#i imagine jack was classified as a missing person at Some Point

[apollos-boyfriend]

👀

jack time :D huge shoutout to this fic bc i have based like 90% of my jack inspiration from it it's so fucking good.

jack is like. the Oldest of the mansion's permanent residents for a long while, if not in general. i'm still unsure what i want to do with tim/brian, but jane at least only visits due to having a family on the outside, so a lot of the time the care taking is left to jack. (slender's fully there, he just doesn't give a fuck to keep the kids from killing each other/cooking meals for them.) incidentally, jack has developed a horrible case of Eldest Daughter Syndrome because. obviously. him being the mansion's kind of sole doctor does not help at all, because not only is everyone else's well-being down to him, if someone gets hurt (which happens often), he's the only one that can help, and if he fails, their death will be on him.

tim and brian and jane try to help as much as they can, but they don't get it. jack can never fully let himself rely on them, because they'll eventually leave. jane has her own family to take care of and god only knows what tim and brian do when they're not around. jack will Always have to maintain independence. he can't let his guard down. if he gets reliant on the other "adults", something could happen when they're not around, and he won't be sharp enough anymore to deal with it.

and i've spoken about this already but. jack is also just a kid! everyone thinks he's older because of his maturity/unnatural height, but he's just 16! the same age as natalie! it takes a very long time for them to realize that, even himself, bc he doesn't actually remember his age due to the ritual. it's only when brian eventually raises his suspicions that they try to do some digging and find out. oh. that's a kid

[send me a "👀" and i'll ramble about an au]

[kenzie-ann27]

My Obnoxiously Long Analysis of Danny Torrance and Richie Tozier

I have thought about this particular analysis for a while, and this has been a really fun thing to write, but at the same time, I feel like I am missing a large part of the story because I am struggling to figure out why? I know these characters are connected in some way, that part is obvious, but I am unsure of the significance. Why are these two characters so similar yet so different? This isn’t a case of the Stephen King self-insert where every male lead is an author but grew up in a weird place and lost a family member that causes him great distress even in his adult life (looking at you, Bill Denbrough and Gordie LaChance). The case of these two characters is different, as their personalities and lives are so different as to not have them be carbon-copies of each other, but at the same time they share so many traits and they have this connection that is interesting to me (though not as interesting anymore, thank you so much, Mike Flanagan).

First, I will talk about the gifs, since I think that’s probably the best place to begin. That quote by Dick Hallorann is so, so interesting to me because it directly relates back to It. Towards the end of the book, Richie recalls a very distinct moment when Bill killed a mosquito that was on the back of Richie’s neck, and he talks a bit about it and how bugs were often drawn to them (though he uses pheromones as an example). Leeches are also mentioned quite descriptively in It as well, them being Patrick Hockstetter’s fear and what kills him in the book. The other gifs are mainly a visual comparison, as I think that the way those two moments were carried out was pretty interesting. I was going to make another visual comparison with the weird cloudy eye effect that both films utilize very well, but that part in It: Chapter Two with Richie does make me pretty uncomfortable. In both movies, essentially, characters’ eyes get clouded over when they get into someone else’s head: Danny Torrance does this to Rose the Hat, while It does it to Richie.

To start off, both Richie and Danny grew up as only children in a family where they had close relationships with their parents despite them having a hard time understanding their children. They both felt closer to their mothers, as their fathers were often busy with work; both Maggie and Wendy seemed to ensure that Richie and Danny grew up with strong moral values, and both of the children were affected greatly when their mothers died. As children, they are forced into an environment where they deal with a supernatural evil, though they are not in any real danger unlike other characters until the end of the story (when Jack chases Danny and when Richie and the other Losers fight It for the first time); all other times, they mainly see things that make them aware of the danger that is present. Notice that with Richie, unlike the other Losers, is not physically affected by It really at any point. This is very different from how It works with the others because that danger is still there even after the event has passed. The blood in Beverly’s bathroom is still there even after she leaves and goes back. But with Richie, in the park, he is able to make the danger go away, he puts those glasses back on and everything goes back to normal (the others physically run away from the danger, but Richie is psychologically running away from it by telling himself it isn’t real). Anyway, this event stays with them long after they’ve grown up and moved far away from the place where the trauma occurred: Richie moved from Maine to California (Chicago in the film) while Danny moved from Colorado to Florida (later to New Hampshire). They then, turn to drugs and/or alcohol, which is said in Doctor Sleep to sort of repress the ability to shine and keep those negative past memories at bay; Richie seems to lean more towards drugs than alcohol, and vice versa for Danny. When they are 40, they are drawn back to the place where they were mainly abused as children and are able to use their abilities to destroy the evil thing finally before returning back home to their pets and their co-workers that they have weirdly close relationships with and all is good. That's essentially their main stories, but I'm also going to talk about a few specific connections that I think are cool to see.

Both Danny and Richie use their hands as the main source of their shining abilities. This is not obvious with Richie in the movie, but it is for Danny with him and Tony. However! In the book, Richie's main goal in life as a child is to become- of all things- a ventriloquist. You know, a person that uses their hands a lot like how Danny does to make it look like Tony is more than just a voice. Speaking of voices, that's Richie's main thing. Who is to say all those voices aren't like Tony in that they're a personification of the shining? (more on this below) This is also a connection between the two because neither of them is particularly good at doing voices, they essentially still just sound like themselves; this doesn't mean that those voices don't represent other people, though, even if they do come out of Danny's and Richie's mouths. The whole hands thing also works for the other members of the Losers Club, with each of the Losers relying on their hands for their jobs, just like Danny, who, in Doctor Sleep, is mentioned as being a janitor before becoming an orderly at a hospice (I would classify him more as an unregistered nurse, as he does say he’s had medical training). Hands and arms in general play huge roles in these two stories, which I think sort of puts the nail in the coffin of this argument. As a child, Danny Torrance gets his arm broken by his father, which is the moment when he starts talking to his imaginary friend/personification of the shining, Tony. While nothing huge happens to Richie’s arms in the book or movie, I would go as far to say (I am aware this goes off-topic, but bear with me here) that in the hierarchy of who shines the brightest of the Losers, Eddie is up there since not only does he get his arm broken twice in the book, it’s also what causes him to die because he gets his good arm bitten off and he bleeds to death. Eddie in his final moments is so strange to me, and I think the reason why that is is that he physically cannot shine. His only arm left is broken. Of course, It would want to take that away from him because it’s aware that Eddie has the ability to kill it.

Both Danny and Richie rely on the guidance of an old (dead) friend to keep them on the correct path. For Danny, this is Dick Hallorann, as he appears in Doctor Sleep to guide Danny to return back to the hotel. For Richie, this is Stanley, as a memory of Stan keeps Richie from going back home.

Both Danny and Richie are able to form a connection with the dead/dying. For Richie, he's mostly connected to those who have already died, while Danny seems to help more with people who are dying. I mostly noticed this in It after realizing the voices of people (rather than original characters) Richie seems to do more often- Humphrey Bogart, James Dean, and Pancho Vanilla (based on Pancho Villa, the Mexican general)- are all people who have died before 1958. I like to imagine that this is just Richie flexing with his shining ability and him being able to form those connections with those people by taking their voices and making them his own. Notice that in the book, “voices” is usually capitalized, as if it represents something a lot more important than just a kid doing an impression.

Both Danny and Richie have confusing relationships with others, specifically their bosses. This is more a personal thing rather than a fact, but I have realized that these characters do have rather strange relationships with others. With Danny, he meets Billy after taking a bus to New Hampshire, and Billy gives him a job and a place to stay. They become fast friends, though I mainly attribute this to their shared ability to shine (yes, of course, I’m going to mention that Danny often sings along to YMCA while working). Danny eventually tells Billy about what’s going on with the missing kids, and Billy is just unusually calm with the situation and agrees to go with him to Idaho to find Bradley’s glove. With Richie, however, I would say the strange coworker comes in the form of Steve, who is his manager in both the book and the movie. Obviously, if you have never been to my blog before, I really like Steve. He’s a fun character to look at not only because of the way he interacts with Richie but because I am willing to bet that that’s who Richie ends up with (at least, in the movie, since that was the plan in the 2010 script). Like Danny with Billy, Richie wants to tell Steve about the crazy stuff that’s happening, if he remembered what happened at all. I know this isn’t really a good explanation for the comparison between Danny and Richie, but I feel like their relationships with Billy and Steve are just really interesting and something that stuck out to me in the books and the movies.

Of course, now, I feel like I need to justify all of this. I need to come up with some reason why these two characters are connected and why I felt the need to write all of this garbage. And for the longest time, I didn’t know why. I didn’t know why these two characters stick out so much in this universe.

And then I rewatched It: Chapter Two.

Richie sticks out the most in that movie because of the way he acts is so different from the others. He feels distant, almost. From the minute I see him on screen I am able to look at him and say “that’s Richie”, but at the same time he feels so different to me, as someone who has looked at this character for a long time to try and dissect him. In his opening scene, for one, unlike all of the others, Richie gets a moment on stage where he stares out blankly and he hears these voices, memories from his past (I don’t remember the exact things they said, but essentially they were the voices of himself, Stanley, Eddie, and Henry). That sticks out to me so much because he is the only character that that happens to, even after he drank a glass of bourbon like a minute beforehand (of course, this also can sort of be explained as the shining is dulled by alcohol, not always taken away completely). To be honest, all of the Losers tend to turn to alcohol when faced with stressful memories throughout the movie. But it wasn’t until later that I realized that Richie was seen differently by the Losers. In the Neibolt House, I feel like the Losers tend to somewhat overreact when it comes to Richie after being attacked by the spider-Stanley (like… when Eddie broke his arm, most of them were focused more on Pennywise rather than helping Eddie). And later after Eddie got stabbed, he looks to Richie as if Richie is going to help him.

This goes back to my hierarchy statement before, but essentially, what I’m getting at is that Richie shines the most. Like… Danny Torrance levels of shine. That’s why they are connected. It’s shown in Doctor Sleep that those who shine the most tend to connect to each other, so who’s to say that Danny didn’t know about Richie? In my hierarchy, by the way, I would say that the order of who shines the most would be: Richie, Stanley, Eddie, Beverly, Bill, Mike, and then Ben. Of course, this would bring up the issue of “if Richie shined the most, then why didn’t the Turtle talk to him instead of Bill?”, and that can just simply be put down to the fact that Bill is the leader. That came to be not because of his shining, but rather simply because of the way he looked; the other Losers (I believe it was either Eddie or Richie) mention that they look up to Bill, mainly because he is taller and stronger and more handsome. Why would the Turtle go to Richie for help with this when Richie has been running away from himself his whole life? Bill was the logical reason because he could lead them in a way that Richie never did.

Overall, I feel like both Richie and Danny have these super similar qualities that are hard to ignore. I love both of these characters, so writing this long piece of garbage was a lot of fun. It was also fun to rewatch these movies and see that there is just this big connection that is there for fans of the books, so I am dying to see where it goes. It feels like they are waiting for The Dark Tower to bring them together with the mentions of the Turtle and Ka and space and all of that, but I feel like a whole new story would be really interesting as well. Plus, you know, I am dying to see a teenaged Abra trying to explain to shining to Richie.

[hannigrammest]

The Story of How Hannigram Became Canon to Those Who Are in Doubt

This post is mostly meant for the casual viewers who I noticed have joined Hannibal Subreddit after the news about the S4 negotiations. It is great that we are growing in numbers, but there seems to be a misunderstanding in regard to Hannigram (the romantic relationship between Will and Hannibal) and people who ship this pairing.

Hannigram is not a fanon pairing. It is not ‘just in the heads’ of silly girls or overly-romantic viewers. It is a canonically acknowledged couple that is supported massively by the cast and Bryan Fuller. Furthermore, this romance is the essence of the show, because Will and Hannibal find everything in each other. No, their relationship is not based merely on romance or sexual attraction. But also no, a more explicit romance in S4, which seems very likely and has been hinted at many times, will not destroy the complexity of the relationship. It will add to it.

The first part is canon evidence of Hannigram season by season. The second part of this huge post is tweets, quotes, and photos with Bryan and cast in regard to Hannigram. (Sorry, I can't seem to break the post in parts for easier reading, the formatting links don't work here for some reason.)

THE SHOW ITSELF

Season 1 is obviously the most ambiguous one in this regard because the relationship only starts to develop. And yes, the majority of scenes can be interpreted as the blossoming friendship, because it is a friendship first and foremost. Even several rather romantic moments can be technically classified as such — but only if you ignore the looks that Will and Hannibal give each other and the later narrative. Still, this is all ambiguous at this stage.

When Hannibal offers Will to take care of Abigail, he repeatedly calls them her “fathers”. Not “uncles” or “caretakers” or any other option — fathers, and while this word by itself might not mean much, it is clearly supposed to hint at what kind of relationship is going to unite Will and Hannibal in the future. In 1.07, Will doesn’t come to the appointment and Hannibal is pining. It is a very powerful and explicit scene, with Hannibal slowly walking to his chair, checking his calendar to make sure Will had to come, touching the phone longingly, then abruptly making a decision and going to look for him. All of this is accompanied by the corresponding music. Is this scene romantic? Some may see it this way, some may disagree. But I think most will agree that such obvious pining is a common romantic trope that's often shown in media. The focus and the way the scene is presented are everything: they didn't just show that Will didn't come and that Hannibal decided to find him. No, we had a slow focus on all his hesitant actions and his longing for contact. In any way, at this stage, it is no longer a mere friendship. It goes deeper, to the point where Hannibal can’t stand not knowing where Will is and craving contact enough to drive for hours in the search for him.

Once again in 1.07, Will brings Hannibal a bottle of wine out of blue and acts awkwardly and shyly when declining the invitation to join the dinner party. We don’t know why Will did it and it is never addressed again, but I think everyone will agree that bringing a bottle of wine to another person for no reason and just for him has a rather romantic shade.

Then, in that same scene, Will claims he can’t stay because he has ‘a date with a Chesapeake Ripper’. It is a joke, of course, but once again, it’s fiction. The word choice is very deliberate, and Bryan loves to foreshadow the upcoming events.

In 1.08, Will drives an hour in the snow to tell Hannibal about the kiss with Alana and Hannibal exhibits a very controlled jealousy, making a snarky comment about the long drive and telling Will that he had been motivated not by attraction, but by the need to find a balance.

In 1.09, Hannibal calls him and Will Abigail’s fathers again and touches his shoulder. Yes, it is ambiguous, but when (especially) you know what’s coming, you can’t help but notice how this touch is too hesitant and fragile for a mere gesture of friendship and unity. I’ll just say, even my father caught up on it right away, which is saying something.

These are the most explicit things I recall from season 1. Now, season 2 is way more direct.

Many scenes of Hannibal pining, sitting with a glass of wine and staring at Will’s chair at his time of appointments is a common romantic trope. Yes, it can be interpreted in different ways — for example, Will has already become a part of Hannibal and Hannibal misses him as the person who has the power to understand him. However, I feel like I have to emphasize the fact that it cannot be the only reason. Hannibal has already met people with extreme empathy before, such as Pazzi. He has also met people who were happy to join him and who had similar mindset, as Tobias Budge. Hannibal wasn’t interested in them, but he’s interested in Will. Will is special because he is himself, and like Hannibal will say later, love either pays you a visit or it does not. It clearly did with Will.

Soon after Will is released from prison, he goes to Hannibal to start the implementation of his and Jack’s plan. What does he choose to do? He dresses up and polishes himself up, presenting himself to Hannibal in the way that we have never seen him before. The first thought that comes to mind is ‘seduction’. Consciously or unconsciously, Will makes himself look as attractive as possible.

In 2.08, Hannibal touches Will’s face and holds it, staring into his eyes. This is romantic. It is one of the most popular romantic tropes that ever existed. ‘Transcendent’ love doesn’t require this kind of very intimate touch to be displayed. More than that, things become very dangerous here because if there had been no explicit follow-up, Bryan would have been accused of queerbaiting. Fortunately, it wasn’t the case.

In 2.09, Will has a dream where Hannibal directly calls him his ‘beloved’ several times. In 2.10, Hannibal treats Will’s hands very gently and we get camera focusing on it thoroughly. It is a deliberate depiction of eroticism that's often used in romances to create and underline romantic and/or sexual tension. In the same episode, we have a beautiful sex scene, seemingly between Hannibal and Alana and Will and Margot. However, it is there to show a very intimate and all-encompassing connection that is developing between Will and Hannibal, and it is structured this way specifically. Will reaches orgasm when he sees the Wendigo, a reflection of Hannibal. The words used before, like Hannibal's words about "never touching", are said to Alana but put on the image of Will.

Alana notices the shift in this relationship and asks Will and Hannibal about it. They talk about “crossing boundaries” and the fact that they “know where we are with each other”, and Alana clearly remains suspicious. In the end of the episode, Will and Hannibal have an intimate dinner full of lingering glances.

In 2.11, the episode starts with the eating of ortolans, which has being pointed out as an allusion to blowjob by the creator) If you have missed it, just re-watch this scene again with this in mind. It is very explicit, to the point of being uncomfortable. Hannibal’s reaction to learning that Margot is pregnant from Will is to hint Mason about it, thus endangering her and her child. Granted, he seems to genuinely regret it, but the deed is done. It is a jealous and possessive reaction, which has been further confirmed by Mads. During the con, he said: "If Margot had Will’s baby, it would be very hard for Hannibal to get over it. He’d be jealous and very grumpy." In this same episode, Alana looks at the burnt ‘Shiva’ that Hannibal has left for Will and calls it a ‘courtship’. So, we get the explicit confirmation that Hannibal is courting Will. And no, he isn’t courting an emerging killer in Will because at this point, he thinks that Will has already embraced his potential by killing Randall and Freddie and eating her. To Hannibal’s mind, Will is almost ready, but he is too lovesick to stop. Can you imagine him digging up the corpse of ‘Freddie’, decorating it, and displaying like that? It’s hilariously romantic — in a dark way.

In 2.12, Will chooses Hannibal by freeing him from the trap and then not giving him up to Jack after he mutilates Mason. Hannibal draws a fanart (!) of himself and Will as Achilles and Patroclus. For those who don’t know, these two are popular examples of lovers. This isn't just friendship. The reference to Achilles and Patroclus is often used to hint at a romance, it's a popular trope as well.

In 2.13, Hannibal talks about ‘imago’, an image of a loved one, and then says that he and Will have an image of each other and offers him to run away. Two men running away together to reunite with their daughter is romantic. Will chooses Hannibal once again by calling him, but it is too late. We get a heartbreakingly tender and intimate touch between them before the stabbing. As Mads said, "Will is the light of Hannibal's life and Hannibal killed Abigail to break Will's heart the way he broke his." Just as he said that "Hannibal was blinded by love."

Season 3 is where all subtext is taken into text. Hannibal has chosen Bedelia as a substitute to Will, and note how many people believe they become lovers. So, why Will and Hannibal running away is platonic, but Hannibal doing the same with Bedelia is not? Even though when the only person he does love is Will. We see that he is dissatisfied with Bedelia and is growing restless.

In 3.01, we get a flashback to Gideon who teases/mocks Hannibal by saying, ‘If only that company could be Will Graham’. So, in the very limited interactions, even he managed to glimpse the attraction, because let’s be honest, he didn’t have time to understand all deep layers of this relationship, but his phrase has been included deliberately.

In this episode, Hannibal meets Anthony, practically a Will mirror. He looks similarly, is smart, sassy, and he is even enthusiastic about Hannibal’s crimes. Ideally, he is everything Hannibal has wanted. But what does he do? He kills Anthony and turns him into a Valentine heart for Will. Before that, he makes an example of the heart from Da Vinci’s ‘perfect man’. In 3.02, Will recognizes it as such and calls it a Valentine and a ‘broken heart’. He asks himself, “Do I still want to go with him?”, and answers, “Yes”.

In 3.03, we get the first ‘in love’ confirmation. Hannibal is shaken after seeing Will and hearing his words of forgiveness. When talking about him with Bedelia, Bedelia says, “Betrayal and forgiveness are best seen as something akin to falling in love”, and Hannibal replies, “You can’t control with respect to whom you fall in love”. The longing for Will has made Hannibal reckless, and Bedelia notices it by mentioning that he is going to get caught with this kind of behavior. In the end of the episode, Hannibal once again says that Will makes him feel love. He adds, “Love. He pays you a visit or he doesn’t.” Which love can either come to a person or not? Technically, these words could be interpreted as platonic love, but in the beginning of this very episode, we got a confirmation that the nature of this love is romantic. Will, in turn, is still reverent about Hannibal and even travels to his home to find out more about him. His attitude changes when he sees Chiyoh, who he sees as another toy abandoned by Hannibal, and it brings back the insecurities. We see it through how often Will compares himself and Chiyoh and how he is filled with anger and bitterness again (which were absent before this meeting). Chiyoh sees right through him and repeatedly states that Will is wrong to compare them, but Will persists.

In 3.04, we see that Will spends a lot of time sitting in Hannibal’s house, which is yet another romantic trope. Even Alana knows where to find him. Will admits to Jack that he “wanted to run away with Hannibal”, which also has a romantic connotation. Before that, Will was making the boat that he later uses to come and find Hannibal. This scene is intercut with his Mizumono memories, namely, with Hannibal's face that emerges every time he moves yet another part of the engine. This is a vivid demonstration of Will trying to repair what is now broken. He also literally sails after Hannibal, which is considered extremely romantic by many tropes at once. Chilton calls Will and Hannibal’s interactions a “flirtation” in this episode.

In 3.05, when discussing what to do with Hannibal, Chiyoh says, “I told you, there are means of influence other than violence” and kisses Will, thus showing him what others means exist. It is yet another direct allusion to the romantic part of Will and Hannibal’s relationship because Chiyoh basically offers him to kiss Hannibal instead of trying to kill him.

In 3.06, Hannibal says the famous, ”If I saw you every day, forever, Will, I would remember this time”. He said the same words to Clarice in the books shortly before having sex with her. It is an utterly romantic phrase that just cannot have any other meaning, especially when you count the narrative and the source material. Will adds some more romantic phrases, like “We are conjoined, I wonder if either of us can survive separation.” Such level of love is incredible, but you don’t say things like that to a person who you feel can just understand you. Nor to a simple friend or a spiritual mentor. It’s everything at once, especially when coming from Will. Things go badly after that and we get a knife and a drill. Scenes in Mason’s house are great and show that Will and Hannibal could be a great team. Hannibal saves Will and carries him home bridal-style. He changes his clothes, puts him into bed, and waits for him to wake up while writing down formulas that could change the time and erase some of the events. When Will wakes up, Hannibal admits that he has discovered Will in his Mind Palace, victorious, thus giving the power into his hands. When Will rejects him (by saying he’s not going to miss him), Hannibal gives himself up, knowing that chances are, he will never get back to freedom and he will never see Will again. Prison is the ultimate act of love because Hannibal is helpless there, completely on Will’s mercy. As Mads said during the con, "Will forgetting him was the last thing Hannibal wanted to hear, so that’s why he surrendered. The only way Will would see him again is if he’s in jail, and he would eventually visit. He was afraid he’d never see Will again otherwise."

3 years pass and we see that Will has a family. But — surprise! He is unhappy. He doesn’t even go fishing with them to have some time for himself. He hides the letter from Hannibal and goes to read it in the middle of the night. He never returns Molly’s ‘I love you’, never attempts to touch her, can’t even keep up a conversation with her, and literally sees himself falling to pieces. At the earliest opportunity, he jumps at the chance to see Hannibal. He didn’t have to do it. We are shown that he has recreated the crime scene perfectly, better than ever before, but Will lies to Jack about it and asks to see Hannibal.

In 3.09, we have a very powerful scene of Hannibal and Will reuniting, exchanging long sorrowful and heartbroken gazes. Hannibal says, “I gave you a child”, which puts him and Will in a category of parents again. He says that Will has chosen a ready-made family and Will doesn’t argue. We get a “Murder Husbands” reference from Freddie.

In 3.10, Will seeks Bedelia out. He acts catty and jealous. Bedelia calls him “Hannibal’s bride”, and calls Will out on visiting Hannibal just because he missed him, which Will doesn’t deny. He is confident and snarky at those scenes, using every opportunity to cut into Bedelia for having a relationship with Hannibal and surviving it in even better shape than he did. Bedelia says, “My relationship with Hannibal is not as passionate as yours”, and then adds: “You are here visiting old flame. Is your wife aware of how intimately you and Hannibal know each other?” They literally place Hannibal on the same level as Will’s wife. Then we have, “Your experience of Hannibal’s attention is so profoundly harmful yet so irresistible, it undermines your ability to think rationally.”

In 3.11, Hannibal sends Francis after Molly and Walter. Will doesn’t really comfort them, we see clearer than ever what a wedge exists between them. Hannibal asks, “How is the wife?”, which is another display of blatant jealousy. Will gets it, and he can’t deny the truth any longer.

In 3.12, we have the exchange that should have settled the debates about romantic part of relationship once and for all. Bedelia compares herself and Will to Hannibal/Bluebeard’s wives, and mentions how she would have preferred to be the last — the one that Will is. Will asks, “Is Hannibal in love with me?”, and Bedelia replies, “Could he daily feel a stab of hunger for you, and find nourishment at the very sight of you? Yes. But do you ache for him?” Will’s look and his silence speak volumes as everything fades to black slowly. This is it, the textually explicit confirmation. Fans didn’t come up with the idea that Will and Hannibal are in love, it was stated directly on screen, several times.

Shortly before the confession, Bedelia says, "It excites him, knowing that you marked in this particular way." Personally, I always felt some sexual subtext in this phrase, and it is confirmed when we regard the similar scene in the book. Clarice gets sperm on her face and these same words sound. Granted, the situations are very different, but it proves that the phrase does indeed have sexual connotations, and it was deliberately planned like this.

Will devises a complicated and deadly plan after this. He sets up Chilton, which can be seen as courting gift to Hannibal, and in 3.13, he lies to everyone to break Hannibal out of prison. Bedelia calls him out on it once again, saying, "Can't live with him. Can't live without him." Will doesn't deny it - he confirms it. When Hannibal says he'll agree to the plan if Will says 'please', Will does it - in an obviously flirting way. Hannibal calls him a 'cunning boy', which is once again obvious flirting, especially considering the way he says it. His plan results in the deaths of numerous officers, but Hannibal is free. We have another romantic trope where Hannibal pretends that Will is a hitchhiker and asks if he’s going his way. In the house, they have another loaded conversation where Will admits that he doesn’t think he can save itself, and that it’s fine.

Predictably, Will can’t handle seeing Hannibal killed, so he reaches for his gun. We know the rest. At the cliff, Will finally accepts the truth, and he gives the fate a chance to stop both of them or to set them free. They fall into the ocean under the Love Crime song, and since the water symbolizes reborn, we can guess what happens after that.

Post-credits scene indicates that Will and Hannibal have paid a visit to Bedelia and are in the process of eating her while she’s hiding the fork to stab one of them as he approaches. The deleted epilogue to the series shows that they are in perfect harmony now.")

Who's too lazy to read all of that, you can just check the quotes below and watch some fan videos where direct lines from canon are presented. My two favorites:

Reciprocity

Crazy in love

QUOTES

Initially, during S1, Bryan said he wanted to explore the idea of “heterosexual male friendship”. However, he later admitted that he was worried about negative homosexual stereotypes surrounding the imbalance in power in the relationship between Will and Hannibal, and in the podcast due to the beginning of American Gods, he confessed that he “wanted to approach “Hannibal” from the angle that no one has explored before — the angle of romance”.

During the airing of S2-S3, and beyond, Bryan was the one who pointed out romantic and even sexual subtext, and promoted Hannigram further. The cliff scene is officially labeled as "Kiss_alts".

Their love is queer

A collection

Canon. Original tweet is deleted, so only Bryan's is left. The person asked him to say whether Hannigram is canon.

Falling

Last wife

They Flip

Always

Will and Hannibal survived the Fall

Mere teasing, but it shows that Bryan does acknowledge sexual tension between Will and Hannibal: They did change clothes as well as Their lips were busy (to the question of what Will and Hannibal were doing in the car in TWOTL).

Bryan's favorite quote from the show: Is Hannibal in love with me?

Finally, the shirt Bryan wore at one of the latest meetings

Hugh on why it took Will so long to realize Hannibal is in love with him

Hugh on Will's reaction to Bedelia's answer about Hannibal being in love with him: ‘Oh crap, maybe this thing I’m feeling is love’

Hugh: Relief from loneliness

Hugh: It's romance

Mads: It was love at the first sight

You know better than to breed

Will Graham is covered in Hannibal’s body fluids

Bryan: I feel one is omnisexual and one is heterosexual and there's a lot of influence going back and forth, who knows with a six pack of beer what would happen: http://uproxx.com/sepinwall/hannibal-creator-i-wanted-to-be-sure-we-had-an-ending-for-the-story/

To the question of whether explicit Hannigram was a part of the initial plan, Bryan Fuller stated: "No, it naturally evolved because I guess I was absorbing so much of Mads and Hugh's performance, which felt like it was growing in intimacy, and it would have been inauthentic not to address it. Because all of these characters, and particularly Bedelia, was able to call out what she had witnessed [between Hannibal and Will], it seemed like a natural conclusion. I remember when I turned in the rewrite pages where Will asks Bedelia if Hannibal is in love with him, I got a note from Don Mancini, one of our writers who was always pushing for more homosexual text – not just context or subtext but text, text, text – and he was like, "I'm so glad you put that in there! They said it! They said it!" http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/hannibal/interviews/a667077/hannibal-bryan-fuller-talks-season-4-sexual-fluidity-and-how-will-became-clarice-starling/

Discussing what motivated him to verbally acknowledge the romance between Will and Hannibal, Fuller mentioned: "It felt like we had to s–t or get off the pot, ultimately, because there had been so much going on between these two men that when Will asks, "Is Hannibal Lecter in love with me?" it is very much about death and the romance between these two men. There is a quality to connections that go above and beyond sexuality. You can have this intimate connection with somebody that then causes you to wonder where the lines of your own sexuality are. And we didn't quite broach the sexuality. It was certainly suggested, but the love is absolutely on the table." http://tvline.com/2015/08/29/hannibal-series-finale-will-lecter-cliff-bryan-fuller-interview-season-4/

Remembering how the song for the finale of the series was created, Fuller said: "It was interesting. She [Siouxsie Sioux] was like, "I want to write this song, and what are the things I should really be thinking about?" And I was like, "this is a love story. A love story between a full-fledged psychopath and someone who has nascent psychopathic abilities." Actually, Hannibal Lecter is not a psychopath; he's something else entirely. But it's a love relationship between two men: one of them is a cannibal, and one of them understands those cannibalistic instincts all too well." http://uproxx.com/sepinwall/hannibal-creator-i-wanted-to-be-sure-we-had-an-ending-for-the-story/

Bryan Fuller: "Clarice never, until the end of Hannibal, submitted to that romance, whereas Will seemed to be on a slippery slope right from the beginning, so there's a contrast to be drawn between them." http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/hannibal/interviews/a667077/hannibal-bryan-fuller-talks-season-4-sexual-fluidity-and-how-will-became-clarice-starling/

Bryan in the commentary: "“After killing Francis Dolarhyde with Hannibal Lecter, he realizes this is exactly what Hannibal Lecter has wanted all along. He has wanted a partner in crime - a murder husband, as it were - and the sad truth of it all is that Hannibal was right. Will did enjoy it. Will thought it was a beautiful, powerful thing." https://omnisexualhanniballecter.tumblr.com/post/134099645797/after-killing-francis-dolarhyde-with-hannibal

Hugh during PaleyFest 2014 (prior to S3): "They are in love or they love each other, that's unquestionable. I think it's a platonic love... but it's rich in... (audience and cast laughs) Ok, we've done two seasons so far... so platonic love and they recognize each other as unique in the world, they reflect each other in a way, it's like profound recognition and relief that comes with it. And they are good looking guys." Mads agrees: "Exactly. Losing him or what Hannibal did with him in the two seasons is probably the closest he has ever been to loving anyone. And what love means in his universe we have to see later on. But it's heartbreaking everything that happens to poor Will is also heartbreaking for Hannibal."

Hugh: You could say that during the second half [of season three]-I mean, obviously we’re jumping ahead here, but Will comes back to Hannibal. He’s now got this family, and Will, independently and pretty quickly, starts coming to the conclusion that it’s not sustainable for him to have that family. Like, he’s not the guy. He’s not the right person to be able to look after them, to live with them. It’s not compatible with who he really is. And you could argue that Hannibal is just driving him more quickly to come to that realization. So in that sense, it is kind of brutal, tough love. His love is saying, “Know thyself.” Mads: As Hugh is saying, it’s unavoidable. It’s going to happen sooner or later. Might as well happen sooner, before he’s stuck. [Interview http://oh-dr-lecter.tumblr.com/post/129331180920/theyll-say-were-in-love-fangoria-august-2015]

Mads Mikkelsen on ‘Which scene has been the defining moment?'

"Probably one of the moments early on, maybe mid first season, where I spend some quality time in therapy session with Hugh and he’s flying away thinking about something and I have the chance, Hannibal has the chance, to watch him. And he becomes very warm watching him. He sees not only this brilliant person but he sees something he loves. I think that is the definition of Hannibal." [https://twitter.com/noforts/status/1071952333221888000]

Bryan and Hugh discussing Will's motivation in TWOTL at the cliff and beyond (in the commentary to S3):

Hugh: The point was that it wasn't the horror that drove Will to do this, the horror was secondary, it was a horror in reaction to how much he loved what happened between him and Hannibal. We have seen so many moments of Will is covered in blood and shaking and horrified and this moment he suddenly realizes it is his true self.

Bryan: I remember the day you shot the closeups, you both came running to me and I remember Mads was particularly giddy, giddy as a schoolgirl, he said we really went for it, we really went for the love story, we almost kissed and it's all there and you can use it.

Hugh: We had to push in that direction so that there is no point pretending otherwise.

About Bedelia's leg:

Bryan: The false interpretation is she cut her leg which is a crazier version of Bedelia than I understand. Of course the intention is they survived and there are three place settings."

Hugh, answering the question what is happening to Will and Hannibal now: "Let's just say they're on a beach somewhere. [Interviewer] Just chilling on a beach? [Dancy] Yeah, just chilling on a beach. Drinking something out of a coconut."

Also, the reports from people who visited one of the cons mentioned the following."Today at Red Dragon Con it was announced by Mads that Hannibal and Will are now married, have dogs which he calls “the ugly carpets” of the relationship, and live in seclusion for 4 years before hunting together." Regardless of whether it is going to come to fruition or not, this is how Mads imagines Will and Hannibal's life Post Fall.

Mads in May 2018:

"“I think that Hannibal and Will… they’re not really alive without each other. They are a piece of the puzzle for the other one’s soul.”

A great video where Mads talks about Hannibal and his feelings in S2 final.

Question: Was Hannibal suspicious of Will before he smelled Freddie Lounds or was he completely clueless about it at that point?

Mads: Hannibal doesn't have a masterplan. He's living from day to day and he's seeing possibilities and opportunities, and one of them is Will Graham, who he is obviously in love with, in a certain way - that way. But I think at that time, Hannibal has been blinded by Will Graham. He believes truly that he will walk down the path with the light, hand in hand, with Will - and Abigail. That's his dream, that's what he wants, and I think it does surprise him and it does break his heart. It is a turning point for Hannibal when he becomes the cleaning man instead of the man who loves. Until then, he'd been a man full of love, and after that, I think he is... slightly angry. It was a surprise for him. He was tricked.He got blinded by love.

Interesting interview bit:

IGN: Reba’s final scene was another where you got to really pull direct quotes from the book. But here, I was reading it as Will can also be projecting about himself, as he talks about what it might be like to have a serial killer in love with you. Was that in your mind too, given you had these great quotes from the book but that it could definitely be maybe be a bit more of an echo here, given the situation.?

Fuller: Oh, absolutely. It was a great synchronicity of events where everything that Will was saying to Reba in the novel actually applies to Will Graham in the television series. So there was the want of seeing that scene because I haven’t seen it in any of the adaptations where we get to see Reba, post all of this, and have a quiet moment between the two people who were in love with serial killers.

Bryan: "My ship is canon" (https://twitter.com/BryanFuller/status/1072599788581998593)

Bryan about Will and Hannibal's relationship: "Will accepts who Hannibal is. It’s also narcissistic, in the way that we fall in love with people who make us feel better about ourselves and who make us feel like we’re a better version of ourselves. That makes us feel more secure in our bodies, in the dysmorphia of who you are on the inside versus who you project on the outside. That disconnect narrows dramatically when somebody sees you, understands you, accepts you and loves you. It’s transcendent." (http://collider.com/bryan-fuller-hannibal-silence-of-the-lambs-interview/)

Bryan about Will's reasons for jumping, surviving, and attacking Bedelia with Hannibal: "I think one of the reasons it seemed so organic for Will to go over the cliff with Hannibal at the end was that, in his mind, as he understood the universe in his world, he had peaked. It’s also stopping a monster and stopping himself from becoming a monster, but I think part of him was thinking, “That was beautiful. I don’t think I can do that again and feel as high as I do now.” Everything overwhelmed him and he went over that cliff because there was an apex to his experience, in a way that was poetic and dramatic. ... The kind of suicide where somebody jumps off a bridge, part of them hopes they survive and part of them wants to be over. I think a lot of people are hoping for some percentage of survival that may change them because they’re looking for change within themselves. So, I think there was some bit of that. For the ending with Gillian [Anderson], there are two place settings for a reason." (http://collider.com/bryan-fuller-hannibal-silence-of-the-lambs-interview/)

Bryan about Will and Hannibal's relationship in S1: The relationship between Will and Hannibal in this first season is the seduction. It is Hannibal Lecter recognizing in Will Graham for the first time in anyone that he has ever encountered in his life the opportunity for a friendship, a real friendship, because he sees something in Will Graham that he also sees in himself. They are both unique in their crazy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzU7O7Q0R5U)

Hugh about the start of Will and Hannibal's relationship: "It’s an instant love between them, it is as if Will met not the best chess player in the world, but the only absolute, the only person he can play with, that enters in the room - or rather, in his life - with a chessboard in hand, and this provokes in him a pleasure and an incredible relief. When we find Will at the beginning of the second season, he was betrayed and thrown in jail, so he is not in a really enviable situation, but the connection he had with Hannibal has remained unchanged, it is something which he can not get rid of. This time, however, he manipulates their connection because Hannibal still needs him and their friendship, but beyond the practical utility must be said that the bond with Hannibal is, even for Will, a source of uncontrolled, involuntary pleasure.”

Mads about the start of relationship: "Hannibal sees an opportunity in this young man. And so he can hopefully, one day, walk hand in hand down the road of life." https://k-s-morgan.tumblr.com/post/187266698258/hannibal-sees-an-opportunity-in-this-young-man

Mads during S1: "When he sees Will, he recognizes himself to a degree. [Hannibal] has empathy, but [he] uses it as a tool; Will has empathy, but he doesn’t know what to do with it. Lecter sees an opportunity to open this man’s eyes and see his full potential realized. And he also sees the opportunity for a friend, which is probably not what he’s had too many of. Even though Hannibal is the puppeteer, he really loves Will." https://screencrush.com/hannibal-lunch-preview/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral

Bryan: "The tricky thing with this show is that it is a story about two men and their relationship. But if it were just about male point of views, it wouldn’t be interesting. I feel like we haven’t done as good of a job, in Season 2, of representing the female characters and their point of view of the world. I think there’s a greater opportunity in Season 3 to do that, and do more of that. In Season 2, we knew the story was about these two guys, and everybody else around them were pawns. Jack Crawford was a pawn. Alana Bloom was a pawn. It was all about what was between Hannibal and Will Graham." https://collider.com/hannibal-season-3-details-filming-europe/

Bryan about S4: I'm still hoping for more Murder Husband adventures!

source: https://www.reddit.com/r/HannibalTV/comments/72bk89/the_story_of_how_hannigram_became_canon_to_those/

[indescribablechoices]

Go Slowly With Me Now - Part Seven of Enchanting (TRR)

Enchanting follows the story of Liam and Alicia (MC)’s daughter Lyra as she enters the social season in search of a husband. Familiar faces, sibling shenanigans and naturally; romance, all await along the way.

Part One/Part Two/Part Three/Part Four/Part Five/Part Six/

Tag list: @brightpinkpeppercorn@iknewyoudcome@mitalijoshi@mynameiskaylabella@cocomaxley@boneandfur @museofbooks @moneyfordiamonds

Summary - Love and passion brew, and confessions are made. (Apologies to anyone who’s been waiting for this, I wanted to get this chapter right before I posted it... it just took me longer than expected)

Rating - Mature; discussions of sex, discussions of virginity 

Word count - 5836

Enchanting Masterlist

Come by my room later?

I’ll sneak over when I can.

“Are you okay?”

Lyra snapped out of her racing thoughts to look at Drake who was still sat under his umbrella, watching her with a look of confused concern. She quickly locked her phone and threw it back in her bag.

“Fine, fine, why do you ask?” she asked, trying to keep her cool.

“No reason,” he said quietly, the signs of a knowing smile tugging at his lips as his attention went back to his book.

She got to her feet, glancing quickly around the beach, before leaving; muttering some excuse about making the rounds with her suitors. He shook his head to himself and continued to read. He had never seen his eldest sister like this over a guy. She and Bartie had been thick as thieves as kids, and to see them now fawning over each other like a pair of lovesick teenagers… He couldn’t even complain. It was good to see her so happy.

He couldn’t begin to imagine the pressure that was put on her; being the first born, with the expectations of the crown and the court and the people, he just hoped that her relationship with Bartie could ease that pressure, or at least give her some comfort. No one knew what the coming days would hold with the season, or their father’s health, but whatever came, he knew that if anyone was going to get through it all; it was Lyra.

He remained sat in his chair for the rest of the afternoon, happily reading his book as he occasionally glanced up over the top of the pages to check on his siblings.

Lyra was making the rounds, talking to her suitors and their friends. He noticed her talking to Natalia a fair amount, the pair of them looking over in Bartie’s direction as they whispered away to each other. He didn’t even want to think about what Lyra was going to Nat for advice for. Bartie kept looking in her direction as well, the pair of them blushing if they so much as locked eyes to the point where Gareth was playfully smacking his brother over the top of the head to snap his attention back to the game of volleyball they were losing to Percy and Jack.

Leona was led back on a sun lounger with Alodie and Lily, all of them enjoying their drinks and cheering on the boys’ game. Drake felt his eyes linger on Alodie for a moment too long, waving awkwardly to her when she called out for him to join them when she caught him looking. He quickly buried his face in his book and ignored her.

Elias, in his usual fashion when they came to the beach, refused to leave the water for the majority of the afternoon. He spent most of said time attempting to coax Edward in to join him, but the future Count just shook his head, not going any further than up to his mid-calf in the surf. Eventually, and much to Drake’s surprise, Eli relented and joined him in the shallows, and the pair wandered off to go explore the rockpools in the late afternoon sun.

Soon the party began to draw to a close as the sun began to set along the horizon, lighting the crystal ocean water up with a fiery orange. Drake set his book down, knowing he would have to pack up his things soon to head back, but he was interrupted from his thoughts when Alodie suddenly appeared in front of him.

“A group of us are heading over to the cove for a little after party, you should come.”

His eyes trailed up her figure, taking in the sight of her flawless dark skin, her figure held in nothing but a red bikini. His mouth flapped for a moment or so, feeling a blush begin to glow in his cheeks before he stammered out a quick, “S-Sure.”

A grin spread across her face, “Really? I didn’t think you would.”

“Yeah, well, I…” he glanced away, rubbing at the back of his neck, mind working quickly to say something else, “I figured I should get out more.”

She let out a laugh then grabbed hold of his hand, pulling him out of his chair, “Well I think it’s a good thing. Now, grab whatever you need and we’ll get going.”

He collected up the few things he thought he would need; his phone and wallet, shoving them in the pockets of his trousers, asking one of the members of staff to make sure the rest of it got back to the palace, before heading over to the edge of the beach where a group waited for him consisting of Alodie, Percy, Edward, Eli, Nat, Liz, Gareth, Jack, Leona and Lily.

He glanced around looking for Lyra, but she was already bee lining back to the limo. He noticed that Bartie was doing the same in the direction of the Beaumont limo and his eyebrows raised a little.

“Was that…?” Eli’s voice came from beside him, head cocked in his eldest sister’s direction.

“Yep,” Drake nodded.

“Are she and Bartie…?”

“Most likely.”

“Scandalous,” Elias teased under his breath before patting his brother on the back and nodding towards their group of friends, “C’mon, onwards to unsupervised debauchery.”

Drake let out a groan as he followed behind, “Oh lord what have I gotten myself into?”

As they headed towards the cove, Lyra sat alone in the limo, nervously looking at her messages from Bartie.

I’ll sneak over when I can.

There had been no hesitation in his reply. He wanted this as much as she did; to finally be alone together, to really figure out the chemistry that was building between them. There was so much anticipation. This had started all those years ago next to the campfire on her sixteenth birthday as they had kissed for the first time, the burning taste of whiskey still in both of their mouths.

They had slept side by side that night, and more than once that night she had considered waking him up to kiss again, and maybe more. She had always wondered what sex with him would be like, knowing how many of their friendship group had casually experimented with each other over the years, Natalia always offering to ‘help out’ any of the virgins who wanted their first time to be with someone they trusted. Lyra had considered it, but as much as she trusted Nat, she knew that the only friend she ever would have trusted like that was Bartie.

And now, seven years later, he was sneaking over to her room to quite possibly spend the night, with everything that that entailed. He had been her first friend, her first kiss and now…

She was snapped out of her thoughts as the limo pulled into the entrance to the palace. She headed inside as soon as the door opened, mind already reeling over what she was going to wear.

Back at the beach, Drake sat by the large bonfire that he and his friends had put together, watching everyone having fun in the privacy of the cove that had been the location of many parties over the years. Someone had set up a makeshift bar in the corner out of the coolers of beer that they’d brought with them and there was generic pop music playing from someone’s speaker.

Most of the group were in the water, splashing around in the shallows as the sun started to dip below the horizon, some others grouped up as they drank beer or contributed to burying Percy in the sand.

“You over here on your lonesome?”

He glanced up to see his cousin Lily stood over him, a beer held out in her hand. He took it with a smile as she sat beside him.

“You know I’ve never been one for overwhelming amounts of social interaction,” he reminded her as he took a sip.

“I’m still surprised you came, I don’t normally see you at these after parties,” she nudged him, a playful grin on her face.

Being his father’s brother Leo’s daughter, Lily and her brother Lysander were frequent visitors to Cordonia over the years, often present for the big social events, but also taking the time to live their own lives back in the States where they lived with their parents. Since Liam had fallen ill, Leo had been spending more time in Cordonia with Lily and her mother Kaylee, wanting to be there to support his family, but Lysander had been less and less present over the last few years, having joined the army as soon as he turned eighteen.

“I might be the more… reserved one,” he said, “But contrary to popular belief, I do enjoy spending time with my friends.”

She hummed with laughter, “I could tell from how you were hiding on the other side of the bonfire on your own.”

He rolled his eyes, before he glanced back to her, “How’s Lysander doing nowadays? I’ve seen him at a few events, but I haven’t gotten the chance to speak to him. He avoids social interaction more than I do.”

She gave a slight shrug, tucking her long hair behind her ear, “Don’t take it personally, he doesn’t speak to anyone anymore, not since…”

“Since what?”

“Since he got back from his last tour,” she told him, “I don’t even know where he went. He says it’s classified information. I’m not even fully certain what it is he does. I know he was chosen for training in special forces, but he’s never spoken a word about it. He doesn’t talk to me anymore. Not like we used to when we were younger. He was my best friend, y’know?”

He nodded, thinking of how close he and all of his siblings were, particularly the bond between the twins.

“I think he’ll talk about it when he’s ready,” he said, choosing his words carefully, “And if he’s never ready… then you just have to be there for him.”

She sniffed back her tears, “I know. I just really miss him.”

“I know I’m not your brother, but we’re still family; I’ve always got your back, and you know you’ll always have that from me and the others,” he told her.

A smile crossed her lips as she put an arm around his shoulder, pulling him in for a tight hug, “Thanks, Drake. You’re such a sweetheart.” When she pulled away, she wiped her growing tears away with the back of her hand, “C’mon. This is supposed to be a party. Let’s get a proper drink.”

She took him by the hand and pulled him to his feet, leading him over to the makeshift bar that Gareth was manning, knowing that someone would have stashed some spirits somewhere.

Across the beach, Eli and Edward sat on the edge of some rocks, talking quietly to each other as the sun fully set and they appreciated the subtle warmth of the bonfire.

“This is nice,” Edward told him, nodding in the general direction of the party, “I don’t really have a lot of friends.”

“Well, you’re part of the group now,” Eli said, taking a sip of beer before grimacing and resting the bottle back in the sand.

Edward smiled at him, “Not to your taste?”

“Give me something with four different spirits and a disgusting amount of sugar and fruit any day. I have to say, I’m surprised you’re drinking it. You strike me more of a tea kind of guy.”

“Wine’s more my drink, but I’d struggle to find a good vintage out in the rock pools.”

Eli snorted with laughter before his expression softened and he nudged Edward’s shoulder with his forehead, “I meant what I said though. You’re part of our group now. Court can be rough when you don’t have someone to have your back.”

He nodded, “When I was younger, it was just Liz and I. Mother loved us, but work has always been a priority for her. The most attention she gave me was in my training to become Count one day, and Father always had business back in England. We went with him when we were kids, but as time went on, I had to stay here more often. So Liz stayed with me; ‘to make sure I didn’t die of boredom and stuffiness’ she said… She’s always looked out for me. You’d think she was the older sibling, not me. I always worried that she would be missing out on the life she could have in England. But to see her here with everyone,” his eyes trailed over to where Liz and Nat were laughing and dancing together around where Percy was still neck deep in the sand, “It’s good to see her happy… And I like this group. It’s nice to have other people in my life… Especially you.”

Eli felt a blush creep up the back of his neck as he couldn’t control the smile on his face, “Me?”

“Yes, you,” Edward hummed, knocking his shoes against Eli’s playfully, “I know all of this is still new between us, but I have admired you for a long time.”

“Admired me?”

“I haven’t come out to my parents,” he admitted, “The only people who know about my sexuality are here on this beach… I… I don’t find it easy to express myself and how I feel, particularly in regards to romance. I agreed to partake in the season knowing full well that I would never be able to love Lyra because my mother has placed so many expectations on me about who I should be and I didn’t have the strength of heart to defy her wishes. But you… You’re the bravest man I know.”

“Brave?” Eli asked quietly.

“I don’t think you understand what you coming out for the world to hear did,” he said, “You are so unapologetically yourself. You’re an inspiration to so many people around the world. You’re an inspiration for me… And to be here, with you, to be able to hold you,” his arm wrapped a little tighter around Eli’s waist, “To kiss you,” his lips ghosted over Eli’s, “To feel just a shred of the sunlight coming off of you makes me feel like I could do anything.”

Eli pressed his lips hard against Edward’s, his arms coming up to wrap around his neck to pull him closer. They stayed like that for a while, kissing and relishing in the warmth of the other’s embrace, Edward’s words sinking deep into Elias’ heart, affection thrumming through his entire body.

“ELI!”

The young prince looked across the beach when he heard the sound of Leona’s voice, seeing her stood by the makeshift bar, a bottle of tequila in her hand, waving at the line of shot glasses, most surprisingly with Drake stood with her.

Eli shook his head to himself, turning back to Edward with a soft sigh, “My people need me.”

Edward chuckled, stealing another quick kiss, “Go. I’m not going anywhere.”

That made Eli smile the most out of everything that he’d said already that evening before he hopped down from his perch and headed across the beach to claim his shot and find his song choice for the inevitable dance off when someone dug Percy out.

Edward watched after him, a warm smile on his face, not even glancing over when Liz came to lean by his legs.

“You are so smitten,” she pointed out, grinning smugly.

He nodded, tension surging in his chest, “Unapologetically so.”

The party raged on into the night, drink being passed around to everyone as they turned from talking to dancing and laughing. Edward even indulged in a few drinks, and for the first time in as long as he could remember let himself relax and have fun.

Drake swayed a little where he sat, having taking a seat on his own for a little while, closing his eyes for a few moments to try and ward off the spinning feeling to no avail. He hadn’t planned on drinking as much as he had, but he rarely ever had more than a drink or two at dinners or balls so it hadn’t taken a lot to lose his sobriety.

He pushed his glasses up into his hair so that he could rub his face, letting out a soft laugh at the oddly numb feeling the alcohol had caused.

“You good?”

He glanced up with blurry eyes to see Alodie stood over him, leaning down to check on him. He flashed her a grin, “Yeah, I’m good.”

She sat on the towel beside him, grabbing his beer and taking a swig, looking into the bonfire. He let his glasses slide back down onto his nose, looking at her in the firelight, her dark hair pulled up in a messy bun to keep it dry from her dips into the ocean, sitting comfortably in her red bikini.

“You have freckles on your shoulders,” he murmured quietly.

“Hmm?” she looked up at him, eyes almost expectant.

His mouth flapped for a second as he tried to get his thoughts together, desperately trying not to blush at the fact that he had made his observation out loud, “You… uh… You look a little cold.”

She nodded slightly, “Yeah, I guess I am a little.”

“Here,” he said, shrugging off his shirt from where it had already sat unbuttoned on his frame, handing it out to her as he reached over and pulled his blazer back on around her shoulders.

Her smile grew as she slipped his shirt on properly, leaning herself against him, “Thank you.” He instinctively put his arm around her, holding her closer. She pressed her nose against the collar, humming softly, “It smells like you.”

“Oh,” he said quietly.

“I like it,” she told him with a smile, “It smells like your aftershave and those teabags you like. All of your clothes do… It smells like the sound of violins. You’re such a talented musician. I wish you believed in yourself as much as I believe in you… If you could see the you that I see; the admiration and love would overwhelm you.”

His heart jolted in his chest when she said that. They were both drunk. He knew that; it was the only thing at the forefront at his mind, but slowly creeping up was the absolute sincerity in her voice.

Their eyes met and he could feel his heart slamming in his ribcage just like it did every time he looked at her.

“Allie…” her name was a whisper on his next breath as he felt himself drawing her closer, “You’re my favourite person in the whole world. And I…”

“Yeah Drake?” she asked, looking expectantly at him.

He felt anxiety knot in his stomach as he considered saying the words that always played in the back of his thoughts when he was with her. He wanted to tell her. He wanted to tell her more than anything. He could feel the relief of getting the confession off of his chest already, and the words nearly burst out.

But then he thought of what happened afterwards. When he ruined their friendship, when she turned away from him, when he lost the most important person in his life.

He let out a sigh, loosening his hold on her a little, “Nothing. I… I just wanted you to know how much I appreciate your friendship.”

“Right,” she said softly, nodding to herself, “Of course… And I yours.”

On the other side of the bonfire, the rest of their friends still danced together. Unnoticed by nearly everyone, Leona and Jack had slipped away from the group, calling Leona’s driver to take them back to one of the private lodges that the royal family owned.

Once inside, it took very little conversation to find them both naked and in bed together. Afterwards, she went to the kitchen and retrieved drinks for them both, comfortably wandering around with nothing but his shirt on.

He watched her as she went to and fro, considering the comfortable domesticity of it all.

When she returned, she clambered back into back, lying out beside him. They enjoyed their cooling water in silence, only their legs rubbing together before he set both of their glasses aside on the bedside table, drawing her in closer to kiss her.

She hummed against his mouth, “Ready for another round already?”

“Run away with me.”

Her eyes snapped open at his words, breaking away from his mouth, “What?”

He ran a hand through his hair, “You want to leave and so do I. I’m not cut out for life at court. Bastien will retire as head of security as soon as the season is over and my dad will take his place. He is my only tie to Cordonia. Well, him and you.”

“What about your sister?”

“Half-sister,” he reminded her, “I love Nat, you know I do. But she has a life here. A life that she doesn’t need me hanging around for. I’ve thought about leaving for a long time now, but there was always another reason to stay, but I only need one reason to leave.”

She shook her head to herself as she let out an exasperated sigh, “Jack, we can’t just leave…”

“That’s horseshit and you know it. You’ve been itching to get out of here for years. I know that you want to move to America and go to catering college and start your own restaurant and live your own life.” His expression softened for a moment as he sat up a little in bed, “I know it’s a scary thought, but we would have each other. I’ve got money saved up, my own money, I’d help put you through college if you’re worried about what your family might say, and we could start a life away from all of this… together.”

She stared at him for a moment before she let out a soft breath, unable to hold in the slight hint of laughter, “Jack that’s ridiculous. It’s not practical, it’s not-”

“Tell me that this isn’t because of your insecurities about committing to a real relationship,” he said.

Her eyebrows shot up, “Excuse me?”

“That’s what it is, isn’t it? You’re not scared or worried about running away, you’re scared about doing it with me because it would mean having to make a real choice for once in your life,” he shook his head to himself before he let out a hard sigh, “I can’t do this anymore.”

He slid out of bed, reaching for his clothes. She sat up, looking at him with wide eyes, “What do you mean?”

“What I mean, Lee, is that I can’t keep doing this; waiting around at your beck and call for whenever you feel lonely.”

“Jack…” she reached out for him but he pulled his arm away.

“No,” he said firmly, “I don’t want to hear it. You always say that this doesn’t mean anything and we’re free to see other people, but god forbid I so much as look at another girl. Look at how you reacted when you found out that I was part of the season. You threw your toys out of the pram because god forbid I give someone else my attention,” he shook his head to himself as he yanked his jeans on, turning around to look at her, “You’re so wrapped up in your own little world that you never noticed that you are the only one I have ever wanted to be with.”

She blinked at him a few times, words failing her, “I… I didn’t…”

“You didn’t know?” he raised an eyebrow, “You’re the most important person in my whole damn life, Lee. How could you not see that?” He pulled his t shirt on, letting out a hard breath, “I’ll stay until the season’s over. Just enough time to see it through and get things organised, then I’m leaving.”

“Leaving?” she asked, “Where will you go?”

“Anywhere as long as it’s away from this place,” he told her, “I’ve been offered jobs for over a year now for stables all over the world to train their horses. And I turned them all down to stay with you. Because you needed me. But you are never going to see me as anything other than someone to have meaningless sex with, and I can’t keep torturing myself like this.”

He pulled his shoes on and grabbed his jacket, heading for the door.

“Jack, wait.”

He stopped, looking around at her expectantly, heart in his throat as he awaited her next words. But no words came. She just looked at him, unable to get her own thoughts and feelings straight enough to respond to him. He just shook his head to himself, letting out a hard breath.

“Yeah, I thought as much,” he said, unable to keep the bitter disappointment out of his voice as he turned and walked out the door. Not looking back.

 Lyra’s stomach fluttered when she heard the gentle knock on her door. She stood from her desk, giving her curls one last shake, letting out a slow breath, before crossing the room and opening the door. Bartie stood on the other side, wearing a simple white shirt and jeans, his hair naturally messy for the first time since the season had begun, a smile on his face as his eyes met hers.

“Hey, Sunshine,” he said quietly.

“Hey yourself,” she returned his smile, holding the door open wider, allowing him to enter before closing it behind him.

He glanced around her bedroom, taking in every little detail before his eyes fixed on the desk. He stepped closer, feeling his heart beat hard when he recognised the box that sat atop it. He glanced back at her, “You kept the jewellery box I made you?”

“Of course,” she nodded, “I kept every present you gave me.”

He cocked an eyebrow, “Even Sir Ted?”

She crossed the room to her bed, reaching underneath it to pull out an old teddy bear. She handed him to Bartie who took the stuffed toy into his hands, humming to himself at the pang of nostalgia that he felt in his chest.

“Do you remember when I gave him to you?” he asked.

She smiled, “Eli and Leona had a funfair set up in the gardens for their seventh birthday. Everyone was invited. I was so excited. But I was sick and couldn’t go. So you went and won him for me on one of the games then came upstairs to give him to me, and you told me that he was a knight and he would fight off the germs.” She glanced at the bear then back up at him, “Then you stayed and watched Mulan with me.”

“Of course I did,” he met her eyes, “I didn’t want to be anywhere my best friend wasn’t… Even though I got sick as well.”

“Your dad was so angry,” she snorted with laughter.

“Totally worth it,” he said, running his thumb over the bear’s still soft fur, “I can’t believe you keep Sir Ted under your bed.”

“He usually lives on the bed, but I didn’t think he was exactly an alluring sight for a guy I invited to my room,” she pointed out.

A smirk crossed his face, reminding them both for a moment why he was actually here, but as the tension began to grow again, a grin split across his face, “You still sleep with your stuffed bear?”

“Not every night!” she protested, pouting at him.

He began to chuckle softly, shaking his head to himself as he looked down at Ted, “You have an important job, Sir, protecting our future queen.” His eyes flicked back to Lyra, “You really kept everything I gave you?”

“Of course I did,” she told him, taking the bear from his hands and setting him down on the desk before looking back at Bartie, “I know we drifted apart for those few years, but it’s not like I could ever forget about you. This room is the one sanctuary I have that is entirely my own, and it is somewhere I keep filled with things that remind me of the people that are most important to me.”

“I must be pretty important, I gave you some crap gifts as a kid,” he smiled impishly, laughing as she gave him a playful shove, “Oh, you’re going to pay for that, Princess.”

She let out a squeal of laughter as he grabbed her around the waist, tickling her sensitive ribs. She attempted to tickle him back, going for his neck; the one weak spot she knew he had, but he was taller and quicker. They tumbled backwards onto the bed, laughing and giggling as he continued to tickle her. She writhed beneath him, playfully kicking at him before she finally let out a breathless squeak of, “I yield!”

He stopped tickling her, resting his forehead against hers as they both caught their breaths before he tilted his head to meet her eyes, “And what prize do I get from the beautiful princess for winning?”

“Will a kiss suffice?” she asked.

“Just one?” he teased, letting his nose graze against hers, a tense heat growing between them as they both seemed to realise the position they’d found themselves in.

“We’ll see,” she murmured against his mouth as she kissed him. Their lips pressed together in a sweet, gentle kiss, but as soon as it broke they both hungrily reached in for another. Their mouths and bodies moved as one, kissing and pressing against each other, taking their time to learn what the other liked, both relishing in the soft noises they were drawing from the other.

His hand rested just above her knee, his thumb teasingly rubbing a circle there. Her fingers wound into his hair, tugging it slightly to pull him in for another kiss, for more contact.

“Lyra,” he groaned her name quietly against her mouth, hand sliding higher up her thigh, the material of her dress hitching up with it.

She sighed softly at the feel of his fingers on the bare skin of her leg and she hooked her ankle against his hip to draw him closer against her.

“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this since the night of the masquerade,” he admitted, his voice a hoarse whisper as he nipped at her earlobe, moving his lips to kiss at her jaw, then her neck, “You’re so beautiful, Sunshine.”

She gasped as his fingers reached high enough to trace the lacy edge of her underwear and she sat up suddenly, scrambling to untangle her legs from his embrace, sitting up against the headboard with her knees drawn up to her chest.

Her cheeks flushed red as she avoided his eyes, “I’m sorry, I…”

“Hey,” he said quietly, kneeling in front of her, “Look at me.” She slowly shifted her eyes to meet his gaze. “What’s wrong?”

“I… I’ve never done this before,” she said, her fingers winding in her blonde curls.

“Oh.”

“I’m sorry, I should have said something, but I didn’t want to ruin the mood or…” she trailed off from her nervous rambling as he took hold of her hand and pressed a kiss to it.

“It’s okay,” he assured her, “I wish you’d mentioned something sooner; I would have slowed down, but I know it’s probably not the easiest thing to admit when you’ve got my gorgeous self kissing you far too senselessly to say anything.”

She snorted softly with laughter, interlacing their fingers. They sat in silence for a moment, his thumb stroking over the back of her hand before she glanced at him, “I want this, and I want it to be with you; the person I trust the most in the whole world… But I’d understand if you don’t-”

She was cut off by the press of his lips against hers, fingers twisting gently around her curls. She kissed him back, cupping the back of his neck to hold him close.

“Sunshine,” he groaned her nickname almost breathlessly, “There’s no rush for anything you’re not comfortable with, but I’m here, whatever it is that you want.”

“You,” she murmured against his mouth, “You’re what I want.”

“Then I’m yours,” he told her, “Always.”

She kissed him hard, shifting her knees apart from where she sat to draw him closer against her. Time seemed to slow for them both then, losing themselves in the bond that echoed between them. They slowed undressed each other, taking the time to run their fingers over and kiss every inch of the other’s bare skin.

Every time their eyes met, he quietly asked her if she was okay, letting her know that they could stop at any time. She would just smile and kiss him again, promising that she was okay.

As she was slowly bared to him, Lyra waited for the panic to well up in her stomach, but it was only the butterflies. She was nervous, but every time she met Bartie’s eyes or heard the soft noises he made as they touched, she relaxed into it; knowing that nothing in her life before had ever felt as natural as having him right here.

***

They lay tangled in each other’s embrace later that evening, both spent and exhausted as they lazily ran their fingers over whatever exposed skin they could reach; Lyra’s head rested on Bartie’s outstretched arm.

“Was that okay?” he whispered quietly, pressing a tender kiss to her forehead.

“It was perfect,” she told him, unable to hide even the tired smile on her face as she reached up to run her fingers through the ends of his mess of brown hair.

“You’re perfect,” he said; grey eyes taking in the sight of her beside him, her blonde hair turned golden in the low lamplight as it fanned across the pillow, the kiss swollen curve of her bottom lip, the soft feel of her leg as it rubbed against his absentmindedly.

There was an unspoken moment between them then as they both held back a confession, knowing the position their stations put them in.

“Do you realise this is the longest time we’ve had alone together since this all began?” she pointed out after a long moment’s silence.

He let out a hum of laughter, “This definitely isn’t something I want Bastien or any of your family walking in on to interrupt us.”

“They’re all out at the beach still,” she reminded him, “Bastien will be hanging around there in case of any trouble.”

“And your parents?” he quirked an eyebrow.

“Raised Leona and know better than to walk into a bedroom without knocking,” she said, causing them both to crack up laughing. When a comfortable silence fell between them again, she ran her fingers over his chest, over his heart, “Will you stay with me tonight?”

He leaned in and kissed her gently, “Always, Sunshine.”

[segadores-y-soldados]

Retribution and Reapercussions

A follow-up to “Long Reasons Not to Trust Moira in Retribution”, “A Clash of Kings,” the post about the declassified Blackwatch memorandum on Venice, a post about Overwatch and Blackwatch investigating their own organization, “The Immortal Soldier?”, and other essays.  The ones linked above are the most important at the moment.

McCree: Did you even consider what was gonna happen before you pulled the trigger?  Reyes: I made a decision - I’ll deal with the consequences.  McCree: What, like gettin’ the four of us killed?  Reyes: That’s not going to happen.

---

McCree: How are you gonna explain this to the Strike-Commander?  Gabriel: You let me worry about what Jack needs to know.  McCree: You know you can’t shoot him.  Gabriel: No, but I could shoot you.

McCree: Our target was dead, so I guess he got what was coming to him.  But still…it didn’t seem right.  But that wasn’t the end of our problems: for the first time, people knew we were out there.  New faces stepped up to fill the void in Talon.  And I can’t help but wonder…if that’s where it all started to go wrong.

“Long Reasons Not to Trust Moira in Retribution” covered a lot of the evidence, ideas, and possible hypotheses that went into creating “the perfect storm” of the Venice mission, where different ideologies, motivations, personalities, and perspectives collided and struggled with one another for the “fate” of Overwatch and its narrative control.

In that essay, I touched on some of the consequences of the mission, but not in full detail.  This post will likely be the first of several that pull together what we know occurred after Retribution in the Overwatch timeline, and how several of those things might fit together.  It’s going to build on what was written in “Long Reasons,” so yes, hypotheses on top of hypotheses/analyses.

The Immediate Aftermath: minutes to several days (?) after Retribution

Three major things happen in the immediate aftermath of the Venice mission, likely within minutes to hours of the dropship returning to the Overwatch headquarters in Switzerland:

1. The debriefings: the four main agents involved in the Venice mission - Gabriel Reyes, Jesse McCree, Genji Shimada, and Moira O’Deorain - are debriefed on the mission, mainly by Strike-Commander Jack Morrison (although  possibly with Captain Ana Amari and BW agent Gérard Lacroix present as well).

2. The Venice memorandum: as a result of the debriefings, Gérard Lacroix prepares a three-page memorandum that has (for “us the audience”) been mostly declassified.  It covers Antonio’s profile, the events of the mission, and the main Talon paramilitary operatives (the four “minibosses”).  Plausibly missing (or still “classified”) from the mission are potentially further pages of the memorandum or an entirely separate document dealing specifically with:

Moira.

3. Blackwatch’s suspension and an internal investigation: likely, as a result of Moira, Blackwatch is suspended - either by Jack Morrison himself or by “higher ups” in the UN.  At minimum, the suspension lasts from the ending of the Venice debriefings to the events of Null Sector’s uprising the following year.  However, it is very likely the suspension was never formally lifted between “Retribution” and the fall of Overwatch (roughly a 2-year time period).

And, contrary to what people might think -

Blackwatch’s “suspension” means next to nothing in the interal workings of Overwatch.

Because the straightforward “truth” of the situation is that -

Blackwatch’s “formal suspension” was essentially “for show.”

...You could even call it a “masquerade.”

(A LOT more under the cut.  Seriously.  Like.  Imagine if we had all this information in like, book format or something.  Wouldn’t that be wild.  Maybe I wouldn’t have to write all of these then.)

Because what a lot of people miss

Is that it is very likely the suspension and internal investigation of Blackwatch and/or Overwatch was conducted so Jack and Gabriel could begin the process of identifying corrupted Overwatch and Blackwatch agents - a.k.a. Talon agents who have infiltrated the organization -

And start removing them from Overwatch in...some way.

And it is very possible 

That “Reaper” is still conducting this process in the present-day of the Recall era.

To recap:

Jack: Alright, Gabriel.  Start from the beginning Gabriel: We arrived in the Venice safehouse and set up surveillance on the manor.  We executed our plan, under cover of darkness. …You sure you want to hear about this, Jack? Jack: You haven’t left me much choice. Gabriel: What ever happened to ‘plausible deniability?’ Jack: Little late for that.  Tell me what actually happened. Gabriel: Haha, well, Jack - that’s one hell of a story.

(source)

The original mission objective - as described by both Gabriel’s comic and McCree’s narration - was to infiltrate Antonio’s compound in Rialto, secret Antonio to a secure location, and get intel on Talon from him.  In fact, McCree himself originally wanted to “[send] a stronger message” to Talon by killing Antonio, but Gabriel tells him to calm down because Antonio’s information is more important to Blackwatch’s and Overwatch’s goals than his death (as shown above).

Again, this original objective is reaffirmed by McCree’s narration, as well as Gabriel’s debriefing, McCree’s debriefing, Genji’s debriefing, and several interactions during the course of the mission.

However, when the Blackwatch team enters Antonio’s office, they have a surprise waiting for them:

Antonio has been expecting them.

And he is completely unfazed by the “threat” of his arrest.

When all the context clues and pieces of evidence are put together, then what happens next is that Gabriel realizes -

His new agent and “doctor” - a scientist he personally recruited, likely to cure his “condition” -

A “cure” which Gabriel has been hoping for for decades -

Has betrayed him.

Gabriel let his emotionality, hopes, dreams, and idealism walk him and two agents into a trap -

And not with Antonio -

But with Moira.

When it comes to tactics, strategy, and stealth, Gabriel Reyes might be the most intelligent, methodical, critically-aware character in the current “universe” of Overwatch.  He’s certainly among the top few for it: he is credited with leading the original Strike Team - a task force of only five known individuals - with stopping the global robot apocalypse.  He has canonically outsmarted machines and “God AI”.  While we don’t know his pre-Overwatch military background, we do know (based on Soldier’s Commando skins) that he was probably in a branch dealing with special operations and unconventional warfare of some sort.  Following the ending of the Omnic Crisis, Gabriel Reyes successful led Blackwatch - Overwatch’s covert operations division - for twenty years before Overwatch was formally disbanded.

He may not be able to build a Tesla Cannon 

But Gabriel Reyes is pretty goddamn smart.

And when “we the audience” realize that Gabriel Reyes is, essentially, the only person fully aware of all the information he has given Moira or let her “experiment” with -

Then it is honestly not all that surprising that Gabriel rapidly figures out what has happened in Antonio’s office.

In Antonio’s office, Gabriel knows:

1. Jesse McCree - however mad or upset or resentful he can get - is a loyal and just individual, and that he has been working in Blackwatch under Gabriel’s orders for about twelve years at that point.  

2. Even if he is new, Genji Shimada legitimately does not know who Antonio is:

Genji: Who was Antonio? Gabriel: He’s an arms dealer, with some…other interests - more and less legitimate. McCree: …Not anymore.

Genji is also deeply angry and actively loathes criminals.  He would not join Talon.

3. Only two other people “outside that room” were even aware that the Venice mission was happening, and they were: the pilot who brought them to Venice and then was put on stand-by, and Jack himself.  However, neither of these two individuals knew the details of the mission, and therefore could not have betrayed the team to Antonio.

4. Blackwatch had snuck a surveillance device into Antonio’s office, and yet Gabriel rapidly realizes that they have obviously missed something super important (e.g. a “double-agent”), so clearly significant conversations between Antonio and certain other people could not have occured in his office. This means Antonio had been warned to avoid using his office. 

Moira: I wouldn’t describe this as ‘light resistance’…quality intelligence we received. Genji: It makes no difference to me. Moira: …How droll. McCree: Aww, even though we snuck that surveillance system into Antonio’s office, our intel’s a little spotty. Genji: Next time, you should leave it to me.  I can spy upon our enemies - unseen…and undetected.

5. Therefore, there is only one other person who: 1) knew the details of the mission, 2) knew that Antonio’s office was bugged, 3) was “new enough” to Blackwatch that Gabriel could not logically verify her “loyalty” to the division or to Overwatch as a whole, 4) was already ethically compromised or ambiguous in her research, and 5) who had enough of Gabriel’s own emotional trust and vulnerability that he could’ve let himself get blindsided by her actions or promises.

However, Gabriel also realizes something incredibly crucial:

Moira is the only member of the four-person Blackwatch team capable of healing others.

The only way McCree and Genji are getting out of Venice alive is if Moira cooperates with them.

Remember: Gabriel Reyes is one of the smartest characters in the Overwatch universe -

And he realizes that he has to play a very delicate game here:

He cannot let McCree and Genji die.

He cannot get them out of Venice without a healer or medic.

He is a battle-hardened soldier, a good commander, a great tactician, and probably a semi-immortal wraith, but he himself cannot kill people fast enough to protect McCree and Genji.

Therefore:

He cannot let Moira realize that he has figured out what she has done.

And to top it off -

Antonio would just be “dead weight” to his team in a critical “survival and escape” mission (especially if Gabriel has also realized that Talon agents have no qualms about betraying each other either - using Antonio as a hostage would be a moot point if the first Trooper just shoots him).

So -

Might as well make that “dead weight” literal, right?

Since the mission has been compromised well before it ever began, there’s not really “a point” in trying to maintain its already-nonexistent integrity.

What Gabriel needs to focus on now is getting McCree and Genji to safety while keeping Moira along and encouraging her to remain compliant with the team.

The latter part means “playing up” his role as a commander going renegade.

So Gabriel puts on a masquerade.

“Reaper” is both a medical condition that affects Gabriel’s state of being and a persona - semi-“masked” and semi-genuine - that he “wears”.  

Gabriel uses both “halves” of “Reaper” when situations call for it.

In fact, it is not surprising that the “personality” that Gabriel displays throughout the Venice mission - an interesting “contrast” of flippant, sarcastic casualness and humor mixed with bursts of honesty and loyalty - 

is effectively the same “mask” he “wears” years later, after the fall of Overwatch.

Because “Reaper” - the condition, the “masquerade”, the persona, the “ends justifies the means” morality - 

all work on tricking Moira.

Moira: You did what needed to be done, Gabriel.  Don’t apologize. Gabriel: I never have, and I don’t intend to start now.  Someone has to be the one to get things done.

---

Moira: Antonio was right about one thing: you will take the blame for this. Gabriel: Always have.  I don’t need the statues and medals anyways.

---

Moira: Well, that was certainly a decisive solution to the Antonio problem. McCree: It’s not how we do things! Moira: Well, it seems we’ve had a change in methodology. McCree, muttering: ...A little too much change.

---

Moira: How are you feeling, commander? Gabriel: Fine!  No ill effects so far. Moira: ...Let me know if that changes.

---

Gabriel: Am I the only one who feels hungry? Moira: That could be an unintended side effect... Gabriel: ...I was making a joke.

---

Gabriel: Enough art!  Let’s get out of here. McCree: Never had the eye for it anyways. Moira, muttering to herself: ...Philistines.

Almost all of Gabriel’s interactions throughout “Retribution” make a lot more sense if you see it as him putting on an invisible “Reaper” mask and “hamming up” his part: he goes out of his way to “egg McCree on” as a distraction for Moira, letting both Moira and McCree think that the “schism” between the commander and his agent is “getting to them.”  Almost all of Gabriel’s “edgy, sarcastic, or borderline insensitive” jokes have strong parallels to his present-day Reaper persona:

McCree: Did you even consider what was gonna happen before you pulled the trigger? Reyes: I made a decision - I’ll deal with the consequences. McCree: What, like gettin’ the four of us killed? Reyes: That’s not going to happen.

---

Reaper, killing an enemy Soldier: 76: This is how it should have been. Reaper, killing an enemy Sombra: Actions have consequences.

---------

McCree: I thought we were agreed, commander: snatch and grab, that’s it! Gabriel: Antonio was right, there was nothing we could do to him.  Now, he’s not our problem anymore. McCree: Something tells me that won’t be the case.

--- Reaper: Try to stick to the plan, Sombra. Sombra: Look, someone has to be ready when all your careful planning doesn't pan out.

---

Reaper: Looks like we're working together again. Widowmaker: Let's hope it goes better than the time at the museum.

---------

Gabriel/Reaper’s music and pop culture references:

Gabriel: I still think we should’ve gone with the original plan of disguising ourselves as the band. McCree: Do you even play an instrument, boss?  Gabriel: Not well.  McCree: Pssh, details.

---

Reaper: I’m back in black. Reaper, Mariachi skins: First you listen, then I kill.

---

McCree: Looks like they’ve brought in the heavy-hitters. Gabriel: Yeah, they’ve really rolled out the red carpet.

---

Reaper: If it lives, I can kill it. (Original quote: Predator - “If it bleeds, we can kill it.”) Reaper: I’m not a psychopath...I’m a high-functioning psychopath (Original quote: BBC Sherlock - “I’m not a psychopath - I’m a high-functioning sociopath.”)

---------

“Masquerades”:

Gabriel: It’s not exactly Carnevale McCree: You serious? Gabriel: I was looking forward to the masquerade! McCree: Fair enough.

---

Soldier: 76: Well, you sure take to this bad guy thing easily, don't ya? Reaper: And you sure know how to play boy scout.

---

Reaper: Poor Winston. Has to hide away so he doesn't scare the children. Winston: I don't even think children are afraid of you.

---

Sombra: What are we doing today, Gabe?  You don't mind if I call you 'Gabe' do you? Reaper: Stick to the mission.

---

Reaper, Nevermore skin: (upon an elimination) Nevermore. Reaper, Pumpkin skin: Must have been the costume. Reaper, killing an enemy Sombra: You never fooled me. Reaper, killing an enemy Winston: Still trying to play “hero”, monkey? Roadhog, killing an enemy Reaper: Nice mask. Ana, killing an enemy Reaper: I don’t even know you anymore.

---------

“Reaper” in the Recall era frequently goes out of his way to make dry remarks or does something seemingly “aggressive” (especially with Winston) just to make people angry.  He does it so often and so frequently - often “failing” missions as a result - that it’s honestly suspicious.  Regardless of who knows that “Gabriel is Reaper”, “Reaper” is supposed to be a fearsome, powerful mercenary, yet mission after mission that he is put on fails.

And yet...“Reaper” is still part of Talon.

In fact, only one present-day Talon member -

finds “Reaper” and his actions...suspect.

Moira and Akande, on the other hand -

don’t.

Or rather, if they do find him suspicious, they aren’t letting on about that, or seem to think that Reaper’s abilities and skills are more important than his trustworthiness (again, this is also based off the idea that Akande possibly does not know who “Reaper” is, but only sees him as a powerful mercenary who  is...struggling to enact Talon’s vision).

What “Retribution” shows us is that Moira appears to buy into Gabriel’s “change in methodology” motivation and mission objective as being genuine, or at least being something she can use, aggravate, or “experiment” with.  She frequently encourages Gabriel’s “aggression,” or amps up McCree’s anger, or reassures Gabriel that his decision was correct.

However, this factors into our analysis of the first set of “consequences” for the Venice mission:

The Debriefings

When the Blackwatch team returns to the Swiss Base, ostensibly, the first thing conducted is the set of four debriefings.

These are both “consequences” of the Venice mission and also insights into what happened during it.  For the debriefings, we have five main audio recordings: the trailer dialogue between Gabriel and Jack, and the four “twitter” teasers.

Which means we start with:

Jack: Alright, Gabriel.  Start from the beginning Gabriel: We arrived in the Venice safehouse and set up surveillance on the manor.  We executed our plan, under cover of darkness. …You sure you want to hear about this, Jack? Jack: You haven’t left me much choice. Gabriel: What ever happened to ‘plausible deniability?’ Jack: Little late for that.  Tell me what actually happened. Gabriel: Haha, well, Jack - that’s one hell of a story.

(source)

Gabriel’s debriefing

Based on the Retribution trailer and on chain of command, Gabriel would’ve probably been the first person debriefed by Jack.

Gabriel: And what about them? We can’t walk away from this, Jack.  Jack: We won’t but we have to be smart about it.  I’ll open an official investigation on Antonio with the Italian government.  We’ll do this by the book.

What’s important to remember here is that Jack was aware the mission was occurring, even if he did not know the full details.  In fact, Jack originally wanted to start an “official investigation” into Antonio’s dealings, but was persuaded to let Gabriel try his Blackwatch, off-the-books mission first.

Jack could not “officially sanction” the mission as Overwatch’s Strike-Commander, but as Gabriel’s friend and his oldest and longest companion (in whatever...relationship terms you wish to think of that as, lol) - and as a former “special operations” soldier himself - Jack understood and personally approved of Gabriel’s desire and intentions for the original mission objective (grabbing Antonio for interrogations).  He did have a few qualms - on a personal, heart-to-heart basis - about the safety and security of the mission, but not of the intentions of the mission itself.

Jack: Gabe...I can’t officially sanction something like this. Gabriel: Not officially.  No one will ever know Blackwatch was there. Jack: I’ll leave the final call to you, but ask yourself...In the long run, will this help Overwatch keep the world safe?

What the last line by Jack shows us is that Jack trusted Gabriel and his judgment on the mission, no matter what exactly he chose to do.  This aligns with Jeff Kaplan’s description of their relationship prior to the fall:

“Reyes was relieved that Morrison had to have the more political role, and [...] it’s always easier being the number two guy because you’re not ultimately accountable for all that, Reyes was kind of, you know, in some ways thankful and relieved, um, and weirdly, we’re gonna show how that relationship actually was Morrison’s downfall because for so long, Morrison would actually defend Reyes’s questional actions.”

(source) In fact, it is heavily implied that Gabriel’s discussion with Jack is both his motivation and temperance:

His motivation to actually conduct the mission -

And likely his “temperance” to show restraint and opt for capturing Antonio instead of outright “stopping” him.

So we have to keep these things in mind:

Jack knew the mission was occuring - just not the nature of it, nor the details - but to Jack, those details originally didn’t matter so long as Gabriel was level-headed, made critical, tactically-sound decisions, and helped keep “the world” safe.  After all, Jack knows how smart Gabriel is.

That gives us significantly more context for this conversation:

Jack: Alright, Gabriel.  Start from the beginning Gabriel: We arrived in the Venice safehouse and set up surveillance on the manor.  We executed our plan, under cover of darkness. …You sure you want to hear about this, Jack? Jack: You haven’t left me much choice. Gabriel: What ever happened to ‘plausible deniability?’ Jack: Little late for that.  Tell me what actually happened. Gabriel: Haha, well, Jack - that’s one hell of a story.

(source)

I will readily admit that I have my own biases in this interpretation (no shit, right?), but to me, Jack doesn’t sound...angry.  Or bitter.  Or even all that upset?

He sound frustrated at times, especially with the “Tell me what actually happened” part, but neither man sounds...truly angry with each other.

Just that - quite simply - a mission “went awry,” and now the two of them -

The two halves of Overwatch and Blackwatch embodied -

Have to figure out the how’s, why’s, and “what happens next”.

Hell, Gabriel even gives Jack a chance to claim “plausible deniability” of the situation (for himself, not for Gabriel) by teasingly implying that Jack should back out of the conversation and effectively “save himself” from the...repercussions that will happen from the mission.  But Jack proceeds to see Gabriel’s debriefing (and the others) through, committing himself to supporting Gabriel and listening to the story.

I think that...perceiving Gabriel’s debriefing as some sort of “scolding” or “chastisement” or “talking to” reduces what is actually being implied here by the comic and the audio clips.  The conversation is short and snappy for two reasons: 1) it’s a trailer (the “no shit” reason) and 2) Gabriel and Jack have known each other and been together for over twenty years by the time of the Venice mission (math: at Recall, the Omnic Crisis was “thirty years ago.” Subtracting eight years for the mission leaves us with 22 years total).

The audio - though obviously a trailer - is short and to-the-point, though it has pepperings of Gabriel’s nonchalant humor (“plausible deniability”, “one hell of a story”) and Jack’s dry patience (“Start from the beginning,” “little late for that”).  Hell, it even (very briefly) gives Gabriel a quick moment of tenderness, when he asks, “...You sure you want to hear about this, Jack?” (again, his attempt to let Jack “walk away” from the mission and its potential consequences).

It’s true that we are obviously missing the main chunks of Gabriel’s debriefing (for narrative/story purposes because the game wants you to realize that Moira is shady on your own, even if you don’t fully believe the “Talon double-agent” theory).  But again, this audio clip, the conversation in the comic, and hell, even their future conversations:

Soldier: 76: Aren't you supposed to be dead?

Reaper: Didn't take.

Soldier: 76: One of these days someone is gonna to put an end to you.

Reaper: I invite them to try.

Soldier: 76: Well, you sure take to this bad guy thing easily, don't ya?

Reaper: And you sure know how to play boy scout.

All show us a sense of familiarity, companionship, humor, patience, even trust and loyalty between Gabriel and Jack throughout Retribution (and - depending on your stance on their Recall-era relationship - possibly even “trust” and “loyalty” then as well).

So what needs to be realized is that when Gabriel makes statements like this:

Reyes: https://twitter.com/PlayOverwatch/status/982317009777123328?s=19

"We followed the original plan and infiltrated the manor. From there, I evaluated the situation and made my decision - and I stand by it. When you're on operation, things don't always go according to plan."

He is not necessarily angry, or defiant, or defensive of his actions.  He is making a statement that Jack understands - Jack understands Gabriel’s character, his motivations, his beliefs, his personality, his personal background.  In fact, of the people present during Gabriel’s debriefing:

Jack is arguably the only person present to fully understand Gabriel in this moment.

Which is - in my opinion - exactly why Jack looks so upset here.

He trusted Gabriel.

Not just with this mission.

Not just with Blackwatch.

But with something far more important than either of those:

Gabriel himself.

As I wrote in “Long Reasons,” I believe Jack and the other members of the original Strike Team (Ana, Torbjörn, and Reinhardt) knew about Gabriel’s medical “Reaper” condition:

After all, Gabriel Reyes had been their commander during the Omnic Crisis.

But more importantly -

Gabriel Reyes had been Jack’s commander since before they even joined Overwatch together, and Gabriel has been his companion for twenty-two years since the war started.

We know that Gabriel very much fears or worries about being “left behind” - especially by Jack.  During “Old Soldiers,” he claims that Jack abandoning him is the reason he is “this thing” (a.k.a. “post-explosion Reaper”).

And - if you believe “Long Reasons” - Gabriel’s “fear” at the time of Retribution wasn’t a question of trust and loyalty -

But one of physical and medical problems:

That Gabriel “Reaper” Reyes had to consistently and constantly think about his friends and companions dying without him.

And that he didn’t want to be “left behind” -

Even by Death itself.

What Moira represented to Gabriel was a chance to be “cured” of his “curse”, free to finally live a normal life - and eventually, die a “normal death” with his friends and companions at his side.

And Jack...

Personally, I think Jack wanted Gabriel to be cured from his “curse” too - even if that meant understanding that Gabriel could face a different sort of “consequences” for his decision to be “de-wraithed.”

However, Jack is Gabriel’s calmer, more patient, more contemplative “half” - it’s part of what makes them a great pair and helps Overwatch function.

So we need to consider that if McCree, who at the time of “Retribution”, was hasty, borderline hotheaded, and ready to “dispense justice” with a bullet -

If McCree has this to say about Moira in the Recall-era:

McCree: Always thought hiring you was a mistake.

Moira: The best mistake one could ever make.

Then what the hell did “Retribution-era” Jack say about her recruitment?

Because what do we know about Jack and Moira?

“We stand on the brink of a breakthrough in human evolution.  I have dedicated my life to unraveling its secrets.  I take risks that others would consider to be ‘unwise,’ for I do not share their caution.  Overwatch held back the pace of scientific discovery for decades.  They believed my methods were too radical… too controversial…

“And they tried…to silence me.”

- Moira, Origin Story (source)

Reading between the lines - 

Jack, and probably some of the different science divisions of Overwatch, shut down Moira’s personal or private lab.

Again, as I wrote in “Long Reasons”, this is likely because Moira was conducting unauthorized and unethical experiments on human clinical trials - first on herself, and then possibly on other people.  After a certain point, Overwatch - led by Jack Morrison, as usual - stepped in and stopped her.

And this, of course, is my argument for why Moira has her own personal “retribution” to enact on Blackwatch and Overwatch to begin with - along with helping bring down or disband the organization to permit more unrestricted freedom in scientific experimentation and “progress.”

So Jack probably had some pretty significant qualms about hiring Moira - a scientist who was already unethical, already controversial, and already bitter with Overwatch - to cure Gabriel’s condition.

However, canonically, Jack loved Gabriel (again, in whatever way you choose to interpret Jeff’s statement on that).

And he probably wanted what was best for Gabriel.

And so he trusted Gabriel to make the necessary “final calls” about himself and his own health.

After all, during “Retribution”, no one knows Gabriel, his intelligence, his abilities, and his motivations better than Jack.

And Jack trusts his “Commander Reyes” to make the decisions he needs to: for the world, for Blackwatch and Overwatch, and for both of them on a personal level.

Yet - for what might be the first time in their shared history together -

Gabriel’s judgment and his decision-making abilities have failed him - have failed them both.

And this is the real tragedy of “Retribution”:

It is not Gabriel’s trustworthiness, nor his “rogue” or “maverick” attitude, nor his “ends justifies the means” morality, nor even his covert ops divions that has “betrayed” him.  These things “betray” him in the public’s eyes, but not in Jack’s. Because what cuts the deepest between Gabriel and Jack in the consequences of Retribution is that something else “betrayed” them:

Gabriel’s hope.

Overwatch’s greatest strengths and virtues - its love, its optimism, its sense of justice, its motivations, its hope - are also its greatest weaknesses.

Because for the first time, someone has realized that hope can be used against critical, crucial people within Overwatch - 

Allowing them to be undermined...and weakened.

“…But there were others in the shadows, searching for ways to circumvent their rules.  Freed from my shackles, the pace of our research hastened -  together, we delved deeper into those areas forbidden by law, by morality…and by fear.”

- Moira Origin story (source)

As I wrote in “Long Reasons”, this is not the image of a man who looks angry, or upset, or defiant, or defensive of his actions.  Gabriel looks solemn, arguably even worried or conflicted, as Jack appears to be getting more and more emotional or frustrated.  And the other two expressions we can see - Ana’s look of intense concern and McCree’s scowl - only seem to heighten what is probably happening here:

That the person - the scientist, the doctor, the hope - that Gabriel had put his trust in had betrayed them.

Betrayed Blackwatch and Overwatch, yes - consequences of which would be severe and long-lasting for everyone: for Blackwatch, for Overwatch, for Talon, for different companies and organizations, for the entire world.  The repercussions of Gabriel’s trust in Moira would have a ripple effect - propagated by the Venice mission - that would eventually change history.

But also that Gabriel’s trust in Moira had betrayed them, on a personal, heart-to-heart level:

An emotional debriefing?

Yes.

But not necessarily out of anger or questions of mistrust.

But instead - quite possibly - a discussion of hope and love, betrayed.

And god, how good she must feel, how satisfied with herself - to have repaid them in kind, to have enacted retribution upon them -

An eye for an eye -

Hope betrayed for hope -

to lose everything they had worked so hard for -

just like they had tried to do to her.

A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world. 

- Moira, looking at the Earth through the telescope on Horizon Lunar Colony (original quote by Oscar Wilde)

Moira’s debriefing

McCree: https://twitter.com/PlayOverwatch/status/983147489921503232?s=19

"Everything was going according to plan. We were going to get in, grab the target, and get out. ...But then all hell breaks loose - it was like the whole damn city was trying to kill us."

Genji: https://twitter.com/PlayOverwatch/status/989172208852389888?s=19

"We were supposed to get in and out, unseen and undetected. Commander Reyes changed the plan. Survival became a primary concern."

I’m going to semi-incorporate McCree and Genji’s debriefings into this section.  It’s not that they are unimportant - they provide us with “neutral” perspectives through which we can experience and interpret the events of the mission.  The game pushes us to sympathize and “favor” McCree’s perspective by switching to his narration at the beginning and end, and by making him the most “vocal” member of the team with the most “easily unlocked” voicelines and interactions.

As I wrote above, it makes more sense (to me) to interpret Gabriel’s actions and often “tonally-conflicting” dialogue (jumping from jokes and humor to true honesty to “pushing the envelope” too far) as a masquerade and a balancing act: he has to be “honest enough” to keep McCree focused and “loyal” throughout the mission (not that he expects McCree to suddenly desert them, but that he needs McCree to “stay on target” and get out alive without doing anything “stupid”).  However, Gabriel also has to be “edgy enough” - through tactless jokes, sarcasm, and nonchalance/casualness - to keep Moira “entertained” by the mission and make her think that her experiments and her “role” in Blackwatch has started to chip away at his trust in Overwatch.

Again, much like McCree, what Moira probably doesn’t realize is that Gabriel’s trust and loyalty to “Overwatch” is far deeper and far more central to his motivations and personality than anyone (except probably one person) knows:

What McCree and Genji’s perspectives help show us is that: if Gabriel doesn’t “brief” one of his most trustworthy agents (McCree) or one of his best “assassins” (Genji) about his personal relationship and private, heart-to-heart discussions with Jack -

Then why would he ever tell Moira about them?

So we can infer that, much like McCree, Moira is unaware that Jack not only knew about the mission, but that he had given it his personal approval (paired with some personal caution) and was at least semi-aware that Blackwatch was going to be making some sort of moves in Venice.

So - much like McCree - Moira, as smart and as observant and as methodical as she is - probably has the same assumptions that Overwatch (specifically Jack Morrison) 1) will be furious about this mission and its results and 2) will attempt to “blame Gabriel” for what happened.

In fact, she says as much in the event:

Moira: You did what needed to be done, Gabriel.  Don’t apologize. Gabriel: I never have, and I don’t intend to start now.  Someone has to be the one to get things done.

---

Moira: Antonio was right about one thing: you will take the blame for this. Gabriel: Always have.  I don’t need the statues and medals anyways.

However, again, she says these things without realizing that Gabriel already knows the basics of Jack’s stance on the mission.  Gabriel can anticipate that Jack will be upset, yes, and likely that individuals like Ana and Gérard and possibly even Reinhardt and Torbjörn will get “brought in” to debrief, discuss, and analyze the situation, but Gabriel already knows that Jack has personally approved of the mission and has almost certainly approved missions like assassinations or “snatch and grab” ones in the past.

Venice isn’t a new “song and dance” for Gabriel and Jack because it “succeeded” or “failed” - 

Venice is a new “song and dance” for Gabriel and Jack because their greatest strength - their hopes and their relationship - has been compromised by Moira herself.

In fact, by the time the dropship picks up the Blackwatch team in Venice, Moira is very gleeful that (she believes) she has effectively gotten away with murder (and by “effectively” I mean literally.  She literally got Antonio to die.  She also lost a lot of her Talon “experiments” in the process, but those are...small prices to pay).

Fio: Commander, I have visual on your position.  I’m coming in for a landing, but it’s gonna be a little hot. Gabriel: Everyone, get ready to get on-board. McCree: ‘bout damn time. Moira: ...I eagerly anticipate the debriefing on this debacle.

But at the same time, Moira is way too goddamn smart to incriminate herself in her debriefing.  We the audience have to recognize that even if we believe Moira has achieved interesting “results” from her little “experiment” of pitting Blackwatch against the then-new Talon army, she is still smart enough and cautious enough to protect herself when she returns to her real “den of lions.”

https://twitter.com/PlayOverwatch/status/990259344867553281

Moira: It felt like they had an entire army after us.  The situation was highly dangerous, but the commander made the tough decisions, kept us on mission, and we got the job done.

And from the small clip we get, we can see that she covers her tracks well.

Remember:

What Genji’s debriefing shows is that - like Reyes and McCree - he is maintaining “his perspective” of the Venice mission. Everything he says in the audio clip (the focus on how Reyes “changed the plan”, and Genji’s hyperfocus on “survival”) is comparable to stuff Genji says in the mission itself: that he approves of Reyes’ decision, that he simply wants to get out of Venice alive, that he doesn’t care much about the details of Talon’s “army” (which is in contrast to McCree’s intro, outro, and debriefing audio).

This reaffirms Genji’s “trustworthiness” as an unreliable narrator and a “witness” in our conspiracy-murder mystery-spy thriller story.

The purpose of the debriefing audio clips are two-fold: 1) to help advertise the event and build hype for it from beginning to end (the “no shit” reason), and 2) to show us that three out of the four characters - though “unreliable” - maintain the integrity of their “stories” before, during, and after the mission.

And that one character “does not” - at least, not “perfectly”.

With three of the characters - Gabriel, McCree, and Genji - we can see a consistency to their “stories” (even if Gabriel fluctuates in tone and seriousness from time to time).  McCree also has his narration to help “confirm” his perspective - if he is telling “a lie”, then he’s been maintaining that “lie” for years.  Considering his character and his post-fall focus on redemption and justice, that is at odds with who McCree is.  

And again, “we the player” can double-check Genji’s trustworthiness by unlocking his interactions in the game, where we realize 1) the surveillance system “missed its mark” (and makes us question how Antonio knew about it), 2) Talon had attempted to recruit Sojiro Shimada but neither Sojiro nor Genji liked the organization, and 3) Genji has a deep, deep hatred and anger towards all “criminals” - he would never join Talon.  

We also learn that, despite what was implied by Genji’s Hero Profile, he did not actually agree to become a heavily-augmented cyborg solely to seek revenge on Hanzo.

Instead, Genji chose to become a heavily-augmented cyborg - in pain and agony, both physically and existentially - in order to walk again.

Therefore, “we the player” and Gabriel simultaneously realize that - even if we doubt Genji’s loyalty or motivations due to how “new” he is in Blackwatch - he would never be persuaded to join Talon solely for revenge.

So - much like how one particular character contrasted with the other three during the mission (in dialogue, in tone, in motivations, and in “trustworthiness”) - that same character has subtle contrasts with the others during her debriefing.

Breaking down Moira’s statements, we find a few interesting contradictions:

Moira: but the commander made the tough decisions, kept us on mission, and we got the job done.

Gabriel: When you're on operation, things don't always go according to plan.

McCree: Everything was going according to plan. We were going to get in, grab the target, and get out. ...But then all hell breaks loose.

Genji: We were supposed to get in and out, unseen and undetected. Commander Reyes changed the plan.

Bolded here for emphasis, we see that Moira’s story differs from the other three on two key points: the idea that Gabriel “kept [them] on mission” and that “the job” was somehow completed.  The other characters, however, distinctly emphasize that the mission objective was changed, lost, or “reevaluated” (e.g. that the mission switched from secreting Antonio out of Venice to survival and extraction) from the very beginning.  “The job” was ruined from the outset.  In fact, McCree has a very angry triade against Gabriel near the end of the mission where he yells that “[Blackwatch] had a plan” and that their near-deaths and brutal fight for survival was “[Gabriel’s] fault.”

Instead, Moira’s debriefing is - very subtly - the opposite.  She starts by talking about how “an entire army” was attacking them, and that “the commander made the tough decisions” but somehow kept them “on mission” and “got the job done.”  At no point does she ever mention how the situation turned critical, or that the original mission objective was lost or abandoned or changed, and she is the only character “satisfied” with Gabriel’s actions at the end of her debriefing.  

Not even Gabriel himself sounds “happy” about it.

Reyes: https://twitter.com/PlayOverwatch/status/982317009777123328?s=19

"We followed the original plan and infiltrated the manor. From there, I evaluated the situation and made my decision - and I stand by it. When you're on operation, things don't always go according to plan."

And who is sitting in the room as Moira is saying this?  Who already knows Gabriel’s version of the events and very likely knows what she has done?

Jack Morrison.

Mister post-fall “I don’t play by the rules anymore”, “an eye for an eye”, “someone will put an end to you” retribution renegade himself.

When Gabriel himself admits that he changed the mission objective because “things don’t always go according to plan”, then Moira’s calm statement that he “kept us on mission and we got the job done” is suddenly very suspicious.

But this is where things get...murky again.

We don’t know what happens to Moira as a consequence of this mission, and her role in it.

Not directly.

But we can begin to hypothesize a few things:

Her employment was a closely kept secret, until it was uncovered during inquiries following the Venice incident.  Many high-ranking Overwatch officials disavowed all knowledge of her affiliation with them.

Despite what the Hero Profile implies, this is not about Jack Morrison.  This is, instead, very likely about members of the UN or the “organizing” aspect of Overwatch, like Director Petras and his staff.

Instead, we know where Jack Morrison’s loyalties stand - they stand with Gabriel.

After all, when Gabriel gave Jack the chance to bow out of the consequences and claim “plausible deniability,” Jack chose not to.  And we know Jack would defend Gabriel’s decisions right up until the fall.

However, Overwatch found itself in yet another bind:

Arresting Moira would almost certainly result in more retaliation by Talon, either violent ones like another explosion, or political ones, like someone high-ranking or well-moneyed securing her release.

In fact, it is not a coincidence that we see both Akande and Maxmilien here, in the near aftermath of the Venice mission.  Maximilien has the power, money, and connections to get people out of jail.

Akande, of course - 

Can literally get himself or anyone else out of prison.

So even though Overwatch and Blackwatch don’t know this for certain, considering Antonio’s confidence, and Moira’s incredible cunning and intelligence, then they can probably pretty quickly surmise that - if arresting Antonio was a “bad idea” - then outright arresting Moira would be significantly worse.

However, on a personal level, Jack and Gabriel have something “far more important” to worry about:

Gabriel’s “cure.”

If they release Moira, they run the risk of losing something Gabriel has been hoping for, possibly for decades.

And it is important to remember that - in the present day, after Recall - “Reaper” does continue to work with Moira, specifically on finding this cure for his condition.  Even if Reaper has infiltrated Talon and aims to destroy it from the inside out, I believe he genuinely wants to be freed from his “curse”, and that he believes Moira is the only person capable of doing that.

I covered this in “A Clash of Kings”, but on the flipside of this, Moira’s biggest “loyalty” isn’t to a single organization or cause or ideology.

It’s to her research.

And Gabriel’s condition is her research.

It is in Moira’s best interest not to lose Gabriel, just as much as it is in his best interest not to lose her.

But what is worth those trade-offs - both then, and “now”?

In the present, I personally think Moira would let Talon fall if she thought her research was once-again jeopardized by being associated with it.  If her choice came down to keeping Gabriel/Reaper alive to continue researching on him, or supporting Akande and his war, we actually know (in theory) which side she would pick:

Michael: Moira is a scientist. She is not so much interested in conquering the world, even though she has allied herself with people who might have proclivities in that direction. She is really just into the actual science. She wants to understand the fundamentals of human life, and how they can be manipulated. She is a geneticist, and that is her primary goal, and that is all she wants.  But the thing that makes her villainous is that she doesn’t quite have like some of the morals that the rest of us have. Yes, she is very flexible. She doesn’t want anything to get in the way of her science. So when someone tries to stop her from doing something, or tells her that she needs to take more time, she has no patience for that.

(source) (emphasis is mine, and does not reflect his actual tone)

Just as easily as Moira could undermine Blackwatch for her own goals (unrestricted experimentation) during Retribution, she could undermine Akande if she thought him and the rest of Talon could harm Reaper or send him “running.”

(And, in my opinion, this is a “plot twist” waiting to happen - where Reaper either reveals himself to Talon to attack them, or begins the process of conducting a coup in Talon, and Moira must “pick a side.”  Alternately, by the time that “plot twist” happens, Moira may have enough “resources” to conduct her own research without Reaper, thus leaving Reaper isolated.  We will have to see.)

At the time of the debriefings, Moira has achieved incredible leverage over Overwatch and Blackwatch - or, more specifically, Gabriel and Jack.

She knows it.

And they know it too.

However, Moira very likely doesn’t know three important things:

The first: that Gabriel has told Jack (and Ana, Gérard, and McCree) that he believes Moira betrayed Blackwatch.

The second: that Jack knew about the mission, and while he might be upset with Gabriel for the current situation and consequences, he loved Gabriel.

So Moira doesn’t fully realize the “depths of that relationship” between Jack and Gabriel, and what one is willing to do for the other...or what lengths they are willing to go to protect each other.

The third: that despite Jack’s patience and his ability and willingness to balance all perspectives and ideologies in a difficult situation -

His “true colors” show when he believes fairness, equality, and justice have been “broken.”

That underneath the “masquerade” of the Strike-Commander hides a soldier who is just as motivated, just as critical, and just as capable of waging unconventional “warfare” as his old “commander”.

Even before the Venice mission, Jack is willing to use unconventional tactics and strategies - like Blackwatch, like “off the books” missions - to help protect the world.

Jack and Gabriel have always represented two halves of a single whole:

And they have always worked together to achieve what they needed to do - for Overwatch and Blackwatch, for the world, and for each other.

Jack believes in “retribution” just as much as Gabriel does, except that - prior to the fall of Overwatch - he was willing to let Gabriel run his Blackwatch missions “solo” so to speak, trusting Gabriel to handle his own division’s matters and organization (as I wrote above). 

However, now that Blackwatch has been compromised -

And Gabriel’s greatest secret - and his greatest hopes and fears - have also been compromised -

Dealing with the real “threat” behind the Venice mission and all its consequences is going to require something with a little more...depth to it.

Soldier: 76: Well, you sure take to this bad guy thing easily, don't ya?

Reaper: And you sure know how to play boy scout.

Gabriel and Jack know (with a lot more certainty now) that Moira does not like Overwatch, nor that she trusts the organization or its members.  She is too smart and too cunning to reveal herself and her goals to Jack, who represents everything she hates about Overwatch.

But keep in mind -

Moira: You did what needed to be done, Gabriel.  Don’t apologize. Gabriel: I never have, and I don’t intend to start now.  Someone has to be the one to get things done.

---

Moira: Antonio was right about one thing: you will take the blame for this. Gabriel: Always have.  I don’t need the statues and medals anyways.

Moira appears to buy into Gabriel’s rogue, renegade “Reaper” persona - she appears to believe Gabriel is undergoing a change in personality and motivations, and she also believes that Gabriel will be “resentful” of taking “the blame” for what happened in Venice.

And so, a “dual” approach towards Moira may be enough to convince her to “trust” Gabriel to a degree, especially if he manages to get her to believe that he hates Jack.

So - much like Retribution shows us - it’s very possible that Gabriel “puts on the masquerade” of “Reaper” again to encourage Moira to 1) cooperate with him for his “cure” -

and 2) to give him greater intel and access into Talon.

This also essentially binds Moira’s alliance to Gabriel because, as described a few times, she is far more invested and loyal towards her research and her research subjects than anything else.  Talon is merely a mechanism for her to help her reach those goals.

So while we don’t know for certain where Moira goes or what exactly happens to her between her debriefing and the fall of Overwatch, we know that - based on her present relationship and working “alliance” with Reaper - Moira probably achieved some sort of “mutally beneficial” research agreement with Gabriel, where she was possibly allowed to continue her experiments on him while believing she was undermining his relationship with Jack and Overwatch.

What Moira may or may not realize is that this also works exactly how Gabriel “Reaper” Reyes wants it to:

That if Talon is working to destroy Overwatch and Blackwatch from the inside out -

If they are going to attempt to hurt everything he has ever worked for -

Or harm the people he loves the most -

Then he is going to repay them in kind.

An eye for an eye -

An explosion for an explosion -

And a war for a war.

Now - 

Is that what Jack Morrison also wants?

We don’t know for certain but...

The soldier who emerges from the “ashes” of Overwatch sounds more like Gabriel Reyes in motivation, dialogue, power, perspective, and morality than ever before.

This isn’t a new “song and dance” for them either.

Jack plays “the hero” - or the “renegade vigilante” in the spotlight.  Gabriel plays “the villain” - or the “ruthless mercenary” in the shadows.

And together -

They are uprisings and retributions.

However, in the immediate aftermath of the Venice mission, Jack and Gabriel still have...well -

They appear to still have some hope that Overwatch and Blackwatch can be salvaged from Talon’s grasp and the consequences of the mission.

But in order to do that, they have to “put on the masquerade” of trying to play “by the rules” again:

The memorandum, Blackwatch’s suspension, and the internal investigation

As part of Gabriel’s debriefing, Gérard Lacroix - who is present during his discussion with Jack and Ana - prepares a three-page memorandum on Antonio, the mission (both the original objective and the actual events), and the Talon paramilitary units that the Blackwatch team encountered.

And - if you believe the hypothesis that Moira was already a Talon agent and the one who sold out Blackwatch to Antonio and his forces - then it’s pretty clear that that particularly significant detail is not present on the memorandum.

Like the rest of the Retribution content, this is partially for story-telling purposes (i.e. “how ‘boring’ would it be to reveal to the audience that Moira was the double-agent in a written memo?”) in the real world, and - in-universe - also partially to maintain the huge secret that Moira was a double-agent from leaking to...other people, who were probably significantly less trustworthy than the people pictured below:

As I wrote in “Long Reasons,” we know that Gabriel, McCree, and Genji are all still “active” in Overwatch about a year after the Venice mission, as all three of them are present during the events of Null Sector’s uprising.  And - as I theorized above - it’s likely that some level of “(mis)trust” was maintained between Gabriel and Moira following her debriefing, because Gabriel’s “actual secret” (his Reaper condition) was not immediately leaked to the public or “used” as blackmail by Talon in the Venice aftermath.  These two things show us that - to some degree - the truly controversial part of “Moira’s employment” (her double-agent status) was preserved as a secret somehow.

Ostensibly, it was “covered up” and “buried” by the four people present in Gabriel’s debriefing (Gabriel, Jack, Ana, and Gérard), with McCree’s loyalty winning out over his sense of justice (in this moment, at least).

This “cover up” was - on the surface level - to help maintain Moira’s cooperation towards finding a cure for Gabriel’s condition, and to prevent her from ousting Gabriel as a semi-immortal wraith to Talon, or the UN, or the world.

But on a “deeper” level, this was likely a way for Gabriel to preserve a working “professional relationship” with Moira to not only encourage her cooperation with him, but also to get him some sort of access into Talon.

And if the Venice mission was “off-the-books” -

You can sure as hell bet that “Reaper’s mission” was likely never put in writing.

If Gabriel is “going deep undercover” as Reaper into Talon, then both Overwatch and Blackwatch cannot jeopardize his mission by writing it down or documenting it.  After all, what the Venice mission showed the leaders of Overwatch was that -

The information “internal in the organization” could very easily be compromised or revealed to Talon.

Who knew information or intelligence what Moira had leaked to Talon?

After all, the memorandum shows us that Moira had not only sold out the Venice mission to Antonio -

She had also used Gabriel’s biodata and repurposed it for Talon’s “army”.

With the declassified memorandums, we can now analyze this (original post):

“Enforcer”: Elite operators within the Talon organization appear to possess genetic and cybernetic augmentation that make them extremely dangerous in combat, particularly in close quarters.

“Assassin”: Like the enforcers, Talon’s assassins possess enhanced speed, stealth, and balance and have proven extremely elusive, as their movements are near impossible to track.

“Sniper”: Amongst Talon’s assassins, their snipers are particularly notable killers.  They are equipped with top-end military optics and targeting systems, that have made them frighteningly affective in taking out high-priority targets around the world.”

"Heavy Assault”: Believed to be the products of extensive genetic engineering, these elite troopers employ an extremely powerful exoskeleton and stimulants to increase their combat effectiveness.

Critically important (as I outlined in the first post on the issue) is that all four of the different paratrooper types are either directly described as having genetic modifications, or are implied to.  “Enhanced” in Overwatch’s in-universe terminology means genetic augmentation.

In fact, though it does not say the word “genetic”, the Assassin’s description mirrors another description very closely:

Before long, [Jack Morrison] earned a coveted position in the government's controversial and still-classified (but widely acknowledged) "soldier enhancement program." Military scientists shaped Morrison and other inductees into the perfect soldiers, blessed with superhuman speed, strength, and agility.

(source)  

This is the key takeaway from the “declassified” memos: nothing major was revealed in the writing itself (e.g. it does not say and never was going to say that “Moira O’Deorain betrayed the mission”), but instead, all the contextual writing implicates Moira’s involvement with Talon.  Especially important is the way the descriptions of the different paratroopers mirror the “enhancements” that characters like Gabriel and Jack had received in the Soldier Enhancement Program - 

Information which Gabriel had trusted to Moira in order to help her find a cure for his SEP-caused condition.

The memorandum was not written to document the exact words of Gabriel’s debriefing - doing that would immediately put everyone in much greater danger.  Instead, the memorandum was written just to document Antonio’s background and profile, the exact events of the mission, and the descriptions of Talon’s paramilitary soldiers. Most memorandums - even classified ones - are sent to other people, or send “upwards” in an organization to help inform people “higher up” on the chain of command on a certain situation or information.

So everyone knew that the Venice memorandum would get passed to people who probably were not trustworthy.

Instead, the most important parts of Gabriel’s debriefing either couldn’t be written down at all, or had to be written and then immediately stored in a truly safe, truly secure location.

(In ARG terms, the Overwatch “Archives” are - 100% - not the place to do that.  In fact, Michael Chu jokingly hinted that Sombra is the one “unlocking” the Archives material for the world to see.  While it’s possible we will see the full consequences of Moira’s role in Blackwatch in a later, playable event, I’m more inclined to believe that - like the “truth” of Retribution - that “plot twist” will be revealed in such a way that the player has to “put the pieces together” for themselves.)

This means that - whatever the four people present in Gabriel’s debriefing decided to do -

They knew they couldn’t write it down.

They also realized that - on top of not being certain what information has been compromised - 

They also don’t know who has been compromised within Overwatch and Blackwatch.

However, this creates a bit of a problem:

How do they help maintain Gabriel’s secret - and also maintain Moira’s cooperation - without risking either of these “secrets” falling into the “wrong hands” -

Whether that is Talon’s:

Or...something much bigger’s:

I do not think that they completely realized how “deep” the “conspiracy” goes - not in that moment.

But I think they understood the gravity of the situation:

That it had the potential to go much, much deeper than “just Moira.”

McCree’s ending narration effectively implies this:

McCree: Our target was dead, so I guess he got what was coming to him.  But still…it didn’t seem right.  But that wasn’t the end of our problems: for the first time, people knew we were out there.  New faces stepped up to fill the void in Talon.  And I can’t help but wonder…if that’s where it all started to go wrong.

Antonio and the “ousting” of Blackwatch in the public gaze were, quite frankly, insignificant compared to the much, much deeper problems that the team were unearthing as a consequence of the Venice mission:

Moira

Her use and repurposing of Gabriel’s biodata

The development of the highly-augmented, highly-enhanced, highly-genetically modified Talon army

The leaking of Blackwatch intelligence and mission objectives to Talon members

And the realization that it could all be much bigger than a single “double agent”.

Once again, Overwatch and Blackwatch would have to take a “dual” approach:

Open an official investigation into their own organization to appease both the United Nations and the inevitable public outcry -

While permitting only the people and agents they trusted the most to continue to work.

Blackwatch’s “suspension” was an immediate and hypothetically effective way to “freeze” all assets - both the ones compromised and uncompromised - to permit Overwatch to investigate both the division and its larger self.

What’s interesting about all of this is that - despite the mission not “going according to plan”, despite Gabriel choosing to get rid of Antonio, despite Moira’s betrayal, despite McCree’s anger, despite Blackwatch being suspended - 

“Nothing” happens.

Blackwatch’s suspension is - like all the other parts of these “repercussions” - a masquerade.

A show put on for the United Nations and the public...and also for Moira and Talon.

In fact, if you compare Gabriel in Uprising - where he clearly continues to work as he always has - to his dialogue in Retribution, you get the sense that he actually already predicted this:

Moira: You did what needed to be done, Gabriel.  Don’t apologize. Gabriel: I never have, and I don’t intend to start now.  Someone has to be the one to get things done.

---

Moira: Antonio was right about one thing: you will take the blame for this. Gabriel: Always have.  I don’t need the statues and medals anyways.

---

McCree: Is this what we’ve become, Gabriel? Gabriel: Blackwatch has always had one purpose: to do the real work of keeping the world safe.  I thought you had the stomach for it.  Looks like I was wrong.

Gabriel has no intention of “apologizing” for what happened with Antonio because he already knows that Moira and Talon are the bigger issues, and that he will be able to convince Jack, Ana, and Gérard of the “real threats” plaguing Overwatch.  He doesn’t mind “taking the blame” for the Venice mission because - in comparison to the scope of Overwatch getting disbanded or Talon harming Overwatch agents - that’s an incredibly small price to pay.  He’s never needed “statues and medals” - representations of the world’s admiration or respect - because they have never been his motivation in life:

When we frame Gabriel’s dialogue and interactions in Retribution against both Uprising and his present-day actions as “Reaper,” we find the implication that he’s actually perfectly okay with Blackwatch getting suspended as a consequence of his actions in Venice.

Because instead, he stands to lose things that are significantly more important in his life and his heart of hearts than a covert ops division:

His “hope”.

And someone who is a constant companion and a constant reminder of his “other half”.

That someone who is worth more to Gabriel than the world itself:

In fact, Blackwatch getting suspended may be the best “consequence” Gabriel could ever ask for.  If it helps him convince Moira that he’s “feeling abandoned” by Overwatch and the UN, then Moira might be more easily persuaded to continue to cooperate with him.  At the same time, because Jack doesn’t actually care about the suspension, nor does he actually take any effort to enforce it on Gabriel, McCree, and Genji, Gabriel is able to continue his own operations, sending McCree into the field to investigate Null Sector a year later.  It also permits Gabriel to conduct his own internal “investigation” into Overwatch and Blackwatch agents, trying to sort out which ones have been “corrupted” by Talon, or which ones are already Talon agents sent to infiltrate the organization.

And for a time, it looks like this “plan” might actually work:

That things regain some...normalcy.

That Overwatch and Blackwatch - Jack and Gabriel - are able to flip this “debacle” (as Moira called it) into a situation they can actually use and salvage.  Sure, Blackwatch takes a hit, and Overwatch’s social trust begins to unravel in the public’s gaze (and in the United Nations’), but again, these are small sacrifices to be made if they can actually weed out the root problems of Talon and the much larger conspiracy beginning to take shape.  Overwatch has been through the greatest war humanity has ever seen - it has helped fix and repair the world in the ashes of the Omnic Crisis.  It has made medical and scientific breakthroughs.  It has not only won peace in the war, but also made it and helped protect it.

So long as it comes out of the Venice incident able to still do those things - all while combating Talon at its core - then it can still be worthwhile.  It can still be valuable and meaningful.

And “hope”

can continue to operate as it always has.

But what they don’t realize in the immediate aftermath of Venice is that:

They are not the only ones dealing with the “consequences” of Moira’s actions and Gabriel’s decision.

And that their subsequent decision to suspend Blackwatch - either to appease the UN, or to stop Talon agents from infiltrating the division, or both - will have its own consequences.

Because it forces Talon to use...different tactics to undermine Overwatch.

Overwatch’s greatest strengths are its virtues: love and loyalty, hope and heroism, courage and compassion.

And these are also its greatest weaknesses:

“Hope” can be undermined and betrayed.

And the others?  

Love and loyalty?

Just like Gabriel’s powers, those other virtures can be stolen, reconditioned, and “repurposed.”

Moira and Talon’s first set of “experiments” were not able to kill key Blackwatch members in Venice.

But their next “experiment” -

will not miss her mark.

In the next part: the “immediate” consequences of the Venice mission in Talon, which looks at Akande’s rise to power and the creation of Widowmaker.

Along with some...potential, time-traveling sabotage.

[universeinform-blog]

England 2-0 Lithuania: five talking points from the World Cup 2018 qualifier

New Post has been published on https://universeinform.com/2017/03/28/england-2-0-lithuania-five-talking-points-from-the-world-cup-2018-qualifier/

England 2-0 Lithuania: five talking points from the World Cup 2018 qualifier

1) Guidelines of progress below Southgate

Given how low the bar become whilst Gareth Southgate got herein, the first thing he had to acquire so one can factor to progress become keep away from turning into embroiled in a countrywide scandal or humiliation. It is thumbs up on that front for now and there’s circumstantial proof of development, past that. After an honorable defeat by using an improvised Germany group,

England showed towards Lithuania simply enough pace and clever motion to unhinge combatants who aspired to do nothing extra than erect human barricades around their field from the primary minute. Each desire were beauties but there were additionally bouts of familiar stodginess. At the least Southgate has made some bold picks, fetishised the captaincy and cautioned he’s a man with a plan and the power and clarity of thought to put in force it. The proper exams lie ahead, however, Southgate has made a truthful begin. Jermain Defoe and Jamie Vardy provide England victory over Lithuania Examine extra

2) Large crowd contributes to harmless amusing

The bar for measuring the performance of England’s lovers additionally starts of evolved low. At Wembley there had been, At the least, no struggle chants or loutish nonsense and silence prevailed all through the Lithuanian national anthem, which changed into followed by means of respectful applause from the hosts. The minute’s silence in memory of the sufferers of the Westminster assaults became also located with decorum, as was the tribute to the overdue Graham Taylor.

As soon as the game got going the temper within the floor was fun. The visit of the crew ranked 107 inside the world for an apparently foregone conclusion of an in shape did not quite draw a complete residence, however, an attendance of seventy-seven,690 seemingly properly-humoured people became still a pleasant turnout. The sight of Jermain Defoe main out the crew with five-year-vintage Bradley Lowery become also lovable. Hope springs everlasting.

3) Arsenal representative makes little affect

With Theo Walcott, Kieran Gibbs and Jack Wilshere all failing to increase as hoped and Danny Welbeck nonetheless working his way returned from damage, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain become the best Arsenal participant with a hazard to decorate his international credentials at Wembley. however, he did now not capture the initiative. His passing turned into now not as wayward as it has been in his final look for his membership – that miserable defeat at West Bromwich Albion – but nor become it specifically sharp or imaginative.

If he became covered because he became expected to provide extra thrust than Jake Livermore, he generally did no longer fulfill his project, although he did pressure a shop from Ernestas Setkus with a great shot inside the 53rd minute. Nor did Oxlade-Chamberlain make a contribution as plenty dynamism as Jordan Henderson or Ross Barkley likely could have. He turned into now not bad but, all in all, this became a possibility missed for him.

Best Travel Destinations in England

Royalty! That is the first issue that might pop into your mind while you consider England. Sure, it does house the arena’s richest and maximum famous royal own family, however, that’s not all there’s to England. From small thatched villages to museums and royal castles,

England can offer you nearly something that you would possibly want. Don’t believe me? Well, why Do not you take an experience to England and discover for yourself? (And here is a pro travel tip: Save your money and simply Buy British Airlines Miles while you tour). So if you plan to return to England, here’s a list of places you have to honestly go to:

1. The London Eye, London:

Big fan of panoramic perspectives? Then This is the area that allows you to go to. This exaggeration of a Ferris wheel literally takes you for the ride of your existence. Taking you to a top of 440 ft, the London Eye offers you a study the entire of London metropolis alongside its regular hustle and bustle. The passenger capsules which convey you up are made of glass accordingly offering you with the opportunity to have a first-rate 360-degree view of the whole thing. What more do you want?

2. The city Of Bath:

You understand how they are saying that suitable things are available in small packages? Nicely, the metropolis of Bathtub is the right example of this example. Although small, this city nonetheless has a lot of things to offer to its tourists. The Romanian baths, and then this town is named, are the precise location to loosen up if you’re looking into getting far away from everything. That blended with the Georgian Townhouses all round metropolis will come up with the lightheaded revel in that you’re searching out.

3 .The Buckingham Palace, London:

One of the few places that are in working circumstance till nowadays, The Buckingham Palace will come up with the risk to take a look at the Queen’s guard all dickered out in their best red and black livery. Do they surely now not move irrespective of what occurs? Nicely why Do not you cross yourself and find out?

4.The Tower Of London:

The Tower of London is essentially a historical castle that is located on the north financial institution of the river Thames. This tower of London houses the largest diamond within the international, so even in the case, you’re no longer a Huge fan of heights or castles I would nonetheless advocate you cross there to get a very good observe that beauty.

The Traditions of Cultivation of Flax and Linen Weaving in Lithuania

Linen is a material used for all kinds of functions, commonly clothing and decoration, this is favored for its sturdiness, naturalness, and freshness. Linen is made of the fibers of the flax plant which is grown during the whole world – from Canada to Ethiopia. Flax has been cultivated for the reason that instances of historic Egypt and historical Ethiopia, at the same time as the cutting-edge findings of dyed flax fibers dated to 30000 BC.

In Lithuania, a small country in Northern Europe with completely wealthy records, linen has a special area inside the country’s traditions, arts, and crafts. Flax has been grown right here for the reason that instances of the Baltic tribes that have been living in the cutting-edge united states of America’s territory from around 2000 BC. inside the Medieval times, while the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was considered one of the most important countries in Europe, linen changed into in all likelihood the simplest fabric used for clothing via the peasants and the soldiers (except for the armor, of course)

Even in the early twentieth century, when the supply of other fabric was a lot extra, flax and linen had a major component in Lithuania’s exports. The importance of linen in Lithuania has dwindled ever on the grounds that, yet there are nonetheless a few folk artists inside the united states of American who weave linen and preserve the traditions alive.

Travel the World of Freelancing

Are you a mother looking for methods to earn at the consolation of your own home? Or a father who would really like to apply his abilities, pastimes, and hobbies to make money on the same time? Or an educator who would really like to percentage his expertise and understanding? Or a mere student who would like to be impartial to aid his studies? Or a crew of experts with the intention to benefit from fee and income?

Or someone who wanted to installation a domestic enterprise, a micro-entrepreneur and who would like to be his own boss? Or are you the only who would love to exchange his profession course or would like to have a few form of profession spoil? Or without a doubt a person who would really like to have additional work and bonus income?

In this eon of excessive technology and social media proliferation, earning thru freelancing is one of the ways to increase family or character profits.

learning with the aid of freelancing can be your threat to acquire your vision, your dream and a first-rate way to gain greater income. This could even end up a supply of your complete time earnings.

Why not study on and let us traverse the sector of freelancing…

What are freelancing and freelancer?

Before, freelancing paintings isn’t always so popular and not given any well worth in any respect. Others understand freelancer as man or woman and not using a solid job and who do activity hopping and looking from one vicinity to every other. In quick, no fee.

These days, in electronic media and eCommerce improvement, freelancing is already a “word of mouth”. There may be a higher connotation nowadays when a freelancer says he belongs to this class. Freelancing is in stratum to compete with company giants incomes competitively in a blink of a watch.

Others term it as outsourcing professional and gifted people in the undertaking wished by means of client or purchaser. The people In this type of paintings are classified as the freelancer, freelance, freelance employee, impartial contractor and so on.

The freelancer, the individual that is doing freelancing activity, is a self-employed repute and has no employee-agency dating. That is primarily based on mutually agreed arrangement and may be finished either verbal or written shape declaring the requirement of the customer including: