#that would be because I'm a jackdaw that likes random shiny things

[sanguinarysanguinity]

Assuming that you have unlimited money—which can only be used to purchase swords and sidearms and the like—what does your dream armoury look like?

This is a great question, and I've had a great time thinking about it, thank you!

I admit to coveting a Lloyd's Patriotic Fund sword -- they're so pretty, and I'm attached to the history behind them. And of course I'd add an 18th-century basket-hilted Scottish broadsword -- actually, I hear tell there were all sorts of variations of Scottish hilts being set to French blades commissioned by the Jacobite exile community in France, replacing lost, broken, or pawned weapons, and it would be cool to have examples of that.

That said, I have a pronounced preference for weapons I know how to use. A weapon should feel like an extension of your arm, and when it doesn't, it's so sad. I'm currently taking saber/cutlass lessons, so an antique Royal Navy cutlass would be lovely -- along with a decent blunted replica that I could beat up without reserve! (Can some of these funds be diverted into the time for weapons training, so I could properly enjoy these blades? I hope so!)

But my real passion is knives. There are so many cool knife designs from so many cultures! Optimized for so many functions! (Including ceremonial functions!) I of course want all the kinds of knives wielded by my blorbos, plus all the various clever blades I've coveted over the decades. I'm not, however, much into fantasy blades, even though there's a popular market for those -- I vastly prefer knife designs that were actually used by a specific people for a specific purpose.

As far as antiques vs. replicas go, I'm ambivalent. I have complicated feelings about some of the conflicts various historic weapons were used in and the fetishization of artifacts thereof; I also have complicated feelings about who gets to own rare historical artifacts, especially from a people's own cultural history. Accordingly, if I truly did have unlimited funds to spend on this, I would enjoy being able to buy museum-quality pieces that museums are unable to afford, and then put them out on permanent loan to those institutions. (Or, if the terms of my fantasy funds permit it, donating said items to the relevant institutions outright -- whichever makes better sense for the history being available to researchers and the public.) Also, you can't play with antiques like you can with replicas! So likely I'd have a decent mix of both in the collection.

And then, just for kicks, a solar-actuated signal cannon that fires at noon every day. Just because I can. :D

#clove-pinks #thank you so much for the question #and my apologies in taking so long to answer it #if I sound like a jackdaw that likes random shiny things #that would be because I'm a jackdaw that likes random shiny things #and of course I want a paid armorer to make sure everything is properly maintained #especially the historical items #because I am crap at keeping up at chores like that myself #and I wouldn't want the historical items to suffer #about me #knives