught Duke off guard, and his gaze whipped over to see Skarloey staring at him, his expression unreadable. Duke quietly gulped, finding the weight of the other engine's gaze to be rather unsettling. It wasn't mean, like that of the Mid-Sodor's horrendous management. Rather, it was judging, but not judgemental. Whatever Duke said next, he would have to take great care.

"We did, yes. How long were you...?"

He trailed off, but the crimson-colored engine seemed unbothered. "I was awake for most of it. It's very difficult to sleep when Peter Sam is in a good mood."

Duke couldn't think of a reply, so he simply hummed in agreement. After a long moment, Skarloey took it upon himself to fill the silence.

"Duke, may I... make a personal request of you?"

The gravitas in his tone, so unusual for what he'd seen of Skarloey thus far, caught Duke off guard despite the fact that this had been a rather strange day already. "Y-yes, of course. What can I help you with, Skarloey?"

"I would like you to speak with Rheneas. About his behavior, about his worries--mmhm!--about everything that he can't bear to speak of directly to me."

Shock flooded Duke's frames, and before he could stop himself, he blurted out "Me? Are you quite certain?"

Some of that shock must have shown on his face, because Skarloey graced him with a wry grin, even as a harsh cough shook through him moments later. "I am. It must be you, Duke. Nobody else here could understand what we went through besides you. Nobody else here... has seen two of the most terrible wars in this planet's history with their own eyes and lived to tell the tale."

The comment caused all of the air in Duke's tubes to woosh through him a half-step quicker, and he almost choked on his own breath. "I... I suppose that's one way to put it..."

Heedless of Duke's distress, or perhaps in spite of it, Skarloey elaborated. "During the second world war, Rheneas and I were the only two engines on this railway actually owned by the Skarloey. However, many Ministry of Defense engines were sent here to help mine and carry slate for various rebuilding efforts. The visitors were... mmmm... rather disinclined to worry about keeping our railway in decent shape, and more focused on the unending river of slate traveling from here to Kirk Ronan. We were constantly pushed around, nuisances in our own home."

Skarloey closed his eyes and took a deep breath, images flashing across his memory as though he were watching a movie. After a long pause, his eyelids fluttered open again as he continued his story.

"Rheneas often tried to stand up for us, but I didn't bother. It wouldn't have gotten us anywhere to argue. Instead, I focused on keeping our spirits up and doing as much work as I possibly could. After all, the more we did, the less damage others could cause to the railway. Also, because I was the only one of the two of us who could use the haulage wagon, I ended up taking trains of slate to Kirk Ronan when nobody else could. Unluckily for me, that tended to happen more often than I or the Thin Controller would have liked."

"Thankfully, the war ended, and the visitors began to depart. All of that work, however, left me severely damaged. Were this any other railway, they may have seriously considered scrapping me. However, this railway takes care of its own, and they actually built me this little side-shed in which I could rest and watch the rest of the world go by."

A weary note had entered Skarloey's voice, one that Duke, while not having had such an experience himself, could sympathize with.

"Rheneas... Rheneas has always felt guilty, I think. Guilty that I tended to get more work even before the war, guilty that he hadn't been able to help with some of the shipments to Kirk Ronan, guilty that I had ended up in such a state while he'd been spared. He nearly worked himself to a similar state of disrepair in those years before Sir Handel and Peter Sam came to our railway, and although I couldn't alleviate any of his physical burdens, I did my best to encourage him. Perhaps that only made him feel worse, though..."

The older engine's expression had morphed into a grimace, and Duke was suddenly hit by how worn Skarloey looked in this moment, his pain much greater than a physical malady could ever cause.

"And now, I've been mended and I feel better than ever--most days, anyway. But whenever I'm ill, Rheneas feels the need to pick up the slack, no matter the consequences to himself. When he looks at me, he sees the ghost of that terrible time. It's like he can't see the present for the past."

Skarloey licked his lips, clearly agitated, and Duke worried that he'd soon have another coughing fit. However, the crimson-clad engine simply pressed on.

"He doesn't want to worry me, so he won't talk to me. Not about this sort of thing, anyway. He's always been strong, and his work ethic saved our railway, but..."

Skarloey trailed off with a sigh, his frustration seeping out of him, but Duke understood. No more needed to be said.

"He needs a peer, is what you're saying. You're too close to the issue; he needs someone neutral that he can bare his heart to that isn't you. And it can't be any of the young'uns; they wouldn't understand."

"Yes! Exactly," Skarloey exclaimed, looking at Duke with wide eyes. "I know that I'm asking a lot of you, but like I said... I think you're the only one who can get him to open up at this point. I've tried, but--"

"Skarloey, Duke!"

An urgent shout drew both engines' attention, and their gazes quickly settled on the haggard-looking Richard, who was approaching Duke with urgent steps.

"Duke, Sir Handel will take your next train. Right now, we need to go rescue someone."

Skarloey and Duke looked at each other in alarm before their anxious eyes turned back to Duke's driver.

"Who is it?" Duke murmered, having a foreboding feeling that he already knew the answer.

"Rheneas," Richard replied solemnly. "He's completely come off the rails."