#Richard Aylmore

[saints-who-never-existed]

Rereading The Terror

After that poll, I hope the currently 50-odd-% of you out there who haven't read the book now appreciate the great service I'm offering here. :P

Chapter Fifty-Three: Golding

Robert Golding, 22 years-old and God's Perfect Idiot, returns to camp from a hunting/leads party led by Des Voeux. He's all a dither and has a message for the Captain's ears only - they've found Silna and Tuunbaq both dead out on the ice, apparently, and want only Crozier and Goodsir to come out to see the bodies.

The lie is such a hilariously transparent one that it's almost difficult to see why Crozier even give it the time of day - I suspect it's mainly the repeated, confusing mention of various men injured in some non-specific way that makes him decide to check out the situation for himself.

Golding repeatedly refers to polynyas (isolated holes in the ice) as either "polyps" or "polyannas" during the conversation, which is just very funny to me.

He also, however, refers to Silna with an unsavoury term one might use for a female dog, and openly sniggers at the idea of her gory death, which is incredibly infuriating to me. I'm not going to include a quote here: suffice it to say Fuck You, Simmons - absolutely nae need for it. >:(

A small party of men make their way out to the supposed site of the bodies (Crozier ignored Golding's pleas that he and Goodsir should come alone, and has brought John Lane and Captain of the Hold William Goddard along too). No sooner do they arrive though, and hear what they believe to be Des Voeux's party nearby, than all hell breaks loose!

Crozier and Goodsir are seized by mutineers, knives held to their throats, while Lane and Goddard are knocked out cold, their heads bashed together by Manson who appears suddenly from the shadows. "Are they alive?" rasped Crozier... Hickey leaned over as if to inspect the men, and, with two smooth, easy moves, cut both their throats with a knife that had suddenly appeared in his hand. "Not now they ain't alive, Mr High-And-Mighty Crozier" said the caulker's mate.

A bit of back-and-forth follows between the two of them. Some of it made me laugh again in places: "What do you want, Mr Hickey?" asked Crozier... "I want you to shut the fuck up and then die slow and hard." said Hickey. But the weird levity doesn't last long as the fate of another one of Crozier's last loyal men is revealed: "What'd you always call Johnson [Tom Johnson] in private, King Crozier? Your strong right arm? Here." He tossed a naked and bloody right arm, severed just above the elbow, white bone gleaming, through the air and watched it land at Crozier's feet.

Crozier doesn't give Hickey the satisfaction of an emotional response, merely replies "You pathetic little smear of spittle. You are - and always have been - nothing." This is more than enough to incense Hickey, whose face contorts into "something non-human", his lips drawn back like a scurvy victim and eyes filled with "something beyond madness, far beyond mere hatred." He orders Manson to strangle Crozier, specifies that he should do it slowly, even, which is just delicious to me. A curiously bloodless option for despatch, as well as a deeply personal, intimate one.

Before Manson can obey though, Crozier shoots him in the stomach with a small gun he'd managed to keep hidden. He's shot several times himself in return but ultimately manages to escape out into the surrounding labyrinth of ice, leaving a trail of blood behind him. Goodsir tries his damnedest to escape too but is quickly overpowered by Golding.

Hickey is far more concerned about Manson's injury than Manson himself seemingly is, rushing over and demanding that Goodsir attend to him immediately: "Cornelius, honey." Magnus Manson's voice had the tone of an injured child. "My stomach is starting to hurt." Hickey wheeled, "Goodsir, give him something for the pain."

Hickey and Aylmore then follow the trail of Crozier's blood only to find it ends at a polynya in the ice, Crozier's coat floating in the dark water. They continue searching for him for three more hours - Hickey is determined to find Crozier even if only to have the satisfaction of shooting the Captain's waterlogged corpse.

In the meantime, Golding is assigned the grisly task of butchering Lane and Goddard's bodies. He's positively drenched in gore by the time he's done with everyone taken aback by his appearance - all except for Hickey, who laughs heartily at it before they all move on again with fresh meat and poor Goodsir in tow.

[goldfishgrahamcracker]

Franklin's lost expedition crew

I was looking at posts about AMC's The Terror and I kept getting confused by the use of first names, so I wanted to see how many of the characters had the same names. Arranging the crew in alphabetical order, I got:

1 x Abraham (Seeley)

4 x Alexander (Berry, McDonald, Paterson, Wilson)

5 x Charles (Best, Coombs, Des Voeux, Johnson, Osmer)

1 x Cornelius (Hickey)

2 x Daniel (Arthur, Bryant)

3 x David (Leys, Macdonald, Young) + Bonus: Bryant in the show but most historical sources I found list him as Daniel

1 x Edmund (Hoar)

3 x Edward (Couch, Genge, Little)

2 x Edwin (Helpman, Lawrence)

3 x Francis (Crozier, Dunn, Pocock)

1 x Frederick (Hornby) + Bonus: Des Voeux, whom I have seen referred to as Frederick rather than Charles on occasion

6 x George (Cann, Chambers, Hodgson, Kinnaird, Thompson, Williams)

1 x Gillies (MacBean)

1 x Graham (Gore)

7 x Henry/Harry (Collins, Goodsir, Le Vesconte, Lloyd, Peglar, Sait, Wilkes)

10 x James (Brown, Daly, Elliot, Fairholme, Fitzjames, Hart, Reid, Ridgen, Thompson, Walker) + Bonus: Ross, who was not part of the expedition but appears in the show

23 x John (Bailey, Bates, Bridgens, Brown, Cowie, Diggle, Downing, Franklin, Gregory, Hammond, Handford, Hartnell, Irving, Kenley, Lane, Morfin, Murray, Peddie, Strickland, Sullivan, Torrington, Weekes, Wilson)

2 x Joseph (Andrews, Healey)

1 x Josephus (Geater)

1 x Luke (Smith)

1 x Magnus (Manson)

1 x Philip (Reddington)

1 x Reuben (Male)

2 x Richard (Aylmore, Wall)

8 x Robert (Carr, Ferrier, Golding, Hopcraft, Johns, Sargent, Sinclair, Thomas)

3 x Samuel (Brown, Crispe, Honey)

1 x Solomon (Tozer)

16 x Thomas (Armitage, Blanky, Burt, Darlington, Evans, Farr, Hartnell, Honey, Johnson, Jopson, McConvey, Plater, Tadman, Terry, Watson, Work)

22 x William (Aitken, Bell, Braine, Clossan, Fowler, Gibson, Goddard, Heather, Hedges, Jerry, Johnson, Mark, Orren, Pilkington, Read, Rhodes, Shanks, Sims, Sinclair, Smith, Strong, Wentzall)

[fvuper]

Terror restaurant!AU

Last month I thought that the actor from “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” is very similar to Tobias Menzies (James Fitzjames). And I thought that crossover of “The Terror” and “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” is the best crossover ever. In total, I came to a restaurant!AU because every fandom should have a restaurant!AU or coffeeshop!AU. (Guys, if there’s something familiar on AO3 or somewhere else I’m sorry my English language skill is low for reading English fanfics and find similarities). I share this with you because I love “The Terror” fandom of his friendliness because all we love our cold boys.

I apologize in advance to those who do not like OFC. This is my disease.

Many characters are not on the list because I didn’t know what roles to assign to them. And yes, there’s book and series canon.

This’s not fanfic, but I hope you like this.

Enjoy reading!

(grammarly app tells me that there are a lot of hard-to-read sentences and grammar and punctuation errors, I hope they will not hurt you)

Restaurant “The Terror”:

Francis Crozier - restaurant owner

Edward Little - chef

George Hodgson - sous-chef

Cornelius Hickey - cook

Magnus Manson - cook/butcher

Billy Gibbson - pastry-cook; have you seen his fingers?

John Irving - baker (secretly in love with Silna)

Henry Peglar - baker (John Bridgens’s former student)

Thomas Jopson - hall manager, barista, Crozier assistant and his son (he took mother’s last name); they father-son relationships make me feel good

Amelia Little (Hunter)(OFC) - waitress (Edward Little's ex-wife)

Thomas Evans - waiter, student

Restaurant “The Erebus”:

Sir John Franklin - restaurant owner

James Fitzjames - restaurant manager

Grahan Gore - chef

Henry Le Vesconte - sous-chef

John Bridgens - baker

Other characters:

Harry Goodsir, David McDonald, Stephan Stanley, John Peddy - doctors from the nearest hospital

Silna/Lady Silence (workers of both restaurants call her that cos she speaks very little) - veterinarian, Goodsir good friend (she knows that John Irving in love with her)

Tuunbaq - Silna dog (Samoyed)

Thomas Blanky - Crozie old friend (lost his leg after hunting; often goes to “The Terror”, chatting with Francis, and Crozie always pours free coffee to him)

Thomas Honey and Henry Collins - repairmen in both restaurants

Richard Aylmore - janitor; cos fuck him

Solomon Tozer and other marines - workers at a security company that serving both restaurants

And some random dialogues and pieces:

One time, Tuunbaq didn’t like something in Blanky, and he bit his leg. His wooden leg.

Francis Crozier's favourite coffee for a morning (and all day) is Irish. Only Jopson knows how to make correct Irish coffee for his father: “Less coffee, more whiskey”.

Sophia: “Francis, you already know that I can’t answer on your proposal. You need to look around and see, that someone is a long time watching on you.”

Francis: “Who?”

Sophia: “Manager of “The Erebus”.“

Francis: “FITZJAMES?... but, Sophia... I’m not...“

Sophia: “If it’s hard to accept, ask advice from Bridgens and Peglar. Or from Little and Jopson.“

Francis: “wait...WHAT?“

In his whole life, Crozier worked in a large number of restaurants and cafes, including Ross family and Sir John restaurants. He made the way from waiter to barmen and barista, and finally all positions at the kitchen. Francis had a wealth of life experience but didn't have proper education, therefore, many did not take him seriously. At one point, Crozier was tired of this and decided to open his own restaurant. He called it “The Terror” (because down on the street there was Franklin restaurant “The Erebus” and he thought that this would be funny and symbolically). In “The Terror” they served coffee, fresh bakery and from lunch to dinner cooked Irish cuisine.

Crozier seemed that his restaurant was the most perfect place in the world: high ceilings, green walls with wood panels, tiled floor with geometric patterns. In the corners and on the walls on the fence were growing curly green plants. All furniture (wooden tables and chairs, lamps, leather sofas) got to him like from the 19th century. On a second-floor, Francis had a small apartment.

Fitzjames invited Crozie for a date first. To Chinese restaurant.

Crozier never allowed Harry Peglar to write the menu on a scoreboard because he had lousy handwriting. Amelia didn’t write for the same reason, even if she came before everyone else. Usually, the menu wrote Irving, Jopson or Little.

Little knew Crozie from the last working place. They become good friends, so when Francis offered him a job as a chef in his restaurant, he agreed. Edward also took his wife with him from the old restaurant where they worked together to Crozie restaurant.

Actually, Jopson wasn’t the main reason for their divorce. For real they just themselves didn’t know why they got married once. Rather, Thomas was a good reason to break up.

Amelia: “It’s Jopson, I’m right?”

Little: “What are you talking about?”

Amelia: “That you fall in love with him like a little boy. Often near somewhere to him. Put off the biggest pieces of meat from stew for him at dinner, because it seems to you that he isn’t eating up. And it’s all in your wife's presence.”

Little: “And what you want to say about this?”

Amelia: “That when we gonna divorce, we will stay as friends. I hope so. Because you are a good man, Edward. But be careful with Jopson, cos when Crozier finds out that you’re dating, he will unscrew your head for any wrongdoing.”

After that conversation, Edward exhaled freely. He doesn't want to cheat on his wife, and he was glad that Amelia was so sensible woman. After two weeks they divorced. But didn’t stop communicating. On the contrary, now Little had a person whom he had to disguise his romantic troubles because of such relationships were new for him.

Sometimes, when Silna came to “The Terror”, and Irving had some free minute, he whips away her coffee from Jopson’s hands and tried with toothpick write on coffee foam “good day” or draw a smile. Come out clumsily - Jopson was in pain. He doesn't try to offer him his help, because John thanked that he needs to do this by himself. Jopson knew that one day his heart won’t stand more this barbaric mockery on his perfect coffee foam and he will just write Irving's phone number on lady Silence cup.

The Terror stuff never called Crozier “boss” or ”chief”, but called him “captain”. It seemed silly for him, but he wasn’t against.

Once Franklin invited Crozier for lunch in “The Erebus” to introduce to someone. That was James Fitzjames, and Sir John introduced him as a new restaurant manager because Franklin wanted to rest from work. They were three together at the farthest table. Francis had a strong feeling that he saw Fitzjames before or heard about him. Much later, at his apartment, Crozier remembers that he saw James at last year’s meeting of restaurateurs. They didn’t talk, but Francis could swear that the man looked at him all evening.

At some point, Crozier and Fitzjames started arguing, and when dispute got to the dead-end, they stared at each other. For a long indecent time. Only sir Franklin’s phrase ended this uncomfortable (only for him) competition: “Right in front of my salad?”.

Peglar and Bridgens often meet at neutral territory and exchange with recipes. And not only recipes.

[saints-who-never-existed]

Rereading The Terror

Chapter Forty-Four: Goodsir

Christ, this is a heavy-going chapter. I'm just going to go ahead and put it all under the cut just in case.

Yet again, Goodsir proceeds to tear my actual heart out with a single opening sentence: "Tuesday, 6 June - Captain Fitzjames has finally died. It is a Blessing."

Fitzjames is far from the first to die on the awful march south from Terror Camp. Hoare died two days into the trek, then Dundy succumbed about two weeks in along with Pilkington on the very same day. In a gut-wrenching wee paragraph, Goodsir reflects somewhat on identity in death - the ways it's lost and reclaimed. He laments that he either forgot or never fully clocked that he and Le Vesconte shared a first name: "I confess that I hadn't remembered that Lieutenant Le Vesconte's first name had been Harry... It bothers me now that I must have heard the Other Officers call him Harry from time to time - perhaps a hundred times - but I had always been too busy or preoccupied to notice. It was only after Lieutenant Le Vesconte's death that I paid attention to the other Men using his Christian name. Private Pilkington's Christian name was William."

After those two deaths, there is a period of relative calm where the men start to convince themselves that the weak have died off and only the truly strong remain. It doesn't last: "Captain Fitzjames's sudden collapse reminded us that we were all growing Weaker. There were no longer any truly Strong among us."

Fitzjames collapses in his harness a few days prior to his death, the poor sod puking and shitting himself inside out - "The cramps curled him into a fetal position and made this strong and Brave man cry aloud."

He tries to haul again the next day only to collapse again and he worsens rapidly from there. His vision blurs, he has trouble swallowing, soon enough he's no longer able to speak and sooner still, he's too paralysed even to lift his arms and communicate in writing. Goodsir reflects that Fitzjames's inability to speak at least spares the rest of the men the burden of hearing him scream in pain any longer... :(((

Perhaps worst of all is that Fitzjames is fully lucid and alert throughout his long painful decline. :(((((((((((

There's truly nothing that Goodsir can do for him - he administers a Tincture of Lobelia, for instance, that is apparently more or less pure nicotine to try to ease Fitzjames's constricted throat. He has to massage it down with his bare hands just like in the show ("...like feeding a dying Baby Bird.") but it doesn't help. "...a Stimulant that Dr Peddie had sworn by. It would raise Jesus from the dead a day early, Peddie used to blaspheme when in his cups. It did no good whatsoever." Of course, I cannot help but think of "I'm not Christ..." in response to that titbit!

At Fitzjames's funeral, the Marines fire a volley into the air, startling a nearby Ptarmigan into flight. Interestingly, the ptarmigan is the official bird of Nunavut and is important to many cultures as everything from a symbol of courage and resilience to a messenger for death. All the assembled men care about, though, is that it's fresh meat they have no hope of catching or consuming...

With poor James buried, talk turns to what killed him. He had scurvy, of course, just like everyone else but Goodsir suspects a more nefarious culprit - poison. In their initial discussion on the subject, Crozier's suspicions fall on Richard Aylmore - shady steward, mastermind of the Carnivale, frequent confidante of Hickey - who's been serving the Erebus officers in the weeks preceding. But Goodsir stops him, thinking Botulism the more likely culprit (although the limits of the time period prevent him fully understanding it or calling it by that name): "That is the Terror of this Poison that Paralyzes first the voice and then the entire body. It cannot be Seen or Tested For. It is as invisible as Death itself."

Crozier smiles at that ("It was a strangely chilling sight.") and orders that everyone except Aylmore be taken off the tinned food rations, just in case...

Needless to say, Goodsir is more shaken and more desolate than ever to hear that as the chapter draws to a close: "Every time I believe I Know one of these men or Officers, I find that I am wrong. A million years of Man's Medicinal Progress will never reveal the secret Condition and sealed Compartments of the Human Soul."

[saints-who-never-existed]

Rereading The Terror

Chapter Twenty-Six: Goodsir

And here we have it - the tally for it later. This is going to be an extra-long one I think, lads - I made a dozen annotations on the first page alone it's all so heart-breaking.

The chapter begins with one single gut-wrenching sentence: "I am the only one left." And we learn for certain that Peddie and Stanley both perished in the flames while MacDonald survived only to be gunned down accidentally by the Marines as he fled.

Surprisingly, the death toll is in single figures otherwise with only two other men on the list. Lieutenant Fairholme had his ribs crushed and his heart "pulverized" by Tuunbaq - interesting given that it was he who gunned down the polar bear mother and her cub. Retribution, perhaps? Meanwhile, Mr Hornby has an even sadder end than he does in the show - he was on watch most of the evening and arrived to the festivities not even an hour before he was brutally eviscerated.

There are eighteen other major injuries, including Blanky who has finally lost his already-damaged leg to the Tuunbaq but manages to remain upbeat about it like the absolute legend he is. Goodsir agrees: "Mr Blanky remains remarkably chipper for a man who has sustained so much damage in so short a time."

And so we move on to the punishment - Hickey, Manson, and Richard Aylmore (the man in the headless Sir John outfit and the brains behind the trippy Carnivale construction) are to be lashed 50 (50!!!) times each. Interestingly, Hickey and Manson are not being lashed for Insubordination etc. like Aylmore is but for making the bear costume as it is "a violation of all of Captain Crozier's previous orders about not wearing such Heathen Fetishes".

Aylmore and Manson are penitent with heads bowed. Aylmore faints after nine lashes and receives the full 50 (50!!!) while unconscious. Manson just weeps like a child. Hickey, however, holds his head high, takes all his lashes without a sound beyond a gasp just like in the show, and refuses support as he walks out of the room.

Another gut-wrenching detail that I feel the need to mention is the acknowledgement that they would normally throw a pail of water over an unconscious man so he would be awake enough to fully suffer his punishment. What's worse in this instance is the mention that it's so fucking cold they don't have any actual liquid water with which to do even that, hence why they just continue lashing Aylmore while he's passed the fuck out.

Another awful detail still is the fact that Crozier won't let Goodsir leave to attend to Aylmore once his punishment is over - he has to stay to watch Manson and Hickey too even if it means Aylmore bleeds to death in his absence.

Once Goodsir gets in there to treat the men, we see the mask very much start to come off for Hickey. He orders Manson abruptly to stop crying - no soothing, manipulative "loves" for him now apparently - then orders him to dress and leave the Sick Bay immediately. One can only imagine the pain they'd both be in and the force of will needed to dress and leave anyway...

Crozier gives a short speech after and there's a lot to consider. Like the fact that he takes responsibility as the Captain and assures the assembled men that he'll receive his own harsh punishment when he's eventually Court Martialled, while also openly expressing doubt that they'll survive long enough for that to actually happen.

Fitzjames says nothing, despite being the one to more actively oversee the Carnivale preparations. God love him, he's described as "impassive and pale. His gaze...unfocused. His thoughts...elsewhere."

Fitzjames is apparently so bereft and out of sorts that Crozier basically doesn't consider him within the chain of command as the chapter ends and Crozier endeavours to sober up: "The Captain turned over the handling of the ship's and expedition's affairs to Lieutenant Little yesterday - thus quietly but firmly giving command to Little rather than to Captain Fitzjames..." A win for cool, competent Ned! But at what cost?!

[saints-who-never-existed]

Rereading The Terror

It's been a while! (Mainly because I went home for Christmas and didn't think to take the book with me!)

Chapter Forty-Six: Crozier

They're still going, as much as Crozier wishes that they could stop, that he could finally stop and that the bright flame of hope within him could die out "so he could surrender to the inevitable and lie down and pull the frozen tundra up over himself like a child under a blanket settling into his nap."

They've made camp once again, dubbing this one 'Hospital Camp'. and it's been a hard slog to get there across a large bay of ice. It's heartbreaking to read Crozier reminiscing almost fondly of their initial jaunt from ships to Terror Camp - as godawfully grim as we know it was, they made a "fantastic rate" then compared to the pitiful few hundred yards a day they're often covering now.

The dreaded tinned food is all gone at this point. They initially swore off the stuff after Fitzjames's death with Richard Aylmore being the only man to continue to consume them, at Crozier's behest. The rest of the men only began to eat from the tins again when Aylmore showed no particular signs of ill-health, although the same cannot be said for two other seamen who went against orders to sneak in some lead-laden tinned goodness. About one such man, who died in agony after eating a stolen tin of peaches, Crozier has this to say at what passes for his funeral: "Life is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short" the captain had intoned "It seems it is shorter for those who steal from their mates."

This blunt eulogy is a hit with the remaining men who immediately rename the boats dragged during the dreaded afternoon/evening haul - the ones they have to go back for again and again - as Solitary, Poor, Nasty, Brutish, and Short. "Crozier had grinned at this. It meant the men were not so far gone into hunger and despair that their English sailors' black humour did not still hold a cutting edge."

Crozier doesn't smile for long though - there's mutiny a-brewing! And it comes, in part, from "the last man on earth that Francis Crozier would have imagined opposing his command."! The camp is quiet, with many men and loyal officers away hunting and scouting for leads so it's easy for Crozier to hear the gathering of men outside his tent. Lieutenant Hodgson is at the head of this group, alongside several other senior men - captains of foretops and forecastles etc. In total, there are 23 of them ("...punch 23 holes into his lungs with a boat knife" anyone?!) including, of course, Manson, Aylmore, and Hickey. "Hickey looked at him with eyes so hooded and cold they could have belonged to one of the white bears they'd encountered - or perhaps to the thing on the ice itself"

In short, the 23 men want to return to the ship in hopes of a thaw. Crozier chides them all - for believing such a thing is possible, for believing they can make it back north before winter starts to set in again, for believing that the ship will still be afloat and that they'll be able to make their way out to her across the water: "Even if you steal one of the whaleboats, that will only hold ten or twelve of you with minimal supplies. Or are you planning on having ten or more of your party die before you get back to the camp? They will, you know. More than that."

His rant seems to do the trick for the most part, cowing the men, encouraging them to reconsider or at the very least to back down for now. But not Hickey. He tugs Manson's sleeve and they both step forward, threateningly, "past an alarmed-looking Hodgson". Crozier thinks quickly and grasps at the pistol in his pocket, deciding to shoot Hickey in the stomach and Manson right between the eyes - "No body shot was guaranteed to bring Manson down."

But before he can act - a commotion in the distance! "Everyone except Crozier and the caulker's mate turned to see what was happening. Crozier's gaze never left Hickey's eyes. Both men turned their heads only when the shouting started." It's Lieutenant Little, returned from a lead-scouting party with Mr Reid, Peglar and others. Making his way off the ice and onto land, he is - hilariously - completely oblivious to the mutinous drama that's just been unfolding in camp. "Open water!"

[saints-who-never-existed]

Rereading The Terror

Chapter Forty-Five: Blanky

The end is nigh for poor Blanky and I for one am heartbroken!

He's on his third leg now. The first was finely crafted but snapped off around the time that Pilkington and Le Vesconte (Blanky calls him Harry) died. That day he rode in a boat with Mr Honey the carpenter who fashioned him a new one, rather impressively, while on the move.

When he's up and hobbling along once more he does all he can to show solidarity with the men. They're doing things just as Blanky describes to Fitzjames in the show - carrying half a load a day's march then doubling back for the other half. And even though Blanky himself can't carry much or haul at all, he still tries to do those things anyway and makes a point of marching in both directions alongside the other men.

The only thing that's really keeping him going is the thought of being able to take to the water in the boats and put his ice master's knowledge to good use once more. It's come up a few times now, this notion that many of the men who survive longest and show the fewest signs of illness are those who have the most to live for and Blanky's definitely in that group, I think. There's even more immediacy to his situation though: "Still, it was not only his usefulness that was being decided by the ice, but his survival... once the ice master was at sea again, he would survive... If he could last until they took to the boats, Thomas Blanky would live."

Then, of course, there is Tuunbaq, still stalking them on their journey south and coming for Blanky first, so he believes. And, to be fair, that's an astute assessment of things - his leg is in a sorry state indeed and he leaves a trail of blood for it to follow wherever he goes, after all.

Blanky does what he can to hide the extent of it, sweltering in his greatcoat long after the other men are hauling in their shirt sleeves in the comparative heat of summer. "I'm cold-blooded, boys" He'd said with a laugh. "My wooden leg brings the chill of the ground up into me. I don't want you to see me shiver." :(((

Blanky reflects on a few other events as he hobbles painfully along. He recalls that two other men have died of the same tin-based poisoning that killed Fitzjames (though Richard Aylmore remains unaffected). And he notes that, even with the temperature rising, the men are plagued by frostbite still as well as snowblindness and headaches from refusal to wear their mesh goggles. One man notes that "wearing the God-damned wire goggles was as difficult as trying to see through a pair of lady's black silk drawers but much less fun." which is very amusing to me.

Blanky is especially aware of these medical issues as he's begun to help Goodsir where he can. Interestingly, Goodsir trusts Blanky not only to fetch things from the locked medicine chest but seemingly trusts him not to blab about the final secret vial of laudanum he's got in there, despite lying to the men that it's all gone.

Blanky also notes, heartbreakingly, how their minds and very identities as sailors are deteriorating away along with their bodies: "Sailors who had tied off complicated rigging and shroud knots in the roaring darkness fifty feet out on a pitching spar two hundred feet above the deck on a stormy night off the Strait of Magellan during a hurricane blow could no longer tie their shoes in the daylight."

When his third leg finally snaps, Blanky sits down on a rock and accepts his fate. It's gut-wrenching just like the show but also funny as Blanky finds opportunity to be sassy to both Tozer ("He had always enjoyed irritating the stupid sergeant by using his first name.") and Crozier.

He doesn't have quite the same close relationship with Crozier as in the show, though there's clearly still respect and some love there. They argue the matter a little but Crozier respects his decision, offering him a water bottle and promising to get word of Blanky's fate back to his family (although, as with Irving and his supposed Bristol-based upbringing, Blanky's family and home in Kent (?!!) are details that Simmons apparently pulls right, infuriatingly, from his arse)

It is after midnight when Tuunbaq finally appears. Blanky greets it like an old friend ("Welcome back," said Thomas Blanky to the shadowy silhouette on the ice.") before meeting his fate grinning fiercely all the while. "You're late," said Blanky. He could not help it that his teeth were chattering. "I've been expecting you for a long time." Unlike with the front he put up for the men beforehand, Blanky knows it doesn't matter anymore if Tuunbaq sees him shivering... :(((