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laisbazaga · 1 year

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House of Memories- The downfall of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black

Summary:

Once a year, The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black gathers around at 12 Grimmauld Place to take a family portrait in order to show the wizarding world how pure and flawless they all are. However, something felt different this time. It was almost as if this could be the last normal portrait the family would ever take. They may not be the purest of the pures, after all. Or are they?

Disclaimer:

As the title of the story may suggests, this idea came up as I was listening to the song "House of Memories", by Panic! at the Disco.

I chose to make the Black cousins closer in age than they are in canon, in order to make their interactions more believable. So, in this story, Bellatrix is the oldest, followed shortly by Sirius, then Andromeda, Narcisa and, last but not least, Regulus.

I hope you guys enjoy it anyway :)

─────────────

It was no secret that 12 Grimmauld Place was not the typical wizarding residence, and a couple of facts could easily support that statement.

First of all, its location was quite odd, especially for a pureblood family who despised any associations with the so-called mudbloods. It was not a huge manor in the English countryside, as one would expect, surronded by enchanted lakes and majestic trees. In fact, it was quite the opposite, being located in a modest muggle neighbourhood in London (protected by an invisible charm, obviously).

Second of all, its residents were definitely one of a kind. Yes, they were a rich and pureblood family like many others across the world, but that was not the end of it.

After all, they were The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, the purest of the pures, the most ancient of the ancientest, and, of course, the most influential.

If you were to compare them with the muggle world (even though they would certainly not enjoy that comparison), they would be royalty, the kind of people even the most powerful wizard or witch would not dare to deny a respectful bow or curtsy.

With all their magic, galleons, power and, last but not least, manors, it was definitely quite strange to find them all gathered in the rather small building-like house on what seemed to be a normal day.

Except for the fact that it was not a normal day. Not for the Blacks, at least.

─────────────

“Why do we have to take this stupid picture every single year?’’ Asked a grumpy Sirius Black, as he was furiously trying to adjust his tie in front of his mirror, covered in muggle stickers that went from motorcycles to top models.

“It’s a tradition, I guess” Answered his younger brother Regulus, all neat and ready for the infamous portrait the Blacks would take every year. Although he wasn’t exactly fond of the tradition either, he was quite indifferent towards it, as long as his parents were pleased.

“Why is it so hard to tie a tie?” The older brother muffled under his breath in a frustrated tone

“You mean to tell me you’re starting your sixth year at Hogwarts in two days, and you still haven’t learned how to tie a tie?’’

“Well, yes” He laughed “I don’t think I’ve ever worn my ties in the correct way, if I’m being honest”

“Right, I forgot you Griffyndors like running around the corridors as if you were all homeless” Regulus remarked in a dismissive tone

Before Sirius could come up with an offensive comment about Slytherins as a response, their younger cousin, Narcisa, entered the room in a hurry, yet elegant, way, her high heels echoing through the hard wooden floor. It was quite clear she has put a lot of effort into getting ready for the occasion- as she did every year- considering the perfect makeup she proudly displayed with a smile on her face, along with her hair styled in a timeless updo, the blonde shade never failing to make her beauty stand out even more from the rest of her raven-haired family.

“Are you guys not ready yet? The photographer will arrive at any minute!” She slightly shouted, angrily

“I am” Said Regulus in a monotone voice as he stood up from his brother’s messy bed with a sign “Sirius, on the other hand…”

“Shut up, Reg” He annoyingly rolled his eyes “For your information, I’m almost ready, I just need some help with my tie”

“I can help, if you want me to” Narcisa stated politely, as she was always helping her sisters and cousins whenever they needed to look presentable, rather it be at dinners, balls, or the infamous portrait day.

“You two can go ahead, I’ll just ask Andromeda, I bet she’s also not ready yet”

“You know my sister all too well, Sirius” The blonde girl smiled as she dragged Regulus out of the room

─────────────

As the two youngest- and most responsible- Blacks descended what they would call the “tight staircase”, Regulus remarked, annoyed:

“I understand the concept of taking a family portrait every year and all, I truly do” He suddenly stopped as he deeply signed “But I really don’t understand why we have to do it at Grimmauld, of all places. Everything feels so crowded in here"

“I agree” Nooded the young girl as she delicately passed her fingers on the metal black rails of the staircase. She did notice some dust in there, but decided not to make a big deal out of it. After all, Kreacher has been busier than ever in the past days, making sure the tapestry room would look perfect for the portrait. He probably didn’t have time to clean the rest of the house properly “However, the family tapestry is in here, so we don’t have that much of a choice”

“I guess so” He shrugged as he climbed down some steps, before mysteriously stopping again, looking up at Narcisa “I just wish we would still be in our manor in Bath… At least I don’t have to deal with having my room so close to my brother’s there, he can be a pain in the ass sometimes, you know? Especially when he starts rambling about his stupid friends and how they are so much better than our maniac family, as he likes to call us”, he complained as he desperately run his finger through his perfectly combed hair.

“Regulus Arcturus Black!” Narcisa said laughing, faking an incredulous tone “How dare you say inappropriate words such as “ass”! Like it or not, you sure are Sirius’ brother with that vocabulary!” She joked, fixing his hair in place with her hands

“Oh, shut up Cisa” He rolled his eyes as he tried to sound angry, although there was some hint of laughter in his voice as he turned away from her, climbing down the final steps.

As they finally reached the end of the stairs, they tooked in the once-a-year scene they have became quite used to as the years went by: The whole family running around the room, with their usual crossed face, calling each other’s names desperately as they threatened to hex each other if one would not agree with the other’s choice for an outfit or hairstyle.

After all, they were the Blacks, and everything had to look perfect, especially if the portrait would end on the cover of the Daily Prophet, as it did every single year.

“Bellatrix!” Druella Rosier shouted angrily at her daughter “Look at your hair! You don’t expect to look this messy in the photo, do you?”

“Oh, come on, mom!” The older girl pleaded in a mischievous tone “Not everyone wants to look as if they just stepped out of the renaissance!’’ She laughed, pointing at the rather odd choice of hairstyle her mother has come up with for herself.

“Narcisa darling, there you are!” The woman sighed, relieved “You look magnificent as always, my flower!”

“Thank you, mother” She smiled proudly at her mother’s compliment. She really did enjoy being her favorite.

“As for you, Bellatrix” Druella said coldly, pointing her wand at her eldest as she did a nonverbal hair-fixing spell she has became mastered at throughout the years, giving Bellatrix’s lack of concern towards her appearance “Much better now”

─────────────

“Why was your hair looking so messy anyway, Bella?” Her younger sister asked as she approached, smiling at the now perfectly curled hair her sister displayed

“I was messing around with the heirloom dad bought at Borgin and Burges last week” She simply explained “I guess I was not supposed to touch it, considering the thing went boom as soon as I grabbed it!” She laughed

“It must have been a dark magic artefact” Regulus remarked quietly

“How come do you know that?” Bellatrix turned to her cousin, surprised

“I read a lot at Hogwarts” He simply shrugged

“Aren’t these books on the restricted session?” The young blonde girl remembered in a concerned voice

“Well, yes”

“You’re a lot smarter than I thought, Reg” Bellatrix nodded proudly, her eyes instantly lighting up with what seemed to be a million brilliant ideas “Rodolphus would love to know how you’ve managed to do that, he’s been trying to learn more about the dark arts, but he got caught by McGonagall the last time he tried to enter the restricted session. We sure could use some help from you”

“What’s going on between you and Rodolphus, anyway?” Asked Narcisa, trying to avoid the Dark Arts topic they seemed to be entering “I thought you couldn’t stand him”

“I’m not exactly fond of him, but he’s a Lestrange. Dad thinks we could make a suitable match once we leave Hogwarts” She explained with a forced smile “So, you could say I’m trying to get used to having him around. Besides, he’s smart, and he knows a lot about the Dark Arts. I must confess I find it fascinating”

“You should find it dangerous” Scolded Narcisa

“Or powerful” Regulus added quietly, as he saw his mother, Walburga, coming into his direction with her eyebrows crossed, indicating she was rather furious, although that was a normal occurrence in the Black household.

“Where is your brother?” She asked in a cold, yet hurried, tone

“He’s upstairs with Andromeda” He tried to answer calmly

─────────────

“Hey hey hey Andie” Sirius sang happily as he entered his favorite cousin’s room “I need your help with…” He stopped mid-sentence as he realized his cousin was not in front of a mirror as he would expect, or combing her hair, or doing makeup… she was not getting ready at all. In fact, she looked as if she has been dressed for quite some time, and, instead of occupying herself with making last-minute adjustments on her outfit, she seemed to be focused on reading something “What are you doing at your desk? Don’t tell me you’re studying! I know you like to be a top student in your classes, and I envy you for that, but Hogwarts hasn’t even started yet!”

“Relax Sirius, I’m not studying” She assured, turning around from her chair so that she could properly face him “I was just checking the fifth years Dumbledore has chosen to be prefects” She handed him the parchment “I told you he’s chosen me, didn’t I?’’

“You did, and I couldn’t be more proud’’ He smiled “I wish I had been chosen as a prefect last year”

“With your outrageous behavior?” Andromeda laughed, amused “Why do you think Dumbledore would do such a thing?”

“He did choose Remus, remember? And he’s as bad as I am”

“I’m still convinced Dumbledore only chose him in hopes Lupin would keep you and James on track”

“Which obviously didn’t work out” Sirius remarked proudly, as he was tossing the parchment sheet from one hand to another “Wait, how did you get this paper? I thought you were only supposed to find out the other prefects’ names on that special Hogwarts Express’ compartment”

“Well, yes, but Lucius is friends with the Headboy, so he managed to get his hands on the list and owl me a copy”

“I still can’t believe you’ve been spending so much time with that git” Sirius rolled his eyes, annoyed

“He’s not as bad as you think” Stated Andromeda “Besides, he’s been my best friend since we were little kids” She explained

“First of all, I’m your best friend since you were a literal baby” He pointed out, winking at her “Second of all, that doesn’t make him any better! Third of all, being his childhood best friend doesn’t make it acceptable for you two to spend so much time alone at the potions’ classroom as you two did last year!” He pointed out in a protective way he had for Andromeda and Andromeda only “If he does anything to you, I swear I will transfigurate him into a frog with no regrets. I’m good at Transfiguration, you know? Minnie said it herself!” He added with a proud grin

“Who’s Minnie?”

“Professor Minerva McGonagall, obviously”

“How do you manage to call her Minnie without being transfigurated into, I don’t know, a bug?”

“I know she may act as she hates me, James, Remus and Peter for our pranks, but we are all sure she loves us…. deep down”

“If you say so” She gave him an amused smile “How do you know about me and Lucius spending time on the potions classroom, by the way?’’ Andromeda asked, her eyebrows raised

“That doesn’t matter…” He shook it off “Anyway, let’s see who we have in here” He changed the topic as he finally decided to give the list a read “Oh look, Tonks is gonna be a prefect!”

“You mean that mud-” She stopped as she saw the penetrative look Sirius was about to give her “That muggleborn? Edward Tonks, isn’t it?”

“People call him Ted, but yes, he’s a chaser for the Hufflepuff quidditch team. James says he’s got some talent”

“Well he sure does” Andromeda muffled annoyed “I don’t understand how he seems to be so popular and good at everything! Can you believe he got an invitation to Slughorn’s club, and I didn’t? Mom almost killed me when she found out”

“That’s our family, dear Andie: They’re always wanting to kill us. I’m convinced the only reason my mom hasn’t Avada Kedrava me yet, it’s because I’m the heir”

Just as Sirius said that, his so called cruel mother stormed in the room, her pale hand gripping her wand in such a desperate state, almost if she wanted to break it- Which her son was totally convinced she could if she really wanted to.

“There you are!” She shouted, looking at her eldest son- the heir- with a terrifying look “It’s no surprise that, at the age of sixteen, you still act like a useless little kid!”

“I-I”

“The photographer just arrived and asked me where the heir was, so he could position us all around you in the frame” She started as she got closer and closer to her terrified son “And then I, Walburga Black, had to excuse myself so that I could get my son upstairs. When will you grow tired of embarrassing me and your whole family in front of everyone? Haven’t you had enough at being a disgrace to this family yet, huh?” She demanded, running her long nail through his ears

“I already said it, Regulus can take my spot as the heir, I’m sure everyone will be pleased with it” Sirius said as he closed his eyes in pain, feeling some blood coming out of his ear as the grip of this mother became tighter and tighter

“If it only were that easy, Sirius” She faked a smile “ I would crucio you right here, but you have to look presentable on the portrait, so I’ll leave it for later” She whispered so that Andromeda would not listen “Now, get downstairs and take the photo as the heir of The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black you are”

Just as she stormed out, the silence took over what once was a cheerful room filled with two cousins who understood each other more than anyone in the family.

“Can you tie my tie?” Sirius asked in a low tone, trying to swallow the tears he felt on the edge of his throat “That’s the reason why I came into your room in the first place”

“I’m sorry, Sirius” Andromeda whispered sincerely said as she carefully adjusted his tie, hugging him after she finished

“It’s okay, Andie” He said in a low voice, looking down at her “I’m used to it by now”

“But you shouldn’t” She said, giving him her best smile “Shall we go then?”

─────────────

The tapestry room was, perhaps, what the Black family hold most account of, after their pure blood status, of course. Traced generations back since the Medieval times, the tree-shaped tapestry covered the four walls of the room, proudly displaying the names of those who had been lucky enough to be born to -or married into- The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black.

As the photographer arranged the family in order to fit the frame, placing two chairs on the middle for the current head of the house- Orion Black and his wife Walburga- everyone could not help tracing their eyes through the faces of the ancient members of the family, eternalized on the tapestry.

“This black holes never fail to give me chills” Remarked Narcisa as she nervously traced her eyes back and forth to some names she has became quite familiar as the years passed by

“Oh, yes” Her father, Cygnus Black, gently smiled as he approached her, hand in his pockets “The disowned members, burned off the tapestry”

“Truly disgusting” Added Bellatrix in a slightly malicious tone

“Why was this Isla disowed?” Regulus asked, suddenly noticing a name further back in the tapestry

“If I recall correctly, she married a mudblood” Orion Black explained from his chair, as he was anxiously adjusting his posture for the upcoming portrait

“I don’t understand how she was capable of giving up her family for a man” Andromeda whispered to Sirius

“She didn’t do it for a man, she did it for love” He explained, placing his hand on his naive cousin’s shoulder

“Do you think it was worth it?” She asked, quieter than ever, almost as if she was too afraid someone else would hear it

“Love is worth everything” Sirius smiles “At least that’s what James said when he was constantly trying to win Lily’s attention”

“Kids, have you noticed something?” Uncle Alphard asked his nieces and nephews in a mischievous tone he always had for them “There was at least one disowned member in every generation of our family” He continued, pointing at each of the black holes on the wall “I always wonder which one of you will be the one to be burned off”

“I’m sure none of us would do such a thing” Narcisa quickly brushed off “Besides, there were no disowed members in your generation”

“Yet” He smiled

“I think that will be us, Andie” Sirius whispered in his cousin’s ear

“What makes you think that?” She nervously asked

“I don’t know, I always had the feeling we wouldn’t be in this tapestry forever” He simply shrugged “We’ve always been the black sheeps of this family, don’t you agree? Or should I say, the white sheeps?” He laughed at his own joke, before going over to stand at his father’s side, leaving a speechless Andromeda to position herself between her two sisters- always in the middle of everything.

─────────────

As the tradition said, the portrait was finally taken and, soon enough, the whole wizarding world would be able to see their most important family- their royalty, looking as perfect as ever in a powerful portrait which never failed to show how pure and flawless they all were.

Once the magic on the photo was done, it was passed around the room for everyone to see their newest moving picture

Walburga Black was pleased as she noticed how stiff she looked as she slightly curved her nose

Orion Black was filled with hope as he saw his two sons standing proudly beside him. They truly were the future of the Black family

Alphard Black grinned at the picture, looking softly at his nieces and nephews' young eyes

Cygnus Black nodded proudly as he caught his wife tenderly looking at him. He really had chose the perfect match.

Druella Black rolled her eyes as she caught Bellatrix purposely messing her hair for a split of second

Bellatrix Black, on the other hand, smiled proudly when she realized this moment was caught on camera

Sirius Black simply shrugged when he was handed the picture, almost as if he didn’t recognize himself, looking just as an heir should

Andromeda Black smiled unsurely, still feeling the shock of what Sirius has told her seconds before the picture was taken

Regulus Black half-smiled, secretly wishing he would be the one to stand next to his father on the portrait

Narcisa Black, as always, couldn’t be prouder of how noble they all looked- They really were the perfect family

Or were they not?

Something looked different in this portrait, everyone could see it, although only a few were brave enough to admit it to themselves.

It was almost as if the magic inside the moving portrait acknowledged things would not look the same the next time the Black family decides to take a portrait.

─────────────

“Andie, you were right” Sirius suddenly said, approaching her carefully just as Narcisa has handed the picture back to the photographer

“About what?” She asked, fear anticipating the answer

“About how I shouldn’t have to deal with all this” He explained

“What’s that supposed to mean, Sirius?”

“I think I’ll run away”

─────────────

Baby, we built this house on memories

Take my picture now, shake it 'til you see it

And when your fantasies become your legacy

Promise me a place in your house of memories

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semitransparent-glob · 1 year

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ooo for the ask game 17 and 20!!!

17. List five headcanons for your favorite characters!

(I did 5 hcs each for my top 3)

nagito

1. i always draw his smile lopsided bc i hc that he has an asymmetrical face bc i think it looks nice + makes him look unique

2. his fav color is pink

3. he is the type of guy who browses wikipedia as a hobby

4. he's kinda always cold and thats how he can survive wearing a hoodie on a tropical island

5. personal onion i dont think he has ever actually killed anyone with his own hands even as ultimate despair. i think even as ultimate despair he was the type to manipulate others into killing ppl rather than doing it himself

hajime

1. he/they hinata ftw

2. he is autistic

3. he is ALSO a guy who browses wikipedia as a hobby

4. he sucks at video games (this is canon)

5. idk if we get much info on his family but in my mind they are rich overachievers, and they are a huge part of why hajime feels the need to prove himself and be someone special and talented. I also think that he might have an older sibling (like several years older) who is very smart and successful and he feels he needs to live up to that, and his parents do not help to alleviate that feeling at all. in fact they make it worse.

kazuichi

1. he is shaped exactly like me. we are already the same height and weight and hes got such transmasc swag. we are the same.

2. he can't stand the taste of artificial sweeteners just like meeeee

3. he has adhd (like me ^_^)

4. he cuts and dyes his own hair

5. i think he still likes to use a lot of 'outdated' technology because he understands it better than computers (its easier to take apart and mess with). like for music he prefers physical media he can put in a player rather than an mp3 player.

20. What is your favorite aspect of Danganronpa?

I think both the character designs and character writing has always been one of dr's strong points. The character designs and art style are what particularly drew me in at first. I REALLY appreciate the unique-ness of the art style particularly in the way that the eyes are drawn. The tiny pupil approach is not one you see in anime often at all and it really makes the dr style stand out to me. Maybe its just because I don't give my characters pupils in my art, but i think it looks neat :^)

The character designs, in my opinion, are often immediately engaging and tell a lot about the characters right off the bat. I like chara designs that are a bit more detailed than not, but there is a balance that needs to be struck and i think a lot of dr designs do that for me.

As for the chara writing itself, I think dr does a good job of making something for everyone. Meaning that no matter what tropes you prefer for characters you are likely to find at least one character you enjoy. Yes the charas are trope-y but i think that is 100% fine because there is a good deal of variety to them as well.

ok this post got way too long SORRY. ty for the ask ^_^

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marley-manson · 2 years

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I'm not sure how legit this is, and even if it is legit it's not canonical, but Larry Gelbart imagined what Henry, Trapper and Flagg's interviews in "The Interview" might've been like here which I think further speak to your point about everyone being unhappy in the war, despite any perceived upsides it might've had. There's even a few shots taken at the propaganda machine trying to put the same old spins on war. Trapper's in particular: REPORTER: Do you feel this experience has in any way helped you as a doctor?

TRAPPER JOHN: Let me ask you a question: just how many people you figure’re going to be carried into my office someday with a chunk of shrapnel sticking out of their heads? I don’t know where you live, pal, but where I come from very few folks ever step on a landmine in the middle of trying to cross the street.

***adding this bc it’s hard to tell where the ask ends on my blog theme***

Thanks for the link! I'd heard of these but I hadn't read them, and damn they're so spot on. Trapper saying he doesn't do gestures without payoff, and so not saying hi to his family when asked, and then saying it anyway at the very end 😭 Hawkeye kiss parallels js. (also though I am lowkey glad they never got the chance to bring up the origins of the nickname in the actual show lol, even implicitly.) And I love Henry's focus on the humanity, and his disdain for the army.

And yeah that excerpt is perfect and exactly the vibe I dig. That's kinda something I wonder about actually - I feel like the war would probably make them worse surgeons back home, at least for a while, until they adjusted. Always having to go fast instead of neat, like I can easily imagine them having to relearn a lot of delicacy afterwards. Plus I think realistically treating trauma wounds assembly-line style while overworked for 2 years would probably make you less empathetic and generally be bad for your attitude towards the job - Henry’s interview there even kinda alludes to that as a hazard to avoid.

Which also actually brings to mind Sidney saying that Hawkeye having a breakdown might make him a better more empathetic doctor in the long run lol, which is another line I consider too minor to get worked up about but don’t particularly care for because it kinda clashes with this vibe (and also is something Hawkeye doesn’t really need to learn).

#mash #marley on mash #mash gen #trapper mash

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1moreoffkeyanthem · 2 months

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For the ask game!

11 - Share one of your favorite whumpy scenes that you have written.

13 - What is the most recent thing you have researched for use in your whumpy writing?

23 - Do you write whump for OCs or just canon characters?

Ayyy rock on these are some good ones!!! Gonna try to make this organized lmao so

11- probably one of my favorites recently is from In Poison Places, day 5 of my Style Week collection, with Knight Stan having to stitch up his beloved Elf King in the Dark Forest. I’ll put it and the other questions below the cut!

“I… I think it’s- can you check?”

Wiping the moisture from his eyes and not caring that he was probably smearing blood on his cheeks, Stan nodded, understanding. He pulled away the king’s coat, untucking his shirt to expose the pale skin beneath, something he’d done many times under different, much more pleasant circumstances.

The hole in his side was gruesome, gushing an alarming amount of blood, but the black veins of venom branching from the wound were retreating, fading. He breathed a sigh of relief.

“It’s working, my love.”

Kyle nodded, the movement drawing a small whimper from him. “Okay. Okay. Now we just- *shsss* -need to worry about blood loss. How deep?”

Stan cringed. “Deep.”

Kyle tried to crane his head up to look, but he wasn’t exactly in the best angle, or condition, to really see it. “I need you to stitch it up, then. You know where the medical kit is.”

“WHAT?!”

“You’ve done sutures before, Stanley-“ Kyle was cut off by an involuntary groan as a fresh wave of agony hit.

“On MYSELF, Kyle! I’ve done emergency sutures on myself, with my dominant hand, ONE TIME!”

The elf’s green eyes hardened and he clenched his jaw. “I trust you, beloved,” he said softly.

With a newfound determination not to let his fear win, Stan rose to gather up their supplies, collecting their packs and weapons, making a point not to let his eyes fall on the monster’s stinking corpse. He pulled out the surgical thread and curved needle that he’d hoped they wouldn’t need but was glad they’d brought along.

“Good thing it’s pre-threaded,” he managed.

“Mhm,” Kyle hummed in agreement. “Fate must be looking out for us in some regard.”

Stan poured some water from his canteen over the wound, washing away enough of the blood to see what he was working with and wincing when Kyle sucked in a pained breath. “I’m sorry, dearest.”

Kyle squeezed his eyes shut. “It’s okay. Just- please do it quickly.”

Trying to still his trembling, Stan hovered close with the needle. “It won’t be neat,” he warned. “This isn’t really a one handed job.”

“I don’t care how pretty it is, my love, as long as I don’t bleed to death before we get the kingdom the help it needs. Just do it.”

Stan ignored the way his shoulder throbbed when he positioned himself to get started. He could worry about his own hurts later. “Okay. Scream if you need to.”

Kyle did, indeed, need to, cursing and shaking, ripping at the dry grass to anchor himself with the first pass the needle made through the tender skin. As for Stan, he blinked away the tears at his beloved in such pain, attempting to steady his own tremors.

“It’s okay, it’s okay, darling, just hold on.”

Kyle hissed and whimpered with each stitch, but stayed mostly still to the end, eyes red from crying and body wracked with intermittent sobs. Stan talked him through it the whole time through sobs of his own, clumsily closing the wound with his left hand and feeling his heart clench more with every passing second.

He fumbled to cut the thread and press a folded cloth to the stitches, grimacing when he realized he’d have to somehow sit Kyle up to secure the gauze.

“I- my lord, I’m sorry, you’re going to have to sit up now.”

“Don’t you “my lord” me!” Kyle snapped, then sighed. “Sorry, I’m sorry. I’m just… this is a lot. I’m frustrated.”

“I know, it’s alright.” Stan supported him as best he could, and they were able to bandage Kyle’s torso between the two of them. The king eased back down, his head in his knight’s lap this time, breathing hard but still wonderfully, miraculously alive.

Stan leaned down to kiss him gently. “You need rest, my dearest.”

“So do you,” Kyle choked out, spent from pain and poison. “You’re hurt too. But this isn’t the place for it.”

It really wasn’t. They needed to move. Dark things, even more sinister than the daylight creatures, came out in the night. This forest was no place for two injured people to survive when the sun went down. Stan turned his face upward, barely able to catch the red sun through the mist and thick canopy of black leaves.

“We have a little time before sunset,” he said, trying to force a buoyancy that he didn’t feel into his tone. “And if I’m right, we’ll be out of the woods in a half hour, maybe more with how slow we’ll need to walk. We’ll rest when we’re safe.”

Kyle hummed and slowly stood, using Stan’s uninjured shoulder for support. “I should’ve brought my staff,” he muttered.

The path lay before them, twisted and shadowed. With any luck, they’d stay out of trouble until they reached the end. The king was pale and visibly unsteady, and Stan was down one arm and not at full strength to fight back whatever they might come across, but they were together. They were always stronger together, and always had been. Nothing, no matter how vile, poisonous, or vicious, really stood a chance between the two of them. Stan wrapped his good arm around Kyle to hold him up and fixed his eyes ahead.

“Lean on me. I’ll keep you steady.”

Dude I loved writing this scene lmao stick of truth style on top

13- I think the most recent thing I actually researched for a fic was symptoms of hypothermia when I wrote Stay Frosty, because it occurred to me that I had NO idea what tf happens when you’re hypothermic but ya know I just enjoy putting the SP boys Through It

23- just canon characters! I’m not big on ocs in general, and when I find a whump muse they’re gonna SUFFER so they can be taken care of lmfao

Thank you so much for asking!!! I love being the Whumpshot Wizard

#very sorry to the sp boys it will happen again #south park #asks #whump #ask memes #style #my shit #ask game

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whentheynameyoujoy · 3 years

Text

So the ATLA Movie Is... Good, Actually?

Just kidding, of course it’s not, it’s so bad it sucked the paint off my walls. But after ten years of people pointing out its glaring flaws, why would anyone bother talking about this garbage heap if not to go the other direction? So here’s a very brief and very superficial list of things the movie does get kinda... not atrociously wrong.

And they won’t be fake hipster pokes, like “It’s fun to laugh at”, “The Rifftrax for this is OK”, or “Kudos to the actress for managing to say we believe in our beliefs as much as they believe in theirs with a straight face”.

(though now that I mentioned it, it is fun to laugh at, the Rifftrax for this is OK, and massive props indeed.)

Rasta Iroh

Yes, I know it’s not exactly the aesthetic of the real Iroh or that it makes no cultural sense for him to sport this do when no one else in the racebended Indian “OMFG what were you thinking Shyamalan” Nation does but goddamn, long-haired dudes are my one mortal weakness and I will ogle the hell out of him.

Jesus is that a man bun I see that’s it mum I’ve been deaded

Yue’s hair

No.

Now we’re talking. Yue’s hair turned white when the Moon spirit gave her life, so it makes sense for it to go black again when she sacrifices herself to revive the koi fish. It’s a neat detail I find myself expecting whenever I rewatch the scene in the show. Yes, I realize it’d be a pointless hassle to animate since she, unlike in the movie, immediately goes on to become the Moon herself but still. I like.

The Blue Spirit’s mop

Zuko, hun, what’s with the dance-off?

First of all, I want to imagine that Zuko the Theatre Nerd was about to leave his ship with just the mask like in the show but then stuck his head into the cleaning cupboard and went, “Yeah, more coverage might be good, even though it do seem mighty fried to shit”.

Which makes me giggle. I like to giggle.

And secondly, the hair’s movement is what makes the static mess of the Blue Spirit’s solo fight scene appear at least bit more dynamic because God knows the cinematography isn’t doing it.

Any particular reason why it’s at the edge of the action, shot all boring-like?

Now, I get why circular shots would be reserved for Aang while he’s in the practice area and then used once the two join forces. What I don’t get is why Aang’s part of the action scene has a defined visual style while Zuko’s delegated to a few stationary wide shots from afar as though he’s a tertiary goon, meaning that when the time comes to combine the respective pieces of cinema language and visually convey collaboration, there’s not really much to combine.

But as long as Zuko is stuck in this static mess, it’s that awesome disaster on his head flopping about that draws the eye, helping me understand that something even is going on over there.

It also prevents me from paying much attention to how the extras are mostly just staying put and a lot of the hits don’t land, so that’s good.

The music slaps

James Newton Howard is too good for this.

youtube

Pls ignore that the word “gods” is used in the ATLA universe

I can’t be the only one who constantly uses this piece to daydream about writing specific fanfic scenes instead of, you know, actually sitting down and writing them. It’s just so good at communicating a sense of sorrow while speaking of rebirth that I find myself getting misty-eyed whenever I listen to it. Unfailingly, the soundtrack as a whole manages to break through the mile-thick crust of horrible acting, confusing writing, and uninspired cinematography and make me feel things. And considering how everything on screen is working against it, that’s no small feat.

Imagine what a powerful experience it would be if the score was used in service of an actual movie.

Dev Patel

No wonder since he’s the only one in the film occupying that crucial intersection between “is a good actor” and “was given something to work with”. It also doesn’t hurt that he breaks with the trend of actors starring in martial arts flicks despite never having done any martial art.

And all EIP-jokes about “stiff and humorless” aside, he’s a pretty decent Zuko considering how abridged this version of the character is. A while ago, I remember hearing a reviewer say that with his comedic chops, Patel should have been cast as Sokka. And on one hand, yes, god, absolutely, I need to see that asap. But on the other? He captures all layers of Book 1!Zuko, the desperate obsession, rage, and self-loathing, and at the same time gives you a peek at the soft momma’s boy dork that’s buried underneath. For Christ sakes, he exudes intensity and ambivalence even when acting against an emotionless hunk of wood that’s giving him nothing in return.

Oh, and I guess there’s a tree in the frame.

Ba dum tss

What can I say, the guy’s good.

Showing vs telling

OK, so this movie is all tell and no show, except for one single moment. And it’s the exact moment where the original goes in the other direction in terms of how information is conveyed.

See, I never liked this. The revelation is preceded by Iroh giving advice to Zuko who scolds him for nagging. Iroh then apologizes, moves in to say the line above, and is interrupted by Zuko who seems rather uncomfortable with Iroh laying his feelings out like this. And once they’re out, Zuko verbally confirms that he knew already and Iroh didn’t need to bother.

All this extraneous information and pussyfooting ends up weakening what should be a profound scene that reveals to us, the viewers, how deep the relationship between these two in fact runs.

Compare to the movie where Dadroh acts like a parent by fussing and worrying, with Sonion needing a single look to tell him and us that he understands what it’s all really about.

It’s genuinely efficient and just good.

No Cataang

Fine, a bit mean-girl bitchy from me since I only start minding the ship in Book 3. And probably unintentional on the part of the creators since there are moments where I think they’re trying to set the romance up? There’s a, well, an attempt to recreate the famous introductory shot of fateful meaningful destiny of meaningness, there’s some slight note of saving each other’s bacon going on, I’m pretty sure they’re the only ones in the film who smile, and oh, right, Katara’s shoved into her post-canon useless role where she doesn’t ever do anything, and is all about Aang right from the get go.

Yes, I will blame the “executive producers” because a) I’m incredibly petty, and b) it’s perfectly in line with their vision of the character so why the hell not.

Hilariously, none of it reads on screen because the actors are just... yeah. These poor kids are struggling so much with delivering their own lines and portraying their own characters they don’t seem to have any strength left to create something between them. To be fair, the bare-bones shot-reverse shot style of their scenes doesn’t exactly lend itself to the idea they occupy the same universe, let alone are friends or each other’s crushes.

And I enjoy this immensely because it allows me to forget the depressing horror show Katara’s life turns into post ATLA.

Yes Zutara

I need to delve into this because it’s fucking hilarious. So in a movie which fails to establish the original’s central romance so spectacularly that if Aang got lost in a crowd I don’t believe Katara would notice, SomEOnE thought it’d be a good idea to add an utterly unnecessary non-canon moment where Zuko for some reason feels the need to pause his character-defining hunt for the Avatar which otherwise has him ignore everything and snap at everyone, and explain his central conflict to an unconscious peasant he doesn’t know, complete with gently pushing the hair from the pretty girl’s the soulmate’s the Water Tribe Ambassador’s the Fire Lady’s the love of his life’s her face away, AFTER his uncle nagged him twice to find a girl and settle down.

I just wanted to make sure we’re all on the same page and this is what we really saw.

Celibate Avatars

I have no idea why the decision was made, if TPTB thought expecting viewers to understand the story through the lens of Buddhism would be too much, or if the “executive producers” already worked their retconny magic. What I do know, however, is that there’s a big shift in worldbuilding and Aang’s struggle with his role as the Avatar stops being a personal conflict defined by a) his grief for Air Nomads, b) his notion of being robbed of the loved ones in his life, and c) the selfish attachment to Katara he confuses with true love. Instead, what he has a difficulty to accept is apparently a general notion of who Avatars are supposed to be, i.e. a fantasy version of Catholic monks, no family and worldly relations, period.

I guess either someone understood the original’s portrayal of de/attachment as “hermit no freaky”, or thought the audience would so why not go there outright.

Now, do I like this on its own? No, God no, it makes the world infinitely poorer and changes the story from an exploration of ideas which aren’t all that ingrained in the West, to a cliché tropester about a Catholic priest going Protestant so that he could be with a girl.

At least I assume that’s where they were going to take this eventually.

I mean, I think the direction was “look conflicted, this isn’t the final stage of your journey”?

But consider this—the show went there, it built on the concepts of Eastern philosophy and touched upon the ideas of spiritual awakening, only to swerve in the end and strongly imply they’re bullshit and Aang should have never wasted his time with them.

So honestly, I much prefer scanty worldbuilding to an insulting retcon by a damn rock.

Multiracial Air Nomads

Probably the most substantial “no hint of irony” point on this list and a genuinely good addition to the universe’s worldbuilding.

See, the notion of the elemental nations being perfectly separate and never mingling before Sozin has always been sketchy but it’s especially ridiculous in the case of airbenders. It never made sense to me for all airbenders to be Air Nomads and for all Air Nomads to be monks and for all monks to be chilling at the temples all the time to facilitate a quick everyone-dies genocide should an imperialistic warlord ever decide to commit one.

Because committing everyone to a single way of life at a handful of places kinda goes against the central philosophy behind airbending. Like the freedom and nomadism part.

Instead, there should be more variety to the airbending culture, with some staying at the temples as monks, hermits, and teachers while others live as nomads, travelling the world and creating more airbenders, with the resulting children in turn being influenced by the non-airbending cultures they grew up in.

And thus, not only should airbenders not be modeled after a single culture to create a one-size-fits-all lifestyle, but they should have the most diverse and dynamic culture out of the four nations.

And it’d be precisely this diversity which would pave way for an eventual reveal that some of them survived, that their complete extermination is impossible.

Because they’re everywhere.

You know.

Like air.

#atla #atla movie #zutara #anti bryke #dev patel #the last airbender #anti-kataang

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bookwyrminspiration · 2 years

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Hi!! Its heathen again!! Yes I would love those hair headcanons and whatever you thought of for lihn!

-Just to keep it seperate

heathen! hello!

I have several thoughts about everyone's hair because it is so bland in canon and just goes directly to conventionally attractive hair. All the boys have short, styled hair, and all the girls have long, wavy hair. So I'm gonna change that. New canon (/j)! I've decided!

Sophie: This one is less a divergence from canon and more leaning into an earlier description. Her hair is described as "shoulder length," but that's vague and often means it goes to like...shoulder blades? I think. So I proposed that her hair cuts off a little bit before the shoulder, like an inch or two above it so it doesn't touch but still has length--enough to pull back into ponytails and braids and the like!

Fitz: Curly! The past several times I've drawn Fitz (like here) he always has dark curly hair; I think it suits him better than the straight styles he's given in canon. Not super tight, but a defined curl pattern that frames his face. Shannon herself has also said he'd dye his hair if he could (hasn't followed through on that) so I imagine he'd do some bright color and let it grow out and then he'd have bleached tips (or colorful tips)

Keefe: It feels almost criminal to change his hair when it's such an important part of him in canon, so like Sophie, minimal changes. But! I think it should be a little longer than what's in the official art. The kind of gentle waves that are a little chaotic, falling in his face enough that he pushes them back a lot--that's why he's always messing with them. It feels like the kind of length where he could do one of those tiny, comical ponytails on top of his head.

Dex: So chaotic. I imagine it slightly longer than that really short style he's given in the official art, and when he messes with it it shoots up in all sorts of directions. It falls on his forehead in bangs and there's always an air of static to it like he was just shocked by an outlet or something. Also, different parts are different textures because he tests slurps and burps elixirs, so the

Biana: This one is entirely self indulgent but...wolf cut. Please. With a little bit of curls in there...I am in love with her, respectfully. (something like this) All the frizz and everything just ah!!! I also think she deserves some color in her hair but unsure exactly what. How pink highlights, maybe? Undecided on that one! Also because I'm projecting, she cut it herself

Linh: I actually made a post about this a few years ago but I think she should shave the underside of her head. It's only really visible when she puts her hair up in some way, but she's got a fun design under that that she changes up every time. Cool fractals and flowers and shading and all that!

Also the idea I had about her was a different hair color to go along with the silver. You know those holographic rainbow designs? I think those would go really well with the silver tips (and now bangs). Not her whole head, but like a section on either side of her bangs that's in that style.

Tam: I think it'd be neat if his hair grew out enough that his bangs were more like curtain bangs, but he refused to adapt to that change and so his hair is constantly in his eyes. Everyone wonders how he can even see but it's through sheer spite. Also think it would be nice if the sides were shorter than the top, maybe even faded? But if we lean fully into "I lived on my own for like 5 years" then either complete chaos, or slight mullet. Idk why but I think his hair should be a mess despite all the attention that's brought to it.

Marella: bangs! I know she's got those slight bangs in the official art, but I think it's be cool if they were more pronounced or went all the way across. I can't decide if straight across or straight across gradually getting longer and fading into the rest of her hair would be better, but I think either one is cool!!

Wylie: Longer. Its so short in canon and we can't really see just how curly his hair is. It doesn't have to be a lot longer but like...an inch of natural hair. Maybe shaved down on the sides to emphasize the height on the top...unsure, but I don't like his canon hair very much.

Maruca: Twists! I think she'd look great in twists! Like a medium sized twist, if that's the right way to describe it. (something like this). If she'd still have the blue streaks, I think those would look really pretty in box braids too. I'm indecisive about her I suppose, likely since she has less page time.

These are just a few of my ideas!! There's so much that can be done with everyone's hair and these are only my views! I, however, would like to diverge from the conventionally attractive styles of long with a slight wave, short and straight and styled, etc. I want more curly hair! more curls! I guess that's my biggest complaint! I think someone should have a pixie cut as well, but I couldn't decide who. Maybe Della or Edaline would look good with a pixie cut...

#all the girls are described as having long hair with a slight wave to it #and i am tired of it #shannon said there are no gender expectations or inequalities in the elven world #and then went full feminine/masculine for like everyone #ironic considering these are elves and typically fae creatures all have long hair #(in my experience with literature)#think legolas and others like that #but anyways!!#more styles please!!#kotlc #keeper of the lost cities #kotlc hair #quil's queries #heathen nonsie #long post #kotlc headcanon

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botwstoriesandsuch · 4 years

Text

10/6 Age of Calamity Trailer Analysis

It’s only 44 seconds but there’s stuff to be analyzed so let’s just jump into it!

First opening shot is of a familiar fade in, similar to that of the memory cutscenes in Botw, BUT, you’ll notice there Sheikah Slate marks covering it. Either meaning this cutscene is some flashback through a video on the Sheikah Slate, OR (the more likely option) it’s just a reference to the fact that the two focusing characters of this trailer (Robbie and Purah) and Sheikah Researchers. Neat detail nonetheless!

King dude sitting on his throne. From the lighting and referring to the layout of the room in game, this scene takes place sometime in early morning

Similar to that, if we stick to our 180 line film school rule, Zelda standing below her father (symbolism of power dynamic but that’s a given) is also in the early morning. Given she’s in her researcher/field blouse, I’d say she’s going out to do a mission, and not doing any ceremonial pomp and stuff. I think this scene is her getting a stern talking to by her dad before she goes

Despite the overlap of the King’s dialogue here, this above shot is undoubtedly of a different scene all together. They’re [Zelda, Link, and Impa, who’s behind Zelda] outside of the Sactum/Throne Room, rushing off somewhere to do something. AND Zelda is holding some unknown device

Is this an instrument?? It looks like there’s holes in it like some sort of panflute. Could also be a gear? An Ancient Sheikah piece? Perhaps they’re bringing this to Robbie and Purah to look at?

I’m hesitant to put this shot in the same scene as the previous one because the lighting is different, but judging from the stone walls and his sigh, I’m thinking this is the “I see my daughter is rushing off to research guardians again even tho I told her not to” look of disappointment. Or the “I don’t wanna be harsh on my daughter but I’m the kind and we have duties” sort of thing. It’s something angsty at the very least, just look at the foreboding walls and shadows

He’s arrived! Electric guitar riff and all! You can also see eggbot on the table there, deactivated I assume. The egg bot isn’t glowing or anything, and from the looks of the above lamp thingy there is a source of Sheikah power somewhere so perhaps they’re trying to turn it one, or open it up and see what’s inside

I am 50% sure that this is at the Royal Ancient Lab. One because...he’s a Royal Ancient scientist...there’s a Royal Ancient Lab...so. Ahem TWO, because BRICKS!!

Make like Purah and CHECK IT because the wooden scaffolding and bricks in the background are of a different work than that of Hyrule Castle. Comparing the wall in the background with the models of the Botw game for the Royal Lab Ruins

The style is much more similar, with smaller, alternating bricks rather than the Castle’s larger, parallel brick work. But I’ll explain why I’m only 50% sure in a bit.

I can only assume they are looking at Robbie in disappointment both because of the editing of the shots, and because of the lighting. You’ll notice in my last screenshot that above you can see a distinct Sheikah-blue lamp.

Also, those models of paper and bookstacks in the background are the same/very very similar ones used in Hyrule Castle in Botw. So, if these guys are with Robbie, I’m inclined to believe this scene takes place deep in the Castle somewhere.

I don’t really have a lot to say about this part. I’m thinking the front of Hyrule Castle’s entrance, given the soldiers and the towering height of the wall behind them. Plus the style of the bricks in that classic fortress jutting brick style. This is at the time of day similar to the later shot with Urbosa and Purah, but I can’t define the orientation to see if this is sunset or sunrise. I’m inclined for sunset.

Also Purah and Robbie both have the same two red pins [THEY’RE NOT CHOPSTICKS PLEASE STOP SAYING THEY’RE CHOPSTICKS PLEASE] in their hair because of course our chaotic duo should match. I’m also very glad I can confirm pens exist in Hyrule so I can stop double guessing myself whether to use “quills” or “pens” in my fic.

Also similar to Botw, Robbies googles are powered by the battery pack on his back, as you can see with the wire. We can even see it twitch in this scene, although it lacks the glowing googly eyes as the Robbie we see 100 years later. Safe to say he’d probably modified it by then.

Another reason why they’re probably not at the Royal Ancient Labs, the floor is different. The ones in the botw ruins are more of a naturally cut stone, rather than the rigid smooth squares we see in the trailer. I wouldn’t put it past Nintendo to completely ignore their canon and old details (even though it pains me) but I’m working with what I got here. Different floor, same blue musky lighting from the Sheikah overhead lamp, I’m 50% sure it’s Hyrule Castle.

Guardian in the background, same wooden scaffolding as seen in Robbie’s initial appearance, plus the same lamps which are the same type you can find in the houses in Hateno, and in the Hateno Ancient Lab.

Oh my god she is so cute I love her I am simping way to hard oh my oh my gosh

It’s Purah! Check it! She’s got her iconic glasses, the previously mentioned red pins, plus a cut red highlight ohhh mmy gogsh she isso prettby I-- She’s also got the Sheikah slate, and I can only hope with all my heart that in this moment she is taking a selfie because that would be so iconic. (But I doubt it because the orientation is the wrong way, you can see it’s the handle side up)

It’s a different brick type in the background now it’s exactly like the ones in the Castle interior with the wider width and shorter length the lighting is the same but is this really the same location as the one Robbie was shown in Nintendo what is the truth please

Maybe Purah and Robbie just have different offices, with the same blue musky overhead lamps. Then again...the only sources of the Sheikah Power/Blue Flame are in Hyrule Castle, Akkala, and Hateno, so maybe this really is in the Castle.

Anyhow, Impa looking embarrassed because of her sister’s antics is a mood.

This definetly takes place much later in the game. Link has the Hylian Shield (something only attained through trial) and Urbosa has already been made Champion at the Sanctum. This is around the front of the Castle Town wall judging from the style of the bricks and the rounded areas for the lookouts areas atop it. You can also see Sheikah working on fixing a wagon or something in the background

Don’t let Purah and her beautiful face distract you from the destruction in the background! Some walls or something have collapsed, and people are looking up at the wall and....

You can see the faintest glow of Sheikah blue as Purah moves her head. I’m thinking this is some sort of Guardian destruction, perhaps a test gone wrong, as I doubt they would be acting so casual if this was the work of the Calamity.

The final shot fades to the same Sheikah Slate filter as the beginning of the trailer, and you can see Purah’s expression change in surprise because of something on the slate..hmmmm

Anyhow, moral of the story is: I am way too attracted to Purah, and I need Nintendo to keep consistent architecture and bricks please it’s the only thing I’m good at don’t take this away from me please I beg you I-

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thefoulbeast · 3 years

Text

Writers tag game!

A big thank you to @saathiray for the tag! This looks like a really interesting one to do!! :D :D

Alright, let's get into it...

How many works do you have on ao3?

21!

What's your total ao3 word count?

ough.... maths..... if i wrote the numbers down right, then 187 780 words! :D

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

To no one's surprise, most of there are blue exorcist fics haha :,D

1. Clickflight. (71) 2. Ad terram nullium. (61) 3. Oh, my worst emotions. (60) 4. Human(oid?) (59) 5. aranea et flamma (42)

Do you respond to comments; why or why not?

I do! Well, almost every time (but the comment has to rub me the wrong way / confuse quite hard to make me not respond). I don't really know why? It just feels polite maybe shdusdh

What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending?

I'm not sure any of my fics have particularly angsty endings 🤔 They're mostly ambiguous or menacing in some way hahah... Perhaps Ad terram nullium or Oh, my worst emotions are the angstiest ones. Cor Aegrotum is also a good contender because it definitely ends on a bitter note. :D :D ahh idk lmao

What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending?

Another difficult question. Not sure. Speak fondly upon that memory is probably the most feel-good fic I have so I reckon it has the happiest ending 😂

Do you write crossovers? If so, what's the craziest one you've ever written?

I don't think I've ever written a crossover, no. The closest is a current wip that's like characters from one thing in the setting of another thing? But I didn't keep any characters from the thing I got the setting from, not sure if it counts as a crossover lmao.

Hope this made sense <3

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

No, I have not, thank goodness! Perhaps quite lucky, since I know one of my faves isn't too well liked in the fandom lol. But it's a small fandom, and the character isn't very popular so ¯\(´･ω･`)/¯

Also, I'm not exactly a well known/popular author so. I can just do whatever I want most of the time lmao

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I have written smut, various kinds of it. >//-//>

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of. Hopefully not :D

Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, I haven't ^w^ I've considered trying my hand at translating fics on occasion though, I like translating stuff well enough. Not that anyone needs fics translated into latvian much 😂

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Nope! But I think I'd like to try someday maybe, because two authors and friends I look up to a lot (jay & rynoa if u read this ily) collaborate on a lot of fics and they always come out so cool and good and solid and i think that's so neat that creatives can come together like that?? like wow!! truly amazing and beautiful to witness <3

What's your all-time favourite ship?

Genuinely don't know!

I've come back to a specific collection of Tarn/Deathsaurus (from the transformers more than meets the eye comic) fics a whole bunch so I guess that's as close as it gets!

I... have a hard time remembering stuff I like outside of the periods I am obsessed with it, you see. Currently I'm reading a lot of star wars fics so there's a lot of kylux and some gingerpilot?

it's really hard to say, im not sure i have an all-time favourite , more just a bunch of faves i come back to from time to time

What's a WIP that you want to finish but don't think you ever will?

A fic I started about Tarn from transformers getting some kind of head injury and having to re-learn how to speak? I really like the concept of it because his voice is how he kills and all that, but I just don't know what direction it could go in anymore. It's more of a thing I can ponder about privately rather than something I want to bring to a finish and publish, if that makes sense?

Other than that one, I have a whole bunch of fics I started in fandoms I dipped my hands into but never found friends and stuff off who to bounce my ideas so the motivation kind of died. One of those was a thing for Gotham's Penguin - I was going to do like a life story in vignettes but I recognise now I won't finish it :D

What are your writing strengths?

I sort of? Idk how to put this in a way that doesn't sound too self-aggrandizing, but once I get into a character's head, I get into a character's head. Multiple people have praised my characterizations, one even going as far as to say that the voices sound like the canon and that's something I hold really dearly in my heart and which makes me feel v warm inside. ;3; <3 <3 <3

What are your writing weaknesses?

World building and having more than 2 people in a fic 😭 I focus so much on the character I'm writing about that sometimes it's hard to think about everything that happens around them, or to make the other characters have enough depth! All my fics are like... sticking to a single person, deep pov style. I would like to get out of my comfort zone more and try and write fics that focus on more than one character!

What are your thougts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

There's a time and place for everything! Usually I just hope that there's translations in the end notes 😂😂 But it can definitely help in making the reader feel as helpless and confused as the character who doesn't speak the language :D

What was the first fandom you wrote fic for?

Ib, the rpg game, I think? At least that's the first one I wrote fic for on the computer, I think I might have written something like yugioh fanfic in a notepad in sixth grade 🤔🤔 afraid i've lost both, though

What's your favourite fic that you've written?

ahh... difficult question...

I think it's sort of a tie between Somnus and Even a worm will turn? They're both about Toudou and I like them for different reasons. Somnus just came out so beautiful and poetic, I think, a lot of meaning packed into just under 1k words, whereas Even a worm will turn is like a beast full of negative emotions and violence and all the dark stuff and the way the soul blackens as it goes down the slippery slope between what one feels they have to do and what is right that i managed to get out in a weirdly cathartic way... It's really hard to decide on this question hahah...

-------------------------

As for tagging my fellow writers and friends: @shiroufujimoto @29rynoah @tonguetiedraven @kugisaki-nobara-rights @yuriotoko @inuyoshie @bluewindfall @emperorsvornskr

#text #tag meme #this is so longgg im sorry

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samwisethewitch · 4 years

Text

a real witch reviews the arcana (aka that phone game based on tarot cards that keeps showing up on your explore page)

I’ve been seeing The Arcana all over Tumblr and Instagram for several months now, and since I am a Genuine Real Life Witch™️ and have been reading tarot for several years now, I thought it would be fun to play the game and review it both from a gamer perspective and a witch/tarot reader perspective.

Spoiler: I really, really like it.

Please note that I have done virtually no research into the developer or development history of this game. This review is based purely on my experience from my playthroughs.

So what is The Arcana?

The Arcana is a fantasy/romance visual novel created by Nix Hydra Games. A visual novel is an interactive, text-based story with static visuals, so it’s almost more like an interactive graphic novel than a video game. Honestly, visual novels remind me of those “Choose Your Own Adventure�� books that were really popular in the 1980s and 1990s more than anything else.

(Note: I recently learned that a visual novel is NOT the same thing as a dating sim, although the two genres are similar and do sometimes overlap. Dating sims... simulate dating. That’s really all there is to them. Visual novels typically have a more plot-focused story, and may have other stuff going on besides the romance.)

The story of The Arcana follows the player character, a magician’s apprentice living in the fictional city-state of Vesuvia, who is enlisted to track down a suspected murderer. Where the story goes from there depends on which route you choose to play. There are currently six routes, each with a different love interest. Each route has its own unique story, although obviously there are some overlapping elements.

Sam the Gamer’s Review

Like I mentioned, The Arcana is essentially an interactive novel, so I’m reviewing it the way I’d review a book. So, let’s just run down some of the typical book review questions, shall we?

Is the content good? Yes. It has gotta be difficult to juggle six parallel storylines and make all of them equally compelling, but this game pulls it off. There were parts that genuinely had me in suspense, other parts that had me giggling at my phone, and some parts that were (intentionally) frustrating. I’m really impressed with how each route is totally different from the others -- not just in content, but even in tone. For example, Portia’s route comes across as much more lighthearted and fluffy, whereas Julian and Muriel both have a lot of angst in their respective stories. It’s really well done.

Are the characters well-rounded and realistic? Again, yes. Okay, “realistic” may be a bit of a stretch in some cases Vlastomil but all six of the main romanceable characters have fleshed out personalities that feel natural within the story world. The side characters in this game are also really interesting, although I do wish some of them had bigger roles in the story.

What about the technical stuff (dialogue, grammar, etc.)? For the most part, it’s pretty good. The dialogue flows naturally, and different characters have different speaking styles, which is a little thing that makes SUCH a big difference. I noticed a couple of typos, but nothing too crazy.

The gameplay was pretty good. The only real mechanic is choosing one of two or three dialogue options at certain points in the game. There are a couple of places in each route where these choices are timed, but other than that it’s a very stress-free gaming experience.

Another thing that impresses me from both a writing and a gameplay angle is the multiple ending mechanic. Your choices matter in this game. Each of the routes has an “upright” ending and a “reversed” ending. I’m not exactly sure which choices affect the ending you get, but I’ve only managed to get “upright” endings so far, and I didn’t have to do anything special to unlock them.

Sam the Witch/Tarot Reader’s Review

Honestly, I did not expect this game to be as accurate with its depiction of magick and the Tarot as it was.

Each character is based on one of the Major Arcana, and I feel like they did a really good job of matching their personalities to their cards. Nadia is based on the High Priestess so she’s very intuitive and intelligent but tends to be distant and hard to read, Julian is based on the Hanged Man so he feels the need to sacrifice himself for others (with lots of gallows humor along the way), Lucio is based on the Devil so he’s a fucking bitch all about power and excess, etc.

I reeeeaaalllyy like the use of “upright” and “reversed” endings instead of the typical good vs. bad endings -- based on upright vs. reversed meanings of Tarot cards, of course. I also really love that the reversed endings aren’t 100% negative, just like how reversed cards in readings aren’t necessarily negative.

I don’t wanna spoil anything, but I also really like how the upright endings deal with the upright traits of that character’s Major Arcana card, while the reversed endings deal with the reversed traits of that card.

This game also includes some pretty realistic depictions of witchcraft and magick. Obviously because it’s a fantasy world there is fantasy magic involved, but astral travel is a major theme in pretty much every route, and the way it’s depicted in the game is very similar to my real life experiences with it.

There’s one character who is a kitchen witch and makes homemade enchanted food with magickal herbs, which made me feel warm and fuzzy because it reminded me of all the times I’ve used kitchen magick to make charmed food for myself and my loved ones.

Tarot readings are obviously a big deal within the story world, but there’s also a character who uses runestones! Which I think is neat!!

They mention some real-life magickal plants. Myrrh being used for protection comes up a lot, which, in case anyone was curious, is actually one of the common uses for myrrh in spellcraft.

They clearly did their research and honestly I’m thrilled.

Other Cool Stuff About This Game

It’s probably the most queer-inclusive video game I’ve ever played. Right off the bat, you’re given the choice to choose between he/him, she/her, or they/them pronouns for your character. The pronouns you pick do not affect the story in any way.

All six love interests are romanceable no matter what gender you play as. Which means this is canonically a universe in which everyone is queer. Hell yeah.

Two of the six current romanceable characters are women, and one is nonbinary. The routes for these characters are just as well written and romantic, with just as many wink-wink-nudge-nudge innuendos, as the men’s. There are also multiple nonbinary side characters.

Also! Racial and ethnic diversity in the main cast! And the main characters all have different body types, which is another nice touch.

This is nerdy as hell but I love how the different cultures and ethnic groups in the game are based on real-life cultures? It’s just one of those little things that makes my heart happy.

The art style is pretty as fuck.

In conclusion: I feel like this review is overwhelmingly positive but I just genuinely can’t think of any major criticisms of this game. It’s fun, it’s free, there was clearly a lot of thought put into it. I was really pleasantly surprised. Everybody go download it and play it. You’ll have a good time, and afterwards you’ll understand all the memes.

P.S. I know people are gonna ask so: I chose Julian for my first playthrough because he’s tall and goth and has messy hair and that’s honestly all I look for in a man. Now that I’ve played all six routes, Portia’s is probably my favorite because it’s so cute and wholesome and I just really want a soft bookworm girlfriend, please. Lucio’s route is a close second because after seeing him as an antagonist in everyone else’s routes it’s actually really interesting to see his story told from a sympathetic angle! But like I said, I’ve played all six routes.

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nigenaide · 4 years

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So @ao3commentoftheday has recently starting doing a thing called Ask A Tag Wrangler, which I'd recommend checking out if you're interested in knowing more about how tagging or tag wrangling works on AO3!

However. I am also a tag wrangler. And the thing about tag wranglers is we actually disagree with each other pretty regularly. So this post about Tumblr-style tagging on AO3 has some great information, but there are several parts I disagree with.

(General disclaimer that I am speaking only for myself, not for AO3 or for tag wranglers as a whole. I'm sure someone else will disagree with me too :P)

Specifically, I really want to pull out this brief aside from the post and underline it a few times and draw rainbows on it:

Of course, if you don't care if your works are filterable, then carry right on, you poetic and noble land-mermaids.

The main thing to note about chatty Tumblr-style tags on AO3 is that they often don't play nice with the filtering system. As Pepper says, they frequently contain multiple concepts or aren't clear exactly what they're referring to, which can make it difficult for wranglers to attach them to existing canonical tags. So if your goal is for your tags to be easily attached to canonicals so people can use them in the filters, then yes, chatty tags are often not good for that.

On the other hand? There's no reason your tags have to be filterable. It is completely fine to post a fanfic with tags that are useless for filtering. Wranglers get sad about it because we enjoy attaching tags to each other, but the tags are for fanfic readers and writers, not to make wranglers happy! So you should tag in whatever way is comfortable and fun for you.

It's important to remember that people use AO3 in different ways. Not everyone cares if other people can find their fic -- maybe they just want to post it so they have a nicely-formatted backup copy in case their computer dies. Maybe they just want to show their fic to their friends on Discord, and they like how AO3 looks better than Google Docs. Maybe they prefer a different fanfic site, but that one doesn't allow smut, so they post the smut sections on AO3 and link to them from the other site. Maybe they actually would like people to find their fic, but "proper" tagging stresses them out, so they only tag for fandom/character/relationship and then just babble in the additional tags. All of these are perfectly valid uses of the site!

Also, plenty of people browsing fic don't even use the fandom-specific canonicals like "Gay Ron Weasley" to find what they want. I don't, myself -- I usually just go to the fandom or relationship tag I want and look through everything manually. So for me, the way your tags read on your fic is actually more important than how filterable they are. Fics that have neat filterable canonical tags are nice because they're easy to skim over to see what the fic is about, but chatty tags can provide the same information while also giving me more of a peek into the author's head. I've absolutely clicked on fics just because the tags were funny.

So, with all of that in mind, some specific things with Pepper's post that I disagree with:

Chatty tags don't necessarily bother readers; plenty of readers enjoy them, in the same way people enjoy reading Tumblr tags. I think what bothers people is more often the number of tags, not how they're formatted. I'd much rather see 10 chatty tags than 50 canonical ones, honestly. Lots of tags take up a lot of space on the screen (especially if I'm on my phone) and are harder to skim.

I strongly disagree with the idea that wranglers don't enjoy wrangling chatty tags. They're usually the most entertaining to read through, first of all, and a lot of us enjoy sharing the funny or weird tags with each other when we come across them. They're also usually pretty easy to wrangle because they tend to have multiple concepts that can't be attached to anything. So it's easy to go through a bunch of them quickly while listening to music or watching videos, which can be a relaxing way to spend an hour or two. Personally I enjoy wrangling them, certainly a lot more than other kinds of tags.

Your tags don't need to be filterable or informative. It is perfectly valid to use AO3 tags as a "whisperspace" a la Tumblr if you'd prefer. So if you want to write tags about what song inspired you while you were writing, or how you were bit by a plot bunny at 3am and had to write the whole fic immediately, go for it. Maybe some people would prefer to put that kind of the thing in the author's notes, but you don't have to. Go wild.

Honestly? As a wrangler, my advice to AO3 users is that you shouldn't worry about what wranglers find annoying to deal with :P Plenty of tags can be annoying to deal with on our end, just because of how the wrangling system is set up or because we like dealing with certain kinds of tags more than others. But that doesn't mean there's anything wrong with someone using those tags. The whole point of the tag wrangling system is that users can tag however they want, and wranglers will deal with it. It's what we signed up for!

What you should worry about is what you're trying to accomplish with your tags. If you ask wranglers for advice, we tend to focus on how to make your tags easily filterable within the technical constraints of the tagging system, because we know a lot about that. And if that's what you want, Pepper's post has some great advice! (And if you want more advice of that sort, you should go over there and ask questions!) But a lot of posts with wrangler advice act like your ultimate goal should be to make your tags nice and filterable, and that doesn’t have to be true. If that stresses you out or goes against your tag aesthetic or just isn't helpful for you, you don’t have to do it. You also don't need to treat every tag the same way -- you can have some that are useful for filtering and some that are just babbling. Or you can have tags that look like babbling but are actually useful for filtering, like Pepper's "Harry Potter remains a total disaster" example.

BASICALLY what I'm saying is: There is a reason AO3 is set up so you can write whatever you want in the tag fields, instead of just picking options from a list. It's because we want you to write whatever you want. So please don't stress out too much about tagging things Properly™ or making things difficult for tag wranglers.

#ao3 #tag wrangling #honestly my greatest wish as a tag wrangler is that people realize they don't have to use the canonicals #sometimes you just need to tell the tag dropdown to go screw itself #it's not the boss of you

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countessofbiscuit · 4 years

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What are your Bobasoka headcanons? I've already gone through all of the (criminally little) fic on ao3 and I especially loved Smothered and Covered, and I saw the majority of the fics in the tag were gifted to you so I'm assuming you're the OG shipper. Feel free to essay if you like!!

Thanks for the ask and kind words about that fic :3

Oh, Bobasoka … where to begin? It’s a pairing that’s been bumping around in exchange requests for a few years — I figure it’d be easy for anyone invested in Ahsoka’s relationship with the clones to be compelled by the idea. Lledra used to draw Boba and Ahsoka interacting, and it was probably a few panels of their incredible Destinies comic that set my Bobasoka wheels turning. I’m also drawn to them because their journeys traverse so much canon; there’s not just a sandbox to play in, but a whole goddamn stretch of beach, stretching far out into the horizon ... (#AhsokaLives #BobaSurvived :D)

I have to lead with the proviso that almost everything I write/daydream about/headcanon has a groundsheet of Rexsoka. Ahsoka’s interest in Boba, in my head, is intimately tied up with her attraction to and/or relationship with Rex — or, at the bare minimum, her intimate fellowship with the clones. She went through puberty (maybe with heats!) surrounded by a literal army of handsome, roughly college-aged dudes; that must’ve been a heady mix of heaven and hell. If she didn’t quench her thirst before war’s end and her (eventual) separation from Rex, she’d probably be pretty dehydrated when stumbling across Boba. As for Boba’s attraction to Ahsoka, well ... she’s very pretty, she’s potentially useful, she’s not likely to skewer him in his sleep (+2) on account of being a Jedi (-1), and now she’s the one down on her luck; if he falls in bed with anyone, why not this girl who isn’t afraid of him and stares a lot at his lips?

And Boba is like a hot shipping potato — satisfying, hard to fuck up, goes well (read: makes for an intriguing story) with almost everyone. And I think it has everything to do with his liminality, something he shares with Ahsoka and probably recognizes.

Their neither-this-nor-that-ness overlap in such interesting ways, and they each bring their identity issues to the table — Ahsoka as an on-again, off-again Jedi; Boba as a clone who isn’t a Clone™, a Mandalorian by birth and bearing, but not by the book. At different points in their stories, they identify as different things, and that would affect their headspace and color their view of the other. They wrestle with themselves and each other. Force-user and bounty hunter; privileged topsider and orphaned juvenile delinquent fugitive; GAR commander and outcast clone; Jedi and Mandalorian; Disillusioned veteran and disaffected army brat; Rebellion agent and Imperial contractor.

And as much conflict is baked into these dynamics, it also generates a certain magnetism; and I believe they recognize, on some level, their shared trauma and the symmetry in their experiences. Boba and Ahsoka both have happy childhoods with very little to distress or vex them (beyond the art, I do not jive with Age of Republic: Jango Fett, a Disney-canon comic that not only doubles-down on the Jango-wasn’t-Mando nonsense, but shows him being rather cavalier about Boba’s life); Geonosis happens and their adolescent lives are dominated by war (which is how they came to actively threaten each other as space!secondary-schoolers — whaaaaatf!); they are both dubiously (even wrongfully) imprisoned; and they both suffer alienation and incredible personal loss.

Boba was set apart from the clones before he was even pulled him from the jar, othered and elevated from the beginning. He never bonded with brothers, he does not identify as a clone. And while there are examples of clones making overtures to him, canonically his relationship with them is fraught and probably made worse when he gets banged up in Republic Central at the tender age of eleven or twelve — and of course, Ahsoka is an accessory to this, the second chapter in his tragedy at the hands of the Jedi. He needed help (whether he wanted it or not), it was not given by clones or Jedi alike (hamstrung by bureaucracy, sure, but surely some other means of intervention might have been lobbied for?), and Boba becomes a right teenage disaster, well-balanced only in the sense that he has a chip on both shoulders.

(n.b. Putting my RepComm hat on for a second, I can’t help but sniffle-laugh at the idea that the Alphas watched him get thrown in a maximum-security slammer and were like “Ah, there he is, the feral vod’ika. First time, we’ll let the little snot earn his stripes. Second time, we’ll bust him out and send him on a tough love retreat with A’den or Jaing.”)

Ahsoka, meanwhile, is part-and-parcel of the institutions that Boba sets himself against, even after she too has been cast out by circumstances beyond her control. She grows up in a supportive Jedi community and then spends some seriously formative years with a whole slew of brothers — brothers that should have been Boba’s!

Boba, on the other hand, is a great example of the proverb that a child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth. (As he tells Hondo, “Why should I help anybody? I’ve got no one.”)

The resentment that must create! But also, later, the quiet empathy too — maybe when Boba’s having one of his better days and Ahsoka’s obviously not.

And all of the above is interesting enough, without also touching upon the wildcard that is Mandalore.

Boba’s relationship with Mandalore .... well, that’s contested in- and out-of-universe and I won’t allow myself to essay overmuch. I subscribe firmly to a Mandalorian Fetts construction of canon, even though Boba must be someone who struggles mightily with Mandalorian identity. He’s raised by a bona fide Mando, a solicitous, loving father who’d have no reason not to pass on his language and beliefs; but at the same time, it takes that village, and when Boba’s clan of two is shattered, he has no one else. The loss of his dad unmoors him from his only anchor to Mandalorian culture and clan.

If Boba had been close to the Cuy’val Dar, one would think he’d have turned to them rather than fall in with Jango’s criminal acquaintances; or maybe the bounty hunters just scooped him up first, and troubled lil’ Boba was shepherded through bereavement by folks who enabled and encouraged him to externalize his anger in a way that gave him a (false) feeling of agency and strength.

Whatever the reasons, Boba does not repatriate himself to Mandalore (much to Fenn Shysa’s melodramatic dismay). He strikes me as a lapsed Mandalorian; he doesn’t exactly follow the creed besides wearing the armor (scavenged? his dad’s sans helmet? canon is confused on this point, but he doesn’t go Mando until the unfinished arcs at the end of TCW, either for lack of stature, lack of armor, or lack of enthusiasm). I feel like if someone rocked up to Boba in a cantina and had the balls to ask “hey, so you a Mandalorian?” Boba would be like “<ominously slow helmet tilt> who’s asking” and never give you a straight answer.

Meanwhile, Ahsoka gets a crash course on Mandalore from none other than someone who, at one point, belonged to a sect that wanted to expunge Jaster’s legacy from the galaxy — and at the very least, had reason to dislike clones. This isn’t the place to explore my Boba/Bo-Katan feelings, but know that they are fathomless, and I would pay good money to be a fly on the wall of that Kom’rk when Bo-Katan gives Ahsoka Mando History 101 with her own special sauce. Ahsoka is probably more up-to-speed on Mandalore than Boba, and at one point, she may even own more beskar than him! (n.b. After the crash, I think one of the first places Rex and Ahsoka bounce is just inside Mando space, to scope out the Sundari situation and maybe try to scramble a signal to Bo-Katan; she’d have the goodwill to at least get them back on their feet if she can’t help them lay low herself. For a variety of reasons worth maybe ficcing down the line, they aren’t successful.)

I don’t really have a concluding statement except, I just think Bobasoka’s neat :) They hit all my depressed-Millennial buttons.

Headcanon by bullet-point isn’t really my style, but this is tumblr so ... tl;dr:

They recognize a lot in each other, even if they’re slow to admit it, if ever. Boba’s a cagey bastard and Ahsoka doesn’t ever like him enough to be emotionally honest.

They bump into each other during Ahsoka’s walkabout(s) ‘cause Coruscant’s Underworld ain’t big enough for the two of them. Without Slave-1, Boba couchsurfs at Nyx Okami’s garage, but he does his laundry at Rafa’s. He might even borrow the Martez’s new, useful friend for a job or two.

Ahsoka eventually matures enough to be sensitive about her use of the Force on and around clones, and she definitely doesn’t use it around Boba. Definitely not during sex.

Boba is privately weirded out every time Ahsoka uses Mando slang she picked up off the clones or the Nite Owls.

Boba absolutely kills Cad Bane in that shoot-out, keeps the hat, and lets Ahsoka have it. She shoves it out the airlock and uses it for target practice.

So many great smut flavours! Hatesex. Acquaintances with benefits. “You’re traumatized and touch-starved and you look just like him/them, and I know how to be gentle and what to do, so maybe we could … ?” They’re both privately comfortable with their bodies and sexuality, but Boba’s got trust issues a parsec long and Ahsoka’s lost confidence; it’s always an awkward affair, but desperation wins out.

They exchange comm codes every time they run into each other, which is kind of pointless because they both use burners.

Ahsoka hitches a ride on Slave-1 more than once. There really is only one bed, so it’s either sleep upright, sleep in a pokey prisoner hold, or sleep with him.

For a few years, Boba can pass as a last-generation clone — the ones that got sold off in bulk units to slavers before Kamino sunk another three years’ food, board, and training into them. Boba pretends he doesn’t notice, easy to really, since he tells himself his helmet is his face. But occasionally, when Ahsoka can convince him there’s profit in it, he agrees to play sleeper agent and assists in liberating a few here and there.

They don’t talk about Aurra Sing.

When an Imp really crosses him, Boba passes on intel to Ahsoka to ruin their day.

Once, when they’re both super skint, Ahsoka volunteers to get handed in to some relatively minor and out-of-the-way Imperial garrison, so Boba can collect, bust her out, and split the pot with her. It’s the closest she ever comes to telling him “I trust you” — and when he brushes the idea aside, citing something about risk, it’s the closest he ever comes to telling her “I love you.”

Boba sees Inquisitors as muscling in on his game. There are so many lousy Force-users around nowadays, it should be easy pickings, but Inquisitors get privileged information. So he makes sport out of misdirecting them, especially from Ahsoka.

When he pisses her off, Ahsoka fantasizes about Bo-Katan taking Boba down a peg or two while she watches :)))

Boba experienced Ahsoka’s heat once, secondhand through a cabin wall. He thought he was being clever by shooting Rex up with some Nevoota stim pollen, locking him in with Ahsoka, and hijacking their locked ships. Longest three days of his life, limping on broken hyperdrives and shared fuel stores to the nearest waystation to a soundtrack of violent lovemaking : \

Bounty hunters invariably bump into spies and agents because they work in the same areas. The agents pretend to be bounty hunters, eccentric business people, sex workers, or a range of other things. Sometimes each party knows all about the other, but it’s only polite not to mention it. This happens to Ahsoka and Boba A LOT, especially once she becomes Fulcrum; rebel cells and Imperials often want the same people. Occasionally they exchange fire. A couple times Boba gets imprisoned in Ahsoka’s own brig. Once, Boba blows her cover and definitely lives to regret it.

(this essay was originally punctuated with pics, but replies with images won’t show up tumblr tags so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)

#bobasoka #boba fett #ahsoka tano #rexsoka #the clone wars

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kestrelmando · 3 years

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Writer Wednesday - NFWMB

The great @autumnleaves1991-blog has put together a weekly “Writer Wednesday” where she provides an image prompt.

Again, this is Jack “Agent Whiskey” Daniels/f!OC (Kenna “Agent Mezcal” Hill) pre “Whiskey Smash”. Apparently I’m getting non-story related “slices of life” bits out through these.

Set in my, as of yet, unpublished f!OC x Whiskey series “Whiskey Smash”. Basic relevant background info; Whiskey and Mezcal (my f!OC with previous mob ties) are partners in Statesmen and trained together as very young agent potentials, they are hovering over that “are we or aren’t we” threshold in their relationship at this point.

Warnings: Swear words, brief descriptions of injuries, mentions of the mafia type organizations, canon typical Kingsmen style violence, mentions of torture, death

Translations/Info: “Capo” is a captain of sorts in various crime syndicates to denote a “made man”/fully initiated member who has a crew they oversee.

---

They liked to joke it was a good spot because it was on the border of two states, Arizona and Utah, and it was a desolate place of red rock and sandstone. The meandering hills and valleys were interspersed with jutting, reaching towers of stone. But really, it was because the lonely stretch of road received little traffic – being far enough away from the natural monuments to keep the tourists away.

So it became their dumping ground for the bodies they were amassing. It wasn’t the original intention, but when you want to send a message? Well, a neat row of shallow graves in the desert worked well.

Sending a message sat just fine with Jack Daniels. He was so tired of this shit; but all it takes it a brief closing of his eyes to see his partner the very first night he met her at Statesmen training already black and blue with a split lip and a chip on her shoulder the size of Texas or, more recently, the purple and scarlet collar of bruises around her neck to reconfirm that this was necessary.

Fucking mob syndicates. Jack knew she was tired of looking over her shoulder and he was always looking even further over her shoulder. Defecting to Statesmen offered a lot of protection and it was a smart move, but when the daughter of one of Chicago’s biggest crime bosses cuts ties and literally sets the place on fire when she runs – some feathers are bound to ruffled.

He glanced over at her and watched the wind tangle and flutter in her dark hair as she leaned back against the headrest of the truck. Her arm was dangling out of the window, fingers tapping along the side of the door to the low music from the radio, and the setting sun was casting her warm tan skin in a fiery glow. He was struck again by how beautiful she was and settled his hand over the top of her knee. She didn’t turn, but he felt the muscle in her thigh twitch but she curled her fingers around his.

The unchanging desert landscape rolled past and despite the comfortable, companionable silence Jack needed to know more. She had stormed into Statesmen a week and a half ago with her voice choked out of her, a blood vessel popped in her eye, and those damn bruises like handprints around her neck. To say he was pissed was an understatement; no one laid a finger on his girl.

Truthfully, he had pulled her into his office with shaking hands and shut the door. His hands had smoothed down her thick hair, turned her chin and cataloged the damage – throat swollen enough to lose her voice, left eye discolored with blood, even a few cracked and broken nails. When those defiant hazel eyes swept up to his, he dropped the pretense and pulled her in close. Kenna’s arms enveloped him in return and Jack closed his eyes, nose buried in her hair as he tried to keep his breathing even.

He was scared, Kenna would know that. Of course he was, she was there all those years ago to see the carnage after his wife was taken from him, but he was also so so angry. He breathed in deeply, letting the scent of her plum and cinnamon perfume sink in, and reminded himself that was she was here. Her hands pressed firmly into his back and he sighed when he felt her face nuzzle into his chest.

Eventually, he pulled back far enough to get a look at her and asked, “Have you been to medical yet?” She shook her head. Jack carefully touched her neck and slid his palm up to her jaw, “They might be able to speed all this up darlin’.”

Jack hadn’t asked for details when she came to him later, voice back but weak and thready, and said she was going to chase the capo who attacked her. Of course, he was going with her – they were partners. Now though? The man seemed to have an unlimited number of underlings to throw at them and Jack was worried his partner’s drive for revenge was clouding her judgement.

Finally, he broke the silence in the cab of the truck, “How did he find you?”

She gave him a wry smile, “That’s the problem. I don’t know.”

He squinted at her, “Whaddya mean you don’t know?”

Kenna blew out a short breath of air, “It means I don’t know Jack. He was waiting for me outside of my apartment.” She watched his face morph into a scowl and sighed, “I was as careful as I always am. Chicago isn’t as far as you like to think it is.”

Jack squeezed her fingers and pointedly looked away from her, “I just need you to be safe.”

Her reply was cut off by a muffled shout from the covered truck bed and a loud shuffling of limbs. She gave him a sardonic smile and turned the radio up.

---

In the twilight of the desert, Whiskey and Mezcal stood shoulder to shoulder and watched as the man struggled against his bonds. The man, in spite of all of his earlier bravado, wouldn’t stop blubbering now. Promises to tell them anything, everything – but they just needed one specific piece of information.

Jack watched her crouch next to the man, watched him flinch when her long fingers reached out and turned his head towards the row of unmarked graves next to him. She spoke softly to him, “Do you know what those are?”

The man nodded and whimpered when she dropped her hand. His eyes flicked to Jack, looking for any potential help, but he found none. Kenna wasn’t drawing it out, she was tired of being chased but Jack was burning with wrath at the very idea of someone having the audacity to try to jump her outside of her home.

No, Kenna was the merciful one this time.

She turned to Jack and held out her hand for the map before turning back towards their captive. Mezcal, like her namesake, gave him a deceptive smile and unfolded it for the man. “Are you listening?” The man’s gaze snapped from the map to her face and he nodded quickly, eager to please her.

“My partner has a copy of this map.” She tapped her finger against it. “And your colleague, old blue eyes that we got last night, he pointed out exactly where we need to go to find your boss. You know who I am, you know I can’t just take his word for it.”

Mezcal pulled a sharpie out of her jacket pocket and uncapped it, before yanking down the man’s gag and placing the marker there instead. “Now, you are going to mark where to find your boss. If they match, then we’ll know you are being truthful. If they don’t…”

She held the map taut for him and watched him circle an intersection. Winking at him, she stepped back to Jack’s side and he pulled out the copy. The pair studied them in silence before the captive began trying bargain, swearing he wasn’t lying.

Instead, Kenna handed her map to her partner and leveled her pistol with the man’s head.

“I believe you.”

---

Nothing fucks with my baby Nothing can get a look in on my baby Nothing fucks with my baby Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing

#whiskey smash #agent whiskey x ofc #jack daniels x ofc #agent whiskey x original female character #jack daniels x original female character #kingsmen the golden circle #statesmen #pedro pascal characters #pedro pascal boys #agent whiskey #writer wednesday #kestrelmando

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inventors-fair · 3 years

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Brushwagg Commentary part 2

Okay I’ve calmed down now

There were a lot of themes this week. I noticed a lot of deathtouch, which is understandable considering the flavor of the brushwagg. One thing y’all gotta watch out for is repeatable deathtouch tokens. It makes limited games absolutely grueling when any attacker on the ground can be kileed by paying a couple mana or tapping a creature. And these would show up in limited, because boy you guys really like making uncommons! I know one of the winners was going to be a lower rarity card, but I think only about 6 or 8 people even bothered making rares. What’s up with that? Lastly, all of your guys’s homemade art was glorious. I was not expecting any new art, and while I don’t usually let it impact my judging (since this is about card design, and I don’t want to give artists an advantage), I was delighted at every piece.

@aethernalstars - Nyxthorn Brushwagg

Is that a pun? Because most enchantment creatures are called something like “nyxborn” which rhymes with “nyxthorn?” Because if so, shame on you. Anyway, a bestow brushwagg! I really like the idea of this, because putting the icnonic brushwagg coat on another creature just seems fun and cool. On his own, this guy makes your guys a little harder to kill in combat but also makes them worse at killing. The “may” here is really nice, though. Reminds me of Gustcloak Soldier in a way, which means that the bestow cost is right on the money. The fact that you can put this on a big guy to keep everyone safe is nice, and the idea that if you put it on just the right creature you can survive the fight AND kill the guy will feel great when it happens. I do worry that the effect is too niche and weak to see much play outside of Doran style decks (in which case dear lord), and I also don’t know how I feel about the bestow not granting +1/+1 like every other bestow creature. Regardless, the card seems fine, just a little hard to play, but great for those who want it.

@demimonde-semigoddess - Porringer Brushwagg

A porringer is a small dish used for soups, stews, and other dishes. Anyway, here’s a brushwagg. So first off, a 2/3 with persist for that mana cost is good! It’s the right cost I feel. The bad news: that ability is way off color. Only blue and red really do that, and with this being a hybrid card, both mono black and mono green need to be able to do it, but neither really do outside of the 5 color “-ling” cycle. It also seems a little bit pricey considering it already comes with a downside, but maybe that’s fine. I do like the idea of the card, it’s just a bit too hard of a color bend for me. Oh, and the art and flavor of this card are really good, I like how it tells a story.

NOTE: After writing this I found out porringer is a place in Lorwyn. That seems fair, then. Good name.

@deafeningsandwichpeach - Unstable Brushwagg

Second card with this name, but a completely different take. For one, our only artifact entry! So it’s a one mana 0/3 that acts as a one-time mini-boros reckoner, but only to creatures or planeswalkers. But it also has to survive the hit. Seems kind of narrow? Your opponent would have to attack into it, or knowingly block it just t let their stuff die anyway. But as soon as they get 3/X creatures all that’s out the window unless you hold up 3 mana each turn, which is not as easy as it sounds. I think if you reverse the phrasing on the first ability, something like “you may have it deal damage... if you do, sacrifice it,” you can get it to send the damage back even if it died from it. I think I’m making this guy sound worse than he is. Colorless pumping isn’t the worst, and an 0/3 for 1 with text will often see play for any number of random reasons. I think this card is perfectly fine, but nothing spectacular. It does feel adequately brushwaggy, even without some of the standard brushwagg stuff, just because of it’s self-pumping and vengefulness.

@deg99 - Apex Brushwagg

Our only silver-border brushwagg, surprisingly. Thoughhonestly? It could stand to be a little more silvery. That activated ability was a prime spot to put something silly for X. But hey, the last ability is definitely silver-border, and feels very on theme for such a prickly guy. The two keyword abilities are a scary mix, making sure that if this thing dies, it’ll die in combat, and when it does, it’ll take something down with it. Still, it’s weak enough that it can get hit by pyroclasms and the like if you tap out, so it’s not game-breaking. All in all this guy is fine, he’s just got a little too much pulling him in different directions to really work for me. Though the fact that you found brushwagg fanart is impressive all on its own.

@gollumni - Brushwagg Elder

Not with that creature type he’s not! I jest. This guy is pretty neat! The idea of an “activated ability matters” theme is neat in concept, and the fact that a lot of activated abilities require mana or to sacrifice something means the ability wouldn’t be so easy to trigger as you might think. I could even see this thing seeing play in older formats where no-mana abilities are easier to come by, like an arbor elf tap. On the other hand, in standard right now most creatures are played for ETBs, aman abilities, or just their bodies, so finding easily repeatable activated abilities is tough enough to not make this 1 mana 5/5 too easy. I still might either drop the P/T by 1 each or raise the cmc by 1, but I might be pvercompensating because this guy is hard to judge. Still, I really like this card and this concept, either as a draft archetype or possibly an overarching tribal theme.

@kytheon4-4 - Tumblewagg

Well, they are just tumbleweed monsters I suppose. So I’ve kind of got a big issue with this guy. Green does get indestructible and supertrample, and red gets “attacks each turn if able” and firebreathing, but together they make this card a color pie break. The only difference between supertrample and unblockable is that the blocking creature can still kill the attacking creature. But that’s not the case here. An opponent blocking here accomplishes nothing unless they have wither or something. So this just becomes an attacker that can’t be blocked and can pump for extra damage. That’s not particularly red green, and it’s not going to be fun to play against, and probably not great to play with, either. Not a fan.

@misterstingyjack - Flatlands Brushwagg

Wow does this guy have a lot going on. He’s got an ability counter, a dinosaur ability word, a flavor text referencing something that I can’t suite recall if its canon or not, and it’s a brushwagg! So a 3/2 with defender is pretty rough. Green is getting 3/2′s for two with upside nowadays, but the fact that this is common makes it a little more reasonable. The enrage ability is very weird here. 2 toughness means he has to somehow be dealt exactly 1 damage, and I doubt any opponent is going to attack with a one 1/x into it. So this guy needs a little help, either a ping from something or a defensive pump spell. And then you get a 4/3! That’s pretty good! I like it. I do worry about the wording on the enrage ability. It is phrased so that it gets the +1/+1 counter even if it has already lost it’s defender counter, but some new players might not realize that. At common, you better makes rue there’s nothing to trick new players. In general, I think this card is pretty good, but it’s just a little clunky here and there.

@naban-dean-of-irritation - Progenitor Brushwagg

I was expecting “protection from everything” with a name like that, but this is fine. It costs one more mana than the almighty ‘wagg and loses trample, but in return it pops open like a spider mama from that vine. Seems a little strong at uncommon, as any sort of pump, aura, or god forbid anthem makes this guy pretty ludicrous. We’ve seen sprouting thrinax do something similar but at a locked number in 3 colors, but myriad construct and thopter foundry have been artifacts at rare with the ability. So I think the power is not quite right. But the ability itself seems fine. I could see it being a pain to fight against, since you don’t really want to attack into it, but you don’t really want to kill it, and if you do then you have to deal with its babies, but I don’t think it’s a bad enough situation to make the card bad. I’d just say it needs some limiters, perhaps a more expensive activation cost, or a once per turn limitation.

@scavenger98 - Possessed Brushwagg

I want to slap the roof of this guy and say he can fit so many tokens in him, but then I’d hurt my hand. So this guy is sort of afterlife 2, but also kind of just unblockable. Blocking this guy is just so much work and can go so poorly. Blocking with more than two creatures also seems unlikely, so I think it’s be safe to just say 2 instead of X for this card. It also seems really strong: it’s an evasive attacker with a big body and leaves behind flyers when it dies. That’s kind of comparable to the mythic Seraph of the scales. However, this still dies to removal much easier and doesn’t do anything in that case, but I could say that about any creature. I guess this is fine as a 3 color uncommon in most sets, but I think the power level of it is a little screwey, and the design itself is a little unnecessarily extravagant.

@walker-of-the-yellow-path - Tasty Brushwagg

I’m glad someone finally managed to do it. I like how this card tells a little story. I like how there’s an ability that wants you to let it die and an ability that stops it from doing it to create some tension. I don’t like the unlimited (as in not once a turn) pumping in green. Almighty Brushwagg had it, but that was a bit of a stretch already, and this guy can do it for way cheaper. It’s stepping into shade territory. I also think the power level on this common is a little high. A bear with one amazing upside and one pretty good one probably deserves to be at least an uncommon. So yeah, a little bit of power concern at common, and a bit of color pie bending.

#brushwagg #commentary #mtg #magic the gathering #custom magic card #inventor's fair

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cinemaocd · 5 years

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Victorian undergarments: a guide for Terror fans

AKA the truth about men’s corsets, leather gear, garters, over the knee stockings, drop front versus front fly trousers and More Terror Shit Shirt Posting

My hot mess of a shirt post continues to get notes. I continue to get lovely asks and pms, so I’m going to bring you more shirt information as well as more info about other articles of historic clothing worn in the Terror. My hope is that this will be useful for fic writers and artists as well as giving fans a deep dive into one of my favorite obsessions: historical dress.

The style of shirt that Francis wears was an all purpose undergarment. It was almost always white, or unbleached linen (though cotton was used for shirts at that point in the 19th century). It was cut with a very full sleeve (up to twenty inches) to allow ease of movement and long tails which were tucked under the groin to form a protective layer between the body and trousers. The shirt was not a button down as we know it, but had a pullover V-neck with two buttons at the throat as on this extant example:

One of the things that interesting about this shirt was how little it changed over the years. This cut of shirt had a 150+ year reign. It was a practical design that provided a washable layer next to the body. The generous sleeve allowed for a variety of clothing to be worn with it. It had the downside of requiring a lot of fabric (more than 3 yards of linen for each shirt) and as such patterns could be a complex patchwork of sewn together squares that helped avoid waste.

By the 1840s men’s shirts were changing. The front was often decorated with pintucking, the fabric was lighter weight cotton, rather than linen, but the full sleeves and long tails were still in evidence.

Those would gradually be lost over the next decades as the popularity of knitted drawers, union suits and other types of underwear came into being and as sewing machines made mass production of shirts possible.

But obviously our Francis cares nothing for these modern shirts and wears his old favorite that he has owned forever, possibly made by a family member, as was common in the period especially for officers in the military. Mind you, it doesn’t really matter most of the time that his shirt is very old as it was never meant to be seen. One of the worst costume fantasies that has been perpetrated in so many period films is the gentleman walking around in his shirt. At least Andrew Davies Mr. Darcy had the good sense to be embarrassed to be caught in his shirt. Joe Wright’s Darcy actually goes a courtin half dressed...but I digress. We only see Crozier in his shirt sleeves after they’ve left the ship, have been hauling for a few days and during the mutiny. I like to think that Crozier realizes that wearing his old shirt will help the men identify with him more.

If you were an officer in the military you would be provided with a steward or valet to assist in your dressing. This man would also help to keep your uniform clean and and in good repair. (Honestly one of the best relationships in all of fiction is the one between Captain Jack Aubrey and his steward, Killick, who lives in a state of constant paranoia about Aubrey’s uniforms.) An officer would have several shirts so that they could have a clean one at all times and they would probably keep a best one for dress. (Maybe Francis has a cotton shirt with pintucking, folded away in a trunk somewhere, guarded feverishly by Jopson) The sailors who had no access to regular laundry would have a few as well, though they might be made of cheaper, rougher cloth, with ticking or striped patterns on them, like the one Hickey wears during his trail.

Again, Francis appearing hauling alongside the men in his shirt is his way of signaling to them that he is one of them. Mr. Goodsir, also appears in his shirtsleeves after the mutiny, a sign that his civilized veneer is scraped away along with his outer uniform.

Drops and drawers

Well into the 19th century both men and women had no such thing as drawers, pants, underpants, knickers etc. as a rule. For men, the long shirt tails were tucked under the groin, front and back and created a little, er..nest for their equipage. For women, the shift, just a long shirt really, provided a layer of protection between menstrual blood and valuable gowns and stays, as well as protecting less washable layers from sweat and grime.

But for the men of the Terror, there was layer of knitted wool underwear, that may have been either two pieces or one suit, with buttons running the length of the body. There are very few examples of these garments, but we do know they existed thanks to the Maritime Museum saving Lord Nelson’s stuff.:

Interesting that this shirt has the long tails for tucking. But by the time of Franklin expedition, knitted long drawers would have been available as well. The full long underwear suit wasn’t patented until the 1860s in America (where it’s use by soldiers in the Civil War earned it the moniker “union suit.”) However that doesn’t mean some kind of full suit of long underwear wasn’t available in England at the time of the expedition. My guess is that Francis has a separate shirt, the top of which is visible during the crisis over Mr. Morfin, and woolen or cotton “drawers” which he mentions to Jopson on the morning after Morfin’s death like these from 1840s made by John Smedley:

Hickey is shown in his underwear after Irving’s murder and then after the mutiny he adopts it as a sort of uniform (complete with stolen boots and great coat) of the new regime. It’s such a wonderful little detail that this BASE creature is wearing only a BASE layer.

Garters, Stockings, Corsets and other Kinkwear from Military history

Men’s and women’s stocking differed very little in the 19th century. Over the knee stockings of embroidered silk would have been kept for dress, but every day socks of cotton and wool with embroidery near the top or “clocking” (because the pattern was often of a clock) were worn by all.

Lord Nelson’s stockings had a crown insignia instead of a clock, which I just think is neat. (His undershirt has the same insignia at the neck...whether it was Emma Hamilton or Lady Nelson doing this embroidery, we’ll leave to Terrence Rattigan to decide...)

Officers would have had dress socks that were held up by sock garters (elastic garters for men and women were patented in the 1820s.) Given that their shirt tails were cut to mid thigh and their socks were over the knee, it’s fairly plausible that they used a double ended garter which clipped at one end to the shirt tail and the other to the top of the stocking. If all of this is sounding like some of the racier James Fitzjames fanart that is not my fault. Blame history!

Speaking of which, did you know that men sometimes wore corsets to make their uniforms fit better? This 1830s Royal Marines uniform at the Maritime Museum is specified to have required a corset for proper fit. Sadly the corset didn’t survive! (If anyone wants to draw Tozier, Pilkington or Hedges in a corset, I would very much like to see that.)

As if all of that weren’t kinky enough, there is this leather and rope jock strap, which was attached to a corset, also from the very naughty nautical museum in slutty, slutty Greenwich. The less said about the white crust on the jock strap the better.

Waistcoat Discourse

Well this will probably be a bit pedestrian after that section, but I think it’s worth talking about waistcoats as well. In the flashback scenes Francis wears a fancy silk waistcoat that has the same cut as the other wool one he wears.

Again this is Francis’ practical nature. Navy uniform patterns were sent out in 1843 with changes to the uniform, including a different waistcoat, so he’s having his man make the waistcoat off the same pattern, saving him money. An interesting footnote was that the Lieutenants uniform in 1843 had a bunch of additional gold braiding and there were many complaints to the admiralty about the cost of these additions. There was also a thriving second hand market in used uniform jackets.

Fitzjames has a white waistcoat cut from the same pattern.

Which is based off of the portrait of real life Fitzjames.

Wool flannel would have been the fabric of choice for arctic explorers. It’s a nice little detail, that The Real Mr. Hickey had a plaid flannel waistcoat in the flashback scene:

That striped shirt looks familiar! I wonder if the imposter Hickey took his clothes after he dabbed him?!

And finally: STOCKS

In the 18th and 19th centuries men went so far as to cover the collar of the shirt with a stock (think of it as a cumberbund for the neck) so that their collar wasn’t peaking out from their tie. It also helped to make for the appearance of a long, graceful neck. I mean scroll back up and check out the giraffe neck on historical JFJ. Stocks have generally fallen into the vast pit of forgotten fashion and it’s the rare historical costume nerd that even knows what they are, yet for almost 200 years they were considered essential kit for men. Officers in the military HAD to wear a stock as part of their uniform, and it was often uncomfortable (the base of the stock was made of leather, horsehair or WOOD) and covered with fabric. It buckled in the back, requiring a servant to help put it on. Here is a 1845 silk and leather stock from the Maritime Museum:

Though it isn’t exactly undergear, trouser fronts were in flux during this period. Here is the 1843 uniform with the fall front trouser opening. But in the world outside the navy, fly front trousers are starting to pop up around 1840ish.You are welcome to my JFJ has newfangled fly front trousers head canon...

#the terror #fashion history #corsets #leather gear #stockings and garters #waistcoats #stocks #18th century #19th century #Jared Harris #Tobias Menzies #Naval History #Age of Sail #the franklin expedition #Adam Nagatis #Cornelius Hickey

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