#same w helen ships

[radioromantic-moved]

for some reason i feel worse when i see a wlw ship with my female f/os that i don't ship than if i see a mlw ship with my female f/os? and i think it's because a lot of the people shipping these things Are wlw and i want to interact with more sapphic fans of characters i love but i have to constantly see reminders of these ships and i guess they feel. more like competition or something. and i'm always worried this shit makes me a Bad Lesbian lmao

#this doesn't happen with all‏‏‎ ‎ships #like honestly i think most wlw‏‏‎ ‎bernie ships are kind of adorable #same w helen ships #this is mostly about three Major ships with three of my more popular f/os #and i don't hate any of the other characters involved in the ships #i don't even mind the suggestion that they dated or had romantic tension in the past #it just makes me sad to see them and i wish it didn't #SORRYYYYY FOR THE VENTPOST </3 #ig it isn't. really a vent but. yknow. #nyx on comms

[arshipweek]

AR Ship Week - Fandom in 2024

Another year, another shipweek, and another State of the AR Shipping Fandom post. This is the first weekly post leading up to the Alex Rider Ship Week. Just under 4 weeks to go!

This post focuses on pre-S3 fandom, since the data was scraped before the season was released, but we might do an update for post-S3 fics. For methodology, it can be found both on the graphic analysis pages and in the notes at the bottom of this post. For those only curious about the popular pairings this year (1), feel free to read right on.

This year, we have analysed a few specific shipping stats to get a look at us as a fandom.

We have also created an interactive dashboard of all the graphs for you to explore. This is where the following data was taken from, as well as some bonus visuals!

A Timeline of AO3

For a blast from the past, we took a look at the shipping timeline - the count of fics and authors per year for the top ten most popular AR ships - and found immediate proof that as a shipping fandom, we're still small enough that a few, determined people can make a difference. AR fandom's use of AO3 as its primary fandom purveyor is fairly recent, as most of its history can be found on FFnet, but with a total of just under 3k fics as of April 20th, we're gaining on FFnet's 4.5k of AR fics at a very respectable pace.

Some particular developments were:

The number of Yalex authors was about the same in 2021 - 2023 (just around 40) but the number of Yalex fics in 2022 was almost double that of 2021 and 2023. This was not due to a sudden, imported backlog that we could see but a handful of popular events/challenges and potentially the release of S2 in December of 2021.

Tom/Alex and Yassen/Ian both had a peak of fics in 2021, most likely because of the release of S1 that gave Tom a much larger part and offered an intriguing look at Yassen and Ian's potential past.

Fiona/Sabina had a huge spike in fics in 2023 due to a Femmeslash February event (2) that sent it firmly up the ranks of popular ships.

The State of the OTP

For the top ten AR ships, we also took a look at how many of the writers that had written other AR ships (and which ones) to look for interesting patterns and to see if there was any real difference to spot. As it turns out, the answer was a resounding yes:

At one extreme, we have Alexmis (Alex Rider/Artemis Fowl) which is a fandom unto itself. Only 20 percent of the writers of the pairing have written for other pairings in AR fandom fics, and Alexmis fics as a whole tend to lean more towards adding Alex to the Artemis Fowl world rather than vice versa (3).

In the middle range, we have Yalex and Alex/Wolf - two pairings about as old as the fandom itself, and which both have an OTP percentage around 55 - as well as (mostly) newcomers Tom/Alex and Kyra/Alex, both with an OTP percentage in the 40-50 range.

At the other extreme, we have Yassen/John with an OTP percentage of just 4. Fiona/Sabina does it one better with an OTP rate of 0 (!) but the sample size here is so small it makes no meaning to compare it.

So what other pairings do these writers enjoy indulging in, then?

Yalex writers really like their Yassen pairings. Out of the combined number of non-Yalex fics the Yalex authors have written, 24 percent of them are Yassen/Ian and 22 percent are Yassen/John. This means that almost half of their non-Yalex pairings feature Yassen in some way.

70 percent of John/Helen shippers have written other pairings, too - probably because of the pairing's nature as a background part of Alex's story and not necessarily the focus of a shipfic they're in. 30 percent of the fics written by John/Helen writers outside of the ship are Yalex (and 6 percent are Yassen/John).

The case is even more extreme for Yassen/John, which is firmly entwined with the Yalex pairing. 96 percent of the writers have written other AR ships, with three quarters of those fics being Yalex.

Text Analysis

Interactive dashboard with graphs and visuals

We also ran a text analysis on the shipfics to look for patterns and recurring details in the writing - first in general, then for specific ships. The amount of detail for each ship depends a lot on the sample size, which results in a detailed, varied word cloud for Yalex and somewhat less so for several of the smaller ships.

For that analysis, we recommend clicking around to explore the word clouds and get a feel for the different ships, but for the ambitious types, we have a word hunt ready as well (4):

Word Hunt, Significant Phrases edition:

Tools of the Trade:

Duct tape

Frying pan

Krav Maga

Sniper rifle

Zip ties

I Know That Reference:

Fer de Lance

Air Force

Albert Bridge

Point Blanc

Brecon Beacons

Getting Kinky:

Boxer briefs

Dimly lit

Lower lip

Pressed a kiss

Yes sir

Feel free to comment with any particularly entertaining/intriguing/otherwise just plain fun word cloud combinations you've spotted, and we will see you again next week!

______ 

Note on methodology:

The two Alex Rider sections (main + TV) were scraped over the course of two days in early March 2024, except for fics that were locked to AO3 users only (5). For the author specific statistics, we excluded orphan_account and anonymous authors. Median measures were chosen over average the majority of the time to account for outliers, especially in the case of the rarer pairings (6).

For ship-analysis, a fic counts under every pairing it has. This means that someone who writes Yassen/Alex, Yassen/John and Yassen/Ian in the same fic (7) will count as an author for all three pairings and under the Yalex OTP analysis, they will have an additional fic marked under both Yassen/John and Yassen/Ian.

(1) Yalex. It's Yalex. Look, we're not even going to bother posting the stats for that. It's still Yalex, trust us. Though we can talk again next year, considering how well Kyralex is currently doing post-S3. (2) Proving that a few, determined writers can make or break the non-Yalex ship rankings. Please use this power for good; if someone manages to get Sayle/Nadia Vole or something into the top three next year, I'm outsourcing that part of the stat post to a particularly enthusiastic raccoon with a keyboard. (3) Canonically, the wholesale kidnapping of Alex is pretty on-brand for Alex Rider supervillains so really, Artemis is in excellent company. (4) Technically two, but there is unsurprisingly a lot of overlap between the general wordcloud and the Yalex one. For those curious, here's the Word Hunt, Yalex edition:

Adam's apple

Bottle of lube

Cock

Index finger

Nerve endings

Pale skin

Scar tissue

(5) As of April 20th, 225 out of 2961 fics were locked to AO3 users. (6) Meaning anything non-Yalex, let's all be honest here. (7) Because sometimes, like a particularly persistent Pokémon player, Yassen also needs to catch them all. Traumas or Riders is dealer's choice.

#alex rider #arshipweek #yalex #mod posts #meta #yian

[johaerys-writes]

About that post of yours about people getting upset about Patroclus and Achilles being seen romantically, I've seen every single thing that made me so "wtf?"

I've seen them use the justification that they're cousins, from some sources. This doesn't make sense bc cousins getting along in Ancient Greece wasn't all that fuss, it's not like they were brothers! And they're cousins once removed…Orestes and Hermione are first cousins and no one finds it strange!

I've seen people use the justification that Achilles is married (Deidamia). Firstly, it depends on the source, secondly…he still has Briseis? There are sources that there are Briseis and OTHER characters (e.g. Polixena). Even in the sources where he's married, that doesn't stop him from doing anything. Not only Achilles but other characters! Agamemnon has been married for years and had Chryseis and Cassandra. Odysseus is married and his lovers vary with sources. Even before Helen was kidnapped, Menelaus already had a child with another woman. "Ah, but he would still prefer Deidamia, just as Odysseus and Menelaus still preferred Penelope and Helen" well, Agamemnon explicitly states that he prefers Chryseis, and Jason preferred Creusa over Medea…maybe we can assume that different characters are different characters!

I've seen people use the justification that both he and Patroclus had slaves… which, again, doesn't change anything. Again, married men had slaves, I don't know why we're pretending otherwise. Having a slave does not prevent having other relationships, after all, not even a legitimate wife prevents it (or married men wouldn't have bed slaves in the first place). "Ah, but that shows they like women in mythology!"…yeah…but well, some people like more than one gender. That still doesn't rule anything out, I don't see where we're going!

I've seen people explain that it's bc this is something modern… which isn't, there were already romantic interpretations of them in antiquity (Aeschylus, hello? Plato?). But then you point that out and they say "well, but it's not Homer" but then they bring up things like Polyxena and Penthesilea as proof and…their myths with Achilles aren't Homeric! And then they say it's not one of the explicitly declared couples…which, again, doesn't stop anything?? Even more so bc one of the people I saw saying this shipped two characters who never had any romantic text or subtext so it's a walking contradiction!

And even with this "explicit couples" thing, I've seen people talk about a vibe like "oh why focus on Patrochilles, which isn't even canon when there's Apollo x Hyacintus" and I'm still trying to find WHAT is the similarity between these two ships besides being between two male characters. Not even tragedy can be considered a determining factor since tragic couples are not exactly rare in mythology…like, oh tragic couple, so Megara x Heracles is the same too! C'mon, guys! I got the impression that these people have the idea that the ship only exists bc it's MLM and, therefore, any MLM ship plays the role even when the dynamics AREN'T the same…

Or they'll say "the fans make them into a straight stereotype of rigid gender roles", which if you go to the Ao3 tag and read the fics is easily refuted! Especially for Achilles, who depending on the fic isn't even a perisex cis man. But they really don't know the majority preferences of shippers bc e.g there's an idea that absolutely everyone is strictly bottom Pat x top Achilles bc "furious warrior Achilles" and "cool guy Patroclus"… which's funny bc it couldn't be further from reality! And the same person who says this has a ship with strict gender roles, for the love of god!

Even if the ship were canonically impossible… well, hcs exist! As a kid, I watched Naruto and thought Ino x Sakura was very cute, but that doesn't mean I DIDN'T notice that the canon couple was going to be Sakura x Sasuke. It looks like they've never seen shipping before, my god!

Finally: I left the most absurd for last. This wasn't on Tumblr, it was on another social network. Basically, user kind of texted something like "of course you like Patroclus x Achilles, you're not Greek!" And I'm still trying to understand the relationship between someone being Greek and someone liking or not liking a ship. Could it be that in the documents that ask for nationality, if you put "Greek" a questionnaire appears asking you if you ship Patrochilles and if you click "yes" you are taken for falsifying your nationality or something like that?

P.S.: You don't even need to answer this ask. I really just needed to comment on this nonsense, and my friends aren't mythology fans, so here we are!

Okay so I'm just over here nodding aggressively to a lot of things you said, I know you said I don't need to reply to this but let me just add a couple thoughts:

1. Seriously the cousin thing is laughable to me, like who cares who CARES!! Literally it doesn't even matter, not only were romantic relationships btwn cousins not that big a deal in ancient greek works and mythology but also there are so many literary works written before the 20-21st century that feature cousins falling in love, like in the realm of fiction at least it isn't the big and shocking thing the antis think it is, and it hasn't been for centuries, I don’t get why people get so worked up about that...... it doesn’t even count as an argument, moving on

2. People saying that Achilles can't possibly be queer because he sleeps with women and has a son etc etc..... I feel like they’re missing the point, because the thing about Achilles, in my opinion, isn't whether he’s gay or not, or even if he’s bi or not. Those neat little categories are a relatively modern invention I think, and I don’t think that any ancient person would identify as gay or straight or what have you. In some places being a little too close with your buddies (or your students, particularly young male students --athens i'm looking at you--) was a thing, in some others it wasn't, but it wasn't part of their identity like it is now, ykwim? So I think it's pointless to try to put Achilles and Patroclus in those boxes, many people have tried it and it doesn't work. Achilles may have a son with Deidamia but he doesn’t mention her in the Iliad not even once, he cares about Briseis and in the text he lies/sleeps with her but he wouldn’t stop Agamemnon's men from taking her nor would he return to the fighting for her, his relationship with or feelings for the women he sleeps/has slept with doesn't really affect his behaviour. It is Patroclus who he has the emotional bond with, Patroclus who convinces him to do something other than sulk in his camp, Patroclus whom Achilles values above all, Patroclus's death that changes the trajectory of the war and Achilles' own life. The bond between Achilles and Patroclus has cataclysmic consequences for all the Achaens and the Trojans, no other woman in Achilles' life comes close to what he has with Pat.

So like..... that's what's important here. Achilles could have slept with a thousand women and Patroclus with a thousand more and it wouldn't matter. I'm not here to argue whether they were exclusive or not sexually speaking, that's irrelevant and frankly I don't care. I also can't comment on Achilles x Polyxena or Penthesilea I'm not very familiar with those myths and they aren't even Iliad canon anyway so who cares. People have been writing fanfic about him for centuries, what's new.

3. As for the rest of the arguments against Patrochilles I have to admit I stay as far away from drama as I can so I don't really know what is being said online about them. The things you're saying honestly sound like toxic fandom behaviour and antis being at it for no goddamn reason. I'm not even going to respond to that because again, I don’t think there is anything to say. People can ship what they want and headcanon Achilles and Pat boinking any which way they want as long as they leave me alone lmao. Like as long as they don't come to my ask box or ao3 comments with dumbass or exclusionary views (or if Tumblr doesn't decide to spam me with them) then I'm good. I'm definitely not going to go looking for those views on Tumblr or elsewhere.

4. Honestly I didn't even know racism had been brought into this LMAO like I was not familiar with the take that if you're Greek you can't like Patroclus/Achilles. Like.... why is that? Why wouldn't a Greek person like Patrochilles? Do Greeks not have good taste then? I don't get it. Maybe it's because the Iliad is so deeply rooted into ancient greek culture and we learn about it in school or what not, so like it has to be this sacred thing that no one can touch/spoil? For me, shipping ancient dudes is the best way to actually learn a thing or two about history and literature and what have you LOL like I care so much more about the Iliad now than I did in high school. The sad thing is that I feel like if I ever told people irl that I ship Patrochilles they would first be baffled and then probably appalled lmao I can't even imagine their reaction if they ever saw the Patrochilles shrine I keep in my study 😂 Homophobia is a big thing here sadly, and I personally know people who would literally fight anyone who says that mlm was a thing in ancient Greece (because as we know the ancient greeks were the pinnacle of perfection and wisdom and the gays now just want to ruin that 🙄). I'll never forget my high school ancient greek teacher going into a whole rant about it for an hour, and also the school textbooks we had themselves were so heavily censored. It's just such a sad way to be if you ask me, both because you're a fucking homophobe but also you're missing out on so much of the nuance of this culture that you're supposed to "revere", it's always been super baffling to me.

Anyway this rant got away from me so I'll just stop here lmao. At the end of the day I think people will just say whatever they want about whatever they want, I sometimes also get upset and hurt by those dumb takes but it's really not worth it. I try to stay in my lane and block liberally and nerd out with like minded people and I think that's what life/fandom is about, you know

#tw: racism #tw: homophobia #fandom wankery

[littlesparklight]

I got an idea to collect some quotes (from the Iliad and the Bibliotheke, specifically) on how the war was conducted pre-Iliad. So, here, with some comments!

"For it was in the second year after the abduction of Helen that the Greeks, having completed their preparations, set out on the expedition […]" Bibliotheke, Epitome, 3.18

I think this, having 1-2 years before the Achaeans are ready at the first muster at Aulis makes a lot of sense.

Regardless so of whether you go along with both Helen's statement in the Iliad (Book 24), and the Bibliotheke (I didn't include the rest of the quote that mentions it, but it's attached to the quote above) that it's been twenty years in total, ten of fighting, ten between Helen leaving Sparta and the Achaeans landing at Troy or not. Giving them some time to like, gather resources would be kind of necessary.

"Putting to sea from Tenedos they made sail for Troy, and sent Ulysses and Menelaus to demand the restoration of Helen and the property." Bibliotheke, Epitome, 3.28

The Bibliotheke has the embassy be after they're reached Tenedos; in the Kypria it's even after they've managed to land at Troy's shores, and thus after the first battle. Some (much) later sources (Dictys and/or Dares, I believe) have the embassy be sent before the Achaeans leave the first time.

"A period of nine years having elapsed, allies came to join the Trojans[…]" Bibliotheke, Epitome, 3.34

This one's interesting, I think! I have no idea if this late arrival of the allies is because no other source at all mentions any specific time and thus this hinges on that in the Iliad, there are some very late arrivals. (The Paeonians under Asteropaios and Pyraechmes, having arrived eleven days ago by the last day of fighting in the Iliad, so during the twelve days of waiting after the plague, and Rhesus, the same day as the embassy to Achilles and Diomedes and Odysseus' night raid is on.) The Kypria had a "Trojan Catalogue" like appears in the Iliad, basically at the end (which led into the Iliad), which would add to an impression that the allies arrived closer to the Iliad than not.

On the other hand, I do think it'd be weird if all the allies have only been present for a month at most, by the start of the Iliad. A year before (so, eight instead of nine as the Bibliotheke has it) might make more sense, because otherwise Sarpedon's talk in the Iliad looks more like whining than reasonable complaint.

"You used to say that you would hold the city without an army, without allies, you alone with your brothers-in-law and your blood brothers [...]" Book 5, Sarpedon

If we take the above quote from the Bibliotheke into account and so go with that most (but probably not all, some of the allies from within the Troad, which falls under Troy's remit, would/could reasonably have been present for most if not all of the ten years) allies arrive late, it makes Hektor's "boast" a statement of fact. Of course, in the current circumstances that Sarpedon brings this up, he can well use this as a rebuke! But if the Trojans fought alone for most of the war, then... yes, Hektor has been able to do this!

"During the time Achilles the godlike came to battle, never did the Trojans go beyond the Dardanian gates […]", Book 5, Hera

"[…]but so long as I was fighting among the Achaeans, Hector was not minded to stir up battle beyond the wall, but used to come only as far as the Scaean gates and oak tree. There he once stood up to me alone, and barely escaped my onslaught." Book 9, Achilles

"Now Zeus has given us one day worth all the others, to seize the ships, the ships that coming here against the gods' woll has laid much suffering on us, through the cowardice of our elder counselors, who kept me from fighting when I wished to by the ships' sterns, and checked our army. […]" Book 15, Hektor

These three gives us a rather good idea of how the Trojans have been fighting up until the Iliad/the arrival of the allies. Which, again, if they were alone for most of the war, it'd make a lot of sense.

You do not want to fight an overwhelming force face to face, down on open ground where you can be easily mowed down. Hektor's complaint is a bit foolish in that case, but he's also talking from the current circumstances of the Iliad and having had some (if variable) rousing success. And even if the elders have championed a perfectly reasonable and much safer strategy than Hektor's desire for glory and to finally drive the invading enemy out might prefer, Hektor's frustration is pretty reasonable too. You also have Achilles' mention of him and Hektor having met in a duel once before!

"Station your men by the wild fig tree, where the city is easiest to scale and the walls can be overrun. Three times they came there and tested it […]" Book 6, Andromache

This could be on either side of the city; I would make a guess and say it's at the point where the city walls would be joining up with the citadel walls. In general that is a weak point, but both of those spots would be where the god-built walls are joining up to perfectly regular, mortal-built walls. Of course that would be a weak point. It's also happened three times, so you could put them at any point during the nine years previous. Obviously, by the earlier quotes, the Trojans have been fighting on/next to the walls either way, but these three assaults were clearly different, so they'd be of particular note and probably drama, for both sides.

#the iliad #trojan war #greek myth thoughts

[smallpotato80]

ACGAS S4 CS

First, SO much better than last year - except for the Siegfried/Tris scenes in the S3 CS.

Siegfried and Mrs. Hall were united in their care for Helen.

Siegfried sticking his beak in by picking up the extension in the bedsit! Ha!

Audrey finally took her ring off! Her divorce has been finalized for months now -and she had that interlude w/Gerald for second - but NOW she removes the ring.

Siegfried saying Mrs. Hall has sacrificed so much for them and he won't let her down. Bless him.

Siegfried has been SO involved in this divorce storyline. It HAS to mean something. I mean it can't just be a "friends" story with them. The set-up IS there. I don't think Audrey & Siegfried Shippers were hallucinating some intentional vibes/moments there last night.

Carmody, my boy, welcome to the big house! He's earned a room at Skeldale.

Mrs. Hall seemed to be very comfortable giving Mr. Farnon a honeydo list of tasks and he was more than happy to oblige

I would have thought we would have seen at least a Christmas card from Tris but, guess not. Oh, well. They continue to refer to him though. I don't think Tris is ever coming back to stay. Yes, he may visit, but I don't think he'll live at Skeldale again.

Mrs. Pumphrey and Tricky at the party! And Tricky had his own little couch by the fire! Like the boss that he is! Respect.

Baby Herriot was beautiful!

Siegfried cleaning up! Siegfried Cleaning up! Mrs. Hall let him! I mean, technically it is his kitchen but, still, she didn't shoo him away and she so nicely educated him about where the stop for the sink lives. So now Siegfried can continue to help with dishes if he is so inclined to do so....which he might be so he can spend more time with her... and she may welcome that too...

The bad?

Not bad, but James' storyline was kind of dull or just not the highlight.

The blue color tint they insist on using... I get they film in June but... not cute. The "snow" looked like paint too. Sorry, it just did. Mostly in the airbase scenes with James.

Series 5?

Wow, there's SO MUCH potential! Siegfried and Audrey playing Auntie and Uncle to baby James!

Audrey and Siegfried have a new adopted son - Carmody - to help guide and they are at their best with that!

There's no doubt Siegfried is in love with Mrs. Hall...

Mrs. P HAS to play a role in getting Mr. Farnon and Mrs. Hall together. Mrs. P is wise. She has loved and lost herself. She has seen Mr. Farnon's affection for Mrs. Hall twice now - once with Dash and now with toasting her above Jesus.

The real Siegfried did go on to become the vet at the race track so I wonder if that may be introduced in series 5.

I SO want to see Audrey and Helen working together on a community project. Mrs. P. seems to be very familiar with both now and I could see her partnering with them to support efforts

Hey, can Mrs. P help with a dance? Audrey is single now so she can attend! I know it's wartime, but could it be black tie?

Could we get a road trip for Helen and Audrey? Maybe going out to collect fees?

I have this vision of a horse being involved in a scenario with Audrey and Siegfried. The Real Siegfried brought a horse to dinner party and I could see that worked into a storyline. Can you see Siegfried trying to get Mrs. Hall up onto a horse! I can! It could funny and kind of romantic at the same time...

I do worry about Edward's fate... the timeline is not kind to his ship in 1941. Audrey deserves some happiness.

Merry Bloody Christmas!

#acgas 2020 #series 4 #siegfried x audrey #acgas series 4 spoilers

[artinandwritin]

Okay okay okay I wanna hear all about that next gen thing bc that is crazy dude how did that even happen omg

OH YES alright! This is gonna be another full-on Mona-rants-moment so strap in bestie!

I don’t know exactly when I started thinking about a HTTYD next gen, but it must’ve been somewhere around 2014, after I had watched both movies almost right after each other. Gotta confess, before watching HTTYD1 on a vacation to Germany as a little 10-almost-11-year-old, I thought it was a horror movie. Oops. I thought the same about Shrek, but now I unapologetically adore both of them.

So as little kids, me and my twin brother (let the record state, he’s younger than me. By four minutes. It’s a real thing) were absolutely obsessed with HTTYD. So much, that we would roleplay as dragons and – wheeze – HiccStrid’s potential twin kids. Oh, yeah, we were deep into it. We were so deep. We played out adventures and pretended to fly on our pretend dragons, whom we named Fly Fly and Toe Toe and they were, you are allowed to laugh, the kids of Toothless and a Whispering Death. My brother’s favorite dragons were the Whispering Deaths, and we were great at biology. Nope.

After that whole shabang, we went to middle/high school, my brother grew past his Dragons-phase, I stayed right where I was cuz ofc I did, and after meeting some new friends who were just as much into HTTYD as I was (one of them was the friend who gave my the nickname Mona and helped me with Of Thrones and Heirs!), we kinda created a new next gen based of what we thought was cool lmao. I couldn’t find a lot of information on that on my laptop, since most of it was handwritten or only spoken to each other – and tbh, I’m not really feeling up to checking my chats about it with one of those friends cuz I’m not friends with them anymore. But that’s okay, we have a lot more information for what came next!

I developed the next gen a bit on my own, I remember, still with some influences from the friends I had created the last version with. And for this one I still got a lot of details, so let me grab them for ya.

In this next gen, HiccStrid had five kids. Yeah, they be being busy. Zephyr and Nuffink got added a bit later, after I had seen THW, before that they only had the oc children I created as a lil 14-year-old. They had, in order, Zephyr Stormfly (20 y.o.), Nuffink Toothless (18 y.o.), Alischa Valka (14 y.o., aka, the main character), Stoick Finn (13 y.o.) and Lunette Ansfrid (3 y.o.). Oh yeah, that’s a mouthful.

Next to HiccStrid, back then I also shipped Heather and Fishlegs. Not sure if I still do now, but back then they had the following kids; Helen Windshear (19 y.o., she was Zephyr’s best friend), Fay Heather (16 y.o.), Veena Astrid (16 y.o., she and her twin sister were created by my friend I think), Beril/Hugo Oswald (13 y.o., not sure which of the two names. All I know is that he was Stoick’s bestie).

To the more… complicated part, young me put some drama into this next gen by making a divorce plot. So what I thought was cool (and because I didn’t really like Snotlout back then. Very stupid, he’s the kingest of kings), was the idea that Snotlout and Ruffnut had a son right after THW after a one-night-stand (Thorvald Hookfang, 21 y.o., all I know is that he had a huge crush on Zephyr). After that, they tried to make things work, but they didn’t, and they did a divorce thing. After that, Ruff went with Eret and had twins, Audun Eret (19 y.o., he’s the guy I wrote down as the Gustav of the next gen lmao) and Hialti Ruffnut (19 y.o., I don’t think she had a very good life). Meanwhile, Snotlout had a daughter with Minden, Ylva (13 y.o., she had a crush on Stoick).

Tuffnut had two kids with some chick, Annika Macey (19 y.o., she and Nuffink were in love or something) and Kjell Lloyd (19 y.o., I don’t know shit about him).

For the rest, I only had kids for Dagur and Mala cuz oh yeah they were a thing. Don’t think I really shipped them, but they were fun to include. Their kids were Ingrid Heather (16 y.o., I literally don’t know anything about her), Oswald Dagur (5 y.o.) and Siri Mala (3 y.o., the first Siri! I don’t know anything about her).

So that was that next gen. Alischa was the main character, she later got a whole fledged out story involving Grimmel’s grandkid, Arcum (who she got a crush on ofc, I basically redid the whole “enemies to lovers” thing I loved doing in Of Thrones and Heirs), while trying to prove herself to her overprotective dad Hiccup, finding the Hidden World and the Night Lights in the process. She bonded with Toothless’ daughter, Safire, which would’ve been pretty cute.

That whole thing was pushed aside in favor of Siri in December 2019, unfortunately. While I did try to recreate the next gen several times (I am still figuring out what the actual fuck I wanna do with ships in the original cast and who would have kids and who wouldn’t. All I know is HiccStrid has Zephyr and Nuffink cuz that’s canon and Tuffnut is aroace and the cool uncle. For the rest… man, I don’t know. I love FishLout, I love RuffLegs, I love the idea of Minden and Snotlout, I wanna see Snotlout with a daughter, etc etc. I just don’t know anything lmao), things never really stuck, as I was in the height of creating Siri’s story, and in addition, Niv’s story. Now I primarily wanna think about the next gen cuz I wanna give gussiri’s kids some friends pff

Like, at some point I tried to change up the entire next gen; I paired up Tuffnut and Heather (some weird idea from the friend I’m no longer friends with. I don’t know why), they had four whole kids (Dagny, Kyll, and Lloyd, who were triplets born in 1018, and Oswald Loki Chicken Sverd, yes, who was born in 1028). It was a weird move. I also cut down on Dagur and Mala’s kids, giving them only a daughter, named Hedvig, born in 1022. Zephyr (1018) and Nuffink (1021) still existed, but they no longer had any siblings. Lloyd and Zephyr were in love and it was very cute, and Hedvig and Nuffink had a thing going on.

Next to that, I removed the whole thing with Snotlout, Ruff, Eret and Minden, now Snotlout and Minden only had twins (Vidar and Ylva, born in 1021, Vidar wanted to become a wingmaiden). Eret and Ruff had a son named Sol (1023), which is very weird now, considering one of my best friends is named Sol lmao. Fishlegs had a son from a one-night-stand (Kjott, 1019), and the only reason for that is because the friend I’m no longer friends with didn’t like Fishlegs for his “disgusting” relationship with Meatlug. Glad I’m finally allowing to love this precious boy instead of being forced to go along with their opinions.

At this point, Sunniva and Helene didn’t exist as GusSiri kids, rather being replaced by a daughter named Funnet (1025) and a son named Agnarr (1028, Aggie and Oswald had a cute thing together). Niv did exist! I created him and he never changed, he’s just too much of a baby boy for that.

So yeah, that’s how it all shifted and turned over the years! I hope I can point my vision on trying to point down some good characters to be- WAIT A FUCKING SECOND

OH MY GOD I JUST FORGOT THAT I LITERALLY HAVE A DOCUMENT WITH MORE NEXT GEN STUFF THAT IS FAIRLY RECENT AND INCORPORATES INTO SOME STUFF FROM STARCHASER

FUCK LEMME LOOK INTO THIS REAL QUICK

Okay so turns out this is from 2021 and luckily for all of us it’s short and to the point so let’s get cracking. HiccStrid only had Zephyr Valka (1018) and Nuffink Stoick (1021), Snotlout had Vidar and Ylva (both 1019, idk who their other parent is), Dagur and Mala had Hedvig (1017), Ruffnut and Fishlegs had Reider Fishlegs (1018), Saga Meatlug (1023), Amund Tuffnut (1025), and Steinar Barf (1028). For the rest, nothing, and honestly, better, I don’t really wanna keep track of so many kids lmao. I’m not a daycare (read: has created a new oc last week)

Anyways, I think that’s all for now! Thank you so much for being so appreciated, I really appreciate it bestie <333 you’re amazing!!

#thanks for the ask! #artinandwritin's lore #httyd #how to train your dragon #httyd next gen #au

[obsidianstrawberrymilk]

eyy, same on the bi viktor hc and shipping helen and vik 🤝

i spef hc viktor as having not figured out being bi yet, as of current canon, but after taking time to settle into realizing he’s trans he realizes his feelings towards dudes isn’t just gender envy and he’s like holy shit, and has a bit of a crisis. spef hc that sexuality crisis occurs between the end of s3 and the probably inevitable s4 timeskip we’ll have thx to elliot’s voice being deeper during filming. the vik realizing he’s bi is probably be more then a bit complicated thx to his trauma w leonard 😔😔

imo 1) s1 viktor defo had a bit of a crush on helen 2) people take helen’s words way more harsh then they were actually meant, like i think she was probably a bit frustrated, bc viktor had been in third chair for years and the being late thing seemed like a somewhat regular occurrence, but while she’s a bit frustrated, she said the stuff she did outta tough love type thing/she)s one of those people who believes that being blunt helps people more often then not

all this partially just to say i think viktor and helen as a rivals to lover’s relationship would probably be more rivalry on viktor’s part then helen’s. there’d be mutual rivalryship, yes, but viktor would care about the rivalry a lot more then helen would which i think is absolutely hillarious

i like imagining and hoping (tho it’s obv unlikely) that viktor meets helen again in s4, bc they’re just cute

Okay yesss to all of this!! I doubt Viktor’s gonna meet Helen again in S4 but I REALLY WANT HIM TO bc it could show just how much he’s grown from S1. I feel like Helen was trying to give an honest critique ngl - we KNOW Viktor had been trying for other positions than third chair, so imo she was trying to give some honest advice that just came off as kinda rude.

So Viktor meeting her again and having that passion she said he lacked now that he’s off his pills would be so cool imo!!

Lmao yeah, I meant ‘enemies to lovers’ in the ‘got off on the wrong foot, single sided rivalry, oh shit they’re hot’ kind of way. I could absolutely see Viktor having a single sided rivalry with Helen - hey, Luther and Diego got a rivalry so now it’s his turn!

...And if that eventually turns into a romantic violin contest that ends w them leaning into each other and staring into each other’s eyes, who’s gonna tell?

I also 100% agree w you that he hasn’t figured out he’s bi yet. I feel like what happened with Leonard would make him a bit anxious to date men for a while tbh, so it would be difficult for him to figure it out. I really hope we can see canon bi Viktor in S4 (but then that’s what I said about bi Diego in S3 so ahaha), and I hope they like... actually address the trauma that leonard caused?? Bc it feels like they kinda ignored that for the past two seasons.

#tua #viktor hargreeves #viktor tua #viktor x helen #leonard peabody #ew

[annasellheim]

I posted 157 times in 2022

That's 35 more posts than 2021!

86 posts created (55%)

71 posts reblogged (45%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@annasellheim

@annasellheimscribblescrabble

@makearttalkshit

@sabertoothwalrus

@keepchangingandneverstop

I tagged 36 of my posts in 2022

#comic - 8 posts

#art - 8 posts

#comics - 7 posts

#proud - 6 posts

#pencil - 4 posts

#process - 4 posts

#drawing - 4 posts

#artsyfartsy - 4 posts

#product - 4 posts

#sketchbook - 4 posts

Longest Tag: 44 characters

#it’s gonna take 10 years (literally) to draw

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Doodles from dinner last night- Lina Inverse, Sailor Moon, and Vegeta from memory + some random dude. Here’s Appy begging for food:

22 notes - Posted March 7, 2022

#4

@raku---gaki and I are listening to Steven Fry’s Helen of Troy audiobook. There are two interpretations of her being taken by Troy- in one version she goes willingly, in the other she is kidnapped. There is a house in Pompeii with called the house of the Tragic Poet w bunch of frescos that were found recently. I find this fresco of Helen boarding the ship to be so compelling- she looks terrified. So I drew my version.

27 notes - Posted April 25, 2022

#3

Hi today I’m 35 and my life is good but I’m sad for no reason. Be nice to me xo!

37 notes - Posted October 20, 2022

#2

Can anyone in the transformers fandom direct me to more comics or shows w more #dratchet or #kobd content where they have A HAPPY ending? I have only read MTMTE and lost light. I have seen panels ALL over the place but don’t know where to start

Also- marvel crew- same w Spideypool. Obvs w this it’ll be fan made stuff. I’ve read @ask-spiderpool

AGAIN ONLY IF THEY HAVE HAPPY ENDINGS

Ty in advance.

39 notes - Posted January 4, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

See the full post

68 notes - Posted June 20, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

lol remember when ppl gave a shit about me on this website?

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review

[pocketsizedquasar]

at the risk of getting “just let people enjoy things >:(”d, part of why the like... very widespread Simping for Elias TM weirds me out is how much like... disproportionate sympathy he gets really just for being a mediocre white boy

I’m not saying it’s a bad thing to sympathize with him; what happened to him sucks even if he is an awful human being. But it really is extremely disheartening how, regardless of source material, fandom pretty much universally will latch onto & go out of their way to sympathize w/ (cis) white male characters over characters of color & female characters, esp women of color. This isn’t unique to MAG; fandoms in general are wont to ignore complex and well written and interesting characters of color in favor of whichever milquetoast white gay ship is the favorite of the month, but it’s still. Annoying. (Yeah... white queer ppl are especially guilty of this). Why all the energy for this man who is explicitly emblematic of class privilege; why the eager readiness to write in nuance and tragic backstory and benefits-of-the-doubt for him? Why him and not Oliver Banks or Helen(both flavors) or Adelard Dekker?

again, I’m not saying it’s a bad thing to like his character—I like him a lot!! I think he’s a really well written character!! But I do think it’s important to recognize patterns where they exist & really think about why it is that fandom is so ready to make excuses for and justify a white man who is really an awful person, when the same grace and care and interest and nuance is scarce given to characters of color. Why there is so much effort put into expanding on what little canon there is about og!elias (even before ep 193!) in an attempt to make him more relatable or interesting, when characters of color are brushed off or ignored for less. Shitty white characters get defended & latched onto as fandom faves often in favor of more complex and nuanced characters of color, or even just any characters of color. It’s important to recognize that. Bc that isn’t just fandom; that mirrors irl attitudes & patterns in how people of color are treated.

White ppl can comment but if ur just here for some “it’s not that deep!1!1!!!!1” or “why are you making this about race???” bs don’t bother I Will just block you

#tma #the magnus archives #tma crit #magnuspod #fandom crit #fandom racism #fandom critical #elias bouchard #quasartalks #helen is actually a p good example of this considering like Elias #she was also a Bad person pre-eldritch nonsense #but people are far quicker to like and forgive elias and michael than they are of her #people are far more likely to project goodness onto white men than they are to accept existing goodness on anyone else #anyway if anyone puts words in my mouth or clowns on this post I will Fight #also again this isn’t unique to mag #this happens with pretty much very fan base #hello Star Wars!!! hello atla (technically there’s no white ppl in atla but similar patterns arise)! hello fire emblem!! #like !!! I would just like to see fandoms give characters of color the same care & the same benefit of the doubt as they do to white chalk #white ppl* sorry autocorrect #particularly women of color!

[tilliam-w-psears]

what's ur favorite Grelle ship & why?

also how do u imagine modern Grelle? Like her looks, personality, lifestyle, etc

hmmmm i cannot say i have thought of grelle from a shipping perspective often! i think that grelle and madame red’s dynamic was very interesting but i do not think that it was a healthy relationship. big supporter of @retrievaldivision’s helen and aphrodite (of iliad fame) takes and that whole thing they’ve got going on (follow tumblr user retrievaldivision). i’ve been pretty forthcoming on my stance that william t spears and grelle are homies but i don’t think i’d be entirely opposed to that but i’m also very. selective? about ship content so a lot of the existing grelliam content doesn’t jive with me especially with how a lot of people write their dynamic (ie grelle is the victim and has never done anything wrong william t spears is cruel and unfeeling etc etc bc that is simply not true and also william t spears is my friend. did they ever think of that.) this isn’t to say good grelliam content is nonexistent but it’s rare for me personally to find stuff i like. honestly i feel like grelle learning to live like on her own would probably be healthiest for her but that’s just my personal take [points at hermit the frog marina on my grelle playlist]. sebastian and grelle is kind of funny bc they both suck and have tried to kill each other but i’m a known sebagni truther. so ultimately for favourite grelle ship i’m gonna have to go with i truly don’t know chief if you’ve got any recs drop em

as far as modern grelle. i cannot say i have thought about this either. most of my. headcanons. are around like the existing kuro universe or some equally fantastical type fiction (i am actually currently writing an ericalan fic based off of the russian folktale the soldier and death in which alan is death and eric is the soldier and it’s going to be based. thanks) so. but as far as modern universe goes i have thought about like the human +1 gang in which sebastian is an agent for some secret organization or another assigned to ciel’s case (parents dying in massive house fire, etc etc) and is like. also undercover as his adoptive father and they live in richpeoplesuburbsTM. agni and soma are their neighbours (agni is soma’s bodyguard and also takes care of him bc his parents are away often). finny and mey rin rent out the basement (they came with the house). they meet at the midford’s white people barbecue/garden party. anyway. so in this situation the reapers are all staff for the middle/high school (shoutout to @retrievaldivision for helping me come up w this also). grelle is the thotty secretary, william t spears is the counsellor, eric is the gym teacher, alan is the gay history teacher (courtesy of retrievaldivision), othello teaches chemistry, and ron is the IT guy. in this universe, grelle and ron are roomies and rent a shitty apt together. they’re obviously not rich because they work at a highschool so it’s not glamorous or anything but it works. i imagine grelle’s wardrobe consists mainly of pencil skirts and button ups. probably wears heels every day. glasses chain stays ON. personality wise much the same but because i am in control she is not pervy and weird. also she does not commit mass murder. like grelle’s general obnoxiousness is an integral part of her personality so i would like to keep that but have her not make unwanted sexual advances at her coworkers. there is something charming about the characters just being like. regular ass people. so. yeah. that’s my take.

#kuroshitsuji #black butler #grelle sutcliff

[atinykidult]

i saw this on my timeline yesterday, they were shipping their mutuals with idols, so,,, i was wondering who would you ship your mutuals with and why? have a nice day btw 🖤

Hey! Thanks for this ask! Sorry I was so slow—I love asks like this and put a lot of thought into them, but it just takes time! 😅 Sorry to anyone I left out! I ramble so I just decided I’d do as many moots as I could in a certain time frame

Anna | @yunwoo | Y A N A N

So, I knew I had to ship you with someone from Pentagon! I settled on Yanan because he is a very gentlemanly, sweet type yet also goes along with jokes and chaos really well! I think that matches up well with you, as you are someone whose personality shines in both settings. You would make a very sweet (and pretty!) couple! <3

Helen | @yeocult | H O N G J O O N G

Look, I know I’ve shipped you with him before, but I just can’t unsee it!! He’s such a creative, brilliant person, and I think his energy would match with yours really, really well! You could talk about anything, but not feel pressured to talk at all if you didn’t feel like it. Random thing I could picture you doing: Writing little notes on each other’s hands

Vivi | @seongghwaa | J U N H U I

I’m just saying—the chaotic energy the two of you could generate is beautiful to picture! He’s such a crazy, hilarious goof-ball, yet so caring! I feel like that’s you, too, and you could match each other so well through both sides of yourselves! Date headcanon: Karaoke, with both of your friends, and you having a duet with him but it being pure chaos :D

Ana | @toffee-hwa | J I M I N

I wanted someone super sincere, super caring, but plenty fun to ship you with! You give everyone so much support and love, you deserve to go home each day to that same energy. I thought Jimin matched that really well! You both could take care of each other, and share anything with each other, anytime. Date idea: Cafes! Trying all the cafes together!

Dia | @jaesmintea | S E O N G H W A

You’re the mom friend, but you also have a lovely, scream-y side, I feel like? And I think that you deserve all the cuddles after long days, with back rubs and comfort food already purchased for you. I think Hwa would provide just that! And he would fall deeper in love every time you showed him that kind of love in return.

Shelby | @softhwas | S E O K J I N

This one felt like it came out of left field, because we never talk BTS, but I’m 90% you know them, right? Anyway, I definitely ship you with him! I feel like he’s really, really smart but no one thinks about it because he’s just making everyone laugh 24/7. You two could talk about anything, binge all the shows together, and just be a chill and functional couple! ^^

Nanda | @sanflowerseeds | J O N G H Y U N

JR from Nu’est was my emotional support kpop idol for a good minute last year. He’s such a precious soul, and so are you, so I shipped you two together! I feel like you’re both pretty quiet and could be homebodies together—maybe learning to cook different meals together, and definitely spending tons of quality time with each other!

Citron | @citronnade-coups | J E O N G H A N

So, I feel like you have this really chill vibe, and might(?) intimidate me IRL, but are super caring! Jeonghan has that same vibe, and I think you two would get on each other’s nerves but also fall in love in a classic rivals to lovers kind of way?

Cami | @hansolmates | S E U N G C H E O L

I feel like Cheol would really be attracted to your personality, tbh! He is such a soft, responsible, tired-dad type (lol) so he wouldn’t gravitate to really extra people. But he would love spending time with you, learning about your dance and students, and both of you are just, like, vibing. (Also, his MBTI should compliment yours pretty well! ^^)

Tiny | @yunhowhoitiss | S E U N G M I N

Okay, so, I don’t know Stray Kids well enough to psychoanalyze, but like... I would only ship you with the sweetest, brightest idols, and when I began thinking about it, I was just like: “Tiny needs someone who will make her smile as much as she makes everyone else smile.” Seungmin is serotonin, so that’s my reasoning! ^^ Sunshine with sunshine!

Hannah | @nafnifnice | D O Y O U N G

Doyoung, is, like, the normal member of NCT in my books. Super pretty, super kind, super patient (putting up with them), and obviously super talented! (I think you’re all of those, too! ^^) Anyway, I feel like he would be a nice match with you, energy level-wise! You could spend lots of quality time together, and you’d be a really sweet couple.

Alex | @woozisnoots | S E O K M I N

Alex!!! You are one of the sweetest people, and so I have to ship you with the sun himself! From what I’ve gathered, you’re a pretty high energy/bright person, and such a joy to interact with—Seokmin would match that energy perfectly! If you like amusement parks, that’s definitely one of my date headcanons for you!

Lia | @hanniesbubble | W O N W O O

I think you both are types who have learned/are learning to be comfortable in your own skin, and are fine not being the extra loud person in the room. Quiet, and thoughtful, and sincere. You guys could spend all sorts of quality time together, whether by talking or just being quiet together!

#this...turned into a monster #oh well 😅 #atki.asks #I hope everyone sort of likes who I shipped them with! ^^

[sugarcoats-and-heartbeats]

I finished Return of The Thief!!!

Non-spoilery comments:

1. IT WAS SO GOOD! ARGHASLDFJ 2. If you’re anxious, don’t be. Trust MWT.

Now, for all the wild screaming into the void, because I need to get all these irrational, overwhelming feelings out before I hop on over at Sounis LJ and pretend to be smart.

SPOILERS! SPOILERS AHEAD. DO NOT READ IF YOU DO NOT WANT SPOILERS!

My “live-blog” notes:

- "So, so, so" is out. "Miras' golden balls" is in. - He has all the fighting spirit of an apricot... Like riding a slowly moving sofa - LOL, though I do admit, I find it ironic that Irene would give Gen a horse as a gift, when she's worried of a fall and her own brother died of a fall from horseback - Gen's apartments were Irene's brothers' - two Cleons! two Ions! - why is Attolian!Ion doing back with Gen? Didn't he go with Sophos? - princess Bythesea? LIke, "by the sea"? - SCARY GEN. SCARY GEN EVERYWHERE. SOPHOS! THE PENT! - okay let's back it up here - Sophos throwing water on Gen - GEN CLIMBING UP TO THE WINDOW!!! - ATTOLIA LAUGHING ABOUT IT ZOMG - A;LDFJA;SLDFJAS;LDJK THE PENT AND ATTOLIA AND EUGENIDES AND ALSDFJA;SLDFJKA;LSDFKJ ARRGGGHHHH THAT WAS PRECIOUS BUT ALSO MADDENING - like, here i was, thinking it's Gen who's in danger of getting snatched by a mistress; i was NOT expecting it the other way around - also, every passage i'm either "omg, gen's gonna die" or "nah, he'll be fine." it's so scary whenever pheris talks about the "nowadays" rather than telling the narrative - OMG AND THEN... AND THEN!!! RIGHT AFTER THE PENT SCENE... OMGGGGG THEY JUST DID IT IN THAT ROOM HUH - what is up with all these horrid ambassadors from everywhere?? (Except for the Braels. That one is a keeper)

- Ohh look Irene is doing needlework! Finally! A book where needlework isn't mocked. - Gen doing a somersault from Fryst! - Costissssss!!!!! - oh no! I forgot what Costis's arrival meant - aww, that kindly stable master. bless him! - Genny!!??? GENNY??!!!! I shall now call all my children with a Y at the end. Ireny! Heleny! Bunny can remain the same (though Sophy sounds cute too) - Kamet! - Yessss, Relius! Is back in action!! Also described as "very handsome" so it looks like Costis has competition here - tortured by the *king*?? Wasn't it Attolia who tortured Relius? - lol apparently nobody's ages are going to be revealed - "some unknown sailor fired without orders" something tells me this was planted - Teleus and Relius bro-time. yes i approve - whoa I see an elephant in the drawing!! - okay, was it ever mentioned that Eddisians have tattoos?? Or is this like the first time that was mentioned and everyone is as shocked as me??? - guys, imagine, the MoW. Tattoos!! - okay, so clearly Relius is a playboy?? and i never caught the hint?? - Helen and Irene girl talk, yessss - Fordad's nice. I hope he's not secretly a bad guy - OH NO OH NO Gen resigned!!! What will Irene do? She cannot rule alone again! - omg Gen is such a rebel. I feel for this poor boy. Let me hug him. Let his queen hug him. Somebody hug him! - OMG OMG OMG they're gonna go to Gen's bedroom in Eddis' library, right??? That tumblr post was right! - wooot oh man, Susa turned! whoaaaaa. Gen is so powerful. I am at AWE - asdfasdf neck kisses, hold me, i'm dying - w-w-wait.... so is Susa and Erondites still plotting together though?? Susa, you little snake, I had believed you! - no, Costis is leaving already??

- Costis and the whole comment about "his heart" isn't in his work XD. Though -- guys -- I'm gonna confess, ten years of manning my tiny crack-boat of Costistogiton, I'm a little heartbroken to know they've no hope - Teleus and Relius... Teleus and Relius???? THIS IS CANON GUYS??? But Relius is a playboy??? How does Teleus handle that??? ship name? telrel? leuslius? - Lol, the magus being sassy to his king - ohhhh all these glorious tidbits we're learning about the Eddisian royalty. Helen's mother had an affair with Gen's father? I would not have expected it of the MoW!!! He seemed too straitlaced and in love with his Thief wife - oh. no. eugenides robbed eugenides. i would have NEVER - STENIDESSSSS!!!! - Gen channeling some Edward Elric energy there about his height, huh? Never thought he was bothered by it - what happened to Gen's stomach illness? Is it now gone because the sand in his food is gone? - "Hilarion knew a disaster when he saw one looming right in front of him." OMGGG this is throwback to that Philo comment in KoA - poor Legarus, now the shining example of a man who did poorly in love - OH MY GOD! Teleus was the one who copied the poem for Relius??? - OH. MY. GOD. Irene is pregnant again. - asdlfjalsdkfj "I didn't become inappropriate on my own!" al;sdjfk these babies. - NO. NOOOO GEN DON'T GO AFTER NAHUSERESH!! - NOOOOO STENIDES NOOOOO We never even met you! (except for that one short story) - Hilarion noooooo - oh nooo Gen being tortured AGAIN noooo how much more can this poor boy handle?

- yess Gen the Thief again!! - Eugenides Eugenideides??? - Philoo nooooo! To think he might still be alive if he *had* fought in the battle instead of accompanying Gen to the trap. I am sore about this, ok? SORE - At least my boy Aris is still alive - nooo Fordad, how could you. I rooted for you - Irene crying. My baby - At least Petrus and Galen have finally teamed up - RELIUS NOOOOOOOO. I HATE FORDAD SO MUCH. SO MUCH - no no no I refuse to believe it. Relius is ALIVE hiding REALLY WELL. Shame on him for breaking poor Teleus's and Pheris's hearts - omg Sejanus. All the Pherises. Their poor dear mother, having to be married to the nasty old Erondites - you go, random horseman who took Pheris on your lap!! *I* say you survived the battle; you and Pheris just never crossed paths again - Noo MoW... =( - oh noo, Sejanus. =( All these people I'm mourning when I had hated them before. Though to be fair, Sejanus was really sympathetic at the end of KoA already - HEEECTTTOOORRR????? - LOL omgggg, Baron Anacritus dancing with his lover right after his wife??? the Nerve! - YESSSS,  WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT RELIUS?? Yeeaaaaaah!! Now he can go back to Teleus and Pheris, and dote on the prince and princess! - wait, where my boy ARIS at??? Please tell me he and Costis are still 2 peas in a pod!!! - ohhohhooh awwww that lovely short story!!! Irene was descended from a goddess too? Aww. And I suspected Alyta is also the water goddess from QoA. - I can't believe it. It's DONE. It was SO GOOD. I would be cherishing this last book for decades, y'all. It was SO GOOD.

#queen's thief #return of the thief #rott spoilers #return of the thief spoilers #spoilers #DO NOT READ IF YOU DON'T WANT SPOILERS

[badgerhuan]

hiiii idk which ones u haven’t answered but i want u to answer whichever fandom letters u haven’t done yet ❤️❤️

ahaha thanks mar! <3

A - Your current OTP(s)/OT3(s)/OTX(s)

Ethan/Benji from MI obviously, even tho I also love Luther/Ethan/Benji very much, and I’m so here for Luther/Ethan.

C - A ship you have never liked and probably never will (be nice)

Ethan/Ilsa. Ethan/Jane. Hunley/Ethan. Walker/Ethan. Walker/Benji. Ethan/Brandt.

D - A pairing you wish you liked but just can’t (again: be nice)

out of the list above it’s Hunley/Ethan. I can see the potential in it but I just....cannot.

H - What is your favorite source text for fandom stuff

at this point it’s movies haha, but i dabble in all mediums!

M - Say something genuinely nice about a ship that you don’t ship

honestly Benji/Brandt is very nice and very soft and it deserves more attention than some of the other ships in the fandom.

P - Invent a random AU for any fandom (we always need more ideas)

atla au. Ethan is a nonbender ala Suki. Benji is an earthbender who specializes in metalbending. Luther is an earthbender. Ilsa is also a nonbender but lethally dangerous all the same. Jane is a firebender. Lane is a waterbender. 

these are all off the cuff and are subject to change except for Ethan and Benji.

Q - A ship you’ve abandoned and why

most of my mcu ships lol. i just am not invested anymore  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

V - 3 OTPs from 3 different fandoms

since i’ve talked MI to death let’s try some other three

Harry/Merlin from Kingsman

Leonard/Ray (Palmer) from Legends of Tomorrow

Kinjou/Makishima from Yowamushi Pedal

W - 5 favorite ships and 5 kinks you like best for said ships

i don’t have answer for this

X - top 5-10 characters who are yoUR PRECIOUS BABIES AND YOU WILL DIE DEFENDING THEM

Benji Dunn from MI

Ethan Hunt from MI

Helen from Truth Seekers

Meredith Houseman from Slaughterhouse Rulez

Roy Miller from Knight and Day

Nick Morton from The Mummy (2017) (he’s more like....trash baby but you know)

David Aames from Vanilla Sky

Bill Harford from Eyes Wide Shut

Danny Kaffee from A Few Good Men

Jack from Man Up

#mar #long post #marv llous #roch answers

[underthewingsofthblackeagle]

After her marriage with Frank Randall has failed and Claire Beauchamp flees from her violent husband, she finds refuge in the house of the Fraser/Murray family in Berlin-Wilhelmshorst. But then tensions arise between Britain (which has since left the EU) and some EU member states. All holders of an English passport are required to leave EU territory within six weeks … and suddenly Claire’s fate looks more uncertain than ever.

This story was written for the #14DaysofOutlander event, hosted by @scotsmanandsassenach​

“Glencoe” by dowchrisr 

Chapter 2: 14 Men (1)

        James Alexander Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser was born and raised in the Scottish Highlands. But the development of world history made it impossible for him to spend the rest of his life in his beloved homeland.         Well-read in European history and as a keen observer of global political developments, he had guessed early on that the hard "Brexit" of Great Britain would lead the (until then) United Kingdom into an unprecedented chaos.

“Brexit” by  Foto-Rabe

         When the Corona Pandemic ebbed in Europe and the British Isles and travel restrictions were largely lifted, James Fraser, as head of his clan, decided it was high time to leave the country he and his family loved so much. Many people around him, especially the other 13 members of the "New Jacobites", felt the same way. Some of his friends emigrated to the Republic of Ireland, others to France or the Netherlands. For Jamie and his family another door had opened many years before.          Jared Fraser, one of Jamie's uncles, had gone to Paris in his youth and (starting from the French capital) had built up a flourishing, Europe-wide wine trade. He had also opened a branch in Berlin. From there the entire business for Germany and South-East Europe was coordinated. In order to save taxes and to invest the proceeds of his business profitably despite the European Central Bank's zero-interest policy at that time, Jared Fraser had bought real estate. Among the houses he had purchased in the state of Brandenburg was a well-preserved manor house just some kilometers outside of the German capital. After his death, this part of Jared's estate had fallen to Jamie and his sister Jenny. 

         So it came about that on the day it was decided at Westminster that the emergency laws passed because of the Corona Pandemic should remain in force, a container ship left the port of Edinburgh for the port of Rostock. The containers it was carrying contained most of the Fraser/Murray family's movable property. The family itself, Jamie, Ian, Jenny and the children, had boarded a Norwegian Airlines plane the night before, which took them to Berlin-Schönefeld Airport within four and a half hours with a stopover at Oslo-Gardermoen.          When they arrived at the airport, Felix Kloppstock, the vice manager of the Berlin headquarters, who had become a trusted employee of Jared Fraser, had picked them up in a minibus owned and used by one of the wine shops. When they arrived in Wilhelmshorst near Potsdam, the house was already prepared for them. The beds were made and the smell of roast venison came from the kitchen, letting them know that dinner was ready. They were then greeted by Mr. and Mrs. Ballin. The 55-year-old housekeeper Helene and her husband Frieder had also been hired by Jared Fraser and entrusted with the management of the house years ago.          When all the Frasers/Murrays fell into their beds late in that night, they did so with one laughing and one crying eye. Laughing because they knew they were safe now. Crying because they missed their home. And James Fraser was thinking about  something else entirely. He was grateful that his parents didn’t had to witness the political developments of the present day. At the same time, he was overcome with a feeling of great sadness when he thought that he would probably not be able to visit their graves in the cemetery near Lallybroch for a very long time.

“Brandenburg” by reinhardweisener

         Just a few days after their arrival at their new home at Wilhelmshorst, they were to learn from the media how right and decisive their step had been. They had put the children to bed after dinner and were now sitting together in the kitchen for a while. Jenny became as white as a sheet when the radio reported that the London government had announced that it would now explicitly use the emergency laws to take action against the Scottish independence movement, which was growing bigger and louder with every single day. Anyone suspected of being part of the "New Jacobites" or their followers should be arrested and charged with high treason. Ian, who was sitting next to Jenny at the kitchen table, looked up in horror. Jamie, who had just taken two bottles of beer from the fridge for himself and Ian, turned, looked at them and just sighed.

         "This is what I've always been afraid of. But don't worry, our naturalization papers. identity cards and passports are on their way. I spoke to Ernst last night."

         Ernst, more precisely Ernst Neuenburger, was Under State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Economics. Jamie had met the official in 2018, when his uncle Jared took him to the ministry's summer party, introducing his nephew to the network he had been building across Europe for many years. (More than anybody else outside Scotland, Jared Fraser had dedicated his life with great zeal to the service of the "New Jacobites". Wherever on the continent he could, he had used his influence and financial resources to promote an independent Scotland with good relations to the EU).          James Fraser and Ernst Neuenburger were immediately sympathetic to each other. And in the course of the day, Jamie discovered that Ernst Neuenburger was not only a competent interlocutor in economic matters, but that he had also a great affection for Scotland.

BMWi Goerckehof mit Brunnen by Fridolin freudenfett - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62265692

         "If we take the right of self-determination of peoples seriously, as laid down in Article 1(2) of the UN Charter, through the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights of December 19, 1966, then Scotland must be given the right to be a State in its own right," the Under Secretary of State had said.    

         Jamie had nodded in agreement and then, more jokingly, asked:

         "Are you secretly a Jacobite, Mr. Neuenburger?"

         "No, Mr. Fraser," the politician had replied with a smile, but with a very serious undertone in his voice, "I don't think you have to belong to any special group to stand up for freedom and self-governemenrt. To be a democrat is, in my opinion, quite enough."

         Neuenburger, who obviously enjoyed talking to Jared Fraser's nephew, took a quick look around.

         "Why don't we take a few steps," he then said, pointing with one hand towards a path that would lead them away from the center of the festival.

         "Gladly," Jamie replied, and together they moved away from the crowd. Jamie well remembered seeing his uncle Jared as he walked away, talking to a man and a woman in the shade of a high hedge, also a little away from everyone else. Jared had smiled, nodded briefly to his nephew and then immediately returned to his conversation partners.  

         When they had moved about two hundred yards away, it was Jamie who resumed the conversation:

         "It's interesting that you say that as a German, we're only used to revolutionary sounds from French people. The French supported us in earlier centuries, but the Germans..."

         "If I may say so, Mr. Fraser," Neuenburger interjected, "the Germans didn't exist then. When the French supported the Scots, thanks to the political intrigues of the French, the Austrians and the Russians, there was only a patchwork of small and tiny German countries. It was Bismarck..."

         "I know, I know. But they were Germans, the King of Hanover..."

         "Oh, yes, of course. And no need you remind me that the Kingdom of Prussia was allied with the Kingdom of Hanover... But you know the saying: 'You can't choose your family, but you can choose your friends'. As you may know, George August II was a cousin of Frederick William I, the father of Frederick the Great. Both George II and Frederick I were brought up by their common grandmother, the Electoress Sophie at the palace of Herrenhausen near Hanover. It has been historically recorded that the men already had an aversion to each other as children. This aversion continued later, when they became men or kings, respectively."

         Neuenburger paused with his remarks when a waitress appeared with a tray of glasses filled with champagne and offered them to the two men. Both men exchanged their empty glasses for full ones and continued their walk.

         "Twice it almost came to war between Hanover and Prussia. Did you know that?" asked Neuenburger.

         Jamie looked at him questioningly and shook his head slightly.   

         "In 1731 there was a dispute between the kingdoms and the royal families because Prussia was recruiting settlers wherever possible. George II issued an edict and assembled an army on the banks of the river Elbe. Friedrich Wilhelm I, on the other hand, had 40,000 soldiers stationed at Magdeburg to defend his territory if necessary. The dukes of Brunswick and Gotha mediated and were able to settle the dispute to a certain extent. A war was prevented.          But it was a cold peace. At the same time as the Scottish resistance was crushed at Culloden, another dispute between Hanover and Prussia was smouldering. After the death of the last prince from the house of Cirksena in 1744, it was disputed who would inherit the county of East Frisia. On the part of the Frisian princes there had been a contract of inheritance with Hanover since 1691, but Frederick I had received a “Letter of Expektanz”, meaning an actual entitlement, from Emperor Leopold on 10 December 1694, which said, that after the extinction of the princely house of East Frisia the county should fall to the kingdom of Prussia. The decisive factor in this conflict, however, was the city of Emden. At that time the town was politically isolated and economically weakened. The reason for this was the “War of Appelle” fought in 1726/27.          This war was actually a civil war and resulted from a conflict between Prince Georg Albrecht of East Frisia and the East Frisian Estates. It was, how could it be otherwise, about the tax sovereignty. But even after their defeat, the city leaders did not give up their goal of making Emden an important economic metropolis again.          Since the 'Emden Revolution' in 1595 the city had the status of a quasi-autonomous urban republic. In this - successful - revolution the city had already freed itself once from the rule of the Cirksena and, as a ‘satellite’ of the Netherlands, achieved de facto the status of a free imperial city. From then on, the representatives of the city signed all contracts and public publications according to the Roman model with ‘S.P.Q.E.’ (Senate and People of Emden). The title ‘Respublica Emdana’ and the abbreviation ‘S. P. Q. E.’ were from then on officially used by the city.          Understandable that the aldermen of the town wanted to return to this freedom and independence, which they had already once enjoyed. When the last Cirksena Prince took over his reign in 1734, the city had already refused to pay homage to him. But at least from 1740 on, the Emden councillors planned to achieve their goal with the help of the Prussian King. Secretly they negotiated the ‘Emden Convention’ with the Prussians. In this treaty, Prussia recognized the rights and privileges of the city of Emden and the East Frisian estates, and in return the East Frisian estates recognized the rule of Prussia after the death of the last prince from the house of Cirksena. It was a win-win situation. Prussia left the East Frisians and their estates the liberties they had enjoyed before and in return received a land with access to the North Sea. On 25 May 1744, two weeks after the Emden Convention had been ratified by both parties, the last prince of East Frisia died. Prussia immediately asserted its right of succession. The widowed Princess of East Frisia, a relative of Friedrich II, recognised the succession of Prussia on May 26th and recommended herself ‘to the protection and generosity of the King’. Frederick II had immediately instructed his representatives to make it known everywhere that the privileges and rights of the East Frisians would remain undiminished and that no enticement of East Frisian citizens was to be feared. With this reassuring message, the Prussian soldiers in Aurich and Leer were even positively received. The seizure of possession was already completed on June 2, just one week after the death of the Prince. Three weeks later, on June 23, 1744, the entire county paid homage to the Prussian Crown.

“Rathaus Emden” by fokkengerhard

         What do you think, Fraser? Did they rejoice at it in Hanover, or better, in  London? I don't think so. On June 3, the Hanoverian official Voigt arrived in East Frisia with papers demanding the rights of the Hanoverians. But there the whole thing was already finished. The speed with which the takeover of East Frisia took place, made possible by the careful and secret preparation, once again put the Hanoverian competitor in the shade. One cannot avoid the impression of dilettantism on the part of Hanover. It is true that they had also reacted immediately there by sending Voigt to East Frisia on June 3, with a corresponding power of attorney, but nobody wanted to accept him or his claims officially. On June 10, the Estates very aptly informed him that the contract which had been concluded between the House of Cirksena and the House of Hanover was neither known to them nor did it concern them, since neither they nor the Emperor had approved the document. East Frisia was also supposed to have a potential for conflict for some time to come. In 1748 the disputes over maritime trade became more intense, especially with the Netherlands, but also with England and Sweden. During the Seven Years' War, however, England then needed the support of Prussian soldiers and only in the course of this did it give up all claims in relation to East Frisia."

         The two men had stopped and emptied their glasses. 

         "Why are you telling me all of this?"

“Brunnen im Kanonenhof des Invalidenhauses, heute Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft, Berlin” by Dirk Sattler - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62311136

         "Well, you said it was unusual to hear 'revolutionary' sounds from a German. Surely, as Frederick Engels once said, ‘revolutions in Prussia are made from above’. We may not be as revolutionary as the French, but please remember that we are a very, very freedom-loving people. The history of the First and Second World Wars is well known. However, the history of the our war of libration, 1813 to 1815, against Napoleon is often overlooked. The support from the people was so great that some historians even speak of the Prussian People's War. Men and women exchanged their golden wedding rings for iron rings to support their country. The phrase ‘gold I gave for iron’ became something like a proverb. A well-known picture, which spread after the wars of liberation, shows a returning soldier. He does not call out to his wife, who welcomes him with open arms, ‘I am back’ but ‘The fatherland is free! Victoria!' And it wasn't just then. Remember that this country has been struggling for 40 years to be reunited and thus to be free. Not aggressively, but with endurance. And when the Germans in the East brought down the SED regime, it was a peaceful revolution that brought the dictatorship to its knees. What do you think, Fraser, the people here would feel for a people that is oppressed by its, shall we say, bigger neighbour?"

         Neuenburger slowly began to walk again. Jamie latched on.

         "Why exactly are you telling me all of this?" he asked.

         "Well, perhaps I wanted to remind you that revolutionary, i.e. cataclysmic, thoughts don't always have to unload themselves in a storm of the Bastille. Sometimes it is wiser to keep them to yourself and ... say, wait for the ratification of an Emden Convention. As far as I know, a freedom-loving people will always welcome and ... support the freedom, or rather the liberation, of another people.”

         Neuenburger smiled. Jamie shook his head slightly and smiled too.

         "Come Fraser," the newfound friend then said, "let's go. The buffet is open." 

         The conversation between the two men was not without consequences. Twice, once in autumn 2018 and once in summer 2019, Ernst Neuenburger had visited the Frasers' home estate in the Scottish Highlands as a holiday guest, before political events made these trips impossible for him. But the two men's confidence in each other had grown during these weeks of walking, horseback riding and hunting together, to the point that by the end of 2020 Jamie was able to make contact with his friend in Berlin unnoticed (through previously agreed 'private' channels). Everything that happened then, that had to happen to bring the Fraser/Murray family into safe exile, happened very quickly. It had to happen very quickly because the window of opportunity to do so was, as in any historical moment, only open for a very short time.

“Schottland” by Emphyrio 

         On the first Saturday evening that the Frasers/Murrays spent in their new home, Ernst Neuenburger came by to deliver the passports, identity cards and naturalisation papers for all family members. Jenny invited him for dinner and afterwards Jamie and the guest went to the library to talk in private.          After the two men had discussed the political situation in Europe for a while over a glass of whisky in front of the fireplace, Ernst Neubauer leaned over to his host..       

         "We have a question for you..."

         It had been clear to James Fraser that sooner or later Neuburger would approach him with a request. He didn't see it as extortion or payment. On the contrary, he was grateful if he could do something in return for the privileges granted. He would have been reluctant to remain a debtor to his friend.

         "You must believe me when I tell you I didn't plan this. I have and will continue to do everything I can to help you and your family with great joy ..."

         "Speak Ernst, straight forward."

         "Well, you have some skills that would be very useful to us. You speak English, perfect French, very good German. You are intelligent and a man who can keep quiet. You also have a thriving wine trade and as a businessman..."

         "... I can travel anywhere without raising suspicion?”

         "Right. But the most important thing is that I trust you."

         The men were silent for a moment. 

         "Would you be willing," Neuenburger then asked, "to act as an negotiator on our behalf and travel when necessary?"

         "Shall I conclude ‘Emden conventions’ for the country?" 

         "Maybe."

         Neuenburger had to smile. What a good memory Fraser owned!

         "And where would that lead me to?"

         "Well, first of all, to the African continent. 116 million Africans in 31 countries speak French. And counting. Your language skills predestine you for tasks in this field. However, we would ask you to learn Spanish and possibly Portuguese as well. Then we could also send you to  South America. Of course, we will provide you with a language teacher paid by us."

         Again the men were silent for a moment.

         "How dangerous could these 'missions' be for me?" Jamie then asked.

         "Not particularly," replied Neuenburger. "You are travelling as a businessman and that causes far less sensation than the travels of a politician or a political official. There are quite a number of, shall we say, colleagues of yours who do that for us. So far, every one of them has returned. We will, of course, prepare you thoroughly for your task."

         Jamie pondered for a moment, then nodded and answered:

         "Travailler pour le roi de Prusse? Jes suis prest! This country has provided me and my family with freedom and a new start here. If we were not here, I would probably be in an English prison by now. It's only fair that I give something back.”

         "Thanks," said Neuenburger and went on “It’s not the King of Prussia, but a democratic republic you serve. Just saying.”          Then he reached into the right inside pocket of his jacket and took out a fresh passport, which he handed to Jamie.

         Jamie reached for it and opened the little red book.

         "Well, well, well, you've thought up a nice alias for me."

         Neuenburger smiled.

“Reisepass” by  Edeltravel_

         Four weeks later, Etienne Marcel de Provac Alexandre, alias James Fraser, began his first trip as a well-camouflaged diplomatic negotiator.

         This and other journeys were to take him first to numerous states on the African continent. He negotiated political and economic contracts with other negotiators, lobbied for the release and repatriation of citizens in difficulty and delivered oral messages whose content was too secret to be transmitted by paper or electronic means. From 2023 on, when he became fluent in Spanish, he was also send to South America. One of his last trips took him to Buenos Aires, where he signed a trade agreement. Officially, however, he attended the "Conference of Argentine and Chilean Wine Merchants". In order to make his trip as unobtrusive as possible, he did not fly back to Berlin directly, but made a stopover in Boston. There, officially, he would meet a businessman, a friend, who was planning to include the wines which  Etienne Marcel de Provac Alexandre sold, in his range. But in reality, this stopover was to change his life fundamentally. But James Fraser knew nothing of this when his plane landed at Logan International Airport.

#14DaysofOutlander #Outlander #Outlander Fan Fiction #From Boston to Berlin in 14 hours #Claire Beauchamp #Jamie Fraser #Ian Murray #Jenny Murray #Scotland #Germany #Boston #Berlin #Etienne Marcel de Provac Alexandre

[scary-lasagna]

I thought Helen was 17 until a couple weeks ago 😳 someone tried to defend his relationship w Dina on one of my posts it was gross

Bro same. They're literally 11 years apart. Like??? Hnng. Idek why their shipped anyways, I just don't think their personalities would click even if they were in the same age range.

[lotusik]

How Hecate came to Vancouver Island. (June 7the 2020)

Image from Hecate Park & image of Hecate I made into a postcard.

I’ve grown up here on Vancouver Island. We moved here from Manitoba by the time I was 6 years old. It wasn’t til summer 2013 when I really became aware of the goddess Hecate (a story for another post!) and it was another few years before I clued into the connection between two local places I knew about, Hecate Park and Hecate Strait, with the goddess Hecate. I think the delay was due to the difference in pronunciation, the locales are pronounced Hek-et, and after hearing it my whole life, it just took me some time to connect the dots!

   Hecate Island, image by  Kira Hoffman

Since that time I have discovered there are 16 locales (as well as a fishing lodge and an inn) named Hecate on Vancouver Island and the surrounding areas! Obviously as a devotee of Hecate, I was thrilled to have this physical connection to a goddess associated with such faraway lands in history, and lands so different than the Pacific Northwest. But as so often happens, the actual story of how these places came to be named Hecate is neither terribly exciting, nor surprising really when the history of this island is looked at.

1903 Nootka House

 Kwakwakaʼwakw children in Yuquot (Friendly Cove)

Vancouver Island historically, and presently, is home to the Kwakwakaʼwakw, Nuu-chah-nulth and Coast Salish peoples.  In the 1800s the British came and began their colonization of these lands as if they did not already belong to others. While this post isn’t about the atrocities that happened here, I would be remiss not to mention them. The repercussions are still being felt to this day. I recall being really surprised when I learned that a large proportion of Canadians actually knew almost nothing about the attempted genocide. Though it is now finally starting to be talked about in schools, the information being shared is not entirely accurate and still quite problematic according to a young Kwakwakaʼwakw woman I spoke with, whom has recently finished with the school system. I am grateful to my grandparents (an amazing couple whom I have much more to write about in another post) that raised me to be respectful of the land and the original inhabitants, and for always having been aware of what happened in this place. It has led me to feel a strangely conflicted feeling about living here. Feeling both so at home with this island’s spirit, yet always feeling a deep longing for Europe, and being but a guest here. I feel the same conflict about being thrilled to have locations named Hecate here while knowing how those locations came to be named.

HMS Hecate aground in Neah Bay east of Cape Flattery between 15 and 21 August 1861

In 1860 Captain George Henry Richards first came to B.C. to do survey work on the H.M.S Plumper until she was decommissioned, he then continued the work aboard the H.M.S Hecate. And thus we see the origins of all these places being named Hecate. Captain Richards did survey work around Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast for two years. By all accounts he was a kind and fair man. Oftentimes he was called to break up disputes between the Indigenous people and whites, and he would invariably always call out the whites as being in the wrong. There are also stories of him giving treats and gifts to the Indigenous people and being generally very kind. I was personally very glad to read this. He also had some sweet mutton chops.

Captain George Henry Richards, Royal Navy, BC Archives

In naming places around coastal BC, apparently the indigenous names were kept as much as possible, but much that was not named already or if the indigenous name could not be used, then those places would be named. Many of the names given by Capt Richards were for his crew and even a favourite racehorse.

Here is the list I compiled of all the places named Hecate, on and around Vancouver Island, starting from the South and moving upward North Island and over to the Sunshine Coast.

Hecate Passage (E. of Chain Islets, W. of Plumper Passage)

Hecate Park (Cowichan Bay)

Hecate Street (Nanaimo)

Hecate Mountain (NE of junction of Uchucklesit Inlet and Alberni Inlet)

Hecate Bay (NW. of Meares Island, E. of Catface Range)

Hecate (abandoned locality NE side of Nootka Island)

Hecate Lake (N. end of Nootka Island, E. of Saltery Bay)

Hecate Channel (Between Zeballos and Tahsis Inlets)

Hecate 17 (East shore of Zeballos Arm of Esperanza Inlet)

Hecate Cove (N. side of Quatsino Sound, E. of Quatsino) [There is also the Hecate Cove Fishing Lodge]

Hecate Island (Just N of Calvert Island)

Hecate Strait  (Between Haida Gwaii & mainland) [On Haida Gwaii there is the Hecate Inn]

Hecate Rock (shoal in Duncan Bay)

Hecate Rock (Goletan Channel, Mount Waddington)

Hecate Reefs (I’m assuming this refers to the reefs in Hecate Strait)

Hecate Place (street in Vancouver)

According to British Columbia Coast Names by John, T. Walbran, Hecate Strait, Bay, Passage, Channel, Cove, Island, Rock (there are two in two different places) and reefs were named directly by Capt Richards between 1861-1862. The other places will likely have been named directly from those named by Richards.

{With libraries & archives being closed due to Covid 19 I wasn't able to access some of the information I'd originally gathered when I started this article several years back. That said, I think it contains most, if not all of the relevant information.}

While I was doing this research I realized there are quite a lot of places all over the world named Hecate, She certainly has made her way around the globe!

And lastly, I recently was also made aware of someone local who at one time had a boat named Hecate (retired), which if I get permission I will share a photo here of the boat herself, or at the very least, the beautiful wood sign with the name that was on the boat. They named the ship actually due to the goddess, the family having had a long time interest in Greek mythology.

Resources and references:

The private journal of Captain G.H. Richards: the Vancouver Island survey (1860-1862) (The first part is here: http://ronsdalepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Private-Journal.pdf ) Ronsdale Press 2012

British Columbia Place Names G. P. V. Akrigg, Helen B. Akrigg, UBC Press 1997

British Columbia Coast Names 1592-1906 by John Walbran, J.J. Douglas Ltd 1977-2003

BC Geographical Names https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/

The Coast of British Columbia: Including the Juan de Fuca Strait, Puget Sound, Vancouver and Queen Charlotte Islands, United States. Hydrographic Office, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1891 - British Columbia

Dictionary Of Canadian Biography http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/richards_george_henry_12E.html

Cobble Hill Historical Society https://cobblehillhistory.org/vignettes/item/26-hms-hecate

https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/vancouver-island#:~:text=The%20Treaty%20of%20Washington%20(1846,of%20British%20Columbia%20in%201871

Image Citations:

Nootka (Nuu-cha-nulth) House, 1903, Meany, Edmond S. (1862-19350 IN Meany Album v.2, p. 26, Digital Collection: American Indians of the Pacific Northwest Images, Edmond Meany Collection no. 132, Negative Number: NA 1150

Nuu-chah-nulth children at Friendly Cove, 1930s Alamy Stock Photo/Contributor Matteo Omied, Image ID 2BD7Y77

HMS Hecate - Public Domain

Captain George Henry Richards, Royal Navy; HMS Hecate and HMS Plumper, BC Archives, A-02432

#vancouverisland #hecate #hekate #history #colonization #uncededland