#terror lieutenants

[irvingcoded]

i keep saying i'll do some actual screencap redraws / studies and then did absolutely nothing of the sort...... until now. hodgving be upon ye

[darklydreaminggirl]

can i interest you in some terror lieuts this fine evening.

[meduseld]

This is going to sound crazy but hear me out: The three Terror Lieuts would absolutely crush trivia night.

I know, it sounds impossible, they're a sweaty nervous wreck of a trio but they are actually the best possible team due to their improbable combinaton of knowledge:

John's got all the religious stuff down but also since the Bible inspired Western Literature he's really good at that, while also being a talented math and physics nerd. He also lived in Australia, raising animals, so his font of odd knowledge is deep.

George also knows more religion than you'd think but between the autism fixations, research spirals and the insane amount of music knowledge he has because he Plays he's also got his front covered. From Bach to Ariana Grande, okay. And horror films <3

Edward is the only one of the three of them that has any idea how the government/politics/country functions, has sent things via mail, knows laws rules and regulations (for a court martial, anyone?) but also being the Middle Child means he has secondhand knowledge of all his siblings' interests and such.

They accidentally on purpose obliterate the competition, largely because the other teams suck for a variety of reasons, and the awkward way they accept the trophy becomes a meme among the sailors.

[thelilnan]

damn your wife, i'd be your mistress just to have you around

[saints-who-never-existed]

What are your thoughts on the relationship between Terror's lieutenants? Both in canon (book and show) and whatever ideas you yourself might have.

I'm wanna know what you think their reactions to Jopson's promotion or to John's death were. But I'm especially interested in what was going on before the walk out, just how they interacted in your mind onboard the ship.

I got curious because of the music fragment from the book where Little and Hodgson argue, and because of Kajganich's comments about Hodgson probably being Little's closest friend on board.

Thanks and cheers!

So this got real long real fast! Not even sure I fully answered your question, friendo. I just thought too long about The Lads, got emotional, and produced this deeply-passionate word vomit. Enjoy!

-

On the one hand, it’s frustrating that we see so little of the relationship between the three of them, either on-screen or in the book. But on the other, it’s fantastic in that it leaves so much room for interpretation!

I think no one will be surprised that I have absolutely made the most of those few scant snippets and references, and interpreted a deep, abiding, loving friendship from them… :')

-

I see their relationship in the book as the more straightforward and positive of the two.

The Hodgson and Little Musical Disagreement is an excellent example and I’m glad you mentioned it. Not only does it show a softer side to Little, who in the book is a much simpler, stoic kinda guy, it also gives us the pleasure of guessing at his reasoning. Does he just like to see Hodgson happy and is willing to compromise to make that happen, or does he know that his garrulous friend just won’t shut the fuck up until he gets his way? Who knows? Take your pick! Either way, it shows they’re buddies who care enough about one another’s happiness not to sweat small stuff like that. (My own personal headcanon is that Little secretly quite likes Hodgson's shite music. He’s definitely got a sense of humour in the book, even if quite a sarcastic one, so it's not hard for me to imagine book-Little as the Roy Kent of the Expedition with a lighter side he's at pains to keep hidden.) We also have, for example, Irving doing Hodgson a solid and pulling a double-watch when the latter is ill which again shows a willingness to be there and make sacrifices for one another. And one of my favourite little snippets comes early on, during Tuunbaq's attack on Strong and Private Heather. By the time Crozier even makes it out of his cabin to investigate, the three lieutenants are already there, arms full of weapons and 100% ready to rock so not only are they friends in my mind but they’re a tight and efficient unit on a practical level too, a well-oiled machine.

-

There’s definite friendship and a strong working dynamic in the show too, though I do think you have to search even harder for it in many instances. And I definitely see a more complex, bittersweet edge to their relationship in general.

They still care about and make sacrifices for each other – think of wee Irving, for example, taking one for the team and breaking the bad news to Crozier about all the men abandoning him for the flagship. (He says that Little asked him to but I choose to believe he's a good, caring, Christian boy at heart and did it himself to relieve his friend after a tough night). There’s definite trust there too. There's a teeny wee fleeting moment I like where the booze-hunting party returns to Terror with Silna and the late Mr Hornby. Little briefs Hodgson, asks him to deal with the former, and specifically expresses trust in him ("She'll be fine with Lieutenant Hodgson") which is well warranted - Hodgson sees that the job is done right away and with minimal fuss. Another little example that springs to mind from that same episode is a deleted line from the script. After the hatch is smashed, Crozier asks who's on deck and Little answers immediately, painfully aware that Hodgson is up there, painfully aware of all that’s at stake.

I think the biggest factor in the stymieing of their in-show friendship is The Horrors in general, but also Crozier specifically. Not to turn this into one of my patented anti-Crozier rants but I think he affects the men under him in two ways.

Firstly, at his worst, he’s an extra enemy for them to deal with, an extra problem. In many ways I think it brings them closer – Us vs. The World, Us vs. Our Boss’s Bullshit – but it’s almost for the wrong reasons, if that makes sense? If nothing else, it doesn’t leave much room for tenderness or levity or relaxation or any of the other things that make up friendship. Secondly, I think he infects them with his secretive, insular nature. That’s the most heart-breaking thing of all to me – all three of them are suffering so much in their own ways but we see no real indication that they're getting sufficient chance to confide in one another about it. They just keep it all bottled up inside with no outlet for it.

-

That's another difference, I think, between book and show, and it's what I'll end this absolute diatribe on in specific relation to Irving's death - that fatal lack of catharsis.

I've just reread the chapter that includes Irving's funeral and genuinely had tear in my eyes at the end. Hodgson is distraught, having witnessed the grisly aftermath of Irving's murder and while we don't directly see a reaction from Little, the chapter ends with he, Hodgson, and a variety of other officers dismissing the men so they can take on the responsibility of burying Irving themselves. They couldn't protect him in life but they find value and seek a practical outlet for their grief by doing what they can to honour their friend in death.

Whereas in the show, they get no such luxury. They don't get a real chance to stop or process anything. They don't really get a chance to do anything productive with their grief. They do try - I think both attacking the Netsilik and arming the men in camp stem from a deep and frustrated need to feel like they're doing something, anything. But it's just not enough - that kind of reciprocal violence isn't a worthy substitute in the first place for the simple act of love that is burying one's friend.

When it comes to the show, I still think the love was there. It didn't change anything. There was nowhere for it to go. There were too many forces against it, bottling it all up. But when it comes to the show and when it comes to those three, the love was absolutely there.

[lieutenant-catboy-little]

(screencaps from kissingthemgoodbye . net)

[perenial]

world's most pathetic lieutenants + text posts

bonus dundy:

[brimstone-cowboy]

Into a different kind of Unknown.

[dishearteningmediocrity]

Terror Lieutenant Playlists

Can't stop thinking about The Terror lately. Somehow this has resolved itself into making playlists for the Terror lieutenants.

They're hopeless. They're horrible. They're delightful. They're disasters. Sometimes they rise to an occasion. More usually, they slip flailingly beneath the merciless waves of fate and their own shortcomings. Or strengths that become shortcomings in the wrong situations. They try really, really hard.

It's not enough. It's never enough.

Anyway you can listen here--

Little

Irving

Hodgson

(I think I "get" Hodgson much less than the others. I think Little's and Irving's musical tastes would be earnest and [mostly] straightforward, but Hodgson is into all kinds of esoteric oddities, of which I am too square to be aware. So if his is too mainstream, I'm sorry.)

[cinnamonseadragon]

My art for the @theterrorbigbang for the fic Forever United Here by the wonderful still_lycoris :D

I had such a good time working on this, I love the lieutenants <3

go check out the fic!! 

[irvingcoded]

i see no difference

& original art source (right) ♡

[drlokiren]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Terror (TV 2018) Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: George Henry Hodgson/John Irving/Edward Little, George Henry Hodgson/Edward Little, Francis Crozier/Thomas Jopson, Francis Crozier and his officers Characters: George Henry Hodgson, Edward Little (1811-c.1848), Francis Crozier, John Irving (1815-c.1848), Thomas Jopson, James Clark Ross Additional Tags: Ghosts, victorian spiritualism, Grief/Mourning, Post-Rescue, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Cuddling & Snuggling, Naked Cuddling, Anal Sex, Anal Fingering, Kissing, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, mention of disordered eating, Nightmares, Weighted blanket Francis Crozier, Thomas sends his husband off to give sad cold boys snuggles Summary:

With only two parts of the Terror lieutenant triad having survived the Arctic, George and Edward struggle to adjust to life after rescue and without their lover, John. Though they love each other, they remain in mourning. A letter from their captain convinces them to accept his comfort and advice. Crozier offers them a way to reconnect with John and rekindle their sexual relationship. When they light a candle, they may be granted the miracle they are hoping for.

[abrahamvanhelsings]

listen i don't think edward little was actually a bad first lieutenant. when we see him in the first episode he's calm and confident. he does not say much but he's amiable enough. crozier likes him, and i don't think crozier would like anyone he doesn't think capable in some way. generally he's dependable and knows what he's doing. however unfortunately for edward he has these qualities because he has a major case of eldest daughter syndrome, which means he both wants to please his mum (crozier) and has an overdeveloped sense of responsibility for his younger siblings (crew), so when they get stuck in the ice and crozier starts going (more) alcoholic, he enables his mum bc he doesn't want to disappoint her even if he doesn't agree with her, and he has to pick up the tasks and care for his siblings she's not doing, but he can't let his siblings know about their mum's situation because they'll get worried and restless. and like a true eldest daughter he has to bear the brunt of mummy's anger for being a disappointment but he also doesn't want to seek refuge with the man she divorced (fitzjames) because that feels like a betrayal. also while this is going on there is a giant bear who hunts his siblings for sport so they're dying left and right and also a changeling master manipulator who's making his siblings mad at their mum and who wants to fuck said mum before eating her like some sort of praying mantis. anyway i think i would start being miserable and anxious too.

[hacash]

jared harris doomed grouchy alcoholic captain of my heart and all, but I cannot emphasise just how moving it is to read the actual crozier’s letters to his ‘dear sisters’ and nicknaming his sister charlotte as ‘dear small’ and gushing over how excited he is to serve under someone so honourable as sir john franklin and constantly asking james clark ross to pass on his love to ross’s wife and baby and nicknaming anne ross ‘thot’ (??) and the baby cute things like ‘the dear little stranger’ and ‘little sir james’

and yes I love terror’s francis ‘crankypants’ crozier, but the fact that we think of victorian men as being repressed and emotionless and yet every single one of the real man’s letters just overflows with affection and good humour just Does Something to me ok

[thelilnan]

the Lieuts of HMS Erebus wish you a Happy Mardi Gras!

commish for @charliemack

[jillie-boe-legweak]

Some coldboys. More to come. Eventually.