I was browsing aimlessly the indescribable Temu website, a couple of days ago, looking for the predictable kitschy expressions of the OL paraphernalia, part of which usually cost an arm and a leg at any given fan event stand.
As expected, there is a deluge of S pics and Sassenach declinations, on any given material one could think of and for any given activity one could think of. From sleeping in Mackenzie tartaned polyester sheets, to drinking from JAMMF cups, to cooking in one of those questionable JAMMF aprons Lasagna Lady once made famous across the fandom, Temu got you covered.
However, I was not expecting this particular product assortment, which immediately made me stop in my tracks:
A Sassenach Spirits wall tapestry (LOL?), priced between 6 and 16 euros, according to size.
A flannel (a girl can dream, this being Temu, after all) 'high quality Sassenach Spirits blanket', priced between 7 and 10 euros.
A 'soft and durable' polyester 'Sassenach Spirits kitchen towel', pretty steeply priced, at 5.25 euros apiece.
The seller?
A Chinese (hungry) ghost who is, however, able to deliver to Bucharest.
I wonder what the hell SS's marketing and legal teams are busying themselves with, on a daily basis, and I am very serious. These are clearly cheap, low quality, pirated derivate products of their brand. The very fact they are cheap, low quality, pirated and available on a Chinese sales hub of questionable repute is very toxic and damaging to SS's brand storytelling and product benchmark. For obvious reasons, like this cruel farce being at complete odds with the entire personal passion project and high-level crafting concepts, that define Sassenach Spirits for its potential target clientele and markets.
To be honest, this is not the entry I had imagined for them, as far as the Asian market is concerned.
And yes, I cannot unsee the irony of a brand still in legal crosshairs over trademark issues being shamelessly stolen by petty, anonymous Chinese scammers. Who clearly try to make a quick buck out of the Mommies' perpetual adoration.
But fear not. If we are to believe the OG troll's threats, their legal team seems more concerned about what is being currently discussed on Tumblr. And soon enough, I predict Norouzi will show off another motorbike, at that July ride or die event.
To paraphrase Alpahville's old and corny one trick pony summer hit - šµChina can wait, they're only watching the skies.šµ Due diligence was never their forte, was it?
Ended by choosing their other half-forgettable hit. Seemed more appropriate:
MW sure went crazy with followers and following people on IG. On Saturday her private account had 1153 followers and now has 1155, but was following 908 and today 1838??? And the business account had 2674 followers and now 2970, and was following 61 and now 118. Busy lady.
Cuando el cheque llega sin tener que trabajar todos los dĆas de 8 a 3 sobra mucho tiempo y llega el aburrimiento. Hay gente que trabaja mucho y enreda poco y ella parece que ha elegido la estrategia contraria. Tengo la sensaciĆ³n de que dedica mĆ”s tiempo a enredar las cosas que a sacar el trabajo adelante šŖ
When the paycheck arrives without having to work every day from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., thereās plenty of spare time, and boredom eventually sets in. Some people work hard and create very little drama, but she seems to have chosen the opposite approach. I have the impression that she spends more time complicating things than actually getting the job done šŖ
As posted today by the Sassenach Spirits Instagram account, we now know that the āOutlander Watch Party Cocktailsā series was filmed on Sunday, March 1, 2026.
IG š„ Sassenach Spirits
We also know that on the same date in the evening the Outlander cast attended āThe Other Placeā play at The Shed staring Tobias Menzies.
Not saying the filming of the āOutlander Watch Party Cocktailsā videos would have taken all day, but it would have been a substantial working morning and afternoon.
Monday, March 2nd there was the Season 8 premiere. Tuesday, March 3rd was press interviews for most of the day. Wednesday, March 4th we have The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon taping and āBest Friend Dayā with Alex at the New York Knicks game.
Please read between the lines of what I am trying to say. š
I think that the unity that is being seen across the fandom is due to the simple fact that, at the end of the day, it doesnāt matter what Samās relationship is with Steph is, itās the fact that he has chosen to associate with her at all. We see her. We see who she is. And Sam is with her, in whatever capacity, and that says a lot about him. I would judge him with the same level of harshness if she was his girlfriend, friend, business partner, etc, because who someone associates with is a direct reflection on them. And in this case, it is really, really bad.
Dear We See Her Anon,
Again - so, so sorry for the delay. I am trying to catch up on a massive batch of Anons and other incomplete posts - and I am rather slow on the job. Apologies are in order, truly.
There is not much I could add to what you wrote. It is exactly my sentiment, spare for the 'with her' thing. That, to me, reeks of something so inauthentic and so useless, I have many thoughts.
But for all the rest - from your mouth to God's ear, Anon.
Are Sony/Stars partners with SH in the distillery?
Dear Partners Anon,
I am very, very sorry for the unacceptable delay: please accept my deepest apologies for this impolite silliness. My country is again in some sort of political predicament, affecting everyone - and that includes this humble blogger. Enough said.
Especially when I had no real reason not to immediately answer you, since I have already written about this particular point, once the distillery was officially reopened. With the well known unexpected bonus of You-Know-Who's maiden appearance on our radars.
The short answer is no, or at least not officially.
The long answer, including all the relevant legal paperwork is here: https://www.tumblr.com/sgiandubh/794988533602500608/the-next-unicorn?source=share (posted September 18, 2025).
Needless to say, nothing of note changed ever since, as far as shareholders go. And I realize that the apparent close association between *** and Galloway Distillery, mutual promo on top, could have led you to that conclusion. However, I do not think one should mistake what clearly is a symbiotic sort of branding cross-pollination - who is the parasite, in that scenario? your guess is as good as mine, Anon - and a formal, business direct involvement.
Whether this acquisition was a wise move, financially speaking, is yet to be determined. The first hints are not brilliant and I will leave it as is, for the time being: I simply need more data.
Hi. Can you reblog the article you posted from Talos brother who said he was planning to move to Belfast as that was where she lived. At the time you implied that she didn't live in Cork but in Belfast.
Dear Belfast Anon,
I realize English is not your first language. However, that does not excuse your very rude and entitled tone.
I have brought back the Archive section, by request. Kindly look for it yourself. As I already mentioned, repeatedly: I do not reblog my own posts.
That being said, a cursory search in my own archives also brought back multiple and very strong C connections to Belfast. Like this particular one: https://www.tumblr.com/sgiandubh/736185302340763648/its-always-great-to-see-c-in-her-true-element?source=share (posted December 9, 2023).
Thank you for your understanding.
[Later edit]: tipped by @arakanui1's brilliant comment, I have found an interesting factoid, in that old, old article about that Belfast dinner:
And indeed, we do know S ate pizza at Flout's, during his last trip to Belfast.
The whole motorcycle experience has given me something to think about for a few days. At first, I thought about some of the numerous little games of innuendo. It's easy to go that far, set up a story from the ferry, and voilĆ , let people speculate. But, being in London on Thursday and with such a short timeframe? Later I read @maximumwobblerbanditdonut blogāwhere he explains in detail the implications of having an unregistered vehicle in a country like Ireland for a long period of time. It explains in detail that you can have it for 6 months without having to register it in that country, since Mr. SH is not a resident there.
So, if we go back 183 days, which is what the law allows, we find that Mr. SH was performing Macbeth in SUA, which is why he didn't take his bicycle there during that period. When Macbeth finished, he went to London, from London to Edinburgh, and from Edinburgh to Glasgow. From there, he went to New York and from New York to Los Angeles, from where he returned around December 18th or 19th. We have a video of him on December 21st running on the track around his house in Glasgow. Up to this point, I suppose the motorcycle was at his house in Glasgow.
From this point on, we know with some certainty:
On January 8th, he's in Edinburgh giving a speech in Parliament with AN. On January 10th, he's at the gym in Glasgow. On January 17th, more pictures are taken at the gym again. He's still in Scotland. After that, he's in Edinburgh on the 27th for the Lyceum. He himself says that he is not well, that he has become intoxicated and the carpet of his house has not survived, the effects of Robert Burns' celebration? If he tells the truth, he also places him in Scotland. From Edinburgh, he goes to London and Germany. He's also filming and traveling for various events in the USA. There's no time to travel by motorcycle to Ireland.
Easter break arrives; we know he was in London and later Edinburgh, probably also Glasgow. From there, he goes to the Tartan Parade, Germany again, Paris LandCon, and London for his birthday. May arrived, and on the 9th he showed us his new suitcase in detail, in the same apartment as in the video from the 1st, which was for JF's birthday. He then traveled to LA for the Outlander send-off. He stayed there until approximately May 18-19, and on the 26th we know he was in a bookstore in London and later at the Caledonian event.
There's a window of time here that I haven't been able to narrow down, from May 2nd to May 8th, but if he was in London and showed us the suitcase on the 9th from there, why go all the way to Glasgow to pick up his motorcycle to go to Ireland and then fly back to London to catch the flight to LA? The most logical thing would have been to fly round trip to Ireland and not have to go to Glasgow to pick up his motorcycle.
So, after this what I believe is:
After December 21st, Mr. SH spent some time in Ireland for the Christmas holidays, and since it was a few days, he took his motorcycle with him from Glasgow. But when it came time to return to Glasgow, he ran into a small problem: the weather. He got caught with the snow at the beginning of the year, around January 2nd to 6th. The weather wasn't the best to ride a bike. I imagine that since he had to travel on those specific dates, he had to leave his motorcycle and got the ferry or a flight.
From Cork? That would mean he had to pick up the motorcycle sometime after the Caledonian event on Thursday, and we know that on Friday night he was in a Belfast hotel, and he even told us he ate pizza. A very tight window of time, though not entirely impossible. But that made me wonder something else. Why travel to Cork in winter with the motorcycle for Christmas when there's nothing preventing her from being in Scotland, and besides, her daughter was on holiday? Especially knowing that he had to return for the various commitments he had, and we know that Cork is not exactly close to the ferry and at that time of year the weather is not exactly an ally. Maybeā¦but I'm not convinced.
Now, the explanation that seems most reasonable to me is that he went to spend the Christmas holidays with some family (ahem) near the border (one hour from the ferry), a much shorter journey. He got caught with the snow when he had to return to Glasgow and took a flight or ferry but without his bike because is too dangerous ride it with that weather. The motorcycle stayed there until he had to go and pick it up.
Added:This is all what I believe. There's no conclusive proof. The timeframes are what they are, there aren't many other possibilities. As for who he was with or wasn't with... we don't know. Perhaps he has more secrets in Ireland... Believe what you want. š¤·āāļø
If someone has evidence or proof that the dates or locations are incorrect, I would appreciate any corrections or suggestions. Always with kindness, thank you.š
At some point in time, around Xmas, šøwere taken with Madam Mao and the little girl, in GLA. Then Cree was obviously at Cawdermill, I believe around December 27th, or something like that.
That does not change anything, in the grand scheme of things. It just thickens the plot and pushes the Cork destination further aside.
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There he is: gorgeous, stylish, dressed impeccably for the occasion.
By all accounts, he looks great.
Unfortunately, your brain has already skipped ahead to the one pressing question: is there a cowbell dangling from his neck?
About as subtle an accessory as the massive gemstone ring the Main Heroine used to wear on her left hand. Equally 'discreet' (not), equally 'tastefully understated' (also not).
He has become more secretive since last year compared to how open and outspoken, he used to be. Back then, almost everything he did and every event he attended was visible to the public. This change could be the result of animal therapy and the impact it has had on his life.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DZWb7S7MxSv/
hmmm I disagree anon. I think he shares pretty much everything he does, heās always reposting and accepting collab posts for us to all see. If you read the caption thereās no mention of SS or Galloway distillery or having a stand there (like the parliament night he gave a speech)
this seemed a lowkey day event for a few key people to give a speech. As you can see it was quite small. Not necessary to post. He might repost once he sees the post, but he wasnāt tagged either. Iām going to ignore the last part of your message :)
this was last week, Wednesday June 3rd in Scotland
If the motorcycle is insured and registered in mainland UK including Scotland there are still restrictions in NI especially for insurance . You normally can have between 30 to 90 days depending on your policy as itās considered outside your home area as insurance policies are also determined on where you live and circumstances of where the vehicle is kept and or stored .
Dear (returning) Another Country Anon,
Point taken, technically speaking and supposing we presume he took it there less than 90 days before returning by ferry to Scotland, which is a bit strange, timeline-wise.
But how do you make Cork fit in that particular weekend's schedule?
Again, my nagging question remains: is it Cork, or somewhere else -say... nearer to the border?
Iām guessing heāll need all his bikes to loan to some of his friends who will be travelling to attend the ride. Also there are registration and insurance implications if your motorbike is in another country after a certain period of time so possibly avoiding that .
Looking at their recent photoshoots and videos, I can't shake this feeling that the dynamic has somehow shifted.
For years, it always seemed like SH was the one completely captivated, the one whose admiration was impossible to miss, who looked at CB as if she hung the moon. That was such a familiar part of their story that I almost took it for granted.
Now, though, I find myself noticing the opposite. The lingering glances, the little touches, the way she gravitates toward him... and for the first time, it feels like CB might be the one wearing her heart a little more openly.
Maybe I'm completely wrong, and of course none of us really knows what goes on behind the scenes. But sometimes I wonder if something changed along the way. If after so many years of waiting, hoping, and living in the in-between, SH simply found a different kind of peace with it all. Not because he stopped caring, but because eventually even the deepest feelings learn how to quiet themselves when they have nowhere to go.
That's what makes it feel bittersweet to me. I've been around since the Jess's blog days, and I remember how utterly enchanted he seemed by her. Seeing that spark look softer now, while she appears more openly drawn to him than ever, gives me this strange sense of nostalgia, like watching the tide turn after years of flowing in the same direction.
Maybe I'm reading too much into it. But lately that's the feeling I can't quite shake.
Hey Anon.
Finally a fun topic to discuss, and Iād really love to hear everyone elseās thoughts on it too.
Iāll start by saying I completely agree. I just donāt think this is new. If anything, it was even more noticeable during the 7B promo than it is now.
For anyone whoās forgotten, in 7B Sam did everything short of sitting on his own hands just to make sure he wouldnāt, God forbid, touch Caitriona. He also made a real effort to avoid any eye contact with her.
Honestly, if we hadnāt gotten the red dress shoot, that entire promo run might have ended on a much more sour note.
And she was the exact opposite extreme. She looked at him like he was the sun. She touched him constantly. Squeezed his bicep more than once. Rested her head on him. Used his thigh as an eraser. And again, the red dress shootā¦ have we already mentioned how understanding Tony is?
So to me, what weāve seen in this current promo is actually a softer version of what was happening back then. The difference now is that Sam also has this layer of stress, the blinking, and the general sense that he might not be in a great emotional or mental place.
But the truth always lives in the way they look at each other. Itās a look they donāt give anyone else. It lives in how comfortable they are with each otherās bodies, in the way her hand disappears into his hair like itās the most natural thing in the world, in the way he watches her when she speaks and the way she bites her lip when he speaks. The truth is in the small things: the little knee squeeze, the way he stares at her lips like theyāre the most interesting thing in the universe, the way his hand automatically finds her back, the way he looks back and waits for her. The truth is in the million tiny, authentic moments, not the big picture and not the talking points.
I do feel a shift in the dynamic. Caitriona seems to allow herself to be more open, while Sam has been playing a character any time heās on camera for the last few years. A character that, if Iām being honest, can be pretty hard to tolerate. But still a character. We only see the real Sam in brief flashes, and in those flashes itās obvious thereās a lot of love there.
This is a comment I got on a post about my students getting flagged for false AI detection.
This comment caught me off guard for a few reasons. And while it's probably just rage bait, it's a useful jumping-off point for some thoughts I've had regardless.
First, I find the assumption that I would performatively do anything on this site kind of funny.
This is Tumblr.
The numbers here have less value than the arcade tickets you trade in for a plastic slide whistle. We are screaming into a kaleidoscope of fandoms, inside jokes, and posts about Victorian sewer systems. The idea that I would carefully construct a public performance here feels absurd.
But the bigger point is the claim that there's no meaningful difference between using AI to help write a paper and using the internet or a computer in general.
Because there is a difference.
If I had to put it poetically, it's the difference between writing your thoughts in a notebook and releasing a parrot into a crowded dinner party, letting it listen to six hundred conversations at once, and then treating the resulting word salad as though it possesses intention.
The internet is a library.
A tool.
A search engine helps you locate information.
None of those things are attempting to generate the answer for you.
You still have to read.
You still have to evaluate.
You still have to decide whether a source is trustworthy, whether an argument makes sense, whether a claim can be substantiated.
You still have to do the thinking.
A large language model does something fundamentally different.
It takes an input and generates an output based on patterns found in its training data. It does not know whether the answer is true. It does not understand the argument it is making. It cannot distinguish between a correct statement and an incorrect one in the way a reasoning mind can.
What it does is predict what a convincing answer would probably look like.
Fact checking matters.
Source verification matters.
Understanding where information comes from matters.
Knowing how an argument was constructed matters.
Because if your process for writing becomes "generate paragraph, accept paragraph," then you've skipped the very thing writing is supposed to cultivate.
And that's the part that concerns me.
Not because I hate the concept of machine learning.
I don't.
What people commonly call AI is, at its core, a method of processing and generating information through pattern recognition. As a concept, it's morally neutral. It's also not particularly new.
The problem is that a lot of the public conversation around it treats these systems as though they are intelligent in the way people are intelligent, and many companies are more than happy to encourage that perception through the way they're marketed and sold.
But the systems currently available are not reasoning minds. They do not understand what they're saying. They do not possess intent, beliefs, or comprehension. They do not think through problems the way humans do. They generate outputs based on patterns found in data.
My issue isn't with the existence of the technology.
My issue is with the way large language models are currently marketed, presented, and trained.
They're sold as tools that can help you write, help you think, help you learn.
But those are three very different things.
Helping someone write should mean supporting the writing process.
Helping someone think should mean encouraging critical engagement.
Helping someone learn should mean deepening understanding.
What these systems often do instead is produce something that resembles those outcomes from the outside.
Without necessarily requiring the process that creates them.
Writing is not merely the act of producing words.
Writing is thinking made visible.
"AI", and by that I mean large language models using machine learning, are not performing independent thought. They are not reasoning in the way people do. They are taking the data they have been trained on, remixing patterns from that dataset, and generating a response that statistically resembles the kinds of answers that would fit the input.
THAT is the difference.
Writing the process of wrestling with an idea long enough to discover what you actually believe about it.
If you outsource that process entirely, you end up with text, but you've skipped the part where the writing was supposed to happen.
There's also the question of the source of the training data.
These systems are built on a staggering amount of stolen human work.
Entire lifetimes of creative and intellectual labor compressed into datasets, gathered without consent from the people who created them.
And even if someone doesn't find that ethically troubling, and I would argue there's very good reason to, it still creates an enormous tangle of copyright, ownership, attribution, and compensation issues that society is currently scrambling to understand in real time.
The technology arrived before the rules.
And we're all now living in the consequences of that.
In the original post I ended by saying:
"I spent so much of my life learning how to write. I shouldn't have to unlearn that because some computer algorithm learned from me."
I stand by that.
Because at the end of the day, my issue isn't that a machine can generate sentences.
It's that somewhere along the line we've started treating the generation of sentences as interchangeable with the act of having something to say.
