#English Longbow

[admiralnelsoniii]

The Battle of Hastings. The signal that ended the supremacy of the armored knight. Where the English longbow proved that it could not only defeat plate armor completely, but could do it at long range. The Yew Longbow became the ultimate infantry weapon that day. To the lament of many a noble knight.

#world history #battle of hastings #hundred years war #war of the roses #English longbow #yewlongbow #plate armor #knight #middle ages

[fawnonthelam]

In celebration of Hanson’s new album release “Red/Green/Blue”, I’m going to make a confession in the spirit of “Truth”, which I thought was one of the most compelling songs on the full album.

When I was a teen, I took up archery at a local gaming and fishing club. I used their recurve and longbow options.

The guys seemed impressed that I was getting involved in the group. My best friend who was into toughening out all femininity, was impressed.

But I only joined because I wanted to shoot pretty, like Gwyneth Paltrow in “Emma.”

#Truth #archery #Emma #jane austen #gwyneth paltrow #red green blue #hanson #album release #Archery #recurve #English Longbow #truth #Confession

[pythiaswine]

i might've drawn me and my friends in our renfaire costumes from this past weekend...

making fanart of yourself is therapy in its purest form

i'm the gal with the bow kiss kiss and it's not just for show, i do archery, costuming, writing, and art, i'm a quadruple threat, better watch your back.

this is only slightly fictionalized! okay so the lovely lady sewed that stay from scratch as well as her dress and made the earrings herself, the lad with the sword works 50 hours a week so he's actually just in a long-sleeve and brown pants and sneakers (the boots, hood, and length of the shirt deviates) with a couple of belts and he actually had my antique fencing sword instead of a broadsword. he looked awesome with the literally free and last-minute costume though.

my costume: the pants i thifted (idk what kind pants they even were, they weren't scrubs material but they looked like scrubs), the corset i sewed from a thrifted table runner, i sliced up and sewed a button-up into the blouse, and had the boots and belts already, the traditional longbow was a gift from a celtic festival, the quiver i had already (didn't take arrows into the faire) the hunting knife i had already from an antique store ages ago (peace-tied), the bracers i sewed from faux leather i bought at (unfortunately) Hobby Lobby, and the only thing i bought specifically for this in its pre-made form was that drop bag on my thigh, a beautiful little thing i got for $38 with a gift card so actually this has been a pretty cost-effective costume! my first sewing project for myself and it went great. my only regret is i didn't put boning in the "corset" so it folded up a bit after wearing it all day long. also i had this planned for months, had the materials already for months, and didn't start sewing until two days before. stupid, stupid, stupid. i broke my back over the sewing machine all night until 1 AM the night before, got up at 7, went to McD's for some quick coffee and breakfast, came home and finished it by 9 AM. ridiculousness. but i got it done on a time crunch better than i otherwise would have because of the adhd

ANYWAY the grommets were fun! i bought a little grommet tool from home depot and i love it. before the grommets i was using two open brackets of a button and sort of hammering those into place?? the things you do to save a lil money huh

HEY if you wanna see my costuming stuff, i have a wix site/blog that's in progress where i'm compiling portfolios of costumes i've put together (NOT SEWED FROM SCRATCH) for high school shows and eventually stuff like this where instead of just modifying already made clothes to fit actors i'm actually sewing stuff! cause design is my passion and traffic would help me so much!! thanks loves appreciate loads

#renaissance #renaissance faire #renfaire #larping #english longbow #archery #costumer #amateur costuming #self portrait #my art

[racefortheironthrone]

How come the longbow is so associated with the English and their use of the longbow?

I imagine that there have been multiple societies that used the longbow (before or at the same time as the English), but it seems that the English are the most well known users of the longbow (at least in popular culture/thought).

The longbow was originally Welsh, but the English very quickly adopted it as one of their main weapons of war during and after the Edwardian conquest of Wales - that campaign ended in 1283, and by the time of the Battle of Falkirk in 1298, we see the English army now mainly made up of longbowmen (a lot of them Welshmen).

Moreover, the English monarchy enacted laws that reinforced this shift to a longbow-based army: the original Assize of Arms of 1181 had focused on requring freemen of England to own chainmail (or gambesons if you owned less than ten marks), helmets (or just an iron cap if you had ten marks or less), and lances as their main weapon. By the Assize of Arms of 1252, freemen with nine marks or more were required to "array with bow and arrow." By the time of the Statute of Winchester of 1285, even the poorest freemen is expected to have "bows and arrows out of the forest, and in the forest bows and pilets."

Thus, when Edward III starts up the Hundred Years War, the armies that win stunning victories at Crecy and Poitiers (and establish the lasting associaion between England and the longbow) were based on his grandfather's model. Edward would further reinforce royal policy towards longbows by enacting the Archery Law of 1363, which required that "every man … if he be able-bodied, shall, upon holidays, make use, in his games, of bows and arrows… and so learn and practise archery." Thus, longbow practice every Sunday and feast/saint's day became mandatory in England.

The English love affair with the longbow also continued much longer than in other nations. Even after the French began to use cannons against the formations of English longbowmen, and thus regained the upper hand in the Hundred Years War, (something often attributed to their adoption of the longbow, but in reality artillery was the main French adaptation) the English kept on fielding armies of mostly longbowmen. The Battle of Flodden in 1513 was largely fought with longbows; when Henry VIII's flagship the Mary Rose went down in 1545 she had 250 longbows on board (which form the material basis for a lot of our archaelogical understanding of medieval longbows); when the English militia was called up to fight the Spanish Armada in 1588, longbowmen still made up about 10% of their forces.

#history #medieval history #military history #longbow #english history

[c7berz]

its so interesting to me that people (me included) perceive Vio as being lanky or less muscular than like Green or Blue for example because hes the 'nerd' archetype but .. he uses a bow, shouldnt he be super muscular ?

#four swords #four swords manga #vio link #ive heard that u can identify who was trained in using an English Longbow based on their remains #because the draw weight had such an effect on their skeletons #but im keeping this in the tags bc i havent fact checked that yet and i dont wanna spread misinfo

[beardedmrbean]

#doge #le english longbow training has arrived

[vox-anglosphere]

Young, ambitious Henry V nearly united England & France in 1420

#Henry V #King of England #Plantagenet #House of Lancaster #Hundred Years War #Battle of Agincourt #monarchy #1387-1422 #Harfleur #Normandy #longbows #English archers #France

[katiajewelbox]

Congratulations to her majesty Queen Elizabeth II on her 70 year reign! This weekend, people of the UK and former British Empire are celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Queen Elizabeth II is the longest serving monarch in British history, but 70 years is only a fleeting moment to the ancient English Yew tree (Taxus baccata). In this photo of a Jubilee picnic in a churchyard, a Yew tree can be seen in the background.

Yew trees can live for over 3000 years and are typically found in graveyards in the UK. In pre Christian times, Yew trees had spiritual significance due to their great age, evergreen foliage, and ability to keep living despite severe physical damage to their trunks. This symbolism of everlasting life fit well with Christian ideas and early churches were built near the ancient Yew trees. The Yew tree’s foliage is highly toxic to livestock, so churchyard yews also discourage farmers from letting their horses and cattle stray into the graveyards.

The famous Mediaeval English longbows relied on Yew wood for their strength and flexibility. Many wild Yews were harvested for longbow production, and after that the English imported vast quantities of Yew wood from Europe, leading to the species’ decline over the rest of Europe. The over-harvesting of Yew meant few wild Yew trees were left by the 1500’s when firearms started replacing longbows.

The English Yew is a sustainable source for the anti-cancer drug Taxol, which inhibits cell division in the human body. Yews also contain many highly poisonous “taxine alkaloids” which make the foliage deadly to humans and most mammals if ingested. However, the red “berries” or arils on Yew are actually edible if the central cone is avoided.

Yew trees are also suitable for ornamental hedges, such as the one I’m stepping out of in the 2nd photo. The slow growth, hardiness, and dense foliage make them useful in landscaping.

Make sure to ponder the many monarchs an English Yew has outlived if you see one in a churchyard in the UK.

#yew tree #ancient trees #trees and forests #poisonous plants #history #english history #queens platinum jubilee #cotswolds #cottagecore #churchyard #picnic #jubilee #longbow #hedges #gardening #english garden #katia plant scientist #plant science #plant biology #plant scientist #plants #botany

[sealacrossthesea]

i miss having archery practice in the woods :C

#rho.odt #thot abt buying an english longbow in a recon store but #have no mony :C also i'd need arrows and bracers too #and there *is* an archery range here and they let you borrow bows and an hour doesn't cost much #but there may be other archers there and i'm out of practice #funny how i was atrocious with a shortbow but a long that's taller than me? #every shot finds its mark #the team called me 'hobbit' for being very short but immediately good with precision #bc my first ever shot was bullseye

[blumineck]

Would a greatbow (bow from the souls games) work? It's about the size of a person and shoots huge arrows, they were made to kill dragons but I'm wondering if you could actually use a person sized bow in real life.

It really depends on what you think qualifies! English/Welsh Longbows and Japanese Yumi bows are both very long, and can easily get well over 6' end to end. Yumi in particular have a very long draw (as do e.g. manchu bows), and use very long arrows (3ft+).

The draw weight on some of these bows also goes very high (warbows are generally 80-180lb, but can hit 200lb in extreme cases), so drawing them is also like lifting a person.

The thing that video games, etc. Often get "wrong" (though tbh it's generally a deliberate stylisation choice) is that just making a bow bigger doesn't make it inherently more powerful- a well-made asiatic war bow could hit similar weights to a longbow, while being a good foot or so shorter, and due to their different speeds, may shoot arrows that have greater range and more energy on impact. (But the longbow is designed for heavier arrows so it gets complicated when looking at armour tests, etc.)

Similarly, if you just keep making the limbs thicker, you'll get diminishing returns, and eventually the material will hit its limits and it won't function like a bow any more. Or it will, but nobody can physically use it.

So essentially yes, but there are limits.

#archery #great bow

[darthstitch]

Professor Mysterious and Professor Wet Cat

This is my take on that Dreamling post making the rounds about Hob and Dream being uni professors and that Hob is surprisingly NOT the prof who overshares and Dream is the one who inadvertently does.

Buckle up, kids, let's have some fun with this. Also, gentle reminder: NOBODY TELL NEIL. SHHHH!

This time around, Hob's using his proper name, Robert Gadling, because it's been a while since he's trotted that one out and he kinda likes the seeming rightness that the once upon a time near-illiterate medieval peasant that he'd been was now teaching at a rather prestigious university. However, he's not prone to sharing much about his personal life to his students. He's still warm and friendly, but he's cautious about letting Certain Things slip.

Hilariously, the things that do slip end up making him everyone's favorite university cryptid. Sometimes Hob slips into Middle English when he's stressed or emotional. Sometimes he might use odd old-fashioned sounding oaths like "God's wounds," "Holy Jesu," and "Mother Mary's teats" (this last one sends everyone into spasms of laughter).

The literature department ADORES him because they can always drag Professor Gadling off to read Chaucer in its original form or even medieval French, his pronunciation perfect and dead on. Shakespeare is the only thing he'll flat out refuse to read because in any universe this Fuzzy Blue Alien's gonna write, his hatred of the Bard is the stuff of legend.

The students universally agree that Professor G is basically British Indiana Jones, because he's also known to have lethal expertise in medieval weapons. There's been more than a few fantasies inspired during the booked-solid outdoor demonstrations where he works in tandem with the other medieval history professors to show everyone how medieval weapons worked. Apparently, his favorite weapons are the longbow, the bastard sword and daggers.

Obviously, this all leads to Professor Gadling being the campus crush and his relationship status is a matter of hot speculation even if he's made it perfectly clear he was not about to violate his ethical standards or position as a teacher. It still doesn't stop the fevered fantasies of more than a few grad students, though. But that's all they're gonna get.

And then, there's the new literature teacher, Professor T. Murphy.

To everyone's disappointment, Professor Murphy is only going to be at the university for a limited series of lectures. Word of mouth spread fast, and his classes were now booked solid and he was going to be asked to return, once his apparently very busy schedule is cleared.

7. Of course, he's an instant campus crush, with the "Goth angel" looks, the Edward Cullen jokes are definitely flying and there's more than a few students melting after they heard him speak. "That Voice" is always referred to in capital letters and it's well deserved.

8. "Campus crush" turns to "Official Precious Blorbo" once the students all discover that behind the whole regal and imperious Goth Prince vibe that he gave off, was an adorkable darling wet cat who was just completely gone on "my beloved." If he's discussing a love sonnet or poem, there's definitely going to be a reference to "my beloved" or "my dearest" or "my love." It's never sickeningly cloying and the sweet tiny little smile that takes over his normally serious face is like sunshine. The kilig feels are real.

9. He's also forever worrying that he's not enough for "my dearest" as he's rather painfully aware "of my lack in human graces" - which everyone translates to "OMG HELP I HAVE THE SOCIAL SKILLS OF A SCRUNKLY WET CAT." He frets that he's somehow failing his beloved, who is infinitely sweet and thoughtful and caring and that Professor Murphy is the selfish one, really, who doesn't deserve the man.

10. The students, of course, immediately ADOPT him. Tesco ice cream runs are done, YouTube videos on cooking and invites to kitchens are extended so Professor Murphy could practice making something that is "not a catastrophic culinary disaster unfit for human consumption." There was a session on the language of flowers, which everyone had enjoyed. For a while, flowers with significant meanings were presented to sweethearts and lovers all over the uni. There's an unforgettable after-class meeting in which the craft-inclined students teach Professor Murphy how to knit and crochet and he was really rather proud of the scarf he had created.

11. Professor Murphy's raven had been rather entertained playing with the yarn scraps. The students learn that the raven's name is Matthew.

12. And then, dashing, mysterious Professor Gadling finally peeks into Professor Murphy's class.

"The things I do for you, myne owne hertis rote. Bloody Shaxberd."

"But you do read him so very well, my love." And there it was, that tiny, soft, sweet smile, now aimed in Professor Gadling's direction.

Professor Gadling sighs and puts a hand over his chest. There's a very familiar scarf draped over his neck. "God's wounds, dove, warn your poor, long-suffering husband before you do these things."

"What 'things,' dearest?"

Professor Gadling waves his arms helplessly. The scarf slips a little, offering a tantalizing view of a purplish mark on his throat. "That thing!" He looks appealingly at the students, who are now all stifling their delighted giggles. "Look at him! My heart can only take so much!"

And that was how everyone found out that Professors Gadling and Murphy were actually happily married.

Incidentally, the Shakespeare reading, in which both professors took part, was a true kilig apocalypse. Instant campus legend.

#dreamling #the sandman #dream of the endless #hob gadling #dream x hob #professor dream #professor gadling #i crack what i want #history and literature class cryptids #pffthahahaha #shhh nobody tell neil

[falconfate]

Hello ranger’s apprentice fandom can we talk real quick about the stupidest thing Flanagan ever wrote

It’s about the bows. Yanno, the rangers’ Iconique™️ main weapon. That one. You know the one.

Flanagan. Flanagan why are your rangers using longbows.

“uh well recurve arrows drop faster” BUT DO THEY. FLANAGAN. DO THEY.

the answer is no they don’t. Compared to a MODERN, COMPOUND (aka cheating) bow, yes, but compared to a longbow? Y’know, what the rangers use in canon? Yeah no a recurve actually has a FLATTER trajectory. It drops LATER.

This from an article comparing the two:

“Both a longbow and a recurve bow, when equipped with the right arrow and broadhead combination, are capable of taking down big game animals. Afterall, hunters have been doing it for centuries with both types of bows.

However, generally speaking and all things equal, a recurve bow will offer more arrow speed, creating a flatter flight trajectory and retain more kinetic energy at impact.

The archers draw length, along with the weight of the arrow also affect speed and kinetic energy. However, the curved design of the limbs on a recurve adds to its output of force.”

It doesn’t actually mention ANY distance in range! And this is from a resource for bow hunting, which, presumably, WOULD CARE ABOUT THAT SORT OF THING!

Okay so that’s just. That’s just the first thing.

The MAIN thing is that even accounting for “hur dur recurves drop faster” LONGBOWS ARE STILL THE STUPID OPTION.

Longbows, particularly and especially ENGLISH longbows, are—as their name suggests—very long. English longbows in particular are often as tall or taller than their wielder even while strung, but especially when unstrung. An unstrung longbow is a very long and expensive stick, one that will GLADLY entangle itself in nearby trees, other people’s clothes, and any doorway you’re passing through.

And yes, there are shorter longbows, but at that point if you’re shortening your longbow, just get a goddamn recurve. And Flanagan makes a point to compare his rangers’ bows to the Very Long English Longbow.

Oh, do you know how the Very Long English Longbow was mostly historically militarily used? BY ON-FOOT ARCHER UNITS. Do you know what they’re TERRIBLE for? MOUNTED ARCHERY.

Trust me. Go look up right now “mounted archery longbow.” You’ll find MAYBE one or two pictures of some guy on a horse struggling with a big stick; mostly you will actually see either mounted archers with RECURVES, or comparisons of Roman longbow archers to Mongolian horse archers (which are neat, can’t lie, I love comparing archery styles like that).

Anyway. Why are longbows terrible for mounted archery? Because they’re so damn long. Think about it: imagine you’re on a horse. You’re straddling a beast that can think for itself and moves at your command, but ultimately independently of you; if you’re both well-trained enough, you’re barely paying attention to your horse except to give it commands. And you have a bow in your hands. If your target is close enough to you that you know, from years of shooting experience, you will need to actually angle your bow down to hit it because of your equine height advantage, guess what? If you have a longbow, YOU CAN’T! YOUR HORSE IS IN THE WAY BECAUSE YOUR BOW IS TOO LONG! Worse, it’s probably going to get in the general area of your horse’s shoulder or legs, aka moving parts, which WILL injure your horse AND your bow and leave you fresh out of both a getaway vehicle and a ranged weapon. It’s stupid. Don’t do it.

A recurve, on the other hand, is short. It was literally made for horse archers. You have SO much range of motion with a recurve on horseback; and if you’re REALLY good, you know how to give yourself even more, with techniques like Jamarkee, a Turkish technique where you LITERALLY CAN AIM BACKWARDS.

For your viewing enjoyment, Serena Lynn of Texas demonstrating Jamarkee:

Yes, that’s real! This type of draw style is INCREDIBLY versatile: you can shoot backwards on horseback, straight down from a parapet or sally port without exposing yourself as a target, or from low to the ground to keep stealthy without banging your bow against the ground. And, while I’m sure you could attempt it with a longbow, I wouldn’t recommend it: a recurve’s smaller size makes it far more maneuverable up and over your head to actually get it into position for a Jamarkee shot.

A recurve just makes so much more SENSE. It’s not a baby bow! It’s not the longbow’s lesser cousin! It’s a COMPLETELY different instrument made to be used in a completely different context! For the rangers of Araluen, who put soooo much stock in being stealthy and their strong bonds with their horses, a recurve is the perfect fit! It’s small and easily transportable, it’s more maneuverable in combat and especially on horseback, it offers more power than a longbow of the same draw weight—really, truly, the only advantage in this case that a longbow has over the recurve is that longbows are quicker and easier to make. But we KNOW the rangers don’t care about that, their KNIVES use a forging technique (folding) that takes several times as long as standard Araluen forging practices at the time!

Okay.

Okay I think I’m done. For now.

#to be VERY clear. I Am Not An Actual Expert. #i AM however drawing from my own experience and research #and literally i can find Zero literature about recurve arrow flights dropping faster than longbows #all i could find was that recurve range is worse compared to compound bows #which. OBVIOUSLY. compound bows CHEAT. #(said lovingly. ish. if you use a compound more power to you but also It’s Doing All The Work For You.) #this article was literally all i could find from a couple hours’ search comparing recurves and longbows #anyway recurves are cool. flanagan why did you do recurves so dirty. #for that matter why are all your women blonde. #(i’m not including brotherband here sorry) #(but also why did it take a spinoff series for him to create a named female character that wasn’t a blonde) #(flanagan explain) #god these books have so many problems. truly this is my ‘i could fix him’ #thank you flanagan for getting me into this special interest. now Tell Me Why You Did It Wrong. #rangers apprentice #anyway if you REALLY want to read about some bangin historical horse archers #look up the parthians :) #specifically how they fucking Decimated an entire roman contingent :) #crassus getting absolutely demolished by mounted archer parthians is definitely my favorite bit of roman trivia

[howtofightwrite]

If I had a character in a medieval fantasy setting who was a short-statured young woman with some limited basic training in short bow archery and other combat arts, but generally a bit weedy, how quickly could she adapt to a longbow? The bow is notably too big for her, having been inherited from a large adult man. The process of learning and gaining the strength is intended to be difficult. Thank you!

I feel like I'm repeating myself, and we may have covered this recently, but the process of using a bow will result in a lot of upper body strength. It's fairly strenuous exercise and that will result in some bulking up. I've mad the joke that archers will be absolutely ripped, but it's also true. If she's pulling eighty to ninety pounds of force with every shot, that will quickly build muscle. That's true of both short bows and longbows. This should be fairly self explanatory, but less weight in the draw, the less power the bow has. If you have a very light draw (say, around 30lbs), then your bow won't be useful for much beyond short range target practice. Short bows tended to start around 80lbs. This is contrast to modern bows (usually used in hunting), which rarely exceed 60lbs as their maximum draw weight. There's debate on the draw weight of a historical English longbow, but estimates range from around 80 to 185lbs. (There was also a belief at the time, that you had to be raised to use the English longbow, because of it's extremely high draw weight. So, under conventional wisdom at the time, it wasn't a weapon you could learn to use later in life, you needed to be raised from childhood to use these things.)

So, here's something kind of goofy about this, that's really worth thinking about. The English longbow was ~6ft long (about 1.8 meters.) This is the average height of an adult male (at least, in theory, the statistical average is a few inches shorter.) Now, if you've ever looked at a bow, you may have noticed that you don't hold it on one end. In fact, you grip the weapon at the mid-point. Meaning, that while the weapon itself is 6ft long, only about 3ft of that protrudes up or down from your arm. Similarly, the draw length of the English longbow is slightly under 3 feet. (I don't have the exact draw length, but the arrows used were 3ft, and for obvious reasons, you can't overdraw beyond the length of the arrow.)

So, just how small is your character?

Arm span will be slightly greater than an individual's height, but for someone to be too small to draw the bow, they'd need to be under 4ft tall. They also wouldn't have meaningful difficulties aiming the weapon unless their shoulder height was less than 3ft from the ground. That works out to someone who's about 3'10.” Going by modern growth rates, that would put her at around six to eight years old. (Ironically, this correlates to roughly the age where children would begin training on the English longbow.)

So, you're telling me, your character is smaller than a 10 year old?

Also, to be clear, we're talking about the English longbow, one the largest handheld bows ever fielded. If you're using, “longbow,” in the more modern colloquial meaning, and referring to something like a war bow, the bow would be significantly smaller. So, for weapon size to be a serious issue, they'd need to be even smaller than I'm estimating.

Before someone says, “maybe they meant the siege bow,” yeah, that's not a real thing. Siege bows are (as far as I've ever been able to find), a modern item. They're roughly the same size as an English longbow, and it's possible that someone once referred to the longbow as a, “siege bow,” but I've never seen that. The closest thing to what the name evokes, would be the ballista, which was an actual artillery piece, and is slightly closer to a crossbow than a bow. Somewhat obviously, your character is not going to be trying to carry around and deploy a ballista from her backpack.

I get the whole idea of the, “small girl, big weapon,” (and, yes, I know you described her as a woman, but then proceeded to try to infantilize her by giving her a weapon too large for her to effectively use.) Adult women, on average, are not that much smaller, on average, than their male counterparts. If a weapon is too large for a woman to use, it's too large for a man to use. If you're trying to say, “well, she's little and weak,” you are deliberately trying to infantilize her. Please, cut that shit out.

And, while we're on that subject, if she's an archer, she's going to be absolutely ripped. Now, no judgment whatsoever if that's not the mental image you had planned out, and yes, because of their layer of subcutaneous fat, women tend to display less of their musculature development than men with similar builds. (Actually, both men and women rarely display much of their muscular definition unless they're intentionally dehydrating. Regardless, she's not going to look like a body builder.) All this really means is that her muscles would be stealthier, and trying to hide from casual examination, but, you're also talking about a character who could probably bench press you, before she started training on the longbow. (And, yes, I'm saying this without knowing your gender or overall level of fitness.)

How quickly could she learn? That's not incredibly clear. On one hand, my perspective is that a bow is a bow, and while there would probably be some learning curve, it is still the same weapon. Beyond that the hard part would be adjusting to the higher maximum draw weight. However, contemporary sources claimed that learning the English longbow required that you start training with it in childhood, and that it was effectively impossible to learn later in life. I'm inclined to believe that this wasn't exactly as impossible as those authors believed, but they also documented that the method of drawing the English longbow differed from methods used with other bows, and that could create a serious issue for an archer trying to learn it later in life. (Specifically, the description states they would put their body weight into the draw, which sounds like a fantastic way to seriously injure yourself, so clearly I'm missing something here.)

-Starke

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#writing advice #writing reference #writing tips #how to fight write #starke answers #the bow #archery

[arulens-least-horny-jongleur]

starting this rant off with the fact that i love RA. i adore Rangers Apprentice and i have since i first read it at age 8, but holy hell does Flanagan have a lot to answer for in terms of the archery.

Flanagan was in no way an archery expert, and neither am i, but i have been shooting recurve bows since i was old enough to hold them (my first time shooting was hysterical, the bow was bigger than me) and i know a bit about the differing types of bow, arrow, fletching, etc. and how different bows are designed for different people.

my first issue is that fact that Halt, who is canonically Short As Hell, uses an english long bow. this has nothing to do with strength and everything to do with the fact that the bow is bigger than him. he MIGHT be able to bring it to 3/4 draw with his arm length. i’m 5’4 and cannot possibly shoot more than 30” (apologies for the imperial, i’m north american) arrows, and long bow arrows are usually at least half a foot longer than that.

we stan one Short King but it doesn’t matter how buff you are, shooting a longbow is basically pointless if you can’t even bring it to full draw

#rangers apprentice #ranger's apprentice #archery #halt o'carrick #the rangers apprentice #why are the bows standard issue across the board? #i can’t use my friends bow because the arrows are too short #if you cant tell #i’m a bit of a historical archery lover #the quivers drive me insane as well #no one really drew arrows from their back quiver and shot them like legolas or hawkeye #it’s weird and awkward and not at all fast

[sgiandubh]

'We few, we happy few, we band of brothers'

It is one thing to disprove and even despise The Shire and its netizens. It is a whole other affair to violently bash S's skills, based on absolutely nothing else than spiteful disappointment.

We are being told by Mordor's basement polymaths the man cannot act. It is probably by an unelucidated strike of luck or by charity that he was cast by *** to embody book boyfriend JAMMF, when he has only 5 (five) known facial expressions in his quiver. He was the weakest link of Season 1 cast: I suppose the BJ/Frank Randall 2-in-1 does have a fan club, after all. His acting is wooden. He has chemistry only with C and by Her grace only, because you know, gay as a bag of popcorn. He is a semi-literate hunk, with documented spelling problems. Even more so, when we conveniently toss aside the mounting hysteria during Quarantein Ha-wa-wee disgrace (hey Pooks and all the sock account Dobermans: I hope you remember your Twitter blaze of glory moment every single morning while brushing your teeth). And (also a favorite) he doesn't read, he doesn't prepare, he is sloppy, like that.

God forbid you'd try to set this colossal unfairness straight. You are automatically signed up to the Mommies for Sam Committee and labeled accordingly. Brainless victim (of what, since he is basically useless, but let's not embarrass ourselves with logic), unapologetic limerent inamorata, romantic whale, delusional rural shipper, conspiracy theory troll. Anything goes, really and we know the tune by heart, at this point in time.

Not so long ago, I was re-watching the oath sequence of (5.01) The Fiery Cross, for which I suppose all background/context is superfluous. The only clip I could find has appalling sound, but should still immediately take you back to the Return of the Kilt (starts at 0:56):

It immediately reminded me of this:

This is the extraordinary Henry V Saint Crispin's Day speech. Pure Shakespeare and unmatchable Olivier. It is also a well-documented kamikaze moment of the Battle of Agincourt (1415), when a heavily outnumbered English army defeated in an almost miraculous turn of events the French. Granted, the real speech must have been way more concise, but nevertheless a potent affair, with Henry's cunning use of rumors having it that the French would cut two fingers off each captured archer's right hand, to virtually neutralize them. And his army was, essentially, an army of longbows.

Whatever it was, it worked. It worked so well, that it even gave Winston Churchill the idea of asking Laurence Olivier to broadcast this speech for the BBC some time around 1942 and then make a movie of the whole play, in 1944. Again, context is important -it always is, by the way - and it sheds the right light on Olivier's performance. More than acting, it is damn effective war propaganda, a wonderful patriotic act and completely representative for the "we shall fight them on the beaches and we shall never surrender" spirit. It is also all about acting as summoning of energy: Olivier manages to channel Henry V, he is Henry V and this immediately gives an irresistible depth and truth to his performance.

For contrast, one could compare his version with Branagh's 1989 interpretation (https://youtu.be/y1BhnepZnoo), which I am not adding here for the sake of levity. The main difference is, for me at least, palpable: Olivier completely suppressed his ego, which I am afraid is something impossible to achieve for Branagh. His take on the speech aims to be more modern and natural, and yet it is still all about Branagh promoting his art. And we know it immediately. A fairly honest tableau vivant, but no depth and nowhere near as majestic as the other.

I am not saying here that S is on par with Laurence Olivier. That would really mean being a romantic whale and I am the one you start to get, I hope, acquainted with. What I am saying is that this guy you just love to humiliate and endlessly cackle about every single day God makes, really, deliberately knows what he is doing in there. I would bet handsome money on S carefully watching and re-watching Olivier's Saint Crispin's Day monologue, in order to prepare for that particular scene. The similarities are, to me, evident, as is the consistent hard work and - dare I say it?- massive talent. It's all about owning the scene and being in the moment. And it is arresting, at times.

All of this is not exactly some shipper far-fetched speculation. S wrote, after all, in Waypoints (and the reference is way too spot on to believe in a kind gesture of the ghostwriter) that he "devoured"

I see great things. I see a very gifted guy who has no ego (C was spot on and for an actor, that is a blessing) and also probably no idea of his (considerable) acting range. I also see a guy who, spare for OL, has been grossly, unfairly miscast and overlooked. And who was determined to take whatever was available or easy on the schedule, in order to remain relevant. I may not be a good client for his booze, but I would pay handsomely to see him in something along the lines of For Whom The Bell Tolls. Or even (if you want a more exotic but oh, so rewarding alternative) a still inexplicably missing Western adaptation of Bulgakov's Master and Margarita (probably not the best times for that one, but still: Bulgakov was, after all, born in Kyiv and not really a fan, to say the least, of tyrants). That's exactly how damn good he is.

How was it, Kidneystone BIF? Oh. "No boundaries. No respect. No class." Exactly, madam. You said it yourself.

#Youtube

[tired0artist]

| ascended astarion x tav |

okay so, @themoonatmingitaw animatic rules my brain. and so here's a little wip, that i did in these past few days. it's not finished and i have no idea if this will become a fic, but i'd love to hear your thoughts!

also english is not my first language! and so there might be some mistakes, as it's also a raw version.

Tav = Tavarra (gave her a name, cause I've seen people do that)

WARNINGS: dark astarion, slavery, abuse

>>>>><<<<<

Tavarra had a porcelain doll once. It sat on a bookshelf in her room, with shiny cheeks and pretty dress in a perfect condition, as young Tavarra did her best to dust her everyday. Throughout the years, the doll remained on that bookshelf and as Tavarra grew, she stopped dusting her as often.

She still loved her dear porcelain doll, it was hers was it not?

So as the years passed, the dust lingered and the doll was no longer as beautiful as it once was. Then, as Tavarra left her home, the doll’s fate became nothing but a stray thought, as it sat on the shelf, all alone. Forgotten with only dust and other pretty things from the shelf to keep her company…

Tavarra once envied the doll, it was so pretty. It didn’t have to study or do any chores… It was a simple task. 

To simply exist and be pretty… 

Tavarra no longer envied her precious doll. 

Not as she sat in a luscious room, surrounded by pretty things, all alone and forever waiting for someone to come and look. To come and dust her off…

She became Astarion’s precious pretty little porcelain doll. Forever chained, not to a shelf, but to a luxurious room. Dressed in the most beautiful of dresses, adorned with the wealthiest of jewellery and with her long hair brushed out. 

It didn’t used to be like this.

In the beginning, Astarion and her walked the same path. Tavarra might’ve been not but a spawn, but oh, she was much more than that. Astarion’s power extended to her, for a while at least…, he shared with her the beauty of immortality and the joys of being a daywalker. 

They danced during the day and fed at night, forever together.

Oh… but how quickly that forever came to an end…

Only roughly over a hundred years, it lasted. Then one by one, changes came. 

It started small, with words of adoration for Tavarra’s light blonde locks. 

“Truly magnificent, my darling.” he whispered that night, as his fingers brushed through her grown out curls. 

Tavarra had been meaning to cut it for some time now.

“Oh you musn’t, my sweet.” he purred, his lips dragging up her tan arm and finally settling against her jaw “I like it long… different from how you wore it before. It makes me appreciate the colour far more, like this.” 

She didn’t cut her hair. Not ever since then, not even when it started to drag behind her, joining the train of her dresses.

Then bit by bit, Astarion took from her. Not only what he gave, but what she herself had.

Her longbow and sword.

Now they hung above his throne, like a prize.

Her throne.

Back when she was allowed to walk amongst the halls freely, she sat beside him. Then a step down. After that it was all the way down the small steps to his throne. And finally she was perched upon his lap, as his hands travelled up and down her body.

Her lute.

It was put away in a crystal display in Astarion’s art gallery. 

Her armour.

Much like the lute, it met the same fate along with Astarion’s old armour. 

Her days in the sun.

Astarion worried for Tavarra’s safety… he wanted her off the streets, and so why should she need to be allowed out in the sun?

Her freedom…

“No!” she screamed, clawing at his shoulders as tears ran down her cheeks.

“No?” he chuckled, cupping her face in his palms “My love. This isn’t a discussion, I only want you with me. Always. Forever—”

“Astarion—”

His face twisted in anger, as his hands moved down, holding her neck “You wanted to be mine. And so you are mine. So why should you want to leave? Hm?” he shook her slightly, his grip tightening “Do you want to leave me?! Do you not love me, my darling?!”

Tavarra sobbed, unable to break the hold he had on her. Still, her nails clawed at his hands as she whispered.

“You’re hurting— me.”

Clarity that rarely came these days washed over him, as his hands retreated, coming to gently embrace her instead “Darling… oh, I am so very sorry.”

She cried against him, not having much of a choice, as the chains he put on her wrists and neck stole her strength.

“I only want to keep you safe. Safe and sound, like you deserve, my sweet Tavarrra.” he whispered, petting her hair slowly “All of this is for you… for us.”

Tavarra just cried, taking whatever moment of comfort that she could from him. 

Stealing from him, just as he stole from her.

>>>>><<<<<

tell me what you think and please go watch the animatic that inspired this! it's so freaking good!

although i don't think that i'd quite follow the ending... no matter how perfect and beautiful it is. i'm too weak for that :(((((

#astarion romance #ascended astarion #astarion x tav #ascended astarion x tav #bg3 tav #baldurs gate 3 #bg3 fanfiction #astarion fanfic #dark astarion #vampire tav #spawn tav #wip #tav x astarion #tav x astarion fanfiction #writting #fanfiction #astarion brainrot #Youtube