James Callis on Eureka: I'm So Excited And I Just Can't Hide It

(Well, when can I ever?) It was AWESOME! Oh yes, there will be spoilers.

And yes, all of the pictures are sepia tinted, because that's how they shot the 1947 scenes. Sorry if they're a bit dark.

And I mean, the whole episode was good. It was funny. It was exciting. It was entertaining, it was not drawn out or boring or overly sappy. I actually enjoyed watching Eureka. I even liked Colin Ferguson. He actually has good comic timing - maybe I should cut him some slack.

James was just... wow. I'm so proud of his American accent, because it wasn't great at first, and he's really stepped it up a few notches. He sounds natural, it doesn't interfere with his performance, it still sounds like him but it also sounds like an American person. That's great work. (Some people think it was terrible, but whatever. I declare it good. It's official!) Also, I hope he continues to call Carter "sport", because that's just hilarious. Carter is understandably annoyed, which I like. There wasn't a lot of friction between them just yet, but I'm sure there will be in future episodes.

I'm still confused about the name. Apparently he's now Dr Trevor Grant, after all. But the Eureka Writers blog said Charles Grant, and we had a clip of him saying "I'm Dr Charles Grant". So we'll see! Maybe he's going to use the name Charles now that he's stuck in the future? Or maybe he's got split personality? Or he's duplicated? Anything is possible on Eureka.

James plays a physicist who worked with Albert Einstein to build the town of Eureka! He comes from 1947. After the regular cast gets stuck in that year, he helps them get back, and gets accidentally drawn with them into 2010. Since he is the founder of the city, it feels natural that he gets a pivotal role in the episode; it's not too "*gasp* It's James Callis from Battlestar Galactica!!!" Jack doesn't realize what happened at first, and thinks it's just some modern guy in a suit. Grant seems to think he's nuts at this point, and possibly dangerous. He is an unauthorised visitor in a military area.

Carter: "Sorry, I thought you were Henry Deacon."

Grant: "No, I'm Doctor Trevor Grant."

Carter: "Nice to meet you, Trevor. Nice suit!"

Grant: (chilly) "I prefer Doctor Grant."

:D :D Their whole discussion is just brilliant. Also, I love how people keep commenting on the suit because I can't stop thinking about it. It's so perfect and well-made and looks just right for him. (Of course, it probably was made just for him by the costume people, so it makes sense.)

(Is that a scar on James' lip, or some kind of wrinkle from smoking a lot? That's interesting. I keep getting sidetracked with his physique, but it doesn't stop me from admiring his performance.)

So what's Grant like? He's a good guy, used to being the leader, he has authority and is quite suave with the ladies - or at least with Allison. I really enjoyed their scenes together. Some great chemistry between James and Salli Richardson-Whitfield. Also: as we've already seen, he dresses really well. I'm almost ready to say that 1947 James Callis is the hottest James EVER. But we'll see what's coming.

"Why is it that a woman of your... [stares at her butt for a moment] SKILLS... is still only a nurse?"

Also, he smokes a LOT. I enjoyed this aspect very much. In the olden days, everybody smoked, it wasn't frowned upon or a health scare thing. I love that he smoked in almost every scene and that it wasn't an issue. Of course, in 2010 it might become an issue, but we'll see.

He did get to smile! Both smugly - and seductively - and out of excitement!

Did they really set up a satellite before the world knew about it?

"Yes we did - and it wasn't even that hard."

It's strange how these pictures remind me of YoungJames performances. He still looks young, even if he's not as skinny, and I think he's only gotten hotter over the years. Maybe I'm reminded of YoungJames because he did some army stuff - Soldier, Soldier and In the Heat of the Sun - with similar short hair. Well, no, it was much shorter then. Here it's just... short yet fabulous.

I especially liked this smile. Boyishly excited. (L)!

The regular cast show up in Eureka when it was still a military camp, so they're mistaken for spies. Grant is very suspicious at first, but becomes excited when he realizes they're from the future. You can tell he has some scientific curiosity about it. He even helps them get back into their own time. His behavior becomes a lot more laid back and sympathetic.

:D This is, like, one of the patented James faces (tm). Look at him! :D

Excited that they're from 2010. It's a bit surreal to see James together with this cast, like worlds are colliding. It's an interesting feeling.

Some people are going on about how it's "another doctor", or "another scientist", just like Gaius Baltar arrrghh. That is really the only similarity, so yes, let's focus on that aspect. *eye-roll* But I was delighted to see some people tweet that James made them forget Gaius Baltar, and that they forgot he was putting on an accent. While I can't really forget it's James, I definitely forgot to listen for the accent at times.

And now a moment only I have been waiting for: tummy outline pictures! Eeeee! I can see it and it's glorious! *beams*

Hee! This one really came out like "ROARR, I'm the king of the jungle!" while the others hide from his power. He's actually trying to hide Carter and Henry and is shouting at a soldier outside...

He has his hand on it! That is even hotter! I bet it feels soft. *gush*

Also, Salli is totally cute in her nurse's uniform. Somehow James always looks even hotter with a hot girl by his side. (See also: Tricia.)

OK, I'll try to keep the tummy comments to a minimum but really, it's just beautiful. I am happy.

Numb3rs, Fan Fiction, And Donuts

Numb3rs

I'm going to see the Numb3rs episode next week, so I'll be blogging about it then. See kixxa's beautiful photos of the...well, I can't say beautiful but certainly fascinating Mason Duryea. He looks NOTHING like James at all, just... haggard and crazy and weird. I hear James is doing an Oklahoma accent on the show. This should be interesting!

Another interview with James about the role!

TVGuide.com: Have you ever been this hirsute?
Callis: I think I have been hairier, possibly, in a few other gigs. But half of that was mine and half was borrowed. I bet you could tell which half was which! [The producers and I] were of the same mindset that I wanted to be as disguised as possible. The wig we used for when I was in prison, we called the "Jim Morrison look."

So that's this. This has got to be the scariest and least recognizable James picture ever! They really did a good job of masking him.

Heh heh, "hirsute". Too bad he doesn't go deeper into the hirsutism issues, like his chest hair.

You'd be frightened as f—k if this guy sat down to dinner with you, because he's a time bomb. You don't know when he's going to go off.

I'm frightened just seeing him. Strangely, I had another nightmare about Beginner's Luck, where Alex tried to steal my mobile phone. I'm blaming Duryea, although it might be that seeing BL was just such a traumatic event.

A little pointer to people searching for the episode: Gaius Baltar did not appear on Numb3rs. James Callis does not equal Gaius Baltar. And Duryea is a lunatic who kills people, and Gaius isn't. Yes, they both have a harem; they both pose as religious cult leaders; but that doesn't mean they're exactly the same OMG James Callis has been typecast. There is a difference. Seriously.

A bit about the final scene (edit: of BSG, not Numb3rs):

...at the time I wasn't totally sure what that scene meant. A lot of people actually thought we shot it in New York. I was like, "Sadly, no."

Does he know what it means now? I'd love to hear his views on that scene.

Fan Fiction

Gaius Baltar is probably the most difficultBSG character to write about (and I'd argue that's even true of the show writers, since James had to constantly tell them he doesn't want Gaius to be evil). Some of the fan fiction has made him out to be a complete bad guy, which always annoys me. Here are links to two fics that depict Baltar as a more multi-faceted character.

BSG: The Simple Life by Wolfen Moondaughter (who made the awesome Gaius painting for MegaCon) is set a few years after the finale. It discusses some of my favorite themes: Baltar's guilt, redemption and starting over. As Hera faces danger, Gaius has to face death and his guilt eye to eye again. There's also a follow-up on Baltar's cult (still there, much to his dismay), Helo and Athena, as well as Lee and Kara, who didn't get much of a goodbye in the finale. Kara appears as an angel guiding Lee here, which is a nice touch. Baltar is depicted as an in-depth, complex character, growing to reconcile his past and the future on the new planet. And there's Caprica-Gaius love, which is always good.

Ask Me No Questions And I'll Tell You No Lies by kixxa is written from Aaron Doral's point of view. Set on New Caprica, the story features a brief but heated conversation between Doral and Baltar, exploring the morals and life philosophy of both characters. I'd never really thought of Doral's point of view (or even of him having one, as we usually see that model in groups rather than as individuals), so it's very interesting. Baltar shows courage, speaking his mind to the cylon who's in the position to make his life very difficult, or indeed end it.

It's interesting about the element of courage in both stories. Throughout most of the show, Baltar was a coward, but he certainly had moments of bravery and even heroism (especially in the very end). Both of these fics could be seen as backtalk to the negative image most BSG fans have of Baltar: he can be a hero when he sets his mind to it, and despite his negative qualities, he's not a bad man.

Donuts (yes, still. Shut up.)

Kixxa sent me a lovely present - The Flight of the Falcon by Daphne Du Maurier, read by James Callis. I really enjoy listening to his soft voice, and the story is very compelling so far. I might blog about it later (I still haven't written about any of his old projects other than BL, so I'll see when I get around to it - probably a James drought coming soon, so I can work on it then).

She also included a couple of old-style post cards. I've gotten a lot of donut-teasing jokes thrown at me lately, but this is the best one so far:



Heeee! :D :D
(I'm sorry about the low quality of photography. My webcam is at a breaking point, and it's very hard to aim.)

And I've finally found a picture that kinda-sorta shows it - on page 47 of a James Callis picture search, after such relevant items as Alexander Siddig and myself, there it was. Behold: the donut gut! It's pressing against Tricia, but it's there and it looks so soft. Just beautiful.

Here's my own attempt at fan fiction. *blush* I'm sure you'll all hate it and it's really inferior to the stuff I just linked to, but *blush* I'll just post some of it anyway *blush and giggles*

As the sweet, greasy pastry filled his mouth, James groaned to himself. He knew he shouldn't have another donut, especially since it was his tenth one that day, but the siren song of the frosting was too strong.

Even as the washed down the moist, soft goo with the pulsating nectar of life - sugary Coca-Cola -, he could feel the fat lodging drowsily onto his expanding waist. 'Oh well,' he thought. 'I get to do bed scenes with Tricia Helfer - life isn't so bad.' He gave his hirsute chest a ruffle and decided to go ask for an extra rehearsal. He didn't even notice how his hand reached for another luscious morsel of fat and carbs...

I'm thinking of expanding this into a 200+ page novel. If James doesn't allow the use of his name, I could always use a fake one - like Ames Phallus or something. Who's playing... Baius Galtar in... Cattlestar... well, I'll work that out later.

Irritating Googlebits

aka Leave My TV Boyfriend Alone, You Morons!

This is a collection of quotes online that have irked me lately, and it's a small but biased defense of James. Because I'm in that mood.

To each his own, but this tweet bugs:

Wondering why the last of BSG had to include James Callis. Had enough of him long before that.

You do realize that he played one of the main characters from the very start? And had fifth billing in the credits throughout the show? And played the best, most complex character with the best arc? Well, I guess that last one is debatable. But still. (How can you have enough of James Callis?!)

A Youtube commenter in the James Callis 2007 interview:

hehe weird, he's had some "sniff" before he went on this. I never thought he'd be into drugs, but he's definitely got a powdered nose here. Dissapointing.

Wow. I'll admit that he seems a bit high-wound in this video, but considering his love of nicotine, caffeine, and sugar, he's probably just high on some or all of them (and possibly drunk, since it's at a con). I could be wrong, but this is one of those things where you want to know for sure, especially if you're going to disapprove. If he does recreational drugs, and you know this because he told you, fair enough. But if you don't know, don't get publicly indignant and disappointed just yet. Also, since he has to go through customs at various airports all the time, it might be a problem if he had drugs with him, right? So - pretty unlikely. Thanks for commenting though.

More pet peeves! Why is this header in a LJ that doesn't even seem to mention James?

"I cannot see that James Callis is straight."

I suggest you get new glasses then. I'm really tired of hearing this kind of thing. It's like, "Hey, James Callis is married and has never been with a man, but he must be gay because just look at the evidence! He's thin! He's emotional! He played a gay man once! He sometimes has long hair!"

I hate it when people use "gay" as an insult that basically means "not masculine enough". It's irritating and offensive. Not to mention unoriginal and unfunny.

It's a question of identity. James identifies as straight, and he has a right to do so. I'm always incredibly annoyed when people tell me that I should just "find the right man" and my feelings for women would stop. It's like strangers think they know better than me what my sexual feelings are (or would be, if only I left my loving girlfriend of three years). This whole "Sure you're straight James, nudge nudge, wink wink" thing is just the other side of the coin. Society determines your place on the masculine-feminine axis and/or your true, acceptable sexual identity. If you don't conform to that, you're cheating yourself. Annoying.

May I suggest that it's a little offensive in the same way when people complain about James' weight (or lack thereof)? There are so many links - which I won't link to here - saying he needs to eat a sandwich (and the same to Tricia), he's puny, etc. In light of the donut quote, it amuses me slightly, and while I don't want to draw too much attention to this, I do notice his various weight fluctuations. I'll accept that said fluctuations are slight and therefore not visible to everyone. He's probably still thinner than the average man, even in his heaviest times.

But is it OK to go around saying he's too thin? Isn't that another insult to his masculinity? Isn't it disrespectful of body type variety? Obviously he does eat, and he can't help being a naturally delicate guy. Some of us find that intensely attractive. Does everyone have to do bodybuilding? There can be more than one kind of masculinity, right?

For me, part of James' attraction is that you can see him as simultaneously thin and chubby, and both turn me on. Sometimes he's lighter, sometimes heavier. He'll have a slightly chubby belly, yet you can still see his bones; he'll be baby-faced, yet hollow-cheeked. It's delicate like the wing flaps of a butterfly. I realize I might sound silly now, but attraction is a funny thing.

How did I get into this topic again? Oy vey. Yes, I am still horny. I'm sure it'll cool off after a while and I'll be able to focus on something else. Or maybe I'll spend the rest of my life with a vaguely donut-related James obsession. At the moment, it doesn't sound like such a dreary prospect.

End of line.

There Are Many Donuts...

Yes, I'm still thinking about the donuts and James' - admittedly rather miniscule - weight changes stemming therefrom (see this post, section 'Donuts, guts thereof, and sex scenes'). Good sides: I am very happy; I'm totally over the fat girl in Beginner's Luck thing (if he's that relaxed about weight, he's okay). Bad sides: there's absolutely nothing online about James and donuts, other than the links I've already posted. Or if there is, it's not available on any Google search I can think of. So I think I'm going to have to give up this obsession and return to his chest hair, his hair in general, his smoking, his cheeks (or lack thereof), his kindness, his humor, his talent... Well, I must admit there's a lot to obsess over when it comes to James Callis.

I thought I could at least use my obsession for the benefit of the other fans by posting a little eye candy (or in this case, eye donuts) - a couple of James' belly screenshots from the show. For those who don't know me, I have a great appreciation for fat and this post is not meant to ridicule James' physique in any way. I'm just really horny right now. All screenshots by me.

Season 2, Lay Down Your Burdens: Part 2, deleted scene. Fairly small, but there is some protuberance that can be detected.



Season 3, Torn. Slightly bigger here. Note the way his hair is divided - lots on the chest, nothing on the belly, and then that bit below his bellybutton where he has a bit of fuzz going down to other... regions...



Season 4, He That Believeth in Me. I can't decide if it's the same size or bigger than in the Torn pictures, but it... drool...

I must admit I lack an understanding of the male physique, since I've spent my life staring at women. So what's the verdict - is it muscles or donuts or both? Either way, it's looking pretty damn hot.

Random Googlebits, Part Trois

Firstly, a brand new article with the BSG cast. James on Baltar:

He's "kind of a sleazy version of Einstein," says Callis. "He is a bit scatty. He hasn't really thought about the consequences of anything. If he was capable of planning and mastering his own destiny, he would be monstrous."

"He does have a conscience. It's like drilling for oil: You will find it, eventually. Nobody has been more guilty or sad," Callis says.

I love when James mentions Gaius' conscience, especially since some fans seem to think he doesn't have one. I suspect many fans are unwilling to do the "oil-drilling" necessary to get to Gaius' good sides and would rather see him as a one-dimensional villain.

Found these a while ago: James has done a couple of audio books, two of them children's books that have short snippets online. He has a lovely, soothing voice, and he sounds so cute doing all the characters. The Kin sounds awfully savage to be a children's book, but I think I'd enjoy the other one.

Photo miscellanea:

kixxa has some beautiful new screenshots of BSG and Sex and Chips at her blog. I can't get over how sexy James is as The Wolf in the latter show. There's something animal about it. Maybe he should try having his hair like that again?

The Bear McCreary concert a year ago - Baltar's idea of heaven.
Presumably from the same event - Hi Caitlin! Hee :D He's doing the dreamy longing eyes here as well.

ComicCon - eee what a cute picture! Hadn't seen this one before.

Dragon*Con - correcting the suspender strap. I totally fetishize those suspenders.

Another photo from Starfury! I love his personalized autographs - "Will the real Gaius Baltar - please stand up?" I also love the dragon they have him hold. The full site is here, in a language I unfortunately don't know, but there are lots of Starfury photos.

One of my favorite autographs - "Dear Jessie - I've got a lot on my mind - namely a 6-foot blonde!" Heee :D (Hey, I just realized even his autographs are full of dashes!) I love his handwriting. I can't always decipher it, but it looks beautiful.

Farpoint 2008 - an awkwardly positioned photo, but he looks totally cute here also.
(I always write fartpoint at first. Unfortunate name for a con, that.)
Farpoint 2008 part 2. This is another hot pose.

Donuts, guts thereof, and sex scenes

A nice paraphrase of the 2006 BSG Burbank convention, James Callis/Tricia Helfer Q&A. I wish this were online in videos somewhere, but at least it's a good read.
Edit: OK, the link above apparently doesn't work, but try pasting this into your url field and you should be able to open it: http://galacticastation.com/Ragnar_Anchorage/lofiversion/index.php?t5546.html

This in particular made me happy:

- Helfer follows a very intensive and varied exercise regimen and will often go for a 5-mile run to keep in shape. Callis claimed the only real exercise he gets is trying to keep up with his two young children. Otherwise he prefers loaf around the set, smoke and eat donuts all day.

How much do I love this man and his gleefully unhealthy lifestyle? A lot. For those who don't know me: I love junk food, I love people who love junk food, and it makes me very happy that James apparently loves it too. And you can replace "junk food" in the above with "sedentary lifestyle" and get the second reason I liked this so much. I'd love to pig out with James in my favorite burger place sometime, then slouch home with him on the bus while snacking on candy. Well, I can always do it alone and think about him. Like I did today.

There's a slightly more detailed account - and beautiful photos - of the same Q&A here, but the site apparently has some kind of code loop problem, and it keeps cutting off halfway. If you reload it several times, it might show more text, but it's pretty frustrating. I was able to catch the donut paraphrase here though:

What do James and Tricia do to stay looking so great? James’ regular regime involves smoking and donuts. The only things that keep him fit are chasing after his children and looking at Tricia.

Gotta love his horny Tricia references. I also loved these bits:

When they came back to continue the scene for season 2, Tricia had to lie still on the freezing, filthy floor of the place in her skimpy costume with rats scrambling by her head, though James declared that it was actually Jamie she heard scurrying around next to her.
...
Baltar is also reminiscent of the tragic Greek Sisyphus, (James briefly had a Freudian slip with the word “syphilis”) who was doomed to always be trying to reach for something that always kept moving out of reach.

Hee, syphilis! Professor James brings up ancient myths, with a little subconscious idea that Baltar might have contracted STD. Lovely.

But here's something bizarre. This report about the same event is written in a very confusing way, and this bit in particular made me raise my eyebrows:

(such as the call for a pickup scene consisting merely of gauis taking off six's pants so they can have sex, and him doing everything he could to hide his doughnut-gut while simultaneously thinking, "every man dreams of getting a call where they 'have to' remove tricia helfer's knickers!")

Hide his donut WHAT now? Is this really what he said? Because if he has a gut, he's doing a really good job of hiding it. My body image isn't great either, but seriously. A little self esteem, James?

Edit: I got so fascinated about this that I searched for a little more info. It's apparently something he said about that specific reshoot. Courtesy of TWOP forums:

Callils told a funny story of always eating donuts so that by the end of the mini-series he had gained a few pounds. Then they asked him to come back and film the scene where he takes off Six's knickers so he kept trying to place Tricia's body in between him and the camera so it would not be obvious he had gained weight!

Heee! :D That's hilarious - and hot! I must admit I have a bit of a weight gain fetish, so this makes that scene so much hotter for me. The loop-challenged link above seems to contain more info on this, and it comes up in a google search, but when you load the page, it doesn't get that far:

James said he’d unfortunately been indulging in donuts lately,

...I am going to spend the rest of the day trying to reload that page.

I seem to remember him saying something very similar in the BBC Cult interview in 2004. Yup, there it is, in "What is it like to work with Tricia Helfer?":

The Americans have this, you know, ideal of buffness. Me, we don't, we're not like that! It's not so important, you know, if there's doner kebab to be had or Wimpy by the side of the road. It's a different.. you know, whatever. I'm next to mister... Miss Drop Dead Beautiful, gorgeous, and I have to take my clothes off. And I'm like, "What am I going to do? This is a bit exposing right now!" And I said to the camera crew, "When I take off all of this stuff and I'm standing here in this..." rather revolting flesh-coloured thong, for the viewers... I said, "Please try not to laugh at me, my physique, or the way I do, please don't..." And the camera looked at me and quite honestly went, "Do you honestly believe we're looking at you? We don't even know where you are in the scene. That's because Tricia is getting her clothes off, why would anybody be looking at you?" (laughs)

Hee! Some of us were looking at you, James - and we think you looked amazing.
He could be just saying he's too skinny for the ideal, yet he mentions the food again like it shows somehow. It's strange. I've never heard a fan complain that James is too fat, more the opposite. But nobody's happy with their own body (even if they're as hot as James). Sometimes it's healthy to be reminded of that.

My personal taste in men is limited to either fat or thin, so I love the way James looks now, and if he did grow a donut gut (hee!), I'd still love it. Either way, beefcake does nothing for me, so I'm glad he's not that athletic. (Now I'm really turned on, trying to imagine James with a donut gut. Mmmm.)

In the same bit, there's also this:

I had lunch after the miniseries with my mother and one of my mother's friends, who (laughs)... I thought this lady, you know, she's got some kids, a lady of the world... She just asked me, [in a very serious voice] "I always meant to ask. When you do the sex scenes, are you really making out?" [adorable smile] And I said, "I am. Yes, I am. I'm knackered by the end of the day. It's very, very difficult." I just can't believe what people only believe! It's telly, it's not real! It's like 70 people watching you with cameras.

Hee :D He sounds so amused at the question and the underlying assumption. I think sex scenes are one of those things that come with the job, but are hard to understand for someone outside that circle. Like how can you not be turned on when you're kissing Tricia Helfer?


James loves names

Am I the only one who feels like being a James fan is a constant first date with "me too" moments? It's not enough that he loves books and junk food and studied literature like me, he apparently also loves names. Also, this is a totally cute meeting story, and I love when people actually transcribe a conversation with the star. (Mind you, I don't expect everyone to, because it's a personal one-on-one conversation, but I really appreciate it when people do this.) I'll reproduce a large part of it, hoping the writer doesn't mind:

James: Well, I want to write something funny but I wouldn't want to offend you.
Me: Tell me.
James: I want to write "Randi, I am." Is that crude? Is that over the top?
Me, laughing: No, that's perfect.
James: What is Randi a short name for here?
Me: For me, it's Randeana.
James: That's beautiful! I love it! (while making a very sincere face. But then again, he IS an actor.)
Me: I think my mother was evil.
James: No no, I like it. Where does it come from? I've never heard that before. (later I learned he's really into names and name meanings, etc.)

"Is that crude? Is that over the top?" No way, it's just hilarious! But I love him for being a gentleman and asking. Randeana is very rare and, while I'll admit it weirded me out at first, actually very beautiful.

I'm personally quite intrigued by James' wife's name, because I had never seen it before (which might just show how little I know about Indian names). For others unfamiliar with it, here's how to pronounce Neha, which means "loving" in Sanskrit. Beautiful. I've been pronouncing it with an e like in "bed", because I seem to default to Finnish pronunciation rules when unsure.

In case you wonder, I don't want to post my real name here, because there are only 84 of us with this exact combination. Once I bumped into someone with the same name, and I felt like I'd seen a ghost. I'm sure James' experience is the exact opposite, as the world is full of Jameses, and he's not even the only James Callis out there. (By the way, Google, I have absolutely no need for James Callison's tractor supplies, so please stop suggesting it.)

So, I'll reveal under a link that my name is this hyphenated with this. I was named after my paternal grandmother, Margareta. And yes, there's a dash, which I'm sure James would appreciate.

Finally, speaking of dashes, I think I've figured out the reason for James' dash addiction. His psychological addiction to nicotine is simply so severe that he has to reproduce cigarettes in writing - and what better way to do that than by adding - - dashes here and there? The horizontal lines must soothe him mentally, and he can imagine smoke coming from them. A little link for James: The dash.