sgiandubh

[sgiandubh]

A gentleman through and through

My first photoshoot was with David Berry, the only extra I managed to personally buy from the comfort of my own, faraway flat:

Another thing that is not exactly on point, I believe, is Landcon's incredibly pugnacious online ticketing system. Instead of proposing one of those clickable seating maps and allow you to immediately select your own, they just make everyone stand for one to two intense hours in a virtual line. Gold and Full pass holders benefit from an early opening of the sale portal, one hour prior to the plebs, and can hope to be seated together, since buying tickets in bulk is clearly easier for them. While I have no problems with this, because people's free will and wallets are what they are, I think a clearer seating system could easily prevent frustration and make everything look more transparent. As it is right now, another person's credit card collapse is probably your golden opportunity to grab the coveted Willy Wonka ticket and feel like you won the London marathon (heh, heh...), or something. You will never know where the hell you will be seated until you get to Courbevoie itself, and I honestly find this to be an unnecessary plot twist, in an already complex scheme of things.

Anyways. After the first evening, which was not even spent unpacking (one of my suitcases was filled with presents), but having fun in a nearby restaurant with our Merry Company (😘), I was a bit hungover (does a single cocktail count?), but also felt strangely combative. And by the time @pamalissou kept a Mother Goose caring eye on me and whisked me in no time through the swooning line, I found myself idiotically smirking in front of a dazzling, perfect smile:

I told you my pics were atrocious, and I think I have the doubtful look of someone who's just been told that the upcoming root canal surgery won't be such a big deal, after all. That being said, I managed to tell him how wonderfully complex his portrayal of LJG was and how he subtly managed to convey the many nuances of a very intricate psychological profile. Well, perhaps not with so many words, but you get the idea.

The kindly woman who took the pic kept on asking me to stop fidgeting and -obviously - to raise my chin. He was very graceful and patient during all this #silly skit. I am positive he's been told the same things a thousand times over and yet still managed to leave a very clear impression of someone who is absolutely genuine, but still protective of a somewhat fragile self, he must be very aware of. Does that even make sense? I really don't care.

I am told I caught him in a good mood, which is probably a stroke of luck. If so, I feel very privileged and grateful. David Berry is, indeed, a true gentleman, in my book.

Diarmaid Murtagh was completely different and I managed to make myself even more of a fool. Next...

[sgiandubh]

Absolutely.

“Gut feelings are your guardian angels sending you messages”

— lieinlove

[sgiandubh]

Landcon Paris 7: the logistics

I said it before, I will say it again: it's not exactly for the cast that I reluctantly (at first) embraced the idea to give in and go to the Landcon, this year. I first and foremost went for the people I was very curious to meet and hug. And I also went there because I do believe that your fandom's experience is not complete until you watch its dynamics - but about this, in a separate, concluding post.

There seems to be a consensus about Landcon's logistics being the stuff nightmares are probably made of, and I can absolutely confirm this. I have written yesterday about the little legal arrangements that to me prove the organizers' first and foremost objective is the maximization of profits, sometimes at the expense of common sense or empathy itself. Because let's be clear, for once: Landcon's honchos are not exactly born yesterday. This is the seventh edition of this event, which by the way is the only official, licensed OL fan convention. By now, they should have a pretty clear idea about their audience/clientele, which is, as far as I could see, mainly composed by mature women, many of which had just arrived in Courbevoie after sometimes exhausting mid- to long courier flights or grueling train rides or drives. That means they left home the day before or pretty early in the morning and were sometimes unable to check-in to their hotels or accommodations before the allotted time window for registering, taking their bracelets and buying whatever extras were still available for sale (almost all of them).

The venue is definitely not the problem here, except perhaps for the unapologetic Brutalist eyesore that is everything but glamorous. Seen from the curb, it could be anything: a hospital, a faculty, one of those non-descript local government office buildings, an insurance company's headquarters. But once inside, I found the Centre Evénementiel to be just one of those multi-purpose spaces that I do know so well from my other, real life: a pretty intuitive to navigate, rather clean and safe affair. The Courbevoie Municipality could easily organize there a minor European summit, for example.

However, I find it absolutely unacceptable to have a Reduced Mobility Zone that was just a half-dozen of very basic pliable chairs, scattered haphazardly in a side area of the main hall, that was not properly designated, nor signaled as such. You had to be a regular and know there was also a special designated line for Reduced Mobility/Difficulty Standing attendees, people who are easily overwhelmed by the colossal hullaballoo of screaming, shouting, shushing ladies. The flow seemed endless and very much decided to get those bracelets at Mach 4 speed, which made everything look more like an Oriental bazaar, than an effective, well-oiled machine worth the rather steep ticket fees. Same goes for all the rest of the already tired people: rest or simply comfortably waiting for your sweating, swearing and grumpy party was not in order, you got the pump up the jam and move it, move it. Ugh. Such an eyeroll and so easy to address, with a bit of extra care.

I also found it very questionable to limit the staff's special needs assistance offer to the extras' moments only, cutting the Reduced Mobility attendees from their +1 friends. And the situation in the main auditorium wasn't any better, so to speak. The lady who sat on my right was visually impaired and used one of those telescopic walking sticks that you just cannot see while running around like a headless chicken to get your pics. I kept on being terrorized either by the idea of stumbling on it - imagine a pachyderm plunging in slow motion like a felled sequoia tree, IN THE DARK - or falling on her. The struggle was real, while at the very same time the panel was droning on and business as usual.

Except for the tchotchkes for sale area which was seriously clogging the space dedicated to the extras' lines, there was nothing else on offer. Not a single bottle of Evian, not a slice of one euro greasy pizza Margherita (wee joke: there are no one euro pizza slices in our old and mercantile land). To be completely honest, they did have three food trucks outside (reheated, microwaved fried chicken/squishy hot dogs with violently colored sauces and the infamous Pizza Tony - all for the price of a kidney transplant) and huge garbage bins to accommodate the ditched leftovers. But no sitting lunch area or even those sorry standing tables you sometimes see in hotels, in front of their meeting areas. Classy: I was just trying to piteously cope with a stubborn chicken strip while standing near a full ashtray, just as C was gracefully sashaying through the main entrance (and being almost one hour late!), at less than six feet from me. Embarrassing does not even start to cover it. A diva slides by and you look like a carnivorous beast, trying to feed yourself, while smoking and gossiping at the same time. One of those moments you're probably sorry to be alive on such a nice day, after all.

Enough said. I will spare you the cheap vaudeville of the lost and found bracelets at Registration Desk, the higgledy-piggledy offset alphabetic lists that made us stay in line twice and my flat-footed ordeal, while waiting in a seemingly infinite line of women who could not decide on what the fuck they wanted for their extra photos and autographs. And I will spare you this because at the exact moment my tolerance level crushed and I was about to uncharacteristically leave, swearing like a drunken sailor in at least four different languages, I met @irunfraser standing in line. And there was finally sunshine and birds were singing suddenly, everything was fine in the world, because @irunfraser and I hugged like death row inmates before their last meal, even if we talked perhaps only four or five times in DMs. What we told each other then was strictly in Spanish and I will provide neither a transcript, nor a translation, for once: it's between me and her only. But such is also the magic of this very strange Nowhere Land - it does bring people together and makes a true friend out of a non-descript handle. And such is, I believe, the strength of our underdog community, where people are overall smiling and warm and damn caring. And while I am at it, a final and special shoutout to @pamalissou, who knows everyone and everything five minutes before it becomes public. And without whom I would have never ever had my terrible, terrible C pic I am, nevertheless, very proud of.

Next - my photoshoot experiences, as they happened, spare the C one, which I covered separately. Sorry for the length: concision has never been my forte and never forget I am a babbling, sentimental imbecile.

[sgiandubh]

Exactly like last year, a belated - but friendly - Happy Birthday to S.

I have absolutely nothing to add to what I wrote last year, simply because my own position has not budged. And I think I proved it last week-end.

Sometimes, the stars align

Quite belated, this year (unlike for C), but still...

To that shy boy with Social Security glasses his mom managed to get him with great efforts.

To the theatre usher that dreamt he'd once be on stage.

To that nice boy working overtime in that Edinburgh student cybercafe.

To that West Coast backpacker thinking about what to do with his life.

To the one who failed and started it all over again, failed and started it all over again, failed and started it all over again. Over and over and over again, until the stars aligned, like they sometimes do, after all.

To the bicycle delivery boy, the Harrod's sales assistant, the bartender who later turned a struggling job into a business project of his own.

Happy birthday, S. May you find your true path - whatever that might be. In Light and in Truth: no more double entendres, no more white lies, no more hiding.

You have already brought so much to this world. I see great things.

And I am not the only one.

[sgiandubh]

You have been in the country Faith Fraser was born 🪽😍

Dear Country Anon,

My ancestors come from the country Faith Fraser was born. They left it a very, very long time ago, because they were Huguenots and that was not ideal at all, around 1688. The memories may have faded with time, but they never completely disappeared.

I have had the absolute pleasure and joy of calling Paris home for six entire years of my life, during my university days. I have lived a stone throw's away from the places 'Erself wrote about in Dragonfly in Amber and I used to know (still remember) any damned crack in the pavement, each and every shopkeeper's quirks and where you could always, always find the best tarte Tatin in the entire universe (L' Ecritoire, a humble bistro on Place de la Sorbonne that I am almost afraid to revisit, lest I would be disappointed). I have loved every single second of that adventure, even when it brought me to crocodile tears - to paraphrase Rimbaud, who the hell is serious at twenty?

This may come as very corny and predictable, but that version of Paris does not really exist anymore, global Disneyfication being what it is. And Patrick Bruel, the French postmodern crooner who made all of us Nineties teenagers swoon once upon a time, still dishes out his wishy washy songs, with alarming regularity. They are to Gainsbourg's witticisms exactly what a cup of Americano is to a real ristretto enjoyed at the Sant'Eustachio, in Rome. However, something of that magic still survives in this particular song, which narrates the ten-year reunion of a group of former university mates. Perhaps because the clip was shot at The Bombardier, an English pub behind the Panthéon and smack dab opposite the Sorbonne Law School. A place I only know too well, even if now the awning is blue, not red:

But you were mentioning Faith, Anon, whose mystery is instrumental to Jamie and Claire's own secret, shared tragedy. And all you got was my inept babble. Thank you, however, for this half-grin as I wrote all this. For I think that, despite anything else, we were not entirely undeserving.

[sgiandubh]

Coming on Netflix Europe

On May 11:

I did set my reminder. Zero expectations - I know it's not good, so no need to lecture me. What I want to see is how bad it is and of course, try to understand why.

[sgiandubh]

Landcon pics

Those who took pics with the cast are now offered the possibility to order them in digital (.jpeg) format, for a small fee:

[Source: https://www.facebook.com/groups/attendeesparticipantslandcon7/p-osts/1002015775440517/ - Landcon 7 attendees' private FB group]

These are the full provided instructions, in English:

'Hi everyone !

You can now pay through our ticketing your digital pictures, here are the rates :

- 1 photo = 5€

- 10 photos = 15 €

- From 11 to 20 photos = 20 €

- 21 photos or more = 30 €

One package is only for the photos of one person.

The ticketing will be open for 15 days ( ticketing closes on May 13th at 8.pm - Paris time). After this delay, the ticketing will close.

Once you paid, please send an e-mail at

photo.thelandcon@gmail.com 

with the number of all your pics that you will find at the bottom right of each photo below the Landcon7 logo (Example : #TLC7-1234 SOLO RICHARD Samedi), with the category (solo, Duo, group…), the name of the guest and the day. You also have to join the e-ticket of your jpegs payment, and a photo of you, taken during the convention, so we can recognize you.

Please do not send us several emails about your digital pics. We will inform you when all digital pics have been sent.

If you are unable to read the number of your photo, please send us a photo...of your photo and describe the day, outfit, guest etc..

Any breach of the rules will result in the non-processing of your request and /or a delay in our response.

Your photos will be sent via WeTransfer. This means that from the moment we send them to you, you have 7 days to download them. We will not be responsible if you miss this deadline.

The dedicated team will start sending photos next week and will continue for up to 1 month after they receive your emails. Please check your emails and spam folders frequently.

See you soon !'

PS: even if mine are hideous, I still ordered them. What the heck.

[sgiandubh]

Not really an Ask, just wanted to say I’m thrilled for you that you got to the Con and met Caitriona, though admittedly I’m seriously jealous 😉😊. I too am a BIG fan of Lauren, delightful and talented, and you must check out her podcasts, they’re unfailingly interesting, and fun at the same time! It’s been awhile since I’ve been to Paris and personally I did love the Orangerie, it was lovely! My big regret is that I haven’t gotten into d’Orsay yet on any of my trips, only managed to hit its closed doors on state days and strike days, sigh… I console myself with having made it to Monet’s Giverny home twice and leaving it with the memory tattooed on my soul of the scent of roses hitting me like a wall as I entered his garden!

I look forward to more of your reportage on the Con, AND on Paris! Bisous! 😘😘

Dear Bisous Anon,

How melancholically thoughtful and sweet of you to send this! These submissions are just the best. I don't know, can't figure out and do not even want to know who you are, but keep them coming 💖!

First of all and for all purposes and intents, the Landcon's schedule was grueling, especially for people who made a substantial effort to travel far and wide, in order to get there. By the time we managed to coordinate everybody, Versailles was sold out at the right visiting hours for us on Friday and closed on Mondays (as always). My mistake and I am taking full responsibility for being sloppy about it. And Monday's cruise lunch was deliciously rich, but also tiresome to many, who could have rather used a welcome nap. So, we had to limit ourselves to whatever we could quickly do, which is - I admit - almost a crime and certainly butchering our best laid plans.

The reason I chose the Musée de l'Orangerie is purely pragmatic, since it is compact enough to easily navigate and definitely off the beaten track. It is one of the most poetic places I have ever had the joy to see and it is, of course, very French ;). Once a glass house built on purpose to accommodate the Tuileries Gardens' citrus trees, it is now home to eight compelling late Monet murals, depicting - as you rightly pointed out - the painter's garden in Giverny.

With an absolute focus on the water lilies, or Les Nymphéas:

To me, this is a perfect, deeply introspective place, designed on purpose by Monet himself - who donated his labor of love to the French Government, in recognition of the First World War victory - to make people pause and meditate. Color and light and shimmering shapes are a synesthetic invitation to deeply explore one's own feelings and reactions. I can assure you they are never the same.

The best way to fully enjoy this is very, very early in the morning, with as few visitors as possible. This time we were not that lucky, but I think we still managed to share a special moment there.

Paris being lately a ridiculous mess, because of Mayor Hidalgo's stupid new traffic policy, we were unable to be in time for the Sainte Chapelle. But perhaps that allowed for more compelling memories, who knows?

PS: The Orsay is one of my favorite museums, on par with the Hermitage, in Saint Petersburg. I particularly love the subtle game of light and shade through the huge train station clock glass dial.

Off to take Baby the Lab back home. More about the Landcon - later ;) But thank you for this, Anon - and welcome!

[sgiandubh]

Nothing short of a miracle

It was said we are four forlorn shippers attending that con.

It was said we were not even supposed to be allowed in there.

Many things were said and yet...

There were four times four people at that International Shippers' Landcon Dinner, last Saturday evening. Sixteen. I have respected their wish to pixelate their faces, given this fandom's propensity to online chainsaw massacre. Especially when adversaries seem to be deeply unsettled by an agenda which apparently went completely astray.

That does not even start to cover the entire select club, nor all the (as of yet, unknown) shippers that might have attended the event. The crushing majority was not able, for various reasons, to make it and that was a bittersweet moment of sorts, to all of us.

We exchanged thoughtful gifts to each other and even some moved tears might have been discreetly shed. There were conversations sashaying all around that table, to avoid leaving anyone behind, and laughter, and genuine joy. Mentioning Those Two was completely marginal and this is totally normal, because the most important thing - as it was already said- was to put a face and a real presence on a Tumblr handle.

'Lovely people' is a damn understatement. And yes, we missed you as hell. All of you.

And you know what? We came to the conclusion we don't even need to have the pretext of a con, to do it all over again. I already know the next stop will be Edinburgh for those attending, but not only Edinburgh (nor the UK, for that matter) and that, I believe, might be a first.

Are we flipping the bird? Of course we are.

We are Shippers and we are damn proud of who we are. Always.

But really curious: what might some have thought was bound to happen at that damned con, spare having a good time and mildly fangirling?

In that Alternate Universe, we probably are those silhouettes at Craigh na Dun -accidentally sharing pizza and hugs in a European capital's leafy suburb - and this will really have to do:

[sgiandubh]

See? This is a stupid combination of one truth (organization was horrendous) and a lie (they 'oversold' the photoshoot tickets).

To make it clear: the Land Con is not a company, according to its very particular French legal framework. It is an NGO, based in Forbach:

[Source: https://annuaire-entreprises.data.gouv.fr/documents/923941256 - this is the French government's Company registry website, FYI]

Forbach is a town in the French department of Moselle, which has been under German occupation between 1871 (when France lost two historic provinces, Alsace and Lorraine, after being defeated at the Battle of Sédan, in 1870) and 1918 (after France was among the Allies who won the First World War). Thanks to this historical quirk, the two former provinces of Alsace and Lorraine are governed by a different legislation than the rest of the country, which is way more flexible, especially concerning NGOs:

[Source: major differences between French law and Alsace-Lorraine law NGOs legal status, https://www.bas-rhin.gouv.fr/Actions-de-l-Etat/Jeunesse-sports-et-vie-associative/Vie-associative2/Les-associations-inscrites-de-droit-local-en-Alsace-Moselle/Differences-associations-Alsace-Moselle-associations-loi-1901 - the Bas-Rhin department's Préfecture website]

For instance, a French NGO must be a non-profit entity. An Alsace-Lorraine NGO can include and declare in its by-laws a for-profit activity, which is exactly what the Land Con did, even if it has declared zero employees (see first screenshot). Fun fact: all the Landcon's staff are volunteers, who pay for their trip, accommodation and meals - the only perk, as I mentioned, is the free pics and autographs with guests (no C this year, though). Also, while a French law NGO cannot do whatever its members want to do and must stick to its declared activity, an Alsace-Lorraine NGO can do any legal transaction its members see fit, and that includes sharing profits between them.

Moreover, according to the same by-laws, Land Con has declared itself to be a 'social and solidary economy' entity, which automatically granted it a public utility status:

[Source: the French National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies' SIRENE portal]

That means, in a nutshell three things: an obligation to reinvest a share of their profits, a friendlier taxation regime and finally the ability to negotiate with the Courbevoie Municipality a lower rental fee for the events it organizes every year at the Centre Evénementiel (which is the property of the same above Municipality), via CourbevoiEvent, a subsidiary of the City Council:

[Source: https://courbevoievent.com/#evenementiel]

As you can see, the number of participants to these events is capped at 1200 people and I think this year the Landcon sold about 1000 passes. None of those included C's photo session, as she was a Gold Special Guest, or something along these lines, so the number of available slots was even lower than that. One of the reasons it is always so has to do with fire safety regulations, which are very strict, in France. In fact, the local Fire Brigade's vehicles were permanently parked nearby, along with an ambulance (it was used during the registration hullaballoo, last Friday, when a lady fainted while standing in line for extras), and the management of the fans' lines for extras was borderline paranoid.

How do I know this? Simple: I was a friend's (💖) special status ('Station Debout Pénible'/Difficulty Standing) assistant. As such, not only were we seated closer to the scene, but we were also whisked through the waiting lines. While waiting for her other extras, I had the opportunity to chat with a very nice staff person, who explained why I should not stand near the ashtray on the terrace, but only near the stairs. And blamed it on the Fire Brigade people, who were monitoring everything, just in case.

If you think that the Land Con people, who went to great lengths to make their organization the most lucrative possible (as I just showed you) would risk an enormous scandal by overbooking extras despite the local fire safety regulations, then you are either naive or misinformed.

Sorry, @i-ship for hijacking your post, but I think it had to be cleared up.

LandCon oversold her tickets and didn't adjust for delays. They could have included all her photo ops and panel into earlier hours to make it work. This organization has been doing cons for years yet they are still horrendous. Instead of booking so many cast members they should cut down bringing maybe 10 at a time which always works better to fit everything in, but money talks and they don't care about positive results. Tobias had something similar happen to him last year. Couldn't do his panel.

[sgiandubh]

@pamalissou's pics are way better than mine. A moment of deep kindness and connection, where C was - again - herself. But that is between the two of them, and not my call to share. #IYKYK

Wonderful day with a wonderful woman

[sgiandubh]

Back home

If you had any doubts I was there, well - the camera tells once more the story. Lo and behold, I found myself on the rostercon.com's Landcon 7 picture carpet, in what clearly is an audience pic taken on the first day of the event:

[Source: https://www.rostercon.com/en/event-convention/the-land-con-7/pictures/]

I'll be back later with more. Just came home in a happy mess and I will have many people to thank for it.

Back soon :)

[sgiandubh]

In 2017, I came across this text about fandom and since then it has been an illustration of this crazy and magical universe of fan life, which I call fan experience. Even though I've been going to Outlander Cons since 2015, it was when I met my Spanish friends that I started to not feel alone even when surrounded by people at these events. And at this LandCon, in addition to my dear Spanish friends, I was able to meet other friends from Tumblr. For years we've been following, reblogging, commenting, laughing, protesting and, above all, supporting each other. And suddenly, there's that "Tumblr username" in front of you and you can finally look the person in the eyes and tell them how much you admire them and thank them for walking alongside you in this fandom, which is so toxic in many ways, but where true friendships can create an oasis. Thank you for everything, girls.❤️

"Fandom is focus. Fandom is obsession. Fandom is insatiable consumption. Fandom is sitting for hours in front of a TV screen a movie screen a computer screen with a comic book a novel on your lap. Fandom is eyestrain and carpal tunnel syndrome and not enough exercise and staying up way, way past your bedtime.

Fandom is people you don't tell your mother you're meeting. Fandom is people in the closet, people out and proud, people in costumes, people in T-shirts with slogans only fifty others would understand. Fandom is a loud dinner conversation scaring the waiter and every table nearby.

Fandom is you in Germany and me in the US and him in Australia and her in Japan. Fandom is a sofabed in New York, a roadtrip to Oxnard, a friend behind a face in London. Fandom talks past timezones and accents and backgrounds. Fandom is conversation. Communication. Contact.

Fandom is drama. Fandom is melodrama. Fandom is high school. Fandom is Snacky's law and Godwin's law and Murphy's law. Fandom is smarter than you. Fandom is stupider than you. Fandom is five arguments over and over and over again. Fandom is the first time you've ever had them.

Fandom is female. Fandom is male. Fandom lets female play at being male. Fandom bends gender, straight, gay, prude, promiscuous. Fandom is fantasy. Fandom doesn't care about norms or taboos or boundaries. Fandom cares too much about norms and taboos and boundaries. Fandom is not real life. Fandom is closer than real life. Fandom knows what you're really like in the bedroom. Fandom is how you would never, could never be in the bedroom.

Fandom is shipping, never shipping, het, slash, gen, none of the above, more than the above. Fandom is love for characters you didn't create. Fandom is recreating the characters you didn't create. Fandom is appropriation, subversion, dissention. Fandom is adoration, extrapolation, imitation. Fandom is dissection, criticism, interpretation. Fandom is changing, experimenting, attempting.

Fandom is creating. Fandom is drawing, painting, vidding: nine seasons in four minutes of love. Fandom is words, language, authoring. Fandom is essays, stories, betas, parodies, filks, zines, usenet posts, blog posts, message board posts, emails, chats, petitions, wank, concrit, feedback, recs. Fandom is writing for the first time since you were twelve. Fandom is finally calling yourself a writer.

Fandom is signal and response. Fandom is a stranger moving you to tears, anger, laughter. Fandom is you moving a stranger to speak.

Fandom is distraction. Fandom is endangering your job, your grades, your relationships, your bank account. Fandom gets no work done. Fandom is too much work. Fandom was/is just a phase. Fandom could never be just a phase. Fandom is where you found a friend, a sister, a kindred spirit. Fandom is where you found a talent, a love, a reason.

Fandom is where you found yourself"

[sgiandubh]

April in Paris

Leisurely, easily - we are very tired, all of us.

But the day is glorious:

Waiting for our lunch cruise. Next are the Orangerie Museum and the Sainte Chapelle. Tentatively.

[sgiandubh]

I respect everything you wrote about Land Con and thank you for it.

But it's frustrating that you have nothing to say about Kate.

It only takes a few seconds. Stop, 📸 , move.

Flash like a dream.

the beginnings are so beautiful !

They were kinder and more humble.

Dear Kate Anon,

It's Caitriona for us, mere mortals. Not Cait - she hates it when people call her like that. And certainly not Kate - that is insulting.

I barely had time to properly ✍️ today and will come back to it upon getting back home on Tuesday. Wi-fi is awful in this hotel and my laptop- useless. Besides, I just came back from a long, pleasant dinner in town with people that became firm friends. Thanks (at least in part) to Caitriona Mary Balfe. Who took the Eurostar 🚉 to get back to London, yesterday afternoon - my assumption was correct, staff people know these things and would share, if you ask nicely enough.😉

[sgiandubh]

I bet C is prettier in person I mean her skin, those blue eyes and of course so tall. I’m so happy you had the chance to meet her btw I loved that photo of you and Cait .

Dear Prettier in Person Anon,

She is spectacular and I somehow managed to catch her off guard. So, even more spectacular, because showing her genuine self.

Thank you for the kindness, truly. Objectively speaking, none of those 📸 look good, as far as I am concerned, because it all went very quickly. Way too quickly. So, much appreciated.😘

[sgiandubh]

Anon, when asked about Cait's scent, of course she doesn't mean whether it smells good or bad.

It's a question about her taste in perfumes.

Was her perfume light and refreshing, feminine and charming, or strong and loud?

Dear Perfume Anon,

I am not a twat, I got that. I also answered that as honestly as I could:

Under that particular moment's powerful spell, I CAN'T REMEMBER.

Anon, why don't you get yourself a ticket to a con meet and greet, see for yourself?

And live to tell the tale.