#woolly cow

[cutest-raccoon-edits]

Alternatives to my previous meme:

[themancorialist]

Oldham Street, Manchester.

[unreversedumbrella]

Broke: Mob likes milk, therefore Mob likes cows Woke: I like cows, therefore Mob likes cows

[outofangband]

I really loved @gwaedhannen ‘s post about wanting more strangeness in First Age Beleriand and I had a post awhile back about potential strange ecology for Middle Earth so I wanted to revisit it with some more thoughts!

Following up to my speculative biology ideas for elves,

Like the last list, these are more jotting down ideas, please please feel free to give me any to elaborate on!

Mammoths on the Helcaraxë and other cold reaches. Tolkien talks of all creatures that walk or have ever walked the earth existing in Valinor and throughout Arda hence prehistoric and extinct species can also exist here. I do also headcanon smaller herds of woolly mammoths and woolly rhinos in northern Hithlum and north of greater Beleriand. Stellar’s sea cows in the frozen waters:(

Early cenozoic aquatic birds such as Hesperornis off the coasts of Balar and Alqualondë.

 Enchanted orchards of Valinor; large, seemingly abandoned self containing gardens and orchards. There are fruit tree orchards hidden behind ivy covered walls; some always filled with Autumn breezes, citrus groves always kept warm and bright lined with lemon trees and deep green grass. Except for the Maia who tend them, the only beings who enter the orchards are elves who do so, usually by mistake.

There are places throughout Arda where the Music was not well, loud, enough. They can be the size of a footstep or a field and are not fully connected to the space time continuum. Those who tread on them will end up elsewhere in time or space and will never realize what had happened.

In the great expanses of unexplored Valinor, there are coves, glens, lagoons, and all sorts of other places that seem shift and change, being there one day and not the next. Even while walking through familiar, charted territory, there is always the possibility of ending up in a hidden clearing, covered in hanging mosses and with strange lights all around.

The forests of Beleriand are full of strange, sometimes dark creatures that have never been properly documented. They are the strange hybrids of Yavanna’s creations and Melkor’s corruption and a few have escaped the eyes of even the Ainur. 

The underground lakes of Middle Earth, especially around Angband contain blind, hungry beings, nourished by the volcanic soils. Strange fungi and lichen stick to the walls of the caverns and passageways beneath the fortress.

There are hot springs in several locations in Beleriand South of the Ered Wethrin (there are many in the Ered Wethrin of course but these are not exactly relaxation destinations). Namely in Himring, throughout Hithlum, north of Barad Eithel, parts of Dorthonion, in the caves of Androth, and parts of the Ered Luin. Not all of these are used by residents and not all maintain safe temperatures or conditions but some do! In many parts of Northern Beleriand, they're used for bathing and communal relaxation. There are other springs throughout the March of Maedhros and I like the idea of Himring being built around a hot spring. There are hot and warm springs in both Nargothrond and Menengroth. The definition of warm springs differs from hot springs only in average temperature

The caves of Menengroth and Nargothrond allow elves and others access to the strange wonders of the underground world of Middle Earth.  They are lit by lanterns and by certain bioluminescent plants. There are windows in key areas that allow sunlight to filter into some of the larger halls and though there are small gardens of species that do not require direct sunlight, some are stationed in the areas where sunlight filters in. A small tributary of the river Narog flows directly through one of the great halls of Nargothrond. Its flora and fauna remain untouched by the elves and algae and aquatic plants as well as small fish, salamanders in their early stages, and stranger creatures are visible to see for those who walk along it. 

In realms with Ainur or certain Eldar rule, natural life may not follow typical laws. Melian has great influence over the biodiversity and climate of Doriath for example even without meaning to.

The horror potential of the boundaries of the girdle or of Nan Elmoth. Time and space distorting, the forest becoming a maze, bird calls confusing and disorienting unwary or unlucky travelers

The Ered Gorgoroth, the eerie, mysterious mountain range, bordered to the north by Dorthonion and to the south by Nan Dungortheb. It was said the spawn of Ungolian haunted these mountains and the valley. I have some more posts on this but I've always imagined there being many pools and meres in Ered Gorgoroth, many harmless though frigid and some completely corrupted by the powers of Ungoliants spawn and other beings. Unfortunately, it’s not always possible to know which was which until it was too late.

Chemical reactions causing glimmering or colorful water. Elves learn carefully when this has occurred due to natural phenomena and when it is the result of unnatural influence or Ainur presence.

Salt lakes and landlocked waters mimicking ocean conditions. I’ve always imagined there being a lake like lake Baikal in the March of Maedhros

More Bioluminescence

The realms draped in dragon reek especially around Nargothrond. The pools of Ivrin are ruined by Glaurung and they are the source of the river Narog, the largest tributary to Sirion. The entire land could be poisoned. I imagine that plants wither or lose color, birds and frogs stay silent, animals are thrown off of their natural cycles, The orchards in the hills barren or producing foul fruit, strange happenings resulting from drinking from the river Narog or even eating animals that drank from it…

Alternatively the effects of the water where the power of Ulmo is still strong such as in Nan Tathren or the Twilit Meres

[beveverage]

For a while I've had this idea of humans vanishing off the earth and megafauna gradually returning. Sauropod cows (probably with lots of bison heritage) were the first concept I played with.

Today a friend showed me an image of a colossal hog, and so naturally I have integrated these into the cow world canon. They are like woolly rhinos. to me

[xenosagaepisodeone]

I think you'd be one of those little woolly dogs where its eyes are like hidden by dense fluff. Like a highland cow but a dog.

hm......I accept this anonymously assigned persona

[aardvark-123]

~Very Good Ideas for Skyrim Mods~

Immersive Bandits: Generic bandits in every bandit dungeon are replaced with a new bandit clan or similar organisation. Lost Knife Hideout, for example, is where one Falanu Thunder-Axe is trying to establish an independent. Instead of robbing the place, players can barter for quest items such as Kharjo's moon amulet. Brodir Grove is home to a small barbarian book club, dedicated to gathering and protecting lost stories. To gain access to Brodir Grove, you must either best their strongest warrior in single combat or prove you've read twelve skill books. As a final example, Fort Greymoor is run by deserters from the Whiterun guard, who want to extort Hrongar and Jarl Balgruuf into posing for a nude calendar. Evil players can trick the Jarl and his brother into posing for suggestive portraits. Decent people can, time and weather permitting, burn Fort Greymoor to the ground, then make a sexy mudcrab calendar for charity.

Immersive Woolly Jumpers: Adds comfortable woolly jumpers to Skyrim. They come in five colours, each in six different outfits: with trousers, with a long skirt, under a robe, over leather armour, over steel armour, and for children. The jumpers are included in levelled lists for shops and random clothing, with enchanted variants found quite rarely in treasure chests. Marcurio and Brelyna both wear the robe version.

Immersive Woolly Cows: Most decently-sized farms get a bull, with a unique model and texture, in addition to three or four procedurally-generated cows and a couple of adorable calves. Regional prices for beef, milk and leather are set at the start of each new game, and are updated dynamically after every cattle-related occurrence. For example, you can kill all the cows in Whiterun to triple the price of beef, but a Werecow of Hircine just might come seeking revenge...

Immersive Woolly Tomboys: Braith, Dorthe and Runa Fair-Shield all wear jumpers.

Immersive Wellies: Adds comfortable Wellington boots to Skyrim in twenty-eight different colours, from green to pink, via yellow and black. They're light armour with an innate 25% shock resistance, because they're made of rubber-- no, sorry, they're made of lore-friendly Leyawiinese tree leather, which provides good insulation. Buy more Leyawiinese tree leather from travelling merchants to patch up your wellies.

Unimmersive Wellies: Places a portal to Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand, in the woods near Lake Ilinalta. The mod includes a life-sized replica of Te Whanganui-a-Tara, most of the greater metropolitan area, and enough of the surrounding hills for people to take nice-looking screenshots. There are about 500,000 NPCs living there, all with basic dialogue recorded by real, live New Zealanders, but there's no wood chopping block.

The Wonderful World of Guard Dogs: Every settlement in Skyrim gets a couple of guard dogs, wearing dog-sized guard helmets and blankets in their hold's colours. While they don't have the authority to make arrests, they'll fight off wild animals or bandits, sniff out thieves sneaking around, and play Fetch with the locals. Raven Rock has guard scribs instead, and Orsimer strongholds have guard echateres. And if that wasn't enough, there are bandit guard dogs, vicious ones trained to attack intruders on sight. Bandit guard dogs are levelled, and may turn out upon closer inspection to be bears. Most of them will ignore you if offered a sufficient bribe, such as a mammoth snout or a squeaky toy. Uniquely, Arcwind Point is guarded by a frost giant, who'll only let you in if you bring her a pitchfork to use as a back-scratcher.

The Wonderful World of Guide Dogs: The Dawnguard give Dexion Evicus a trained husky to help him navigate the castle.

[whumpshaped]

thats a very fair point, i prune my bushes very very lovingly. i like to imagine its like being brushed for a cow... or a trim for a sheep!!! u know how sheep get super super woolly if theyre not sheared? yeah..... thats what overgrown bushes r like to me....

also please no one worry abt the sign off thing! its optional, only if u wanna have a little sign off and want me to know who u are !

text from the ask under the cut

native english speaker here, you're using "prune" just fine and it's the first word that'd come to my mind for that context, but maybe it's a less common word than I thought?

For our askbox-crowd-sourced bushboy whumpee, I can imagine being pruned as like a haircut or trimming nails, rather than living/essential body parts - so probably more of a caretaker thing unless it's taken too far. NOT being pruned honestly sounds more uncomfortable...

🕯 (not my first ask but I just realized I forgot to give an emoji, sorry ^^;)

[aphroditestummyrolls]

I’d love the wylan/Matthias one shot pls? I just read ur first part and want more.

🥹☺️❤️ I’m so glad you enjoyed the first section! Here’s a little bit from earlier in the scene.

He was so lost in thought that he didn’t think to wait and knock. With a bowl of steaming stew and bread in one hand, Matthias used the other to find the door unlocked, and simply let himself in.

“Wy—“ he felt rather stupid once he heard the sniffling cries, and saw his friend jump, “—lan? Are you alright?”

After the day he’s had? A voice in his head chided him— it sounded like Nina. I’d say we’re well past asking if he’s alright. Blinking placidly at the room, Matthias felt like a bull trampling a field of wildflowers— unwieldy and far too large for the delicate machinations needed.

Wylan was sat on the bed, swamped in what was likely Jesper’s hasty attempts at care before Brekker swept him away. The pillows were propped behind his back, against the headboard. There was a scarf wrapped up in his hands as if he’d been pressing it to his face. He had not one, but two thick woolly jumpers pulled over his head, making his arms and torso look soft and padded in a way Wylan had probably never managed to actually obtain in his life. It made him look like he was part of the blankets.

It would be terribly endearing, if it wasn’t for the splotchy red flush across his cheeks and the way he ducked his head immediately from Matthias’s eyes.

“‘M fine.” He swiped roughly at his face, and Matthias had never believed anybody less.

He knew, though, if he wanted Wylan to look him in the eye anytime soon, he’d have to take fine for an answer. At least, for now.

“I brought you something to eat…” he changed the subject, hastily closing the door behind him and rounding the bed. He sat at the edge, near to his friend’s absolutely indistinguishable knees. “Nina said to eat it slowly.”

The merchling fixed him with a baleful look. “I don’t need instructions on how to eat.” Matthias wasn’t cowed in the slightest. Wylan’s dark eyelashes were clumped with tears, his eyes glassy. He was pale as a Fjerdan winter, the only colour in his skin being from the drying tracks on his cheeks.

He wasn’t exactly intimidating. “Her precise words were if he skipped lunch again, make sure he doesn’t make himself ill— his body’s been through enough today. But, if you’d like to piss off the woman who held your heart in her hands today, I can only advise against it.”

Regardless, Matthias set the bowl in his lap, and Wylan hummed when he wrapped his hands around it. The spoon shook slightly— he was still shivering. He managed a couple slow bites, swirling the bread into the broth as he chewed.

“I, I’m sorry— Thank you, Matthias.”

“You’re welcome.” He smiled.

Wylan took another slow bite. “Has Mr. Fahey, um, has he eaten?”

“Yes, I brought it to him a moment ago.”

“How did…” he cleared his throat, “was he okay? When you saw him?”

Thank you for playing! ❤️❤️❤️

[fredfinch]

ok so writing those tags did make me wanna check out the latest longreads roundup and man, I'm really enjoying the de-extinction article

In the eyes of some researchers, the best candidate for de-extinction is an animal some might wish were extinct: a rat. When Thomas Gilbert, a genomics researcher at the University of Copenhagen, sat in at some of the first de-extinction meetings at National Geographic in 2012, he remembers a brainstorm of what species the efforts should focus on. Suggestions of mammoths, Steller's sea cows, and woolly rhinos were all met with lots of attention. "Then I go, 'Christmas Island rat,' just to see what happens," Gilbert said. "And it was just like, dead silence."

nobody wanted to work with the unglamorous christmas island rat 😔

(link)

[thefisherqueen]

Sherlock Holmes: The Three Gables

Catching up with Letters from Watson today, so I'm reading The Three Gables short story now. This one is supposedly especially racist. I still want to read it: I want a whole picture of what Doyle wrote, not just the palatable. Going to focus this reading on the ways the racism presents in this story, because I think it's important for white people like me to do that. If we want the joy of reading older literature, we also need to face the nasty. I'm open, of course, to any corrections and additions, and will also look into what people have already written about it

First note: already sure I'm going to confuse this title with The Three Garridebs. Way too similar

I don't think that any of my adventures with Mr. Sherlock Holmes opened quite so abruptly, or so dramatically, as that which I associate with The Three Gables. Didn't ran one client ran into the living room of Baker Street and then faint? Not sure how this one could be more dramatic

If I had said that a mad bull had arrived it would give a clearer impression of what occurred. The door had flown open and a huge negro had burst into the room. He would have been a comic figure if he had not been terrific, for he was dressed in a very loud gray check suit with a flowing salmon-coloured tie. His broad face and flattened nose were thrust forward, as his sullen dark eyes, with a smouldering gleam of malice in them, turned from one of us to the other. “Which of you gen'l'men is Masser Holmes?” he asked. *Sighs* ok, this is already so bad. Note the direct linking of the apprearance and dress of a black man to both comedy and perceived threat. Also note the unnecessary written down manner of speach, which puts extra attention to it. Exaggerating and making fun of the way people talk is often part of racist and classist narratives. The portrayal is also often inaccurate, for '*gasp* people making fun of other's manner of speech generally don't have an understanding for its grammar and nuances

“Oh! it's you, is it?” said our visitor, coming with an unpleasant, stealthy step round the angle of the table. “See here, Masser Holmes, you keep your hands out of other folks' business. Leave folks to manage their own affairs. Got that, Masser Holmes?” “Keep on talking,” said Holmes. “It's fine.” “Oh! it's fine, is it?” growled the savage. “It won't be so damn fine if I have to trim you up a bit. I've handled your kind before now, and they didn't look fine when I was through with them. Further stereotyping of the black man: violent, a growling savage, even his very step is described as unpleasant

aren't you Steve Dixie, the bruiser?” “That's my name, Masser Holmes, and you'll get put through it for sure if you give me any lip.” “It is certainly the last thing you need,” said Holmes, staring at our visitor's hideous mouth. What the hell. This goes way beyong racist stereotyping: this is straight up nasty racist insult of physical appearance

“Yes, you'll tell the magistrate about it, Steve,” said Holmes. “I've been watching you and Barney Stockdale—” “So help me the Lord! Masser Holmes—” “That's enough. Get out of it. I'll pick you up when I want you.” “Good-mornin', Masser Holmes. I hope there ain't no hard feelin's about this 'ere visit?” To me, this reads like another aspect of racism in narratives: the power fantasy of the white man. Notice how this black man, who was just threatening Holmes, now cowers before him and listens to his command

“I am glad you were not forced to break his woolly head, Watson. I observed your manoeuvres with the poker. But he is really rather a harmless fellow, a great muscular, foolish, blustering baby, and easily cowed, as you have seen. He is one of the Spencer John gang and has taken part in some dirty work of late which I may clear up when I have time. His immediate principal, Barney, is a more astute person. Further racist stereotyping: the framing of a black person as all muscles and no brains

“But why do they want to intimidate you?” “It is this Harrow Weald case. It decides me to look into the matter, for if it is worth anyone's while to take so much trouble, there must be something in it.” The rule still applies: the more danger there is for Holmes, the more he is interested

I had always wanted to travel, and the bargain was so good a one that it really seemed that I should be my own mistress for the rest of my life. This is an interesting sentence: to be one's own mistress. I assume that it means that she can be financially independant and does not need to remarry?

Holmes raised his hand for silence. Then he strode across the room, flung open the door, and dragged in a great gaunt woman whom he had seized by the shoulder. She entered with ungainly struggle like some huge awkward chicken, torn, squawking, out of its coop. “Leave me alone! What are you a-doin' of?” she screeched. Doyle, proud of himself: I'm acing that degree in black people speach

Now we have got so far, you may as well give the name and earn the tenner.” “I'll see you in hell first.” Omg. Badass line from this lady. Tell that white man that your loyalty cannot be bought for a mere ten pounds

Theory time: my guess is that the last inhabitant of the house used it as a base for smuggling. Or, at least the servants did. When they died or moved away suddenly, the smugglers did not have the chance to move supplies out. We've not seen opium smuggling so far, maybe that is the case this time?

Is that lawyer of yours a capable man?” “Mr. Sutro is most capable.” “Have you another maid, or was the fair Susan, who has just banged your front door, alone?” “I have a young girl.” “Try and get Sutro to spend a night or two in the house. You might possibly want protection.” Imagine being a lawyer and being asked by a widow client for a sleepover because she wants to feel protected. Bless Holmes' asexual heart for not realising how suggestive that sounds

Holmes to his client: I've gotten a former army doctor to share my rooms, he makes me feel so protected and safe ❤️ you should try it! His client: Wtf

As we passed through the hall Holmes's eyes, which missed nothing, lighted upon several trunks and cases which were piled in a corner. The labels shone out upon them. “‘Milano.’ ‘Lucerne.’ These are from Italy.” “They are poor Douglas's things.” “You have not unpacked them? How long have you had them?” “They arrived last week.” My theory is already wrong, lol. I should know better by now than forget about a clue like the dead son. He was of course mentioned for a reason

It was quite evident that The Three Gables was under very close surveillance, for as we came round the high hedge at the end of the lane there was the negro prize-fighter standing in the shadow. We came on him quite suddenly, and a grim and menacing figure he looked in that lonely place. Holmes clapped his hand to his pocket. “Lookin' for your gun, Masser Holmes?” “No, for my scent-bottle, Steve.” I did not realise that Holmes meant "I don't like the smell of you" literally. Add to racialized descriptions of this character: smelly, grim, menacing. Also notice how Holmes calls Dixie by his first name - something he never does, not even with his worst enemies like Moriarty and Milverton. I'm sure this would have been a highly impolite and infantilising thing to do back then

“Well, just bear in mind, Steve, that the lady in that house, and everything under that roof, is under my protection. Don't forget it.” Holmes idea of protection: let a lawyer sleep there

“I've got him thoroughly frightened for his own skin, Watson,” Holmes remarked as we walked on. “I think he would double-cross his employer if he knew who he was. Sure, Holmes. What do you want to do him next - call you master?

I saw no more of Holmes during the day, but I could well imagine how he spent it, for Langdale Pike was his human book of reference upon all matters of social scandal. This strange, languid creature spent his waking hours in the bow window of a St. James's Street club and was the receiving-station as well as the transmitter for all the gossip of the metropolis. He made, it was said, a four-figure income by the paragraphs which he contributed every week to the garbage papers which cater to an inquisitive public. If ever, far down in the turbid depths of London life, there was some strange swirl or eddy, it was marked with automatic exactness by this human dial upon the surface. Holmes discreetly helped Langdale to knowledge, and on occasion was helped in turn. Why am I not surprised by Holmes being on good terms with a master of gossip

Please come out at once. Client's house burgled in the night. Police in possession. — Sutro. Holmes whistled. “The drama has come to a crisis, and quicker than I had expected. There is a great driving-power at the back of this business, Watson, which does not surprise me after what I have heard. This Sutro, of course, is her lawyer. I made a mistake, I fear, in not asking you to spend the night on guard. This fellow has clearly proved a broken reed. He was a LAWYER Holmes. Literally an untrained, unprepared, uninformed civilian who likely never even touched a weapon once. What did you expect

Oh. Seems like the lawyer was not even present.

They must have known the house to an inch. I was conscious for a moment of the chloroform rag which was thrust over my mouth, but I have no notion how long I may have been senseless. When I woke, one man was at the bedside and another was rising with a bundle in his hand from among my son's baggage, which was partially opened and littered over the floor. They attacked this lady in her very bedroom, while she was sleeping. I cannot help but think, considering the rest of the story, that this is a thinly veiled reference to sexual assault and the way that men of colour were (and sadly only too often still are) perceived as a particular threat to white women

Sounds to me like the burglars got their hands on the diary of the client's son. On the torn page, he tells of a woman who had him attacked and that he is intent on revenge. Possibly the same woman that Susan reffered to? I guess that, in his search for revenge, he has gathered some incrimating material and that the burglars were out to get it back

“Now, Watson, we are at the last lap of our little journey,” said Holmes when we were back in the roar of central London once more. “I think we had best clear the matter up at once, and it would be well that you should come with me, for it is safer to have a witness when you are dealing with such a lady as Isadora Klein.” A female villain! Exciting. Her name is Dutch, not sure if that says anything

She married the aged German sugar king, Klein, and presently found herself the richest as well as the most lovely widow upon earth. Then there was an interval of adventure when she pleased her own tastes. She had several lovers, and Douglas Maberley, one of the most striking men in London, was one of them. It was by all accounts more than an adventure with him. He was not a society butterfly but a strong, proud man who gave and expected all. But she is the ‘belle dame sans merci’ of fiction. When her caprice is satisfied the matter is ended, and if the other party in the matter can't take her word for it she knows how to bring it home to him.” Now that is some juicy gossip. Holmes pretents to be suprised that Watson doesn't know her but I'm sure Holmes had heard none of it before consulting with that gossip master. He does not seem the type to know who the latest hottest lady is

I have too much respect for your intelligence to do so—though I confess that intelligence has been surprisingly at fault of late.” “How so, sir?” “By supposing that your hired bullies could frighten me from my work. Surely no man would take up my profession if it were not that danger attracts him. Delighted that we have a full on confession that danger attracts Holmes! At least he's self-aware?

Knowing that the gang was just acting out this woman's orders somehow makes their racist treatment the more insulting. All those descriptions of them being threatening and violent - and they were only a pawn to this woman?

She broke into a ripple of laughter and walked to the fireplace. There was a calcined mass which she broke up with the poker. “Shall I give this back?” she asked. So roguish and exquisite did she look as she stood before us with a challenging smile that I felt of all Holmes's criminals this was the one whom he would find it hardest to face. However, he was immune from sentiment. “That seals your fate,” he said coldly. Aroaceness for the win :) (Watson still doesn't understand it)

But what did he do then? Could I have believed that a gentleman would do such an act? He wrote a book in which he described his own story. I, of course, was the wolf; he the lamb. It was all there, under different names, of course; but who in all London would have failed to recognize it? I have to admit, that is a clever way to take revenge. An rather genius twist to the usual blackmail

Sherlock Holmes shrugged his shoulders. “Well, well,” said he, “I suppose I shall have to compound a felony as usual. How much does it cost to go round the world in first-class style?” The lady stared in amazement. “Could it be done on five thousand pounds?” “Well, I should think so, indeed!” “Very good. I think you will sign me a check for that, and I will see that it comes to Mrs. Maberley. You owe her a little change of air. Meantime, lady”—he wagged a cautionary forefinger—“have a care! Have a care! You can't play with edged tools forever without cutting those dainty hands.” Who needs the police if you're Sherlock Holmes, apperently. The gang will be arrested for the burglary, while their rich white lady employer gets off with paying a sum of money

Whew. That's done. That was indeed an astounding amount of racism for one short story. Doyle really sat down and said 'let's be so mean about black people' here. The most infuriating thing is, in my opinion, that the racism in this story stays totally unchecked and unchallenged. Sometimes before, we've seen characters make really racist accusations, but often those characters were proven wrong in the story. This story reminded me of Thor Bridge. Not are the descriptions and the behaviour of Holmes very racist, the racialized characters themselves are shown as actually malicious themselves, they have no hero counterpart, and they get no sympathic redeeming story. I guess that Dixie stops being a threat? But he only does that by basically submitting to Holmes, which is obviously Not Great

[the-time-lord-oracle]

Thomas the Tank Engine series 2 UK VHS release observations

Thought I'd do a follow-up on my post about Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends series 1 UK VHS releases by doing a post about series 2's releases. Compared to series 1, series 2's VHS releases are fairly straightforward so let's dive straight in.

Series 2 of Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends was first broadcast on CITV between the 24th of September and the 17th of December 1986. As with series 1, the episodes were broadcast in double bills with a nameboard sequence between each episode. When it came time to release series 2 on home video, the rights were given to Pickwick Video who released the series on three VHS tapes under their Screen Legends label on the 23rd of March 1987. These tapes were Thomas, Percy & the Coal & Other stories; containing the first eight episodes of series 2 (Thomas, Percy & the Coal to Duck Takes Charge), Percy & Harold & Other Stories; containing the middle eight episodes (Percy & Harold to Break Van), and The Deputation & Other Stories; containing the final ten episodes ( The Deputation to Thomas & the Missing Christmas Tree). Unlike the series 1 VHS releases, the decision to always include an even number of episodes on these releases ensured that all of the nameboard sequences remained intact. Pickwick would subsequently reissue the three videos on the 6th of November 1989 under their own name, though the packaging design remained the same, with the only differences being the removal of the Screen Legends logo and the tapes having Pickwick's own logo instead of the Screen Legends one. So far, pretty straight forward compared to the complicated release history of series 1.

In 1990, The Video Collection released Bumper Special; a compilation of 17 episodes from series 1. The following year, Pickwick Video released a spiritual sequel to that video in the form of their The Best of Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends; a compilation of 18 episodes from series 2, released on the 6th of May 1991. The included episodes were Thomas, Percy & the Coal, Cows, Bertie's Chase, Saved from Scrap, Percy & the Signal, Duck Takes Charge, Percy & Harold, The Runaway, Percy Takes the Plunge, Percy's Predicament, Dirty Work, A Close Shave, The Deputation, Thomas Comes to Breakfast, Edward's Exploit, Ghost Train, Woolly Bear and Thomas & the Missing Christmas Tree. It's curious that the video places Percy's Predicament before Thomas Comes to Breakfast as it causes some continuity issues. This video was the first Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends video to feature the Britt Allcroft presents ident at the start, the last to feature the Clearwater Features endboard at the end of each even-numbered episode and the last to be released by Pickwick.

In 1992, it was decided to transfer the rights to series 2 to The Video Collection, who already had the rights to series 1 and the newly-released series 3, thus bringing all three series under the same umbrella. To this end, The Video Collection re-released the three series 2 videos under their brand with covers by Britten Ellis McKean and new titles; Thomas, Percy & the Coal & Other Stories was now Percy & the Signal & Other Stories, Percy & Harold & Other Stories was now The Runaway & Other Stories and The Deputation & Other Stories was now Ghost Train & Other Stories. Episode division was the same as on the 1987/89 Pickwick releases, though the odd-numbered episodes now all began with the Britt Allcroft presents ident and the even-numbered episodes now all featured the Britt Allcroft Productions endboard instead of the Clearwater Features one. I personally consider this video cover design to be the best design, though only Percy & the Signal & Other Stories has an image from an episode that's actually on the tape, the image of Percy coming from Duck Takes Charge, though mirrored. The image of James on the cover of The Runaway & Other Stories is actually from series 3's No Joke for James and the image of Thomas on the cover of Ghost Train & Other Stories is actually from The Runaway. These three videos were subsequently reissued on the 22nd of November 1993 with a a promo at the beginning for various children's videos narrated by Ace herself, Sophie Aldred.

Between 1988 and 1992, The Video Collection had released a number of Watch & Play video packs which featured series 1 episodes. On the 3rd of October 1994, they released one final Watch & Play pack; Thomas Comes to Breakfast & Other Stories, containing six episodes from series 2; Percy & Harold, Percy Takes the Plunge, Bertie's Chase, Thomas & Trevor, Thomas Comes to Breakfast and Thomas & the Missing Christmas Tree. This was The Video Collection's final Watch & Play video and the only one to feature non-series 1 episodes. It would also be the last purely series 2 release for a while as they concentrated on series 4 and bumper special videos for the next few years.

On the 29th of May 1995, The Video Collection released Ghost Train & Other Stories/Time for Trouble & Other Stories, a compilation of two earlier releases; Ghost Train & Other Stories and the 1991 series 3 release Time for Trouble & Other Stories. It's worth noting that although the packaging claims Ghost Train & Other Stories comes first on the tape, Time for Trouble & Other Stories actually comes first, despite those episodes being from series 3. 1995 would also see The Video Collection rebrand as VCI, though it wouldn't be until 1999 that we would see a purely series 2 release under that banner.

In 1998, VCI released all of series 1 in one VHS boxset and the following year they decided to give series 2 the same treatment, hence Thomas The Tank Engine & Friends: The Complete 2nd Series, a two-video box set containing all 26 episodes of series 2, released on the 17th of May 1999. The first tape in the set contained the first 13 episodes (Thomas, Percy & the Coal to Dirty Work), and the second tape contained the remaining 13 (A Close Shave to Thomas & the Missing Christmas Tree). This would ultimately be the final series 2 VHS release as DVDs soon came on stream. Series 2 would receive it's first DVD release in 2004 and go on to be re-released in 2010 and 2012.

That concludes my look at Thomas the Tank & Friends series 2 UK VHS releases. Certainly not as complex as series 1. If anyone wants to see an observation of series 3 VHS releases, drop a comment.

[thenixkat]

Mostly because there’s no way in hell that I have the energy to make up names for shit, and even less energy to try and make a language, and b/c I think its funny, there’s a lot of critters on Aran that have the same names as critters from Earth that either have a somewhat similar appearance or behaviors/niche. And then some of the critters are called the same shit as things from Earth b/c they *are* from Earth.

And readers will just have to guess/use clues to figure out just what the hell is being described or discussed. Viewpoint characters of different species will also call the same shit different things.

Like:

- Centaurs consider themselves to be people, they do not consider other sapients to be people and have little to no reason to do so. They do call themselves centaurs but only about as much as any given human would refer to humans as human instead of people. 

Halflings are more likely to call them ‘horsebutts’/ ‘horse monsters’ (due to their appearance) or ‘ogres’ (due to their behavior).

- Halflings call themselves human and consider themselves to be people, they have very little reason to consider the sapients native to Aran to be people b/c every single other sapient species on Aran likes to eat them.

Centaurs call them halflings b/c they look like half a person from their perspective.

- Halflings call horses horses while centaurs call them asses b/c to a centaur that’s what a horse looks like.

- Cattle is used for the fire breathing sauropod-like dragons kept by centaurs b/c for all intents and purposes they’re just fire breathing, flying cows. While a human would call them ‘dinos’ or ‘longnecks’.

- Owlbears are encountered rarely enough that they’re named after what they resemble: a small nocturnal wyvern called an owl and a shaggy winged critter called a bear. (Halflings would call the Aran bears, ‘winged bears’ but have never seen an Earth bear and only know about them from stories)  

- Sheep are actual Earth sheep. Though centaurs used to call them ‘baas’ and ‘dry woolies’, sheep only started catching on as a name for them when trying to trade with halflings for them. (’dry woolly’ is specified b/c centaurs keep salamanders for wool production and salamanders are slimy, thus their default of a woolly animal would be wet) 

- Ferbs are called ferbies by halflings b/c of a similar looking creature is known from the ancient mythology. 

- Spiders are very similar in appearance to Earth spiders but come in an assortment of sizes, the largest of which is house cat sized, and they have metallic exoskeletons.

- Snake is used interchangeably with wyrm. There is a slight tendency to use snake for small serpentine dragons and wyrm for large serpentine dragons.

[dididou45]

My woolly cow fairy 😝

[ashren]

36 to 40 (inclusive) for The Guys? 🥺💕

THANK YOU 💕

oh no I have Many Guys now 😵‍💫 so i chose 3 of 'em 😅

36. What is their sense of humor like? Give an example of a joke they would find humorous.

Ren: He had the sense of humor of a 12 year old boy and also a Dad ™. Ren laughs pretty easily tbh, he's had a long time being a grumpy cynical young adult and now tries to make ppl laugh (when appropriate)

Ash: Think of like Spider-man's banter when fighting enemies? That's kinda Ash's sense of humor, mostly because he's often fighting people. He does like to push his friends buttons as way to get a laugh, but he (generally) knows where the line is.

Peter: He's got a very dry sense of humor. He actually smiles at a lot but because he had the bandana covering his face a lot, he can get away pretending he's a Big Scary Stoic Man. But he doesn't often crack his own jokes. So, when he drops a one liner out of the blue, it usually goes over pretty well.

37. How easy is it for them to say "I love you"? Do they say it without meaning it?

Ren: At the beginning, not that easy. He's still hurt after Johnny's death and then he's on a wild adventure, not really thinking about love. The second the figures out that he loves Phineas (Phineas was first, sorry Hiram lol) he decides to say it whenever he wants. He initially didn't want to freak Phineas out, but he also didn't want to ever NOT say it and then regret it later if something happened. (This extends to his friends after this realization too!) After his first boyfriend he made a promise to himself never to say I love you to someone without truly meaning it.

Ash: He rarely says it, but he always means it. He's got a lot of love for his friends and Rylin but he's very bad voicing his emotions. The first time he says I Love You to Rylin, he thinks Rylin is sleeping. (Ry was not, but didn't tell Ash that until years later)

Peter: He said it and not meant it before, on purpose. He'll probably do it again, if it's convenient for him. Generally it's only when he's hunting so, like, they're bad people, right?

He does tell the people he truly loves that he loves them often, but proves it with action as well. Flo gets domestic bff fwb i love yous all the time.

38. What do others admire most about their personality?

Ren: That he seems pretty easy going. He tries to go with the flow. Internally, he's freaking out but on the outside, he seems collected.

Ash: When he's Pax, people mostly admire his dedication to getting the job done (even though he can be annoying as hell). When he's Ash, people would probably say the admire how brave he is for racing. Even though, it's probably the least dangerous this he does, the public doesn't know that!

Peter: Most people think he's weird or cold and standoffish. The people who know him well, they admire his willingness to help the down trodden.

39. What does their happily ever after look like?

Ren: His happily ever after is being able to settle down after a a few more years of helping the colony and just raising Woolly Cows with Phineas and Hiram. He's gonna be a fiber craft king in Halcyon, making his own Woolly Cow yarn 😎

Ash: His only happens when Commander Gerrish is dead. He'll get to marry Ry (i have this planned out it's v cute heheheh) and he can live out the rest of his life in Clan Khaar with Rylin, still on Kamrri, so he continues to be a bacta runner and he'll still bar tend for Teel'la and Joran if they need help. They also end up adopting kids, cuz, you know, Mandalorians like to do that.

Peter: Heeeeeee's kind of living the closest thing to it. He's traveling with his best friend (Florence!) and he feels like he has a handle on his Thirst ™. Florence is immortal, they think, but his happily ever after ends if she dies. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

40. Who do they trust most? Is that trust mutual?

Ren: He's got a few people he trusts, all equally so, Phineas, Hiram, and Parvati.

Phin and Hiram I think are obvi, the trust is very mutual

Parvati was the first person Ren willingly told his past to, she was the one who basically guided him through Halcyon when he woke up, and he trusts her with his life, always has. She trusted him before, but after they had a heart to heart she trusts him just as much as he does her.

Ash: Rylin. Ash trusts Rylin with his life pretty early on, and actually planned on telling Rylin that he was also Pax, and it would have been the first time Ash told anyone. Everyone else who knew, helped him create "Pax". (It doesn't end up happening that way bc the Empire fucks it up lol). Before he knows they're the same person, Rylin trusts Pax in the field and Ash with his personal history. It becomes so much easier when he finds out they're the same person 😂

Peter: Florence and yes. LOL there's not much to say, they've been traveling together for almost two centuries so the trust is definitely there :3